Discussion

At 900 PM GMT (2100 UTC), the center of Tropical Depression Fay was located near latitude 30.1 North, longitude 39.2 West. The depression is moving toward the west near 8 mph (13 km/h) and this general motion is expected to continue for the next several days.

Maximum sustained winds are near 35 mph (55 km/h) with higher gusts. Some strengthening is possible during the next couple of days, but gradual weakening should occur thereafter.

The estimated minimum central pressure is 1011 mb (29.86 inches).

Watches and Warnings

There are no coastal watches or warnings in effect.

Land Hazards

None.

Eastbound traffic will move into the final roadway configuration. Westbound drivers will separate based on whether they are turning north or south onto Blanding Boulevard.

The new signalized U-turn on northbound Blanding Boulevard opened Tuesday. Westbound Wells Road drivers who need to continue west or travel south on Blanding Boulevard can use the U-turn after entering the displaced left-turn configuration.

The new configuration is designed to improve traffic flow, reduce congestion and make it easier for drivers to access businesses along the corridor. However, some businesses could be harder to reach because westbound traffic on Wells Road will not continue across Blanding Boulevard as it has in the past.

“It’s really, really bad,” Clay County resident Zoriana Laney said of the traffic. “Every day it’s like that. It’s ridiculous.”

The new signalized U-turn on northbound Blanding Boulevard opened Tuesday. Drivers traveling west on Wells Road who need to continue west or head south on Blanding Boulevard can use the U-turn to reach their destinations.

Clay County Chamber of Commerce President Jon Cantrell said businesses and community leaders are hopeful the changes will improve traffic.

“We’re all very hopeful about the traffic because it’s crazy,” Cantrell said. “They’re working right now to free that up and make traffic flow better.”

The project covers Blanding Boulevard, or State Road 21, from south of Wells Road to the Ortega River intersection.

J.B. Coxwell Contracting Inc. is expected to complete the project this fall, weather and unforeseen circumstances permitting.

She’s Alive, the entity founded to manage Parton’s estate, had filed the complaint against Seaver and Squadron Augmented Protection Services a day prior. The estate accused Seaver of threatening to commit violence and destroy his aunt’s legacy and business empire in court filings.

As part of the order, Seaver and SAPS must refrain from talking with or being within 1,000 feet (305 meters) of She’s Alive employees, attorneys and business partners. The order is also meant to keep him from interfering with its business relationships.

A hearing is scheduled for Oct. 7.

Seaver, who owns a company that provided Parton’s security detail and was handpicked by the star to announce her death from cancer last month, did not respond to an email Wednesday from The Associated Press requesting comment on the order being granted.

Representatives for SAPS also did not respond, and no one was present at the SAPS office in downtown Nashville on Wednesday afternoon. No one came to the door at an address listed in court documents for Seaver in the semi-rural Nashville suburb of Fairview. A woman speaking to a reporter through a doorbell camera said that they would not be speaking to anyone.

In the temporary restraining order request filed by She’s Alive, the entity that manages and protects Parton’s professional property and business, and other court documents, Seaver is accused of sending increasingly threatening messages over the last several weeks. She’s Alive is run by Danny Nozell, Parton’s longtime manager.

Last week, She’s Alive terminated Seaver and Squadron Augmented Protection Services, saying his “terrorizing conduct made their continued retention untenable,” according to court documents. The company is also named in the complaint; its representatives did not respond to an emailed request for comment Tuesday.

The court documents showcase a series of text messages and emails She's Alive says were sent by Seaver, starting just before Parton's death. The messages begin with threats to destroy Parton's brand, and then after her death, depict Seaver reveling in his newfound fame and calling himself an “international arms dealer.”

In one message written on Sept. 1 and included in the court documents, he said: “I’m going to set up a podcast dedicated to ruining Dolly’s brand partnerships and telling the violations these people have done on us. It’s going to be great. Or f——— pay me.”

Seaver also claimed that he worked for private military contractors overseas during the Iraq War and used that experience as part of these threats, according to the complaint.

The messages have resulted in Parton’s trusts and estates attorney leaving and employees of She’s Alive resigning, according to the court documents. The entity has also had to hire private security for its employees, including at their homes, the documents state.

Parton wrote hundreds of songs, including classics like “Jolene,” “Coat of Many Colors” and “I Will Always Love You,” that earned a total of more than 100 million worldwide sales and more than 1 billion online streams.

As of 3:30 p.m., the left lane was blocked, causing significant backups.

By 4:30 p.m., the scene had been cleared.

Separately, crews were on the scene of another crash on I-295 South at the ramp from Monument Boulevard.

As of 3:30 p.m., the on ramp was closed and the right lane was blocked.

Lanes were back open by 5:30 p.m.

Iowa District Judge Scott J. Beattie sided with pollster J. Ann Selzer and the Register, who described the lawsuit as a conspiracy theory and an affront to free speech protections.

The judge wrote that Trump’s suit sought to “stretch both Iowa statutory and common law beyond their current bounds, turning speech that enjoys the highest category of First Amendment protection into a liability.” After hearing the arguments, the judge concluded the constitutional protection “is too great and the reach is too far. The case must therefore be dismissed.”

Trump and his team have filed several lawsuits against media organizations accusing them of bias, calling into question the boundaries of First Amendment protections for speech and press. Some of those lawsuits have ended in settlements.

Trump filed the lawsuit against Selzer, The Des Moines Register and the newspaper’s parent company in December 2024, accusing them of fraudulently publishing inaccurate poll results to damage him and help Democrats, saying coverage of polls is not protected speech.

U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and former Iowa state Sen. Brad Zaun, both Republicans, joined the lawsuit. Selzer and her co-defendants wanted the case moved to federal court but, after a year of legal proceedings, the first hearing took place this year in state court.

The poll, conducted by Selzer’s company in the final days of October and released just days before Election Day 2024, showed then-Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democrats’ presidential nominee, capturing 47% of Iowa likely voters, to Trump’s 44%.

Trump ultimately won the support of 56% of the nearly 2 million Iowans who voted.

Trump, Miller-Meeks and Zaun alleged the misleading coverage diminished their reputations, valuable time in the final days of the campaign, and campaign funds and resources.

Selzer’s case was taken up by the free speech advocacy group Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. In separate filings, the Iowa pollster and The Register, with its parent company, Gannett Co., argued that courts have never considered polls or newspapers covering them to be commercial speech even though they may be sold for a profit.

They said the poll coverage, whether right or wrong in capturing the state of the race, was constitutionally protected political speech.

They also disputed the consumer fraud claim, emphasizing the poll and coverage of it were not connected to transactions between the companies and Trump, Miller-Meeks or Zaun.

Brown is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 30 to make the deal final. Defense attorney Mark Eiglarsh said Brown will plead no contest to aggravated assault. He will be sentenced to probation, and adjudication will be withheld, meaning Brown will not be considered a convicted felon, the attorney said. Brown could have faced up to 30 years in prison if convicted of the original attempted murder charge.

Brown is accused of grabbing a handgun from a security staffer after a celebrity boxing match in Miami on May 16, 2025, and firing two shots at a man he had gotten into a fistfight with earlier, according to an arrest warrant. Zul-Qarnain Kwame Nantambu told investigators that one of the bullets grazed his neck.

Attorney insists that Brown would have prevailed at trial

“This was not an easy decision,” Eiglarsh said in a statement Wednesday. “Antonio believes in his innocence. He believes strongly in his Stand Your Ground defense, and he believes he would ultimately prevail at trial. But when prosecutors put an offer on the table that transforms a potential decades-long prison sentence into a significantly reduced charge and probation, there was simply no way he could reasonably turn it down.”

Florida’s so-called Stand Your Ground law allows people who believe they face death or serious injury to use deadly force to defend themselves without a duty to retreat.

Richard Cooper, an attorney for Nantambu, called the plea deal fair.

“We are satisfied that justice is served. My client maintains what he said previously: that he forgives Brown and will not cooperate with law enforcement,” Cooper said in an email Wednesday. “We wish Mr. Brown good health and that he grows from this event.”

Nantambu's attorneys have said he'd decided to forgive Brown

In a previous statement, his attorneys said Nantambu, a devout Muslim, had made the decision to forgive Brown after “considerable reflection, prayer, and consultation with his family and counsel.”

The Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office declined to comment on Wednesday, with spokesperson Ed Griffith saying the details would be “fully clarified” at next week's hearing.

Brown has said on social media that he was defending himself from an attack and that others were trying to steal jewelry from him.

Brown, 38, spent 12 years in the NFL and was an All-Pro wide receiver who last played in 2021 for Tampa Bay, including winning a Super Bowl championship with quarterback Tom Brady. He spent much of his career with Pittsburgh. For his career, Brown had 928 receptions for more than 12,000 yards and accounted for 88 total touchdowns, counting punt returns and one pass.

Brown has faced legal problems over the years

Brown was extradited in November 2025 from Dubai, where he has business interests, after an arrest warrant on the attempted murder charge was issued in June 2025.

Brown has dealt with several legal problems over the years. He previously had been accused of battery of a moving truck driver, several domestic violence charges, failure to pay child support and other incidents. During a 2021 game with Tampa Bay against the New York Jets, Brown took off his jersey, shoulder pads and gloves and ran off the field, leading to his release by the Buccaneers and effectively ending his football career.

In a separate case, Nantambu was found guilty earlier this year of a misdemeanor charge of resisting an officer after police said he disrupted Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime performance in 2025. Nantambu was among dozens of dancers on the field at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans when he ran across the field with a Sudanese flag that read “Sudan and Free Gaza.” He surrendered to authorities after an arrest warrant was obtained.

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Associated Press writer Christopher Weber in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

The Fernandina Beach Fire Department and the Fernandina Beach Police Department responded to a residential fire on Beugnet Road, just off Sadler Road.

Investigators are treating the fire as suspicious.

According to a GoFundMe, the home belonged to Kloei Leisure and her two kids: Izzy, 3, and Zahlei, 5 months.

“It’s such a tragic, tragic incident that has happened to such an amazing family,” family friend Allyson Swart said. “It breaks my heart.”

The fundraiser says that they lost everything in the fire and they need clothes, diapers, formula, bedding and more.

Izzy wears a shirt size 3T and shoe size 8. Zahlei wears size 6-9 months old clothes.

Swart said neighbors helped move cars out of the way while firefighters worked.

“A lot of people here in Fernandina helped move cars and get cars out of the way,” she said.

Swart said the family is overwhelmed and heartbroken but that the community is helping them rebuild.

“My focus was the family. My focus was on making sure they’re okay,” she said. “I know they’re overwhelmed, they’re heartbroken. But as a community, we rebuild.”

Click here to donate to the GoFundMe.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Castillo with the Fernandina Beach Police Department.

To remain anonymous and be eligible for a possible reward of up to $3,000, contact First Coast Crime Stoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS or dial **TIPS (**8477) on a cellphone. Tips may also be submitted at fccrimestoppers.com by clicking “submit tip” at the top of the page.

The budget restores $4.9 million to the city’s affordable housing trust fund, reversing a proposed cut that had drawn weeks of public concern. That funding breaks down as follows:

• $2 million for down payment assistance
• $1.4 million for capital stack funding, which combines different types of financing for major projects
• $1.5 million for utility tap fees tied to attainable housing

Separate from the city funding, JWB Cares Welcome Home Fund announced Wednesday that eight Jacksonville residents will each receive $20,000 in down payment assistance, adding to the city’s affordable housing momentum.

About 300 people applied for the funds, a sign of just how strong the demand is for homeownership opportunities in Jacksonville.

Mayor Deegan says the barrier to homeownership isn’t the mortgage, it’s getting to the starting line.

“It’s out of reach because getting to the starting line is really just so difficult. You’re paying rent. You’re paying for groceries, childcare, health care, insurance, transportation, all the everyday expenses,” Deegan said.

News4JAX spoke with some of the new homeowners and asked what they felt was the biggest obstacle in their homeownership journey.

They all said the same thing.

“It’s hard to get enough money to get a down payment. And also, the prices of the home,” said JoAnn Walker-Thomas, a fund recipient.

“Essentially, the down payment is the biggest hurdle to get over,” said Kristen Gonzalez, a fund recipient.

“The hardest part is being able to get the money to have the down payment for it. It’s not about being able to pay your mortgage, mostly everybody can pay the mortgage,” said Denard Jones, a fund recipient.

When asked what it took to get the affordable housing funding restored, Mayor Deegan credited the community.

“There were so many citizens who showed up and said, please listen to us. We’ve been saying this for years. And I think that we finally have gotten to the point where they’re looking at the whole affordability piece and saying, you know what? We should listen,” Deegan said.

The City of Jacksonville also offers the Headstart to Homeownership Program, providing financial assistance of up to $25,000 for down payment and closing costs for eligible individuals or families interested in purchasing a home.

For more information on the city’s affordable housing programs, click here.

The grim warning by the University of Chicago-based Climate Impact Lab says that as many as 451,000 more heat-related deaths between June and the end of February could be attributed to El Nino, compared with heat deaths expected in a typical year.

The heaviest toll, the group says, is expected in poorer countries, already struggling with food insecurity and high energy costs, partly due to climate change and the fallout of the war in Iran.

Michael Greenstone, a co-founder of the group and the study's co-author, said the heat danger will likely persist beyond February — even though this El Nino is expected to end by then. The fallout of the weather phenomenon could be felt well into next summer, he added.

The research, he said, shows that heat is most dangerous in places that are already hot and relatively poor.

“If you’re already in a hot place, the extra couple of degrees are going to be much more dangerous,” he said. Wealthier places, he added, generally have greater access to air conditioning, reliable water supplies and functioning health systems.

The study combined seasonal temperature forecasts with localized estimates of how high temperatures affect mortality across more than 24,000 regions worldwide.

Researchers estimated the additional heat-related deaths by comparing deaths expected under El Nino-driven high temperatures with deaths expected if temperatures remained similar to what they have been in the last three decades. The projected fatalities are for the entire El Nino period, from June 2026 until the end of February 2027.

The report says the Global South will see more heat-related deaths

The study by Greenstone and his colleagues also warns that the Global South — a term that isn't geographical but a reference to developing countries in general — will bear the heaviest burden of the excessive heat.

The researchers behind the report found that the Sahel region in Africa — countries along the semiarid southern fringe of the Sahara Desert — is expected to be the hardest-hit, with about 66,800 additional deaths caused by El Nino-driven heat.

Other major hot spots include South and Southeast Asia and parts of Latin America, according to the report. The researchers project about 19,400 additional heat-related deaths across the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia, as well as 19,300 in Indonesia, 15,800 in India and 13,300 in Brazil.

Heat warnings and cooling centers could prevent thousands of deaths

With such staggering numbers, there are recommended measures that governments can take, the report says. They include heat-warning systems, cooling centers, hydration stations, protections for outdoor workers, expanded hospital capacity and targeted outreach to elderly people and other vulnerable groups.

The authors also call for what they describe as anticipatory financing, so governments can move resources before dangerous heat peaks.

Abhiyant Tiwari, a heat expert at NRDC India who was not involved in the study, said the report’s projections should serve as a call to action rather than be another reason for alarm.

But while it's one thing to have well thought-out plans — as India does — implementing these plans and raising needed funds remains a challenge, he said.

"The real measure of our preparedness is not how many heat warnings we issue, but how effectively we protect people and reduce preventable deaths,” Tiwari added.

Climate change is amplifying El Nino’s record heat

El Nino is a natural climate pattern, but this year’s unusually strong event is occurring on a planet already warmed by human-caused climate change, increasing the risks from extreme heat.

The Climate Impact Lab said global land temperatures during this El Nino could be higher by about 1.2 Celsius (2.1 Fahrenheit), producing 44% more extremely hot days than in a typical year. The report said those temperature increases may mirror conditions that climate change could make common some 20 years from now.

That's why this El Nino could offer a preview of what's ahead as the planet continues to warm, the report said. It's also an opportunity for decision-makers "to see exactly where emergency actions can be taken now to save tens of thousands of lives,” the authors say.

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The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Although no city races are on the general election ballot, voters within Gainesville city limits will be asked to vote yes or no on a proposed charter amendment regarding how commission vacancies are filled.

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

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

MAYORAL CANDIDATE

Harvey Ward, Jr.

Occupation: I am currently Mayor of Gainesville, but my previous career was in non-profit management and fundraising.

Age: 58

Family: My wife and I have three daughters.

Education: I’m a graduate of Eastside High, Santa Fe College and the University of Florida.

Political experience: I served two terms as a Gainesville City Commissioner and am currently serving in my first term as Mayor.

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

Public safety, both as it relates to crime and to traffic safety, and access to affordable homes. We have delivered less gun violence and fewer injuries and deaths on our streets, and we will keep doing what has worked and continue to listen to the community about how to our city even more safe. We have delivered more than 800 new affordable homes over the past four years, and we will continue to prioritize more affordable homes in the next term.

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

My experience at City Hall and a lifetime of living, working and raising a family in our community sets me apart in knowing where our issues and our opportunities lie, and my experience working with other mayors across the world through the Bloomberg Center for Cities, the US Conference of Mayors and the Democratic Mayors Association gives me a wealth of support and connections that benefits our neighbors here at home.

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

Gainesville has more than doubled in size since I was a child, and as a community of more than 150,000 neighbors, we are no longer a sleepy college town, but a mid-size university city. I hope to be remembered as having helped move our city through some growing pains in a way that helps everyone who chooses to call Gainesville home thrive.

Campaign website: wardformayor.com

Campaign social media: (None given)

DISTRICT 2 CANDIDATE

Nathan Crabbe

Occupation: I am a longtime journalist who is currently editor of The Invading Sea, a website with news and commentary on climate change and other environmental issues affecting Florida. I previously spent more than 17 years as an editor and reporter for The Gainesville Sun newspaper, including nearly 10 years as opinion editor.

Age: 50

Family: My wife Colleen is a nurse practitioner in Gainesville and we have two children, ages 14 and 11, who attend public schools here.

Education: I earned a master’s degree in journalism and mass communication from Point Park University in Pittsburgh, Pa., and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio.

Political experience: I have no previous political experience. As a journalist, I kept out of politics to remain objective when writing about the major challenges facing Gainesville. I’m now running for office to play a greater part in helping to solve these problems.

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

1) Affordability: I support programs to improve energy efficiency in homes and reduce utility bills. I want to increase access to starter housing for young members of our workforce as well as housing for seniors who want to be able to age in place.

2) Environment: Gainesville needs to demand responsible development and protect green spaces in our neighborhoods that lower temperatures and improve our quality of life. I support having accessible parks, connected trails and walkable neighborhoods.

3) Infrastructure: Our community should have well-maintained roads that are safe for everyone. I support having resilient infrastructure and using nature-based solutions to reduce flooding and improve water quality.

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

I have spent my journalism career helping people better understand government, holding elected officials accountable and providing platforms for people to express a diversity of opinions. These experiences would inform my approach to being a city commissioner. I would help my constituents navigate local government and ensure that it is responsive to their needs. I would listen to the concerns of a wide range of residents when considering issues before the commission and then be transparent in explaining my decisions.

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

I want to be remembered as someone who protected what makes Gainesville special while better preparing our community for the future. We face fiscal, environmental and social challenges. Local government needs to spend wisely, plan responsibly and strengthen local institutions that help residents who struggle.

Campaign website: nathancrabbe.com

Campaign social media: Facebook | Instagram

DISTRICT 3 CANDIDATE

Casey Willits

Campaign website: caseyforcommission.com

Campaign social media: Facebook

The incumbent, first elected in 2022, has not responded to email and telephone invitations to complete the News4JAX candidate questionnaire. If responses are received, they will be promptly posted in this space.

Gainesville Charter Amendment

In May, the Gainesville City Commission approved Ordinance 2026-165, which placed a proposed charter amendment on the November ballot, that would address how vacancies on the city commission are filled.

Currently, if less than six months remain in the unexpired term, the remaining commission members choose and appoint a successor by majority vote. If more than six months remain, then a special election must be held.

Under the proposed charter amendment, regardless of the amount of time left in an unexpired term, the remaining commissioners would appoint a replacement by a majority vote. That replacement commissioner would then remain in place until the next regularly scheduled city election.

Voters will be asked to vote yes or no based on the following ballot language:

“Shall the city charter be amended to provide that vacancies in the offices of mayor or city commission be filled by appointment by the remaining city commissioners until the next regular municipal election if the vacancy occurs with sufficient time before the candidate qualifying period for such election, and otherwise by appointment for the remainder of the unexpired term, as proposed by Ordinance No. 2026-165?”

Four to watch

Clay (4-1) at (3) St. Augustine (5-0), Thursday

A big District 4-4A clash between the surging Blue Devils and always consistent Yellow Jackets. Clay has won four straight since a Week 1 loss to Baker County. DL Jay’shawn McCloud has been a wrecking ball for Clay. He’s a menace at getting into the backfield and even picking off passes. McCloud will be a major test for a St. Augustine line led by four-year varsity starter Christian Bond. The Yellow Jackets are strong at QB with Cash Downey (10 TD passes), RB Chance Carter (405 rushing yards, 7 TDs) and WR Anthony Washington, Ry’Lend Williams and Ray’shawn Jeffries (combined six TD catches). Defensively, St. Augustine has been locking teams up. Evans (20 points) and Nease (22) are the only teams to put more the eight points on the board against the Yellow Jackets. St. Augustine Class of 2028 is deep. LB Mason Beane has continued his three-year tackling onslaught. DB Karon Robinson leads the team in picks (2). Brandon Whitfield Jr. has two sacks. And DB Dayron Jenkins has 18 tackles and a couple forced fumbles. That secondary will have to keep a tracker on Clay QB Landon Martin. He’s not only capable of putting the ball way down field but taking advantage of his speed and getting out of the pocket. That’s the same with Wyatt Rapoza under center, too. RB Kamari Davis is a home-run back who has cranked out consistent 100-yard rushing games this year. These teams first played in 1943. St. Augustine is 27-6-1 all-time against the Blue Devils, according for research compiled by former St. Augustine Record sports reporter Will Brown.

Creekside (3-2) at Sandalwood (4-1), 6:30 p.m.

A big time District 1-6A clash and a separator. A win will push one of these teams to the frontrunner spot in the district. A major step-up game for the Saints, who are in the midst of their best streak since winning five straight in 2020. Sandalwood hit lean times in the seasons that followed, including an unfathomable 29-game losing streak across the 2023-’25 seasons. Yes, the schedule has been light (three wins are against winless teams in Atlantic Coast, Parker, Westside), but that strategy is something rebuilding programs use to start turning things around. They also had a 31-28 win over a solid Wolfson team. The key to everything the Saints do is all-around playmaker Michael Hills. He’s been torching opponents to the tune of 225 all-purpose yards per game. He’s got 17 TDs (8 receiving TDs, 5 rushing TDs, 2 punt return TDs, 2 kick return TDs). QBs Jarelle Sims and Jaime Rodriguez have combined for 14 passing TDs. The big question is how can Sandalwood find that success against a team like Creekside that has already faced teams like Bartram Trail, Fletcher and Nease? The Knights dropped a 27-21 game to a Fletcher team that beat Sandalwood by four touchdowns. WR Timmy Goodrich and RB Davis Baldwin have been QB Rozzi Sperry’s top offensive assets. LB Sutton Hooker is tops on Creekside in tackles and sacks.

(7) Fletcher (3-1) at (6) Mandarin (3-1), 6:30 p.m.

Three frontrunners in District 2-5A have emerged – the Mustangs, Senators and Ponte Vedra. Mandarin was riding a 20-game, five-year winning streak against Gateway Conference programs until losing to Raines (31-13) last week. Fletcher is 8-7 in this series over the last 15 games, but Mandarin has won the last five in this series. It’s the longest streak since Fletcher won four straight from 2009-2012. The offensive line’s struggles to keep pressure off Mandarin QB Knox Annis were significant. He was scrambling and running for his life throughout the game. That Raines defensive front is elite, and not many teams can replicate that. But Fletcher’s defense has been excellent this year, so expect the Senators to try and send the pressure as much as possible. RB Shaunqueze Foster needs to continue his strong running (550 rushing yards, 7 TDs) to help take some of the focus off the passing game. ATH Brysen Wright is a problem anywhere, but his work at receiver (358 receiving yards, 5 TDs) is what has made him a consensus five-star player. Like Fletcher’s defensive front, Mandarin has muscle at the line and at linebacker. Jerel Stephens and Kaden Bryant are excellent at the LB positions. On the line, Kindrid Outland is a pocket buster. With the exception of a 27-25 loss to Plant City in a game it trailed in 27-3 at one point, Fletcher has been on point. The addition of a steady QB in Ty Keister has allowed the ground game led by Jahmyri Jennings and Ja’Mez Williams to find a little bit more room. Jennings has 591 rushing yards and five TDs; Williams has 314 and three TDs. At WR, Chase Durden has been Keister’s favorite target (24 catches, 344 yards, 5 TDs). Defense has been what has helped elevate the Senators this year. LB Boogy Stewart leads Fletcher in tackles (38) and has a couple of interceptions. LB Will Reynolds is right behind at 32 tackles. On the line, Xavier Carmichael has 14 tackles (7 for loss) and five sacks.

Ponte Vedra (2-3) at Bartram Trail (4-1)

The Bears bounced back from a 30-7 shellacking at the hands of Fletcher with a gritty 10-9 win over rival Creekside in Week 5. The Bears lead this series 12-4, but the Sharks have won the last two meetings including a 42-14 blowout last year en route to the state semifinals. The key for Bartram this year has been getting its offense in sync early and leaning more on a veteran defense to lead the way. Bartram’s top four tacklers are seniors with edge Major Granados leading the charge in pressures and sacks (5). LB Griffin Szekeres is tops on Bartram in tackles (41). Yes, the offense is very young, but it is on the ascent. Sophomore QB Xander Camus has already engineered multiple game-winning drives. Freshman RB Blake Soares is averaging 6.6 yards per carry. Sophomore WR Cam Ganther (350 receiving yards, 3 TDs) leads the team in all the catch categories. Despite three losses in five games, the record doesn’t tell the entire story for Ponte Vedra. All three defeats have come by a possession or less (31-29 to UC; 28-21 in OT to BK; and 45-37 to Merritt Island). QB Carter Sole is making huge gains on a weekly basis and has 15 TDs compared to five INTs. RB Alex Winkles has 420 rushing yards (2 TDs). WRs Cade Turner and Trent Player have combined for 10 TD catches. LB Carter Ottesen leads Ponte Vedra in tackles (47) and TFL (7). Ponte Vedra has done very well in having to replace a deep senior class.

Next four to watch

Beachside (3-1) at Nease (1-3): Panthers have navigated a difficult start. Their losses have been to Creekside, St. Augustine and Mandarin, so the discrepancy in competition is off the charts. The Barracudas have wins over Englewood, KIPP Bold City and Tocoi Creek, teams who are a combined 1-12. Nease can’t afford another district loss if it hopes to stay contending in 2-5A.

(8) Bradford (5-0) at Madison County (3-2), 7:30 p.m.: This is the biggest test so far for the powerful Tornadoes. No matter the year, Boot Hill is a difficult place to win at. The Cowboys are tough, and no doubt have a bullseye on Bradford dual-threat QB Cy Cubbedge.

(1) West Nassau (4-0-1) at Fernandina Beach (1-4): The top team in the Super 6, the Warriors have been a force this season. They ran over Yulee for a 28-7 win last week. The Warriors have won 20 of the past 255 games in this Nassau County clash, but they still vividly remember the 2024 SSAA playoffs when the Pirates stunned them, 24-20. Can the Pirates slow down West Nassau’s vaunted ground game? This also happens to be the Varsity 4 Game of the Week. Viewers can watch that at News4JAX.com, on the News4JAX YouTube channel, or Sports4JAX on Instagram.

Yulee (3-2) at (4) Ed White (3-1), 6:30 p.m.: Which Hornets team shows up will determine how close this one stays. QB Liam Hice-Jones and RB Jayden Timmon are ultra-explosive, but the Hornets mustered just one TD last week against West Nassau. The Commanders can light up a scoreboard, and it’s often ‘pick your poison’ for defenses. QB King Boylston and RBs Vedo Jones and Rontrez Loyd can make a game flip from close to running clock in the blink of an eye.

☀️ Week 6 schedule, Florida ☀️

Thursday, Sept. 24

Beachside (3-1) at Nease (1-3)

Clay (4-1) at St. Augustine (5-0)

Flagler Palm Coast (4-0) at Tocoi Creek (0-5)

Friday, Sept. 25

Atlantic (3-1) at Keystone Heights (2-3)

Baker County (4-1) at Godby (3-2)

Baldwin (1-3) at (5) Bolles (3-1)

Bell (4-1) at Eagle’s View (0-6)

Bradford (5-0) at Madison County (3-2), 7:30 p.m.

Bronson (2-4) at Joshua Christian (2-2)

Cornerstone Classical (4-1) at Aucilla Christian (3-3), 7:30 p.m.

Creekside (3-2) at Sandalwood (4-1), 6:30 p.m.

Crescent City (0-4) at Branford (4-2), 7:30 p.m.

Englewood (1-3) at Ribault (3-1), 6:30 p.m.

Episcopal (5-0) at Duval Charter (1-3)

First Coast (0-5) at Atlantic Coast (0-4), 6:30 p.m.

Fleming Island (2-3) at Orange Park (2-3)

Fletcher (3-1) at Mandarin (3-1), 6:30 p.m.

Halifax Academy (1-4) at Harvest Community (1-5)

Impact Christian (1-4) at University Christian (3-2), 7:30 p.m.

KIPP Bold City (0-4) at Jackson (3-1), 6:30 p.m.

McKinney Christian, Texas (4-1) at Christ’s Church Academy (4-1)

Menendez (2-2) at Wolfson (3-2), 6:30 p.m.

Middleburg (3-2) at Ridgeview (1-3)

Parker (0-5) at Union County (2-3), 7:30 p.m.

Pine Ridge (0-4) at Matanzas (0-4)

Ponte Vedra (2-3) at Bartram Trail (4-1)

Providence (2-3) at Seffner Christian (5-0)

Riverside (2-2) at Columbia (5-0), 7:30 p.m.

Scintilla Charter (0-2) at Hilliard (4-0)

Seven Rivers (1-4) at Old Plank Christian (3-2), 7:30 p.m.

St. Joseph (2-3) at Bishop Snyder (0-5)

Stanton (5-1) at First Coast Christian (1-3), canceled

Suwannee (5-0) at Wakulla (3-1)

Taylor County (2-2) at Fort White (3-1), 7:30 p.m.

Trinity Christian (2-3) at NFEI (3-1)

West Nassau (4-0-1) at Fernandina Beach (1-4)

West Port (2-3) at Oakleaf (2-2)

Westside (0-5) at Palatka (1-4)

Yulee (3-2) at Ed White (3-1), 6:30 p.m.

Zarephath Academy (0-4) at West Oaks (2-3)

OFF: Bishop Kenny, First Coast Christian, Interlachen, Paxon, Raines, Stanton.

🍑 Week 6 schedule, Georgia 🍑

Friday, Sept. 25

Brantley County (2-2) at Appling County (4-0), 7:30 p.m.

Glynn Academy (1-3) at Lakeside (0-4), 7:30 p.m.

Greenbrier (1-3) at Brunswick (2-2), 7:30 p.m.

Pierce County (4-0) at Toombs County (4-0), 7:30 p.m.

Ware County (2-2) at Statesboro (3-1), 7:30 p.m.

West Broward (1-3) at Camden County (3-2), 7:30 p.m.

OFF: Charlton County, Frederica Academy.

It’s the latest development in an extraordinary showdown between Trump and media outlets whose coverage he dislikes. The administration has doubled down on its contention that it has the right to decide who can set foot in the White House, while the outlets call the ban a “blatant violation” of the First Amendment.

Trump, meanwhile, is expecting Chinese President Xi Jinping ’s arrival in Washington later Wednesday. The U.S. president will be on the tarmac to welcome his counterpart’s plane instead of waiting for him to drive up to the White House. The rare greeting shows how far Trump is going to honor China’s leaderon his first state visit in more than a decade.

Iran’s president said Wednesday that his people have been “victims of terrorism” by the United States, delivering a rare wartime speech on the second day of the U.N. General Assembly. Trump, on the U.N. General Assembly stage a day earlier, said he could “annihilate” the Islamic Republic. Toward the end of his speech, Masoud Pezeshkian called out Trump by name.

Here's the latest:

Major networks set to continue coverage ban at Xi arrival

The five major networks on Wednesday were poised to continue their ban on filming Trump coverage. At Joint Base Andrews, where the president is set to formally welcome Chinese President Xi Jinping later Wednesday, journalists from Fox News, CBS and NBC were present but not shooting, and some appeared to be breaking down their cameras.

Other television outlets whose crews were present, according to signs on their tripods and cameras, were NewsNation, Newsmax, Right Side Broadcasting Network, One America News and LindellTV.

Democratic leader says House Republicans are ‘running scared’ ahead of elections

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, who is in line to become House speaker if Democrats win control in fall, chided Republicans for trying to distance themselves from Trump on the Iran war and other issues.

“On one hand, they want Donald Trump’s MAGA money. I mean, they’re feeding at the trough of Donald Trump’s MAGA money,” he said. “And on the other hand, they want to pretend that they creating distance between Donald Trump and themselves.”

Jeffries held a news conference at the empty House chamber, criticizing Republicans for cutting short the legislative calendar to go home and campaign.

Judge hears arguments without immediately ruling on Trump’s news outlet ban

A judge has heard arguments but did not rule from the bench in a case on Trump’s ban of three news outlets from White House grounds.

Wednesday’s hearing marked the latest development in an extraordinary showdown between Trump and media outlets whose coverage he dislikes.

Trump banned the outlets beginning Friday, assailing what he called “fake news.” More recently the president has said negative coverage was dangerous for the country.

The outlets argued they were singled out because of the content of their coverage — in other words, viewpoint discrimination and called the ban a “blatant violation” of the First Amendment.

Hearing on Trump’s ban of 3 news outlets from White House is underway

In court arguments over Trump’s ban of three media outlets from White House grounds, the administration continues to defend the move as constitutional.

Justice Department attorney Michael Velchik told the court Wednesday that “access to the White House is a privilege, not a right.”

The case is being heard by U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, whom Trump appointed in 2017 and who ordered a CNN journalist’s access restored in a similar case in 2018.

Arguments began with attorney Theodore Boutrous Jr. calling the ban against CNN, MS NOW and Politico an “unprecedented, unreasonable punishment” and saying there was “not a semblance of due process.”

Trump to attend Texas-Tennessee football game

The White House confirms that the president, who has put athletics front and center in his second term, will attend the matchup Saturday.

No. 1 Texas is traveling to No. 14 Tennessee for the Southeastern Conference opener in Knoxville. It’s the first meeting between the two marquee football programs since the 1969 Cotton Bowl.

State Department orders diplomats to use ‘super intelligence’ rather ‘artificial intelligence’

The move follows Trump’s attempt to rebrand the technology in his address to the UN General Assembly.

“Following the president‘s remarks at the GA today, please change all references of ‘Artificial Intelligence’ to ‘Super Intelligence’ in our documents and positions. We will be using ‘SI’ in all remarks, positions and press elements moving forward,” said an email sent Tuesday to employees by Michael Drager, deputy assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of International Organization Affairs.

That bureau is in charge of U.S. diplomatic missions to all U.N. and multilateral agencies around the world. The email was obtained by The Associated Press on Wednesday. It was not immediately clear if other State Department bureaus would follow suit.

AI company leaders warn that without intervention, ‘AI could be a risk to humanity as a whole’

The heads of major AI companies are pleading with the United Nations to set controls over the burgeoning technology they are designing to save the world or at least its people.

“If managed poorly, I even believe AI could be a risk to humanity as a whole,” Dario Amodei, Chief Executive Officer, Anthropic said.

“We could lose control of the future to AI,” his competitor, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI.

Both testified Wednesday to the U.N. Security Council. They said the countries of the world, through the council, have to set safeguards that would be actual controls to prevent the technology from getting too powerful to reign in. They also called for the world to make sure that the power of AI isn’t concentrated in one company or country.

Rubio says Trump has invited Putin to US-hosted G20 meeting in Florida

Speaking to reporters Wednesday on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, Rubio said the Trump administration was hopeful that Putin would accept the invitation despite differences over Russia’s war with Ukraine and other matter.

“In order to solve problems, you have to meet with the people that you disagree with or the people that you might have some issues with, so we’ve invited President Putin to the G20,” Rubio said. “We think it’s an opportunity for him to engage not just with the president, but with other world leaders. We hope that’s, an invitation he’ll accept.”

Trump will host G20 leaders at his Miami country club in December.

County election offices in Texas are scrambling to process backlogged voter registrations

The problem started with the Texas Department of Public Safety, which allows people to register to vote or update their registrations when they renew their driver’s license.

State officials blamed an unspecified error dating to October 2025. It meant that applications were not being forwarded to the person’s home county, where they are processed and verified.

Now those counties are dealing with nearly a year’s worth of backlogged applications. Several county officials say they will need to hire temporary workers to handle the crush. Early in-person voting in Texas for the midterm elections starts Oct. 19.

The size of the backlog statewide hasn’t been determined, but the Texas Association of County Election Officials says it’s in the tens of thousands for some of the most populous counties. In Bexar County, which includes San Antonio, it’s about 45,000 voter registration applications.

State Department asks Americans to report suspected visa fraudsters

The State Department is asking Americans to report foreigners suspected of U.S. visa fraud for potential deportation and criminal prosecution.

The department said in a statement Wednesday that it had launched an online portal to make it easier to report such cases.

The department said tips from “upstanding and concerned” members of the public have been responsible for the revocation of visas from many of the tens of thousands of people who either lied on their applications or were violating the conditions of their stay in the U.S.

“This new online tool provides a convenient and reliable way for the public to submit crucial information for prompt review and action,” the statement said.

Americans’ views of China are a bit warmer than 5 years ago

The finding from a survey conducted in mid-September by the Pew Research Center comes just as Chinese President Xi is about to arrive in Washington for his first state visit to the U.S. in 11 years.

Americans were asked on the survey to evaluate how warm and positive or cold and negative they feel about China, using a scale from zero to 100.

About one-fifth of the Americans now have warm views about China, the analysis found, up from about 11% in 2021, when public sentiments fell to the lowest point in Pew’s 10-year trend in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

More than half of Americans feel cold about China, but it’s down from about 7 in 10 from five years ago.

Zelenskyy urges leaders to keep choking Russia’s revenues

Ukrainian President President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is urging world’s leaders to keep choking Russia’s revenues and impede its war efforts.

He’s telling the U.N. General Assembly that “Russia’s revenues must remain a target.”

He says that trade, and the money it brings in, gives more time to the war. That, he says, is “why we insist on limiting trade with the aggressor.

Russia gets its turn Saturday to address the assembly.

President Vladimir Putin hasn’t traveled to the gathering in years, sending Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov instead.

Soybean farmers have high hopes for Xi visit

Before Trump’s tariffs, half of U.S. soybean exports went to China.

Since then, exports dropped from nearly $18 billion in 2022 to only $3 billion in 2025, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data.

“No one can replace the Chinese market,” said Dave Walton, a farmer from Wilton, Iowa.

Brazil and Argentina have made gains.

Brazil exported a record 108.7 million metric tons of soybeans in 2025, up 11.7% from the year before, with about 80% going to China, according to Brazil’s National Association of Cereal Exporters.

Walton says he’d like to see the U.S. tariffs removed.

“We think of Xi as a friend to American agriculture,” said Walton, who is the vice president of the American Soybean Association.

Schumer warns against weakening export controls for chips

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer is warning Trump not to give China greater access to advanced semiconductor chips and equipment as part of talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping this week.

Schumer is touching on voter concerns about the safety of artificial intelligence and contrasting Democrats’ call for greater regulation with the president’s call to “encourage it, not rein it in.”

“We must reject the false choice Trump keeps making,” Schumer told reporters.

“We can and must both maintain our lead on AI by restricting China’s access to our technology and put up guardrails to mitigate AI’s risk,” Schumer said.

Trump administration to defend its news outlet ban in court hearing

The showdown between Trump and media outlets whose coverage he dislikes is moving to a courtroom in the nation’s capital.

A judge will hear arguments Wednesday on whether the president’s move banning CNN, MS NOW and Politico from White House grounds violates the Constitution.

The Trump administration argues that the reporting of the three outlets poses a threat to national security. The administration plans to double down on its contention that it has the right to decide who can set foot in the White House.

The outlets say they were singled out because of the content of their coverage. They called this a “blatant violation” of the First Amendment and asked the court to immediately restore their access.

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Election plans include how to deal with the Trump administration

As state and local election officials prepare for what could go wrong administering the midterms, they’re planning not just for what foreign adversaries might try — but how the Trump administration could interfere.

At a panel Wednesday for the left-leaning think tank Center for American Progress, California Democratic Attorney General Rob Bonta said officials are working on what to do if U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers or National Guard troops show up at polling places, or if ballots are seized.

Michigan Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel said one concern is the possibility that federal law enforcement officials would get in the way of voting by mail even after the Supreme Court rejected mail ballot restrictions.

Rubio says Trump has many options to meet defense commitments to Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is facing increasing attacks from Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

Speaking to reporters Wednesday on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, Rubio pledged for the second time in three days that the United States will “live up” to its commitments to the Saudis but declined to say what that would entail.

“They are a strategic defense partner. The U.S. has made commitments to them. We will live up to those commitments,” he said, adding that “obviously, the president has many options available to him.”

Rubio says US won’t walk away from Iran war and must prevent Iranian nuclear capabilities

He said the U.S. cannot simply walk away and declare victory over Iran, arguing that the U.S. must ensure the Islamic Republic never develops a nuclear weapon.

“The idea that the world’s leading sponsor of terrorism would be in possession of nuclear weapons is simply unacceptable,” Rubio told reporters on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, noting that many U.N. members had voted in the past “in support of that principle.”

Trump’s efforts to contain Iran’s nuclear program aren’t limited to last year’s bombings of its nuclear facilities, Rubio said, adding that Trump is “thinking about the next generation.”

Meanwhile, Rubio said the U.S. military is ensuring that part of the Strait of Hormuz is open to commercial oil tankers, which are increasingly traversing the strait to deliver oil around the world.

Rubio says the US is frustrated by external forces fueling Sudan conflict

Rubio said the U.S. is frustrated by lack of progress in making peace in Sudan, urging foreign actors he didn’t name to pressure their allies in Sudan to settle the devastating conflict.

“That crisis would not be happening were it not for the active participation of external actors that are feeding one side of that conflict or another,” he told reporters at the United Nations General Assembly. ” It’s growing increasingly frustrating.”

U.N. experts and U.S. congressmen have accused the United Arab Emirates of supporting the paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces, which has been fighting the Sudanese military for over three years. Egypt and Turkey back the military. The UAE denies it’s supporting the RSF, a group blamed for most of the atrocities in the war that killed at least 59,000 since 2023.

Rubio says after meeting Russian FM that Russia and Ukraine are interested in a limited ceasefire

Rubio says both Russia and Ukraine have expressed interest in a limited ceasefire that would halt attacks on grain shipments and each country’s energy sectors.

Speaking to reporters Wednesday after meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, Rubio said reaching even a partial deal would be difficult but worthwhile even if it doesn’t completely end the conflict.

“It won’t be easy but it’s something that both sides have expressed an interest in,” he said, noting that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has publicly endorsed such a plan. “If we can play a constructive role in making that happen, we would be very open to, again, recognizing it doesn’t end the war, but it does deal with something, and maybe it can serve as the baseline or a platform for a broader agreement.”

US government ‘always’ raises cases of wrongfully detained Americans, Rubio says

His department has designated two U.S. citizens, Youlin Chen and Min Zin, as wrongfully detained in China, and President Trump is expected to raise their cases when hosting Chinese leader Xi Jinping this week.

“The case of unlawfully and wrongfully detained Americans is always raised not just at our meetings, but in any engagement that we have and in our communications with any country around the world,” Rubio said. “This is a constant under this administration.”

Board of Peace officials cite slow and imperfect progress toward rebuilding Gaza

Officials with the Board of Peace, the body President Trump established to oversee the fragile ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, acknowledged Wednesday that progress has been slow but said they’re moving forward with the ambitious plan.

Trump’s ceasefire plan brought an end to the heaviest fighting. But nearly one year later, its broader goals, including disarming Hamas and beginning reconstruction, haven’t taken place.

“Given the complexities of what we’re dealing with, I think we’re making slowly but steady and steadily, progress,” the board’s director general, Nickolay Mladenov, said on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly.

While the board announced plans for over $2 billion in projects, they gave no timeline for when they would take place.

Steve Witkoff, Trump’s Mideast envoy, added that various people behind the board “can point to real progress.”

“There is a cease fire, imperfect as it may be, but it still exists,” he said.

Despite disagreements, US and China leaders must interact, Rubio says

He said the U.S. and China must interact at the highest levels because the two countries are “the two largest economies in the world” and “probably the two most powerful militaries in the world.”

“The idea that we would not interact with them at the highest levels is irresponsible. It’s outrageous. We have to,” Rubio said, hours before President Trump will greet Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the tarmac of Joint Base Andrews in a rare welcome ceremony.

“I think it’s just responsible statecraft for our leaders to speak and meet with one another,” Rubio said.

The S&P 500 fell 0.8% after finishing the prior day just 0.4% below its record set last month. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 352 points, or 0.7%, while the Nasdaq composite sank 1.1% from its own all-time high.

Stocks wilted after the yield on the 10-year Treasury jumped to 5.10% from 4.96% late Tuesday, which is a considerable move for the bond market. High yields undercut prices for stocks and other investments, while also slowing the economy by making it more expensive for everyone to borrow money.

Wednesday’s jump briefly sent the 10-year yield near 5.14%, back to where it was in 2007 before the global financial crisis caused yields to crater. Yields have been climbing since bottoming out in the COVID pandemic, and they’ve accelerated recently because of worries about high inflation, the U.S. government’s heavy debt and other concerns.

Worries about inflation got a jolt Wednesday morning after a preliminary report suggested growth in U.S. business activity surged to its strongest level in more than five years. That’s an encouraging signal, to be sure, but it indicates the economy may have plenty of fuel for more inflation.

The report also suggested costs for businesses are leaping at the fastest rate in four years, in part because of more expensive oil, according to Chris Williamson, chief business economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence. That could mean businesses will pass those higher costs onto their customers in coming months.

Oil prices are high because of worries that the war with Iran will keep oil bottled up in the Middle East for a long time.

The price for a barrel of Brent oil to be delivered in November rose 3.9% to $103.08 on Wednesday. That reversed a decline for Brent, which had been falling since it neared $110 last week. Talks are continuing with mediators between U.S. and Iranian officials, but nothing concrete has come from it yet.

Brent oil to be delivered in December, where most of the trading in the market has moved, rose 2.8% to $98.12 per barrel.

Even with its recent decline, the price for a barrel of Brent remains much higher than the roughly $72 it cost before the war with Iran began.

Inflation has remained so stubbornly high that the Federal Reserve raised its short-term interest rate last week for the first time in three years in hopes of slowing down increases in the cost of living.

Fed Gov. Michael Barr said in a speech on Wednesday that further hikes “are likely to be needed” to get inflation to the Fed’s 2% target. Traders now see better than a 50% probability that the Fed will hike its federal funds rate at each of its next two meetings, in October and December, according to data from CME Group.

So far, strong growth in profits for U.S. companies has helped support the U.S. stock market despite higher interest rates and more expensive oil.

KB Home became the latest to deliver a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. But its stock nevertheless swung between losses and gains after the homebuilder’s executive chairman said conditions got even tougher for the industry over the last three months. It finished with a loss of 3%.

Potential customers are becoming more cautious because of higher mortgage rates caused by the rise in the 10-year Treasury yield. They also are feeling pressure from “geopolitical uncertainty and broader economic headwinds,” Jeffrey Mezger said.

General Mills likewise reported a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected. But the company behind the Cheerios and Progresso brands said it also expects growth this fiscal year to fall below its historical track record “driven by a continued challenging consumer backdrop,” and it did not raise its forecast for profit over the full fiscal year.

Its stock flipped between gains and losses before rising 1%.

All told, the S&P 500 fell 58.61 points to 7,706.03. The Dow dropped 352.10 to 51,511.59, and the Nasdaq composite sank 308.24 to 26,936.04.

In stock markets abroad, indexes slipped across much of Europe and Asia.

Stock indexes fell 1% in Hong Kong and 0.4% in Shanghai ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Washington, which is kicking off Wednesday.

The leaders are expected to attempt to steady fragile ties in their third meeting since Trump returned to the White House. That is despite the world’s two largest economies seeking the upper hand on artificial-intelligence developments and trade, while pushing for leverage in persistent hot spots like Iran and Taiwan.

___

AP Business Writers Chan Ho-him and Michelle Chapman contributed to this report.

Trump’s territorial ambitions over Greenland almost broke the NATO military alliance and shattered trust with one of America’s oldest and closest partners. The new defense agreement puts an end to the standoff. But was it worth the cost?

While the new defense agreement is a bit broader, the United States already had extensive military access under an existing 1951 deal and all the gains laid out in the agreement signed on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday could, ostensibly, have been achieved by asking nicely a year ago. The trans-Atlantic distrust created since the end of 2024 seems a very high price to pay for what may ultimately be a fairly incremental gain.

Interestingly, one place may emerge from this standoff as the real winner: Greenland itself.

The promised investments and contracts may never fully materialize, but the episode marks a major step forward in its push for greater autonomy and a more influential seat at the table. Greenland is no longer merely the subject of foreign policy decided by its former colonial rulers. Increasingly, it is helping to shape it.

There's been progress toward self-determination

“A notable change is Greenland itself at the table today, signing this agreement," said Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen speaking to a room cram packed with journalists and officials at the UN to witness the signing of the deal.

That's an understatement. The world’s largest island, home to about 56,000 mostly Inuit people, was still considered a colony until the early 1950s. Progress towards greater self-determination has been slow and it wasn't until 2009 that Greenland became a self-governing country within the Kingdom of Denmark.

Even then, while the Self-Government Act recognized Greenland’s right to independence when requested by local voters in the future, Denmark retained control of defense and foreign affairs.

“I cannot stress it enough: This is the first time that we are venturing into a binding agreement as a country," Naaja Nathanielsen, one of Greenland’s two lawmakers in the Danish parliament and a former government minister in Nuuk, told The Associated Press. “That is a huge step forward in our quest for more self-autonomy.”

Denmark and Greenland confront their own troubled past

Like most former colonial powers that discover history keeps receipts, Denmark's ties with Greenland are complicated. Greenland's economy is heavily dependent on Denmark, families and students often live between the two territories and the cultural linguistic ties are strong. Yet underwriting modern relations are centuries of Danish policies that dehumanized Greenlanders and their families.

They included forced contraception, the removal of Inuit children for reeducation by Danish foster families, and controversial parental-competency tests that led to children being separated from their parents.

“For many, many years you believed that you were a good colonizer,” Múte Bourup Egede, then Greenland's prime minister and now its foreign minister, reminded Danish journalists early last year, shortly after a newly elected Trump made his first military threat against the island. “But time has also caught up with us, and ... cruel things have come to light.”

The abuses are not distant history; many victims remain alive. Hundreds of Inuit women have claimed compensation from Denmark, alleging that health authorities violated their rights by fitting them with intrauterine devices — often when they were teenagers and without their informed consent. Danish authorities estimate that as many as 4,500 women and girls received IUDs between the 1960s and mid-1970s.

While the first official apology for the historic mistreatment had long been coming it was finally delivered in the summer of 2025.

The standoff with the United States “has been applying pressure and focused some of the Danish attention” on reconciliation with Greenland said Ulrik Pram Gad, a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies, but “perhaps, some Greenlanders feel that it’s not as credible as it could have been without Trump.”

Trump's involvement changed the equation

While Denmark moved to address past grievances, anger with Trump's tactics also helped shore up support for its sovereignty and take the edge off calls by some in Greenland for quick moves to independence.

At the height of the crisis over Trump's ambitions in January, Nielsen said that “if we have to choose between the United States and Denmark here and now, we choose Denmark. We choose NATO."

For Denmark, the main victory is no doubt getting the US president off its back and succeeding in framing the crisis as a European security problem.

Danish and Greenlandic diplomats “have been working very hard to have European allies be part of this," Pram Gad said. "The result is an attempt to patch together the NATO alliance.”

And while Denmark has accepted some limitations to its sovereignty, investments by adversary countries such as Russia had long been off the table.

“The benefit of keeping the transatlantic alliance, or patching it together, or at least not allowing Greenland to be the occasion for Trump to blow it up, I think that counts heavily on both the Danish and the Greenlandic cost-benefit analysis here,” he said.

After Tuesday’s signing ceremony, relief was palpable. But while the Danish and Greenland delegations celebrated with a cold beer on a rooftop bar in Manhattan, the Greenland crisis has scarred a once undefiable bond. It leaves leaders in Copenhagen, Nuuk and other European capitals now assessing the reliability of the United States — and whether a signed agreement can repair trust once it has been broken.

Hurricane Polo, an “extremely dangerous” storm, is expected to skirt Mexico’s Guerrero state, submerging coastal areas with 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 centimeters) of rain through Thursday, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. Guerrero has been repeatedly pummeled by hurricanes in recent years.

Polo, which was swirling a couple of hundred miles off the coast Wednesday afternoon, was not expected to make landfall, meteorologists and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said. Rain and strong winds had already started to pummel the coast, with waves crashing onto the normally pristine beaches.

Tropical storm conditions including torrential rain and extraordinary wind were also expected along the Pacific coast of Michoacan and Colima states through Thursday.

At its peak, Polo was a Category 5 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 180 mph (290 kph). It was a Category 4 by Wednesday afternoon, but still packing sustained winds of up to 145 mph (230 kph).

“Fluctuations in intensity are expected, but Polo is expected to remain a very powerful major hurricane during the next few days,” the hurricane center said.

Waves, flooding and mudslides are all risks

Concepción López Villegas was busily bolstering her seaside restaurant in Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán, against the expected onslaught of rain. Strong waves were already hitting some beaches and López Villegas said she feared the storm could destroy the small business she worked decades to build.

“We’re worried and trying to protect our businesses,” López Villegas said. “And of course, we’re sad because it’s our heritage, our legacy that from one moment to another could be destroyed.”

The hurricane center warned that Polo's deluge could cause life-threatening flooding and mudslides, in particular in Guerrero.

The region most under threat from the hurricane is rural and mountainous, scattered with a few small tourist towns and ports. Much of the area is marked by poverty and residents routinely complain authorities abandon them to fend for themselves during natural disasters.

Mexico’s government has called for evacuations in some areas and set up shelters for those affected. Thousands of military and Red Cross personnel have been deployed to the region as a preventative measure.

El Nino fueled Polo's growth

Philip Klotzbach, research scientist in the Department of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University, attributed Polo's rapid intensification to the weather phenomenon known as El Nino, which has fueled crippling droughts in Mexico and Central America and floods elsewhere.

In the Pacific, it has resulted in warmer waters and wind patterns that act as fodder for hurricanes, he said.

“There are all the ingredients that hurricanes need to get really strong really fast,” Klotzbach said.

Another hurricane could hit Hawaii as soon as Friday

The National Weather Service said Wednesday afternoon that Tropical Storm Nolo was forming 310 miles (500 kilometers) south-southwest of Big Island in Hawaii with sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph).

The weather service warned it become a hurricane by Thursday.

The hurricane center advised the island chain to monitor the system, which was projected to drop 15 to 20 inches (38 to 51 centimeters) of rain on Big Island, raising the possibility of flooding and mudslides.

The center of the cyclone was expected to close in on the islands by Friday or Saturday.

While wind and rain were mainly expected on Maui and Big Island, Kauai’s electric cooperative urged residents to prepare for “the possibility of prolonged power outages,” and to store non-perishable food and potable water.

Over 100 Kauai households remain without power from Hurricane Lowell, which passed west of the island on Sept. 7.

Hawaiian Electric, the state’s primary utility, said crews would return to at-risk areas to help residents prepare for the coming storm.

Odalys strengthens into a hurricane

Hurricane Odalys, also in the Pacific, strengthened on Wednesday, carrying maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph). It churned about 1,265 miles (2,040 kilometers) west-southwest of the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula and was not at risk of making landfall, according to the hurricane center.

An advisory said Odalys could increase in strength over the next couple of days but would likely weaken by the end of the week.

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Brooks reported from Atlanta. Associated Press reporter Gabriela Aoun in San Diego contributed.

Georgia weekly schedules

Week 0

Friday, Aug. 14

Bethesda Academy at Frederica Academy

Brantley County at Alamo vs. Wheeler/Butler

Camden County at Bolles

Week 1

Thursday, Aug. 20

Calvary Day 49, Glynn Academy 22

Friday, Aug. 21

Bacon County 20, Brantley County 0

Camden County 35, Brunswick 21

Charlton County 14, West Nassau 14 (tie, called due to weather)

Frederica Academy 42, Pinewood Christian 6

Pierce County 23, Coosa Christian, Alabama 0

Ware County 22, Bainbridge 21

Week 2

Friday, Aug. 28

Brantley County 26, Lanier County 6

Camden County 42, Glynn Academy 13

Charlton County 25, McIntosh County Academy 7

Coffee 27, Ware County 7

Deerfield-Windsor 6, Frederica Academy 0

Pierce County 47, Brooks County 26

Saturday, Aug. 29

Brunswick 63, Groves 0

Week 3

Thursday, Sept. 3

Valwood 49, Frederica Academy 14

Friday, Sept. 4

Benedictine 27, Camden County 23

Berrien 24, Charlton County 21

Claxton 16, Brantley County 13

Glynn Academy 45, Savannah Christian 28

OFF: Brunswick, Pierce County, Ware County

Week 4

Friday, Sept. 11

Camden County 39, Godby 36

Charlton County 43, Frederica Academy 0

Grayson 44, Brunswick 31

Pierce County 35, Swainsboro 7

Richmond Hill 13, Ware County 7

OFF: Brantley County, Glynn Academy.

Week 5

Friday, Sept. 18

Bradwell Institute 54, Glynn Academy 43

Brantley County 7, Islands 6

Brunswick 38, Grovetown 14

Charlton County 19, Early County 12

Ed White 48, Camden County 44

Frederica Academy 22, First Presbyterian Day 13

Pierce County 48, Johnson 6

Ware County 68, Groves 6

Week 6

Friday, Sept. 25

Brantley County (2-2) at Appling County (4-0), 7:30 p.m.

Glynn Academy (1-3) at Lakeside (0-4), 7:30 p.m.

Greenbrier (1-3) at Brunswick (2-2), 7:30 p.m.

Pierce County (4-0) at Toombs County (4-0), 7:30 p.m.

Ware County (2-2) at Statesboro (3-1), 7:30 p.m.

West Broward (1-3) at Camden County (3-2), 7:30 p.m.

OFF: Charlton County, Frederica Academy.

Week 7

Friday, Oct. 2

Beach at Pierce County, 7:30 p.m.

Brunswick at Bradwell, 7:30 p.m.

Effingham County at Glynn Academy, 7:30 p.m.

Frederica Academy at Stratford Academy, 7:30 p.m.

Lanier County at Charlton County, 7:30 p.m.

Richmond Academy at Ware County, 7:30 p.m.

Toombs County at Brantley County, 7:30 p.m.

OFF: Camden County.

Week 8

Friday, Oct. 9

Brantley County at Johnson, 7:30 p.m.

Camden County at Lowndes, 7:30 p.m.

Charlton County at Atkinson County, 7:30 p.m.

St. Andrew’s at Frederica Academy, 7:30 p.m.

Tattnall County at Pierce County, 7:30 p.m.

Ware County at Evans, 7:30 p.m.

OFF: Brunswick, Glynn Academy.

Week 9

Friday, Oct. 16

Frederica Academy at Savannah Country Day, 7:30 p.m.

Glynn Academy vs. Brunswick, 7:40 p.m.

Richmond Hill at Camden County, 7:30 p.m.

OFF: Brantley County, Charlton County, Pierce County, Ware County.

Week 10

Friday, Oct. 23

Brunswick at South Effingham, 7:30 p.m.

Camden County at Valdosta, 7:30 p.m.

Frederica Academy at Bulloch Academy, 7:30 p.m.

Glynn Academy at Greenbrier, 7:30 p.m.

Jenkins at Ware County, 7:30 p.m.

Mitchell County at Charlton County, 7:30 p.m.

Pierce County at Brantley County, 7:30 p.m.

Week 11

Friday, Oct. 30

Charlton County at Clinch County, 7:30 p.m.

Colquitt County at Camden County, 7:30 p.m.

Effingham at Brunswick, 7:30 p.m.

Glynn Academy at South Effingham, 7:30 p.m.

Islands at Pierce County, 7:30 p.m.

Tattnall County at Brantley County, 7:30 p.m.

Ware County at Wayne County, 7:30 p.m.

OFF: Frederica Academy.

Week 12

Friday, Nov. 6

Benedictine at Ware County, 7:30 p.m.

Brantley County at Beach, 7:30 p.m.

Brunswick at Lakeside, 7:30 p.m.

Charlton County at Irwin County, 7:30 p.m.

Grovetown at Glynn Academy, 7:30 p.m.

Pierce County at Appling County, 7:30 p.m.

OFF: Camden County, Glynn Academy.

Baptist Health says the agreement means Cigna members can once again receive care from their preferred providers using their in-network benefits, ending a period in which Baptist Health and Wolfson Children’s Hospital were considered out-of-network for Cigna policyholders.

“Our commitment has always been to ensure patients have access to the high-quality care they need, and we are grateful to move forward with a resolution that restores access to care across our health system,” Baptist Health said in a statement.

[RELATED: Jacksonville parents fear losing children’s doctors as Baptist-Cigna dispute threatens care]

What Cigna members should do now

Patients with upcoming appointments, procedures or treatments scheduled at Baptist Health or Wolfson Children’s Hospital are encouraged to keep those appointments as scheduled unless contacted directly by their provider’s office. No additional action is required.

For those who postponed or canceled care during the out-of-network period, Baptist Health is encouraging patients to reach out to their provider’s office to reschedule any appointments, procedures, screenings or follow-up visits that may have been delayed.

“Our teams are ready to help reconnect you with the care you need,” the health system said.

For more information, visit BaptistJax.com/Cigna or call 904.202.3210, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“Following the president's remarks at the GA today, please change all references of ‘Artificial Intelligence’ to ‘Super Intelligence’ in our documents and positions. We will be using ‘SI’ in all remarks, positions and press elements moving forward,” said an email sent Tuesday to employees by Michael Drager, deputy assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of International Organization Affairs.

That bureau is in charge of U.S. diplomatic missions to all U.N. and multilateral agencies around the world. The email, titled “Change in Nomenclature AI to SI,” was obtained by The Associated Press on Wednesday. It was not immediately clear if other State Department bureaus had or would follow suit.

On Tuesday, Trump told the U.N. General Assembly that he would “officially” change the name of AI, saying the existing name makes the technology seem “fake” and that U.S. government documents would from that point forward use “super intelligence.”

“The use of the word artificial makes intelligence fake, it makes it sound fake and it is not fake. It’s actually amazing,” Trump said.

The president said at the U.N. that “from the point forward” U.S. government documents “will be changed to use the much more accurate term super as opposed to artificial. So it’s super intelligence.”

Drager's email was sent shortly after Trump's speech, but it wasn't clear on Wednesday whether similar orders had been sent at other agencies. Such an order would likely mean adjusting the name of the “AI Force” that Trump announced this weekend to the “SI Force.”

On Wednesday, U.S. representatives used the SI term at a U.N. Security Council meeting about AI, where tech executives urged the United Nations' most powerful body to rein in the developing technology.

AI's rapid ascent has spurred dire warnings from AI company CEOs, lawmakers and others about the technology outpacing humans' ability to control it and calls for global guardrails.

Trump has rejected efforts to slow the AI development race through greater government oversight, saying he does not want to hinder industry and that the U.S. needs to ensure an edge over China.

Trump claimed on social media Monday that the U.S. is leading over China on AI and that he was “not going to stifle Growth, of something that will be bigger than the Industrial Revolution, or the Internet, itself.”

AI is expected to be a key topic when Trump welcomes Chinese leader Xi Jinping to Washington for a visit starting Wednesday.

___

Associated Press writers Josh Boak in Washington and Farnoush Amiri and Seth Borenstein at the United Nations contributed to this report.

State and local governments are leading, he said, as “Trump is trying to recreate the 19th century” by reopening coal plants, announcing new plans for oil drilling including off California, and centering his energy policy on fossil fuels that cause climate change.

“He’s doubling down on stupid, and he’s putting the American economy at risk,” Newsom said in an interview. He called Trump the most destructive environmental president in American history and “an invasive species.”

White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers used Trump’s derogatory nickname for the governor, “Newscum,” in responding to the comments. She said his “doubling down on Biden’s unpopular, unreliable and costly Green New Scam is stupid.”

“No one is surprised to see him whining about the climate change hoax at another conference instead of fixing the problems plaguing his state: out-of-control crime, the highest homeless population in the United States, and wildfire victims still waiting on state permits to rebuild their homes and businesses,” Taylor wrote in an email.

Newsom has long been trying to counter Trump's climate approach

Newsom, a Democrat eyeing a 2028 presidential run, has sought to counter Trump’s stance on climate issues before. He went to the U.N. climate talks hosted in Belem, Brazil in 2025 when Trump skipped it.

Trump prioritizes fossil fuels to produce electricity. The Biden administration sought to ramp up clean energy as a climate change solution. Trump began reversing U.S. energy policies his first day back in office.

Last year at the UN, Trump called climate change the “greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world.” He has hindered renewable energy, particularly offshore wind, while China and other countries invest heavily. China leads the world in adding wind and solar power, though it also added a lot of coal power last year.

Chinese President Xi Jinping begins his state visit to Washington Wednesday. As the economic and technological competition between the countries escalates, Newsom said the Chinese leader is "cleaning our clock from an economic perspective.”

Trump and Xi are expected to discuss artificial intelligence as they meet this week. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the U.S. has proposed a new “ notification mechanism ” for AI incidents that could affect national security.

Newsom also not happy with Trump AI stance

Newsom was critical of Trump for not doing more to add guardrails and instead listening to advice to let artificial intelligence “rip.” Newsom announced Wednesday a group of experts who will advise on oversight recommendations in California, including advancing the creation of a potential “kill switch” for rogue frontier models.

Trump was in New York on Tuesday. Unlike last year's climate-focused speech, Trump defended his actions against Iran as he spoke at the U.N. General Assembly and made the diplomatic rounds.

Newsom is scheduled to speak at the United Nations on Wednesday. While in New York, he signed a new agreement with Spain's prime minister to strengthen collaboration on clean energy and climate issues and announced progress to link carbon markets with Washington state.

“California is not going to sit back and watch this guy roll back the last half century. We’re going to lead the next great revolution,” Newsom said.

“We’re going to dominate and we’re going to out compete and we are going to prepare the economy," he said, "not just in California, but the rest of the nation, for the fierce competitive fight against China as we move forward in this space.”

___

The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Jackson police said late Tuesday that they arrested 25-year-old Earnest Lloyd Jr. in the death of 29-year-old Tasia Fortune, whose body was found hanging behind an abandoned home in the city on Aug. 3.

Like Fortune and the first man arrested, 51-year-old Jarques Ratliff, Lloyd is Black. He appeared at a brief hearing Wednesday, where he was denied bond.

According to local TV station WLBT, investigators said witnesses directed them to Lloyd, who had allegedly had a physical altercation with Fortune days or minutes before she was killed. Police contend that Lloyd hanged Fortune with a black cable cord, and three co-defendants are also suspected of being involved in her death, the station reported.

Police and the court clerk said Wednesday that they didn't know if Lloyd has a lawyer.

Fortune's mother Christy Spivey, who attended the hearing, said afterward that she was ecstatic to see arrests made in her daughter’s death. She said neither she nor several of her daughter's friends knew Lloyd, and she cautioned that everyone is innocent until proven guilty.

“My family is not the only family that this is affecting,” Spivey said of the defendants' families. “I feel for them as well. The only difference is that mine can never come back.”

"I’ll never truly have peace,” she said.

Ratliff was arrested in September on murder charges. He pleaded not guilty and remains jailed without bond. His lawyer, Toney Baldwin, hasn't responded to multiple requests for comment.

Police said in a statement that they issued an arrest warrant for a third suspect, but gave no details about that person’s identity or alleged link to Fortune's death. They also said they expect to issue additional warrants.

After Ratliff's arrest, Jackson's police chief, RaShall Brackney, said Ratliff had an “association” with Fortune, but she didn't elaborate.

Although police haven't suggested a possible motive for the killing, the case has attracted widespread attention because the manner of death recalled lynchings in the Southern state.

A Kentucky native, Fortune had four children and had been living in Jackson for about a decade, relatives said.

Spivey previously said her daughter struggled with homelessness in recent years, and that she wasn’t sure where her daughter was living at the time of her death. She said that before her death, her daughter had talked about starting a cleaning business and was trying to get her life in order.

The 41-year-old Ronaldo was confirmed by coach Jorge Jesus as a starter for this 234th Portugal game — on Thursday against Wales in the Nations League.

Asked at a pre-game news conference if he thought of stopping his international career in July, after Portugal's round-of-16 loss to Spain, Ronaldo said: “Yes, I did. Of course, I’m always thinking on my decisions, my future, the present also.”

“I had a conversation with our president, with our coach,” he said of Jesus, whose previous job was leading Ronaldo’s club Al-Nassr to the Saudi league title in May. “I still believe that I’m able to help the national team to reach what they want, and will finish when I feel like I’m not doing anything here.”

Ronaldo, who captained Portugal to the previous Nations League title in 2025, is closing in on 1,000 career goals.

“This is a new young generation,” he said. “But for me the basic point is to be able on the pitch to score the goals and to help the team win games.”

The superstar player is not universally still admired in his home country.

“I feel the Portuguese fans like me, but I do understand that some TV channels want to criticize me,” he said. “They are dying for me not to come to the national team any more, but I can still move away from it.

“Anyway, I am used to it. For over 20 years I have been doing this, but my memories are with people who love me. I know why young kids love Cristiano, because they see me as an example, and I will continue to do that. Even when I am retired… in 10 years,” Ronaldo said, smiling.

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See AP’s full soccer coverage here

Two people were killed and 41 wounded in Ukraine’s capital as the attacks stretched into Wednesday afternoon. Palls of black smoke floated above the city following the latest in what have been daily Russian attacks that torment Ukrainian civilians. The drones set off fires and damaged buildings in Kyiv and elsewhere in Ukraine overnight, authorities said.

Zelenskyy was in New York for the annual U.N. gathering as part of his diplomatic effort to shore up and recruit further international support for his country’s grueling 4½-year fight against Russia’s invasion. He addressed the General Assembly, met with European leaders and was also due to hold talks with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. In his address to the Assembly, Zelenskyy urged the international community to keep limiting Russian oil revenues to prevent Russia’s ability to keep financing its war in Ukraine.

“When someone gives Russia more money through trade, they give this war more time. And that is exactly why we insist on limiting trade with the aggressor, and why we are burning Russia’s revenues ourselves,” he said.

Zelenskyy met on Tuesday with U.S. President Donald Trump, who has shown impatience with the lack of progress in talks aimed at ending the war and the escalating aerial attacks by both sides this year.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin hasn’t traveled to the gathering in years, sending Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov instead. Lavrov, who met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to discuss Ukraine and other issues, reaffirmed Wednesday that Moscow is open for talks on ending the conflict in Ukraine, but wouldn’t accept a break in hostilities before a peace deal is agreed.

Rubio told reporters on the sidelines of the General Assembly meeting that Trump has invited Putin to the G20 meeting that he will host at his Miami country club in December, adding that “we think it’s an opportunity for him to engage not just with the president, but with other world leaders.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow was grateful for the invitation, adding that the issue will be discussed further via diplomatic channels.

Ukraine has hit back at Russia by damaging oil refineries that are a vital pillar of the country’s economy.

Speaking in New York, Zelenskyy said that “our target is Russia’s ability to finance this war, to drag it out, to make it more brutal and more destructive. Russia’s finances and Russia’s production are what must be stopped.”

The Ukrainian leader said at the start of his U.S. visit that he had proposals for a possible de-escalation in the war. Urgent issues for Kyiv are halting devastating Russian strikes on Ukraine’s power grid and ensuring Ukrainian grain can be shipped to world markets through the Black Sea despite the war.

Ukraine also needs more U.S.-made Patriot air defense systems as a shield against Russian ballistic missiles, but Patriots are in short supply after the war in Iran began.

In Zaporizhzhia, in southeastern Ukraine, two men aged 37 and 39 were wounded by a strike that started a large fire at a shopping mall. Emergency services said the fire spread across about 6,000 square meters (1.5 acres) before coming under control.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that its forces struck Ukraine’s military-industrial and energy sector facilities, logistics centers and sea vessels in overnight attacks.

The ministry said its air defenses intercepted more than 500 Ukrainian drones over multiple Russian regions, as well as illegally annexed Crimea and waters of the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea.

In another development, the Polish military said a Russian military helicopter briefly violated Poland’s airspace Wednesday on the country’s border with Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave. It said that “the nature of the incident suggests that Russia is once again testing the readiness of our air defense.”

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

Trump's decision to greet Xi at Joint Base Andrews just outside Washington rather than receiving him at the executive residence shows how far the U.S. president is going to honor China's leader as he makes his first state visit in more than a decade.

The visit is a response to Trump's trip to China

The White House has not released many details about Wednesday's greeting, but Trump is expected to participate in an arrival ceremony at the base with Xi and his wife. The salutation will kick off a three-day visit that's expected to be saturated with pomp, even by White House standards. The state visit, complete with a formal state dinner at the White House on Thursday, is supposed to reciprocate for the ceremonial grandeur that marked Trump's May visit to China.

But it also is a showy patina at a time when tensions between the two geopolitical rivals are high over trade, artificial intelligence, Trump's war with Iran and China's designs on Taiwan.

Beyond using the visit to try to keep “strategic stability” between the two countries, Trump seems to be pulling out all the diplomatic stops to show off for Xi. Trump has lavished praise on Xi as a “great leader” and described a warm relationship with the man he has called a friend. That is all while he has given Xi a pass on many issues.

Sen. Roger Wicker, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, criticized the “lavish welcome." Wicker, R-Miss., said during a speech Tuesday in the Senate that Trump should not have invited the Chinese leader “based on all of the troubling issues we have with President Xi and the Chinese Communist Party.”

Wicker archly suggested a list of topics that Trump could discuss with Xi at the state dinner, such as “the purposes of China’s massive military buildup, or about China’s clear support for Iran,” saying that “during every minute of dialogue” Trump should keep in mind that “his guest is a brutal, unelected and oppressive dictator who seeks to dominate his neighbors and whose massive military arsenal is aimed directly at the United States of America.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. and China must interact at the highest levels because the countries are “the two largest economies in the world” and “probably the two most powerful militaries in the world.”

“The idea that we would not interact with them at the highest levels is irresponsible. It’s outrageous. We have to,” Rubio told reporters Wednesday while he was in New York.

Trump to welcome Xi with ‘the most respect’

Trump has made it clear he wants to wow Xi, telling reporters in recent weeks that he was delighted his new “work of art” helicopter landing pad would be ready for the visit while bemoaning that his massive White House ballroom would not.

On Wednesday, Trump is expected to try to match the pageantry he was met with in China earlier this year. Xi was not at the airport to meet Trump — Chinese Vice President Han Zheng was there instead. But a red carpet was rolled out to meet Air Force One in Beijing. A military honor guard, a military band and about 300 Chinese youths waving Chinese and American flags and chanting, “Welcome, welcome! Warm welcome!” also were present. The children wore white and light blue uniforms that mirrored the traditional paint colors of the presidential plane.

First lady Melania Trump said her husband decided to personally greet Xi when he arrives in the Washington region because “they have a great relationship.”

“He’s coming on our soil, and we need to welcome them with the most respect,” she said of Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, during an interview Wednesday on Fox News Channel’s ”Fox & Friends.”

A black-tie dinner and visit to the archives will follow

Trump's airport ceremony for Xi will be followed on Thursday by more formalities, including an arrival ceremony at the White House and a review of troops. Before the black-tie dinner, which will feature tech industry leaders like Nvidia’s Jensen Huang and SpaceX’s Elon Musk, the two leaders are expected to dive into the weighty issues behind closed doors, even as expectations are low that the trip will produce any major breakthroughs in the relationship.

On Friday, Xi and Peng will be back at the White House for a private tea with the Trumps before joining them on a tour of the National Archives in Washington. The White House has said they will view historic documents underscoring the relationship between the two countries.

___

Associated Press writers Mary Clare Jalonick and Didi Tang contributed to this report.

The hearing marked the latest development in an extraordinary showdown between Trump and media outlets whose coverage he dislikes. Trump banned CNN, MS NOW and Politico beginning Friday, assailing what he called “fake news.” More recently the president has said negative coverage was dangerous for the country. The outlets argued they were singled out because of the content of their coverage — in other words, viewpoint discrimination and called the ban a “blatant violation” of the First Amendment.

U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly — whom Trump nominated in 2017 and who ordered a CNN journalist’s access restored in a similar case in 2018 — didn’t immediately rule on the news outlets’ request for a restraining order. It was unclear when he would issue a decision.

He opened by reminding both sides that he’s required to apply case precedent.

The rulings in two prior cases over press access — including one that went to the U.S. Supreme Court — made clear that journalists were entitled to an opportunity to be heard before they have their press passes revoked.

Justice Department attorney Michael Velchik has argued that the rulings in the earlier cases were wrong.

“Maybe they were, maybe they weren’t, but currently as a district judge I have to apply them,” Kelly said.

Arguments began with Theodore Boutrous Jr., attorney for the outlets, calling the ban an “unprecedented, unreasonable punishment” and saying there was “not a semblance of due process.”

Velchik told the court that “access to the White House is a privilege, not a right.”

“The president should be able to take immediate action to protect national security,” he added.

The administration has doubled down on its contention that it has the right to decide who can set foot in the White House.

The Trump administration outlined ‘reporting incidents’ of each news outlet

In filing late Tuesday, administration lawyers argued that the ban does not violate the First Amendment, which guarantees the right to a free press. It contended that the outlets, in their reporting, violated “standards of professionalism and decorum expected of those given access to the White House complex, including by trafficking in verifiable falsehoods about national security and other issues and publishing sensitive or classified information.”

The administration went on to detail letters that were sent to each outlet that identified “a non-exhaustive list of reporting incidents, including those that have threatened national security and spread falsehoods.”

The “reporting incidents” cited in the filing included: CNN reporting on “‘top-secret' construction details related to the East Wing bunker”; MS NOW reporting “on an alleged leak investigation”; and Politico publishing “a document detailing funding for the White House ballroom containing intricate descriptions of how the Secret Service would invest in security improvements.”

Further examples were given in individual letters. Politico’s letter detailed six incidents of reporting, including in June citing a “senior administration official … granted anonymity” predicting whether a preliminary deal would end the conflict with Iran.

That item appeared to reference a background briefing set up by the White House, where an official briefed reporters on condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the White House itself. Several other outlets also reported the official's remarks.

The news outlets argue that the ban blatantly violates the First Amendment

Trump began to emphasize the national security argument Tuesday, when he said negative coverage was dangerous for the country.

“I think we have a right to clean out fake news,” he told reporters at the United Nations, defending the ban, which was suddenly announced Friday. The next day, journalists for the three outlets arrived at work to find their entry badges disabled.

The ban prompted other media outlets to take action in solidarity. The five-network U.S. network press pool — a rotating cast of news outlets that covers the president, and to which CNN belongs — decided to suspend coverage of Trump events until further notice. The Associated Press joined a group of organizations that refrained from publishing photos of the president Monday. On Wednesday, the network pool was again missing from a daily White House press schedule.

The ban and subsequent lawsuit are part of a long-running conflict between the president — especially in his second term — and media outlets he finds unfavorable. Trump has responded in the courtroom, or with regulatory action. He’s also lashed out at individual reporters in personal terms.

Other news outlets file a brief to the court in support of colleagues

An amicus brief was filed by other news groups Wednesday, urging the court to immediately restore the three outlets' White House access.

The brief — filed by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, the White House Correspondents' Association and 49 media outlets and industry groups, including The Associated Press, The New York Times and Reuters — says “the targeted expulsion of news media from White House grounds injures the public interest" and that "unassailable First Amendment law makes any viewpoint-based decision to bar reporters from a nonpublic forum constitutionally repugnant.”

The proceedings are historic, said Katie Fallow, deputy litigation director at the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University.

“No president has taken this explicit of a step” to ban entire news outlets because he doesn’t like their reporting, she said. “There have been various presidents throughout history who have grumbled about the press or threatened to take more major steps, but really there was nothing at this level before Trump.”

___

Noveck reported from New York. Associated Press journalist Laurie Kellman contributed from London.

The Deerfield Beach woman was taken into custody just before 9:30 p.m. on Sept. 18.

News4JAX is not naming the woman because she is facing misdemeanor charges.

What the trooper observed

The trooper was traveling southbound on the Buckman Bridge when a grey Kia K4 rapidly closed in from behind. Using a radar device, the trooper initially clocked the vehicle at 95 mph. The driver briefly slowed before accelerating again after passing the bridge.

The vehicle — bearing Florida license plate FVGY06 — was observed weaving through traffic while continuing to gain speed. The trooper clocked the car at 107 mph using the radar’s front antenna, then confirmed a speed of 117 mph with the vehicle directly ahead and no other cars between them.

Traffic stop, arrest

The trooper initiated a traffic stop using emergency lights and sirens. When approached, the driver was identified as the vehicle’s registered owner and was the sole occupant in the front seat, with two additional passengers in the rear.

The driver was removed from the vehicle and detained. A check through the National Crime Information Center and Florida Crime Information Center (NCIC/FCIC) revealed a seize-tag order if the registered owner was driving, and confirmed the driver’s license was not valid.

The woman was arrested and charged with two second-degree misdemeanors: operating a motor vehicle at 100 mph or more in a manner threatening to a person or property and driving while license suspended, cancelled or revoked.

Florida’s Super Speeder Law

Florida’s “Super Speeder” law went into effect in July of 2025.

If drivers are caught going 50+ miles over the speed limit or at least 100 miles per hour, they face a criminal misdemeanor.

The law also involves increased penalties for repeat convictions.

A first conviction carries up to 30 days in jail, a $500 fine, or both. A second or subsequent conviction carries up to 90 days in jail, a $1,000 fine, or both. A second or subsequent conviction within five years also triggers a driving-privilege revocation of at least 180 days and up to one year.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Wednesday because the team had not announced Dart's status.

Dart was injured on the first drive Monday night against the Los Angeles Rams when his left leg bent awkwardly as he was hit by two defenders. After initially saying it was in the neighborhood of a medial collateral ligament injury, coach John Harbaugh said Tuesday the evaluation process for Dart was still ongoing.

An MRI revealed medial collateral ligament, posterior cruciate ligament and meniscus damage, according to a report by NFL Network. Harbaugh is scheduled to address reporters after practice later Wednesday, his 64th birthday.

Losing the 23-year-old face of the franchise to a long-term injury would be a significant blow in Harbaugh's first season in charge, which began with a victory against Dallas at home in Week 1. Jameis Winston takes over the starting role beginning Sunday against Tennessee.

The Giants' next five opponents have a combined 2-8 record. Winston is 3-9 in 12 NFL starts since 2024.

Winston and Jake Haener, who is on the practice squad, were the only QBs at practice during the portion open to reporters. Haener, who played in eight games and started one for New Orleans two seasons ago, joined midway through training camp and stuck around over journeyman Brandon Allen.

Edge rusher Brian Burns, who sprained his left ankle late in the Rams game, was not on the field. No. 1 receiver Malik Nabers, who popped his shoulder back into place and returned Monday night, and starting left tackle Andrew Thomas, who limped off with a groin injury, were participating in the unpadded session.

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AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi in Tampa, Florida, contributed to this report.

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See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Under an agreement with the city of Jacksonville, JTA will receive $30 million in local gas-tax revenue over the next 10 years. The funding will help the agency meet its debt obligations.

The agreement comes days after JTA abruptly laid off more than 150 employees, drawing criticism from residents and former employees.

“I’m going to be very vocal about not letting any of my money come to JTA,” one Jacksonville resident told the board.

RELATED | ‘Hurt and blindsided’: Laid-off JTA employee says employees were given severance packets, escorted out of headquarters

Former JTA employees also attended Wednesday’s meeting and urged the agency to avoid additional layoffs by moving some workers to part-time positions.

“They all have issues to solve. They have bills to pay,” a former employee said. “Nobody is happy about losing their homes or cars because they lost their jobs, so I would beg them to stay part time.”

Interim CEO Cleveland Ferguson said the restructuring process is ongoing and is expected to continue through Nov. 1.

“This process is not finished,” Ferguson said. “It will continue through Nov. 1, and we will bring service within available resources.”

Ferguson told board members that safety, reliability, debt reduction and financial discipline are the agency’s top priorities.

“These decisions carry a real human cost,” Ferguson said. “I recognize the weight of them, and I take responsibility for carrying them out in a way that is disciplined, fair and respectful of the people affected.”

Some board members questioned whether JTA can repay its utility debt without first understanding how the agency reached its current financial position.

“We have to first know several things: What happened? Why did it happen? And are those problems solved?” one board member said. “Where did the holes in the bucket come from?”

The Clay County Board of County Commissioners also voted Wednesday to terminate a funding agreement with JTA. The decision could affect Clay County’s community transportation program, a public shuttle bus service.

Fast-food traffic in many markets, including the U.S., is flat, so for McDonald’s to continue to grow it has to grab share from competitors and improve restaurant productivity, McDonald’s Chairman and CEO Chris Kempczinski said at a meeting with investors at the company’s Chicago headquarters. McDonald's wants to automate more tasks, like inventory and scheduling, and improve kitchen operations.

“The winners will be the companies that create more demand and deliver it more efficiently,” Kempczinski said.

McDonald's shares fell nearly 5% Wednesday, their largest percentage drop since April 2025, as investors shuddered at the eye-popping price of improving McDonald's 46,000 global stores.

On the product side, McDonald's said hand-breaded chicken, which has rolled out at 10,000 restaurants in Asia and a handful of restaurants near Chicago, has boosted sales and quality ratings. Many of McDonald's competitors, like Chick-fil-A and KFC, offer hand-breaded chicken. The company plans to expand its testing to more markets in the U.S. and Ireland next year.

McDonald's also plans to introduce grilled chicken sandwiches and wraps in the U.S. and other markets and experiment with products like egg bites and bowls to meet the needs of customers who are seeking more protein and varied portion sizes.

Skye Anderson, the president of McDonald’s USA, said approximately 30 million Americans are now using GLP-1 weight loss drugs, and they’re seeking smaller, more protein-packed meals as a result. But the company’s research indicates that 60 million Americans are actively seeking more protein in their diet.

“This is an opportunity. We need to keep giving them more reasons to make McDonald’s their first choice,” Anderson said at McDonald’s investor day.

McDonald’s said the restaurant modernizations include lockers to handle delivery orders, more visible coffee preparation areas to enhance quality perceptions, bigger play areas and improved kitchen layouts. Scales to help ensure order accuracy – which are already in use at 10,000 restaurants globally – will be in 20,000 restaurants by 2028, McDonald’s said.

The company is deploying its ArchIQ system, developed with Google, that improves order accuracy with artificial intelligence and automates tasks like inventory management and scheduling. Archy, the company's AI-enabled drive-thru ordering system, is now capable of taking orders in Spanish and English with a 90% accuracy rate.

Archy could eventually reduce at least 50 labor hours per week in a typical McDonald's, Chief Financial Officer Ian Borden said. But he said the intention is not to reduce staffing. Instead, employees can focus more on hospitality or on tasks like hand-breading chicken.

Kempczinski said customers have responded positively to Archy in testing because it helps make their orders more accurate.

“It's not AI is bad or AI is good. We try to be really thoughtful about how we use it,” he said.

McDonald's is also rolling out new employee training that will focus on hospitality and food quality, said Tiffanie Boyd, McDonald's chief people officer. The training will be more experience-based, showing employees what a perfectly cooked Big Mac tastes like, for example, and will encourage more pleasant interactions with customers.

At the same time, McDonald's is still focused on value. Kempczinski said low-income consumers, defined as U.S. households making $45,000 or less, continue to go out for fast food but not as often as they used to. McDonald's has done a good job with meal bundles, like its $5 meal deal, he said. But the company is exploring ways to offer entry-level prices on a basic menu of items in the U.S., as it does in Europe and other markets.

“This is the environment that we’re in right now. You have to be on your game and deliver that value,” Kempczinski said. “The pressure around cost of living isn't going away.”

McDonald’s U.S. franchisees typically spend up to $450,000 per decade to on required store remodels. Under the company’s new plan, they will have to spend an additional $800,000 over time, but McDonald’s will pay a portion of that cost in the form of rent relief and capital support.

Borden said the investments will be phased in over time when markets and individual franchisees are ready for them. Once the investments are made, the efficiency improvements will deliver roughly $100,000 in annual cash flow benefits to the average U.S. restaurant, some of which can be reinvested in the restaurant, Borden said.

“We'd love to see it going into hospitality to elevate the experience with our customers,” Borden said.

The group on Wednesday announced a campaign aimed at raising $10 million “to protect and honor our nation’s shared civic and cultural inheritance against urgent threats emanating from Washington."

In an interview, the group's president and CEO, Brent Leggs, said the fund was the first of its kind for the privately funded nonprofit organization, which is charged by Congress with protecting historic sites, and would help bolster its legal division and government relations staff.

“It is a response to the urgent and existential threats to historic preservation,” he said.

The group has been critical of efforts by the Republican president to put his lasting stamp on Washington and the White House.

So far that includes razing the East Wing to make way for a ballroom that will dwarf the rest of the complex; paving over the White House Rose Garden to create a patio in the style of his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida; adding a helipad to the South Lawn; and redecorating the Oval Office with golden accents. Elsewhere in the nation's capital, he has been trying to rename and renovate the Kennedy Center, is working to build an enormous triumphal arch between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery, and has tried repeatedly to refurbish the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

In December, the preservation group sued in federal court seeking to halt the ballroom project until it goes through multiple independent reviews and wins approval from Congress. The Supreme Court last month ruled against the group, with the majority saying it likely did not have the legal right to challenge the project, and allowed work on the ballroom to continue.

The group is part of a lawsuit aimed at halting the administration’s efforts to overhaul the Kennedy Center, which was abruptly closed to the public last week. Leggs said more lawsuits are coming.

The group has also been pushing back against proposed changes to the National Historic Preservation Act that it says threaten legal protections for historic sites and public land.

At a National Preservation Summit in Washington, Leggs painted the projects in stark terms.

“Our national inheritance hangs in balance today,” he said, according to a copy of his remarks. “It is not an exaggeration to say that this moment is existential. For our field, for the communities we serve, and for generations to come.”

“Together, we will raise an initial $10 million over three years in a moonshot effort to ensure our nation’s civic and cultural heritage remains intact through tangible connections to our shared history,” he said.

“If managed poorly, I even believe AI could be a risk to humanity as a whole,” said Dario Amodei, the chief executive officer of Anthropic.

“We could lose control of the future to AI,” said his competitor, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI.

Both said the countries of the world, though the U.N. Security Council, where they testified Wednesday afternoon, have to set safeguards, which would be actual controls to prevent the technology from getting too powerful to rein in. They also called for the world to make sure that the power of AI isn’t concentrated in one company or country.

For world leaders, one key question about AI is this: Who should control life-and-death decisions — human or machine?

The United Nations Security Council on Wednesday huddled with top technology leaders to figure out if the increasing abilities and pervasiveness of artificial intelligence should be controlled and, if so, by who. Other lingering questions: How could it be done? When might it be just too late?

The day before, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned of “killer robots." Experts and European leaders said that’s not hyperbole but something that’s already a reality or at least perilously close.

Acuña was listed as day-to-day with a contusion after X-rays and a CT scan showed no serious damage. He was able to walk slowly off the field under his own power after hobbling away from the battling circle and dropping to his knees in clear pain.

“Good news with Ronald,” manager Walt Weiss said after the Braves lost to the Reds 4-0.

The injury comes with the playoffs just a week away for Atlanta, which clinched its seventh NL East title in the past nine years. The Braves are likely to open the playoffs hosting a best-of-three series against the lowest-seeded wild-card team.

Asked if he had any worries about Acuña being ready for the postseason, Weiss replied, “Not as I sit here today, unless things change. But no, as I sit here today, no concerns.”

Acuña was tended to for several minutes by the Braves trainer, with Weiss looking on intently, before heading straight to the home clubhouse.

“Very concerned at the time,” Weiss said. “He hits the ball so hard. His foul balls off the feet and legs are not the same as the average Joe. The ball comes off his bat so hot, so I was concerned at first.”

Acuña went down on a 3-1 pitch from Brandon Williamson with the Reds up 1-0. The slugging outfielder took a big swing, sending the ball off his left shin, below the knee and just above a protective guard. He dropped to the dirt with a big grimace, pulled himself up and limped a few feet away from the box before going to the ground again.

The 2023 NL MVP has been one of Atlanta's hottest hitters down the stretch, hitting seven homers in his last 18 games — including a grand slam in a sweep of the Astros last weekend. He is batting .259 with 20 homers, 55 RBIs and 20 stolen bases.

“We'll see how he feels tomorrow,” Weiss said. “He's going to be sore. Obviously, we'll err on the side of caution at this time of years. But all things considered, it's good news.”

The Braves have five games left in the regular season. Brewer Hicklen took over the leadoff spot and right field after Acuña left the game.

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See AP’s full MLB coverage here

On a 3-1 pitch,

Acuna foul ball off left leg, just above a protective pad. Acuna went down in a heap, hobbled out of the batting circle and dropped to his knees again while attended to by manager Walt Weiss and the trainer. Acuna eventually left the game,

Meanwhile, another ship attempting to transit the Strait of Hormuz was struck by a projectile, highlighting the dangers that continue to restrict traffic through the critical waterway as the seven-month war grinds on.

Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Wednesday. More coverage of the U.N. General Assembly is available here.

Iran's president calls US attacks ‘cowardly’

Iran's president said his country's people had been the “victims of terrorism” by the United States.

Delivering a rare wartime speech at the U.N. General Assembly, Pezeshkian displayed images of the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and more than 150 schoolchildren killed in the opening days of the conflict.

“We have only defended ourselves. We are not terrorists,” he said. “Our innocent people have been the targets of cowardly attacks and aggressions imposed upon our country.”

Turning to the United States, Pezeshkian added: “Yes, they did hit us, but we did not bend the knee.”

Rubio says Trump still open to a deal to make Iran ‘prosperous’

Pezeshkian addressed world leaders a day after U.S. President Donald Trump used the same stage to suggest that he might “annihilate” the Islamic Republic if an agreement was not reached soon to end the nearly seven-month war.

Hours later, Trump touted “a very good meeting” between his chief envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, and Iranian officials. Tehran, however, downplayed the talks. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said they were “not anything new.”

On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that Trump remained open to an agreement “that allows Iran to be what it should be, which is a great and prosperous country.”

Rubio said the prospects for such a deal were hindered by Iran’s nuclear ambitions and “their support of terrorism.” If those policies continued, he said, Trump could exercise “a number of options,” including further military action.

Hard-liners in Iran criticize talks with US

Hard-line figures in Iran attacked Iran’s top diplomat for engaging with the U.S. at the U.N., triggering pushback from rival factions in Tehran.

In an X post, lawmaker Ebrahim Rezaei demanded that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi explain the decision to meet with “the aggressor enemy.”

Ali Ahmadnia, a media official for Iran’s president, responded by posting an AI-generated image depicting Araghchi as a wounded warrior.

“How can a soldier be on the battlefield while the home front is being weakened from within?!", Ahmadnia wrote on X. “The Iranian delegation in New York operates in full coordination with the relevant institutions.”

Another ship hit in the Strait of Hormuz

A cargo ship was struck in the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said, citing an unidentified company security officer.

The vessel was hit by an “unknown projectile,” resulting in two casualties, UKMTO said without providing further details. The crew abandoned the ship, which caught fire and was left adrift.

The attack was the first reported in two days. No one immediately claimed responsibility.

The incident highlighted the continuing danger to ships attempting to navigate the waterway. Some vessels appear to be making “dark passages” without transmitting identifying signals, but Iran and the United States have maintained their competing blockades. Commercial traffic remains well below prewar levels, according to ship-tracking data from analytics firm Kpler.

Restrictions on shipping through the strait have become one of the war’s most persistent consequences. Before the conflict, one-fifth of the world’s traded oil passed through the narrow waterway, along with large volumes of natural gas, fertilizer and other petroleum products.

Major Arab parties disqualified from running in Israeli elections

Israel’s election commission voted Wednesday to disqualify major Arab political parties and candidates from running in next month’s polls.

The disqualification came at the request of two right-wing parties, including the Likud party led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The parties had said the candidates were ineligible under a law barring those who reject Israel’s existence, incite racism or support armed struggle against Israel.

Wednesday’s vote targeted the United Arab List, a religious Arab Muslim party also known by its Hebrew name Ra’am; as well as the Joint List, an alliance of left-wing and Arab-majority parties. Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas said the decision was a “political, illegitimate, and anti-democratic move” and that the party would appeal to the Supreme Court.

Elections will be held next month, the first since the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks that plunged Israel into war.

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This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.

The 33-year-old Kane is currently happy and setting records at Bayern Munich coming off a standout 73-goal season that has him in contention to win the Ballon d’Or in London next month.

Still, the England captain looked toward a future in the United States ahead of his team hosting World Cup winner Spain on Saturday in the Nations League.

“Maybe if I am in the MLS in the future or somewhere like that it might be a thing where you could connect the two maybe with the seasons,” said Kane, a longtime admirer of Tom Brady.

“That is something I will try and look at a bit more seriously,” Kane said. “It all depends on what happens in my career over the next five or six years, the motivation and what I want to do."

The former Tottenham forward compared the skill of place-kicking in the NFL with taking penalties in soccer.

“I take penalties and it is a very similar pressure, technique,” he said. “If I did that, in terms of training, I would be closer to that more than any other sport."

“If I was to do it, it is something I would take seriously. I would take maybe six months to a year of trying to practice before,” Kane said. “But, again, it is in the back of my mind because right now I am feeling that I want to play as long as I can here.”

Kane revealed he is “fairly close” to signing a new contract with Bayern where he is now in a fourth season and has won two Bundesliga titles.

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See AP’s full soccer coverage here

A close family friend of Charles Newsome, 47, who did not want to be identified, said Newsome’s wife is still in shock.

“It’s been tough,” the friend said. “I’ve been trying to help his wife as best as I can. She’s in shock, of course.”

The friend said Newsome’s children are also receiving support as they cope with losing their father.

“We’re trying to get the kids therapy and everything they’ll need to get through something like this,” the friend said.

The friend said Newsome lived in apartments behind the hotel and was walking through the area to a convenience store to get his wife and children something to drink when he encountered another man. The family was told an argument occurred before the shooting.

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said the shooting followed a verbal altercation. Saveon West, 24, was arrested less than 24 hours later and accused of murder.

People who live in the area said they feel safer following the arrest. Tenant Edward Boudreau said the property still does not have security, but side doors that had been left unlocked were fixed. He also said several people who did not belong at the property were removed.

“They don’t have security still, but they had an issue with the side doors being unlocked; they fixed that,” Boudreau said. “They removed a lot of people here that really didn’t belong here, so things have quieted down quite a bit.”

The property manager declined to comment and directed questions to the corporate office.

Newsome’s family and friends are asking the community to help prevent gun violence.

“Gun violence, we really need the gun violence to settle down in the city,” the friend said. “This is just too much hurt and pain on all the families.”

The Dodgers are once again among the best teams in the big leagues, and they'll have several challengers in October, including the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays. All three teams could finish the regular season with 100 wins or more. Los Angeles is rolling into the postseason and four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani is expected to return to the lineup on Wednesday after a stint on the injured list.

The New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves have also clinched spots in the postseason. Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, a three-time AL MVP, is dealing with a right calf strain that will likely keep him out through at least the Wild Card Series.

While the 12-team playoff field appears mostly set, there are a few long-shot contenders for the postseason, and specific matchups are in flux.

Here's some of what to watch as the season comes to a close.

Here's who can clinch a playoff spot Wednesday

In the American League, the Cleveland Guardians can qualify for the postseason with a win at Boston and a loss by either the Texas Rangers or Houston Astros.

The Chicago White Sox can cap a turnaround season and earn a spot in October with a win over the Kansas City Royals and a loss by the Rangers.

Over in the National League, the Chicago Cubs can clinch a playoff spot with a win over the Miami Marlins or a loss by the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Philadelphia Phillies can clinch a wild card if they beat the Milwaukee Brewers and either the San Diego Padres or D-backs lose.

The Padres can clinch a playoff spot with a win over the Dodgers and a loss by the D-backs.

AL Central and West are tight, other division winners are set

There's quite a bit of mediocrity in the AL Central and West divisions this season, which has led to some fascinating pennant races and could lead to a sub-.500 team making the postseason.

The Guardians (82-75) have a narrow advantage over the White Sox (81-76) in the AL Central while the Texas Rangers (78-79) and Astros (78-79) are fighting for the AL West.

Over in the National League, the playoff bracket is close to set.

The Cubs (87-70), Padres (87-70) and Phillies (87-70) are jockeying for position in the wild-card race but will almost certainly make the postseason. The only team within shouting distance is Arizona (83-74), which is four games back. Chicago holds the head-to-head tiebreaker for home field over Philadelphia and San Diego, and the Phillies own the tiebreaker over the Padres after sweeping that season series 6-0.

MVP races, stats to watch

MLB's major awards probably won't have much drama this season.

Both MVP races have strong favorites with Chicago's Pete Crow-Armstrong running away with the NL honor while Houston's Yordan Alvarez is the probable choice in the AL, though Tampa Bay's Junior Caminero has also had a fantastic season. Alvarez still has an outside shot at a Triple Crown. He leads the AL in batting average at .314 and his 41 homers are tied with Caminero, but his 102 RBIs are six back of Baltimore's Pete Alonso.

For the Cy Young Award, Milwaukee flame thrower Jacob Misiorowski and New York ace Cam Schlittler are the favorites in the NL and AL, respectively.

The Rookie of the Year races also look set with Cincinnati's Sal Stewart and his 110-RBI season the leader in the NL and Detroit's Kevin McGonigle the favorite in the AL.

What is the MLB playoff format?

There are 12 teams that qualify for MLB’s postseason, including six teams from both the AL and NL. The three division winners in each league get seeds No. 1 through No. 3, ranked by win-loss record. Then the three wild-card teams get seeds No. 4 through No. 6, also ranked by win-loss record.

The top two teams with the best record in both the AL and NL automatically advance to the Division Series. The other eight teams play in the Wild Card Series, which is a best-of-three format beginning on Tuesday, Sept. 29. In both the AL and NL, the No. 6 seed will travel to face the No. 3 seed while the No. 5 seed goes to No. 4. The higher seed hosts all three games.

The winners then advance to the best-of-five Division Series, followed by the best-of-seven League Championship Series and a best-of-seven World Series between the winners of the AL and NL.

What is the MLB postseason schedule?

Wild Card Series: Sept. 29-Oct. 1 (NBC/Peacock)

Division Series: Oct. 3-10 (AL on TBS, NL on FOX/FS1)

Championship Series: Oct. 11-20 (AL on TBS, NL on FOX/FS1)

World Series: Oct. 23-31 (FOX)

Who are the favorites to win the World Series?

The Dodgers (+220) are the favorites to capture a third straight World Series title while the Brewers (+600), Yankees (+800) and Rays (+800) are viewed as the top contenders.

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See AP’s full MLB coverage here

At a meeting of the group’s board in New York on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday, the governors unveiled a 66-project blueprint to get things started while acknowledging enormous hurdles that must still be overcome. The projects include ambitious infrastructure, education and health initiatives that are designed to support Trump’s 20-point plan to end the Israel-Hamas war.

“The need is immense,” the board said, noting that full reconstruction from the physical damage across Gaza will cost roughly $35.2 billion over the medium term and an additional $71.4 billion over the next 10 years.

The proposal is largely aimed at potential donors who are being asked to foot the bill for reconstruction of the war-devastated territory that has seen numerous failed peace initiatives in the past. Those have included previous premature pronouncements of agreements between Hamas and Israel that have left would-be donors skeptical.

Board of Peace is seeking movement as Trump's ceasefire plan has largely stalled

The ceasefire, which took effect on Oct. 10, was meant to clear the way for a broader process to rebuild Gaza under the guidance of the Board of Peace. The plan included additional Israeli military withdrawals from Gaza, the disarmament of Hamas, the arrival of an international peacekeeping force and a new apolitical Palestinian government to administer the territory’s day-to-day affairs. It also envisioned an ambitious program for rebuilding war-ravaged Gaza.

But the U.S.-backed plan has largely stalled. While the ceasefire halted the heaviest fighting and humanitarian conditions have improved, the Israeli military has expanded its control of Gaza and now occupies some 60% of the territory. Hamas has not given up its weapons. The international military force and new government still have not entered Gaza, and reconstruction has not begun. The vast majority of Palestinians continue to live in tent camps or ruins of their former homes.

The board’s high representative, Nickolay Mladenov, has said progress hinges largely on Hamas disarming — a step the militant group has refused to take. But he also has pressed Israel to scale back its military operation.

“Given the complexities of what we’re dealing with, I think we’re making slowly and steadily progress,” he said. Mladenov added that discussions with Israel have been politically sensitive and emotional because of next month’s elections.

Steve Witkoff, Trump’s Mideast envoy, acknowledged that the ceasefire had not been a 100% success but said the board “can point to real progress.”

“There is a ceasefire, imperfect as it may be, but it still exists,” he said.

Witkoff's partner in peacemaking, Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner praised the Board of Peace team for the work it has done to advance the prospects for peace.

“We’re building something that is really a platform to enable the Palestinian people in Gaza to finally focus on improving their livelihoods and improving their lives and for those who want to live in peace, to give them a chance to do so,” Kushner said.

The timeline for new projects and larger steps in Gaza still isn't clear

Despite laying out a six-month plan that prioritizes 66 projects — ranging from humanitarian shelters and home repair to education programs and food security — the timeline was still nebulous. Documents that the board released Wednesday says the programs are “ready to begin the moment funding and access allow.”

Speaking about the difficult steps of disarmament and Israeli withdrawal, Mladenov said, “I want to be very clear that we are not bound by a calendar — we're bound by verification. We want to make sure that this works.”

U.S. Gen. Jasper Jeffers, commander of the international stabilization force planned for Gaza, outlined a five-step approach to dealing with the thorny issue of demilitarizing Hamas. It begins with the first wave of the multinational unit being deployed with troops from Kosovo and Morocco, to be followed by additional personnel from Albania and Kazakhstan.

Their task will be to demilitarize the territory and decommission all of Hamas’ military infrastructure.

The goal, he said, is to gradually turn security control over to the interim government, after which Israel will be expected to withdraw its forces.

Speaking to reporters separately, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the challenge is daunting but not impossible to meet.

“Obviously, this is a long-term project,” he said. “This is not something that can happen in six months, but at least gives people the hope (of a) future that awaits you if everyone does their part.”

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Associated Press writers Josef Federman and Julia Frankel in Jerusalem and Ben Finley in Washington contributed to this report.

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This story has been corrected to show that Nickolay Mladenov's first name was misspelled.

The organization released the following statement:

We appreciate Kevin’s service and contributions to Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Florida and wish him and his family well in this next chapter,” said Blake Wilson, Chairman of BGCNF’s Board of Governors. “Our focus has always been, and continues to be, on the young people and families we serve. On average, BGCNF serves nearly 15,000 registered members annually across 55 locations. That work is possible because of an extraordinary team and a community of donors, volunteers, and partners committed to helping young people reach their full potential and build great futures.

Boys & Girls Club of Northeast Florida

This comes one day after he announced that he joined the World Law Foundation Board of Trustees.

Carrico’s departure comes months after controversy surrounding his attempt to appoint his boss, Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Florida President and CEO Paul Martinez, to the JEA board.

Carrico introduced a resolution in February to replace JEA board member Arthur Adams Jr. with Martinez. Text messages Carrico sent to Adams described the appointment as a “big favor” he needed to do for “my guy.”

Martinez withdrew from consideration after the messages became public. Carrico said Martinez was selected based on his qualifications and denied the appointment involved a transactional favor.

The State Attorney’s Office later subpoenaed Carrico’s calendars and communications related to the appointment. In June, unredacted messages showed Carrico and Martinez discussing a JEA-owned property in Nassau County that had been considered for use by a Boys & Girls Club foundation.

The property was appraised at more than $1 million, and a draft proposal to lease it for $1 a year was never signed. Martinez denied the property discussions were connected to his potential JEA appointment before he withdrew his name for consideration.

Carrico sent the following statement to News4JAX, saying he’s looking forward to starting his next chapter.

It has been one of the great privileges of my professional life to support the mission of Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Florida and the young people and families it serves. After more than a decade with the organization, I am incredibly proud of what we accomplished together, grateful for the relationships built along the way and confident the Club will continue changing lives throughout Northeast Florida. As I begin my next chapter, I’m excited to build something new and look forward to sharing more in the coming days.

Kevin Carrico

The nearly impossible part for the female cyclist from Afghanistan was trying to train in her country. To do that, she dressed as a man in a place where women have few rights.

“All the time when I was going to training,” she said, “I was dressing as a guy.”

She said she also hid her face when she could in order to not be recognized.

“Because sometimes when they recognized me, they were trying to throw ... stone(s) or hitting me," she said.

Hashimi, who is 23, won silver Tuesday in a time of 2 hours, 50 minutes, 5 seconds, which marked another leg in a journey that began in 2021 when she left Afghanistan.

“In 2021, when the Taliban moved into my country, I escaped my country because I wanted to follow my dream,” she said. “I want to show the Afghanistan women in the world that ... we can have an opportunity.”

Hashimi talked about having many dreams for women in Afghanistan, dreams for herself and dreams that may take time to be realized.

“I’m really, really happy and I’m full of emotion. I don’t know how I can explain it for you,” she said.

“I hope one day I come back in my country and ride the streets of Kabul — and riding with the women side by side to share the same passion," she explained.

“And I hope in the future changing some things,” she added. “I think we are really tired of the situation of our country and I hope the Taliban is watching. I know how much one woman can be powerful and that's why Taliban is scared (of) women.”

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SNTV video journalist Raj Mohan contributed to this report.

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See full AP coverage of Asian sports here

“When someone gives Russia more money through trade, they give this war more time. And that is exactly why we insist on limiting trade with the aggressor, and why we are burning Russia’s revenues ourselves,” he said in English, a language he often uses at the world body.

Russia gets its turn Saturday to address the assembly. President Vladimir Putin hasn’t traveled to the gathering in years, sending Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov instead.

Lavrov told the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday that Russia is prepared to negotiate toward a lasting peace but won’t just “pause” the war. He argued that such a pause would just buy Ukraine and its backers time to line up more weapons.

Zelenskyy cast doubt on Russia's interest in ending the fighting.

“Something always seems to stop Putin from saying, ‘That’s it. Enough. Peace,’” Zelenskyy said. “Can you even imagine him without war? He is ‘Patient Zero’, the one from whom war keeps spreading further. ... ‘Patient Zero’ must be stopped."

The war has reverberated across the planet

Russia invaded Ukraine more than 4½ years ago and says it's out to protect its own security and the interests of Russians and Russian-speakers in parts of Ukraine. Western analysts estimate that over 500,000 Russian troops have been killed and that Ukraine has recorded more than 500,000 military casualties, including up to 140,000 deaths. Neither country discloses its own casualty totals.

The war has had global repercussions for fuel, fertilizer and grain shipments — and for geopolitics, widening divisions between Russia and the West.

With front-line positions in eastern and southern Ukraine largely unchanged since last year, Russia and Ukraine have intensified long-range attacks with drones and missiles.

Russian drones pounded the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, in daylight attacks on Wednesday, killing two people and wounding 23; two others were injured by a strike that started a big fire at a shopping mall in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said it struck Ukrainian military-industrial and energy facilities, logistics centers, and sea vessels overnight. The ministry said its air defenses intercepted more than 500 Ukrainian drones over multiple Russian regions and Crimea, as well as the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. Crimea is the peninsula that Russia seized by force and illegally annexed in 2014.

Zelenskyy says ‘you can stand and survive’

Zelenskyy told the assembly that Russia has used 63,000 attack drones of different types against Ukraine so far this year alone. While celebrating that his own country "has proven that even against a much bigger enemy, you can stand and survive,” he implored world leaders to deny Putin money or foreign fighters.

“Limit his money. Limit his war," the Ukrainian leader said.

Meanwhile, Ukraine has been looking for additional resources. Zelenskyy noted to reporters Tuesday that his country hasn’t yet gotten clear answers to its effort to acquire more U.S. Patriot air defense systems.

Zelenskyy met Tuesday with U.S. President Donald Trump on the U.N. sidelines.

In brief remarks to the media before the meeting, Trump reiterated that he believes “we’re going to make a deal” with Russia and Ukraine to quell the fighting. The president predicted on the 2024 campaign trail that he’d swiftly broker an end to the war but hasn’t succeeded so far. Zelenskyy said Tuesday he was hopeful.

“Sometimes, it may seem that Ukraine is focused, focused, only on war because we speak about weapons, we speak about defense and sanctions against the aggressor. But Ukrainians did not choose this war,” he told the assembly on Wednesday. “We choose not to die. …. We are defending ourselves.”

Scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms with heavy downpours will be possible along our beaches and I-95 through Thursday. Areas near Amelia City in Nassau County received 4-4.5 inches of rain within two hours.

The strengthening onshore winds will increase marine hazards through Saturday morning. A high risk for Rip Currents and rough surf will continue at all area

Beaches. Northeast winds of 20-30 mph and gusts of 35-45 mph will be possible through Thursday.

Minor coastal and tidal flooding along the St. Johns River will be possible at times of High Tide.

Behind the front, decreasing winds and cooler temperatures will move in Friday, bringing pleasant conditions through the weekend and the first of our morning lows in the upper 50s and 60s.

Tonight: Scattered showers with isolated storms through 7 p.m., with a chance of coastal showers overnight.

Thursday: Windy winds with coastal showers and thunderstorms, 30-50 percent, 20-30 percent inland. Morning lows in the upper 60s and 70s. Afternoon highs in the upper 70s to 80s. Decreasing wind and clouds overnight.

Friday: Not as windy with cooler morning lows and pleasant afternoon highs.

Weekend: Make plans to get outside!

Tropics: Fay is trying to reform and in the eastern Atlantic chances of formation are increasing. www.news4jax.com/weather/2026/09/23/fay-remnants-could-redevelop-into-tropical-depression/

Sunrise: 7:16 a.m.

Sunset: 7:21 p.m.

Xi largely succeeded, shaking hands with then-President Barack Obama to deepen economic ties and expand cooperation. In the Rose Garden, Obama declared that the U.S. “welcomes the rise of a China that is peaceful, stable, prosperous and a responsible player in global affairs.”

Those days are over.

Returning to the U.S. capital Wednesday for the first state visit in over a decade, Xi — more confident than ever — is seeking stability even as the globe's two largest economies compete over everything from artificial intelligence to space ambitions and global influence. Xi is expected to urge cooperation with the U.S. for the sake of the world.

“In 2015, China was a rising power still, profoundly and quickly rising, but rising undeniably,” said Mira Rapp-Hooper, a visiting fellow at Brookings Institution's Center for Asia Policy Studies. Now, “China is risen.”

Both economies have grown remarkably over the decade, and while the U.S. still maintains a strong edge, what's important is that Beijing has gained the capabilities to check the U.S. and “the will to use those capabilities,” said Sun Yun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center, a Washington-based think tank.

That was on display last year when China matched President Donald Trump's whopping 125% tariffs, nearly freezing trade and leveraging a near-monopoly in processing critical minerals — crucial for products from smartphones to fighter jets — to force the U.S. to stand down.

“In the past, China was disadvantaged in terms of strength, and it was not an equal to the U.S.,” Sun said. “But now it is considered a near-peer.”

US and Chinese leaders have shifted tones since the last state visit

In 2015, the U.S. raised myriad concerns: a level playing field for American companies in China, protection of intellectual property, cyberthreats, and freedom of navigation in the South and East China Seas.

Xi told Obama that “China is making all-around efforts to deepen comprehensive reform, to build law-based governance, to enforce strict party discipline.” Xi said Beijing would manage differences in the South China Sea “through dialogue” and told Obama that “China does not intend to pursue militarization” there.

Now, Xi remains in office after purging political rivals, abolishing presidential term limits and consolidating power. In the U.S., voters brought Trump back to the White House.

Most issues from 2015 either remain unresolved or have worsened: U.S. companies are still seeking market access, the Chinese have become more aggressive in cyberattacks, and the tensions in the South China Sea have only risen with the increasing Chinese military presence.

Xi made no mention of Taiwan in his Rose Garden remarks in 2015. But when hosting Trump in Beijing in May, Xi warned of “clashes and even conflicts” if the U.S. should mishandle the self-governed island that Beijing claims as its own. This week, Xi is expected to press Trump to further delay an arms sales package to Taiwan.

On the U.S. side, Trump will be welcoming Xi on Wednesday evening on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews, a rare move that deviates from the typical protocol of waiting for leaders to drive up to the White House.

China reduces its economic reliance on the US, but the US is still dependent on China

The U.S. was China’s largest export market in 2015, accounting for nearly one-fifth of its $2.3 trillion in exports. Today, the U.S. remains China’s top export destination, but its share has slipped to 11% of China’s global exports, which rose to more than $3.7 trillion in 2025.

That’s because the U.S. is buying less from China due to higher tariffs, while the Asian country is shipping more goods to additional markets around the world to soften the blow of Trump’s trade war.

And China has moved up on the global value chain in manufacturing, widening the gap with the U.S.

In 2015, China launched a national strategy to pursue advanced manufacturing by investing in key sectors. It has helped China reduce dependency on imports in areas such as memory chips and medical devices, and it made Chinese companies competitive globally in industries from drones to electric vehicles, clean technologies and shipbuilding, according to an analysis last year by Rhodium Group, a research provider that tracks China's economy and policy.

“There’s an undeniable sense of China’s progress on the global stage,” said Kurt Campbell, a former veteran U.S. diplomat who is now chair of The Asia Group, a strategic advisory firm. “China is not arriving. It has arrived.”

Beefing up industry has meant China's military now poses a threat to the US

Beijing's manufacturing clout has turned into military strength.

Its shipbuilding power has allowed China to build the world's largest fleet by number of vessels, including a sophisticated aircraft carrier and advanced amphibious assault ships, said Matthew P. Funaiole, a senior fellow for the China Power Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

But the U.S. Navy still has an advantage in overall tonnage and weapons systems, he said.

China has developed fifth-generation fighter jets and expanded the fleet to hundreds — it had none in 2015, according to a RAND report.

In 2019, China became the first country to land spacecraft on the far side of the moon, and it is operating one of the two space stations in orbit. It is the only other country besides the U.S. to have a space force.

China's military buildup “has made the U.S. homeland increasingly vulnerable,” according to the latest Pentagon report on China's military powers. “China maintains a large and growing arsenal of nuclear, maritime, conventional long-range strike, cyber, and space capabilities able to directly threaten Americans’ security.”

That was not the picture in 2015, when the Pentagon warned that “China’s military modernization has the potential to reduce core U.S. military technological advantages.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters hours before Xi arrived that the two leaders must interact because the U.S. and China are “the two largest economies in the world” and “probably the two most powerful militaries in the world.”

And Trump, while he has slammed Democrats as communists in a tactic ahead of November’s midterm elections, now is looking to wow Xi, the leader of the world's most powerful communist country, in Washington.

Trump is greeting Xi planeside because of their “great relationship,” first lady Melania Trump told Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends.”

“He’s coming on our soil, and we need to welcome them with the most respect,” she said.

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Associated Press journalist Kevin Vineys contributed to this report.

The ProPublica report, published Tuesday, states that the FBI in 2024 planned to launch an investigation into Collins' dealings with Navatek, a Hawaii defense contractor and donor to her campaign. The investigation, which focused on an alleged pay-to-play scheme, failed to commence after President Donald Trump took office after winning the election, according to ProPublica.

The report arrived six weeks before an election where Collins is seeking her sixth term against Democrat Troy Jackson. Democrats have targeted the seat, in a state that Trump lost in 2024, as the party tries to win control of the Senate, making it one of the most competitive races on the November ballot.

Collins on Tuesday called the entire story “absolutely outrageous” and said it is frustrating and unfair to have such claims made against her so close to the election. Her campaign manager, Steve Abbott, also said Wednesday the allegation that “we charge people to have meetings” is categorically false and Collins accepting campaign cash for contracts “did not happen.”

Jackson called the allegation “corruption of the highest order.” He was not present Wednesday when a group of Maine Democrats held a news conference near Collins' Portland office, but said the allegations are a betrayal of trust.

“I cannot stress enough here today the seriousness of these allegations. Maine people deserve clear and real answers from Susan Collins right now,” Maine Democratic Party Executive Director Devon Murphy-Anderson said.

FBI says allegations were already investigated

The ProPublica report stated that the head of a Collins super PAC met with executives from defense contractor Navatek in 2019 and asked them for a $500,000 campaign donation. The company's CEO, Martin Kao, sent an initial $150,000 donation using a shell company, the report stated. ProPublica reported that it reviewed an internal company email from Kao in which the CEO later told Navatek executives that Collins committed to getting the company $32 million in Navy contracts.

Kao and two other Navatek executives were later indicted on charges of funneling illegal donations to Collins. Kao sought to reduce his jail sentence by revealing to the FBI the full scope of illegal contributions to Collins, ProPublica reported.

Collins said Kao is "a liar" whose story is untrustworthy.

“He has been twice convicted in separate federal court cases. He’s been convicted of money laundering. He’s been convicted of bank fraud. He has been convicted of false submissions to the FEC. He’s being convicted of a lot of crimes,” she said.

An FBI spokesperson said in a statement that the allegations "had already been investigated by the FBI years ago and ultimately found nothing implicating Senator Collins or Senator Collins’ campaign. Any suggestion otherwise is totally false.”

The ProPublica article also states that Trump's return to the White House left the Justice Department unable to perform the investigation.

Corruption investigations have decreased in Trump's second term

The number of FBI agents and Justice Department prosecutors specializing in corruption investigations plummeted in the first months of the Trump administration. The Justice Department, for instance, decimated its elite Public Integrity Section in early 2025 while the FBI disbanded a white-collar fraud and public corruption squad based out of its Washington field office.

The administration has also fired numerous law enforcement officials who participated in investigations into Trump, including over his efforts to undo the 2020 presidential election he lost and his retention of classified records at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida.

An email seeking comment was sent to the Justice Department on Wednesday.

Collins said she first learned of the company through the University of Maine because of the research the Navy found to be valuable, which had to do with 3D printing for production.

She said the Justice Department has already reviewed the matter.

“I’m telling you this is completely false,” Collins said.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune dismissed the idea that Collins would be implicated in a pay-to-play scheme, calling the allegations “a political hit job.”

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Mascaro reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Mary Clare Jalonick and Eric Tucker in Washington, D.C., and Kimberlee Kruesi in Providence, Rhode Island, contributed to this report.

“Keep playing,” Scott shouted. They ultimately agreed to share the cup.

Asked for his recollections from his 2003 debut, the 46-year-old Australian smiled and said: “I think I strongly suggested that Ernie get to the 18th tee because we're playing. I was confident they could tee off. I don't know that they could have finished the hole.”

Scott never could have imagined then that it would be the closest he ever came to playing on a winning International team in the Presidents Cup. This week at Medinah marks his 12th consecutive appearance, tying the record held by Phil Mickelson.

It's another testament to a career built around a swing so pure it has kept Scott free of injury as he became only the second player to compete in at least 100 consecutive majors, and it has kept him relevant enough to be part of yet another Presidents Cup.

It's also one more chance, and Scott doesn't take it for granted.

“I feel like it's a huge opportunity for me,” Scott said. "There was probably a period 10 years ago, in the middle of my career, where it was, ‘Oh, this (winning) is going to happen.’ But now there's not many more, that's for sure. I've been given another chance. It might be the last one.”

The Internationals gathered for the team photo Wednesday morning, and it was only fitting that Scott had a place next to the gold trophy, with lifelong friend and International captain Geoff Ogilvy on the other side.

One is the captain who has been the model of quiet confidence. The other is the inspiration for a team that wants to win as badly as Scott does.

“He's part of the International furniture now,” Christiaan Bezuidenhout said. “All of us would love to win the cup, but it would be so much more special if we can do it while Adam is still in the team.”

Scott, coming off a runner-up finish in the BMW PGA Championship last week in England, still can find plenty of happy memories from his two-plus decades being on losing teams.

He partnered with Els for a pair of foursomes victories in South Africa — "He's a bit of a god down there. That was awesome," Scott said — and he was with K.J. Choi at Royal Melbourne in 2011 when they handed Woods and Steve Stricker their worst loss (7 and 6) in team competition.

But the beer-drinking celebrations with the cup in hand? Foreign territory.

“It's a quarter of a century. It's his whole career,” Ogilvy said. “Certainly the last two or three times he's been super motivated. Like: ‘This is something I have to do before I’m done. I have to be on a winning team.”

Scott's two closest friends in golf, Ogilvy and Trevor Immelman, have been or are captains. He surely is next in line, unless there's another Presidents Cup for Scott to play. In some respects, he already is one, given his presence — his experience — in the team room and on the bus.

“He's like a playing captain,” Ogilvy said. “You can hear in his voice his desire to win this tournament. He's the leader of the players, clearly, and he's embracing that role now.”

Scott started his Presidents Cup career playing alongside Els and Retief Goosen, Nick Price and Vijay Singh, all of them in the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Now he's with Ryo Hisatsune and Tom Kim, who weren't even born when Scott turned pro.

South Africa wasn't the only close call. It went down to the final match in 2005 in Virginia and in 2015 in South Korea. The Internationals had the lead going into Sunday singles at Royal Melbourne in 2019 until the Americans rallied behind Woods, a playing captain, and finally secured victory in the 11th of 12 matches.

But it was another loss, and two more followed after that.

“It's come down to the last hole several times, and they can go any way. And it hasn't gone our way,” Scott said. “For me, of course, I want to win one desperately and I don't know how many more I can possibly play in. But it's a team effort to do it. We all have to want it so badly. I think it would be an amazing experience for us all to win this cup.”

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See AP’s full golf coverage here

“The FBI is aware of a cyber-criminal enterprise group claiming a compromise of the FBIJobs.gov portal and alleged impact to FBI employee personally identifiable information," the FBI said in a statement. It said that while the “point of breach” was undetermined, "we are actively and aggressively investigating this matter and working closely with those third-party providers that support FBIJobs.gov to mitigate any and all risk.”

A message that circulated online from a hacking group known as ShinyHunters claimed responsibility for the hack. The jobs website, the main portal for prospective employees to learn about the FBI and initiate the application process, remained offline as of Wednesday afternoon.

“We have compromised the FBI. We hold very sensitive data on almost ALL FBI Agents and individuals who filed an application with the FBI for a job,” said the ShinyHunters message, which was directed to FBI Director Kash Patel and Brett Leatherman, the assistant director in charge of the bureau's cyber division.

The claims could not immediately be verified. An email to an address associated with ShinyHunters was not immediately returned.

In its message, ShinyHunters said it would give the bureau one week to correct or remove what it says are false allegations contained in an FBI public advisory from May that described the organization as a “cyber criminal group specializing in large-scale data breaches and extortion.”

That public service announcement characterized ShinyHunters as “threat actors” who often "use their real or exaggerated claims of access to sensitive or personal information to prompt payment from victims," commonly harass or threaten victims and “may falsely claim to have sensitive or compromising information, including embarrassing photographs or videos of victims, which frequently do not exist.”

ShinyHunters said in its message to the FBI that it was “offended” by those characterizations and demanded that the FBI remove those claims. It did not say what would happen if the FBI did not do so within a week.

“This is not a ransom, coercion, or extortion. Your federal policies do not apply here. This PSA is NOT financially motivated,” the hacking group's message said.

The FBI, the nation's premier federal law enforcement agency, has been a common hacking target.

In March, the FBI disclosed that it was investigating “suspicious activities” on an internal system that contains sensitive information related to surveillance operations and investigations. Also that month, a pro-Iranian hacking group claimed to have hacked an account of Patel's and posted online what appear to be years-old photographs of him, along with a work resume and other personal documents dating back more than a decade.

The FBI described the compromised information as “historical in nature” and said it involved "no government information.”

In the central Subtropical Atlantic, showers and thunderstorms have increased with the remnants of Fay located several hundred miles southwest of the Azores.

While environmental conditions are marginally conducive for development and this system could become a tropical depression again today or tonight if the current thunderstorm activity persists.

The system is forecast to move westward during the next couple of days, and by the weekend upper-level winds should inhibit formation chances.

The formation chance through 48 hours and 7 days is now 70 percent.

The area of low pressure in the eastern Tropical Atlantic is now Invest 90.

The area of low pressure located a couple of hundred miles southwest of the coast of western Africa is gradually becoming better defined and the associated shower and thunderstorm activity has increased since yesterday.

This system could become a short-lived tropical depression on Thursday or Friday while it moves northwestward to northward.

Strong upper-level winds should end the opportunity for development by the weekend.

The formation chance through 48 hours and 7 days is 50 percent.

On Wednesday, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office identified him as 35-year-old Mathew Dupree.

The Clay County Sheriff’s Office said dispatchers received a call around 1:42 p.m. from Clay Behavioral Health Center requesting a wellness check on a patient who had made suicidal comments after being taken off one of his medications.

Deputies were sent to a home in the Keystone Heights area, but Dupree was not there. A deputy familiar with him later spotted a family member’s vehicle and conducted a traffic stop on State Road 21 near Gasline Road.

The roadway was closed for hours during the investigation.

Dupree was in the front passenger seat.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, he acknowledged making the suicidal comments and confirmed he owned a firearm. He initially told the deputy that he had left the gun at home.

The deputy spoke with him in an attempt to de-escalate the situation. When the deputy tried to check the man for weapons, Dupree pulled away and removed a handgun from his pocket, authorities said.

Watch the full news conference below:

A standoff followed as the deputy continued trying to persuade Dupree to drop the weapon. The man refused multiple requests and commands, and the deputy shot him, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

Backup deputies arrived and disarmed Dupree, who was still holding the gun. Clay County Fire Rescue personnel performed lifesaving measures, but he died on the scene.

The CCSO originally said he was hospitalized.

Undersheriff Ron Lendvay urged families not to wait until a loved one hits a mental breaking point.

“Don’t wait. Don’t wait till it gets to a situation where someone’s truly in a crisis mode,” Lendvay said. “Mental health situations tend to spiral downward. If you can’t get somebody help and get that intervention in there early, so that would be the best advice I could give.”

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the State Attorney’s Office are independently investigating the shooting, as required by the Sheriff’s Office policy.

Resources

If you or anyone you know needs help, you can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.

Here is a list of mental health resources available in Florida.

• UF Health St. Johns Behavioral Health Resource Center - open  24/7 with clinicians on staff and available to assist during a crisis. No appointment is needed.
• EPIC Behavioral Health Rapid Response Team – 24/7 service for individuals 26+, dial 988, and a response will occur within 60 minutes of the request.
• EPIC Access Support Center – Walk-in services for mental health at their North Campus, Northwest Campus, and Flagler Campus. If this service is needed, walk-in during hours or call (904) 495-7001.
• Mobile Response Team – 24/7 service for individuals 5-25 years old. Dial 988 or 911 and a response will occur within 60 minutes of the request.
• Vinson Foundation - A support group for St. Johns, Jacksonville, Fernandina Beach, and Orange Park, for families who lost someone to suicide.
• St. Augustine Youth Services: 904-829-1770
• Call 211 - Local experts are available 24/7 to help. Calls to 211 are confidential and can be anonymous.
• Hope for Healing Florida - Hope for Healing navigates the many ways Floridians can access help for mental health and substance abuse

These resources can be accessed nationwide:

• 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline - Call or text 988 for help. The Lifeline provides 24/7, free, and confidential support for people in distress, prevention, and crisis resources for you or someone you know.
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) provides resources for issues with mental health, drugs, or alcohol.
• Veterans Crisis Line - Text 838255 or call 1-800-273-8255 and press 1
• Crisis Text Line - Text “Home” to 741741
• Teen Line - Text “Teen” to 839863

Jeffrey Epstein, the late convicted sex offender, was Wexner's former financial adviser. That relationship and Wexner's history of political donations has figured prominently in Ohio's U.S. Senate race, which could end up as the most expensive in the country this year.

Wexner, who has disavowed his prior association with Epstein, contributed about $116,000 to support Republican Sen. Jon Husted from 2001 to 2025, mostly during the two decades he spent in state politics before being appointed to fill Vice President JD Vance’s seat last year.

While that’s just a sliver of Husted’s prolific fundraising, his opponent in this year’s race, former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, is turning it into a campaign cudgel. He’s run at least three different television commercials pounding Husted for receiving more money from Wexner than any other current member of Congress.

Epstein's Ohio connections are expected to surface anew early next month, when a traveling display showcasing the Justice Department files comes to the state.

“We want to show these elected officials and the candidates that the public is interested in this topic, and the public is demanding justice for survivors and the public is demanding accountability, no matter how rich and powerful the perpetrators and enablers of these crimes are,” said David Garrett, executive director of the Institute for Primary Facts, the nonprofit that created the exhibit.

Both Senate candidates point to opponent's Epstein connections

Epstein’s decades of associating with some of the world’s most influential people and Congress’ varying attempts to force the Justice Department to release its files on him have flared up in U.S. House and Senate races across the country. In Ohio, it's been central to a race that will help determine the balance of power in Washington.

Brown's campaign has promoted a $3,500 donation Wexner gave Husted in July 2025, less than 10 weeks before Husted joined most Senate Republicans in defeating a Democratic effort to force release of the Epstein files.

One of his ads featured video of Wexner’s congressional deposition in February, during which he confirmed being a longtime political donor to Husted, a former Ohio lawmaker, secretary of state and lieutenant governor.

Another characterized Wexner as “an Epstein co-conspirator.” Documents released by the Justice Department show the FBI labeled Wexner as a potential co-conspirator after Epstein's arrest on sex trafficking charges in 2019. A spokesperson for the billionaire said Wexner provided background information, was told he was not a target of the investigation and was never contacted again.

After the barrage of Epstein-related ads against him, the Husted campaign punched back with ads attacking Brown for accepting donations from a number of individuals whose names arose in the Epstein documents. They included Wexner’s wife Abigail, former U.S. Treasury secretary and Harvard president Larry Summers and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt. Brown accepted no donations from Wexner himself, Federal Election Commission records show.

Husted's campaign also takes issue with the claim in Brown's ads that he “voted to cover up the Epstein files.” Campaign spokesperson Amy Natoce said “there has only been one vote” that counts on the matter — the one in November on the Epstein Files Transparency Act — and Husted voted yes. She called the earlier vote “procedural.”

Wexner, who is 89, is the magnate behind The Limited, Victoria's Secret and other retail giants. He stated under oath during his February congressional deposition that he never lobbied or asked Husted or anyone else to block the release of the Epstein files. He told members of Congress that he was “duped by a world-class con man.”

Natoce said Husted donated all available Wexner contributions — $34,300 — to an anti-human trafficking charity. The remaining balance had been spent in past campaign cycles.

Brown did not return any of his donations from about a dozen individuals named in the files, who Husted's ad described as “Epstein associates” even though none was accused of any crimes.

A traveling exhibit that includes Epstein victims is coming to Ohio

The Epstein Reading Room tour is an exhibit that displays more than 3 million pages released by the Justice Department. It has plans to make at least 20 more stops, including Ohio on Oct. 8.

Annie Farmer, an Epstein accuser who has been part of the tour, said the idea that some candidates have received donations from wealthy people with ties to Epstein means they will have an incentive to keep burying the truth.

She was 16 when she said Epstein abused her and her sister, Maria Farmer, in the 1990s. Maria alleges her sexual assault took place in 1996 in New Albany, Ohio, where Epstein had a house while working for Wexner, whose estate is located there.

During his deposition, Wexner testified that he never heard of Maria Farmer until her name appeared in media reports and that he didn’t know whether she had ever stayed on his property.

The accusers are demanding that the Department of Justice do more to investigate the wealthy who for decades helped enable Epstein’s abuse. The Associated Press does not name victims of sexual abuse unless they have come forward publicly.

“We should be asking hard questions to everyone who is related to Epstein and is financially supporting politicians. Are they hoping to benefit from silence?” Annie Farmer said. “To people with that much wealth, they feel they don’t have to play by the same set of rules. That’s what many people are saying is not right.”

Epstein case resonates in congressional campaigns

At the reading room tour’s first stop in Dallas, Farmer and other accusers met with Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico and Democrat Gina Hinojosa, who is running to unseat Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. Talarico criticized his opponent, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, for not meeting with the accusers and called on him to use his position to sue the federal government for its handling of the Epstein files' release.

In Omaha, Nebraska, independent Senate candidate Dan Osborn pledged to prioritize fighting for justice for victims after visiting a smaller version of the exhibit and meeting some of Epstein's accusers. He has criticized his Republican opponent, Sen. Pete Ricketts, for being slow to back the release of the Epstein files.

In Ohio, the Epstein issue continues to anger — and divide — voters across the political spectrum.

A day after Husted announced he would donate his remaining Wexner contributions to charity, he stepped into a Norwalk coffee shop on a campaign stop and, according to the local news account, was heckled as a “pedophile protector.” And Brown has been forced to defend his decision not to offload the donations he received from individuals named in the files, as Husted did.

“They’re not tied in any way, the way the co-conspirator is tied in,” Brown told CNN earlier this year.

With Ohio's early voting starting in less than two weeks, Brown is continuing to focus on Husted’s Wexner contributions. On his X account earlier this month, Brown marked the one-year anniversary of Husted's vote on the failed Democratic amendment to release all the Epstein files by posting a video. It asked why Husted “would side with the billionaires instead of these victims.”

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Olson reported from New York.

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The Associated Press’ women in the workforce coverage receives financial support from Pivotal Ventures. AP is solely responsible for all content.

“The Malvinas for us is a national cause,” Milei, a strong ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, said Wednesday while addressing the U.N. General Assembly in New York.

Milei accused the United Nations of failing to enforce international resolutions that urge the parties to “refrain from introducing unilateral changes while the dispute remains unresolved." He also called on Britain to resume negotiations to “find a peaceful solution to the sovereignty dispute.”

“The Malvinas issue is not merely a matter between Argentina and the United Kingdom; it is also a question regarding this organization’s ability to enforce its own resolutions,” he said.

The dispute has escalated in recent weeks

Milei has recently stepped up his efforts to draw attention back to the islands after facing some criticism of his strengthening ties with Britain and his professed admiration for Margaret Thatcher, who in 1982 led the British campaign to retake the archipelago during the Falklands War.

Following Argentina’s invasion of the Falklands under the country’s then-military dictatorship, Thatcher sent a task force all the way down the Atlantic and retook the islands after just 73 days of Argentine control. The war killed 649 Argentine and 255 British troops.

Earlier this month, Milei escalated the dispute with Britain, vowing new measures to halt an oil project near the British-controlled archipelago and praising Trump for saying Washington could reconsider its neutral stance on the islands’ sovereignty.

His government last week introduced a sweeping security bill that would toughen sanctions on companies exploiting resources around the islands without Argentine authorization, create a national security council chaired by Milei and expand the military’s role in protecting critical Argentine infrastructure.

Speaking to global leaders at the U.N. on Wednesday, Milei intensified his criticism.

“Today I come to say that Argentina will not sit and wait for the U.N. and the international community to live up to their own mandate,” he said.

He also sharply criticized the United Nations and its role, accusing it of becoming “a useless organization that serves only to feed a caste of fatally arrogant parasites masquerading as well-intentioned bureaucrats.”

Britain says it will ‘stand firm’

Against the backdrop of Milei’s recent remarks, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham also addressed the dispute during this high-profile diplomatic week, stating Tuesday that the U.K.’s position is “clear” and that it will “stand firm” in the face of any threats.

“We will defend the ​right of ​the ⁠Falkland Islanders to self-determination and to remain British,” ​Burnham told reporters following a meeting with Trump late Tuesday on the sidelines of the U.N.

In August, Trump said he was reviewing the United States’ neutral position over the remote South Atlantic archipelago as he criticized Britain for not doing enough to support the U.S. war against Iran.

The Falklands, which Argentines call the Malvinas, are a small archipelago of about 3,500 people located around 300 miles (480 kilometers) east of the southeast coast of Argentina. They have been a British overseas territory since 1833. In a 2013 referendum, the islanders voted overwhelmingly to remain a British overseas territory, with 99.8% voting in favor and just three votes against.

Caesars has a dominant presence on the Las Vegas Strip, operating hotels like Caesars Palace, the Flamingo and Harrah's. It also operates casino resorts across the United States.

Fertitta owns Las Vegas' Golden Nugget and restaurant chains like Rainforest Cafe and Morton's. Billionaire owner Tilman Fertitta is the largest shareholder in Wynn Resorts and the sports betting company DraftKings. Fertitta stepped back from his role as president and director of his company following his April 2025 confirmation as U.S. ambassador to Italy and San Marino.

Tuesday's vote took place in Reno, Nevada, with over 133 million votes in favor of the merger and 4 million votes against, according to a Wednesday filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The merger was first announced in May, with Fertitta agreeing to pay $5.7 billion and take on close to $12 billion in debt from Caesars, putting the total value of the deal at about $17.6 billion.

Caesars and Fertitta still must complete the federal antitrust review process. If it goes through, Caesars will become a privately-held company. Its shareholders will get $31 in cash for each share they own.

Three others were wounded in the late-night mass shooting Tuesday in KwaMakhutha township, which is located about 30 kilometers (19 miles) south of the city of Durban on the east coast.

The motive for the shooting wasn't known, but some of the shooting victims were known to authorities as part of investigations into criminal activity, police said.

Police didn’t give out any more information on those investigations, saying it could compromise them.

“Although the motive of the shooting cannot be confirmed yet, (a) feud between rival groupings cannot be ruled out,” the South African Police Service said in a statement.

Ten people, including the pregnant woman, died at the scene and an 11th was declared dead at a hospital. Authorities didn't immediately give out details on the condition of the three people who were wounded.

They opened the door and ‘gunshots went off’

Nomusa Zulu, a community member, said two men killed in the shooting were her sons. She said witnesses told her that the victims had first gathered in the yard of the house, then went inside to continue the party as night fell and it became cold.

“They heard a knock at the door,” Zulu said. “When they opened the door, gunshots went off.”

Police are searching for the gunmen

Police said they were searching for three men and no arrests had been made, but the acting national police commissioner ordered local police to deploy officers in a special 72-hour operation to track down the suspects.

Thami Ntuli, the premier of KwaZulu-Natal province, told reporters at the scene that the killings were “really disturbing” and called on community members to provide any information they might have that would help find the gunmen. He said that there were known problems with drug dealing and illegal firearms in the largely poor community, where some of the houses are just a few meters apart with no fences or walls in between.

Ntuli confirmed in a statement that the woman who was killed was pregnant.

There have been several mass shootings in South Africa recently

It's the latest in a series of mass shootings in South Africa recently, including one in June when multiple shooters killed 12 people in a poor neighborhood in Johannesburg that police linked to criminal gangs. Two mass shootings two weeks apart in December killed 21 people. They were also carried out by multiple gunmen.

South Africa has extremely high rates of violent crime, with official police statistics recording 5,427 homicides in the latest three-month period between April and June at an average of nearly 60 homicides a day.

Shootings are the most common form of homicide in South Africa, and police and crime experts have long said that one of the biggest problems is that there is a high number of illegal firearms in circulation.

The army is being used to combat violent crime in some areas

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa authorized the deployment of soldiers on the streets in some areas earlier this year to combat violent crime in what critics said was an admission that police were failing.

Soldiers were deployed to areas around Johannesburg, the city of Cape Town and in Eastern Cape province on the south coast in the ongoing operation, but not to KwaZulu-Natal province where the latest shooting happened.

The bodies of some of the victims of Tuesday night's shooting were laid out on the ground and covered with white sheets outside the house where the shooting took place. They were later carried away on stretchers to pathology vans.

Police cordoned off the neighborhood with yellow tape while forensic investigators worked through the scene.

Police were also investigating if the torching of a car near the house was connected to the shooting.

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

Ker’Sean Ramey, 41, is set to die by lethal injection at the state penitentiary in Huntsville. He would be the sixth person executed so far this year in Texas, with three more scheduled.

A jury convicted Ramey of capital murder and sentenced him to death over the shootings of Samuel Roberts, 24, Tiffani Peacock, 18, and Celso Lopez, 38, in the home they shared in the small city of Edna, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) southwest of Houston.

Ramey and LeJames Norman believed there was cocaine in the house and hoped to steal it, according to court records. They found none and killed the three victims, who lived across the street from Norman.

Norman was put to death Sept. 16, also in Huntsville. He had no last words, and no relatives or friends of the victims witnessed that execution.

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a final appeal from Ramey hours before Wednesday's execution was set to take place.

Ramey's attorneys had argued that jurors never heard about how he suffered physical abuse as a child and grew up in poverty. State prosecutors told the court the appeal was “meritless” and argued that evidence showed Ramey had “an escalating pattern of criminal behavior."

Norman testified at Ramey's trial nearly two years before being sentenced to death by a jury after pleading guilty to capital murder. He testified that both he and Ramey shot the victims. Ramey’s attorneys blamed the shootings on Norman.

Ramey’s former girlfriend testified that she was with him when he threw two pistols into a lake after the killings, and that he told her in detail about his involvement.

Lopez was shot four times, including in the back of the head; Peacock was shot twice in the head; and Roberts was shot five times in the chest, neck and head.

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This story has been updated to correct that Norman testified at Ramey’s trial nearly two years, not a year, before being sentenced.

For Raines-Mandarin breakdown, find that here.

Bartram Trail (3-1) at Creekside (3-1)

The Battle of Longleaf Pine has been dominated by the Bears, but things could be shifting. Creekside, which opened in 2008 just six miles away from Bartram, is just 3-16 all-time against its rival. But the Knights have won the last two games in this series. Creekside RB Davis Baldwin (206 rushing yards, 2 TDs) is the top back. QB Rozzi Sperry and WR Timmy Goodrich have developed a good rapport through the air. CB Trent Porter could be Creekside’s top overall player, and he’s excellent in the secondary. The Bears have found success this year with a younger offense. QB Xander Camus has seven TD passes, all of them going to underclassmen. WR Cam Ganther has been his favorite target (245 yards, 2 TDs). Freshman RB Blake Soares is averaging 7 ypc (308 yards, 2 TDs). Bartram had struggles on both sides of the ball against a strong Fletcher defense last week, so expect a bounceback this week.

(4) Columbia (4-0) at (10) Trinity Christian (2-2)

The latest installment in what has been a very good rivalry between these programs. This is the 11^th meeting between the teams. Trinity is 8-2 against Columbia. Can the Conquerors fend off what has been a relentless defensive front of the Tigers? Defensive linemen Jaylen Underwood, Jaden McCray and Mikel Morgan have combined for 24 sacks and 36 tackles for loss. That’s a staggering number in a season let alone one month of football. QB Amari Green has tossed nine TD passes, and RB Jerome Horne is averaging 112 yards rushing per game. … On the other side of the ball, Dorminey’s Conquerors are three points away from being unbeaten. They’ve lost both games in OT on two-point conversions (42-40 against Ed White, 15-14 to Plantation American Heritage). RB Micah Anderson, QBs Terel Dallas and Hicks Zarah are Trinity’s offensive players to watch, but the Conquerors are strong defensively. DB Zakhari Greene, LB Terrell Pinkney, LB William Striglers and DL Adrian Williams lead a very good Trinity defense.

(6) Ed White (2-1) at Camden County (3-1), 7:30 p.m.

An excellent Sunshine vs. Peach State clash. The Commanders have the offense to compete weekly, including a two-headed rushing attack led by Vedo Jones and Rontrez Loyd. Jones, a sophomore, could be the area’s top 2029 offensive player. He is averaging 8.9 yards per carry (118.7 ypg) and scored four TDs. Loyd is right behind with 294 rushing yards (8.9 ypc, 2 TDs). QB King Boylston provides serious upside as a runner, too. He’s averaging 8.5 ypc. The passing game has been slower to develop this season for the Commanders. Ed White is excellent on the ground, but needs to be able to keep a team from coming up in the box. They couldn’t move it through the air against Raines and will likely have a similar challenge in picking up a lot vertically against Camden. … Camden QB Xavier Collins transferred from Columbia before the season and has thrived in Tucker Pruitt’s offense. He’s completing 73% of his passes (9 TDs, 3 INTs) and has added a 6.8 yards per clip rushing average (202 yards, TD). WR Sean Green (22 catches, 417 yards, 7 TDs) has been Collins’ favorite target. As has been the case in these North Florida-South Georgia clashes, history tends to favor the Peach State teams. According to the Georgia High School Football Historians Association, Camden is 25-4 against Sunshine State teams since 2000. That includes a 10-1 mark against area teams (Atlantic Coast, Columbia, First Coast, Oakleaf, Ribault).

(7) Oakleaf (2-1) at (5) Bolles (2-1)

Another headlining Super 10 collision. Bolles has won all three meetings, including a 38-6 runaway last year. The teams had an epic 57-50 shootout in 2024 that went down to the final seconds. The Bulldogs have started slower on offense, largely by having to replace a college-like offensive line. That learning curve has kept things in line for RB Xander Edwards (387 rushing yards, 2 TDs), who led the state in rushing yards last year. There could be signs of life that Bolles is picking back up. QB Luke Toland has five TD passes (2 last week against Bishop Kenny), and Swiss Army knife Jaxon Flowers has picked off three passes, thrown a TD pass and ranks third on the team in tackles (23) behind LBs Brett Bearden (27) and Christian Hayes (24). … Oakleaf has done well offensively with QB Jaidan Delaune, both running (189 rushing yards, 2 TDs) and passing (731 passing yards, 5 TDs). WR Mike Conner is Oakleaf’s most explosive player (347 receiving yards, 4 TDs) followed by Syncere Murphy (214 receiving yards, 2 TDs). Murphy also has two interceptions from his spot in the secondary. DL Mason Thomas is also one to watch on the front for Oakleaf (4.5 sacks).

Independent Game to Watch

Yulee (3-1) at (1) West Nassau (3-0-1)

The game that will determine Nassau County bragging rights until next year. Despite being the newer program (the current Yulee High opened in 2006), the Hornets lead the all-time series 11-8. That includes a 17-0 win last year that was West Nassau’s lone blemish until reaching the Sunshine State Athletic Association championship game. The Warriors, ranked No. 1 in the Super 6 independent rankings, are stout. The Hornets have found their niche with freshman QB Liam Hice-Jones and RB Jayden Timmon. The latter is in the midst of an incredible offensive stretch. He’s averaged 273 yards of offense this season and scored three times. Timmon rushed for 310 yards against Fernandina Beach in Week 3, then gouged Baker County for 139 yards receiving last week against Baker County. The Yulee defense will have to be ready for the battery of backs that West Nassau will crank out. Smo Green, Avery Griffin and Darren Driggers are capable of breaking off a huge run. They’ve combined for 11 rushing TDs behind a massive offensive line led by Super 25 player selection Clayton Lee.

Next four to watch

(8) Fletcher (3-1) at First Coast (0-4), 6:30 p.m.: Senators are looking good with Jah’myri Jennings running the ball and the defense playing lights out. Fletcher is averaging three sacks a game. The Buccaneers need to find a way to snap out of their funk. A loss here makes it a strong possibility that First Coast is facing a one- or two-win season.

NFEI (3-0) at University Christian (2-2), 7:30 p.m.: Former UC star Marquis Haynes is in charge at NFEI now, and the growth on the defensive side of the ball has been real. UC has state championship dreams in Class 1A and playmakers all over the field.

Ponte Vedra (1-3) at Fleming Island (2-2): A chance for the Sharks to string something together after knocking off Beachside last week. QB Carter Sole (12 TD passes), WR Cade Turner (6 TD catches), and RB Alex Winkles (298 rushing yards) give the Sharks some offensive juice.

Westside (0-4) at Sandalwood (3-1), 6:30 p.m.: It’s not so much the outcome in this one. The Wolverines are riding a 19-game losing streak and are just 4-41 since the start of the 2021 season. Westside should take notice. Sandalwood ended a 29-game (yes, 29 games) losing streak in the regular season finale last year. With Malik Reaves at head coach now and a very favorable schedule, the Saints are in line for their first four-game winning streak since 2020.

Week 5 schedule, Florida

Friday, Sept. 18

Baker County (3-1) at Palatka (1-3)

Bartram Trail (3-1) at Creekside (3-1)

Beachside (2-1) at Englewood (1-2), 6:30 p.m.

Bishop Kenny (2-2) at Merritt Island (3-1)

Bradford (4-0) at Tocoi Creek (0-4)

Clay (3-1) at Fernandina Beach (1-3)

Columbia (4-0) at Trinity Christian (2-2)

Crescent City (0-3) at Orangewood Christian (3-1), 7:30 p.m.

Duval Charter (1-3) at First Coast Christian (1-3)

Eagle’s View (0-5) at Wolfson (2-2), 6:30 p.m.

Ed White (2-1) at Camden County (3-1), 7:30 p.m.

Fletcher (3-1) at First Coast (0-4), 6:30 p.m.

Hamilton County (0-3) at Suwannee (4-0), 7:30 p.m.

Harvest Community (1-4) at Bronson (1-3)

Hilliard (3-0) at St. Joseph (2-2)

Interlachen (3-1) at Citrus (3-1), 7:30 p.m.

Jackson (2-1) at Paxon (4-1), 6:30 p.m.

Joshua Christian (2-1) at Cottondale (2-0)

Keystone Heights (1-3) at Bell (4-0), 7:30 p.m.

Lake Weir (2-0) at Union County (2-2)

Mandarin (3-0) at Raines (4-0), 6:30 p.m.

Menendez (1-2) at Matanzas (0-3)

Newberry (1-2) at Middleburg (2-2)

NFEI (3-0) at University Christian (2-2), 7:30 p.m.

Oakleaf (2-1) at Bolles (2-1)

Old Plank Christian (2-2) at Cornerstone Classical (4-0), 7:30 p.m.

Orlando Evans (2-2) at St. Augustine (4-0)

Parker (0-4) at Orange Park (1-3)

Ponte Vedra (1-3) at Fleming Island (2-2)

Providence (1-2) at Impact Christian (1-3)

Ribault (2-1) at Ridgeview (1-2)

Santa Fe (3-0) at Fort White (3-0), 7:30 p.m.

Stanton (4-1) at Bishop Snyder (0-4)

Westside (0-4) at Sandalwood (3-1), 6:30 p.m.

Yulee (3-1) at West Nassau (3-0-1)

OFF: Atlantic Coast, Christ’s Church Academy, Episcopal, Flagler Palm Coast, KIPP Bold City, Nease, Zarephath Academy.

Week 5 schedule, Georgia

Bradwell Institute (2-1) at Glynn Academy (1-2), 7:30 p.m.

Brunswick (1-2) at Grovetown (0-3), 7:30 p.m.

Ed White (2-1) at Camden County (3-1), 7:30 p.m.

Early County (0-3) at Charlton County (2-1-1), 7:30 p.m.

First Presbyterian Day (4-1) at Frederica Academy (1-4), 7:30 p.m.

Groves (0-3) at Ware County (1-2), 7:30 p.m.

Islands (3-0) at Brantley County (1-2), 7:30 p.m.

Johnson (1-2) at Pierce County (3-0), 7:30 p.m.

The quarterback could brood over that devastating moment. Or he could focus on moving forward for Saturday's visit from Appalachian State.

“The last several days have been good,” Bailey said after practice Wednesday, four days after losing a fumble in the end zone that Vanderbilt recovered for a last-second touchdown. "A lot of guys have my back, Coach (Dave) Doeren, everybody in the facility.

“They've been leaning on me, I've been showing up. I've been waking up on the right side of the bed every morning, feeling good.”

It marked the first time the third-year starter had spoken to reporters since the loss, which came after N.C. State (1-2) led 31-28 and faced a fourth-and-3 play from its own 5-yard line with 6 seconds left. Doeren said Monday the call was for Bailey to burn time before going down to take a safety, leaving Vanderbilt hoping for nothing short of a miracle with nearly no time left.

And yet, that's exactly what happened.

Bailey had space to take a knee or scramble out of the back of the end zone. Instead, he started running toward the oncoming desperation pass rush, then took a hit that knocked the ball loose for Vanderbilt's winning recovery in a shocking moment.

Bailey said he “just was trying to get all the clock out.”

“The biggest thing was just hold the ball, bro,” he said. “That was the biggest thing. I was just trying to run around and make a play, being competitive. That’s who I am, I'm a competitive guy. I was just competing to the final second and it happens. I fumbled the ball, I’m going to kick myself up and keep going.”

Offensive lineman Teague Andersen was one of the first teammates to reach Bailey in the end zone and help him up. Andersen said Bailey was “pretty distraught” afterward.

Still, Andersen said Wednesday, he offered his QB an immediate message: "Dude, no matter what happens, bro, I've got your back.”

That kind of support carries Bailey now. Bailey said his mother is in town and made some home-cooked meals. He said he's heard words of encouragement from outside the program, too.

The list included former Wolfpack passing great and longtime NFL star Philip Rivers, as well as Peyton and Eli Manning, team spokeswoman Annabelle Myers said. Bailey previously attended the Manning Passing Academy, an annual camp attracting some of the nation's top college QBs.

Bailey patiently fielded questions Wednesday with an almost happy-go-lucky demeanor, pointing to optimism from how the team has practiced. He said he had addressed teammates with a key message.

“I just said: ‘We’ve got a long season,'" Bailey said, “'we've got so many more games and so many more plays that we can make.'”

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Ethiopian Airlines said it suspended flights to Tigray’s capital Mekelle and the cities of Axum and Shire “due to the current situation,” without providing further details.

The regional government said in a statement it had instructed its fighters to enter into “defensive war” after federal forces attacked Tigray on Tuesday using drones and heavy artillery.

The African Union Commission chairperson, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, called for restraint and immediate de-escalation.

In a statement, he expressed concern over the renewed tensions and occupation of the airport, saying these actions risk destabilizing the region and reversing gains made in a 2022 peace agreement.

He also condemned the “detention of federal personnel by the Tigray People's Liberation Front," but did not give details.

US Ambassador threatens sanctions

The U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia Ervin J. Massinga expressed disappointment over the fighting, calling it a “poor decision” and threatening sanctions.

Rejecting dialogue sponsored by the African Union and "engaging in an unwinnable fight does nothing for the people. Other armed groups would be wise to avoid this. While the U.S. has tools to sanction additional leaders who try to push Ethiopia down the wrong path, I still believe a reasonable political dialogue is the right way to go,” he wrote in a statement.

The Tigray People’s Liberation Front Deputy Amanuel Assefa termed the African Union and U.S. positions “unfair,” accusing them of “turning a blind eye to airstrikes by the federal government”.

On Tuesday, the U.S Bureau of African Affairs condemned a drone strike on a Catholic Relief humanitarian assistance convoy in Tigray and called for investigations without stating which side was responsible.

A taxi driver told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the airport, which is usually controlled by federal forces, was occupied by fighters from the Tigray People’s Liberation Front carrying light arms.

The driver, who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation, said a commander ordered him to leave the airport, saying no flights would be landing.

The takeover appeared to be peaceful, with no gunfire heard in or around the airport.

No other airlines fly to the region, although it is reachable by chartered flight.

The news came three days after seven opposition groups, including the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, formed an alliance aimed at removing Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and his government.

Abiy’s Prosperity Party retained power in a June general election that was boycotted by the main opposition groups.

The Tigray People’s Liberation Front fought federal forces during a deadly conflict in northern Ethiopia that ended with the signing of a peace agreement in November 2022. But since July there have been reports of drone attacks in Tigray, with the regional government accusing the federal forces of attacks.

Former Tigray lead peace negotiator Getachew Reda, now an adviser to the prime minister, accused the Tigray People’s Liberation Front of attacks in neighboring Afar and Amhara despite efforts to avoid another war.

“It has taken over federal controlled airports in Tigray leading to the suspension of flights to and from Tigray. The TPLF politico-military leadership has obviously taken irresponsibility to new heights,” he wrote on X.

The opposition groups announced the formation of a coalition they called the Ethiopian Peoples’ Forces Alliance for Survival on Sunday.

Weinstein’s sentencing for sexually assaulting one-time TV production assistant Miriam Haley followed a legal odyssey spanning more than six years. His 2020 conviction was overturned by New York's highest court. A second jury found Weinstein guilty again at a retrial last year.

Once among the most powerful figures in the entertainment industry, Weinstein was an Oscar-winning producer whose hits included “Shakespeare in Love,” “Pulp Fiction” and “Chocolat.” But his downfall came quickly after sexual assault allegations in 2017 set off the #MeToo movement.

Weinstein, 74, is expected to appeal and maintains that he never raped or sexually assaulted anyone. He is now likely to remain behind bars well into his 80s. Seated in a wheelchair, he was quickly moved out of the courtroom after the sentencing, while some of his accusers hugged and brushed away tears.

Weinstein and his victim both spoke in court

Weinstein faced up to 25 years in prison for sexually assaulting Haley at his Manhattan apartment in 2006. He has already served more than six years as his case cycled through the criminal justice system. Haley gave her account of the assault at two trials, and again addressed the court Wednesday.

“Having been sexually assaulted by Harvey Weinstein has had a devastating effect on my life and sense of security that may never go away. Making the decision to speak up will have me looking over my shoulder for years to come,” Haley said.

“It’s a life sentence for me,” she added.

Minutes later, Weinstein apologized while reiterating his innocence.

“Reflecting on all that has happened since 2017 has helped me recognize how my past conduct has negatively affected others. I live with many regrets and sincerely apologize to anyone I have affected with my actions,” he said.

Some of his accusers who were in court shook their heads while he spoke.

Weinstein is the face of MeToo, judge says

Judge Curtis Farber said Weinstein was once a king in the movie industry, “but recognition for these achievements will pale in comparison to what you did.”

He said Weinstein is now known as “a sexual predator, the literal face of the MeToo movement.”

The judge said Weinstein treated women as “mere objects to be played with and discarded” and still hasn’t accepted responsibility, portraying himself as a victim during jailhouse interviews.

Haley afterward said she was happy with the sentence, while saying it's clear that Weinstein has not acknowledged what he did. “I think he still feels entitled, and that’s part of the problem,” she said.

Haley’s lawyer, the famed victims’ rights attorney Gloria Allred, rejected any suggestion that Weinstein’s sentencing means the MeToo era is over.

“Women are empowered in a way they have never been before,” she said.

Why Weinstein is being sentenced a second time

Weinstein was originally sentenced to 23 years in prison after a jury convicted him of assaulting Haley and raping an aspiring actress, Jessica Mann, in 2013.

Tried for a second time last year, he was again convicted of a first-degree criminal sex act for assaulting Haley, who has also gone by the name Mimi Haleyi. In a messy split verdict, the jury acquitted him of forcibly performing oral sex on another woman, Kaja Sokola, and could not reach a verdict on a rape charge involving Mann.

After another retrial ended in a hung jury in May, Manhattan prosecutors dropped the rape charge rather than pursue a fourth trial after Mann said she could not bear to testify again.

Weinstein’s health issues pushed the defense to ask for leniency

Defense lawyer Jacob Kaplan wanted three more years on top of the six years Weinstein already served, saying a longer sentence would make it more likely that Weinstein dies in prison.

Weinstein has been in the hospital six times since 2025, Kaplan said, while dealing with blood cancer, congestive heart failure, and kidney issues.

Weinstein is also awaiting resentencing in a separate rape case in Los Angeles. A California appeals court upheld the 2022 conviction but threw out his original 16-year sentence because the judge had considered his New York convictions — that were later thrown out — as an aggravating factor.

After shuffling between state prison, where he tested positive for COVID-19 early in the pandemic, and New York City’s notorious Rikers Island complex, Weinstein has been housed at a medical unit for inmates at Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan.

Haley describes the assault that led to Weinstein’s conviction

Haley, 49, is a former entertainment producer now working in advertising.

She said she met Weinstein through a mutual connection and worked briefly as a production assistant on “Project Runway,” a reality competition show that he produced.

Haley said she accepted an invitation to visit Weinstein’s apartment and after chatting briefly, he lunged to kiss her, she testified. She said she rebuffed him, but he grabbed her, forcibly backed her into a bedroom and sexually assaulted her, ignoring her pleas to stop.

She recalled Weinstein asking, “Don’t you think we’re much closer now?” after either the alleged assault or a subsequent occasion when she says she had unwanted, but not forced, sex with him.

She also recalled telling him after the second encounter, “You know you can’t keep doing this.”

The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they grant permission, which Haley, Sokola and Mann have done.

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Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio.

Co-creative directors Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons kept the focus of their Spring-Summer 2027 collection firmly “waist down,” revisiting the subject of a traveling Prada exhibition staged two decades ago. That new show examined the place in contemporary wardrobes of one of humanity’s oldest garments: the skirt.

The collection arrived amid an uproar in Italy over remarks by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani suggesting that women who wear longer skirts are more faithful. Tajani later apologized, saying he had not intended to offend women. The coincidental timing of the controversy only gave resonance to a collection that treats the skirt as a way for women to express themselves — at any length.

Recasting an ancient form for modern times

For practicality and creativity, nothing surpasses the skirt, according to Prada, who favors skirts in her own wardrobe, including a pink silk one she wore for a backstage preview before the runway show that opened Milan Fashion Week on Tuesday.

“If you want to have a normal life, go wherever you want. It’s easy to camouflage even a beautiful skirt,’’ she said. “You need to camouflage the beauty so that you can live with people.”

The creative directors’ decision to keep trousers and dresses out of this collection was inspired by an old video interview of Prada likening the skirt to a T-shirt for men, as “the place where she can put all her ideas,” Simons said.

From the swath of material that ancient man wrapped around the waist, Prada used a rectangular piece of material as the collection’s starting point, which Prada said became the framework for creativity.

Using the skirt as a creative canvas

Reversing the runway convention of emphasizing the female bodice, black tops in varying styles provided a blank canvas for the first group of skirts.

Woolen numbers fastened with industrial Velcro to allow adjustable slits Sheer nylon formed feminine pleats, while short cotton skirts in naïve prints peeked from beneath coats and sheer crinoline overlaid crumpled silken skirts with flattened ruffles.

Bralettes, bandeaus and bustiers, tiny though they were, offered another outlet for expression. They included scoop-neck bralettes, bandeaus linked to arm bands and bustiers worn unhooked over homely knitwear.

Footwear ranged from silk slingbacks to industrial perforated-leather pumps, while handbags included canvas purses in bright colors.

Rather than proposing complete looks, the collection offered building blocks for self-expression.

“I think you can express complexity,” Prada said. “Everything is so complex — how can you be just one thing? When you express yourself, it is not that you are feminine, sexy, masculine; you are so many things together."

First in line is “bimpert,” a Bermudian word of unknown origin that is used to describe a stupid or foolish person. People on the tiny island in the north Atlantic often use it in this traditional phrase: “A bimpert is justah wuffless bye,” which roughly translates to: an idiot is just a worthless boy.

Another colorful addition is “hornerman,” a word used in the eastern Caribbean island of Trinidad and Tobago since 1975 to describe an unfaithful man or a man having a relationship with someone else's partner.

Leonard Alexander, a grocery store owner in Trinidad, chuckled at the inclusion of the word “hornerman.” He explained that to “horn” means being unfaithful, and now the world would know the term for a man who commits such an act.

“That’s our heritage, that’s what we grew up with,” Alexander said.

If someone in the Caribbean were to find out about such infidelities, they might be known “to get on,” which means to have an emotional outburst or make a scene, or “to cut someone’s tail,” meaning to beat someone.

Depending on the fallout from such infidelities, a woman might need “vex money,” which refers to “money carried or kept in a safe place by a woman, for use in an emergency or in any unexpected eventuality.”

Among other dark words that made the list is “jablesse,” defined as "a malevolent shape-shifting female spirit with one cloven hoof, which at night is said to assume the form of a beautiful woman to lure men to their deaths.” It is derived from “diablesse,” the French word for female demon.

Another supernatural entry is “douen." It is “typically depicted as short in stature, with backward-pointing feet, and wearing a large hat, said to be the spirit of a child who died before it could be baptized, and believed to lure children into the forest by calling their names,” according to the dictionary. It is a variation of the Spanish word “duende,” which means elf.

Avionne George, a 45-year-old maintenance technician in Trinidad, said formal recognition of such words helps preserve tradition for the younger generations: “Most of them are ignorant of certain terms from long ago like ‘douen.' They don’t know about ‘la jablesse.'”

Several food-related words were included this year: “shadeesh,” the Bermudian word for chorizo; “sugar cake,” made of grated coconut boiled with sugar, water and spices; and “peanut punch,” a wildly popular rich and frothy beverage made with peanuts or peanut butter, milk, sugar and several spices.

In the Caribbean, one might sit down to have a peanut punch with one’s “nana” or “nani,” Hindi words that are used to address one’s maternal grandparents. In Bermuda, one would sit down to partake with a “hamma,” or friend.

The final Caribbean English words added this year are “Trinbagonian,” which refers to people from both the islands of Trinidad and Tobago, and “canboulay,” which refers to Carnival festivities in Trinidad in the 1800s that celebrated the emancipation of slaves. They stem from a 1700s harvest festival that the British tried to quash, leading to riots reenacted to this day to mark the start of Carnival. Canboulay is derived from “burning cane,” which the dictionary noted was associated with “acts of defiance and rebellion.”

Sherwin Williams, a construction worker in Trinidad, said the inclusion of such words in the Oxford English Dictionary would help people around the world understand their Trinidadian origins. “People recognize us by our slang,” he said.

There are some 500,000 words and phrases in the Oxford English Dictionary, which details the history of words, some of which go back to the 11th century.

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Associated Press reporter Anselm Gibbs in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad contributed.

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

After Tuesday night's games, the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros were tied for first place at 78-79. No full-season division champion has ever had a losing record.

In fact, no team has made the postseason with a sub-.500 record, unless you count a trio of participants from years the playoffs were temporarily expanded: In the 2020 season shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic, Milwaukee and Houston were both 29-31 and made the postseason. In 1981, the Kansas City Royals went 50-53 overall — but they were the AL West's top team in the post-strike second half, meaning they got in.

MLB expanded its postseason to 12 teams in 2022, raising the likelihood that a sub-.500 team would sneak into October at some point. Just a few weeks ago, it looked like the American League could have several clubs with losing marks in this year's playoffs. The AL Central's Cleveland Guardians and Chicago White Sox have since reached 81 wins, so that won't happen. But the AL West title race could still yield a losing team.

In honor of that, here are 10 of the weakest teams to make the postseason, listed in chronological order with their records and run differentials in mind. Note that some of them went on lengthy postseason runs — so don't count out the Rangers or Astros just yet.

1973 New York Mets

Record: 82-79 (first in NL East)

Run differential: 20

Postseason: Beat Cincinnati 3-2 in NL Championship Series, lost to Oakland 4-3 in World Series

The rallying cry was “Ya gotta believe!” from reliever Tug McGraw. It wasn't easy when New York was in last place after an Aug. 30 loss, but the Mets went 21-8 the rest of the way to win the division by 1 1/2 games. Tom Seaver (19-10, 2.08 ERA, 18 complete games) was still at the peak of his powers, and New York held the Reds to eight runs in five games in the NLCS — a series best remembered for a brawl involving Bud Harrelson and Pete Rose. The Mets led the World Series 3-2 and had Seaver starting Game 6, but they couldn't close out the Athletics.

1984 Kansas City Royals

Record: 84-78 (first in AL West)

Run differential: minus-13

Postseason: Lost to Detroit 3-0 in ALCS

The Royals were 11 games under .500 in the middle of July, but they did enough to win the AL West. George Brett hit .284 — his worst average in a 14-year span from 1975-88 — and he was one of just two All-Stars on the team. The other was Dan Quisenberry, who had 44 saves while throwing 129 1/3 innings. He finished second in the Cy Young race behind fellow reliever Willie Hernández of the Tigers. Although Kansas City took the division almost by default in '84, the Royals improved to 91 wins the following year and won the World Series.

1987 Minnesota Twins

Record: 85-77 (first in AL West)

Run differential: minus-20

Postseason: Beat Detroit 4-1 in ALCS, beat St. Louis 4-3 in World Series

Frank Viola was the star of a pitching staff that otherwise offered little — aside from a trio of big names on the downside of their careers. Bert Blyleven allowed 46 home runs, Joe Niekro posted a 6.26 ERA and Steve Carlton made seven largely woeful starts for this Minnesota team. The Twins could hit, though. Kirby Puckett was third in the MVP race, while Kent Hrbek, Gary Gaetti and Tom Brunansky each surpassed 30 homers. Home-field advantage wasn't determined by record back then, so Minnesota had it in the ALCS despite finishing 13 games behind the Tigers, and again in the World Series after being 10 games worse than the Cardinals. The Twins went 6-0 at the Metrodome in the postseason.

1995 Colorado Rockies

Record: 77-67 (second in NL West, wild card)

Run differential: 2

Postseason: Lost 3-1 to Atlanta in NL Division Series

The first wild card in National League history was this Colorado team in a season shortened by the end of the 1994-95 work stoppage. The Rockies' ERA of 4.97 is the worst of the live ball era by a postseason team in a non-DH league. Colorado made up for that, not surprisingly, by leading the NL in runs. Dante Bichette led the league in home runs and RBIs and finished third in batting average.

2005 San Diego Padres

Record: 82-80 (first in NL West)

Run differential: minus-42

Postseason: Lost 3-0 to St. Louis in NLDS

Jake Peavy and a Trevor Hoffman-led bullpen helped San Diego reach the playoffs, but this team never looked the part. The Padres scored the fourth-fewest runs in all of baseball, and their starters went 52-60 with a 4.49 ERA. In the postseason, San Diego never had the lead at any point against the 100-win Cardinals. Game 1 was 8-0 after six innings, Game 2 was 6-1 after seven, and Game 3 was 7-0 after 4 1/2.

2006 St. Louis Cardinals

Record: 83-78 (first in NL Central)

Run differential: 19

Postseason: Beat San Diego 3-1 in NLDS, beat New York Mets 4-3 in NLCS, beat Detroit 4-1 in World Series

The Cardinals won at least 95 games four times under Tony La Russa, but their best postseason success came as a wild card in 2011 and with this team five years earlier. St. Louis nearly blew a seven-game lead in the division in the final two weeks of the regular season, but a roster with Albert Pujols, Scott Rolen, Chris Carpenter and a young reliever named Adam Wainwright always had a chance to get hot. Yadier Molina's homer — and Wainwright's strikeout of Carlos Beltrán — gave the Cardinals the pennant in an epic series with the Mets.

2017 Minnesota Twins

Record: 85-77 (second in AL Central, second wild card)

Run differential: 27

Postseason: Lost to New York Yankees in wild card game

After 103 losses in 2016, the Twins were in first place for a little while before eventually capturing the AL's final postseason spot and losing 8-4 to the Yankees. Byron Buxton played 140 games, the most of his career to date, and Brian Dozier hit 34 home runs. Joe Mauer had moved to first base by this point but was still quite good at the plate, batting .305. Ervin Santana led the rotation in his last good major league season. This team certainly wasn't great, but it was good enough in an AL that produced only five teams above .500.

2023 Miami Marlins

Record: 84-78 (third in NL East, second wild card)

Run differential: minus-57

Postseason: Lost to Philadelphia 2-0 in NL Wild Card Series

The Marlins posted the worst run differential to date by a postseason team — this year's Astros are currently at minus-59 — but Miami went 33-14 in one-run games. The pitching staff with Sandy Alcantara, Eury Pérez, Jesús Luzardo and Braxton Garrett helped Miami into the playoffs. Of the Marlins' top 12 players in plate appearances, seven of them finished with negative wins above replacement, according to Baseball Reference. The offense was basically batting champ Luis Arraez, designated hitter Jorge Soler and not much else. Miami lost 93 games the year before this playoff appearance and 100 the year after.

2023 Arizona Diamondbacks

Record: 84-78 (second in NL West, third wild card)

Run differential: minus-15

Postseason: Beat Milwaukee 2-0 in NLWCS, beat Los Angeles Dodgers 3-0 in NLDS, beat Philadelphia 4-3 in NLCS, lost to Texas 4-1 in World Series

Just get in and anything can happen. These Diamondbacks were one of the best examples of that. Arizona started August with nine straight losses to fall below .500, but after doing enough to make the playoffs, they swept two division champions and then won the last two games of the NLCS on the road to capture the second pennant in franchise history. Arizona had a negative run differential in the regular season and was also outscored 30-21 in that series against the Phillies. It didn't matter.

2025 Cincinnati Reds

Record: 83-79 (third in NL Central, third wild card)

Run differential: 35

Postseason: Lost to Los Angeles Dodgers 2-0 in NLWCS

The Reds had a respectable run differential but little star power aside from Elly De La Cruz and the often-injured Hunter Greene. Cincinnati beat out the Mets on a tiebreaker for the NL's final postseason spot — seven games behind the No. 2 wild card — and then made a quick exit. The Reds' best month was 15-11 and their worst was 12-15. Simply avoiding any extended slumps was enough to make the playoffs.

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See AP’s full MLB coverage here

The measure cleared the upper house 81-51 with seven abstentions. It marks a major step in Premier Giorgia Meloni’s drive to bolster energy security and meet climate goals, even though the construction of possible new reactors is still years away.

The bill, which earlier passed the lower Chamber of Deputies, establishes a legal framework for next-generation nuclear technologies. It authorizes the government to draft implementing decrees over the next 12 months covering reactor licensing, safety standards, waste management and criteria for future sites.

The vote puts Italy on a path toward reintroducing nuclear power after voters twice rejected it in national referendums, first in the aftermath of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster and again following Japan’s Fukushima accident in 2011.

Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, minister for the environment and energy security, said the vote marked a historic step forward for Italy.

“Nuclear isn't a return to the past," he said. “When integrated with renewables, it's a winning technology, which can give extraordinary results for our energy security.”

Italy seeks energy security in resuming nuclear

Meloni’s government argues that rising electricity demand, climate targets and energy security concerns exposed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine justify bringing nuclear energy back into the country’s power mix.

Rather than reviving the large reactors of the past, the government is focusing on small modular reactors, or SMRs, and other advanced technologies that supporters say could be safer, more flexible and quicker to build.

The legislation does not authorize the construction of any reactors. Instead, it creates the regulatory foundation needed before future projects can be proposed, assessed and approved.

Italy was once among Europe’s nuclear pioneers, operating four reactors before a 1987 referendum effectively ended the program. Since then, the country has relied heavily on imported energy and has become one of Europe’s largest consumers of electricity generated by nuclear plants in neighboring countries.

The government says electricity demand could rise substantially in coming years as homes, businesses and transportation become increasingly electrified and as data centers and other energy-intensive technologies expand.

Broader acceptance of nuclear energy is growing

Italy’s move comes amid a broader European debate over nuclear power’s role in cutting carbon emissions and reducing dependence on imported fossil fuels. Countries including France and Poland are investing in new nuclear projects or planning major expansions.

Public attitudes in Italy appear to have shifted. A June 2026 survey by research firm Only Numbers found that about 55% of Italians support next-generation nuclear plants, with backing strongest among younger generations who have no direct memory of Chernobyl.

Even so, significant obstacles remain before any reactors could be built.

Italy still lacks a permanent national repository for radioactive waste from its previous nuclear program, with waste continuing to be stored at temporary facilities around the country. Future reactor projects and waste storage sites are also expected to face opposition from local communities.

Energy analysts have questioned the economics of nuclear power, pointing to high construction costs and the lack of commercially proven SMR projects operating at scale in Europe. Industry estimates place the cost of a single 300-megawatt SMR at between 3 billion and 6 billion euros ($3.5 billion and $7 billion), excluding additional infrastructure and grid expenses.

Environment groups Greenpeace Italy, WWF Italia, the Kyodo Club and Legambiente called the legislation an “empty box filled with false promises” that went against the will of Italian voters in past referendums.

“Nuclear power does not solve any of the many problems Italy currently faces, in the midst of its second energy crisis in the last four years,” the groups said in a joint statement.

New reactors still a long way off

Michele Governatori, a senior energy adviser at climate and energy think tank ECCO, welcomed the creation of a regulatory framework but said it would likely expose limited private-sector appetite for new nuclear projects.

“Having a regulatory framework in place is positive, but it will also make clear the limited interest of private investors in technologies that are either not competitive today or not yet ready, such as SMRs,” he said.

Governatori also said that Italy should focus on measures already available to cut energy costs and reduce reliance on fossil fuels, including electrification, energy efficiency, renewable energy, storage capacity and power-grid upgrades.

Environmental groups and opposition parties have already signaled resistance to the government’s plans and could challenge future projects once specific reactor and waste-storage sites are proposed.

The 22-year-old man, Andrea Moretti, specialized in working at altitude on ropes. He had been installing cabling for the project that was expected to be completed next month and died inside the Colosseum, the archaeological site's press office said.

Premier Giorgia Meloni said that the government was deeply shocked and saddened by the death and called for the cause to be determined as quickly as possible.

“Dying at the age of 22 is unacceptable — even more so when it happens in the workplace,” she said in a statement.

Authorities are working to determine the circumstances of Moretti's death, the park's statement said. A separate statement late Wednesday said the park would remain closed on Thursday to mourn Moretti and in solidarity with his family.

Representatives of Italy's main union, CGIL, were on site after the death to request information about Moretti's employer and contract and said that closing the monument was the least Rome authorities could do to honor his memory.

The Colosseum attracted 14.7 million visitors in 2024, according to Culture Ministry statistics. It topped the list of Italy's most-visited monuments, followed by Florence's Uffizi Galleries and the ancient ruins of Pompeii.

The Colosseum's closure on Wednesday caught thousands of tourists who had bought tickets and tours in advance by surprise. But many said they appreciated the gesture.

Colosseum authorities had allowed the first morning tours to go ahead as planned, with just the Colosseum's second tier closed. But they then closed the entire monument to visitors after the first group had exited.

Rachel Townsand, a tourist from New Zealand, said that she was disappointed.

“But then after looking up what’s happened, then it’s understandable,” she said.

“The technology is more persuasive, more intimate, and more powerful,” the Duke of Sussex said. “AI is learning how to enter our relationships. It doesn’t just want your attention, it wants your attachment.”

In 2024, Harry sounded the alarm at CGI about how social media has contributed to an “epidemic” of anxiety, depression and social isolation among today’s youth. Harry and his wife, Meghan, announced the founding of The Parents Network, through their Archewell Foundation.

Harry said that The Parents Network had made progress, but that technological developments had made an already “uphill battle” more difficult.

“There are major signals that families, young people, experts and advocates have finally shaken institutions awake to the reality that this technology can cause harm,” Harry said. “But bans, settlements and payouts are incomplete remedies.”

Last month Meta agreed to pay up to $18 billion and add stronger child-safety measures to its Facebook and Instagram platforms as part of a landmark legal settlement that ended a trial over teen social media addiction and settled claims filed by nearly every state.

The settlement resolved a pivotal case years in the making that sought to hold the tech giant accountable for the role its platforms played in undermining children’s mental health. The effort targeted features designed to hook young people’s attention.

Wednesday marked Prince Harry's first public appearance in the United States since he and his family returned to England in August for an extended stay.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also discussed the potential dangers of AI at the conference, adding that addressing risk through international agreements is something that President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping should discuss this week.

Trump is hosting Xi in Washington this week as their economic and tech competition is only escalating, especially through an artificial intelligence race. Neither expects any grand bargain, but the leaders are expected to play nice in their third meeting since Trump returned to the White House. Still, developing AI technology has emerged as a key battleground, with both sides showing little interest in slowing down despite warnings from tech CEOs about threats that rogue AI could pose to humanity.

Speaking at CGI, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman said that he believes a proposed kill switch, which would require developers to have the capacity to shut down their systems if needed, is a good idea.

“It’s not a natural thing for a company to put in, so it’s a good intervention,” he said.

Former President Bill Clinton opened this year’s CGI on Tuesday with a call for business and philanthropic leaders to work toward filling funding gaps caused by “ retreating governments.”

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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.

The defiant speech by President Masoud Pezeshkian marked a striking instance of a foreign leader addressing the world body while their country is at war with the host nation. While defending his country, Pezeshkian held up large photos of the late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the more than 150 Iranian schoolchildren killed on the first days of the war.

“We have only defended ourselves. We are not terrorists,” Pezeshkian said at the General Assembly. “Our innocent people have been the targets of cowardly attacks and aggressions imposed upon our country. And we defended ourselves with utmost strength. America and Israel attacked us.”

He added of the United States: “Yes they did hit us, but we did not bend the knee.” Toward the end of his speech, Pezeshkian called out Trump by name.

“It must be understood by Mr. Trump and those who seek to bully us that we are ready for dialogue and diplomacy and negotiations without accepting the language of force,” he said.

Shortly after, both U.S. and Israeli officials blasted the speech, saying that it was hypocritical for the Islamic Republic to present itself as the victims of the world.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters: “I don’t know what standing Iran has to lecture anyone on human rights or the international system when they habitually violate it.”

A busy 24 hours for US-Iran relations

Arriving in New York under heavy security and scrutiny, Pezeshkian — who, within Iran’s political landscape, is considered a moderate politician — addressed world leaders a day after Trump used the same stage to mull whether to massively escalate a war that has already spiraled out of control.

“I have a big decision to make,” Trump said in his wide-ranging address Tuesday. “Will a deal be made with Iran that lets them rebuild and create a far greater country than it ever was before, maybe one of the greatest in the Middle East or even the world. Or do I annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly, never giving them a chance to kill and destroy people and countries again?”

Hours after those stunning threats, Trump told reporters that his chief envoys, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, met for about three hours with the Iranian officials on the sidelines of the annual gathering. But he offered few details about how the discussions transpired or the substance of the exchange.

“It was a very good meeting,” Trump said. The president later added that the Iranian officials were “not the highest level, but it’s something.” Also on Tuesday, Rubio said Trump is open to meeting with Pezeshkian while he’s in New York.

But Tehran downplayed Tuesday's unscheduled exchange, which were the first indirect talks between U.S. and Iranian officials since a June ceasefire unraveled. Esmail Baghaei, an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, maintained the country's negotiating position in talks with U.S. officials, demanding that Washington end its blockade of Iranian ports and release frozen Iranian assets,

Baghaei said the talks — conducted indirectly through Qatari mediators — were “not anything new.”

Rubio echoed that sentiment Wednesday, saying that “it was a continuation of conversations that have occurred in the past.”

“If there’s an opportunity to exchange ideas and messages, we will. And that’s what largely yesterday was — it was positive in that regard," he said. "But ultimately, I don’t want to mischaracterize this as a major breakthrough."

More than a year of negotiations have taken place

Pezeshkian's address elaborated on where Tehran stands as more than a year of start-stop negotiations between the two longtime adversaries have failed to produce a sustainable solution. His speech came as intermittent attacks continued in the Strait of Hormuz off Iran’s coast, where commercial shipping remained below prewar levels.

His address last year came months after the 12-day Israel-Iran war that saw the assassination of many of the Islamic Republic’s highest military and political leaders and once again broke down weeks of negotiations with the United States.

“Ladies and gentlemen, you all bore witness that this past June, my country was subjected to a savage aggression and flagrant contravention of the most elementary principles of international law,” Pezeshkian said at the time.

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Associated Press Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee in New York contributed to this story.

Star Meat Delivery Inc., based in Lucama, N.C., announced the recall Sept. 22, in coordination with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). The recall covers approximately 167,639 pounds of product distributed under the A&D Foods label.

False inspection mark at center of recall

The recalled products carry a false USDA mark of inspection with establishment number “EST. 1363” — a number that does not have a federal grant of inspection. Officials say any product bearing that number should be considered misbranded and unsafe to eat.

The items were produced on various dates prior to Sept. 22, 2026, vacuum-sealed and packed into cardboard boxes for shipment to A&D Foods, a distributor based in Georgia. From there, the products were distributed to retail stores and restaurants across the country. Individual consumer packages may not carry the original label, as retailers may have applied their own stickers with pricing and safe handling instructions.

What products are affected

The A&D Foods subject to the recall can be found here.

All items were packed in various-weight cardboard boxes containing individually vacuum-packed packages.

Health risks, what to do

FSIS says food produced without federal inspection may contain undeclared allergens, harmful bacteria or other contaminants that pose serious health and safety risks. As of the recall announcement, no confirmed reports of illness or injury tied to these products had been reported.

Consumers who purchased any of the affected products are urged not to eat them. Retailers and restaurants are urged not to sell or serve them. The products should be discarded or returned to the place of purchase.

Anyone concerned about a possible illness or injury should contact a healthcare provider.

How to get help

Consumers and members of the media with questions about the recall can contact Jennifer Joyner, Media Office Manager at Star Meat Delivery Inc., at 252-239-0610 or starmeatdelivery@gmail.com.

Consumers with food safety questions can call the toll-free USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 888-MPHotline (888-674-6854) or email MPHotline@usda.gov. To report a problem with a meat, poultry or egg product, visit the USDA’s online Electronic Consumer Complaint Monitoring System, available 24 hours a day at foodcomplaint.fsis.usda.gov/eCCF/.

FSIS says it will conduct recall effectiveness checks to confirm the recalling firm has notified its customers and that the product is no longer available to consumers. An updated retail distribution list will be posted at fsis.usda.gov/recalls as information becomes available.

Orlin Eli Gonzalez, 27, was also ordered to serve 10 years of supervised release and to register as a sex offender. He pleaded guilty June 17.

Undercover operation

Beginning Aug. 28, 2025, an FBI agent conducted an undercover operation on a social media app to identify adults seeking to engage in sexual activity with minors. The agent posed as a 13-year-old girl.

According to court documents, an app user going by the name “Orlean” made contact with the undercover agent and, after being told the “child” was 13 years old, began asking about her sexual experience, requested nude photos and asked if she wanted to have sex.

“I wanna see you naked,” Gonzalez texted the undercover agent, according to court documents. Further investigation by the FBI identified “Orlean” as Gonzalez.

Arrest

On Sept. 4, 2025, Gonzalez confirmed plans to meet the “child” at her home in Jacksonville for sexual activity, asking her to provide her address. That afternoon, agents observed Gonzalez biking toward the agreed-upon location.

Upon his arrival, Gonzalez was arrested by FBI agents. He has remained in federal custody since his arrest.

About Project Safe Childhood

The case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney D. Rodney Brown.

It is among the cases brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. The program marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, while working to identify, rescue and seek justice for victims.

The UEFA president, in rare public comments two months into the divisive global rift in soccer, did not cite Infantino by name but said “not everyone places the game above their own ambitions.”

“The project that shattered the unity of world football may be abolished, but the trust it broke has not returned, and repairing it is our work now,” Ceferin said in a video message to an audience of soccer and business executives in Lisbon.

Ceferin led UEFA’s backlash in July that helped stop Infantino’s plan to sell at least 20% of FIFA’s future commercial rights for $4.2 billion to investors led by Josh Kushner, the brother of U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.

Though Infantino dropped the plan within days, UEFA said it would work toward removing him from office — before or at the FIFA presidential election in March — and preparing a criminal complaint against him in Switzerland for alleged financial mismanagement.

“Trust in our sport rests on three pillars: unity, transparency, and governance that serves the many, not the few,” Ceferin, a Slovenian lawyer, said Wednesday.

“In recent times, all three were disregarded by people who had sworn to protect them,” he said.

FIFA and Infantino have said the plan to create a FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) commercial spinoff was to accelerate development of soccer worldwide, outside the wealthy power base of Europe.

Countdown to find an election candidate to challenge Infantino

Ceferin has ruled out being a candidate in the FIFA election, where Infantino seeks a fourth and final term in office through 2031 to complete a 15-year presidency.

There were “many, many” potential candidates capable of challenging Infantino, Ceferin told reporters last week in Greece, after a UEFA executive committee meeting in Thessaloniki.

FIFA has a Nov. 18 deadline to enter the election contest, four months before the vote by 211 member federations in Morocco — a key ally of Infantino, where the governing body has its African headquarters near Rabat.

UEFA's suggested $10M payments counters FIFA's $20M offer

FIFA’s 211 members effectively already own the Zurich-based not-for-profit soccer body which has at least $5 billion in cash reserves after the 2026 World Cup in North America.

Infantino planned to offer the 211 members $20 million each this year to approve the FFE project. It would have been a subsidiary controlling tens of billions of dollars of commercial rights for all future World Cups, Club World Cups and other tournaments.

UEFA and its continental allies, the North American soccer body CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation, have said FIFA can afford to spend $2.1 billion giving each member a $10 million one-off payment from the reserves without involving investors.

Offer from Infantino to review how FIFA operates

Infantino moved this week to calm critics of his hands-on executive presidency by offering to open an independent review of FIFA’s governance standards and decision-making. He is scheduled to chair a meeting of his 37-member FIFA Council, that includes Ceferin, on Oct. 15 in Zurich.

UEFA asked last month for an independent review of the FFE project that was secretly developed over the past year without some FIFA senior management knowing.

Infantino has a checkered history with independent oversight of FIFA. In 2017, one year before the men's World Cup in Russia, FIFA removed its most senior governance official who had enforced conflict-of-interest rules to stop Vitaly Mutko, who was a Russian deputy prime minister, from standing as an election candidate to retain his seat on FIFA's ruling committee.

That removal of Portuguese academic Miguel Maduro prompted three of his independent colleagues on the FIFA governance panel — including former U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, a South African judge — to resign in protest.

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See AP’s full soccer coverage here

From Texas to Ohio and Alaska to Iowa, campaigns are grappling with a fed-up electorate that is sour on the president and angry over soaring fuel prices driven by an unpopular war. While Republicans are flush with unprecedented cash that could move the needle in some races, overall the mood is glum heading into the election's final stretch as campaigns try to counter palpable Democratic enthusiasm to maintain their narrow lead in the House and Senate this November.

“Everybody is tired. You see the poll numbers. Everybody is cranky about gas prices,” said Jeanette Hoffman, a Republican strategist from New Jersey. “The party in power is playing defense. This is a referendum on the incumbents.”

Trump is trying to protect Republicans with cash

After mounting pressure from endangered candidates in battleground states, groups affiliated with President Donald Trump finally began unleashing their stockpile of campaign cash earlier this month, joining with Republican committees that have amassed a record fortune that dramatically eclipses their Democratic counterparts.

“Republicans have air superiority. House Democrats are scrambling to catch up with the very limited resources they have,” said Mike Marinella, a spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee.

But the spending underscores the extent to which Republicans are playing defense.

Three Trump-aligned groups — MAGA Inc., No Going Back PAC and Safety and Affordability PAC — have spent more than $163 million on advertising and air time since Sept. 1. Nearly 40% of that money — more than $63 million — has been spent in states and districts where Trump won by 10 percentage points or more in the 2024 election, according to an Associated Press analysis of data from AdImpact, which tracks media spending and ad buys.

That includes 12 House districts and three states with major Senate races.

In Texas, Republicans have spent nearly $107 million on ads and reservations since the beginning of the month trying to bolster scandal-plagued attorney general Ken Paxton in his Texas Senate race against Democratic state Rep. James Talarico. The spending, which is for ads through Election Day, is nearly four times as much as Democrats in a state Trump won by nearly 14 points.

Further north in Ohio, Republican spending to defend Sen. Jon Husted has exceeded $152 million, compared with $90 million on behalf of Democratic nominee Sherrod Brown, according to AdImpact.

Terry Casey, an Ohio Republican strategist, said both Republicans and Democrats are "kind of sitting on pins and needles because of the national and economic circumstances.” The outcome, he said, would depend on whether Democrats can turn out voters.

Democrats are competing in Republican strongholds

States that Trump won by wide margins — like Texas, Iowa, Ohio and Alaska — have become some of the most competitive battlegrounds in the midterms.

The White House is even investing time in states that haven't been considered competitive for years. Vice President JD Vance recently traveled to Kansas to campaign for Sen. Roger Marshall, who is facing a challenge from Democratic nominee Adam Hamilton.

The founder of the nation’s largest United Methodist church, Hamilton received a rousing welcome from scores of people who crammed into a Topeka coffee shop to see him Tuesday.

“In all my 50, 60 years in politics, I’ve never seen a candidate that quite has the momentum going,” said Jim Ploger, an 82-year-old longtime Democratic activist from Topeka who believes Hamilton gives the party “the best chance we’ve ever had” to win a Senate seat.

Vance has also been to Iowa, Ohio, Maine and North Carolina to bolster Republican candidates, while Trump is also hitting the road. The week after the party's unusual midterm convention in Dallas, he traveled to North Carolina to hold a rally with Michael Whatley, his former national party chairman. Republicans are increasingly concerned that he could fall short in his Senate race against Democratic former Gov. Roy Cooper.

There are more concerns about Georgia, where Rep. Mike Collins is trying to unseat Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff. Although Ossoff began the cycle as Republicans' top target, Collins has endured weeks of negative headlines about a House ethics investigation and his son-in-law's white nationalist views.

“I don’t think anyone’s expecting Collins to win,” said Tim Waters, chairman of the Peach County Republican Party. “Do I like that? No, I don’t like that. But it’s just the facts.”

In Texas, officials are hoping a huge influx of last-minute cash will help save Paxton. Sen. John Cornyn, who lost his primary to Paxton after Trump turned on him earlier this year, isn't so confident.

“I think it’s going to be very rough, lots of headwinds,” he said. “Even in places like Texas, which are pretty red, we’ve got flawed candidates who I think are going to have a hard time.”

Republican National Committee spokesperson Natalie Baldassarre said the party is focused on turnout and is well aware of the historic trend in which the party in control typically loses seats in the midterm.

“We have money to spend and we’re not taking anything for granted this cycle," she said. “This is very high stakes, and it's unfortunate that other people feel glum and down. But we’re doing everything we can to protect and expand our majorities so we’re full steam ahead.”

Party officials are more bullish on races in Maine and New Hampshire, where Democrat Kamala Harris won in 2024, and remain optimistic about Michigan, where Trump won by less than two points and where former Rep. Mike Rogers faces progressive Democrat Abdul El-Sayed.

Some Republicans call for an end to the war

Some Republicans are taking steps to distance themselves from Trump even as he urges his supporters to vote like he is on the ballot.

Rep. Tom Tiffany and Rep. John James, the party's nominees for governor in Wisconsin and Michigan, both joined calls for an end to the war in Iran.

"War is terrible, and no one likes war,” James told reporters.

Mike Rogers, the Republican Senate nominee in Michigan, released an ad in which he also called for ending the war. Standing in a grocery store, he bemoaned high prices and said the government should suspend gas taxes and stop diesel exports.

“The war with Iran needs to end and end quickly,” Rogers said. ”Michigan families can’t afford to wait.”

In Iowa, where Republicans are trying to hold onto the Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Joni Ernst, Rep. Ashley Hinson, who is locked in a tight race against Democrat Josh Turek, voiced the same frustrations.

“Iowans are being squeezed and shouldn’t have to foot the bill at the pump or the checkout line for the war in Iran” she wrote on social media. “These actions to lower costs are needed ASAP, and the war needs to be brought to a successful and immediate end.”

Hinson, however, did not join two fellow Iowa Republicans in battleground districts — U.S. Reps. Zach Nunn and Mariannette Miller-Meeks — in voting with Democrats on a resolution intended to halt Trump’s ability to continue military action without lawmakers’ approval.

Perhaps the most dramatic break with Trump came from Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, a Republican defending her seat in a competitive, majority Hispanic South Florida district. Last week, she released an ad filmed in front of the White House as she criticized the president for going “too far” on immigration policy.

Others have continued to scrub references to Trump from their websites. The latest was Republican Byron Donalds, who is running for governor in Florida, who recently revamped his site so that it no longer includes a number of prominent references to Trump and his endorsement, the Miami Herald first reported.

‘It’s a very competitive environment out there'

White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said Trump “is the unequivocal leader, best messenger, and unmatched motivator for the Republican Party” and that "the choice has never been more clear: doubling down on President Trump’s winning, commonsense agenda or the Democrats’ extreme liberal policies and obstruction.”

Some Republicans are acknowledging that voters aren't satisfied.

“We shouldn’t say, ‘Hey everything’s perfect,’ because it’s not," said Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio. "But look what we’ve done in 18 months, and we need two more years to finish the job.”

Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana, who has traveled across the country campaigning for his colleagues, said Democrats appeared to have enthusiasm on their side in the midterms, and he said his party needed to level with the country.

“You can’t look the American people in the eye and say, ‘Don’t believe your lying checkbooks,’” he said. “The cost of living increase is real.”

He also said that voters are “confused about the war” and “they don't understand how we're going to get out.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., was measured in his assessment on Tuesday.

“Well, I’m hopeful, obviously, but also realistic," he said. “It’s a very competitive environment out there.”

___

Colvin reported from New York. Associated Press writers Mike Catalini in Morrisville, Pa., Bill Barrow in Atlanta, Thomas Beaumont in Des Moines, Iowa, John Hanna in Topeka, Kan., and Lisa Mascaro, Mary Clare Jalonick, Steven Sloan and Joey Cappelletti in Washington contributed to this report.

It's called Imperia, and its members include CEOs, founders, innovators, entrepreneurs and others.

A lot of the first lady's attention has been on children, but, with Imperia, she is leaning on her business skills to encourage women to harness their economic power and help others understand women's role in a global economy.

“For generations, women fought for a seat at the table,” she told a meeting of the group. “The next chapter is about owning, growing and making space for the women who come next."

She said that means owning businesses, equity, real estate, capital and investment assets, along with “our ideas, our intellectual property and our economic future.”

“People still do not fully understand the full scale of women's power in the global economy,” she continued. “Women are not just part of the marketplace, simple participants. We are its foundation, and we are its infrastructure.”

In a rare television interview earlier Wednesday on Fox News Channel's “Fox & Friends” to promote Imperia, the first lady addressed several other subjects, including this week's state visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping, her efforts to reunite children separated from their families by Russia's war against Ukraine, her new docuseries and the extent of her public engagements.

Some recent news reports have said the first lady is appearing in public less often than during President Donald Trump's first term.

Melania Trump said the difference is that she is more focused on getting results.

“You don’t see me everywhere, but behind the scenes I’m working nonstop,” she said, citing as an example the preparations for her events in New York this week on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly and for Xi’s visit. “I’m working on so many projects ... in the future. So stay tuned.”

She was deeply involved in the planning for Xi's visit in her role as first lady. She said her husband decided to personally greet China's leader after his plane lands because of their “great relationship.” President Trump typically greets leaders at the White House.

As of July, Melania Trump had helped reunite five groups of Ukrainian and Russian children with their families, work that underscores the more global approach she has taken during the Republican president's second term. She said that she has a “direct channel” with leaders from the warring countries and that her team is working on another reunification.

“This is ongoing, and we want to reunite as many children as possible,” the first lady said. “And that's my focus as well. What they’re going through, it’s heartbreaking. And it’s nothing better to see than a child reunite with the parents, right?”

The first lady also rang the opening bell at the NYSE in January before the release of her Amazon documentary, “Melania,” about her life in the weeks leading up to Donald Trump's inauguration for a second term in office. A new two-part docuseries featuring her will be released in the fall. She said it will be different from the documentary and teased that it will include some surprises.

“It’s more conversation, one on one with me,” the first lady said. “So when I was traveling and doing all of the filming, the director was asking me questions, and there are some private questions that I will answer that people never heard before. So it’s kind of exciting.”

___

Follow the AP's coverage of first lady Melania Trump at https://apnews.com/hub/melania-trump.

Varsity 4 News4JAX Super 6 volleyball rankings

Rank (previous) team, record, classification

1. (1) Beachside (16-1, Class 6A)

Quality wins: Bartram Trail, Bolles, DME Academy, Gulliver Prep, Middleburg, Palm Harbor, Ponte Vedra, South Walton, Tocoi Creek, Trinity Christian, Weeki Wachee, Westminster Christian

Why they’re here: Excellent stretch for Beachside. The Barracudas powered through the Battle at the Beach tournament in Venice with a 4-1 mark, including very high quality Ws over Gulliver Prep and Palm Harbor, and solid Ws against Westminster Christian and Weeki Wachee. The loss came in the final against IMG Academy. If their previous body of work didn’t suggest a lengthy playoff run is possible, then the work at that tournament should reemphasize it. Hitter Nina Simanic (217 kills) is hands down the area’s top freshman. Mollie Vandeusen (142 kills, 226 assists, 133 digs) provides all over the floor excellence. Arielle Bostic (71 kills) provides more talent at the net. Isabella Taveras Seda (249 digs), Nina Simanic (171 digs) and Ana Simanic (199 assists) also power the area’s best state championship hope since Middleburg in 2023.

2. (4) Ponte Vedra (6-2, Class 5A)

Quality wins: Bolles, Fleming Island, Fletcher, Trinity Christian.

Why they’re here: The Sharks have rounded into form, sweeping Trinity Christian since our last Super 6. They’ve got a solid New Smyrna Beach on deck Thursday. Vivienne Woodbury (105 kills), Lily Keeley (75 kills) and Khloe Murray (70 kills) remain Ponte Vedra’s top offensive weapons. Jenna Hahnemann has 270 assists in making the offense flow.

3. (5) Fleming Island (10-2, Class 4A)

Quality wins: Bartram Trail, Bishop Kenny, Fletcher.

Why they’re here: Really strong week for the Golden Eagles. They swept previous No. 2 Trinity Christian and had a 3-1 win over previous No. 3 Middleburg. The tough schedule continues with Wolfson (Thursday) and Santa Fe (Sept. 29) coming up. Lillie Eason (211 kills, 113 digs) and Lauren Brosky (150 kills, 19 aces, 16 blocks) are doing the heavy lifting for Fleming Island. Kaylee Clark (104 kills, 38 blocks), Shelby Jackson (285 assists) and Moe’ono’ono Aseta (194 assists) are all having excellent seasons for Fleming.

4. (2) Trinity Christian (12-5, Class 2A)

Quality wins: Creekside, Episcopal, Fletcher, Hagerty, Middleburg, St. Augustine, Tocoi Creek

Why they’re here: The Conquerors went 1-2 since our last Super 6, dropping matches against Fleming Island and Ponte Vedra in sweeps. They also swept a solid Christ’s Church team. Nova Hewlett has 223 kills and 147 digs to top the team in both categories. Raelyn Williams has 123 kills and 134 digs, and Makenzie King has 73 kills and 121 digs. Emma Hernesman is at 394 assists.

5. (3) Middleburg (9-7, Class 5A)

Quality wins: Bishop Kenny (twice), Chiles, Ponte Vedra, Wolfson.

Why they’re here: The Broncos had a tough stretch since our last Super 6 with a 4-4 mark. Those four losses came to very strong teams (Fleming Island, IMG Academy, Seacrest Country Day, Ocala Forest), including three in tournament play. Katelynn Laezza (138 kills) and Maysie Bader (99 kills) have led the way at the net. Reese Forkum (220 digs), Allie Anschuetz (194) and Abigail Grybb (93 kills, 34 blocks) are pacing the Broncos.

6. (T6) Wolfson (11-4, Class 3A)

Quality wins: Bartram Trail, Bishop Kenny, Bolles, DME Academy, Fletcher.

Why they’re here: The Wolfpack went 3-1 since our last Super 6, losing to Middleburg (3-1) while sweeping Oakleaf, Englewood and previously ranked Bolles. They’ve got a big game on tap Thursday at No. 2 Fleming Island. Big time opponents Middleburg and Bolles are on deck. Bethany Stephens, Averie Porter and Mae Abernathy continue to shine at the net. They’ve combined for 347 kills. Stephens (36 aces), Porter (20 blocks) and Abernathy (124 digs) also shine in other categories, too. Carter Rowell leads the ‘Pack in assists (349), and Monica Mina (134) leads in digs.

Dropped out

Bolles (9-6, Class 3A)

Keep an eye on

Baldwin (10-2, Class 3A); Bishop Kenny (9-11, Class 4A); Bolles (9-6, Class 3A); Christ’s Church (13-6, Class 1A); Creekside (11-7, Class 6A); Episcopal (9-6, Class 2A); Flagler Palm Coast (13-1, Class 6A); Fletcher (9-7, Class 5A); St. Johns Country Day (5-2, Class 1A); Tocoi Creek (10-7, Class 6A); Yulee (12-3, Class 4A).

Phillip Washington, Jr., 66, also known as “Big Phil,” and Reginald Cornelius Sesler, 46, also known as “Hot Boy,” have each been charged with distribution and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.

The allegations

According to the indictment, Washington and Sesler allegedly worked together to distribute and possess with intent to distribute cocaine on June 10, 2024.

Washington also faces separate charges for distributing and possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl on June 18 and July 18, 2024. Sesler faces an additional charge related to a separate cocaine distribution incident on July 25, 2024.

Washington faces the more serious charges, with three counts that each carry a minimum penalty of 10 years — and up to life — in federal prison if convicted. Sesler faces two counts, each carrying a minimum penalty of five years and up to 40 years in federal prison.

Voting centers across the North African kingdom opened at 8 a.m. and were set to close at 7 p.m. local time, allowing nearly 16 million registered voters to cast ballots for the 395-seat House of Representatives.

The election is the first since deadly youth-led protests nearly a year ago and a mass attempt by migrants to cross Morocco’s northern border into the Spanish territory of Ceuta that left dozens dead.

The vote will determine the next prime minister and the makeup of the government, which will serve alongside a powerful monarchy that retains broad authority over strategic affairs. Results are expected Thursday.

The next government will oversee billions of dollars in investment as Morocco prepares to co-host the 2030 FIFA World Cup, prompting some to describe it as the “World Cup government.” The new political leadership will also face pressure to address everyday concerns, including jobs, wages and the cost of living.

For many young Moroccans, the election comes as doubts grow that political participation can improve their daily lives. Some have turned to street protests, while others have considered leaving the country or staying away from the ballot box.

Othmane Mouden, a Casablanca businessman in his late 30s, believes elections are the only way Moroccans can make their voices heard.

“Protesting like the Gen Z youth will not bring any change,” he said on his way to the polling station. “You can only claim your rights through the polls.”

Voters chose among 7,288 candidates from 27 political parties. Since no single party is expected to obtain an absolute majority, the winner will need to negotiate with others to form a governing coalition.

The Moroccan Constitution requires the king to appoint the head of government from the party that wins the most seats in legislative elections.

One possibility for prime minister is Faouzi Lakjaa, president of Morocco’s soccer federation, who recently joined the PAM party and has been buoyed by Morocco’s recent soccer achievements.

Another is Fatima-Zahra Mansouri, 50, mayor of Marrakech and minister of urban planning, who would be Morocco’s first female prime minister.

Some groups, including the far-left party The Democratic Path, called to boycott the election, saying that it “lacks the minimum conditions of democracy.” Banned but tolerated Islamist association Al-Adl Wal Ihsane issued similar claims.

Turnout at midday was just over 11%, slightly below the 12% at the same time during the last legislative elections in 2021.

The number of registered voters has declined by 9.7% since the 2021 election, even as Morocco’s population has grown, reflecting disenchantment with politics notably among young people.

As ballot stations opened in Casablanca and Rabat, voters of various ages formed small but continuous lines to cast their ballots.

Jamal Aamar, a 63-year-old retired banker, came to vote for the Federation of the Democratic Left, a left-wing coalition. Aamar said participating in the election allows his voice to be heard.

“If you boycott, you will leave others an empty seat,” he said.

The constitution recognizes the right to vote for Moroccans living abroad, but there is no voting by mail or ballot boxes at Moroccan consulates. Instead, they must travel to Morocco to vote or authorize a registered family member or acquaintance to vote on their behalf.

Moroccans in Madrid had mixed views on the elections, with some shrugging them off as having little impact.

Caterer Bader Eabram, 24, said Morocco's strong performance in recent World Cups and other soccer championships is driving some voters' choices, and providing hope.

“We’re all really eager to host the World Cup. It’s a great country,'' he said. ‘’We can do anything.''

——

Iain Sullivan in Madrid contributed to this report.

Kylian Mbappé, Lamine Yamal and Harry Kane in action again before the Ballon d'Or is announced.

Cristiano Ronaldo's relentless pursuit of 1,000 career goals and Erling Haaland, no doubt, doing Erling Haaland things.

International soccer is back after the World Cup and soccer's biggest stars are ready to do it all again.

Messi, who announced his retirement from the national team this month, is slated to make his farewell with one last appearance in the Oct. 6 friendly game against Benin in Buenos Aires.

The man many regard as the greatest player ever was in tears after Argentina relinquished its World Cup title with a 1-0 loss to Spain in the final at MetLife Stadium. His dream of winning back-to-back tournaments and emulating Brazil great Pele ended in bitter defeat. At the age of 39, it was widely expected it would be his final tilt on soccer's biggest stage.

Messi's retirement came as little surprise — even after his outstanding performances at the World Cup — and a farewell in front of his home fans will give him the opportunity to bow out in style.

The president of the Argentine Football Association, Claudio Tapia, said it would be “the farewell he deserves.”

Ballon d'Or contenders

While Messi is saying his goodbyes, the next generation of stars are fiercely competing to take his place as the world's best.

Mbappé, Yamal and Kane are among the favorites to win the Ballon d'Or, which is based on performances up to and including the World Cup.

But this international window is another opportunity for those frontrunners to show their talents. Messi is also among the nominees.

The rivalry between Mbappé and Yamal echoes Messi's great battles with Ronaldo.

With Mbappé at Real Madrid and Yamal at Barcelona, it pits Spain's two most famous and successful clubs against each other once again in the race for the Ballon d'Or.

For more than a decade it was Messi of Barcelona and Ronaldo of Madrid who turned soccer's biggest individual award into what seemed like a personal duel.

Yamal, who won the World Cup with Spain as well as the Spanish title with Barcelona, is still just 19 years old and already considered among the best.

“When you’re talking about so many great players, ultimately, people look at things like: ‘Well, this one is better than that one, but maybe the other guy won this or that trophy.’ The advantage I have is that I managed to win the World Cup this year, and naturally, that gives me an edge. I think that’s logical," he told L’Equipe.

Mbappe did not win a second World Cup, but he did set a new record as the highest scorer in tournament history with 22 goals.

As for Kane, he was awarded the golden shoe as Europe's top scorer last season and has continued that form with six goals in seven appearances this term.

England plays world champion Spain at Wembley in the Nations League on Saturday.

France plays for the first time under new head coach Zinedine Zidane with the pick of its games coming against Italy in the Nations League Oct. 2.

Ronaldo's pursuit

He may have missed out on his last chance to win the World Cup, but Ronaldo's pursuit of another landmark achievement goes on.

The Saudi Pro League announced his 979th career goal earlier this month and the Portugal great is edging ever closer to the 1,000-mark. He would be the first player to officially hit that total.

The 41-year-old Ronaldo was included in Portugal’s squad by new coach Jorge Jesus for its upcoming Nations League games.

Another player relentlessly chasing down goals is Haaland, who made new fans around the world with his performances and social media antics at the World Cup. He has started this season in devastating form with seven goals in his last five games to help Manchester City to a 100% winning run.

Superstar coaches

The star appeal will not be limited to the pitch. A raft of coaching changes have seen some of the biggest names in soccer take over national teams.

Three-time Champions League-winning coach Zidane has succeeded Didier Deschamps with France. Liverpool icon Jurgen Klopp is in charge of Germany after another early exit from the World Cup.

They join serial winning coaches like Carlo Ancelotti (Brazil) and Thomas Tuchel (England) by leaving the club game for international soccer.

Zidane is the only coach to win three straight Champions League titles and France will hope he can be just as successful with the national team.

Klopp answered Germany's SOS after it failed to reach the last 16 of a men’s World Cup for the third time in a row. But he delivered a spiky news conference when unveiled in July — immediately threatening to resign.

He said he would be prepared to leave without any severance pay if it doesn’t work out, or if criticism becomes overwhelming, and said he would resign if the media doesn’t “leave my family in peace.”

One coaching great who resisted the temptation to join the international influx was Pep Guardiola despite being a reported target for Italy.

Instead Roberto Mancini is back in charge of the Italian national team, which he led to triumph at Euro 2020.

Not that he is relying on that to ease any pressure on him.

“I’m not in credit because that’s in the past, it doesn’t count for anything,” Mancini said.

Where to watch

U.S. viewers can only find most games via streaming platforms – Fubo has every match, while Hulu, Amazon Prime Video and DirecTV Stream have select games, too. Several matches will air on Fox stations FS1 or FS2. That includes Norway vs. Denmark on Thursday on FS1, England vs. Spain on Saturday on FS2 and France vs. Italy on Oct. 2 on FS1.

___

James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson

___

See AP’s full soccer coverage here

Camden County Commission - District 2

Incumbent Martin Turner III is seeking re-election. No Democrats qualified for this race.

REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES

• Martin Turner III - Minister (Campaign Facebook page)

Camden County Board of Education - District 2

Incumbent Allison Murray was re-elected in this non-partisan race.

Kingsland Mayor

Incumbent Grayson Day is seeking re-election, and faces two challengers in a non-partisan race:

• Grayson Day
• Ruben Gomez
• Debra M. Quinn

Two other city council seats were also up for election this year - but the candidates were unopposed.

Kingsland Homestead Exemption 1

This ballot question asks voters whether to approve a local act of the Georgia General Assembly that would change the minimum qualifying age for Kingsland’s existing senior homestead exemption from 65 to 62.

Voters will be asked to vote yes or no based on the following ballot language:

“Shall the Act be approved which provides a homestead exemption of $25,000.00 from City of Kingsland ad valorem taxes for municipal purposes for residents 62 years of age or older, which represents a three-year decrease in age to qualify for such exemption?”

Kingsland Homestead Exemption 2

This ballot question asks voters whether to approve a local act of the Georgia General Assembly that would establish a new homestead exemption in Kingsland designed to limit increases in the taxable value of a qualifying property.

Voters will be asked to vote yes or no based on the following ballot language:

“Shall the Act be approved which provides a homestead exemption from City of Kingsland ad valorem taxes for municipal purposes in an amount equal to the amount by which the current year assessed value of a homestead exceeds the base year assessed value of such homestead?”

St. Marys City Council Elections

Three of the six members of the St. Marys City Council are up for election this year. All three are seeking re-election, and face two challengers each, in races that are non-partisan.

Post 1:

• Jerre Brumbelow
• Kenneth I. Jelley
• Artie Jones Jr. (Incumbent)

Post 2:

• Steve Conner (Incumbent)
• Nick Harris
• Wanda Townes

Post 3:

• Chad Ingram (Incumbent)
• Amanda Moore
• Joey Paliameno

Read about the rest of the races in the primary in our 2026 Georgia Voter’s Guide.

With over 97% of the vote counted from three days of balloting that ended Sunday, election officials said the main Kremlin party, United Russia, will get more than three-fourths of the seats in the lower house, the State Duma, a record high. The tightly orchestrated vote excluded virtually any genuine opposition.

Voter turnout exceeded 59% of the 111 eligible million voters, the most for a parliamentary election in over a decade. Authorities had spread the voting over three days to boost attendance at the polls and included illegally annexed parts of Ukraine. Online voting also took place in some regions.

“Such a record number of people who come to cast ballots shows that the people of Russia support our efforts aimed at strengthening the country,” Putin said in televised remarks at a meeting with top government members, his first public remarks on the outcome.

Voting came amid Ukrainian attacks

The election took place against the backdrop of incessant Ukrainian drone attacks. On Sunday, Russia's Defense Ministry reported it downed 1,110 drones overnight.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 450 drones were downed while flying toward the city in what he described as “the largest ever” attack on the capital in a failed attempt to disrupt the vote. The attack, which damaged an oil refinery and a residential building, also killed three people and injured 38 in the wider Moscow region, officials said.

“They tried to hamper our efforts, to derail the election, as evidenced by the enemy’s continuous efforts to breach air defenses around Moscow and in other regions,” Putin said. “But lines at polling stations have shown that Russia can’t be intimidated.”

The parliamentary election was the first since Putin launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and the first to include residents of four regions of that country that were seized and illegally annexed by Moscow later that year. At a polling station in the Russian-held part of the Donetsk region, voters dropped their ballots in a box under the gaze of an armed Russian soldier.

Voting also was held in Crimea, which was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014. Kyiv denounced the voting in those regions as illegal.

Putin also addressed Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine.

“Comrades, I want you to know that it was the vote for you. People trust you, they believe in our victory, believe in your courage, heroism and your devotion to the Motherland,” he said.

“I have no doubt that all the goals we set for the special military operation will be fulfilled,” Putin said, using the Kremlin term for the war in Ukraine.

The Kremlin launched a massive media blitz

A massive state media campaign and tight control over the election allowed the Kremlin to strengthen its political dominance despite economic troubles and long-range Ukrainian drone attacks.

The preliminary results indicated that United Russia would get between 347 and 355 out of 450 Duma seats. It received just under 58% of the vote for the 225 seats apportioned by parties and also won 208 single-seat races that fill the other half of the chamber.

Several smaller parties representing the “systemic opposition” that vote in sync with the Kremlin on all key issues are set to fill most of the remaining seats. Just a handful will go to candidates who ran without a party affiliation.

The liberal Yabloko party, the only registered political entity that dared to publicly criticize the war, was removed from the ballot last month by Russia’s Supreme Court, and only had a few dozen candidates in the single-seat races. Preliminary results indicated that no Yabloko candidates won a seat.

Varsity 4 News4JAX Super 6 volleyball rankings

Rank (previous) team, record, classification

1. (1) Beachside (11-0, Class 6A)

Quality wins: Bartram Trail, Bolles, DME Academy, Middleburg, Ponte Vedra, South Walton, Trinity Christian.

Why they’re here: The beat goes on at the Reef. The Barracudas swept quality St. Johns County rivals Bartram Trail and Ponte Vedra since our last Super 6. Beachside has dropped two sets all season (DME Academy, South Walton) in what has been another blistering start. The power at the net includes hitter Nina Simanic (138 kills) and Mollie Vandeusen (108). Isabella Taveras Seda (187 digs), Nina Simanic (118 digs), Ana Simanic (149 assists) and Vandeusen (141 assists) round out this group dominance.

2. (2) Trinity Christian (11-3, Class 2A)

Quality wins: Creekside, Episcopal, Fletcher, Hagerty, Middleburg, St. Augustine, Tocoi Creek

Why they’re here: The Conquerors went 5-2 since our last Super 6, dropping tournament matches to Gainesville (2-0) and Buchholz (2-1). They had quality wins over Tocoi Creek, Creekside and Episcopal, too. Big match on deck Thursday against Fleming Island. Nova Hewlett went over 200 kills since our last Super 6 (204). Hewlett also leads in digs (136). Raelyn Williams has 116 kills and 124 digs, and Makenzie King has 69 kills and 118 digs. Emma Hernesman is at 203 assists, surpassing the 1,000 career mark at Trinity.

3. (4) Middleburg (6-3, Class 5A)

Quality wins: Bishop Kenny, Chiles, Ponte Vedra.

Why they’re here: The Broncos have won three straight games including quality Ws over Bishop Kenny and Chiles since our last Super 6. The losses are to Beachside, Trinity and Santa Fe. There’s a stretch of three tough opponents over the next eight days – Wolfson, Fleming Island and Chiles, all on the road. Katelynn Laezza (111 kills) and Maysie Bader (85 kills) have led the way at the net. Reese Forkum (164 digs) and Abigail Grybb (71 kills, 25 blocks) are pacing the Broncos.

4. (NR) Ponte Vedra (5-2, Class 5A)

Quality wins: Bolles, Fletcher.

Why they’re here: The Sharks had a slower start schedule wise but they are back in action fully. Their local losses were 3-2 to Middleburg in the season opener and a sweep by No. 1 Beachside. They’ve knocked off Fletcher and Fleming Island. They head to No. 2 Trinity Christian next week in a huge clash. Vivienne Woodbury (100 kills), Lily Keeley (70 kills) and Khloe Murray (65 kills) are pacing the Sharks at the net. Jenna Hahnemann has 251 assists.

5. (3) Fleming Island (8-2, Class 4A)

Quality wins: Bartram Trail, Bishop Kenny, Fletcher.

Why they’re here: The Golden Eagles went 1-1 since our last Super 6, beating Bartram Trail (3-2) and losing to Ponte Vedra (3-2). They’ve got Trinity Christian on the road up next on Friday. The Golden Eagles have two players ( Lillie Eason at 175 kills and Lauren Brosky at 126) over the 100-kill mark. Kaylee Clark (80 kills, 32 blocks) isn’t far behind. Shelby Jackson (237 assists) and Moe’ono’ono Aseta (161 assists) are leading the offense.

T6. (5) Bolles (5-2, Class 3A)

Quality wins: Christ’s Church, Fletcher, Yulee.

Why they’re here: The Bulldogs went 1-1 since our last update, sweeping a quality Yulee team and then being swept by Ponte Vedra. They’re back in action Thursday against Creekside before tournament action on Friday and Saturday.

T6. (T6) Wolfson (9-3, Class 3A)

Quality wins: Bartram Trail, Bishop Kenny, DME Academy, Fletcher.

Why they’re here: The Wolfpack went 4-2 since our last Super 6, dropping tournament games to Santa Fe and Gainesville, while notching quality Ws over DME and Fletcher. Big time opponents Middleburg and Bolles are on deck. Bethany Stephens, Averie Porter and Mae Abernathy have split the attack perfectly, racking up 268 kills.

Dropped out

Fletcher (6-7, Class 5A).

Keep an eye on

Atlantic Coast (5-4, Class 6A); Bishop Kenny (6-7, Class 4A); Christ’s Church (11-5, Class 1A); Creekside (8-6, Class 6A); Episcopal (6-2, Class 2A); Fletcher (6-7, Class 5A); St. Johns Country Day (5-1, Class 1A); Tocoi Creek (8-6, Class 6A); Yulee (10-3, Class 4A).

Four insurance companies recently received approval to lower their rates, effective at renewal: One Alliance North America Insurance Company, Safe Harbor Insurance Company, Unique Insurance Company and Vyrd Insurance Company.

The approved decreases break down as follows:

• One Alliance North America — 10.4% decrease, impacting 17,148 policies
• Safe Harbor Insurance Company — 4.1% decrease, impacting 10,501 policies
• Unique Insurance Company — 3.2% decrease, impacting 8,266 policies
• Vyrd Insurance Company — 10.4% decrease, impacting 26,751 policies

“This is the latest wave of significant rate decreases for Floridians, which continues to grow higher,” Yaworsky said.

“I expect to see more aggressive rate cuts in the near future and going into 2027. OIR is receiving a flood of rate decrease requests ranging from -0.3 to -19.7. This is great news for Floridians and OIR will expedite reviews of rate filings to ensure policyholders feel it in their pockets.”

More requests in the pipeline

The Office of Insurance Regulation, or OIR, is currently reviewing a growing wave of additional rate reduction requests. Since January 2024, 48 companies have filed for a rate decrease and 53 companies have requested no change, or a 0% increase.

The 30-day average request for homeowners’ rates is now -4.8% — compared with -1.1% one year ago and +5.2% five years ago. The 180-day average request currently sits at -0.3%, compared with 0.0% one year ago and +5.1% three years ago. As recently as July 2022, the average approved rate was +15.33%.

The Associated Press, in partnership with KFF, polled more than 2,000 rural registered voters and found broadly negative views of the national and local economies, including among many Republicans. The costs of groceries, gas and healthcare rank as top pain points for the rural voters, who were surveyed over two weeks starting in mid-August. A larger share than among voters overall say they are worried about being able to afford groceries or gas.

At the same time, about half of rural voters approve of Trump’s job performance, more than among U.S. adults overall in separate AP-NORC polling.

The findings suggest that many rural voters have not turned on Trump but that they also largely do not think he has delivered the economic renaissance he promised in his campaign.

Ed Westrick, a registered Republican and veteran, rates Trump’s job performance as “mediocre, middle-of-the-road.” Westrick, who lives in rural Texas, is not sure he will cast a midterm ballot, a troubling sign for Republicans in a key state in their fight to keep control of Congress.

Rural Americans skew Republican and historically have been an instrumental group of voters for Trump. The survey reveals that while rural voters seem unlikely to support Democrats on a large scale, Trump and the Republican Party could face challenges with them in November.

Rural voters are deeply unhappy about the economy

As the election approaches, only about 4 in 10 rural voters approve of Trump’s performance on the economy. They rate him similarly on his handling of the Iran war, an entanglement that has proved expensive for the U.S. and increased oil and gas prices. Rural voters rank pocketbook concerns and fraud in government programs higher among the things they want to hear about from politicians than other perennial issues, such as gun policy and abortion.

Westrick, 59, is a technical trainer in the electronics industry and has seen an increase in business in part because he works with defense contractors, but he said he is concerned about the cost of living.

“I hear the politicians talk about making groceries more affordable and making healthcare more affordable, but yet none of them are addressing the issues,” Westrick said.

In the poll, about three-quarters of rural voters rated the cost of living in their communities as “only fair” or “poor” — a 25 percentage point rise from a similar question asked in a KFF-Washington Post survey in 2017. Rural Americans, who have consistently lower wages than those who live in suburban and metro areas, have been hurting economically for decades, according to Tim Slack, a professor of sociology at Louisiana State University and co-author of the book “Rural and Small-Town America.”

“Many folks are connecting the cost-of-living crisis to many of the Trump administration’s policy choices: the war in Iran, tariffs, trade wars,” he said. “None of those things are going to bring down prices at the pump or the local Walmart.”

“Trump promised to lower prices on Day 1, and instead the cost of living’s continued to climb. And that’s especially painful in rural America,” Slack said, adding that he expects many working-class Republicans to skip voting in November.

Rural Republicans do have a brighter economic perspective than rural Democrats or independents, particularly about the United States as a whole, according to the survey. About 6 in 10 rural Republican voters say Trump has improved the national economy, compared with only about 2 in 10 independents and fewer than 1 in 10 Democrats.

But only 45% of rural Republican voters say Trump has made their local economies better off. About 1 in 4 said there are fewer good-paying jobs where they live than five years ago.

In Michigan, 37-year-old independent voter Brittainy Sosebee said she isn’t sure if she will vote in the state’s fall election, which includes a tight Senate race seen as crucial to the Democratic Party’s push to win back a majority. Sosebee voted for Trump in 2016 and Democratic nominee Joe Biden in 2020; she didn’t vote in 2024.

Sosebee, who lives in St. Johns, a small town just north of Lansing, said she used to have extra money to take a vacation or buy a new pair of jeans without worrying. Now, she scrutinizes every expense, cringing at the rising cost of fresh produce when she shops for her three children.

“We hunt, so we have a lot of venison and things like that, so we don’t have to buy meat from the grocery store, but it’s still crippling,” she said.

Healthcare policies go unnoticed

The AP-KFF poll found that rural voters overall don’t perceive much positive impact from the administration’s healthcare policies even as they have been a top priority for Republican leaders, who have promoted efforts to lower drug costs in addition to a $50 billion rural health program.

Only 17% of the voters said the administration’s healthcare policies have had a “positive impact” on their healthcare costs, while 41% said they’ve had “no impact” and another 41% said they’ve had a “negative impact.”

Sitting on her front porch in Woolwich, Maine, 71-year-old Democrat Kathleen Hanning sipped a chai tea latte in the sun and recalled how she stopped voting for Republican Sen. Susan Collins in 2020.

Collins and Trump are “intertwined,” Hanning said. “She is not independently voting on what’s best for Maine.”

Hanning, a retired federal worker, said she had not paid much attention to the health policies in Trump’s signature tax breaks and spending cuts bill passed last year. The law reduces federal Medicaid spending by roughly $900 billion over a decade but also includes billions of dollars for the Rural Health Transformation Program, which it created.

A year after the law’s passage, more than 8 in 10 rural voters said they had heard either “a little” or “nothing at all” about the health fund. About 60% said they had heard nothing, according to the survey.

Rather than transforming, Hanning said, “hospitals up here in Maine are consolidating.” She travels an hour to see a specialist and noted that mothers will now have to drive farther for care because the hospital in nearby Damariscotta announced it would soon close its labor and delivery center.

Nine in 10 rural voters said it was “extremely” or “very” important for candidates to talk about healthcare costs, with more than half saying it’s “extremely important.” Mirroring the general population, rural voters ranked healthcare costs and gas prices as top economic worries.

Rural Republican voters still trust the GOP more

When asked for the political party they trusted to do a better job handling issues such as the cost of healthcare or the cost of living, rural voters tended to side with their own party. The finding signals that Democratic candidates are more likely to benefit from rural Republicans staying home in November than from them voting across party lines in large numbers.

Republicans are more ambivalent about their party’s ability to handle key healthcare issues, compared with Democrats. About 8 in 10 Democratic voters say they trust the Democrats to address healthcare costs, while closer to 6 in 10 Republican voters say the same of the Republicans.

In Manassas, Georgia, a tiny town about an hour's drive inland from Savannah, Republican voter Wanda Rogers feels the Trump administration is doing the best it can to clean up what she sees as an economic mess that Democrats left behind when they lost power.

“I kind of think people think like I do, that he knows what needs to be done,” she said. “It’s just taking them a while to get it there.”

Still, the 66-year-old said, “gas prices, they’re eating me alive right now.” She said she has stopped traveling to the beach because it has become too expensive.

Pamela Shaw, an independent voter who lives in a rural area near Asheville, North Carolina, said she sees the impact of rising costs in her community.

“When hamburger is over $7 a pound and steak is $15 or more a pound, a lot of people are not able to buy some of the things that they are used to buying,” the 59-year-old said in an interview.

Trump’s rural standing has slipped

Trump remains relatively popular among rural voters in the AP-KFF poll, with 48% approval. That is substantially higher than in a July AP-NORC poll of U.S. adults overall, in which only one-third approved of his performance. But he also is down slightly, from 56% approval, among rural voters, based on a similar question asked in the earlier KFF-Washington Post survey.

Asunta Washington, 38, is a truck driver who lives in South Texas. He said he is not against voting for Republican candidates if he wholeheartedly agrees with what they stand for, but he has not seen that. Instead, he has seen a lot of flip-flopping.

“Like a lot of people that are giving us promises and the moment they get elected, all that’s out the window,” Washington said.

This year’s competitive elections feature Senate races in Ohio, Michigan and Maine, all of which have large rural populations. In close races, Democrats may have a chance to “show up and give a message that rural people might find appealing,” said Nicholas Jacobs, a political scientist at Colby College and co-author of the book “The Rural Voter.”

“But it’s nothing more and it’s nothing less than that — an opportunity,” Jacobs said. “And time and time again, Democrats have shown a certain proclivity for not seizing that opportunity.”

Many rural voters do not think the major parties or the president respect people like them. About half, 48%, of rural voters say the GOP respects people like them “a lot” or “some,” while 45% of rural voters say this about Trump and 37% say this about the Democratic Party.

On a recent Thursday, registered Republican Nate Lawrence answered his phone after paying $57 to fill up his Chevy Equinox in New Concord, Ohio, a village of fewer than 3,000 people about an hour's drive east of Columbus.

Lawrence, a middle-school English teacher, said the candidates should be talking about spending power: “I need to be able to go to the store and feed my family on what I make as a teacher,” Lawrence said. “I should be able to pay for a house on a teacher’s salary.”

Lawrence has voted for Trump in the past but did not in 2024. For Ohio’s Senate race, Lawrence said he is torn and not sure whether to pick Democrat Sherrod Brown or Republican Jon Husted.

Still, even if the politicians say they will lower prices, Lawrence said, he won’t believe them.

“Trump said that, and it didn’t happen,” he said.

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The poll of 2,241 U.S. adults registered to vote in rural areas of the country was conducted Aug. 12-24, 2026, using a sample drawn from the probability-based SSRS Opinion Panel. The margin of sampling error for the full sample is plus or minus 3 percentage points. In collaboration with AP, KFF researchers worked to design the survey sample and questionnaire, analyze and report findings.

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This report is a collaboration between The Associated Press and KFF Health News. KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF — the independent source for health policy research, polling and journalism.

The warning came despite signs of improvement in other provinces, including Ituri, the outbreak’s epicenter. The outbreak has spread to seven provinces, with 7,773 confirmed cases and 3,759 deaths, according to the latest government figures.

Between Aug. 31 and Sept. 20, cases fell 26% in Ituri province and 15% in Haut-Uele, said Marie Roseline Belizaire, the WHO’s regional emergency director for Africa. But transmission patterns vary widely and the outbreak remains uncontrolled, she said.

“While cases and deaths are declining in some provinces, they continue to rise in others,” Belizaire said. “The outbreak is still not under control and remains spread across a wide geographic area.”

The outbreak is spreading under extremely difficult conditions, fueled by insecurity, displacement, a health workers’ strike and intense population movements. The World Health Organization has said it is on track to surpass the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak, the deadliest on record, which killed more than 11,000 people, primarily in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Catherine Smallwood, the WHO’s Ebola incident manager, said cases and deaths had begun declining in North Kivu after several weeks of increases. But although treatment beds are being added daily, facilities still lack enough staff and partners to operate them.

“The human resources gap is one of the biggest gaps,” Smallwood said.

WHO representative in Congo Anne Ancia said one Ebola treatment center requires about 300 health professionals, including anesthetists, hygienists, nurses and general practitioners.

“We are building Ebola treatment centers but do not always have the human resources needed to operate them,” Ancia said. “Those health workers must be paid.”

Frontline workers in Ituri previously went on strike over unpaid wages, worsening access to care. Health Minister Roger Kamba said in July that the government was verifying payroll lists after the names of people not involved in the response were added. Frontline workers said officials promised to pay the arrears, but some workers received nothing and others only part of what they were owed.

Another major challenge in the response is the fatality rate among children, according to the WHO. Children under five have the highest case fatality rate, more than 60% compared with approximately 40% among adults, Belizaire said.

WHO Ebola Incident Manager Smallwood said detecting cases among children under five is also very difficult because the children can’t necessarily explain their symptoms, and the presentation of symptoms can be confusing.

Tonight stays mostly cloudy with a few showers or storms possible late, mainly toward the early morning hours. Lows fall into the mid 70s.

Thursday still looks breezy and a little cooler, with highs near 80 and a 30% chance of showers, mainly later in the day. After that, we finally dry things out. Friday looks mostly sunny with highs in the upper 70s, then the weekend turns really nice with sunshine, lower humidity, and highs climbing from the low 80s Saturday to the mid 80s Sunday.

Early next week stays mainly dry and warmer, with highs back in the upper 80s by Monday and Tuesday.

The second year of the deal, the 2028-29 season, is at Leonard's option, according to the person who spoke Tuesday to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The Raptors on Wednesday confirmed that the contract had been signed, without releasing the terms, which were first reported by ESPN.

Leonard, 35, led the Raptors to the 2019 NBA title and is now locked into a new deal with a team with eyes on competing for another title. He is coming off the highest-scoring season of his career, averaging 27.9 points for the Los Angeles Clippers in 65 games a year ago.

Leonard will make just over $50 million this season, the last year of his current contract. It was generally assumed that the Raptors would strike a deal to keep Leonard — a seven-time All-Star, two-time NBA champion and two-time NBA Finals MVP — soon after landing him in a trade with the Clippers.

The sides agreed to that trade in late June but didn't complete it until earlier this month, delaying the process because of the NBA's investigation into whether the Clippers circumvented salary cap rules on Leonard's behalf. The NBA found four deals that ran afoul of league rules, leading to a one-year suspension of Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, the forfeiture of five first-round draft picks, suspensions of other team personnel and a $30 million fine.

Leonard was fined $700,000 by the league but is not facing any suspension.

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See AP’s full NBA coverage here

Spend the morning strolling through their trails, taking in the beauty of the Arboretum, and enjoying a lineup of dog-friendly delights.

Event Highlights Include:

• Dog-themed vendors featuring pet products, accessories, and local services
• Raffle prizes to support the Arboretum
• Food trucks serving delicious bites for all tastes
• Plenty of photo ops, dog activities, and surprises throughout the day

Bring your pup, bring your friends, and bring your walking shoes - it’s going to be a tail-wagging good time!

Friendly reminder: dogs must remain leashed at all times, and please come prepared to clean up after your pet.

This event is included in the price for daily admission.

www.jacksonvillearboretum.org

The Jacksonville City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to approve new regulations for electric bicycles, ending months of debate over how the city should address the growing use of e-bikes on sidewalks and shared-use paths.

The measure, Ordinance 2026-570, passed 19-0 and now heads to Mayor Donna Deegan before it can take effect. The city’s online legislative record does not yet list an effective date.

Under the ordinance approved by council, e-bikes would be limited to 15 mph on sidewalks and shared-use paths. Riders younger than 16 would be required to wear a helmet, and there is no minimum age to operate an e-bike. The substitute approved by council also addresses careless, unsafe or reckless operation.

The ordinance changed significantly as it moved through City Council.

An earlier version proposed a 10 mph sidewalk speed limit and would have prohibited children younger than 11 from operating an e-bike. Those provisions were removed or changed during the committee process, with the speed limit increased to 15 mph and the minimum age requirement eliminated.

Councilman Michael Boylan, who introduced the legislation, told News4JAX’s reporter Briana Brownlee and photojournalist Jesse Hanson the goal is broader than setting a speed limit.

“And it’s not just about the speed limit; that’s something we can talk about, but lights, horns, helmets, all those things are embedded into the ordinance to encourage people of all ages to safely operate their e-bike,” Boylan said.

How will riders know the rules?

One issue that followed the ordinance through the council process is how riders will be notified about the 15 mph limit.

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office previously told News4JAX it did not believe a plan for only 26 signs across the city would provide sufficient or fair notice to people who would be subject to the restriction.

RELATED | Jacksonville City Council committee advances e-bike safety ordinance limiting sidewalk speeds

“With respect to the proposed ordinance, we do not believe establishing a new sidewalk speed limit accompanied by only 26 signs throughout the city provides sufficient or fair notice to the citizens who would be subject to that restriction,” JSO spokesperson Christian Hancock said in a statement to News4JAX. “Clear and adequate notice is an important consideration when creating and enforcing a new traffic regulation.”

JSO also said it would continue enforcing existing Florida laws addressing reckless or dangerous e-bike operation regardless of City Council’s decision.

Boylan said he has since communicated with JSO’s traffic division about the department’s concerns.

He has also introduced a separate ordinance aimed at giving council members another option for adding e-bike speed-limit signs in their individual districts.

That legislation, Ordinance 2026-755, would allow council members to use existing money previously appropriated for traffic calming and traffic safety improvements to purchase and install e-bike speed-limit signs. The decision to use the money for those signs would be left to each district council member.

The proposal does not require additional signs to be installed and does not appropriate a new pool of money for them. It was introduced Tuesday and still has to move through the council process. A public hearing is scheduled for Oct. 13.

Boylan said the signage question is part of making the regulations understandable to riders.

“So let’s say I get a call from a constituent about a persistent situation with e-bikes on Orange Picker, for example,” Boylan said. “Now I have an opportunity to buy a sign, put it on the ground there, and say, hey, speed limit on this sidewalk is 15 miles per hour.”

Education is another part of the rollout

The ordinance also calls for the city’s Transportation Planning Division to develop standardized educational information for known e-bike retailers.

Boylan said he has also been working with Duval County Public Schools on educating students about e-bike safety.

He said his concern about younger riders is partly based on an encounter in his own neighborhood.

“I had an incident in my own neighborhood where a young boy, probably 10 or 11 years old, rode off the road and went into a ditch, and my wife and I stopped and put him in our car and put his bike in our car and took him to his friend’s house because both of his parents were working,” Boylan said. “So, you know, we’re just concerned about that, and it’s important for us to educate them, saying, you know, these things are not easy to operate sometimes.”

The ordinance had divided some council members during committee hearings. The Rules Committee approved the substitute 5-2 on Sept. 14, while the Neighborhoods, Community Services, Public Health and Safety Committee approved it 4-1. The Transportation, Energy and Utilities Committee advanced it 5-0 the following day.

By Tuesday night’s final vote, all 19 council members supported the substitute.

The season will run from Oct. 9 through Oct. 22, 2026, in Florida’s Atlantic state and federal waters. It will be open to private recreational anglers and for-hire operations.

Anglers may keep one red snapper per person, per day. There is no minimum size limit.

Private anglers and for-hire captains must have the appropriate licenses and permits before fishing. All red snapper trips must be declared through the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Atlantic Red Snapper Reporting app. Anglers must carry a copy of their trip declaration and Florida’s Exempted Fishing Permit on their vessels.

The season comes after a series of changes to Florida’s red snapper regulations. Last year, the season lasted only two days. In May, the state proposed a 39-day season from May through June, along with three October weekends, but a federal court blocked that plan.

Derrick Clark, a local fisherman, said he is excited about the opportunity but expects crowded waters.

“I’m excited to do that, but at the same time I know this is going to be kind of mayhem because everybody sees this window,” Clark said. “So we’re going to have a massive amount of boats out here, right? So that part of it I’m not too enthusiastic about.”

Clark said fishermen commonly catch red snapper outside the open season and have to release the fish.

FWC is encouraging anglers to report their catches and fishing-trip information through the agency’s reporting app. Participants are also asked to continue reporting data through the State Reef Fish Survey, for-hire surveys and dockside interviews, if requested.

The information will help state and federal officials evaluate the fishery and determine future seasons.

After reviewing data from the October season, FWC will work with NOAA Fisheries to determine whether a second red snapper season could take place in December 2026.

Additional regulations include a single-hook requirement for hook-and-line fishing, although spearfishing is also allowed. Captains and crew members on for-hire trips may not retain red snapper, and the 10-fish snapper-grouper aggregate bag limit applies.

According to a person familiar with the situation, Brooks will have surgery Wednesday to repair a core muscle injury that will result in him missing at least six weeks. Brooks is expected to return this season, the person told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team has yet to provide any details on how long he will be out.

The Panthers signed safety Isaiah Simmons from the practice squad to take Brooks' spot on the 53-man roster.

Coach Dave Canales said Monday that Brooks had injured his groin late in Carolina’s 34-3 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. He said at the time the team was awaiting the results of an MRI.

Brooks has struggled with knee injuries in the past, limiting his playing time to only five of a potential 36 games since joining the league as a second round pick in 2024.

He tore his ACL during his final season at Texas and then again during his rookie season with the Panthers. The injury forced him to miss the remainder of the 2024 season and all of 2025.

Brooks was used sparingly in Carolina's first two games of the season.

Chuba Hubbard is Carolina's starting running back and A.J. Dillon is third on the depth chart.

Among the veteran free agents available to sign with Carolina at running back include Austin Ekeler, who last played with the Washington Commanders in 2025, and Kareem Hunt, who played for the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Panthers play at Cleveland on Sunday.

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See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Under the agreement, Nixon will pay $250 and complete 15 hours of community service. The charges will be dismissed after she completes the requirements, her attorney said.

Nixon was arrested on a trespassing charge after spending roughly five hours at the Capitol while seeking a meeting with the governor’s office to raise concerns about Florida’s newly drawn congressional maps.

“From the beginning, I have been clear: I did nothing wrong, and I will not plead guilty to something I did not do,” Nixon said. “That hasn’t changed.”

Nixon said she will complete the community service outside of her campaign and legislative responsibilities. Neither her campaign nor legislative office will organize, publicize or participate in the service, and she does not plan to announce in advance when or where she will complete the hours.

“I will complete that process without changing my position or backing away from what brought me there in the first place,” Nixon said.

Mutaqee Akbar, Nixon’s attorney, said the resolution allows her to maintain her position that she was peacefully petitioning her government.

“She enters no guilty plea, makes no admission of guilt, and upon completion of the agreed conditions, the state will dismiss the charges against her,” Akbar said.

Grail Inc.'s test looks for DNA fragments shed by tumor cells, an emerging approach to screening that aims to detect various cancers with a single blood draw.

Cancer screening is supposed to spot tumors in their early stages, when they're easier to treat. A multi-cancer screening test would be a departure from the handful of currently recommended cancer tests — including mammograms and colonoscopies — that look for one cancer at a time.

A panel of Food and Drug Administration advisers will vote Wednesday on whether the proposed benefits of Grail's Galleri test, designed for people 50 and older, outweigh risks such as missing cancers or causing false alarms.

In documents posted ahead of the meeting, FDA staffers didn't raise major safety concerns, but they want the panel to discuss whether the test picks up enough early stage cancers to be marketed for “early detection.”

The FDA will weigh the advisers' recommendations but is not required to follow them.

People in the U.S. can already buy the test, typically by paying $700 or more out of pocket, because the government allows limited use of certain laboratory-based tests. But FDA approval promises to widen availability by opening the door to coverage from Medicare and private insurers.

Oncologists are divided on whether the test is ready for widespread use. Dr. Badrinath Konety of Allina Health Cancer Institute in Minneapolis says there's “a lot of promise” in the technology but has cautioned patients who've asked about it.

“The benefit is it may give you a signal," he said. “The flip side now is you’ve got to chase that signal,” which can involve additional pricey tests that may not give a clear answer.

FDA's panel will have to consider those downsides and a number of other unusual aspects of the Sunnyvale, California-based company's technology.

For one thing, the FDA considers the company's current test a completely different product than the one it used in two large studies conducted to win approval. To bridge the gap, the company saved frozen blood samples of people enrolled in those studies and then tested them with its newer Galleri test.

Also, the company's FDA submission only includes the first year of data from its primary study. That 140,000-person study was conducted in the U.K. and failed its main goal of showing a statistically significant reduction in late-stage cancers. That failure is not mentioned in FDA's review, but it's almost certain to come up during Wednesday's discussion.

In the study data released by FDA this week, Grail's test accurately predicted cancer in more than 66% of patients who received a “cancer signal detected." During the one-year period, the test detected about 30% of cancers that would later be diagnosed by physicians.

The study, conducted with the U.K.'s National Health Service, was not intended to show that screening with Galleri reduced cancer deaths. That approach would have required many more years of follow-up.

In a newly published analysis of a separate U.S. study, the Grail test detected a cancer signal in 287 people. Cancer was eventually diagnosed in 173 of them.

The test was better at finding less common cancers, such as liver and ovarian cancers, compared with more common forms of the disease like prostate cancer. That raises questions about the wide-scale impact of deploying the test for millions of Americans.

One worry is that people who get an all-clear from DNA testing test might skip guideline-recommended screenings like mammograms or colonoscopies.

Johns Hopkins scientist Nickolas Papadopoulos considers Grail's test “pretty promising” but said that if the FDA clears it, it will be vital for doctors to understand the pros and cons and to make sure their patients do, too.

Among many questions yet to be answered, he said: “If we do this test once a year, once every three years, is that good enough to eventually catch the cancer early? We’re still learning.”

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The Associated Press’ health and science coverage receives financial support from the AP Fund for Journalism and private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

They're complaining about former President Joe Biden, promising to work with President Donald Trump to secure the border, insisting they'll never defund the police and criticizing democratic socialists as too extreme.

Taking shots at the left is one way that Democrats are trying to distance themselves from their party's tarnished brand. It's also a reflection of how the midterms are increasingly playing out in red states. Although progressives notched notable wins in Democratic primaries this year, the path to a majority in the House and the Senate runs through places where Trump won two years ago, such as North Carolina, Alaska, Kansas and Iowa.

“You need to own values that are where the center of the party is," said Adam Frisch, the finance director for Welcome PAC, which tries to boost Democrats in Republican-leaning districts. He previously ran twice for Congress in Colorado.

North Carolina's Cooper boasts of bipartisanship

Known for forging compromise with the Republican-led legislature during his two terms as governor, Roy Cooper argues in his Senate campaign that Democrats should be willing to do the same in Congress.

Cooper also served as state attorney general, and one of his ads says he “toughened bail laws, went after drug dealers pushing fentanyl and said, ‘No way do we defund the police.’” Another says Cooper “bucked his own party to oppose defunding the police” and “partnered” with the Republican president to crack down on drugs.

Conservatives and allies of Republican nominee Michael Whatley, former chairman of the Republican National Committee, have tried to link Cooper to national progressive figures like New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, former Vice President Kamala Harris and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats.

When Cooper entered the race more than a year ago, the Senate Leadership Fund — a Republican super PAC affiliated with Senate Majority Leader John Thune — swiftly attacked him by saying he “masquerades as a moderate” but is ”just another radical, D.C. liberal in disguise.”

Earlier this month, Cooper explained a bit of his strategy to CNN, saying that he felt that “there are enough people who are skeptical of national Democrats" in North Carolina, a factor he cited in the state's tendency to elect Democrats to statewide offices more often than its congressional offices.

Alaska's Peltola and Iowa's Turek want distance from national Democrats

In Alaska, former Rep. Mary Peltola has tried to steer the same centrist path as in her House campaigns, reviving her “fish, family, freedom” slogan and expressing support for Second Amendment rights and border security — two issues that traditionally resonate with more conservative voters.

“I'll take on anyone, including Democrats, anyone in the Lower 48 who doesn’t understand what Alaska needs,” she said in one campaign advertisement that mentioned her support for the massive Willow oil project on Alaska’s petroleum-rich North Slope that was opposed by environmentalists. "When both parties are attacking you, you're doing something right.”

Peltola's tone hasn't kept incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan from seeking to align Peltola with “D.C. Democrats,” as well as characterizing her as ineffective during her time in Congress.

Meanwhile, in Iowa, Democratic nominee Josh Turek has emphasized his commitment to bipartisanship, highlighting hundreds of times he voted with Republicans as a state legislator. He represented a district won by Trump, and he leaned on that experience in this year's Senate race as evidence that he could appeal to independent and moderate Republican voters in November.

As he vies with Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson for the seat of retiring Republican Sen. Joni Ernst, Turek is also running an ad decrying the U.S.' “broken immigration system,” saying, “I'll work with anyone to fix it, including President Trump.”

After Turek won the nomination, Hinson told delegates at Republicans' state convention that he was “masquerading as a moderate,” calling her opponent “a far-left fraud.”

Hamilton says Kansas is very distant from Washington's ‘extreme politics’

Pastor of a Kansas megachurch, Democratic Senate nominee Adam Hamilton describes himself as a centrist, running partly on “bringing people together" and noting that his congregation is nearly evenly split among Democrats, Republicans and independents.

That's the tenor Hamilton has brought to his campaign against Republican incumbent Sen. Roger Marshall, running ads noting that Kansas is “proud of being in the middle politically" and “about a million miles away from the extreme politics of Washington that are tearing us apart and driving up prices.”

“On one side, the far left pushes socialism and open borders," he said. "On the other side, Roger Marshall gives us higher gas and grocery prices, while slashing our healthcare.”

In a debate earlier this month at the Kansas state fair, Hamilton also wasn't shy to blame Biden for immigration problems while also criticizing Trump's policies.

“Immigration at the border under Biden was a disaster," Hamilton said. "That is how we ended up where we are today.”

Marshall has said Hamilton is “too woke for Kansas.”

Sand decries parties as ‘two private clubs’ in Iowa governor's race

It's not just Senate contests in which Democratic candidates are seeking to chart a new course.

Back in Iowa — where Democrats see an opportunity to win in a once-competitive state, with high costs, manufacturing job losses and a struggling agricultural economy weighing on voters — Democrat Rob Sand says he can win over independents and Republicans frustrated with party politics.

Central to his campaign message is the premise that America's political system is broken “largely because it’s run by two private clubs” — the two major parties — “the well fed versus the fed up.”

Republican nominee Zach Lahn has said Sand's critique of his own party isn't genuine. Appearing on the “Ruthless” podcast this summer, he said that Democrats “are realizing that their ideas don’t sell” and ”have to pretend to be somebody they’re not."

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

The amendment, proposed by Councilman Matt Carlucci, passed 12-7 during the council’s budget meeting Tuesday. Carlucci said the funding would help working-class residents, including teachers, nurses, newly hired firefighters and police officers, buy homes.

The affordable housing trust fund includes:

• $2 million for down payment assistance
• $1.4 million for capital stack funding, which combines different types of financing for major projects
• $1.5 million for utility tap fees tied to attainable housing

“You saw people show up in droves to speak in favor of affordable housing,” Deegan said. “You saw that in committee, you saw that at my town hall meetings, and I was so grateful to the people on this council of all parties and affiliations who voted yes for that.”

Councilman Will Lahnen said the council has spent about $100 million on affordable housing over the past several years.

The council also discussed Amendment 3, a statewide property tax overhaul that will be on the November ballot. Councilman Ron Salem and Deegan said the proposal could have a catastrophic impact on Jacksonville, though further discussions will take place if it passes.

The city currently has about two months’ worth of reserves, officials said.

Richie underwent a common procedure for atrial fibrillation, or A-fib, and the “doctor said everything went perfectly,” it read. “Lionel is doing great but will take some time off and will be back on stage soon.”

A-fib is a quivering or irregular heartbeat that is a worrisome stage-setter for blood clots, stroke and heart failure. Some researchers believe more than 10 million Americans have it — most of them older.

The 77-year-old singer also postponed two concerts earlier this year, in June, after falling ill. And in August, reports of Richie checking himself into a hospital after a performance in St. Louis made the rounds online.

Richie was scheduled to perform with Earth, Wind & Fire Saturday in San Francisco, Sept. 30 in Chicago and Oct. 3 in Columbus, Ohio.

According to his website, he is currently scheduled to launch his “King of Hearts” residency shows at Las Vegas’ the Wynn in October and November.

The Oscar and four-time Grammy Award-winning Richie launched his career with The Commodores before becoming a successful solo artist. In addition to his well-known hits like “Hello,” Richie co-wrote the iconic charity single “We Are the World” with Michael Jackson and has sold over 100 million records. He is also a judge on “American Idol.”

Here was a fascinating tale with shades of “Network,” “Ace in the Hole” and “To Die For,” and an inscrutable personality at its center in host Chris Hansen, a newsman who had become a pop culture icon with his own catchphrase: Have a seat.

It was both old news, and, somehow, in the ether too. Last year, the show was also the subject of an acclaimed documentary, “Predators,” from David Osit.

Along the way, “Primetime” transformed into a dark meditation on performance, media and morality — more fever dream than biopic, according to filmmaker Lance Oppenheim. And, perhaps fittingly, it’s arriving in theaters Friday on a wave of both critical acclaim and intrigue over Hansen’s own objections to the film and its depiction of the show, which he called an “insult,” sight unseen.

The pressure of a hit show

“To Catch a Predator” had in 2006 become a kind of phenomenon. With the help of the citizen watchdog group Perverted Justice, the show would stage confrontations with men who were allegedly soliciting sex with minors in online chat rooms. Perverted Justice members would pretend to be underage kids online and invite the adults on the other side of the conversation to fake houses, where actors would play the teens and the show would “catch” the men on camera, while police waited outside to make arrests.

Two years after it debuted, it was averaging around 7 million viewers an episode and Hansen was a celebrity in his own right. And then, in November 2006, one suspect, Louis William “Bill” Conradt Jr., an assistant district attorney in Texas, killed himself as a local police SWAT team breached his home with the television crew outside. It led to a lawsuit, which was settled out of court, and various journalistic investigations including by ABC’s “20/20” and Esquire’s Luke Dittrich, whose article “Tonight on Dateline This Man Will Die” inspired Ajon Singh’s script. By 2008, the show had been canceled.

“The thing which I was most interested in, it’s the sort of technicalities of like trying to have a hit show,” Pattinson told The Associated Press. “When you get up to a certain, like, level of numbers of viewers or like however much money is involved, suddenly the subject matter, like everything doesn’t matter anymore. … You’re just a hit and like and you’re judged along the same lines, and the same commercial expectation is put on you.”

The portrait melds fiction and reality with Merritt Wever playing a fictionalized producer who is under pressure to deliver shows that could compete with “Lost.” Then there is then-NBCUniversal TV Group CEO Jeff Zucker in the mix, playing himself.

Becoming ‘Chris Hansen’ the character

Pattinson wasn’t intending to star in “Primetime.” He was just helping to develop it with his production company. But he was also getting in the weeds, helping to shape the story and the character, and starting to realize what a great part he had in front of him.

“Chris was like a serious news reporter,” Pattinson said. “And I think what’s sort of fascinating about the story as a whole was like seeing someone who … you’re a journalist, you’re supposed to be in some ways a passive reporter of what’s going on and suddenly being recast in this thing where you’re not only like front and center of it but you’re kind of, your behavior, it’s setting the tone of the show.”

He was also just being inundated with videos and memes and Reddit threads from Singh and Oppenheim. And once he had committed to the part, Pattinson spent many, many hours watching Hansen on video and listening to his podcast. Chris Hansen was in his head, and the voice was hard to shake (he could hear it in “The Odyssey”). For him, it's also, fundamentally, a character.

“It’s impossible to, like, play somebody else,” Pattinson laughed.

Hansen himself has been rather vocal about the film too, on everything from who he would have cast (Denis Leary) to questioning the motivations of the filmmaker and the studio, A24, for using his name. In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he referred to the Esquire story as “a bit of a hit piece.” He also purchased preshow advertising for his true crime streaming network TruBlu that will play in front of “Primetime” showings.

Pattinson said he’s not surprised that Hansen has been out talking about it.

“He’s a public person,” Pattinson said. “He is also just being asked about it. It’s kind of, I mean, I get it. But I’m surprised about the level of traction that everything gets.”

It’s also kind of a proof of concept; people remain interested.

“The fact that people are still discussing the ethics of it, of a 20-year-old TV show, I mean it’s absolutely insane,” Pattinson said.

Dissecting news entertainment through ‘Primetime’

The heart of “Primetime” revealed itself to everyone along the way. It wasn’t just a story about Hansen. It was also about performance and the nature of news entertainment, which is how Decoy Dan, played by Skyler Gisondo, became such a pivotal character.

Decoy Dan is an amalgamation of the adult actors who were cast to play the teenagers in the fake houses in the show. It’s a gig he gets through a standard audition process; but the realities of it transcend even improv. The juxtaposition between the journalist and the actor became a microcosm for the tension inherent in creating must-see television out of entrapment and public humiliation.

For Gisondo, the role took on a kind of meta quality too as he stepped out of his comfort zone and into this darker territory with Pattinson, an actor he’d long admired.

“This was so unlike anything I had ever done before that, uh, I was so nervous,” he said. “From the very beginning, there was this kind of like, you know, real sort of energy bleeding into it.”

Gisondo took the part, and what his character was going through, so seriously that he was a little caught off guard when he heard laughter in the audience (oftentimes when Dan is at his lowest) at the film’s premiere at the Venice Film Festival.

“Having more distance from it now, I see that clearly, just the contrast of how serious this subject matter is and then the outlandishness of the kind of setup of the show,” Gisondo said. “There’s something, I think, heartbreakingly kind of funny about how naive Dan is.”

It’s been a good year at the movies for Pattinson in particular, with a sleeper hit in “The Drama,” a bona fide blockbuster in “The Odyssey” and “Dune: Part Three” still to come (and this is all while he continues to film “The Batman” sequel). He’s also not letting it add to any anxiety about whether people will show up for “Primetime,” which will open in the U.K. on Oct. 30.

“My career has basically been like no one sees my movies,” Pattinson said. “My baseline is very low so everything’s a nice surprise.”

McEwan's essay and speech collection "Between Books” will be published next spring, May 25, Alfred A. Knopf announced Wednesday. It is the first full-length work of nonfiction by the author of “Atonement,” “The Innocent,” the Booker Prize -winning “Amsterdam” and many other novels. (In 2019, the British author released a brief work of nonfiction, “Science.”)

“Between Books” includes everything from “intimate personal recollection to bold intellectual enquiry,” according to Knopf. McEwan has written a new introduction for “Between Books,” which includes material both published before and never published before.

“'Between Books' is an intimate record of a great mind wrestling with the contours of his own life and all the themes and questions that inform his masterworks: the nature of truth and love, the human hunger for meaning and knowledge, the mysteries of the soul,” Knopf Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Jordan Pavlin said in a statement.

McEwan, 78, said in a statement that for his upcoming book he “started out contemplating a ragbag of disparate pieces and ended up with what I hope is an emotional and intellectual journey.”

But some experts say constantly thinking about what to post, instead of simply being present, may be creating a new kind of burnout.

Today breakfast is content. Your workout, content. Your vacation, content. Your kids, content.

The average person uses about six and a half social media platforms every month. Spends two hours and 21 minutes a day scrolling, watching and posting, and over the course of a year, that adds up to nearly a month of their life on social media.

That’s why some people are trying something different. They call it de-branding your life.

You can start by keeping one part of your life offline. Don’t post everything in real time. Take one photo-free experience every week and ask yourself, “Would I still do this if nobody saw it?” The goal isn’t to quit social media. It’s to stop feeling like every experience has to be documented, edited or performed.

Maybe the best memories aren’t the ones that get the most likes, they’re the ones that never needed an audience in the first place.

The debate over just how much social media affects us is now playing out in court. Meta is facing a major trial brought by dozens of states, which Facebook and Instagram were designed in ways that kept children and teens coming back for more.

Meta denies that its platforms were designed to be addictive. The case comes as health officials continue to raise concerns about the effects of social media and excessive screen use on young people. The U.S. Surgeon General has said we still cannot conclude social media is sufficiently safe for children and adolescents.

But this isn’t just about kids. For all of us, the idea behind “de-branding” isn’t to delete social media. It’s to make sure some parts of our lives are still being lived for us and not for the feed.

The third lane was impeded as motorists stopped to help those involved. Traffic moved slowly along the left shoulder.

For the first time, apparently in response to escalating threats, U.N. security required all staff and lower-ranking diplomats to have their belongings scanned.

The problem was that there were only two scanners for hundreds and hundreds of people trying to get into the building via the staff entrance between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. Tuesday, when the meeting started. Many faced long delays, and some were frantic.

Motorcades carrying presidents, prime ministers and monarchs to the building had priority on nearby streets and traffic was often at a standstill.

Meanwhile, First Avenue — which runs uptown alongside the U.N. complex — was closed to normal traffic. Only motorcades could enter. That meant that many vehicles trying to get uptown were using the closest uptown street —- Third Avenue.

Then police closed that, too — at midafternoon Tuesday after a report of a suspicious package — fouling up traffic for New Yorkers even more.

Police said they got a call around 3 p.m. Tuesday about a suspicious package near East 43rd Street and Third Avenue, prompting a response by bomb squad and other officers.

The object, police said, turned out to be harmless.

The deal was officially signed Tuesday in New York, after U.S., Greenlandic and Danish officials had quietly negotiated for months behind the scenes — searching both for solutions to address some of Trump’s security concerns about the territory, as well as alleviating Danish and Greenlandic fears of being taken over by the U.S.

The three parties expressed satisfaction with the deal at the signing ceremony — but what exactly does it say?

The United States can expand its military presence on the island

Washington is allowed to “modernize and expand” its activities at the remote Pituffik Space Base in the northwest, according to the agreement.

The U.S. can also set up “defense areas” at Narsarsuaq in the south and Mestersvig in the east, and “may establish additional defense areas in Greenland and strengthen its military operations or facilities.”

The deal refers to a changed security situation in the Arctic

The accord calls for wide U.S. military mobility on Greenland’s territory, including “undersea access," noting that “ the security situation in the Arctic is changing and that more efforts are needed to ensure security there in the future.”

The accord stresses Denmark's territorial integrity and Greenlanders' self-determination

The agreement reaffirms “the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark,” and recognizes the Greenlanders' "right to self-determination.”

The deal supports a stronger NATO engagement in the Arctic

The agreement says all three parties “support a stronger NATO engagement in the Arctic, including as regards planning, presence, exercises, and joint intelligence gathering.”

It allows U.S. military access to Greenland to defend the NATO area, Greenland itself and the American continent — including through a “Golden Dome defense system."

Non-NATO country installations are not allowed

The deal spells out that “no state that is not a member of NATO shall be allowed to establish its own manned or unmanned military installations in Greenland nor shall they be allowed a persistent presence of military forces in Greenland."

It vows to respect Greenland's environment and traditional ways of life

In the preamble, the signatories recognize “the need to protect the pristine environment of Greenland.” It also stresses “the economic, social, and cultural rights of the people of Greenland, including with respect to their lands and their way of life, including hunting, fishing, and other traditional, cultural, historical, future activities.”

It addresses what happens if Greenland becomes independent from Denmark

The accord “does not have an end date” and, if Greenland chooses to become independent, it will agree to remain in NATO and take on Denmark’s rights and obligations under the deal.

The agreement needs parliamentary approval

The deal will only “enter into force” once the “necessary parliamentary processes of the Kingdom of Denmark, in conjunction with Greenland, have been completed.”

The poll of more than 2,000 rural registered voters found that costs of groceries, gas and healthcare are among the top pain points for rural voters. They are also more likely than voters overall to say they are worried about being able to afford groceries or gas.

Rural Americans skew Republican and historically have been an instrumental voting bloc for Trump. The findings suggest that many rural voters haven’t turned against Trump but that they also largely don’t think he has delivered on his economic promises. While rural voters seem unlikely to support Democrats on a large scale, Trump and the Republican Party could face challenges with them in November.

The full story can be read here. Here are the takeaways:

Most rural voters disapprove of Trump on the economy

As the election approaches, only about 4 in 10 rural voters surveyed approve of Trump’s performance on the economy. Roughly 6 in 10 disapprove.

They rate him similarly on his handling of the Iran war, an entanglement that has proved expensive for the U.S. and increased oil and gas prices. And rural voters rank pocketbook concerns and fraud in government programs higher among the things they want to hear about from politicians than other perennial issues, such as gun policy and abortion policy.

In the poll, about three-quarters of rural voters rated the cost of living in their communities as “only fair” or “poor.”

Rural Americans, who have consistently lower wages than those who live in suburban and metro areas, have been hurting economically for decades, according to Tim Slack, a professor of sociology at Louisiana State University and co-author of the book “Rural and Small-Town America.”

“Many folks are connecting the cost-of-living crisis to many of the Trump administration’s policy choices: the war in Iran, tariffs, trade wars,” he said. “None of those things are going to bring down prices at the pump or the local Walmart.”

Rural Republicans have a rosier view of Trump

At the same time, about half of rural voters approve of Trump’s job performance, more than among U.S. adults overall in separate AP-NORC polling.

Rural Republicans do have a brighter economic perspective than rural Democrats or independents, particularly about the U.S. as a whole, according to the survey. About 6 in 10 rural Republican voters say Trump has improved the national economy, compared with roughly 2 in 10 independents and fewer than 1 in 10 Democrats.

But only 45% of rural Republican voters say Trump has made their local economies better off. About 1 in 4 say there are fewer good-paying jobs where they live than five years ago.

Trump's healthcare policies go unnoticed

The AP-KFF poll found that rural voters overall don’t perceive much positive impact from the Trump administration’s healthcare policies even as they have been a top priority for Republican leaders, who have promoted efforts to lower drug costs and touted a $50 billion rural health program.

Only 17% of the voters said the Trump administration’s healthcare policies have had a “positive impact” on their healthcare costs, while 41% said they’ve had “no impact” and another 41% said they’ve had a “negative impact.”

A year after the passage of the Rural Health Transformation Program, more than 8 in 10 rural voters said they’d heard either “a little” or “nothing at all” about the health fund. About 6 in 10 said they had heard nothing, according to the survey.

Rural Republican voters still trust the GOP more

When asked which political party they trusted to do a better job of handling issues such as the cost of healthcare or the cost of living, rural voters tended to side with their own party.

The finding signals that Democratic candidates are more likely to benefit from rural Republicans staying home this November than from them voting across party lines in large numbers.

Rural Republicans are more ambivalent about their party’s ability to handle key healthcare issues, compared with Democrats. About 8 in 10 Democratic voters say they trust the Democrats to address healthcare costs, while closer to 6 in 10 Republican voters say the same of the Republicans.

Many rural voters don't feel respected by Trump or the parties

Trump's approval among rural voters, while higher than among U.S. adults overall, is down slightly, from 56% approval in a similar question asked in a 2017 KFF-Washington Post survey.

Many rural voters also don’t think the major parties or the president respect people like them.

About half, 48%, of rural voters say the GOP respects people like them “a lot” or “some,” while 45% of rural voters say this about Trump and 37% say this about the Democratic Party.

This year’s competitive elections feature key Senate races in states including Ohio, Michigan and Maine, all of which have large rural populations. In close races, Democrats may have a chance to “show up and give a message that rural people might find appealing,” said Nicholas Jacobs, a political scientist at Colby College and co-author of the book “The Rural Voter.”

“But it’s nothing more and it’s nothing less than that — an opportunity,” Jacobs said. “And time and time again, Democrats have shown a certain proclivity for not seizing that opportunity.”

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The poll of 2,241 U.S. adults registered to vote in rural areas of the country was conducted Aug. 12-24, 2026, using a sample drawn from the probability-based SSRS Opinion Panel. The margin of sampling error for the full sample is plus or minus 3 percentage points. In collaboration with the AP, KFF researchers worked to design the survey sample and questionnaire, analyze and report findings.

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This report is a collaboration between The Associated Press and KFF Health News. KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF — the independent source for health policy research, polling and journalism.

Range and charging

The Rivian R2’s range spans from 275 miles in the base Standard model to 345 miles in the Standard Long Range. Most other versions are rated at 330 miles. In the real-world Edmunds EV Range Test, the R2 Performance covered 304 miles, falling short of its 330-mile EPA estimate.

The Tesla Model Y outperforms the R2, ranging from 294 miles in the all-wheel-drive base model to 357 miles in the rear-wheel-drive Premium. The rear-wheel-drive base Model Y Edmunds tested covered 337 miles, and the new three-row Model Y L managed an impressive 358 miles — both beating their EPA estimates. For both rivals, all-wheel-drive versions are rated lower than their rear-wheel-drive counterparts.

Both electric SUVs use Tesla-style (NACS) charging ports, giving them access to Tesla’s vast Supercharger fast-charging network. Under ideal conditions, Tesla says the Model Y can add up to 162 miles in 15 minutes, edging out the R2’s cited 150 miles in 15 minutes. Edmunds’ testing confirmed that the Tesla charges slightly quicker.

Winner: Tesla Model Y

Tech features

The R2 and Model Y boast an impressive amount of standard tech, including a generous collection of advanced driver aids, wireless smartphone charging pads, large touchscreens with sharp-looking graphics, Google-based navigation, and camera systems that record your drive and monitor the vehicle’s surroundings when parked.

A hands-free driving mode is also available on both EVs. Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) drives hands-free on highways and city streets, obeying stop signs and traffic lights and changing lanes on its own — in Edmunds’ testing, it’s been the most useful hands-free driving system available. Rivian’s Autonomy+ also works hands-free on roads with painted lane markings, but it doesn’t operate during city driving.

Overall, however, the R2’s tech features are impressive. Unlike the Model Y, it has a digital driver display that keeps important info in your line of sight. Also, the R2’s touchscreen system proved more responsive and enjoyable to use in Edmunds’ testing.

Winner: Rivian R2

Interior comfort and utility

The Model Y rides more smoothly over bumps than the firmer R2, though both have comfortable, supportive seats. Passenger space is similar, though the R2 has a bit more rear headroom. Tesla one-ups Rivian, however, with an available third row in the Premium and in the extended-length Model Y L — though it’s best for kids and small adults, and it eats up a lot of cargo space when raised.

As for cargo, the R2 tops the Model Y behind the rear seats when you include their underfloor storage compartments, and it offers far greater total capacity: 90.1 cubic feet versus the five-seat Model Y’s 75.5 cubic feet. Its front trunk is slightly larger too, and its 4,400-pound max towing capacity tops the Model Y’s 3,500 pounds.

The Model Y is more comfortable and offers third-row versatility, but the R2 delivers more utility and a roomier back seat.

Winner: tie

Pricing and value

Including destination fees, the Rivian R2’s starting prices range from $46,485 for the Standard trim to $59,485 for the top-level Performance trim. The Model Y spans $41,380 for the base trim to $63,380 for the three-row Model Y L. Note that for the R2, only the priciest Performance trim is available now; more affordable trim levels arrive in late 2026 and spring 2027.

In general, the R2 will likely cost you a little more to buy. But it justifies its premium with a richer-looking interior, distinctive styling, superior off-road capability, and uncommon touches like a drop-down rear window and dual glove boxes. Rivian also backs it with a one-year/12,000-mile adjustment warranty covering wheel alignment, factory defects and more — something Tesla doesn’t offer.

Winner: tie

Edmunds says

This electric SUV comparison ends in a tie — both earned the same overall rating score and are at the top of Edmunds’ rankings for electric small SUVs. You can’t go wrong with either, but if range and comfort top your priorities, the Model Y is for you. If you’d rather have a more capable, premium-feeling SUV, order the R2.

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This story was provided to The Associated Press by the automotive website Edmunds.

Michael Cantu is a contributor at Edmunds.

The runway, bathed in red light, set the stage for a provocative show. That was driven home midway when Diesel models planted in the stands began moaning in sexual revelry from their seats, alone, in pairs and threesomes, to the soundtrack “Love to Love You Baby.”

“Every season we try to do something unexpected. This one was a bit more … experimental,” Martens said backstage. “I think the whole celebration of being body positive and loving each other is part of the Diesel DNA.”

The collection featured knitwear that appeared to disintegrate into denim and leather, part of the brand’s trademark textile innovation. Martens employed trompe l’oeil — an artistic technique that gives a three-dimensional appearance to a flat surface — to create the illusion of luxe shearling and leather. Shorts became gradually shorter until the final look was little more than a strip of fabric across the bum.

Laser-cut T-shirts looked as if they were falling apart and had simply been thrown on during a morning-after “walk of shame,” an impression reinforced by smudged lipstick.

In the seats, writhing turned to headbanging for the runway finale, and Martens received a standing ovation. He leaves Diesel, which he joined in 2020, but stays on at parent company OTB’s Maison Margiela, the avant-garde Paris couture house.

At Diesel, “we never pretended to be a luxury brand, even though we were on during fashion week,” Martens said. “We also wanted to do more alternative things, and think about the community. I think that’s what I try to celebrate, but also with respect for the clothes."

A diagnosis of a rare, aggressive form of cancer had forced her into retirement after three decades of working with homeless youth. As the disease quickly spread through her body, she felt “like a walking time bomb.” But she found a new purpose, becoming a public face of a movement in favor of life-ending options.

She shared her story publicly and traveled from her home near Chicago to Springfield, the state capital, to convince lawmakers it was vital to legalize medically assisted death.

The day came on Sept. 12. She celebrated at home with friends and family as “Deb’s law,” named after her, took effect. Illinois became the first Midwestern state and the 13th state overall (plus the District of Columbia) to authorize the option.

“I believe that God gave me this extra time so that I could see this law through,” said Robertson, 68. “I believe that people have the right to leave this Earth with dignity and on their own terms.”

In recent years, the practice of allowing doctors to help terminally ill patients end their lives with medication has been legalized in several countries, with many more considering it. In the U.S., New York and Illinois recently became the latest states to join an accelerating pace of such legislation.

The issue remains bitterly contested

Opponents, including many religious groups, lawmakers and disability advocates, have moral objections to someone ending their life. Even with safeguards in place, some argue, the decision could be made for the wrong reasons.

“It puts people like myself — people with developmental and mental disabilities, as well as physical disabilities — in danger,” said Ebony Payne, a Chicago-based disability advocate who is quadriplegic. She was a plaintiff in a lawsuit against “Deb’s law,″ contending it discriminates against people with disabilities.

Even Pope Leo XIV weighed in, urging Gov. JB Pritzker not to sign the bill. Leo later said he was “very disappointed” that his home state of Illinois approved a law condemned by the Catholic Church. Polls show that most Americans think medical aid in dying is either morally acceptable or not a moral issue, although opinions vary across different faiths and political lines.

Dr. Jessica Kaan, medical director for End of Life Washington, an advocacy group, has helped hundreds of patients in Washington and Oregon with assisted dying.

Her mother, a practicing Christian, opposes it on religious grounds: “She’s horrified that I’m involved in any way.”

Kaan says she’s an advocate for choices. Her perspective is shaped by the types of deaths she has witnessed.

Among them are patients with ALS, a progressive disease that attacks nerve cells controlling muscles throughout the body. “It’s a particularly gruesome and awful way for most people to even anticipate their dying,” she said about a disease that takes away the body’s ability to move and speak.

For many terminally ill patients, she said, having the option gives them a sense of comfort, even if they eventually might not use it.

“I respect that people don’t want to choose that as an option for themselves. What I don’t love is for people trying to police that for other people.”

How a California man prepared to die

Peter Redgrove of San Diego, a late-stage bone marrow cancer and leukemia patient, used California’s assisted-dying law on Sunday. After 19 rounds of chemotherapy, he decided to set the terms of his death following a long, pain-wracked hospital stay.

“I see no point in enduring pain and suffering emotionally, psychologically and physically, when there are means to end it,” said Redgrove, 85, days before he took the lethal prescription cocktail in a cup emblazoned with Sylvester, his favorite character from the Looney Tunes. “I don’t think you get extra points for hanging in to the bitter end.”

Redgrove grew up in Catholic orphanages in England before moving to the U.S. Although he was no longer a practicing Catholic, he remained close to his faith, often wearing a crucifix he only gave away right before his death.

“An all-loving God is not going to punish me and throw me into a fire pit because I’m doing this,” Redgrove said in his room at a residential facility, where he spent his last days listening to classical music and reminding people to be kind.

With a death doula’s help, he invited loved ones to a celebration of his life that included Champagne, a shroud to wrap his body in his favorite royal purple and a final song: “Time” by The Alan Parsons Project.

Before he took his last breath, he read a Buddhist prayer.

State by state, the movement has spread

Oregon was the first U.S. state to pass a medical aid-in-dying law; it took effect in 1997.

As other states followed suit, what remains generally consistent is that to use the laws, one must have an incurable illness and less than six months to live, said Thaddeus Pope, a bioethicist at Mitchell Hamline School of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota. To qualify, one must also be able to understand and make a voluntary decision and be able to take the prescribed medications without assistance.

The latest states to legalize medical aid in dying are among the most populous: New York, where it took effect in August, and Illinois earlier this month. Today, nearly 1/3 of Americans live in a state where that end-of-life option is legal — though the practice remains uncommon in the U.S., accounting for roughly 15,000 deaths since the Oregon law went into effect in 1997.

“We actually have a pretty significant track record now: 30 years in Oregon, 18 years in Washington, 10 years in California. … That’s a lot of experience,” Pope said.

Peg Sandeen, chief executive officer of the Death with Dignity National Center, a nonprofit advocacy group, said there’s clear evidence that the safeguards work. “Police are not chasing after cases where there’s been coercion. We don’t have physicians losing their license to practice. That’s not happening.”

Some faith traditions continue to condemn assisted dying — sometimes called assisted suicide. Illinois pastor Andy Huette, who leads a nondenominational church in Gridley, urged Christians to reject Deb’s law, calling it “legislating darkness.” He has supported congregants with ALS, cancer and other chronic illnesses, and understands the desire to reduce suffering, but he also believes in its “redemptive purposes.”

Others have changed positions. Rabbi Dvora E. Weisberg served on a Reform committee that spent more than two years interpreting Jewish texts and talking to doctors and families to draft a paper on medically assisted dying that reverses earlier guidance. The paper argued that Jewish law must respond to modern medicine’s ability to prolong dying and to new knowledge about pain.

“We take this very, very seriously even though we know that any Reform Jew can disagree with us. We’re not the Vatican, we don’t have that kind of power,” said Weisberg, a professor of Rabbinics at Hebrew Union College.

“But the response that we’ve gotten from people who have read it has been very positive in the sense that they feel that now they have something to think about that can help them.”

Opposition from religious and disability groups remains firm

Before Deb’s law went into effect, a judge denied a request for a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit by Ebony Payne and disability groups that aimed to block the law, saying that they had not proved standing or imminent harm.

In her Chicago home, Payne used a mouth-operated stylus to look at the ruling on her phone while lying in a reclining medical care chair. “I’m very disappointed,” she said. “My hope is that the law will be taken off the books.”

The six Catholic dioceses in Illinois criticized the law, saying it puts the state “on a dangerous and heartbreaking path.” The pope, who grew up in Chicago, has cited Catholic teaching, which calls for the protection of life from conception until natural death, forbidding abortion and euthanasia.

Chicago’s archbishop, Cardinal Blase Cupich, and Springfield Bishop Thomas Paprocki challenged “Deb’s law” in separate lawsuits and won limited protections without blocking the law from being enacted.

“We live in a state now where suicide is now normalized, and yet we still have a suicide hotline. There seems to be a bit of schizophrenia here,” Cupich told The Associated Press.

In the days before the law took effect, a judge temporarily blocked the state from enforcing the law on Catholic groups that challenged it in a lawsuit. They had argued the law could compel Catholic healthcare providers to refer or provide help against their faith in what they believe is assisted suicide.

“They always give it a euphemistic name: This is the End of Life Options Act. But it’s really just physician-assisted suicide, which is very problematic,” Paprocki said. “We believe that God is the author of life. … We shouldn’t be the ones deciding when to end our lives.”

Assisted dying vs. assisted suicide

Advocates, doctors and academics involved with the procedure say none of the medically assisted dying laws in the U.S. define the practice as assisted suicide. They note the American Association of Suicidology has declared that “suicide and Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) are conceptually, medically, and legally different phenomena.”

Equating assisted dying with suicide is not only antiquated or misleading, but harmful, said Anita Hannig, a cultural anthropologist and author of “The Day I Die: The Untold Story of Assisted Dying in America.”

“In no way would I describe any of the deaths I attended as suicide,” said Hannig, who spent five years following patients, families and doctors while researching her book.

Terminally ill patients who have sought this type of legislation insist they’re not suicidal.

“It really bothers me because I want to live, I don’t want to die. But I’m going to. I have to accept that, my wife has to accept that, my family has to accept that,” Robertson said in Lombard, Illinois, where she lives with her wife, Kate. They’ve known each other for 45 years; framed images of their wedding and other milestones decorate their home.

They recently walked hand in hand to a park where they plan to plant a tree that will grow next to Deb’s ashes.

Enactment of the new law “really makes me feel safe and peaceful,″ Robertson said. “Each day that I go out there, I know that I’m going to have the choice at the end of my life to go out the way I want.”

“I didn’t choose to have this disease, but give me the choice — and other people who are terminally ill, the choice to have some control over their life.”

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Associated Press video journalists Laura Bargfeld and Javier Arciga contributed to this report.

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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.