WJXT News4JAX

Death toll of landslide in northwestern China rises to 21 as rescue operations conclude

Associated Press — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 01:48:00 +0000

The death toll from a landslide in northwestern China rose to 21, state media reported Wednesday, following the conclusion of rescue operations at the scene.

The landslide, which struck early Tuesday morning, buried 33 people in the Nanhe township of Longnan city in Gansu province, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. State broadcaster CCTV reported all the people trapped were pulled out by early Wednesday, with seven of them having minor injuries. Five others were not injured, it said.

Photos and video posted online by CCTV on Tuesday showed three excavators and rescuers on mounds of earth. The sky appeared sunny and clear.

Local official Yang Yaoxian told reporters that the landslide occurred in a woodland area and it covered roughly 5,400 square meters (58,125 square feet). The accumulated deposit is about 8 to 10 meters (26 to 32 feet) thick, he said.

He added that the material left by the landslide is unstable and there is a danger of a secondary landslide.

A southern Chinese region reels from floods and destruction from remnants of tropical storm

Associated Press — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 05:03:56 +0000

A southern Chinese region on Wednesday was reeling from the destruction and widespread flooding caused by record-breaking rain from the remnants of Tropical Storm Maysak.

Officials said six people were killed, and 11 others were missing in the Guangxi region by Tuesday evening. The severe weather forced 130,000 people to evacuate, according to the regional propaganda office.

Some residents were still waiting to be rescued. Lu Xiaofei, who works in Shenzhen, a tech hub near Hong Kong, said her brother's family was stuck at his house in Lu village in Qintang district. His brother was with his wife, his 9-month-old baby, their parents and grandfather.

“The water in the house is over one person’s height. They have to all move to the second floor. The power has been out since yesterday morning, and now they don’t have running water, either,” Lu told The Associated Press in a phone interview.

Lu said her brother told her that the water level rose last night and their situation was so dire that drinkable water would be running out soon, while local authorities had not reached out to them. Many villagers nearby were facing the same challenges, she said.

Others called for help on social media, showing videos of their inundated surroundings following the flooding and highlighting their lack of resources.

Local media Litchi News reported that snakes from breeding facilities were washed away and were at large in Hengzhou city, with some attempting to enter houses. It quoted a villager saying that over a dozen of people were bitten.

The national meteorological center said heavy rain has been battering central-eastern and southern parts of Guangxi since last Saturday, with cumulative rainfall amounts reaching 100 mm to 400 mm (about 4 inches to 16 inches) in some areas. Some hard-hit areas recorded over 900 mm (35 inches), it said. The weather agency said heavy rain would continue to affect the areas on Wednesday.

Some train services were suspended in the region for safety reasons.

While Guangxi was grappling with floods, Super Typhoon Bavi is expected to hit parts of southeastern China over the weekend.

Elsewhere in Asia, severe weather also caused deaths. Landslides triggered by heavy monsoon rains in southeastern Bangladesh killed several Rohingya refugees, including five children. Heavy monsoon rains battered parts of neighboring India, leaving over a dozen of people dead over the past few days.

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AP writer Fu Ting in Washington contributed to this story.

UN officials urge Western nations to engage with Afghanistan to prevent it sliding into instability

Elena Becatoros, Associated Press — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 04:50:37 +0000

It is crucial for Western nations to engage with Afghanistan to prevent the country from sliding back into instability that could have repercussions far beyond its borders, two top United Nations officials said.

“The lesson of (the) recent past is that ignoring Afghanistan is not a good thing to do,” the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Barham Salih, told The Associated Press in an interview Tuesday alongside the head of the United Nations Development Program, Alexander De Croo, during a joint visit to the country.

Although many challenges and difficulties remain, “it’s wiser to engage, to support and promote the right type of policies to making sure that Afghanistan remains safe and secure,” Salih said, speaking via video link. “Without it, I think we may well risk instability, with all the implications of that instability," whether that is drugs, extremism, criminal activity or the movement of refugees, he said.

Afghanistan hit by multiple crises

After four decades of conflict, the impoverished, aid-dependent country is now buffeted by multiple crises, from natural disasters and climate change to the largest influx of returning refugees the world has seen in decades.

“In Afghanistan, there is never a crisis just on its own. It’s always crisis on top of crisis,” De Croo told the AP. “And that you see here.”

Nearly 6 million people have returned to Afghanistan since 2023, the vast majority from neighboring Pakistan and Iran since those countries began a crackdown on migrants living there. Another roughly 2 million people are expected to return this year, the U.N. officials said.

The returnees have strained local communities, many of which already have scant resources in a country where poverty is rife and malnutrition stalks the most vulnerable.

This has been compounded by massive cuts in international aid and a Taliban government that has sidelined half of Afghanistan’s population, denying women and girls education beyond primary school and banning them from the vast majority of jobs.

The country is also internationally isolated. No Western nation has formally recognized Afghanistan’s government since the Taliban seized power in the wake of a chaotic withdrawal of U.S.-led troops in August 2021. Russia was the first country to officially do so, in 2025.

Last month, a delegation from the Taliban government traveled to Brussels to meet European Union staff for talks on diplomatic services and the return of Afghans from European countries. The meeting symbolized a small crack in Afghanistan's diplomatic isolation.

Progress seen in some areas

Yet despite the significant challenges, Afghanistan has nonetheless shown improvement in some areas, notably in security and combating corruption and drug production, the U.N. officials said.

“I wouldn’t close my eyes to the fact that there is progress, and maybe progress that no one would have expected five years ago,” De Croo told the AP. He said drug production was down by 95% in a country that was one of the world’s major producers of opium and heroin.

“If now the international community turns its back to Afghanistan, the consequences will not only be in Afghanistan. The consequences will be much, much broader,” De Croo said.

“The message to Western countries is: if you want to have a stable and peaceful society, you are not only achieving that with domestic policy. If you want to live in peace and stability, your neighborhood also needs to be at peace and stability,” he added.

Draconian restrictions on women and girls remain

The harsh government-imposed restrictions on women and girls remain one of the greatest points of contention between the Afghan government and the international community. De Croo and Salih said they had discussed the issue in their meetings with Afghan officials during their visit to the country. Both said they believed the key to progress was engagement.

“We hope that constructive engagement will show the way forward in that regard,” Salih said. “It’s important that there is progress, there is tangible reforms that will allow for an inclusive system in this country.”

Aid cuts could have lasting repercussions

The international aid cuts have had “a very tangible impact” on the country, De Croo said, noting that 422 medical centers shut down in Afghanistan due to lack of funding in the space of a year. “Closed because the funding just disappeared. That is more than 3 million people that are impacted, that just lose their access to basic medical services,” he said.

Earlier this year, the World Food Program said funding cuts had forced it to turn away three out of four acutely malnourished children seeking help because it no longer had the funds to feed them.

The Afghan government launched a campaign to eradicate poppy cultivation soon after it seized power. But the dramatic cut in drug production was also due in part to farmers being given alternative crops to the cultivation of opium poppies, De Croo said, noting that funding for such programs had been severely curtailed.

“If we cannot continue working together with farmers in giving them an alternative for producing drugs,” then drug cultivation could return, he said.

Although international attention has shifted away from Afghanistan, Salih said that while challenges remain, there is now an opportunity for the rest of the world to engage with the country.

“It is vital to remind the world that the price of inaction far outweighs action,” Salih said. “You cannot ignore Afghanistan, and what happens in Afghanistan does not necessarily stay in Afghanistan."

Royals' Tyler Tolbert ties MLB record with hits in 12 straight plate appearances

Jerry Beach, Associated Press — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 02:18:34 +0000

Tyler Tolbert grinned late Tuesday night and said he’d give himself until midnight before turning the page on one of the most historic stretches a batter has ever enjoyed.

His place in the record books will probably last a lot longer.

The Kansas City Royals outfielder, typically a defensive specialist and pinch runner, tied a major league record with hits in 12 consecutive plate appearances, reaching the mark with an infield single against the New York Mets for his fifth hit in Tuesday’s wild 16-12 comeback win.

Batting ninth, the right fielder hit a two-run homer in the second inning and singled in the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh. Tolbert’s last three hits were infield hits.

Tolbert matched the record set by Chicago’s Johnny Kling in 1902 and equaled by Walt Dropo of the Detroit Tigers in 1952. The bat Tolbert used will be sent to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

“I’m truly lost for words, honestly,” Tolbert said. “I don’t know. It hasn’t really hit me, to be honest.”

With a chance to break the record, Tolbert was finally retired in the ninth on a fly ball to right against A.J. Minter to finish 5 for 6.

“He’s a good pitcher and broke the streak,” Tolbert said. “All I can do is just smile. I’m just grateful for the journey and opportunity.”

The remnants of the announced crowd of 32,734 gave Tolbert an ovation, and his teammates applauded while gathering on the top step of their dugout. Following the game, the Royals celebrated Tolbert with a Champagne toast in the visiting locker room.

“It’s nice — I guess everybody’s kind of in tune, knowing what was happening,” Tolbert said. “I appreciated the fans supporting me and cheering me on, trying to get the next one. When I was on deck, they were like, ‘Go for another one. Go for another one.’

“More importantly, just my teammates man, they were locked in,” Tolbert added. “Just awesome. Look in the dugout and everybody’s smiling. Brings a smile to my face, too.”

Tolbert, listed at 5-foot-10, was selected by the Royals in the 13th round of the 2019 draft and stole at least 48 bases in every minor league season from 2021 through 2025 before debuting in the bigs on March 31, 2025.

“I just couldn’t be more proud of him, the way he competes,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “His effort, energy, attitude — he lifts everybody up everyday. And for him to have those individual accolades are really special. The way the guys celebrated him right there was really cool.”

Tolbert was a career .247 hitter with one homer, seven RBIs and 28 stolen bases in 91 big league games entering Saturday, when he went 2 for 2 against Philadelphia before being lifted for a pinch hitter. He then started at shortstop on Monday and went 5 for 5 with a homer, his first of the season.

“He’s a sparkplug,” teammate Nick Loftin said “I’m happy that he’s able to find some success and consistent (at-bats). Now he’s going to Cooperstown.”

Tolbert is the first player with consecutive five-hit games since Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente, who pulled off the feat Aug, 22-23, 1970.

“It’s always good to see your hard work pay off,” Tolbert said, “But like I said, back to work (Wednesday). That’s just my mindset.”

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Chinese men in Germany used Telegram groups to share rape videos and drugging tips, prosecutors say

Kirsten Grieshaber, Stefanie Dazio And Huizhong Wu, Associated Press — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 04:07:10 +0000

They called themselves the “German driving school for experts," but prosecutors say the true purpose of their Telegram chats was to brag about the women they raped and share tips about how to drug them.

In posts that sometimes included photos and videos of their attacks on unconscious victims, they referred to women as “cars,” sedatives as “fuel” and rape as “driving,” according to court documents. They called their victims “dead pigs.”

Investigators have been poring through several years' worth of posts in roughly two dozen group chats on the popular messaging app that authorities believe served an online predator network of mainly Chinese men targeting mostly Chinese women in Germany. Their investigation has led to the convictions of three alleged inner circle members on rape and other charges, and the ongoing trial of a fourth man in Berlin.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: This story includes discussion of sexual violence. If you or someone you know needs help, please call 1-800-656-4673 in the U.S., 116 016 in Germany or 15117905157 in China.

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“The perpetrators were characterized by a particular ruthlessness, an objectification of the victims, and the perfidious planning of their crimes,” Frankfurt chief prosecutor Dominik Mies told The Associated Press.

Major details of the investigation remain unknown, at least to the public, including how many attacks and perpetrators have been linked to the German Telegram chats and how the chats, some of which reportedly had tens of thousands of members, could have operated for so long. It's also unclear if the chats are linked to a ballooning investigation in Europe and the Americas into drug-facilitated sexual assaults by misogynist online communities.

Chinese community rallies to support the victims

Under German privacy laws, prosecutors are limited in what they can say outside the courtroom, documents are restricted and, in the ongoing case in Berlin, members of the public have been forced to leave the courtroom during parts of the trial.

This may be why the investigation into the Telegram group has garnered less attention in Germany than might be expected. But members of the country's Chinese community, mostly women, have been attending court proceedings to show support for the victims even if they don't know them.

“What makes one really angry is to see that such groups hate women, they have no respect,” said Fu Xiao, who traveled roughly 500 kilometers (310 miles) to Berlin last week to attend the trial. “Women aren’t seen as people.”

In China, state media has covered the cases comprehensively, but wider discussion about the prosecutions on Chinese-language social media like Rednote has been partially censored. Certain tags have been more likely to get a post deleted or banned on Rednote, screenshots and searches show. But posts using less direct language have survived the censors, including ones that refer to “date rape” or the euphemistic “students studying abroad in Germany.”

China’s Ministry of Public Security and Rednote didn't respond to requests for comment.

Cases echo a landmark French trial

The German cases have drawn comparisons to the attacks on Gisèle Pelicot, a French woman who, over the course of nearly a decade, was repeatedly drugged and raped by her then-husband and strangers he invited to their home. The trial — and Pelicot’s decision to waive her anonymity — prompted a reckoning over rape culture in France and beyond.

“Pelicot is not an isolated case,” Judge Markus Koppenleitner said during a hearing in Munich for one of the Chinese men convicted in the German investigation. “This is not a Chinese or French phenomenon, but one that also exists in Germany and, ultimately, worldwide.”

Similar cases to the “German driving school" investigation have been popping up around the globe. Although authorities haven't publicly linked them to the German prosecutions, some investigators have cited tips from German authorities and journalists as crucial to their progress.

In Los Angeles, German investigators last year reached out to police about a potential suspect in drug-facilitated sexual assaults. The defendant, a graduate student from China, is accused of drugging and sexually assaulting three women in LA after he allegedly procured the drugs from a Chinese national in Germany.

In the Netherlands last month, police arrested four men suspected of drugging and sexually abusing women after hearing from authorities in Germany and the U.K. Dutch police said the alleged perpetrators used social media chat groups to disseminate videos showing the abuse and discuss how to drug victims.

And Europol, the European Union’s police agency, last week announced “Project Medusa,” an international operation designed to dismantle online networks that promote drug-facilitated sexual assaults. Law enforcement from Germany and the U.K. are leading the operation, which has already netted 57 arrests.

Cases raise questions about Telegram

The German predator network managed to thrive despite clear violations of Telegram’s terms of service, again raising questions about how the platform has been used for criminal activity.

In 2024, the app’s founder was arrested in Paris over allegations that the platform was being used for illicit activity, including drug trafficking and the distribution of child sexual abuse images. He denied wrongdoing, blaming surging numbers of Telegram users that he said “caused growing pains that made it easier for criminals to abuse our platform.” The investigation is ongoing.

“Sexual violence is explicitly forbidden by Telegram’s terms of service and such content is routinely removed,” the company said in a statement. “Telegram fulfils all of its legal obligations in relation to such harmful content, including everything set out by" the European Union's Digital Services Act.

The company didn't respond to questions about the German cases, including how photos, videos and comments about sexual crimes were posted for years in the app, whether Telegram was aware of the activity and what, if anything, it did to alert the authorities.

Some of the German Telegram chats date back to at least 2020, court documents show. Attorney Magdalena Gebhard, who represented a victim in a previous Berlin trial that led to a conviction, said there was an inner circle of eight perpetrators but that some of the chat groups had up to 50,000 members.

Police only became aware of the network in 2024 after a man in Frankfurt, referred to by German courts as Dapeng Z., changed his tactics from drugging and sexually abusing female acquaintances to targeting strangers he met online, according to prosecutors.

German police arrested Dapeng Z., whom German and Chinese media have reported is the group's ringleader, in 2024 in cooperation with Chinese law enforcement, according to the Chinese consulate in Frankfurt and the Beijing News, a state-run media outlet.

He was sentenced in February to 14 years in prison for aggravated rape, attempted murder and other offenses, though he has appealed. His attorneys didn't respond to a request for comment.

Although authorities haven’t publicly said how many women were victimized by the “driving school” network, they have said their investigation is ongoing, meaning there could be further arrests and additional victims. Gebhard’s client, for example, only learned she had been sexually assaulted after investigators discovered video footage.

Another verdict is expected

On Wednesday, defendant Zhiting S. is set to receive his verdict and potential sentence in Berlin. He is believed to be part of the group’s inner circle, German and Chinese state media reported. He was charged with sexual assault, possessing child sexual abuse images, and other counts.

Prosecutors say he provided instructions, using previous medical training, to a Telegram group about which drugs could be used to sedate women before sexually assaulting them. They say at least one person followed his advice before an attack in Frankfurt.

Zhiting S., whose attorney didn't respond to questions from the AP, was also accused by German authorities of repeatedly sexually abusing a woman in China and sharing images of the assault online. Defendants aren't required to formally enter pleas in Germany.

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Wu reported from Bangkok. Associated Press reporters Geir Moulson and Fanny Brodersen in Berlin; Molly Quell and Mike Corder in The Hague, Netherlands; Jaimie Ding in Los Angeles; and Jill Lawless in London contributed to this report.

Platner may be finished, but voters' hunger for change and willingness to take risks will remain

Nicholas Riccardi, Associated Press — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 04:01:15 +0000

With Graham Platner's campaign teetering from an allegation of sexual assault, there's no shortage of people arguing that the 41-year-old Maine oysterman and progressive political neophyte was always too risky for a key Senate race. However, it's likely more candidates will follow his path in the future.

That's because Platner's starburst candidacy followed an increasingly familiar arc that's shown no signs of abating in American politics — the outsider who defies the warnings of party veterans and captures the hearts of primary voters, even as liabilities pile up and complicate the odds of winning the general election.

With so many ways to raise money and draw attention, and so little faith in longstanding institutions, the country remains primed for new waves of anti-establishment campaigns, no matter how erratic.

“I think there’s going to be a lot more of this," said Seth Masket, a political scientist at the University of Denver.

Platner initially surged onto the scene with a grassroots campaign in defiance of Democratic leadership, who had rallied around 78-year-old Maine Gov. Janet Mills as their best hope of unseating Republican Sen. Susan Collins. But Mills dropped out as Platner, 41, consolidated support, weathering a steady drumbeat of revelations over a tattoo recognized as a Nazi symbol, extramarital sexting and controversial social media posts that would have wrecked a typical campaign.

But that changed this week when a former girlfriend told reporters that Platner drunkenly entered her house and sexually assaulted her in 2021, an allegation the candidate denied. Even Platner's most ardent supporters have urged him to drop out by July 13, which would allow the state party to replace him with a new candidate in a must-win race for Democrats who already faced a narrow path to wrest back control of the Senate in November.

Traditionally, political parties avoid this sort of last-minute surprise with an internal system to vet candidates for skeletons in their closets. In addition, people running for national office have often previously served in local or state positions where any hidden baggage would be exposed.

That doesn't happen as much for populists who can bypass party gatekeepers and even base their entire campaigns on not being beholden to political professionals.

“I understand that people are tired of politics as usual, it’s just that part of the normal political process does vet candidates, and I think people should be worried about unvetted candidates facing Republicans who will have hundreds of millions of dollars to spend to exploit weaknesses,” said Neera Tanden, a veteran Democrat who has sparred with progressives over the years and currently leads the Center for American Progress, a party-aligned think tank.

A familiar story for Republicans

Of course, establishment-backed candidates can flame out, too. The last Democrat to lose a Senate race amid a sex scandal was North Carolina's Cal Cunningham, a lawyer and former state senator who fell narrowly short of Republican Sen. Thom Tillis in 2020 after the disclosure of explicit text messages with a woman who wasn't his wife.

Plenty of incumbents of all ideological stripes have been brought down by scandals. The biggest recent win by a Democratic outsider came when Zohran Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist, won the New York mayor's primary last year against Andrew Cuomo, a former governor who was hobbled by a sex scandal.

Still, there's a longstanding pattern of insurgent candidates getting into trouble of all kinds.

Just ask Republicans. After the rise of the Tea Party in 2010, they lost multiple winnable races because outsiders defied their own party establishment to win primaries, only to lose in the general election. Republicans ended up missing a chance to gain control of the Senate despite outrage over President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act.

The party lost more Senate races in 2012 only to launch an internal war against outsider candidates and capture the chamber with more traditional nominees in 2014.

Liberal activists have openly hungered for a Democratic variant of the Tea Party, which emerged from disgust at Republican losses during Obama's presidency. Democratic voters stood by their party establishment during Trump's first term, but after President Joe Biden's collapse and Trump's return last year they have become enraged at their own party leaders.

In primary after primary, Democratic voters have favored younger, outsider candidates this year.

“The Democrats are going through what we went through 15 or 20 years ago,” said Matt Gorman, a veteran Republican strategist. “They're just in their second inning of this. The rubber's going to hit the road when they start losing winnable Senate seats.”

Of course, Trump is the ultimate example of the outsider, populist candidate, one who ran openly disparaging his party's leadership and now controls it with an iron fist. He has, however, an advantage that Platner and many other anti-establishment candidates lack — a decades-long, carefully cultivated image that dominated popular culture long before he ran for office.

“If you don't have a 25-year hard name ID before jumping into politics, this matters,” Gorman said of scandals like Platner's.

Liberals still want party to keep its distance

Even Platner backers like liberal podcaster Tommy Vietor were having second thoughts about the process this week.

“Obviously, a big lesson here is that vetting is really important, and some of the vetting gets done by campaigns themselves, and then ultimately it will be done by the media if the campaigns don’t figure that part out,” said Vietor on the Pod Save America podcast.

Vietor, who boosted Platner but has now called for him to drop out, noted that traditional vetting often doesn't pick up allegations of assault like the one threatening to sink Platner's campaign, but it can highlight red flags.

Even though Platner has not formally decided to withdraw, Maine's Democratic politicians are acting as if he has. State Sen. Troy Jackson, another progressive who opted to run unsuccessfully in the party's primary for governor, filed papers for his Senate candidacy on Tuesday, even with Platner still the nominee. Other Maine aspirants began jockeying for position ahead of the July 27 deadline the state party would have to choose a replacement.

Platner's liberal backers have demanded he be replaced by a similarly anti-establishment candidate, saying that would best reflect the will of the state's Democratic voters who overwhelmingly backed Platner in the primary just a month ago. Whatever happens, it seems likely to leave more scar tissue along the fault lines that have split the party already this year.

Adam Green of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee said his group, which heavily backed Platner but now has called for him to leave the race, said that he hopes that Platner’s replacement will have a similar agenda “and will not just let the DSCC” – Senate Democrats’ campaign arm – “just run their campaign.”

“People clearly wanted a voice for systemic change,” Green said. “But it’s a little unclear exactly what’s happening behind the scenes.”

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Associated Press writers Matt Brown in Minneapolis and Meg Kinnard in Columbia, South Carolina, contributed to this report.

'The Pitt' and 'Pluribus' are poised to compete for top honors as Emmy nominations are announced

Andrew Dalton, Associated Press — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 04:00:30 +0000

“Pluribus” could be a record-setting freshman, “The Pitt” could have a dominant sophomore season and “Hacks” is set for a graduation celebration as Emmy nominations are announced Wednesday morning.

Recent winners Liza Colón-Zayas and Jeff Hiller are set to name the nominees at the Television Academy in Los Angeles. The 78th Primetime Emmy Awards, airing on NBC, will be held Sept. 14 at the Peacock Theater, the longtime Emmys home that will soon also be home to the Oscars. Mariska Hargitay, who for decades has been one of NBC's standard bearers as the star of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” will host.

HBO Max's beloved emergency room series “The Pitt” was a rookie upstart last year with big wins including best drama series, best actor for Noah Wyle and best supporting actress for Katherine LaNasa.

And in an era when major Emmy contenders — like 2025's top drama nominee “Severance” — tend to take years off between seasons, “The Pitt” is coming right back for another round, part of its game-changing model of marrying classic network tendencies with modern streaming prestige.

Wyle and LaNasa are virtual shoo-ins for new nominations. And several residents, interns and attending physicians from their big ensemble cast will almost certainly join them. It could dominate the supporting acting categories the way that “The White Lotus” — another major Emmy contender sitting this one out — has in recent years.

But “The Pitt” could easily be surpassed in the nomination count by “Pluribus,” the one-woman-against-the-world Apple TV+ series from “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul” creator Vince Gilligan. It has a chance of breaking a 32-year-old record for most Emmy nominations for a debut season, set by “NYPD Blue” with 26 in 1994.

“Pluribus” is the sort of clever, consummately crafted series Emmy voters love. It should run up the score in the technical categories. The only thing holding back its total may be its premise. Rhea Seehorn is the lone lead actor. She should be the favorite to win best actress once her inevitable nomination arrives on the heels of her Golden Globes win. Karolina Wydra, who plays the show's spokeswoman for the rest of humanity, has a strong chance at a supporting nomination.

This year's batch of comedies benefits from the absence of last year's rookie juggernaut “The Studio.” Emmy voters love a departing show, and have loved “Hacks” since its first season. Those two colliding phenomena should bring a healthy nomination total for its fifth and final season.

Star Jean Smart has won best actress in a comedy for all four previous seasons. It would be stunning if she didn't claim a fifth. Her sidekick throughout the series Hannah Einbinder, who last year broke through and won supporting actress in a comedy in her fourth nomination, is sure to get another nod, as is their castmate, the show's co-creator Paul W. Downs.

Downs' competition will likely include Harrison Ford. The buzz says this could be the year the Hollywood legend finally wins one of the EGOT-level awards if he gets a nomination for best supporting actor in a comedy for “Shrinking.” His castmate Jason Segel is also a likely nominee.

Despite the absence of “The Studio,” AppleTV+, which established a major Emmy comedy presence with “Ted Lasso,” could have three best comedy series nominees. “Shrinking” could be joined by newcomers “Margo's Got Money Troubles,” whose stars Elle Fanning and Michelle Pfeiffer are likely acting nominees, and the acclaimed horror comedy “Widow's Bay.”

Netflix's “Beef” should throw its weight around in the limited or anthology series categories, especially after one of its big competitors, the cops-and-crooks drama “Task,” switched to the drama category when it announced a second season. "Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette" from FX could be its main competition.

And big names always emerge in the Emmys' guest acting categories. This year's potential candidates include the late Rob Reiner for his recurring part on “The Bear” and Michael J. Fox for his three-episode arc as a patient with Parkinson's disease on “Shrinking.”

Charging documents reveal ‘secret envelope stuffing’ operation behind fake St. Johns County voter guide

Ariel Schiller — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 21:13:14 +0000

Charging documents are revealing new details about an alleged fake Republican voter guide distributed in St. Johns County during the 2024 primary election — including what prosecutors describe as a coordinated, covert operation run out of a rented home.

Five people now face criminal charges in connection with the scheme. Two are sitting St. Johns County commissioners.

District 2 Commissioner Sarah Arnold and District 1 Commissioner Christian Whitehurst are both named as defendants. So are former St. Augustine Beach Mayor and current commissioner Dylan Rumrell, campaign manager Briana Jordan, and Jamie Johnson.

All five face misdemeanor charges for conspiracy and producing an unauthorized voter guide. Jordan faces an additional third-degree felony charge for tampering with physical evidence — the only defendant facing a felony.

According to charging documents, an alleged “secret envelope stuffing” operation took place at a rented home that was used as a campaign headquarters. The document said people working under Jordan’s direction placed fraudulent guides into envelopes. The envelopes had no return addresses and used postage stamps.

The mailings were sent from Orlando and Jacksonville. Postmarks, prosecutors allege, were dated between Aug. 5 and Aug. 15, 2024.

How the case moved through the courts

The case is being prosecuted in the 8th Judicial Circuit — not the circuit that covers St. Johns County. News4JAX found an executive order from Gov. Ron DeSantis, signed in April, that directed the reassignment.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement handled the investigation, which the 8th Circuit State Attorney’s Office confirmed wrapped up about a month or two ago. The case was first presented to the 7th Circuit, which covers St. Johns County — that office recused. It was then presented to the 4th Circuit, which covers Jacksonville — that office also recused. The 8th Circuit ultimately accepted the case for prosecution.

‘Demand an apology’

Ann-Marie Evans, who ran against Whitehurst in the 2024 election, said the charges were welcome news.

“I am thrilled that there’s some accountability for what happened in our county in 2024,” Evans said. “I would almost say I’m ecstatic, especially after the amount of time that has passed.”

Evans said she believes the fake voter guides affected the outcome of the race.

“110% I believe that it definitely changed the result of the election,” she said.

Evans also had a direct message for St. Johns County voters.

“I would say to voters in St. Johns County, demand an apology. You deserve an apology, demand it. He should resign,” Evans said.

County leaders responds

St. Johns County Commission board chair Clay Murphy told News4JAX he was disappointed by the situation. Murphy said it was the first time in his tenure as an elected official that he has had to deal with something like this, and that it remains unclear what will happen next.

In a written statement, Murphy said:

As someone who was a victim of this event, I was deeply disturbed to learn of the recent charges connected to the fraudulent voter guides. I still vividly remember when my wife and I saw one for the first time at the early voting locations in the hands of voters as they exited the polling office.
Free and fair elections are at the heart of our constitutional Republic and a bedrock of democracy, and I oppose anything that can taint those. I strongly support free and fair elections – free from unlawful coercion.
I commend the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the 8th Judicial Circuit State attorney’s office for pursuing this investigation. St Johns County residents deserve transparency and integrity from their elected officials. And I will continue to work every day to uphold those standards.
As a 39 year veteran of Law Enforcement, I trust that our system of justice will run its course. As it does, I am committed to doing what the constituents deserve and what they elected me to do by continuing to work at the governance of our County.
Clay Murphy, Board Chair St. Johns County Commission

The Board’s Vice Chair, Ann Taylor also shared a statement with News4JAX:

While these charges are currently alleged, the standard for holding public office is entirely different. The mere fact that the State of Florida has officially filed criminal conspiracy charges against Commissioners Christian Whitehurst, Sarah Arnold and Dylan Rumrell completely shatters the public trust required to govern. If there is any truth to these allegations, for the integrity of St. Johns County, they need to step down immediately so our residents can have a board they can trust.
Ann Taylor, Vice Chair St. Johns County Commission

St. Johns County, as a government body, declined to comment, saying it does not respond to pending legal matters.

Attorneys representing Arnold, Whitehurst, and Rumrell released a joint statement to News4Jax:

“These allegations have lingered for nearly two years in the hands of various government agencies. With formal charges now filed, County Commissioner Arnold, County Commissioner Whitehurst and St. Augustine Beach City Commissioner Rumrell look forward to the conclusion of this matter and will have no further comments at this time.”

Pirates' Ryan O'Hearn sets club record with 10 RBIs during 3-homer night vs. Braves

Associated Press — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 00:50:27 +0000

Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Ryan O'Hearn has been playing baseball nearly all his life. Never has the left-handed slugger had a game quite like Tuesday's 12-4 win over Atlanta.

Not in Little League. Not in high school. Not at Sam Houston State. Not in the minors. Not in Baltimore. Not in San Diego. Not ever.

Three home runs. Ten RBIs. One magical night that included a rare curtain call and ended with his batting helmet headed to Cooperstown.

The Pirates have been playing baseball since 1882. No player across 145 seasons had ever driven in 10 runs in a game. A grand slam in the first and a three-run homer in the third off Braves starter Hurston Waldrep, and another three-run shot off Atlanta reliever Connor Thomas in the sixth changed all that, breaking the club single-game record of nine RBIs set by Johnny Rizzo against St. Louis on May 30, 1939 — a scant 54 years before the 32-year-old O'Hearn was born.

The 10 RBIs also marked the most in the majors by a player this season, and he became the 11th big leaguer since RBI became an official statistic in 1920 to have at least three home runs and 10 RBIs in a game and the first since Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani did it against Miami in September 2024.

“Got some good pitches to hit and after the third one I was like, ‘Oh man, no kidding? I guess today's supposed to be my day,'” O'Hearn said.

In more ways than one. When O'Hearn took Thomas deep to push his RBI total to 10, it also marked the 100th home run of his nine-year career. Not bad for a semi-late bloomer who didn't reach the majors until 25 and didn't become an All-Star until last season, just after turning 31.

The Pirates saw enough to sign him to a two-year deal in the offseason, their first multiyear investment in a free agent in nearly a decade. O'Hearn has embraced the role of clubhouse leader on a team trying to reach the postseason after 10-plus years in the wilderness. His 16 homers are one short of his career high of 17 set last season, and his record-setting night came just hours after Pittsburgh lost rookie shortstop Konnor Griffin for two months with a left hand injury.

“We're going to keep rocking,” O'Hearn said. “We have good players.”

O'Hearn is one of them. Pirates manager Don Kelly wanted to give O'Hearn a break late with Pittsburgh comfortably ahead, but didn't want to do it at the cost of robbing O'Hearn of a shot at history.

So O'Hearn headed to the plate in the ninth, looking to become the 22nd player to hit four homers in a game. When he looked at the mound, he couldn't help but smile when he saw Braves infielder Jorge Mateo, whom O'Hearn called a “good buddy.”

Atlanta turned to Mateo to give the bullpen a breather in a blowout, and Mateo did what Waldrep and Harris couldn't by keeping O'Hearn in the yard, though not off the bases. O'Hearn laced a single to right field to complete a four-hit night and give the Pirates their third straight victory as ace Paul Skenes earned his first win in nearly two months.

The reigning NL Cy Young winner gave up two runs on eight hits over six solid innings, walking one and striking out four. Skenes, who opted out of next week's All-Star Game and was replaced by teammate Braxton Ashcraft, also saw his velocity consistently stick in the 97-98 mph range after frequently dipping into the mid-90s during a loss to Philadelphia last week.

Not that Skenes wanted to talk about it much. For once, his performance wasn't the story, even if he couldn't help but have a little fun at his teammate's expense.

“I think it was kind of selfish, to be honest,” Skenes deadpanned. “Everybody else was getting on, and then, home runs are rally killers. You hit a three-run home run or a grand slam, and it’s just like, what now? There’s nobody on. Nobody can drive him in. Good for him, I guess.”

___

YouTube defends video that falsely claims Sydney massacre survivor is 'crisis actor'

Rod Mcguirk, Associated Press — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 10:22:55 +0000

A Google executive told an inquiry on Tuesday that a YouTube video that falsely claimed a wounded survivor of an antisemitic massacre in Sydney was a crisis actor blooded with makeup had met the platform’s standards and would remain online.

Google Australia manager Rachel Lord was testifying at a government inquiry into the spread of antisemitism in Australia including an attack by two gunmen on a Sydney Hanukkah celebration in December that left 15 dead.

Lord was questioned about a complaint made by survivor Arsen Ostrovsky about a video posted on YouTube. Ostrovsky was attacked online after an image showing blood streaming from a wound in his head was posted on X two hours after he was shot.

Lord said the decision to allow the video to remain on YouTube had been reviewed at “quite senior levels.”

“We have spent a lot of time thinking about where we draw the line and we continue to re-evaluate where we are doing that,” Lord said.

Richard Lancaster, the lawyer leading the inquiry’s evidence, referred to a transcript of the video to avoid showing the images in public.

Four men appear on split screen saying Ostrovsky’s bleeding head appeared “very crisis actor-ish” and mentioned “makeup.” They also describe him as an “intelligence asset” who had a “degree in theater.”

The video also describes Ostrovsky as a Zionist and claims the massacre was a “false flag operation.” Police allege father and son shooters Sajid and Naveed Akram were inspired by the Islamic State group.

Lancaster told Lord the video remaining online demonstrated a “really serious deficiency” in YouTube’s hate speech guidelines.

Lord replied that she appreciated Lancaster’s “feedback.”

YouTube told Australia’s online safety regulator three days after the massacre that the platform was “focused on ensuring Australians and all users around the world have access to high quality information about the tragic events,” Lord said.

Ostrovsky told the inquiry last month that he had been targeted by online hate, abuse, vilification and AI manipulation since he suffered the minor head wound on Dec. 14.

The inquiry was then shown an AI-generated image of Ostrovsky apparently laughing as someone applied fake blood to his head.

Kingsland police find missing infant, arrest man following custody exchange

Staff — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 01:23:08 +0000

The Kingsland Police Department was asking for the public’s help in locating a missing infant last seen during a custody exchange on Saturday.

The agency said it learned about the situation on Tuesday. In an update, KPD said the child, who is less than 2 months old, was found safe, and the suspect in the case, Taurus Gibbs, was arrested.

Authorities said Gibbs has no legal or custodial rights to the child under state law.

The police department did not provide any further details about the case.

George E. Johnson Sr., founder of a pioneering Black hair care business, dies at 99

Corey Williams And Aisha I. Jefferson, Associated Press — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 17:54:00 +0000

George E. Johnson Sr., a pioneer in Black hair care whose multimillion-dollar business was the first Black-owned company to be listed on the American Stock Exchange, has died at age 99, according to his family.

Johnson died Monday at his home in downtown Chicago. A cause of death was not released.

Johnson and his late wife and high school sweetheart, Joan, started Johnson Products in 1954 on Chicago’s South Side after securing a $250 loan. It grew into a hair care empire catering almost exclusively to Black people, with brands like Afro Sheen and Ultra Sheen.

People who remember Afro Sheen and Ultra Sheen in their heyday also remember the brands’ marketing campaigns and their association with the “Black is Beautiful” movement, which promoted cultural and racial pride among Black people. The iconic 1970s commercials, which featured variations of the “Watu Wazuri” (“Beautiful People”) jingle, have enjoyed a resurgence on social media in recent years.

The commercials aired primarily during the hit music-and-dance television show “Soul Train," which his company was a national sponsor of and once owned.

“It was just a wonderful opportunity for Don Cornelius to be able to go national. He wouldn’t have been able to do that without George Johnson’s partnership,” Rogers said. “And so, to see it work out for everyone and for our community all together was part of his genius.”

A legacy worth celebrating

During its annual gala in November, the Chicago Urban League celebrated Johnson as the Edwin C. “Bill” Berry Civil Rights Award honoree, named for the League’s iconic leader. Berry joined Johnson Products Company when he left the organization, according to Karen Freeman-Wilson, president and CEO of the Chicago Urban League. She said the honor was a full-circle moment for Johnson, who was a longtime board member.

"Just 12 or 14 days ago, he was standing with Barack Obama in the presidential library, dedicating a room for he and my mother," Eric George Johnson, the eldest of Johnson's four children, told The Associated Press. “It's a wonderful life to celebrate.”

Johnson's trajectory started from humble beginnings.

He was born in 1927 in Richton, Mississippi. Johnson’s mother, Priscilla Dean Johnson, was just 18 when she left her husband, took her children to Chicago and found a job at a local hospital, said Hilary Beard, a Philadelphia-based author who worked with Johnson on his memoir.

Their move occurred during what’s known as the First Great Migration, between 1910 and 1940, when tens of thousands of southern Black people moved to northern and Midwestern cities for jobs and to escape racial oppression.

“There was just enough money for food, clothing and shelter, but not for anything extra,” Beard said.

Johnson and his older brother, John, would collect cigarette packages, peel out the aluminum linings, roll them into balls and sell them to people who collected junk for resale, Beard said. Johnson also shined shoes, cleared tables in eateries and set up pins in a bowling alley.

A source of pride and inspiration

As an adult, Johnson worked for the Black-owned Fuller Products Co. in Chicago. Beard said Johnson met a barber who was distraught because he couldn't convince Fuller to back a product he was developing that straightened men's hair. The drawback was the product burned the scalp.

Johnson worked with Fuller's chemist to revamp the barber's formula and started his business after ultimately convincing a bank he needed a $250 loan to take his wife on a vacation, Beard said. That business would become Johnson Products.

Johnson's company offered above-market salaries, profit-sharing for its workers, healthcare and other benefits at a time when many companies didn’t provide such perks, Beard added. Johnson Products was sold in 1993 to a pharmaceutical firm in a deal worth more than $60 million.

Johnson later founded Independence Bank and became the first Black person to serve on the board of directors of the Illinois electric utility Commonwealth Edison. The George E. Johnson Educational Fund awarded more than 1,000 college scholarships.

John W. Rogers, the founder of Chicago-based Ariel Investments, remembers his father taking him to Independence Bank to open a checking account and being awed that Johnson owned it.

“That was just so impressive to me that he would start the largest Black bank in the country" which helped Black entrepreneurs, homeowners and anyone who needed assistance as they were building their lives, said Rogers, a mentee of Johnson.

The Golden Rule

Though Johnson is gone, the lessons he imparted continue to shape the family’s future.

Eric Johnson, who served as CEO, left Johnson Products Company in 1992. He said he purchased Baldwin Ice Cream in 1997, intending to keep the company in the family for generations to come. Eric Johnson officially retired from Baldwin Richardson Foods on May 9 after successfully transitioning ownership to his daughters, Erin Tolefree and Cara Hughes.

“He saw his children come along and be successful, and now his grandchildren being successful,” Eric Johnson said.

Eric Johnson isn't the only one who sees that legacy continuing. Rogers points to the company’s third generation of leadership as evidence.

“Eric’s positioned his kids who are now running the business day-to-day. So it’s a third generation, which is remarkable. They’re doing so well," Rogers said.

Johnson’s memoir, “Afro Sheen: How I Revolutionized an Industry with the Golden Rule, from Soul Train to Wall Street,” was published in 2024.

Being fair and treating people the way you want to be treated was Johnson's golden rule, according to his son. And it's a cherished piece of advice that Eric Johnson said his father instilled in him.

"And it’s a foundation that was established in him as a child by his mother, that he established in all of us,” he said.

___

Williams reported from Detroit.

Succession fight is already underway as calls mount for Platner to drop out of Maine Senate race

Kimberlee Kruesi And Patrick Whittle, Associated Press — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 15:06:57 +0000

Democratic nominee Graham Platner hasn't resigned from the Maine U.S. Senate race following an allegation of sexual assault. But the succession battle to take his place was already underway Tuesday.

The allegation reported Monday prompted a chorus of calls for Platner to depart the high-stakes race against Republican Sen. Susan Collins, which could decide party control of the Senate. Platner's long-time backer, Sen. Bernie Sanders, “recommended that he step aside.” Then, Tuesday evening, The Washington Post reported that an ex-girlfriend of Platner’s had accused him of removing condoms during sex without her consent.

Platner, who has denied all the allegations, has been mum on whether he'll step aside. And the Maine Democratic Party, charged with creating a process to pick his replacement, hasn't publicly announced their plans.

On Tuesday night, Executive Director Devon Murphy-Anderson released a video saying the party is developing an “open, inclusive, transparent and fair” process but won't disclose details until Platner withdraws. Platner’s team has repeatedly tried to “put their thumb on the scale," she said.

“We have repeatedly reiterated to Graham Platner’s team that they have no role in determining our next Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate, nor in determining what this process looks like,” she said.

An official for the Platner campaign responded that it “has reached out to the party to try and understand what this process would look like” and “at no point has the campaign tried to ‘put its finger on the scale.’” The official added that thousands of Maine residents voted and volunteered for Platner and they should play a role in the decision.

“While Graham wouldn’t want to be a part of the process, he would want to make sure the voters and volunteers make this decision — not the political establishment,” the statement said.

So far, the succession battle has played out in a murky power vacuum. A growing number of candidates are teasing their entry into the race as a fight shapes up between the progressive wing and the establishment camp of the Democratic Party.

Platner became a populist hero among the party’s left flank, pulling far ahead of an establishment-backed candidate, Gov. Janet Mills, in the primary. Now, progressive groups fear that political ground could be lost.

“To the Democratic establishment: This is not your opening,” said Joseph Geevarghese, who leads Our Revolution. The organization founded by Sanders backed and then withdrew its endorsement of Platner after the sexual assault allegation. The group said Tuesday that it was “rallying behind” another progressive contender, Troy Jackson, who announced he's “exploring” a candidacy.

The sexual assault allegation against Platner

In the allegation published Monday by Politico, a woman whom Platner previously dated said he drunkenly forced her to have sex after she told him to stop. It is the latest in a string of controversies the first-time candidate had weathered, but the seriousness of the assault claim was too far for many of his supporters in the Democratic Party.

Jenny Racicot, who lives in Maine, told Politico that Platner entered her home in 2021 while drunk and assaulted her. Racicot said she had been in an on-and-off relationship with Platner, but she cut off contact with him after that night and told him the incident wasn’t consensual. She said in a CNN interview on Monday evening that she opted not to fight back for fear of Platner, a former Marine, becoming more violent.

Replacing Platner may further divide Democrats

The pressure for Platner to withdraw from the Senate race has only increased given the short deadlines Maine law allows for replacing general election candidates. There is no mechanism for Democrats to remove Platner from the ballot, and the deadline to withdraw is 5 p.m. July 13. State law gives the authority to choose a replacement to the state party. Any replacement candidate must be named by July 27.

The lack of communication from Platner and the state's Democratic Party has contributed to some confusion about what comes next as candidates tentatively toss their hats in the ring.

Some are arguing that the next Democrat should echo Platner’s progressive messaging, pointing to his success at rallying voters across the state. Others cautioned that having ties to Platner will only doom an already uphill campaign against Collins. Many are pushing for an open process even with limited time.

“No one’s enjoying this experience, and it seems like the consensus step forward should be having a fair and open process that everybody feels is legitimate,” said Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, a political action committee that backed Platner but now calls for him to suspend his campaign.

One possible contender, Nirav Shah, the former director of Maine’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said Tuesday he was “evaluating” whether to join the race. Shah said he’s been in contact with the Maine Democratic Party about ensuring a possible replacement process is based on “openness, transparency and robustness."

“Every single day that we don’t have a nominee, and a process and a clear pathway for the nominee, is another day that we’re letting Sen. Collins continue to get her message out,” Shah told The Associated Press. "As of right now, it’s not clear what the process will be.”

Shah, who came in second in this year’s Maine Democratic gubernatorial primary, added, “I want to give the party grace, because we’re building this plane as we’re flying it.”

Maine's governor, Mills, who sought the Democratic Senate nomination but dropped out before the June 9 primary, could be considered as another contender. Mills was supported by Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer but abandoned her campaign, saying she couldn't raise the money needed to compete.

Another possible replacement is Jackson, Maine’s former state Senate President, who unsuccessfully ran to be the Democratic gubernatorial nominee earlier this year with the backing of Platner and Sanders. Jackson filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission Tuesday to launch a Senate exploratory committee.

“Remember: Progressives overwhelmingly won the primary. A progressive MUST be on the ballot,” Our Revolution said in a fundraising email, which described Jackson as a logger and union leader who helmed Sanders' past presidential efforts in Maine.

Jordan Wood, a former U.S. Senate candidate who then switched to unsuccessfully run for Maine's 2nd District, posted Tuesday that he was “continuing conversations” with voters about joining the race.

Other names circulating include Shenna Bellows, the current Maine Secretary of State; Dan Kleban, founder of Maine Beer Co.; and Hannah Pingree, currently Maine's Democratic gubernatorial nominee.

Bellows said in a statement she will “seriously consider entering this race.”

A Platner voter is ‘heartbroken’

Joanie Monteith, a passionate supporter from the southern Maine town of York who organized a trivia night about Platner in March, said through tears Tuesday that she was devastated by the news. She was waiting for another public statement from Platner before making a decision about whether she could keep supporting him.

“I’m numb, and I’m waiting for what Graham has to say,” she said. “I’m trying not to be a part of this public trial. And I’m heartbroken. And I’m heartbroken for him and his wife.”

She added that she believes the allegations are serious.

“I’m not going to blame a victim. Because if this is true I feel very bad for the woman,” she said.

Another Maine voter, Lee Holman, said she wants Platner to stay in the race.

“I feel like the people of Maine have spoken,” the Democrat said. “If they wanted Janet Mills, they could have voted for her.”

She said the allegation against Platner may be legitimate, but she questions the timing. Democrats, she added, can be too quick to “throw the baby out with the bathwater” by calling on politicians facing allegations to resign.

“Every time we think we have a chance to snatch our democracy back, something gets in the way,” she said.

___

Kruesi reported from Providence, R.I. and Bedayn from Austin, Texas. Matt Brown in Minneapolis and Ali Swenson in New York City contributed.

US launches new strikes on Iran, revokes oil sales permit after 3 ships attacked in Strait of Hormuz

Associated Press — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 01:12:40 +0000

The U.S. military attacked Iran early Wednesday after it said Tehran struck three ships in the Strait of Hormuz, part of an American effort that also revoked the Islamic Republic's ability to openly sell crude oil in the world market.

Iran immediately warned Washington it would “take whatever measures it deems necessary," raising the risks that an interim agreement in the war halting fighting could break down, putting the wider Middle East again at risk of a wider conflict. Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, sounded its missile alert sirens Wednesday morning after the American attack on Iran.

The attacks on shipping and the resulting strikes on Iran came during the dayslong funeral for Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed Feb. 28 in the war's first moments at age 86. The funeral, which ends Thursday, had been thought to be a period of lower tensions — though mourners have repeatedly called for the killings of U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Negotiations to reach a final deal had been due to start after Khamenei's burial and focus on the toughest matters, including fully reopening the strait and rolling back Tehran’s disputed nuclear program. But the new attacks threw that into question.

“The era of bullying and extortion is over,” Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf wrote on X. “It leads nowhere. We don’t fold.”

Overnight US strikes target Iran

The U.S. military's Central Command said American forces launched the strikes “to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway.”

The U.S. military remains “postured and prepared to hold Iran accountable when the agreement is not adhered to or obeyed,” it added, saying this round of attacks had ended.

Iran acknowledged the strikes, but offered no word on any losses. Iranian state media reported the sound of explosions in Bandar Abbas, Qeshm and Sirik.

Iran's central military command warned it “will respond decisively to this aggression and terrorist act."

“Under no circumstances will (the Iranian armed forces) allow interference in the affairs of the Strait of Hormuz, nor will they permit others to manage it,” it said.

A similar spate of Iranian attacks on shipping and U.S. retaliatory strikes occurred late last month — which drew Iranian attacks on Bahrain and Kuwait. Wednesday's strikes also came as Trump was in Turkey for a summit of the NATO military alliance.

US revokes license for the sale of Iranian oil

The U.S. also revoked a license that authorized the sale of Iranian oil as part of the interim deal. That had allowed Iran for the first time in years to conduct oil sales openly on the international market for U.S. dollars. Iran long had been suspected of selling sanctioned crude oil at below-market prices to China.

A U.S. official said the license was revoked because Iran’s actions in the strait were unacceptable and needed to be met with consequences. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to share insight into the reasoning behind the move.

The other two ships sustained some damage, but no one was injured, and both continued on their way in the Strait of Hormuz, the U.K. maritime agency said. Iran has maintained a chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz since the war, disrupting global energy markets as a fifth of all traded oil and natural gas passed through the channel in peacetime. The ships attacked Tuesday all appeared to be using a route close to Oman's shore, rather than one ordered by Tehran.

Tehran repeatedly has declared that only its approved route through the strait is safe and is suspected of attacking other ships that have used the Oman route.

Iran and the United States agreed as part of the interim deal to allow ships to pass without paying charges for 60 days. But Tehran insisted it must control the vessels' routes and later charge fees for passage, which would upend decades of practice in the waterway.

The U.S. and many Gulf Arab states say they will not agree to Iran charging for passage through the strait.

Mourners gather in Qom for Khamenei's funeral

Authorities flew Khamenei’s body to the Shiite seminary city of Qom, where mourners honored him Tuesday.

Iranian state television aired live images of hundreds of thousands of people walking toward Jamkaran Mosque, just south of Qom, for the funeral service. Shiites believe the mosque once hosted Muhammad al-Mahdi, the 12th and last Shiite imam, who disappeared in the 9th century and is supposed to one day reappear to bring justice to the world.

Khamenei's son, Iran's new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, has yet to make an appearance at the ceremonies, which began Saturday in Tehran. He is believed to be in hiding after reportedly being wounded in the airstrike that killed his father.

Khamenei’s body arrived late Tuesday in Iraq, where it was received by officials from both countries. Processions are planned for Wednesday in Najaf and Karbala, the two holy Shiite cities.

Khamenei will then be returned to Iran to be buried Thursday at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, his birthplace.

___

Hussein and Toropin reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Najaf, Iraq, and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

What’s the status of the Jacksonville Armada Stadium that was supposed to be built on the Eastside?

Jenese Harris — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 02:30:51 +0000

Jacksonville Armada has been in the community for years, and the team was supposed to have a new stadium built and opened on the Eastside this year — so far, it’s still not there.

Last year, the previous owner sold the team to a local attorney and businessman.

Renderings of the new Armada stadium show a site where thousands of soccer fans would cheer on their local team, but the groundbreaking has been pushed back multiple times.

The last deadline for the stadium opening was for Spring 2026.

Back in 2024, we talked with Armada’s team president and general manager, Nathan Walter, who has been looking forward to the opening, but it’s been delayed.

The team’s stadium will be built on the Eastside, in a historic community that is less than a mile from the Jacksonville Jaguars stadium. The new stadium will bring life to a corner that has been a series of vacant lots and a place for tailgating during football season.

Community leaders like Suzanne Pickett, President/CEO of Historic Eastside Community Development Corporation, have been looking forward to it too. I asked her how it felt not seeing the stadium - just yet.

“We’ve had several questions and follow up questions from the community about the stadium if it was going to happen and if it would still happen and we are excited if its moving forward,” Pickett said .

In 2024, the City of Jacksonville agreed to sell property for $1 to team owner RP Sports Investment Inc. for the stadium. In November of the same year, the team applied for a construction permit to build a 14,000-square-foot stadium and office facility with 2,545 seats and a second phase would include more seating.

The principal owner at the time, Robert Palmer, sold the team in 2025 to Jacksonville attorney Chris Campione. So far, there has been no groundbreaking.

According to the City of Jacksonville, there have been FDOT road improvements next to the property that have delayed progress and that have led to the city extending its deadlines for the team and its construction.

Another delay comes with the natural changes of any business. According to News4JAX Sports, with a new owner, the team has to be accepted into the MLS Next Pro League again. It’s the same league under the previous owner.

While the community waits for the groundbreaking, Pickett said the Eastside will support it when it’s built.

“We are working with them, and we hope to work with them on community benefits coming into the eastside and we are looking forward to that and looking forward to them becoming a great partner,” Pickett said.

Judge rejects Justice Department attempt to get names of 2020 election workers in Fulton County

Kate Brumback, Associated Press — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 19:11:59 +0000

The U.S. Department of Justice cannot have the names and personal contact information for every person who worked during the 2020 election in Georgia’s Fulton County, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.

The Justice Department served a grand jury subpoena in April seeking the names and personal contact information of county employees and volunteer poll workers. President Donald Trump has long claimed without evidence that widespread voter fraud in Georgia's most populous county, a Democratic stronghold, cost him victory in the state in 2020.

Fulton County asked a judge to quash the subpoena, arguing it was meant to “target, harass and punish the President’s perceived political opponents” and that it was “grossly over broad and untethered to any reasonable need.”

“Given the low need for the subpoenaed information and the highly burdensome nature of the disclosure of the same, the Subpoena is unreasonable and must be quashed,” U.S. District Judge William Ray wrote in his ruling, calling the scope of the request “staggering.”

“We are proud of our efforts to push back against these improper demands that only serve to undermine confidence in our elections,” Fulton County Attorney Soo Jo said in a statement.

An email seeking comment was sent to the Justice Department.

While grand juries often work with federal prosecutors to investigate alleged crimes, “that does not give the DOJ the right to use the Grand Jury to do whatever the DOJ wants,” wrote Ray, who was nominated to the bench by Trump.

Even if the records sought by the Justice Department could help find people who worked for the county during the 2020 election who support the theory that the election was unfair, the information couldn't be used to charge anyone because the statute of limitations has passed, Ray wrote.

The subpoena came after the FBI in January served a search warrant at the Fulton County election hub and seized hundreds of boxes of ballots and other documents from the 2020 election. A federal judge in May denied the county's request to force the federal government to return the ballots.

The Justice Department argued in a court filing that the subpoena was the “next step in the normal investigative process” and that it seeks “records identifying persons with relevant knowledge.”

Kamal Ghali, a lawyer for the county, argued during a hearing in May that the subpoena “will chill participation by election workers” and that the statute of limitations for any of the alleged misconduct had already lapsed.

Justice Department lawyer William McComb argued that the statute of limitations issue is not relevant at the investigative stage.

“My point is, as we sit here now, we are not sure what charges can be brought. That's the whole point of the investigation,” he said.

The FBI is also using some 260 staffers across the country to help examine records in the Fulton County investigation, according to an agency memo.

The judge noted that the Justice Department had expressed concern about possible criminal actions in the years that followed the election. But he noted that the subpoena seeks information related to what happened during the 2020 election and its immediate aftermath.

“In these hyper-political times in which we currently live, there are sure to be some who disagree with this decision because they believe the allegations of fraud in the 2020 Election and believe that ‘light’ should be brought to those claims,” Ray wrote.

He added that nothing prevents continued investigation into those allegations by people who believe those claims — such as Congress or even the Justice Department — but the power of the grand jury, “which exists to investigate potential crimes and to bring viable indictments” cannot be used for that purpose. Otherwise, anyone in power could use the grand jury process to subpoena personal information of citizens “with no legitimate law enforcement purpose,” he wrote.

“Thus, everyone, whether you support the President or you do not, or whether you believe the 2020 Election was fair or believe that it was not, should be concerned about the DOJ’s ability to utilize the power of the Grand Jury to appropriate your private information without a legitimate purpose,” Ray wrote.

The judge also agreed that providing the subpoenaed information could make it harder for Fulton County to recruit election workers. Those who help run elections “should be valued and are necessary for successful elections in Fulton County going forward,” he wrote.

New details: Ring camera captured triple shooting that killed 4-year-old, injured mother, 2-year-old sister

Kaitlyn Shemenski, Chris Will — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 18:32:02 +0000

A newly obtained arrest report is shedding light on a triple shooting on Jacksonville’s Northside last week, where police say a man killed his 4-year-old daughter and seriously injured her mother and 2-year-old sister.

Trudale Reed Jr., 29, was arrested July 1 and booked into the Duval County jail with no bond. He faces seven total counts, including second-degree murder, two counts of attempted first-degree murder, aggravated fleeing and eluding, shooting deadly missiles, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and grand theft auto.

Scene at Traci Lynn Drive in Jacksonville.

What happened on Traci Lynn Drive

According to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office arrest affidavit, officers were dispatched just before 5 p.m. on June 30 to Traci Lynn Drive in reference to multiple people shot.

Upon arriving, officers found a 4-year-old girl, identified as Harmoni Reed, dead in the front yard of the home. Police say she had suffered multiple gunshot wounds to her head and body. A 2-year-old girl, identified as Rhythm Reed, was found just inside the front door suffering from a gunshot wound. The children’s mother, Brianna Johnson, 27, was located on the front porch with multiple gunshot wounds. Both the 2-year-old and Johnson were transported to area hospitals with life-threatening injuries.

Brianna Johnson and her daughters, who were shot after a domestic dispute on Jacksonville's northside.

Ring camera captures the shooting

Detectives obtained footage from a Ring doorbell camera at the home.

The video showed Reed arriving at the home around 4:37 p.m. Both children ran out to greet him with a hug. A short time later, at approximately 4:56 p.m., Reed is seen reaching into his pants, retrieving a black pistol, and firing 15 rounds at Johnson and toward the front door of the home. Johnson had nothing in her hands at the time of the shooting, according to the arrest report.

The shots fired through the screen door entered the residence and struck both children.

Scene at Traci Lynn Drive in Jacksonville.

Witnesses describe the scene

Brianna Johnson’s brother told investigators he was working from home when he heard the gunshots.

When he looked from his work area, he saw Harmoni Reed on the floor inside the front door with serious injuries.

A 16-year-old cousin of Johnson who was upstairs at the time told detectives he looked out of his bedroom window after hearing gunshots and saw Trudale Reed walking toward a blue SUV parked in front of the residence. The teen told investigators he then went downstairs and found both children seriously injured.

29-year-old Trudale Reed

Suspect’s mother speaks with police

The suspect’s mother was also at the scene and was later interviewed at Baptist Medical Center North, where she had been taken for a medical episode.

According to the report, she told detectives she had driven to the house to pick up her son, his girlfriend, and the children. She stated she saw Reed pull a gun from his pants and shoot Johnson multiple times.

She watched Johnson fall to the ground on the front porch. Reed’s mother stated she exited her vehicle and started walking toward the house. At that time, Trudale started walking toward her with the gun in his hand. As he passed her, he stated, “Sorry,” then got into her vehicle and drove away.

Reed’s mother told investigators she then looked inside the home and found Harmoni Reed critically wounded. She held pressure on the child’s head until rescue arrived and told her Harmoni Reed was dead.

Pursuit and arrest

Officers located Trudale Reed shortly after the shooting in a blue 2017 Volkswagen Tiguan — a vehicle later determined to have been stolen — near the intersection of Tory Place and Valley Forge Road in the Lake Forest neighborhood.

Police say Reed did not stop immediately when officers turned on their emergency lights. After a short pursuit, officers conducted a high-risk traffic stop and took Reed into custody. Reed broke his arm during the stop and was transported to UF Health with non-life-threatening injuries.

During the traffic stop, police say Reed made several spontaneous statements captured on body-worn camera: “One gun, one clip, 15 bullets, every single one of em, I’m drunk, I [expletive] up.”

Reed’s statements to investigators

After being released from the hospital the next morning, Reed was transported to JSO’s Police Memorial Building and advised of his Miranda rights, which he acknowledged in writing, according to the report.

Reed told investigators he and Johnson had been in a relationship for seven years, describing it as turbulent with arguments that had sometimes turned physical. He stated he had consumed multiple pints of vodka earlier in the day and claimed he blacked out and did not remember arriving at the home or anything else until he woke up in the hospital the following morning, according to the report.

When shown a still image from the Ring camera, Reed identified himself, Johnson, and both children in the photo and signed the image.

Reed also acknowledged that the Glock Model 22 .40-caliber pistol used in the shooting was his. Investigators recovered the weapon from the stolen vehicle. Ballistic testing at the JSO gun laboratory confirmed the firearm matched shell casings recovered at the scene.

Prior conviction adds felony charge

A search of JSO’s criminal databases revealed Reed had a prior felony conviction on May 12, 2016, for robbery with a firearm — the basis for the possession of a firearm by a convicted felon charge.

Reed is being held without bond on the murder and attempted murder charges.

Brianna Johnson and her daughters, who were shot after a domestic dispute on Jacksonville's northside.

‘Unimaginable loss’

Family members launched a GoFundMe to support the family during this difficult time.

“As Brianna focuses on healing and caring for herself and Rhythm while navigating this unimaginable loss, any support, prayers, or shares are deeply appreciated. Thank you for keeping our family in your thoughts and for the overwhelming love, compassion, and support you have shown during this incredibly difficult time,” the GoFundMe reads.

If you would like to donate to the fundraiser, click here. So far, it has raised nearly $5,000.

Lionel Messi leads Argentina to 3-2 comeback victory over Egypt and spot in World Cup quarterfinals

James Robson, Associated Press — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 14:57:20 +0000

It was another World Cup epic from an Argentina team that simply doesn't know when it's beaten.

Trailing 2-0 against Egypt with 11 minutes of regulation time to play on Tuesday, the defending champions rallied for an improbable 3-2 victory and a spot in the quarterfinals.

“We have a phenomenal group, a group that never gives up no matter the difficulties and adversity. We’re always together,” said Enzo Fernandez, who scored the winning goal in stoppage time.

Argentina will play Switzerland in the next round on Saturday in Kansas City, Missouri.

For much of Tuesday's game, it looked like it would be a painful exit for the 39-year-old Lionel Messi in what might be the last of his six World Cups.

Egypt led after goals in each half from Yasser Ibrahim and Mostafa Zico and could have been ahead 3-0 if not for a video review that ruled out another score.

Argentina looked down and out, its bid to be the first team to win back-to-back World Cup titles since Brazil in 1958 and 1962 all but dead.

Cue a monumental comeback.

“The heart of Argentinians is always something that pushes, that we keep going no matter what, that we give everything until the end. And honestly, with the score 2-0, we looked a bit beaten,” Argentina striker Julian Alvarez said. “There was little time left, but we always manage to get something more by fighting until the end.”

Cristian Romero started the rally by scoring with a header in the 79th minute. Messi, who was in tears after the final whistle, scored his eighth goal of the tournament and record-extending 21st goal at the World Cup in the 83rd to level the score at 2-2 and Fernandez completed the comeback in injury time.

“Four years have passed since Qatar, and we’ve come to enjoy another World Cup — and we want to win it again. That’s what we’re aiming for,” Fernandez said.

Argentina is no stranger to heroic matches at the World Cup.

There was the 3-2 win over West Germany in the 1986 final. Then the 3-3 draw and eventual shootout victory against France to reclaim the title four years ago.

Cape Verde pushed Argentina to the brink in the last round before the defending champions eventually won 3-2 in extra time.

Tuesday's match was even more dramatic, with Messi having a first-half penalty saved and another effort hit the post.

“I’m so emotional,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said. “What a group of players, brother.”

Egypt took a surprising lead in the 15th minute when Ibrahim got ahead of Lisandro Martinez to meet Marwan Attia’s cross and head the ball into the bottom corner.

Argentina was quickly given the chance to level the match when Haissem Hassan tripped Nicolas Tagliafico in the box moments later. Referee François Letexier pointed to the penalty spot and Messi stepped up with an expectant crowd waiting for him to score.

Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir had other ideas, diving to his left to block the shot for Messi’s second penalty miss of the tournament after also failing from the spot against Austria in the group stage.

Despite being the all-time leading scorer at World Cups, Messi has now missed four of eight penalty kicks at the tournament.

After Messi hit the post later in the half, Shobeir pulled off another great save to stop Julian Alvarez from close range.

Egypt thought it had doubled its lead in the second half when Mostafa Zico finished off a sweeping attack. But the wild celebrations were cut short when a foul earlier in the move was confirmed on video review and the goal was disallowed.

That second goal for Egypt did come in the 67th from a similar break, and this time Zico’s effort counted. It just wasn't enough.

“We looked better compared to the reigning champions. We were better in everything, but the result,” Egypt coach Hossam Hassan said.

Hassan said he would not watch any further games at this year's World Cup, believing his team should have had a penalty before Argentina broke away for the winning goal.

“I’m not convinced with this outcome. I’m not convinced with the way things unfolded during this match,” he said. “I do not want to try to put it nicely here with beautiful wording, selected wording, and saying hard luck and so on and so forth.

“We have been treated unfairly today,” Hassan said. “We have suffered injustice.”

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James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson

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Knicks, Taylor Swift, World Cup: Is Serena Williams at the US Open next in the Summer of New York?

Andrew Dampf, Associated Press — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 20:58:56 +0000

Serena Williams could be up next in the Summer of New York.

After the Knicks’ first NBA championship in more than 50 years, Taylor Swift’s wedding at Madison Square Garden and the World Cup final to be played just across the Hudson River, it looks like another circus is coming to town.

To the Flushing Meadows section of Queens, to be precise.

All indications point to the 44-year-old Williams playing the U.S. Open next month for the first time in four years.

“Her intention is to keep playing; the U.S. Open as well,” Rennae Stubbs, one of Williams’ coaches, said at Wimbledon on Tuesday — a week after Williams lost in her first singles match since 2022.

Williams injured her right knee midway through a three-set loss to Maya Joint at the All England Club and withdrew from a doubles match with older sister Venus on Saturday.

Williams shared an Instagram update over the weekend that included images of four syringes filled with fluid drained from her knee.

“As long as physically she can go — and I’m hoping in a few weeks that’s the case — to get her back on the court and hitting balls,” Stubbs said.

Main draw singles play at the U.S. Open starts Aug. 30.

“All I can say,” Serena said after her loss, “is stay tuned to a city near you.”

‘It will be huge’

James Blake, the Yonkers, New York, native who reached the U.S. Open quarterfinals twice, knows just what Williams will bring to the tournament.

“It will be huge and it’s deserved because she’s the greatest of all time on the women’s side — and an American,” Blake said of the 23-time Grand Slam champion. “She’s an idol for so many young girls.”

Blake is now the Miami Open tournament director and a tennis commentator for ESPN.

“She’s been through this for the last 20 years so she knows what a circus it will be and she’s willing to put herself through that,” Blake told The Associated Press. “That shows how much she loves the game and she loves the competition.”

Added doubles great Bob Bryan: “Serena is a legend. Everyone wants to see her on the court again. It’s a great story.”

Williams practiced at Bryan's club in Florida earlier this year.

“She wasn’t giving away too much information but she was getting 12 rackets strung. ... So we knew she was serious,” Bryan said. “Hopefully she gets healthy and can make a run this summer. She’s going to win again for sure. She’s a champion.”

Warmup tournaments

Williams played only two doubles matches — but no singles — before Wimbledon. Expect her to play more singles before the U.S. Open.

If she desires, Williams should have no problem obtaining wild-card invitations from tournament organizers at U.S. Open warmups in Toronto and Cincinnati, Ohio.

“I know that for her, trying to play certainly something before the U.S. Open will be something she would like to do,” Stubbs said. “But at the same time it’s going to depend on how physically she’s doing.”

Knee issue

In Williams’ social media post about her injury, she said “the good news is my knee shouldn’t swell or collect that much fluid again.”

Still, it was more of a factor against Joint than many people thought, according to Stubbs.

“She did whisper to me, ‘I would have won if I had a good knee,’” Stubbs said. “Leading up to the tournament, she was playing practice sets (and) beating players that are still in the tournament. I won’t mention which ones because I don’t want to embarrass them but she was playing well.”

Despite being away for so long, Williams still hit serves beyond 120 mph and showed off her same old heavy groundstrokes, which landed within inches of the baseline.

The only real issue was her movement.

“Considering how bad the knee was it’s pretty miraculous really that she went as long as she did in the match,” Stubbs said. “She was rubbing her legs every change of end. … So I could see that there was something going on that was a little unusual for her.

“But the fact that she got through, walked off the court and nobody even really knew was pretty miraculous. And it also shows how high her pain tolerance is.”

Hard courts

After the grass of Wimbledon, the hard courts of the U.S. Open — which she has won six times in singles — could be more favorable for Williams.

“Everybody saw her standard was still pretty good and so once she gets on the hard courts she’s going to have better stability,” Stubbs said. “We all know how well she plays on hard courts so it’s just a matter of getting her body back in into the shape she wants.”

Added retired player Caroline Wozniacki, one of Williams’ best friends: “I thought she moved well already on the grass. … She didn’t win the more important points in the match, but she did a good job. I would expect her to just keep doing better as this comeback progresses.”

Match toughness

Williams was broken only once as she lost the opening set to Joint. Then she won the second in a tiebreaker and didn’t really fade away until midway through the third.

“I’m sure just playing a few matches will get her more precise,” Blake said. “She missed one easy ball and then things unraveled a little bit. When she’s at her best that turns into one point instead of a game or two games or three games. She’ll get back to being match-tough.

“If she plays three or four matches before the U.S. Open,” Blake added, “it will be — not an entirely different player — but quite an improvement by the U.S. Open.”

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Parents of Bucknell football player who died say they appreciate criminal charges against coach

Gene Johnson, Associated Press — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 01:42:33 +0000

The parents of a Bucknell University football player who died after collapsing during the first day of training camp in 2024 said Tuesday they appreciated a decision by the Pennsylvania attorney general to bring criminal charges against the strength and conditioning coach who oversaw the session.

Calvin “CJ” Dickey Jr. was a freshman in July 2024 when Mark Kulbis told him and other football players to do 100 “up-downs,” also known as “burpees,” along with full-body plank drills, according to the attorney general’s office. Dickey had sickle-cell trait, a medical condition that can increase the risk of serious injury or death following extreme exertion.

“We're at the point where we're just glad that someone is being held responsible for our son's death,” Calvin Dickey Sr., of Land O’ Lakes, Florida, told The Associated Press in a phone interview. “We just want to see the process through, and we're going to leave it to the attorney general to continue following the evidence.”

Prosecutors announced Monday that Kulbis had been charged with felony aggravated hazing and misdemeanor counts of involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment and hazing.

“While the death of Calvin Dickey is tragic, Mark Kulbis did not contribute to it and is not responsible for it,” his attorney, Barbara Zemlock, said in a written statement. “The strength and conditioning program that was implemented was appropriate and in accordance with the training that Mr. Kulbis received, and with applicable standards."

Sickle-cell trait, which is diagnosed through a blood test, doesn’t usually affect people’s daily lives. But it can cause decreased blood flow and muscle breakdown after intense exertion, dehydration or high body temperatures. In very rare cases, that can result in collapse and death.

After other deaths involving athletes with sickle-cell trait, the NCAA in 2010 began requiring that new Division I athletes be tested for the condition and alerting coaches that athletes with it should slowly build up their intensity while training and be provided adequate rest and recovery.

Dickey, who was 6-foot-5 (195 cm) and nearly 300 pounds (136 kg), had grown up playing sports and by his junior year of high school decided to focus on football, his parents said. He played both offensive and defensive lineman, meaning he was often in for the vast majority of the game.

According to a federal lawsuit they filed against Bucknell last year, they did not know he had sickle-cell trait until he took the mandatory screening just weeks before training camp. Calvin Dickey Sr. said that the day before camp was to start, he received assurances from the offensive line coach that his son would be protected.

But Dickey Jr. started struggling and passed out while doing exercises that Kulbis had assigned as a punishment for the players not performing drills correctly, the lawsuit said. He was hospitalized and died two days later.

While it is rare for coaches to be charged criminally in cases where athletes collapse and die, some have been.

In Georgia, a girls basketball coach and an assistant coach were charged with murder after 16-year-old Imani Bell suffered heat stroke and died in 2019 during a training session that was held outdoors despite a heat advisory being in effect. That case remains pending. The school district settled the family’s lawsuit for $10 million and agreed to rename the gym in her honor.

In 2009, a former Kentucky high school football coach was acquitted of reckless homicide and endangerment charges in the heatstroke death of 15-year-old Max Gilpin. Defense attorneys argued that the Gilpin’s medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder had caused him to overheat.

Dickey Sr. and his wife, Nicole Dickey, said their son loved playing football, but he planned to use his scholarship to Bucknell to receive an education that would eventually help him work in pharmacy. He became enamored of the field after speaking to a family friend who worked as hospital pharmacist, they said.

Since his death, they have channeled their grief into a foundation that helps raise awareness about sickle cell trait in athletes and promotes the health of student-athletes. It provides scholarships and hosts a program for football linemen called “50 Cal Big Man Camp,” after the number he wore.

“Those are the kind of things right now that bring a smile to my face and touch my heart,” Nicole Dickey said. “We want to protect the next generation and share what we've learned.”

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Johnson reported from Seattle. Associated Press writer Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed.

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

Ashley French — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 01:38:43 +0000

Fernandina Beach e-bikes and other personal mobility devices will now be under different rules and regulations after city commissioners unanimously passed the ordinance on Tuesday night.

City leaders say the ordinance was a response to mounting complaints about unsafe e-bike riding, particularly involving juveniles throughout the island and downtown area.

Fernandina Beach Police Chief Jeff Tambasco said the city used definitions for electric bicycles directly from Florida state statutes and tried to mirror state law as closely as possible.

Tambasco said the goal is not to immediately punish riders, but to change behavior. “We’re looking for corrective action,” he told News4JAX back in June, adding the rules are intended to improve safety “to help ensure the safety of our e-bike riders, our walkers, and our overall community that’s enjoying our beautiful city.”

The ordinance would set speed limits of 10 miles per hour for bicycles and electric bicycles on sidewalks, trails and paths, and 20 miles per hour on roadways.

Tambasco said the ordinance adds additional guidelines for where electric assist can be used:

Sidewalks: 10 mph, human-power only (no throttle or electric assist)
Beaches: 10 mph, pedal assist allowed
Multi-use pathways and trails: 10 mph, pedal assist allowed

The devices are prohibited in city parks and golf courses.

The ordinance was proposed in May after officials said they were receiving increased complaints about unsafe riding, particularly involving juveniles and young adults. Residents have reported riders speeding on sidewalks, doing wheelies and rolling through stop signs.

Police also outlined a revised four-step enforcement plan starting with education—warning and documentation, parent contact for juveniles, a citation that can be waived with a safety course within 30 days, and then $50 fines for repeat violations. The plan would take effect when the law passed.

St. Johns County commissioner calls for 2 sitting commissioners accused in fake voter guide scheme to step down

Scott Johnson — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 20:44:27 +0000

A St. Johns County commissioner is calling on her colleagues to resign immediately after the State Attorney’s Office charged five Republicans — including two sitting county commissioners — in a fake voter guide scheme tied to the 2024 election.

County Commission Vice Chair Ann Taylor issued a statement demanding the accused leave office.

“If there is any truth to these allegations, for the integrity of St. Johns County, they need to step down immediately so our residents can have a board they can trust,” Taylor said.

The five charged are: St. Johns County Commissioners Christian Whitehurst and Sarah Arnold, former St. Augustine Beach Mayor Dylan Rumrell, former campaign manager Brianna Jordan, and a fifth individual identified as Jamie Johnson. All five are accused of distributing a fake voter guide that falsely showed certain candidates were endorsed by the local Republican Party.

St. Johns County GOP Chair Denver Cook helped alert investigators to the scheme.

“Election integrity isn’t only about election fraud and voter ballots,” Cook said. “It’s all about the people and the way they act and trying to steal the voice of the people.”

Cook also released the following statement on behalf of the St. Johns County GOP.

The details outlined in the state’s sworn affidavit reveal a shocking, calculated criminal conspiracy designed to subvert the democratic process and hijack the official, trusted voice of the St. Johns County Republican Party. As the primary complainant in this investigation, the St. Johns County REC is vindicated by the formal charges of criminal conspiracy, unauthorized voter guides, and tampering with physical evidence. The evidence demonstrates that this was not a campaign misunderstanding. It was a mass-scale decep on involving tens of thousands of dollars, tens of thousands of fraudulent mailers, and a deliberate attempt to overwrite the official, democratic votes of our local REC membership.
The affidavit lays bare a coordinated effort to hide this illicit operation from the public by shipping mailers out of neighboring counties, intentionally withholding statutorily required disclosures, and ultimately burning evidence in a backyard grill when the local news exposed the fraud.
No one is above the law. The weaponization of our official party logo and name to manipulate ‘super voters’ on the eve of early voting is an affront to every volunteer who serves our party and every citizen who casts a ballot.
To be absolutely clear, the St. Johns County Republican Party has issued no endorsements for this current primary cycle. Our absolute focus right now is on ge ng the vote out for this primary, ensuring total transparency, and delivering a clean, fair ballot for the voters of St. Johns County. Because this matter is now a live criminal prosecu on, the St. Johns County GOP will let the State A orney’s evidence speak for itself in a court of law. We will con nue to fight to ensure the voices of our voters are never compromised by deceptive schemes.
St. Johns County GOP Chair Denver Cook

State lawmaker was a target of the scheme

State Rep. Kim Kendall, who represents St. Johns County and won her 2024 race, said her image was removed from the fake voter guide — making her one of its targets.

“To start hearing from people that they had received this fake voter guide was just a big gut punch that’s really hard to explain unless you’ve been in that situation,” Kendall said. “And then to start seeing people going to polls with fake voter guide in hand and try to explain them they had the wrong one.”

Accused respond through attorneys

Attorneys representing Whitehurst, Arnold and Rumrell released a joint statement following the charges.

“These allegations have lingered for nearly two years in the hands of various government agencies,” the statement read. “With formal charges now filed, County Commissioner Arnold, County Commissioner Whitehurst and St. Augustine Beach City Commissioner Rumrell look forward to the conclusion of this matter and will have no further comments at this time.”

AP honors Breanna Stewart as one of the top women’s college players during the Top 25 poll era

Associated Press — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 01:04:09 +0000

The Associated Press honored Breanna Stewart before the New York Liberty's game Tuesday night for being one of the greatest women's college basketball players during the Top 25 poll era.

The AP celebrated the 50th anniversary of the women's basketball poll last season. As part of it, a 13-member panel voted for the greatest college players of the past five decades. Stewart and Cheryl Miller were selected as the top players over the past 50 years.

The UConn great won four straight national championships and was selected as the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four each time. She was presented with her trophy at center court by AP Global Sports Editor Josh Hoffner a few minutes before tipoff of the Liberty’s game against the Dallas Wings.

Miller accepted her trophy at the Final Four in Phoenix last April at the “The AP Top 25 Fan Poll Experience,” which was held at Arizona State’s First Amendment Forum in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Stewart couldn't make that ceremony.

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

Chanel turns the Grand Palais into a dark fairy tale for Matthieu Blazy’s 2nd couture show

Thomas Adamson, Associated Press — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 18:02:51 +0000

Inside the Grand Palais in Paris Tuesday, Chanel's starry salon was swallowed by a garden gone wrong: giant beanstalks climbing to the ceiling and huge flowers blooming a little too brightly to be safe.

Tilda Swinton, Michelle Yeoh and Catherine Deneuve were among the crowd, the kind the Parisian stalwart summons and few others can. The show looked enchanted and faintly poisoned at the same time, which turned out to be the point.

This was designer Matthieu Blazy reaching for the storybook.

The idea came from a small leather-bound book of fairy tales he found on a shelf in house-founder Gabrielle Chanel’s old apartment.

Blazy arrived from Bottega Veneta and is still early at Chanel, the house Karl Lagerfeld ran for 36 years until his death in 2019, and then his longtime deputy Virginie Viard led until 2024.

This is only his second couture outing, and already the place feels lighter.

“I started to wonder, was Gabrielle Chanel’s life a fairy tale?” Blazy said.

Coco's fairy story

Blazy had decided her rise from a convent orphanage to the top of fashion was its own Jack and the Beanstalk: a nobody who climbs, dares and comes back down with the gold.

So the clothes told tales.

The opening look was a sheer Chanel suit, its grid of embroidery shaped like tiny bean shoots. Vines crept up dresses and curled around the heels of shoes. Butterflies and blossoms turned up where you least expected them.

Little evening bags took the shape of sleeping bears and fat chickens; heels were sculpted into butterflies and golden eggs. There were sly nods to Goldilocks, Puss in Boots and the Ugly Duckling, though Blazy was too clever to spell any of it out.

Most of the magic hid inside. Jackets concealed painted linings and mock to-do lists stitched in sheer silk — couture’s grandest craft spent on a shopping list.

Edges were left deliberately frayed, a nod to Coco Chanel’s habit of attacking her own clothes with pins as she fitted them.

“Haute Couture at Chanel is not just a fairy tale; in essence it is for women, their realities and their adventures of the everyday,” Blazy said.

That was the real point.

For all the whimsy

Blazy kept cutting away anything too grand, and what was left were clothes a woman could actually live in: a sharply cut coat, a red sequined shift, an evening look pared all the way back to a black tunic and trousers.

It is the oldest Chanel trick — walk into a room in something plain and make everyone else look as if they tried too hard — and Blazy has quietly made it feel new.

He cast women of every age, which made the argument without a word.

After the customary wedding gown came the finale: a bare black off-the-shoulder dress, less bride than warning shot.

Chanel, famously, never married.

The front row

It should be said that it had turned out as if summoned by the fairy tale itself.

Swinton and Pedro Pascal, Yeoh and Lupita Nyong’o, Deneuve and Vanessa Paradis, the boxer Imane Khelif and the skater Surya Bonaly were among them.

They came for the spectacle. Blazy sent them home thinking about their to-do lists.

Ruben Vargas sends Switzerland to the World Cup quarterfinals with shootout win over Colombia

Anne M. Peterson, Associated Press — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 21:06:11 +0000

In a match with few fireworks, the Swiss were patient against the Colombians and their enthusiastic fans.

After a scoreless draw, Ruben Vargas converted the decisive penalty and Switzerland advanced to the World Cup quarterfinals, beating Colombia 4-3 in a shootout on Tuesday.

Switzerland will face defending champion Argentina on Saturday at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. Argentina defeated Egypt 3-2 earlier in the day.

Switzerland had not reached the quarterfinals of a World Cup since hosting the tournament in 1954. And the Swiss were short-handed Tuesday without young midfielder Johan Manzambi, who was injured in training on Monday.

Vargas, who has scored two goals in the World Cup, also left Monday’s training early but came on in stoppage time at the end of regulation.

In the shootout, Colombia defender Davinson Sánchez's penalty attempt hit the crossbar and Switzerland goalkeeper Gregor Kobel saved an attempt by Cucho Hernández.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino was among those at BC Place, where the sellout crowd of 52,497 was overwhelmingly clad in yellow in support of Colombia.

“They had the crowd on their side, so it was a tough game for us,” Kobel said. “We know we had some stretches of the game where we had to defend and stay strong mentally. Obviously we had a few players missing so, yeah, it was a big challenge for us.”

Colombia failed to qualify for the last World Cup in 2022. Los Cafeteros made the quarterfinals at the 2014 tournament in Brazil, defeating Uruguay in the round of 16 before losing to the host country 2-1.

“The dream was enormous,” Colombia midfielder John Arias said. “The country showed us that it believed in us, that it lived every moment with us, and I think that only makes the pain even greater.”

The Swiss reached the round of 16 at the past three World Cups but failed to advance with a smaller field of 32 teams.

“We worked very hard, and now we have this opportunity,” Switzerland coach Murat Yakin said. “This is going to be a very interesting matchup from our point of view. We will try to compete against the reigning champions and it’s going to be amazing. Switzerland against Argentina in a quarterfinal. I am so excited. I think that I need maybe a couple of hours more or another day to process what just happened, and then tomorrow we will start focusing on Argentina.”

The match was tightly contested by two teams with contrasting styles, the Swiss with a more organized and methodical approach and Colombia more attack-oriented and physical. Switzerland had a slight edge in possession.

Manzambi, a 20-year-old midfielder who plays for German club Freiburg, has three goals in the World Cup, becoming one of the tournament’s breakout stars. The Swiss were also without Luca Jaquez and midfielder Michel Aebischer.

Gustavo Puerta had the first good chance for Colombia with a shot from distance in the 21st minute that was pushed away by Kobel.

The Swiss got one of their best opportunities in the 30th with Fabian Reider’s blast at goalkeeper Camilo Vargas, who punched the ball down. Minutes later, Vargas smothered another attempt from Dan Ndoye.

The Swiss had a free kick in the 52nd minute, but Reider’s attempt curled around the wall and went into the side netting.

In the first extra time period, Jhon Lucumi’s header hit the crossbar and caromed away as Colombia put pressure on Kobel.

“I don’t think you can overstate what a huge success this is — for us, for this team, for Switzerland, for such a small country. To be among the top eight teams in the world is incredible,” Kobel said. “It’s an unbelievable feeling. I’m incredibly proud.”

Colombia and Switzerland also met in the group stage at the 1994 World Cup in the United States, with Los Cafeteros winning 2-0.

___

Heat advisory Wednesday as temperatures soar to dangerous levels

Richard Nunn — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 20:15:49 +0000

Update: Warm evening temperatures continue as a cluster of thunderstorms rumble across Clay County. These are moving slowly toward the east and will weaken as they move over parts of southern Duval and western St. Johns counties.

The showers and storms, some locally heavy, will wind down around 10 to 11 p.m.

A Heat Advisory has been issued for Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Afternoon highs will reach the mid to upper 90s, but our bodies will feel like it’s 105-109 degrees. The sea breeze will be the focal point for a few splash-and-dash storms through late afternoon and evening.

The limited rain chances and stifling heat continue Thursday and Friday. Rain chances pick up both Saturday and Sunday, with the unsettled pattern lingering into early next week.

Tonight: Isolated showers and storms, some locally heavy.

Wednesday: Heat Advisory 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Whew, it’s HOT! Isolated showers and thunderstorms, 20-30 percent. Morning lows in the 70s to 80s. Afternoon highs in the mid to upper 90s inland, 80s to low 90s along the beaches. Wind: SW 5-15 mph. Feels Like temperatures 102-109 degrees.

Thursday - Friday: Our hot and humid summer days continue. Near-record highs with Feels Like temperatures hovering in the triple digits. Rain chances will average 10-20 percent.

Looking ahead: A slight chance of showers returns this weekend, with better chances on Sunday as the heat continues. The unsettled pattern will start the week.

Tropics: No tropical activity is expected over the next 7 days in the Atlantic, Gulf, and Caribbean.

Sunrise: 6:31 p.m.

Sunset: 8:32 p.m.

Le Pen says she'll run for French presidency next year despite court-ordered monitor

Sylvie Corbet, Associated Press — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 05:08:36 +0000

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen says she’ll run for the French presidency next year despite being sentenced Tuesday to wear a court-ordered electronic monitor for embezzlement.

The decision by the 57-year-old veteran of three presidential races sets up a fourth campaign like no other: potentially seeking votes while subject to monitoring and with a judge possibly deciding how, and for how long, the punishment is applied.

Le Pen said she will appeal the ruling to France’s highest court and that the process will suspend the sentence that she be electronically monitored for a year.

“I will therefore campaign without an electronic bracelet,” she said in a television interview Tuesday night. “Tonight, I am a candidate for the presidential election.”

Appeals court clears her pathway for another run

The appeals court ruling earlier Tuesday cleared the way for Le Pen by shortening a ban handed down by a court last year that kept her from seeking public office for five years.

But it also said she must wear an electronic monitor, a constraint Le Pen previously said would make campaigning impossible.

But after huddling for hours with other leading figures of her National Rally party, Le Pen made clear Tuesday night that she believes she won't be subjected to monitoring at all, and that her appeal to the Court of Cassation will vindicate her.

“My hands are clean,” she said.

The highest court previously said it would be able to rule before the presidential election, with the first round in April and a knockout round in May.

“I want to pursue all the legal avenues available to me so that I can defend my innocence,” she said.

A similar situation arose in former President Nicolas Sarkozy’s corruption case. An appeals court sentenced him in 2023 to serve part of his sentence under electronic monitoring. Sarkozy appealed to the Court of Cassation, which suspended Sarkozy's sentence pending its review before ultimately upholding the conviction. He wore an electronic ankle monitor last year.

Appeals court confirms Le Pen's guilt but reduces punishment

The appeals court ruled that Le Pen oversaw years of misuse by her National Rally party of European Parliament funds by paying staff with money intended for European Union parliamentary assistants. She denied criminal wrongdoing but said during the trial that the party had made a “mistake.”

The ruling upheld guilty verdicts for all 11 accused, including Le Pen and other party members. The party itself also was declared guilty. The court ruled that it embezzled 2.8 million euros ($3.2 million) over more than 11 years.

“The facts are serious,” said the chief judge, Michèle Agi.

But the court scaled back punishments handed down by a lower court last year.

From five years handed down in March 2025, Le Pen's ban on seeking office was cut to 45 months, with two-thirds of it suspended. Le Pen has already served 15 months of the ban, meaning that the potential obstacle is now removed.

The verdict also cut her prison sentence from four years, two of them suspended, to three years with two suspended.

Le Pen previously said that not being able to make a fourth run in 2027 would amount to “political death.”

Le Pen went straight to her party’s office

From the courthouse, Le Pen went to the National Rally's headquarters in Paris, to consult her protégé Jordan Bardella and others. Bardella, a European Parliament lawmaker, would have been Le Pen's replacement as the party's presidential candidate if she had decided that electronic monitoring prevented her from running.

But a Le Pen has been on ballot papers at every presidential election since 1988: four times for her father and three times for her.

Her embezzlement conviction leaves her open to attacks from critics and potential election opponents. But she quickly sought to turn the verdict into a campaign message, making the point that the court ruling restored the option for voters to cast ballots for her next year.

The party was called the National Front when her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, founded it in 1972. It ditched that name in 2018, part of Marine Le Pen’s efforts to broaden her appeal by moving away from her polarizing father’s legacy. His associations with people who collaborated with France’s Nazi occupiers in World II and his multiple hate-speech convictions, including Holocaust denial, made the National Front anathema to many voters.

The court, in written notes detailing the verdict, made clear that it had the 2027 election in mind. It noted “the voter’s freedom of choice” and said the ban from seeking elected office that Le Pen has already served repaired harm done to public integrity by her wrongdoing.

“Disregarding this would undermine the principle of freedom to stand for election, an essential condition for the democratic expression of universal suffrage,” the court said.

___

Associated Press journalist Nicolas Vaux-Montagny contributed to this report.

Reform UK’s Farage says he’ll quit as lawmaker and seek reelection amid donation allegations

Jill Lawless, Associated Press — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 12:54:57 +0000

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage announced Tuesday that he will quit his seat in Parliament and seek reelection in an effort to clear his name over financial allegations linked to millions of dollars’ worth of donations.

The unexpected resignation is an effort by the anti-immigration politician to preempt a standards investigation that could have seen him ejected as a lawmaker, and to present himself as the victim of a witch hunt by the media and his political foes.

“I have done nothing wrong. I have not broken the law in any way at all. I have not misused public money,” Farage, a prominent ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, said in a statement broadcast by his party. Media outlets were not allowed to attend the broadcast and he did not take questions.

Farage faces a parliamentary standards investigation about undeclared and potentially rule-breaking donations, including a 5 million pound ($6.7 million) gift he received from a Thailand-based cryptocurrency billionaire. A finding of wrongdoing could lead to Farage being suspended or expelled from Parliament. But he has made the first move by triggering an election for his seaside seat of Clacton in eastern England.

“The people of Clacton should be the judges of my actions,” Farage said. “This will be a people versus the establishment by-election.”

And, he said: “I will fight to win.”

Farage won Clacton comfortably in the 2024 election, taking 46.2% of the vote, and stands a strong chance of winning reelection — not least because he may run largely unopposed. The governing Labour Party and opposition Conservatives and Liberal Democrats all said they would not put forward candidates.

Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer called Farage's announcement “a desperate stunt” from a man “up to his neck in sleaze.” Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said her party “will not be standing a candidate in the fake by-election that Farage is causing to distract people from what is happening."

Reform UK said it was willing to pay for the special election, which may deflect claims it is wasting taxpayers’ money.

The gambit may only postpone Farage’s problems. Even if he wins, the standards inquiry is likely to resume. The Guardian reported Tuesday that bankers aware of the transaction had reported the 5 million pound donation to the National Crime Agency as potentially laundered money.

The crime agency said it did not confirm or deny the receipt of financial “suspicious activity reports,” which are confidential.

Farage tipped by some as a future prime minister

Scrutiny of Farage’s finances has spurred speculation about the future of a politician some considered the favorite to be prime minister after the next national election.

One of the most high-profile and controversial figures in British politics, Farage has had an outsized impact as a champion of leaving the European Union and foe of large-scale immigration. He was key in securing victory for the “leave” side in the 2016 EU membership referendum.

His rise has echoes of Trump’s nationalist, anti-immigration playbook. Farage has capitalized on — critics say stoked — concerns about migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats, which he has called an invasion, and alleges that white people face discrimination from police.

He also rails against “the establishment” and the media, which he claimed are using “foul means” to stop him.

A skilled communicator whose supporters see a beer-drinking plain-speaker, and whose critics see a populist rabble-rouser, Farage has had a checkered political career and was only elected to Parliament in 2024 after seven failed attempts. Farage also has a history of walking away from parties he led, stepping down from both the UK Independence Party and its successor, the Brexit Party, in the last decade.

Reform UK has only eight of the 650 seats in the House of Commons but consistently leads opinion polls over the governing Labour Party and the main opposition Conservatives.

Farage’s party was the big winner in local and regional elections in May that led to the ouster of Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the hands of his own Labour Party.

But Reform UK has lost three consecutive special elections that it hoped to win, a possible sign its support may be sagging. The most recent loss was to Labour’s Andy Burnham, who is likely to succeed Starmer as prime minister within weeks.

Donors include a crypto billionaire and a fraudster

Parliamentary standards commissioner Daniel Greenberg is investigating the 5 million pound donation to Farage from Christopher Harborne, a British businessman based in Thailand. Farage says the money was a personal gift that he used to fund security and came before he was elected to the House of Commons.

U.K. rules state that newly elected lawmakers must declare gifts worth more than 300 pounds ($400) they received in the previous 12 months, except where the gift “could not be reasonably thought by others” to relate to their political activities.

Farage is also facing questions about claims, reported by the Sunday Times, over his financial relationship with George Cottrell, an aristocratic crypto-gambling entrepreneur, convicted fraudster and on-off aide to the Reform UK leader.

Cottrell was arrested at Chicago’s O’Hare airport in 2016, while traveling with Farage, over allegations he offered to launder money for undercover agents posing as drug traffickers. Indicted on 21 counts relating to money laundering, fraud, blackmail and extortion, he agreed to plead guilty to a single charge of wire fraud, admitting attempting to defraud criminals on the dark web by masquerading as a money launderer. He served eight months in prison.

Cottrell, 32, remains close to Farage, and The Sunday Times said he gave the politician funding for staffing and security before Britain’s 2024 general election, as well as the use of a London townhouse near Buckingham Palace.

Jacksonville babysitter admits to throwing, shoving young child in multiple abuse incidents, JSO says

Kaitlyn Shemenski — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 23:56:06 +0000

News4JAX has obtained more arrest reports connected to a serious case of child abuse in Jacksonville.

Zaben Kinard, 30, and his wife Jasmine Kinard, 28, were arrested and booked into the Duval County jail on July 1. Each face three counts of child neglect with great bodily harm, a second-degree felony.

Their babysitter, Alexus Wortman, 27, faces three counts of aggravated child abuse and two counts of child neglect with great bodily harm.

Child transferred to Wolfson Children’s Hospital

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office was called on June 30, after a child was transferred from Baptist Hospital Town Center to Wolfson Children’s Hospital, due to the severity of his injuries.

A doctor at Wolfson Children’s Hospital, confirmed the child’s injuries included a fractured skull, brain bleed, fractured sternum, fractured ribs in different stages of healing, blood pooling in the stomach and a human bite mark on the left leg, according to the report.

Suspects interviewed at police memorial building

Wortman, Jasmine Kinard and Zaben Kinard — were transported to the Police Memorial Building for questioning according to Wortman’s arrest report.

Police say Wortman told detectives she had been living with Zaben and Jasmine Kinard for approximately one year after meeting Zaben while working at a BP Gas Station/Convenience Mart. She said she became unemployed about two months prior to the arrest and had agreed to babysit the child in exchange for housing, while also working part-time delivering food orders for Walmart.

Three separate incidents detailed in admission: JSO

Wortman admitted to at least three separate incidents in which she caused the child’s injuries between June 11 and June 29, according to her arrest report.

On June 11, Wortman told detectives she woke up in a bad mood and, while alone with the child after the Kinards left for work, became angry and threw an object — possibly a bottle — at the child’s head. Photos shown during the interview confirmed the child’s head and face were swollen, with a bloody circular mark around his left temple and blood in his left eye. Wortman admitted she did not tell the Kinards what happened, fearing they would kick her out.

On June 24, Wortman told detectives she slipped on wet grass while carrying the child from her vehicle, causing the child’s head to strike the rear of the car. She said the Kinards were notified of the fall via text. The following day, June 25, the child was taken back to Baptist Hospital Town Center — but Wortman said the Kinards did not tell medical staff what had actually caused the injuries.

On June 29, Wortman stated she “snapped” after the child made a mess in a playroom. According to the report, she “shoved [the victim] ‘so hard’ into a closet area,” causing his head and face to swell and giving him a black eye. She admitted the child was then placed in a car seat that evening and left in the living room so as not to wake the Kinards — and that she stayed with him overnight because she feared his injuries were life-threatening.

Child diagnosed with brain damage

By the time Wortman was interviewed, medical staff at Wolfson Children’s Hospital had advised detectives that the child had been intubated and that his injuries were so severe they could not ensure he will survive.

Wortman was informed that the child had been diagnosed with brain damage — damage that investigators noted may have been avoided had she disclosed the abuse earlier.

“Alexus admitted she was negligent because she failed at least three times, June 11, June 24 and June 29, 2026, as she was well aware that the victim suffered blunt force trauma at her hands,” a detective wrote in the report.

Wortman told detectives she had delayed reporting the injuries because she feared she would be kicked out of the home and left homeless, and that there would be “no one to bail her out of jail.”

Husband and wife knew abuse was occurring, deputies say

Police say Kinard admitted he knew after three incidents that “there was a pattern” and that he had failed to protect the child. He acknowledged that his wife had confronted him multiple times with her suspicion that Wortman was harming the child.

According to Jasmine Kinard’s arrest report, she knew the baby’s injuries were not the result of allergic reactions — but allowed medical staff to treat him under that assumption on multiple occasions.

Kinard told detectives she and her husband discussed the situation but agreed not to “rock the boat”.

Zaben Kinard, Jasmine Kinard and Wortman were booked into the Duval County jail on July 1.

News4JAX is still working to obtain their booking photos.

ABC fights back against FCC regulators in dispute over 'The View' and equal time rules

Jocelyn Noveck, Associated Press — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 00:35:07 +0000

ABC is continuing to fight back forcefully against efforts by federal regulators to reopen the question of whether its popular talk show “The View” is subject to equal time rules.

The network, which has accused the Trump administration of trying to chill free speech in the escalating dispute, argued in a new filing to the Federal Communications Commission, made public Tuesday, that the issue had been resolved by the commission itself more than two decades ago.

The latest ABC filing was required as part of the FCC review process. It consisted of “reply comments” to the commission in support of the network's petition for a declaratory ruling that “The View” — the long-running morning show that combines entertainment and political interviews and often features commentary critical of President Donald Trump — is a bona fide news program.

ABC cited a 2002 FCC decision qualifying “The View” as such, which would mean it's exempt from equal time rules. Those rules require granting equal airtime to competing candidates for office.

In a May filing, ABC similarly accused the Trump administration of trying to chill its constitutionally protected free speech and hinder open political discussion by reopening the question about “The View.”

The dispute over ‘The View’ has broader implications

It was the latest volley in a broader dispute inside and outside the legal arena between the U.S. media and the Trump White House over what journalists perceive as the president’s attack on free speech and the media’s ability to do its job. Trump has been critical of media outlets whose journalism runs counter to his agenda.

His FCC chairman, Brendan Carr, has indicated he intends to argue that “The View” is not a so-called bona fide news program. The issue could affect other shows that similarly combine entertainment and politics.

After the May filing, the FCC opened a public comment period on the issue, as part of the review process. ABC pointed out in its filing Tuesday that more than 77,000 comments have been submitted by the public, with “an undeniable majority” of the messages supporting “The View” and free speech.

“The commenters are right to be concerned,” the new filing argued. “The First Amendment does not permit the government to sit in an editor’s chair. Yet that is the seat the Commission now proposes to take ... deciding which broadcast programs qualify as legitimate news and, for those it finds wanting, compelling them to surrender their airtime to guests they never chose to feature.”

It said the dispute over “The View” touches on a march larger principle: “whether a federal regulator may override a broadcaster’s editorial judgment about whom to interview — a judgment the Constitution commits to broadcasters and their audiences, not to the state.”

ABC also argued that “nothing about ‘The View’ that the law cares about has changed since the Commission last answered that question more than two decades ago. ... What has changed is not the program but the political climate around it.”

It contended that Carr's FCC had chosen to focus its attention on daytime and late-night shows “perceived as unfriendly to the current administration — while leaving untouched the vast landscape of talk radio, where candidates routinely appear without their opponents.”

That, it said, “is not evenhanded regulation.”

FCC suggests ABC is misleading its public

An FCC spokesperson responded, in an email to The Associated Press, with a suggestion that ABC was misleading its public.

“While ABC insists that ‘The View’ is a ‘bona fide news program’ under the law,” the spokesperson said, "ABC should focus on complying with its public interest obligations, rather than misleading the public about them.”

The administration’s criticism of “The View” echoes its displeasure with late-night news hosts who criticize Trump — especially ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel. Donald and Melania Trump recently both called for ABC to fire Kimmel for a joke in which the comic described the first lady as having “the glow of an expectant widow.” Kimmel said the joke was a light roast about the couple’s age difference.

___

Jocelyn Noveck covers the intersection of media and entertainment for The Associated Press.

Judge dismisses Prince Harry's privacy invasion lawsuit against publisher of Daily Mail

Brian Melley, Associated Press — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 04:07:21 +0000

Prince Harry's final lawsuit aimed at taming the British tabloids ended in defeat Tuesday as a judge said he failed to prove his privacy invasion claims against the publisher of the Daily Mail.

Justice Matthew Nicklin rejected the broad inferences the Duke of Sussex relied on to try to show that Associated Newspapers Ltd. engaged in unlawful activities. He said there was a shortage of evidence to support the claims and found a possibility that the reporting came from legitimate sources.

“In substance, the claimants’ case invites the Court to conclude that, because the information was private and because Associated cannot positively explain how it was sourced, the article must have been unlawfully sourced,” Nicklin wrote. “That is not a permissible approach.”

The ruling scuttles a bid by Harry and six others, including singer Elton John and actor-model Elizabeth Hurley, seeking substantial damages but could leave them with massive legal bills. ANL put the legal costs for both sides above 50 million pounds ($67 million) for years of case preparation and an 11-week trial.

The publisher called it an “overwhelming victory” and a “magnificent vindication” of the Mail's journalism.

The newspapers had denied the allegations as “preposterous,” insisting the roughly 50 articles at issue were based on lawful sources including friends, royal aides and publicists who offered information to reporters.

Harry said the court had denied him the justice and accountability he sought.

“It is a complete and obvious whitewash, but sadly not altogether unexpected," Harry said in a joint statement with another claimant, anti‑racism activist Doreen Lawrence. “However, the lengths to which the court has gone to exonerate the Mail is as shocking as it is totally unwarranted.”

Harry's campaign against the press yields mixed results

The 436-page decision leaves a mixed legacy for Harry's trio of lawsuits accusing tabloid publishers of using unlawful tactics, such as phone hacking or hiring private detectives to dig up dirt on his life.

Harry won a judgment in 2023 that condemned the publishers of the Daily Mirror for “widespread and habitual” phone hacking. Last year, Rupert Murdoch’s flagship U.K. tabloid, The Sun, made an unprecedented apology for intruding on his life for years and agreed to pay substantial damages to settle his privacy invasion lawsuit.

Mark Stephens, a media lawyer not involved in the case, said Harry's first significant loss was due to a lack of evidence such as admissions of culpability that he had in previous lawsuits.

“This was always a mosaic case where little inferences from different things were being put together by the lawyers for Prince Harry,” Stephens said. “Associated Newspapers' lawyers cleverly rearranged the tiles to show an innocent picture as opposed to the culpable picture that the claimants' lawyers were trying to demonstrate.”

The verdict, released remotely with no court hearing, coincided with Harry’s visit home to the United Kingdom, which has been dominated by headlines over his latest efforts to repair a rift with his father, King Charles III.

Harry has said his litigation — in which he broke with royal family tradition to seek relief in the courts — was a primary source of his falling out with his father and brother, Prince William.

His grudge with the tabloids runs deep and his legal actions are part of his larger quest to reform the news media that he says damaged his relationships and made him “ paranoid beyond belief.”

He blames the press for the death of his mother, Princess Diana, who was killed in a car crash in 1997 while being pursued by paparazzi in Paris, and for attacks on his wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, that led the couple to abandon royal life and move to the United States in 2020.

“They continue to come after me, they have made my wife’s life an absolute misery,” he testified as he choked back tears in the witness box during the trial in January.

Newspaper editor says Harry is a hypocrite

Associated Newspapers' Editor-in-Chief Paul Dacre called Harry “a confused and angry young man” and said he felt sorry he had been drawn into the case. He mocked Harry’s tell-all memoir, “Spare,” which included details of drug use, losing his virginity, and dishing dirt on his kin.

“There isn’t a laundry in the cosmos big enough to wash all the dirty linen he has aired about his own family,” Dacre said. “For him to complain about his privacy being invaded takes not just the biscuit but the whole tin. Poor Harry.”

Attorney David Sherborne said at trial that the Daily Mail and its sister publication, Mail on Sunday, used their journalists, freelance reporters and private eyes for “clear, systematic and sustained use of unlawful information gathering” to snoop on his clients.

Defense lawyer Antony White said Harry was inclined to see unlawful evidence gathering everywhere but the more likely source of stories about him came from “ordinary, legitimate journalism.”

Other claimants in the case were actor Sadie Frost, former politician Simon Hughes and John’s husband, David Furnish.

The Mail trial played out differently from the Mirror case, with journalists parading to court to defend their work. Some Mail reporters pointed to official mouthpieces, such as a palace spokesperson, and others named their sources to dispute Harry’s assertion that his “social circles were not leaky.”

“They were not all tight-lipped,” Katie Nicholl, a former Mail on Sunday editor, said about Harry’s associates. “I had very good sources in the inner circle.” ___

Associated Press writer Jill Lawless contributed to this report.

IOC eases path toward Russia returning with full team at 2028 LA Olympics

Associated Press — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 14:44:53 +0000

Russia has moved closer toward having a full team with its national flag and anthem at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

The International Olympic Committee on Tuesday provisionally lifted a suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee and advised Olympic sports bodies to end a three-year program where Russian athletes had to be vetted for permission to compete as neutrals.

The IOC said the timing was because qualifying events are starting for the L.A. Games, and “the need to offer equal access to these competitions to all athletes.”

The move, which also signals a return for Russia in team sports, had been expected since the IOC advised two months ago that athletes from Belarus, which was Russia’s ally when its military invasion of Ukraine started in 2022, should be allowed again to compete with their full national identity.

“We don’t want to hold athletes accountable for the actions of their governments,” IOC president Kirsty Coventry said at an online news conference after she chaired an executive board meeting.

A two-time Olympic gold medalist swimming for Zimbabwe, Coventry said it was a fair decision and noted: “I wouldn’t be sitting here if I had to pay the price when my country was going through things and being sanctioned.”

Ukraine's sports minister Matvii Bidnyi questioned why the IOC altered its rules when in the war “nothing changed. The situation became even worse.”

Russia unleashed waves of missiles and drones at Ukraine early Monday, killing at least 22 people.

“So we don’t understand it,” Bidnyi told The Associated Press in an interview Tuesday. “In this day, when all of Ukraine (is) in a day of mourning, when our flags was a little bit lower because of so many people, our peaceful citizens was killed yesterday at night.”

The IOC also reiterated its “solidarity with the Olympic community of Ukraine” and ongoing financial support.

Barriers remain

The IOC's guidance to reintegrate Russians in international events is not binding for the governing bodies of individual sports.

“Our country’s return to the Olympic family is a green light for international federations to restore the rights of our athletes,” Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyaryov said Tuesday.

Track and field is not following suit.

Asked about the IOC’s decision, World Athletics referred the AP to its decision last week maintaining a ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes in its international events.

In soccer, FIFA and European body UEFA have continued to exclude Russia in competitions such as the World Cup and Champions League, avoiding likely chaos because teams from other countries would refused to play those games.

Russian athletes and teams likely will face issues getting entry visas from some countries hosting sports events.

Russia's return

Among top-tier Olympic sports, swimming's governing body World Aquatics lifted its restrictions on Russian athletes in April.

The ROC was suspended in 2023 when the Russian Olympic body incorporated regional sports councils from occupied regions of eastern Ukraine. But the IOC said “the ROC confirmed that it does not, and will not, conduct any activities in these territories.”

Ukrainian minister Bidnyi described this promise as “just fake and empty words.”

Just 32 athletes from Russia and Belarus competed at the 2024 Paris Olympics as approved neutrals.

The Russian team in Los Angeles could now be closer to the more than 300 athletes sent to the Tokyo Olympics held in 2021. That squad returned with 71 medals including 20 titles.

Athletes still monitored

To be approved for neutral status, Russian athletes had to show no links to state military and security agencies. They also should not have publicly supported the war in Ukraine .

The IOC will continue to monitor social media posts by Russian athletes, Coventry confirmed, citing the “role models” requirement in the Olympic Charter.

“That is strong enough leverage that we would need at any time in order to decide who would be willing and deserving to come to any Olympic Games,” she said.

IOC official James Macleod said the Olympic body gets referrals from Ukraine about problematic social media posts by Russian athletes: “Those are always taken into consideration.”

In a statement Wednesday, the Australian Olympic Committee said it wants the IOC to ensure “a level playing field in competition” given Russia's doping history.

“Russia has had extremely serious anti-doping breaches in the past,” the AOC statement said. “We therefore support the most stringent possible anti-doping controls being in place to ensure all Russian athletes who are returning, some having been out of the system for many years, are fully compliant.”

Flag, anthem to return in October?

The IOC did not yet approve letting Russian athletes and teams compete with their flag and anthem. That decision will come “at an appropriate time,” it said.

The next Olympic competition is the 2026 Youth Summer Games in Dakar, Senegal, opening Oct. 31.

The IOC said to “address the lack of confidence in the global sporting community relating to the return of Russian athletes to international competition,” those athletes must give multiple doping controls and be part of a recognized testing program.

The IOC said it will continue to “not organize IOC events in Russia or invite Russian government or state officials to its events.”

___

AP writer Volodymyr Yurchuk in Kyiv and AP Sports Writers James Ellingworth in Düsseldorf, Germany and Dennis Passa in Brisbane, Australia contributed to this report.

___

AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

Charges filed against Indian crime boss in assassination that strained Canada-India ties

Safiyah Riddle, Associated Press — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 23:46:13 +0000

Authorities announced charges against the leader of an Indian criminal group on Tuesday in connection with the political assassination of a prominent Sikh leader in Canada — a high-profile killing that strained the diplomatic relationship between Canada and India at the time.

The charges were part of a massive law enforcement operation involving agencies across the United States, Canada and Europe that swept up 37 defendants who are allegedly a part of three Indian international crime syndicates tied to kidnappings, racketeering, extortion, firearms dealing, drug trafficking and murder, U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli announced at a news conference on Tuesday. He spoke alongside officials with the Los Angeles Police Department, the FBI and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Authorities are still searching for seven fugitives in the U.S., two in India and one in Europe.

The groups have “have fueled violence, fear and instability within the East Indian communities throughout California and abroad," said Patrick Grandy, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office.

Lawrence Bishnoi, 33, and his childhood friend Satinderjeet Singh are accused of orchestrating the assassination of a well-known Sikh independence activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was fatally shot outside of a temple where he served as president in 2023. The killing sparked tensions between the Canadian and Indian governments, after then-Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that there were “credible allegations” that the Indian government was involved in Nijar's death. Bishnoi is in custody, but Singh has not been apprehended.

Bishnoi's organization “routinely targeted prominent religious, social and political leaders with violence" in exchange for large amounts of money.

Nijjar, 45 when he died, was a prominent member of a movement to create an independent Sikh homeland known as Khalistan, and he was organizing an unofficial referendum among the Sikh diaspora with the organization Sikhs For Justice. Nijjar, who was born in India and was a Canadian citizen, was wanted by Indian authorities at the time of his death. The authorities had offered a reward for information leading to his arrest.

Sikh diaspora activism has been a source of tension between India and Canada for years. Canada has the largest population of Sikhs outside India, and India has repeatedly accused it of tolerating “terrorists and extremists.” Both India and Canada expelled diplomats from the other country amid the international dispute.

Authorities also named two other criminal organizations that were swept up for similar charges over the course of the two-year investigation. The transnational organizations have members in countries ranging from the United States, New Zealand, Australia, Portugal and the United Kingdom. Members of the group are also accused of stealing large quantities of drugs from other criminal organizations operating in California, and then selling the illicit merchandise across the country and into Canada.

The indictments say that some defendants leveraged relationships with corrupt local authorities in India to persecute rivals or those who were believed to be cooperating with law enforcement. At least one defendant is accused of organizing criminal activities while detained at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility, authorities said Tuesday, though it is not clear how he was able to communicate without being detected.

An attorney for Bishnoi was not listed on Tuesday afternoon.

Authorities on Tuesday touted the operation as an example of international cooperation.

“Working together, law enforcement in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Asia are determined to target and dismantle these criminal organizations wherever they operate," Essayli said.

Djokovic outlasts Auger-Aliassime after more than 5 hours to reach Wimbledon semifinals at age 39

Associated Press — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 14:44:42 +0000

Side to side. Corner to corner. Novak Djokovic kept pushing Felix Auger-Aliassime back and forth along the Centre Court baseline at Wimbledon to retrieve one shot after another.

Finally, on the 22nd shot of a grueling rally deep in a fifth-set super tiebreaker, Auger-Aliassime had a forehand in the middle of the court. Under normal circumstances it might have been just the shot he was looking for.

Not this time. Not after five hours of battling with the 39-year-old Djokovic.

Auger-Aliassime, a 25-year-old Canadian with one of the top-rated forehands on tour, had nothing left in his tank. He sprayed his forehand wide to give Djokovic a 9-4 lead. Then both players bent over in exhaustion and leaned on their rackets. Djokovic, while he was bent over, still found energy to encourage the crowd to cheer louder, waving his right arm for more noise.

One point later, the longest quarterfinal in Wimbledon history — at 5 hours and 15 minutes — was finished.

“These,” Djokovic said, “are the kind of moments that I still play tennis for.”

Djokovic, the seven-time Wimbledon champion, prevailed 7-6 (10), 3-6, 6-3, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (4) on Tuesday to set up a semifinal against defending champion Jannik Sinner.

“I’m still able to battle these young guys that have 15 years less than me,” Djokovic said. “I’m able to beat them at the tightest possible scoreline. ... In a sense, it is really a nice surprise. But at the same time, I always have the highest expectations for myself.”

Djokovic continues to break records as he chases a 25th Grand Slam title. He’s reached a record-setting eighth consecutive Wimbledon final four — moving him one ahead of Roger Federer for most consecutive men’s singles semifinal appearances at the grass-court tournament.

“We know, because we’ve seen him so much, but it’s so impressive that he does it time and time again,” Auger-Aliassime said.

The match ended just before the All England Club's 11 p.m. curfew took effect.

To celebrate, Djokovic raised his arms high and wide and took in the applause as he walked to the net to shake hands with Auger-Aliassime. Then Djokovic performed a little elbows-to-knees dance. He often mentions that his daughter, who was watching in the players' box, tries to teach him moves.

Later, Djokovic was asked to compare himself with another 39-year-old still performing at the highest of levels: Lionel Messi of Argentina.

“It would be nice to play 90 minutes like him,” Djokovic said of the soccer great.

Rematch with Sinner

Sinner spent less than half the amount of time on court as Djokovic did when he beat Jan-Lennard Struff 7-5, 7-6 (4), 6-3 much earlier in the day on No. 1 Court.

Sinner beat Djokovic in straight sets in last year’s Wimbledon semifinals; and Djokovic outlasted the Italian over five sets in the last four of this year’s Australian Open.

“I wish it was finals, so I don’t need to worry about how the body will feel tomorrow,” Djokovic said. “I was telling the kids to go to sleep after the fourth (set) but they didn’t want to listen. I’m glad they stayed because it was honestly one of the best matches I was part of on this court in my career.”

Djokovic does get two days off before Friday's semifinals.

Medical time out

Late in the first set, Djokovic dealt with what appeared to be a lower-leg issue. He took a medical time out and a trainer tested the stability of his left ankle and calf before massaging his calf muscle.

Djokovic had earlier leaned over to stretch his leg by pulling back the tip of his sneaker. He also stretched while standing at the back wall.

There was more stretching the rest of the way, too — especially late in the fifth set.

“It was really anybody’s game in the super tiebreak in the fifth,” Djokovic said.

Djokovic opposes roof closure

Djokovic objected to the decision to close the Centre Court roof at 7:40 p.m. after Auger-Aliassime won the second set to level at a set apiece.

Djokovic told Wimbledon tournament referee Denise Parnell that they could squeeze in another set before the natural light faded.

“We can play a whole another set outdoors. We’re an outdoor tournament,” Djokovic said. “You remember the first round? You didn’t close it until like 8:20, 8:30 and now you want to close it at 7:40. Where’s the consistency?

“You’re so proud of your rules and you’re not sticking to any kind of rules,” Djokovic added.

Gauff rallies

Down a set after untimely double-faults, Coco Gauff rallied past Jessica Pegula 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 to reach the semifinals here for the first time.

The 22-year-old Gauff became the youngest player to reach the semifinals at all four Grand Slams since Maria Sharapova, who completed the feat at the 2007 French Open, the women’s professional tennis tour said.

Gauff will face 10th-seeded Karolina Muchova of the Czech Republic for a spot in Saturday’s final. Muchova, the 2023 French Open runner-up, eliminated Naomi Osaka 7-6 (4), 6-4.

In Gauff’s six previous appearances at the All England Club, she had never advanced beyond the fourth round.

“After seven years playing this tournament it’s finally the first time I can walk on Centre Court and I didn’t feel nervous,” Gauff said.

In the completion of a fourth-round match, second-seeded Alexander Zverez beat Jiri Lehecka 6-4, 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (6) to set up a quarterfinal Wednesday against sixth-seeded Taylor Fritz.

___

Georgia woman faces up to 75 years in prison for TJ Maxx, Marshalls, HomeGoods fraud scheme

Kaitlyn Shemenski — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 21:22:51 +0000

A Georgia woman is facing up to 75 years in prison after pleading no contest to racketeering and fraud charges tied to a multistate scheme that cheated TJX Companies stores out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Santina Green, also known as Santina Hill, of Decatur, Georgia, entered an open plea of no contest to racketeering, conspiracy to commit racketeering and fraud charges in connection with her role in the scheme. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced the conviction.

“This conviction holds a fraudster accountable for leading a sophisticated racketeering scheme that stole hundreds of thousands of dollars across multiple states,” Uthmeier said.

“Thanks to FDLE and our statewide prosecutors, this organized fraud ring has been stopped. We will continue our fight against retail fraud to protect Florida businesses and keep prices down for families.”

How scheme worked

The scheme targeted TJX Companies stores — including TJ Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods — defrauding them of more than $50,000 in Florida and up to $300,000 overall through repeated fraudulent refunds.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s investigation focused on fraudulent receipted returns of high-value area rugs, priced between $400 and $1,000, at TJX stores from November 2020 through May 2021.

According to prosecutors, the group purchased expensive rugs at TJX “combo” stores using debit cards, then immediately returned them, keeping the receipt. They then used the same receipt — or a duplicate — at other TJX locations to return cheaper, non-TJX rugs that had been marked with forged price coding to mimic genuine products.

The scheme exploited a lag in data reconciliation between different types of TJX store locations, allowing the group to collect multiple refunds on a single receipt before the transactions were flagged nationally. Nine debit cards linked to the subjects were identified in 84 fraudulent Florida transactions.

Witnesses called from multiple states

Green’s plea came during her trial as Statewide Prosecutors called witnesses from England, Massachusetts, Virginia, Pasco County, Sarasota County and Miami-Dade County.

Investigators identified Green as the primary suspect using government-issued IDs, multiple aliases, store surveillance video, return data and bank records. The activity continued into April 2021.

Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 3, 2026.

Democratic-led states face backlash over National Guard deployments in Washington

Gary Fields And Nathan Ellgren, Associated Press — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 19:37:50 +0000

A National Guard deployment to Washington, D.C., has ballooned during the celebrations of the country's 250th anniversary of independence, bolstered in part by contingents from Democratic-led states.

That participation has sparked anger among some in the nation's capital who argue the troops are not just there to assist in securing the festivities but are being drawn into the Trump administration's ongoing, open-ended Guard deployment to the city.

A contingent from Minnesota sent for the 250th is set to depart early. On Tuesday, a coalition of think tanks and civic, labor and civil rights groups asked Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to withdraw the state's National Guard forces, saying they have been misused.

“Previous presidents have requested assistance from out-of-state Guard forces during major events in D.C., and such requests would normally give little cause for concern," the groups said in a letter. "But there is nothing normal about the way President (Donald) Trump has used National Guard forces in the nation’s capital.”

The National Guard has been deployed since last summer

The presence of National Guard members in Washington, D.C., has been contentious since August 2025, when Trump issued an emergency order because of what he said was out-of-control crime.

The local National Guard was activated and deployed to the streets, along with hundreds of federal law enforcement officers and agents. Trump also took control, briefly, of the local police department. States, all led by Republican governors, sent members of their Guard forces, as well.

Over the months, Guard members have responded to medical emergencies, assisted with arrests, helped local police enforce the city’s juvenile curfew and carried out beautification projects. The D.C. Guard helped with snow removal during a major storm in January.

While the deployment stayed consistently in the 2,300 to 2,600 range, in recent weeks the numbers increased to around 5,000 as part of the security plan for the Great American State Fair, the fireworks display on July 4 and other crowd-intensive events.

Democratic-led states were part of that surge, and their troops were originally expected to remain for weeks. Michigan sent roughly 160 troops. Minnesota sent just over 100. Both of those states have joined other Democratic-led states in supporting a lawsuit challenging the ongoing deployment to the city.

Activists say Guard members seen far from 250th events

Keya Chatterjee, executive director of Free DC, a group dedicated to achieving statehood for the District of Columbia and one of the organizations signing Tuesday's letter, said her organization has seen Michigan Guard members near metro stops and in neighborhoods “far from the Mall" despite a threat from Whitmer to pull them out.

Free DC has organized a network of people to monitor and chronicle overall Guard activities in the city. It protested at an event last week hosted by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth meant to thank the Guard troops for their service in securing the city.

Officials there, including acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and top White House adviser Stephen Miller, spoke to the troops both about the crime in the city as well as security preparations for the 250 celebrations.

“It’s a righteous and beautiful mission,” Hegseth said.

The Pentagon referred questions to the Joint Task Force-District of Columbia. which did not respond to a series of questions on the deployments.

Chatterjee told The Associated Press that the Democratic governors who had sent personnel to the city were “pretending they don’t know" that their Guard members could be used as part of the Safe and Beautiful Task Force, established through a presidential executive order last year and said to be fighting crime in the city.

Minnesota ends deployment early as Michigan weighs next steps

Minnesota is set to withdraw its Guard members Saturday, earlier than the planned July 23 return.

In a statement, Air Force Maj. Nathan Wallin, deputy state public affairs officer for the Minnesota National Guard, attributed that to “the successful conclusion of festivities” and made no mention of activists' concerns.

A lone Kentucky Guard member was brought home before the main events began after being diverted to the task force “without the knowledge or consent” of the state's governor or its Guard command, said Scottie Ellis, Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear's communications director.

Michigan's deployment is due to continue through Aug. 31. But Whitmer has threatened to end it if there are more reports of the Michigan Guard being used in the ongoing law enforcement deployment. In a letter last week to the commanding general of the state's National Guard, she asked that the Guard's duties be limited to the 250 celebrations.

“I have not deployed — and will not deploy — the Michigan National Guard to support the D.C. Safe and Beautiful Mission,” she wrote.

Elizabeth Goitein, senior director of Liberty and National Security at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law and a signatory to the letter to Whitmer, said the governors of the Democratic states that sent Guard members were placing their trust in the administration to limit the use of their guard forces.

“They are trying to make a distinction here between what their Guard forces are doing in D.C.,” she said. “The problem is the administration is not making that distinction — and cannot be trusted.”

Missing 70-year-old man with dementia found dead

Tue, 07 Jul 2026 15:29:41 +0000

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office was asking for the public’s help in locating a missing 70-year-old man last seen in the Baymeadows area.

Around 3:15 p.m., JSO said the man had been located.

At 5:50 p.m., JSO clarified the man had passed away, and no foul play is suspected.

The man was last seen around 12:45 a.m. on A.C. Skinner Parkway near Deerwood Park Boulevard. Montano has been diagnosed with dementia.

News4JAX is working to learn more about the circumstances surrounding the man’s death.

This is a developing story.

US airlines’ monthly fuel spending topped $6 billion again in May, up 84% from year ago

Rio Yamat, Associated Press — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 22:50:19 +0000

U.S. airlines spent $6.66 billion on jet fuel in May, the second straight month that fuel costs topped $6 billion, according to government data released Tuesday.

The May figure was 84% higher than a year earlier. Airlines spent $6.47 billion on fuel in April, the Bureau of Transportation Statistics said.

The higher year-over-year spending has been driven mostly by pricier jet fuel rather than a significant increase in how much of it airlines consumed. U.S. carriers used 1.627 billion gallons in May, down 0.6% from May 2025. Consumption was also slightly lower in April compared with a year earlier.

The average price airlines paid for fuel in May was $4.09 per gallon, down slightly from $4.11 in April but 85% higher than the $2.21 they paid in May 2025, the agency said.

Airlines worldwide have responded to the jump in fuel prices by raising fares and fees and trimming flight schedules. Fuel is typically one of the industry’s largest operating costs, leaving carriers particularly vulnerable to swings in energy prices.

The latest figures show the continued impact of the sharp rise in energy costs after the conflict in the Middle East started this year and disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global crude and fuel supplies.

Fuel prices have eased from their spring highs after the U.S. and Iran reached an interim ceasefire agreement, offering some relief to airlines after a costly spring. But the truce remains fragile.

Three tankers were struck by projectiles Tuesday in the Strait of Hormuz, according to the British military, and the U.S. revoked a license that had allowed Iranian oil sales under the agreement.

Delta Air Lines is set to report its second-quarter financial results on Friday, kicking off a wave of earnings reports from U.S. carriers. Executives are expected to discuss how recent declines in fuel prices could affect the industry’s finances going forward.

The average price for a gallon of jet fuel was $2.88 across the key airline hubs of Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles and New York on Tuesday, according to the Argus U.S. Jet Fuel Index. The price fell under $3 a gallon June 15 for the first time since early March and has remained below since.

The Latest: US strikes Iran as Trump meets with NATO leaders in Turkey

Associated Press — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 11:03:11 +0000

The U.S. military launched a series of strikes against Iranian targets early Wednesday after three merchant ships were struck in the waters off Oman. In a statement posted to social media, U.S. Central Command said American forces launched the strikes “to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway.”

Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump met with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan ahead of the NATO summit in Ankara, announcing that the U.S. will lift sanctions, opening the possibility of selling F-35 jets to Turkey over Israel's objections.

Trump also criticized NATO’s abilities to function without American leadership and power, expressing disappointment at the refusal of some NATO allies to join the Iran war he launched alongside Israel without consulting them. And he insisted again that Greenland should be “controlled by the United States, not by Denmark.” Of all of his threats to NATO and its member countries, this has posed the greatest danger to the organization.

Alliance leaders are trying to show increased military capabilities as the American focus shifts from defending Europe. The two-day summit will showcase military projects worth billions of dollars aimed at persuading Trump they’re making a stronger Europe for a stronger NATO.

The Latest:

US strikes expected to hit significantly more targets than prior retaliations, official says

The American military strikes against Iran will hit around eight times more targets than the previous round of retaliatory strikes that were conducted at the end of June, a U.S. official said.

Both the strikes conducted Tuesday and two weeks ago were responding to Iranian attacks on merchant shipping near the coast of Oman in the Strait of Hormuz.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing military operation, said Iran hasn’t been listening so the U.S. is “turning up the volume.”

— Konstantin Toropin

US strikes expected to go on for hours, official says

The American military strikes against Iran are expected to go on for hours and strike a variety of military sites and port facilities, U.S. officials said.

One U.S. official said the military is targeting Iranian air defense systems, coastal surveillance systems, ground-to-air missiles as well as launch sites for anti-ship cruise missiles and drones as part of the strikes. Iranian port facilities are also being targeted, the official added.

The second official said the strikes would likely last for hours.

Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing military operation.

— Konstantin Toropin

Iran condemns US strikes

Iranian state media has reported the sound of explosions in Qeshm in the Strait of Hormuz and Bandar Abbas on the Persian Gulf.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned the earlier U.S. move to revoke a license that had authorized the sale of Iranian oil, saying in a statement that it violates the interim deal and that “the U.S. government bears responsibility for the consequences of this breach of commitment.”

Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, also said in a post on X that the new attacks by the U.S. are a violation of that agreement.

US launches new strikes against Iranian targets

The U.S. military launched a series of strikes against Iranian targets early Wednesday after three merchant ships were struck in the waters off Oman.

In a statement posted to social media, U.S. Central Command said American forces launched the strikes “to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway.”

“Iran’s demonstrated aggression was unwarranted, dangerous, and a clear violation of the ceasefire,” the statement said.

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US Treasury revokes a general license authorizing the sale of Iranian oil

The Treasury did not immediately respond to an Associated Press inquiry on why the license was revoked Tuesday, though notice came after three tankers were hit in the latest attacks in the Strait of Hormuz.

In June, Treasury issued a license that authorized the production, delivery and sale of Iranian oil, that would last through Aug. 21. U.S. Vice President JD Vance at the time said lengthy talks with senior Iranian officials in Switzerland created a “good foundation for a successful final deal” to end the Iran war.

Justice Department alumni urge lawmakers to reject Blanche’s nomination

In a letter to members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, more than 1,200 former Justice Department employees accused acting Attorney General Todd Blanche of instilling a “culture of fear” within the agency’s workforce.

Blanche is expected to appear July 15 before the committee considering his nomination to become attorney general.

Justice Department alumni pointed to the loss of roughly 16,000 employees through firings, resignations and voluntary departures. They wrote that “the consequences of Blanche’s attacks on DOJ’s apolitical workforce radiate beyond the halls of Main Justice, affecting the entire country.”

The letter was signed by lawyers who worked under both Republican and Democratic administrations.

In a statement, the Justice Department said the signers included “partisan activists” and “multiple former disgruntled Biden administration officials,” some of whom were involved in the criminal cases against Trump. The department noted support Blanche has received from law enforcement groups including the Major Cities Chiefs Association.

Protesters march peacefully against NATO in Istanbul

Thousands of protestors from leftist, pro-Palestinian and Kurdish parties in central Istanbul marched against the NATO summit being held in Ankara Tuesday, chanting, “Murderer, USA, get out of our country.”

“We are here to protest the hosting in Ankara — at a cost of millions of dollars — of NATO, an organization we regard as a massacre machine established to preserve global hegemony,” said Ali Gültekin, 21.

Günçağ Aydın, 42, a spokesperson for the leftist Red Party, said that leftist groups faced intense pressure from the government ahead of the summit.

“Hundreds of our friends have been detained, but we continue to speak out, saying that NATO is a coalition of what we regard as killers and imperialist powers,” Aydın insists.

The protest ended peacefully and without arrests. Earlier Tuesday, police broke up a small demonstration in Ankara, where protests were banned during the NATO summit, and arrested about 20 people.

NATO leaders dine on sea bass, beef, dumplings and baklava

The White House shared details of the menu for the dinner, which had a first course of flatbread and a honeycomb. It was followed by vegetables and yogurt, traditional dumplings and a choice of sea bass or beef.

Dessert was Baklava with milk, a pistachio foam and traditional Turkish Maras ice cream.Trump arrives at NATO leaders’ dinner

Trump has returned to the Turkish presidential compound for a dinner for leaders of NATO members.

Trump gave a thumbs-up as he walked the blue carpet past a military honor guard to meet Erdogan and his wife who waited at the top of some stairs for him.

Trump shook their hands and spoke to them for a few minutes before posing for a photograph.

He then continued speaking to Erdogan for a moment more before they went inside together.

US establishes energy framework with Japan and Korea on sidelines of NATO summit

The trilateral cooperation agreement was agreed to by Secretary Marco Rubio and his Korean and Japanese counterparts on the margins of the summit to “advance our mutual security interests and paves the way for partner countries to meet their energy security needs,” the U.S. State Department announced in a press release Tuesday.

The memorandum of understanding between the three countries is aimed at accelerating deployment of advanced nuclear reactors in other countries, initially focusing on the Indo-Pacific region.

The release said the U.S. is also committing more than $10 million in new funding for a State Department program aimed at providing technical support to relevant countries.

NATO leaders arrive for dinner hosted by Erdogan

NATO leaders are arriving at the Turkish presidential compound for a dinner hosted by Erdogan.

The leaders are walking along a turquoise‑colored carpet lined with soldiers dressed in historic military garments, before ascending steps where they are greeted by Erdogan and his wife, Emine.

Four NATO allies could face strife over defense spending

Slovenia, Belgium, Spain and the Czech Republic could be in hot water with the Trump administration after new NATO defense spending figures showed they’re struggling to meet the organization’s old target.

NATO leaders agreed last year to invest 5% of GDP on defense by 2035 — 3.5% on core defense requirements and 1.5% on upgrading security related infrastructure like roads, bridges, ports and airports.

The Trump administration is expecting a “first report card” to be handed in by European allies and Canada to demonstrate progress. It’s threatened to take unspecified action against those lacking a solid plan to make the grade.

Some are still struggling to meet NATO’s old target of 2% of GDP. Slovenia is expected to fall short, with just 1.6%. Belgium, Spain and the Czech Republic are forecast to barely make 2%.

How will Netanyahu react?

Rahm Emanuel’s remarks could prompt a similarly fiery response from Benjamin Netanyahu, who famously once called the Democrat who had ambitions of being the first Jewish speaker of the U.S. House a “self-hating Jew.”

The prime minister faces his own battle for reelection in October, and may try to use a confrontation with Emanuel for political gain by appearing to stand strong in the face of international criticism.

As for Democrats, Emanuel’s speed represents a particularly frontal strategy for possible presidential contenders gauging how to address the fallout from Israel’s war in Gaza and Netanyahu’s perceived tilt toward Trump ’s Republican Party.

Emanuel, a longtime Israel supporter, tells AP he has a blunt message for Netanyahu

Rahm Emanuel told The Associated Press in an interview from Tel Aviv ahead of his speech on Wednesday that he’s avoiding interactions with elected officials so as to not interfere with upcoming elections. Instead he’s visiting a hospital serving Israelis and Palestinians and meeting with the family of an Oct. 7 hostage.

Emanuel said Israel’s continued military response to the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, has been “reckless and careless in the treatment of Palestinian life — not only the military campaign but using food and medicine as an instrument of your military goals.”

Asked whether Israel had committed genocide, the stalwart of Democratic centrists said the question should not be considered in isolation without also examining conflicts in Ukraine and Sudan.

“I’m ready to have that discussion,” he said, “but I don’t think it should be politicized, and then dilute the power of what genocide means.”

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What is NATO’s Article 5?

Article 5 is at the heart of the 32-member North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It states that an armed attack against one or more of the members shall be considered an attack against all members.

That security guarantee is the reason previously neutral Finland and Sweden sought to join NATO and why Ukraine and other countries in Europe also want in. It has only been invoked once, in the wake of the Sept.11, 2001, terror attacks on the United States.

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Turkey’s opposition leader criticizes Trump for not visiting Ataturk tomb

Ozgur Ozel said Trump would be the only visiting U.S. president not to pay his respects at the mausoleum of Turkey’s founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

He said every visiting U.S. president since Eisenhower in 1959 had gone to the monument to honor Ataturk, who remains a revered figure in Turkey.

Talking about Trump’s welcome, Ozel said the president should be greeted by children “holding pictures of the 165 girls killed in Iran” – a reference to an airstrike on a school at the start of the Iran war.

Ozel was removed as head of the Republican People’s Party by court order last May. However, many believe the ruling was politically motivated and still consider him the de facto opposition leader.

Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden did not visit Turkey but he did lay a wreath at Ataturk’s tomb as vice-president in 2011.

Explosions rock Damascus as France’s Macron visits Syria

The explosions in Syria’s capital on Tuesday injured at least 18 people, the interior ministry said, as France’s president met with his counterpart in a landmark visit. Both leaders later announced the reappointment of ambassadors, marking a major restoration of diplomatic ties after years of civil war.

It was the second attack in Damascus in a week and a setback for President Ahmad al-Sharaa as he welcomed the first major Western leader to visit since the ouster of longtime dictator Bashar Assad in late 2024. But French President Emmanuel Macron was safe in the presidential palace when the explosions happened, and voiced support for the country’s new direction.

“Nothing can smother the aspiration of Syrian women and men to live in a fully sovereign, safe, pluralistic, and united Syria,” Macron said on X hours later. Both he and Al-Sharaa will next appear in Ankara, Turkey for the NATO summit.

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Three tankers hit in the Strait of Hormuz, British military says

The British military now says three tankers were struck Tuesday in the Strait of Hormuz. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said a third ship was hit by a drone in the critical oil-shipping waterway, where two other tankers had been attacked earlier in the day.

The third ship sustained minor damage, with no one injured, and continued on its way, the UKMTO said.

Iran and the United States agreed as part of an interim deal to allow ships to pass without paying charges for 60 days. But Tehran insisted it must control the routes and later charge fees, which would upend decades of practice in the waterway.

The U.S. and many Gulf Arab states say they will not agree to Iran charging for passage through the strait. An effort by Oman and a United Nations agency to launch a new route near Oman’s shore earlier sparked attacks across the Mideast.

Security is tight in the Turkish capital

Air defenses are on alert, and tens of thousands of police will be on duty.

Neighborhoods around the summit site are closed to traffic, and some state workers have been given time off to help keep roads unclogged.

Public gatherings are banned; however, Turkish police detained more than 20 protestors at a demonstration in central Ankara against the NATO summit on Tuesday.

Erdogan’s government has prioritized security, and authorities have carried out raids on people allegedly linked to extremist groups ahead of the summit.

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Trump says US will lift sanctions that prevented sales of F-35 jets to Turkey

Trump said on Tuesday that the U.S. will lift sanctions on Turkey that were issued after Ankara purchased a Russian missile defense system that led to the country being kicked out of the F-35 fighter jet program.

There are still a number of legal hurdles before Turkey could be fully admitted back to the U.S. program, but the removal of the sanctions — issued under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act — would help ease the process for Ankara to regain access to the F-35s, a top goal of Erdogan.

“We’re going to be taking the sanctions off, OK?” Trump said in response to a question at the presidential palace in Ankara. He said Cabinet officials were working on the matter.

Earlier, he said that the possibility of selling the F-35s to Turkey is “certainly something we will consider.”

▶ Read more

Erdogan hopeful over US defense sales

Erdogan expressed hope that the U.S. will sell F-35 planes to Turkey, saying the U.S. president always stands by his word.

At a joint news conference with Trump, Erdogan also said the two leaders would take up the issue of the sale of jet engines to power Turkey’s domestically-produced KAAN fighter planes.

He said Turkey expects Trump to “repeat the positive news” he previously gave about supporting Turkey’s defense projects.

Trump repeats his insistence that the US should control Greenland

Trump says the semiautonomous island, which is part of NATO ally Denmark, is “an important part for the United States,” and that he does not intend to let Greenland be threatened by China and Russia. He repeated the false claim that it’s surrounded by Chinese and Russian ships.

“That should be controlled by the United States, not by Denmark,” Trump told reporters during a meeting with Erdogan.

Of all Trump’s threats to NATO and its member countries, Trump’s repeated insistence that the U.S. should acquire Greenland has posed the greatest danger to the organization. NATO is founded on the principle that its 32 members will defend each other’s territory and not threaten to seize it.

The British military says a second ship has been hit in the Strait of Hormuz

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center made the announcement Tuesday, hours after it said a tanker traveling off the coast of Oman in the strait was struck by a projectile and caught fire.

Iranian state television reported on the earlier attack, saying the liquefied natural gas tanker came under attack after ignoring warnings, while not directly claiming responsibility. Tehran has repeatedly declared that only its approved route through the strait is safe, and is suspected of attacking other ships that have tried to transit the strait close to the Omani shore.

Talks between Iran and the U.S. appeared to be on hold until after the burial of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed during the initial attacks by the U.S. and Israel that launched the war. Iranian mourners have called for the death of Trump.

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NATO official dismisses fears of a Russian attack on alliance members

A senior NATO official speaking on the sidelines of the summit in Ankara Tuesday said that despite some “reckless” actions by Russia, including airspace violations over Poland, Romania and Estonia, he believes the alliance has been successful in deterring Russia from any potential attack on a member country.

“I see absolutely no indications whatsoever that Russia is interested in any sort of conflict with NATO,” the official said.

He said Moscow is overstretched by its war in Ukraine and knows NATO would respond to any attack on a member.

“I would say now that Russia is deterred, but Russia is deterred because of the actions that we are taking,” he said.

Rahm Emanuel will assail Netanyahu in Tel Aviv speech as American politics shift against Israel

While Trump is in Turkey demanding loyalty from NATO allies, a leading Democrat will be in Tel Aviv, directly accusing the president’s military partner of driving Israel into a “dead end.”

Potential presidential candidate Rahm Emanuel plans to denounce Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and call for an end to U.S. subsidies of Israel’s defense budget in a speech Wednesday at Tel Aviv University.

“You’ve lost Europe,” Emanuel will say, according to remarks obtained by The Associated Press. Castigating Netanyahu for doing little to end the Iran war, he’ll note that “support for Israel is plummeting around the world.”

About 58% of Democrats now say the U.S. is “too supportive” of Israel, according to a new survey by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, up from 45% in January 2024. Roughly half of Democrats believe Israel’s government has committed genocide against Palestinians during the war in Gaza, an accusation leveled by some human rights organizations and vehemently denied by Israel and the U.S. government.

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Trump says he thinks Russia-Ukraine war will be settled ‘hopefully soon’

The U.S. leader was asked about his meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyy scheduled for Wednesday on the sidelines of the NATO summit, and responded by saying he’s had great recent phone conversations with both the Ukrainian president and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“They both want to get it settled now,” he said.

He added later that Erdogan is “helping us get it settled.”

Trump refreshes complaints against European allies

At his bilateral meeting with Erdogan, Trump said he was testing European allies when he asked for their help with the Iran war.

“Italy turned us down and Germany turned us down and France turned us down,” Trump said. “And that’s OK. But, you know, why are we spending hundreds of billions of dollars and they’re not there for us?”

The complaint has been a central point of conflict between Trump and NATO, which he has described as a “paper tiger."

Trump says he has great chemistry with Erdogan

As they sat down for a bilateral meeting, Trump showered praise on Erdogan, saying they have a “very special relationship” that benefits both countries.

Asked about what makes their relationship so strong, Trump said there’s “a chemistry that works between us.”

“Sometimes you get along with the toughest people, like him,” Trump said, gesturing to Erdogan. “Sometimes you don’t get along with the weakest, most pathetic people.”

Trump says he’s going to consider selling F-35 jets to Turkey

The president was asked by a reporter as he met with Erdogan whether he’ll allow the sale of the American fighter jets to Turkey, which had been banned from the program after purchasing Russian missile defense systems.

“It’s certainly something we will consider,” Trump said as he sat with his Turkish counterpart.

He said, “Turkey has been in many ways much more loyal than other countries.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly urged the U.S. not to sell the jets to Turkey, saying it would upset the balance of power in the Middle East.

South Korean law targeting 'fake news' takes effect as journalist groups raise concerns

Kim Tong-Hyung, Associated Press — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 06:08:52 +0000

South Korea began enforcing a law Tuesday that allows steep punitive damages against news outlets and social media influencers for spreading false information as journalist groups warned it could chill public discourse and invite censorship.

Journalists and civil liberties groups say the vaguely worded law fails to clearly define what information it prohibits and lacks adequate safeguards for the media, warning it could potentially discourage critical reporting about government officials, politicians and large businesses.

The law allows courts to award damages of up to five times the proven losses against news organizations and large social media channels, including YouTube creators, that circulate illegal, false or manipulated information to cause harm or generate profit.

In addition, those who distribute information more than twice after a court has confirmed it to be false or manipulated could be fined up to 1 billion won ($656,000) by the country’s media regulator. Internet companies operating large social media platforms with more than 1 million daily users are required to take measures such as removing content or suspending user accounts when they receive reports of false or fabricated information.

The law was backed by President Lee Jae Myung’s liberal Democratic Party and passed by the National Assembly in December over a boycott by the conservative opposition. The liberals, who unsuccessfully sought to pass similar legislation under previous governments, say the law is necessary to combat fake news and disinformation, which they argue is posing a growing threat to democracy by fueling division and hate speech.

The Journalists Association of Korea said the mere prospect of news organizations repeatedly facing massive damage claims or legal disputes could have an “unavoidable chilling effect.”

“Even if a law’s objective is legitimate, it could erode the foundations of democracy if it’s enforced in a way that discourages the media and ordinary citizens from freely criticizing and scrutinizing those in power,” the group said in a statement.

The Seoul Foreign Correspondents’ Club also expressed concern about the potential impact on the work of the media and the free flow of information.

Concerns about murky online discourse

The push for the law came as Lee expressed concern about South Korea’s online discourse and information environment after then-President Yoon Suk Yeol briefly imposed martial law in 2024. He was later impeached and removed from office. He was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for rebellion, a ruling that he appealed in February.

Yoon, who faces other criminal cases as well, has promoted unsubstantiated election fraud claims circulated on YouTube to defend his botched power grab and rally conservative supporters against the Democrats. Critics say Yoon’s campaign further polarized the country by injecting falsehoods into already bitter political disputes and making compromise increasingly difficult.

The Korea Media and Communications Commission has downplayed concerns that the law could be used as a tool for state censorship. It would be private operators of online platforms, not the government, deciding whether reported content qualifies as false or manipulated information, and the law exempts reporting conducted in the public interest from damages claims, the commission said last week.

But Kim Hong-yeol, a professor at Seoul’s Duksung Women’s University, said the law could encourage widespread self-censorship and discourage reporting or discussions on sensitive issues. Internet companies could end up acting as online censors, adopting overly aggressive moderation policies to avoid liability and removing legitimate content in the process, Kim wrote in an article for the news website Mediaus.

While major South Korean internet companies like Naver and Kakao have reportedly been updating their systems for reporting and handling false information in line with guidelines from the Korea Internet Self-Governance Organization, it’s unclear how major foreign platforms, like Google’s YouTube, would comply.

In a statement to The Associated Press, YouTube said it strives to balance its commitment to openness with its responsibility to protect users and will “continue to engage with relevant parties and share our longstanding investments we have in this critical work.” The company did not specify how the South Korean law would affect its policies, but encouraged users to report “potentially violative content” directly on YouTube or through its legal web form.

After the law was passed in December, U.S. Under Secretary of State Sarah B. Rogers criticized it in a post on X, writing that the revised law endangers tech cooperation and that “it’s better to give victims civil remedies than give regulators invasive license for viewpoint-based censorship.”

NATO unveils billions in arms deals to prove its firepower as Trump again demands Greenland

Lorne Cook, Suzan Fraser And Abby Sewell, Associated Press — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 05:04:53 +0000

President Donald Trump on Tuesday insisted that the United States should be in control of Greenland rather than NATO ally Denmark, renewing tensions in Europe even as the trans-Atlantic military alliance was announcing billions in arms deals at a summit in an attempt to appease the mercurial U.S. leader.

Trump called the semiautonomous island “an important part" for the United States, as he repeated the false claim that it’s surrounded by Chinese and Russian ships and said he won't let Greenland be threatened.

“That should be controlled by the United States, not by Denmark,” Trump told reporters during a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara.

The NATO alliance was founded on the principle that its 32 members will defend each others' territory and not threaten to seize it. At the summit, European countries and the alliance's secretary-general, Mark Rutte, were already working overtime to address another longstanding Trump complaint: that European allies do not spend enough on their own defense.

Separately, Trump announced that the U.S. will lift sanctions on Turkey that were issued after Ankara purchased a Russian missile defense system that led to the country being kicked out of the F-35 fighter jet program — in a nod to his warm ties with summit host Erdogan.

Trump cites Erdogan ‘chemistry’ as he lifts an obstacle on F-35s

Turkey's purchase in 2019 of Russian-made S-400 missile defense systems sparked years of tensions, despite the warm personal relationship between Trump and Erdogan dating back to the U.S. president's first term.

Legal hurdles remain before Turkey could be fully admitted back to the U.S. F-35 program, but the removal of sanctions issued under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act would help ease that process. Regaining access to the F-35s is a top goal of Erdogan.

“We’re going to be taking the sanctions off, OK?” Trump said in response to a question, saying Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth were working on the issue.

Trump said the possibility of selling F-35s to Turkey is “something certainly we’d consider” given the countries' relationship, and that “Turkey’s been, in many ways, much more loyal than other countries that we think would be loyal.”

Erdogan expressed hope that the U.S. will sell the F-35s, saying the U.S. president always stands by his word.

Trump and Erdogan showed off their fondness for each other. Erdogan greeted Trump with an elaborate ceremony involving military officials on horseback and jets overhead emitting red, white and blue smoke.

Asked what makes their relationship so strong, Trump said there’s “a chemistry that works between us," adding that “Sometimes you get along with the toughest people, like him.”

Turkey's access to U.S. F-35s could complicate relationships elsewhere. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he has urged Trump not to sell the fighter jets to Turkey, saying it would put Israel in danger.

“This is not a force for peace and stability,” Netanyahu said on CNN. “When you give them that power, you’re going to see aggression its wake.”

There is also opposition among U.S. lawmakers to Turkey having the F-35s as long as the Russian missile defense system remains in its possession. Even if sanctions are lifted, the Trump administration still faces restrictions under U.S. law that prevents Turkey from being able to purchase the fighter jets if it owns the S-400s.

NATO has ‘moment of great pride’ on defense

Earlier in the day, NATO showcased military projects worth billions of dollars — an investment Rutte called “money well spent" and one clearly meant to try to satisfy Trump.

Rutte was speaking to government ministers and defense industry officials at a forum billed as NATO’s “big reveal,” to the thrum of techno music.

NATO does not own weapons — these are the property of member countries — but it has 14 AWACS early warning radar surveillance planes that are about 50 years old, along with newer surveillance drones.

A deal to replace the aging planes was announced Tuesday. Swedish manufacturer Saab will supply up to 10 new GlobalEye surveillance aircraft for a 10-nation consortium, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced.

“It’s a moment of great pride,” he said.

Some projects will be paid for with funds from a system of cheap loans for defense purposes set up by the European Union, comprising up to $170 billion raised on capital markets.

Representatives from 15 nations announced a multinational effort to buy air-to-air refueling and transport planes from Airbus. Then Rutte announced a four-country effort to purchase as many as five new Triton surveillance drones.

Rutte had told reporters on the eve of the two-day summit that “we will announce tens of billions in new contracts.” However, at Tuesday's event, no dollar figures were given and the display included some projects long since agreed.

Ukraine's Zelenskyy pushes for NATO entry

Separately, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a fresh appeal for his country to be allowed to join the alliance, saying his country's armed forces are highly experienced and would boost NATO's defense capabilities.

He highlighted Ukraine’s ability to strike deep inside Russia and hit oil refineries and other energy targets. He said Ukraine’s armed forces are “eliminating” on average 30,000 Russian troops every month. He is set to meet with Trump on Wednesday in Ankara.

“Frankly we take no pride in this,” Zelenskyy said, noting that the war with Russia — now in its fifth year — is one "we did not seek but one we are forced to fight.”

Concern is mounting among some European countries that Russia might be preparing a hybrid attack — a combination of conventional warfare with tactics like cyberattacks — on the continent as Russian President Vladimir Putin struggles to secure victory in Ukraine.

Yet a senior NATO official, speaking on the summit's sidelines, said that despite some “reckless” actions by Russia, including airspace violations over Poland, Romania and Estonia, the alliance has been successful in deterring Moscow from any potential attack on a member country. The official insisted on anonymity to brief reporters.

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Associated Press writers Jill Lawless in London, Andy Wilks in Istanbul and Michelle L. Price and Collin Binkley in Washington contributed to this report.

Atlanta Dream trio of Angel Reese, Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray among All-Star reserves

Doug Feinberg, Associated Press — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 23:43:54 +0000

Angel Reese felt that Atlanta Dream teammates Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray were snubbed by not being selected as All-Star starters.

Now the Dream trio will get to play together in Chicago at the WNBA All-Star Game on July 25 after all three players were selected as reserves by the league's coaches on Tuesday.

Reese had said after the All-Star starters came out that she felt her two Dream teammates should have been starting. It's the fourth time that Atlanta has had three All-Stars.

Joining the Dream players as reserves are Washington teammates Sonia Citron and Kiki Iriafen. Both made the All-Star Game as rookies last season.

Toronto's Marina Mabrey will be making her first All-Star appearance and gave the expansion franchise a player in the game. She matched the WNBA record with a 53-point game last month.

Other players selected by the coaches were New York's Jonquel Jones, Minnesota’s Courtney Williams, Las Vegas’ Jackie Young and Seattle's Dominique Malonga, who will also be making her All-Star debut.

Los Angeles teammates Nneka Ogwumike and Kelsey Plum also were picked. Ogwumike has been an All-Star 11 times and moved into a second-place tie with Diana Taurasi for most All-Star appearances, only trailing Sue Bird's 13.

Coaches couldn’t vote for their own players.

Plum has been sidelined for the last few weeks with a leg injury and will be evaluated again later this month. If she can't play, WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert will choose a replacement.

New this year, WNBA greats Cynthia Cooper and Teresa Weatherspoon will serve as honorary general managers and select the two teams from the pool of All-Stars. The pair will select the teams at some point soon.

Chicago, Portland, Connecticut and Phoenix all don't have All-Stars.

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

The Latest: Video shows Tyler Robinson before and after killing Charlie Kirk, investigators say

Associated Press — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 13:35:31 +0000

The weeklong preliminary hearing for the man accused of killing conservative activist Charlie Kirk entered its second day on Tuesday.

Prosecutors aim to show that they have enough evidence against Tyler Robinson to proceed to a trial. After the hearing concludes, state District Judge Tony Graf must determine if the case should proceed, which experts say is likely.

Robinson, 23, is charged with aggravated murder in Kirk’s Sept. 10 assassination on the Utah Valley University campus, for which prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. Robinson’s attorneys have not commented on his guilt or innocence.

The preliminary hearing is set to resume Wednesday at 1 p.m.

Here's the latest:

People connected to the case are clearing out of the courthouse

Tyler Robinson’s parents have left the courthouse for the day. A security guard briefly stopped traffic to allow them to quickly cross the street.

Many of the private security staffers on site have also left the building.

Court is done for the day

State District Judge Tony Graf says the preliminary hearing will resume Wednesday at 1 p.m.

DNA analyst offers details on testing and training

FBI DNA analyst Amanda Bakker says her lab is accredited, which means it has to follow a strict set of standards including having trained examiners on staff. She had to have the right degree, take a special training program and undergo proficiency testing to show she’s qualified to do the job.

The lab is audited by an outside agency periodically in order to keep its accreditation status, Bakker says. She’s also explaining some of the nuances of DNA testing. All DNA degrades over time, she says, and that’s a normal finding in testing.

The degradation found in DNA samples in this case did not impact her ability to accurately test the samples, she says.

Bakker says she followed lab protocols and her training when testing the evidence.

Cross-examination of DNA analyst begins

Deputy Utah County Attorney Ryan McBride is up now to cross-examine FBI DNA analyst Amanda Bakker.

He’s asking her about her education, training and other professional credentials.

The hearing is drawing Charlie Kirk fans and other would-be spectators

Julie Eastman, from nearby Draper, Utah, lined up at 4 a.m. Tuesday morning to get a seat in the courtroom. She was the sixth person in line.

The early morning was worth it, she said.

“It was intense to see, to have everybody in the room who is a part of this case,” Eastman said.

She has been sitting directly in front of Charlie Kirk’s parents and his widow Erika Kirk, she said, and Erika Kirk became teary at times during the proceedings.

Donald Trump Jr. was also in the courtroom today, and the courthouse has been filled with Secret Service agents and other armed law enforcement officials.

“Everywhere you look there’s someone with security,” Eastman said.

Eastman has followed the case since the Sept. 10 shooting, and has relatives who were at Utah Valley University when it happened.

“I still can’t believe Charlie Kirk’s gone,” she says. “I still love him so much.”

Court is back in session

FBI DNA analyst Amanda Bakker is back on the stand.

Donald Trump Jr. says Charlie Kirk was among his closest friends

The Republican president’s son said on the social media platform X that he chose to attend the hearing because Charlie Kirk was “one of my closest friends for over a decade.”

Trump Jr. has not spoken to media outside the court, but he posted Tuesday about some details that came up during the second day of the hearing.

“I wanted to see actual evidence before I opined on it,” he wrote.

The court is taking a 15-minute afternoon break

After about two hours of DNA-related testimony, State District Judge Tony Graf has paused the proceedings for an afternoon break.

Before the break, FBI DNA analyst Amanda Bakker said her initial testing on evidence indicated that there were at least two contributors to DNA found on evidence, and that there could be DNA from as many as three people.

But after Tyler Robinson’s roommate provided a DNA sample for comparison, she was able to rerun her tests and attribute all of the DNA found on the item to two people.

The items tested included a towel that was wrapped around a rifle, which was found in a wooded area near the Utah Valley University campus shortly after the shooting.

Prosecutor says DNA accuracy questions should be handled later

Defense attorney Michael Burt is asking DNA analyst Amanda Bakker about the software program she used for the DNA samples, and about overall accuracy of the results.

Both samples tested in this case had minor contributors below 20%, Bakker says. Burt asks her about a study that found results can be less accurate when analyzing DNA contributions at that level.

She agrees that can sometimes be the case, but says in the samples she analyzed there were only two contributors total, which makes the process more accurate.

Deputy Utah County Attorney Ryan McBride has objected to this line of questioning. He says it’s irrelevant to the preliminary hearing since at this stage the evidence is supposed to be viewed in a light that is favorable to the state.

But Burt says the judge needs to weigh the accuracy of Bakker’s determination that Tyler Robinson and his roommate both contributed DNA to some of the evidence. Burt notes that Bakker originally believed there were three DNA contributors.

Judge Tony Graf tells Burt to wrap up this line of questioning.

DNA testing has some limitations, FBI analyst says

Defense attorney Michael Burt is questioning FBI DNA analyst Amanda Bakker about the limitations of DNA testing, including situations where DNA might not be found or the results might be somewhat misleading.

Finding DNA on an item doesn’t necessarily mean that the person matched to that DNA actually touched or used an item, FBI DNA analyst Amanda Bakker says.

Sometimes, DNA mixtures from different people might be found on an time, says Bakker.

It’s also not necessarily possible to determine how long DNA has been on an item, she says, though DNA does degrade over time.

There was some degradation to the DNA found on the screwdriver she tested, Bakker says. The screwdriver was found by investigators on the roof of a Utah Valley University building shortly after the shooting — in the same place where prosecutors say the shooter was perched.

She’s giving a technical explanation of the different measurable components of DNA, and some of the testing processes used.

FBI guidelines detail how to describe DNA test results

FBI DNA analyst Amanda Bakker says Tyler Robinson was included as a “possible contributor” of the DNA on the screwdriver and towel.

She let the local investigators know about that result on Sept. 13, she says.

U.S. Department of Justice policy is that examiners don’t use language like “absolute identification” or “reasonable degree of scientific certainty,” she says.

Examiners also can’t imply that forensic autosomal DNA examinations are infallible.

FBI DNA analysis takes the stand

Amanda Bakker is called to the stand by defense attorney Michael Burt.

Jennifer Faumuina will be back to continue testifying later, but attorneys on both sides agreed to have Bakker testify now.

Witness describes collecting a rifle and other evidence

Jennifer Faumuina worked for the State Bureau of Investigation at the time of the shooting.

She says a bolt-action rifle, wrapped in a dark-colored towel, was found in a wooded area near campus.

The gun was documented, and then packaged and taken to the FBI and eventually provided to a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms laboratory, Faumuina said.

A screwdriver found on the rooftop of the Losee building on the Utah Valley University campus was also collected as evidence, she says.

DNA found the towel was matched to two people. One of them was Tyler Robinson’s roommate, she says.

Court is back in session

Court is back from the lunch break and Utah Department of Public Safety Sgt. Jennifer Faumuina is on the stand.

ending the hearing says it has been emotional

Denae Branch, who had lined up with friends at midnight to get some of the few public seats in the courtroom, said she teared up during the hearing, and Erika Kirk reached over to offer her a tissue.

“She doesn’t know if I’m Team Erika or not, yet she handed me a tissue, and I lost it,” Branch said during the lunch recess. “She didn’t know if I was a friend or not, and she showed love.”

Branch said she observed Erika Kirk crying at times during the proceeding and fidgeting with her bracelet. Seeing Kirk’s widow get emotional made Branch emotional, too, she said.

Judge says the statement is relevant for consideration

Before the lunch break, State District Judge Tony Graf said the statement from Turning Point USA board member David Englehardt is relevant as it relates to Charlie Kirk’s political expression.

Graf said prosecutors allege Tyler Robinson targeted Charlie Kirk because of Robinson’s beliefs about Kirk’s political expression.

Determining the difference between religious expression and political expression is a different matter, the judge said, but he also noted the statement contains additional information about the tax status and practices of Turning Point USA.

Graf said the statement is “provisionally admitted,” and he will decide later if it will be fully admitted as evidence.

Defense says the Turning Point USA member’s statement isn’t relevant

Defense attorney Richard Novak says the statement from Turning Point USA board member David Englehardt won’t help the court decide whether the “victim targeting penalty enhancement” is valid.

The state law allows penalty enhancements if a defendant targeted a victim because of the defendant’s perception of the victim’s political expressions, Novak says.

But Englehardt’s statement is all about what is in Englehardt’s head, he says, and that’s not relevant to the case. Englehardt’s mention of Bible passages also isn’t relevant, Novak says, and won’t help the court make any decisions about the case.

Deputy Utah County Attorney Ryan McBride says the statement is relevant, because it clarifies what Charlie Kirk’s business does. It also goes to motive, McBride says.

Kirk engaged people in debate on religious and political issues, McBride says, and encouraged people to follow specific values.

Attorneys debate statement from Turning Point USA board member

Deputy Utah County Attorney Ryan McBride wants a “self-authenticating statement” from Turning Point USA board member David Englehardt to be admitted as evidence. The statement is notarized, McBride says.

But defense attorney Richard Novak says he’s concerned about the authenticity of the statement, and he doesn’t think some of the information contained in the statement is relevant to the case. He doesn’t want it to be admitted as evidence.

Novak says he doesn’t intend to question Englehardt’s beliefs or what Englehardt says were Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk’s religious beliefs. The document contains Englehardt’s opinions, Novak says, and references a Utah law that deals with a “victim targeting penalty enhancement.”

Investigator says weapon was found in area where Robinson had been seen

Under redirected questioning by the prosecution, former State Bureau of Investigation agent David Hull says he saw Tyler Robinson enter a wooded area twice when reviewing surveillance video.

Investigators later recovered a rifle from that same area, Hull says.

Defense attorney asks Hull about gun, autopsy, videos

Under questioning by defense attorney Kathryn Nester, former State Bureau of Investigation agent David Hull acknowledges that he wasn’t present for Charlie Kirk’s autopsy, but interviewed the person who did it.

He also didn’t directly handle the processing and shipping of a gun collected during the investigation, Hull says.

Nester also asks about video from a doorbell camera shown in court on Monday. Hull says the person who had the doorbell camera told investigators that they thought the person captured in the video was bald and that there were three people in the vehicle.

When it was presented in court, the video was described as showing Tyler Robinson’s vehicle, with just one person exiting the vehicle.

Defense attorney asks about witness descriptions of a person on the rooftop

Former State Bureau of Investigation agent David Hull acknowledges that the surveillance video showing a person on the roof of the Losee building doesn’t reveal any distinguishing facial features.

Defense attorney Kathryn Nester asks Hull how some witnesses who took a separate video of the person on the roof described him to authorities. The witnesses thought the person was an officer doing an “overwatch,” or maintaining a security position on a roof, Hull says.

The person on the roof appeared to be in a prone position for 15 to 30 seconds, Hull says.

Spectators camp out overnight to attend the hearing

Denae Branch and Jean Rivera were among the first people lined up outside the courthouse around midnight, trying to snag one of the 14 seats available to the public. The Utah County residents camped out overnight Tuesday, both wearing “FREEDOM” merchandise from Charlie Kirk’s podcast, after they did not get seats inside on Monday.

They were in the crowd at Kirk’s event at Utah Valley University when he was shot, and both said they think about it every day.

Rivera said she hoped to hear testimony about defendant Tyler Robinson’s alleged confession note.

Some courthouse windows are shrouded

The windows on the fourth floor of the courthouse, where the preliminary hearing is taking place, have been covered with black plastic sheeting.

They were not covered yesterday.

Defense questions investigator about the day of the shooting

Defense attorney Kathryn Nester is asking former State Bureau of Investigation agent David Hull about how he handled the crime scene at Utah Valley University on the day of the shooting.

Hull says he arrived on campus about 1:30 p.m., after Charlie Kirk had been rushed to a nearby hospital. He learned around 2:30 p.m. that he was going to be in charge of the investigation, Hull says.

He says he was made aware that the amphitheater area had been cordoned off and preserved as best as possible given the large number of people present when the shooting occurred.

He says a bullet found on scene was attributed to a law enforcement officer who had “cleared” his weapon, ejecting an unused bullet.

Hull says there was another firearm found at the scene: a handgun in a backpack.

Court is back in session

Defense attorney Kathryn Nester is cross-examining former State Bureau of Investigation agent David Hull.

A second video with ‘enhancements’ is introduced as evidence

Deputy Utah County Attorney David Sturgill has introduced a video with circled highlights, zooming and other alterations apparently designed to help viewers understand what they are seeing.

Defense attorney Kathryn Nester objected to the video being introduced as evidence, saying she is concerned about its authenticity and that it will be unduly prejudicial against her client.

State District Judge Tony Graf agrees to admit the video as evidence, but says he’ll view it without showing it to the public or the media since it’s essentially the same footage as the previous video.

Compilation video continues with a vehicle Hull says belongs to Robinson

Hull says a Spanish Fork police officer had an interaction with the vehicle early on Sept. 11. When Hull spoke with that officer later, the officer was able to look up vehicle records via a partial license plate number.

The plates showed Robinson was one of the registered owners of the vehicle, Hull says, and the Spanish Fork police officer said the driver was a male whom he believed to be Robinson.

Hull says video shows Robinson walking with a ‘limp’ and climbing to rooftop

Former State Bureau of Investigation agent David Hull says Robinson is shown in another video returning to campus in different clothing and walking with a limp, with one leg held mostly straight.

Video clips show him walking in front of the Losee building, Hull says, and then to the area where he could access the building’s roof.

Yesterday, former Utah Valley University Officer Chris Bagley testified that he saw a “sniper pad” in the gravel atop the Losee building roof.

Additional clips show an individual climbing onto the roof, running across it and then laying prone in the corner of the building. Hull says he believes the person to be Robinson.

The individual then lowers himself off the roof and leaves the area while carrying something in his hand, Hull says. The time stamp is 12:44 p.m.

Compilation video shows Robinson’s movements on Sept. 10

Former State Bureau of Investigation agent David Hull is narrating the video as it plays in court.

Some clips from various Utah Valley University surveillance cameras show Tyler Robinson driving into a parking garage, walking away, returning and leaving, Hull says.

Other clips show Robinson walking with a backpack. Robinson purchased a meal from Chick-fil-A at one point in the day, Hull says. Later, as Robinson moves across campus, he is no longer carrying a backpack.

He leaves campus for a second time around 11 a.m., Hull says.

Judge says the compilation video can be shown publicly

The defense team wanted the video published only to the court and not to the press videographer in the courtroom. Allowing news coverage of the video would taint the jury pool for any future trial, violating Tyler Robinson’s constitutional rights, defense attorney Michael Burt said.

But David Reymann, an attorney representing news organizations, asked the judge to allow this and other non-graphic videos in evidence to be shown to people in the courtroom and in media coverage of the case.

“The spectators in the courtroom have a right to know what the court is viewing, so they can understand how you’re making your decisions,” Reymann says.

The compilation video is expected to show Tyler Robinson walking around the Utah Valley University campus on the day of the shooting. That’s relevant, Reymann says.

Judge Tony Graf says he recognizes the importance of balancing Robinson’s constitutional rights as well as the importance of transparency. He says this video is different from the three videos of the shooting introduced as evidence yesterday, and so it can be shown publicly.

Former lead investigator David Hull is on the stand

Deputy Utah County Attorney David Sturgill is questioning Hull, the former Utah State Bureau of Investigations agent who testified yesterday about surveillance videos and other footage gathered during the shooting investigation.

Sturgill is asking Hull about a compilation video that includes clips from several different videos. The prosecution team wanted to introduce the compilation as evidence yesterday, but the judge declined after the defense team said the prosecution had not established “foundation.”

The process of establishing “foundation” for evidence generally includes having someone testify about exactly what an item is, including its authenticity and relevance.

Erika Kirk is back in the courtroom today

Tyler Robinson’s parents were also seen entering the courthouse this morning.

State District Judge Tony Graf is giving attendees a reminder of his rules for behavior, including “maintaining a courtroom environment that is safe, respectful, orderly and faithful to the rights and dignity of every person involved.”

It’s warm in the courtroom, so the judge says everyone should feel free to drink from their water bottles.

The defense frequently objected to the introduction of evidence

Defense attorney Kathryn Nester’s attempts were largely overruled by the judge Monday.

When Nester asked Bagley about finding an empty pistol holster on the ground after the crowd fled, he acknowledged he never took custody of the holster and didn’t know whether it had been fingerprinted.

Utah is an open carry state, meaning people can carry guns openly or conceal them without a permit.

Graf sided with the defense to block the introduction of a compilation of surveillance videos from Utah Valley University because some had been altered to zoom in on individuals or had circles drawn around them.

Prosecutors said they would try again Tuesday to introduce that video with the alterations removed.

Prosecutors must pass a low bar to advance Robinson to trial

The proceeding resembles a minitrial, but prosecutors need only demonstrate that there are reasonable grounds to believe Robinson killed Kirk and should stand trial. The standard is lower than for a trial, where prosecutors must prove guilt “beyond a reasonable doubt.”

Prosecutors, as a result, should have little trouble advancing their case, said Mark Kouris, a former prosecutor and state judge in Salt Lake City.

“This standard is extremely low, and the chances of them not getting through it are, quite frankly, almost nothing,” said Kouris, now an adjunct professor at the University of Utah’s S.J. Quinney College of Law.

Robinson’s demeanor in the courtroom

The defendant sat quietly between his attorneys throughout the hearing, looking at the prosecution’s exhibits on a monitor and occasionally taking notes. His wrists were shackled to a chain around his waist.

Kirk and Robinson’s families were in the courtroom Monday

Monday marked the first time Kirk’s parents, Kathryn and Robert, and his widow, Erika, were in the courtroom since the case began. Robinson’s parents also were present, sitting a few rows behind the Kirks.

Prosecutors showed several graphic videos of Kirk’s shooting, including the moment he was shot and security administering first aid, as they made their case.

Kirk’s family briefly walked out of the courtroom twice — when Bagley, the university officer, started testifying about Kirk’s arrival on campus and again when prosecutors introduced the videos. Each time, they returned.

The court will hear a statement from Robinson’s roommate

If prosecutors follow the order of an exhibit list they submitted earlier this year, they will present a video from the Washington County sheriff’s office from Sept. 11 — the day Robinson turned himself in — and recorded testimony from Robinson’s roommate.

Prosecutors allege Robinson confessed in a note left for his roommate, who was also his romantic partner, that read: “I had the opportunity to take out Charlie Kirk and I’m going to take it.”

Robinson also reportedly texted his roommate that he targeted Kirk because he “had enough of his hatred,” prosecutors have said.

Prosecutors have also said they plan to present DNA evidence linking Robinson to the suspected murder weapon, autopsy findings, witness statements and video of Kirk’s killing. In addition, they are expected to argue the shooting endangered others at Kirk’s campus event — an aggravating circumstance that could make the crime punishable by death under Utah law.

What happened during the first day of the hearing?

The court proceedings on Monday produced no major revelations but marked the most significant presentation of evidence to date in the case against Robinson, who is charged with aggravated murder in the assassination of Kirk.

Former Utah Valley University Officer Christopher Bagley testified that he witnessed the shooting while the conservative activist was speaking to a campus crowd of thousands on Sept. 10. Soon after, Bagley went to a nearby gravel rooftop, where it appeared someone had been lying prone with a clear sightline to Kirk’s location, he said.

“It looks like a sniper pad,” Bagley told the court.

More video is expected during the hearing

Prosecutors seeking to convince a Utah judge to put the man accused of killing Charlie Kirk on trial are expected to present more law enforcement video and a recorded statement from the defendant’s roommate as a weeklong preliminary hearing continues Tuesday.

The court proceedings began Monday and so far have produced no major revelations but marked the most significant presentation of evidence to date in the case against defendant Tyler Robinson, 23, who is charged with aggravated murder in the assassination of Kirk, an ally of President Donald Trump.

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Same old story: US men's soccer team has been stagnant for quarter century

Ronald Blum, Associated Press — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 17:15:13 +0000

For all the growth in American soccer over the past quarter-century, the U.S. men's national team remains stagnant.

Christian Pulisic, Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie fared no better at the World Cup in 2022 and 2026 than Tim Howard, Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore did in 2010 and 2014.

“We want to be able to go and compete with some of the best in the world and we just still have that next step to come,” Pulisic said after Monday night's error-filled 4-1 loss to Belgium in the round of 16.

For all the billions of dollars invested with the goal of boosting the national team into the world's elite, the Americans remain soccer plebians.

After reaching the semifinals of the first World Cup in 1930, the U.S. didn't even qualify between 1950 and 1990. Since then, the Americans were eliminated in the round of 16 in 1994, 2010, 2014, 2022 and this year, failed to advance past their group in 1990, 1998 and 2006, and flopped in qualifying for 2018.

“It’s not like you are in a rocket and you improve and you grow. ... It’s not linear," U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino said.

The U.S. won three games in a World Cup for the first time, beating Paraguay, Australia and Bosnia-Herzegovina while losing to Turkey and Belgium. The Americans benefited as host, a seeded team that didn't face a top-10 nation before the Red Devils.

By the next World Cup in Spain, Portugal and Morocco (with three games in South America), Pulisic, McKennie and Adams will be 31.

Which players increased value for the US national team?

Folarin Balogun led the U.S. team with three goals, looking like a top striker, and gained worldwide notoriety when his red card suspension for awkwardly landing on an opponent’s ankle was lifted after a phone call from U.S. President Donald Trump. A former Arsenal youth player, the 25-year-old striker is entering the fourth season of a five-year contract with French club Monaco and could be set for a move to a bigger club.

Malik Tillman became the first player since France's Bernard Genghini in 1982 to have two free kick goals in a World Cup. The 24-year-old midfielder is entering the second season of a five-year contract with German club Bayer Leverkusen. He had a difficult 2025-26, getting dropped from the starting lineup between late March and the season’s final match.

Does US coach Mauricio Pochettino stay in the job for another 4 years?

Pochettino said he will speak with the U.S. Soccer Federation after a rest period to discuss whether it wants him to stay beyond the expiration of his contract this summer and whether he wants to commit to a four-year cycle.

“We had positive conversations with Mauricio before the World Cup about the future. We agreed we would continue those conversations following a chance to rest and reflect post World Cup,” the U.S. Soccer Federation said in a statement Tuesday. “We have a great deal of respect and gratitude for Mauricio, his staff and everyone part of the program. We have shared excitement about our potential and also shared clarity about the amount of work at all levels still required to achieve our ambition.”

The Argentine took over from Gregg Berhalter in late 2024 after first-round elimination at the Copa America. His first year included failures to win the CONCACAF Gold Cup and Nations League.

“We were in a mess,” he said. “I’ve seen this team show that we can play football. We can play soccer. We can compete. That we need keep improving — a lot of young players with a lot potential and future.”

Trouble spots on the field need work for the national team

Goalkeeper has gone from the United States' biggest strength from 1990 through 2014 to a huge weakness in the past decade and appears to be at its weakest since the 1980s.

Long gone are the days when Tony Meola, Kasey Keller, Brad Friedel, Tim Howard and Brad Guzan inspired confidence.

Zack Steffen and Matt Turner both failed to establish themselves with big European teams. Matt Freese, who supplanted Turner as the first-choice starter last year, gifted a goal in the loss to Belgium that will be replayed on blooper reels.

Gabriel Slonina, Chris Brady, Patrick Schulte, Diego Kochen and Roman Celentano, who head the next generation, have the next cycle to establish themselves as possible No. 1s.

Central defense also is a concern. Crystal Palace's Chris Richards is the only American playing at a top club and his World Cup partner, Tim Ream, at 38 became the oldest U.S. player at any World Cup.

Qualifying should be easier with 48-team World Cup tournaments

With the expansion of the field to 48 nations, including six from North and Central America and the Caribbean, World Cup qualifying is not likely to be challenging for CONCACAF's powers: Mexico, the U.S. and Canada.

All three were eliminated in the round of 16 after Curaçao, Haiti and Panama were eliminated with last-place finishes in their groups.

Unless the U.S. shows vast improvement, it will not be seeded for the 2030 World Cup and likely will face a world power in the first round.

Next up are fall friendlies, followed in November by the 2027 CONCACAF Nations League matches and next year by a possible Nations League final four and a Gold Cup.

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Ep. 1. Meet Dana Michelle - How her work for the Northside is a love letter to its culture, history

Crash involving semi-truck causing backups on I-295 North before Blanding Blvd.

Tue, 07 Jul 2026 22:01:27 +0000

Emergency crews were on the scene of a crash involving a semi-truck on I-295 North just before Blanding Blvd. on Tuesday afternoon.

As of 6 p.m., two left lanes were blocked.

An hour later, one left lane was blocked.

Businesses evacuated after natural gas line breaks in Jacksonville’s San Marco neighborhood

News4JAX Staff — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 20:39:52 +0000

The Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department responded to a two-inch break in a natural gas line on Kings Avenue near Naugle Way in Jacksonville’s San Marco neighborhood.

JFRD says the call for the leak came in at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday afternoon. Crews were on scene working on fixing the leak. At the time, it’s unclear when the repairs will be done.

Gas line break on Kings Ave

According to JFRD, business in the neighborhood including SouthState Bank and Locals’ Bar, Kava & Company San Marco were evacuated.

JFRD originally said the Hilton Garden Inn was also evacuated, but later clarified that was not the case.

Officials also said everyone who was evacuated was able to access their vehicles and leave the area.

Clark hopeful of returning for Fever against Sparks but may avoid back-to-back against Storm

Associated Press — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 23:03:09 +0000

Caitlin Clark says she feels good enough to return from her back injury Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Sparks. If she does, the Indiana Fever All-Star doesn't expect to play in Thursday's highly anticipated rematch at Phoenix.

Clark has spent the last two weeks rehabbing from an injury that forced her out of a June 24 game against the Mercury. Earlier in the game, Clark was seen grimacing after taking a hit to her throat, a play that prompted league officials to suspend Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas for one game for what it described as “recklessly making contact with her fist” and set off a polarizing debate about cleaning up the game.

While an eight-day break heading into Sunday's game at Las Vegas managed to tamp down some of the rhetoric, it wasn't enough to get Clark back in action. Two additional days off may be.

“Very hopeful for tomorrow and, obviously, it'll be difficult for me to play both — this one on Wednesday and then the one on Thursday — but we'll see,” Clark said as Tuesday's practice started. "Obviously, from a health standpoint, just getting back into it, I would assume I'd be on a minutes restriction (Wednesday). Still hopeful of a little bit more than 20 if I'm able to go. Hopefully, I feel good after the game versus Los Angeles and then will be available in (Las) Vegas (on Sunday) .”

Coach Stephanie White was more cautious about Clark's availability, acknowledging she was still waiting for the team's medical experts to clear Clark for game action.

“I do what I'm told, I stay in my lane so whatever medical says we need to do to make sure she's ready and whatever she needs to feel comfortable and confident is what we'll do,” White said. “It's an adjustment based on who's playing and rotations and all of that, and it's an adjustment based on how we play. But certainly we want to make sure the message is the same and it's clear her long-term health and well is the most important thing. So if she's ready, she'll play."

Clark has missed three of Indiana's first 20 games this season after appearing in just 13 of 44 games in 2025. The Fever are 3-0 without her this season and reached the 2025 WNBA semifinals without Clark.

Still, her repeated injuries and the physicality opponents have used against one of the sport's most popular players have led to a debate about what the league should do.

White has spoken out about what Clark has faced, including uncalled fouls such as the one in which Thomas landed on top of Clark with her fist on Clark's throat. Thomas has since said she received death threats, something White and Clark both called unacceptable last week.

But the saga took a new twist Tuesday UConn coach Geno Auriemma appeared on the “Sports Media with Richard Deitsch” podcast. The Hall of Fame coach said he doesn't blame Clark for the attention she receives but believes Clark's supporters have stirred many of the controversies that have surrounded Clark through her first three pro seasons.

“Because the bandwagon and the fandom became so obsessed with the whole thing, it turned into a cause,” Auriemma said. ”(Clark) became the reason why white players get beat up in the WNBA and she became the reason why Black players don’t get the endorsements and don’t get the adulation that white players get. Not every foul is a good foul. Not every foul’s a bad foul, but there are fouls that are flagrant — but that’s all they are."

All Clark wants to do, though, is play, something she hopes resumes Wednesday night.

“I feel good about the stuff we're doing to help with (the back). Obviously, it's not always fun sitting on a plane for four hours and traveling a lot," she said. “It's hard on your body to travel and be on the road for 10 days and sleeping in different hotels and things like that. But I'm doing everything I can to be as healthy as possible. I really trust the people that are helping me and like I said I feel good, especially going into tomorrow.”

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

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Big 12 commissioner declines to address Sorsby gambling saga and describes league as `16 strong'

Stephen Hawkins, Associated Press — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 20:13:54 +0000

Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark wanted to talk Tuesday about the league's upcoming season, not the Brendan Sorsby gambling saga at Texas Tech that led to a lot of legal wrangling and a since-dismissed court order that had sent shockwaves through college sports.

Even though that was the first thing Yormark was asked about after his opening remarks at Big 12 football media days.

“I appreciate the question. I appreciate other questions that are probably going to come forth today. Today is not the time to address that issue,” Yormark said. "Today is about celebrating the upcoming football season and celebrating our 16 schools.”

Yormark later spoke about the conference “moving ahead as 16 strong.”

That would include Texas Tech, which the league and its other 15 members were discussing potentially punishing if Sorsby had indeed played this fall for the Red Raiders after the quarterback transferred from Cincinnati, another Big 12 school where he played the past two seasons.

Sorsby won't play even after being granted a temporary injunction against the NCAA last month that would have allowed him to remain eligible even after he acknowledged making thousands of impermissible bets worth at least $90,000 on college and pro sports. Those include some bets on his own team when he was a freshman at Indiana in 2022, which in past cases had led to players being banned from playing.

Sorsby later dropped his lawsuit against the NCAA, making him ineligible again, after the NCAA appealed the injunction and the Big 12 filed a still-pending federal complaint in U.S. District Court in Dallas. The conference was trying to preserve its ability to use the league's bylaws for possible sanctions against Texas Tech had Sorsby played this season.

One reporter asked Yormark why Texas Tech fans should believe comments about the league moving ahead as one. The reporter mentioned that the Big 12 last year targeted the school's tortilla-throwing tradition — passing the measure on a 15-1 vote — while Oklahoma State has an artificial noise exemption for students to bang paddles against the stadium pads along the sideline. He also mentioned Cincinnati, Sorsby's former school.

Yormark walked across the stage, then asked the reporter to stand up and repeat his question.

“I said we’re going forward as 16 strong, and that’s my answer to your question,” Yormark then responded.

More playoff talk

Big 12 coaches in May at the league’s spring meetings unanimously agreed on their preference for a 24-team College Football Playoff. Yormark has also expressed his support of that, if the economics make sense in doubling the size of the current playoff field.

The CFP management committee — which includes Yormark, the other FBS conference commissioners and Notre Dame's athletic director — met last month in Denver for more discussions on the merits of expanding to 16 or 24 teams.

“I’ve said it before, more access is needed as too many great teams are still left out,” Yormark said Tuesday. “I’ve also said before we still need to work through the economics and scheduling and address any unintended consequences.”

Monster partner

Yormark announced a multiyear agreement with Monster Energy to be the entitlement partner for conference-controlled Big 12 regular-season football games, as well as men's and women's basketball.

Yormark said the partnership with the international energy drink brand is "built on the right brand and culture alignment. ... (and) will take this conference to places it has not been before.”

It will include a co-branded Monster Energy and Big 12 logo being featured on football and basketball jerseys, fields and courts, with additional integration across conference digital and social media channels. The company's first partnership in college athletics began last fall when the brand became the conference's official energy drink.

International appeal

The Big 12 is going international again this season, with another opener in Ireland and then the first-ever college game at iconic Wembley Stadium in London.

TCU will play North Carolina on Aug. 29 in the Aer Lingus Classic, where Iowa State beat Kansas State 24-21 to open last season. Arizona State and Kansas will then play in the Union Jack Classic on Sept. 19, when Fox is taking its Big Noon Kickoff show to an international game for the first time.

“I want to do the London game because college football is, at the end of the day, still about these players. It’s still about 18- to 22-year-olds and their experience in college and the memories they make, hopefully good memories," Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham said. “Sending 105 college kids to London to experience something they may never experience again is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

The Sun Devils will go to London after they play at Texas A&M on Sept. 12. Kansas plays at home against Missouri the previous night.

Yormark said six Big 12 schools have campuses outside the United States, including a new Arizona State campus opening in London this fall.

“The Big 12 aims to be the most globally relevant conference in college athletics,” Yormark said. “Our brand of football travels. It’s fast, it’s dynamic, and it’s exciting. It resonates beyond our borders.”

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Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

Family says teen shot to death near Dunn Avenue was a former Ed White student who was planning to join the Navy

Briana Brownlee, Jesse Hanson, Richard Ochoa — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 10:32:08 +0000

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is investigating after a man was found shot to death early Tuesday on Bridges Road near Dunn Avenue.

Sgt. Howard Saunders with JSO’s Homicide Unit said patrol officers were called to the area just after 12:40 a.m. in reference to “someone shot.” When officers arrived, Saunders said they found an adult male with at least one gunshot wound.

The Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department said he died at the scene.

The victim was identified by his mother as 18-year-old Alexander Rutledge. She said that he was going to be in the Navy and had just met with his recruiter. His mother also said that he is an Ed White graduate.

Homicide detectives, crime scene detectives and the State Attorney’s Office are investigating the circumstances. Based on the facts known so far, Saunders said this appears to be an isolated incident.

Rutledge’s mother, Shantarious, said that her son had gotten into an argument with his best friend before he was shot.

JSO said the classification of the incident is pending as investigators work with the Medical Examiner’s Office.

How to share information

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office at 904-630-0500, email jsocrimetips@jaxsheriff.org, or contact Crime Stoppers at 866-845-TIPS.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

DCPS report: Former chief of schools allowed ‘numerous students’ to continue experiencing abuse at Douglas Anderson

Tiffany Salameh — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 16:36:04 +0000

An internal Duval County Public Schools investigation concluded that former Chief of Schools Scott Schneider “knowingly failed” to report allegations of child sexual abuse involving educators at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, a failure investigators say allowed students to remain at risk for years.

The findings, obtained by News4JAX, are the latest development in the ongoing fallout from years of sexual misconduct allegations involving teachers at the prestigious arts magnet school. News4JAX has been reporting on investigations involving Douglas Anderson since 2023.

The report centers on Schneider, who abruptly left the district in May after Superintendent Dr. Christopher Bernier declined to reappoint him for the upcoming school year.

The newly completed investigation by the district’s Office of Professional Standards paints a different picture, concluding Schneider failed to fulfill mandatory reporting obligations after receiving allegations in August 2020.

When News4JAX asked the district if Schneider’s declined contract renewal was related to this internal investigation, a spokesperson said, “The district does not disclose private information related to individual personnel matters. All staffing decisions are made carefully and with sensitivity, with our focus always remaining on supporting positive student outcomes.”

According to the report, then-Douglas Anderson Principal Melanie Hammer emailed Schneider, who was serving as regional superintendent for high schools, after a former student accused a dozen teachers and contractors of sexually abusing students over multiple years.

Hammer told Schneider she had already contacted the Florida Department of Children and Families, but was informed the agency could not investigate because the former student was no longer under 18.

In an Aug. 18, 2020 email included in the investigative report, Hammer asked Schneider:

“I previously contacted DCF and they told me unless it was a current student under the age of 18 they could not do anything. Am I to share this with JSO?”

Schneider replied less than an hour later:

“You have done what is needed.”

Investigators concluded that response effectively halted additional reporting requirements that should have been triggered.

The report states Schneider “had a statutory duty to report the alleged sexual abuse of students by the twelve-listed educators” and found his “actions to dismiss the matter appear intentional but are, at a minimum, reckless.”

Investigators further concluded Schneider’s educator certificate is “in jeopardy” because he “knowingly failed to report actual or suspected child abuse” and failed to report educator misconduct affecting student safety, violations they say are required under Florida law and state education rules.

The report also concludes Schneider committed “a misdemeanor of the first degree” by failing to report allegations involving authority figures accused of sexual misconduct with students.

In a statement to News4JAX, Schneider disputed the investigation’s findings, saying the report reaches conclusions that are not supported by the evidence and overlooks facts he believes contradict its findings. He argued the report could unfairly damage his professional reputation and urged readers to review the underlying evidence rather than rely solely on the investigators’ conclusions.

Schneider also said the investigative record shows the allegations had already been reported to the district’s Office of Professional Standards and that the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office assumed the investigation the day after then-Principal Melanie Hammer contacted the Florida Department of Children and Families. He maintained the appropriate authorities had received the information.

Schneider further noted that the investigation concluded months ago and that no criminal charges have been filed against him.

View the document below:

Investigators: Students remained at risk

In one of the report’s strongest findings, investigators concluded Schneider had opportunities over multiple years to report the allegations but failed to do so.

“Scott Schneider had a duty to report what he learned in August 2020 in year 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025,” the report states. It concludes his decision to remain silent violated Florida law, professional conduct standards and school board policy and constituted “willful (intentional and/or reckless) neglect of duty.”

The report goes on to state that Schneider’s inaction “led to missed opportunities” to interview victims, accused educators and witnesses in 2020.

“As a result, numerous students experienced or continued experiencing abuse by educators,” investigators wrote.

Investigators also said Schneider’s actions “silenced” mandatory reporting requirements to law enforcement, DCF, the district’s Office of Professional Standards and the Florida Department of Education, causing “a systemic breakdown in reporting, compliance, and accountability” that undermined the district’s commitment to student safety.

Report cites broader impact

The investigation says the district has since faced multiple lawsuits involving several educators named in the 2020 allegations, affecting public confidence in Duval County Public Schools and placing financial strain on the district.

As part of its recommendations, the Office of Professional Standards said it revised administrator training during the 2024 school year to reinforce mandatory reporting requirements. The report recommends annual documented training for administrators emphasizing that reporting duties are non-delegable and require documented follow-up.

The report concludes it has been forwarded to both law enforcement and the Florida Department of Education for further review.

It also states that only one educator identified in the 2020 email remained employed by the district at the time the investigation concluded and that employee, who worked part time, has since been released from employment.

When questioned on the findings by News4JAX, DCPS pointed to their Know the Line campaign, saying Dr. Bernier has consistently emphasized the importance of protecting the safety and well-being of students and fostering a culture where any suspected misconduct is reported immediately.

New Florida law changes prosecution timeline

The release of the district’s findings comes just days after a new Florida law took effect changing how prosecutors calculate the deadline to charge someone accused of failing to report suspected child abuse.

The law, sponsored by State Rep. Wyman Duggan, was prompted by cases tied to Douglas Anderson School of the Arts.

“Silence is no longer a legal strategy,” Duggan told News4JAX.

Under Florida law, knowingly failing to report suspected child abuse is now a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison.

Before July 1, the three-year statute of limitations began when the alleged failure to report occurred. Under the new law, the clock now starts when law enforcement discovers the failure to report, giving prosecutors more time to pursue charges in cases where reporting failures remain hidden for years.

The law does not revive cases in which the statute of limitations had already expired on or before July 1, 2026.

Duggan said the proposal originated with the State Attorney’s Office after prosecutors encountered repeated instances during the Douglas Anderson investigation in which they uncovered evidence that mandatory reporters may have failed to report suspected abuse, but the deadline to prosecute had already passed.

“It’s outrage,” Duggan said. “Parents drop their child off and they expect the school to take the place of a parent and that child should be able to count on the school administrators and the school leadership to look out for their interests.”

The legislation follows years of investigations into Douglas Anderson. Former choral director Jeffrey Clayton is serving a 10-year prison sentence after being convicted of sex crimes involving a 16-year-old student. The district has also paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to settle civil lawsuits brought by former students alleging abuse by school employees.

Civil rights attorney Christina Lawrence-Moser, who has represented former Douglas Anderson students, said the change reflects the reality that child abuse and failures to report often are not discovered until years later, when victims come forward or broader investigations uncover patterns of misconduct.

Florida Goes 2-for-2 at CB This Week and It's a Big Deal: Raheem Floyd & Bam Whitfield COMMIT

David Waters — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 22:14:58 +0000

Florida landed back-to-back defensive back commitments in the 2027 class, with Kamauri “Bam” Whitfield picking the Gators over a hard-charging Nebraska and four-star Raheem Floyd choosing Florida over Missouri and Ole Miss. David Waters breaks down how both recruitments actually played out, what the film says about each prospect, and where they fit in the secondary. Then a big-picture look at what these two do for the Gators’ DB haul and the class as a whole.

This story originally published at GatorsBreakdown.com

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Maryland lawmakers to meet in August for special session on redistricting

Sarah Rankin, Associated Press — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 21:46:30 +0000

Maryland lawmakers will meet for a special session next month to consider a constitutional amendment dealing with future congressional redistricting, legislative leaders announced Tuesday, following a failed effort earlier this year to redraw the state's maps to boost Democrats.

The move is the latest in the national battle over partisan redistricting, which has reshaped the U.S. House map ahead of this year's midterms and in states including Maryland could carry into the 2028 election cycle.

The Democratic-led Maryland General Assembly will meet beginning Aug. 3, legislative leaders said, to consider sending a constitutional amendment to voters this November intended to help clear the way later for a potential 8-0 congressional map. Democrats already hold a 7-1 advantage in the state’s U.S. House delegation; Rep. Andy Harris is the only GOP member.

Legislative leaders didn't include the language of the proposed amendment in their news release. But they said it would “clarify” the state constitution as it relates to a 2022 court ruling that struck down a previous map, which also would have made Harris’s district easier for a Democrat to win.

If approved by a three-fifths vote of both chambers, the amendment would go before voters in the Nov. 3 general election. If approved there, lawmakers could eventually revisit the congressional maps for a future election cycle under the constitution's new parameters.

"Maryland needs a durable, transparent constitutional framework for congressional redistricting that reflects the evolving legal landscape,” said House Speaker Joseline Peña-Melnyk said in a statement. “This special session gives the General Assembly the opportunity to respond thoughtfully to recent court decisions while ensuring that Maryland voters have the final say on any proposed constitutional changes.”

Maryland Republicans blasted the move as a power grab.

“One Republican Congressman represents hundreds of thousands of Marylanders who deserve a voice in Washington. This special session is designed to erase that voice and hand national Democrats another seat in the U.S. House,” Senate Minority Whip Justin Ready said in a statement.

Voting districts are typically redrawn once a decade after a census to account for population changes. But Trump urged Republicans last year to redraw districts mid-decade to try to prevent midterm losses, and Democrats responded by pursuing their own partisan redistricting.

A U.S. Supreme Court decision in late April then weakened the landmark Voting Rights Act, offering new grounds for Republicans to reconfigure districts in Southern states with large minority populations that have elected Democrats.

Republicans think they could net up to 10 additional House seats under the new districts this year.

Maryland initially took up the issue earlier this year. The state House approved a new map that would have made it easier for Democrats to win all eight congressional seats. But that plan was left to die in the state Senate, where Senate President Bill Ferguson argued the move could backfire under judicial review.

Democratic Gov. Wes Moore has been vocal in his support for a renewed redistricting effort and said Tuesday in a statement that he appreciated lawmakers’ “agreement to come back to finish the work.”

A Cairo coffee house erupts, then goes silent as Egypt’s World Cup run meets Argentina

Samy Magdy, Associated Press — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 20:13:25 +0000

The small coffee house in Cairo was turned Tuesday into a tiny stadium.

Several hundred people, mostly men and boys as young as 7, gathered around wall-mounted screens ahead of the kickoff whistle.

The scene played out across the soccer-mad nation as Egypt faced the defending World Cup champion in the round-of-16 fixture in Atlanta.

It was a historic day for millions of Egyptians even after their national team’s adventure reached its end with Tuesday’s 2-3 loss to Argentina.

“It’s a brutal scenario,” Ahmed Saadany, a teacher, reflected after the game. “The journey shouldn't have ended that way.”

With their own star Mohamed Salah, Egypt reached the round of 16 by beating Australia 4-2 on penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw in the round of 32 on Friday.

The Pharaohs advanced to the knockout stages — their first ever — after securing the second place in the Group G, behind Belgium.

Preparations for the game started well ahead of the kickoff at 7 p.m. local time. Rows of plastic and wooden chairs faced wall-mounted TV screens as fans flocked into hundreds of thousands of coffee houses and fan-zones across Egypt.

In squares and main thoroughfares, vendors were seen selling Egyptian flags, whistles and fan paraphernalia in preparation for the game.

Throughout the day, Egyptian flags were seen fluttering over vehicles and balconies, with debates on television and in public spaces, like coffee houses and markets, centering for days around the national team’s performance and its anticipated game against Argentina.

“Overall, the performance was excellent,” said Hassan Shehata, taking his seat in a packed coffee house in Cairo ahead of Tuesday’s game. “We’re developing. We play and compete.”

It’s Egypt’s fourth World Cup during which the most populous Arab country with seven Africa Cup of Nations trophies proved hard to beat.

The 2026 finals saw Egypt’s best-ever performance. The Pharaohs broke their curse of never having won a World Cup game with their 3-1 victory over New Zealand, advancing to the knockout stage for the first time.

“It was a dream,” said Rami Saeed, a 23-year-old university student. “(Coach) Hossam Hassan and his team have beaten our expectations.”

In a packed coffee house in Giza, many were seen wrapping themselves with or waving the Egyptian flag, chanting “Masr, Masr, Masr!” — the Arabic name for Egypt, while others beat drums.

The coffee house was rocked when Egypt scored and when the Pharaohs’ goalkeeper saved Messi’s penalty kick. A dead silence covered the place when Argentina scored their goals.

The fans were disappointed by Tuesday’s loss but pointed with pride at the team’s historic performance.

“It’s injustice,” Haitham Raafat, a 13-year-old boy, burst into tears after the final whistle. “The referee wasn’t fair.”

President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi lauded the team’s “unprecedented accomplishment in the history of Egyptian football.”

“Thank you to the heroes of the national football team,” he wrote in a social media post. “We are proud of you, and your achievement.”

Shaban Youssef, a 45-year-old mechanical engineer, said he is also proud of the team, saying: “They held our heads high, especially Hossam Hassan’s support of the Palestinian people.”

Hassan, Egypt’s head coach, used the World Cup platform to show support for the Palestinian people in an impassioned monologue at a pregame news conference.

Asked about his emotions when he draped a Palestinian flag around himself after Egypt’s victory over Australia in the last round, Hassan gave a more than four-minute answer amid applause by the assembled media.

“If there is anyone in the world who does not feel for the Palestinian people, then they are not human — whether they are Arab, European, or American,” he said.

Hassan’s comments were lauded by many Egyptians, who took to social media to express their support for both the coach and the Palestinians.

“Whatever the result,” prominent novelist Ezzat el-Kamhawi wrote in a Facebook post ahead of Tuesday's game. “Our team plays tonight, and the championship is already in their pocket, thanks to Hossam Hassan’s goal against Zionism.”

During Egypt’s World Cup games, hundreds of war-weary Palestinians packed around TV screens in makeshift shelters across the war-torn Gaza Strip to cheer on the Pharaohs. They gathered between their shelters, chanting, clapping and waving Egyptian flags, with Egyptian patriotic songs playing in the background.

“It’s a duty to support Egypt,” Soliman Salem, a Palestinian young man, said in a phone interview from his shelter in Gaza after Tuesday’s game. “We’re very sad, but proud of the Egyptians.”

Abdel-Rahman Baroud, another Gaza resident, said they hoped that Egypt would qualify to the next round, but “luck wasn’t on their side in the second half.”

“We all return home, disappointed," he said.

Thank you, Jacksonville. Season two has come to a close, but this is only the beginning

Kendra Mazeke — Wed, 01 Jul 2026 16:00:00 +0000

Season two of “Voices of the 904″ has come to a close, and we can’t say it enough: Thank you, Jacksonville.

Thank you for welcoming us into your lives, trusting us with your stories and supporting this movement every step of the way.

Voices of the 904 S2 graphic

Across two seasons and in under a year, we’ve introduced the community to 18 different people helping shape our city’s identity.

This is only the beginning.

“Voices of the 904″ will return this fall with more stories, more voices and a deeper look at the people redefining Jacksonville.

Missed an episode? Catch up below:

Ep 2. Meet Felicia Anderson - Her creative lens turned a studio into a space elevating Jacksonville’s identity

Ep. 3. Monique & Adam Madrid - She had the idea. He had the support. Together, they created Jacksonville’s largest film fest

Ep. 4. Meet Wade Lee Richards - His path planted the seeds to turn grief into growth in Jacksonville

Ep. 5. Toni Smailagić - Behind his lens for Cr8Jax lies the reflection of community & connection

Ep. 6. Meet Rochelle Underdue & Shirley Murray -The rhythmic heartbeat at the center of Jacksonville’s street dance scene

Ep. 7. Meet Ryan Thompson - This gamer is leveling up Jacksonville creators through connection & community

Ep. 8. Meet Jade Robinson - Through acts of service, she bridges community involvement and nonprofits

Find more episodes below:

Jalen Brunson has left wrist surgery, Knicks star expected back on court this summer, AP source says

Brian Mahoney, Associated Press — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 21:33:52 +0000

Jalen Brunson has undergone left wrist surgery and is expected to be back on the court when the New York Knicks begin defense of their NBA title, a person with knowledge of the details said Tuesday.

The NBA Finals MVP is expected to resume basketball activities later this summer, the person told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because there was no announcement about Brunson's procedure.

Brunson's surgery was first reported by SNY.

Brunson, who is left-handed, didn't let the wrist injury slow him down on the Knicks' run to their first championship since 1973. He scored 45 points when the Knicks won the title in Game 5 in San Antonio, after finishing with 36 when they made a record-setting comeback from a 29-point deficit in Game 4. The point guard averaged 32.6 points in the finals.

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

Man dies after being shot multiple times near Arlington apartment complex

Andrea Snody, Ben Schubert — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 14:59:46 +0000

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said a man died after being found with multiple gunshot wounds near an apartment complex in Arlington on Tuesday.

JSO responding to person shot in Arlington.

The scene was near the Arco Place apartments. News4JAX did see a body in the street when our crew arrived around 10:30 a.m.

About 7 hours later, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office held a news conference and said officers were called to Bretta Street around 9:30 a.m. to reports of a person shot.

Investigators say the man died at the scene, and they are still investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting. They’re also working to track down any witnesses or surveillance video.

JSO said at this time, no one has been detained. No suspect description was given.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office or First Coast Crimestoppers at 1-866-845-TIPS.

AI stocks sink and drag markets lower worldwide

Elaine Kurtenbach, Associated Press — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 05:02:50 +0000

The roller-coaster ride for AI stocks snapped back down on Tuesday and dragged Wall Street lower.

The S&P 500 fell 0.4% even though the majority of stocks within the index rose. The drops for stocks in the artificial-intelligence industry dragged the Nasdaq composite down 1.2%, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 130 points, or 0.2%, from its record.

The weakness began in Asia, where Samsung Electronics tumbled 6.9% in Seoul. The tech giant gave a preliminary look at its performance for the second quarter, and the numbers were strong. Samsung Electronics said it expects to report its operating profit surged roughly 1,800% from a year earlier.

Analysts called the numbers surprisingly good, but they still weren’t enough for investors after Samsung Electronics’ stock had come into the day having well more than doubled in the year so far.

On Wall Street, AI stocks have been under similar pressure in recent weeks on worries that their prices shot too high and that AI may not produce enough productivity and profits to make all the investments in chips and data centers worth it.

Drops of 6.5% for Advanced Micro Devices, 9.7% for Intel and 4.7% for Micron Technology were the heaviest weights on the market.

SpaceX, which owns the xAI business, fell 6.8% in its first trading after getting included in the Nasdaq 100 index.

Outside of tech, Vertex Pharmaceuticals slipped 1.4% after saying it agreed to buy Crinetics Pharmaceuticals for $85 per share in cash. Crinetics, which develops therapeutics for endocrine diseases, soared 98.7%.

Rivian Automotive dropped 18.1% after the electric vehicle company said it’s selling 75 million shares of its stock, a move that dilutes the ownership stakes of earlier shareholders.

All told, the S&P 500 fell 33.58 points to 7,503.85. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 130.76 to 52,925.15, and the Nasdaq composite sank 302.47 to 25,818.69.

Stocks also felt pressure from a rise in oil prices after the British military said three tankers were struck by projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz. The United States later revoked a license that had authorized the sale of Iranian oil as part an interim deal to end the fighting between the U.S. and Iran.

That hurt hopes that the Strait of Hormuz may fully reopen to oil tankers carrying crude to customers worldwide from the Persian Gulf.

Brent crude, the international standard, rose 3% to settle at $74.16 per barrel.

Higher oil prices put upward pressure on inflation, and Treasury yields climbed in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.54% from 4.48% late Monday and from just 3.97% before the war with Iran began.

High yields worldwide have been rattling investors since the war sent oil prices bursting above $100 per barrel in March. The worry is that high inflation may force the Federal Reserve and other central banks to hike interest rates. Higher rates can keep a lid on inflation, but they also slow the economy and hurt prices for all kinds of investments.

In stock markets abroad, South Korea’s Kospi tumbled 4.9% because Samsung Electronics by itself makes up more than a quarter of the index.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 fell 2.1%, and Germany’s DAX lost 1.4% for two of the world’s bigger moves.

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

Pirates star rookie shortstop Konnor Griffin out 8-10 weeks with injury to his left ring finger

Will Graves, Associated Press — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 20:43:35 +0000

The Pittsburgh Pirates will have to try to stay in postseason contention without rookie shortstop Konnor Griffin.

The club placed the 20-year-old rising star on the 10-day injured list on Tuesday due to an issue with the knuckle on the ring finger on his left hand. Pirates director of sports medicine Todd Tomczyk said Griffin is expected to miss 8-10 weeks.

Griffin, who made his major league debut in April before signing a lengthy extension, injured the finger in the early portion of a victory over Washington on Sunday. He remained in the lineup and finished with two hits before a postgame exam detailed the extent of the injury.

Tomczyk said the injury was to the sagittal band, which stabilizes the ring finger. Griffin will keep the hand in a splint for about six weeks before resuming baseball activities.

The injury is the second significant setback for Griffin during a promising rookie season. He missed most of June with a strained right forearm.

“He's really been a big part of our success,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. "I think for him to learn through this, too, every single player goes through injuries. He’s just had a couple tough ones at the beginning. I know he’ll be stronger after going through it.”

When healthy, Griffin has been a revelation for the Pirates, looking every bit the franchise cornerstone they hoped he'd be after selecting him in the first round of the 2024 draft. Griffin is hitting .276 with five homers, 25 RBIs and 20 stolen bases in 59 games.

Jared Triolo will primarily fill in at shortstop for Pittsburgh, which entered Tuesday at 46-45 and in the middle of a large swath of National League teams in the postseason mix.

Griffin joins an increasingly crowded injured list that includes center fielder Oneil Cruz and first baseman Spencer Horwitz.

Pittsburgh called up infielder Jack Brannigan from Triple-A Indianapolis to take Griffin's spot on the roster.

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Lionel Messi scores his eighth goal of this year's World Cup, takes lead in Golden Boot race

Maura Carey, Associated Press — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 17:54:48 +0000

Lionel Messi let the tears flow at the final whistle, succumbing to emotion after Argentina conjured up an incredible two-goal comeback to beat Egypt 3-2 on Tuesday and advance to the World Cup quarterfinals.

Argentina's three goals came in the final 11 minutes of regulation and injury time. Messi played a direct hand — or foot — in two of them.

Messi helped get Argentina on the board in the 79th minute, assisting on Cristian Romero's header. Four minutes later, he leveled the match at 2-2, drilling a shot past Egypt goalkeeper Mostafa Shobeir.

A sold-out crowd at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, made up of mostly Argentina's signature blue and white, erupted. And no one was surprised it was Messi who paved the way to victory.

“Watching Leo run the way he does, just pushing himself further every day — I just told him that he deserved it. He's our role model, our guide — the one who helps us at all times," Argentina forward Lautaro Martínez said. “This team is incredible. It never gives up. It keeps trying until the very end.”

Messi's goal was his eighth of this year's World Cup and moved him to the top of a tight Golden Boot race. It also extended his scoring streak to a record nine consecutive World Cup matches dating back to Argentina's title run in 2022. Tuesday's goal was his 13th in that nine-game span.

In the race for his first Golden Boot, Messi entered Tuesday's match even with France’s Kylian Mbappé and Norway’s Erling Haaland at seven goals each. Mbappé held the tiebreaker with two assists. England’s Harry Kane is also in the running with six goals.

The score also gave Messi a two-goal lead over Mbappé on the all-time World Cup leaderboard.

Messi finished second in the Golden Boot race behind Mbappé in 2022 with seven goals while leading Argentina to the title in Qatar. He tied for third with four goals in 2014.

Messi's impact on this year's World Cup run, teammate Julián Álvarez said, is hard to put into words.

“Leo, honestly, there aren’t really words to describe this Cup run,” Álvarez said. “What he’s doing is incredible, and we just try to help him, support him, and enjoy every moment alongside him. We’re also grateful for everything he does for us and for the kind of person he is."

Whether or not he wins the Golden Boot, Messi's reputation is unlikely to ever be downplayed.

“He’s a legend," Álvarez said. ”The greatest player in history.”

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Wall Street banks are sky-high about SpaceX, but investors remain cautious

Damian J. Troise, Associated Press — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 17:20:53 +0000

Wall Street banks have high hopes for SpaceX but at the moment shares of Elon Musk's rocket market appear to be earthbound.

Many of the investment firms that underwrote SpaceX's initial public offering issued their first research notes about the company Tuesday, and almost all recommended that investors buy the stock and forecast it to trade above $200 in the next 12 to 18 months.

But after topping $200 in its first week of trading, the stock is trading around $150 per share, where it opened on June 12, its IPO day. Investors may be looking cautiously at the same factors that have Wall Street so enthusiastic about the stock.

Analysts are focused on SpaceX’s potential to lead the market for space transportation and infrastructure. The company's reusable rockets allow it to transport people and cargo into Earth's orbit and it is aiming for deeper exploration of the solar system. Most of the company's revenue currently comes from its Starlink satellites, and AI innovations are expected to advance that technology.

“SpaceX’s ambitions, and potential impact on humanity, are bigger than any company’s we’ve ever seen,” said a analysts from J.P. Morgan, in a research report.

The bank expects the stock price to reach $225 by the end of 2027. It cited the company's competitive advantage in space transportation, with about 670 orbital launches and a nearly 99% success rate with its Falcon rockets. Most payloads launched into orbit since 2023 were through SpaceX.

The company has dominated the reusable space rocket market with its Falcon 9, but its gigantic Starship rocket is the key to launching bigger pieces of cargo, including data centers.

Investment bank Raymond James is by far the most optimistic. Its analysts expect the stock to eventually reach $800 per share and consider SpaceX a key industrial company for the 21st century.

“Just as railroads, electric grids, and the Internet reshaped prior economic eras, we believe SpaceX is building the foundational platform for the next generation of industrial capacity,” the analysts wrote in a research report.

SpaceX founder Elon Musk decided to take the company public because it needs money to fund its ambitions, including putting more satellites and eventually data centers into space. It's more ambitious goals include establishing a colony on Mars.

For now, Starship is still in the test phase and no technology exists to put data centers in space or send people to Mars. Wall Street analysts acknowledge that a delay or failure to establish a steady schedule of launches for Starship is a risk that could torpedo their forecasts.

SpaceX ended its first day on Wall Street in June with a market value of more than $2 trillion and is still sitting around that level. That made Musk the world's first trillionaire, though his net worth has since fallen back below $1 trillion, according to Forbes.

A few banks on Wall Street are more cautious about the company's prospects. Equity research firm MoffettNathanson said it sees the potential, but has given the company a more “neutral” rating and sees the stock eventually sitting at $131 per share. The concerns are over many of the unknowns related to regulatory issues, technology and demand.

“It is, in short, a bet on any and all things made possible by a virtual lock on rocket manufacturing and launch," MoffettNathanson said in a report.

McConnell speaks to Republican leaders as speculation swirls about his health, remains hospitalized

Mary Clare Jalonick, Associated Press — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 20:00:54 +0000

The Senate's top two Republicans have spoken individually to Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, according to aides, as the former GOP leader remains in the hospital more than three weeks after being admitted for undisclosed health issues.

Aides to McConnell have declined to release any information about his condition, fueling speculation about his prognosis and whether he will be healthy enough to be at the Capitol when the Senate returns to Washington next week after a two-week recess. McConnell, 84, is retiring at the end of his term in January.

A spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said he had spoken with McConnell by phone on Monday and that the two had a “lengthy and substantive conversation that covered a variety of topics, including national security.” As leader, Thune is generally kept up to date on illnesses and absences in his conference as he has to navigate vote counts and his narrow 53-47 majority.

Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, the No. 2 Senate Republican, had a 20-minute conversation with McConnell on Tuesday, according to a spokeswoman. The two discussed Senate races ahead of the midterm elections, the Supreme Court and other topics, the statement said.

“Senator McConnell was fully engaged and is eager to get back to the Senate,” said Barrasso spokeswoman Kate Noyes.

Another McConnell ally, Republican strategist Scott Jennings, posted on X that he had also talked to McConnell for 20 minutes on Tuesday, and that “he’s still recovering in the hospital.” Jennings said they spoke about politics, foreign policy “and even a little bit of Senate history.”

Few details released as McConnell remains in the hospital

McConnell was admitted to the hospital on June 14, according to a statement from his office that only said he was “receiving excellent care.”

A statement a week later said that he would not be voting that week. And on Thursday, a new statement said that he ”appreciates the outpouring of support he’s receiving while he continues his recovery in the hospital.”

“The Senator continues to improve, and is working closely with his staff on Kentucky and Senate matters while the Senate is out of session,” the statement said.

A spokesman for McConnell released the same statement again on Tuesday, with no new updates.

McConnell has a history of health troubles

The senator’s unspecified health issues come after several hospitalizations in recent years.

While he was still Republican leader, McConnell was hospitalized with a concussion in March 2023 and missed several weeks of work after falling in a Washington hotel. He twice froze up during news conferences after he returned, staring vacantly ahead before colleagues and staff — including Barrasso, who is a doctor — came to his assistance.

A year later, he fell and sprained his wrist while walking out of a GOP luncheon.

McConnell had polio in his early childhood and he has long acknowledged some difficulty as an adult in walking and climbing stairs. He also tripped and fell in 2019 at his home in Kentucky and underwent surgery for a fractured shoulder.

The Kentucky senator was first elected to the Senate in 1984 and was the Republican leader from 2007 until last year, serving as both majority and minority leader during that period. He has remained active as a rank-and-file senator, showing up for work when the chamber is in session, often using a wheelchair to get around.

Former Dallas Cowboys defensive end Kneeland had early stage CTE at time of death

Jim Vertuno, Associated Press — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 17:03:35 +0000

Former Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland, who died by suicide in November 2025 after a high-speed chase with police, had early stage chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a brain abnormality linked to repeated head trauma, his family announced Tuesday.

The Boston University CTE Center, which investigates the long-term consequences of repetitive brain trauma in athletes and others, analyzed Kneeland's brain tissue after his death. Researchers determined Kneeland, who was 24, was in stage one of four of CTE.

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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org

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CTE is a degenerative brain disease that has been found in athletes in contact sports, combat veterans and others who experience repetitive blows to the head. It has been known to cause violent mood swings, impulsive behavior and depression. It can be diagnosed only after death.

“While this diagnosis does not change the tragedy of his passing, it provides important context about some of the struggles he may have been facing. We share this information to help people understand what NFL and other high contact sport athletes might be struggling with,” Kneeland’s family, including his girlfriend, Catalina Mancera, said in a statement issued through the Concussion and CTE Foundation.

“Raising awareness is important to us. We continue to remember Marshawn with compassion for the person he was, rather than defining him by the final moments of his life. One Love,” the family said.

The abnormality has also been linked to deaths in the National Football League, as well as in hockey and soccer.

Kneeland shot himself after evading authorities in his vehicle and fleeing a car crash on foot.

The chase happened after police said Kneeland didn’t stop for Texas Department of Public Safety troopers over a traffic violation. Authorities lost sight of the vehicle before locating it crashed minutes later.

As authorities were looking for Kneeland after he fled the crash site on foot, a dispatcher told officers that people who knew him had received a group text from Kneeland “saying goodbye,” indicating he might be suicidal.

Dr. Chris Nowinski, CEO of the Concussion & CTE Foundation, noted Kneeland's diagnosis comes even amid a modern era of concussion protocols in professional and college athletics and better safety equipment.

Kneeland started playing tackle football when he was 7 years old. He played at Western Michigan University before he was selected by the Cowboys in the second round of the 2024 NFL draft.

“We have no reason to believe the current generation is at a lower risk of CTE than previous generations. Concussion protocols do not prevent CTE, because CTE is caused by repeated head impacts, not just concussions,” Nowinski said. “If we want to reduce CTE risk, we must implement CTE prevention protocols and aggressively reduce the number and strength of head impacts at every level of the game.”

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Former mayor of Mississippi's capital city pleads guilty in bribery scheme

Sophie Bates, Associated Press — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 16:20:20 +0000

The former mayor of Mississippi's capital city and the former City Council president have pleaded guilty in a bribery scheme one week before they were set to face trial.

Former Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba and former Jackson City Council President Aaron Banks pleaded guilty Monday to one count of conspiracy. Their pleas came after Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens pleaded guilty last week and resigned. All three are Democrats.

Two other people — Angelique Lee, the Democratic former vice president of the Jackson City Council, and Sherik Marve Smith, a businessman and relative of Owens — had already pleaded guilty to bribery charges.

A November 2024 indictment accused Owens of taking at least $115,000 from two FBI agents posing as real estate developers and facilitating more than $80,000 in bribe payments to Banks, Lumumba and Lee in exchange for their help greenlighting a development project.

Lumumba, Banks and Owens could be sentenced to up to five years in prison. Their sentencing hearings are set for Oct. 15.

Lumumba, who previously called the charges a political prosecution, lost his reelection bid last year. His lawyers did not immediately respond to The Associated Press' requests for comment.

The National Conference of Black Lawyers, which has supported Lumumbat throughout his prosecution, has raised concerns about whether the FBI and prosecutors unjustly targeted Black elected officials.

“Our history tells us that it is necessary for us to have a very healthy skepticism about who, how and why certain people, certain geographical areas are focused upon,” said Mawuli Davis, an attorney with the NCBL. “We’ve never not been targeted.”

Davis said the NCBL intends to attend Lumumba's sentencing hearing and advocate for the judge to consider Lumumba's contributions to the community.

Banks' lawyer declined to comment.

Naomi Osaka laments sore feet and 'getting old' after Wimbledon quarterfinal loss

Ken Maguire, Associated Press — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 19:43:06 +0000

Sure, Naomi Osaka is a four-time Grand Slam champion who also impresses with her fashionable outfits.

On Tuesday, she sounded like the rest of us. The plantar fasciitis was acting up. She’s working too much.

“I’m just getting old,” Osaka said.

The 28-year-old Osaka’s Wimbledon run and fashion show ended in a 7-6 (4), 6-4 loss to Karolina Muchova in the quarterfinals of the grass-court Grand Slam.

Osaka, a former No. 1 player, had ousted top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in the fourth round — with arguably some of her best tennis since returning from maternity leave — but couldn't find her rhythm Tuesday against her Czech opponent.

“It’s hard because I played so well in my last match, then today I just feel like I didn’t play well at all and I didn’t have any energy," said Osaka, who despite the loss still had her best result at the All England Club by reaching the quarterfinals.

“I could feel it coming because I’ve played way more matches than I usually do before a Slam," she added. “I just wanted to try that to see the rhythm, you know? Obviously it worked out well. But I think I probably won’t do that again. But yeah, I would say it was like an accumulation of playing two weeks straight without a day off.”

In a Wimbledon warmup tournament in Bad Homburg, Germany, Osaka had retired from the final — against Muchova — because of a foot injury.

The Japanese player — who took mental-health breaks starting in 2021 and was away from the tour while having a daughter — was asked Tuesday if she has an ankle issue. No, she responded before joking about “getting old.” She did say, however, that she has “plantar fasciitis on my feet. Well, that’s what we assume it is.”

“It kind of started happening off-season last year,” Osaka added. “I feel like maybe it's because I’m a lot more springy on my toes. I think it reactivated on grass court because I’m pushing off a lot more to go forward. I don’t think it will bother me on hard court. I’m thinking it was maybe just the surface change.”

Osaka has won two of her four major titles (2018 and ’20) at the U.S. Open, and she made it back to the semifinals at Flushing Meadows last year, losing to Amanda Anisimova.

“I feel like in my head I think there’s still an opportunity to win a Slam,” she said.

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Woman suspected of Monaco bombing is found dead in Ukraine, authorities say

Associated Press — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 11:13:21 +0000

The woman suspected of trying to kill a Ukrainian business tycoon in a bombing attack in Monaco last week was found dead in Ukraine with gunshot wounds to the head, Ukraine’s Security Service said on Tuesday.

A Ukrainian military intelligence officer confessed to killing the bombing suspect, Anastasiia Berezovska, with the help of a former law enforcement officer, said the security service, known as the SBU. The military intelligence officer said he acted on his own and without the knowledge of his superiors, the SBU said.

Both men were detained on suspicion of murdering Berezovska, a Ukrainian national whose last known residence was in Germany, according to authorities. They also “may have been involved in planning” last week's bombing, Monaco prosecutor Stéphane Thibault said late Tuesday.

The bombing attack at an apartment building entrance in Monaco reportedly injured Vadym Yermolaiev, a tycoon with links to Russia. A woman and a child who were with him were also injured, and the Monaco prosecutor said last week that one of the victims was in a life-threatening condition.

The attack shocked Monaco, a coastal playground for the rich and famous known for its tax-friendly incentives, royal family and Formula 1 Grand Prix.

Authorities have not disclosed possible motives for the bombing attack, or the killing of Berezovska. Based on the sophistication of the remote-controlled explosive device that was used, investigators in Monaco said last week that they believed multiple people were involved in the attack.

In Kyiv, the mysterious events have raised concerns among some lawmakers about how Ukraine’s Western allies are reacting to a possible assassination attempt in Monaco that is now linked to at least one member of Ukraine’s military intelligence agency.

“I hope it will not have a serious impact. But our allies deserve an explanation,” said Oleksandr Merezhko, a lawmaker from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s party.

Ukraine is believed to have carried out attacks and targeted killings of Russian figures in the course of the war, although those attacks have largely been confined to Ukrainian or Russian territory.

One possibility is that the bombing in Monaco and Berezovska’s killing are connected to the Yermolaiev family’s business dealings, said political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko, who believes it’s too soon to implicate the Ukrainian state.

Fesenko noted that at the end of April, Yermolaiev’s son, Artur, had settled charges brought against him in Estonia related to an alleged phone scam that took in more than 100 million euros ($114 million) from citizens in multiple European countries between 2019 and 2022, according to local media reports. As part of the deal, the younger Yermolaiev paid an 8.5 million euro fine.

Monaco's head of state, Prince Albert II, described last week's bombing as “an odious act.” The 39-year-old Berezovska was identified as the main suspect by Interpol, which issued a so-called Red Notice seeking her arrest on charges of attempted murder and criminal conspiracy. The notice said Berezovska has a tattoo, possibly of a snake, on her right arm from the shoulder to the elbow.

Yermolaiev built his fortune through the Alef Group, a diversified business that includes commercial real estate, manufacturing and agriculture. Sanctioned by Ukraine in 2023 for his Russia ties, Yermolaiev has said he renounced his Ukrainian citizenship nearly a decade ago.

Interpol on Tuesday said it had no immediate comment on the arrests of the Ukrainian military intelligence officer and former law enforcement officer.

The SBU said investigators had focused on the two men after discovering they had repeatedly transferred cryptocurrency and money through bank accounts to Berezovska.

Investigators said they found Berezovska’s body during a reconstruction of the crime based on one suspect’s testimony. Investigators recovered spent pistol casings at the scene, the SBU said.

Authorities said the basement of the former law enforcement officer’s home appeared to be used as a torture chamber. It was not immediately clear if this is where Berezovska’s body was found.

The SBU said it had shared all available information with authorities in Monaco and was continuing to investigate those who ordered and organized the bombing attack there.

___

AP Writer Sylvie Corbet in Paris contributed.

Democrats' narrow path to Senate majority gets rockier as Platner faces sexual assault allegation

Bill Barrow And Mike Catalini, Associated Press — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 17:26:10 +0000

A new accusation that Graham Platner once sexually assaulted a woman he was dating has rocked the U.S. Senate race in Maine and cast fresh doubt on Democrats’ path to a Senate majority.

Republicans currently have a 53-47 advantage in the Senate, and Maine is viewed as a necessary win for Democrats to gain the minimum of four new Senate seats.

But now there’s a question of whether Platner, who denied the allegation, will remain on the ballot and, if he does, whether he can defeat five-term Republican Sen. Susan Collins.

Here’s a closer look at the top races that Democrats are targeting.

Democrats see some pickup opportunities

ALASKA: Former Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola’s candidacy against incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan has buoyed her party.

Peltola, one of a handful of Democrats who’ve won in Republican dominated states, was the first Alaska Native to serve in Congress, winning special and regular elections in 2022 for the state’s only House seat.

At center stage for the state’s Aug. 18 primary is drama involving a man running with the same name and party affiliation as Sullivan. The state supreme court has said the challenger is qualified to be on the ballot.

Peltola’s campaign and state Democrats have denied Sullivan's allegation that they're working with the challenger to cause confusion..

MAINE: Platner catapulted to the Democratic nomination despite earlier controversies. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer initially backed sitting Gov. Janet Mills but reluctantly aligned behind Platner -- until Monday’s latest bombshell accusation.

Now, Schumer and many Democrats are pushing for Platner to withdraw. If he does that by July 13, Maine Democrats can put a replacement on the ballot. If not, Platner could face Collins with minimal national party support.

If Platner drops out, his replacement could meet a similar challenge to what presidential candidate Kamala Harris faced in 2024, when she had a late start to appeal to a general election audience without having won the nomination in a competitive primary.

Meanwhile, Collins has won elections for 30 years despite no Republican presidential nominee, including President Donald Trump, winning Maine since 1988.

NORTH CAROLINA: Democrats landed one of their prize recruits with former Gov. Roy Cooper, who has never lost a statewide election through four terms as attorney general and two as governor. Republicans answered with Trump’s handpicked candidate, Michael Whatley, who’d previously served as state GOP chairman and as the Republican National Committee chairman.

Whatley was viewed as a prodigious fundraiser and ideal Trump surrogate in a state the president carried three times, and he has history on his side -- Democrats have won just two U.S. Senate races and one presidential contest in North Carolina in the last three decades.

Yet Cooper won governors races in two of Trump’s three presidential cycles and is leveraging his centrist image at a time when independents have soured on Trump. That leaves Whatley with the difficult tasks of satisfying Trump's core supporters without alienating other voters; introducing himself to voters who don’t know him; and convincing enough North Carolina voters that they’ve been wrong about Cooper for decades.

OHIO: Democrats are counting on former Sen. Sherrod Brown to unseat Republican incumbent Jon Husted in what’s shaping up to be another expensive contest in the state — its third in four years.

The Senate Leadership Fund, a GOP super PAC, has pledged $79 million to defend Husted, a former lieutenant governor appointed to fill the seat after JD Vance became vice president.

Brown served three terms in the Senate before losing a tough reelection contest in 2024.

Ohio has steadily trended Republican. But Brown won previously as an advocate of unions and the working class, and Democrats believe he can attract some of the voters who’ve helped Trump win the state three times.

Underdogs could offer surprises

IOWA: The state, which Trump won three times gives Democrats an opportunity to flip a seat with two-term Republican Sen. Joni Ernst's retirement.

Democratic Iowa state Rep. Josh Turek faces Trump-endorsed Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson.

Turek is a relative newcomer to elected office and has pointed to his experience winning in a red state House district as proof he could appeal to independent and moderate Republican voters in November.

Hinson is a three-term House incumbent representing northeastern Iowa, and claims Trump needs a fighter who would “always have his back.”

TEXAS: State Rep. James Talarico, a 37-year-old seminarian, has become a national fundraising phenomenon.

Talarico faces the scandal-ridden Republican nominee Ken Paxton. The Texas attorney general has weathered an impeachment attempt by his own party, a yearslong corruption investigation and public airing of his martial difficulties. Through all that, Paxton has won multiple reelections.

Democrats were buoyed by their primary turnout of about 2.3 million eclipsing Republicans’ 2.2 million, something that hasn’t happened since the state flipped to Republicans in the 1990s. But the challenge for Talarico is turning that momentum into a racially, ethnically and geographically diverse coalition in November.

The seats Democrats have to hold

GEORGIA: Sen. Jon Ossoff is the only Democratic senator running for reelection this year in a state Trump won in 2024.

He had no primary opposition, and he’s been a fundraising force with more than $30 million cash-on-hand as he entered the general election campaign. Ossof has attracted national attention with his unapologetic broadsides against Trump.

Republican Rep. Mike Collins is playing catchup after winning a bruising GOP primary runoff. He must navigate skeptical Republicans who believe he’s too conservative or controversial for this battleground state. Collins repeats Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was rigged, and he’s also facing a House ethics inquiry over allegations that he misused taxpayer money to pay the girlfriend of a former top aide.

Collins’ strongest line of attack against Ossoff comes on immigration. Collins sponsored the Laken Riley Act, named for a Georgia nursing student killed by a Venezuelan man in the U.S. illegally. The 2025 law, among other provisions, requires immigrants accused of certain crimes to be detained by federal law enforcement.

Ossoff voted for that legislation after Trump returned to the White House. The senator had previously voted, along with all Senate Democrats, to block consideration of an earlier Republican version — offered as an amendment to a 2024 spending bill — that would have prohibited undocumented immigrants accused of certain crimes from obtaining legal status. Collins and Republicans frame those votes as Ossoff flip-flopping on immigration enforcement.

MICHIGAN: Democratic Sen. Gary Peters’ retirement opens up a seat the party must hold in a key presidential battleground that Trump won twice and former President Joe Biden carried in 2020.

The Aug. 4 Democratic primary pits moderate Haley Stevens against progressive Abdul El-Sayed. It was a three-way race until Mallory McMorrow, who had backing from some progressive Democratic senators, suspended her campaign.

Stevens and El-Sayed have split support among Democratic senators. Stevens has the support of Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, while El-Sayed has support from Sen. Bernie Sanders and other progressives.

Stevens has also benefited from heavy outside spending, including nearly $8 million from a super PAC affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

El-Sayed, a former Wayne County health director, has run on issues like Medicare for All and halting all U.S. weapons transfers to Israel. He has campaigned with popular-yet-controversial streamer Hasan Piker, who has millions of followers online and has said things such as that “America deserved 9/11.”

The winner is expected to face Republican Mike Rogers, who lost to now-Sen. Elissa Slotkin, a Democrat, in 2024.

2 sitting commissioners, former mayor accused in fake Republican voter guide scheme during 2024 St. Johns County primary

Ariel Schiller, Andrea Snody — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 02:26:14 +0000

Five people — including two sitting St. Johns County commissioners and a former St. Augustine Beach mayor — have been charged in connection with an alleged fake Republican voter guide distributed during the 2024 primary election, according to charging documents filed Monday in the 7th Judicial Circuit Court.

The five defendants are Brianna Jordan, a former campaign manager; Sarah Arnold, commissioner for District 2; Dylan Rumrell, St. Augustine Beach commissioner and previously served as mayor; and Christian Whitehurst, county commissioner for District 1; and Jamie Johnson. Arrest warrants were received by the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office on July 6.

What they’re accused of doing

Prosecutors allege that between Aug. 1 and Aug. 15, 2024, the five defendants worked together to produce and distribute a voter guide that falsely presented itself as an official publication of the St. Johns County Republican Executive Committee — also known as the St. Johns GOP Republican Party.

According to the charging documents, the guide lacked written authorization from the SJREC and failed to include legally required disclosures, in violation of Florida Statute 106.1436.

All five defendants face charges of:

Conspiracy (misdemeanor)
Unauthorized voter guide (misdemeanor)

Additional felony charge for Jordan

Jordan faces a third count — tampering with physical evidence, a third-degree felony. Prosecutors allege she altered, destroyed, concealed, or removed voter guides while knowing a criminal investigation was pending or about to be launched, in violation of Florida Statute 918.13.

Her bond is set at $12,000 total: $10,000 for the tampering charge and $1,000 each for the conspiracy and unauthorized voter guide counts.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement conducted the investigation.

A spokesperson for the legal team of Arnold, Whitehurst and Rumrell sent this statement to News4JAX.

These allegations have lingered for nearly two years in the hands of various government agencies. With formal charges now filed, County Commissioner Arnold, County Commissioner Whitehurst and St. Augustine Beach City Commissioner Rumrell look forward to the conclusion of this matter and will have no further comment at this time.
Spokesperson

Former Florida Governor candidate Andrew Gillum arrested on drug charges

Tue, 07 Jul 2026 18:20:14 +0000

Former Florida gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum is facing new legal trouble following his arrest last week in Daphne, Alabama on drug-related charges. Authorities say Gillum has since been released.

The charges are listed as:

Possession of dangerous drugs
Drug Paraphernalia
Possession of marijuana

Andrew Gillum's booking photo from Baldwin County, AL Sheriff's Office

Gillum, a Democrat, narrowly lost Florida’s 2018 gubernatorial race to Republican Ron DeSantis. He previously served as mayor of Tallahassee.

The Alabama arrest is not the first time Gillum has faced legal issues. In 2020, police found him in what they described as “inebriated” at a Miami Beach hotel, leading to his arrest.

Three years later, in 2023, Gillum was at the center of a federal corruption case involving the alleged illegal use of campaign funds. He was acquitted of charges that he lied to the FBI.

How to protect your dog from heatstroke

Tue, 07 Jul 2026 17:56:07 +0000

Temperatures are heating up and the dog days of summer can be deadlier than many pet owners realize. One large veterinary study found about one in seven dogs treated for heatstroke did not survive. And vets warn a dog’s body temperature above 106 degrees can cause permanent brain and organ damage.

Here’s another surprise, the biggest trigger isn’t hot cars, it’s exercising in the heat.

Summer has gone to the dogs! But for fido, the dog days of summer can turn deadly fast.

Watch the Morning Show on Wednesday to find out ways to protect your dog.

Jacksonville man pleads guilty to murder of 6-year-old daughter

Tue, 07 Jul 2026 17:49:37 +0000

A man accused of killing a 6-year-old girl in 2024 has pleaded guilty to second degree murder and aggravated child abuse.

Jahrasha Golson was found dead on a bed inside a house on Allison Street in February 2024.

A medical examiner said the 6-year-old died of multiple blunt force traumas and poisoning from a drug found in over-the-counter allergy medicines.

According to an arrest report, Tyrone Golson was Jahrasha’s legal guardian and said during an interview at police headquarters he had “been in her life since she was 5 months old.”

Jahrasha Golson was found dead on a bed inside a house on Allison Street in February.

A News4JAX investigation found Tyrone Golson was listed as Jahrasha’s father on her birth certificate.

In August 2024, Golson was charged with second-degree murder in the death of Jahrasha. At one point he was facing an upgraded charge of first-degree murder, which was later reduced.

He was also accused of aggravated manslaughter of a child and aggravated child abuse.

Golson’s arrest report says the Department of Children and Families tried to do a wellness check on Jahrasha a month before she died after the office got an anonymous call that Golson was possibly abusing her.

That report also said Golson did not allow DCF to inspect Jahrasha for any physical, mental, or emotional injuries.

Golson is scheduled to be sentenced next month.

Brewers call up outfield prospect Luis Lara before DH vs. Cardinals, send Blake Perkins to minors

Joe Harris, Associated Press — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 15:35:17 +0000

Milwaukee Brewers outfield prospect Luis Lara has been called up to the major leagues nearly a month after signing a seven-year, $31 million contract.

The NL Central-leading Brewers announced before their doubleheader Tuesday with the St. Louis Cardinals that they had promoted Lara and optioned outfielder Blake Perkins to Triple-A Nashville.

Milwaukee also placed infielder David Hamilton on the 10-day injured list because of a strained left hamstring, selected utilityman Greg Jones from Nashville and transferred outfielder Brandon Lockridge to the 60-day IL.

Lara, 21, was still playing for Nashville when the Brewers signed him last month to a deal that runs through 2032 and includes club options for 2033, 2034 and 2035.

“I just really was trying to stay prepared, you know, mentally knowing that this moment could come at any given time, and the moment came,” Lara said in Spanish through an interpreter. “So now it's just kind of doing what I was doing in Triple-A and just going out there and enjoying the game and having fun while playing it.”

The 5-foot-7 outfielder from Venezuela has long been regarded as an outstanding fielder, but he’s having a breakthrough season at the plate.

Lara hit .321 with a .432 on-base percentage, .470 slugging percentage, nine homers, 42 RBIs and 24 steals in 78 games with Nashville. He batted .257 with a .369 on-base percentage and .343 slugging percentage in 136 games for Double-A Biloxi last season.

“I think any time you sign a contract at a young age, you think about just wanting to give the maximum potential you have, give everything you have for the team,” Lara said. “Really I just try to tell myself as much as possible to stay calm, to not get lost in my thoughts too much, just do what I always do.”

Brewers manager Pat Murphy said Lara can play all outfield positions.

“I think Luis can help us being a switch-hitter and equally good from both sides,” Murphy said. “Never touched the big leagues, but you know it’s time, and we’ve signed him to a long-term deal, obviously, that predicates that he’s going to be a Brewer, you know, and we’re excited.”

This marks the second time this year that a Brewers prospect has been called up to the majors after signing a long-term deal.

Shortstop Cooper Pratt made his MLB debut on June 16, 2 1/2 months after he signed an eight-year, $50.75 million contract. Pratt, who turns 22 on Aug. 18, entered Tuesday’s doubleheader with a .204 batting average, .313 on-base percentage, no homers, two RBIs and six steals in 18 games with Milwaukee.

Perkins, 29, was hitting .157 with a .250 on-base percentage, one homer, 11 RBIs and three steals in 53 games with the Brewers.

___

Downtown Vision CEO says he’s stepping down after more than 11 years

Rory Thompson — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 17:39:25 +0000

Downtown Vision, Inc. announced Tuesday that Jake Gordon is stepping down from his role as CEO later this year.

DVI says Gordon will transition out of his role on Sept. 30, the end of the organization’s fiscal year. He will stay with the organization to help with the transition to another CEO.

DVI’s Chief Operation Officer and General Counsel Eric Miller will take on the role of Interim CEO. The organization’s Board of Directors approved the transition plan by way of the Executive Committee on July 2.

Gordon released a statement regarding his departure from DVI:

It has been a privilege to lead this organization through such a dynamic period of growth for Downtown Jacksonville. I am proud of all of our accomplishments. Now is the right time to allow for new leadership. I look forward to supporting DVI’s continued success helping Downtown. Jacksonville is home for my family, and I care deeply about this city and its continued momentum in Downtown. My wife and I look forward to exploring new ways to contribute to the community and continuing to support the people, organizations and ideas helping to shape its future.
Jake Gordon

Gordon became CEO of DVI in 2015. During his tenure, the organization’s annual budget grew from $1.1 million in 2015 to nearly $5 million in 2026. He also fronted the organization’s move to its new $3 million headquarters in 2024.

Some of the initiatives he’s helped grow or start during his tenure include the DTJax Gala, the DTJax Awards, the Sip & Stroll event series, the Jax River Jams concert series and PlacemakingJax’s placemaking initiatives.

Allan Iosue, Chair of the Downtown Vision Board and Director of Business Development at Haskell released a statement regarding Gordon’s departure:

Jake’s vision and dedication over the past 11 years have been instrumental to Downtown Vision’s current level of success. He has elevated DVI to one of the premier impactful nonprofits supporting our community. Because of his leadership, the organization is exceptionally well-positioned for the future. We respect Jake’s decision to seek new leadership for DVI’s next chapter, and we enter this transition with immense gratitude for his contributions and full confidence in our continued momentum.
Allan Iosue, Chair of the Downtown Vision Board

DVI’s Board of Directors are set to announce more about the process of choosing a new CEO soon, with no timetable announced yet.

Mariska Hargitay will host the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards in September on NBC

Andrew Dalton, Associated Press — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 17:11:03 +0000

Mariska Hargitay is set to host the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards, airing on NBC on Sept. 14.

NBCUniversal announced Hargitay as host on Tuesday, the day before nominations are announced. The show will also stream on Peacock and will be held, fittingly, at the Peacock Theater, the longtime Emmys home that will also soon be home to the Oscars.

Hargitay, 62, has long been one of NBC's signature personalities as the star since 1999 of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” one of the longest-running dramas in TV history. She's been nominated eight times for her role as detective Olivia Benson, winning for lead actress in a drama series in 2006. “SVU” as it's commonly known, is set to surpass 600 episodes as its 28th season airs this fall. Hargitay has used the platform to become an advocate for sexual assault victims.

She may be a nominee again this year as the director and producer of “My Mom Jayne,” a documentary on her mother, Jayne Mansfield. Hargitay was also a TV constant earlier this year as she sat in the front row for the championship run of her beloved New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

The role of airing the Emmys rotates between the four broadcast networks even as their nominations become more rare in the streaming era. Hargitay is the rare non-comedian to get the hosting job, held last year by Nate Bargatze on CBS.

NBC is unlikely to see too many nominations in key categories on Wednesday, though all-time Emmy leader “Saturday Night Live” always gets its share.

“Pluribus” from Apple TV+ and HBO Max's “The Pitt” starring former longtime NBC star Noah Wyle are expected to be among the leading nominees when they're announced by recent winners Liza Colón-Zayas and Jeff Hiller at the Television Academy in Los Angeles.

Lawsuit says US illegally shared confidential information on Iranian asylum seekers with Iran

Safiyah Riddle, Associated Press — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 13:36:14 +0000

A lawsuit filed Tuesday alleges that the Trump administration's immigration agencies have been sharing confidential information about Iranian asylum seekers with the Iranian government, violating national immigration regulations and endangering countless Iranians, court filings argue.

The lawsuit depicts a coordinated campaign between the U.S. and Iranian governments to identify Iranians in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody and pressure them to return to Iran — a marked departure from decades of diplomatic hostility between the two governments and an ongoing war. The Department of Homeland Security denied that it is sharing asylum application records with the Iranian government.

Roughly 600 Iranians were put in immigration detention last year, according to public records obtained by the National Iranian American Council. In June, an Iranian woman was among the two dozen migrants the U.S. deported to the Central African Republic — in a marked departure from a decades-long practice by the U.S. of welcoming Iranian dissidents, exiles and others since the 1979 Islamic Revolution forced a large number of Iranians to flee.

The U.S. government is allowed to work with government officials of foreign countries to coordinate deportation logistics. However, federal regulations passed in the late 1990s prohibit the government from sharing information that could reveal that the individual getting deported applied for asylum.

“Congress made these confidentiality protections mandatory precisely because lives depend on them, and no agency and no administration, of either party, may set them aside,” said Ali Rahnama, the interim executive director of Iranian American Legal Defense Fund.

Starting in March 2025, the U.S. State Department arranged monthly meetings with Iranian officials, using the Pakistani embassy as an intermediary, in which U.S. officials shared detailed, sensitive information about detained Iranian immigrants who the U.S. government hoped to deport, lawyers for the Iranian American Legal Defense Fund and the Public Citizen Litigation Group wrote in a complaint.

The information included details about asylum applications filed by people who say they were persecuted for converting to Christianity, for their sexuality or for participating in the Women, Life, Freedom protests against the Iranian government in 2022, according to the lawsuit, which was filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.

ICE forced Iranian asylum applicants who had been detained in numerous facilities, mostly southern states, to meet with an Iranian government official who had extensive and specific knowledge about their applications, according to the complaint. The information was shared even after the joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran started the Iran war in February 2026.

Homeland Security said in a statement Tuesday that ICE works to get travel documents for detainees in their custody and that ICE facilitates “consular access to detained individuals, in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, and agency policy.”

“These allegations that ICE shared asylum application records with the Iranian government are FALSE,” DHS said in a statement.

The lawsuit is seeking to halt sharing information about asylum seekers with the Iranian government and appoint an independent monitor to prevent future disclosures.

“Despite the U.S.’s ongoing war with Iran, the administration seems more committed to mass deportation than protecting human lives,” Michael Kirkpatrick, attorney at Public Citizen Litigation Group said in a statement.

The complaint names the Department of Homeland Security, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin and the Department of State as some of the defendants.

The allegations come amid President Donald Trump’s ambitious and aggressive immigration crackdown that involved over 600,000 deportations and causing roughly 1.9 million immigrants to voluntarily leave in 2025 alone, according to an announcement made by DHS.

Iranian officials acknowledged in September 2025 that as many as 400 Iranians could be returned under an agreement with the Trump's administration. That month, the first of three deportation flights brought dozens of Iranians back to Iran. The second deportation flight was in December 2025, and the final recorded deportation flight departed at the end of January 2026, roughly a month before the war on Iran started, and just weeks after the Iranian government killed thousands of citizens as part of a brutal crackdown on protests. The New York Times reported at the time that some of those deported in the flights in September, December and January were asylum seekers.

Associated Press reporter Rebecca Santana in Washington contributed to this report.

Tips to stay safe as heat and humidity soar

Chris Holtzman — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 17:07:03 +0000

The heat and humidity will continue to build across Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia this week. In fact, temperatures could come close to record levels. When you factor in the humidity it feels much warmer. Let’s discuss the heat index and some tips to stay safe during the heat.

The heat index is a measure that combines the air temperature along with the humidity to determine what it “feels like” outside. Here’s how it’s calculated.

Heat index formula.

This long and complex equation is what is used to calculate the number you see on the map. You might wonder though when the temperature has the most impact on the body.

NWS heat index chart.

Notice how the likelihood of heat disorders with prolonged exposure or strenuous activity increases as humidity and temperature rise.

When the body gets hot, it begins to sweat to cool itself off. If the sweat is not able to evaporate, the body cannot regulate its temperature. This leads to serious health related problems.

Heat classification.

Notice on the chart the effect on the body as the heat index climbs. While 90s are common in Georgia and Florida during the summer, the higher humidity plays a big toll on the body.

High temperature forecast.

High temperatures will climb into the mid to upper 90s through the weekend. The average high for our area is 92 degrees.

Heat index forecast.

The heat index will approach if not exceed 105 degrees during this period.

Heat safety when working.

If you are working outdoors, make sure to stay hydrated and take regular breaks to rest. Seek periodic breaks in the AC if possible and make sure to spend time in the shade when outdoors.

Heat exhaustion safety.

Remember, sweat evaporation slows down when the humidity is high. Wearing lightweight, light-colored clothing can help.

Car temperature chart.

Never leave a child or pet unattended in a vehicle.

The temperature inside of your car increases rapidly. If the air temperature is 90 degrees, in just 20 minutes your car reaches 115 degrees. in One hour you car reaches around 130 degrees.

A child’s body temperature rises three to five times faster than an adult’s.

Temperatures will likely stay above normal as we head into the

Explosions rock Syria's capital as French President Macron visits

Associated Press — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 07:54:34 +0000

Explosions rocked Syria's capital on Tuesday and injured at least 18 people as France’s president met with his counterpart in a landmark visit to the country rebuilding from years of civil war, Syria's Interior Ministry said.

It was the second attack in Damascus in a week and a setback for President Ahmad al-Sharaa as he welcomed the first major Western leader to visit since the ouster of longtime dictator Bashar Assad by insurgent groups in late 2024. Syria’s new rulers have wrestled with outbreaks of violence as they assert control, but the capital had been largely peaceful.

French President Emmanuel Macron was in the presidential palace when the explosions happened. An official from the Elysee Palace said he was safe and the meeting with al-Sharaa continued, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss Macron’s security.

No group immediately claimed responsibility.

“Nothing can smother the aspiration of Syrian women and men to live in a fully sovereign, safe, pluralistic, and united Syria,” Macron said on X hours later. “This morning I met Syria in all its diversity. I saw dignity, courage and determination.”

Later, al-Sharaa and Macron announced they have agreed to reappoint ambassadors after more than a decade, marking a major restoration of diplomatic ties.

“Our meeting marks a historical milestone,” al-Sharaa said. France had closed its embassy in 2012 but symbolically reopened it in early 2025.

Macron, who played a major role in pushing Europe and the United States to drop most sanctions that were imposed on Syria under Assad, was in Damascus before heading to Ankara, Turkey, later Tuesday for a NATO summit that al-Sharaa also would attend.

A large plume of smoke was seen at the site of the blast near the Four Seasons Hotel, where Syrian media reported Macron was staying. Footage on social media showed a van and a motorcycle on fire and bloodstains on a busy street near the headquarters of the Tourism Ministry and the Damascus National Museum.

The Interior Ministry in a statement reported by Syrian state media said one bomb had been placed in a garbage bin and the other in a parked car. It said four of the wounded were police officers, and no deaths were immediately reported.

On Thursday, an explosive device detonated in a cafe near the Justice Palace, killing at least 10 people and wounding more than 20.

Syria's government sees Macron's visit and the signing of over a dozen agreements with Paris and large French companies as a major boost for the country's new authorities in their bid to rebuild the country battered by a 14-year uprising-turned-civil war under Assad.

One agreement was to kick off the process of returning some 51 million euros ($58.3 million) in illicit assets that belonged to Rifaat Assad, the late uncle of Assad. Other agreements included rebuilding the destroyed water and electricity infrastructure in the city of Homs, providing technical assistance to Syria's Central Bank as it undergoes financial reforms and bolstering cargo infrastructure at the Damascus airport.

“The outcome of this visit confirms that Syria is steadily moving toward a new phase of international partnerships based on shared interests and mutual respect," a Syrian foreign ministry official told The Associated Press, who said the perpetrators of the attack will be brought to justice. "Attempts to destabilize the country will not alter this trajectory.” The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

The explosions represent a challenge for al-Sharaa, who has pushed to assert full control over Syria, appeal to minorities skeptical of his Islamist-led rule and win the support of Western governments who were concerned about his past leadership of the formerly al-Qaida-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group. His government has promised political and economic reform after decades of autocratic rule.

The conflict in Syria killed nearly half a million people and displaced millions. Infrastructure lies in ruins. While other nations and businesses have made large investment pledges, the country still needs hundreds of billions of dollars to rebuild and lift millions out of poverty.

Before arriving at the presidential palace, Macron met with members of Syrian civil society, though his office did not give details.

___

Chehayeb reported from Beirut. Associated Press writers John Leicester and Sylvie Corbet in Paris and Sam McNeil in Brussels contributed.

What's offside? And all your other World Cup questions, answered

Steve Douglas And Steve Reed, Associated Press — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 12:01:12 +0000

This World Cup has prompted some questions we simply can't answer for you.

Can anyone stop Messi? Did Merlin the duck like wearing that jersey? What would have happened if the Congo's statue fan had to sneeze?

That said, if you're a first-time soccer watcher still confused by all this footie, we're here to help! Free kicks, hydration breaks, stoppage time, the situation with Folarin Balogun ... there's a lot to know. We put out a call for your burning World Cup questions — and we'll keep answering them if you have more. We're compiling answers to your FAQs below.

Now to some new questions...

Has what happened with Balogun ever happened before at a World Cup?

Not for 64 years. Back then, in the 1962 World Cup and at a time when there were no physical red cards in soccer, Brazil midfielder Garrincha was sent off the field by the referee in the semifinals for kicking a Chilean opponent away from the ball. However, Garrincha escaped a ban for the final — a scenario Brazil officials feared — as a result of the intervention of host nation Chile's president, who argued that Garrincha should be allowed to play. The Balogun case differs slightly in the sense that his ban for the red card was placed on suspension for one year.

How are World Cup referees chosen and vetted?

Brazilian ref Raphael Claus — the match official President Donald Trump described as “a little bit suspect” in light of the red card for Balogun — was one of 52 referees selected for the tournament based on their “quality and consistency of performances” over the previous three years in international and domestic competitions, FIFA says. They’ve been monitored, attended seminars and even received support from mental specialists. “The very best in the world,” is how FIFA referee chief Pierluigi Collina put it.

Who are the kids accompanying players at the beginning of matches?

Lucky souls, aren’t they? Those children holding hands and sometimes talking with the best soccer players in the world before games are officially called “player escorts” — even though many would describe them as “mascots.” One of FIFA’s sponsors is food company Quaker, who has teamed up with dozens of community organizations to give kids “from underserved communities” the chance to walk players onto the field.

Why do Americans call it ‘soccer’?

First of all, it's not just Americans — looking at you, fallen brethren in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Canada. While all the teams that call it “soccer” and not “football” may have been knocked out, England — the birthplace of the sport — is hanging in there in the quarterfinals and still flies the “it's called football!” flag. That's despite the word “soccer” actually being coined in Britain, perhaps as far back as the 1880s. The exact date it was first used is not known, but it is widely believed “soccer” was derived from “association football,” which was the first official name of the sport. “Soccer” is not a commonly used term in Britain these days and some Brits often roll their eyes when they hear others use the word instead of “football.” But given the U.S. has its own version of football, surely it's OK to use “soccer” as a differentiator, right?

What does it take to rain out or delay a game?

Soccer isn't like cricket or tennis or baseball — it can be played through heavy rain. If it gets too heavy, though, the referee has the authority to bring a halt to, or abandon, a match owing to poor weather conditions that affect the field or the surrounding areas. Storms have been an issue at this World Cup — one caused a delay of around two hours during the group game between France and Iraq — and a rule used by FIFA pauses games for 30 minutes if lightning is detected within 8 miles (up to 13 kilometers). Each strike resets the clock. World Cup regulations state that if a match was to be abandoned after it had kicked off, it restarts “at the minute at which play was interrupted rather than being replayed in full, and with the same scoreline.”

What happens if teams are still tied after five penalty kicks?

In that case, the shootout then goes to the forebodingly named “sudden death.” That means the teams take extra rounds of penalties — one attempt each — until one scores and one doesn't. On some occasions, even the goalkeepers end up taking a penalty. The shootout can go on for quite some time, like in the Israeli third-tier promotion playoff between F.C. Dimona and Shimshon Tel Aviv in 2024, when 56 shots were needed before Dimona prevailed 23-22.

Can you drink alcohol at the soccer games?

Yes! Unlike at the Paris Olympics venues or the Qatar World Cup stadiums, alcoholic beer is available at World Cup venues. Michelob Ultra and Budweiser are the official sponsors. Stadiums can also offer cocktails and hard seltzers for sale.

How does the size of a soccer pitch compare to an NFL field? And why is it called a pitch, anyway?

Put simply, NFL fields are longer and narrower. According to the NFL rule book, “the game shall be played upon a rectangular field, 360 feet in length and 160 feet in width.” In yards, that's 120 x 53.3, or in meters, 110 x 49. The recommended dimensions of a soccer field in yardage, FIFA says, is 115 x 74 yards (345 x 222 feet, 105 meters x 68 meters), though they can vary slightly. As for the widely used “pitch,” that's just a term the English use for a field. Some say it's because goalposts were pitched into the ground for matches in the 19th century.

Here’s our previous round of No Dumb Questions...

OK, let's start with the real basics: What does ‘offsides’ mean?

Well, first off, it's “offside,” per the AP Stylebook. Secondly, this is a common question — and one that can make you appear a soccer aficionado if you know the answer. Essentially, a player is offside if he or she is closer to the opponent's goal line than the ball and second-to-last opposition player (the goalkeeper is usually the last) the moment the ball is passed by a teammate. There are various caveats — for example, you cannot be offside inside your own half — but that is the gist. It can be confusing and a source of great debate.

When a team loses a player due to a red card, does it play with just 10 men the following match?

No, the team only plays short-handed for the rest of the current match.

A red card, which is handed out by an official when a player does something naughty like intentionally striking another player, means the player has been ejected and must leave the pitch. From that point on, the team would play a “man down,” meaning it can only field 10 players instead of 11. In some cases, teams have had two red cards in a single game and had to play with nine.

The player must serve a one-game suspension for the following match. However, the team itself is not penalized, and can return to its full starting strength of 11 players.

How many players are at this World Cup in total? How many of them are first timers?

Each of the 48 teams were allowed 26 players on their roster, so 1,248 players. Of those, more than half — 891 to be exact — are participating for the first time.

Why are World Cup tickets so expensive?

A lot people would like to know that. FIFA came under scrutiny about a month before the tournament for their high-price tickets and sales tactics, leaving some fans upset. That caused demand for the tickets to drop, while other fans had to make tough financial sacrifices.

Why isn’t it free to watch on TV?

They are free — if you have a subscription to Fox or Telemundo through a cable provider or streamer. Every single game of the World Cup is fully televised on Fox and FS1. Matches can also be streamed live on the FOX One app.

How are the teams selected and groups determined?

The 48 teams in this year's World Cup qualified through regional tournaments. (Host countries — in this case the U.S., Canada and Mexico — receive automatic bids.)

As for how the 12 groups are determined, the 48 teams are divided into four, 12-team “pots” based primarily on the FIFA World Rankings. The first pot includes the host nations and then the top nine highest-ranked teams. The next 36 highest-ranked teams are divided into sequential pots of 12. Teams are then drawn at random, meaning that every group contains exactly one team from each of the four pots.

Can some qualify to play for a country without being a citizen?

A player doesn't necessarily have to be born or raised in the country to play for the team. But there are some restrictions to prevent countries from stacking their rosters. If a player has a biological parent or grandparent who was born in the territory of the country, or if they have established residency in the country for at least five years, they would be allowed to play.

Why is there only one official on the field, given that the pitch is bigger than in American football?

There are actually four officials for every World Cup match, although they may not be as prominent as in an American football game. The head referee controls the match and enforces the rules of the game, while two assistant referees manage offside calls, throw-ins, and goal kicks. A fourth oversees substitutions, team benches, and indicates stoppage time.

How do teams decide which uniform to wear during games?

In World Cup play it's FIFA that determines uniform combinations, not the teams. The governing body's primary objective is to ensure strong visual contrast on the pitch so players, referees and television viewers can easily tell the teams apart. So basically, you will never see teams wearing two shades of blue in the same match.

And if you missed our first round of No Dumb Questions...

Why doesn't the clock stop for penalties and injuries?

Unlike American football, basketball or hockey, the clock never stops in soccer. If there are delays for such things as injuries, blatant time-wasting or the aftermath of goals, those seconds or minutes are added on at the end of each half in a period called “stoppage time.” There's an extra twist in this World Cup: hydration breaks. These three-minute stoppages in the middle of each half have been introduced to help players deal with the summer heat in the United States, Canada and Mexico (they're also a convenient spot for extra TV ads). Those three-minute blocks must also be added to the overall stoppage time, meaning there is typically at least five minutes of extra play in each half of this World Cup.

What's the difference between a free kick and a penalty kick?

Well, both are dead-ball situations and given after fouls. The key difference is that a penalty kick is awarded after a foul inside the penalty area — the big rectangle drawn near the opposing goal — and a free kick is awarded outside the penalty area. A penalty is a free shot at goal — from the designated spot, which is central and 12 yards (11 meters) out — with just the goalkeeper able to stop the shot. A free kick can be defended against by a whole team and is taken from where the offense occurred.

What was the tiebreaker if teams ended up with the same number of points in the group stage?

Starting from this World Cup, head-to-head results between two or more teams tied on points were the first tiebreaker — instead of overall goal difference. The second tiebreaker was goal difference in the games between the teams concerned, followed by the highest number of goals scored in those games. Only then — as a fourth tiebreaker — did overall goal difference come into play.

What's the deal with the 5-second throw-in rule?

It's another new measure being implemented at this World Cup with the intention of speeding up play and stopping time-wasting. If referees deem a player is taking too long on a throw-in, they can start a visual five-second countdown. If it reaches five seconds, the throw-in will be awarded to the opposing team. And it has already happened, with Bosnia-Herzegovina defender Sead Kolašinac giving up a throw-in for taking too long against Canada.

Off the pitch ... are Heinz bottles really taped over at stadiums? Why are logos being covered?

Yes, eagle-eyed reporters and fans have noted that logos on bottles of condiments — such as ketchup from Heinz — have been taped over inside stadiums. This is a directive of FIFA, the soccer governing body always very careful to protect its official partners and sponsors and give them exclusive visibility at stadiums. For the same reason, stadiums named after a sponsor — such as Gillette Stadium near Boston — have been renamed for the tournament by FIFA, which is instead using generic names.

So how much annual PTO do Europeans get anyway?

Wondering how fans of these top European soccer nations can be spending so many weeks in North America, are you? Well, the Europeans do love their soccer and this supersized tournament will have been in the diary for years. The amount of vacation days employees get vary from country to country. In the U.K, for example, most workers receive at least 28 days of paid annual leave per year. In France, they get a minimum of 30 working days. In Spain, it's 22.

___

Prepared not scared. Dedicated volunteers in Nashville relay calm, straight-talk info during storms

Travis Loller, Associated Press — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 04:03:00 +0000

Anyone who has watched an episode of “9-1-1: Nashville” could be forgiven for thinking the city is constantly beset by tornadoes that turn outdoor concerts into scenes of carnage and blow scooter-riding tourists onto the tops of water towers.

That may be a TV exaggeration, but tornadoes and other dangerous storms do hit the city regularly. When they do, many people here turn to Nashville Severe Weather.

This group of dedicated volunteers can be found on social media, calmly explaining the storm movement, advising when to take cover and giving the “all clear.” The coverage by Will Minkoff, Andrew Leeper and Tom Johnstone draws tens of thousands of viewers who interact with them in real time. It’s a service that evokes the early promise of the internet, before the rise of the influencer.

This is happening at a time when many people no longer watch local news and weather reports. Yet Kevin Trowbridge, who teaches strategic communication at Belmont University in Nashville, says an informal survey of his students found many are tuning in to Nashville Severe Weather.

“The millennials and Gen Z — and teaching college students, I know this all too well — their source of information is that handheld device,” he says. “It’s not turning on a TV. And it’s not even looking at a traditional media outlet’s online presence. It’s finding sources that provide them quick information when they need it.”

They are ‘prepared, not scared’

The rise of Nashville Severe Weather is a modern case study in multiple areas — a shifting tornado alley, a changing climate, the prevalence of social media and the value of instantaneous, hyperlocal information that can save the day or save lives.

The initiative has evolved over more than a decade from its origins as a Twitter feed and blog. Today, volunteers livestream on their YouTube channel whenever Nashville or surrounding counties face severe weather. Because Leeper, Minkoff and Johnstone all live here, they are facing the same threats as their audience.

“There’s something about Nash Severe Weather that’s different from the hobbyist enthusiast,” Trowbridge says. “I think that’s why people are following them. That’s why they are trusting them. That’s why they’re tuning in and turning to them. ... It is authentic and real.”

Leeper, a church pastor, has a soothing voice and a sign on a shelf behind him that reads “prepared not scared.” He has had to leave the stream to wake up his family and hunker down in their safe space. He did so calmly, modeling the behavior of his motto. After the threat passed, he rejoined the stream.

Katherine Moffat, who works as the executive director of the Tennessee Academy of Physician Assistants, says local TV weather can be “a little over-the-top” when storms are threatening. Nashville Severe Weather, she says, is different.

“They’re a little more calm and telling it to you straight,” she says. “They don’t get people overly excited.”

Tornado Alley has shifted

The need for their service has never been greater. “Tornado Alley” has been shifting from the Midwest plains to states further east, says Johnstone, a meteorologist who joined the group last year after 33 years with the National Weather Service.

“The mid-South, especially down through Alabama, Mississippi, and into Tennessee and western Kentucky, has been where tornadoes have been most frequent ... and people have been dying in the highest numbers,” he says.

Michelle Stewart gets all her weather information via push notifications from Nashville Severe Weather on her phone. It's a service she found invaluable during an ice storm that left much of the city without power or internet service for days.

“They are very informative about, not just what to expect, but how to be prepared, and just giving everybody the lay of the land without it being too science-y. You know, it kind of feels like you’re talking to your neighbor,” says Stewart, a project manager at a healthcare research company. “They are so calming to me during those live events.”

Brett Withers, a former Nashville city councilman who saw two people die in his district during a 2020 tornado that killed 24 people in Tennessee, calls Nashville Severe Weather a “godsend.”

“We have so many people moving to Nashville, and they might move from places where tornadoes are rare, if they ever happen,” he says.

Low production value with a ‘volunteer heart’

The popularity of Nashville Severe Weather defies much of the received logic about how to build an audience on social media. There's nothing fancy or highly produced about their livestreams. They don't try to play up danger or excitement. They certainly don't try to chase down tornadoes or run around outside in hurricane-force winds.

Their streams are visually dominated by weather radar. Minkoff, Leeper and Johnstone, sometimes joined by other volunteers, each stream from their own homes and appear in little boxes at the bottom or side of the screen. Graphics, when they have them at all, look like they could have been drawn by a 5-year-old.

Take the beloved “Dry Air Monster,” a stick figure with an huge head and chomping Godzilla jaws.

Nashville Severe Weather co-founder David Drobny drew this to explain how dry air could “eat” snow that was headed toward Nashville. In a Southern town that usually sees snow on the ground only a few days each year, many people look forward to it as a mini-vacation. The monster's motto is “No Snow for You.”

Its hyperlocal focus stays grounded

Their hyperlocal focus allows Nashville Severe Weather to fill a niche left open by the local TV meteorologists who have to report on dozens of counties.

“One of the things that Nash Severe can do that even the TV stations have trouble doing is really bring it down to intersection level, school level, church level to let people know where the danger and the threat is,” Johnstone says.

Their coverage is a two-way street. Audience members provide photos and video showing on-the-ground conditions and comment in the chat. Nashville Severe Weather shares that information with the National Weather Service and TV meteorologists. They also try to answer people's questions as they stream.

Leeper remembers a day when schoolchildren were sent home because of a tornado threat. When one child commented in the chat about being home alone, his heart sank.

“We just stopped what we were saying on the stream, and I said, ‘Hey. It dawns on me that we’ve got a bunch of kiddos at home that are maybe by themselves. Hey. Here’s what you do’,” Leeper recalls. “I love those moments where we can just sort of put everything else aside to talk to the people who are listening, in whatever situation they’re in.”

It's moments like that that help them stay grounded.

In 2023, a tornado killed a mother and young child here who lived in a trailer. Leeper didn't know them, but he attended the visitation.

“It just creates a whole other emotion when you walk into a funeral visitation for hurting families when it’s a weather event that you covered,” he says. “It’s not all action and adventure. It really affects people’s lives forever.”

Varsity 4 All-News4JAX softball: Columbia’s Ryleigh Stone shines in championship season

Justin Barney — Mon, 06 Jul 2026 09:30:00 +0000

Ryleigh Stone stood in the pitcher’s circle in the final inning of the season and made history for the Columbia softball team.

Ending the year with the ball in her hand in the biggest moment of her career wasn’t exactly how she expected this season to go. Stone, the Varsity 4 All-News4JAX player of the year just wanted to find a way to contribute for the Tigers.

Well, her contribution was helping steer Columbia to a state championship as a 15-year-old freshman.

“I didn’t,” Stone said. “But that’s where my mindset was. I was like, even if I don’t get to be the number one pitcher, I’m going to contribute.”

Stone did more than just contribute.

Not only did Stone find a way to contribute, she was the one in the circle when the Tigers hung on to beat Lake Wales for the Class 5A state championship last May. Stone was excellent in that game, whiffing nine and getting out of a bases loaded situation in the final inning to lock down a 3-2 win, and just the program’s second state championship. Stone finished 15-1 in the circle and hit .406 for a Columbia team that is positioned to be good for a long time. The state championship is the school’s first since 2013.

Stone liked softball at an early age, spending a year playing rec ball when she was 8. But that eventually gave way to cheerleading and gymnastics before the tug of softball eventually pulled her back.

“I’m pretty sure I was just passing the softball fields one day and I said, ‘I want to play that [again],” she said.

That passing glance at softball soon became a full entrance back in the sport. Stone said she just fell in love with being on a field.

Varsity 4 All-News4JAX players of the year

Year	Player	School
2026	Ryleigh Stone	Columbia
2025	Leah Stevens	Matanzas
2024	Grace Jones	Episcopal
2023	Sophia Kardatzke	University Christian
2022	Mallory Forrester	Middleburg
2021	Maddie Latta	Episcopal
2020	Season canceled, Covid-19	N/A

“When I went out there, I just wanted to do everything,” she said. “I was a pitcher, catcher; I can still catch. I love doing that. I didn’t get to do it a lot because I’m a pitcher. I just wanted to be able to do everything, and I wanted to work at everything. Pitching is a thing you have to work on daily. And I was like, ‘that’s fine. I’m going to do this. It was a lot of hours in the yard. Sometimes, I did not want to do it, but got it done, and it worked out.”

Did it ever.

Stone’s only loss of the season came to perennial power and Class 6A state runner-up Bartow in a 4-0 game in late March. The Tigers wouldn’t lose again, ripping off 16 consecutive wins to polish off a stunning 29-3 season. Stone said that she didn’t expect a season like this when it started, but once the Tigers got rolling the momentum surged across the team.

“I did not [expect a championship season], but I was hoping,” she said. “And after a few of our good wins, and even when we lost to Trenton and Santa Fe, those were the best teams and we had lost only by a little against Trenton. So, I had an idea we could do this.”

Varsity 4 All-News4JAX softball first team

All-News4JAX softball, first team

Position, player, school, class, notable

P Morgan Brown, Atlantic Coast, Jr.

Second-team selection last year. Finished 17-5 with 2.10 ERA, 150 Ks in 143 IP. At the plate, hit .337 and had three doubles.

P Lily Hubbard, Baldwin, Jr.

Really emerged in the circle this season. Went 15-5 with 2.00 ERA, 143 Ks in 136.1 IP. At the plate, hit a career high .372 with 13 extra-base hits (10 doubles, 2 HRs, triple), drove in 23 runs and scored 22 times.

P Grace Masterson, Baker County, So.

She saw her workload take a big step up and she delivered. Went 13-2 and whiffed 112 in 84 IP for the 24-3 Wildcats.

P Ryleigh Stone, Columbia, Fr.

Breakout first season for Class 4A state champs. Hit .406 with 26 hits, 13 RBI and a homer. In the circle, went 15-1 with 125 Ks, 1.22 ERA in 109 IP. Whiffed nine in complete game five-hitter to beat Lake Wales in title game.

C Makiyah Lester, Paxon, Sr.

Hit .538 in huge final season. Pounded out 45 hits and had 13 RBI. Had 25 stolen bases. On defense, threw out five of 11 runners trying to steal.

IF Alannah Lord, Columbia, Fr.

Freshman season for the books. Hit .446 with 44 runs scored, 37 RBI and 17 extra-base hits (10 doubles, 5 HRs, 2 triples) as Tigers won state title. Earned Class 4A player of the year honors.

IF Jazmine Ramos-Merced, Baldwin, Sr.

Two-time All-News4JAX selection. Led Indians in the Triple Crown categories (.519, 31 RBI, 10 HR). Finished career with 43 HRs. Career .407 average (206 for 506) with 185 RBI, 43 2Bs.

IF Josie Raulerson, Columbia, Jr.

Huge final season for Class 4A state champs. Hit .432 with 5 HR, 37 RBI, six doubles and two triples. Scored 18 runs. Career .400 hitter with 16 HR, 90 RBI.

IF Baleigh Shields, Baker County, Sr.

Three-time All-News4JAX selection. Hit .518 with career-bests in hits (43) and runs scored (39) in final season. Had 27 stolen bases. Career .464 hitter with 75 RBI, 14 HR.

OF/C Chloe Gotto, Bishop Snyder, Sr.

Hit .432 with 23 RBI, 12 extra-base hits (8 2Bs, 3 HR, 3B). Hit .512 in two seasons with the Cardinals. Two-time first-team All-News4JAX selection. Second-team pick in 2024. Saint Leo signee.

OF/C Stella Lynton, Atlantic Coast, So.

Excellent catcher but shined in the outfield, too. Hit .457 with 36 runs scored, 27 RBI and 14 extra-base hits (7 doubles, 6 triples, HR). Perhaps even more impressive was the number of times that she struck out (none).

OF/IF Lauren Rosepiler, West Nassau, Sr.

Improved across the board in every category. Hit .446 with 26 runs, 33 hits and 10 for extra bases (4 triples, 4 doubles, 2 HRs). Unbelievable contact hitter. Struck out just six times in her career.

UT Hannah Jones, Tocoi Creek, So.

Leading force for the best season in Toros history (24-3). Finished 20-2 with 227 Ks in 133.1 IP, 0.68 ERA. At this plate, hit .282 with 14 RBI, four doubles and six runs scored.

UT Madden Lutze, Bolles, So.

Rising star is poised to be one of the area’s best players. Hit .487 with six homers, 27 RBI and team-bests of hits (38) and runs scored (38). Had 16 stolen bases. Whiffed 216 in 133.2 IP and three four no-hitters including three in a row.

UT Emily Davidson, Episcopal, Jr.

Primary position was catcher. Hit .423 with 33 RBI for 19-6 Eagles. Scored 28 runs. Had 17 extra-base hits (8 2Bs, 5 3Bs, 4 HRs). Threw out 14 runners. Career .369 hitter with 64 RBI. FACA District 4 Class 2A player of the year.

UT Dixie Tessier, University Christian, Sr.

The pitcher and 1B hit .348 and had five doubles en route to Class 1A state championship. Career .420 hitter with 76 RBI. Went 11-0 in the circle with 0.78 ERA, 71 Ks in 63 IP. In career pitching, was 29-6 with 249 Ks, 1.98 ERA in 180.1 IP.

Second team

Position, player, school, class, notable

P Caitlyn Boshell, Bishop Snyder, So.

Hit .329 with 7 HR, 27 RBI, 16 runs scored. Very strong in the circle this season, too (12-6, 221 Ks in 138.1 IP).

P Kassidy Edwards, Paxon, Jr.

Career season at the plate (.458, 38 RBI, 12 2Bs, 7 HR) and scored 19 runs. Finished 12-7 with 2.28 ERA, 180 Ks in 104.1 IP.

P Aoife Weaver, Ponte Vedra, Sr.

Four-year player for the Sharks. Career-best .488 average with 35 RIB, 3 HR, 39 hits. A career .407 hitter with 104 RBI. Went 8-7 in the circle with 56 Ks in 84 IP.

C Kaitlyn Robbins, Creekside, Jr.

Breakout season. Led team in batting (.429), RBI (29) and HRs (5). Added six doubles and five triples and scored 29 runs.

IF/OF Aleda Cashwell, Bolles, Sr.

Spent six seasons on varsity and graduates as a .403 hitter. Surged in final season (.487, .570 OBP, 9 2Bs, 8 HR, 30 RBI). Headed to Rollins.

IF Rylan DeGrande, Menendez, Sr.

Hit .426 with 20 RBI, 12 extra-base hits (6 HR, 4 3Bs, 2 2Bs), scored 27 runs for Falcons. Excellent four-year starter. Hit .388 with 16 HR, 85 RBI in her career. Signed with Valdosta State. Two-time second-team selection.

IF Teagan Harter, West Nassau, Jr.

Hit .438 with 17 extra-base hits (15 2Bs, HR, 3B). Drove in 16 runs and had seven stolen bases. Made just three errors at shortstop and finished with .967 fielding percentage.

IF/OF Maleah Rouse, Paxon, So.

Hit .503 with 38 RBI, 7 HR and 13 doubles. Scored 18 runs for 17-8 Golden Eagles. Has a .519 average, 16 HRs in her first two seasons.

IF Summer Stearns, Episcopal, Sr.

Hit .403 with 14 extra-base hits (8 2Bs, 3B, 5 HR). Scored 32 runs. Very strong at shortstop (.933 fielding percentage). Headed to Elon. Two-time second-team All-News4JAX.

IF/C Madisyn Strickland, Middleburg, Sr.

Big bat for the Broncos. Hit .288 with nine HRs, 25 RBI and 15 runs scored. Just one error in 100 chances (.990 fielding percentage). Signed with Florida Gateway.

OF Claire Cinnamond, Episcopal, Sr.

Lockdown centerfielder played error-free ball. Hit .4-0 with eight doubles, 23 RI and 30 runs scored. Headed to Covenant College.

OF/IF Sinai Tunsill, University Christian, 7

Huge contributor for Class 1A state champion Christians. Hit .521 with 29 runs scored, 18 RBI, 12 stolen bases, seven doubles. Excellent in the field, too (.938 fielding percentage)

UT Presley Brinkley, Creekside, Sr.

Four-year starter who had an excellent all-around final season. Hit a career-best .427 with three HRs, 22 RBI and 26 runs scored. Headed to Santa Fe College.

UT Emily Delgado, Columbia, Sr.

Catcher is a four-year player who had career-highs in homers (7), hits (33) and RBI (31). Hit .375 this season for 29-3 Tigers.

UT Chloe Johnson, Baker County, Sr.

Best season at the plate in her career. Hit .367 with six HRs, 34 RBI and seven doubles for 24-3 Wildcats. Career .301 hitter. Headed to Santa Fe College.

UT Carmen Overstreet, Yulee, Jr.

Hit .434 with four homers, eight doubles, 20 runs scored and 19 RBI. Committed to University of North Carolina Wilmington.

Honorable mention

Position, Player, School, Class

C Regan Barnett, Orange Park, Sr.

P Kelsea Bass, West Nassau, So.

P Saige Bialek, Ridgeview, Sr.

IF Peyton Brown, Wolfson, So.

C Evey Bryant, University Christian, Fr.

P/UT Elle Burns, Providence, So.

IF/P Sawyer Butacan, Trinity Christian, 8^th

C/IF Gus Campbell, St. Augustine, Jr.

IF Emma Cano, Atlantic Coast, Sr.

OF/UT Jenna Clair, Hilliard, Fr.

P Sydney Davis, Nease, Sr.

IF/OF Emmie Dawley, Sandalwood, Sr.

OF Skye Deans, Atlantic Coast, So.

UT Nichole Deschamps. Ridgeview, Sr.

OF Alanna DeJesus, Mandarin, Sr.

IF Leanne Dicks, Union County, Sr.

C Leighton Dostie, Bolles, So.

P Rylee Dynesius, Christ’s Church, Fr.

OF Skye Fourman, Tocoi Creek, Jr.

OF Teryn Freeman, Bolles, So.

OF KK Fry, Baldwin, So.

OF Siena Gallant, Tocoi Creek, Sr.

OF Yarianis Gonzalez, Clay, So.

C/IF Andi Gooch, Bartram Trail, So.

IF Aubree Green, Menendez, Sr.

IF Ly’nasia Green, Baker County, Sr.

UT Georgia Griffin, Christ’s Church, 6th

IF/OF Mady Grumbly, Bishop Snyder, So.

UT Leelee Gwinn, Sandalwood, Sr.

IF Julia Hansen, St. Augustine, Sr.

P/UT Rebekah Harmer, Harvest Community, Sr.

UT Madison Heath, Sandalwood, So.

OF Maddie Hollis, Creekside, Jr.

OF Camdyn Hunt, Tocoi Creek, Sr.

IF Amaya Hyslop, Paxon, Jr.

OF Mallory Jackson, Baker County, Sr.

IF Michelle Jones, Bishop Kenny, Sr.

IF Kyleigh Kendall, Beachside, So.

P Kinley King, Columbia, Jr.

IF/OF Mila Lackowski, University Christian, 8^th

OF Anna Lamb, Trinity Christian, Sr.

P Madelyn Lasater, Trinity Christian, Sr.

IF Taigen Lebel, St. Johns Country Day, Fr.

IF Ava Lowman, Fletcher, So.

P Kadence Massey, Keystone Heights, Sr.

IF Lillyenne Mayhew, Union County, Sr.

OF/IF/P Josleen Mendoza, Atlantic Coast, Fr.

IF/P Lily Maguire, Atlantic Coast, So.

P Kadence Massey, Keystone Heights, Sr.

IF Josleen Mendoza, Atlantic Coast, Fr.

IF/OF Cassidy Morgan, University Christian, Fr.

C Rylee Murallo, Fernandina Beach, Sr.

IF Amelia Oreair, Episcopal, Sr.

IF MaKayla Oxley, Mandarin, Jr.

P Rommeney Patrey, Bartram Trail, So.

C/IF Gracianna Peck-Headley, Mandarin, So.

IF Izzy Pifer, Middleburg, Jr.

OF Addison Pleiss, Fleming Island, Fr.

C Tatum Pocol, Beachside, Jr.

C Makayla Pratt, Trinity Christian, 8^th

OF Kyleigh Rivera, Nease, Fr.

IF Kaelye Rowe, Clay, Jr.

IF Ally Satryan, Tocoi Creek, Fr.

IF Brooklyn Sawyer, Yulee, Jr.

P Tiffany Semack, Fletcher, Sr.

IF Madison Seprish, Sandalwood, Sr.

P Isabella Seymour, Creekside, Fr.

OF Addison Siebenaler, Ponte Vedra, Jr.

OF Jadah Stubbs, Christ’s Church

IF/OF Cali Taylor, Palatka, Jr.

OF Luisa Taylor, Columbia, Sr.

IF/P Piper Tessier, University Christian, Fr.

OF Ava Tolbert, Oakleaf, Sr.

P/IF Olivia Urbina, West Nassau, Jr.

P Riley Valent, Episcopal, Sr.

IF Addison VanArsdale, Wolfson, Fr.

IF Victoria Vazquez, Fleming Island, So.

C/UT Alondra Vincenty, Matanzas, Jr.

C Emma Ward, Middleburg, Sr.

OF Tenley Wilkinson, Palatka, Fr.

OF Camryn Williams, Flagler Palm Coast, So.

IF/P Emily Williams, Fleming Island, Fr.

P Naomi Winburn, University Christian, 8th

OF Sarah Wisniewski, Atlantic Coast, So.

OF Ashten Wolff, Episcopal, So.

US airlines are redesigning travel around their highest-paying passengers

Rio Yamat, Associated Press — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 02:38:23 +0000

They may arrive at the same destination, but two passengers on the same flight can have strikingly different travel experiences.

One traveler breezes through a priority security lane and heads straight to an invite-only lounge for craft cocktails and a chef-prepared meal before boarding early. A flight attendant offering a glass of champagne and a warm hand towel welcomes the passenger to a spacious seat at the front of the plane.

The other traveler stands in a line at every step — security screening, a café selling $16 sandwiches, a crowded gate — then boards with one of the final groups, hoping there’s still room for a carry-on in the overhead bin before folding into a cramped middle seat. After the cabin lights dim, sleep comes in fragments, and a travel pillow does little to ease a stiff neck.

The contrasting journeys are no accident. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the largest U.S. airlines have pulled out all the stops to court premium passengers who are willing to pay for comfort, convenience and exclusivity. Budget-conscious travelers may notice a widening gap between the back of the plane and up front as the carriers increasingly build their businesses around selling first-class, business-class and premium-economy seats.

“We can’t win by trying to provide the cheapest. We have to be able to win by providing the best," Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian said in a recent Fortune podcast interview.

The strategy embraced by Delta and rivals American Airlines and United Airlines marks a notable evolution for an industry that spent decades making air travel more accessible. Now, the nation's largest carriers are reconfiguring aircraft to expand premium seating, designing new fleets with larger premium cabins and investing billions in amenities that extend the top-tier travel treatment beyond their jetliners.

But United CEO Scott Kirby has pushed back on the idea that the industry has become solely focused on chasing big spenders. He said United’s premium investments are part of a broader strategy to boost the experience of every traveler, pointing to initiatives such as seatback entertainment and improvements to the airline’s mobile app.

“We’re investing nose to tail for all customers,” Kirby said last month on financial firm Morgan Stanley’s Exceptional Leaders podcast.

Premium cabins have become airlines’ most valuable real estate

The premium playbook didn’t emerge overnight.

Airlines used to fill empty first-class seats mainly by giving their most loyal frequent flyers free upgrades. Delta rewrote the rules in the early 2010s by using sophisticated pricing tools to offer more of those seats to coach passengers who were willing to pay a little more, said Henry Harteveldt, president of travel advisory firm Atmosphere Research Group.

The strategy unlocked demand airlines hadn’t fully recognized, encouraging more travelers to trade up and laying the groundwork for today’s broader premium push.

“Travelers could and would pay for noticeably more comfort, noticeably better service, noticeably more amenities, if the price was right,” Harteveldt said.

Then came the pandemic. When business travel collapsed and Zoom replaced many corporate trips, airline analysts wondered whether carriers would once again have to lure travelers with cheap fares. Instead, eager leisure travelers proved willing to splurge on premium seats and perks, convincing airlines that demand extended well beyond the traditional business road warrior, Harteveldt said.

That confidence has only grown. Premium demand is now a fixture of quarterly earnings calls, with airline executives regularly touting premium revenue as they compete for higher-spending travelers.

“When you think about what’s different and what’s changed over the last 10 or 15 years, the premium products used to be loss leaders, and now they’re the highest-margin products," former Delta President Glen Hauenstein said last summer. “That’s really the headline.”

Analysts say premium cabins — a category that expanded with the introduction of premium economy seats featuring more legroom and amenities at a fraction of the cost — now generate a disproportionate share of airline revenue compared with the space they take up on commercial aircraft.

On heavily trafficked transatlantic routes, business-class tickets can bring in nearly as much revenue as fares and fees paid by passengers in the much larger economy cabin, according to an analysis by consulting firm McKinsey & Company.

Airlines are competing with chef-designed menus and high-end skin care

The premiumization of air travel has become impossible to miss, even for travelers who only get a glimpse through an airport lounge door or while walking down an airplane aisle.

Delta’s new first-class lounges resemble upscale restaurants, with open kitchens plating dishes such as hamachi crudo, cocktail bars serving made-to-order drinks, soundproof relaxation pods and outdoor decks overlooking the tarmac.

American has partnered with the James Beard Foundation to refresh its lounge menus with dishes like Thai basil and chili crispy shrimp. The airline also redesigned its newest Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners for long-haul international flights around individual business-class compartments with sliding privacy doors, lie-flat seats longer than a standard twin mattress and amenity kits that might include a celebrity facialist's brand of sheet masks and under-eye patches.

United’s newest business-class cubicles add oversized 27-inch entertainment screens, caviar service, luxury skincare products and multi-course dining on long-haul international services. The airline said its revamped menus “feature flavors and dishes” inspired by cities across its network.

“Marie Antoinette would feel very comfortable on any of the big three airlines these days,” said William J. McGee, senior fellow for aviation at the American Economic Liberties Project. “But instead of saying, ‘Let them eat cake’ in the back of the plane, she would say, ‘Let them eat Biscoffs.’”

Air travel is getting more stratified as fuel costs increase fares

The airlines' pursuit of higher-paying passengers shows no loss of momentum. On board Delta's next-generation Airbus A350-1000 aircraft arriving in 2027, nearly half the cabin will be devoted to premium seating. American has said it plans to expand premium cabins by 50% by the end of the decade.

Yet the new era of luxury in the skies is unfolding alongside a very different reality for other U.S. travelers as broader inflationary pressures have added to the strain on household budgets.

New York-based travel advisor Mary Auteri said more of her clients are “experiencing sticker shock” as fares and add-on fees have gotten more expensive since the Iran war broke out and pushed up the price of jet fuel, one of the largest operating costs for airlines.

A group of friends in their 20s recently asked Auteri to price out flights to the sugar-white sand beaches of Punta Cana, a resort town in the Dominican Republic. After she sent them an itinerary, they said they had found what looked like the same flights on Google Flights for more than $100 less.

But the cheaper fares were basic economy tickets that excluded seat assignments, checked bags and flexibility to change plans. Once those costs were added back in, the trip no longer fit their budget.

Baggage fees, seat-selection charges and other add-on costs fall heaviest on economy travelers, McGee said. For wealthier travelers, those fees may amount to little more than an inconvenience. For budget-conscious travelers, they can determine whether a trip happens at all.

“The idea that we’re all created equal? Not in the airlines’ eyes," McGee said. “Not by any means.”

Naomi Osaka overpowers Aryna Sabalenka to reach the Wimbledon quarterfinals

Mattias Karén, Associated Press — Sun, 05 Jul 2026 16:50:25 +0000

When power meets power, getting in the first blow can sometimes be the key.

In a matchup of two of the hardest hitters on tour, that was Naomi Osaka's strategy against top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in the most highly awaited matchup of Wimbledon so far this year.

Sabalenka had beaten Osaka in all three of their previous matches this year — including at the same stage of the French Open last month.

“On the clay courts I felt like she was pushing me back a lot. I just tried to do it to her first,” Osaka said.

The tactics worked, and Osaka outslugged Sabalenka 6-2, 7-6 (2) to reach the quarterfinals at the All England Club for the first time on Sunday.

Osaka’s pace and flat groundstrokes overwhelmed Sabalenka.

“Obviously we’re big ball strikers. It’s not like I’m going to start running around the court trying to draw an error from her. I can only focus on my strengths," Osaka said.

"I just tried to serve really well, because it’s grass. I also tried to get the upper hand in the rallies first.”

Osaka's power had an even bigger impact than usual as her balls flew through the air faster on the warmest day of the tournament so far: The temperature during the match reached 28 degrees Celsius (82 Fahrenheit).

“She overpowered me,” Sabalenka said. “I felt like it was incredible level from her."

Besides Paris, Sabalenka also beat Osaka in Indian Wells, California, and Madrid this year.

“That really sucked,” Osaka said. “So I wanted to turn it (around)."

When it was over, Osaka performed a few fist pumps, let out a brief smile and then placed her racket over her head and spun around in delight to celebrate her first career win on Centre Court.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve had so much fun on the court," Osaka said. "And to do it here, it really means a lot.”

Mental health and maternity

It was Osaka’s first win over a No. 1 player since beating Ash Barty in Beijing in 2019. That was before Osaka, a former No. 1 herself, took breaks from the tour to manage her mental health in 2021 and for maternity leave that resulted in her missing all of 2023.

Osaka's daughter turned three on Thursday.

After getting routed by Iga Swiatek at the Italian Open in May, Osaka said she “shut everyone out” on her team and "literally just got on a plane back home.

“It wasn’t the most professional thing to do,” she said. “I felt really ashamed about what I did. So then after that I just told myself, ‘Hey, I’m nearing 30, I really got to enjoy the time that I have.’ Also, obviously tennis is very, very important to me, but I have a life outside of that. I have to treasure tennis in the way that I can, which is not putting too much importance on it.”

Sabalenka to ‘forget about tennis’

It’s the second straight Grand Slam in which Sabalenka has failed to reach the latter stages. After a stunning meltdown against Diana Shnaider in the French Open quarterfinals last month, Sabalenka said she “just want to quit tennis.”

This time, Sabalenka said she wanted to “get completely drunk, forget about tennis, and try to get in better shape.”

Sabalenka and Osaka have each won four Grand Slam titles. All their major trophies have come on hard courts — at the Australian Open and U.S. Open.

Osaka is coming off her first grass-court final. She had to retire against Karolina Muchova in Bad Homburg, Germany, last weekend because of a foot injury.

She'll now get a rematch with Muchova, who beat 2024 Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova 7-5, 5-7, 6-3.

Kimono walk-on fashion

Before the match, Osaka came out in the white kimono she’s been wearing for her walk-ons at Wimbledon — which was inspired by a character in a Quentin Tarantino movie.

Unlike at the French Open, when the designer for Osaka's walk-on outfits “was sewing things immediately after I won,” the kimono was designed in Japan, so “it’s not like (the designer) can make a brand-new thing every time.”

Instead, Osaka is using variations on the same outfit. For her past two matches, she's employed “the free-robe vibe” inspired by an anime called Bleach.

Aces and winners

Osaka saved the only two break points she faced and put 87% of her first serves in play — compared to 69% for Sabalenka.

Osaka also led 8-5 in aces and 21-15 in winners in the match, which lasted less than 1 ½ hours.

“What could I do if the person is acing and hitting the lines, just going for her shots without any fear?" Sabalenka said. "She was just going for it.

“Level-wise, today,” Sabalenka added, “I wasn’t world No. 1.”

Coco breaks through

Coco Gauff reached the Wimbledon quarterfinals for the first time by overcoming Belinda Bencic 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 just before the 11 p.m. curfew.

Gauff will next meet fellow American Jessica Pegula, who beat Iva Jovic — another American — 4-6, 6-3, 6-1.

Djokovic edges Federer

Earlier on Centre Court, Novak Djokovic beat 132nd-ranked qualifier Roman Safiullin 7-6 (6), 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 for a record 106th match victory at the All England Club.

Djokovic will next play third-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime, who beat Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-7 (4), 7-6 (6), 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-1.

Top-ranked Jannik Sinner beat Japanese qualifier Shintaro Mochizuki 6-3, 7-6 (0), 6-3 and will next meet Jan-Lennard Struff, who advanced when Hubert Hurkacz retired while trailing 4-2 in the fifth set due to a strained abdominal muscle.

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This story was first published on July 5, 2026. It was updated on July 7, 2026 to correct the score of Coco Gauff’s victory over Belinda Bencic.

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