The 44-year-old Williams' doubles partner, 19-year-old Canadian Victoria Mboko, was forced to withdraw from the draw on Thursday because of a knee injury she sustained in a singles match against Karolina Pliskova in the last 32 on Wednesday.

In her first professional match since the 2022 U.S. Open, Williams teamed up with Mboko to beat third-seeded duo Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe 7-6 (2), 6-2 at the grass-court event on Tuesday. They were scheduled to face Leylah Fernandez and Laura Siegemund in the quarterfinals.

Williams is set to play doubles at the Berlin Open in Germany next week. Her partner has yet to be announced.

Williams won 23 Grand Slam singles titles — including seven at Wimbledon — before stepping away from the game, saying at the time she was “evolving” away from tennis rather than "retiring."

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

Charlton County Emergency Management announced Thursday morning that law enforcement activity in the Main Street area has concluded, and the area between Okefenokee Parkway and US-1 has reopened.

EMA officials said additional information will be shared by the appropriate authorities as it becomes available.

News4JAX has received several emails and calls about the ongoing active police investigation, causing reaction online.

The Charlton County Emergency Management Agency advised the community to avoid Main Street between Okefenokee Parkway and US-1 and to seek alternative routes.

Charlton County EMA also shared a message on Facebook Wednesday, urging the public not to share photos, videos or livestreams that could compromise the current investigation.

News4JAX arrived on scene to see several blocks taped off by law enforcement. Georgia State Troopers, GBI, Folkston Police and Charlton EMS were all seen around the perimeter. SWAT teams were in full tactical gear with the focus on a building along Main Street.

There has been no official confirmation on what prompted the response. Videos shared with our newsroom show the incident starting sometime in the late afternoon/evening. Deep into the night, crews were still on scene with little clear movement.

The Nassau County Sheriff’s Office said that it has no knowledge about a suspect from Nassau that has fled to Charlton.

“We are aware of social media posts about this. But as of right now, we have no confirmed reports about a suspect from Nassau that’s fled to Charlton,” a spokesperson said.

We have reached out to law enforcement for more information and will update this story as we learn more.

Let’s talk about how hot it is around Jacksonville. I’m seeing temperatures in the mid-90s, with heat index values soaring to 100 to 105 degrees most afternoons.

The National Weather Service is highlighting this dangerous heat, especially from about 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. each day. It’s more than just a number—the kind of damp, stifling air that makes you want to stay inside and crank the AC.

If you plan to get outside, make sure you’re taking plenty of breaks and drinking lots of water. These conditions are expected to continue all the way through the weekend.

Now, about those summer showers. If you’re headed to the pool or taking the kids to camp, know that pop-up storms are likely to roll in after about 2 p.m. every afternoon. Some showers could start a little earlier, but most are forecast for later in the day—just part of our classic summer pattern here in North Florida.

Even though not everyone will see rain, some neighborhoods could get a quick drenching or even a strong storm. We’re also still dealing with a drought, so a few of these storms would be worth welcoming.

Looking ahead, Saturday could bring pockets of heavy rain, but by next Wednesday, we’re expected to dip back into the 80s. Until then, it’s all about managing the heat and keeping an eye on those hourly shower chances.

Tropics being watched, but low risk

Over in the tropics, The Weather Authority is keeping an eye on a broad area of low pressure that could form in the Bay of Campeche. There’s a very low chance that it develops, and it’s not expected to bring any impact to Jacksonville or the First Coast.

This is simply something worth mentioning as we watch the first notable area for the Atlantic’s 2026 hurricane season. As always, if anything changes, you’ll hear it first from News4JAX and our Exact Track 4D radar coverage.

Birthday shout-out and community love

Before getting back to the numbers, I want to celebrate a special viewer—Jojo! I got to meet her last night, and she absolutely lit up the room. Her grandkids call her Jojo, and she’s always tuned in to Channel 4.

Jojo, happy birthday! We sang to you on air, confetti and all. You’re the heartbeat of what we do here at News4JAX.

Stay involved with SnapJAX

Got a slice of Jacksonville weather you want to share? Send your photos and videos to SnapJAX and you might see them on our next broadcast!

The American attack, which lasted into Thursday morning in Iran, appeared more intense and wider than the day before, but Tehran released little information on the extent of the damage. An Indian official said a U.S. attack on an oil tanker allegedly trying to violate Washington’s blockade on Iranian ports killed three Indian mariners, underscoring the danger to seafarers.

It was the third time this week that back-and-forth strikes have rattled the Middle East. The first involved attacks between Iran and Israel, followed by the two rounds of fire between the U.S. and Iran, which hit countries in the region that host American bases.

The new exchange of fire came as efforts to negotiate an end to the war appeared stuck, with U.S. President Donald Trump warning that Tehran would “pay the price” for stalled negotiations. Iran’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement Thursday that the U.S. attacks had “effectively rendered the ceasefire ... meaningless,” without saying it was abandoning it.

Central to the negotiations is Iran’s stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, which has disrupted global energy supplies, driven up fuel prices and made food and other basics more expensive well beyond the region.

Iran announced Thursday that the strait was closed — but it was unclear what that meant since it has severely restricted traffic through the waterway since early in the war and only a trickle of ships have gotten through. The U.S. military's Central Command disputed the claim — and Trump said Wednesday that the U.S. has undertaken a secret mission in recent weeks to sneak ships through the passage.

The two sides also remain at odds over Iran's nuclear program, which Tehran insists is peaceful but which the U.S. and Israel fear could be used to build an atomic weapon due to its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. The U.S. and Israel said a major reason they went to war on Feb. 28 was to ensure that Iran would never be able to do that.

US strikes Iran and Iran fires back at Gulf states

Central Command said its latest round of airstrikes came “in response to Iran’s unwarranted and continued aggression” and targeted “Iranian military surveillance capabilities, communication systems and air defense sites.” It did not elaborate on the damage done by the strikes, which it said ended just before sunrise Thursday in Iran.

Explosions from the strikes echoed around Iran’s capital, as well as the port city of Bandar Abbas and other southern areas along the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard later said sites hit included a manufacturing complex, a military barracks and a local Guard base outside of Tehran.

Iran said it fired back at Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan, as it had a day before.

Kuwait closed its airspace for several hours because of the attack, but did not elaborate on any damage. Jordan said it intercepted 20 Iranian missiles fired toward an area that is home to a base hosting U.S. troops, though no one was hurt.

Bahrain's Interior Ministry said an 11-year-old girl was hurt and cars and homes were damaged by debris from interceptions responding to the Iranian attack.

Meanwhile, Israel warned residents in the country’s north to seek shelter after the detection of suspected incoming fire from Lebanon, where Israel is fighting the Iran-allied Hezbollah militant group.

Trump says the US is sneaking oil through the Strait of Hormuz

Iran's ability to control the Strait of Hormuz has proved a strong bargaining chip since the narrow waterway's effective closure has severely disrupted the global economy.

Trump said Wednesday that the U.S. military has undertaken a mission since last month to sneak oil shipments past Iran’s forces in the strait, aided by the destruction of Iranian radar equipment.

Trump said as a result more than 100 million barrels of oil have evaded Iran’s chokehold. There was no immediate confirmation of that figure, which equals roughly five days of oil shipments through the waterway before the war began.

But the seas remain dangerous for mariners. Indian Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal announced on X that three Indians missing after the American attack on the tanker Settebello had been killed.

The U.S. military’s Central Command had accused the Settebello of having “violated the ongoing blockade by attempting to transport oil from Iran.” American forces fired into the ship’s engine room to stop it Wednesday.

The leader of the International Maritime Organization, a United Nations agency, condemned the attack. India’s foreign ministry summoned a senior U.S. diplomat to convey its “deepest concerns” over the attack and formally protest the strike, spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.

Another tanker near where the Settebello was struck off Oman experienced a fire in its engine room on Thursday, according to the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Operations center. It wasn't immediately clear what sparked the blaze.

Big disagreements stand in the way of a quick peace deal

Trump suggested earlier this week that an agreement with Iran could be close — but the exchanges of fire have called that into question, and big differences remain.

The U.S. wants to see Iran give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, which is a short technical step from weapons-grade levels.

Iran is refusing to give up the uranium and demanding relief from sanctions. It also wants the release of frozen assets even before a final agreement is in place, something Trump rejected.

Iran has insisted that any deal to end the war must also end fighting between its ally Hezbollah and Israel. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears intent on pursuing his goal of destroying the militant group.

A Qatari diplomatic delegation, negotiating in coordination with the U.S., left Tehran on Thursday morning after holding talks, according to an official with knowledge of the team who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the mediation. Pakistan, meanwhile, expressed deep concern over rising tensions and urged both Iran and the U.S. to adhere to the ceasefire.

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Price and Toropin reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Sheikh Saaliq in New Delhi, Munir Ahmed in Islamabad and Victoria Eastwood in Cairo contributed to this report.

The National Weather Service issued tornado warnings Wednesday across Illinois, Kansas, northern Missouri and southern Iowa, while severe thunderstorm watches were in place for parts of the Great Lakes.

Storms moved into the Chicago area on Wednesday afternoon, downing trees and damaging some buildings.

The two major Chicago airports, Chicago O’Hare International Airport and Chicago Midway International Airport, temporarily put all flights on hold in the evening due to thunderstorms. A similar ground stop was issued at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York due to thunderstorms.

By Wednesday evening, more than 1,000 flights going into and out of Chicago had been delayed or canceled, according to FlightAware, a flight tracking website.

Strong winds blew part of the roof off an apartment building in the Chicago area, forcing residents to leave, according to NBC 5 Chicago. Elsewhere, barns collapsed in Wisconsin, buildings were crushed in rural northern Missouri and some large trees and power lines were downed in other areas across the Midwest, photos and video online showed.

More than 264,000 customers had no electricity in Illinois, the majority in Cook County, and nearly 140,000 were without power in Michigan, according to poweroutage.com. There were also outages in Kansas, Wisconsin, Iowa, Indiana and Ohio.

Commonwealth Edison Company, which provides electric service across northern Illinois, said the storms had downed poles and wires.

“We know this is challenging and will restore service as safely and quickly as conditions allow,” the company said in a post on X.

The exchange came shortly after the U.S. launched a second round of airstrikes overnight Thursday. Bahrain is the headquarters of the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet.

The new assault across multiple Iranian cities came as efforts to negotiate an end the war appeared to have stalled, with Iran insisting it would maintain its grip on the Strait of Hormuz. Talks have also faltered because of Israel's attacks against the Iranian-allied Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon. On Monday, Iran and Israel targeted each other.

In a first exchange of missile fire from Iran and airstrikes by the U.S. on Wednesday, Iranian missiles were launched at missiles at Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan. Those came in the wake of American strikes in reprisal for the shooting down of a U.S. helicopter in the strait.

The U.S. Central Command said it completed its latest round of airstrikes just before the sun rose Thursday in Iran. It said the strikes targeted military surveillance, communications and air defense sites and were carried out by the U.S. Air Force, Marines and Navy. It did not elaborate on the damage done by the strikes.

Explosions from the strikes echoed around Iran’s capital, Tehran, as well as in the port city of Bandar Abbas and other southern areas along the strait.

Here's the latest:

Iran’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement Thursday saying the U.S. attacks had “effectively rendered the ceasefire ... meaningless,” without saying it was abandoning it.

Iran's says US attacks have rendered ceasefire meaningless

Iran’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement Thursday saying the U.S. attacks had “effectively rendered the ceasefire ... meaningless,” without saying it was abandoning it.

Pakistan expresses concern over tensions

Pakistan on Thursday expressed deep concern over rising tensions between the United States and Iran and urged both sides to adhere to a ceasefire understanding, saying Islamabad would continue efforts to promote dialogue and diplomacy.

“Pakistan reaffirms its support for the peaceful resolution of all outstanding issues,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi told a news briefing in Islamabad.

India says 3 Indian mariners killed on tanker hit by US military

An Indian official says three Indian mariners were killed on board a tanker targeted by the U.S. military over allegedly violating America’s blockade on Iran.

Indian Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister Sarbananda Sonowal announced the three mariners’ killing on X in the attack on the Palau-flagged tanker Settebello.

“Sadly, three Indian seafarers initially reported missing are now confirmed dead after two bodies were recovered,” he wrote. It wasn’t clear where the third body was.

The U.S. military’s Central Command had accused the Settebello of having “violated the ongoing blockade by attempting to transport oil from Iran.” It fired into the ship’s engine room to stop it.

Kuwait closes its airspaces as it intercepts incoming fire

Kuwait says it has closed its airspace over ongoing Iranian attacks and said flights were being diverted to alternative airports, without elaborating.

Flights had been circling outside of Kuwait for some time before the announcement after it said its air defenses were firing.

Kuwait International Airport had taken a direct Iranian hit in recent days, which killed one person and wounded dozens.

Kuwaiti air defenses fire at incoming missiles, Bahrain sounds alerts

Kuwait's military said its air defenses were firing Thursday morning after Iran threatened retaliation for U.S. airstrikes overnight. Bahrain separately sounded its missile alert sirens in the island kingdom that hosts the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet headquarters.

The restart of No. 6 reactor at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Station earlier this year was meant to spur a movement to bring more nuclear reactors online. Kashiwazaki-Kariwa is one of three plants whose cooling pools will be full in five years, according to the Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan.

“Without solid (fuel management) plans, our power generation will stall sooner or later,” Kashiwazaki-Kariwa General Manager Takeyuki Inagaki said.

After decades of seeking permanent storage for highly radioactive spent fuel, the government is considering Minamitorishima, a remote Pacific island south of Tokyo. But the selection has faced skepticism and criticism stemming from Japan's arbitrary actions on spent fuel and radioactive waste management.

Only 15 of Japan’s 54 reactors have restarted since the March 2011 Fukushima disaster, when a 9.0 earthquake off Japan’s northeastern coast and a subsequent tsunami caused meltdowns at three reactors operated by Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, or TEPCO. About 160,000 people fled from Fukushima and some areas remain unlivable.

Kashiazaki-Kariwa, also run by TEPCO, was shut down after the Fukushima disaster as part of a nationwide nuclear power stoppage.

The spent fuel in a cooling pool at Kashiwazaki-Kariwa No. 6 reactor, which is 88% filled, can be seen from a top-floor observation area. TEPCO has installed filtered venting systems and devices to prevent hydrogen explosions among additional safety measures based on lessons from Fukushima.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is pushing to bring more nuclear plants online, resulting in more spent fuel. Without a viable permanent storage plan, there are worries that reactors will have to close when storage space runs out.

Fuel recycling plan has stalled

There are two options for dealing with spent nuclear fuel: direct disposal as waste or recycling to extract plutonium and uranium for reuse.

Japan insists on recycling, saying it will help the resource-poor nation's energy needs while reducing the toxicity and volume of radioactive waste. But a reactor designed for plutonium reuse, a key part of the recycling, has failed. Reprocessing also won’t be able to handle all the spent fuel, adding to a plutonium stockpile that already is large enough to arm thousands of atomic bombs.

Experts say Japan should also consider the direct disposal option.

As of December 2025, cooling pools at 17 Japanese nuclear power plants held more than 17,000 tons (15,422 metric tons) of spent fuel, using nearly 80% of total storage capacity, according to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

Beyond the large amount of radioactive waste from normal reactors, Japan also “has to deal with massive and largely unknown high-level nuclear waste from the Fukushima disaster,” said Lila Okamura, a Senshu University professor and expert on environmental politics and nuclear waste management.

Choosing a final disposal site for spent fuel and building a facility would require 100 years and tens of thousands of years to monitor the storage deep underground. For a generations-long project, Japan should plan carefully and not rush the current plan that is full of uncertainties, Okamura said.

A remote island is a possibility

Weeks after Kashiwazaki-Kariwa's No. 6 reactor came back online for the first time in 14 years since the Fukushima disaster, Industry Minister Ryosei Akazawa approached Ogasawara village to request a feasibility study for a high-level radioactive waste site on Minamitorishima, an island administered by Ogasawara, which is part of Tokyo.

“With a lot of spent fuel accumulating at nuclear power plants across the country, a final disposal of radioactive waste is a crucial challenge that must be resolved,” Akazawa said in a letter to Ogasawara Mayor Masaaki Shibuya.

The government-owned Minamitorishima, about 2,000 kilometers (1,242 miles) south of Tokyo, has no permanent residents. The Japanese army is constructing a firing range for long-range, surface-to-ship missiles as a deterrent to China. The island also has deep sea deposits rich with rare earth minerals.

“The move seems political,” said Satoshi Takano, a member of a government panel looking at final disposal of spent fuel. “There will be little opposition from a government-owned remote island.”

Some experts say the island, which sits on a geologically stable tectonic plate, could be suitable. Many residents on Ogasawara and two nearby islands raised concerns about safety and tourism.

“I was baffled when I heard about the plan,” Ogasawara assembly member Yusuke Hirano told an assembly meeting. “I think nuclear waste is incompatible with islands that are a UNESCO Natural World Heritage site.”

Struggling to find a final disposal site

Finding a community willing to host a highly radioactive dump site has been difficult, even with a raft of financial enticements. Minamitorishima is the fourth location to have a feasibility study since the government started looking in the early 2000s.

The whole review process will take about two decades. Municipalities participating in the first stage can receive up to 2 billion yen ($12.8 million) in government subsidies. The next stage would bring up to 7 billion yen ($44.7 million). Funding details for a final study haven't been disclosed.

The world’s first final disposal site for spent nuclear fuel is set to open in Finland later this year. Britain, Germany and the United States have abandoned reprocessing largely because of high costs and technical challenges, while several other countries are discussing plans for direct disposal sites.

Inagaki, the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa general manager, said TEPCO is transferring spent fuel from No. 6 reactor to other reactors at the plant with more space, but the utility hopes to resume shipments to a dry cask storage in northern Japan as a near-term solution. Other utilities with nearly full pools have announced plans to build dry-cask storage at their plants.

Many residents worry about Japan's growing stockpile because high-density storage of spent fuel could also increase overheating risks.

Mie Kuwabara, a civil activist in Niigata, wondered “where will it go next?”

“It's irresponsible to accelerate restarts and produce more spent fuel without deciding its final destination,” said Kuwabara, who also is skeptical about using Minamitorishima.

“It's like saying that it's OK to put a facility there because nobody is around to complain if there is a problem,” Kuwabara said. “It's scary.”

Leo is spending the final two days of his weeklong trip to Spain in the Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago closer to Africa than the Iberian Peninsula and a key point of entry for migrants smuggled from West Africa.

He is meeting with recently arrived migrants and representatives of the church and humanitarian organizations that care for them and work to integrate them into Spanish society.

Most poignantly, he will commemorate the thousands of lives lost at sea from a port that in 2020 became known as the “dock of shame” because of the squalid conditions migrants lived in when they came ashore during a spike in arrivals.

Spain’s Socialist-led government, which had been shamed by the 2020 crisis, has bucked a trend in Europe and the United States by defending immigration on economic and humanitarian grounds. It launched a legalization push earlier this year for hundreds of thousands of immigrants without authorization.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has highlighted the benefits to the economy with an aging workforce and low birth rate.

A historic speech defends dignity of migrants

Leo has already called for strengthened international efforts to prevent the smuggling of migrants, the creation of safe pathways for them to move legally and development in countries of origin so more people can choose to stay home.

In a speech to the Spanish Parliament earlier this week, the first-ever by a pope, Leo demanded welcome and integration for those who do choose to flee, insisting on their inherent human dignity.

“The moral greatness of a nation is manifested, above all, in its capacity to accompany, protect and love those lives that are most fragile,” Leo said in a speech that also upheld the inherent dignity of the unborn, the elderly and sick. He received a 7-minute standing ovation at the end.

A visit to the ‘dock of shame’

Migrant arrivals in the Canary Islands peaked in 2024 at nearly 47,000, but have fallen dramatically, with just over 3,000 people landing there in the first five months of 2026.

Upon his arrival in Las Palmas, Leo was to head to Arguineguin, where in 2020 arrivals reached such numbers that migrants were forced to sleep in makeshift camps in the open air on a dock that became known as the “dock of shame.”

Many migrants were left to sleep for weeks with just a blanket and no showers. Potential asylum seekers had no proper access to legal advice and some people were held for weeks, much longer than the three days that the law allowed. The ombudsman later forced the government to shutter the makeshift camp and relocate the migrants.

Learning of the crisis, Francis had planned to visit the Canary Islands to bring his solidarity, but never managed the trip. Francis had made the plight of refugees a hallmark of his papacy, following the Gospel mandate to “welcome the stranger.”

Leo has followed suit, insisting especially on the dignity of migrants in his native United States amid the Trump administration’s crackdown and mass deportation program.

Next month, on July 4, the American pope will spend U.S. Independence Day on the island of Lampedusa, Sicily, another main point of entry for migrants smuggled from North Africa trying to reach Europe.

Francis had visited Lampedusa in 2013, on his first trip outside Rome, and tossed a wreath into the Mediterranean in honor of the thousands of migrants who died in the perilous crossing. It was on that trip that he coined a phrase that became a mantra during his pontificate denouncing the “globalization of indifference” that the world showed migrants.

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

Gloria Branda, a single mother of two, has spent the past eight years rebuilding her life after escaping an abusive marriage. Her story caught the attention of the “Super Mom” competition, a national contest that supports Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and uses public voting to determine finalists.

For Branda, the recognition is secondary to the message she hopes to send.

“I never planned on being a single mom. I just planned on being married,” Branda said.

Leaving wasn’t easy

Branda’s path to freedom was not a straight line. Like many survivors, she faced the painful cycle of leaving and returning before she was finally able to walk away for good.

“They say it takes seven times to leave an abusive partner, and that’s what happened. It’s not anything that I thought I could do,” she said.

Branda’s ex-husband left her and her two children in 2018, marking a turning point that set her on a new path — one focused on healing and helping others.

Turning pain into purpose

Domestic violence continues to devastate families across Jacksonville. Duval County recorded 14 domestic violence homicides in 2025, according to JSO.

Rather than turning inward, Branda channeled her experience into action. While raising her own children as a single mother, she opened her home to others in need.

“They had some friends that we realized were homeless, and when we realized that, they were minors and they were friends of theirs, so I just, I had two extra kids for about a year, about three or four days a week, so that they wouldn’t be sleeping in a car,” Branda said.

Her message to anyone facing difficult circumstances is simple but powerful.

“Don’t be afraid to ask for help. We’re all human. We all need people to help us,” she said.

To vote for Gloria, click here.

For a list of resources for victims of domestic violence, visit this website.

The helicopter crashed Wednesday in Muzaffarabad, the regional capital, apparently because of a technical fault, according to Pakistan’s military. An investigation is underway to determine the exact cause.

An Associated Press reporter counted 22 coffins draped in Pakistan’s national flag at a funeral ceremony.

Witnesses and regional officials said the remains of the soldiers were recovered from the badly burned wreckage. The dead included a colonel and two army majors, according to two security officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

Among those attending the funerals was regional Prime Minister Faisal Mumtaz Rathore.

According to the officials, the soldiers had been traveling to carry out security duties after a call for a march on Muzaffarabad by the Joint Awami Action Committee, a recently banned alliance of various groups.

Authorities have not indicated any connection between the planned protest and the crash.

Pakistan has deployed additional security forces across the region, where tensions have been high since the weekend after members of an outlawed group attacked police and security personnel, killing four officers.

Military helicopter crashes are not uncommon in Pakistan.

In September, an army helicopter on a routine flight crashed in northern Pakistan, killing two pilots and three technicians.

Oil prices fell after rising earlier as the U.S. launched a second round of airstrikes against Iran.

In early European trading, Germany's DAX was nearly unchanged at 24,188.88 and the CAC 40 in Paris gained 0.4% to 8,192.55. The FTSE 100 in London added 0.5% to 10,307.39.

The future for the S&P 500 was up 0.8%, while that for the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.7%.

Tokyo's Nikkei 225 edged up less than 0.1% to 64,217.27 after falling earlier in the day, while the Kospi in South Korea gained 0.4% to 7,763.95.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 0.7% to 24,249.29, while the Shanghai Composite index was down 0.2% to 3,987.01.

In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 likewise shed 0.2% to 8,633.20.

Taiwan's Taiex slipped 0.2% and India's Sensex rose 0.2%.

On Wednesday, Wall Street’s former superstars continue to face heavy scrutiny.

The S&P 500 dropped 1.6% for its first back-to-back drop in three weeks. Closing at 7,266.99, it's back to where it was in early May.

The Dow tumbled 1.9% and the Nasdaq composite led the market lower with a 2% slide.

Wall Street has been shaky since last week, when AI stocks went from roaring to records to suddenly turn lower. Among the worries is that their prices may have shot too high, too fast because of AI mania. The question now is whether the break lower has cleared out excessive optimism that may have built into their stock prices, or if it’s the start of a longer downturn.

Micron Technology swung from an early loss of nearly 4% to a modest gain and back to a loss of 4.7%. It’s coming off a wild stretch where it sank 7.7% last Thursday, then plunged another 13.3% Friday and rallied 9.9% Monday.

Nvidia, the chip company that’s grown into a nearly $4.9 trillion behemoth because of the AI boom, was the heaviest weight on the S&P 500 after falling 3.7%. The second heaviest was another AI winner, Broadcom, which fell 5.1%.

Some of the pressure on AI stocks could also be coming from investors pulling cash out to prepare for high-profile debuts on the U.S. stock market for several AI giants. SpaceX’s initial public offering could come later this week, for example.

Early Thursday, Brent crude oil, the international standard, fell $1.30 to $91.80 per barrel. It was at around $70 a barrel before the start of the war in late February.

U.S. benchmark crude oil was down $1.22 to $88.81 a barrel.

Oil prices climbed on Wednesday after President Donald Trump warned Iran would “pay the price” for stalled negotiations between the two sides. The war in the Middle East has been keeping the Strait of Hormuz effectively shut to oil tankers, which has prevented the delivery of crude from the Persian Gulf to customers worldwide.

High oil prices have sent inflation higher, and a report on Wednesday showed that prices for U.S. consumers jumped in May at the highest speed in three years.

Traders are betting the Federal Reserve will have to hike its main interest rate at least once this year, given price pressures and the strength of the U.S. job market.

High yields can slow entire economies and undercut prices for all kinds of investments, including stocks and cryptocurrencies. They hit investments seen as the most expensive in particular, and some critics are calling AI a bubble where investment inflated too far.

In other dealings early Thursday, the dollar slipped to 160.54 Japanese yen from 160.56 yen. The euro fell to $1.1534 from $1.1537.

Yusufu Mieraili and Bilal Mohammad were arrested shortly after the Aug. 17, 2015, bombing of the Erawan shrine, which is a popular tourist destination, particularly for visitors from China.

The men were charged with a variety of offenses, including murder, attempted murder and illegal possession of explosive materials. They allegedly were linked by video, fingerprints and other evidence to the bombing.

Four judges presided over the ruling at Bangkok South Criminal Court. The court ruled the two were found guilty due to overwhelming evidence against them and were unable to provide substantial evidence proving otherwise.

After the judges left the courtroom, Mieraili shouted in broken Thai that he rejected the ruling and was innocent.

“I mourn for Thailand,” he said. “I did not receive justice … I ask Thai people to help me.”

Mieraili learned Thai while in detention, according to his lawyer. He also speaks English and on Thursday was asked to translate the proceedings into Uyghur for Bilal because only an English interpreter was available in court. The trial was repeatedly delayed because of difficulties finding suitable translators.

Chuchart Kanpai, one of the defense lawyers, said they will appeal as there are still several aspects of the case that were not taken into consideration.

The two men allegedly confessed during the initial questioning but pleaded not guilty when the trial began in 2016. The proceedings originally took place in a military court before the case was transferred to the civilian Bangkok South Criminal Court in 2019.

The men said they suffered mistreatment and torture in jail after their arrests. But the judges said Thursday there was no evidence of torture and that investigators did not appear to have coerced the confessions.

China on Thursday said it welcomed the verdict.

“The terrorist bombing that year killed 20 people, including seven Chinese citizens, and injured more than 100 others. The perpetrators were utterly inhumane and guilty of heinous crimes," Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Lin Jian said. “China supports Thailand in conducting the trial in accordance with the law and severely punishing the perpetrators.”

Several human rights groups have criticized the procedures and the lengthy trial. In 2023, the International Federation for Human Rights based in France submitted a petition to the United Nations alleging numerous violations of human rights and due process, including the lack of a legal basis for the arrests and discriminatory treatment.

Authorities identified 17 suspects in connection to the blast but only three were apprehended. Charges against a Thai woman were dropped in 2024 due to lack of evidence.

Police said they believe Mieraili detonated the bomb minutes after a backpack containing the device was allegedly left at the shrine by Bilal, who also is known as Adem Karadag.

Thai authorities have said the bombing was revenge by a people smuggling gang whose activities had been disrupted by the police. Thailand cracked down on human traffickers earlier in 2015 after abandoned camps for Rohingyas fleeing persecution in Myanmar and economic migrants from Bangladesh were found in the jungles along the Thai-Malaysia border.

However, some analysts suspect the bombing was the work of Uyghur separatists angry that Thailand had forcibly repatriated scores of Uyghurs to China in July 2015. Many Uyghurs try to escape persecution and tight control in China with the help of professional smugglers.

Thailand deported 40 Uyghur asylum seekers back to China in 2025, which drew international criticism.

The shrine’s popularity among Chinese tourists lent support to the theory that the bombing had a political element.

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Associated Press writer Huizhong Wu contributed to this report.

A heat wave may be the most obvious health threat. But infectious diseases can spread in a crowd, and experts are set to scrutinize wastewater, hospital visits, even social media for any signs that an outbreak might be brewing.

Measles, one of the most contagious diseases, is among the top concerns, sparking a warning this week from the Pan American Health Organization, PAHO. With a nearly six-week stretch of packed stadiums, bars and tourist sites in 16 cities, officials are on the lookout for a long list of infections, from the stomach bug norovirus to mosquito-borne dengue fever.

“This is truly a marathon,” said Palak Raval-Nelson, Philadelphia's health commissioner.

The mass gatherings come at a tense moment for budget-strapped health agencies in the U.S. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hit hard by Trump administration staffing cuts, already was grappling with a growing Ebola outbreak in central Africa and a cruise ship hantavirus outbreak. While CDC officials have advised state and local health departments behind the scenes, its expected World Cup disease surveillance dashboard still was “in final development” days before games began, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.

“Our public health professionals are pretty stretched,” said global health specialist Rebecca Katz of Georgetown University, who is leading an unusual new hub to help.

At the Health Security Operations Center, a joint effort between Georgetown and MedStar Health, workers are analyzing data from around the country so they can alert health authorities, even emergency rooms, to any early signs of trouble. The center is issuing daily “situation reports” about disease trends around World Cup host cities and team base camps to several hundred local and federal public health groups, emergency management and hospital officials and others who’ve signed up.

“It's important that we don't become alarmist,” said MedStar emergency medicine specialist Dr. Shane Kappler. “We're trying to be the insurance policy.”

Measles is a top concern for potential World Cup spread

Already more than 2,000 people in the U.S. have come down with measles this year, nearly as many as during all of last year, according to the CDC. Patients can spread measles before the rash appears and they realize they're sick. Not too long ago, the U.S. seldom saw measles except from international travel by unvaccinated people.

Now with frequent U.S. outbreaks, "actually a lot of our international partners are worried about measles being exported to them after the games,” said Georgetown’s Katz.

Measles is spreading in Canada, too, and has exceeded 11,000 cases in Mexico, according to PAHO. It’s urging soccer fans to be sure they’re vaccinated, with a health campaign saying a single measles patient can spread the virus to up to 18 unprotected people.

Is Ebola a concern at the World Cup?

Brown University’s Dr. Craig Spencer, who survived Ebola while working in the West Africa outbreak over a decade ago, said he’s repeatedly asked about the risk of Ebola during the World Cup — but “for me, Ebola is not the No. 1 or No. 2 or even No. 3 threat.”

“I am concerned about importation of measles, I am much more concerned about the importation of other infectious threats that may not seem as scary to us as Ebola,” Spencer said.

Many health experts agree that the risk of Ebola spreading in the U.S. is very low. That’s partly because of government travel screenings and restrictions on people recently in outbreak-affected areas. Moreover, Ebola spreads by contact with bodily fluids from someone showing symptoms, not through the air like measles or respiratory viruses.

“One fortunate thing about this virus is you’re most contagious when you’re really quite ill. It’s not like COVID, where you could be sitting next to someone who doesn’t even know they’re infected and perhaps contract the virus,” said Jennifer Nuzzo, director of Brown’s Pandemic Center.

How to spot brewing diseases

There’s precedent for germs invading major sporting events. Canadian scientists linked a community measles outbreak to the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, and clusters of norovirus had to be contained during the Olympics this year in Milan and in 2018 in South Korea.

One way to detect signs of trouble: People with certain viral or bacterial infections shed genetic material that sophisticated testing of wastewater can spot. For example, measles can appear in wastewater days before an emergency room sees its first patients.

This week's surveillance reports from Katz's center note that wastewater testing recently found diarrhea-causing rotavirus, hepatitis A and norovirus in some parts of the U.S., something to watch as soccer crowds arrive.

In Dallas, officials ramped up wastewater screening including at the international airport, casting a wide net rather than looking for specific illnesses, said Dr. Phil Huang, director of Dallas County Health and Human Services.

His team also is enhancing the usual mosquito testing, checking not just for West Nile virus that regularly spreads in the U.S. but for viruses more common in other countries like dengue and chikungunya.

Public health officials have been preparing for months, said Philadelphia’s Raval-Nelson, including with mock emergency drills and communications with counterparts around the country.

“I don’t want to send a message that there’s one key thing," she said. “We have the frameworks in place to carry out what we need to.”

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Bruel, 67, denies the allegations.

He was brought Wednesday before four investigative judges at the court of Nanterre, in Paris western suburbs, following a two-day police custody.

The Nanterre prosecutor’s office said the formal investigation concerns allegations of rape in 2008 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, west of Paris, attempted rape in 2010 in Brussels, and sexual assault and sexual harassment in Perpignan, in southern France, and Ajaccio, Corsica, both in 2019.

The judicial investigation also continues into other allegations of rape, attempted rape and sexual harassment between 2010 and 2019 in three French cities and in Nyon, Switzerland, according to prosecutors.

Some allegations that had previously been dismissed without further action were reexamined and included in the case, the prosecutor’s office said.

Bruel was released under judicial supervision and barred from leaving France. He was ordered to surrender his passport, undergo psychological treatment and post bail of 500,000 euros ($576,760). He is also prohibited from contacting his accusers or members of their families and from entering massage parlors, where some of the alleged offenses are alleged to have occurred.

Bruel’s lawyers said in a statement the singer would cooperate fully with the investigation and remains available to the judicial authorities.

In recent weeks, a series of media reports, notably by French investigative website Mediapart, brought into public attention allegations by multiple women spanning several decades against Bruel, prompting additional complaints to be filed.

Prosecutors said accusations by other women that appear to be barred by the statute of limitations have nevertheless been attached to the case file so investigating judges can gain a broader understanding of the allegations. Complaints filed in other jurisdictions could later be added to the Nanterre investigation.

Bruel became one of the biggest stars in the French-speaking world in the late 1980s and 1990s. His popularity was so intense that French media coined the term “Bruelmania,” drawing comparisons with Beatlemania.

Hit songs from his 1989 second album have became part of French popular culture, addressing universal themes including love, heartbreak, nostalgia and childhood and bringing together generations of fans. Bruel later built a parallel acting career, appearing in dozens of film and television productions.

He canceled last month all shows planned this summer in France, Canada, Switzerland and Belgium and at the end of the year in Canada.

Some of them aren’t too enthusiastic.

“I think they’re all a waste of time,” said Shirley Prior on the choice of candidates in Makerfield, where a special election on June 18 has drawn interest from journalists around the world. That level of attention is all-but unheard of for a midterm by-election to fill one of the 650 seats in the House of Commons.

If Andy Burnham from the center-left Labour Party wins, there’s a strong chance he will replace embattled Prime Minister Keir Starmer as leader of both party and country. He's up against Reform UK, a hard-right party hoping to prove that this longtime Labour stronghold is fertile ground for its anti-immigration message, with potentially seismic consequences for British democracy.

This district has elected Labour lawmakers for 120 years, but Burnham is not a shoo-in. Reform, led by the veteran anti-immigration politician Nigel Farage, won 24 of the 25 council seats up for grabs in local elections in this area last month.

“I always voted Labour because my dad, my grandad, everybody voted Labour then,” Prior said. “I’ve never done that for a lot, a lot of years.”

Immigration is a top issue

The election is taking place amid heightened tensions over immigration. A stabbing in Belfast this week, for which a Sudanese man has been charged with attempted murder, triggered violent protests in Northern Ireland in which cars and houses torched.

In the constituency’s main town of Ashton-in-Makerfield, 200 miles (320 kilometers) northwest of London, some voters echo Reform claims that recent arrivals are straining housing and public services.

“Immigration’s too high, all the services are being put under pressure and Labour just keep inviting more and more people into the country and it’s the taxpayer who has to pay for them,” said retiree Phil Arrowsmith.

Annual net migration to the U.K. reached more than 900,000 in 2023, under the previous Conservative government, before falling to 171,000 last year.

That decline has done little to boost a Labour government that has floundered since winning election in July 2024.

Starmer has struggled to deliver promised economic growth, repair tattered public services and ease the cost of living, and been hamstrung by repeated missteps, including his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson, a scandal-tarnished friend of Jeffrey Epstein, as Britain’s ambassador to Washington.

A dismal performance in local elections last month sparked a clamor from Labour lawmakers for Starmer’s resignation. He has refused, but Cabinet minister Wes Streeting quit so he can run in a leadership contest that could come soon.

Burnham, the popular mayor of Greater Manchester, also harbors leadership ambitions, but needs a seat in Parliament if he wants to challenge Starmer. An opening emerged when Josh Simons, the Labour lawmaker for Makerfield, stepped down to trigger a special election.

Burnham said he understands that voters are “fed up” and calls the large Reform UK vote “a cry for real change” that Labour must heed.

The ‘King of the North’ eyes power in London

The Makerfield constituency is a capsule of British history, a collection of former coal-mining communities turned commuter suburbs. The slag heaps and slum housing in the area described by George Orwell in his 1937 book “The Road to Wigan Pier” have been replaced by suburbs of tidy modern houses amid Victorian workers’ cottages, interspersed with farmers’ fields.

Though far from the city center, it is part of Greater Manchester, and Burnham gets honks and thumbs’ ups from passing drivers as he walks down the street in his smart-casual uniform of dark jeans with a navy blue shirt and jacket.

The 56-year-old has been mayor of the region of 3 million people since 2017, a period that has seen central Manchester boom, with skyscrapers blooming on postindustrial sites. Many residents praise him for championing the city, and for taking a piecemeal public transport system under municipal control as the Bee Network.

For a decade and a half before that he was a lawmaker in Parliament, and a minister in Labour governments. He doesn’t emphasize that part of his CV, preferring the outsider status that has seen him nicknamed the King of the North.

“What we’ve built in Greater Manchester needs to go national,” Burnham told reporters during a campaign event this week. “I know what it is to turn places around.”

Many predict a close contest

The campaign is an odd mix of the local and the international. Some voters cite immigration as a top concern. Others mention struggling main street shops, potholes and petty crime.

Burnham’s main rival is Reform UK candidate Rob Kenyon, a 41-year-old plumber and local councilor who came second to Labour here in the 2024 national election. He says he’s an unpolished regular bloke, though opponents have criticized him over crude, sexist and anti-vaccine comments on social media.

Reform voters are also being targeted by Restore, an even more hardline anti-immigration party.

Michael Poultney, a retired teacher and Labour supporter, thinks the unpopularity of Starmer’s government means Burnham faces a stiff challenge.

“Without his personal vote, I think we would struggle,” he said. “Keir Starmer has done reasonably well on the international stage, but the government are yet to be in control of the economy.”

Burnham insists he is running for the people of Makerfield, not his own ambition, and is not taking victory for granted.

“I am making no assumptions beyond the 18th of June,” Burnham said.

But he stressed that “this is a change byelection.”

“I will take the fight for the changes I want to see in politics as far as I can take it,” he said.

Mexicans milling through the busy Hidalgo metro station pointed and laughed, occasionally snapping pictures of the face-lift that has become the subject of a cascade of internet memes.

The cosmetic makeover that authorities have attempted to give the capital as visitors arrive from around the globe also has become a symbol of criticisms that the government is prioritizing its superficial appearance for World Cup fans over fixing critical structural issues that have long plagued the city.

“People make fun of it because it's a failed aesthetic, it doesn't make a lot of sense,” said Silvia Escamilla, 28, who was hustling to work among a crowd of Mexican commuters. “All these renovations are like putting makeup on the city, because the infrastructure they could actually invest in just isn’t there.”

Decorations cover the problems

For weeks, Mexico City workers have plastered walls and metro cars with cartoon axolotls, the mole salamander that has become a city mascot. They also have painted bridges purple and planted Mexican marigold flowers typical of Day of the Dead celebrations in November.

The 22 million residents of the sprawling capital, known as Chilangos, have jokingly referred to the renovations as the city's “axolotlization.” They have posted videos of flooded underpasses next to freshly painted murals of axolotls and crumbling stairs and potholes painted bright purple.

Hidalgo station, in the heart of the downtown, has perhaps become the subject of more memes than anywhere else in the city.

When city workers installed the chandelier near the metro entrance and rows of Victorian wall lamps in May, social media users were quick to joke that authorities were trying to make the gritty metro system look like it was in a European city.

Social media creators mock the changes

Residents began to show up at the station in elegant dresses in videos layered over Mozart music. One social media influencer descended the marble stairs dressed as the Beast from the classic Disney cartoon “Beauty and the Beast.” Another arrived as Napoleon Bonaparte in a white wig and French military uniform.

“May you have an elegant metro connection,” one social media influencer said as he strolled through throngs of commuters dressed in a tuxedo and top hat. Another filmed herself selling pink dresses aboard one of the metro trains, yelling to passengers that the items matched the “etiquette” of Metro Hidalgo.

Many more posed next to marble floors and walls torn up by construction ahead of the soccer tournament being hosted by Mexico, the United States and Canada.

The humor highlights larger issues

The crush of jokes amused Mexicans for weeks, but also cut to the core of a deeper problem in the city, said Aldo Solano Rojas, an art historian in Mexico City who has criticized the remodel.

Failures to prioritize issues like the metro's crumbling infrastructure and holes in the major municipal roadways show the government “doesn't understand the real needs of the city,” he said.

“State presence, at its best, is reflected in well-maintained sidewalks and adequate transportation infrastructure that doesn't collapse every day,” Solano Rojas said. “It's not reflected in frivolous, superficial axolotl murals while the streets are flooding.”

The criticisms come in the midst of wider social unrest in Mexico City as the country's teachers union, families of Mexico's 130,000 missing people and a range of other social movements use the proximity to the event to pressure authorities.

The government also has faced accusations of displacing sex workers and street vendors in an effort to clean up the streets. Despite the tensions, city workers on Wednesday were still racing to complete construction ahead of the opening ceremony and first match.

Mirna Baranco looked fondly on the renovations, but the 46-year-old laughed at the chandelier over Hidalgo construction workers. She nudged her boyfriend and pointed.

“I've already seen it all over the place on Facebook, but not in real life,” she said.

Baranco understood the criticisms, but said she didn't think it was necessarily a bad thing that authorities were making changes to be more attractive to international visitors. The World Cup has helped push local governments to make needed renovations, even if some look a little out of place, she said.

The changes show that “Mexico isn't just how others stereotype us, as a country with narcos,” Baranco said. “Mexico has a lot to give the world.”

The 7.8 magnitude offshore quake, one of the strongest to hit the Philippine archipelago in a half century, struck Monday off the southern province of Sarangani and has left at least 47 people dead and injured 688 with 31 still missing.

More than 45,000 people remained displaced, about half in emergency shelters, after the quake damaged more than 12,600 houses in farming towns and cities. Many were still too traumatized to return home due to aftershocks, provincial officials said.

Sarangani reported 20 dead from the quake, the highest toll from the affected provinces, mostly due to a landslide that buried houses in the coastal town of Glan, according to the government's Office of Civil Defense, which deals with major disasters.

Glan Mayor Victor James Yap said power has not been restored to his province and 10 of 31 villages in his town of more than 100,000 people remained inaccessible mostly due to landslides. He asked the government to immediately deploy air force helicopters to deliver food and other aid to the stricken areas.

“We need food and water but it’s difficult to transport them to some of our villages which remain isolated,” Yap told DZMM radio network. “Choppers are needed to transport food because people there are already very hungry.”

A key access road to the town has been reopened and will allow the delivery of fuel as early as Thursday, but the town remained without power and cellphone services were still spotty, according to Yap.

The Office of Civil Defense said more than 26 million pesos ($426,000) worth of food packs, cash and other aid have been provided so far and 180 government and military planes, helicopters, ships and trucks have been deployed to respond to the disaster.

About 3,400 government and military personnel were involved in search efforts for the missing, debris-clearing in roads, damage assessment and other disaster-mitigation work, it said.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday visited the hard-hit city of General Santos city, where he inspected damaged hospitals and schools and discussed recovery efforts. He ordered the release of 100 million pesos ($1.6 million) for the repair of the partly collapsed city hall and 50,000 pesos ($820) for the families of each of the victims who died in the quake.

Most of the deaths from the quake were caused by falling debris from collapsed buildings and landslides in Sarangani, the coastal city of General Santos, and the outlying provinces of South Cotabato and Davao Occidental.

Two swimmers drowned and one remained missing off General Santos after being swept out to sea shortly after the quake hit. Waves of up to 1.4 meters (4.6 feet) above tide level were measured in the country’s south and smaller waves washed ashore in Indonesia and Palau and as far away as southern Japan.

The earthquake was one of the strongest to hit the country since an 8.1 magnitude quake and tsunami on Aug. 17, 1976, that killed about 8,000 people.

The Philippines is often hit by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of seismic faults around the ocean.

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Associated Press journalist Jim Gomez contributed to this report from Manila, Philippines.

Demonstrators wearing masks tore bricks from the walls outside homes and smashed sidewalks with sledgehammers to toss at riot police. In one place, the unruly crowd used sections of a dismantled picket fence to take cover on the street.

The clashes with police came several hours after a 30-year-old man from Sudan appeared in a Belfast court charged with attempted murder in a stabbing attack that left a man seriously injured and triggered anti-immigrant violence.

Hadi Alodid, 30, was ordered held in jail after appearing by video in Belfast Magistrates’ Court, where a detective said he blinded Stephen Ogilvie in the left eye during the knife attack. He was also charged with possessing a knife and threatening to kill a radiographer while being treated for a hand injury after the assault.

When police arrived at the crime scene, they found Alodid on the man, armed with a kitchen knife, the detective said. Alodid later told hospital staff: “I’ve killed someone, I don’t know if they are dead,” and said, “I will kill you."

He refused legal representation through an Arabic interpreter and did not enter a plea.

Police were prepared for more violence after masked men on Tuesday set fire to several homes they believed to house immigrants, burned trash bins, torched a Belfast bus and pelted police with objects.

Firefighters rescued several people from burning houses and more than two dozen people were left homeless.

Anselme Shima, a Belfast resident originally from Congo, said he saw smoke from burning vehicles near his home.

“I’ve lived on my street for almost 10 years, I have a good relationship with my neighbors, but last night was a horrific one,” he said. “We don’t know what to do. I’m scared. Seeing this, I’m wondering if I’m next.”

Families, one with a baby, were rescued and taken to police stations for safety, Police Service of Northern Ireland Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said.

“These weren’t just families from ethnic minority communities, these were families from across communities that were caught up in this vile behavior last night," Boutcher told the BBC. “There is absolutely no excuse for it.”

Boutcher said 200 more officers would be on the streets Wednesday and the PSNI was calling in support from other forces. Bus and train operators in Belfast said they would stop services early because of expected protests.

Ogilvie’s family appealed for an end to the violence and said migrants “make a deeply valuable contribution to our country.”

“We do not want this terrible tragedy to be used to divide people or fuel hostility,” the family said in a statement.

Politicians from both parts of Northern Ireland’s power-sharing government condemned the violence. First Minister Michelle O’Neill of Irish nationalist party Sinn Fein said it was “thuggery.”

“Groups of masked men burning families out of their homes is nothing less than disgusting cowardice,” she said.

Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly, of the pro-British Democratic Unionist Party, said that “taking frustration at the evil actions of a person out on those who had no part in it is utterly wrong.”

The attack was caught on video

Monday’s attack, caught in video footage that quickly spread on social media, was seized on by anti-immigration activists. Ogilvie, a man in his 40s, was hospitalized with deep cuts to his head, face and back.

Police said Alodid entered Northern Ireland from the neighboring Republic of Ireland in 2023, applied for asylum and was given a five-year permit to remain.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland said there is no information to suggest the attack was terrorism-related.

Protests were encouraged online by far-right activists, and the street violence erupted despite politicians' calls for calm.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the stabbing attack as “sickening,” but said violence against people based on their background would not be tolerated.

“The scenes in Belfast last night were shocking and completely unacceptable," Starmer said on X. “There is no justification for the violence and disorder that we saw threatening our communities, nor for those who encouraged it, online or elsewhere.”

Northern Ireland Justice Minister Naomi Long said social media agitators who “yesterday would have struggled to find Belfast on a map” were “weaponizing” the fears of local people.

“If you’re driving people from their homes based on nothing but the color of their skin, you can’t dress that up any other way, it’s racism, and those bad faith actors need to take a step back,” she told the BBC.

Some raise questions about the Irish border

Some politicians said the stabbing should spark a review of the open border between Northern Ireland, which is part of the U.K., and the Republic of Ireland.

The border is a highly sensitive issue. Allowing the free flow of people is a major pillar of the peace process that largely ended decades of violence known as “The Troubles.” The conflict involving Irish Republican and British Loyalist militants and U.K. security forces left almost 3,600 people dead before a 1998 peace accord.

Much of Tuesday’s violence took place in working-class areas where former paramilitary groups still hold considerable sway over the streets.

Last week a separate case of a university student who was stabbed to death in Southampton, England, in December was seized on by activists and U.S. Vice President JD Vance, who blamed immigration for the violence, an idea rejected by Starmer and other British politicians.

Henry Nowak, who was white, was killed by Vickrum Digwa, a Sikh who falsely claimed to police that he was the victim of a racist assault by Nowak. When police officers arrived, they initially treated the wounded Nowak as a suspect before noticing his injury and trying to resuscitate him.

Digwa was convicted of murder and sentenced last week to life in prison with a minimum 21-year term. A protest over Nowak’s death turned violent, with some attacking police with chairs and rocks. Several people were charged with violent disorder.

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Lawless reported from London. Brian Melley contributed to this story.

The summit of some of the world's richest nations from June 15-17 in the French town of Evian-les-Bains on Lake Geneva is meant to discuss the Middle East, Ukraine and global economic imbalances.

In nearby Geneva, Switzerland, business owners and local leaders want to avoid a repeat of violent protests that smashed storefronts on the sidelines of the G8 summit in 2003, when Russia was in the club of nations.

Protests are nothing new around such elite gatherings. This time, activists want to demonstrate frustration with Trump’s leadership on issues as diverse as tariffs, the war in Iran and the climate, or even highlight his past ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Authorities in Geneva and activist groups including environmentalists, feminists and foes of capitalism are facing off over the right to protest and the right to protection from those who target symbols of corporate and political power.

“As the G7 meets in Evian, France, to plan the destruction of peoples, the exploitation of life and the domination of bodies, let us organize our resistance against fascism and imperialism,” the No G7 coalition of anti-capitalism groups said in its call for a “large-scale internationalist mobilization against this meeting.”

Businesses have been boarding up storefronts in Geneva, a center for United Nations offices, while some institutions like the World Trade Organization, which faced anti-capitalist protests in Seattle in the 1990s, are closing offices and instructing staff to work remotely.

Switzerland, a rich Alpine country, is not among the G7 membership that includes Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the U.S.

G7 also brings airspace restrictions

France and Switzerland have struck a military cooperation agreement on G7 summit security. The arriving leaders will pass through the airport in Geneva, which is 95% surrounded by France and connected to the rest of Switzerland by a strip of land.

The Swiss government said the army will deploy some 4,000 personnel to support police. Operations will include airspace restrictions, patrols on Lake Geneva and roadway restrictions. Seven of the 35 roadway border crossings will remain open. Geneva also is closing a major park where activists wanted to congregate.

France will deploy more than 13,000 police and gendarmerie officers to ensure security in the summit area just over the border. Over 800 French border control officers will be active, up from about 60 normally.

France also has introduced special permits for residents of Evian, perhaps best known for its bottled water, and environs while cordoning off a zone around the Hotel Royal where the leaders will meet.

There is an authorized march on June 14. Public gatherings not previously planned are banned.

Cedric Dupont, a professor of international relations at the Geneva Graduate Institute, said authorities were “overreacting” with such stringent security measures that will impact the economy and people, alluding to the long lines at the border during the COVID crisis.

“It seems that they have not learned the lesson,” he said, noting that protesters can find their way to Geneva by traveling from other parts of Switzerland. “It’s just creating more problems than actually solving them.”

Residents and businesses prepare for disruption

Over 110,000 cross-border workers commute daily from France to Geneva, France's Foreign Ministry says.

French authorities have advised people to postpone nonessential travel and work from home when possible.

Lake crossings by boat, also used by commuters, have been moved from Evian to other ferry landings outside restricted areas. Recreational water activities, including paddleboarding and swimming, will be allowed outside the summit area as the summer season begins, authorities said.

The Geneva canton, or state, has set up a 6 million Swiss franc ($7.6 million) fund for businesses that incur damage related to G7 protests.

“Unrest cannot be ruled out,” authorities have said.

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Corbet reported from Paris.

Leo called Gaudí’s unfinished temple, one of the world’s most visited monuments, a “sign of unity and harmony for all of Spain,” an ongoing building project like the lifelong journey all Christians make to find God.

“We are all the living stones of this edifice,” Leo said from the altar of the basilica, with Spanish King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia sitting to his side and a hundreds-strong choir filling the basilica with song.

The service was the highlight of Leo’s weeklong visit to Spain, the first by a pope in 15 years to the once-staunchly Catholic European country that, like many others, has experienced secularizing trends.

The trip, though, has underscored how the country of 50 million people, which experienced a religious crisis after its 20th century dictatorship ended, still has plenty of faithful Catholics who have turned out in droves to welcome the American pope.

An estimated 120,000 people lined the streets around Sagrada Familia for the event, with streets closed to traffic and a heavy police presence, given the attendance of the royal couple and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. The crowds remained after Mass to watch as Leo inaugurated the basilica's final Tower of Jesus Christ that has made it the world's tallest church.

Speaking in Catalan and Spanish, Leo blessed the tower and its illuminated ceramic cross from outside the basilica, surrounded by bishops craning their mitre-capped heads to look up. An angelic boy's choir sang as a spectacular light show lit up the basilica's stained glass windows from the inside and fireworks shot off its facade.

Honoring Catalonia's Christian traditions

Earlier Wednesday, Leo celebrated a more ancient sacred monument, traveling to Montserrat, a mountain complex outside the city that is dear to many Catalans. The complex, which includes an 11th-century Benedictine abbey and a 16th-century basilica, is revered for its Black Madonna statue and is home to a boy's choir that has existed since the 13th century and is Europe's oldest.

Thousands of faithful arrived early at the monastery, with groups of nuns and schoolchildren singing and waving signs and photographs of the pope outside the basilica. Bells rang out over the spire-like rock formations that top Montserrat and the valley below as Leo arrived in a golf cart.

In recent years, the Montserrat abbey has faced numerous accusations from survivors of clergy sexual abuse and was included in the Spanish ombudsman’s 800-page report on the crisis in 2023. The report found 15 victims and three alleged perpetrators linked to the abbey.

“It’s very painful because there are members of the church who committed errors,” said the Rev. Cesario Escarda, a Toledo priest, as he waited for Leo at the abbey. “What the pope wants to do is shine a light on the truth and ask forgiveness and bring in the victims and listen to them and accompany them.”

The Bible carved in stone

The highlight of Leo’s visit, though, was his Mass at Sagrada Familia to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the death of its famed Catalan designer, Gaudí, who died at age 73, three days after he was hit by a tram.

A century after construction began during the pontificate of Leo’s namesake, Pope Leo XIII, the basilica has become one of the world’s most visited but unfinished monuments, annually drawing upward of 5 million visitors a year.

Commemorating Gaudí's death, Leo said he wanted to give thanks to all the supporters, artists and workers who “cooperated in the construction of an architectural masterpiece, which is also an eloquent catechesis made of stones, colors and light.”

Gaudí, who is on the path to possible sainthood, spent four decades designing and building the temple as the summary of the Christian faith carved in stone. The most important stories of Jesus’ life, the Nativity and Passion, are etched into the basilica’s east and west facades. A third facade facing south, the Glory, will serve as the basilica’s main entrance when finished.

The temple is an architectural and geometrical masterpiece inside and out, an art nouveau celebration in form and symbol of Christianity and God’s creation through stone and light.

“Much more than a monument, the Basilica of the Sagrada Familia remains a work in progress today, reminding us that the Christian life is always a journey, because it is a project that God is carrying out,” Leo said in his homily.

A total of 18 sandcastle spires rise up from the top and pierce Barcelona’s skyline: 12 to symbolize Christ’s 12 apostles, four for each of the four Evangelists who recorded Christ’s life in the Gospels, one topped with a star over the apse honoring the Virgin Mary and, tallest among them, the Tower of Jesus Christ.

When the final Christ tower was finished at a height of 172½ meters (564 feet) last year, it made Sagrada Familia the world’s tallest church. Construction is expected to be fully complete within a decade.

“The entire structure of the Sagrada Familia is striking,” said Laura Rincón, who was on hand outside along with two friends for the Mass, after she finished work in a nearby shop. She said that she was sure the pope would be impressed by the church she marvels at every time she passes by.

“If you look at it just for its architecture, it is amazing,” she said. “Inside, its columns make you feel like you are inside a forest.”

An interior that looks like a forest

The cross-shaped interior, with the altar at the apse, is an homage to light and nature. Treelike columns soar to the sky, colored by constantly changing light filtered through stained glass windows like the sun poking through leaves in a forest.

“Nature is my teacher,” Gaudí once said. “Everything comes from the great book of nature, always open that we must read.”

The colors of the window glass have meaning: The blues and greens of the eastern portal windows, where the facade depicts Christ’s birth, look more joyful and are most brilliant when the sun rises and light passes through. The coarser shades of red and orange, illuminated by the setting sun on the western portals, color the side of the basilica that depicts Christ’s Passion. Behind the altar and above the cross are yellows and gold that glimmer in the noonday sun.

Historian Mònica Santín, who leads tours of the basilica, said that in designing Sagrada Familia, Gaudí was guided by two books: the Gospels and nature.

“The way he lets in the natural light is also an invitation to the Christian mystery,” she said, citing the three facades depicting Christ’s birth, death and glory.

“And when you enter inside, it is all light,” Santín said. “What is that the symbol of? We can’t see God, but we perceive his light all around us. I think that is how you can read this message, and it is fascinating.”

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

The long road back to the top of the NBA is almost complete for the New York Knicks, and the step they took Wednesday night was unforgettable.

The Knicks came from 29 points down and moved to the brink of their first championship since 1973 by beating the San Antonio Spurs 107-106 in Game 4 of the finals on OG Anunoby's tip-in with 1.2 seconds remaining.

“That has to be the most iconic shot in the history of New York basketball,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said.

It's certainly high on the list — as high as Anunoby leaped when Jalen Brunson's long 3-point shot bounced off the front of the rim, with his right hand stretching high to softly flick it in.

“Right hand from God,” Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns said.

The Knicks, who have just two titles in their 80-year history and hadn't even been to the NBA Finals since 1999, have a 3-1 lead and three chances to win the best-of-seven series — starting with Game 5 on Saturday night in San Antonio.

It looked impossible early, when the Spurs rolled to a 27-point halftime lead. But Brunson helped bring the Knicks back with 36 points and Anunoby finished with 33.

The Knicks weathered a playoff storm

No team had come from more than 24 points down in a finals game, when Boston did it against the Lakers in 2008, since the NBA began keeping detailed play-by-play for all four quarters in 1997. The Spurs led 81-52 in the third quarter.

“We’re a resilient group. We’ve been through a lot,” Anunoby said. “We’ve come back plenty of times when we’re behind. Just staying with it, weathering the storm, not being too down or angry or frustrated.”

The only bigger comeback on record in any playoff game was 31 points by the Los Angeles Clippers against Golden State in Game 2 of a first-round series in 2019.

“You look at it when you’re down 29 of, ‘OK, let’s get it to 20.’ There’s three minutes left in the third quarter, we’re down 18, you’re thinking, 'Let’s get it to 10,” forward Josh Hart said.

“In the fourth quarter, you’re like, this is winning time. Anything can happen.”

And it did.

The Spurs started out awesome but then were awful

The Knicks had their 13-game winning streak snapped in Game 3 and seemed headed for a second straight defeat throughout the first half, when Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs opened the biggest halftime lead by a visiting team in the finals.

But the young Spurs, who made 11 of their first 16 3-pointers, went cold in the second half, going 3 for 17 behind the arc as the Knicks outscored them 58-30.

“We got on our heels — we missed some shots,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “It’s disappointing, to say the least.”

Delirious fans inside Madison Square Garden sang along to Journey's “Don’t Stop Believin’” a few minutes after watching something that seemed almost impossible.

Wembanyama had 24 points and 13 rebounds but shot just 9 for 25 from the field.

Road teams had won the first three games, only the second time that had happened in the finals. San Antonio was well on its way to making it 4 for 4.

Knicks scrap watch party and fans have nothing to cheer early

President Donald Trump wasn’t at this game — Taylor Swift was — but the same restrictions remained around Madison Square Garden as when he attended Game 3. That angered the Knicks, who decided not to go forward with plans to hold an outdoor watch party outside the arena.

Inside the building in the first half, there wasn’t much for the hosts to be happy about, either.

But the Knicks gave themselves a chance by limiting the Spurs to 14 points on 4-for-20 shooting in the third quarter, using a 13-0 run to get back in it and cutting it to 90-75 heading to the fourth.

These Knicks, who erased a 22-point deficit in the fourth quarter against Cleveland in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, just don’t quit. Even when the comeback seemed for naught when Stephon Castle was fouled after the Knicks had taken the lead and made two free throws to put San Antonio back ahead with 30 seconds left, the Knicks had one more rally in them.

Dylan Harper scored 21 points and De'Aaron Fox and Devin Vassell each had 18 for the Spurs, who will try to regroup and send the series back to New York for Game 6 next Tuesday. Only one team — Cleveland in 2016 — has recovered from a 3-1 deficit in the finals.

“I think it began before (the fourth quarter),” Wembanyama said of the Spurs' collapse. “I can’t really explain it right now. I don’t know. ... We clearly weren’t the most hungry in the second half.”

Fans booed Wembanyama when he came on to the floor to warm up about an hour before the game and the Knicks tried to get rough with him, with Mitchell Robinson called for a flagrant foul for hitting him above the shoulders and Jose Alvarado reviewed for one after going below the belt.

Wembanyama — who was also called for a flagrant — stood up OK against the Knicks but will regret the two free throws he missed with 1:47 left and San Antonio leading 104-103.

The Spurs broke to a 12-2 lead, giving them a double-digit advantage in the first quarter of all four games. They kept pouring it on and led 41-22 after one, then extended it to 57-32 when Julian Champagnie’s 3-pointer made them 11 for 16 behind the arc.

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Italian prosecutors are investigating Montgomery, Alabama-based Caddell Construction, a major builder of U.S. diplomatic missions. Two of its managers in Italy were arrested this month on suspicion of labor exploitation, one while boarding a flight to leave the country and another planning to flee, prosecutors said.

The investigation is led by prosecutor Paolo Storari, who also has spearheaded probes into sweatshops supplying luxury brands. So far only Caddell has been named as a target, not any of its subcontractors.

The consulate probe was launched about six months ago and involves some 70 workers, mostly from India. Prosecutors allege Caddell illegally deducted room and board from wages and forced them to work 10-hour days, six days a week. Some were paid as little as 500 euros (less than $580) monthly after room and board were deducted, prosecutors said.

Caddell and the U.S. State Department said they are investigating the allegations and cooperating with Italian authorities.

The consulate project is part of a construction boom in Milan over the past two decades that has modernized the skyline and raised the international profile of Italy’s fashion and finance capital.

Workers describe unpaid wages and threats

The AP spoke to four workers from Kenya and one from India at a trade union center where officials were organizing assistance, including legal help and housing. The workers provided documentation and spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation and to protect the ongoing investigation.

The Kenyan workers said they had been hired by Caddell after working on a multi-million-dollar extension of the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi.

Two showed employment letters on Caddell stationery signed by a company representative promising annual salaries topping 25,000 euros (nearly $29,000).

They said they were not paid anything close to that and were threatened by human resources personnel at the job site after they questioned management.

“When you go to the office to ask any question, you are being told, ‘Either you work or you will be returned to your country. That’s the amount you are supposed to be paid,’’’ one Kenyan electrician said. He added that he was paid just 800 euros ($925) a month after being promised 2,300 euros ($2,660).

Another Kenyan electrician said he was threatened with defamation after presenting an AI summary of Italian labor law and was told the 25,000 euros in the employment letter was “for visa purposes,” not a promise of payment.

US government and Caddell say they are investigating

The State Department said it is investigating the allegations made by prosecutors and that U.S. law enforcement is working with Italian authorities.

“The U.S. government does not tolerate labor exploitation,” the department said in a statement.

Caddell said it was “fully cooperating” with Italian authorities and conducting its own “comprehensive inquiry into this matter to ensure all our global subcontractors and consultancies are in compliance with all labor standards and legal requirements.”

“Caddell is committed (to) treating and paying workers fairly. We will continue to work with authorities in good faith to ensure the welfare of those who work on this important project,” the company said in a statement.

More than a decade ago, Caddell paid millions to the U.S. government to settle allegations it made false claims to gain access to government incentives. Caddell did not reply to a request for comment on that case.

Fired workers seek help

All five of the workers who spoke to the AP, ranging in age from their late 20s to early 50s, said they were fired without cause this year. One of them said he returned from visiting family in Kenya to find that he no longer had a job or place to stay.

Four of the workers were trained electricians, including the Indian worker whose resume showed he had more than a decade of experience working for other companies in Persian Gulf countries.

The Indian worker said he was promised a monthly salary of 2,500 euros (nearly $3,000). Instead, he had a pay slip showing his actual pay amounted to around 500 euros (less than $580) per month. It listed an hourly wage of 1.55 euros ($1.80).

The Kenyans said they reached out to authorities after learning of the investigation.

“I believe in justice,” one said. “Also the workers there should not be afraid. They should come and speak up.”

Two said they are currently sleeping in parks, while one is staying with a friend. One said he had been offered a job at a Caddell site in another country but declined after his treatment in Milan.

Caddell is a major diplomatic contractor

Caddell became a leader in building U.S. diplomatic missions when the State Department launched a major security upgrade after the 1998 bombings of U.S. Embassies in Tanzania and Kenya killed more than 250 people.

“Very few contractors can meet the strict requirements to even bid on secure work necessary for diplomatic facility projects,” Caddell said on its website marking its 40th anniversary in 2023. At that point, the firm counted 39 projects in its embassy portfolio valued at $7.4 billion. It has added four projects since then.

The Milan consulate campus is being built on a 10-acre (40,000-square meter) site at a former shooting range. The current U.S. Consulate is in a high-rise building designed by acclaimed Italian architect Gio Ponti.

Plans for the campus called for about 500 “locally employed workers,” according to the U.S. State Department. The project includes restoration of a century-old building, along with a five-story consulate building, restored gardens, a reflecting pool and a large outdoor gathering area.

Work is continuing under court supervision. Workers no longer have their room and board deducted. They are limited to 45 hours and guaranteed two days off a week.

Pay records appear to bolster allegations

The pay stubs presented by the workers listed apparent charges of 510 euros (around $590) a month for housing and more than 300 euros (around $350) monthly for food. But those deductions only account for a portion of the difference between the promised wages and actual pay.

Unions intend to seek damages for the workers to recover at least what they earned “through hard work and commitment,” said Laura Malguzzi, a labor representative at the Fillea Cgil union federation representing construction workers.

Malguzzi said she was surprised that the pay stubs presented by the workers appeared to document the alleged exploitation. Union experts are still studying the documents, which do not conform to Italian standards, and could not verify their origins.

“They probably had in their minds the absolute certainty that they were untouchable,’’ Malguzzi said.

The Kenyan workers said they begrudgingly accepted a $200 monthly salary in Nairobi, where unemployment is rampant. But they expected better from a U.S. company operating in Europe.

“They can just hire you, and you just go running,” one worker said of the company. “Because you are poor you have nothing. And you have nothing you can do.”

And make no mistake: Those 4 1/2 seconds will never be forgotten by the Knicks. Or by the San Antonio Spurs.

The situation: Game 4 of the NBA Finals, Knicks down by one in a game where they trailed by as many as 29 points. They call timeout with 5.7 seconds left, just as Jose Alvarado nearly committed a backcourt violation that would have cost the Knicks the basketball.

Here's how it happened.

5.7 seconds left ... the play begins

The timeout comes and New York's Josh Hart is distraught. He blamed himself for missing an assignment at the other end, which allowed San Antonio’s Stephon Castle to hit two free throws that put his team up 106-105.

“I’m sitting there just hoping my guys make a play,” Hart said.

OG Anunoby inbounds the ball for the Knicks. The Spurs elect to not have a defender impede his vision, using all five of their players to guard the four who were moving about for New York. Jalen Brunson shakes free of a couple of defenders, including the Spurs' Victor Wembanyama, the league's Defensive Player of the Year, and catches the inbounds pass near midcourt.

4.3 seconds left ... Brunson shoots

Brunson takes one dribble and lets a shot fly from about 31 feet, over Wembanyama's outstretched left arm. The shot, in the air for about 1.2 seconds, misses and hits the rim. It's short, and the ball bounces off the iron into the air.

Anunoby — with nobody in his path — sprints from the out-of-bounds spot into the lane, just in case.

“I just went and crashed,” Anunoby said. “Tried to get a tip-dunk or something. The ball went over my head, so I couldn’t really dunk it. So, I tried to tip it in softly.”

With 2.5 seconds left, Anunoby leaps. The Spurs have a few Knicks boxed out, including Karl-Anthony Towns. But Anunoby is unnoticed and gets in front of the Spurs' Dylan Harper and Devin Vassell.

“I was contesting the first shot,” Wembanyama said. “Turned around and saw him up there. That’s all I saw.”

2.0 seconds left ... Anunoby tips the ball

Anunoby throws his right arm into the air as he leaps, just out of the reach of the airborne Vassell. He gets his thumb and a couple of fingers on the ball, hoping to knock it back toward the rim — which he does.

“Right hand from God,” Towns called it.

Anunoby falls to the floor. The ball gets over the front of the rim. Brunson's fist goes into the air. The Garden waits.

1.2 seconds left ... ‘Bedlam here at The Garden!’

Announcer Mike Breen thought Brunson's 3-point shot would be good. In the end, Breen yelled “Bedlam here at the Garden! They can't believe it!” as Anunoby's shot went through the net.

Hart — who also missed a go-ahead layup in the final moments — will never be able to thank him enough.

“I’ve got a special shoutout for OG, man,” Hart said. “He saved me, at least for this game, a lifetime of regret.”

Had the rebound of Brunson's miss bounced in a different direction, Anunoby wouldn't have gotten there.

“Bounced off the rim the right way,” Harper said. “He tipped it in the right way. It went in. I could play, ‘Wish I could have did this, wish I could have did that.’ But at the end of the day, he tipped the ball, and it went in.”

The one-point lead matched the Knicks' biggest all night.

It was all they needed.

“That has to be the most iconic shot in the history of New York basketball,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said. “I’m not you guys. You guys know better than me. But it was just unbelievable.”

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Reynolds reported from Miami.

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

Swift wore a blue T-shirt with “Stevie Knicks” printed in orange lettering and was seated courtside on Wednesday night next to Ben Stiller. She attended along with singers Este and Alana Haim, who also had Knicks-related references on their shirts: “Knickole Kidman” and “Knickleback.”

They were joined midway through by third Haim sister Daniella, and the quartet witnessed the biggest comeback in finals history as the Knicks rallied from a 29-point deficit to win 107-106 on OG Anunoby's tip-in with 1.2 seconds left.

Swift jumped around in celebration, waving a rally towel after leaving the court for the bowels of the Garden. She may be back soon.

Less than a year after their August engagement announcement, reports of Swift and Kelce’s impending nuptials have reached a crescendo. TMZ and the New York Post’s Page Six recently started insisting Swift and Kelce will marry at the Garden in early July, despite their close connections to everywhere from Kansas City, Missouri, and Nashville, Tennessee, to Cleveland and Rhode Island.

Swift and the Haim sisters were among several celebrities in the house, including Tate McRae and Hailey Bieber, and regulars like Timothée Chalamet and Spike Lee. Swift and Kelce attended Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals between the Knicks and Cavaliers, not far from where the Kansas City Chiefs tight end is from in Cleveland Heights, Ohio.

This is the latest sporting event for Swift, who along with Kelce also attended a game during the NHL's Stanley Cup Final a year ago in Sunrise, Florida.

The Madison Square Garden wedding reports remain unconfirmed, and a spokesperson for Swift has not responded to The Associated Press’ requests for comment about the wedding plans. The arena’s calendar of upcoming events lists nothing from June 29-July 6.

Swift first performed at Madison Square Garden in 2009, during her “Fearless” tour, and she celebrated her 30th birthday at the arena 10 years later as part of iHeartRadio’s “Jingle Ball.” She has since graduated to larger venues when she swings through the New York area; her Eras tour shows were just across the river at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

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AP Entertainment Editor Mallika Sen contributed to this report.

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

Mexico jointly hosts the soccer tournament with the U.S. and Canada and kicks off festivities Thursday with a star-studded event, even as some critics say the government has spent too much time and money catering to international visitors at residents' expense.

The games begin as Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum walks a political tightrope, navigating a deteriorating relationship with the U.S. ahead of July trade negotiations, along with political scandals and security concerns following a burst of violence in a World Cup host city in February.

Pressure has mounted as guests flood into Mexico City. Residents say authorities have prioritized the competition over pressing social needs.

On Wednesday night, more than 1,000 relatives of Mexico's missing people marched toward the stadium where the opening match was set to be played Thursday carrying candles and photographs of their missing loved ones.

Earlier in the day, Sheinbaum also said it was unclear whether Mexico City could host its free fan festival on opening night because a teachers' union protest camp has blocked access to the plaza.

“Mexico wants to project an image to the world that doesn’t exactly square with reality,” said Carlos Pérez Ricart, a political analyst at the Mexican Center for Research and Economic Education. “The World Cup is putting the president in a vulnerable situation … The government is under extreme pressure.”

World Cup is a showcase for the country

FIFA's logo, orange Mexican marigold flowers, giant soccer balls and other decorations line streets across Mexico’s capital and the two other host cities, Guadalajara and Monterrey. Fans buzzed with excitement as they strolled through Mexico City's streets.

The competition is expected to bring in $3 billion for hotels, restaurants and sports venues, according to the Mexican Soccer Federation.

Thursday's fan festival and opening match, where Mexico will face off against South Africa, are expected to draw more viewers than much of the competition, with Colombian superstar Shakira and others scheduled to perform.

If all goes off without a hitch, it will be a feather in Sheinbaum's cap, said Pérez Ricart, showing the world that Mexico is “modern and capable of organizing high impact events.”

‘Everything is under control’

Mexican authorities have fortified security following violence that paralyzed host city Guadalajara in February. More than 100,000 soldiers, sailors, National Guard members and police officers are expected to be deployed across the three host cities, yet social tensions have posed the greatest obstacle, particularly in Mexico City.

For more than a week, the country’s teachers' union has toppled World Cup statues and blocked roads in an annual push for better working conditions. The night before the inauguration, more than a thousand family members of Mexico’s more missing people also marched through the streets of Mexico City in protest of a crisis fueled by years of cartel violence and impunity.

As they walked toward the Aztec Stadium, where the opening match is slated to be held, some families shouted while others walked in silence, making few demands. A number government officials arrived to the protest and told the families they could only advance until “the last mile” before the stadium.

“We just want to be seen,” said Adriana Lozano, 56, from Los Cabos, who has been searching for her son for nine years. "What we are looking for is peace. We want this to end because so many young people are disappearing.”

Sheinbaum had denied there was any social unrest ahead of the tournament, but on Wednesday she acknowledged that “if for some reason the Zócalo cannot be used for the opening, there are 18 venues where people can watch it free of charge.”

“Everything is under control,” she added.

‘The prices are sky-high’

Airports across the Americas were filled with fans. Panama City's airport — one of the main gateways between North and South America — was a sea of multicolored jerseys from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Spain, Germany and elsewhere.

“This year we’re defending the title, and we’ll follow Argentina to the ends of the earth,” shouted Emilio Sosa, a 29-year-old from Buenos Aires on his way to Los Angeles.

David Botero, a 43-year-old Colombian, was traveling to Mexico City with his family to watch Colombia’s opening match on June 17 against Uzbekistan.

“What matters is that we’ll get to see our team up close," Botero said.

Others, like 66-year-old Dr. Jose Luis Muñoz, struck a more skeptical tone as he read and smoked a cigarette next to a park in downtown Mexico City that once teemed with street vendors. It has since been cleared out by authorities in an effort to clean up the streets. Muñoz said some of his fondest memories were taking his children to games during Mexico’s 1986 World Cup and celebrating their home team's winning streak.

“I was so excited, and that joy I passed on to my children,” he said.

This year, though, he was priced out from attending games. Tickets cost hundreds of dollars.

“The prices are sky-high. Many people aren’t going to be able to go unless they’re foreigners with a lot of money,” Muñoz said. “It feels very discriminatory."

Still, he added, he will root for Mexico's team from home with his children and grandchildren.

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Associated Press journalists Nayara Batschke contributed to this report from Mexico City.

After clanking his shot off the rim at the buzzer on what would have been the Game 2 winner, Wembanyama did the same on two key free throws late in Game 4 on Wednesday night. With the chance to put his team up by three with 1:47 left, he instead went 0 for 2, and the New York Knicks took the lead and went on to win 107-106 on OG Anunoby's tip-in with 1.2 seconds left.

“It's just a shot,” Wembanyama said. “You might work on your form hours and hours. At the end of the day it's just a shot, so you need to shoot it the normal way.”

Wembanyama and the Spurs are now on the brink of elimination, down 3-1 in the best-of-seven series. It mattered little that the 7-foot-4 big man from France scored 24 points and had 13 rebounds.

It mattered more that the Knicks held Wembanyama to eight points in the second half on the way to rallying from 29 points down, the largest comeback in finals history. Game 5 is Saturday night San Antonio.

“It’s going to go one of two ways,” Wembanyama said. “One of two ways, a bad one and a good one. The bad one would be giving up. The good one would be getting stronger through this, getting more together. I know this is what we’re going to do.”

Wembanyama enters Game 5 on the edge of possible discipline after being called for a flagrant foul early in the second half for a right elbow to Karl-Anthony Towns' chin. Because of the NBA's flagrant foul point system, he now has three and is one more away from an automatic one-game suspension.

“Of course I'm going to be a little more careful, but it’s not going to change much,” Wembanyama said.

An officiating decision in the aftermath of Game 3 going the other way would have put him in danger of already staring down a suspension. The NBA acknowledged officials missed Wembanyama striking Knicks guard Jalen Brunson in the head but did not retroactively make it a flagrant.

“The league’s going to do what they’re going to do,” New York coach Mike Brown said before Game 4. “They aren’t going to listen to me. They aren’t going to listen to nobody else.”

Wembanyama early in Game 4 looked to be getting under the skin of his opponents. After scoring on Mitchell Robinson and letting him hear about it while going back down the court late in the first quarter, he took a forearm to the face and appeared to say, “I'm in your head, bro,” while pointing to his right temple.

A similar play happened early in the second, when 6-foot guard Jose Alvarado jostled with Wembanyama before ultimately pushing the 7-4 big man's right leg to get him to the ground.

Things changed after halftime. San Antonio had its biggest lead of the night at 81-52 when Wembanyama elbowed Towns, and the Knicks outscored the Spurs 55-25 the rest of the way.

Wembanyama played all but three minutes of the first half, which coach Mitch Johnson called normal. Johnson said Wembanyama, who ended up playing nearly 44 minutes, got a little more playing time to try to close it out.

“With two days after this, what was at stake, we wanted to win the game and try to put it away,” Johnson said.

Asked if that caused him to wear down as the game went on, Wembanyama responded: “Substitution patterns, I don’t know. It’s not really my expertise. But, yeah, I guess I did.”

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There's an argument to make for each — or perhaps all. To get to the bottom of it ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, The Associated Press asked a few of the performers behind World Cup songs past and present. It's a list that includes Shakira — who, alongside Afrobeats star Burna Boy, is responsible for the official 2026 FIFA World Cup anthem, “Dai Dai” — as well as Colombian singer J Balvin, Wyclef Jean and newcomer Nora Fatehi.

Shakira unites cultures

Before “Dai Dai,” the Colombian superstar co-wrote and performed “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)” featuring Freshlyground, the official anthem of the 2010 FIFA World Cup held in South Africa.

“Fútbol is a thing that unites so many cultures and people of different walks of life,” she told the AP. “The big responsibility of making a World Cup song is that you’ve got to make a song that represents people’s feelings, emotions, and passion.”

“So you've got to write that song, in a way, understanding that it has to be global. It has to encompass so many cultures and represent so many in one tune,” Shakira continued. “That, in a way, has helped me craft those songs in the past.”

But beyond those conceptual ideas, Shakira has some specific sonic suggestions as well.

“I feel like a good World Cup song needs to definitely have rhythm. It has to be rhythmic. It has to make people want to dance. And it has to be an anthem as well. It has to make people want to sing along in unison, sing out loud at the top of their lungs. It also has that kind of energy,” she says. “That's a must.”

J Balvin makes the case for a hook

Colombian singer J Balvin is one-fourth of Coca-Cola’s official song for the FIFA World Cup 2026, a reimagination of Van Halen’s “Jump” that also features drummer Travis Barker, pop/R&B singer Amber Mark and guitarist Steve Vai. He says any song — not just a World Cup anthem — must engage listeners right off the bat.

“Nowadays, with the music and every type of music — it doesn’t matter if it’s the World Cup, if it is a reggaeton or hip-hop (song) — you know, people’s attention (span) is only like five seconds. And that’s the reality. I’m not judging — you've just got to do it with all the love,” he says.

But a World Cup anthem specifically? That should match the intensity of a soccer game. “Fútbol brings us together, with all different highs and lows,” he says. “All these different emotions happen in one game.” The song should have the same energy.

Newcomer Nora Fatehi thinks World Cup anthems are for winners

The Canadian Moroccan singer-songwriter Nora Fatehi is featured on the official 2026 FIFA World Cup album with “Siir, Siir,” a collaboration with French artist Vegedream and Bangladeshi American DJ Sanjoy.

“It needs a great beat because we’re here to dance and we need to celebrate,” she says of a World Cup anthem.

But beyond that, Fatehi, who is best known for work in Bollywood films, says that when you hear it, “You feel like you’re winning, or you’re gonna win, or you won. That’s the emotion it needs to evoke.”

For “Siir, Siir,” she says, “what we were after was finding an emotion. So, the minute you hear that song, it should make you feel like you’ve conquered the world. It should make you feel motivated. It should be aspirational. That’s what it should feel like.”

Wyclef Jean aims for unity

Wyclef Jean, the Fugees multi-hyphenate, co-wrote and performed “Dar um Jeito (We Will Find a Way)” for the 2014 FIFA World Cup held in Brazil, with guitar guru Santana, the late EDM icon Avicii and Brazil's beloved singer-songwriter Alexandre Pires.

“The topline? It has to electrify the stadium,” Jean says. “You literally have to feel the entire stadium shaking.” If you don't — the anthem won't fly.

“I don’t know any World Cup song that don’t have amazing rhythm and amazing movement,” he says.

Though many nations are represented in the identity of his song's performers — Brazil, Sweden, Haiti, Mexico and the U.S. — Jean says he doesn't “think like necessarily you need to have five different artists to make a global anthem.”

“Whether they come from the Middle East, Africa, Europe, America, any part of the world, the Caribbean — people gravitate towards culture,” he says. “And what I love best about World Cup is that before it has a language, it has an energy and a vibe. It has absolutely nothing to do with a language.”

A good hook, a strong melody that anyone can sing along to — that's what's key.

But “Dar um Jeito” has a strong message of unity, adding to its anthemic quality. “Resilience is a very important word,” he says of the song's message. Jean says it was written for “boys and girls all over the world,” particularly those in rural areas.

The aim was a Bob Marley-style “Get Up, Stand Up,” “where the messaging in the song is not being preachy, but it’s a message of hope,” he says. “If you keep fighting the good fight, you’re gonna get to that stadium. And ain’t nobody gonna stop you.”

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

The U.S. attorney's office in Minneapolis notified the court Wednesday that the Justice Department would not seek the death penalty against Vance Boelter in accordance with a proposed plea agreement. Boelter’s attorneys did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. The court filing did not detail the terms of the plea agreement.

Former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, and state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette Hoffman, were shot by a man who came to their doors in the early hours of June 14, 2025, disguised as a police officer and driving a fake squad car. The Hortmans’ golden retriever was so gravely injured that he had to be euthanized.

Boelter, 58, was captured near his home in rural Green Isle late the next day after what prosecutors have called the largest search for a suspect in Minnesota history. He faces federal and state murder, attempted murder and other charges. His state case has been on hold pending the resolution of his federal charges.

Minnesota abolished capital punishment in 1911 and has never had a federal death penalty case. Daniel Borgertpoepping, a spokesperson for the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, said the federal plea deal would not affect Boelter’s state charges.

While the Trump administration has pushed for greater use of capital punishment, there were questions about whether Boelter’s case would qualify for the death penalty under federal law.

Prosecutors have called the shootings political. When they announced the federal indictment in July, they released a rambling handwritten letter they say Boelter wrote to FBI Director Kash Patel in which he confessed to the attacks. However, the letter didn’t make clear why he targeted the Hortmans or the Hoffmans.

In some messages to media, Boelter referenced a vague and cryptic “investigation” he had been carrying out, sometimes suggesting it was about the COVID-19 vaccine.

Friends described Boelter as an evangelical Christian and occasional preacher and missionary, who held politically conservative views and had been struggling to find work.

John Hoffman said in a lawsuit filed against Boelter in April that his left arm and hand likely would never fully recover, and that he also had permanent injuries to his digestive and urinary systems.

Yvette Hoffman was left with permanent physical weakness, the lawsuit said, while their adult daughter, Hope Hoffman, who was there and called 911 but was not shot, suffered severe psychological trauma.

A federal judge on Tuesday ruled that Alabama’s nitrogen protocol is unconstitutional and blocked the state from using it to execute Jeffery Lee, 49. The Alabama attorney general’s office is appealing the decision.

The outcome of the eleventh-hour legal battle will determine if Lee’s execution goes forward Thursday night with nitrogen gas. It could also help determine the future of the controversial execution method Alabama began using in 2024.

“As Alabama continues to defend its execution protocol in the courts, the governor remains prepared to move forward with the planned execution,” Mike Lewis, a spokesman for Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, wrote in an email.

The execution method involves strapping a respirator to the person’s face and replacing breathable air with pure nitrogen gas, causing death from a lack of oxygen. Nitrogen has been used in eight executions in the United States — seven times in Alabama and once in Louisiana. Lee was scheduled to be the ninth person put the death by nitrogen.

U.S. District Judge Emily Marks ruled Tuesday, after an appeals court reversed her initial finding that the method was constitutional, that Lee had shown by a “preponderance of the evidence that the protocol constitutes cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the Eighth Amendment.” The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in a 2-1 decision Wednesday night, rejected Alabama's request to stay the ruling. The court earlier said the three minutes that it could take for an inmate to lose awareness is an “intolerable” time frame, “given the suffering that would likely take place under Alabama’s nitrogen hypoxia protocol.”

A spokesman for the Alabama attorney general's office confirmed Wednesday night that the state is appealing to the Supreme Court. The court has never ruled that a specific execution method violates the Constitution.

The case has put a spotlight back on the nitrogen execution method and the sharp disagreements over its use.

During the previous Alabama nitrogen executions, the inmates shook, pulled at the restraints and exhibited labored breathing at the start of the execution. During the state’s last execution by nitrogen gas, 30 minutes elapsed between Anthony Boyd exhibiting signs of being impacted by the gas and state officials closing the curtain to the viewing room to signal the execution was complete.

The state has maintained that the method is constitutional and causes no more suffering than other execution methods.

“If nitrogen hypoxia violates the Eighth Amendment because of a risk of anxiety and emotional discomfort, then so too must every other method of execution, many of which carry inherent risks of real physical pain,” state lawyers wrote in a Wednesday court filing to the 11th Circuit.

Lee’s attorneys said Alabama is attempting to move forward with an execution method that courts have found unconstitutional. His supporters have urged Ivey to commute his sentence to life imprisonment, which is the sentence that jurors at his trial had recommended.

“Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall wants to execute Jeffery Lee under a death sentence the jury rejected using a nitrogen gas method that two federal courts have ruled unconstitutional. This execution is simply too flawed to move forward,” Lee’s lawyers said in a statement.

“We remain hopeful that Governor Ivey will intervene,” they added.

A jury convicted Lee of two counts of capital murder for killing Jimmy Ellis and Elaine Thompson while robbing a pawnshop on Dec. 12, 1998. Prosecutors said Lee entered Jimmy’s Pawnshop with a sawed-off shotgun and shot Ellis, the owner of the store, and Thompson, a store employee.

A jury voted 7-5 that Lee should receive a sentence of life imprisonment. However, a judge overrode that recommendation and sentenced Lee to death. Alabama in 2017 ended the practice of judicial override and no longer allows a judge to disregard a jury’s sentencing decision in death penalty cases. The state law abolishing judicial override was not retroactive.

A lawsuit brought by former Republican gubernatorial candidate Duke Rodriguez and other plaintiffs challenges the process used by Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's administration to eliminate an income cap and co-pays for childcare assistance before the Legislature had a chance to weigh in or approve funding.

“This is executive overreach. The program was launched unlawfully,” said Rodriguez, who lost his party’s nomination in New Mexico’s recent primary.

The state’s childcare agency disputes that, arguing in court filings that lawmakers have since “expressly authorized” and funded the expansion, rendering the lawsuit moot. Lujan Grisham signed legislation in February enshrining the program into law provided state finances remain healthy.

District Judge Elaine Lujan could issue a ruling Thursday on whether the lawsuit can proceed. A potential pause to the program would put thousands of New Mexican families back on the hook for daycare payments and create a headache for businesses.

Ilene Harding, who runs seven daycare centers in the Albuquerque area, said the expansion has boosted enrollment and streamlined billing.

“We’ve always been financially solvent, but it’s given us stability,” Harding said.

The challenge comes as New Mexico looks to cement its place as the first U.S. state to cover all working families’ daycare bills regardless of income. But the stakes extend nationwide as policymakers from New York to California look for models to reduce costs for families and expand public investment in childcare.

New Mexico’s program, which is financed in large part on revenue from oil and gas production in the state, was among the nation's most generous before November’s expansion, waiving costs for families making up to 400% of the federal poverty rate or roughly $132,000 per year for a family of four.

Legislative analysts already have raised questions about the sustainability of New Mexico's expanded program, noting earlier this year that the state Early Childhood Education and Care Department started overspending just weeks into the November launch.

The state agency acknowledged at the time that enrollment grew faster than expected, leading to higher costs, but disputed that it was over budget.

Trump has doubled down on his temporary pick for director of national intelligence, federal housing finance regulator Bill Pulte, even though he has little experience for the job. Democrats say they won't support the renewal of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, known as FISA, unless the president withdraws Pulte's appointment and nominates a permanent replacement.

The House will try early Thursday to approve a short-term FISA extension, but passage is unlikely. The Senate may follow suit, hoping to prevent what could be an unprecedented lapse in the surveillance tool.

The impasse could soon result in limitations on what intelligence the U.S. government can collect abroad just as World Cup games begin in cities around the country and ahead of celebrations for the nation’s 250th anniversary. The law expires on Friday at midnight.

“We can’t let them extort us,” Trump said of Democrats.

Trump has stuck with Pulte as the acting head, rebuffing demands from lawmakers for a more qualified nominee. He asked Congress for a short-term extension of the law to “provide time for the selection and confirmation” of a permanent director. He said he wants Pulte to begin downsizing intelligence agencies.

The parties leveled blame for the potential interruption in what has been seen as an essential, if long-debated, surveillance program for keeping the country safe.

“We’re going to ask every member here to do the right thing,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. “We cannot allow that to go dark.”

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said if Trump wants a shot at a short-term extension, he needs to pull the Pulte appointment. Pulte is a “disgraceful individual” and a “partisan political hack" who is deeply unqualified for the job, Jeffries said.

GOP leaders lobby the White House, to no avail

Congressional Republicans have lobbied Trump all week to quickly nominate a permanent replacement. But he said he needs more time to do so.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said Republican leaders have “made our views known” to the White House.

Trump has said that he is interviewing five candidates for his pick to lead the agency permanently, after the resignation of Tulsi Gabbard.

And Johnson said the president has made it very clear that Pulte will serve a “very short term — a sort of renovation role” to help the Office of the Director of National Intelligence be “renovated and downsized.”

But Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee led by Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut said in a letter to the president that Pulte is a “uniquely poor choice” to serve even in the acting capacity.

Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers skeptical of Pulte have pointed to his lack of intelligence experience and also his record at the Federal Housing Finance Agency. In the position, he has been linked with criminal referrals over allegations of mortgage fraud by public officials Trump sought to punish, including New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat; Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif.; and Lisa Cook, a board member of the Federal Reserve.

“He has distinguished himself only as someone who will do or say anything to stay in your good graces,” Himes and the other lawmakers wrote, "qualities that are precisely the opposite of what our nation needs.”

FISA will lapse at midnight Friday

Section 702 of FISA allows agencies such as the CIA, National Security Agency and FBI to collect communications from foreign targets overseas without a warrant.

While members of both parties who cite privacy issues have long wanted to limit the authority, there was broad bipartisan support to renew it, especially after Republicans and Democrats recently worked out a compromise bill.

Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, has worked with Republicans on the compromise legislation to renew the authority. But he called Pulte’s appointment to replace Gabbard “a live hand grenade” disrupting the process.

Warner said the only way he’ll support a short-term extension of the surveillance law is if the principal deputy director of national intelligence, Aaron Lukas, is the acting leader during the duration of that extension.

Sen. Tom Cotton, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, have warned the administration that the spy tool is likely to lapse.

The administration should prepare “for a potential significant gap in foreign intelligence collection,” they wrote in a letter.

Trump doesn't back down on Pulte

After bipartisan pushback to Pulte’s temporary appointment, Trump said last week that he would not permanently nominate him to the position. But Democrats, and some Republicans, want his appointment pulled immediately and for Trump to nominate a replacement that can be confirmed by the Senate.

On Tuesday, though, Trump announced that Pulte would not only take over as acting director — he'd also start earlier than expected, on June 19.

One of several possible replacements could be Pete Hoekstra, Trump’s ambassador to Canada and a former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. The White House has reached out to Hoekstra about the job and conversations are ongoing, according to a person familiar with the outreach who requested anonymity to discuss the private conversations.

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Associated Press reporters Joey Cappelletti, Kevin Freking and Eric Tucker contributed to this report.

This time, the contest was won by populist insurgent Randy Villegas. But what sets the outcome apart from similar primary battles is the stakes.

This wasn't a fight over a safe Democratic seat. Villegas will be the standard bearer against Republican Rep. David Valadao, one of the most promising targets for Democrats desperate to retake the U.S. House majority and slow down President Donald Trump.

The November race will test the theory, popular on the left, that voters will flock to progressive, anti-establishment candidates even in places that have traditionally favored Republicans.

“A populist message isn’t just for blue districts or certain parts of the country," said Ravi Mangla, a spokesperson for the Working Families Party, one of the progressive groups that backed Villegas. “It can win anywhere people feel like politics is not working for them.”

"More than ever, voters across the political spectrum want candidates who are willing to stand up to power,” Mangla said.

The National Republican Congressional Committee dismissed Villegas' chances, even though the state's Democratic leaders recently redrew the district to make it easier to flip this year.

“Democrats know Villegas can’t beat Congressman David Valadao, as he embraces the same failed policies that have made California more expensive, less safe, and harder for working families in the Central Valley," said spokesperson Christian Martinez.

Progressives want a shot in key races

The Villegas victory comes during an election season in which substantial parts of the Democratic base are rejecting the candidates that party bosses see as their best shot at winning power in Congress.

Graham Platner overwhelmingly won the Democratic Senate primary in Maine this week after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's preferred nominee, Gov. Janet Mills, dropped out with lackluster support weeks before the election.

A combat veteran and oyster farmer, Platner has never held elected office before, and he's endured controversies over past relationships with women, inflammatory online posts and a since-covered tattoo recognized as a Nazi symbol.

In Michigan, Rep. Haley Stevens is entangled in a three-way contest for the Democratic Senate nomination against state Sen. Mallory McMorrow and progressive favorite Abdul El-Sayed. The primary is Aug. 4, and El-Sayed recently scored a major endorsement from the United Auto Workers union, a political powerhouse in the state that is home to the U.S. auto industry.

And in Minnesota's U.S. Senate race, progressive Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan is in a fierce battle with U.S. Rep. Angie Craig, who is backed by labor unions, LGBTQ groups and moderate Democrats ahead of the primary on Aug. 11.

Another test will come on June 30 in Colorado, where progressive Manny Rutinel faces establishment-backed Shannon Bird in the Democratic primary to take on Republican Rep. Gabe Evans. Like Valadao, Evans is a top target for Democrats. And like the California race, the Colorado contest hinges on questions about who is most electable in November.

Democrats try to unite around their nominee

Valadao finished first and Villegas second in California's primary, in which the top two candidates move on to the general election.

When early voting began about a month before the primary, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee took the unusual step of publicly signaling support for Jasmeet Bains, a doctor and state Assembly member who had lined up support from a bevy of elected officials, unions and health care groups.

“Dr. Jasmeet Bains has fought on the frontlines of health crises and built a track record of delivering for the Central Valley," DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene said in a statement at the time. She did not criticize Villegas, but the public support for his rival was a powerful signal to Democratic donors and activists that the party believed Bains was a stronger candidate. Congressional leaders and the party apparatus they control rarely wade overtly into contested primaries for open seats.

The decision to back Bains infuriated many on the left, who saw it as another example of Washington insiders being out of touch with both the Democratic base and disaffected voters who helped power Trump’s victories.

“I think the moderates are wrong. People don’t want status quo, pro-corporate candidates,” said Joseph Geevarghese, executive director of Our Revolution, a progressive group that grew out of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign. “They want people who are going to shake things up."

Now that Villegas won, Democrats in Washington now insist he's a strong candidate who is well-positioned to defeat Valadao. They point to the grassroots support that propelled him through the primary and the combined 59% that the Democrats got in the primary, significantly more than the 41% who voted for Valadao, though many more voters will turn out for the general election.

If the snub created tension between Villegas and his party, both sides buried it by Wednesday and presented a united front. California members of Congress, including some who had backed Bains, issued effusive statements, and he was magnanimous in return.

“We’re all in to elect Randy and flip this seat,” said Anna Elsasser, a spokesperson for the DCCC, the arm of the Democratic Party focused on winning House races. The district is “a must-win seat for the House majority, and we are confident in winning with Randy as the Democratic nominee,” she added.

The new U.S. assault across multiple Iranian cities came as efforts to negotiate an end the war again appeared stuck, with Iran insisting it would maintain its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, which has disrupted global energy supplies and sent oil prices higher.

It was the third time this week that back-and-forth strikes have tested a two-month shaky ceasefire.

Trump has urged Iran to sign a deal to end the war and suggested earlier this week that an agreement could be reached in days.

But Iran has proved resilient despite weeks of heavy bombing. It is betting that its ability to effectively close the Strait of Hormuz — a crucial passageway for oil and natural gas — gives it a strong bargaining chip.

Iran’s United Nations envoy said the U.S. should refrain from threats of force if it wants a deal.

Still, both countries seem to be looking for a way to end the conflict — if they can manage to sell it as a win at home.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears intent on pursuing goals that make compromise harder: the collapse of Iran’s theocratic government, the elimination of its nuclear program, and the destruction of the Iranian-allied Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon. On Monday, Iran and Israel targeted each other.

US strikes Iran and Iran fires back at Gulf States

The U.S. Central Command said it had “completed” its latest round of airstrikes just before sunrise in Iran. The military command said the strikes came “in response to Iran’s unwarranted and continued aggression” and targeted “Iranian military surveillance capabilities, communication systems and air defense sites.” It did not elaborate on the damage done by the strikes, which it said were carried out by the U.S. Air Force, Marines and Navy.

Explosions from the strikes echoed around Iran’s capital, Tehran, as well as the port city of Bandar Abbas and other southern areas along the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran responded by launching strikes on Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, and Kuwait closed its airspace as its air defenses fought off the attack. Kuwait’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation said flights were being diverted to other airports, without elaborating.

“This measure comes in light of the state of Kuwait being subjected to sinful Iranian aggressions and the potential risks that may result from this on civil aviation traffic in the region,” Kuwait said.

Kuwait International Airport took a direct Iranian hit in recent days, killing one person and wounding dozens. On Wednesday, Iran responded to U.S. strikes with attacks on Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan, all of which host U.S. troops.

Israel early Thursday also warned residents in the north to seek shelter after the detection of suspected incoming fire from Lebanon, while the U.S. Embassy in Jordan issued a warning that “reports indicate missiles, drones or rockets are in Jordanian airspace.”

There was no immediate acknowledgment from Jordanian state media about the reports of missile fire, but Iran said it again targeted Jordan's Muwaffaq Salti Air Base on Thursday.

Trump says US is sneaking oil past the Strait of Hormuz

Since the U.S. and Israel started the war with Feb. 28 attacks on Iran, the conflict has shaken the global economy, driven up energy prices worldwide, and made food and other basics more expensive.

The international benchmark for crude oil traded above $93 a barrel on Wednesday, up more than 25% since the start of the war.

Trump said the U.S. military has since last month undertaken a “secret mission” to sneak oil shipments past Iran’s forces in the Strait of Hormuz. He said ships were slipping through at night, aided by the destruction of Iranian radar equipment.

Trump said as a result more than 100 million barrels of oil have evaded Iran’s chokehold on the strait. There was no immediate confirmation of that figure, which roughly equals five days of oil shipments through the waterway before the war began.

The military’s role was not immediately clear. Capt. Tim Hawkins, a Central Command spokesman, said U.S. forces “communicate and coordinate” with commercial ships in the area, but gave no details on military support being offered.

The U.S. Central Command on Wednesday refuted Iran’s claims that the Strait of Hormuz is closed, saying commercial ships are continuing to transit in and out.

US and Iranian strikes shake the Mideast

Earlier Wednesday, the U.S. military said an American aircraft fired “precision munitions” into the engine room of the Palau-flagged vessel M/T Settebello as it attempted to breach the naval blockade with a shipment of Iranian oil. It was the eighth merchant vessel disabled by U.S. forces in waters off Iran.

India’s foreign ministry said three Indian sailors were missing after the Settebello was struck, while 21 others were rescued. Its statement did not mention the U.S. military or the blockade.

Hawkins of the U.S. Central Command said American forces warned the crew before firing on the ship.

The U.S. military said strikes earlier Wednesday targeted “air defense, ground control stations, and surveillance radar sites."

Iran said U.S. strikes hit two water reservoirs in the southern city of Sirik, temporarily cutting off water to thousands of people. U.S. Central Command had no immediate comment. Tehran later claimed attacks in Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned the American attacks as a violation of Iranian sovereignty.

Still, efforts to mediate a deal continued. Following consultations with the U.S., a delegation from Qatar arrived in Tehran for talks earlier Wednesday, according to an official with knowledge of the visit who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the talks.

The exchanges of fire came a day after a U.S. Army attack helicopter crashed near the Strait of Hormuz. The helicopter collided with an Iranian drone, according to a U.S. official speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation. It wasn’t clear whether the collision was intentional.

A drone boat rescued the helicopter’s two crew. Trump said they were uninjured.

Big disagreements stand in the way of a quick peace deal

Wary of high gas prices in the run-up to congressional elections in November, Trump seems to be looking for a quick win. But he is also making demands that will be tough for Iran to swallow.

The U.S. wants to see Iran give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. While Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful, that uranium is a short technical step from weapons-grade levels.

Iran is refusing to give up the uranium and demanding relief from sanctions. It also wants the release of frozen assets even before a final agreement is in place, something Trump rejected.

Iran has insisted that any deal to end the war must also end fighting between its ally Hezbollah and Israel. Israel has instead intensified its military campaign against the Lebanon-based militant group.

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Price reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Konstantin Toropin and Will Weissert in Washington; Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations; Natalie Melzer in Nahariya, Israel; David Rising in Bangkok; Bassem Mroue in Beirut; Michelle L. Price in New York; Russ Bynum in Savannah, Georgia; and Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City contributed to this report.

The way the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar looks at it, when he's on the mound, his job is to throw the ball. It's up to the guys behind the plate to decide whether to challenge an umpire's call of a ball or a strike.

That deference might have cost Ohtani and the Dodgers in a stunning 9-8 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday night.

Los Angeles was cruising when Ohtani went out for the seventh inning for just the third time this season. The Dodgers led by five thanks to Ryan Ward's first career grand slam, and Ohtani seemed poised to win his fifth straight start.

Then things unraveled, a rarity for the two-time defending world champions and the greatest player in the game.

Pirates rookie Tyler Callihan singled. Jake Mangum reached on a swinging bunt. Still, Ohtani and the blister on his right hand that is temporarily limiting the number of split-fingered fastballs he throws felt like he was in pretty good shape when Pittsburgh second baseman Brandon Lowe stepped to the plate.

Ohtani quickly fell behind 3-0, with the first and third pitches borderline calls on 98 mph fastballs that home plate umpire Felix Neon ruled balls. Catcher Dalton Rushing didn't challenge, and with just one challenge remaining, Ohtani decided it probably wasn't worth the risk.

Lowe quickly made Ohtani pay, turning on a fastball down the middle for a two-run double that ended Ohtani's night (on the mound anyway) and set the stage for a five-run rally against the Dodger bullpen in the eighth that gave the Pirates perhaps their most unlikely win of the season.

Ohtani, who allowed season highs in hits (six), runs (four) and earned runs (three), couldn't help but think afterward that he should have tapped the top of his cap earlier in the at-bat so the ABS system could take a look.

“I usually let the catchers make that determination," he said. “But looking back, I think situationally, how important it was that at-bat, looking back I think I could have done a few challenges.”

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts called challenging pitches an “inexact science” and, like Ohtani, is fine leaving it in the hands of the players with the best view in the stadium. And, if the umpire's call was confirmed, it meant Los Angeles would be out of challenges heading into the final innings.

Besides, how often does Ohtani and the Los Angeles bullpen blow a five-run lead? Not often. Even after Lowe's double and an error by third baseman Max Muncy that allowed Lowe to score, the Dodgers were still up two heading into the eighth.

Los Angeles entered the night a tidy 36-3 when leading after seven. Callihan — who hit the first homer of his career earlier in the game with a 427-foot shot off Ohtani — gave the Pirates the lead with a three-run blast in the eighth. Spencer Horwitz then added a two-run homer to give Pittsburgh the kind of cushion it needed after Ohtani delivered a two-run home run of his own in the top of the ninth to cut the deficit to one.

“You’re not going to face too many guys like that,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said. “There’s one. It’s ridiculous what he’s able to do.”

Even if Ohtani showed small glimpses of vulnerability during his first-ever start at PNC Park. Ohtani acknowledged shaking off Rushing a few times, something he attributed to not working with the Los Angeles reserve catcher that often.

“It’s something you just have to have a conversation here and there and be on the same page,” Ohtani said.

The two could be working together more often in the near future after Roberts announced postgame that starter Will Smith is heading to the 10-day injured list with a neck injury.

Ohtani will have nearly a week off until his next scheduled turn in the rotation. Though the work never really stops. Roberts said the plan is for Ohtani to lead off as usual during Thursday's series finale rather than give him a break after — statistically anyway — his toughest day on the hill this season.

That's just the way Ohtani wants it.

“I’m always going to be prepared to play tomorrow,” he said.

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

Montgomery capped a 2-for-5 night with a game-ending, two-run homer in the 10th inning to lift the Chicago White Sox to a 6-5 win over Atlanta Braves. He became the fifth player in MLB history to hit a walk-off homer in his debut, joining Billy Parker (1971), Josh Bard (2002), Miguel Cabrera (2015) and Carlos Pérez (2023).

Montgomery was still buzzing hours after his 343-foot, opposite-field shot cleared the fence in left field.

“I don't know if I would be considered calmed down at this point,” Montgomery said. “Just been enjoying it, sharing it with my family.”

White Sox manager Will Venable said he isn't worried about the 23-year-old getting ahead of himself after one game.

“We haven't had anybody with a debut like that, but I think he's as grounded as they come,” Venable said. “This is a guy that has really high expectations of himself. I'm sure he envisioned himself doing this, what he did last night. To be honest, his idea of what he can do in this league is as high as anybody else's. It was exactly what he expected.”

Montgomery didn't slow down Wednesday night, hitting two doubles and scoring the first run in a 2-1 win over the Braves.

“He just goes up there with extreme confidence, putting really good swings on pitches,” Venable said. “I think his swing decisions have been great. He's a very talented hitter and for him to come up and be so comfortable and be locked in and show what he's able to do early has been awesome.”

Montgomery spent the start of his second day of his big league career responding to the text messages he continues to receive — “The number shrinks and grows as I answer them, but more come in,” Montgomery said — and spending time with his parents and family, who were sitting behind home plate Wednesday night.

His mother, Gretchen Montgomery Willock, posted a video of the family celebration in the stands that went viral on social media. On Wednesday, she posted, “Let me tell you about a dream I had last night.”

“It's not really something you can imagine,” Montgomery said. “You just kind of go into it with your expectations and do whatever the game brings.”

One of the top prospects in the White Sox organization, acquired from the Red Sox in the December 2024 trade that sent Garrett Crochet to Boston, Montgomery was hitting .315 for Triple-A Charlotte. He became the 12th White Sox rookie to debut this season, the second-highest total before the All-Star break since the 1944 Cincinnati Reds had 13, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

The influx of youth has helped the White Sox go 29-18 since April 17, second only to the New York Yankees (30-17), despite injuries to Munetaka Murakami and Everson Pereira. among others. The White Sox are 5-4 since Murakami, a rookie from Japan who leads the team with 20 homers, injured his right hamstring on May 29.

Colson Montgomery joined that list Tuesday. He is day to day with a sore back and was not in the lineup Wednesday. The second-year shortstop, a relative veteran of 135 MLB games, said his younger teammates are feeding off each other to pick up the slack.

“You get up here, and it's like, these are my boys, my teammates, this is nothing new,” Colson Montgomery said. “That's why a lot of our young rookie guys are coming up here and they're thriving because they're just being themselves and they know they can be themselves. ... We have a lot of guys in the minor leagues who are coming up and they’re ready to show their impact.”

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

The accusation came in a new, 149-page report alleging that the forced displacement of West Bank Palestinians resulted from a concerted state policy, and not just the actions of violent settlers. While much of the displacement is driven by settlers who build outposts on Palestinian land, the report asserts that the process could not occur without the support of the government.

The international community overwhelmingly considers the settlements illegal. Israel, meanwhile, views the West Bank as disputed territory and says its final status is subject to negotiations.

U.N. data says that over 100 West Bank villages have been fully or partially emptied out between January 2023 and April 2026. At the same time, the United Nations has tracked more than 7,280 instances of individual Palestinian displacement because of demolition of homes and structures by Israeli forces, a figure that includes people who were displaced more than once.

Israel has in the past denounced such accusations — including allegations of “ethnic cleansing,” a term referring to forced expulsions of population by violence — as reflecting longtime unfair bias. It did not immediately respond to the report.

Amnesty says settler violence is sanctioned by the state

“These abuses are not the result of a few ‘bad apples.’ Settler violence is a core component of a state-sanctioned campaign of ethnic cleansing," said Agnès Callamard, the head of Amnesty. “What we are witnessing is deliberate, state-led annexation, in complete violation of international law unfolding before the eyes of the entire world.”

Israeli leaders have condemned particularly grave violence by Jewish settlers but tend to denounce them as exceptions. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition government is dominated by settler leaders and supporters, and key Cabinet ministers are pushing for a formal annexation of the territory.

The government has come under heavy criticism from Palestinians and rights groups for accelerating settlement expansion, which they say is aimed at preventing the establishment of a future Palestinian state there. Over 700,000 Israelis now live in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, areas captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war and claimed by the Palestinians as parts of a future state.

Amnesty says it has identified dozens of bills in Israel's parliament, the Knesset, to extend Israeli civil law and jurisdiction over settlement blocs, as well as over courts that try Palestinians. Recently, the parliament approved a measure making the death penalty the default punishment for West Bank Palestinians convicted of killing Israelis.

Last year, U.S. President Donald Trump said he would not allow Israel to annex the West Bank. The U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and the Hamas militant group that aimed to stop the war in Gaza also acknowledged Palestinian aspirations for statehood.

Villages in remote areas are most vulnerable, rights groups say

Amnesty says the large-scale displacement of Palestinian Bedouin communities in the territory is caused by settler violence, advancement of new settlements and the Israeli takeover of large swaths of unregistered land. Rights groups have raised the alarm about this form of displacement before 2023, but say it dramatically intensified after Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel that year that triggered the war.

Rights groups say Bedouin herding communities in remote areas of the West Bank are most vulnerable to displacement. Unlike Palestinians in cities and towns across the West Bank, the villagers are less able to withstand the pressure from often-armed settlers as they establish new outposts around Palestinian villages.

The anti-settlement monitoring group Peace Now says that 212 of at least 363 existing outposts in the West Bank were created since 2023. The outposts are built without permission from Israeli authorities, who sometimes dismantle them but often turn a blind eye or even legalize them retroactively.

Amnesty said its report looked into 27 hamlets and villages in the West Bank where Palestinians were displaced between 2023 and 2025. Researchers interviewed dozens of Palestinians and lawyers, spoke with witnesses of settler violence, watched over 420 videos and analyzed government statements and other reports.

The group also said the international community has failed to act to stop the displacement.

Dror Etkes, who runs the settlement watchdog group Kerem Navot, said that since the October 2023 attack, settlers have taken about 12.5% of West Bank territory — land that Palestinians can no longer access or cross safely.

Chris Edgerton was diagnosed with Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia — a rare blood cancer — in 2017. Rather than stepping back, Edgerton stepped onto a bicycle. Now, his wheels are pointed toward France.

A diagnosis that changed everything

Edgerton first noticed something was off before his doctor did. As a former nurse, he reviewed his blood results two weeks before his appointment.

“I knew the results were bad but I couldn’t diagnose,” Edgerton said.

The moment he got the formal diagnosis, his thoughts shifted quickly — not to himself, but to the people around him.

“I went to the doctor for a normal check up and just sort of she asked me if there was anything and I said I felt a bit tired doing some jobs that I didn’t think I should be,” Edgerton said.

He was referred to Mayo Clinic, where he met Dr. Sikander Ailawadhi, who delivered the full picture.

“This is a very rare diagnosis — just about 1,700 or so new patients are diagnosed with this in a year,” Dr. Ailawadhi said.

But the news came with a measure of hope.

“Doctor Ailawadhi rang me a week or so later to talk to me — it was Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia — which even though it’s not curable at the moment, it is treatable,” Edgerton said. “So I sort of felt like I got a second chance at life.”

From a rare diagnosis to the open road

With that second chance, Edgerton chose cycling. His first major ride was a cross-country journey from Los Angeles to Boston in 2018. Along the way, he has helped raise thousands of dollars for Dr. Ailawadhi’s cancer research at Mayo Clinic.

His work has left a mark on his medical team.

“The whole of our team has been inspired by Chris — by how he has been so resilient, so driven,” Dr. Ailawadhi said. “And I don’t know if I could, faced with such a situation, say ‘let me pick up a new hobby.’”

21 stages, 2,000 miles, one mission

His cancer is under control through treatment at Mayo Clinic, Edgerton is now preparing for his biggest challenge yet. On June 27 he will join 24 other amateur riders from around the world to complete all 21 stages of the Tour de France — one week ahead of the professional peloton. The route covers more than 2,000 miles and 175,000 feet of elevation.

His goal: raise awareness and support for people living with blood cancers.

Edgerton said he went through six months of chemotherapy, but kept one thought in focus throughout.

“I think I’m quite positive — you don’t want to give into it,” Edgerton said. “None of us know how long we will live anyway, so why not make the best of it.”

In a Facebook post after a budget workshop this week, the county said staff currently projects the General Fund will run a deficit of more than $40 million due to a decrease in revenue.

At the meeting, county staff emphasized that estimate does not include any potential impacts from future property tax reform.

“Which gives us an estimated deficit at this point in the budget process of about 44.5 million,” one official said during the meeting.

What Clay County is doing now

Commissioners are still early in the budget process, but county leaders said they have already begun reviewing options to close the gap.

According to the county’s post, commissioners:

• Directed staff to look for ways to reduce software costs
• Heard from constitutional officers about their budget needs
• Discussed eliminating more than 30 frozen positions
• Planned additional budget discussions throughout the summer as they work toward a balanced budget

The next budget workshop is scheduled for July 23 at 9 a.m.

Why revenue is down

Clay County Property Appraiser Tracy Drake told commissioners part of the slowdown is connected to changes in construction activity.

Drake said new construction is down compared to the previous year.

“The residential is fairly stable but that commercial is really the difference,” Drake said.

Property tax reform adds another unknown

County leaders also pointed to the potential financial impact of property tax reform that Florida voters will decide on in November.

Clay County leaders noted the projected General Fund deficit does not factor in what could happen if the proposed changes become law.

Drake warned that while homeowners could see major savings, local governments could see significant revenue losses.

“Tremendous tax savings to the homeowners in Clay County,” Drake told commissioners. “Tremendous tax loss to the local taxing authorities.”

County commissioners said that could lead to difficult decisions because property taxes help fund everyday services.

“They want to support police. They want o support fire. They want to make sure that potholes are filled,” Commissioner John Sgromolo said during the workshop, “So that’s going to be a challenge is to figure out how that happens.”

Residents split on the tradeoff

Some Clay County residents News4JAX spoke with said they support property tax relief — but don’t always agree on what it could mean for services.

Jimmy and Miranda Moore moved to Middleburg in 2011.

Miranda said she supports eliminating property taxes if given the chance to vote as a way to provide relief.

Jimmy said he understands the appeal of savings but worries about the impact on services like first responders and parks.

“I may have to sleep in the tent tonight but I just disagree with my wife,” Jimmy said.

What’s next

Clay County commissioners will continue work sessions in the coming weeks as they try to close the projected budget gap. County officials said they will continue sharing updates as the process moves forward, with the next budget workshop set for July 23.

Meanwhile, voters statewide will decide in November whether to approve property tax reform.

This story originally published at GatorsBreakdown.com

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These graveyards form when whale carcasses fall to the sea floor, becoming a sustaining snack for nearby critters. This one, located up to 23,000 feet (7 kilometers) below the surface of the southeastern Indian Ocean, spans the largest area and is so far the deepest and oldest found.

A whale's sheer size and the unique chemistry of its bones are the keys to forming these unique underwater neighborhoods, said Xikun Song, a biologist with the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering.

“At the same time, the very nature of the deep ocean makes these sites exceptionally difficult for scientists to locate,” Song, who was involved with the latest find, wrote in an email.

Researchers explored the remains during multiple deep-sea submersible trips in 2023, collecting samples and mapping the extent of the necropolis. They found five carcass sites and fossils, including skulls belonging to beaked and baleen whales. The oldest bones date back 5.3 million years.

Feeding and living on the carcasses were myriad creatures, large and small, including sea cucumbers, squat lobsters and saltwater clams. Many of them are likely species that have never been documented, according to findings published Wednesday in the journal Nature.

“The potential number of specimens is just astounding,” said paleontologist Stephen Godfrey with the Calvert Marine Museum in Maryland, who wasn't involved in the research.

Many factors likely conspired to preserve the bones for millions of years, according to the study authors. They’re dense enough to outlast attacks from bone-eating worms, and located deep enough in the ocean to avoid getting buried by dust and loose particles. The bones also were coated with a light layer of minerals from the surrounding seawater, which may have prevented them from degrading.

Why did so many whales die here? Maybe they were already living in the area and died of natural causes. A few could have perished from exhaustion or illness caused by deep-sea diving. The area's shape, akin to the letter V, could also have funneled the remains to their resting spot, the authors wrote.

Such discoveries are important because they clue scientists into the vibrant communities that find a way even in remote, hard-to-reach environments.

Studying the whale graveyards “is important for understanding how life can adapt to such extreme conditions, not only due to the lack of light and oxygen but also to the incredibly high pressure,” said study co-author and paleontologist Giovanni Bianucci with the University of Pisa in Italy in an email.

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

According to the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, the incident occurred on May 17 at the Main Street Boat Ramp in Middleburg. A group of four to five children was seen throwing a chihuahua-mix dog into the water, holding it underwater and physically abusing it.

A family that witnessed the abuse rescued the dog, but the animal died a few days after the incident. The children left the scene before authorities arrived. They are described only as being between 9 and 13 years old.

Christian Swaner was shocked to learn about the incident.

“It’s just crazy, it’s crazy something could happen out here like that,” she said.

It’s something that she said parents should have heightened awareness of.

“People just got to raise their kids to do better, raise them up right. And that could be part of it. There’s no telling,” Swanter said.

Logan Shover shared similar sentiments, saying, “I think it has something to do with the parents, not disciplining their kids, because 9 and 13, they should know better to do something to an animal like that.”

Shover said he was a dog owner, so the situation hit close to home for him.

“That’s sick. I mean as somebody who has dogs and loves my animals, I couldn’t imagine somebody doing that to my dogs,” he said.

“𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐝𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬?”

Clay County, we need your help. On May 17, 2026, a group of 4-5 children were seen at the Main Street Boat Ramp in Middleburg with a young chihuahua-mix dog, throwing it around in the water, holding it underwater and physically… pic.twitter.com/ulP1eEanni

— Clay County Sheriff's Office, FL (@ccsofl) June 10, 2026

Investigators are urging parents whose children were in the area that day to speak with them directly about what they may have seen or done.

“Parents, if your kids were in the area that day or possibly know of someone who was there, we’re asking you to please speak with them and come forward if they have any information,” the sheriff’s office said. “Anything could help us find who’s responsible.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Gary Winterstein directly. The case number is 2026-011933.

• Phone: 904-264-6512 (ask for Detective Gary Winterstein)
• Email: GaryW@claysheriff.com
• Anonymous tip: SaferWatch app or First Coast Crimestoppers at 888-845-TIPS (8477)

The 13 websites purported to be affiliated with consulting companies that advertised job openings for current and former holders of security clearances. But the companies were all fakes and the job postings were a sham, officials said.

The internet domain seizure is part of a broader effort by Western law enforcement and intelligence agencies to sound the alarm about alleged Chinese government plots to recruit workers who can be duped into disclosing sensitive information.

Last week, for instance, the English-speaking Five Eyes intelligence-sharing alliance — Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the U.K. and the U.S. — issued a bulletin warning that China is targeting personnel from those countries on job websites to get access to classified or sensitive information.

The bulletin said spies for Chinese military intelligence have been posing as workers acting on behalf of private businesses or think tanks, advertising for bogus jobs such as foreign policy or defense analysts and pressuring candidates to provide “non-public” information.

According to an FBI affidavit filed in connection with the website seizure, the fake websites relied on fraudulent or stolen identities and AI-generated photographs to give them the appearance of legitimacy, and advertised generic “consulting” jobs geared toward current or former U.S. government employees.

“These websites are often linked or referenced within the entities’ job postings on LinkedIn and other hiring platforms,” the affidavit said.

Applicants and recruits were offered money for reports related to their work and for sensitive information, the Justice Department said. The operators of the plot, who officials allege to be tied to Chinese intelligence services, used cryptocurrency and online payment systems to hide their real identities, officials said.

Law enforcement officials identified the websites through information from targets who came forward to report what they believed to be suspicious interactions.

“A lot of this information came from doing interviews, interviews with people who came forward that something didn’t seem right,” Dan Wierzbicki, the special agent in charge of the counterintelligence and cyber division of the FBI’s Washington field office, said in an interview.

“They provided information and said, ‘Hey, this is kind of weird, we’re kind of getting paid by a cryptocurrency or an online payment system that’s not typical,'” he added.

He said the FBI believes there are other websites serving a similar purpose and is seeking the public's help in identifying them.

A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington called allegations of Chinese espionage “entirely fabricated” and “malicious slander.”

___

Associated Press writer Didi Tang in Washington contributed to this report.

Omar Artan, who was named as Africa's best male referee in 2025., said he plans to be at the next World Cup and urged Somali youth to be proud of their country.

Artan was set to be the first referee from Somalia to officiate at a World Cup after making FIFA’s final list for the tournament.

He was denied entry to the U.S. at Miami International Airport on Saturday over unspecified “vetting concerns,” U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement, without giving details of the concerns. FIFA subsequently cut him from the tournament's referee list.

Artan was issued a visa to travel to the U.S. last week, according to the Somalia Embassy in Kenya, which processed it. The U.S. is co-hosting the tournament with Mexico and Canada, and Artan was due to meet up with other World Cup referees at their training base in Miami.

Arriving in the capital, Mogadishu, he thanked the Somali government and public as well as FIFA for their support.

“I promise you, God willing, that I will attend the next one,” he said as hundreds of supporters at the airport waved Somali flags. “I want the Somali public to take comfort in this and remain confident.”

Later on Wednesday, thousands of soccer fans packed the stadium in Mogadishu for a welcome ceremony for Artan, with patriotic songs echoing through the arena as supporters waved the nation's flag and cheered him on.

Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre also hosted Artan, writing in a post on X that the referee had “already won the hearts of millions and secured his place in history.”

“He devoted himself to ensuring that football was decided by merit, yet fate denied him the stage he so richly deserved,” Barre said.

The U.S.'s highly unusual move to deny a FIFA-appointed match official permission to enter a World Cup host country drew outrage across the world and raised questions among some fans about America's capacity to host the competition.

Somalia is one of nearly 40 countries subject to new travel restrictions under the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration.

On Wednesday, the United Nations’ top human rights official called for a “massive rethink” of immigration policies especially in the United States around the World Cup.

Hundreds of supporters, government officials and members of Somalia’s football community gathered hours before Artan arrived at Aden Adde International Airport.

As he disembarked, supporters waving Somali flags crowded around him before draping him in the flag.

He was then escorted by police officers to the airport’s VIP terminal, where he was welcomed by Somalia’s sports minister and other dignitaries, and spoke to journalists.

“It is up to all of us to defend the Somali name,” Artan said. “Somalia belongs to us, whether it is in a bad state or a good state. That flag belongs to us, and that passport belongs to us.”

In a country where decades of war and the rise of the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group have limited the potential of many in Somalia, Artan's denial brought disappointment but reminded people what is possible if they chase their dreams.

Artan's expected milestone at this year's World Cup “stands no matter what,” the World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus — from neighboring Ethiopia — wrote Tuesday on X. “You reached the summit of your profession and inspired a generation back home just by getting there, and being kept off the pitch you earned doesn’t change that.”

The defendant, Vance Boelter, was scheduled for a change-of-plea hearing Thursday morning in federal court in Minneapolis.

“The Attorney General has authorized and directed the government not to seek the death penalty against Defendant Vance Luther Boelter in accordance with the terms delineated in a proposed plea agreement,” assistant U.S. attorneys Bradley M. Endicott and Matthew D. Forbes wrote in a letter to the court Wednesday.

The Justice Department had said earlier in the week that it decided not to pursue the death penalty. While the Trump administration has pushed for greater use of capital punishment, there were questions about whether Boelter’s case would qualify for it.

Boelter’s attorneys did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. The court filing did not detail the terms of the plea agreement.

Former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, and state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette Hoffman, were shot by a man who came to their doors in the early hours of June 14, 2025, disguised as a police officer and driving a fake squad car. The Hortmans' golden retriever was so gravely injured that he had to be euthanized.

Boelter, 58, was captured near his home in rural Green Isle late the next day after what prosecutors have called the largest search for a suspect in Minnesota history. He faces federal and state murder, attempted murder and other charges. His state case has been on hold pending the resolution of his federal charges.

Minnesota abolished capital punishment in 1911 and has never had a federal death penalty case.

Daniel Borgertpoepping, a spokesperson for the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, said the federal plea deal would not affect Boelter's state charges.

Under federal law, to obtain the death penalty against Boelter, prosecutors would have to show he committed the killings during another “crime of violence.” Boelter's underlying charge was that he stalked the victims.

A federal judge in New York earlier this year barred prosecutors from seeking the death penalty against Luigi Mangione in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, ruling that stalking doesn’t count as a violent crime.

Prosecutors have called the attacks on the Minnesota politicians political. When they announced the federal indictment in July, they released a rambling handwritten letter they say Boelter wrote to FBI Director Kash Patel in which he confessed to the shootings. However, the letter didn’t make clear why he targeted the Hortmans or the Hoffmans.

In some messages to media, Boelter referenced a vague and cryptic “investigation” he had been carrying out, sometimes suggesting it was about the COVID-19 vaccine.

Friends described Boelter as an evangelical Christian and occasional preacher and missionary, who held politically conservative views and had been struggling to find work.

When Minnesota's legislative session convened in February, Hoffman got a warm welcome as he walked up the stairs into the Senate chamber. He said in a lawsuit filed against Boelter in April that his left arm and hand likely would never fully recover, and that he also had permanent injuries to his digestive and urinary systems.

Yvette Hoffman was left with permanent physical weakness, the lawsuit said, while their adult daughter, Hope Hoffman, who was there and called 911 but was not shot, suffered severe psychological trauma.

___

Johnson reported from Seattle. Former AP reporter Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis contributed.

Attorneys presented opening statements in the trial of Jonathan Rinderknecht, who has pleaded not guilty to starting what became one of the most destructive wildfires in California history. Whether prosecutors can prove to jurors that Rinderknecht, 29, started a fire in Los Angeles on Jan. 1, 2025, and that it then turned into the Palisades Fire will be at the center of the trial.

Prosecutors say the Jan. 1 fire burned undetected deep in root systems before flaring back up on Jan. 7. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt O'Brien told jurors that security camera footage shows where and when the fire ignited atop a hill, and investigators were able to place Rinderknecht nearby because he called 911 for help 16 times in quick succession on the evening of Jan. 1.

O'Brien said that Rinderknecht was the only person there that evening. He said that after firefighters arrived, Rinderknecht followed them up the hill to take videos of them putting out the blaze. Investigators later seized a barbecue lighter from his car that he admitted to having with him on the trail.

Defense attorney Steve Haney said Rinderknecht was on the hilltop near the fire's ignition that night, but only to watch the fireworks after dropping off Uber passengers nearby. Haney said multiple witnesses as well as first responders will testify that they heard fireworks in the area around the time the fire ignited.

“When all the evidence is in, there will be one thing missing: proof that Jonathan Rinderknecht started that fire on Jan. 1,” Haney told jurors.

The Palisades Fire ultimately killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes as it incinerated hillside neighborhoods in Pacific Palisades and the city of Malibu. Rinderknecht faces at least five years in prison if convicted of charges that also include malicious destruction by means of a fire.

O'Brien, in his opening, painted a picture for the jury of a troubled young man who was lonely and angry at the world after a recent breakup.

“He wanted revenge — revenge against society because he blamed society for all his troubles,” he said.

O'Brien also showed jurors a prompt that Rinderknecht had entered into ChatGPT six months earlier. “So on the far left, we're going to have a burning forest and then you have a bunch of people running away from that,” the prompt began.

Haney reminded jurors it didn't matter if they liked his client or “approve of the way Jonathan uses his computer.” He said Rinderknecht’s behavior after the fire, from calling 911 to cooperating with investigators, demonstrated his innocence.

Haney played an audio recording of Rinderknecht’s conversation with a 911 operator during which he reported a fire in the Pacific Palisades.

When federal investigators knocked on Rinderknecht's door, he didn’t hide or refuse to answer, Haney said. Rinderknecht even agreed to drive back to the Palisades to help investigators pinpoint the start of the fire.

“It’s the voice and actions of a man who was trying to stop the fire,” Haney said.

Leading up to the trial, Haney has argued that Rinderknecht is being made as a scapegoat for the Los Angeles Fire Department’s failure to fully extinguish the Jan. 1 blaze.

Judge Anne Hwang has ruled that the defense can’t introduce evidence or arguments about alleged negligence by the Fire Department, saying it was irrelevant and could confuse the jury. Defense attorneys had planned to include testimony from a firefighter that the fire was visibly smoldering when first responders left before it reignited days later.

Prosecutors began presenting their case by calling witnesses with California State Parks and the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area to establish that the fire affected areas with federal jurisdiction.

They also called Special Agent Michael Montevidoni with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, one of the lead investigators in the case.

Montevidoni spent hours on the stand explaining to jurors how investigators gathered evidence and interviewed more than 100 of Rinderknecht's friends, family and acquaintances.

Prosecutors also introduced a multitude of digital records into evidence obtained from his phone, email, Uber, OpenAI and various social media accounts.

Montevidoni said he reviewed thousands of conversations between Rinderknecht and ChatGPT, during which Rinderknecht lamented wealth disparity and climate change in the world and his inability to do anything about it.

These conversations led up to early hours of Dec. 31, 2024, during which Rinderknecht sent angry messages to a woman that he had a prior romantic relationship with. At the same time, he vented to ChatGPT, Montevidoni said.

“It was consistently showing anger and frustration,” Montevidoni said.

The crash occurred near Muzaffarabad, the regional capital, during an ongoing protest and strike called by the Joint Awami Action Committee, a recently banned alliance of various groups.

The military didn't suggest any link between the protest and the crash.

Witnesses said that the helicopter crashed shortly after takeoff from a helipad. Ambulances arrived at the scene and transported the victims to a nearby hospital.

“Rescue and recovery teams immediately reached the crash site,” the military said, adding that a board of inquiry had been ordered to determine the exact cause of the crash.

Residents in Muzaffarabad said that the helicopter was carrying an unspecified number of paramilitary Rangers deployed by the government for security duties in the region, where tensions have been high since the weekend, when members of an outlawed group attacked police and security forces, killing four personnel.

Witnesses said they saw smoke billowing from the crash site, and several ambulances were seen transporting the victims.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed sorrow over the crash, paying tribute to those killed. In separate statements, they conveyed sympathies to the victims' families.

Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, also expressed deep sorrow over the loss of life and extended condolences to the families of those killed, according to the statement.

Such crashes aren't uncommon in Pakistan. In September, an army helicopter on a routine flight crashed in northern Pakistan, killing two pilots and three technicians on board.

Former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Scott Erickson must also pay $1.17 million in punitive damages.

That is in addition to the $176 million in damages for wrongful death and emotional distress that jurors ordered Grossman and Erickson to pay parents Nancy and Karim Iskander last week, after finding them negligent in the deaths of Mark, 11, and Jacob, 8.

“This verdict sends a clear message that everyone must be held accountable when their selfish actions put innocent lives at risk,” Brian Panish, the Iskander family's attorney, said in a statement Wednesday.

Erickson's attorney, Jeff Braun, said they respected the verdict.

“In the coming days, we will review the verdict with our client and discuss the appropriate path forward,” Braun said in a statement. “Today, however, our focus is on acknowledging the extraordinary loss the Iskander family has endured. We extend our sincere condolences to them and continue to keep them in our thoughts.”

Grossman's attorney, Esther Holm, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Grossman was sentenced in 2024 to serve 15 years to life in prison after being convicted of second-degree murder, gross vehicular manslaughter and hit-and-run driving in a separate criminal trial. She is a co-founder of the Grossman Burn Foundation and the wife of a prominent burn doctor.

The boys’ parents also filed lawsuits in civil court against both Grossman and Erickson, who was driving ahead of her when the Iskander brothers were killed. That trial began in April.

The deadly crash occurred on the evening of Sept. 29, 2020, in Westlake Village, a city on the western edge of Los Angeles County.

Panish, the Iskander family’s attorney, argued that Grossman and Erickson were both driving recklessly after drinking margaritas together. The two were dating at a time when Grossman and her husband were separated.

Panish said Grossman was driving 73 mph (117 kph) when her car struck the boys in a crosswalk on a road where the posted speed limit was 45 mph (72 kph).

He said Grossman was following Erickson, who was also speeding and narrowly missed the family.

Holm, Grossman's attorney, denied that her client was intoxicated. She said Grossman was distracted when she saw the boys’ mother dive out of the way of Erickson’s vehicle.

Braun, Erickson's attorney, called the boys’ deaths a tragedy but emphasized that the vehicle he was driving “made no contact with the children.”

In an opening statement provided to The Associated Press, Gates said he “should never have met with Epstein in the first place,” but that he “never witnessed nor had any indication that Epstein was engaged in ongoing criminal conduct.”

The tech billionaire became the latest powerful figure linked to Epstein to testify before the House Oversight Committee in a closed-door deposition. The committee chairman, Republican Rep. James Comer, formally requested that Gates testify after he appeared multiple times in a trove of documents released by the Justice Department as part of its Epstein probe.

As Gates arrived at the Capitol, he noted that his appearance was voluntary and said he hoped his testimony would help lawmakers “find justice for the victims.” Gates did not take questions from reporters at the conclusion of the interview late Wednesday afternoon.

Gates, who chairs the Gates Foundation, has not been accused in connection with Epstein's crimes and has repeatedly denied any knowledge of Epstein’s abuse of girls. He has said the two met only to discuss philanthropy and previously described the relationship as “a huge mistake.”

Most Democratic members who participated in Wednesday's questioning described Gates as cooperative. They said some of the most useful information he provided involved other influential people in Epstein’s orbit. Lawmakers also said they pressed Gates on why he continued interacting with Epstein after he pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting prostitution from a minor.

Gates was aware that Epstein had been convicted of “a horrific crime and continued to interact with him to seek money for his foundation,” said Rep. Robert Garcia, the top-ranking Democrat on the committee, who described Gates' actions as “a horrific judgment call.”

Before the interview began, Comer told reporters that the committee's effort was “about trying to figure out how the government failed.”

Lawmakers scrutinize Gates’ relationship with Epstein

Gates said he was introduced to Epstein through people involved in his professional and philanthropic work and was drawn in by Epstein’s claims that he could help raise billions of dollars for global health initiatives.

Their relationship began in 2011, three years after Epstein’s guilty plea in Florida, according to the Justice Department files. Gates said he cut ties in 2014 after concluding Epstein could not deliver on those promises.

Included in the files are calendar entries for meetings between Gates and Epstein, email correspondence between the two about philanthropic projects and photos of Gates at events that Epstein also attended.

Gates added that he never went to Epstein's island or his other infamous properties.

“I have never victimized anyone. While he may have sought to foster a personal relationship, I was never interested in that and never reciprocated,” Gates said.

Lawmakers offered differing accounts of the interview as they exited the room throughout the day.

GOP Rep. Tim Burchett described the questioning as “intense,” while Democratic Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi said Gates was “combative” and “not terribly forthcoming or candid.” Garcia, by contrast, said that while Gates pushed back on some inquiries, “he’s answering the questions.”

Democratic Rep. Melanie Stansbury said Gates acknowledged maintaining contact with Epstein because he believed the “narrow relationship” was “an acceptable means to access wealthy donors.”

The Gates Foundation said in February that a small number of employees had met with Epstein based on his “claims that he could mobilize significant philanthropic resources" for global health. They never created a charitable fund together, and the foundation made no payments to Epstein.

Both Gates and his ex-wife, Melinda French Gates, have said his association with Epstein created tension in their marriage.

Broader Epstein investigation continues

Epstein was federally indicted in July 2019 on charges of sex trafficking of minors and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors. The Justice Department alleged that Epstein formed a vast network of girls, some as young as 14, for him to sexually abuse between 2002 and 2005. He died by suicide in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial.

The files released by the Justice Department read like a who’s who of powerful men across tech, finance, politics and other industries. All have denied involvement in Epstein’s crimes, but some maintained or formed friendships with him even after his history of sexual abuse came to light.

At another closed-door deposition in February, former President Bill Clinton faced more than six hours of questioning from lawmakers about his association with Epstein more than two decades ago. Epstein visited the White House several times during Clinton’s presidency, and Clinton flew occasionally on Epstein's private jet.

The former Democratic president said he saw no signs of Epstein’s sexual abuse and stopped associating with him long before Epstein's 2008 guilty plea. Clinton has not been accused of any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein.

Democrats on the House committee have pushed for testimony from President Donald Trump, a Republican who had his own relationship with Epstein. Republicans have said they have not come across any evidence that Trump did anything wrong during his well-documented friendship with Epstein.

Comer said Wednesday that he's planning to ask attorney Alan Dershowitz to appear and that he's been in communication with the Justice Department about acting Attorney General Todd Blanche coming in for questioning as well.

___

Schoenbaum reported from Salt Lake City.

The event is part of the 250th anniversary of America’s founding, and is scheduled for the weekend with the main attraction — seven mixed martial arts matches — on Sunday.

That is, if a judge doesn't halt the proceedings, which is sought by two Virginia residents in a federal lawsuit against the National Park Service, which oversees the South Lawn.

The agency filed a rebuff of the request Tuesday in court, and, in it, laid out the operations for the event.

“Well over $60 million and tens of thousands of hours of labor have been expended,” the document read, adding that the money came from the UFC and groups affiliated with it.

The Octagon

It's the eight-sided cage that surrounds the sometimes bloodied combatants and sits at the center of the constructed arena on the South Lawn.

The arena is expected to hold 4,000 spectators, with another 120,000 visitors — who swung tickets from an online lottery — anticipated to watch from the nearby Ellipse.

The installation began May 20, and the Secret Service worked with the UFC to screen between 20 and 30 trucks of equipment — as well as between “700 and 900” staff — that came in daily for the installation.

The document did not specify the extent of government resources spent on the project, but said seven agencies, including Homeland Security and the Federal Aviation Administration, have “allocated significant resources and manpower."

The schedule

It’ll kick off Saturday with a ceremonial weigh-in at the Ellipse, followed by a concert by country musicians The Zac Brown Band.

A UFC Freedom 250 Fan Fest will be ongoing through the weekend, with “interactive experiences,” live shows, celebrity appearances, “exclusive on-stage moments,” meet and greets, live music and interviews with the athletes.

Sunday night is when the seven bouts kick off. At the close, Trump is scheduled to fly to France for the G7 summit.

Disassembly of the installations will begin the next day, and they are expected to be entirely removed by June 23.

The athletes' Epsom salt baths

There are 14 athletes competing, and their training is rigorous.

Preparations start months in advance, working toward more intense weight cutting and diet alteration in the final week that can include fasting, extreme sauna use and hot Epsom salt baths.

They could be shaving as many as 20 pounds before weigh-ins, which are designed to keep the competition fair between similarly weighted combatants.

Lawsuit calls it ‘corrupt’

It was filed Saturday by the Public Integrity Project on behalf of the two Virginia residents and argues that Trump’s authorization of the event violated National Park Service regulations prohibiting sporting events on federal parklands.

One of the attorneys, Brendan Ballou, characterized it as a “corrupt use of our most sacred national monuments for private gain."

The National Park Service pushed back on that claim, but also detailed the event's preparations to make a point.

“All these hopes could be dashed at the very last moment," it read, "by the whim of two people who believe they have superior taste and want to spoil the event for everyone else.”

Locally heavy thunderstorms dotted the viewing area today, and there is more to come this weekend.

The migrating frontal boundary draped over northeast Florida and southeast Georgia was the focal point for several slow-moving storms and heavy downpours. Exact Track 4-D rainfall totals show many areas along I-95 and Highway 301 with over 2 inches, and a report of almost 4 inches in Glynn County near Brunswick, Georgia.

Scattered showers with isolated thunderstorms are possible on Thursday and Friday. These may bring temporary relief from the heat as temperatures reach the 90s.

Afternoon highs continue to climb as humidity builds this weekend. Feels Like temperatures will reach 100-110 degrees. Rain chances will become widespread, increasing through the weekend. These will develop mainly after 2 p.m. and last through around 8 p.m.

Tonight: Mostly cloudy to partly cloudy skies with showers and isolated storms.

Thursday: The heat continues. Becoming partly cloudy and hot, with isolated showers possible, 20 percent. Morning lows in the 70s. Afternoon highs in the 80s and 90s. Feels Like temperatures 95-100 degrees. Wind: S/SE 5-15 mph.

Friday: Summer heat and humidity. Limited rain chances with widespread 90s. Feels Like temperatures 99-105. Lows in the 70s. Afternoon highs in the 80s and 90s. Rain chances 10-30 percent. Wind: W/SW 5-10 mph.

Looking ahead: Increasing rain chances through Sunday. Rainfall models continue to show light amounts over the next week, with locally heavy rounds of rain possible.

Tropics: We are watching an area in the southern Gulf where a broad area of low pressure will move into Mexico.

Sunrise: 6:24 p.m.

Sunset: 8:29 p.m.

Sochor, 74, is scheduled to die by lethal injection July 14 at Florida State Prison in Stark, according to the warrant. The window to carry out the sentence runs from noon, July 14 through noon, July 21.

DeSantis has signed 11 death warrants this year and the latest comes a week after Andrew Richard Lukehart was put to death for killing his girlfriend’s five-month-old daughter in Jacksonville 30 years ago.

Lukehart was the eighth execution carried out this year by the state, which set a modern era record with 19 in 2025.

According to court documents, Patricia Gifford went to the Banana Boat with a friend to celebrate New Year’s Eve 1981, where they met Dennis Sochor and his brother Gary Sochor. The friend was escorted to a car in the parking lot, where she fell asleep. Gifford left with the brothers in Dennis Sochor’s work truck, intending to get breakfast. Instead, Dennis Sochor stopped his truck in a secluded spot and took Gifford out of the vehicle.

Sochor confessed that when Gifford refused to have sex with him, he became angry, choked her until she died, and disposed of her body, which was never found, records state. Sochor told police his brother wasn’t with him at the time.

Police began searching for Gifford after her friend called the police.

A photo of Gifford at the New Year’s celebration with an unknown man was shown on the news and Sochor’s roommates testified that he left after seeing the photo.

Sochor wasn’t arrested until 1986, when he was stopped for running a red light in DeKalb County, Georgia.

Prior to the murder, Sochor was sentenced to a year in jail and five years’ probation for the abduction and rape of an Oakland Park woman in 1980.

He told police he abandoned his employer’s truck in Tampa before going to New Orleans and later Atlanta.

Convicted of first-degree murder after three confessions by Sochor were played to the jury, he was sentenced to death on Nov. 2, 1987.

The warrant for Sochor means the state again has two Death Row inmates scheduled for execution.

Dusty Ray Spencer, 74, is scheduled to die by lethal injection June 25 for murdering his wife 34 years ago in Orange County.

“Look, everyone's working hard to make sure the bridge is open as soon as possible. There is no big drama. If it takes a little longer it will take a little bit longer, but this will benefit Canadians, Americans, business, tourists, residents for decades and decades to come,” Carney said on his way into Parliament.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Gordie Howe International Bridge, jointly owned by Canada and the U.S. state of Michigan, is set to take place on Friday, while the bridge itself may not open to traffic immediately.

Carney said Tuesday that the second bridge between Windsor and Detroit would “be open at the end of the week.”

Friday's ceremony will take place following a recent conversation between Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private talks.

In February, Trump demanded that Canada turn over at least half the ownership of the bridge to the U.S. federal government and agree to other unspecified demands in one of his many salvos over cross-border trade issues.

The bridge, which connects Windsor, Ontario, and Detroit, would be a vital economic artery between Canada and the United States. It is named after the late Canadian hockey great who spent 25 seasons with the Detroit Red Wings.

The building project was negotiated by Rick Snyder, the former Republican governor of Michigan, and paid for by Canada to help ease congestion at the existing Ambassador Bridge and Detroit-Windsor tunnel. Work has been underway since 2018.

Trump threatened the bridge as the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement is up for review this year, and Trump has been taking a hard-line position before those talks, including by issuing new tariff threats.

_______

Associated Press writer Joey Cappelletti in Washington contributed to this report.

Briscoe died Sunday at an assisted living facility in Kapolei, Hawaii, said his wife, Leonor Briscoe. He was diagnosed in April with amyloidosis, a disorder in which protein buildup can lead to organ damage.

In a career spanning decades and continents, Briscoe brought a reporter’s curiosity to his native Utah, to Washington and to Hawaii. But it was his perch in Manila that put him at the center of his biggest story.

Taking the helm as bureau chief in 1980, Briscoe charted the waning years of Ferdinand Marcos’ authoritarian regime and the turmoil unleashed by the assassination of opposition leader Benigno Aquino Jr. He and his staff fanned out across the country in chartered planes, rented jeeps and, at least once, a horse-drawn cart. They covered a relentless stretch of investigations, hearings and a presidential campaign so improbable it seemed scripted, with a reluctant widow thrust by tragedy to the forefront of a democratic movement.

That thrilling conclusion, with Corazon Aquino ascending to the presidency and Marcos dramatically driven into exile, would stay with Briscoe forever. He recalled searing images “of nuns kneeling in front of military tanks” and “soldiers and civilians crying in each other’s arms.”

“I expect to witness or cover no greater event in my life,” he wrote in AP World, an in-house magazine, in 1986, recounting his coverage of the upheaval.

A love affair with the Philippines

David Chesley Briscoe was born July 30, 1943, in Salt Lake City, Utah, to a union steward father and a homemaker mother who raised her two sons in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He grew interested in journalism at the University of Utah, writing for the student paper and eventually getting hired at the Deseret News, where editors handed him obituary assignments and pieces on standout local students.

After two years there, Briscoe signed up for the Peace Corps and was assigned to Paracale, and then Naga City, in the Philippines, where he taught English. For a young man who had scarcely left Utah in his youth, every corner seemed to be a revelation, of water buffalo shimmering from mud baths and children running down dirt roads.

He was smitten with his new home. When his Peace Corps tour ended, Briscoe bristled at the idea of leaving. He found work at a local newspaper, and while staffing an event in which Marcos was to speak, he met the former Leonor Aureus, editor of a rival paper. The two were soon walking down an aisle they lined with copies of The Naga Times and the Bicol Mail.

A dramatic revolution unfolds

Briscoe was hired by the AP in Manila in 1970, covering a deadly earthquake that rocked the capital, an assassination attempt on Pope Paul VI and the hijacking of a plane. By the next year, though, AP said he’d have to spend some time working in the U.S. He returned to Salt Lake, hoping fate might someday bring him back to the Philippines.

In his hometown, he found ties with his faith were fraying. His wife says he was disciplined by the church after discussing its exclusion of Black men from its priesthood in a class he taught. Briscoe opposed the ban. The church later lifted the restriction.

He also found himself at odds with the church over a three-part series he wrote with a colleague, Bill Beecham, examining its intricate web of business interests and tithing by its members that the reporters estimated brought in more than $1 billion a year. No Utah newspaper dared to run the stories, the pair said.

Briscoe spent nine years in Salt Lake before his bosses dangled a chance to return to Manila as bureau chief. He rushed to phone his wife with the news.

“Noree, are you sitting down?” she remembered him asking.

From Washington back to the Pacific

After his six-year stint running the AP’s office in the Philippines, Briscoe moved in 1986 to Washington, where he focused on international affairs. He was bureau chief in Honolulu from 2001 until retiring in 2009.

There, dressed in aloha shirts and bathed in a tropical sun, Briscoe could again call a Pacific island home. He spoke of being “halfway back.”

To his final days, he cherished his time in the Philippines. As the end neared, his family gathered around him and prayed. He grabbed his wife's hand, told her he loved her, and asked her to let him go.

The family plans to hire a boat and scatter Briscoe’s ashes in the waters of the Pacific, hoping the currents take his remains back to his adopted home.

“The land that David learned to love,” his wife said, “and where he met the love of his life.”

___

Matt Sedensky can be reached at msedensky@ap.org and https://x.com/sedensky

Tuesday afternoon's act sent shock waves through a city where more than one in four people are Black. Some people drove or walked by, staring, and a video of the cross-burning gained traction online.

The video, taken by a motorist, shows the wooden cross engulfed in bright orange flames as it leans against a tree in Grant Park, located in the core of the city's downtown and near Lake Michigan.

Mayor Brandon Johnson said he was “deeply disturbed” by the images.

“Hate has no place in our city. Every Chicagoan deserves to feel safe, protected, and respected while going about their day or enjoying our public spaces,” Johnson, who is Black, said on a post on X Wednesday. “We will continue working across city government to uphold that standard and ensure Chicago remains a welcoming, inclusive, and safe place for all.”

Chicago police urged the public to come forward with any information. A community alert issued by police included an image of a person walking away from the area.

Police said the person was seen “fleeing from the scene” where an object was constructed and burned in the park. The alert provided no update on the arson investigation.

The Chicago Fire Department confirmed the flaming object was a cross and said officials put out the fire.

Officials with a local Catholic church, The Faith Community of Saint Sabina, posted on social media a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone who was involved. The Rev. Michael Pfleger, senior pastor, called the cross burning an act of hate.

“It cannot be tolerated,” Pfleger told TV station FOX 32. “I really believe it should be treated as a hate crime just like a swastika is.”

Cross burnings have historically been symbols of hate

Keinika Carlton, 43, was driving home from running errands with her daughter and mother-in-law when they saw the cross on fire. She said she felt a combination of shock, sadness and disgust, as well as curiosity.

“Is this a racial thing? Is this a religious thing?” she said. “As Black women, of course, our first thought is racial, because burning crosses are known to be used as a tactic, an act of violence toward Black Americans in the South.”

Carlton estimated the cross was at least 6 feet (1.8 meters) tall. As they slowed down to shoot a video of the flames, she saw other cars also slowing down and people walking nearby, staring at the cross burning.

While the motive behind the burning cross was not immediately clear, cross burnings in the U.S. have historically been seen as “symbols of hate” that are “inextricably intertwined with the history of the Ku Klux Klan,” according to a 2003 U.S. Supreme Court decision written by the late Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. The justices ruled that the First Amendment allows bans on cross burnings only when they are intended to intimidate because the action “is a particularly virulent form of intimidation.”

Alyna Carlton, 22, said she never thought she would see something like that in her lifetime.

“It kind of really opened my eyes, had me realize that I’m not that far removed from the past.”

Some attribute the act to divisive political times

Gina Miranda Samuels, faculty director of the Center for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture at the University of Chicago, said the burning of crosses may no longer create the degree of fear it did decades ago — but there's sadness at the reminder of the level of hate that still exists.

“The burning a cross in Grant Park, personally, does not instill terror,” she said. “If it was on my personal lawn, that would concern me. This doesn’t cause me to want to flee Chicago.”

Miranda Samuels laid some of the blame on the current political climate.

“I do think we’re living in a time when we have a president that stokes this kind of thing and invites this type of stuff,” she said. "People feel emboldened and are invited to see how far they can go.”

Frank Chapman, executive director of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression and a Chicago resident, agreed. He pointed to how people who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, were ultimately not punished. President Donald Trump pardoned, commuted prison sentences or ordered the dismissal of cases for all of the nearly 1,600 people charged in the attack.

“The same kind of people got the same white supremacist mentality as a cross-burning,” Chapman said. "So, they figured like they got a license now ... with people pardoned and more or less shaking hands with the devil.”

Next week, Obama will be joined by other former presidents and dignitaries to dedicate his presidential library, named the Obama Center, on a sprawling complex less than 10 miles (16 kilometers) south of Grant Park. The center opens to the public on Juneteenth, the federal holiday marking the end of slavery in the U.S.

___ Associated Press writers Terry Tang in Phoenix and Corey Williams in Detroit contributed to this report.

Trump would not say if he planned to follow through on threats he made earlier in the war to attack bridges and utility plants. He urged Iran to sign a deal with the U.S.

Also Wednesday, the president signed a $70 billion immigration enforcement bill that aims to ensure uninterrupted funding for the administration’s deportation agenda through the end of his term.

The Latest:

$60M and 7 federal agencies required to stage Trump’s UFC fight at White House

The president’s planned UFC fight on the South Lawn has required a monumental effort from more than seven federal agencies, hundreds of staff working on-site daily and at least $60 million, according to a legal filing that offers a glimpse into the preparations.

The event is part of the 250th anniversary of America’s founding, and it is scheduled for the weekend with the main attraction — seven mixed martial arts matches — on Sunday.

That is, if a judge doesn’t halt the proceedings, something sought by two Virginia residents in a federal lawsuit against the National Park Service, which oversees the South Lawn.

The agency filed a rebuff of the request Tuesday in court and in it laid out the operations for the event.

“Well over $60 million and tens of thousands of hours of labor have been expended,” the document reads, adding that the money came from the UFC and affiliated groups.

▶ Read more

OB-GYN group makes vaccine recommendations for the first time

A prominent OB-GYN group announced vaccine recommendations Wednesday that differ from what the U.S. government advises.

The schedule is specifically for pregnant, postpartum and breastfeeding women. It aligns with prior recommendations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, before changes were made under the Trump administration and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists withdrew this year from a CDC advisory committee on vaccines because of those changes, which have spawned legal challenges.

“So now for the first time, ACOG has made the decision to formally release its own immunization schedule to provide and communicate clear evidence-based guidance and to address the growing vaccine misinformation that is circulating,” said Dr. Christopher Zahn, the group’s chief of clinical practice.

The schedule has been endorsed by 13 other professional and medical societies. Some other groups, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, have also put out schedules this year that differ from the CDC’s.

▶ Read more

Florida high court allows use of new US House districts drawn by Republicans for midterms

The Florida Supreme Court declined a request to issue a temporary injunction against the map, which is backed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Attorneys representing voters had argued that the new districts violate a state constitutional ban on political gerrymandering.

Republicans currently hold 20 of the state’s 28 U.S. House seats, and the new voting districts could improve the GOP’s chances to win four additional seats this year.

Republican Attorney General James Uthmeier, who defended the new districts in court, declared “complete and total victory” in a social media post.

Opponents expressed outrage while vowing to continue the court fight, even though it may stretch into the 2028 election cycle.

Trump has urged Republican-led states to redraw voting districts to try to hold on to a slim House majority in November.

▶ Read more

Administration plans intensive, year-round construction schedule for Trump’s triumphal arch

Construction of the 250-foot-high triumphal arch that the president wants built near the Lincoln Memorial could occur 20 hours per day, year-round, as officials push to complete the project within three years, according to a preliminary assessment by the National Park Service.

Tower cranes up to 320 feet tall, forklifts, concrete pump systems and other equipment would be needed to build the arch, which would be more than twice as high as the Lincoln Memorial. Work would occur year-round in two 10-hour shifts per day, the Park Service report said.

The 24-page assessment by NPS staff was released last week as a part of a fast-tracked historic preservation review that began Friday. The park service oversees the land where the administration wants to build the arch.

▶ Read more

Judge rejects watchdog bid to block administration’s ‘anti-weaponization’ fund

A federal judge has rejected a government watchdog’s request for a court order temporarily blocking the Trump administration from forging ahead with a new $1.776 billion settlement fund for compensating people who claim to be victims of a weaponized government.

But the judge ended a hearing Wednesday by warning President Donald Trump’s administration not to “play possum” with the court.

U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ruled from the bench in favor of the administration, which argued that the watchdog’s lawsuit is moot because acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told Congress last month that the government is scrapping its plans for the fund.

▶ Read more

US military says it is striking ‘multiple targets’ in Iran in latest escalation of tensions

U.S. Central Command said in a social media post that the military is striking “multiple targets in Iran” and it is happening “in response to Iran’s unwarranted and continued aggression.”

The strikes come just a day after the U.S. hit Iran following the crash of an Army helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz that Trump blamed on Tehran.

US Embassy in Baghdad issues new warning to citizens

In a statement it advised U.S. citizens in Iraq “to maintain heightened readiness and stay alert to local news sources” as “travel disruptions and airspace closures could occur on short notice.”

Washington previously issued a warning for U.S. citizens not to travel to Iraq and advised those there to leave. The statement reiterated that warning.

The advisory comes amid rising tensions and renewed exchanges of strikes between the U.S. and Iran. After the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, sparking the war in the Middle East, Iran-backed Iraqi militias launched regular attacks on U.S. bases and diplomatic facilities in Iraq.

Hegseth says US has ‘options’ when asked about possible operation in Cuba

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters the military has various options for the president if he greenlights military intervention there.

Asked about the possibility of a capture-or-kill operation, the defense secretary said: “All I would say is options, options, options. Our job is to present options at different scales depending on where the commander in chief and president the United States wants to go.”

Trump has warned that Cuba is next following a U.S. military raid in January that captured former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Trump has also ordered a punishing oil embargo on the island nation, while former Cuban president Raúl Castro, 95, faces federal murder charges if ever brought to the U.S.

Hegseth says US will strike Iran tonight

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the military will strike Iran “hard” Wednesday night following threats for more strikes from Trump earlier in the day.

While Trump said the strikes are further retaliation for what he said is Iran’s downing of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter, Hegseth said they are happening “not because we want to restart anything” but because the Pentagon “is prepared to set the terms to ensure that we get the kind of deal President Trump expects.”

“Those strikes that will happen tonight will be strong; they will be clear,” Hegseth said. “If they have to happen tomorrow night, they will be strong and they will be clear.”

Iran’s UN envoy says Trump should refrain from threats of force if he wants a deal

Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani stressed to the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday that “no sustainable deal can be reached through terrorists, intimidation, or the use of force.”

“Iran has never negotiated under threats and pressure and will never submit to pressure or question,” he said.

Iravani said the United States has repeatedly pursued this policy and should have learned by now “that threats and military intimidation are counterproductive.”

“If Washington is genuinely interested in a diplomatic solution, it must abandon the language of terrorism and engage with Iran on the basis of mutual respect, sovereign equality, and full adherence to international law,” the Iranian ambassador said.

Israeli defense minister says Israel is prepared to strike Iran ‘with great force’

Speaking at a ceremony in Jerusalem on Wednesday evening, Israel Katz said the campaign against Iran was “far from over” and warned that if Iran attacks Israel again, “it will suffer a severe blow.”

The comments came shortly after Trump said the United States would be striking Iran again on Wednesday, after a day of escalating attacks in the region.

Israel and Iran traded fire earlier this week for the first time in two months.

Trump says he ordered US military mission to help oil tankers navigate Strait of Hormuz

The president said on social media that he ordered the U.S. military last month to execute “a secret mission to support Oil Tankers and other Commercial Ships” through the strait. He claimed the effort helped get more than 100 million barrels of oil through the strait, though there was no immediate confirmation of that figure.

It was not immediately clear what role the military played. When asked about the secret mission, Capt. Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command, said, “U.S. forces continue to communicate and coordinate with commercial vessels seeking to freely and safely transit.” He did not offer details on the specific military support being offered to vessels.

Hegseth warns Cuba over buying certain weapons, saying it will invite confrontation

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth continued his tough talk against Cuba’s government while visiting the U.S. base on the island, warning Cuba against the purchase of weapons that could strike the Guantanamo Bay Navy base or the U.S. mainland 90 miles (145 kilometers) away.

“They would be inviting the kind of confrontation, not only do they not want, but they could not stand,” Hegseth said, adding that the U.S. military “will give the commander in chief every single option he needs inside that contingency.”

Trump has been threatening Cuba with military intervention as he tries to pressure its government’s leadership into stepping down.

Rubio to attend World Cup opening ceremony and US-Paraguay match in LA

The State Department says the secretary of state will travel to Los Angeles for Friday’s U.S. opening ceremony of the World Cup 2026 soccer tournament and Team USA’s first match against Paraguay that night.

The department said in a statement that Rubio would lead the U.S. delegation to the opening and be accompanied by Secretaries of Transportation and Homeland Security Sean Duffy and Markwayne Mullin.

In addition to attending the World Cup events, Rubio will also meet with Paraguayan President Santiago Peña in Los Angeles.

US says it has boosted Ebola response funding by another $20 million

The State Department says that the Trump administration has contributed another $20 million toward efforts to counter the spread of the deadly Ebola virus in Africa, bringing the total U.S. contribution to more than $220 million since the outbreak began last month.

The department said the new funds would go to assist the most affected countries — Congo and Uganda — as well as Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and South Sudan, to help them prepare for an outbreak and prevent its spread. That will cover support for national emergency operations centers, surveillance, testing and border screening, and infection prevention and control, as well as assistance in managing potential victims of the virus.

The announcement came a day after Secretary of State Marco Rubio told EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that Europe needed to step up its response to Ebola.

Hegseth tells US troops in Cuba: ‘We are taking back our hemisphere’

Speaking to American troops in Cuba on Wednesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the U.S. is “defending the homeland. And we are taking back our hemisphere.”

Hegseth cited the 19th-century Monroe Doctrine, which is often invoked to justify U.S. intervention in the Western Hemisphere. He also mentioned the “Donroe Doctrine” to reference Trump’s aggressive focus on Latin America and drug cartels.

Trump has been trying to bring about regime change in Cuba with a punishing oil blockade on the island nation and federal charges against former Cuban President Raúl Castro. Trump has also threatened military intervention while pointing to the U.S. capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January.

UN chief warns escalating attacks and rhetoric risk ‘full war’ in Iran and Gulf region

Secretary-General António Guterres told the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday that the ceasefire in the Gulf region “is more like a lesser fire,” as the world has witnessed in the last 48 hours, with the downing of a U.S. helicopter, U.S. retaliatory attacks on Iranian targets, and the Iranians firing at U.S. bases and facilities in the Gulf.

“The world needs to see a complete ceasefire, with navigational rights and freedoms restored … and serious negotiations on the nuclear issues — ensuring that Iran’s nuclear program is exclusively peaceful,” he said.

Guterres also called for full implementation of the ceasefires in Lebanon and Gaza and an end to settler violence in the West Bank, now averaging six attacks a day.

He said, “It’s time to get serious about the only credible way forward” — moving toward a two-state solution where Israel and Palestine live side by side in peace.

GCC condemns Iranian strikes on Gulf states and Jordan

The Gulf Cooperation Council, or GCC, condemned Iranian air attacks on Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan on Wednesday, saying the “new heinous Iranian aggression” doesn’t create stability or build relations.

“The Council affirms that these hostile acts do not serve any understanding or rapprochement, but rather distance people from one another, undermine the foundations of trust, sow discord, and close the doors of dialogue to which the GCC states have always called,” the GCC said in a statement on the sidelines of a meeting it held in Bahrain’s capital of Manama.

The GCC blamed Iran for destabilizing the region and impacting international navigation and energy supplies through these “hostile acts.”

The ministerial council said GCC states remain committed to diplomacy and good-neighborly relations, but questioned how future ties could be built while the attacks continue.

Treasury sanctions Chinese and Hong Kong-based people and companies for supporting Iran

The U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions on nine people and firms allegedly associated with supporting Iran’s weapons procurement program.

Among those hit with sanctions is Hong Kong‑based firm Mustad and its leadership, who are accused of acting as an intermediary to facilitate transactions that would help Iran procure weapons.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement that his agency is “disrupting the foreign procurement networks that support the Iranian military’s efforts to acquire weapons.”

Speaker Mike Johnson says Pulte is coming ‘short term’ to renovate and downsize intelligence office

The Republican leader spent another morning with Trump at the White House and said the president is “working very hard” to name a more permanent pick to lead the Office of the Director of National Intelligence – perhaps even by the time Pulte takes over June 19.

Johnson called it a “good faith gesture” from Trump that Democrats should accept as part of an agreement for a short-term extension of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, known as FISA. The spy tool expires on Friday if Congress fails to act, but lawmakers object to Pulte in the role, saying he is unqualified.

Trump made it very clear, Johnson said, that Pulte will serve a “very short term – a sort of renovation role” to help the Office of the Director of National Intelligence be “renovated and downsized.”

US military disables merchant vessel trying to transport oil from Iran

The U.S. military disabled an eighth merchant vessel in the waters off Iran on Tuesday, U.S. Central Command announced in a social media post on Wednesday.

According to U.S. Central Command, U.S. forces disabled Palau-flagged M/T Settebello, which they say was trying to transport oil from Iran, after their crew failed to comply with their directions. “A U.S. aircraft fired precision munitions into the ship’s engine room,” the statement said.

In a black-and-white video accompanying the statement, a small object can be seen slamming into the back of the ship before a large explosion erupts. Afterward, the video zooms out, and the ship is seen floating, but with smoke billowing from the back.

Trump seems to suggest the US is ferrying oil out of the Strait of Hormuz

The U.S. president seemed to say that “millions of barrels of oil” have been secreted past Iranian forces in the Strait of Hormuz, helping to ease energy price pressures.

“Do you know, we’ve been taking out millions of barrels of oil?” Trump said. “Nobody knows it. You know who doesn’t know about it? Iran. Until right now. We took out the other night, 22 ships late at night with no lights, because they don’t have any radar, because we blasted the crap out of it.”

The president said that U.S. forces have been removing millions of barrels of oil on a nightly basis, and he had previously “wanted to say it so badly.”

Inflation just climbed to 4.2% annually, and Trump calls those numbers ‘great’

As affordability concerns hurt his popularity, the U.S. president declared that he loves the figures in the latest consumer price index report, which showed inflation hitting 4.2%, the highest level since April 2023.

“I love it,” Trump said without irony. “The numbers were great.”

The president said that he thought the numbers were good because he believes that they’ve been driven by higher energy costs tied to the Iran war, suggesting that inflation would ease “as soon as this war is over.”

Inflation has worsened under Trump’s watch, initially because of last year’s tariffs and now because of a conflict that has blocked oil and natural gas shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump piles on about Platner, saying ‘he’s just an outright pig’

The president continued his sharp criticism of Platner in subsequent comments, saying, “He’s like a pig.”

“I watched him a couple of times,” the president said. “He’s like a pig. That’s what he reminds me of.”

Trump added, “You know, I come up with good names for people. I don’t want to stick him with that one, although I think pigs would be very upset,” drawing laughter from Republican lawmakers in the Oval Office with him.

Trump has used “pig” or variations of it as insults before against reporters and political opponents.

Trump signs $70 billion immigration enforcement bill

Trump has signed a bill into law that gives his immigration and deportation agenda a nearly $70 billion boost for the rest of his time in the White House.

The bill provides $38 billion for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and $26 billion for the Border Patrol. An additional $5 billion would cover unforeseen costs, according to the White House.

Trump signed the legislation in the Oval Office on Wednesday, a day after House Republicans pushed the measure through by a 214-212 vote over the objections of Democrats. His signature ended a nearly six-month fight over Department of Homeland Security funding that began with the shooting deaths of two U.S. citizens, Alex Pretti and Renee Good, in January during federal immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis.

Trump says he does not want to renew trade pact with Canada and Mexico

The U.S. president told reporters that he’s “not looking to renew” the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, a trade deal that, without a commitment by July 1, would face annual reviews of its status and possibly expire in 2036.

“I’m not looking to renew it,” Trump said, even though he originally negotiated the pact to replace an earlier trade deal for North America.

Trump said that the earlier agreement was worse than the USMCA. Still, he was displeased with the results.

“You know, with Mexico and Canada, we have trade deficits,” Trump said. “We should have surpluses with them. We don’t need their cars. We don’t need their lumber. We don’t need their energy. We don’t need anything that they have.”

Trump says Maine’s Collins is ‘not my best friend’ but he’s backing her

Trump said that Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine has his backing in her reelection campaign this year, even though she voted in 2021 to convict him of impeachment for the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.

After repeatedly insulting Collins’ Democratic opponent, Graham Platner, Trump said he was backing Collins “because she’s a sane woman.”

“She’s not my best friend at all,” the president added.

Trump said that Collins has “maybe a little different ideology than me,” but she’s “a respected person” and a better choice than Platner.

Iran says the US bombed 2 of its water reservoirs

Water supply to thousands of residents was cut off on Wednesday after two reservoirs in the city of Sirik were damaged by a U.S. strike, according to Hashem Amini, the head of the state-owned National Water and Wastewater Engineering Company, and the head of the local water company.

Iran’s state media published a video of what it said was a damaged water reservoir in southern Iran. The Associated Press could not immediately verify the footage or the claims.

U.S. Central Command had no immediate comment. Central Command said earlier Wednesday that it had “struck Iranian air defense, ground control stations, and surveillance radar sites near the Strait of Hormuz.” Sirik is at the eastern end of the strait.

Trump announces more strikes against Iran

Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that the U.S. would be striking Iran again on Wednesday after a helicopter collision with an Iranian drone.

“We’re going to hit them again hard today,” Trump said. He wouldn’t say if he planned to follow through on threats he made earlier in the war to attack bridges and utility plants in Iran.

He urged Iran to sign a deal with the U.S., saying “we were really close to a deal but they keep tapping us along.”

San Francisco trailed 9-1 before rallying for five runs in the eighth and five more in the ninth to stun the Nationals and avert a three-game sweep.

Big league teams trailing by at least eight runs in the eighth inning or later had lost 4,291 consecutive games since Cleveland stormed back from 10-2 down to beat Tampa Bay 11-10 on May 29, 2009, per Sportradar.

Matt Chapman had four hits, including two home runs — his second coming as part of back-to-back homers with Rafael Devers in the eighth to set up the comeback.

Jung Hoo Lee singled to extend his hitting streak to 18 games for the Giants, the longest active stretch in the majors.

Luis Arraez and Chapman hit consecutive doubles to begin the ninth. Devers walked and Lee singled to load the bases before Eldridge, who grew up a Nationals fan in Northern Virginia, drove a 2-0 slider from Mitchell Parker (2-3) into the right-field arcade for the rookie's fourth home run.

Lee raised his arms in celebration before the ball went over the wall.

James Wood hit his 18th home run for Washington. Daylen Lile added four hits, and Curtis Mead also homered on a day when every Nationals starter had a hit while seven players drove in at least one run.

Washington, which had already clinched its fifth consecutive road series win, was on the verge of finishing a 5-1 trip before collapsing in the ninth.

Reiver Sanmartin (1-0) retired six batters to earn the win. He gave up Mead's leadoff homer in the ninth that made it 10-6, but that insurance run wasn't enough for Washington.

Wood got the Nationals going in the third when he crushed a high 3-1 fastball from starter Robbie Ray and sent it over the center-field fence.

Washington scored three runs in the sixth and added three more in the seventh before the Giants rallied.

Ray allowed five runs and seven hits in 4 2/3 innings.

Up next

Nationals: RHP Zack Littell (6-4, 4.76 ERA) faces the Seattle Mariners on Friday.

Giants: Had not announced a scheduled starter for Friday’s home game against the Chicago Cubs.

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

But the judge ended a hearing by issuing a “fair warning” to President Donald Trump's administration: “Don’t play possum with this court,” U.S. District Judge Richard Leon told a government attorney.

Leon ruled from the bench in favor of the administration, which argued that the watchdog's lawsuit is moot because acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told Congress earlier this month that the government is scrapping its plans for the fund. Leon, who was nominated to the bench by Republican President George W. Bush, said he accepts Blanche's representation for now.

The judge's refusal to issue a temporary restraining order isn't the final word on the fate of the government’s “Anti-Weaponization Fund." Leon said he will consider a separate request by the plaintiffs — Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington — for a preliminary injunction that would block payouts from the fund on a more permanent basis.

A different federal judge, sitting in Alexandria, Virginia, already has temporarily blocked the fund's operations. However, that order by U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema is due to expire Friday unless she extends it after a hearing on the same day.

The administration created the fund last month to resolve Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the leak of his tax returns. The Justice Department hasn’t formed the five-member commission that will decide on payout criteria, so there has been no money paid out nor claims accepted.

The fund has generated a fierce bipartisan backlash. Even many of the Republican president's allies are opposed to compensating rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. During a May 19 congressional hearing, Blanche wouldn’t rule out the possibility that rioters who assaulted police at the Capitol could be eligible for fund payouts.

Later, during a House hearing on June 2, Blanche said, “We are not moving forward with the fund, period."

“Not moving forward ever?” asked Rep. Grace Meng, a New York Democrat.

“Correct,” Blanche answered.

Leon asked Justice Department attorney Andrew Block why Blanche doesn't formally rescind his May 18 order establishing the fund.

“I don't know the reason for that,” Block said.

Block said Blanche's statements to Congress are sufficient to moot the watchdog's claims. He also argued that the group doesn't have the legal standing to bring them.

Plaintiffs' attorney Nikhel Sus noted that Trump himself contradicted Blanche's testimony. During an interview on June 3, a day after Blanche's House testimony, Trump expressed support for continuing with the fund despite the Virginia judge's ruling against it.

“On paper, the fund is still a legally operating entity," Sus said. “Nothing has changed.”

A federal judge in Florida overseeing Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS ordered Trump’s attorneys to respond to “grievous allegations” by settlement critics that the president abandoned his claims to avoid the court’s scrutiny of an illegal deal. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams gave them until Friday to respond in writing to allegations of collusion and whether the case should be reopened because the court was the “victim of a fraud.”

In Virginia, attorneys from the legal advocacy group Democracy Forward are seeking a court order halting the fund’s implementation and preventing the Trump administration from disbursing any payouts from it. The plaintiffs in the Virginia case include a fired prosecutor and a college professor acquitted of assaulting federal agents at a protest.

The Chiefs and the two-time MVP agreed to a restructured contract Wednesday that adds two years to his deal and pushes the total compensation past a half-billion dollars, a person familiar with the terms told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the Chiefs do not disclose financial terms of their contracts.

The Chiefs later posted a photo of Mahomes signing his extension on social media.

Mahomes signed a 10-year, $450 million contract in 2020 that set a benchmark not only for the quarterback position but for any football player. The latest extension ties the two-time MVP to the Chiefs through the 2033 season, when Mahomes will be 38, and it comes in at $504.75 million, with incentives and escalators that could push the value $522.25 million.

“Over the last decade, Patrick has become one of the most iconic, beloved sports figures of all time,” Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt said. "He has helped lead our franchise to five Super Bowl appearances and three championships, he has been instrumental in shaping the Chiefs brand and putting Kansas City on the world stage, and on top of it all he has been an outstanding role model.

“Patrick is a generational talent and an elite human being and I'm so excited he will continue to lead our team into the future.”

The Chiefs and Mahomes regularly rework his contract in the offseason, giving the team the financial flexibility to surround him with enough talent to compete for championships. The latest deal, though, includes a massive pay increase after recent deals done for other quarterbacks — among them Dak Prescott, Jordan Love, Joe Burrow and Josh Allen — had reset the QB market.

Prescott's four-year deal included a league-leading average of $60 million per year. Mahomes will now average $63.1 million.

“The magic continues,” his agency, Equity Sports, and its chief executive Chris Cabott wrote on social media Wednesday.

Mahomes underwent season-ending surgery last December after tearing ligaments in his left knee in the waning minutes of a loss to the Chargers. He has spent the entire offseason rehabbing the injury in Kansas City, and he has been on the field for the entirety of the Chiefs' offseason program, which concludes Thursday with the final day of their mandatory three-day minicamp.

“I like what I've seen. He's working hard,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said earlier in offseason workouts. “This is good for him, I mean getting out there and throwing. It’s good rehab as he continues to rehab, so he keeps the feel with the wide receivers. Or he’s doing partial practice and — but it’s important that he keeps his timing up. He’s busting his tail to put himself in this position.”

Mahomes has insisted ever since his injury that his goal was to be ready for Week 1 of the coming season.

The Chiefs play their preseason opener against the Rams on Aug. 15, but their regular-season opener is not until Sept. 14, when they face defending AFC West champion Denver in a marquee Monday night matchup at Arrowhead Stadium.

“I want to be out there with my guys,” Mahomes said recently, "but I know that’s still a long ways away, and so all I can do is execute the day and do whatever I can do to be better that day. We’ve done that up until now, and we’ve set these checkpoints and these goals of where I want to be at, and I’ve gotten to those. So now I just have to continue to do that at the right pace.”

Mahomes has been shattering records ever since the Chiefs made him their starter for the 2018 season. He has thrown for nearly 36,000 yards, earned six Pro Bowl nods and won three Super Bowl titles in five trips to the championship game.

The Chiefs had been to three straight Super Bowls before finishing a disappointing 6-11 last season. Mahomes was on injured reserve for the final three games, all of them losses, while the Chiefs turned their attention toward the coming season.

“As a competitor and as a football player, I want to be there,” Mahomes said. “I can’t predict the future. All I can do is be great today and then continue to be great tomorrow, but I’ve gotten to where I’ve gotten to because of that mindset and the goal at the end — the very far end — is to be ready and to be able to go out there and play with the guys Week 1.”

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

But as the team hosts its first NBA Finals games in 27 years, the city is restricting spontaneous gatherings outside the famed arena.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and his police department have cited a range of reasons for the ban, including President Donald Trump’s attendance at Monday’s game.

Ahead of Game 4 on Wednesday, the NYPD announced it would again prevent fans from gathering around MSG, unless they were going to the game or had “business specific to that area.”

Instead, the city said it had approved a permit to allow 1,000 fans access to a watch party outside the Garden — a scaled-down version of previous viewing parties, which the NYPD had sought to have canceled for rowdiness, before later reversing course.

Otherwise, fans need an “authorized reason” to be inside a security perimeter that stretches for several blocks around the arena. While bars and restaurants will stay open, they were subject to “strict capacity limits,” police said.

Hours before the game on Wednesday, Knicks owner James Dolan indicated the watch party wouldn’t go forward, saying that he had never agreed to the city’s restrictions.

A statement released by the Madison Square Garden Co. also accused Mamdani of transforming the streets around the arena into a “police state” in order to “freeze out fans from celebrating.”

The measures have also enraged nearby restaurants and bars, as well as civil liberties groups.

“It’s ruining my business,” said Angela Reilly, the owner of Molly Wee, an Irish pub near the arena. “I haven’t seen anything like this level of security in 46 years.”

Molly Biklen, the legal director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, agreed the tactics seemed heavy-handed. “Crowd control for major events is reasonable, but historic moments are not carte blanche for overpolicing or excessive NYPD responses,” Biklen said.

The conflict has also focused attention once again on the shaky alliance between the mayor and his police commissioner, Jessica Tisch. To some, the security restrictions appeared at odds with Mamdani's broader agenda, which included improving access to public spaces and limiting how the NYPD polices major events.

“The NYPD is historically extremely risk-averse to disorderly behavior by crowds, whether they be celebratory or protesting,” said Jeffrey Fagan, a law professor at Columbia University who studies policing. “The mayor now faces a difficult calculus between the strong emotions of Knicks fans and the political risks if crowd control isn’t airtight.”

In recent days, members of Mamdani’s administration have pressed Tisch to allow some version of the watch parties to go forward outside Madison Square Garden, according to two people familiar with the meetings, who spoke with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the meetings.

Tisch, meanwhile, has advocated for the security perimeter, citing the need to control against crowds that have at times become violent and unruly. Some recent fan gatherings in Manhattan have led to dozens of arrests and several injuries to police officers.

Following the Knicks′ loss Monday, at least 21 people were taken into custody. The NYPD also said it is currently searching for members of a group that ripped a San Antonio Spurs jersey off a man while punching and kicking him.

Shaun Geddes, a Knicks fan who runs a popular podcast about the team, said he had celebrated multiple series-clinching victories outside the arena and found the vast majority of fans were respectful.

“Then there’s a small group of people out there cosplaying as Knicks fans and doing performative things to go viral on TikTok,” Geddes added. “But being passionate as a Knicks fan doesn’t mean assaulting anyone.”

In response to criticism about the closure, city officials have noted there isn’t a recent precedent for the position in which they now find themselves. The Knicks have not been to an NBA Finals since 1999. Most of the city’s other major sports teams play in the less-crowded outer boroughs or in New Jersey.

But when the New York Rangers — who also play in the Garden— last won the Stanley Cup, in 1994, the NYPD took another approach to managing elated fans.

Ahead of the game, police announced they would clear the area around the arena of potential projectiles, like metal trash cans or debris, but would allow fans to move freely.

“We expect the fans to be extremely vocal,” Allen Hoehl, an NYPD chief at the time, said at a 1994 news conference. “If they want to go from here to there, we’ll escort them in any direction.”

Attorneys for voters who sued had argued that the new congressional districts violate a state constitutional prohibition on partisan gerrymandering, and that the court should order the state to continue using the same districts as in the previous election. The Supreme Court, in a 6-1 decision, denied their request for a temporary injunction without ruling on the merits of the case. The judges said they lacked jurisdiction to intervene while the lawsuit gradually plays out in the lower courts.

Republicans already hold 20 of Florida’s 28 U.S. House seats. The new voting districts signed into law by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis after a swift two-day special legislative session could improve the GOP’s chances to win four additional seats this year.

The court's decision provides some certainty for prospective congressional candidates, who face a Friday deadline to qualify for the state's Aug. 18 primaries.

Republican Attorney General James Uthmeier, who defended the new districts in court, declared “complete and total victory” in a social media post.

Opponents expressed outrage while vowing to continue the court fight, even though it may stretch into the 2028 election cycle.

“The Florida Supreme Court's failure to stop this brazen partisan power grab is not only an assault on democracy, but an abdication of its duty to the people of Florida,” said Genesis Robinson, executive director of Equal Ground, a community organizing group that sued.

The new districts are “a pretty clear partisan gerrymander,” said Amy Keith, executive director of Common Cause Florida. “We’re going to do everything we can to prevent this map from impacting further, future elections.”

Florida's map is part of a national GOP effort

Voting districts typically are redrawn after a census near the beginning of each decade. Florida is one of several Republican-led states that have undertaken mid-decade redistricting as part of President Donald Trump’s plan to try to hold on to a slim House majority in November by reshaping district boundaries to the GOP’s advantage.

Florida’s legislature approved the new House map on April 29 — the same day the U.S. Supreme Court weakened federal Voting Rights Act protections for minorities while striking down a majority-Black congressional district in Louisiana. Since then, several Southern states have taken steps to try to eliminate minority districts that have elected Democrats.

DeSantis had called lawmakers into a special session before the high court’s ruling, but he had anticipated the eventual outcome. DeSantis’ office asserted that no racial data was used for the map he presented to the Legislature. The new map, among other things, redraws a southeastern Florida district that DeSantis’ office said was created to help elect a Black representative in an attempt to comply with the federal Voting Rights Act.

In addition to barring partisan gerrymandering, a constitutional amendment approved by Florida voters in 2010 also prohibits districts from being drawn to deny or diminish the ability of racial or language minorities to elect the representatives of their choice. It further requires districts to be compact and, where feasible, use existing political and geographic boundaries.

Republicans assert that redistricting restrictions are invalid

In a memo to lawmakers, DeSantis’ General Counsel David Axelman asserted that the racial redistricting provision of Florida’s Fair Districts Amendment violates the U.S. Constitution. If one element is invalid, Axelman wrote, then the entire 2010 amendment is void, including provisions barring partisan gerrymandering.

Attorneys representing state officials made similar arguments to the Florida Supreme Court, after a lower court judge last month declined to issue a preliminary injunction against the new map. They also argued it was too late in the election season to revert to the previous maps.

In a filing with the Florida Supreme Court, attorneys representing state officials said the new map was “cause for celebration” during America’s 250th anniversary. “Perhaps for the first time in Florida’s history, the State has a truly colorblind map; a map that refuses to assault the dignity of men and women by color-coding them,” their court filing said.

Attorneys who sued on behalf of voters argued the new districts were crafted with political favoritism. They argued in documents filed with the state Supreme Court that the new congressional districts are “among the most extreme partisan gerrymanders enacted in any state over the past half-century.”

Under the new House map, 82% of voters in districts represented by Republicans remain in the same districts as under the previous map, said attorney Chris Shenton, who represented Common Cause and other groups challenging the map. Just 41% of voters in districts represented by Democrats are kept in their same districts, he said.

Justices differed on urgency of Florida case

The Supreme Court's majority issued only a brief written opinion, but two of its members elaborated about the importance of the case. In a concurring opinion, Justice Adam Tanenbaum said the judicial system follows a deliberative process, and “there is no need for special treatment in this case.”

In a dissent, Justice Jorge Labarga expressed frustration that an appellate court hadn't sent the case straight to the Supreme Court. He said the state constitution “anticipates that some matters may be so urgent as to require an expedited path to this Court.”

“Surely, the upcoming 2026 congressional elections affecting the representation of millions of Floridians meet that threshold,” Labarga wrote.

It means AI agents can not only recommend products but complete the purchase on the user’s behalf at potentially any merchant that accepts Visa. The payment network's previous attempts at this technological leap were confined to a single retailer or a small set of enrolled merchants.

It is not OpenAI’s first attempt at e-commerce. The company late last year announced Instant Checkout, which allowed ChatGPT to scour the internet for a specific item like a digital personal shopper. But the process was prone to errors and was not widely adopted by merchants due to the fee that OpenAI was charging merchants. The company retired Instant Checkout in March.

Visa’s collaboration is different from OpenAI’s previous attempts, as it will allow users to link their Visa cards to ChatGPT to shop and make it easier for merchants to accept transactions initiated by agents.

OpenAI will provide the technology to allow agents to interact, make decisions and initiate purchases through ChatGPT. Visa, the world’s largest payment network outside of China, will provide the payment authorization and fraud monitoring needed to do this at scale.

“As AI agents become active participants in the economy, Visa’s focus is to ensure transactions are trusted, secure and seamless,” said Jack Forestell, chief product and strategy officer at Visa.

ChatGPT as a personal shopper

Speaking at a company event Wednesday in San Francisco, Forestell gave an example of a customer telling ChatGPT they're looking for a pair of wireless headphones under $150. The chatbot would find a pair for sale under those parameters and buy it on behalf of the customer.

“I think we're generally at a place where most people are very comfortable with the shopping aspects of it and have discovered this as a superior discovery experience,” Forestell said in an interview. But, he added, making the leap from having AI agents recommend what to buy to doing the purchasing “just requires a whole different level of trust.”

“But that all comes from the underlying infrastructure, the process, the security that we build into it and the rules,” he said.

Visa and OpenAI did not disclose the financial terms of the collaboration and did not give details on the fees merchants or customers would have to pay.

Instant Checkout charged merchants 4% of the transaction's value, which merchants saw as being too expensive.

Guardrails include spending limits, approvals

Allowing AI agents to buy products on behalf of a consumer raises concerns for both banks and retailers. A customer could overspend, or the agent buys the wrong item, or the customer claims they did not authorize that transaction. Banks have been concerned about potential fraud claims that could occur when an agent uses a bank customer’s credit or debit card.

Visa says the feature will have guardrails like spending limits, required approval steps and approved merchants for shopping in order to protect consumers and minimize fraud.

Forestell said Visa will handle disputes with the same essential rules it uses for any other transaction: Did the consumer really intend to make the purchase and did the merchant process it the correct way? Where it might change, he added, is if both the consumer intent and the merchant processing were done the right way, but “something happened in the middle that caused a problem.”

“And that’s why we’re modifying our whole token framework and data capture process with Visa Intelligent Commerce to make sure that problem doesn’t happen,” Forestell said.

Retailers have introduced shopping assistants powered by AI that can recommend products and personalize the customer's shopping experience, with the earliest iterations of those experiments being Amazon’s Alexa. But Alexa could only shop on Amazon, and OpenAI's Instant Checkout feature was limited to select merchants.

Visa’s biggest competitor, Mastercard, has also been introducing its own AI-shopping features to its payment network on a smaller scale.

Mastercard announced that AI agents will have the capability to procure services on behalf of a business. For example, a coffee shop wants to start an advertising campaign as part of a launch, so it gives an AI agent the authorization to purchase services from web and ad providers in order for the coffee shop to build out its campaign.

It will take time for people to fully trust AI agents to do their shopping, Forestell acknowledged. At first, Visa expects the majority of transactions to still loop in humans, with AI agents sending a notification for consumers to approve the actual purchase.

“Now, imagine you do that a thousand times over the course of some period of time,” he said. “And then your agent says, ‘Do you want me to just not check?’”

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Sweet reported from New York.

Tower cranes up to 320 feet tall, forklifts, concrete pump systems and other equipment would be needed to build the arch, which would be more than twice as high as the Lincoln Memorial. Work would occur year-round in two 10-hour shifts per day, the Park Service report said.

The 24-page assessment by NPS staff was released last week as a part of a fast-tracked historic preservation review that began Friday. The park service oversees the land where the administration wants to build the arch.

The National Capital Planning Commission voted last week to seek more information from the Interior Department, which oversees the park service. The vote essentially kept the project alive as officials study how the arch could potentially impact air travel, as well as other specifics on construction and traffic in the area.

The June 4 vote came after nearly three hours of public comment from about 20 members of the public, some representing historic and architectural organizations, and most of whom expressed concerns about the arch that is one of several projects the Republican president is pursuing to leave his imprint on Washington.

Preliminary surveys and testing of the arch site began last month, and other approvals are underway. The U.S. Commission of Fine Arts — which only oversees designs and has no role in the actual construction or funding of the arch or any other project it considers — has approved the arch’s design.

Concerns over arch's height

The capital planning commission is seeking more information justifying the proposed height of the towering arch, as well as additional details about lighting, management of storm water and how traffic and parking would be regulated for visitors.

The planned site for the arch, across the Potomac River from the memorial, is on a flight path near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. The Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday it is reviewing whether the project’s planned height poses a risk to airplane travel in the area. An American Airlines jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter collided a year ago in crowded skies near the airport, killing 67 people.

The FAA review “found no adverse impacts to operations” at Reagan Airport from the proposed arch. but determined that the top of the structure would need to be lit with red obstruction lights -- a common safety tool, spokesman Donnell Evans said. The FAA will conduct a full aeronautical study in coordination with the National Park Service, he said.

The park service, in its report, said aviation-required safety lighting would be incorporated into the arch design “using the least intrusive technology available, ensuring compliance with aircraft visibility requirements while limiting unnecessary light emission."

Will Scharf, who has served as Trump’s White House staff secretary, heads the commission and has said he believes a federal law limiting building heights for new construction in Washington should not apply to the arch. The law restricts most construction in Washington to a maximum height of 130 feet.

The arch faces a legal challenge

Critics have argued that the arch would dominate the skyline and disrupt carefully designed views between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery. It would be more than twice as tall as the Lincoln Memorial, which is 99 feet (30 meters), and close to half the height of the Washington Monument, which is about 555 feet (169 meters).

Trump has pushed for the 250-foot-tall arch to mark America’s 250th anniversary, and has said the project could be paid for with private donations left over from the project to build a new White House ballroom. The White House East Wing was demolished to make way for a large ballroom.

A cost estimate for the arch is still being calculated, but a mix of taxpayer and private funds is expected to pay for it. A group of veterans and a historian have sued the Trump administration in federal court to block the project over concerns about disruptions to the sightline.

Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut criticized the administration about what he called its “persistent lack of transparency” in its efforts to advance Trump’s Washington-area construction projects. Besides the planned ballroom, Trump also is renovating the Lincoln Memorial’s Reflecting Pool and rebuilding a public golf course along the Potomac River. None of projects have gone through usual legal reviews or Congress.

“Your disregard for legal process and public interest has been apparent in projects ranging from the construction of a White House Ballroom and triumphal arch to the resealing of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool," Blumenthal wrote in a letter Tuesday to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and acting park service director Jessica Bowron.

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Associated Press writers Meg Kinnard and Josh Funk contributed to this story.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast, R-Fla., and Rep. Young Kim, R-Calif., are planning to sit down with Cheng Li-wun, leader of the Kuomingtang Party, who has supported a peaceful reunification of Taiwan with Beijing.

Mast, in an interview, said he didn’t have specific expectations for his meeting with Cheng but said as the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, “I take intelligence from anywhere I can get.”

A spokesperson for Kim, who leads a subcommittee overseeing East Asia policy, said the lawmaker plans to encourage Cheng and her party to support more defense spending because it would be an “important demonstration of Taiwan’s commitment to self-defense and deterrence.”

Taiwan’s opposition-controlled legislature last month passed a $25 billion special defense budget to fund major U.S. arms purchases. Trump administration officials expressed disappointment that the approved amount is a significant reduction from Taiwan President Lai Ching-te's original $40 billion proposal.

Kim also wants to discuss Cheng’s meeting in April with Chinese President Xi Jinping and “seek greater clarity on the substance of those discussions,” said Ellie Gilchrist, the lawmaker’s spokesperson.

Cheng’s visit to Washington comes as President Donald Trump publicly floats the prospect that he could have a direct call with his Taiwanese counterpart.

The U.S. president had indicated he wanted to speak with Lai as his administration considers whether to go ahead with a $14 billion arms sale for Taipei that Congress approved earlier this year but that has since been on hold.

Trump said last month as he returned to the U.S. from China that he intends to speak with Lai, which would be the first direct dialogue between sitting U.S. and Taiwanese presidents in decades. China has urged against it.

“I’ll always talk to him,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Friday when asked whether he is still considering a phone call with Lai.

The documents include text messages and other communications Carrico provided to investigators. Some of the records were released with redactions, and the records custodian has not yet provided an explanation for those redactions. News4JAX partnered with other local newsrooms to obtain the records and is seeking additional information.

Among the records are texts that provide a glimpse into Carrico’s behind-the-scenes discussions on city matters, including his unsuccessful effort to appoint Paul Martinez — Carrico’s boss at the Boys & Girls Club — to the JEA board.

PREVIOUS EPISODE | ‘You ready to play the game?’: News4JAX reviews nearly 1,000 pages of records related to JEA subpoena

In a Jan. 20 text message that Carrico confirmed he sent to Martinez, Carrico wrote: “Guess it’s time they get a new board member to show them who’s boss….You ready to play the game.”

Sixteen days later, Carrico came under scrutiny after a separate text message surfaced in which he described the attempted JEA board appointment as a “favor.” The “favor” text was sent to JEA board member Arthur Adams, whom Carrico wanted to replace, according to the records and previous reporting.

Florida Times-Union Executive Editor Nate Monroe, who has covered JEA issues, including the failed attempt to sell the utility in 2019 and the criminal trial of former CEO Aaron Zahn, said the tone of Carrico’s texts may concern residents.

“This is now the second time the council president has to address his language and the way he talks about public business,” Monroe said, adding that some people may view the matter as serious.

Monroe also called for a clearer accounting of what was withheld from the released documents.

“The public is owed a full accounting of what, how much has been redacted and the laws citing the redactions, and we don’t have that now,” Monroe said.

Other texts appear to show Carrico’s relationship with former Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry. In one message to someone who appears to be a city employee, Carrico wrote: “Need this permit closed out bro, it’s a favor to a church for Lenny Curry,” referencing a permit related to demolishing a pool at a home where priests live.

Monroe said he did not see documentation in the released records supporting Carrico’s public allegations of a toxic or racist work culture at JEA — claims Carrico raised before calling for a special investigative committee focused on the utility.

“There is no mention or substance behind the allegations that he made that there is a toxic or racist work culture at JEA,” Monroe said. “As far as I can see in these records, the only real public pressure that he’s gotten with regards to JEA is criticism for going after JEA in the first place.”

City Council member Matt Carlucci criticized Carrico’s conduct and said the council presidency is a unique opportunity.

“You get to be council president one time, and it’s a real honor, and it is a real opportunity to do something good for your community,” Carlucci said. “It’s sad that this year has been wasted in my view.”

The records also include messages from reporters seeking answers from Carrico after the initial JEA-related text came to light, as well as emails from residents raising concerns about the nomination process and Carrico’s allegations about JEA.

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) recommended installing the PHB crosswalk and a central refuge island on Baymeadows Road after the deadly May 2025 crash.

Sen. Clay Yarborough requested a one-time investment of $972,000 for the project, and the funding was included when the Legislature passed the budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

“This project is greatly needed to enhance safety on Baymeadows Road where tragedy occurred last year,” Yarborough said. “I am grateful the Senate and House chose to fund the project in the state budget and hope the governor will approve it when it comes before him soon. My thanks to State Representative Wyman Duggan and City Councilman Joe Carlucci for their partnership on this.”

READ: Funding request from Sen. Yarborough

The money won’t be guaranteed, though, until Gov. Ron DeSantis signs the budget. DeSantis has line-item veto power.

If the funding survives into the final budget, the improvements will be made near Goodbys Executive Drive, where Mitchell Patch and his 1-year-old son, Everett, were killed while crossing Baymeadows Road after leaving Wicked Barley Brewing Company.

Yarborough’s funding request said the enhancements are designed to improve pedestrian visibility and safety, and make the crossing more accessible for all users.

The funding breaks down into $120,000 for design, $170,000 for right-of-way, $595,000 for construction and $87,000 for construction inspection, according to estimates from the FDOT.

According to the request, construction is estimated to begin in December of 2028 and finish in December of 2029.

Jacksonville City Council member Joe Carlucci, who represents the area, also advocated for safety changes after the deadly crash.

“You have people in the district and community calling and saying we got to do something about this,” he said. “This should have never happened. What can we do to make sure this never happens again.”

A traffic study conducted by FDOT revealed 12 crashes at the location since 2020, including two involving pedestrians and a bicyclist.

That line of political attack was striking coming from a president who himself has been accused of misconduct with women, was once caught on audio bragging about grabbing women by the genitals and was found liable by a New York jury for sexual abuse.

Trump also has endorsed a parade of Republicans with their own personal baggage — but that didn't stop him from faulting the other side for doing the same.

“He’s a thug, and they’re trying to make excuses for him,” Trump said of top Democrats. “I mean, he’s worse than any human being that’s ever run for office, probably.”

The criticism follows Platner's decisive primary victory

Platner, who clinched the Democratic nomination on Tuesday night, has faced criticism over numerous issues, including past inflammatory online posts, a tattoo he had covered up that is widely recognized as a Nazi symbol and sexually explicit texts he sent to women after getting married. He will face five-term Republican Sen. Susan Collins in the November election.

Asked about Trump's comments, Platner's campaign said the candidate remained focused on issues facing Maine.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, in response, issued a statement focused on Collins, who is considered one of the most vulnerable senators up for reelection this year.

“Susan Collins is facing backlash in Maine after voting with Trump 96 percent of the time, being the decisive vote for the justices who overturned Roe v. Wade, and selling out to the special interests that fund her campaigns after three decades in the Senate, and that’s why Trump praised her today in the Oval Office,” spokesperson Josh Marcus-Blank said in a statement.

The White House defended Trump's comments by noting Platner's past social media posts.

“Graham Platner proudly referred to himself as a ‘communist,’ called all police ‘bastards,’ and said rural White Americans ‘actually are’ racist and stupid. President Trump is absolutely correct that Platner is both a thug and a pig. Attempting to compare President Trump to Graham Platner is exactly why trust in legacy media outlets like the failing Associated Press is at an all-time low,” White House spokesperson Kush Desai said in a statement.

‘Can you imagine if the Republicans had him?’

Trump, when speaking about Platner to reporters at the White House during an event to sign an immigration and deportation funding bill, said, “Nobody’s ever had a record like that.”

“He’s like a pig,” the president said, adding that perhaps “pigs would be very upset” to be associated with Platner, drawing laughter from assorted Republican lawmakers in the Oval Office with him.

Trump then brought up another scandal that has swirled around him dating back to his first term as president: his former friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Trump sought to paint Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer as a hypocrite, saying he “goes crazy over this or that or Epstein, Epstein, Epstein” but instead should be concerned about Platner.

Later, Trump offered, “Can you imagine if the Republicans had him?”

Setting aside the allegations Trump has faced over the years, Republicans have had candidates who were accused of serious misconduct who nonetheless won Trump's backing.

The president this year endorsed Republican Texas Senate candidate Ken Paxton over incumbent GOP Sen. John Cornyn, though Paxton had faced state and federal corruption investigations and a 2023 state impeachment trial in which he was acquitted but publicly exposed his extramarital affair. Paxton has said allegations of wrongdoing were politically motivated.

Trump also didn't back away from endorsing 2017 Alabama Senate candidate Roy Moore, who was accused of sexual misconduct involving teenage girls decades earlier. Trump, at the time, noted Moore’s denials and said his vote was needed for Republican priorities. Moore's eventual loss gave way to the first Alabama Democratic senator in a quarter-century.

He endorsed 2024 North Carolina gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson and declined to rescind the backing after CNN reported that the candidate had made lewd and racist comments on a pornography website — though he did try to distance himself. Robinson, who later acknowledged making the posts, handily lost the general election in the swing state.

He similarly decided not to revoke his support for Texas Rep. Tony Gonzales this year after the congressman acknowledged an affair with a staff member who later died by suicide. Gonzales ended his reelection bid, and Trump later endorsed someone else.

Trump also picked officials for his second-term Cabinet and other key offices who had been accused of some form of sexual misconduct.

That includes Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who was accused of sexual assault and denied it, and Trump’s initial choice for attorney general, former Rep. Matt Gaetz, who faced a Justice Department sex trafficking investigation and a House Ethics Committee investigation into sexual misconduct.

Gaetz denied wrongdoing and withdrew his name from consideration. The DOJ investigation ended without federal charges against him.

Trump has doubled down on his temporary pick for director of national intelligence, federal housing finance regulator Bill Pulte, even though he has little experience for the job. Democrats say they won't support the renewal of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, known as FISA, unless he withdraws Pulte's appointment and nominates a permanent replacement.

The impasse could soon result in limitations on what intelligence the U.S. government can collect abroad just as World Cup games begin in cities around the country and ahead of celebrations for the nation’s 250th anniversary. The law expires on Friday at midnight.

Trump on Wednesday asked Congress for a short-term extension of the law to “provide time for the selection and confirmation" of a permanent director.” But he stuck with Pulte as the acting head and said he wants to begin downsizing intelligence agencies.

“We can't let them extort us,” Trump said of Democrats.

Senate Republicans floated an short-term extension of the law after Trump's request, but it was immediately rejected by Democrats who argued that it's up to the president to replace Pulte.

As the bill stalled in the Senate, Speaker Mike Johnson announced the House would hold a vote Thursday on a stopgap to keep the program running through July 2 even as the chances of passage appeared slim.

“We’re going to ask every member here to do the right thing,” Johnson said. “We cannot allow that to go dark.”

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said if Trump wants a shot at a short-term extension, he needs to pull the Pulte appointment. Pulte is a “disgraceful individual” and a “partisan political hack" who is deeply unqualified for the job, Jeffries said.

GOP leaders lobby the White House, to no avail

Congressional Republicans have lobbied Trump all week to quickly nominate a permanent replacement. But he said he needs more time to do so.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said Wednesday that Republican leaders have “made our views known” to the White House about the easiest way to get the bill passed, and “we’re just doing what we can here to ensure that the White House understands what will be necessary in order to make that happen.”

Trump said on Friday that he is interviewing five candidates for his pick to lead the agency permanently and that all have a national security background.

“It’s an important position and one that I think will be filled by a highly qualified person,” said Johnson, who met with Trump twice this week to talk about the FISA impasse.

Trump made it very clear, Johnson said, that Pulte will serve a “very short term — a sort of renovation role” to help the Office of the Director of National Intelligence be “renovated and downsized.”

To unlock votes for FISA, the pick would have to be soon — and Trump's choice would have to satisfy both Republicans and Democrats.

One of several possible replacements could be Pete Hoekstra, Trump’s ambassador to Canada and a former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. The White House has reached out to Hoekstra about the job and conversations are ongoing, according to a person familiar with the outreach who requested anonymity to discuss the private conversations.

FISA will lapse at midnight Friday

Section 702 of FISA allows agencies such as the CIA, National Security Agency and FBI to collect communications from foreign targets overseas without a warrant.

While members of both parties who cite privacy issues have long wanted to limit the authority, there was broad bipartisan support to renew it, especially after Republicans and Democrats recently worked out a compromise bill.

Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, has worked with Republicans on the compromise legislation to renew the authority. But he called Pulte’s appointment to replace outgoing DNI Tulsi Gabbard “a live hand grenade” as they were trying to pass it. Republican leaders tried to start the process last week, but seven Republicans joined nearly all Democrats in blocking a long-term extension after Pulte was appointed. (

Warner said Wednesday that the only way he’ll support a short-term extension of the surveillance law is if the principal deputy director of national intelligence, Aaron Lukas, is the acting leader during the duration of that extension.

Sen. Tom Cotton, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, have warned the administration that the spy tool is likely to lapse.

The administration should prepare “for a potential significant gap in foreign intelligence collection,” they wrote in a letter.

Trump doesn't back down on Pulte

After bipartisan pushback to Pulte’s temporary appointment, Trump said last week that he would not permanently nominate him to the position. But Democrats, and some Republicans, want his appointment pulled immediately and for Trump to nominate a replacement that can be confirmed by the Senate.

On Tuesday, though, Trump announced that Pulte would not only take over as acting director — he'd also start earlier than expected, on June 19.

And he stuck with Pulte on Wednesday, posting that he needed more time to find a permanent replacement and telling reporters that the agencies need to be downsized.

Both Republican and Democratic senators skeptical of Pulte have pointed to his lack of intelligence experience and also his record at the Federal Housing Finance Agency. In the position, the Trump loyalist has been linked with criminal referrals over allegations of mortgage fraud by public officials Trump sought to punish, including New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat; Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif.; and Lisa Cook, a board member of the Federal Reserve.

___

Associated Press reporters Joey Cappelletti and Kevin Freking contributed to this report.

Mikah “Vegas” Howell, 17, was injured Saturday in what the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is investigating as an “accidental shooting.”

On Wednesday, in a long Facebook post under a News4JAX story, his mother, Jessica Mcphee said the incident changed their lives forever and gave an update on her son’s condition.

“The bullet cannot be removed, and right now we do not know what the future holds. Every day is uncertain. Every hour is a waiting game. We are taking things one moment at a time, praying for healing, strength, and a miracle,” Mcphee wrote. “Our family is devastated, but we are standing strong beside him as he fights. We are asking our community for prayers, support, and help bringing awareness to the devastating impact of gun violence.”

In a Wednesday afternoon Facebook post, Mcphee said Howell had to be placed in a medically induced coma.

There are still unanswered questions about the incident.

News4JAX obtained the incident report, but it does not contain details about what happened, and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office did not hold a media briefing after Howell was found with a gunshot wound to his head. JSO has not released any additional information about the incident, and Mcphee is asking anyone with information to come forward “so our family can get answers and justice.”

Mcphee said Howell is a student in the Cambridge AICE Program with dreams of attending the University of Central Florida and becoming a Civil Engineer specializing in Urban Planning and Development and is intelligent, driven, and determined.

“But what makes Mikah truly special is his heart,” she wrote. “He has a way of making every person feel important, like they are the only person in the room. He is kind, loving, compassionate, and fearless.”

She thanked the community for its prayers and the nearly $7,000 that has been donated as of Wednesday.

Howell is one of two teens who were accidentally shot this week.

Another Jacksonville teen was in critical condition after suffering a gunshot wound to her head in an “accidental incident” early Monday morning, JSO said. Investigators said the suspect and the teen know each other and the incident “appears to be an accident.”

RELATED: Residents fear eviction as foreclosure lawsuits hit complexes tied to troubled landlord

The News4JAX I-Team found self-proclaimed billionaire Jarek Tadla was tied to that property and to more than a dozen other properties where JEA said a bill has not been paid, and has not been since October of 2025.

By May, JEA confirmed the company, Peoples’ Choice, owed $498,000 in unpaid bills.

Every attempt to get answers hit a wall — including multiple in-person visits to the property.

“Well, since October of last year, we’ve had 17 attempts at communication to try to resolve this issue. Nothing,” Myers Vasquez, a JEA spokesperson, said.

Vasquez said the scale of the problem is something JEA has never seen before.

" I’ve been here about two years now, but I’ve talked to coworkers who’ve been here much longer. This is the first time they’ve ever seen something this egregious — at this level — dealing with a multifamily commercial property," Vasquez said.

Buckets, unpaid bills, a policy change

It started at Arbor Oaks Apartments last September. When JEA cut water service over an unpaid bill, residents told Asebes they had no other option. I-Team Investigator John Asebes called JEA and was able to help get the water back on. It also pushed JEA to formalize a new policy: residents must be notified before water is ever shut off at a rental property.

“We would do flyers, we would try to do some kind of community engagement, and we would work with community partners and stakeholders… you can’t live without water,” Vasquez said.

Foreclosures, receivership make recovery an uphill battle

JEA said getting that $498,000 back won’t be simple. JEA said multiple of the properties connected to the company are going through receivership. Public records show 14 of the properties are facing foreclosure. JEA says pursuing the debt in court would likely mean going after the company’s LLC assets — a process the utility acknowledges would be an uphill legal battle.

“You ask yourself: is the juice worth the squeeze?” Vasquez said.

The property next door to Virginian Arms — Arbor Oaks Apartments is now managed by Legacy Family Communities which is linked to People’s Choice.

JEA said the new companies taking over any of the properties will start over with a fresh bill and fresh account.

$19 million in delinquent JEA accounts across Northeast Florida

The unpaid bills raised a bigger question: just how much money is JEA owed across its entire service area?

As of May 1, the answer is roughly $19 million. JEA reported approximately $4.7 million in delinquent commercial accounts — those 30 or more days past due — and about $14.3 million in delinquent residential accounts.

JEA said these are snapshot moments. JEA says nearly 75% of delinquent amounts are typically paid within 30 to 60 days across multiple billing cycles. Over the past year, the combined total fluctuated between $16 million and $30 million before settling near $19 million.

What happens when a bill goes unpaid

For renters in properties like those tied to the company — where tenants may pay electricity directly to JEA but pay water through their landlord — JEA says it won’t simply cut off service when a landlord falls behind, since tenants may be paying in good faith.

If anyone falls behind, Vasquez says the first step is a straightforward one.

“Call JEA,” Vasquez said.

For residential customers, JEA says electric service may be disconnected if a past-due balance goes unpaid after 49 days. If the balance is still unresolved, water service may be disconnected 10 days later. Accounts exceeding $5,000 may be sent to collections — something JEA says happened more than 21,000 times in 2025.

JEA said it wants to work with customers before it ever gets to that point.

“We ask that customers work with us to make sure they pay on time, or we can work something out with them — because, again, JEA wants to maintain that level of service for everyone,” Vasquez said.

Customers can find assistance resources and customer care contact numbers for both residential and commercial accounts.

You can call the residential customer care line at (904) 665-6000 or (800) 683-5542.

You can call customer care at (904) 665-6250.

Bell, who most recently served as president of the University of Alabama from 2015 to 2025, still needs approval from the Florida Board of Governors before he can officially take the role. That vote is expected at the board’s June 25 meeting.

“The Board of Trustees’ unanimous vote today is a resounding and undeniable show of support for Dr. Stuart Bell, who is exactly the right leader at the right time for the University of Florida,” said Mori Hosseini, UF Board of Trustees chair. “Dr. Bell’s vast experience, solid character and strong leadership ability will be critical in taking UF to the very highest ranks of U.S. higher education.”

Before leading Alabama, Bell served as provost and professor of engineering at Louisiana State University and as dean of the School of Engineering at the University of Kansas. His academic roots run deep in engineering — he’s widely recognized for research on natural gas and combustion engines and was inducted into the State of Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame in 2023.

He holds a doctorate in mechanical engineering and a bachelor’s degree in nuclear engineering, both from Texas A&M University, and is a member of several prestigious professional engineering organizations.

Bell says he’s ready to get to work.

“I am extremely honored and humbled by the Board of Trustees vote today, and I’m eager to join the Gator Nation and get to work,” Bell said in a news release. “The University of Florida is exceptional in every respect, and I know there’s no limit to what we can all accomplish together.”

Rahul Patel, Board of Trustees vice chair and chair of UF’s Presidential Search Committee, said Bell rose quickly to the top of a deep pool of candidates.

“I am grateful to the members of UF’s Presidential Search Advisory Committee for selecting Dr. Bell, who is eminently qualified to be UF’s 14th president,” Patel said. “I look forward to working with Dr. Bell as he guides the University of Florida to the next level.”

Bell was named the sole finalist on May 18 after UF’s 15-member Presidential Search Committee reviewed hundreds of candidates. He is expected to succeed Interim President Donald Landry, though an official start date has not been announced.

Speaking to fans and boosters at the Houston Touchdown Club, coach Joey McGuire acknowledged the “rage” surrounding the situation, with athletic directors across college football saying that the NCAA ban on players who gamble should remain sacrosanct and a court order won this week by Sorsby to restore his eligibility crossed a line that should never be crossed.

“For some reason, as a society, we’ve been OK with other things that happen and allowing players to play, and this has been the one thing that has united people, that they were against,” McGuire said. “It’s crazy because it’s not murder, it’s not beating somebody -- so there’s a lot of things that we’re working through. None of this is OK.”

Texas Tech officials canceled a news conference that was scheduled for before the luncheon. After his speech, McGuire said he'd only take questions from “Red Raider fans” and answered them for about 10 minutes.

According to court filingss earlier this year, Sorsby made thousands of impermissible bets on college and pro sports that were worth at least $90,000 while at Indiana, Cincinnati and Texas Tech. Those bets include the ones he made while a freshman with the Hoosiers in 2022, though none were on games in which he played. Sorsby sought the injunction against the NCAA in a lawsuit filed May 18, the same day Texas Tech ruled him ineligible, a necessary step before the school could pursue his reinstatement — an effort twice denied by the NCAA.

Three top Texas Tech leaders go on the offensive

Cody Campbell, the billionaire Texas Tech booster and chairman of its board of regents, issued a statement and so did athletic director Kirby Hocutt, who said he wanted to “offer a few facts that seem to be getting lost in the noise" and noting the school is not part of Sorsby's lawsuit against the NCAA.

“A young man in treatment for a clinically diagnosed addiction exercised his legal right to seek a remedy in court and a judge agreed with him,” Hocutt said. “Our role has been to support his recovery, not to engineer his eligibility.”

Under the court order, Sorsby will be suspended for the first two games of the season. The NCAA plans to appeal the ruling, with President Charlie Baker telling reporters in Las Vegas that the case illustrated “a new low” in college sports.

McGuire likened Sorsby recovering from his addiction to fellow Texas Tech quarterback Will Hammond’s recovery from knee surgery. Both he and Hocutt said Sorsby would be evaluated — “his recovery, compliance and readiness," the athletic director said — before he would be cleared to play in Week 3 against Houston on Sept. 18 in the team's Big 12 opener.

“I’ve sat down with this young man multiple times and the things that he is going through and what he’s been through, it’s serious," McGuire said. “And I have a number of people in my family that were addicted to different stuff and so I’ve seen what addiction does to people.”

Billionaire booster says boycotting Texas Tech could lead to legal action

Campbell, a key figure in helping Texas Tech land top players over the past two years, took a far more aggressive and defiant stance on a podcast appearance with Dan Dakich.

“As it stands right now, the kid is eligible, so we don’t have a whole lot of choice but to play him," he said. "Not only on a legal grounds, but ethically and morally. We told him we were going to back him up and support him, and Texas Tech does what it says it’s going to do and keeps the promises it makes.”

He also addressed reports that schools have been talking about boycotting Texas Tech in light of the ruling, suggesting that could lead to legal action.

“I love when the Big Ten or the K-State AD comes out and says we’ve all gotten together and we’ve talked about how we’re not going to play Tech, because guess what? That’s collusion,” he said. "That’s an antitrust violation. So have fun with that one, guys. You can’t do that.”

Hocutt also struck back at those who questioned what this does to the integrity of college football.

“The integrity of sport matters,” he said, “So does the integrity of how we treat a 22-year-old who sought help, entered residential treatment, and is working every day toward recovery. Those two things don’t have to be in conflict.”

McGuire was adamant that the most important thing in this story is supporting Sorsby in his “darkest times.”

“He’s the first person to tell you it was his fault,” McGuire said. “He chose to do this, but when you know anything about addiction, there’s a point that you choose it and then all of a sudden you don’t choose it anymore. There’s not something that you can do by yourself to get past where you’re at. So I wasn’t going to turn my back on him.”

McGuire added that Sorsby was “back in the building” after spending some time away from the facilities while he was dealing with his issues.

“Do I see a different person? I know it sounds crazy, but I do,” McGuire said. “I see a kid that feels like he’s got 1,000 pounds of weight lifted off of him. He’s made the statement that he feels like this is a moment that can actually change his life.”

Sorsby may soon explain himself to fans, critics

The coach also said that Sorsby wants to address fans of his new school.

“At some point soon, I would expect Red Raiders will hear from Brendan Sorsby because I think it’s really important,” McGuire said. “And I will tell you, he thinks it’s really important for him to get everybody to understand exactly where he’s at.”

The injunction comes with conditions that Sorsby must continue counseling for his gambling and to participate in peer support through Gamblers Anonymous or a similar group. He also must continue treatment to address “the underlying anxiety that served as the primary driver of (his) gambling behavior.”

McGuire said Sorsby is working through many things right now and provided more details on restrictions that will be put in place for the quarterback in his return. He said that there will be technology on any device he has “for us to know everything that’s going on.” Sorsby, who reportedly signed a multimillion-dollar deal to join the Red Raiders after two years at Cincinnati and two years at Indiana, will have a person that will account for “every single penny that he has.”

“The proper steps are in place to get for him to get to the point where we can get him playing,” McGuire said. “There’s a lot of stuff to go through.”

___

AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

In Florida, it’s also a time to reflect on the state’s path to emancipation. During a 30-minute News4JAX special on Thursday, “Tracing the Roots: The Story of Juneteenth” will explore untold stories that connect communities and inspire unity.

Click here for all Juneteenth coverage

We trace Florida’s road to emancipation, spotlight churches’ roles as beacons of hope, and highlight efforts to protect this powerful piece of the past for future generations.

You’ll meet a local tour guide turning education into action and a spoken word artist keeping the spirit of Juneteenth alive through his art.

Juneteenth continues to symbolize cultural pride, historical memory, and the ongoing struggle for equality — helping to shape a hopeful, more unified future.

Along with that celebration, we are spotlighting changemakers shaping Black history in the River City.

These are fresh faces making a difference through leadership, creativity and community impact.

Join us in celebrating them.

Myah Freeman

Myah Freeman launched Myah N Art LLC in 2015 while still in high school. What began with custom portraits has grown into a thriving business with a strong presence in public art. Her latest mural, at the corner of the historic Ritz Theatre and Museum in LaVilla, honors the neighborhood once known as the “Harlem of the South” and features leaders James Weldon Johnson, A. Philip Randolph and Zora Neale Hurston. Inspired by Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring, Freeman taught classes and painted portraits as a teen before shifting to large-scale murals; since graduating college she has turned her work into a career. Last summer she debuted her first solo exhibition, “Nostalgia,” featuring paintings reimagined from old family photographs, and she says her art centers Black stories so her community is seen, studied, celebrated and remembered.

Darrin Eakins

Darrin Eakins was recently named the 2026 Small Business Leader of the Year by the Jax Chamber. Eakins is the founder and owner of Jacksonville-based DuBlasé Whiskey, which he launched six years ago and now sells in multiple states and online. A Florida A&M graduate with a degree in construction engineering, he founded the DuBlasé Foundation, which donates a portion of sales to education in science, technology, engineering, arts and math and provides scholarships, camps and competitions. One standout program, the Minecraft Education Build Challenge, lets students across the region reimagine and design the future of Jacksonville and shares their ideas with educators, community leaders and city officials; Eakins says it’s about empowering the next generation and investing in his community.

Natasha Burton

Natasha Burton, a pastry chef and founder of Mixed Fillings Pie Shop in downtown Jacksonville, uses food, especially pie, to tell stories, preserve Black culinary heritage and bring people together. She leads Pie It Forward Florida, a community initiative that hosts events supporting children, families and local Black creatives, including the “Stories in Every Slice” series of youth baking workshops and public gatherings that blend food with service. Burton said food is more than nourishment; it’s memory, culture and connection, and she is using baking to create joy, build bridges and invest in the next generation in Jacksonville.

Dr. Shaun Powell

More to come throughout the month!

Asked about the new report that the consumer price index in May had jumped 4.2% over the last year, the president took a surprisingly optimistic tack with the challenging news. Trump didn't dismiss the affordability issue as a “hoax” that was started by Democrats, as he has done previously. Nor did he claim that he was bringing down the cost of living.

Instead, after the government said that inflation spiked to the highest level since April 2023, Trump praised the numbers.

“You know what I really love?" Trump said. "I love the inflation.”

It was an unexpected take given that voters ahead of the November midterm elections have ranked the economy as a top concern — and have given Trump low marks on that issue. Within minutes of his on-camera comment, Democrats quickly rushed to promote it on social media.

Trump had pledged in his 2024 campaign to quickly vanquish inflation, but his argument now is that higher prices are solely a function of the Iran war raising energy costs. On Wednesday, he claimed that relief is already on its way because of a secret military operation that had ferried what he said was 100 million barrels of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, the primary shipping channel for 20% of the world’s global oil supply that has been effectively closed by the war since late February.

“Trump really said, ‘I love the inflation.’ On camera. For all of America to hear,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer quickly posted on X. “His contempt for you knows no bounds.”

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said on X that with Trump's stated love of inflation, "We finally found something that Donald Trump loves as much as he loves himself."

Rep. Emilia Sykes, D-Ohio, quickly pressed Energy Secretary Chris Wright at a hearing about whether he, too, loved inflation.

“Do you love inflation?” Sykes asked.

“I love ending Iran’s ability to have a nuclear weapon,” Wright answered. He only conceded after being pressed: “No, I would prefer lower inflation.”

When asked about Trump's specific comments, Wright said, “He's an entertaining, hyperbolic guy who's done tremendous leadership.”

Trump claimed the secretive shipments were why oil prices had fallen below $90 a barrel, after surpassing $110 at the start of April.

“I'm just announcing today for the first time, but we’ve been taking out millions of barrels of oil, millions of barrels every night,” Trump said.

On social media, the president said the mission began last month and had “resulted in more than 100 MILLION Barrels of Oil making its way through the Strait, and into the Open Market. More than 200 Commercial Ships have safely traveled through the Strait.” There was no immediate data available to back up that total, and it was not immediately clear what role the U.S. military had played.

To put that figure into context, a daily average of 20 million barrels of oil had gone through the strait before the war, which would mean that Trump's mission had resulted in the equivalent of five days' worth of normal oil shipments.

Responding to the new inflation report, the White House pointed out that some expenses had dropped in May relative to the previous month: the price of new vehicles, prescription drugs and auto insurance, for example. But when the overall inflation number is paired with the change in hourly wages, there is a bleak sign that people's spending power relative to their earnings has declined.

“President Trump has consistently maintained that oil and gas prices — and thus overall inflation — will plummet once the Iran situation is resolved, and the administration will continue pushing our affordability agenda to enable Americans to keep more of their hard-earned money,” White House spokesman Kush Desai said in an email.

But the financial markets were cautious about Trump's claims that he was lowering prices by getting oil tankers through the strait — claims that came as the United States also launched airstrikes against Iran, and as Tehran fired back at countries in the region.

U.S. crude oil futures climbed roughly 4% on Wednesday, closing at nearly $92 a barrel.

Black Music Month traces its roots to 1979, when President Jimmy Carter designated June as a time to honor the cultural, historical and artistic impact of Black musicians on American music.

“Behind the Board” is News4JAX’s newest original series featuring Jacksonville music innovators — from producers and engineers to musicians and rising artists shaping the city’s sound and culture.

Each week, “Behind the Board” goes beyond the music, taking viewers inside the creative process while sharing the personal journeys behind the sound.

The series explores how Jacksonville’s culture, communities and musical legacy continue to influence artists across multiple genres and inspire the next generation of talent.

From the studio to center stage, the series showcases the River City’s growing influence on the soundtrack of today and the artists driving Jacksonville’s music scene forward.

Every Monday at 9 a.m. starting June 1, the following artists will be featured in this order on “Behind the Board”:

• André Troutman: Serves as music director for rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, for his current stadium tour. His collaborations on Ye’s Bully earned him his first two entries on the Billboard Hot 100. Troutman is also carrying on the legacy of his cousin, Roger Troutman, of the legendary funk band Zapp & Roger, by incorporating futuristic vocals through the talk box.
• Dwayne Richardson II: Professionally known as D Rich, the Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum producer stands out with his horn-driven sound and instrumentation, leading to Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard 200 projects for artists like Future and Metro Boomin. Other credits include Rick Ross’ “Box Chevy,” which was filmed in Downtown Jacksonville, and Jeezy’s chart-topping his “All There,” featuring the late Bankroll Fresh.
• Jahaan Sweet: The Grammy Award-winning, Billboard chart-topping producer, songwriter, and pianist’s unique sound has landed him collaborations with artists like Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Drake, Kendrick Lamar, and Travis Scott. Sweet was recently honored with a spot on the Jacksonville Riverfront Music Garden Walk of Fame.
• Darien Bankhead: The producer and artist known as Boyband has built a genre-blending sound that fuses hip-hop, alternative, and electronic music. In 2020, he earned his first Grammy nomination for Album of the Year for his work on Lil Nas X’s 7.
• Bobby Wintons Jr.: Known as Bob On Keys, Wintons was born in Apalachicola, Florida, before moving to Jacksonville, where he got his start as a jazz and church musician. The Billboard-charting producer has worked alongside artists like Future, Boston Richey, Nardo Wick and serves as music director for Yung Bleu. He’s also toured internationally in Jeju Island, South Korea, Cancun, Mexico, and the Bahamas.

He said that growing up, music was all around him.

“I knew all the jingles on TV, every commercial, every radio song that came on, I was singing to all of them, sometimes to my detriment in school,” Troutman said of his earliest memories.

Watch the full interview below.

He sang in his elementary school choir for a treat in the holiday concert, but he learned he liked singing.

“I went for the popsicles and stayed for the singing,” Troutman said. “But that was my first time ever in any organized singing.”

Troutman, an arranger, producer, singer and composer who studied vocal performance at Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, said he decided to pursue music as a career early.

When he was in middle school, his uncle Darryl Hall had a summer camp called 100 Youth Voices State Aurora Performing Arts Camp, which he said was his first introduction to performing arts.

“It gave me the exposure to all of those arts areas, things that I had just been doing on my own at home and I used to pretend like I knew how to sing opera, not knowing that I would literally end up getting a full scholarship for singing classical music,” Troutman said. “I like doing this and I can get paid doing it on Broadway and back then I’m like, ‘wait, you get paid to do this? I was like, ‘Oh, I could do this. I want to do this for the rest of my life.’”

He described a turning point during a church service in Jacksonville that pushed him to relocate to Los Angeles. In high school, he visited his Uncle Mike, who lived there. He did a few things on TV with BET, but he found himself wanting more while he was playing the keys at Central Baptist in Jacksonville.

“God was like, ‘Yes, I have to go,’…I was like, I was like, right now I’m in the middle of offering. I’m in the middle of playing right now. It’s like, yes, it’s time to go…He said to me, ‘You’re a big fish in a small pond, and I need to expand you globally.’”

So he headed to Los Angeles with no real plan, only knowing his uncle Mike.

‘How do you do that?’: The talkbox family legacy

Troutman is a relative of Roger Troutman of the 1980s funk band Zapp & Roger and has embraced the talkbox that helped define that sound.

The talkbox is a device that is connected to an instrument, usually a keyboard. The device directs sound from the instrument into the user’s mouth through a plastic tube adjacent to a vocal microphone. The musician controls the instrument’s sound by changing the shape of their mouth, vocalizing the instrument’s output into a microphone.

Zapp & Roger popularized the talkbox through hit songs like “Computer Love” and “I Heard It Through the Grapevine.” They also influenced the West Coast hip-hop scene with their songs being sampled.

André Troutman said he first became serious about the instrument after hearing his cousin Rufus use it in the Sunday service during their family reunion in Ohio.

“After the end of service going up, and I was like, how do you do that?” Troutman said. “I went and bought one. I went to Guitar Center and went bought one. And I knew that I wanted to play it on keytar because I wanted to be cool.” He described the learning curve with a laugh: “A lot of practice, a lot of weird faces, and a lot of bad notes.”

Troutman describes himself as a singer first and at the time, he was heavily in gospel music. He was trying to figure out how to integrate the talkbox into what he already does.

“I felt a definite inherent responsibility to honor the shoulders on which I stand, and do it to my absolute best ability,” he said. “When people did start holding me in the same sentence as Roger and Zapp, it was a huge responsibility for me that I took with honor and humility...”

He acknowledged the doors that playing the talkbox has opened for him.

‘That was everything to me’: Working with Kanye West

Troutman said he began working with West in March 2025, initially helping with music and production for live shows.

“Literally just coming along, to help in the area of music and production,” he said. “It’s a beautiful thing working with him because he’s such a universally creative person, incredibly wise in how he formulates things...it’s like a vortex of just pure energy.”

That collaboration grew into a larger role orchestrating music for West’s stadium tour and contributing to “Bully.”

“All the Love happened. It was just a very incredibly organic. And I feel like very organic and very God move how it was, was all orchestrated and it just flowed,” Troutman said.

Performing the song for stadium audiences, he added, has been “mind-blowing.”

Troutman said having his name on “Bully” was deeply meaningful after years of working as an independent musician.

“To be able to Google me and just see my name next to something that I created, that mattered that much to me. That was everything to me,” he said, noting how important the credit would be for his mother and daughters to see.

His family and the world can see that he earned his first two entries on the Billboard Hot 100 list with “All the Love” and “White Lines.” He said the recognition meant everything to him.

“I remember the night that I reached out to him and expressed how important it was for my name to be on this,” he said.

He said of the live show at So-Fi Stadium in Los Angeles that he hadn’t really had a chance to sit and take in the magnitude of the performance because it’s happened so fast and they’re gearing up to continue the stadium tour, including a performance on June 26 in Tampa.

“It’s a story I couldn’t have written,” Troutman said. “It’s really hard for me to put into words...”

It’s an immense accomplishment for an independent artist from Jacksonville who’s never signed a record deal.

‘Build with the people next to you’: Advice for Jacksonville artists

Troutman urged young creatives to build with peers in their own community.

“Instead of reaching up to this impossible build with the people next to you,” he said. “The world will come and find you and they will hear you make a noise when you build.”

He said the collective community that you create will elevate you to the next level, not the people who may be out of your reach.

He pointed to a network of Jacksonville artists — many who attended Douglas Anderson — who have supported one another.

“I call my friends first, and then we build and grow up together,” he said.

‘We are a diamond’: Jacksonville’s arts growth

Troutman praised recent civic investments such as the Riverfront Music Garden and the Jacksonville Walk of Fame, calling them the realization of long-held dreams.

“This is a manifestation of dreams and conversations we had 10, 15 years ago,” he said. “It takes money to create art. And it takes money to be sustainable. And there’s seeds. I look at it as investments.”

While he isn’t featured on the Walk of Fame (yet), he urged continued investment and communication to help the city’s creative economy grow.

“We have a plan to do that with Jacksonville. We have as many accolades as any other city. We are a diamond,” he said.

‘Behind the board, I am...’

“Behind the board, I am The Oracle,” he said. “My gift is being able to see beyond what people see. Cannot hear sometimes beyond what people hear. Vision and connectivity. I can see it oftentimes. I can see the tree when it’s still the seed. I can pull people together and pull the best out of people, and really guide the energy.”

Troutman’s rise from performance arts in Jacksonville to stadium stages and the Billboard charts reflects a mix of craft, community and persistence — and a commitment to honoring the musical lineage that shaped his sound.

Watch the full interview with Richardson below.

He was a high school football player with a dream tucked into the liner notes of CDs his father bought — he wanted to see “Produced by” next to his name.

Richardson, professionally known as D Rich, taught himself how to make beats in a digital audio workspace program called FruityLoops through hours of repetition and let some of his neighborhood friends listen.

His friends recognized his talent and suggested he start selling them.

“They’d always be like, ‘man, take some of your beats to school, let them dudes hear it, and they’ll buy some beats,’ and they would buy them $100 a pop and it was selling,” Richardson said.

He was a football player at Lee High School and Nathan Bedford Forest and many of the other guys at the school were rappers too. While football was his true passion, he gained confidence in his music production talent.

“I knew I had something...so I stayed on the field and once football didn’t work out, I was like, you know what, man, I’m gonna give this music thing a try, and it worked out,” Richardson said. “I knew I had a talent because people loved it.”

It was so special that in the era of custom voicemail messages on phones, his classmates would call him and tell him not to answer just so they could hear the song and him rapping on it.

‘It unfolded like a miracle’: Taking a risk

He used to post his beats on his MySpace social media page. There was a rap producer based in Atlanta named Shawty Redd, who worked with the heavy hitters at the time. Richardson said he sent him a message to look at his beats.

“He checked it out instantly and shot me a text and shot me his number and I called him,” Richardson said. “It unfolded like a miracle.”

This led him to take what he called the biggest risk of his life. He had just got a job at a Publix Warehouse, which wasn’t easy to get into at the time.

“I had a song with Jeezy called ‘Who Dat,’ I was already signed to Shawty Redd, but the song came out and I was still in Jacksonville working, but I never told anybody,” Richardson said.

His coworkers would be listening to the song on their stereos while working.

“I had it in my mind that I can’t tell nobody that I made this song because nobody will believe me,” he said.

He went into work like any other day, but something felt different.

“I just looked at the manager’s office, I looked back at everybody else and I just walked out,” Richardson said. “It’s like something came over me and say ‘this ain’t for you, you’ve got something else to do,’ and my mom took me to the airport with a book bag, got a standby pass with AirTran for $60 and I flew to Atlanta just like that.”

He said he’d rather take that risk and move in with Shawty Redd and be okay with it not working out.

“I couldn’t live my life knowing that I had a chance to do something,” Richardson said.

‘Jacksonville is the sound of my music’

While Atlanta is roughly a five-hour drive up the interstate from Jacksonville, Richardson was sure to carry the influences of his home city with him.

“I feel like Jacksonville is the sound of my music,” he said. “The horns, from playing high school football, the battle of the bands, my music has a lot of horns in it and I feel like the horns from the band is what’s known as my sound.”

He said Jacksonville rap fans listen to fast, high-energy music, which represents the toughness of its residents.

“My beats kind of had a umph and I definitely credit it to Jacksonville," he said.

That umph led him to many awards and to work with many of hip-hop’s biggest names. He said his collaboration with Future and Metro Boomin on the mega-popular song ‘Type S***’ was a defining moment in his career.

“I was 17 years in at the time so most people really don’t have a career that long or their biggest song doesn’t come that long into their career,” he said. “That was a big moment for me and I was accepted by a lot of my peers...[Future and Metro Boomin] love working with me.”

Another significant moment is when Rick Ross shot the “Box Chevy” video in Jacksonville in 2013, shutting down parts of Main Street and the Florida Theatre and bringing visibility to the city.

Richardson produced a beat for Ross that never came out, but Ross eventually released a song that sounded similar to one that Richardson made.

“I expressed that instead of being quiet and in my feelings, they were like, ‘send us some more beats and we can make that right,’ and I sent some beats; then they sent me ‘Box Chevy,’” he said. “It’s still a classic today to me.”

He gave his top five favorite songs that he’s produced in his career:

“All There” by Jeezy feat. Bankroll Fresh

“Who Dat” by Jeezy because it “changed his life.”

”Supafreak" by Jeezy feat. 2 Chainz

“Type S***” by Future and Metro Boomin

Bankroll Fresh the person and artist, who passed away in 2016.

“[Bankroll Fresh] was an artist that I started with out of the streets with nothing going on, no backing, just two guys independently coming together,” he said.

‘I just want to see guys win’: Paying it forward

But with all the accolades and career highlight moments, Richardson stays humble and focuses on what’s next.

“I’m big on longevity, discipline, consistency and I think with some factors, you can’t gloat too much over one layer, you gotta keep going,” he said.

Now running his company Rich Territory, Richardson said he’s focused on paying it forward. He’s mentoring younger producers aged 19 and 21 years old, and using his industry relationships to place their beats with major artists, sometimes putting his own name on the work to open doors for them.

“I just want to see guys win,” he said. “God blessed me with the opportunity, and I just kind of want to let God use me to help others.”

‘Behind the board, I am...’

“Dwayne Richardson, the humble,” he said, staying aligned with the down-to-earth attitude that’s carried him so far. “Just a regular guy from Jacksonville, Florida, went to Lee High, Nathan Bedford Forest, John Love Elementary.”

Richardson said he is grateful for the support Jacksonville has shown him through the years. He said there are times when he would go to a Jaguars game and hear his songs played.

“I appreciate all the support,” he said. “It’s in the air, it’s in the frequency. I’ve got some new stuff with Metro Boomin coming up, got a lot of new stuff with Future, y’all get ready.”

Infantino spoke with reporters during a rare question-and-answer session on the eve of the opening match of an expanded 48-nation, 104-game World Cup tournament. He defended record ticket prices, said FIFA was powerless to get the U.S. government to admit a Somali referee, and praised his ability to get Iran's national soccer team into the United States.

FIFA priced tickets starting at $140 for group-stage games, but regular seats for the July 19 final outside New York were listed at up to $8,680 and hospitality seats at up to $73,200. It raised prices for the final to $10,990 and then $32,970.

After much criticism, FIFA offered $60 tickets to national federations for their regular supporters. Infantino said 130,000 tickets were offered in that category.

Four years ago at the tournament in Qatar, prices ranged from $69 to $1,607.

“If you sell it at a lower price point,” he said, “in this particular market it would have gone — which is perfectly legal in this country ... in secondary markets at much, much, much higher prices and where would the money go then? Well, to those who organize secondary markets or black market activities and not to football.”

Infantino said the average ticket price was below $500 for the tournament and was comparable to other U.S. sports during their playoffs, a claim that while true for resale prices does not appear to be accurate for list prices. Major League Baseball's average World Series ticket price has been $350 to $400 in recent years and NFL prices last season averaged $230 for the wild-card round, $320 for divisional games, $450 for conference championships and $3,300 for the Super Bowl.

Infantino said he was unconcerned about ticket probes by attorneys general in California, New Jersey, New York and Texas.

“When it comes to these legal investigations or complaints that were made in some states in the U.S.,” he said, "we are very relaxed about it because before starting to sell 6 and a half or 7 million tickets we check what we do with the best lawyers, with the best experts. If we do something wrong, then probably everyone selling tickets in North America is doing something wrong, as well.”

Infantino pointed to the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs as an example of how other major American sporting events are experiencing a similar surge in prices.

The get-in price on FIFA's resale site for the World Cup final is $9,805. The NBA Finals have had wildly varied get-in prices, ranging from a minimum of about $500 for the first two games in San Antonio to about $10,000 for Game 3 in New York. Game 4 in New York was much less, dropping to about $4,000 on Wednesday.

The Stanley Cup Final this year between teams in Las Vegas and Raleigh, North Carolina, has included a get-in price of at least $600 for each of the first four games of the best-of-seven series.

“We welcome every investigation,” Infantino said. “We are happy to present everything, and we are happy to make our case.”

Infantino says FIFA is powerless to get US entry for denied Somali referee

Infantino said it was unfortunate Somali referee Omar Artan was denied entry to the U.S.

“We don’t control everything. We try. We’ll discuss, we will speak, we’ll see. Maybe sometimes it’s good as well to just chill, relax,” he said. “We try to solve everything. Sometimes to immediately start screaming and shouting has the opposite effect of finding a solution. Believe me when I tell you, or don’t believe me if you don’t want, but we try always to find solutions, always. But then we need to respect that we are not the kings of the world who can rule over governments and police forces.”

Set to become the first Somali referee at a World Cup, Artan was denied entry to the U.S. at Miami International Airport on Saturday over unspecified “vetting concerns,” U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement, without giving details of the concerns.

“Our world is a very aggressive world and security goes above everything and you need to respect the decisions which are taken," Infantino said. “We are working behind the scenes.”

Infantino thinks FIFA deserves credit for ensuring Iran’s participation

Infantino praised FIFA for working through details that allow Iran to play in the tournament at a time the U.S. is at war with that country. The Iranian team moved its training camp from the U.S. to Mexico and will fly to the United States just before matches.

“I think it has already been successful to bring Iran to play in America," he said. “I don’t know who would have managed to do that. And of course everyone here believes it’s the right thing to do. But, again, we don’t live on the moon. We live on planet Earth and you have to deal with different situations.”

Infantino claimed the tournament will be “the biggest event probably in the history of mankind.”

Infantino claims tournament could not have taken place without Donald Trump

“Without his engagement and his involvement I think it would have been impossible — as simple as that, it would’ve been impossible to organize a World Cup in the United States,” Infantino said. “He understood immediately the magnitude of the World Cup, the impact of the World Cup.”

Infantino says FIFA could make far more money with more broadcast sales to pay services

FIFA is projecting $11 billion in revenue for the tournament, and Infantino said the governing body could have generated far more.

“We could put everything on pay. We would generate $30 billion revenues, probably," he said. "But then you have billions of people in the world who would not be able to watch the World Cup.”

This news conference went smoother than Infantino’s opening comments in Qatar

Four years ago, Infantino scolded critics during a news conference ahead of the opening match in Qatar. He lectured Europeans for criticizing Qatar’s human rights record during a bizarre appearance in which he claimed to feel gay, like a woman and a migrant worker, among other odd claims.

Now 56, Infantino has been FIFA president since 2016 and intends to seek another term next year that runs through 2031.

Infantino kept an empty seat at the news conference for Christophe Gleizes, a French freelance reporter given a seven-year prison sentence in Algeria last year over an interview with a soccer official accused of ties to a banned separatist movement.

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AP Sports Writer Ronald Blum in New York contributed to this report.

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

Alongside new policy proposals from the maker of the Claude chatbot, Anthropic CEO and co-founder Dario Amodei published an essay on his personal website that expanded on his position that the government should promise economic support for those financially impacted by AI. The technology could produce much larger disruptions to the labor market than previous technological advancements, Amodei wrote, and those disruptions could last longer.

“The key challenge in such a world won’t be incentivizing growth, but finding a way for everyone to share in the benefits,” Amodei wrote.

The announcement comes on the heels of Anthropic rival OpenAI on Monday outlining goals that included ensuring gains from the technology are “widely shared.” OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently met with Sen. Bernie Sanders to discuss a plan for the public to take an ownership stake in artificial intelligence companies like OpenAI, using their stock to create a public wealth fund that would spread the fortune generated by AI behemoths.

In the Oval Office on Wednesday, President Donald Trump told reporters that he will soon meet with executives from several leading AI companies to discuss “giving back” to the public.

"We’re talking about giving back ​something to the public, and if we do that, the ⁠public will become very rich,” Trump said. “I think they’ll do that, and I think it’ll make ​it very popular.”

In his essay, Amodei said he has warned of job displacement not because he is “trying to be a ‘prophet of doom’” but because he wants “both policymakers and the private sector to have the best chance to adapt and respond.” He proposed better data collection to track AI job displacement, pro-employment policy incentives to slow or reduce displacement and “mechanisms such as universal basic income” if job displacement more permanently drives down labor demand.

That universal basic income could be financed through taxes on "relevant companies” or by raising the capital gains tax, Amodei wrote.

Scant details were available Wednesday about the $200 million commitment from Anthropic, but the company said it will go to what it calls an Economic Futures Research Fund that will back research trials and “program evaluation” on public policies it deems promising. The company is also establishing a $150 million national fellowship program it says will help early-career professionals “extend the benefits of AI to communities across America.”

Anthropic and OpenAI each recently announced they were moving toward initial public offerings of shares, following Elon Musk’s rocket company SpaceX, which is pitching itself as an AI-focused space company as it prepares to go public.

The economic policy framework Anthropic proposed Wednesday set recommendations for how the U.S. government could respond to three levels of economic disruption caused by AI: one in which the national unemployment rate reaches 5%, 10% and an unspecified, “unprecedented” level. The latest unemployment rate, reported last week, was 4.3%.

In the “unprecedented” scenario, the company wrote that more permanent support will be necessary, and it listed several ways to generate and share revenue broadly, including basic income, sovereign wealth models and equity-sharing mechanisms. This would be “novel economic territory,” the company wrote.

The company's proposals also outlined several suggestions for mitigating safety and security risks. Anthropic is known for its emphasis on safety and building reliable, “steerable” AI systems, with Amodei and its co-founders splitting off from OpenAI to form the new company in 2021.

The proposals add that the government should be able to “block or deter” the rollout of AI models that “pose a significant risk of catastrophic harms.”

Amodei wrote that AI regulations should match the rigor of Federal Aviation Administration regulations in that AI models would be required to go through technical testing and auditing like airplanes. They wouldn’t be released if they didn’t meet high safety standards.

Last week, Trump signed an executive order on AI oversight that established a framework for the government to vet the national security risks of the most advanced AI systems for up to a month before their public release.

Amodei added existing regulations for aircraft, automobiles and drugs should serve as models for regulating AI. They are all “powerful technologies essential to the modern economy,” he wrote, “but capable of killing large numbers of people if designed or operated poorly.”

The amendment would tighten existing restrictions in the Southern Baptist Convention, which already has a faith statement opposing women pastors.

The vote was 6,028 to 2,026 — a 3-to-1 margin — which easily exceeded the required two-thirds majority. It will require a similar two-thirds vote at next year's meeting to become part of the constitution.

The two-day meeting concluded Wednesday after bringing more than 11,000 delegates, or messengers, to a cavernous convention center in Orlando, Florida.

Typical of the SBC’s annual meetings, the gathering carries the feel of a town hall with a cast of thousands. It mixes worship and sermons with numerous motions and resolutions governed by parliamentary procedure, where the sacred and the arcane are debated with equal fervor. A debate Wednesday over the location of a future SBC annual meeting took longer than the debate over women pastors.

Albert Mohler, who sponsored the amendment on women pastors, said it addressed a defining issue.

“This is an opportunity for Southern Baptists to speak in truth, in unity, in conviction,” said Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.

“There’s a great line that divides liberal and biblical evangelicalism, and you can see it on this very issue,” he said. “The trajectory of liberal denominations is clear.”

There was only brief debate — and none of it contained support for women pastors.

The sole opposition came from South Carolina pastor Doug Mize. He said the measure wasn’t necessary because the denomination already has a mechanism to expel churches with women in senior pastoral positions, and it’s done so multiple times.

“What we have already works,” he said.

Southern Baptist leaders cite biblical passages that limit pastors to men. Advocates for women’s ministry cite biblical passages that proclaim men and women as equal under God and where women are called to proclaim the gospel.

Southern Baptists can expel churches

While the SBC can't tell its self-governing churches what to do, it does have the power to expel churches from convention membership, declaring them not in “friendly cooperation.”

There’s already wide agreement within the denomination that its belief statement — the Baptist Faith and Message — rejects the appointment of women as senior pastors who lead churches. Debate has persisted regarding churches with women serving in assistant pastoral or preaching roles.

“We need constitutional clarity on this issue,” Mohler said. He had a lead role in drafting the Baptist Faith and Message, which passed in 2000.

The amendment's language requires the exclusion of any church that acts “to affirm, appoint, or endorse a woman serving in the office or function of a pastor/elder/overseer, specifically preaching to the assembled congregation.”

Churches were removed in recent years for having women pastors

In the previous three annual meetings, a majority of representatives voted to amend the SBC constitution to ban churches with women in any pastoral role. But only in one of those years did the measure get the needed two-thirds supermajority, so the matter languished.

The denomination has expelled churches with women in senior pastoral roles, including the large Saddleback Church of California, on the grounds of an existing clause in the constitution barring churches whose “faith and practice” was out of harmony with the denomination’s.

The SBC debate stands in stark contrast to the practices of numerous historic, more liberal Protestant denominations, which ordain women and have opened their highest offices to them. Practices vary widely in conservative, evangelical denominations — particularly in Pentecostal and charismatic circles, where prominent women pastors include Paula White-Cain, head of President Donald Trump’s White House Faith Office.

But other, more conservative Protestant groups do not ordain women as clergy. And the Catholic and Orthodox churches — the world’s two largest Christian communions — ordain only men to the priesthood.

Some Baptists disagree on women's roles

The organization Baptist Women in Ministry, which works with female ministers in various Baptist denominations, issued a statement lamenting the vote.

“We express our solidarity with the women in ministry who have been harmed by this vote, the hateful rhetoric and propaganda leading up to the vote, and the damaging theology the vote represents,” it said. “Women in ministry deserve affirmation, respect, and the opportunity to follow God’s call. We are heartbroken that they have been denied those fundamental freedoms in the process of this vote.”

Baptists say the Bible places high value on both men and women as created in the image of God while assigning them different roles in churches and homes. The Baptist Faith and Message not only asserts a male-only office of pastor but also the “servant leadership” of husbands over wives.

“I realize that in our egalitarian society, that runs against the grain,” Mohler said afterward. But he said Southern Baptists have a “pricelessly high view of the role of women and even the necessity of the gifts and contribution and work of women in every sphere of life.”

Resolutions passed on immigration and political violence

Later Wednesday, SBC messengers approved a resolutions denouncing political violence and hateful speech. They approved another that called for humane treatment of immigrants while affirming the legitimacy of immigration enforcement and rejecting nativistic and dehumanizing rhetoric.

They also approved a resolution denouncing antisemitic violence and conspiracy theories, notably those arising during Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza.

At the same time, the resolution affirms Southern Baptists’ hope for Jews’ conversion to Christianity. In 1996, an SBC resolution called for the evangelization of Jews, prompting major Jewish leaders to call it a setback for interfaith relations.

On Tuesday, delegates elected Florida pastor Willy Rice to be its next president. He won 58% of the votes over South Carolina pastor Josh Powell.

Rice supported the amendment barring churches with women pastors, as did Powell and the SBC's departing president, Clint Pressley.

Rice, senior pastor of Calvary Church in Clearwater, drew support from advocacy groups such as the Center for Baptist Leadership, which have argued SBC leadership has gone “woke” on issues ranging from race to gender to immigration.

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

By now, you have seen the clickbait headlines of “something brewing in the Tropics.” Before you start packing your bug-out bag and checking your hurricane kits, let’s get past the headlines and get to the facts.

Here is the current update as of 2 p.m. Wednesday from the National Hurricane Center for the North Atlantic, Caribbean and the Gulf.

“Bay of Campeche: A broad area of low pressure could form over the Bay of Campeche late this week from a westward-moving tropical wave. Conditions

are not expected to be favorable for significant development, and the system should move inland over eastern Mexico late this weekend.

Formation chance through 48 hours...low...near 0 percent. Formation chance through 7 days...low...10 percent."

The key points here are the low chances of development over the next 7 days. Something else to look for is the description of the potential low. In this case, it is a weak wave that could become a broad area of low pressure.

If we put a 10 percent chance on every tropical wave or the potential of a low-pressure area, this is going to be a long season.

Further information can be found in the Tropical Weather Discussion on the National Hurricane Center’s homepage.

Under the update for the Gulf, you will find a deeper explanation.

“For the forecast, a modest surface ridge will continue to support gentle to moderate E to SE winds over the eastern and north-central Gulf into early next week.

A trough or weak low pressure center may emerge from the Yucatan Peninsula into the Bay of Campeche on Thu night and then track slowly northwestward through the weekend. It will enhance the gradient with the surface ridge, causing fresh to strong SE winds across the south-central and northwestward Gulf. It will also trigger scattered to numerous thunderstorms and rough seas across the west-central Gulf into Sun."

Let’s take it line by line. In the first sentence, a modest surface ridge will continue to support gentle to moderate E to SE winds. This means an area of high pressure at the surface is bringing southeasterly winds.

In sentence number two, more details emerge. “A trough or weak low-pressure center may emerge from the Yucatan Peninsula into the Bay of Campeche on Thursday night.” This means that, as of now, there isn’t a low-pressure area, but one may develop on Thursday. The sentence continues, “then track slowly northwestward through the weekend.” This means the possible area will move northwest, over land and across Mexico. The land interaction will bring weaker chances of further development.

Bottom line, between AI stories and those looking for Likes and Clicks, look past the headlines and get to the facts. Take the time to check the models and read the Tropical Forecast Discussions.

If you don’t have time for that, you can always get the latest from the Weather Authority on our Weather Authority App.

Victoria Mboko, the American star's doubles partner, retired from her singles match against Karolina Pliskova on Wednesday after sustaining a knee injury in the second set.

Williams and Mboko had won their opening doubles match Tuesday — in the 44-year-old Williams' return to professional tennis after nearly four years away from the sport — and are scheduled to play again Thursday.

As of Wednesday night, Mboko and Williams remained on Thursday's schedule to face Leylah Fernandez and Laura Siegemund in the quarterfinals. It's set to be the last match of the day at the HSBC Championships.

While trying to return a shot against Pliskova, the 19-year-old Canadian slipped behind the baseline and immediately grabbed her left knee. Mboko had lost the first set 6-2 and was up 4-3 in the second against the 2021 Wimbledon runner-up, who was facing a break point.

Mboko got up on her own but then told a physiotherapist there was “no stability right now."

She walked gingerly to her bench and put a towel to her face as she sat down. Minutes later, she retired from the match.

Williams had previously announced that she will also play doubles at the Berlin Open next week.

On Tuesday, Williams and Mboko beat third-seeded duo Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Erin Routliffe 7-6 (2), 6-2 in Williams’ first professional match since the 2022 U.S. Open.

Mboko is ranked No. 9 in singles.

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

The kingdom slapped a ban on Lebanese fruits and vegetables in 2021, saying they were being used to smuggle drugs. In one notable case, Saudi Arabia announced it had seized over 5 million pills of the amphetamine drug Captagon hidden in a shipment of pomegranates coming from Lebanon.

Months later, the wealthy Gulf country extended the ban to all Lebanese products after Lebanon's then- Information Minister George Kordahi publicly criticized Saudi Arabia's war against Iran-backed rebels in Yemen.

At the root of the diplomatic crisis was Saudi Arabia's regional rivalry with Iran and its displeasure with the influence of the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon. The ban came at a time when Lebanon's economy was already reeling from a major financial crisis and the collapse of its currency.

Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry said in a statement Wednesday that the reversal of the ban at the order of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman came as a result of “positive steps taken by the Lebanese state.”

It did not specify what those steps were, but over the past year, the Lebanese government has announced plans to disarm all non-state groups, including Hezbollah. Before the outbreak of the latest Israel-Hezbollah war, the Lebanese army had made progress on implementing the plan in southern Lebanon.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in a statement thanked bin Salman for the decision, which he said “will contribute tangibly to reviving the national economy and providing support to broad segments of Lebanese producers and exporters.”

The current government of Lebanon, which came to power last year with promises of reform, has sought to rebuild ties with the Gulf countries. Before the outbreak of the latest war, Lebanese officials were courting Gulf tourists to return to the country in hopes of reviving the economy, and some Gulf countries had lifted travel bans preventing their citizens from visiting Lebanon.

Consumer prices rose 4.2% in May from a year earlier, the Labor Department said Wednesday, up from 3.8% in April and the third straight monthly increase. On a monthly basis, prices rose 0.5% last month, after big gains of 0.6% in April and 0.9% in March.

Prices have now risen faster than wages for several months, pressuring many Americans' finances and causing consumers to take a decidedly dim view of the economy. Families are dipping into savings to maintain their spending, and more people are falling behind on their credit card bills. Large retailers say they have also noticed changes in customer behavior, like buying smaller amounts of gas during visits to the pump.

Inflation is now well above the Federal Reserve's 2% target, which it has surpassed for more than five years. New Fed chair Kevin Warsh will preside over his first policy meeting next week, when the central bank is expected to keep its key interest rate unchanged. But the Fed is also likely to change the statement it issues after each meeting to remove a suggestion that its next move could be to lower rates. With inflation proving stubborn, financial markets expect the Fed could instead raise rates by the end of the year.

When the Fed lifts rates, over time it can make mortgages, auto loans, and business borrowing more expensive.

Outside energy costs, price increases last month were not as dramatic, a sign that sharply higher inflation hasn't yet spread throughout the economy. Should the Iran war end and oil and gas prices decline, headline inflation could begin to cool. Gas prices have fallen this month, though they remain elevated.

Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, core prices rose at a more modest pace. On a monthly basis, they climbed just 0.2%, down from a 0.4% gain in April. Compared with a year ago, they have rise 2.9%, up from 2.8% in April.

President Donald Trump praised the inflation report in comments to reporters Wednesday, saying, “the numbers were great" and “I love it.”

He said the inflation data was good because it showed energy prices were a huge driver of rising costs — the government said they accounted for more than 60% of the monthly increase — and he suggested inflation would ease “as soon as this war is over.”

However, the U.S. launched more airstrikes against Iran on Wednesday, and Trump said more were coming, as Tehran fired back at countries in the region.

Crude prices shot back above $90 a barrel on the violent exchange of fire.

Still, many goods and services rose in price last month: Clothing costs increased 0.3% and are 4.8% more expensive than a year ago. Airline fares, pushed higher by pricier jet fuel, jumped 2.7% just in May and are nearly 27% higher than a year ago. Electricity prices rose 0.6% in May and are up 5.9% in the past year.

Grocery prices were tamer in May compared with previous months, rising just 0.1% from April. Still, they are up 2.7% from a year ago and have risen sharply since the pandemic.

“I don't think we're anywhere near out of the woods yet,” Omair Sharif, chief economist at Inflation Insights, said. Price increases “were stronger under the hood.”

Sharif and other economists point out that the cost of services, including child care, home health care, and dental services are still rising much more quickly than is consistent with the Fed's 2% inflation target.

Bill Adams, chief U.S. economist at Fifth Third Commercial Bank, attributed some of the gain to a crackdown on immigration, which has likely forced many employers in those industries to raise wages.

Inflation had been cooling before Trump imposed sweeping tariffs in April 2025, which lifted the costs of many goods. Prices have since surged after the Iran war made oil and gas more expensive, making affordability a key political issue.

Small businesses are struggling with higher costs, some of which they are passing on in the form of higher prices. Others have slowed hiring or even cut jobs.

Beth Benike, the founder of Oronoco, Minnesota-based Busy Baby, said her small company was hit hard by tariffs last year and is now struggling with higher shipping costs stemming from more expensive fuel. The company sells silicon placemats and toys that attach to high chairs and strollers.

Sales have declined as inflation has worsened, and Benike recently reduced one full-time employee to part-time hours. She said that more of her customers are now grandparents of newborns, rather than the parents.

“Grandparents have a little more disposable income than the generation that’s having babies,” she said.

Gas prices rose in May because of Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which has choked off about a fifth of the world's oil supply. Prices at the pump rose, on average, from about $4.04 in mid-April to $4.49 in mid-May, according to the Energy Information Administration.

They have since fallen back to $4.16 on average nationwide, according to AAA, which could lead to a cooler inflation reading in June. That doesn't mean gas prices are not prominent in the minds of most Americans. A gallon of gas has hovered above $4 a gallon since March.

Major retail chains have discounted prices to accommodate customers who are watching their spending more closely.

Dollar General is expanding the number of items that cost $1 or less, including frozen food. The shift has come with shoppers swapping out favored retailers for dollar stores.

“When that (gas) price hits that $4 mark and then crosses it and then sustains for a while, you start to see that trade-in come in and you start to see that our core customer needs us most,” Dollar General CEO Todd Vasos said this month.

Amber Greenwell, executive director of the America First Credit Union’s charitable foundation, based in Ogden, Utah, says the cost of gas, housing and groceries have risen sharply in her state and much of the west in the past year. Her organization organizes food and diaper drives in the six states where the credit union operates.

“There is substantial growth in families who need more food resources as well as diaper resources,” she said.

Stubbornly high inflation has shifted the debate among Fed policymakers, who had signaled at the start of the year that they were inclined to cut their key rate twice more this year. Now, more officials are saying they expect the Fed's next move will likely be a hike rather than a cut.

Despite higher inflation, the job market appears to be improving, with hiring increasing to a healthy level in May, and the economy is still growing. These positive signs suggest the Fed doesn't need to cut rates to stimulate growth and hiring. They also signal that the Fed's rate isn't so high that it is weighing on the economy. Yet some officials want rates to cool growth a bit, because that can bring down inflation.

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AP Writers Josh Boak and Anne D'Innocenzio contributed to this report. D'Innocenzio contributed from New York.

The S&P 500 dropped 1.6% for its first back-to-back drop in three weeks and is back to where it was in early May. The Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled 953 points, or 1.9%, and the Nasdaq composite led the market lower with a 2% slide.

Wall Street has been shaky since last week, when AI stocks went from roaring to records to suddenly turning lower. Among the worries is that their prices have simply shot too high, too fast because of AI mania. The question now is whether the break lower has cleared out excessive optimism that may have built into their stock prices, or if it’s the start of a longer downturn.

Super Micro Computer, which sells AI servers, tumbled 28% after saying late Tuesday that it plans to raise $7 billion in cash by selling shares of stock and convertible preferred stock. Such moves raise the most money for companies when their stock prices are high, and they can dilute the ownership stakes of existing shareholders.

Micron Technology swung from an early loss of nearly 4% to a modest gain and back to a loss of 4.7%. It’s coming off a wild stretch where it sank 7.7% last Thursday, then plunged another 13.3% Friday and rallied 9.9% Monday. Despite all the swings, the computer memory maker’s stock is still up 212.5% for the year so far.

Nvidia, the chip company that’s grown into a nearly $4.9 trillion behemoth because of the AI boom, was the heaviest weight on the S&P 500 after falling 3.7%. The second-heaviest was another AI winner, Broadcom, which fell 5.1%.

Some of the pressure on AI stocks could also be coming from investors pulling cash out to prepare for high-profile debuts on the U.S. stock market for several AI giants. SpaceX’s initial public offering could come later this week, for example.

Weakening stocks for companies with big fuel bills also pulled the market lower. United Airlines sank 6.2%, and cruise-operator Carnival fell 6.3% after oil prices rose due to the latest fighting in the war with Iran.

The price for a barrel of Brent crude oil rose 1.8% to $93.10 after President Donald Trump warned Iran would “pay the price” for stalled negotiations between the two on their war. The war has been keeping the Strait of Hormuz effectively shut to oil tankers, which has prevented the delivery of crude from the Persian Gulf to customers worldwide.

High oil prices have sent inflation higher, and a report on Wednesday showed that prices for U.S. consumers jumped in May at the highest speed in three years.

But Treasury yields nonetheless held relatively steady in the bond market because the figures were pretty much exactly what economists had forecast. The rise in an important underlying measure of inflation, meanwhile, was not as bad from April through May as economists expected.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury edged up to 4.54% from 4.53% late Tuesday. The two-year Treasury yield, which more closely tracks expectations for what the Federal Reserve will do with its overnight interest rates, held at 4.13%.

Traders have been building bets recently that the Fed will have to hike its main interest rate at least once this year, given how high inflation is and how strong the U.S. job market remains. Wednesday’s inflation update didn’t sway them much, according to data from CME Group.

High yields can slow entire economies and undercut prices for all kinds of investments, including stocks and cryptocurrencies. They hit investments seen as the most expensive in particular, and some critics are calling AI a bubble where investment inflated too far.

All told, the S&P 500 fell 119.66 points to 7,266.99. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 953.33 to 49,918.78, and the Nasdaq composite sank 509.32 to 25,169.50.

In stock markets abroad, indexes in Europe were mixed following sharper drops in Asia.

South Korea’s Kospi tumbled 4.5%, hurt by losses for tech giants Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix.

Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 sank 1.9% after data showed Japan’s producer price index, a measure for prices at the wholesale level, rose in May at the fastest pace in more than three years. Shares of technology and telecommunications giant SoftBank Group, which has a strong AI focus, lost 8.3%.

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AP Business Writers Chan Ho-him and Matt Ott contributed to this report.

The indictment describes threats and vandalism at officials' homes, some businesses and the Jewish Federation of Detroit.

“In America, we rule by law not by fear. These alleged threats and attempts to terrorize government officials, businesses, and the Jewish Federation are anti-American. We will counter intimidation with justice," U.S. Attorney Jerome Gorgon Jr. said.

The document highlights several incidents that made headlines in the past few years, including fake bloody corpses that were placed in an elected university board member's yard and the spray-painting of anti-Israel messages at the home of the school's president at the time, Santa Ono.

Two glass jars filled with a blue substance were thrown through a window at the home of the university provost, the government said.

“They marked their victims with threatening symbols used by Hamas, including red inverted triangles and red handprints,” the indictment states. “They used the internet and social media to broadcast their message to ensure their threats and commitment to continuing criminal activity were heard by their victims and others who support Israel.”

All eight are charged with conspiracy to transmit threats through interstate commerce, but some face more charges than others.

Five people made an initial appearance in federal court in Detroit; four of them were ordered to remain in custody at least until another hearing Friday.

About two dozen supporters appeared at the courthouse. Some carried Palestinian flags outside, and one had a sign that read, “Drop The Charges.”

“Everything that happened today is a shock,” said Eaman Ali, an organizer with the TAHRIR Coalition, a group of students and Ann Arbor community members that calls for divestment from Israel. “When one of us is targeted, we want to make sure we show up for them.”

Ali declined to comment about the specific allegations.

Since the Israel-Hamas war began, pro-Palestinian protesters have demanded that the University of Michigan’s endowment stop investing in companies with ties to Israel. But the university has insisted it has no direct investments and less than $15 million placed with funds that might include companies in Israel. That’s less than 0.1% of the total endowment.

In 2024, a pro-Palestinian camp on campus was cleared by police after a month. The university said it was a threat to public safety.

Sarah Hubbard, a member of the university's Board of Regents who found phony corpses on her lawn in 2024, welcomed the indictment, saying she was “very appreciative of the tireless work” of law enforcement.

Another board member, Jordan Acker, said his home, car and law office were vandalized with paint.

The third-year player has continued to stack one good offseason practice after another, turning in another stellar day during Wednesday’s practice in front of a full house of fans at the Miller Electric Center.

Head coach Liam Coen said that Jacksonville wants to keep that momentum going and the chemistry between Thomas and Trevor Lawrence growing.

Minicamp coverage

• Full interview: Rookie TE Tanner Koziol
• Full interview: Rookie WR Michael Wortham
• Full interview: DL Ruke Orhorhoro
• From Jax to Jacksonville: Tanner Koziol’s dog may have been a hint of his NFL destination
• News4JAGs podcast: Brian Thomas Jr. continues to shine this offseason
• Jaguars minicamp mailbag No. 1
• Jaguars minicamp mailbag No. 2
• Sights and sounds from Wednesday’s minicamp

“That is something that you cannot simulate in routes on air. You cannot simulate that type of confidence until you do it in practice,” Coen said. “There’s nobody that I’ve known as a player that just can only turn it on in a game. The whole gamer thing, I don’t fully believe in that. I believe that guys elevate their play to go play in a game. Absolutely, but the confidence of the connection and chemistry that they’re building, that’s real.”

The up and down of Thomas has been well reported on. He produced the best season by a rookie receiver in franchise history in 2024, then struggled with an assortment of injuries and dropped passes last year. The chemistry between Thomas and Lawrence seemed slow to develop, and the Jaguars leaned more heavily on trade acquisition Jakobi Meyers and Parker Washington. So far, Thomas has looked better than he has at any point in his previous two offseason camps.

Wednesday’s notebook

• Defense ruled the day. With fans in the building, they kept score between the offense and defense.
• First team vs. first team: Defense wins 2-1 in red zone.
• Second team vs. second team: Defense wins 3-0 in red zone.
• Third team vs. team: Defense in red zone, won 3-0.
• First team vs. first team: Offense wins 2-1.
• Second team vs. second team: Defense wins 3-0.
• Third team vs. team: Defense wins 2-1.
• The story of the offseason so far by far has been Thomas. He has stacked good day after good day after good day, making splash plays left and right. There is no other way to put it besides saying the hype is real. The offense was in an end-of-game situation, and a bomb from Lawrence to Thomas put them inside the 5-yard line. He looks like the guy.
• For the highs, there are lows. On Tuesday, CJ Williams had a big day; on Wednesday, the rookie struggled. He had one dropped pass that turned into an interception and another pass that was punched out of his hands. Not a great day on the field, but even with that, I have seen far more positive from him than negative.
• Ruke Orhorhoro has some pass rush juice. He had what would have been two sacks during those team periods if the play was blown dead. That is the sort of impact that the Jags need from him. I caught up with Orhorhoro after practice. He says he feels at home at 3 Tech but really just wants to be on the field. He also added that he loves Jacksonville so far, especially the food trucks. He said that Fat Boy Fried Rice is his favorite.
• It is normal for Josh Hines-Allen to be one of the first players on the field before practice; it was interesting to see him have some company out on the field. BJ Green was working with Hines-Allen. It will be interesting to see if Green keeps that up and adds that early work to his pre-practice routine. It clearly works for Hines-Allen, who looks like his normal game-wrecking self. He had what would have been a sack during team drills.
• The biggest riser so far through minicamp has got to be Jabbar Muhammad. He has taken advantage of his reps. He has had an interception on each day of minicamp. Now the question is can he get a third on the final day?
• Could be something or could be nothing. The running game is tough to judge this time of year, but J’Mari Taylor has looked good. Every time he seems to run, I find myself saying he sure does look faster than I expected him to be. There is some burst there. Taylor may have the most hype of any UDFA on the Jaguars roster this year. We will see if he can live up to it.
• Trebor Pena is another UDFA who has been making some waves during minicamp. Pena had a TD catch and a nice catch and run on the second of camp.

These big coastal floods happen when high tides and storm surges — the amount above normal tide level — combine with seas that are already rising. Those pile on top of natural climate patterns and other human influence.

Climate change has strengthened storms like Hurricane Ian, which caused significant flooding in 2022, scientists say. Flooding threatens hundreds of millions of people each year in low-lying coastal areas across the globe. It also causes billions of dollars in damage and can be deadly.

Floods that historically had a 1% chance of striking a coastline in a year are now about 12 times more likely, on average, according to a new study published in the journal Nature Climate Change on Wednesday. Those events have become about four times more likely due to human-driven climate change, the research shows.

Researchers looked at how often extreme sea level events — which cause coastal flooding — happen by considering long-term records from tide gauges at more than 100 sites, as well as using climate modeling. The study looked at the increase from 1900 to 2005. It was limited through 2005 because after that, there weren't enough models that could point to instances of human-driven climate change. The researchers said their findings likely understate today's risk, because human contributions to changes in coastal extremes have only increased since then.

Researchers looked at which changes were caused by human activity, natural forces or shifts in the landscape. Although sea level changes earlier in the 20th century could mostly be chalked up to natural forces, the scientists found that since the 1960s, human-caused warming was the main reason sea levels are going up.

A separate study published in the journal Science Advances on Wednesday also supports the idea that extreme ocean heights come from climate change, specifically around 58% of the days with big floods from 2000 to 2018. Climate change has also, on average, nearly tripled the number of days where the sea tops extreme flood levels since the 1970s, according to that study.

“Essentially every coastal flood today has human fingerprints on it through climate change,” said Ben Strauss, chief scientist at Climate Central and a co-author of the Science Advances study. “Without the extra bit of sea level rise caused by global heating, most of these events would not have reached the status of flood.”

The research in Nature Climate Change didn't fully examine individual human factors, said Sönke Dangendorf, the lead author, but he noted greenhouse gases — the result of burning fossil fuels such as oil, gas and coal — are the most significant.

“Since the 1970s, it’s by far the dominating factor, and this is of course not good news,” said Dangendorf, also an associate professor at Tulane University. He said the threat is growing, and communities need to do more to prepare.

Jeff Williams, a retired United States Geological Survey oceanographer who wasn’t part of either study, said the research shows that planners need to take the growing threats into account. They should also think about how much money they'll need to increase coastal protection, he said, and figure out who pays for it.

The current protections for New Orleans, for instance, “will likely not be adequate beyond the next couple decades,” Williams said.

Nations across the globe are increasingly using renewable energies like solar and wind. Last year, clean power generation exceeded overall global electricity demand growth, and the share of renewables hit more than one-third of the world’s electricity mix for the first time.

Even in the United States, where the Trump administration has boosted fossil fuels, solar is growing as coal power declines. As such, scientists have recently said the world is no longer on track for the worst case scenario for warming — but it's also not on track to the best case, either.

“The impacts, even of a relatively little sea level rise, can be pretty impactful on our coasts,” Dangendorf, the Tulane author, said.

“There is a silver lining because we have control about how much we emit, right?” he said. “So we can stop that development, at least to some degree.”

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Alexa St. John is an Associated Press climate reporter. Follow her on X: @alexa_stjohn. Reach her at ast.john@ap.org.

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Read more of AP’s climate coverage.

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

Unveiled by Ian McKellen, the plaque at 22 Lupus Street in Pimlico marks the place where Olivier began acting as a child.

“For those of us who were lucky enough to have seen him in the theater, it’s of course quite right that, because he was the leader of our profession for so many years, it’s appropriate that this should be put up," McKellen told The Associated Press after the event. “Actors go out of fashion very quickly, but I've a feeling that this man's name will never be forgotten, and perhaps because of this plaque."

Olivier lived at Lupus Street between the ages of 6 and 11. While there, he reportedly transformed a wooden box and blue curtains into a makeshift stage where he sang, danced, and acted for hours at a time.

Olivier was venerated as a Shakespearean actor, playing many iconic protagonists in London including Hamlet, Henry V, Macbeth and, controversially, Othello. For his role as Hamlet, Olivier won his only Academy Award for best actor in 1949. Other famous screen roles include ones in “Rebecca," "Wuthering Heights"," "Marathon Man" and "Sleuth."

London owes much to Olivier, who died at age 82 in 1989.

He campaigned for the establishment of the National Theatre. The building that now houses the theatre officially opened in 1976 and its largest auditorium is named after Olivier.

“Laurence Olivier transformed British theater and film through the brilliance, range and intensity of his performances," said English Heritage senior historian Howard Spencer. "The plaque celebrates the formative home where one of Britain’s greatest cultural figures first found his voice as an actor.”

The Olivier Awards, which celebrate London's theater scene, were named in his honor.

The London blue plaque program began more than 150 years ago. The plaques commemorate notable people who made London their home at some point. There are more than 900 official plaques in the capital.

The first plaque commemorated the poet Lord Byron in 1867 but the house was later demolished. The oldest surviving plaque commemorates France’s final emperor, Napoleon III.

The warrant signed by a federal judge last week approved the seizure of documents and records related to the “storage, use, or disposal” of methyl methacrylate, the chemical inside the affected tank.

“Samples of the substance within any tank, tote, drum, vat, vessel, or container suspected of containing or having previously contained methyl methacrylate and/or any hazardous substance” were also sought, according to the warrant.

The warrant also orders agents to seize records related to “any cooling equipment or other equipment used to control or regulate the temperature of methyl methacrylate.”

The FBI confirmed its agents were searching GKN Aerospace Transparency Systems in the Orange County city of Garden Grove. Multiple vehicles and several federal agents were seen outside the facility Wednesday morning.

Company says it's cooperating with authorities

GKN Aerospace makes cockpit windows, canopies and windshields. The tank that overheated contained 6,000 to 7,000 gallons (22,700 to 26,500 liters) of methyl methacrylate, which is highly flammable. The liquid is used in the manufacturing of plastics and coatings, such as Plexiglas and dental prosthetics.

Exposure to the chemical can cause serious respiratory problems, neurological issues and irritation to the skin, eyes and throat, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

The chemical that overheated is still in the holding tank, according to the Orange County Health Care Agency, which is leading the site cleanup and waste removal efforts.

The agency had planned to pump the neutralized methyl methacrylate from the storage tanks into sealed trucks for transport and disposal starting at the end of last week, according to a press release on the agency’s website. But on Friday, they said the removal didn’t happen “due to unavailable resources.”

Once a new date is confirmed, they will provide advance notice to the community.

Responding to a request for comment on the FBI investigation, a GKN spokesperson told the AP on Wednesday morning: “We are cooperating with authorities at our Garden Grove facility and will continue to do so.”

GKN Aerospace’s Steve Carlin spoke at a community meeting Tuesday evening. He thanked the firefighters and local leaders who responded to the incident at the plant that employs more than 500 people, and apologized to the community.

“On behalf of GKN and the Garden Grove plant I want to say that I’m sorry that this event and this incident occurred. I understand and I realized sitting here tonight what a disruptive event it was and how unsettling it is to the greater community. Particularly unsettling to us at GKN because of the long history that we have with Garden Grove and how connected we are to this community.”

Garden Grove city leaders and residents urged GKN Aerospace to consider moving these tanks of methyl methacrylate off of the Garden Grove plant, so the chemical would be far away from residents and businesses. But Carlin said it is very early in the investigation into what happened, so it is too soon to decide what the company might do in response to the incident. He promised to be transparent with the community about the investigation.

Overheating tank risked a catastrophic explosion

The incident was reported on May 21 and evacuations began the next day. The tank overheated because a valve on the cooling system that kept it at 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius) failed, officials said.

Crews sprayed water on the tank until the interior temperature stabilized to 92 F (33.3 C), down from 100 F (37.7 C). A sprinkler system was used to douse the tank, and the company said its technical specialists and firefighters removed insulation from the tank to help cool it.

A crack that formed by chance on the tank relieved pressure and helped avert a catastrophic explosion, allowing most evacuees to return home over the Memorial Day weekend. Authorities announced they were lifting the final orders after the temperature on the tank remained stable for four hours without intervention from sprinklers.

Separately, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office also is conducting a criminal investigation into the GKN Aerospace plant, according to DA spokesperson Kimberly Edds.

“We have sent a preservation letter to GKN directing them not to modify or destroy any evidence, which the company’s outside counsel confirmed receipt,” Edds told The Associated Press in an email.

Lawyers in federal lawsuits welcome the FBI's involvement

About a dozen people and businesses that were among the 50,000 evacuated during the chemical emergency have filed lawsuits against the company. Some residents reported strong odors, respiratory irritation, headaches and dizziness. They question why the chemical plant was allowed to operate so close to homes.

Lawyer Rickard McCune represents Big Rob’s Pizzeria and Fruit Caboose Concessions in a federal lawsuit claiming GKN Aerospace and parent company Melrose Industries were negligent and put the surrounding communities at risk. He said they’re pleased the federal government is investigating. The FBI’s involvement will help bring justice to those who were harmed, he said.

Another lawyer, Alex Wheeler, represents Dinh Tran and Drippys Gourmet Ice Cream Sandwiches and said they’re relieved that the FBI is using its resources to investigate potential criminal acts.

“As more information becomes public, it’s becoming clearer and clearer that the risk to our community posed by GKN’s operation of the Garden Grove facility may require a long term and lasting solution,” Wheeler said.

GKN did not immediately respond to the allegations in the lawsuits.

Orange County health officials assured residents that no contamination or fumes were released, and that they would keep monitoring the air for several months and checking the sewer and storm drains.

The California incident was the first of two major hazardous chemical emergencies on the West Coast within a week of each other. Five days after the GKN Aerospace situation began, a large tank containing a corrosive chemical at a Longview, Washington paper mill ruptured and imploded, killing 11 people.

___

Bellisle reported from Seattle. Associated Press journalist Josh Funk in Omaha, Nebraska, contributed.

Chalk it up to the family dog, Jaxxson. Yes, almost the same first name as Jacksonville’s mascot, Jaxson de Ville.

“I mean, God works in mysterious ways, man. God always likes to throw little hints that he’s there,” Koziol said after Wednesday’s second minicamp of the offseason. “I got drafted…they were like ‘to the Jags’, my friend goes, Jaxxson. My dog was right there…He’s 2 years old. [He got Jax] a long time before [being drafted] so it’s kind of crazy how that plays out.”

Well before Koziol was a target of NFL teams, he was an emerging tight end at Ball State University pulling in passes at the volume of a No. 1 receiver. Off the field, Koziol was also a big-time animal lover who was mourning the loss of the longtime family pet, a golden retriever named Bandit.

Koziol’s next pet, a golden retriever with a beautiful white coat, was welcomed to the family after Bandit’s passing. The bond was immediate. Koziol grew up in Illinois so he was naturally a lifelong Bears fan. But when he got his new dog, it wasn’t a name like Butkus or Sayers that fit.

It was Jaxxson.

Jaxxson, or Jax for short, has been Koziol’s best companion. Koziol said he made the connection instantly when Jacksonville selected him, and maybe, just maybe, he and the Jaguars were the plan all along.

“I had a great dog before him, Bandit. Rest in peace,” Koziol said. “But Jax, no dog has been my guy like Jax has. I love him and he’s been awesome.”

While Jax has been Koziol’s best non-human friend, the rookie is hopeful to become one of quarterback Trevor Lawrence’s best friends on the field.

“I mean, I love watching football and more importantly I love tight ends and seeing what people do around the league,” Koziol said. “And now you have a variety of different tight ends within a tight end room and I’m just really excited to be able to get better at every single aspect so that we can be as versatile and as dominant as possible from our room.”

Jacksonville selected two tight ends in last April’s draft, going with Texas A&M’s Nate Boerkircher in the second round and Koziol from the University of Houston in the fifth.

Boerkircher should be in line to see a larger role in an expanded tight end system alongside Brenton Strange, but Koziol offers significant playmaking upside. At 6-7 and 250 pounds, he projects more as the move tight end in Liam Coen’s offense to more of the in-line ability of Boerkircher, who had 38 career receptions across five college seasons at Nebraska and Texas A&M.

Koziol plays more like a receiver than a true in-line tight end. He had 94 catches and 839 yards (eight TDs) at Ball State in 2024 and added 74 catches for 727 yards (six TDs) in his lone season at Houston in 2025. With teams positioned to run far more two and three tight end looks this year, Koziol could be in line to contribute far more than a typical fifth-round pick. When minicamp and OTAs wrap up, Koziol said there will be little downtime.

“Prioritizing priorities, absolutely. When I go home, there’s really no more video games. There’s no more much of anything else right now. This is what I love. This is my priority,” he said.

“And other than talking to my family and occasionally my friends, diving into the playbook and prioritizing this, how I eat, how I sleep, how I recover through everything, just prioritizing the main thing and just having it be at the best of my ability. I know it’s a cliche, but … if I do one thing that makes me 1% better in 20 different things, whether that be my food, sleep, recovery, I’ll be 20% better the next day. It’s just adding up those 1%s."

Sean O'Malley earned American style points for dressing in red — his hair and suit — and blue — dress shirt, tie and, well, hair again — and Michael Chandler visualized accessorizing his fight night walk-out before he dished out a patriotic pounding draped in an American flag.

“For me to walk from the White House to the octagon to represent America, to represent myself, to represent just who I am and what this country means to me,” Chandler said, “it’s just a dream come true.”

The usual foul-mouthed fight hype from UFC's American fighters ahead of their prime-time debut Sunday on the White House grounds largely yielded to bursts of national pride Wednesday.

O'Malley, known as much for his cornucopia of colors that turn his locks into rainbows or cotton candy tops as his fight skills, tried to downplay the week and called it business as usual. In the next breath, O'Malley confessed fighting on a UFC card on the South Lawn was indeed “epic.”

Hokit, meanwhile, wasn't about to modify his style on the microphone just because he will fight in the mixed martial arts show timed to coincide with President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday and the celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary.

"You'll never see me apologize for anything I do,” Hokit said.

Well, the heavyweight is in the right city for that declaration. He was one of several fighters who added a dash of brashness and boldness in the nation's capital just four days before the surreal juxtaposition of pummeling and patriotism set for Trump and UFC boss Dana White's big-fight vision of UFC Freedom 250.

Forget the Washington Monument. The claw, the temporary arena structure that houses the eight-sided cage, is the buzziest landmark this week in DC.

Weather is a slight concern for fight night

Umbrellas were a necessary accessory around Washington early Wednesday and the threat of heavier rain later in the week, which could dampen both a scheduled press conference at the Lincoln Memorial as well as fight night, was the only true concern ahead of the fight card.

White, who helped launch UFC into a global sports empire, insisted inclement weather will not keep the spectacle from proceeding as scheduled.

“We're going to be good on Sunday,” White said this week. “I don't care if it snows, rains, we're going. Even lightning. You guys all played sports when you were growing up. Whenever there was lightning, you'd sit the lightning out. When it was over, you played. That's what we'll do.”

Two titles at stake on the South Lawn

While the South Lawn setting normally reserved for low-contact events like the annual Easter Egg Roll is the real star of the show, there are two championship fights set for the Paramount+ show.

In a card that has been panned by fans online as underwhelming, Brazil’s Alex Pereira will meet France’s Ciryl Gane for the interim UFC heavyweight title. Then Spanish-Georgian lightweight champion Ilia Topuria takes on interim champ Justin Gaethje, one of just two Americans who currently hold even a share of the UFC’s 11 championship belts.

Middleweight Bo Nickal was a three-time NCAA Division I wrestling champion at Penn State who was awed when he met Trump in 2019 at the White House during a ceremony for collegiate national champions.

"The president said hello to all the teams,” Nickal said Wednesday. “When he got to us, he was all excited because he likes wrestlers. He talked to us for maybe 10, 15 minutes because he likes chatting.”

Nickal is set to fight on the main card Sunday against Philadelphia fighter Kyle Daukaus. Nickal called fighting on the show a “massive opportunity,” and one he may have manifested back in that 2019 meeting.

“I told him at that time in 2019 that I was going to fight at UFC,” Nickal said. “He asked if I needed an agent. He’s put in a good word for me, obviously, getting on this card.”

The bulk of UFC's roster seemingly threw their names on the ballot and hoped to get the call they would fight in front of the president.

Chandler, the 40-year-old Missouri native, laughed when he said he would feel “as high as kite in the best way possible” on his way to the cage. He was thrilled when he earned a lightweight bout against Mauricio Ruffy.

“Even if you're not watching, you've heard about this card, whether you like to admit it or not,” Chandler said.

White not fazed by federal lawsuit

Not everyone is on board with fighters commandeering the same South Lawn where Dwight D. Eisenhower once put in a putting green.

A federal lawsuit filed Saturday by the Public Integrity Project on behalf of two Virginia residents contends the Trump administration’s authorization of the event was unlawful. The lawsuit says such approval violated National Park Service regulations prohibiting sporting events on federal parklands, Congress did not consent to the towering arch overlooking the event space and no environmental review was conducted before the construction.

White, a long-time friend and former business associate of Trump's from the days when Boardwalk cards at Trump Taj Mahal lifted UFC into relevancy, brushed off the idea the lawsuit could halt the fight card.

“We were expecting a lawsuit,” White said. “We expected everything coming into this event. We thought it would be sooner. We knew it was going to come. We didn't know who or how, but we knew it was going to come.”

___

AP MMA: https://apnews.com/hub/mixed-martial-arts

Long considered among the best actors to never win one, the eight-time nominee will get an honorary Academy Award along with director Ridley Scott and animator Floyd Norman at the annual Governors Awards, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Wednesday.

“Throughout her extraordinary body of work, Glenn Close’s unparalleled emotional range has brought to life some of the most complex characters in cinema,” the academy said in a statement. “Floyd Norman is the legendary animator who has broken barriers and inspired generations of artists over his remarkable career. Sir Ridley Scott is a true visionary whose decades-long legacy has left an immeasurable impact on global cinema and culture.”

Nominations for the 79-year-old Close date back to 1983, when she got her first nod for “The World According to Garp.” She was also nominated for her blockbuster turn as a rabbit-slaying stalker in 1987's “Fatal Attraction” and was most recently up for a statuette for 2020's “Hillbilly Elegy.”

Her eight nominations tie her with Peter O'Toole for the most for an actor without a win.

She has won virtually every other major award within reach, including three Emmys, three Tonys, three Grammys and three Golden Globes.

The Governors Awards often go to artists with extraordinary careers, but no competitive Oscar. Tom Cruise, a recipient last year, is a case in point.

Scott, the 88-year-old director of “Alien,” “Blade Runner” and “Gladiator” whose epic decades of work have blended popular success and prestige like few others, has also never won despite four nominations, including best director nods for “Thelma & Louise” and “Black Hawk Down.”

Norman’s 65-year career began in 1956 when he became the first Black animator for Walt Disney Animation Studios, contributing to “Sleeping Beauty,” “Mary Poppins,” “The Jungle Book” and Robin Hood.” Decades later, he would work on “Mulan,” “Toy Story 2” and “Monsters, Inc.”

Producers Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler will get the academy's Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, presented to “a creative producer whose body of work reflects a consistently high quality of motion picture production,” the academy said.

Vachon and Koffler co-founded the New York-based indie production hub Killer Films in 1995. Their credits as producers include “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” One Hour Photo” and “May December.” Both were nominated for best picture Oscars for “Past Lives” in 2024. Killer Films' output includes “Velvet Goldmine,” “Happiness,” “Boys Don’t Cry,” “Far from Heaven” and “Carol.”

The academy statement says the two “play a central role in American independent cinema, championing bold, ambitious and distinctive storytelling.”

All the winners will be honored at a ceremony on Nov. 15 at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Ovation Hollywood, the same complex that hosts the main Oscars ceremony. Along with luminaries who worked with the honorees, the event has been increasingly packed with young stars as it has become the unofficial kickoff to Hollywood's award season campaigning.

The Governors Awards, named for the academy's board of governors and not the leader of the state, honor “extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences in any discipline, or for outstanding service to the Academy.”

Vanessa Martin says she never wanted her son arrested. She wanted police to help him.

On the night of Oct. 24, 2025, Vanessa called the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office after Rashaud, who had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, began experiencing what she described as a more severe mental health episode than usual at their home. Officers responded, and Rashaud was Baker Acted and transported to a mental health facility at around 6 p.m.

Hours later, just before midnight, JSO informed Vanessa that her son had died in the back of a JSO vehicle on the way to that facility.

“I really would love closure in this situation,” Vanessa said Saturday. “I would just love for them to release the body cam footage. It took a while for me to even get a death certificate or autopsy results, which weren’t distributed until March, and now he died in October.”

Vanessa says the months-long wait for basic documentation only deepened her grief and her questions.

“So it’s just questions and answers and, you know, just respectfully — just please, please just give me the information needed so I can heal from this,” she said. “And I can just learn how to cope with losing my son.”

In response to News4JAX’s inquiry, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office confirmed that body cameras were activated during the incident but directed the family and the public to obtain footage and case documentation through a public records request.

“This case has been closed following the extensive investigation,” JSO said in a written statement. “All documents pertaining to the investigation are available by way of a public records request. We will allow the documentation related to the case to stand for a statement at this time.”

When asked to confirm the circumstances of Rashaud’s death, including whether he died in a JSO vehicle en route to a mental health facility, as his mother has said — JSO did not directly address the claim, stating that “a description of and a timeline of the events that occurred the day of the incident would all be outlined in the available documentation.”

Saturday’s vigil was organized by Rashaud’s family in partnership with the Jacksonville Community Action Committee, a local advocacy organization that has taken up the family’s call for transparency and systemic change.

The event, held at 9620 E. Water St. in Jacksonville, drew community members who gathered not only to mourn but to amplify a message: mental health crises require mental health professionals, not police.

Vanessa and her family are calling on the city of Jacksonville to commit to deploying trained mental health co-responders to mental health calls, a model already in use in cities across the country — rather than sending law enforcement as the first and only response.

As of Saturday evening, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office had not publicly responded to the family’s questions about the circumstances surrounding Rashaud Martin’s death.

News4JAX reached out to JSO for comment, and a spokesperson said reports would be available upon request, so we requested the report.

Vanessa Martin says she will continue pushing for the release of body camera footage from the night of Oct. 24 and for a full accounting of what happened to her son.

For Vanessa, that means fighting for Rashaud, and for every family that picks up the phone in a moment of crisis and deserves to have help actually arrive.

It’s your favorite cousin Darrin that works in news, and I’ve got everything worth stepping out for this weekend. Whether you’re chasing live music, food festivals, outdoor markets, or just looking for a good excuse to get out of the house, there’s something happening that’ll fit your vibe.

Stick with me, and I’ll point you toward the spots, sounds, and scenes that’ll make your weekend feel like time well spent.

Got something happening that’s not on the guide? Add your event to our community calendar and let the city show up! Here’s how.

Now, let’s check out all the happenings around Jacksonville from June 12-14👇

(Emoji Key: 💰 = Paid/ticketed event 🆓 = Free event 🎶 = Live music 🔞 Event is 18 and up or 21 and up)

As always, be sure to check the organization’s website and social media accounts for any last-minute event changes or cancellations.

Events Happening This Week... 📅

Monthly Happenings:

📌 These are recurring events that happen within the month.

• 🆓 Zumba at Friendship Fountain every Tuesday from 6 to 7 p.m.
• 🆓 Riverside Arts Market every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• 🆓 Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) - Visitors receive free admission on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• 🆓 Yoga at Artist Square - Every Tuesday under the Fuller Warren Bridge for a weekly all-levels yoga class from 6 to 7 p.m.
• 🆓 Jacksonville Run Club meets every Saturday at 7 a.m. and Tuesday at 6 p.m. at Friendship Fountain
• 🆓 904 Walk Club meets every Wednesday at Friendship Fountain at 6:30 p.m.
• Friday Night at The Underground is weekly fun with delicious eats and fun for all
• 🆓 Silent Disco at Friendship Fountain is every last Saturday of the month from 6 to 9 p.m. Approximately 300 headphones will be given out at a time, first come, first served. This is a free, family-friendly event.

Friday, June 12

• 💰🎶Tunes and Blooms: Pop-Punk Revival - Experience the Zoo like never before with curated live music performances throughout the grounds. ⏰6:00 p.m.📍Jacksonville Zoo & Botanical Gardens - 370 Zoo Parkway Jacksonville, FL 32218
• 💰🔞🎶Gorgon City - Get ready to rave with English-based house music duo Gorgon City. ⏰10:00 p.m.📍Decca Live - 323 East Bay Street Jacksonville, FL 32202
• 🆓🎶Summer at the Cummer: The Rip Currents - Start your summer with evenings filled with music, art, and community including The Rip Currents, who will get you grooving with their surf-rock sound. ⏰4:00 p.m.📍Cummer Museum - 829 Riverside Avenue Jacksonville, Florida 32204
• 💰Opening of ‘Violet’ - A hopeful and deeply moving musical about longing to be seen, daring to be loved, and discovering healing in unexpected places, based on the “The Ugliest Pilgrim” by Doris Betts. ⏰8:00 p.m.📍Players by the Sea - 106 N. 6th St. Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250

Saturday, June 13

• 🆓Yoga in the Park: Historic Springfield - Led by instructors from Bold City Yoga, classes are free, family-friendly, and appropriate for all skill levels. Make sure to bring a yoga mat and water bottle. ⏰10:30 a.m.📍Sesquicentennial Park -1527 N. Main Street Jacksonville, FL 32206
• 🆓🎶Jax Beach Country Fest - Celebrate America 250 at the free, family-friendly music festival! ⏰2:00 p.m.📍Seawalk Pavilion 75 1st St N. Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250
• 💰Creatorverse Conference - The leading gathering for Jacksonville’s creator community, bringing together cutting-edge digital innovation with established creative expertise. Also takes place on June 14th.⏰10:00 a.m.📍Schultz Center - 4019 Boulevard Center Dr, Jacksonville, FL 32207
• 💰Sporting Jax Inclusion Night vs. Detroit City FC - Celebrating diversity, accessibility, and unity across Jacksonville through soccer.⏰7:00 p.m.📍Hodges Stadium - 1 S UNF Drive Jacksonville, Florida 32224

Sunday, June 14

• 🆓🎶The Pop-Out: A Live Music Concert Series - Celebrate Black Music Month at Lift Ev’ry Voice & Sing Park with live performances, community vibes, and cultural pride. This free, family-friendly event is a celebration of history, artistry, community, and the enduring power of music. Bring your lawn chairs, your dancing shoes, and your love for soulful sounds. ⏰5:00 p.m.📍Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing Park - 120 Lee Street Jacksonville, FL 32204
• 💰🎶Cash Bash 2 - Cash Bash is the birthday celebration of Jacksonville’s very own artist Young Ca$h featuring T-PAIN, 2 Chainz, Travie McCoy, Chance the Rapper, Young Ca$h and Kamillion! ⏰7:00 p.m.📍VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena - 300 A Philip Randolph Blvd. Jacksonville, FL 32202
• 🆓🎶Sunday Funday - Weekly event during the summer where you can meet people and enjoying a beautiful weekend day outside.⏰12:00 p.m.📍The Greenhouse Bar - 200 Riverside Ave Unit 2 Jacksonville, FL 32202
• 🆓Farmer’s Market at Wicked Barley Brewing Company - End your weekend with a locally focused market that celebrates community and craftsmanship. ⏰11:00 a.m.📍Wicked Barley Brewing Company - 4100 Baymeadows Road Jacksonville, Florida 32217

We’re constantly updating this page, so be sure to check it periodically throughout the week for any additions.

Upcoming Events... 📅

📌 These are future events that aren’t happening this week, but coming up soon

• 🆓Opening of You Are Here: Mapping Black Life and Autonomy in Jacksonville - This new exhibit explores the histories of LaVilla, Sugar Hill, and North Davis Street—once-thriving Black communities shaped by connection, resilience, and self-sufficiency before being transformed by urban renewal and displacement. 📅Thursday, June 18 ⏰6:00 p.m.📍Ritz Theatre & Museum - 829 N Davis St. Jacksonville, FL 32202
• 💰 Opening of Shrek the Musical - Join Shrek, Donkey, and Princess Fiona in the DreamWorks classic brought to life on stage. 📅Thursday, June 18 ⏰7:30 p.m.📍Alhambra Theatre & Dining - 12000 Beach Blvd, Jacksonville, FL 32246
• 🆓Juneteenth in the Park - Get ready to dance, eat, support Black-owned businesses, and learn more about Black history. 📅Friday, June 19 ⏰6:00 p.m.📍Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing Park - 120 Lee Street Jacksonville, FL 32204
• 💰/🆓JWJ BDay 5K & Block Party - Walk in the footsteps of history, then dance in celebration of a civil rights hero who shaped American culture. A day of community, commemoration, and joy! 📅Saturday, June 20 ⏰11:00 a.m.📍James Weldon Johnson Park - 135 West Monroe Street Jacksonville, Florida 32202
• 💰🎶The Calling - The calling will be at FIVE this Saturday. Formed in 1999, The Calling quickly ascended the ranks of radio rock with their distinctive blend of catchy melodies and heartfelt lyrics. 📅Saturday, September 12 ⏰7:00 p.m.📍1028 Park Street Jacksonville, FL 32204

For more ideas for fun weekend activities, take a look at our Events Calendar 👇

Collins has proved to be a hard target for Democrats, even for candidates without the baggage of Platner, who has faced criticism for his relationships with women, for his inflammatory online posts and for a previous tattoo recognized as a Nazi symbol.

Collins is also the rare Republican these days who can sometimes boost her own popularity back home by keeping her distance from President Donald Trump. She has perfected that delicate dance over the years even as Trump has sharply criticized her and tightened his grip on the party, costing two of Collins' colleagues their chance of reelection.

On Wednesday, however, Trump made clear he is in Collins' corner.

Although the president told reporters Wednesday that “she's not my best friend at all,” he also said “she's a sane person and she's a person that never missed a vote in many years.” Collins recently set a record by casting her 10,000th Senate vote in a row.

Trump suggested Platner is "worse than any human being that’s run for office probably" and went on to insult the Democratic nominee. "He’s a cheap, no-good person," the president said, adding, “He's like a pig.”

With the November general election months away, it is uncertain whether Trump's support for Collins will help or hurt as she seeks a sixth term. Years of practice have made her adept at staying close — but not too close — to the president when it is politically advantageous, and moving away when showing an independent streak is helpful.

“She’s shown time and time again where her state’s electorate is. She understands what’s too far, she understands where she needs to be,” said Republican political consultant Matt Mackowiak.

The road to Senate control goes through Maine

The Democrats need to flip four seats to take control of the Senate. They hope Trump's falling approval ratings and the war with Iran, as well as the fallout on oil prices and the economy, could buoy their chances. Maine is among the top targets, along with Alaska, Ohio and North Carolina.

Platner wants to make the case that Collins is not as independent of Trump as her reputation suggests. He often notes that she allowed his Supreme Court nominees to go through, which in 2022 led to the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that had legalized abortion.

"Susan Collins may have started her career decades ago in Washington with good intentions, but she has become just as spineless and corrupt as the establishment she now serves," Platner said at a party Tuesday celebrating his primary victory.

Platner supporters are ready for change, said John Keenan of Sullivan, Maine.

“I think Maine has grown tired of the same old system,” he said. “And putting youth into the campaign, with new instead of a rubber stamp, is very refreshing.”

The National Republican Senatorial Committee posted a pro-Collins video on X that resembled a 1980s video game. It said Collins “has brought more than $1.5 billion back to Maine" and Platner “spent time as a kid at a $70,000 a year prep school in Connecticut.”

Trump has often criticized Collins, but not lately

Collins may still have to stay wary of Trump, who has singled her out for daring to occasionally defy him on some issues. For example, she voted last week with Democrats to block the nearly $1.8 billion fund the president wanted to create to benefit allies that he claims were unfairly targeted by law enforcement.

Nonetheless, he has refrained from criticizing lately, especially as the senator failed to draw a credible GOP challenger and cruised in the primary.

Political advisers close to Trump said the president understands how critical it is that Republicans maintain control of Congress, and that requires accommodating Collins. Trump understands the need to avoid a Republican wipeout like the 2018 midterms when Democrats flipped the House and derailed much of the final two years of his first-term plans.

Collins " represents the people of Maine first and foremost and has proven herself to be a dedicated public servant," said Republican National Committee spokesperson Kristen Cianci in a statement.

Collins spokesperson Blake Kernen said the senator “has worked with five different Presidents throughout her Senate tenure, and has never agreed with any of them on every issue.”

“When she agrees with an effort, she will support it; when she disagrees, she does not hesitate to speak up for what she believes is the right outcome for Maine and for America,” Kernen said in a statement.

Other Republicans ran into trouble with Trump

Sen. John Cornyn of Texas was among his party's top voices, but Trump viewed him as insufficiently loyal. State Attorney General Ken Paxton trounced Cornyn in a runoff race on May 26, just days after receiving Trump's endorsement.

Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana voted to convict Trump during his impeachment trial after the Capitol siege on Jan. 6, 2021. Cassidy lost his primary when Trump-endorsed Rep. Julia Letlow and state Treasurer John Fleming advanced to a runoff later this month.

“She’s always down in the polls and she survives,” Trump said when asked about Collins in an interview with the New York Post last week.

Collins defeated Gideon, the Maine House speaker, by almost 9 percentage points in 2020, the same year that Democrat Joe Biden beat Trump by a similar margin in the state.

Mackowiak said “there’s just no pathway to a MAGA senator from Maine,” referring to Trump's ”Make America Great Again" movement.

“It does appear that the Trump political operation is soberly analyzing the electoral environment in Maine and really kind of follows her lead as it relates to that state and that race, particularly this cycle,” he said.

Maine Republicans are ‘a bit more pragmatic’

Chuck Ellis, a Republican from Westbrook, Maine, who runs a digital marketing company, said Collins' reluctance to move in lockstep with Trump can be a plus.

Although there are some “hard-line” voters who may disapprove, Ellis said, "ultimately a lot of your conservatives, your Republicans, are people who are a bit more pragmatic.”

After Collins opposed the White House’s signature tax cut and spending package last year and voted against a proposal to claw back $9 billion in foreign aid and public media funding, the president complained about her on social media.

“Republicans, when in doubt, vote the exact opposite of Senator Susan Collins," he wrote.

Then, in January, Trump lashed out at the “stupidity” of Collins and four other Senate Republicans who joined Democrats to start a debate over restricting the president’s use of force in Venezuela.

White House may keep a further distance

Trump is unlikely to travel to Maine before November despite visiting other states with key Senate races such as Iowa and Michigan.

Vice President JD Vance has been to Maine, where he promoted his anti-fraud task force. Collins did not attend Vance’s speech in Bangor last month where he acknowledged the senator's distance from the Trump administration.

“If she was as partisan as I sometimes wish that she was,” Vance said, "she would not be a good fit for the people of Maine.”

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This story has been corrected to show the spelling of Collins’ spokesperson’s surname is Kernen, not Kernan.

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Whittle reported from Portland, Maine.

This year's tournament — which is hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico — was expanded to 48 teams that will play in 16 stadiums in a record 104 matches over the 39-day tournament.

Mexico gets the World Cup started Thursday and will be a heavy favorite when it hosts South Africa in Mexico City. The second game of the day will be between South Korea and the Czech Republic in Guadalajara, Mexico. All four teams are part of Group A.

Canada and the United States will host their first games Friday. The Canadians will play Bosnia-Herzegovina in Toronto while the Americans face Paraguay in Inglewood, California.

What to watch June 11

Fox is the exclusive U.S. broadcaster of the World Cup with all 104 matches in English on Fox or FS1. All matches are also available on the Fox One app. Telemundo and Universo will broadcast all of the matches in Spanish. Peacock is the streaming home for Spanish language broadcasts while Telemundo also has an app that includes all the matches.

1. Mexico’s opening ceremony, 1:30 p.m. ET in Mexico City (FOX/Telemundo/Peacock)

2. Mexico vs. South Africa, 3 p.m. ET in Mexico City (FOX/Telemundo/Peacock)

3. South Korea vs. Czechia, 10 p.m. ET in Guadalajara, Mexico (FS1/Telemundo/Peacock)

Mexico is a heavy favorite against South Africa

Boosted by a home crowd and a star-studded opening ceremony with performances that include Andrea Bocelli and homegrown talent like Alejandro Fernández and Maná, Mexico hopes to play better in this World Cup than in 2022, when it failed to advance out of the group stage for the first time since 1978. El Tri will be led by veteran Raúl Jiménez and 17-year-old midfielder Gilberto Mora. Goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa will be competing in the World Cup for a record sixth time. South Africa is playing in its fourth World Cup and first since it hosted the tournament in 2010.

The games in Mexico will be played at high elevation. The Azteca stadium in Mexico City is at roughly 7,300 feet while Guadalajara sits at 5,138 feet, meaning visiting teams will have to make a significant adjustment to the altitude.

South Korea hopes to build on '22 World Cup success vs. Czechia

South Korea is one of the best teams in Asia and has qualified for 11 tournaments in a row since 1986. The Koreans made it to the round of 16 in 2022 before losing to Brazil. Son Hueng-min, 33, is the captain and might be playing in his last World Cup. The Czech Republic is back in soccer's biggest showcase for the first time in 20 years.

World Cup sticker shock with sky-high prices

FIFA has faced pressure for sky-high World Cup ticket prices and sales tactics that fans say left them with worse deals than they wanted.

The attorneys general in New York and New Jersey, which is hosting eight World Cup matches including the final, announced last month that they are investigating whether FIFA’s ticketing practices violated consumer protection laws.

Some seats for the July 19 final are going for nearly $33,000.

In the U.S., bipartisan skepticism of Infantino, FIFA

In the deeply polarized U.S., few things unite elected leaders outside the White House quite like skepticism of Gianni Infantino and FIFA, the governing body for the world’s most popular sport.

It’s a sentiment that cuts across the divide and spans from Washington to state capitals and city halls.

There are mayors like Zohran Mamdani of New York and Karen Bass of Los Angeles, Democrats who’ve balked at ticket prices. Republican Sen. Todd Young of Indiana, who played Division 1 soccer at the U.S. Naval Academy, said FIFA has been “detached from regular people around the world.”

More World Cup news

4. World Cup by the numbers: 104 matches, 48 teams and 3 countries make this the largest ever

5. Iran’s World Cup players wear pins for victims of deadly strike on school as they arrive in Mexico

6. Somali soccer referee denied entry to US for World Cup is welcomed home as a hero

7. Celebrations clash with social tensions in Mexico on the eve of the World Cup

8. Bettors taking a chance on the longshot US in World Cup, though France and Spain remain favorites

9. Pochettino says no Americans among top 100 players yet US can win World Cup

Stats of the day

10. Only eight countries have won the World Cup, with six of those teams winning multiple titles led by Brazil’s five. The only first-time winners in the last 11 Cups came in 1998 when France won the first of its two titles and in 2010 with Spain.

11. There have been six defending champions who failed to make it out of the group stage, including in three of the last four editions. France made it back to the final in 2022 but Italy (2010), Spain (2014) and Germany (2018) all get eliminated before the knockout rounds.

12. South Korea's Son is one of the most accomplished players in the national team's history. His 144 caps rank first while he needs just two goals to match Cha Bum-kun's career record of 58.

13. At just 17 years old, Mexico's Gilberto Mora is the youngest player among the rosters of the 48 teams playing at the tournament. He could become the second-youngest player to score a goal in World Cup history behind Brazil legend Pelé, who was 17 years, 239 days old when he scored in 1958. Here's a look at some of the up-and-coming teenagers in this year's tournament.

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

Initial public offering, or IPO

A company's first offering of stock to the public. It is the first time a company's value will be determined by a public market.

Prospectus

A formal offer to sell shares in the company. It also includes a business plan with details about the company's finances and operations. Also known as an S-1, after the Securities and Exchange Commission form.

Listing

This describes the ticker symbol for the stock and the public exchange where it is being traded. For example, Apple is traded as “AAPL” on the Nasdaq and Macy's is traded as “M” on the New York Stock Exchange. SpaceX plans to list on the Nasdaq under the symbol “SPCX.”

Underwriter

An underwriter is a bank or other financial institution that acts as the intermediary between the company and investors. They purchase the stock being issued by the company in the IPO and sell it to the public. There are often several underwriters involved to share the risk. The lead underwriters for the SpaceX IPO are Goldman Sachs, Bank of America, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase and Morgan Stanley.

Roadshow

The name for the presentations given by company executives and underwriters to potential investors, typically institutional investors, before the company issues its shares.

Lockup

This is the period of time when executives, insiders and early investors are legally prohibited from selling their shares. It is typically 90 or 180 days and is meant to prevent insiders from quickly cashing out or dumping their shares. Elon Musk and other SpaceX executives have agreed to a lockup period of 366 days.

Over-allotment

This is a provision that allows underwriters of an IPO to sell more shares than initially planned. It is meant to meet unexpectedly high demand or to help stabilize the stock price.

Price range

This is an estimated range for the price of the shares the company is offering provided before the stock is publicly traded. Investors place bids within that range before the listing price is determined. SpaceX went against convention and set a price of $135 for shares in the offering.

Price discovery

This describes the broader process undertaken by the company and underwriters to determine the listing price for the stock. It attempts to balance demand for the stock with the potential supply of shares. The process typically takes longer when an IPO has high interest from potential investors.

A safety officer blew his whistle and others screamed to warn about 30 firefighters and coast guard personnel to dash to safety as concrete debris crashed down from the leaning three-story building in General Santos city in a frantic scene witnessed by an AP video journalist.

The coastal city, a bustling commercial hub and the country’s tuna capital, was devastated by a 7.8-magnitude earthquake that hit Monday and left a trail of destruction across southern Mindanao, the Philippines' second-most populous region.

“It was a strong aftershock and an alarm was immediately sounded so those inside and under the damaged building can run out for a headcount,” said Ressa Mia Tactaquin-Betoya, who speaks for the firefighters searching for the last employee missing in the ruined grocery, where two upper floors collapsed during the initial quake.

“It was scary because we don’t want our rescuers to be harmed so the area must be secured before they can go back in,” she told The Associated Press.

The earthquake has been followed by more than 2,100 aftershocks including a few that ranged up to 6.4 magnitude, which is strong enough to cause more casualties and damage, according to Teresito Bacolcol, who heads the Philippines Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.

More than 25,000 people remain displaced, many of them staying in 45 government-run emergency shelters and still too traumatized to return home, officials said.

Monday's quake was one of the most powerful to hit the Philippines in a half century. It injured at least 630 people and damaged more than 3,100 houses, 29 roads, 11 bridges and more than 100 government buildings.

It also damaged the international airport in General Santos, forcing it to shut down indefinitely except for government and military flights transporting aid and disaster-response personnel, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines spokesperson Eric Apolonio said.

About 6,000 public school buildings in quake-hit provinces must be assessed before classes can resume. The quake struck on the first day of classes nationwide after a two-month summer break, and many who sustained injuries were young students who had gathered with excitement for morning flag-raising ceremonies.

Most of the deaths were caused by falling debris from collapsed buildings and landslides in General Santos and the nearby provinces of Sarangani, South Cotabato and Davao Occidental.

At least one person died after being swept out to sea following the quake, as waves up to 1.4 meters (4.6 feet) above tide level were measured in the southern Philippines. Smaller waves washed ashore in Indonesia and Palau and as far away as southern Japan before tsunami warnings were lifted.

Seven swimmers near General Santos were swept away by strong currents in the minutes after the quake. Three were rescued by the coast guard, one managed to swim back to shore, one drowned and two remain missing, the Philippine coast guard said.

The strong currents that swept away the victims were most likely set off by the earthquake, Bacolcol said.

The earthquake was set off by movement in the Cotabato Trench and was one of the strongest to hit the country since the same undersea depression triggered an 8.1-magnitude quake that whipped up tsunami waves on Aug. 17, 1976 and killed about 8,000 people.

The Philippines, one of the world's most disaster-prone countries, is often hit by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of seismic faults around the ocean.

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Associated Press journalists Jim Gomez in Manila, Philippines and Haruka Nuga in Bangkok contributed to this report.

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