Corey Ruiz, who is identified as Black or Latino in Wisconsin court records, was shot and killed by a Madison police officer on Wednesday after a brief scuffle at the intersection of a city street just yards away from a popular 52-year-old food co-op in the heart of the city's most liberal neighborhood.

It marks the third time since 2012 that Madison police have shot and killed someone in the same neighborhood. The shooting has sparked renewed calls for police reforms and forced the city that is 70% white to once again reckon with calls from the Black community to address racial justice issues.

Pressure from protesters, and sympathy for their cause, has also led to the cancellation or disruption of many of Madison's signature summertime events.

“Our community has spoken loud and clear: this is NOT business as usual,” Black activist Clyde Mayberry posted on Facebook on Friday amid a string of cancellations. “Your decisions have helped ensure that this city continues to acknowledge the pain, the loss, and the call for accountability.”

Protesters took to the streets hours after the shooting, disrupting a popular Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra outdoor concert at the state Capitol that attracts about 30,000 every week in the summer. Protesters, many of whom were Black, stood over white concert attendees sitting at tables near the stage that cost as much as $1,800 to rent for the night.

Concert organizers canceled the event.

Threats of a protest on Thursday led the city to postpone the grand opening of a new public market, just a few blocks away from where the shooting occurred. A popular neighborhood festival near the shooting called AtwoodFest, scheduled to begin on Saturday, was also canceled in the face of potential protests.

“Our community and our Marquette neighbors witnessed another horrific officer-involved shooting just blocks from our festival grounds, leaving us in deep pain and justified anger,” organizers of the festival wrote. “In acknowledgment of what has happened far too often in our community and our country as a whole, this year’s AtwoodFest, themed ‘The Heartbeat of the Neighborhood,’ is canceled.”

And on Saturday, the popular downtown farmers market that attracts about 20,000 people each week around the Capitol building, was scheduled to shut down nearly four hours earlier than usual in solidarity with protesters.

“We mourn with our community,” market organizers posted on social media. “And we agree - business cannot proceed as usual.”

Investigations into the shooting continue. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represents the Ruiz family, said on Friday at a new conference in the Capitol that the officer who fired the shots should face criminal charges.

Madison Police Chief John Patterson, who is white, has tried to calm tensions, even allowing protesters to overtake a news conference that he was leading along with the mayor inside the police department's downtown headquarters on Thursday.

Patterson took questions from angry protesters, one of whom held a sign just feet away from the chief that said “corrupt cops deserve to die too.” After one protester hurled an insult at Patterson, the chief calmly responded, “I appreciate you being here.”

More people are watching. More are investing. Salaries for many players are higher than ever. But mounting turmoil and discord have been a part of this transformative period that has featured a landmark collective bargaining agreement, league expansion and skyrocketing player recognition.

It seems to have reached a new flashpoint, as discussions about race, gender and sexuality made headlines ahead of Saturday’s WNBA All-Star Game. Race-driven conversations resurfaced after an incident between Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark and Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas, while players continued to voice frustrations with WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert and leadership over what they say is a lack of protection from social media harassment and divisive remarks.

“It is a moment to be celebrated without a doubt,” said Ketra Armstrong, sport management professor and director of the Center for Race and Ethnicity in Sport at the University of Michigan. “We want to celebrate what’s great. But sometimes, the progress can overshadow, still, where the perils are.”

Issues of race, gender and representation have been an undercurrent throughout the league's history. Debates over those issues have grown as women's sports have exploded. And they remain a challenge that shape the WNBA's — and most other pro sports leagues, for that matter — public and online discourse.

“This is what a sports league" is, said David Berri, sports economist and economics professor at Southern Utah University. He cited the NFL’s Rooney Rule as an example. “If a sports league is going to get attention, you’re going to get attention for these things as well.”

Growth has magnified broader cultural debates

Contentious conversations also spread to issues of transgender athletes and harassment.

WNBA veteran Brianna Turner said on social media this week that her former team, the Fever, fired a male employee last season for sexual harassment. Turner, who was with Indiana last season but now plays for Las Vegas, said Indiana players were encouraged not to discuss the firing.

Turner’s comments came as she defended transgender athletes days after Indiana forward Sophie Cunningham spoke on transgender athletes competing in women’s sports.

“I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans. And I’m like, ‘I never once said that,’” Cunningham was quoted as saying in a story published by ESPN. “I think that I am here to extend love. But I also think with that love is truth, being honest. And I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.”

The WNBA’s conversations about race were thrust back into the spotlight after Toronto Tempo coach Sandy Brondello was suspended one game for referring to Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese as a “protected species.”

The comment, picked up by the broadcast after Reese drew a foul on Toronto player Nyara Sabally, quickly drew criticism.

Brondello, a former player who has won two WNBA titles, is Australian. The “protected species” phrase is used in Australian sports to express frustration over a lack of calls against a player. However, in the U.S., the phrase suggests that someone isn’t human and could be seen as derogatory toward Black people. Brondello later apologized. Reese accepted, saying she appreciated the league’s swift action.

“It’s a much bigger platform now. Everything that happens is news,” Berri said. “There were hard fouls 10 years ago. Nobody paid any attention to that. It ends up being because of the coverage now, everything gets magnified ... which is good. I mean, this is what we wanted.”

‘A lot to celebrate,’ but race still matters

Clark has repeatedly attempted to downplay the noise surrounding her, but she has become a springboard for projections far beyond the game itself.

“It’s basketball," she said in a recent ESPN interview. "When I walk out of the locker room I shouldn’t be fearful of what the conversation is going to be. It’s emotionally exhausting. It’s draining. It makes your shoulders tense because people don’t want to talk about the basketball. They just want to stir it up and make something else.”

The WNBA retroactively assessed Thomas a flagrant foul and suspended her one game after the veteran made contact with her fist to Clark’s throat in a June 24 matchup.

The play, which Thomas has said was an accident, gained widespread attention and ignited debates over officiating, with coaches, pundits and lawmakers weighing in on whether the league needs to take action about physical play involving Clark.

Thomas, who is Black and in her 12th WNBA season, said after the incident she had received death threats, part of increased online vitriol players have faced in recent years. Chelsea Gray of the Las Vegas Aces recently posted a message from a man that included a racial slur. And Engelbert this week met with a pair of player committees to discuss what more can be done to protect players from online harassment.

Since she entered the league, Clark and her WNBA peers have become proxies for long-standing American issues — from race, gender and sexual orientation to who receives attention and who doesn't.

“There’s a lot to celebrate,” Armstrong said, “but race still matters. Race will always matter. It just depends on how we make it matter.”

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

The strikes followed a major Russian attack on Friday near Kyiv that killed at least 10 people and wounded around 100 others, part of a relentless cycle of tit-for-tat attacks that dims the potential of reaching a diplomatic end to Russia's more than 4-year-old invasion of its neighbor.

Four children were among 11 people killed in the attack on the resorts in Zaporizhzhia, Yevgeny Balitsky, the Kremlin-installed regional head, said, adding that 16 others were wounded.

Ukraine did not immediately comment.

Sumy regional head Oleh Hryhorov said on Saturday three people were killed when a large fire broke out after a Russian drone struck a “civilian facility,” adding that the victims were drivers for private Ukrainian postal and courier service Nova Poshta.

Russia’s defense ministry said it attacked a “storage and launch site” for Ukrainian drones in the Sumy region.

In Zaporizhzhia, in southeastern Ukraine, a Russian drone attack late Friday hit a shopping center, causing a fire that spread over a 500-square-meter area and injuring several people, regional head Ivan Fedorov said.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned in his evening address on Friday that intelligence assessments indicated that Russia was preparing missiles for a large attack, saying there were indications that this could happen in the next 48 hours.

Ukraine keeps targeting oil facilities

A Ukrainian drone attack caused a fire in the grounds of the Tyumen Oil Refinery, in western Siberia, Tyumen regional Gov. Aleksandr Moor said on Saturday.

Writing on X Saturday, Zelenskyy confirmed the hit on the Tyumen plant, along with a logistics facility in Yekaterinburg and a fuel and lubricants warehouse in Rostov-on-Don.

Ukraine’s long-range drone technology has evolved during the war, posing a problem for Russia, whose huge land mass is hard to protect fully.

Kyiv’s forces have targeted Russian oil facilities, causing fuel shortages and embarrassing President Vladimir Putin.

Zelenskyy to meet Trump in Washington

U.S. President Donald Trump and Zelenskyy plan to meet on Tuesday in Washington, a White House official said on Saturday, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss Trump’s schedule before it is announced.

Kyiv did not immediately comment on the meeting, although Zelenskyy said in his Friday address that Kyiv was “preparing for a meeting with the President of the United States and his team.”

A memorial service in Washington for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of Kyiv’s staunchest supporters, is slated for Tuesday.

Romania shoots down second drone in 2 days

Romania’s defense ministry said on Saturday its forces had “safely shot down” a drone that breached its airspace in an “unpopulated area” near the Ukrainian border. The drone was “shot down by a Romanian pilot from an F-16 aircraft,” President Nicușor Dan said in a post on Facebook.

Saturday’s interception came after a drone was shot down around Padina, northeast of the Romanian capital, Bucharest, on Friday.

A series of drone incursions by Russia and Ukraine have hit Romania and other NATO members since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

In June, a Ukrainian maritime drone exploded at the Black Sea port of Constanta, while three other sea drones exploded outside the port. No one was hurt.

A Russian drone that was part of an attack on Ukraine in May went astray and struck an apartment building in eastern Romania, injuring two people.

Support has coalesced around former state Senate President Troy Jackson, a fifth-generation logger from rural northern Maine who campaigned alongside Platner during a failed bid for governor and was a favorite among progressives to replace him.

“When the people in power refuse to listen, you have to organize, you have to stand in solidarity, together. And you have to make them listen,” Jackson said during a speech at a last-minute nominating convention held Saturday.

The Maine Democratic Party has been scrambling to choose a new nominee after Platner, who sailed to victory in the Democratic primary in June, was accused by a former girlfriend of sexually assaulting her in 2021. Platner denies the allegation, but quit the race after key supporters called on him to withdraw.

Democrats have seen Maine as the party’s best opportunity to flip a Senate seat this year because it is a competitive Senate race in a state that President Donald Trump lost in 2024. But defeating Collins won't be easy. The five-term incumbent holds a fundraising advantage, while the new nominee will have less than four months to sell themselves to voters.

Maine law gave the state party authority to choose a replacement and required a new nominee to be named by Monday — 99 days before the Nov. 3 election.

Maine Democrats' never-before-used process of voting on a new nominee involved more than 600 Democratic delegates gathering in Bangor, about 130 miles (209.21 kilometers) north of Portland. The delegates were elected at county party meetings last weekend. The nominating convention began Saturday morning and was expected to wrap by afternoon.

Other top candidates dropped out after Jackson scooped up support

Once Platner dropped out on July 10, a flood of former governor candidates — including Jackson — and others jumped to try to take Platner's place. But by July 19, most had abandoned their bids, with Jackson emerging as the clear favorite.

Jackson received early support from progressives who had backed Platner before he dropped out. Our Revolution, the political organization founded nearly a decade ago by Sen. Bernie Sanders, initially backed Jackson for governor and Platner for Senate. When Platner left the race, the group rallied behind Jackson.

Jackson previously ran Maine operations for Sanders' 2016 presidential bid. This election cycle, Sanders endorsed Jackson for governor and Platner for Senate, though the independent senator from Vermont withdrew his support for Platner after the sexual assault allegation. He said he didn't plan to weigh in on which Democrat should replace Platner.

Just one other candidate has remained in the race for the Senate nomination — women’s health company CEO Saundra Pelletier. She faces long odds against Jackson, who has been a fixture in Maine politics for more than a decade.

Jackson's campaign has said more than 480 of the 601 delegates who will be voting at Saturday's convention are committed to supporting him.

Jackson has supported progressive positions such as Medicare for All. He also has called for the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, whose presence in Maine has been hotly debated since an agent killed a driver in the state earlier this month.

Maine is an important piece of Democrats’ effort to win the Senate

Democrats have a narrow path to take back the Senate in November and it’s highly unlikely they can do it without a win in Maine. In addition, they need victories in competitive races in North Carolina, Alaska and Ohio, and they need to hang on to the seats they already have. That includes open Senate seats in Michigan and Minnesota, where Democratic incumbents are retiring.

Maine's Democratic primary was one of the early contests where progressives took on establishment-backed Democrats. While Platner faced several controversies during his campaign, he easily outlasted Gov. Janet Mills, who was backed by Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer but dropped out before the June 9 primary.

Platner had backing from Sanders as well as Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren. That support disintegrated after the sexual assault allegation early this month.

Collins has described Jackson as a ‘Bernie Bro’

If he becomes the nominee, Jackson will need to convince the state's large independent voting bloc that it's time to replace Collins. Republicans have called Jackson too extreme for Maine voters, and Collins said earlier this week that she knows Jackson well and that his positions are “clearly” in line with socialism.

She noted Jackson ran Sanders' first presidential campaign in Maine, adding “He's a Bernie Bro.”

Jackson would also need to scramble to make up a fundraising gulf against Collins, who has been raising money for months.

Federal filings show she has raised more than $16 million so far. Jackson's campaign this week said he raised more than $1 million since jumping into the Senate race.

Jackson said Saturday he believes his team is up to the task.

“We're not from the left, we're not from the right. We're from the bottom, and we are rising,” he said during a speech.

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AP journalist Nathan Ellgren in Washington contributed to this report.

They were teenage phenoms who graced the cover of Sports Illustrated (back when magazines were cool) and both prodigies were No. 1 overall draft picks straight out of high school.

When Harper earned his first chance at testing free agency, there was only one city, one contract that was right for him.

Philadelphia.

It took a few years, but Harper has some company on the short list of top elite athletes who have signed in Philadelphia.

Harper and the Phillies.

Pete Rose and Kyle Schwarber and the Phillies.

Saquon Barkley and Reggie White and the Eagles.

In the greatest July signature in Philadelphia since 1776, James has followed Harper from free agency to Philly when he rocked the NBA and signed a two-year deal for the bargain-basement price of $8 million total — only a smidge more per season than first-round pick Labaron Philon Jr. will earn — that stamped the Sixers as the most compelling team in the league this season.

Keeping tabs on the ballyhooed deal is Harper.

“He’s going to have a great couple of years here, and obviously everyone’s going to expect him to win a championship here like everywhere else," Harper said. “So nothing new for him. He’s had all the pressure since he was in high school or younger than that.”

Here's the difference between James and all the superstars in the city that played before him.

He's LeBron James.

Meaning, his reach is so beyond the court — from fame around the globe to his bank account to the cash register to pop culture — that there is no fair comparison. He is No. 4 on Forbes' real-time list of wealthiest athletes at $1.4 billon, so his pay cut may not even be noticed in the ledger book. James has commercials and movie roles, and endorsement deals that alone would outearn every single player on the Sixers.

Joel Embiid, league MVP and two-time scoring champion. He's not LeBron.

Jaylen Brown, NBA Finals MVP and champion, He's not LeBron.

Tyrese Maxey, an All-Star and the real franchise player in Philly. He's not LeBron.

“I think it’s pretty cool to have one of the greatest basketball players ever to play, in the same city,” Phillies shortstop Trea Turner said. "So I’m excited for those who haven’t gotten a chance to see him play.”

Here are the CliffsNotes:

James is a 22-time All-Star, a 21-time All-NBA selection, a four-time Most Valuable Player, a four-time NBA Finals MVP, a three-time All-Star Game MVP and a member of the NBA’s 75th anniversary team.

He also is coming off a season when he averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game. For his career, he has averaged 26.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.4 assists in more than 1,600 games.

“He’s played in big markets before,” Harper said. “He knows exactly what he needs to do.”

Harper has largely lived up to the 13-year, $330 million contract he signed ahead of the 2019 season when he spurned the Washington Nationals for the Phillies and owned the richest contract in baseball history. He led the Phillies to the 2022 World Series, won the NL MVP in 2021 and helped win back-to-back NL East titles.

But he's 0-for-October.

Barkley rushed for more than 2,000 yards in his first season with the Eagles and led them to a Super Bowl championship.

Rose was the missing piece to help Hall of Famers Mike Schmidt and Steve Carlton win the World Series in 1980. It was the first World Series title in franchise history.

The 76ers have seemed to wait almost as long for a parade down Broad Street.

They have won titles in Philadelphia in 1967 and 1983 and have failed to advance out of the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs since 2001.

And yet somehow, one of the most famous athletes — strike that, people! — walking and dunking on the face of the Earth decided he wanted to play in Philadelphia.

“I’m not going for money. I’m not going for family,” James wrote Friday on social media. “What am I really playing for at this point? I still want to sacrifice. I still want to work. I still want to grind. I still want to compete, to win and to have a chance at the feeling of winning.”

James celebrated his decision on Instagram with a career highlight reel set to Philadelphia rapper Meek Mill’s “Dreams and Nightmares,” the adopted sports anthem of city teams blasted ad nauseam throughout the sports complex.

The video ends with the lyric, “hold up, wait a minute. Y’all thought I was finished?” and cuts to a 76ers logo.

James isn't finished — even if his best isn't yet to come.

He won NBA titles at each of his three previous stops — Cleveland, Miami and the Los Angeles Lakers — and could become the first player ever to win a title with four teams.

The countdown to opening night is on.

The stakes have really never been higher for the franchise. If the Sixers can't win with the Beatles shirt — LeBron & Embiid & Brown & Maxey — can they ever?

Get ready, everyone.

And skip the advice.

James doesn't need any tips on surviving the deep fryer of fandom in Philly.

“He can do whatever the hell he wants,” Harper said. "But the city loves a winner. So win.”

___

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

Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, the Houthis’ military spokesman, said in a prerecorded statement that the attack targeted facilities in the Red Sea cities of Yanbu and Jizan that belong to Aramco, the world’s largest oil company.

Saudi Arabia's civil defense said alerts sounded multiple times early Saturday in both cities, but the Kingdom hasn't commented further.

There were no reported strikes overnight in Iran, in an apparent break from nearly two weeks of consecutive nights of U.S. attacks, though tension remains high following a recent escalation between the two countries over the Strait of Hormuz.

Red Sea escalation further threatens global shipping

The rising tension in the Red Sea threatens to further choke global shipping because the rebels have said they would close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to Saudi-linked shipping.

That strait, at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, is a vital shipping chokepoint, connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. Around 12% of the world’s trade, including a quarter of its container traffic, passes through the narrows.

The Houthis targeted two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea this week. In response, Saudi Arabia struck the Yemeni port city of Hodeida, the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said early Saturday. The strikes late Friday hit the city's port and the state-run telecommunications corporation, injuring two people, said Anees al-Asbahi, a spokesman for the Houthi-run health ministry.

The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen said it didn’t hit the port but struck “legitimate military targets” in Hodeida province, which “were linked to threats to commercial vessels in the Red Sea.”

Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, called for “diplomacy and dialogue” to solve the Yemen conflict without “military confrontations” in an interview published Saturday in the state-run Iran newspaper.

No new strikes overnight in Iran, but tension remains high

“Iran had a peaceful night,” Hossein Kermanpour, a spokesperson for Iran's Health Ministry, posted Saturday on X.

U.S. Central Command didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. However, unlike the previous 13 nights, it didn't announce new strikes.

After the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran in late February, a tenuous ceasefire that halted major operations for several weeks has seemed to unravel this month. The U.S. accused Iran of striking three ships in the Strait of Hormuz and responded by striking dozens of targets in Iran, which retaliated by firing at U.S.-allied Gulf Arab states.

The Strait of Hormuz has been at the center of the conflict. The U.S. military on Friday fired on a merchant vessel in the Gulf of Oman that was trying to breach its renewed blockade of Iran’s ports, while Iran targeted U.S.-allied countries in the region.

U.S. embassies alerted American nationals in the Middle East on Friday that options to leave could become more limited, as Iran’s Revolutionary Guard advised residents of neighboring countries to stay away from bases with U.S. troops.

The war has killed more than 3,400 people in Iran, according to the Iranian Health Ministry. Eighteen U.S. service members, 24 civilians in Israel, and smaller numbers of civilians have been reported dead in countries across the region.

In Lebanon, more than 4,000 people have been killed, as well as 38 Israeli troops, after the Iran-backed Hezbollah militants fired at Israel in support of the Islamic Republic.

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Dell'Orto reported from Jerusalem.

He assured the crowd of journalists, though, that he'd scrapped the most biting parts of his remarks.

“That was going to be a doozy,” Trump said about the speech he’d been prepared to give in April, before a gunman upended the original dinner and forced its postponement.

“As I said three months ago, the show must go on,” the president said to begin his remarks, hailing the decision to reschedule the dinner. He referred to “the attempted mass murder” that could have happened that night in April, but then moved largely to humor — and, increasingly, insults.

Trump's return to the correspondents' dinner — and his promise to come back next year as well — represented a notable moment in his relationship with the news media, which he has attacked, sued and taken administrative action against since he began his second term early last year. Among the audience members were reporters he had denounced and barred from events.

Trump’s sometimes off-color speech, which lasted just over an hour, was full of potshots directed at various individuals — from Bruce Springsteen to “Barack Hussein Obama” to familiar targets like journalist Kaitlan Collins of CNN, one of the evening's key award winners, whom he again accused of not smiling enough. The audience reacted at first with friendly laughs, but slowly quieted to scattered titters as the insults piled up.

Among other targets of Trump’s humor: Late-night hosts Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel; Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn.; California Gov. Gavin Newsom; former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie; and even Trump's own speechwriters. “That was actually the only thing I thought was good in this whole fricking stupid speech they wrote,” he said when one joke fell flat.

At one point, Trump wondered aloud what his role was. “Is this supposed to be fun?” he asked. “Am I supposed to be a comedian?” He was on more comfortable ground expressing pride in the ballroom at the Waldorf Astoria, formerly the Trump International Hotel, and its chandeliers. “It’s great to be back at a place that I know very well, because I built it,” he said.

He also made a pained reference to the evening's journalism awards, many for stories challenging him and his administration — including one for the Wall Street Journal's coverage of his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. “Do I have a say in those awards?” he asked.

He made brief mention of the Iran war, and referred to the ballroom he's building at the White House. He also used the occasion to joke about the possibility of a third term — something barred by the U.S. Constitution's 22nd Amendment.

“Just like my presidency, the second time is always better,” the president quipped. “And the third time will be better yet.”

He added: “I’m only kidding.” Then, at the end, he donned a red cap that said “Trump 2028” and delivered the “scoop” that he was running again.

It was a very different dinner than the previous one

Trump had entered the ballroom to polite applause, and was thanked for his support by outgoing White House Correspondents’ Association president Weijia Jiang of CBS News. After dinner, he sat through more than an hour of awards presentations, shaking hands with each winner.

One of the those winners, Tyler Pager of the New York Times, was in fact one of the reporters subpoenaed by Trump’s Justice Department over his reporting about Trump’s Qatari-gifted Air Force One jet. Those subpoenas were withdrawn Thursday in a New York courtroom — just one of the arenas where the president has been seeking to control media coverage he dislikes.

The rescheduled dinner took place at a smaller venue this time that held only about 700 people. Security was markedly tighter. Guests entered via a single entrance, through two ID checks. There was no red carpet and no separate cocktail receptions preceding the dinner.

“Let’s try this again,” Jiang quipped, welcoming the crowd. The White House press corps, she noted, “always have a follow-up.” Turning serious, she referred back to the trauma and confusion of the original dinner in April.

“Tonight our message is this: We are back,” she said. “We will not be intimidated. We refuse to let an act of violence have the final word.”

Secret Service agent, hotel staff received awards for bravery during shooting

Also receiving an award Friday evening was Victor Gonzales, the Secret Service agent who was staffing a security checkpoint in April and was struck in his protective vest.

Gonzales “placed himself directly in harm’s way and engaged the armed suspect,” Jiang said. “He stayed in the fight and the attacker was stopped.”

A second award was presented to the staff of the Washington Hilton, site of the first dinner, for their professionalism under pressure.

The dress code this time was a looser “black tie optional,” and dinner included grilled peach and burrata salad, lobster and roasted beet Wellington. As in April, the featured entertainment was mentalist Oz Pearlman — who now got the chance to perform his act.

Jiang and fellow board members had emphasized they did not want to let a violent act — or the image of colleagues hiding under tables — remain the final thought. Announcing the rescheduling, she'd emphasized the dinner’s stated purpose: “A celebration of a free press and the vital role of journalism in our democracy for over a century.”

There's still lots of criticism of the event

But some people felt the dinner should not have been rescheduled at all.

Many never thought it was much of a good look in the first place, with the sight of journalists in formal wear cozying up to their sources, or the objects of their reporting.

“It undermines the public faith in how the press does its work, and it makes it look like we are pals with the people we cover,” Kelly McBride, an ethics expert at the Poynter Institute, a journalism think tank, said when the deliberations were taking place.

The new dinner came at a time of fast-increasing tension between the media and a president who has applied pressure on media outlets he's unhappy with in a variety of ways. That pressure has ranged from sanctions against members of the White House press corps to regulatory actions through the Federal Communications Commission to outright lawsuits.

Trump ended his remarks, though, ended with an attempt to mend fences — to a point. “I have a lot of respect for your profession,” he told the assembled journalists.

He also touted his own success, declaring: “When I'm not around, you're all gonna be broke.”

And he concluded about the evening: “It's far worse than I originally thought.”

___

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

High temperatures will climb into the mid 90s, but when you factor in the humidity, it’ll feel more like 105 to 112 degrees at times, so be sure to stay hydrated and limit strenuous outdoor activity during the hottest part of the day.

A few scattered showers and thunderstorms will develop after about 2 or 3 PM as the sea breeze moves inland.

Not everyone will see rain, but any storm that develops could produce heavy downpours, frequent lightning, and gusty winds before fading after sunset.

We’ll turn warm and muggy tonight with lows around 80 degrees under partly cloudy skies.

Nathan Matthews, 43, died Friday, the federal Interior Department said in a release. He was from Lincoln, Nebraska.

“This is another heartbreaking loss for our wildland fire family,” said U.S. Wildland Fire Service Chief Brian Fennessy.

Matthews' death came nearly a month after he and other firefighters were enveloped June 27 in what's known as a burnover — a situation in which a fire spreads and closes off all escape routes. They were part of a Helitack crew — a group that gets dropped by helicopter into remote areas to try to squelch new, rapidly expanding fires — that had been deployed in Mesa County, Colorado, west of the city of Grand Junction.

The firefighters deployed tent-like emergency shelters to try to shield themselves from the flames, officials said, but three firefighters died at the scene: Emily Barker, 38, Nick Hutcherson, and Sydney Watson, 26.

Matthews and another were taken for medical treatment. There was no immediate update on the other injured firefighter's condition.

Watson, Hutcherson and Barker were honored at a memorial service earlier this month. Memorial arrangements for Matthews haven't yet been announced.

The western U.S. has been contending with dozens of large fires this summer. Months of dry weather, a record lack of snow in some areas, hot spells and erratic winds have contributed to the blazes.

Firefighters were bracing Saturday for the possibility of worsening fires in Oregon, where a blaze near Bend was of particular concern because of its proximity to people.

A lengthy and bruising process ended swiftly and decisively on Friday, when a large majority of the court’s 125 member states voted to remove Karim Khan from his post.

The British barrister was accused of sexual misconduct with a female aide, as outlined by the AP in a series of stories, allegations he has steadfastly denied. According to documents seen by the AP, Khan engaged in a sexual relationship with the woman and tried to prevent her from pursuing her allegations.

Khan's removal comes at a time when the court is already facing daunting challenges, including a campaign by the United States to “dismantle” the ICC, which was established to prosecute people responsible for humanity’s worst crimes.

Supporters of the court are looking forward

Several countries where the ICC has open investigations met together on the sidelines of the event on Friday to discuss the ways out of any potential impasses created by Khan’s removal, according to three senior diplomatic officials familiar with the discussions.

One of the officials said a number of states began planning for how to move forward before the final votes were tallied.

“Whether Khan is removed or not, we must bring everyone back together,” the official said. They all spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the record.

The vote was surprisingly clear

A special session at U.N. headquarters in New York was scheduled to take all of Friday. Instead, a morning motion that would have made it harder to oust Khan failed and diplomats quickly moved forward to vote on removal, several hours ahead of schedule, according to three diplomats familiar with the proceedings.

Iva Vukusic, a researcher at Utrecht University who has been following the process, said she was surprised by how decisive it was. “The numbers indicate that there is more agreement than previously thought,” she told the AP.

Khan’s ouster comes at an already difficult time

The decision comes at a time when the global tribunal is under enormous pressure. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced last week that Washington was launching a “sweeping campaign to dismantle the threat posed by the International Criminal Court to U.S. sovereignty.”

Hours after Friday’s vote, Venezuela announced it would withdraw from the court, saying its work reflects a “demonstrated geographical bias.” Félix Plasencia, the country’s foreign affairs minister, made the announcement in a statement.

Trump’s administration already has brought sanctions against Khan and a dozen other ICC staff in retaliation for investigations into Israeli officials in Gaza and U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan.

The allegations became entwined with the court’s investigation into the war in Gaza, with Khan’s supporters arguing that the warrants the court has issued for top Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, were at stake.

Palestinian representatives were quick to push back on that narrative. “The vote by the Assembly of States Parties to remove the Prosecutor was not a political proxy vote on any Situation before the ICC,” Palestinian Ambassador to the Netherlands Ammar Hijazi said in a statement.

Khan’s removal will have no immediate impact on the arrest warrants which can only be withdrawn by ICC judges.

The work of the court will continue

Khan’s two deputy prosecutors have helmed the office since he stepped down in May 2025. In a statement, the office of the prosecutor said the pair will continue with its “leadership, management and administration,” until a new chief is selected.

It is not clear yet when member states will be able to decide on Khan’s replacement. His election in 2021 took nearly 18 months and drew criticism from civil society groups over the lack of stringent background checks on the candidates to ensure they met the requirement of “high moral character.”

There may be more legal proceedings to come

The removal vote may not be the end of the process for Khan. He intends to “challenge the lawfulness and fairness of the decision through all available legal mechanisms,” attorney Tayab Ali said in a statement.

There is no appeals process for his removal but all ICC staff are entitled to bring complaints to a special labor tribunal based in Geneva.

Khan’s lawyers criticized the process leading to his ouster, complaining that he was blocked from addressing the session Friday and arguing the regulations had been rewritten to disadvantage him.

On Monday, lawyers and investigators will return to the court’s headquarters in The Hague with at least some clarity about the future. “I hope now the court can move on and focus on its core work of dealing with cases,” Vukusic said.

“It's just so much work. I hate dropping any of it,” said Snyder, who operates Mex and Sons Ranch near Montrose, Colorado, with his family.

It took eight trips in three vehicles over nine hours in sweltering heat before the 800 cow-calf pairs finally had enough water to make it through to the next day — maybe two.

Hauling water across rugged landscapes has become a daily chore for many ranchers in the U.S. Rockies. They historically relied on snowmelt to sustain stock ponds, springs and creeks for livestock to drink throughout the summer, but this year's snowpack was the worst on record in the Upper Colorado River Basin, which includes Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico. Human-caused climate change made the snow drought about 14 times more likely, a new study confirms.

Coping with the impacts of minimal snow and a so far lackluster monsoon season is requiring more time, money and stress from producers who are already struggling to maintain family legacies and meet America's demand for beef.

Finding water is a common challenge

Snyder and his brother Monte are adapting. Like many other ranchers, they shrunk their herd, bought hay to supplement what little they could grow, shuttled cows farther to reach grazable land, and are constantly monitoring whether wildfires are blowing their way. And now, they are hauling drinking water.

“If Mother Nature doesn't want to help out here, we're probably in a lot of trouble,” Snyder said.

Still, the Snyders count themselves lucky. A nearby landowner charges them to refill their 6,500-gallon (24,600-liter) water tanker from a reservoir. Late last week, he pulled up alongside another truck carrying a 3,000-gallon (11,360 liter) tank to water sheep.

Mark Ragsdale's phone rings off the hook with neighbors asking the same question: Where can I find water?

During the day, he works as the state's water commissioner for Norwood, where his cousin Snyder ranches. But morning, afternoon and evening, he is also hauling water to his small herd of 45 cow-calf pairs. He counts his luck that his solar-powered well is still producing and his herd is nearby.

His Dodge Ram's tires churned through a muddy depression on a dirt road on a recent morning water run — a welcome sign of the first monsoonal rain that arrived the night before.

“It's gonna take 10 years of above-normal (precipitation) to get back to what I consider normal,” Ragsdale said.

The good news about this drought

The good news is that this year's snow drought in the Upper Colorado River Basin was so severe, the odds of a repeat this bad in the near future is low, said Adrienne Marshall, assistant professor of geology at the Colorado School of Mines and lead author on the study. Still, multiple years of lesser droughts can compound, and the odds of an extreme snow drought grow each year as greenhouse gas emissions, the main driver of climate change, continue to rise, she explained.

The record-setting low snow, after years of drought, prompted the Brays to expand their water truck fleet this year. Lance Bray, who owns 500 head with his brother Zandon, bought a flatbed truck with more than 300,000 miles (482,800 kilometers) on it to haul a 2,600-gallon (9,842-liter) water tank. It's now their third flatbed dedicated for the chore.

Ranchers can apply for reimbursement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to cover above-normal costs to transport water and feed due to drought, but there's no getting back their time.

Drought takes a toll on ranchers

“I'm gonna fight like hell this year so I can turn around and fight like hell next year,” Zandon Bray said. He and his brother restarted the cattle operation two years after the 2018 drought season prompted their dad to sell the herd.

They love ranching and are trying to operate more sustainably, running fewer head than their father did when grass was more plentiful and nutritious. But the emotional toll grows heavier as each year passes without meaningful moisture.

“Sometimes it’s by 10 o’clock in the morning or by the end of the day, you’re just like, man, I can’t do this anymore,” Zandon Bray said.

The weight of water tanks on Stanford Salazar's trailer caused a tire blowout that obliterated the rim. He was already running late to his day job at the Jicarilla Apache planning office in northern New Mexico.

It has been five years since hauling stock water became a daily chore for Salazar. Few of his 14 ponds hold any water these days.

“With the changing of weather, we’re not getting big winters. We used to get 4 to 5 feet (1.2 to 1.5 meters) of snow in winter. Now we’re lucky to get a foot,” Salazar said.

In central Utah, Jeff Christensen is drilling two 500-foot (152-meter) deep wells he hopes will reduce his hauling chores. But first they need to reach the water table, which is lower now without as much snowmelt to refill it.

"I think they’re dang close to 20 grand a well now. So if we don’t hit water, we’re in trouble,” he said.

Half the cost is being covered with a grant from Utah's Grazing Improvement Program, which invests millions annually to create more sustainable, productive ranches.

“I spend the majority of my time on water," Christensen said. "I’m either hauling it, cussing the lack of it, or trying to find more of it.”

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The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP’s environmental coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment

The cultural trend of so-called teen takeovers has popped up across the U.S. in recent years, influencing local policing and national politics. The events, often hyped online and captured in videos on social media, have led to shootings, theft and vandalism. City officials and police are concerned about an increase over the summer, and are under pressure to prevent similar gatherings or to punish those who participate.

Over the July 4 holiday weekend, several thousand young people converged in two spots in Raleigh, North Carolina, police said. Nine people, including an adult who was not part of the gatherings, were shot and wounded.

There were also takeovers in Pensacola, Florida, where a 19-year-old was shot and killed; and Newport Beach, California, where more than 400 were arrested after the police chief said teens launched “explosive mortars and other projectiles” at officers ordering them to disperse.

But Spann and other teens say that the events are largely misunderstood. They point to formal curfews or limits on group size at malls and movie theaters that have made it harder for teens to gather, exacerbating a feeling of disconnection they trace back to remote learning during the coronavirus pandemic.

How cities are tracking the social media trend

Communities and police across the country are trying to identify organizers, fine parents of those involved and impose curfews.

In Detroit, officials say they “thwarted" 19 gatherings so far this year by monitoring time and location changes as young people coordinated across social media, said Teferi Brent, director of the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood and Community Safety.

“We have eyes on all the behaviors and activities of those who have expressed interest in trying to take over and we have done a good job of being way ahead of the curve and being able to prevent a lot of these things,” Brent said.

Alderperson Jessie Fuentes, who chairs the Chicago City Council’s subcommittee on Youth Employment, said her office has tried to find solutions that don't rely exclusively on police and instead coordinate with parents and community members to prevent conflict or crimes.

Blue Island, a south Chicago suburb, has taken another tact: to fine parents or guardians and use the funds to cover clean up after events. That might include debris left behind or other damages like cars dented from scores of teens clambering over them while fleeing police.

Other places have taken harsher approaches, as in Florida, where state officials said prosecutors can apply racketeering laws, typically targeting criminal gangs or organized crime, if takeovers appear to be facilitated by “an organized network.”

But some have pushed back on the idea that the threat of harsh legal punishment could prevent the gatherings in the first place.

“What we know about adolescent brain development is that the stakes are not going to be what prevents a young person from engaging in risky behavior,” said Melissa Milchman, the executive director for the nonpartisan organization the Coalition for Juvenile Justice. Milchman added that mass arrests often ensnare those who are going for innocent fun without preventing others from breaking the law.

Teens say there aren't safe spaces for them to gather

For Spann, the recent media attention on the events has largely failed to capture the appeal to young people.

“You feel like a young person who has freedom, who’s not being held to something,” said Spann, who is Black. At the event he went to, he was able to catch up with people he hadn't seen since 8th grade.

He said that the events are a direct result of a cascade of school closures across Black neighborhoods over the past couple decades in Chicago. To deter people from gathering even at basketball courts, where there were sometimes fights, officials have removed the nets. Spann said that his mom, who grew up in the same neighborhood, frequently talks about how much easier it used to be to hang out outside without a fear of gun violence.

When Spann goes to malls in more affluent areas with his mostly Black group of friends, shoppers often stare and security guards question them. To avoid scrutiny, Spann and his friends sometimes sneak into outdoor shopping centers or areas downtown in smaller groups at staggered times.

By contrast, in the same spaces, Spann said, “If I’m with my white friends, I feel like I belong."

Despite the physical dangers that come with takeovers and the threat of getting a ticket or even arrested, the allure is strong, according to Jeffrey Bernstein, a psychologist and author.

“The kids still do it because they feel like it’s their second family,” which he said “really takes over as their primary sense of connection.”

“They’re getting things from their peers that they can’t get from their parents.”

Some cities have tried to meet that need head-on, instead of cracking down with law enforcement.

In St. Louis, officers have started to bring some teens to community centers instead of jails so their parents can pick them up, and in Baltimore, officials have tried leaning on public schools to provide alternative programming. In Chicago, Spann received a $11,000 grant from the city and partnering nonprofits to host an event for his peers at the end of the summer, in an effort to give his community more places to gather.

What cities are doing to address ‘teen takeovers’

In April, Daveion Page, a 16-year-old in Detroit, was bored. He turned to his phone, creating a post on social media promoting a teen takeover. Hundreds of teens soon flocked to a site downtown and fights broke out by the end of the night. At another takeover in May, a 14-year-old was shot and wounded.

After the Detroit event in April, Page told reporters that he didn't intend for the takeover he organized to result in violence.

“I just wanted to get out of the house, have fun, enjoy time with my family and my homeboys and my homegirls, too," said Page, who was flanked by Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield and other city officials at a news conference.

He told city officials that young people might respond if there were more safe places to gather.

Before the takeovers, there were already plans to use $1.5 million from the city’s budget for summer programming and to support violence prevention programs. In response to the takeovers, the city has launched an office of youth affairs, met and listened to students at schools, and created a youth advisory board comprised of teens and young adults.

“We have brought them to the table and made them a part of our structure in regards to identifying what the needs and concerns are of the young people in the city,” Brent said.

In Detroit, a late-night basketball league has formed as an alternative hangout spot for teens and young adults. Jerseys and sneakers are provided by the city.

“This league just helps me find something to do,” Cameron Chandler, 21, said while playing basketball at the recreation center.

He's never participated in a takeover, but recently after practice, he stumbled on one near his home.

“There were a lot of cops and some people got arrested,” Chandler said. “You just have to think, ‘that could easily be me.’”

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Riddle reported from Los Angeles. Williams reported from Detroit.

Dharmendra Pradhan announced his resignation in a post on X, handing a major victory to the youth movement that spearheaded nationwide demonstrations, sit-ins and hunger strikes. His resignation marks the first significant concession by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government to one of the most visible waves of public dissent it has faced in recent years.

The government has rarely yielded to sustained public pressure during Modi's more than 12 years in office. The most notable exception came in 2021, when it was forced to withdraw controversial farm laws after a yearlong farmers’ protest.

The "Cockroach'" movement began more than a month ago after allegations of leaks in some of India’s biggest entrance exams. It started as a call for education reforms but grew into a broader protest over unemployment, government accountability and economic opportunities. Students, professionals, families and activists joined rallies in New Delhi and other cities across India.

Following Pradhan’s resignation, movement organizers called off the protests, saying the government had accepted their remaining demands. Those included broader reforms to India’s education system, compensation for families of students who died by suicide following exam paper leaks, and a commitment that no legal action would be taken against those who participated in the protests.

“We urge everyone to peacefully withdraw from protest sites,” Ashutosh Ranka. spokesperson of the Cockroach Janta Party, which launched the protest movement, said at a news briefing in New Delhi.

News of Pradhan’s resignation sparked celebrations among the thousands of protesters who have camped at New Delhi’s protest site for more than a month. Many embraced each other and waved the Indian flag.

Prachi Kumar, a corporate employee who joined the protests, said Pradhan’s resignation was necessary to restore accountability in the education system.

“This had to be done. Someone must be held accountable,” she said.

The Cockroach Janta Party declared victory following the resignation, writing on X: “DEMOCRACY WINS!”

The demonstrations became one of the most persistent challenges to Modi’s government in recent years, with thousands returning to the streets even after police used tear gas and batons to disperse marchers.

Tensions escalated on Monday when police moved to disperse thousands of protesters marching toward Parliament. Several students were injured in the crackdown, intensifying anger among demonstrators.

Modi’s government had earlier sought to ease tensions by announcing fast-track courts for cases involving exam paper leaks and saying it would introduce legislation to strengthen measures against cheating and corruption in the examination system. The measures failed to satisfy protesters, who said they did not address government accountability.

Opposition parties, which rallied behind the protests, said Pradhan’s resignation showed the government had bowed to sustained public pressure.

Rahul Gandhi, India’s main opposition leader in Parliament, called it a “major step toward revamping our education system”.

Including some 70,000 people evacuated in central Spain, wildfires in southern Europe this week have displaced more than 250,000 people.

French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said the hulking A400M aircraft will join 18 other water- and retardant-dropping planes and helicopters waging an expected “long and very difficult” battle against the blaze raging in the Gironde region of southwestern France.

With winds expected to shift in a west-to-east direction on Saturday afternoon, potentially driving the fire closer to Bordeaux, fire crews and authorities were digging trenches, using retardants and taking other steps to block it, Nunez said. He said the fire was about 30 kilometers (20 miles) west of the city and lost some of its intensity overnight.

The government mobilized soldiers to join the battle and was rushing in 1.5 million face masks to protect against choking smoke.

Authorities ordered people between the fire and Bordeaux to evacuate, including from parts of the city’s western suburbs and other towns and villages.

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu described the fires as unprecedented and said the Gironde blaze became so strong on Friday that it had begun generating its own winds.

“Our priority is clear: protecting human lives,” he posted on X, adding that evacuation orders “must be respected without delay.”

He said firefighting teams were being reinforced Saturday with the addition of hundreds of soldiers and that breathing masks to filter out smoke particles were being rushed to the Gironde region for those exposed to the clouds of potentially noxious fumes.

Blazes caught authorities off guard

The virulence of the wildfires, fueled by high temperatures and the long-term effects of climate change, caught fire crews and authorities off guard in both countries. Firefighters in Spain said the blazes spread so fast and violently that they could not be tackled head on. In France, some people even fled by boat when flames swept through touristic towns on the Atlantic coast.

Dozens of French firefighters have been injured, authorities said, but no deaths were reported in either country despite the scenes of panic as townsfolk fled by car and police went door to door to tell people to leave as large plumes of smoke darkened the skies.

Successive heat waves that hit unusually early and hard this year, baking Europe with record-shattering high temperatures, have turned forests and scrublands into tinderboxes.

Fires have burned 130,000 hectares of forest already this year in Spain, up from an annual average of 100,000 hectares over the past decade, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Saturday as he visited a command post west of Madrid.

He said more favorable weather Saturday offered “a window of opportunity” for fire crews to bring the blazes under control. Madrid's regional government said the fires decreased in intensity as winds and temperatures dropped.

Other European nations were helping, with Italy, Greece, the Netherlands, Portugal, Croatia, the Czech Republic and Slovakia already providing or expected to deploy water-dumping planes and helicopters to the Spanish and French fire fronts.

Wildfire headed toward Bordeaux

Gironde region prefect Sophie Brocas said on Friday night that strong winds from the west were pushing the fire closer to the Bordeaux metropolitan area and that it had grown to “an unprecedented magnitude.” Bordeaux’s western suburbs covered by evacuation orders included Le Haillan and parts of Eysines and Mérignac, where the city’s airport is located. The airport said it remained open but that its bus and tram services were suspended.

The Gironde blaze broke out Wednesday near the Cap Ferret peninsula on France’s Atlantic coast, 60 kilometers (37 miles) from Bordeaux. Bordeaux authorities took in thousands of evacuees, offering them food and shelter in an exhibition center, and the city's mayor said it could be equipped to welcome as many as 10,000 people if that became necessary.

Evacuation orders were sent with special alerts to mobile phones, instructing people to leave, Brocas said.

“We want everyone to be quickly brought to safety. We must act quickly together,” she said.

___

Leicester reported from Paris. Associated Press journalist Barry Hatton in Lisbon, Portugal, and Joseph Wilson in Barcelona contributed.

The UNESCO meetings in Busan, which continue through next Wednesday, are reviewing dozens of other nominations, including the D-Day landing beaches in France, Mount Olympus in Greece and the ancient Japanese capitals of Asuka-Fujiwara.

The Okefenokee Swamp boasts impressive biodiversity

The Okefenokee Swamp is regarded as one of the world’s largest freshwater ecosystems, encompassing a vast network of wetlands that supports exceptional biodiversity and serves as the source of two major rivers. Its largely undisturbed peat beds preserve a 5,000-year record of environmental change, making the swamp both a globally significant natural habitat and a valuable source of information on long-term environmental change, according to a UNESCO description.

While the World Heritage designation places the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge alongside iconic U.S. landmarks such as the Grand Canyon, some locals have opposed the listing, fearing it would increase U.N. involvement in managing the site.

“We accept this inscription not as a finish line, but as a commitment to keep the Okefenokee wild, resilient, and thriving for generations to come,” said Kim Bednarek, executive director of the nonprofit Okefenokee Swamp Park that’s worked with the U.S. government on the refuge’s nomination package.

A Thai 13th-century Buddhist temple with unique architecture makes the list

Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahawihan, a 13th-century Buddhist temple in southern Thailand known for its 78-meter (255-foot) stupa and distinctive architecture, was also inscribed on the World Heritage List, becoming Thailand’s ninth site.

UNESCO has described the temple as an outstanding example of Theravada Buddhist architecture that remains a living place of worship, preserving religious traditions that draw large gatherings of devotees. The temple was first proposed to UNESCO in 2012, and has gone through more than a decade of preparation to meet the nomination requirements.

While the World Heritage listing is expected to dramatically increase visitors to the temple, Kanop Ketchart, mayor of Nakhon Si Thammarat City, said officials are prepared to address potential infrastructure and capacity challenges.

“We have prepared our infrastructure, buffer zoning and evacuation plan to fit all the requirements of UNESCO,” he said in an interview with The Associated Press this month. “More importantly, the people are getting used to all this process for almost 10 years. So they are very much looking forward to (it).”

Religious, environmental and historic sites join the World Heritage List

Sarnath, an ancient Buddhist site in the northern Indian city of Varanasi, was another Asian religious location newly added to the World Heritage List. Recognized as the sacred location where the Buddha delivered his first sermon, the site’s architectural and archaeological properties remain deeply significant despite periods of decline and revival, UNESCO said.

The committee also decided to expand the World Heritage listing of the South Korean “getbol” tidal flats with four additional coastal wetlands in Seosan, Goheung, Muan and Yeosu in the country’s west. UNESCO had previously inscribed four other South Korean tidal flats in 2021 for their biodiversity and crucial role as a stopover for migratory birds.

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said the expanded designation of the tidal flats “reaffirms the importance of international cooperation for the conservation of the Yellow Sea ecosystem and the East Asian-Australasian Flyway,” a major migratory bird route that stretches from the Arctic through Asia to Australia and New Zealand.

Another new addition to the World Heritage List was centuries-old handicraft porcelain industry sites in the eastern Chinese city of Jingdezhen. The sites trace the evolution of handcrafted porcelain production in China from the 10th to the 19th centuries, showcasing innovations that helped make Jingdezhen a leading center for fine porcelain, with its blue-and-white porcelain becoming a global symbol of Chinese craftsmanship, according to UNESCO.

The Indian Ocean island nation of Comoros secured its first World Heritage listing after the committee inscribed six historic towns dating to the 11th century that later emerged as the principal urban centers of the country’s sultanates. UNESCO says the towns reflect centuries of cultural exchange through Indian Ocean trade networks while preserving distinctive urban traditions shaped by African, Arab and Islamic influences.

For those seeking to stay in office, particularly the newest members, it can be a tough sell.

“I only know a dysfunctional Congress,” said Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, a freshman from Virginia.

The Democrat said it's best to campaign on his own record delivering for constituents, rather than on the performance of Congress, as his party tries to wrest control from the Republicans.

“It's virtually impossible to sell the performance of Congress to the American people because Congress is such an easy punching bag,” he said. “And this particular Congress has been ceding too much of its authority to the executive branch.”

He said, “I tell people to sell yourself and what you've tried to do.”

Yet Republican Rep. Brandon Gill, a freshman from Texas who has emerged as one of the party's rising figures, particularly on Trump's hard-line immigration enforcement agenda, argued there's plenty to show to voters back home.

“We've gotten a lot done,” he said

“Cutting taxes across the board, over $100 billion for border security, repealing half the Green New Deal, the biggest mandatory spending reform in history — pretty historic stuff,” he said.

“Everybody always wants Congress to move faster than it does, but we’ve been extremely productive.”

Midterm elections often become a referendum on the party in power

Control of Congress is often an afterthought in presidential election years when the White House is at stake. But in the midterms, when lawmakers face voters as they will this fall, the races largely become a referendum on the party in power.

Republicans have history against running against them, as the president's party often encounters losses during the midterm elections — a “thumping,” as George W. Bush put it, a “shellacking” as Barack Obama said — and a pendulum nation swings.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, who is about to embark on a cross-country trek to raise millions of dollars for his party and visit lawmakers' home districts, remains bullish that Republicans will not only keep their House majority control — but grow their numbers.

“This week we continued to deliver for the people, and we're going to continue that straight through the end of this year,” Johnson said after a flurry of legislating before sending lawmakers home for summer.

Republicans in a single day adopted a budget resolution seeking $95 billion for the Iran war and other priorities; advanced a $1 trillion Pentagon bill renaming it the Department of War; and approved legislation to clamp down on stock trading in Congress, all over Democratic objections.

“We're going to run through the tape,” Johnson said.

Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who is in line to become House speaker if his party wins control, will launch “100 Days of Action” on Sunday as he works to take the majority and impose a check on Trump's White House.

“It's not going to be easy, right?” Jeffries told reporters. “No one's going to give it to us. We have to take it in a way that is consistent with the values of the American people.”

Control of Congress sets the agenda for the nation

With its 435 seats being contested, control of the House often narrows to the tiniest slice of the country.

Fewer than 20 seats are considered genuine toss-ups, according to analysts. The rest are considered safer seats, drawn with map lines designed to favor one party over the other — including new maps still being drawn to eliminate Black majority districts largely in the Deep South after a landmark Supreme Court decision gutting the Voting Rights Act.

Millions of dollars are being spent that will make the difference between a return of the GOP majority eyeing more budget cuts or a new Democratic agenda that is expected to launch vast oversight and investigations into the Trump administration.

Even as he openly pines for a normal Congress, Johnson believes the country needs a steady hand at the wheel as he partners with the White House on Trump’s priorities — and fend off Democratic investigations and the threat of impeachment.

“We are increasingly confident that we will hold and grow this majority in the House — and we must,” he said.

Democrats under Jeffries make the case that Trump and the Republicans in charge have done nothing for Americans struggling with high costs of living. Instead, they say Trump waged war against Iran that sent gas prices soaring, slapped tariffs on goods that are spiking prices, deported longtime immigrants and slashed health care and food aid as part of Trump's big tax cuts bill last summer.

“They're flailing all over the place,” Jeffries said.

Jeffries vowed that Democrats “will hold the crooks accountable” on a number of issues, including the Trump family's business dealings.

A throwback to communism or forward-looking new ideas

Johnson raises the specter of a mid-20th-century-style communist threat if Democrats win control with a new generation of far-left progressive candidates, some backed by the Democratic Socialists of America.

“We have been saying that this is an election that’s shaping up as a contest between common sense and crazy,” he said. Now, he said, it's “common sense versus communism.”

Jeffries brushes past such warnings as unserious. “House Democrats aren't a cult,” he said, a criticism his party often lobs at Trump's backers in Congress. “We're a coalition of people, public servants, who are committed to getting things done.”

One of the newest lawmakers, Rep. James Gallagher, R-Calif., said he's just trying to focus on the issues important to constituents back home.

“We're in a time where there's a lot of division, unfortunately,” he said. “And I think one key is like, Hey, trying to bring people together to solve problems for Americans, right?”

And with peak travel season underway, millions of people may have to contend with this disorienting condition, which can cause sleep disturbances, daytime tiredness, headaches and nasty gastrointestinal symptoms.

But you can minimize the effects of jet lag — and not just by adjusting your sleep-wake schedule. What and how you eat and drink can make a difference too.

Jet lag occurs when your body’s biological clock is out of sync with the time zone you find yourself in. Usually, environmental cues such as sunrises and sunsets help set your internal clock. But when you cross time zones, it may take a few days for your body to adjust.

“I’ve personally experienced pretty severe jet lag before,” during two European trips, said Tara Schmidt, a registered dietitian at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. “It really kind of ruined the first few days of my vacation.”

Eat on the local schedule at your destination

While symptoms of jet lag vary, digestive problems such as bloating, constipation or diarrhea are not uncommon, said Joanne Slavin, a nutrition expert at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.

One way to minimize jet lag is to begin gradually shifting the timing of your meals as you get ready for travel. Schmidt suggested first moving them by 15 minutes, then a half hour, then an hour closer to the destination time zone.

Then, after you get where you're going, eat when the locals eat.

If it’s morning, have breakfast. A hearty one aligned with your new time zone can help you recover from jet lag, a 2023 study co-authored by Northwestern University researchers suggests.

As the day goes on, keep to the same schedule, having lunch and dinner at times appropriate for the location.

“Immediately go on your new schedule,” Slavin said.

To avoid stomachaches, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises keeping meals smaller just before and during travel. Schmidt said this is particularly important in the early days of a trip.

“Smaller meals tend to be more easily tolerated for people, especially if you have a sensitive stomach or maybe are dealing with some of those GI discomforts,” Schmidt said.

Later in the trip, she said, you may be able to ease into eating more at one sitting. Just be mindful about foods that you might not be used to, especially greasy or high-fat items.

“Enjoying a meal abroad is so fun, especially when you’re experiencing a new culture, a new food,” she said.

Watch what you drink on vacation

It’s also best to skip that glass of wine or pint of beer.

“As fun as it is sometimes when we travel, we really do endorse avoiding alcohol because alcohol is such a huge sleep disruptor,” Schmidt said.

Another pro tip: Use caffeine strategically. If you normally have a cup of coffee or tea in the morning, it’s fine to do that while traveling. But don’t have caffeine so late in the day that it will keep you up. And be aware that both caffeine and alcohol can make you more dehydrated.

“Dehydration can certainly worsen fatigue and those perceived jet lag symptoms,” Schmidt said.

Drink water before, during and after your flight to combat the effects of dry cabin air. At your destination, eight glasses of water a day is a good, easy-to-remember goal, but keep in mind that some people may need more fluids, others less, depending on things like weather and exercise. Cleveland Clinic experts suggest choosing bottled water if you have any questions about water safety.

When the trip is over, get back to your normal schedule

Experts say how and what you consume while traveling is only part of the equation for minimizing jet lag. But these changes complement the better known tips for adjusting your sleep schedule to the new time zone.

When your vacation begins winding down, the advice is much the same for sleep and eating: Ease back into your normal schedule and try to fully resume it at home.

“The sooner you get back to it, to all of your habits,” Slavin said, “the better off you’re going to be.”

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

Troopers responded to the crash on Moody Avenue and Whipple Avenue around 9 p.m.

They say the truck was turning left onto Whipple Avenue. The driver of the motorcycle tried to pass on its left in a no passing zone, and he crashed into the side of the truck.

The motorcyclist died at the scene, and his passenger was taken to the hospital with critical injuries. They were not wearing helmets.

The driver of the truck was not hurt.

Jack, 50, scouts an app for deals at her local supermarket before she buys groceries. When she reaches the store, she looks in the weekly circular for coupons she might have missed. If shelf prices look too high, she tries to find lower prices someplace else.

“The apples went up here, the ones I eat, so now I’m not going to get them here,” Jack said as she pushed a cart into a Stop & Shop near her home in Lexington, Massachusetts.

Couponing, comparison shopping and cutting back on favorite foods are new habits for her and millions of other Americans as they absorb the biggest jump in grocery prices in a half-century. Buying food to eat at home has gotten 33% more expensive since the beginning of 2019, according to government figures.

With a conflict in the Middle East creating more price pressures, the cost of filling refrigerators, freezers and pantries has made affordability a central issue in the fall midterm elections.

Residents of four urban areas where food inflation has exceeded the national average shared how steadily rising prices are changing the way they shop. They described hunting for discounts, switching to store brands and feeling grateful for food banks. Some are buying less meat and skipping nonessentials like cookies. Others are buying less food overall.

Meat becomes a luxury for a family in Texas, the nation's top beef producer

Beef epitomizes out-of-control grocery prices for many Americans. The price of a pound of ground beef reached $6.82 in June, which is 79% more than at the beginning of 2019, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

Ada Torres, 60, who lives 45 miles northeast of Houston in Cleveland, Texas, is one of the people no longer buying it. She does the grocery shopping and cooking for the home she shares with her daughter and three grandchildren.

“Prices are sky-high. One hundred dollars’ worth of groceries these days is nothing,” Torres said.

Chicken and cold cuts are the family's main source of animal protein now that fresh meat is a luxury, she said. Her grandchildren, ages 12, 15 and 16, miss eating lasagna with ground beef, beef fajitas and steak with plantain chips.

Torres' daughter is the family’s main provider. Her work for a mobile car-washing service dwindles during the rainy season; the family only can afford one full meal a day, Torres said.

Shopping outside Boston takes research and multiple stores

Apral Jack, a care provider and part-time Amazon worker, has fewer mouths to feed now that her three daughters are adults. But she spends more cautiously than she once did.

Instead of shopping at Whole Foods, she builds her weekly menu around discounts and digital coupons.

“Typically, I’ll try to pick the meals based on that. So like chicken fajitas: there was a three-day sale on chicken” Jack said.

Nabisco Ginger Snaps and Nilla Wafers are off her shopping list. Jack won't buy store brand replacements. To her, they don't taste the same.

Three generations share food pantry eggs and produce to get by in San Francisco

San Francisco has a reputation as foodie city. Food preoccupies 33-year-old Jack Chang for other reasons. The self-employed barber has three young children and a partner who is unemployed.

"Since I have five mouths I have to feed, basically — and then sometimes my mom, too — it’s a lot on me financially,” Chang said.

Their family is not one that goes out for boba milk teas or artisanal ice cream. They visit a Japanese entertainment center with $1 ice cream cones. Milk is the only organic product they consume.

“I look at my credit card every month and I’m like, ‘Wow, how am I going to pay this?’ So I’m a little behind on bills, honestly,” Chang said.

When their 4-year-old daughter’s preschool has leftover meat or bread, Chang's partner, Tina Chhous, offers to take it. Chhous also receives monthly food assistance through the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.

“Without that, I don’t know what I would do,” Chang said.

Chang's 77-year-old mother, Lien, receives SNAP aid, too, and visits two food banks each week. She shares the canned food, eggs and produce she gets with the rest of the family.

Prices in the Honolulu area keep a pastry chef from shopping and eating local

High grocery bills come with living in Hawaii. The state gets nearly all its food from cargo ships that have traveled thousands of miles, making prices vulnerable to oil market spikes.

Local products also got costlier this year. The cost of shipping goods between the Hawaiian Islands skyrocketed amid rising fuel prices tied to the Iran conflict.

Amanda Tabadero, 28, a pastry chef on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, remembers buying Maui-grown strawberries and blueberries for $7.99 per pound in 2024. Now that they cost $11, she buys berries from California or Mexico at Costco for $5 when she bakes.

Tabadero also doubts she will buy lychee again anytime soon. Kaimana lychee, the variety grown in Hawaii, mostly comes from the Big Island. Tabadero said an iced coffee and a bag of fruit she recently purchased in Honolulu's Chinatown came to $30.

“It makes me sad,” Tabadero said. “I want to use local stuff.”

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This report is a collaboration between The Associated Press and The Lexington Observer in Massachusetts, La Esquina in Texas and Honolulu Civil Beat in Hawaii. AP Video Journalist Terry Chea contributed from San Francisco.

Rockets, because the cost of food eaten at home zoomed up in the aftermath of the pandemic. Feathers, because once prices rise, they’re slow to come down.

That’s been frustrating for Americans hit with the sharpest increase in grocery prices in 50 years. While food price inflation peaked in 2022, when prices jumped 11.4%, prices have not reversed course. An acceleration in flation after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran has prolonged the aggravation.

“I think the public is coming to grips with, ‘Well, I’m hearing inflation has slowed, but things aren’t getting any cheaper.’ It has to be deflation for prices to go down, and that’s very rare,” said Matt Hamory, who leads the global grocery practice at the consulting company AlixPartners.

Prices for food at home are expected to rise 2.7% across the country this year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported Friday. That's higher than the grocery inflation shoppers saw in 2024 and 2025 but close to the historical average of 2.6%.

It's the compounding effect of the post-pandemic price shocks that consumers are still feeling, and they're reacting to them in ways that could have repercussions for the U.S. economy.

A recent study by the consulting firm Bain & Co. and the market research company NielsenIQ said the number of items purchased at U.S. grocery stores declined in the second half of last year and dropped more sharply starting in February of this year. The study said high gas prices, rising GLP-1 usage and cuts in the number of people receiving government food aid are all affecting grocery spending.

Consumers are also looking for deals and shopping around to find them. In the second quarter of this year, discounters like Costco, Walmart and Aldi took market share away from traditional grocers like Kroger and Albertsons, according to Numerator, a market research firm.

Many U.S. shoppers are also replacing name-brand products with store brands to save money. Total sales of store brands at supermarkets, drugstores and other retailers grew to a record $282.8 billion last year, the Private Label Manufacturers Association said.

“Now that this option becomes available, why would I go back? You have the convenience, it’s the same, but my cost is 40% less and it’s a brand that I know and trust,” said Sean Hooper, a senior solution principal at Relex Solutions, a retail and grocery consulting firm.

Prices rocketed up for lots of reasons in the wake of the pandemic, from the war in Ukraine to a highly contagious bird flu that pushed retail egg prices to record highs last year. And when prices rocket upward — whether for food, gas or other items — consumers can count on a slow, downy descent.

For one thing, retailers are reluctant to lower prices on inventory they ordered when wholesale prices were high, said Jared Bernstein, a senior policy fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy who served as chair of President Joe Biden’s Council of Economic Advisers.

Stores and food companies also want to maximize their profits and were reluctant to give up some of the sales gains they saw after the pandemic, Bernstein said. PepsiCo hiked its prices by double-digit percentages for eight straight quarters in 2022 and 2023, for example, citing higher ingredient and packaging costs. After customer demand faltered, the company began lowering prices on some snacks last year.

Customer behavior also can contribute to prices staying elevated. When prices spike, people shop around for lower ones. But consumers often stop deal hunting when they see prices coming down, giving retailers less incentive to lower prices even further.

“There’s less competitive force on the feather side of the mountain,” Bernstein said.

In some cases, grocery inflation is the result of long-term issues with no quick fix. Consider the average price of coffee, which has risen 54% in U.S. cities since 2019, according to government data. Climate issues — including drought in Vietnam, heavy rain in Indonesia and hot, dry weather in Brazil — are blamed for reducing coffee yields and driving up global prices.

In other cases, there are clearer causes and simpler fixes. For example, U.S. consumers paid 19.5% more for fresh tomatoes in June compared to a year earlier due to a 17% import tax the Trump administration placed on fresh tomatoes from Mexico. Coffee was subject to a tariff for most of 2025 as well, but the duty was eventually removed.

Hamory said the feather may be starting to fall as big retailers invest in price cuts. In early July, Walmart said it was rolling back prices on ground beef, corn, red cherries, ice cream, potato chips and Coca-Cola and Pepsi products. Target also cut prices on some foods in March.

“If the big guys are really investing, saying, ‘That’s what I need to do to get right with my customer,' that will force others in the market to act," Hamory said. “It’s just in the process of starting, but that’s a thing we could be seeing.”

The number of confirmed cases of Ebola in Congo has reached 2,973, including 1,309 deaths, according to government data released Friday in what authorities say is the fastest-growing outbreak on record.

Activities at the Elikya Ebola Treatment Center in Bunia, Ituri province, were largely paralyzed after doctors, nurses and security staff stopped work.

About a hundred health workers protested outside the treatment center on Saturday. They said the unpaid bonuses were undermining morale and disrupting patient care, and called on Congolese authorities to settle the arrears so they could resume their work.

In a statement issued Friday, staff said they had unanimously voted to strike from Saturday until “concrete solutions” were found to resolve “two months of unpaid performance bonuses.”

Last week, health workers at Bunia General Hospital, the region’s largest medical center, went on strike over unpaid salaries. Some had told The Associated Press they have not received any payment since they started work at the onset of the outbreak.

The World Health Organization says more than 100 healthcare workers have been infected since the beginning of the outbreak.

The Central African nation has been battling the Ebola outbreak caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus since May 15. A total of 766 patients remain in isolation or in hospitals, while 540 have recovered so far, according to data from Congo’s Ministry of Health.

The eastern province of Ituri accounts for nearly 90% of confirmed cases.

The outbreak continues to spread faster than health officials can track despite an expanding response.

A key challenge is that health authorities have yet to identify the outbreak’s patient zero, while displacement from armed conflict and mining-related movements have made it difficult to trace thousands who have come in contact with infected individuals.

The response is being hampered by a funding gap, attacks on health centers, an ongoing conflict in eastern Congo and mistrust among local communities.

Response efforts have also been challenged by the lack of approved vaccines or treatments for the Bundibugyo virus, unlike the more common Zaire virus for which there is a vaccine and which was responsible for most of Congo’s past 16 outbreaks of the disease.

Enrollment in a highly anticipated study of two possible Ebola treatments recently started in Ituri.

The WHO says the global risk of the outbreak spreading outside Central Africa is low, noting Ebola spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person rather than through the air, making it much harder to spread than respiratory viruses.

Punch was abandoned by his mother after his birth a year ago Sunday, presumably because of exhaustion. Zookeepers nursed him and gave him the toy to develop his gripping ability, something newborn macaques need to survive.

Punch is no longer a plump baby with the plushie and he's hard to distinguish from other monkeys as he mingles and plays with them at an enclosure at the Ichikawa City Zoological and Botanical Garden.

He still attracts big crowds, and has received some 2,500 birthday cards from inside and outside Japan, said Takashi Yasunaga, head of the zoo. Many of the cards and other messages fill the walls at an indoor Punch birthday exhibit where visitors can also view video chronicling Punch from his earliest days.

“As Punch was trying very hard struggling to live each day, his two keepers did everything they can while other staff watched over him,” Yasunaga said, recalling the past year. “It was extremely hot when Punch was born. The memory is still clear to me as the hot season returns."

In mid-January, after six months of special care by his keepers, Punch was placed into the zoo’s monkey enclosure to join some 50 other monkeys — a challenge that led to his fame.

In February, images of Punch with his toy posted by the zoo on social media immediately became a sensation and drove tens of thousand of visitors to the zoo, half of them from overseas, Yasunaga said.

When other monkeys shooed the baby away, Punch rushed back to the toy orangutan, hugging it for comfort. Fans cheered him with a #HangInTherePunch tag on social media.

It was not just the cuteness factor of seeing Punch with his toy, but also his lone struggle to be gradually accepted by others that struck a chord, fans say.

Kumi Ishizawa, a Kobe resident who was at the birthday exhibit, said she found Punch on social media earlier this year. From then on, overcoming her illness to come see him had become her goal.

“He moved me ... I kept on telling myself that I'm going to get well and come visit to see Punch," said Ishizawa, who has since recovered and dropped by the zoo after wrapping up a business trip. “And here I am, I made it. I'm very happy I could finally see him in person."

Yeye Lights, a longtime resident in the city, had never visited the zoo until she became a Punch fan and now has an annual visitor pass. She was hooked by Punch after her daughter in the Philippines told her about the monkey.

“I have a cake for Punch-kun, I'm celebrating with my friends,” Lights said, using an affectionate Japanese honorific for boys. She thanked the monkey's two carers for taking good care of him.

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Yamaguchi reported from Tokyo.

The International Medieval Combat Federation's annual world championship roared into gear in northern Denmark this week. First staged in Spain in 2014, it features armor-clad competitors fighting with 14th-century medieval weapons. But it’s also a modern combat sport with safety rules and sporting conventions.

A mixture of historical and modern techniques

“It’s historically inspired,” combat federation spokesperson Kamila Studencka said. “It’s a mix of modern techniques with historical ones. We have something between full combat sports and fencing.”

And while the swords and axes are blunted, the battles are anything but harmless reenactments. Studencka said some competitors are attracted by “the violence,” while others prefer the technical aspects of face-to-face duels.

“Some people like the friendship and being a team member … to be a part of something bigger,” she added.

This year’s championship is being held in the shadow of Spøttrup Castle, a formidable Danish fortress that was completed around 1520.

The event has drawn fighters from 30 countries, including the United States, Canada, China, and Brazil.

Brazilian competitor Rodrigo Sinckevicius, who traveled with a team of eight from São Paulo, said he previously competed in jiu-jitsu and other mixed martial arts, but when he first saw this kind of medieval combat, he “couldn’t believe it.”

“People falling and grabbing and the sound of the steel cracking, it’s like something that you cannot fake,” added the 33-year-old, who works in sales back home.

Duels and team events

The four-day championships, which opened Thursday, see competitors battle in one-on-one “duels” made up of two one-minute rounds each. Opponents are eliminated after hitting the ground three times or when they submit. If neither happens, marshals declare a winner based on points scored.

There are also chaotic mass-team events, known as “Buhurt,” in which up to 10 competitors on either side participate.

Martin Gill, from Milton Keynes, England, said he first got involved “to hit someone in the face with an ax.”

“This had that kind of niche appeal to it, that people were willing to consensually come up and say, ‘You can hit me in the face with the ax, as hard as you can,’” the 37-year-old geotechnical engineer said.

The IMCF says fighters wear thick, shock-absorbing padded garments beneath the armor to distribute the force of impact, and that fights are strictly controlled by trained marshals who enforce the rules of engagement. It says that overall injury rates are comparable to those in mainstream full-contact martial arts.

Gill said almost everything the competitors wear, including his 30-kilogram (66-pound) suit of armor, is historically accurate. Some outfits and fighting techniques are informed by the writings of 14th-century Italian knight Fiore Dei Liberi and German fencing master Johannes Liechtenauer.

“We follow manuscripts as best we can,” said Gill. “Everything is legitimate techniques from all of their writings throughout the 14th century.”

A growing sport

Nearly 600 fighters are taking part in this week's championship. The sport, an unflinching blend of mixed martial arts, fencing, and historical reenactment, has been growing in popularity.

Competitor Alex King, a 37-year-old financial crime specialist from Shoreview, Minnesota, said that when he first started three years ago, there were just 10 or so members in his local team. Now there are over 50.

“In America, it’s definitely growing, with the short videos you see now highlighting the sport,” King said. “A lot of people have become interested.”

The last big event in the U.S. featured over 40 teams, he added.

Men and women compete in separate events. Miisa Kaivos, a 27-year-old bartender from Helsinki, Finland, said the women’s side of the sport is also “drastically growing all around the world.”

“It’s amazing to see,” said Kaivos. “It’s always nice to come to these events and fight each other, and have that awesome girl power.”

As thousands of demonstrators take to the streets in the Indian capital, they are waging a parallel campaign online, flooding social media with memes, parody videos and self-deprecating jokes.

In doing so, they are also beating Narendra Modi — the powerful but image-conscious prime minister — at his own game.

Modi built his political brand through social media. Now protesters are using that same platform to mock his administration, ridicule pro-government television news coverage, transform confrontation with police into viral content and seize control of the online narrative.

The campaign has taken the protests demanding accountability and education reforms beyond the streets, broadening its reach and intensifying pressure on a government wary of appearing to yield to a rapidly growing youth movement.

Humor has become a form of protest

The “Cockroach” movement’s digital campaign has been largely powered by humor.

Clashes with police have become viral content. Videos showed protesters joking about keeping their Strava streaks alive — a reference to the fitness tracking app used by runners — as they ran from police baton charges. Others edited footage of themselves dodging police barricades to mimic the popular endless runner mobile game Subway Surfers.

Some women have borrowed influencer culture, posting “get ready with me” videos before marches and “fit check” posts featuring helmets, goggles and other homemade protest gear. Other protesters have created spoof videos mocking pro-government television anchors and their dramatic style of broadcasts that have labeled the protesters “anti-national” and “foreign-funded conspirators.”

The Associated Press interviewed several protesters, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals from authorities.

One 25-year-old protester said the memes are more than comic relief; they’re a way of coping. She sees them as a generational trait.

Unlike older generations, who learned to endure hardship, hers has little patience for “simply putting up with it," she said.

“If our phone data runs out, we can’t even bear that. So we’re definitely not going to tolerate this,” she said, referring to Monday’s police crackdown on protesters in the capital.

Protesters lean on meme culture

The street protests erupted a month ago, fueled by anger over a string of exam scandals, including the illegal sharing of entrance exams for the national medical program. Young people say the scandals have jeopardized their futures and eroded trust in the education system. Protesters blame Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and demand his resignation, but the demonstrations have since expanded into a wider anger over government accountability, spreading to other cities.

Much of that expansion has been driven by the Cockroach Janta Party, a satirical group that started the movement two months ago. Through memes, humor and satire, it has given younger Indians a new way to express their frustration with the government and helped turn a single-issue campaign into a broader youth movement.

At the main protest site in New Delhi, that influence is hard to miss.

Some protesters march in Spider-Man masks and Batman costumes, carrying tongue-in-cheek placards. Other protest signs echo the irreverent tone of social media, with memes and pop culture references woven into the demonstrations.

One poster featuring the education minister asked: “When will AI take his job?” Another captured the movement’s spirit with the slogan: “Every joke is a (tiny) revolution.”

Some slogans and posters have taken on an overtly profane and risqué tone.

A 23-year-old student said the protesters were simply speaking the language of their generation.

“We find speeches boring, we are the summary generation. We have a habit of consuming things in a short span of time, so we are using the same ways to put our message across,” she said.

The jokes now target the prime minister

For Modi, who is entering his 13th year in office, the protests present an unusual challenge. His image is built on strength and decisiveness, but he risks alienating young people if he responds too forcefully. Nearly half India’s population is under 25, making young voters one of the country’s most influential electoral groups.

But the protests have broken a long-standing taboo: mocking Modi himself.

Jokes about Modi were rare during earlier protests, when his government was criticized for suppressing dissent. But now, even he has become a target of taunts.

Modi’s gestures, pauses and mannerisms have been turned into viral edits that turn his own words into political jokes.

When Modi released a late-night, selfie-style video Thursday addressing the protesters, he promised swift legal action against those responsible for leaking academic or job exams. But many internet users edited the clip with parody voice-overs and references to his past promises they said had gone unfulfilled.

One video went particularly viral. Modi’s original address began with him referring to the protesters as “friends.” A parody video kept that opening, and abruptly cut to three young girls staring into the camera and responding: “No, we are not.”

A 21-year-old student said there is no better way to challenge Modi than by using social media that helped build his political brand.

“We’re just answering him in his language,” he said.

Raul Morales, 51, allegedly yelled the Arabic phrase “Allahu akbar” while attacking the two men Thursday on Manhattan's Upper West Side, according to police accounts of what witnesses told them.

Morales was initially arrested Friday on hate crime charges related to the Jewish man but not the other. He was arraigned later that day and charged with attempted murder and assault as hate crimes related to both victims.

As Morales was led out of a police station Friday evening, he shouted about seeking justice for someone. When reporters asked about the stabbings, he responded that he was “gonna talk about it” as he was ushered into a police car.

Morales' court-appointed attorney did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment late Friday.

The stabbings happened about two blocks apart Thursday afternoon, police said. Both victims were taken to a hospital and were expected to survive. They were in stable condition Friday, state Attorney General Letitia James said at a morning news conference with other officials and community leaders.

According to the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, Morales approached the Asian man from behind and stabbed him with a knife “without provocation." Then, after walking four blocks away, he stabbed the Jewish man wearing a kippah with a screwdriver, prosecutors said.

A witness followed Morales as he fled to the apartment he was staying at, prosecutors said.

The Jewish victim was attacked just after leaving a nearby synagogue, called the Jewish Center, Rabbi Yosie Levine said.

“He was just trying to pray at his synagogue, and now we’re the ones praying for his recovery,” Levine said.

The Asian American Foundation, a New York-based advocacy group, said in a statement the attacks “underscore the persistent safety challenges” and mistreatment — from harassment to physical assault — facing Asian Americans in the city.

“We demand continued, meaningful investment in community safety and hate prevention that protects everyone,” the group said in a statement.

The charges Morales faces carry a consecutive total of 40 years in prison, prosecutors said. His next court appearance is scheduled for July 30.

Hate crimes in New York City have been on the rise in recent years, while overall violent crime rates have dropped, according to police data. Tisch said in April that more than half of all confirmed hate crimes in the city so far this year targeted Jewish people. Estimates of the size of the city's Jewish community vary, but it's far less than half the overall population.

“We are undeniably being disproportionately targeted, again and again and again,” City Comptroller Mark Levine said at the Friday morning news conference, where he also told Asian Americans: “We stand in outrage with you.”

James and Levine are Democrats.

Roads near the 1,084-kilometer-long (673-mile-long) border are covered for long distances by anti-drone netting. The surrounding landscape is dominated by rows of razor wire and concrete anti-tank barriers known as “dragon’s teeth.”

The Associated Press visited parts of the border in northern Ukraine earlier this month, following a rise in tensions between the two countries; Ukraine demanded that Belarus shut down communications relay stations Russia had installed to boost the range of its drones attacking Ukrainian cities.

Belarus obliged, according to Ukraine, and rhetoric between the two governments has eased since then. While Ukrainian officials say they see no signs of a Russian troop buildup in Belarus, they are determined to strengthen their border against any possible threat.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has repeatedly said he has no plans for his troops to enter the war unless his country is attacked. Still, people living near the border say the possibility of Belarus becoming more involved in Russia’s war remains a source of anxiety.

For many residents, the extensive defenses are both a reminder of the early days of the war and a source of reassurance that Ukraine is preparing for any future scenarios.

Ukrainian border guards patrol the area around the clock using armored vehicles, drones and other surveillance systems. Ukrainian officials say the addition of more defenses will remain a priority well into the future because Belarus is Russia's closest military ally.

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Associated Press journalist Volodymyr Yurchuk in Kyiv, Ukraine, contributed.

Joyce and District 4 board member Darryl Willie both hit their term limits, opening seats in Districts 4 and 6. District 2 will also have a new face. Early voting for the Florida primary begins Aug. 8.

Meet the District 6 Candidates

The candidates running for District 6 are Clarence James, Lindsey Denmark, Michelle Petty, Robert Stafford, and Tammyette Thomas.

News4Jax spoke with four of the five candidates about their priorities if elected.

Lindsey Denmark

Lindsey Denmark is a realtor and children’s ministry director at Restoration Baptist Church in the Dinsmore area of Jacksonville. An eighth-generation Floridian, she has lived on the city’s west side for nearly 20 years. Her church runs a reading volunteer program at Rutledge Pearson Elementary School. She also previously worked as a grant consultant across the state.

Denmark said restoring classroom order is her top priority if elected.

“My primary goal is to bring order back into our classrooms,” Denmark said. “We’re seeing so many disciplinary issues in the classroom between students and then also with our teachers and students, students just struggling with different things. I think we need to stand on our code of conduct that’s already in place and make sure that we are holding fast to that and we’re holding students and parents accountable for discipline issues.”

On literacy, Denmark said the district needs to move faster on early intervention — before children fall behind in third grade.

“Read USA is a fantastic program that already has tutor programs in our schools after school,” she said. “We really need to just expand those programs, make sure that we’re putting a focus on early intervention. Not just waiting until they’re in third grade and realizing that they cannot read.”

Denmark said she supports a fiscal audit of the district’s spending and believes teacher pay should be built into the base budget rather than dependent on recurring voter referendums.

“I will definitely be a proponent of a fiscal audit,” she said. “I believe that it should be paid out of the budget and they should be a very competitive wage.”

Denmark said her 15-year-old son has attended private, home, and public school, and that she is running partly because her own family’s trust in Duval’s public schools has eroded.

Clarence James

Clarence James is a fifth-generation west Jacksonville resident, a retired Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office lieutenant, and a current Duval County School Police sergeant. He said he sees the inside of Duval’s schools every day and that violence is his top concern.

“We can’t have over 1,000 fights a year in our schools,” James said. “We can’t [have] almost 400 teachers assaulted a year. We cannot continue on that path.”

James also said the district needs to address summer learning loss and ensure every school has a counselor.

“When the kids leave to go home for the summer, they’re not still getting that education,” he said. “We need to create programs and make sure that we inspire kids and parents, when they leave for the summer, to make sure they’re still actively involved in the academics.”

On the budget, James said student enrollment directly affects district funding and that keeping kids in public schools is critical.

“If you keep them in public school, you keep those dollars,” he said. “A lot of the kids have transferred out of the district [to] private schools and the money goes with them.”

James said he supports renewing the one-mill tax, which he said provides the average teacher $8,500 to $9,000 a year in additional pay.

“Our teachers pay about $1,100 a month for family health care,” James said. “On top of that, they’re one of the lowest paid in the state. So they need that extra $8,500 [to] $9,000 a year to help offset that health care cost.”

He pledged budget audits if the renewal passes. “We’re going to dissect that budget. We’re gonna do audits where needed. We’re going to make sure that we’re getting a good ROI on our money.”

James Addresses AI Controversy

James has also faced criticism on social media over the use of artificial intelligence in his campaign. The backlash centered on a photo that appeared to show AI-generated images of African-American supporters standing beside him. The photo has since been deleted. James addressed the controversy directly.

“AI is a new tool. We’re all learning,” James said. “I had one AI photo that I had no knowledge about. My campaign made a mistake, is what it is. I had no knowledge about it for three weeks.”

Michelle Petty

Michelle Petty is a Florida registered paralegal and an 11-year School Advisory Council member. She currently serves as SAC chair at Baldwin Middle Senior High School and has participated in the district’s Master Facility Plan focus groups and the Academic and Community Excellence Committee. She qualified for the ballot via petition.

Petty said her main goals are transparency, budget reform, and curriculum improvements.

“My goal is to, of course, work on the transparency issues,” Petty said. “I also want to work on a budget. I know that we are adding additional taxes to the taxpayers of Jacksonville. And I know we have a huge budget. It’s bigger than the city council budget. And I’m sure that those taxes can be absorbed into the Duval County budget. And we just need to look at what we’re spending it on.”

Petty also raised safety concerns tied to school consolidations, specifically the closure of Charger Academy and the transfer of its students to a newly built Chaffey Trail Middle School, which she said was constructed in one year instead of the typical two.

“They stopped bussing for kids that live less than two miles from this school,” Petty said. “So they were forcing these children to walk to school from nearby neighborhoods with no sidewalks, no crossing guards, no flashing yellow lights.”

On reading, Petty said the district is pushing students forward without ensuring they can read at grade level.

“We’re passing students that can’t read at grade level and it needs to be addressed,” she said. “We’re basically just making kids recognize words versus teaching them how to actually sound out things and be able to read.”

Despite concerns about additional taxes, Petty said she supports renewing the one-mill and plans to tell voters to approve it. She committed to working to absorb the cost into the district’s base budget within four years.

Robert Stafford

Robert Stafford is a Navy veteran and retired logistician with more than 38 years of professional experience in acquisitions and technical training. He serves as the NAACP’s representative on the Sales Surtax Oversight Committee and said he has worked with Duval County Public Schools informally for at least six years. His wife spent 43 years in the Duval County Public School System and is a three-time Teacher of the Year.

Stafford said he is running because he wants to see literacy rates rise and give students more opportunities to express themselves creatively.

“You can’t decouple reading from writing,” Stafford said. “If they can write, if they can express themselves, they’ll learn to read.”

Stafford said he also has concerns about school safety and the uneven way security upgrades are applied across schools.

“Take for instance, Rufus C. Payne. They’ve done nothing. They have no metal detectors. There’s no security fence,” he said. “But [another school] spent $662,000 on security upgrades. And then they demolished the building four months later. So it has to be uniform.”

He also called for better career development opportunities for teachers, saying programs that once operated at the Shope Center have disappeared.

Stafford said he supports the one-mill renewal, with accountability.

“Anytime you say safety or teacher’s salary, you have me,” he said. “But we can’t have a mistake where you misplace $61 million inadvertently. You have to have accountability and show the folks where the money was spent and how it was spent.”

On school closures, Stafford said many of the district’s current challenges stem from decisions made decades ago — including miscalculations about population mobility and declining birth rates — and that consolidating underenrolled schools is a financial reality.

“If we have a school with 200 students, basically it’s not viable,” he said. “You can’t support that if you want your tax dollars to go as far as they should go.”

Tammyette Thomas

News4Jax made multiple attempts to schedule an interview with Tammyette Thomas and is still working to do so. This story will be updated when Thomas is available to comment.

You can see full interviews with the candidates below:

His daughter says he passed on Thursday after complications from a stroke.

Reagan, who spent 23 years at Channel 4 from the late 60s to the early 90s, wrote and voiced editorials that took on major issues from civil rights to government accountability.

In a post on Facebook, Reagan’s daughter, Denise, wrote about his time as a “beloved television journalist” at WJXT.

It reads in part:

“Throughout those 23 years, he covered nearly every issue important to Northeast Florida, such as civil rights, education, government in the sunshine, and many others. Reagan knew the station’s watchdog role was paramount.”

A celebration of life will take place form 1-4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 16, at the Jacksonville History Center, 314 Palmetto St., Jacksonville, Florida 32202. Please email denisereagan@mac.com if you plan to attend.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to The 5 & Dime Theatre Co. (the5anddime.org), where Reagan attended numerous performances with his family, or to the Jacksonville History Center (jaxhistory.org).

Plenty of remarks have rolled in from politicians to former colleagues. Take a look below:

Former News4JAX Anchor Mary Baer - Harry was a great influence on my career early on in Jacksonville. He was extremely helpful when I was covering city council back in the early 90s. He always had the best way of communicating his message, while keeping the community’s needs in mind. Jacksonville is a better place because of Harry Reagan.

Former News4JAX Assistant News Director Mal Redington - He truly loved this city, and served it as a journalist and councilmember. If there was a cause that would benefit the people of this city. Harry was always at the forefront.

Former News4JAX General Manager Bob Ellis - Harry Reagan was a true pioneer in local television. His work and the work of News4Jax to eliminate profound odor downtown from paper mills and tear down the toll booths on I95 were pivotal moments and part of the catalyst for Jacksonville becoming the great city it is today.

Former News4JAX Reporter Jim Piggott - Harry was a huge inspiration for me. His dedication to Jacksonville was amazing. He was always ready to help in issues that were vital to Jacksonville in both his work as editorial director and a City Councilman. I also remember he was big with the Jacksonville library and constantly doing work on renovating his Springfield home. One of the nicest guys I’ve ever known in politics. He was a friend and a mentor.

Former News4JAX Assignment Manager Frank Powers - Harry loved Jacksonville. From his time at WJXT, then on the city council, JSO, and the Friends of the Library, he dedicated his life to making this city a better place. His legacy is one we should all aspire to.

Jacksonville City Councilman Matt Carlucci - Harry Reagan was a dear friend and a true Jacksonville statesman. From his years as a powerful editorial voice at Channel 4 to his service on the City Council, Harry helped shape Jacksonville and led reforms we still benefit from today. I was privileged to serve alongside him and admired his commanding voice, his ability to articulate an issue, and his gift for reasoning with those who disagreed with him. Harry and his late wife, Rita, both left an extraordinary mark through public service in Jacksonville. Our city is a better place because of them. I loved Harry and will miss him greatly, and my heart goes out to his daughter and family.

Former News4JAX Digital Director Steve Patrick - I arrived at WJXT only a year before Harry left to run for City Council, but his impact on the station and the community were very apparent.

Years later, when I got involved with the Jacksonville Broadcasters Association, Harry’s impact was evident there, as well. He not only helped found the group, he spearheaded our effort to record oral histories with the pioneers of our profession - conducting the first dozen or so interviews himself. He remained active with the group I got an email from him earlier this year suggesting more influential broadcasters we need to get on the record!

Former Jacksonville Mayor John Delaney - Harry and I never agreed on policy or politics, but we never had an argument. He was on the City Council when I served as Mayor Ed Austin’s Chief of Staff—I don’t think we ever got his vote. But we liked each other, and we socialized down the years frequently. We could talk for hours disagreeing every minute, but never ever argued or raised voices—he valued open minded debate. I wish all politics was like that; the country would be a better place. He was always a gentleman. His wife Rita was a huge part of his career—they had a wonderful marriage and really almost operated as one being. She had a fun if not ribald sense of humor and could always make him—and me—laugh.

Former News4JAX employee Sam Kouvaris - Harry was doing editorials when I arrived in the early ‘80’s. Serious minded and fair, you could count on him to be the voice of reason in any situation. I didn’t always agree with what he and the editorial board promoted, but he brought reasoned approach to every opinion. Smart arguments, could always defend his position. A real pro.

Government Law Attorney and WJXT Contributor Chris Hand - Harry Reagan was one of Jacksonville’s greatest champions. His love for our community started at WJXT, where he engaged viewers on key issues as the station’s Editorial Director. That community engagement led to decades of public service. Harry was a successful member on the Jacksonville City Council, where he worked to reform the consolidated City of Jacksonville government. He returned to his communications roots while continuing his civic leadership at the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office as Sheriff Nat Glover’s public information officer. Later in life, Harry advocated for our public libraries, historical treasures, and other causes focused on making Jacksonville the best possible city. Like his wife Rita, who passed away two years ago, Harry was the embodiment of effective citizenship. He was also a friend, mentor, and teacher to countless people. Harry will be greatly missed but he built a legacy of community impact that will continue to inspire others.

Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan - Harry was a trusted voice on every important issue in our city. As a journalist I always admired his straight talk and his clear eyed opinion pieces on channel 4. I remember when he was elected to City Council Deborah Gianoulis announcing that Jacksonville is wild about Harry! Harry too, was wild about Jacksonville. A public servant for the ages. He will truly be missed.

Derik Treuel, who moved to Jacksonville to attend the University of North Florida and has lived in the area since, created an app called Rygiene. Treuel said the app is designed to help parents review how their child rode after each trip — including speed, stop sign behavior and whether the rider appeared to be using a phone.

“I think e-bikes are dangerous and us as parents who have kids, we need to take this stuff serious,” Treuel told News4JAX.

Treuel said the idea came from his own experience as a parent.

RELATED | 14-year-old on e-bike killed in crash involving 2 other teens in Clay County

“My son has an e-bike, and I’ve always been on the fence,” he said, adding that friends have been seriously injured on e-bikes. “I wanted to see if there was a way that I could track his rides and find out how the rides went and I couldn’t find anything out there so I started building it.”

How the app works

Treuel said Rygiene uses the child’s iPhone tracking and GPS to monitor rides on e-bikes and e-scooters. Parents can check where a rider is, and after the ride, look back at a map recap showing what happened along the route.

During a demonstration, Treuel showed how parents can review previous rides and tap into a “replay” feature.

“It’s a map that shows exactly what happened on each ride,” he said. “This is when you can talk to your child… ‘Why were you on your cell phone right here?’ Going 13 miles an hour. That’s pretty dangerous.”

He also showed a “slow zone” feature, where parents can set rules around certain areas — like routes near school — and set speed limits.

‘A good opportunity for you to ride along with them’

Treuel emphasized the app isn’t meant to replace other safety steps, like helmets and rider education, but to help parents have better conversations with kids about real-world decision-making on the road.

“When a kid drives his car for the first time he rides in a car with a parent for up to a year,” Treuel said. “With e-bike riding you don’t really have that opportunity to do that. So this is a good opportunity for you to ride along with them in a way.”

Treuel told News4JAX he’s seen changes at home since using the app.

“It’s been night and day,” he said, describing improvements in his son’s riding.

Where it’s available

Treuel said Rygiene is available in app stores and can be used across the U.S. The app requires the child to have an iPhone because it relies on phone tracking and GPS.

Towering 407 feet (124 meters), Starship soared from the company’s base at the southern tip of Texas. NASA monitored the space-skimming flight, a critical step toward using the Starship as a lunar lander for moon crews.

The hourlong journey ended with a splashdown so soft that the spacecraft remained afloat in the Indian Ocean as the SpaceX webcast drew to a close, drawing cheers from employees back at the launch site.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX had replaced six of the 33 engines on the first-stage booster after some of them failed to ignite last week, resulting in a last-second launch abort. The previous Starship flight in May also experienced engine trouble, which prevented the booster from making a controlled return.

This time, all of the engines fired at liftoff, but not enough of them lit back up for the booster's return, causing it to descend too fast and slam into the Gulf of Mexico. The spacecraft continued soaring eastward, popping out the Starlinks one by one 124 miles (200 kilometers) up before reentering.

It was the 13th flight of the world’s biggest and most powerful rocket, and the second this year of the new version dubbed V3. Like the previous demo, neither the booster nor spacecraft was meant to be saved, instead plunging into the sea.

The stainless steel, retro-looking spacecraft hovered upright over the Indian Ocean before lowering into the water, more than 10,000 miles (16,000 kilometers) from where the flight began.

It was the best reentry yet, according to SpaceX, with the intact booster floating amid just a few flames. Previous flights ended with the spacecraft engulfed in flames and exploding at splashdown — or rupturing in midair.

“We're really pumped about this,” said SpaceX engineer Kate Tice, calling it “lucky flight 13.”

The Starlinks accomplished all their jobs before reentering over the Indian Ocean.

After being ejected from the Starship’s Pez-like dispenser, the Starlinks had just 20 minutes to communicate via lasers and radio before reentering. SpaceX said its engineers made contact and even downloaded data from each one. With more than 10,000 Starlinks currently providing internet, SpaceX boasts the world’s largest satellite constellation.

Six of the newly launched Starlinks carried cameras that photographed Starship’s heat shield at flight's end, beaming back amazingly crisp shots even as the spacecraft bobbed in the ocean. The heat shield was also equipped with sensors to measure the extreme pressure placed on the spacecraft during launch. Most of the heat shield’s thermal tiles were black, but some were deliberately painted white to simulate missing tiles, part of an experiment to test the shield’s robustness.

"We got all the heat shield data we needed and then some!" Musk said on X.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman offered congratulations. “Excited for what will be learned from this mission,” Isaacman noted on X.

SpaceX wants to make sure Starship’s heat shield can withstand the heat of entry before trying to return it to the Starbase launch pad near the Texas-Mexico border. The company already has used a pair of giant mechanical arms at the pad to capture a Starship booster. The company plans to do the same with the actual spacecraft, which is designed to be totally reusable.

NASA needs Starship to wrap up testing and reach orbit soon so the Artemis III astronauts — three Americans and one Italian — can practice docking their capsule with it next year.

Starship is also the vehicle with which Musk intends to build a city on Mars. He's already booking tourist trips to Mars, as well as the moon.

The latest test flight was delayed first by the July 16 launch abort, then again on Thursday by thick clouds from Tropical Storm Bertha.

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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.

Kaepernick and rock star Bruce Springsteen were honored Friday night with the ACLU Ralph Ellison Award for Defenders of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties in the Arts, Business, Science and Sports. The honor comes a decade after Kaepernick knelt during the national anthem in protest against police violence and racial inequality.

“We know our civil liberties are under attack, we know humanity is under attack, education is under attack. They are trying to encroach on our rights, encroach on our dignity, encroach on the future that we want to build together,” Kaepernick said in his acceptance speech. “When we look back at this moment, it will not be the speeches that change the direction of history. It's going to be whether we decided: Are we going to build the schools or not? Are we going to defend the rights of others, or are we going to watch? Are we going to build community together, or are we going to stand in isolation?

“The consequences of these decisions are going to be the reality that the future generations inherit.”

Kaepernick was joined in protest by teammate Eric Reid and others, but he also drew criticism from politicians, team owners and other players. Kaepernick and Reid filed collusion grievances against the NFL in 2017, saying they were blacklisted. They reached a settlement in 2019.

“He demonstrated in real time the price America too often exacts from those who challenge racial injustice," said Deborah Archer, the ACLU's president. “His peaceful protest was met with extraordinary personal sacrifice. He lost the career he spent his life building. He became the target of criticism, hostility and relentless public attack, and yet he never retreated.”

Springsteen — who closed the event with a solo rendition of “Streets of Minneapolis” — and Kaepernick were honored as part of an awards ceremony hosted by actress Laverne Cox.

“It's important for us to recognize all of the people who are contributing to the fight to protect civil rights and civil liberties,” Archer said. “Those folks — actors, athletes — these folks have all shown up in incredibly powerful ways.”

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

The 26-year-old Richardson got off to a slow start but quickly made up time, finishing in 10.77 seconds to breeze past training partner Kayla White and win by 0.13 seconds at Icahn Stadium.

“It feels phenomenal to be back in a better place — healthy, mentally, physically, emotionally," Richardson, who battled injuries last year, said in an interview with Peacock after the race. “It shows that hard work pays off."

Lyles, the reigning Olympic champion, was trailing early but quickly caught up to the field — and then blew right by them. He matched his personal-best time by finishing in 9.79 seconds. The 32-year-old Ronnie Baker took second and Kenny Bednarek finished third.

“I did what I do,” Lyles said in a postrace interview. “There’s no better rush than (winning). It’s my natural high. That’s my vice. Winning, running fast, that feeling of flying, that feeling of being better than everybody in the world — you can't get that around here, only around me.”

Lyles celebrated after the race by signing a trading card with his image on it. He planned to give it to a “special fan,” he said. This was his third national title in the 100.

It's been quite a stretch for Lyles, who got married in April. He also recently attended a FIFA World Cup game, where he posed for photos with Jamaican great Usain Bolt.

Lyles is gearing up for world championships next season and then the 2028 LA Olympics.

“Shoot, I was just playing around this year," Lyles said. “I’m scared for y’all next year. I am real scared. Because you all ain’t going to have this nice Noah who goes around and just thinks that it’s all lollygagging and good. Next year I've got plans. I got places to run fast."

Richardson stuck around for the men’s race, sitting on the grass with her spikes off as her partner, Christian Coleman, competed. Coleman was fourth.

She's rounding into the form that led to a gold medal in the 100 at the 2023 world championships and silver at the 2024 Paris Games.

“Just really remembering who I am and just knowing that consistency and just being determined to be better," said Richardson, who won her third 100 national title.

Erin Marsh used a strong 800-meter race to eclipse Timara Chapman by 38 points to win the heptathlon. Marsh, the sister of Philadelphia All-Star outfielder Brandon Marsh, finished with 6,059 points.

Garrett Scantling edged Kyle Garland by 95 points to take the decathlon crown. Euphenie Andre won the women's triple jump, Tyus Wilson took the men's high jump title and Annette Echikunwoke the women's hammer throw. Nick Christie won the men's race walk half marathon and Lauren Harris the women's race.

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AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

Crews have been able to build some containment lines around the Akawa Butte Fire, which is burning near Sisters, a town about 22 miles (35 kilometers) northwest of Bend. Started by lightning on July 16, the fire has scorched 42 square miles (109 square kilometers) and destroyed two homes.

It has been designated as the nation’s top priority wildfire because of its proximity to people. The designation will allow officials to tap into resources from other states and other countries, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek said Friday.

Strong winds and low humidity were expected later Friday and Saturday and could lead to increased fire activity, officials warned. They urged residents to be prepared to evacuate if necessary.

The National Weather Service issued a red-flag warning in central Oregon through Saturday, which means conditions such as low humidity, warm temperatures and strong winds can create an extreme wildfire risk.

The most critical period for Sisters, a town of 3,800 people about 3 miles (5 kilometers) south of the fire, will be the next 24 to 48 hours, said Sisters Mayor Jennifer Letz. She said about half of the town's population has been told to be ready to leave if needed.

“If we can get through this weekend, we will probably be in a good position moving forward. But right now, we do have the north half of the city under orders to be prepared, to have a plan, to get their things together," she said.

There are more than 1,000 firefighters battling the blaze and more are expected to join them to help strengthen and expand containment lines. The blaze has shown extreme fire behavior, including 200-foot (61-meter) flame heights and a pyrocumulus cloud that generated its own lightning, Kotek said.

“This is all-hands-on-deck here in Oregon,” she said.

It’s not Oregon’s only significant wildfire, making this an especially challenging period for emergency responders, she said.

There are dozens more fires burning across the state, choking the air in Oregon and sending smoke across the country. Kotek said every available firefighter and firefighting resource is being used in the field.

The biggest blaze is the Rowe Creek Complex which has destroyed 300 square miles (777 square kilometers) since being sparked by lightning on July 15. It was nearly 30% contained on Friday.

Firefighters have made progress on the northern portion of the blaze, where they have built containment lines, but strong winds fueled the fire and it expanded on its southern end after spot fires jumped containment lines, said Thadd Niebel, an operations chief with the U.S. Forest Service.

Crews were being reassigned to the southern portion of the blaze to strengthen containment lines and protect homes and other buildings ahead of winds forecast to reach 20 mph (32 kph), Niebel said.

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Rodriguez reported from San Francisco.

Fans at Comic-Con International were ecstatic with his response Friday. A crowd at the expo's massive Hall H stood to cheer and applaud as the 73-year-old actor — long absent from Hollywood — joined a panel to promote his return as Dark Helmet in “Spaceballs: The New One," the long-awaited sequel to the 1987 cult classic.

When his name was first announced, Moranis hid in the crowd under his character's extra large helmet as soldiers from the film used an oversized comb to search for the actor.

“This came along at the right time,” said Moranis of the film, set for release next April. “It just felt like this is it. … It is the best decision I ever made. It’s like family to me.”

Moranis and Daphne Zuniga were joined on stage by director Josh Greenbaum, writer and actor Josh Gad, writers Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit, along with new cast members Keke Palmer and Lewis Pullman. Pullman and Palmer’s character descriptions have not been revealed.

“It was so funny that I kept being like, ‘Oh my God! Can you believe they said that?’” said Palmer about first reading the script.

Pullman says he was hesitant to join the film having grown up with it and watching his father Bill Pullman’s performance as Lone Starr.

“I read it and I was like, 'Damn it. This is so good. … This is one of the funniest scripts I’ve ever read.' I rarely laugh out loud when I’m reading scripts," Pullman said. "I would be a fool. It would be weird if I didn’t do it.”

Mel Brooks and Bill Pullman were not in attendance but greeted fans via prerecorded video.

Fans were shown behind-the-scenes footage of Brooks recording lines inside a vocal booth and reuniting with Bill Pullman and Zuniga, and a sneak peak at a teaser trailer.

Gad confirmed to fans that he was playing a mawg, but not John Candy’s character from the original, Barf. Gad said the new film would honor Candy and other original cast members who have since died, including Joan Rivers, Dom DeLuise and Dick Van Patten.

The team poked fun at the “cinematic universe” film timelines popularized by Marvel Studios with a parody displayed across Hall H's wrap-around screens showcasing imagined sequels in more than 11 phases of “The Almighty Schwartz Saga."

Firefighters and authorities in both European countries were caught off guard by the virulence of the fires, which were fueled by high temperatures and the long-term effects of climate change. Firefighters in Spain admitted the fires were so fast and violent that they could not be tackled head on. Some people even fled by boat when flames swept through the touristic area on France’s Atlantic coast.

Some 141,000 fled homes in the Gironde and Landes departments in France, the French interior ministry said. In central Spain, 60,000 were forced from their homes, according to the Spanish interior ministry.

Dozens of French firefighters were injured, authorities said, but no deaths were reported in either country despite the scenes of panic as townsfolk fled by car and police went door to door to tell people to leave as large plumes of smoke rose from the neighboring woodlands.

Wildfire headed toward Bordeaux

France’s Interior minister Laurent Nunez said that the large wildfire that ravaged large swaths of land in southwestern France is heading toward the city of Bordeaux.

Speaking to French TV channel Tf1, Nunez said the wildfire that earlier in the day forced the evacuation of the Cap Ferret peninsula has swept across 140 square kilometers, with 110,000 people fleeing their homes in the Gironde region.

“We learned in the middle of the afternoon that, following the wind shift, it had become a large, self-sustaining fire that is extremely difficult to bring under control,” Nunez said. “It is now moving east, toward the Bordeaux metropolitan area. We are going to reorganize our response so we can fight it from the ground and prevent it from advancing toward Bordeaux.”

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron has asked the Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu to activate the government’s crisis response unit, and has instructed the armed forces to mobilize in order to provide the maximum possible reinforcement to the civilian emergency services.

“This fire that we have been living with and fighting against here in Gironde for three days has reached an unprecedented magnitude," Sophie Brocas, the Nouvelle Aquitaine Prefect, said. “To combat it, we will receive extremely significant national reinforcements.”

The blaze started on Wednesday near Cap Ferret peninsula on France’s Atlantic coast, located 60 kilometers (37 miles) from Bordeaux. Local authorities in the Gironde department said 53 homes and a campsite were destroyed, adding that 42 firefighters were injured. Around 1,500 people who fled the peninsula arrived by sea in the city of Arcachon, some aboard small water taxis and others on larger boats.

“It’s quite impressive and even frightening," said Laurent Moretti, a resident in the town of Arès. “An evacuation on this scale has never happened before. All we really hope is that the firefighters can quickly get it under control.”

A separate wildfire broke out in Landes, causing 31,000 evacuations. Authorities believe the causes of both fires in France were accidental.

More than 20,000 people had already been evacuated from towns and vacation resorts on Thursday, but that number exploded on Friday as both France and Spain asked fellow European Union members for help.

Macron said France will receive EU reinforcements including two Croatian Canadair firefighting aircraft, two Portuguese Air Tractor aircraft, and two heavy-lift Black Hawk helicopters from the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said that Italy and Greece are each sending two Canadair water-dumping airplanes, while a thousand Spanish soldiers helped firefighting efforts.

Spain struggles to tackle multiple fires amid a heatwave

In Spain, the government declared a national emergency for wildfires for the first time as the blazes in Madrid and the nearby province of Ávila prompted the evacuation of some 60,000 people from towns west of the capital.

“I want to send a message of support to the thousands of families who face a difficult night ahead,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who will visit the fire-ravaged area on Saturday, wrote on X.

The fires are being fanned by a heat wave with temperatures expected to top 39 degrees Celsius (102 Fahrenheit).

Two major fires near Madrid merged into one single blaze that had quickly charred 30 square kilometers (11.5 square miles) by Friday afternoon. Regional President Isabel Díaz-Ayuso called it the worst in Madrid's history.

Francisco Martín, the central government representative for the region of Madrid, said that another 20,000 people had been ordered to shelter at home. Martín said more evacuations could be coming and that the priority now was to protect the town of San Lorenzo, the home of the Escorial, Philip II's 16th-century royal palace and monastery.

Meanwhile, a blaze in Ávila, less than two hours northwest of Madrid, consumed 90 square kilometers (34 square miles). Spain's Civil Guard arrested one man and is investigating another for allegedly having used heavy machinery in an area where it was prohibited for fire risk. Police believe a spark ignited the fire on Thursday.

“All around the town was smoke and fire, I was scared. Everything was fire and smoke, people were nervous,” 33-year-old Joaquin Espinosa said before he and his neighbors were evacuated from the village of Chapinería.

Devastating summer for fires in Spain

In one week, Spain has had the worst fires on record for both the regions of Castilla La Mancha and Madrid.

Firefighters were still trying to extinguish Spain’s second-largest ever fire in the Guadalajara province of Castilla La Mancha after it had destroyed some 320 square kilometers (120 square miles) over the last week. Thirteen people were also killed in a fire in southern Spain earlier this month, the deadliest fire in recent memory for Spain.

Spanish Minister for the Ecological Transition Sara Aagesen said that Spain has seen 1,140 square kilometers (440 square miles) already burned this year, more than five times the burned terrain it had through the first half of 2025.

Spain has experienced record temperatures in recent summers and forest fires of increasing violence.

Wildfire analyst Raúl Quílez said that besides the impact of climate change, Spain’s rural areas have become more exposed to fires with the abandonment of farmlands that traditionally provided buffer zones around villages. Now, he said, trees and undergrowth often reach right to homes, putting them in harm’s way.

"That makes a perfect cocktail for this type of fires,” Quílez told The Associated Press by phone from Valencia, where he works as an analyst for regional firefighters.

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Alicia León in Chapinería, Spain, contributed to this story. Petrequin reported from Paris. Wilson reported from Barcelona, Spain.

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office says Haynes was killed following a physical altercation with another woman outside the Leyu Food Store on King’s Road. She was stabbed with a sharp object, police said.

Her sister, Sheila Dixon Williams, got the news from her sister, Tonya, as she was leaving work.

“Yolanda was more than what she lost her life for,” Dixon Williams said. “She was loving, caring, she loved her family, especially her nieces and nephews. She loved people who didn’t even love her.”

Haynes’ niece, Miracle Vickers, had seen her just hours before she was killed.

“Then within the blink of an eye, got a phone call, she was gone,” Vickers said.

Dixon Williams described her sister as someone well-known and well-liked in the area where she died.

“Why her? Nobody had anything negative to say about her. They loved her over there. They looked out for her, and it’s a shock to everyone,” she said.

When asked what she would say to the person responsible, Dixon Williams had one word: “Why.”

News4JAX reached out to JSO for an update on any arrests in the case. We are waiting to hear back.

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office released body-worn camera footage Friday showing the SWAT team, alongside the FBI and Georgia Bureau of Investigation, rescuing the girl from the Scottish Inn on Philips Highway on July 16.

According to JSO, investigators tracked the girl’s location to the Philips Highway motel after she was taken from Georgia by her biological mother, who did not have legal custody of the teen.

RELATED | 13-year-old taken from Georgia home found safe in Jacksonville after Amber Alert issued

When officers arrived, 42-year-old Jonathon Kelly ran out of the room, jumped into a vehicle and attempted to leave.

“He nearly struck a JSO SWAT vehicle before crashing into the motel,” officials said.

JSO noted it is not releasing footage from inside the room where the girl was found, citing legal and privacy concerns.

Kelly and 32-year-old Giovannie Carter now face multiple charges, including kidnapping and home invasion. The FBI and GBI are leading the investigation.

The teen is now receiving resources and support following the ordeal, according to JSO.

“This is what happens when law enforcement agencies work together — every second matters, and every life matters,” the agency said.

Fudd, the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft by Dallas, scored 30 points in the finals to top Portland's Bridget Carleton.

“I was shocked, that’s crazy to be the first is definitely an honor,” Fudd said of being the first rookie to win.

Fudd's 30-point effort was tied for the second-most ever, equaling Sabrina Ionescu and Allie Quigley's total. Ionescu holds the record, scoring 37 points in 2023.

Fudd hit her first six shots in the finals to get into rhythm. Carleton, from the expansion Fire, had 29 points in the opening round, but struggled in the finals, scoring 19 points.

Fresh off her victory, Fudd issued a playful request for a rematch with Golden State Warriors guard Steph Curry. The two had a 3-point competition when Fudd went to his camp when she was in high school.

“I mean Steph if you’re listening, I'm asking for a rematch,” Fudd said.

The 3-point competition capped off the Friday night festivities. Elena Delle Donne, Shakira Austin and high schooler Jezelle Banks led team Washington to the Shooting Stars championship to tipoff the action. The trio scored 31 points to edge Seattle’s three in the finals, with Banks hitting two of the 4-point shots from just inside halfcourt to put the team over the top.

“She carried. She carried,” Austin said of Banks. “You could just tell in her energy, like as soon as we started, like it was confidence and I think that showed in how she hit those tough shots.”

In the 3-point competition, Carleton had a stellar first-round, scoring 29 points. She hit 13 of her first 16 shots. Fudd also had a great opening round, scoring 24 points. She made four of her final five shots. That carried over to the finals.

Carleton’s hot shooting in the opening round brought the crowd, which included Jayson Tatum, Russell Westbrook, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, Dwyane Wade and Sheryl Swoopes, to its feet.

Other players in 3-point contest were Atlanta’s Rhyne Howard, who scored 20 points, Golden State’s Janelle Salaun, who had 19 points; Toronto’s Marina Mabrey, who had 18 and Minnesota’s Natisha Heideman, who had 17.

In the Shooting Stars competition, Seattle had 24 points to finish as runner-up after missing all of the team’s 4-point shots.

This was the first year that the contest was conducted. A skills competition was done in previous All-Star weekends. The format was a two-round, timed shooting competition in which teams had 70 seconds to score as many points as possible from seven shooting locations around the court. The competition featured shots ranging from a layup to the 4-pointer.

Washington had the highest score in the preliminary round, posting 35 points. Once again, Banks hit 4-point shots to help her team reach the championship round.

Seattle’s squad needed to beat the 20 points that the Detroit/Dallas team put up to advance to the finals. High schooler Tatianna Griffin hit two of the 4-point shots to help Seattle reach the finals. Minnesota finished in fourth with 19 points with a team of Courtney Williams, Rebbekah Brunson and Ryan Carter.

Detroit/Dallas had former Shock great Deanna Nolan, Wings All-Star Jessica Shepard and high schooler Morghan Reckley.

The new CBA gave Fudd $20,000 for winning the 3-point contest and each participant received $10,000. That’s about eight-times last season’s prize money.

Each shooting stars winner received $15,000. Each competitor, not including the high school players, will receive $7,500. Last year, the winners of the skills contest each received $2,575 from the WNBA.

In addition Aflac, like it has the past two years, gave extra money to the winners. Fudd took home $40,000 for winning the 3-point contest. Carleton received $30,000 for finishing second and Howard got $15,000 for placing third.

Team Washington got $40,000 from Aflac with Seattle receiving $32,500 and Dallas $12,500.

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

Nope — to all of those teams.

The blaring headline in bold letters still seemed like a feverish dream to the bulk of a fan base that wasn't even alive the last time the franchise won a title, but it's true:

LeBron James is heading to the Philadelphia 76ers.

The NBA’s career scoring leader made the announcement on social media Friday, saying it will be his “last decision” and that it comes after he strongly considered retirement.

“I believe I can help make the Philadelphia 76ers a championship team and I am so excited to energize a new fan base and start this incredible journey one last time,” James said.

A four-time NBA champion, James wrote he was “done” when his 23rd NBA season ended and that it was his last with the Los Angeles Lakers.

“I was pretty sure I played my last game. I was honest at that last press conference when I said I needed to look at myself and decide if I still love this game," James wrote. “I still truly love this game, and I have more to give.”

The 41-year-old James is set to sign a modest $8 million, two-year contract on the veterans' minimum with the Sixers, according to ESPN. He made nearly $53 million last season.

“I’m not going for money. I’m not going for family,” James wrote. “What am I really playing for at this point? I still want to sacrifice. I still want to work. I still want to grind. I still want to compete, to win and to have a chance at the feeling of winning.”

James celebrated his decision on Instagram with a career highlight reel set to Philadelphia rapper Meek Mill's “Dreams and Nightmares,” the adopted sports anthem of city teams.

The video ends with the lyric, “hold up, wait a minute. Y'all thought I was finished?” and cuts to a 76ers' logo.

Fanatics already had his No. 23 jersey on sale for $125 with delivery not expected until the end of August. The company sold out within hours of the announcement.

Much as James did for Cleveland when he ended a 56-year championship drought for the city by leading the Cavaliers to the title in 2016, he can snap a lengthy title drought for the Sixers.

The Sixers went 45-37 last season and were swept in the second round by the NBA champion New York Knicks.

Most betting sites had the Sixers as 9-1 favorites to win the championship behind the Oklahoma City Thunder, the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks, as of Friday afternoon.

James joins a 76ers team that has not won an NBA championship since 1983 and has not advanced out of the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs since 2001.

He's the biggest elite free-agent star to sign with a Philadelphia sports team since Bryce Harper signed a 13-year, $330 million deal with the Phillies ahead of the 2019 season. Like James, Harper was a teenager on the cover of Sports Illustrated and has long had to live up to lofty expectations at every single turn.

“He’s going to have a great couple of years here, and obviously everyone’s going to expect him to win a championship here like everywhere else," Harper said. “So nothing new for him. He’s had all the pressure since he was in high school or younger than that.”

The 76ers should boast one of the top starting fives in the NBA with second-year standout VJ Edgecombe, fellow All-Stars Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Jaylen Brown — the 2024 NBA Finals MVP, a five-time All-Star and the league’s fourth-leading scorer this past season acquired in a stunning offseason deal with the Celtics.

Maxey posted an Instagram story of him celebrating in a gym and yelling “what!? what?!” over the news while Brown wrote on X “#throwtheballup.” Brown wrote the same phrase in his introductory note to Philadelphia, and it has already been branded on billboards throughout the city.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro even proclaimed Friday as LeBron James Day in the state.

Turned out with the Brown deal, new 76ers team president Mike Gansey — an Ohio prep basketball star with James — was just getting started with his summer of surprises.

No move, of course, hits like James' arrival.

Playing with his home team in Cleveland to the bright lights of Los Angeles and with the talent he took to Miami, James won an NBA championship everywhere he played. James left the Lakers after an eight-season run highlighted by the 2020 NBA title.

James is the NBA’s oldest active player at 41 and the only player in league history to have a career spanning 23 seasons; this coming season will be his 24th. Speculation has been rampant for more than two months about his future, officially starting in May when the Lakers were eliminated from the NBA playoffs.

James’ resume is beyond compare in NBA history. He’s a 22-time All-Star, a 21-time All-NBA selection, a four-time Most Valuable Player, a four-time NBA Finals MVP, a three-time All-Star Game MVP, and was a member of the NBA’s 75th anniversary team.

He’s also coming off a season where he averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game. For his career, he’s averaged 26.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.4 assists in more than 1,600 games.

James started his career in Cleveland in 2003 and spent seven seasons with the Cavaliers before heading to Miami for four seasons — where he won his first two NBA titles. He then returned to Cleveland for four more seasons, including that title run in 2016, and left in 2018 for the Lakers.

Cleveland and Miami were believed to be on James’ radar again as he weighed this decision.

“Thank you LA. Miami I’ll forever love and Northeast Ohio will always home!” James wrote.

He eighty-sixed them all for a shot to win a title with the 76ers, a franchise with a career lineup that includes Wilt Chamberlain, Allen Iverson, Julius Erving, Charles Barkley and, for the next two seasons, LeBron James.

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

This weekend the sweltering summer days continue, with possible Heat Advisories.

We’ve gone from sizzling to scorched as heat and humidity combined for Feels Like temperatures up to 108 degrees today, 104 at JIA around 4 p.m. The pattern continues Saturday with increasing chances of rain, cooling us off by a couple of degrees on Sunday.

A cold front will slide south, slowing over southeast Georgia on Sunday. Sea breeze showers and storms will be possible on Saturday, as the front will provide better chances of rain area-wide. Strong to isolated severe storms will be possible. Locally heavy rain, damaging winds, and lightning will be the main concerns.

Temperatures will remain above normal this weekend, with highs in the mid to upper 90s on Saturday. A Heat Advisory will be possible across all of NE FL and coastal SE GA, with peak heat indices of 107-110F, while inland SE GA will peak around 103-107F.

Tonight: Showers and thunderstorms will be possible through around 11 p.m.

Saturday: Possible Heat Advisory. Hot and dry with scattered showers and thunderstorms, 30-40 percent. A warm start with lows in the 70s to low 80s. Afternoon highs in the low to mid 90s inland, upper 80s to low 90s along the beaches. Wind: S/SW 5-15 mph.

Sunday: Scattered showers with thunderstorms will develop along a slow-moving cold front. Rain chances will average 50-70 percent. Lows in the 70s to low 80s. Highs in the upper 80s to mid 90s. Wind: NW/SW 10-15 mph.

Looking ahead: Possible heat advisories next week with a chance of sea breeze showers and storms.

Tropics: It is quiet once again...

Sunrise: 6:41 p.m.

Sunset: 8:26 p.m.

Whitmer remains popular in the battleground state, where she has twice won by substantial margins, and her endorsement gives Stevens a significant boost a day before early in-person voting begins. Whitmer also has history with El-Sayed, whom she defeated in the 2018 Democratic primary for governor.

The second-term governor appeared with Stevens and South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn in Detroit on Friday, repeating her endorsement in front of more than 100 people at a Teamsters hall. She said Steven has “what it takes to win.”

"Michiganders need a fighter in Washington and there are few leaders with more fight in ’em than Haley Stevens,” Whitmer said, who left the event without taking questions from reporters.

Stevens has pitched herself as a Democrat who has won tough elections, including flipping a Republican-held House seat. She has been backed by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and Michigan Sen. Gary Peters, a two-term Democrat who is retiring from the seat.

She's in a tight race for the Democratic nomination against El-Sayed, a progressive whose supporters include Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen.

“The corporate establishment has closed ranks and made their pick – now, Michigan voters will get to make theirs,” said Roxie Richner, a spokesperson for El-Sayed.

The winner of the Aug. 4 primary will face Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers in November for a critical, battleground Senate seat. Democrats are hoping to flip the Senate in November, and Michigan remains a key part of their plan.

Stevens is a four-term congresswoman from the Detroit area. Her candidacy has benefited from tens of millions in spending by outside political groups, including nearly $30 million from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which supports pro-Israel candidates.

El-Sayed, who accuses Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, has criticized Stevens for taking money from AIPAC.

Whitmer is a term-limited governor who isn’t on the ballot this fall, though she has been mentioned as a possible 2028 presidential candidate. She is the best-known politician in Michigan.

Whitmer had long weighed the decision. Stevens’ success winning in a competitive district, including converting the GOP-held seat for Democrats in 2018, was among the factors in the endorsement, according to a person who was familiar with the governor’s deliberations but was not authorized to discuss private conversations and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The subject of trade rumors as he approaches free agency, the two-time defending AL Cy Young winner pitched out of a seventh-inning jam before walking off the mound to a standing ovation from the sold-out crowd of 40,638.

Skubal returned for the eighth inning with 89 pitches, but was replaced by Brenan Hanifee after retiring Carter Jensen. He left to another ovation, having given up four hits and two walks in his 61st win for the Tigers.

Kenley Jansen pitched the ninth for his 12th save as the Tigers (50-54) improved to 28-16 since June 1. They are four wins away from reaching .500 for the first time since May 4.

Detroit scored twice in the first off Royals opener Beck Way (1-1), but Noah Cameron followed with seven shutout innings.

Way struggled in the first, allowing a pair of singles before hitting Dillon Dingler to load the bases. Riley Greene hit a long fly to left, but Isaac Collins reached above the fence to steal a grand slam. Colt Keith scored on the play, and Hao-Yu Lee made it 2-0 with an RBI single.

The Royals got two runners to start the third, and Tyler Tolbert bunted them to second and third. Skubal, though, struck out Carter Jensen and Lane Thomas to end the inning.

Skubal almost repeated the feat in the fourth, striking out Vinnie Pasquantino with one out and a runner on third, but Nick Loftin made it 2-1 with an RBI double to left.

A two-out double by Michael Massey gave the Royals on second and third with two out in the seventh, but Tolbert flew out to end the inning.

Salvador Perez, who needs one homer to break George Brett's franchise record of 317, couldn't make it happen on the 43rd anniversary of Brett's Pine Tar Game homer against the New York Yankees.

Up next

Tigers RHP Casey Mize (4-6. 2.79) was set to start opposite RHP Michael Wacha (5-7. 3.66) on Saturday.

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In one exchange in early January 2024, D4vd, whose legal name is David Burke, apologizes for “putting her through this.”

“It’s okay,” she said in a text, “neither of us are capable of watching and taking care of the baby. it’s for the best no?”

He later apologizes again before asking if it’s his, and she replies, “of course it’s yours David.”

The testimony came during a preliminary hearing where a judge will decide if Burke should go on trial in Rivas Hernandez's killing. Prosecutors are seeking to prove Burke began sexually abusing Rivas Hernandez when she was 13 and he was 18, then stabbed her to death when she threatened to reveal their long sexual history and crater a career that had earned him millions.

They allege he dismembered the body in his garage, and a police analyst testified in the preliminary hearing that samples pulled from apparent blood stains there matched Rivas Hernandez's DNA. Her body was discovered in the trunk of a Tesla that had been towed from the Hollywood Hills in September, nearly five months after authorities said she was killed. The Tesla was registered to Burke.

Burke has pleaded not guilty to murder, sexual abuse of a child and mutilation of a body, and his lawyers have said he is innocent.

Prosecution gives evidence of sexual abuse

Prosecutors spent Friday afternoon detailing the nature of the relationship between Burke and Rivas Hernandez. Photos of the two of them kissing and lying in bed were shown in court. The pictures showed that she had “David” tattooed in red ink on a finger — one of two that had been cut off when her body was found.

Then Los Angeles police detective Corey Farrell described one-by-one more than three dozen photos of the two of them that could not be shown in court because they depicted explicit sexual abuse. Rivas Hernandez was 13 and 14 in the photos.

Rivas Hernandez’s mother began crying and her father looked down as the detective began describing the images.

Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman came over to comfort the mother, Mercedes Martinez, and the couple got up and left the courtroom.

The images were recovered from his iPhone that was seized during a search of his home. The text message conversations taken from his iCloud account often discussed contraception and pregnancy, and in early January 2024, they discuss the abortion.

Tension rises between Burke and Rivas Hernandez

In a text conversation months later, she says she regretted that she “took a innocent life of a literal baby.”

She asks Burke if anyone knows they have sex, and he replied “nope and i want to keep it that way until we married.”

Rivas Hernandez turned 14 in September 2024 and soon after traveled with Burke to London and to Texas to meet his family.

Messages after that show tension growing between them.

In one text in November 2024, she says: “i literally had sex with you for almost a year straight.” He tells her she's acting like it's their first breakup when it's their eighth.

The detective returns to the stand Monday for the fifth and likely final day of the preliminary hearing.

Autopsy doctor details results of exam

Earlier in the day, the doctor who performed the autopsy on Rivas Hernandez gave the difficult details of her death.

Much of what Dr. Grant Ho of the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner said on the stand was already known: She had been killed by two sharp force wounds to her upper body.

But the details he shared of what the autopsy showed — and tellingly, what it was unable to determine because of how degraded her body was when it was found — were part of what made Friday's proceedings perhaps the most difficult so far.

Ho testified that he could not say when the death occurred — one of many challenges brought on by the body's degradation.

“It’s extremely difficult to tell,” Ho said.

He said she had been dead for “at least weeks,” later adding that it also could have been months.

Authorities say Burke sent a car to pick up Rivas Hernandez on April 23, 2025, from her hometown of Lake Elsinore, California, some 80 miles (129 km) outside Los Angeles. They exchanged messages until she arrived at his home, after which her phone went dead.

Her body was found in the front trunk of the Tesla registered to Burke on Sept. 8, 2025 — the day after she would have turned 15.

“She didn’t make it to her 15th birthday, correct?” Silverman asked. “Correct,” Ho replied.

Ho said there were many “skin defects” that could have been postmortem, but the two he identified as potential stab wounds had related internal trauma. One wound on the abdomen penetrated her liver. Another, on the left chest, damaged her ribs.

Defense seizes on inconclusive drug test

He testified that toxicology tests, done only on her liver because no blood was available, initially showed positives for benzodiazepines — medications typically used for anxiety — and methamphetamine. He said with further testing the benzodiazepine was negative. The methamphetamine was inconclusive, and as a result Ho said “I cannot say that it played any role in the death.”

Burke's attorney, Marilyn Bednarski, asked if decomposition could affect the accuracy of drug test results, and Ho agreed it could.

“In the toxicology report there is not enough information to support an overdose death, correct?” Bednarski asked. Ho said she was correct.

Bednarski asked if it helps in an autopsy examination to talk to the friends and family of the deceased about their life — if they had a mental health issue, were suicidal, were a frequent drug user or were violent.

Ho answered “potentially” to each of those but said there were no such conversations in this case.

Burke's music career was on the rise

Under the name D4vd (pronounced “David”), became an online musical phenomenon as a teen with a blend of indie rock, R&B and lo-fi pop. He had huge followings on TikTok, Soundcloud and Spotify, where his top songs, including his 2022 breakthrough “Romantic Homicide,” have more than a billion plays.

He opened for SZA on tour in 2023 and in 2024 he played the Coachella music festival and released his first full-length album, “Withered,” two days after when authorities say Rivas Hernandez was killed.

The Kenmore Air seaplane struck a rocky shore along Sucia Island, a state park north of the main San Juan Islands, on Thursday evening after veering past sailboats and other vessels. A swift rescue by nearby boats and a helicopter got everyone safely to hospitals.

As of Friday afternoon, three passengers remained hospitalized, all in satisfactory condition. The pilot was among those released. The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office said the people had head injuries, broken bones and cuts.

The crash came less than three weeks after a seaplane carrying eight people made a rough landing in New York City’s East River, causing minor injuries.

Videos posted on social media showed the aircraft turning to one side as it flies low over the water near several boats and the shore. The plane makes a hard landing, at first touching down on just one float, then briefly skips into the air before hitting land.

The San Juans are a rugged archipelago between Washington and British Columbia. They are a popular summer vacation spot known for ferries, whale watching and hiking.

First responders and witnesses race to the scene

Dave Eastman was in a dinghy on the water when the plane approached. At first he was worried it was going to hit his boat, he said, but then he saw it flying low toward the island. There were six or seven boats in the area and everyone raced to help, he said.

In the videos, passengers can be seen exiting the plane as black smoke rises. Soon bright orange flames engulf the fuselage, which came to rest partially submerged against a large rock.

“It kind of just shook us up a little bit,” he said. “Knowing everyone’s OK, at least that everyone is alive at this point, that kind of helps ease the concern.”

Eastman, of Lynnwood, Washington, said Thursday started off with nice weather, but a lightning storm hit the area around the time of the crash. Heavy rain began falling as the plane was burning, he said.

Several agencies scrambled to respond. The U.S. Coast Guard sent a helicopter while their Canadian counterparts mobilized a hovercraft, according to a recording of San Juan County dispatch audio posted by Broadcastify.

A video released by the U.S. Coast Guard showed a person being hoisted from a vessel below into an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter, his right leg immobilized in a splint.

Sucia Island features a maze of coves, beaches and rocky points. The plane went down near Shallow Bay, which cuts a wide crescent into the island near a campground.

The same type of seaplane crashed near Seattle in 2022

The plane's operator said it was a DHC-3 Otter made by de Havilland Aircraft of Canada. That is the same model of floatplane as one that plunged into the waters of Puget Sound northwest of Seattle in 2022, killing 10 people.

Federal regulators ordered seaplanes to be inspected afterward, and investigators found a single component of a critical flight control system had failed.

The plane that crashed Thursday was operated by Kenmore Air, a tourism airline based near Seattle, which is a different company than the one involved in the 2022 crash. Founded in 1946, Kenmore Air bills itself as the largest seaplane operator in the U.S.

The Otter is a workhorse seaplane model that has been used widely for decades, said aviation safety expert John Cox.

The cause of the crash will be investigated

The National Transportation Safety Board may be able to quickly get an idea of what happened because investigators will be able to interview the pilot and witnesses and watch videos of the crash, Cox said.

The wreckage was recovered and placed on a barge by Friday afternoon. The agency will publish a preliminary report in about a month.

In a statement, the airline said it would not speculate about why the plane went down. According to the flight tracking website Flightradar24, the seaplane made an abrupt 180-degree turn about three minutes before the crash, heading back toward Sucia Island, which it had just passed on its path west.

“There was a weather system in the area at the time, and the pilot adjusted the flight path in response to that weather,” Kenmore Air said.

The plane was up to date on its maintenance, with its last 100-hour inspection completed June 25, the airline said.

“We are grateful that everyone aboard has been accounted for,” Kenmore CEO David Gudgel said. He said the company canceled all scheduled flights for Friday and was cooperating with investigators.

The aircraft took off from Lake Union in Seattle, which is about 80 miles (130 kilometers) south of Sucia Island, and was headed to Roche Harbor, the site of a historic hotel, marina and resort on San Juan Island.

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McCormack reported from Concord, New Hampshire, and Collins reported from Hartford, Connecticut. Associated Press transportation reporter Josh Funk in Omaha, Nebraska, contributed.

The U.S. and Iran showed no sign of backing away from their conflict after a 13th straight night of strikes. With fighting flaring again and diplomacy uncertain, both sides made moves suggesting an escalation was possible. U.S. embassies in the Middle East began alerting Americans in the region that options to leave could become more limited, while Iran’s Revolutionary Guard advised residents of neighboring countries to stay away from bases with U.S. troops.

Saudi Arabia struck the port city of Hodeida in Yemen in response to Iranian-backed Houthi rebel attacks on Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said early Saturday. The Houthis said they would escalate after tensions have been brewing for weeks, breaking a yearslong calm.

American forces disabled the M/T Lavine in the Gulf of Oman after the ship attempted to run the blockade at least four times, Capt. Tim Hawkins, U.S. Central Command spokesman, told The Associated Press. Hawkins stressed that the ship’s crew was warned and didn’t comply with commands. The military then fired into its engine room. It’s the second commercial ship to be disabled since the military reimposed its blockade.

Earlier on Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump met with top national security aides to discuss the situation with Iran and whether the administration should maintain the current course or escalate military attacks, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. It was not immediately clear if any decisions were made at the meeting, which was earlier reported by The New York Times. The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

In an event in the Oval Office on Friday, Trump described negotiations with Iran as “by far the most serious that we’ve seen,” even as the U.S. has launched daily strikes. Trump added that he's “not in a hurry” to end the war.

Vowing that Iran “will not bow to U.S.” bullying, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi noted ongoing discussions with two global powers often at odds with Americans — China and Russia — and warned in an interview with the semiofficial news outlet Tasnim that the Islamic Republic is “neither intimidated by threats nor will we yield to pressure.”

At the center of the fight is the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial passage for world energy supplies that has been effectively shut down by Iranian attacks, sending fuel prices soaring and causing widespread economic turmoil.

US strikes sites across Iran and countries in the region are targeted

In the northern Iraqi city of Irbil, which is home to a contingent of American military advisers, security officials said Friday that U.S.-led forces had shot down five explosives-laden drones. Repeated blasts echoed in Irbil, the capital of Iraq’s semiautonomous Kurdish region, and plumes of black smoke were seen near its airport, where U.S. forces are based. U.S. military officials did not respond to a request for comment on the apparent attacks.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said it had targeted the U.S. base in Udairi, Kuwait, destroying three ammunition and storage sheds. It also claimed to have struck a watchtower for the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain.

U.S. Central Command did not respond to inquiries about the claims.

Both Bahrain and Jordan said they had intercepted aerial attacks by Iran on Friday.

As a barrage of assaults was aimed at bases of the U.S. and its allies, the U.S. hit a Revolutionary Guard naval base in northern Iran, according to the semiofficial news outlets Fars and ISNA. Blasts from U.S. bombardment were also reported on Iran’s Qeshm Island, a base for naval assets including drone boats that Iran can use to attack vessels in the strait, as well as in Isfahan province, home to a major Iranian air base and one of Iran’s nuclear sites.

Additional strikes reportedly hit Iran’s southwest Khuzestan province and southern Fars province.

U.S. Central Command said the latest barrage was designed to “further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting regional waters” as the Americans push to reopen the strait, through which one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas transited in peacetime.

Houthi attacks give Iran more leverage in potential negotiations

A diplomatic delegation from Oman, which has been involved in mediation efforts between the U.S. and Iran, was in Tehran on Friday to discuss managing shipping traffic in the strait, according to Iran’s state news agency.

Iran’s ability to effectively close the strait — and cause economic chaos far beyond the Middle East — gives it tremendous leverage in negotiations. Its Houthi allies increased that leverage when they targeted two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea on Thursday — increasing the risks of shipping through another vital route for Middle Eastern oil. The attacks made good on the Houthis’ threat to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to Saudi-linked shipping.

An official at the Transport General Authority also said a Saudi vessel was targeted Friday while sailing in the Red Sea, resulting in minor damage to its hull, according to the Saudi Press Agency.

Houthi-run Al Masirah television said early Saturday that Saudi strikes hit facilities belonging to the state telecommunications corporation and also targeted Kamaran island, off Yemen’s western coast. The broadcaster said one employee was injured and a woman was also wounded in Kamaran Island.

Saudi Arabia said it would do everything necessary to protect its ships and warned the Houthis if they continued “hostile acts then there will be no hesitation in responding.”

Trump also has threatened “major military punishment” against the Houthis if their attacks on ships continue.

The strait at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, and around 12% of the world’s trade, including one-fourth of global container traffic, passes through there. The passage has become more crucial for Saudi Arabia, which has been forced to divert millions of barrels of oil a day to bypass the Strait of Hormuz.

The price of Brent crude oil, the international standard, dipped slightly Friday to about $96, but it's still up substantially from before the war, when it was trading around $72 a barrel. Motorists in the U.S. saw gas prices tick up to an average of $4.11 a gallon, AAA said.

No signs of diplomatic breakthrough as war's human toll expands

Beyond the economic impact, the human toll was also apparent, with the Iranian Health Ministry reporting that 3,434 people have been killed since the war began.

In other developments, the International Maritime Organization said at least 6,000 mariners were stranded on about 400 vessels around the Strait of Hormuz. U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk's office said some seafarers have been abandoned by their ships’ owners, leaving them to “fend for themselves without food, water, fuel, medical care, electricity or means to communicate with their families.”

There have been no public signs of progress in negotiation efforts.

Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar of Pakistan, which has played a significant role in previous negotiations, met his Iranian counterpart, Araghchi, on Friday. Before the meeting, Araghchi appeared to brush off any attempts at mediation, saying he did not think the conflict needed more mediators, instead insisting the U.S. must change its position.

The U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28 and have offered shifting goals for the war, including toppling Tehran’s government and eliminating its nuclear program.

Israel signaled its willingness to rejoin the conflict in recent days. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said he would travel to the U.S. next week and meet with Trump.

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Frankel reported from Jerusalem and Toropin from Washington. Associated Press journalists Bassem Mroue in Beirut, Erin Cunningham in Jerusalem, Matthew Lee, Darlene Superville and Collin Binkley in Washington, Munir Ahmed in Islamabad, Jamey Keaten in Geneva, Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City and Fay Abuelgasim in Cairo contributed.

The decision at a U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization meeting in South Korea came days after Israel’s Foreign Ministry urged the committee to reject efforts to designate the small West Bank town of Sebastia and the Lebanese castles, calling the nominations a “weaponization of cultural heritage.”

At their meeting in Busan, members of the UNESCO committee decided to place Sebastia and five castles in Lebanon’s Mount Amel area on both the World Heritage List and the List of World Heritage in Danger after reviewing the nominations on an emergency basis, citing ongoing conflicts in the Middle East.

Sebastia, a hilltop town about 10 kilometers (6 miles) northwest of Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, is identified by scholars as ancient Samaria, capital of the biblical Kingdom of Israel. The area’s archaeological remains span the Iron Age, Roman, Byzantine and Islamic periods. Christian and Islamic tradition holds that John the Baptist was buried there, according to a UNESCO website.

Sebastia’s nomination, first submitted by the Palestinian delegation to UNESCO in 2012, argued that World Heritage status was needed to help preserve the site, saying it remains largely undeveloped under Israeli control and requires additional conservation despite attracting tourists.

The designation comes as Israel, which does not recognize a Palestinian state, moves to expropriate large swaths of land around the site, even as it faces pressure to crack down on violence by Israeli settlers in the Palestinian territory.

The five castles in the Mount Amel region are recognized for their layered architectural heritage, combining Crusader, Ayyubid, Mamluk and local influences, reflecting the evolution of fortified architecture over nearly nine centuries, according to UNESCO. The designated sites include the Crusader-built Beaufort Castle, also known as Al-Shaqif, which Israeli forces seized in May during their deepest incursion into Lebanon in more than a quarter-century.

Adel Naim Daoud Atieh, a member of the Palestinian delegation to UNESCO, said the World Heritage designation rewards the perseverance of Sebastia’s residents, “who have protected this extraordinary site through generations, despite occupation, restrictions, and repeated attempts to separate them from their own heritage.”

Israel withdrew from UNESCO in 2019, accusing the organization of being biased against it and of downplaying its historical ties to the Holy Land. A member of the Israeli delegation, which is attending the Busan meetings as observers, said it was a “shame politicization has ruined UNESCO and led to mockery of history.”

In Tuesday’s statement, Israel’s Foreign Ministry accused the Palestinian delegation of waging a “hostile, one-sided campaign” at UNESCO by falsely portraying Sebastia as an area facing an emergency, calling the effort a political attempt to “erase the site’s profound, well-documented Jewish and Christian history.”

The ministry also objected to listing Beaufort Castle as a World Heritage Site as part of the nomination covering the five castles in the Mount Amel area.

The ministry said Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group, has turned the castle into a military stronghold by building tunnels beneath the site and launching rockets from the area, and accused UNESCO of ignoring those developments.

Asked about the Israeli claims, UNESCO said in a statement to The Associated Press that all nominations are evaluated under the same criteria, procedures and technical requirements, and that it does not take positions on political disputes. The Lebanese Embassy in South Korea declined to comment on Israel’s statement, but a Lebanese delegate at Friday’s meeting said the castles had been used “only for cultural and tourism purposes” since Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000 and accused Israeli media of portraying tourist facilities as military tunnels.

The UNESCO committee on Wednesday placed another Lebanese site, Tyre, an ancient Phoenician city in the southern part of the country, on the list of world heritage sites in danger. Tyre, Lebanon’s fourth-largest city, came under intense Israeli airstrikes in early June during Israel’s war with Hezbollah, before a ceasefire took effect later that month.

Kim birdied the final four holes of his bogey-free round at TPC Twin Cities to get to 14 under for the tournament and open a a three-shot lead over three players after two rounds.

Ben Kohles, who had a two-shot lead entering the day, shot a 69 to drop into a tie for second with Chandler Phillips (65) and Emiliano Grillo (67).

Two bad swings cost Scottie Scheffler, and the world’s top-ranked player was seven shots back after 70.

Kim had the fourth 59 on tour since 2024. Jake Knapp was the last to do so during the first round of the 2025 Cognizant Classic. Jim Furyk holds the tour record with a 58 at the 2016 Travelers Championship.

“Today was an awesome day, but still, I’m only halfway there so still need to kind of get focused up for the weekend,” said Kim, who shot 69 Thursday.

Kohles' post-round interview was interrupted by a roar when Kim made his final putt.

“That’s sick,” he said smiling. “There’s a 59. I guess 62 wasn’t as good.”

Kim’s mindset is to not play “too protective.” That is not easy at the par-3 17th and par-5 18th where water lines each hole.

“I just kind of told myself like, ‘Hey, this is the way, this is the moment to get into the history books and let’s go for it, let’s not try to luck our way into it, let’s try to step up and hit some really good shots,’” he said.

Kim needed to make an uphill 24-foot putt with little break on the final hole to reach the magic number.

“I tend to leave those short when it’s that uphill and I just, last thing was just get it there, just don’t leave it short,” said Kim, who raised his hands and did a few fist bumps when the ball sank into the cup.

Kim, whose previous career low round was 62, made five straight birdies beginning on No. 3 and added three in a four-hole stretch beginning on No. 9.

Eight of his birdies were from more than 10 feet.

“When you hit a putt and it does exactly what you kind of envisioned before you hit it, it’s an awesome feeling. Felt like that all day out there,” said Kim, whose lone tour win came at the 2018 John Deere Classic.

Second in the Valero Texas Open in April, Kim’s best finish in 12 tournaments since was 17th, and he missed four cuts, including the past three weeks at the British Open, Scottish Open and John Deere Classic.

Playing the previous five weeks, Kim thought about skipping this week’s tour stop.

“I felt decent energy-wise,” Kim said, “so I went home after I missed the cut at the Open, just spent a couple days relaxing and came up here and really happy I did.”

Kim and Kohles played in the morning before the wind picked up and gusts topped 20 mph. Afternoon scores reflected the change.

“Definitely wasn’t a 59 out there. Maybe somebody playing really well could have shot 64, 63,” Grillo said.

Scheffler was at 9 under before his approach shot found the water at No. 14, leading to a double bogey. His tee shot at the par-3 17th landed in the right rough, and a second shot from an awkward lie with the ball well below his feet skidded 34 feet past the hole, leading to a bogey.

“Just got a bad break, but that happens,” he said.

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

The statement contradicts repeated assertions by Energy Secretary Chris Wright and other officials that the projects were canceled because they did not adequately advance the nation’s energy needs or had other problems that made them a poor investment of taxpayer dollars.

Democrats and environmental groups seized on the court filing Friday, saying the administration had “weaponized” the federal government to kill good jobs and punish working families because of their political views.

Democrats say what was ‘obvious’ has now been acknowledged

“This administration has now admitted in court what has long been obvious: it terminated nearly 300 cost-cutting energy projects for no reason other than the fact that the states they were in did not vote for the president in the 2024 election,” said Rep. Marcy Kaptur of Ohio and Sen. Patty Murray of Washington state. Both are high-ranking Democrats on the House and Senate Appropriations committees, respectively.

“Weaponizing the federal government like this is outright un-American, and it’s hardworking families already struggling with sky-high costs who are suffering the consequences of this corrupt abuse of power,” Kaptur and Murray said.

They called on congressional Republicans to join them in holding the Trump administration "accountable for the President’s failure to look out for all Americans.”

The Energy Department announced last October that 321 funding awards across 223 projects were terminated, saying that after review, they “did not adequately advance the nation’s energy needs or were not economically viable."

The cuts, part of broader attacks from President Donald Trump on climate programs and clean energy funding, slashed federal support for projects to build battery plants, develop hydrogen technology, upgrade the electric grid and capture carbon dioxide emissions.

Russell Vought, the White House budget director, highlighted the cutbacks in a social media post, saying money “to fuel the Left’s climate agenda is being cancelled.”

The Energy Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Projects from many states were cut

Projects that were cut were located in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont and Washington state. All 16 targeted states supported Harris, but Wright said the cuts were “business decisions" based on whether the projects were a good use of taxpayer money or not.

The cuts were immediately challenged in court, and more than two dozen Democratic members of Congress, led by California Sens. Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla and Rep. Zoe Lofgren, wrote a letter to the Energy Department's acting inspector general requesting a formal investigation. The department's internal watchdog launched an investigation in December.

Government lawyers had p reviously confirmed in a court filing late last year that the selection of grants in fact “was influenced by whether a grantee’s address was located in a State that tends to elect ... Democratic candidates in state and national elections (so-called “Blue States”).”

That filing came in a separate suit filed by clean energy groups and the city of St. Paul, Minnesota, over the canceled funding. The most recent admission came in a case called Thakur v. Trump that’s been ongoing since last spring. Federal lawyers acknowledged that they used keywords related to diversity, gender, vaccine hesitancy and COVID-19 to screen for projects that ran afoul of the Trump administration’s priorities.

Holly Bender, chief program officer for the Sierra Club, said the latest court filing shows “the Trump administration is brazenly admitting to a vindictive approach to cancelling much-needed energy infrastructure that ignores the job losses, air pollution and increasing bills that people are experiencing everywhere.”

Instead of “building the energy projects we desperately need,” billions of American taxpayer dollars are “going to line the pockets of a small handful of fossil fuel company CEOs,” Bender said, citing nearly $3 billion pledged by the Trump administration to cancel offshore wind projects in favor of fossil fuel projects such as natural gas and coal.

The mission tests upgraded Super Heavy and Starship vehicles, deploys 20 next-generation Starlink satellites, conducts an in-space Raptor engine relight, and attempts a controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean.

The initial launch on July 13 was delayed after some of the engines failed to ignite, triggering a launch abort amid billowing clouds of smoke and vapor. Thursday’s launch was also delayed due to weather.

Click the player above to watch live.

“The same way that you want to season a steak or a pork chop, you want to add multiple layers. And I think spice does that if you do it the right way," says Turner Greaves, bartender at New York’s Sip and Guzzle.

He makes a tequila highball called Doctor Green which he describes as “super-herbaceous, vegetal, a little bitter. It’s got tomatillo, green apple, shiso, horseradish, and then you can make it spicier with a little serrano pepper on the side.”

Customers get to add more spice with a little spice dropper delivered with their serve.

Cocktail tastes are changing from sweet to savory

James Stevenson, co-founder of Brutes of Mayfair cocktail bar in London, says drinks were very sweet when he started out 20 years ago, and now consumers' tastes have shifted.

“I think there’s a real movement toward savory cocktails," he says. "Every drink we put on the menu that is more savory or has a pickled element or spice element tends to be our bestseller.”

Stevenson makes a mezcal-based Bagheera that he describes as a turbo-spiced margarita.

“We juice (blend) rather than shaking the drink, with fresh chile and coriander," he says. They make a fresh syrup, adding tequila and freshly squeezed lime, and finish off the drink with a house-made tajin salt rim.

Agave spirits are a good match for spicy and savory

It's no coincidence both bartenders picked agave-based spirits — tequila and mezcal — for their spicy offerings.

Stevenson explains that a lot of the flavor profiles you get from agaves are fresher, more vegetal than other spirits. “They’re just very akin to chiles" he says. Noting that tequila pairs well with salt, he adds, "Spice and savory flavors are just a natural kinship.”

Alex Lyoness, bar manager at London’s FlipDog, makes his Late Night cocktail with a hint of an after-hours kebab and pickles. He uses a white tequila and a Raicilla (an agave similar to mezcal). Soy sauce brings a deep flavor, he says, and a homemade chile tincture spices things up.

He then adds an onion and olive brine “like the ultimate dirty martini,” and garnishes with a bright pink pickled turnip.

Looking for a tingly feeling

But chiles aren't the only way to add spice. Lyoness says you're looking to create a “mouthfeel.” He uses Sichuan peppercorns and the Timur berry, which he says has a cool, numbing quality. “What you’re looking for is that tingling across the palate,” he says.

Greaves recommends bringing a little classic cooking into your drinks.

“You can add ginger, you can add garlic cloves, and star anise and fennel into these drinks, and it adds so many different elements of pepper, of spice. Go home and then throw cayenne into a margarita,” he says.

How hot is too hot?

To judge the heat, try to read it on your palate, says Greaves: “If it starts creeping all the way down to your esophagus, I think that’s definitely a spice level that you can loosen up a bit.”

A good spicy drink should “give you the itches on the sides of your mouth” but not overwhelm, he says.

And don’t forget that no two chiles are the same.

“It’s all about tasting, trying and tweaking,” Anderson says.

Adding a spicy rim to your glass is an easy way to get extra kick

For a spicy rim, mix any spices from your cupboard with a good rock salt, Anderson says. (You can freshly grind the spices for a more aromatic and vibrant mix.)

He recommends coriander seed for a more citrusy mix, and black pepper or cardamom powder for a savory feel. You can even try adding fruit powders.

“Something like a freeze-dried strawberry, freeze-dried raspberry, with a little bit of spice. It’s great,” Anderson says.

Then, simply run a lemon or lime wedge along the rim of your glass and gently roll it in a shallow plate of the salt mix.

___

5 songs to drink spicy cocktails to:

“Hot Stuff” – Donna Summer

“Hot in Herre”– Nelly

“Spice up your Life” – The Spice Girls

“Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot” – The Merrymen

“Drop it like its Hot” - Snoop Dogg feat. Pharrell

The EU, a day earlier, fined Google 890 million euros ($1 billion) for allegedly breaking digital antitrust regulations by corralling consumers toward its own services and apps to the detriment of competitors.

Trump’s announcement comes a day after the White House said it would impose double-digit tariffs on imports from more than 60 countries, accusing them of inadequately enforcing bans on goods produced by forced labor. The new tariffs replace temporary 10% worldwide import taxes that Trump imposed after a stinging defeat at the Supreme Court.

Also, a series of explosions sounded near a military base hosting U.S. forces in northern Iraq and sirens rang out in Bahrain on Friday, hours after the American military said it finished its 13th night of strikes against Iran. The conflict has flared again over the past week, as the U.S. has pounded Iran while Tehran has attacked ships in the Strait of Hormuz and targeted U.S. assets and allies in the region.

Here's the latest:

Trump discusses next steps on Iran with aides

Trump met Friday with top national security aides to discuss the situation with Iran and whether the administration should maintain the current course or escalate military attacks, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

It was not immediately clear if there had been any decisions made at the meeting, which was earlier reported by The New York Times. The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

In an event in the Oval Office on Friday, Trump described negotiations with Iran as “by far the most serious that we’ve seen,” even as the U.S. has launched daily strikes.

“We’re locked and loaded and ready to go, but we’re talking to them,” Trump told reporters, adding that he’s “not in a hurry” to end the war.

___

— By Matthew Lee

US military says it fired on another merchant vessel trying to breach blockade of Iranian ports

American forces disabled the M/T Lavine in the Gulf of Oman on Friday after the ship attempted to run the blockade at least four times, Capt. Tim Hawkins, U.S. Central Command spokesman, told The Associated Press.

Hawkins stressed that the ship’s crew was warned and didn’t comply with commands. The military then fired into its engine room.

It’s the second commercial ship to be disabled since the military reimposed its blockade. U.S. Central Command said it also has redirected 12 vessels.

Hegseth names replacement for Army chief in Europe

The Pentagon has nominated a replacement for Gen. Christopher Donahue, who suddenly departed last month as commanding general of U.S. Army Europe and Africa and commander of NATO’s Allied Land Command.

Hegseth announced Friday that he’s selected Lt. Gen. Kevin D. Admiral for the post.

Admiral will not be promoted to general, confirming earlier reports that the Pentagon plans to downgrade the post from a four-star to a three-star position as part of a broader effort by Hegseth to reduce the number of generals in the ranks.

Admiral now is serving as commanding general, III Corps and Fort Hood in Fort Hood, Texas. An Army official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters, said Donahue is now on transitional leave pending approval of his retirement.

Trump says he thinks Michael Jordan is the best ever but ducks suggestions he’s a sports ‘fixer’

Asked if Jordan or LeBron James were the best basketball player ever, the president said he golfed with Jordan and “he’s a really good guy.”

“I think LeBron is, maybe he’s a racist,” Trump said. “Maybe he doesn’t like Trump.”

He added, “I like people that like me, so I would say Michael Jordan all the way.”

Trump was also asked about golfer Bryson DeChambeau who reportedly threatened to call the president after being given a controversial two-stroke penalty during the recent British Open.

The president didn’t say if he sees himself as a sports “fixer” after intervening to help get a U.S. red card overturned during the World Cup.

Trump suggested it was more like “me being a judge.” He said of DeChambeau, “I thought it was a tough call against him.”

Trump says Xi and Putin vowed to stay out of Iran war — and he trusts them

Asked about a recent comment from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth saying China and Russian are “enabling” Iran, Trump suggested otherwise.

“President Xi said he will not partake, and President Putin said the same thing,” Trump said in the Oval Office on Friday. “I trust them.”

He added that there “could be some things they do” — without elaborating — but emphasized it “has not been major.”

Earlier on Friday, Trump said that both Xi and Putin had personally promised not to sell weapons to Iran.

“If they did, it would be very bad for them,” Trump said on social media. “Certainly not in their best interests.”

Trump defends new tariffs announced this week

Trump called the latest tariffs his administration announced on 60 economies late Thursday “very standard tariffs” that “follow the line” when asked whether he believes the latest tranche announced this week could overcome legal challenges.

The administration’s tariffs announced this week are based in the argument that the countries targeted have failed to adequately enforce a ban on goods made with forced labor.

Citing the Supreme Court’s decision this summer that struck down the president’s Liberation Day tariffs, Trump said: “I thought the decision by the Supreme Court was not a good one, but we have many forms of tariffs.”

Trump said he’d be ‘willing’ to call senators to help move stalled elections bill

“I’d certainly be willing,” Trump said when asked if he could be doing more to help the Republican-controlled Senate pass a stalled elections bill he wants to sign into law.

Trump said he helped move the bill through the Republican-controlled House by calling a few representatives and getting them on board to send the bill to the Senate.

He said Senate Majority Leader John Thune has “got four or five people that are very difficult,” including some “I put out of office.”

“So I understand how it feels. I mean, they’re doing the wrong thing,” Trump said, asking who wouldn’t be for showing ID and proof of citizenship to vote.

“No Republicans should put us in a position where they don’t approve of something like that,” he said.

Trump says he’s not feeling pressure to settle the Iran war ahead of the midterm elections

The president said, as far as the elections are concerned, “I’m not in a hurry.”

He said he won’t let rising gas prices and inflation continuing to run hot sway his decision on the war in Iran.

“We have to do it right,” Trump said, adding “elections take care of themselves.”

Trump was reelected in 2024 promising to bring down the cost of living but has seen prices rise dramatically in the months since the war with Iran began.

That has complicated things for Republicans hoping to maintain control of Congress.

Trump celebrates new nuclear reactors in his push to speed up power production

The president hosted executives from nuclear power companies in the Oval Office to celebrate a new milestone in the White House’s push to accelerate the growth of nuclear power in the U.S.

Last year, Trump signed four actions creating a pilot program aimed at having four new nuclear reactors go critical by July 4. Four companies ended up meeting that deadline, Trump said on Friday.

“America is building again, America is dreaming again, and we’re leading the world in pioneering the next generation of nuclear power,” he said.

Trump says U.S. will place ‘a major tariff’ on Mexico for diarrhea-causing parasite

Asked when it would be safe to eat lettuce again, after a diarrhea-inducing parasite found in lettuce produced in Mexico has affected patients in nine U.S. states, Trump said his government is “going to put a major tariff on tax on Mexico because of the lettuce.”

He added that his administration would also “put a big tariff on Canada because of the smoke” caused by hundreds of wildfires raging across Canada, which has carried smoke by winds into the U.S.

Trump defends subpoenas targeting New York Times journalists, says case isn’t over

A day after his administration withdrew subpoenas that would have required three New York Times journalists to testify about their sources, Trump said he isn’t retreating.

“We have a long way to go with that case,” Trump said in the Oval Office on Friday.

Trump said he supports the subpoenas, which were issued in response to a story about Trump’s Qatari-gifted Air Force One jet.

“We’re not after journalists, we’re after leakers,” Trump said. “And the way you find them is through the journalists.”

Trump says US and Iran are talking, he thinks they’re being ‘serious’

“Sort of everybody” is involved in the talks with Iran to end the war, Trump said.

He said Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio and “a lot of people” are talking to Iran.

“We’ll see what comes of it,” the president said.

“We’re talking to them right now,” Trump said. “I think they’re getting more and more serious as the days go by, for maybe the obvious reason. But we are talking to them right now.”

Trump says Venezuela is ‘not really ready’ for election yet

Asked when that the country will hold elections after U.S. forces toppled President Nicolás Maduro, Trump responded, “They’re not really ready for them yet.”

He said the U.S. has brought economic benefits to Venezuela without elaborating, or mentioning the devastation of recent, major earthquakes there.

“They’re not ready yet for the elections, but at some point they will be,” the president added before mentioning the country’s prowess in the Miss Universe pageants once he owned.

Trump declines to answer question about possible war crimes in Iran

Answering questions from reporters, Trump was asked if he considers it a war crime to blow up civilian power plants and bridges, as he has repeatedly threatened to do in Iran.

Trump replied, “I wont respond to that question.”

The president has repeatedly threatened to blow up civilian infrastructure in Iran before backing down.

Democrats demand answers on Iran war casualties from Pentagon

Democrats on the Senate Armed Services Committee are demanding answers on how the Pentagon is handling the reporting of Iran war casualties.

In a letter Friday, the 12 lawmakers note that the Pentagon’s Defense Casualty Analysis System, or DCAS, “has reported inconsistent casualty figures, raising additional questions about the transparency and reliability of the Department’s public reporting and statements.”

Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell argued this week that the system is “regularly updated online” following news reports that information about injuries was being withheld.

However, the system now shows only 14 troops killed, though that total stands at 18. The system also shows only 420 troops have been wounded in the conflict. A U.S. official has told The Associated Press that the total is well over 500.

Parnell blamed “temporary data disruptions” in a social media post Thursday.

The lawmakers are seeking detailed information about the Iran war casualties as well as details about the reporting process of that data to DCAS

Trump’s newest tariffs face immediate court challenge

The Liberty Justice Center, a libertarian advocacy group that successfully challenged earlier Trump tariffs, filed a lawsuit in the U.S. Court of International Trade in New York, challenging the double-digit import taxes that Trump imposed Friday.

The Trump administration, invoking the Trade Act of 1974, targeted 16 U.S. trading partners with tariffs of 10% to 12.5%, charging that they had failed to crack down on imports produced by forced labor.

But the Liberty Justice Center calls the new tariffs a pretext to allow Trump to maintain a wall of tariffs around the U.S. economy after the Supreme Court struck down big global taxes he’d imposed last year.

The new levies took effect at 12:01 a.m. Friday as time ran out on temporary tariffs Trump had turned to after the Supreme Court defeat.

“The administration allowed one global tariff to expire and immediately replaced it with another under a different statute,” said Sara Albrecht, chair of the Liberty Justice Center. “Changing the statute doesn’t change the law. Every tariff authority has limits, and every administration must respect them.”

Her group represented businesses that successfully challenged Trump’s 2025 global tariffs.

Trump says he’s ‘fine’ with Canada disinviting US from opening ceremony for new shared bridge

On social media, Trump says he’s OK with Canada’s decision “considering they are paying substantial TARIFFS to the United States.”

Canada alone is celebrating the completion of a new bridge to the U.S. over the Detroit River. The multibillion-dollar Gordie Howe International Bridge will serve as a critical path for trade and casual travel between the U.S. and Canada.

Canada scratched a joint gathering after Trump this week suddenly announced 50% tariffs on Canadian goods entering the U.S.

Trump says US will investigate EU trade practices, claiming the bloc unfairly fined tech giants

The president says he’s opening the formal investigation because the bloc has unfairly levied billions of dollars of fines against Google, Apple and other U.S. companies.

Trump made the announcement a day after the EU hit Google with a fine of 890 million euros ($1 billion) after it said the technology behemoth broke digital antitrust regulations by setting up Google Play and its ubiquitous search engine to corral consumers toward its own services and apps to the detriment of competitors.

In a lengthy post on social media, Trump said he has warned the EU about its practice of fining U.S. tech companies. He named Google, Apple, Meta, Amazon and others.

Democrats select South Carolina for their first presidential nominating contest in 2028

The decision most likely cements a dramatic break from decades of tradition by keeping Iowa and New Hampshire off the top of the calendar and elevating more racially diverse states.

The Democratic National Committee’s Rules and Bylaws Committee weighed competing bids led by South Carolina and Nevada for the first spot. The choice will need to be approved by the full Democratic National Committee, which is scheduled to meet in August.

South Carolina or Nevada had been expected to go first, with each state aggressively campaigning for the coveted spot.

US embassies across the Mideast begin sending country-specific travel warnings for Americans

U.S. embassies across the Middle East sent out country-specific travel alerts to Americans, advising them that already limited options to leave the region may become more limited due to escalating tensions between the United States and Iran.

At least 11 embassies in the Mideast released advisories that echo broader “worldwide caution” and regional warnings that the State Department has put out since last weekend. The department was criticized for its messaging to Americans in the Middle East before and during the war that began in late February.

Neither the worldwide alerts nor the country-specific ones being released on Friday say that intensified hostilities are imminent but they note that some airlines have already canceled flights into the region and that others may follow suit.

The 11 embassies to issue the alerts are Bahrain, the virtual embassy in Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Netanyahu to visit Washington next week for meeting with Trump

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to travel to the United States for an official visit next week, his office said in a statement Friday. He’ll meet with President Trump in Washington on Tuesday, according to the statement, and also attend the funeral of Sen. Lindsey Graham.

The last time the two leaders met in Washington was in February, just weeks before they launched a joint war against Iran. Since then, tensions have grown between the longtime allies, including over how to prosecute the war.

Israel had opposed Trump’s recent negotiations with Iran, while Trump was upset over Israeli military action in Lebanon, which he saw as a threat to his diplomatic efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

But with Iran and the United State fighting once again, Israel has also signaled its willingness to rejoin the conflict. In recent days, Israeli officials have said they’re preparing to respond if Iran launches an attack on Israeli soil.

Second lady Usha Vance shares family photo after son’s birth

Vance added a message with her social media post thanking the public “for all the good wishes as we settle into life as a family of six.”

She included photos of her larger family seated on a couch, as well as a close-up of the baby.

Vance gave birth Sunday to Alec Neel Vance, her fourth child with Vice President JD Vance. Alec is also the first child born to a sitting vice president in more than 150 years.

He joins older siblings Ewan, Vivek and Mirabel.

White House correspondents’ dinner, redux: What will Trump have to say?

When guests arrive for the rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Association dinner Friday at Washington’s Waldorf Astoria hotel, security will be much tighter, the guest list smaller, the partying pared down.

That much, the correspondents’ association can control.

What remains out of its control — and perhaps the biggest question — is what the dinner’s most prominent guest, President Donald Trump, will bring to the table.

Call it White House Dinner 2.0, or Take Two, or, in Trump’s own words, a “HOT ticket.”

The big unknown is whether Trump will bring the fighting words (“rather nasty,” he said) against the press he’d planned to deliver in April — before the event descended into chaos when a gunman stormed a security checkpoint, forcing an evacuation of the room.

▶ Read more

The latest import duties might stick

Wendy Cutler, a former senior U.S. trade official, said the latest round of tariffs involved “few surprises” since they range just between 10% and 12.5%.

The U.S. Trade Representative’s office spent four months investigating the basis for those tariffs to meet legal requirements under Section 301 of the U.S. Trade Act of 1974.

“Time will tell whether the third attempt to impose tariffs is the charm and this action stands up to legal challenges,” said Cutler, senior vice president of the Asia Society Policy Institute.

These duties are less likely than earlier ones to be overruled by U.S. courts, she said.

Further tariffs may be coming in the fall related to alleged structural excess capacity of trading partners, she noted.

China opposes unilateral tariffs in ‘all forms’

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it “opposes all forms of unilateral tariffs” in response to the new 12.5% tariffs, reiterating a longstanding statement by Beijing.

“Tariff wars and trade wars do not serve any parties’ interests,” ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told a regular news conference.

Trade tensions have clouded relations between China and the U.S., two of the world’s biggest economies, as Trump’s hefty “Liberation Day” tariffs resulted in a sharp drop in Chinese exports to the U.S.

Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who agreed to set up new boards of trade and investment at their mid-May meeting in Beijing, are expected to meet again in September.

They said the 22-year-old Volpato, who switched allegiances from Italy to Australia before the World Cup, was allegedly clocked at 50 kilometers per hour (30 miles per hour) over the designated speed limit when police stopped him on Sydney’s Anzac Bridge early Friday morning.

He was subjected to a roadside drug test which returned a positive result for cocaine, police said in a statement on Friday.

Football Australia said in a statement Saturday that it was "aware of allegations involving one of our players.

"We have been in contact with the player and continue to monitor the matter and support the player throughout this process,” it added.

One Australian media outlet said Volpato had tested negative to cocaine in a urine test, but it was not clear if it was related to the Friday incident. Others said Volpato had consistently denied the allegations of drug use and had undergone voluntarily independent testing.

Volpato made three appearances for the Socceroos at the World Cup.

___

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

Atlantic Coast

Aug. 14, Atlantic Coast at Beachside

Aug. 21, Fleming Island at Atlantic Coast, 6:30 p.m.

Aug. 28, Mandarin at Atlantic Coast, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 4, Atlantic Coast at Orange Park

Sept. 11, Sandalwood at Atlantic Coast, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 18, OFF

Sept. 25, First Coast at Atlantic Coast, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 2, Union County at Atlantic Coast, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 9, Atlantic Coast at Creekside

Oct. 16, Atlantic Coast at Tocoi Creek

Oct. 23, Flagler Palm Coast at Atlantic Coast, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 30, Atlantic Coast at Fletcher, 6:30 p.m.

Baker County

Aug. 14, Dunnellon at Baker County

Aug. 21, Baker County at Clay

Aug. 28, Bradford at Baker County

Sept. 4, Baldwin at Baker County

Sept. 11, Baker County at Yulee

Sept. 18, Baker County at Palatka

Sept. 25, Baker County at Godby

Oct. 2, OFF

Oct. 9, Baker County at Suwannee, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 16, Fort White at Baker County

Oct. 23, Wakulla at Baker County

Oct. 30, Baker County at Ocala West Port

Note: Home games played off campus at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Baldwin

Aug. 14, Baldwin at Middleburg

Aug. 21, Yulee at Baldwin, 6:30 p.m.

Aug. 28, Baldwin at Raines, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 4, Baldwin at Baker County

Sept. 11, Impact Christian at Baldwin, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 18, OFF

Sept. 25, Baldwin at Bolles

Oct. 2, Parker at Baldwin, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 9, Jackson at Baldwin, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 16, Englewood at Baldwin, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 23, Baldwin at KIPP Bold City, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 30, Baldwin at Ed White, 6:30 p.m.

Bartram Trail

Aug. 14, Flagler Palm Coast at Bartram Trail

Aug. 21, Tocoi Creek at Bartram Trail

Aug. 28, Bartram Trail at Middleburg

Sept. 4, Bishop Kenny at Bartram Trail

Sept. 11, Bartram Trail at Fletcher, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 18, Bartram Trail at Creekside

Sept. 25, Ponte Vedra at Bartram Trail

Oct. 2, OFF

Oct. 9, Bartram Trail at Beachside

Oct. 16, Nease at Bartram Trail

Oct. 23, Bartram Trail at Mandarin, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 30, Land O’ Lakes at Bartram Trail

Beachside

Aug. 14, Atlantic Coast at Beachside

Aug. 21, Beachside at KIPP Bold City, 6:30 p.m.

Aug. 28, OFF

Sept. 4, Beachside at Tocoi Creek

Sept. 11, Ponte Vedra at Beachside

Sept. 17 (Thursday), Beachside at Englewood, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 24 (Thursday), Beachside at Nease

Oct. 1 (Thursday), Beachside at Port St. Lucie Legacy

Oct. 9, Bartram Trail at Beachside

Oct. 16, Mandarin at Beachside

Oct. 23, Beachside at Fletcher, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 30, Westside at Beachside

Bishop Kenny

Aug. 14, Clay at Bishop Kenny

Aug. 21, Bishop Kenny at NFEI

Aug. 28, Ponte Vedra at Bishop Kenny

Sept. 4, Bishop Kenny at Bartram Trail

Sept. 11, Bishop Kenny at Bolles

Sept. 18, Bishop Kenny at Merritt Island

Sept. 25, OFF

Oct. 2, Menendez at Bishop Kenny

Oct. 9, Raines at Bishop Kenny

Oct. 16, Zarephath at Bishop Kenny

Oct. 23, Bishop Kenny at Parker

Oct. 30, Fleming Island at Bishop Kenny

Bishop Snyder

Aug. 14, Bishop Snyder at Port Orange Atlantic

Aug. 21, Englewood at Bishop Snyder

Aug. 28, Bishop Snyder at Oak Hall

Sept. 4, OFF

Sept. 11, Brookwood at Bishop Snyder

Sept. 18, Stanton at Bishop Snyder

Sept. 25, St. Joseph at Bishop Snyder

Oct. 2, Lake Highland Prep at Bishop Snyder

Oct. 8 (Thursday), Bishop Snyder at Faith Christian

Oct. 16, Old Plank Christian at Bishop Snyder

Oct. 23, Bishop Snyder at Seven Rivers Christian

Oct. 30, TBA SSAA playoffs

Bolles

Aug. 14, Camden County at Bolles

Aug. 21, Columbia at Bolles

Aug. 28, Bolles at Archbishop McCarthy

Sept. 4, OFF

Sept. 11, Bishop Kenny at Bolles

Sept. 18, Oakleaf at Bolles

Sept. 25, Baldwin at Bolles

Oct. 2, OFF

Oct. 9, KIPP Bold City at Bolles

Oct. 16, Bolles at Trinity Christian

Oct. 23, Bolles at Jackson, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 30, Buchholz at Bolles

Bradford

Aug. 14, Menendez at Bradford

Aug. 21, West Port at Bradford

Aug. 28, Bradford at Baker County

Sept. 4, Zarephath Academy at Bradford, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 11, Trinity Catholic at Bradford, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 18, Bradford at Tocoi Creek

Sept. 25, Bradford at Madison County, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 2, Bradford at Gainesville Eastside

Oct. 9, Bradford at Newberry, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 16, University Christian at Bradford, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 23, Ed White at Bradford, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 30, OFF

Christ’s Church Academy

Aug. 14, Christ’s Church Academy at St. Joseph

Aug. 21, First Coast Christian at Christ’s Church Academy

Aug. 28, Paxon at Christ’s Church Academy

Sept. 4, Christ’s Church Academy at Old Plank Christian, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 11, Christ’s Church Academy at Duval Charter

Sept. 17, Young Kids in Motion at Christ’s Church Academy

Sept. 25, McKinney Christian (Texas) at Christ’s Church Academy

Oct. 2, Christ’s Church Academy at Oak Hall

Oct. 8 (Thursday), Harvest Community at Christ’s Church Academy

Oct. 16, Christ’s Church Academy at True Institute

Oct. 23, OFF

Oct. 30, TBA, SSAA playoffs

Clay

Aug. 14, Clay at Bishop Kenny

Aug. 21, Baker County at Clay

Aug. 28, Matanzas at Clay

Sept. 4, Clay at Palatka

Sept. 11, Orange Park at Clay

Sept. 18, Clay at Fernandina Beach

Sept. 24 (Thursday), Clay at St. Augustine

Oct. 2, OFF

Oct. 9, Clay at Fleming Island

Oct. 16, Ridgeview at Clay

Oct. 23, Middleburg at Clay

Oct. 30, Clay at Jackson, 6:30 p.m.

Columbia

Aug. 14, Columbia at Oakleaf

Aug. 21, Columbia at Bolles

Aug. 28, Lakewood at Columbia, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 4, Madison County at Columbia, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 11, Columbia at Ribault, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 18, Columbia at Trinity Christian

Sept. 25, Riverside at Columbia, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 2, Columbia at Manatee, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 9, OFF

Oct. 16, Columbia at Ed White

Oct. 23, Yulee at Columbia

Oct. 30, Suwannee at Columbia, 7:30 p.m.

Cornerstone Classical

Aug. 14, OFF

Aug. 21, Cornerstone Classical at Bishop McLaughlin, 6 p.m.

Aug. 28, Bronson at Cornerstone Classical

Sept. 4, Harvest Community at Cornerstone Classical

Sept. 11, Cornerstone Classical at Seven Rivers Christian, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 18, Old Plank Christian at Cornerstone Classical, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 25, Cornerstone Classical at Aucilla Christian

Oct. 2, Atlantic at Cornerstone Classical

Oct. 9, OFF

Oct. 16, Cornerstone Classical at Duval Charter

Oct. 23, Hilliard at Cornerstone Classical

Oct. 30, TBA

Creekside

Aug. 14, Creekside at Mandarin, 6:30 p.m.

Aug. 21, Creekside at Nease

Aug. 28, Fleming Island at Creekside

Sept. 4, Creekside at Fletcher, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 11, Tocoi Creek at Creekside

Sept. 18, Bartram Trail at Creekside

Sept. 25, Creekside at Sandalwood, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 2, OFF

Oct. 9, Atlantic Coast at Creekside

Oct. 16, Creekside at Flagler Palm Coast

Oct. 23, First Coast at Creekside

Oct. 30, Creekside at Ponte Vedra

Duval Charter

Aug. 14, Stanton at Duval Charter

Aug. 21, Duval Charter at Old Plank Christian, 7:30 p.m.

Aug. 27, Duval Charter at Harvest Community

Sept. 4, OFF

Sept. 11, Christ’s Church at Duval Charter

Sept. 18, OFF

Sept. 25, Episcopal at Duval Charter

Oct. 2, Duval Charter at Halifax Academy

Oct. 8 (Thursday), Joshua Christian at Duval Charter

Oct. 16, Cornerstone Classical at Duval Charter

Oct. 23, Duval Charter at First Coast Christian

Oct. 30, TBA, SSAA playoffs

Eagle’s View

Aug. 14, Eagle’s View at Old Plank Christian

Aug. 21, Eagle’s View at Branford, 7:30 p.m.

Aug. 28, Eagle’s View at Stanton, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 4, Providence at Eagle’s View

Sept. 11, First Coast Christian at Eagle’s View

Sept. 18, Eagle’s View at Wolfson, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 25, Bell at Eagle’s View

Oct. 2, OFF

Oct. 9, Eagle’s View at Keswick Christian

Oct. 15 (Thursday), Episcopal at Eagle’s View

Oct. 23, Halifax Academy at Eagle’s View

Oct. 30, TBA SSAA playoffs

Note: Home games played at Normandy Athletic Association

Ed White

Aug. 14, Ed White at Nease

Aug. 21, Trinity Christian at Ed White, 6:30 p.m.

Aug. 28, OFF

Sept. 4, Raines at Ed White, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 11, Ed White at Riverside, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 18, Ed White at Camden County, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 25, Yulee at Ed White, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 2, Ed White at Oakleaf

Oct. 9, Ed White at Ribault, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 16, Columbia at Ed White, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 23, Ed White at Bradford, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 30, Baldwin at Ed White, 6:30 p.m.

Englewood

Aug. 14, Westside at Englewood, 6:30 p.m.

Aug. 21, Englewood at Bishop Snyder

Aug. 28, Episcopal at Englewood, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 4, Englewood at Stanton, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 11, OFF

Sept. 17 (Thursday), Beachside at Englewood, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 25, Englewood at Ribault, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 2, Englewood at Westside, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 9, Paxon at Englewood, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 16, Englewood at Baldwin, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 23, Young Kids in Motion at Englewood, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 30, Ridgeview at Englewood, 6:30 p.m.

Episcopal

Aug. 14, Westminster Academy at Episcopal

Aug. 21, Episcopal at Providence

Aug. 28, Episcopal at Englewood, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 4, Episcopal at KIPP Bold City

Sept. 11, Westside at Episcopal

Sept. 18, OFF

Sept. 25, Episcopal at Duval Charter

Oct. 2, NFEI at Episcopal

Oct. 9, Wolfson at Episcopal

Oct. 15 (Thursday), Episcopal at Eagle’s View

Oct. 23, Fernandina Beach at Episcopal

Oct. 30, TBA, SSAA playoffs

Fernandina Beach

Aug. 14, Fernandina Beach at Keystone Heights

Aug. 21, Leon at Fernandina Beach

Aug. 28, Fernandina Beach at NFEI

Sept. 4, Fernandina Beach at Yulee

Sept. 11, OFF

Sept. 18, Clay at Fernandina Beach

Sept. 25, West Nassau at Fernandina Beach

Oct. 2, Fernandina Beach at Jackson, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 9, Union County at Fernandina Beach

Oct. 16, Providence at Fernandina Beach

Oct. 23, Fernandina Beach at Episcopal

Oct. 30, TBA, SSAA playoffs

First Coast

Aug. 14, Raines at First Coast, 6:30 p.m.

Aug. 21, First Coast at Ribault, 6:30 p.m.

Aug. 28, Yulee at First Coast, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 4, Riverside at First Coast, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 11, First Coast at Flagler Palm Coast

Sept. 18, Fletcher at First Coast, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 25, First Coast at Atlantic Coast, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 2, OFF

Oct. 9, Tocoi Creek at First Coast, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 16, First Coast at Sandalwood, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 23, First Coast at Creekside

Oct. 30, Oakleaf at First Coast, 6:30 p.m.

First Coast Christian

Aug. 14, First Coast Christian at Harvest Community

Aug. 21, First Coast Christian at Christ’s Church Academy

Aug. 28, First Coast Christian at Hilliard

Sept. 4, OFF

Sept. 11, First Coast Christian at Eagle’s View

Sept. 18, Union County at First Coast Christian

Sept. 25, Stanton at First Coast Christian

Oct. 2, Gainesville P.K. Yonge at First Coast Christian

Oct. 9, First Coast Christian at Port Orange Atlantic

Oct. 16, First Coast Christian at Joshua Christian

Oct. 23, Duval Charter at First Coast Christian

Oct. 30, TBA, SSAA playoffs

Flagler Palm Coast

Aug. 14, Flagler Palm Coast at Bartram Trail

Aug. 21, Matanzas at Flagler Palm Coast

Aug. 28, Riverside at Flagler Palm Coast

Sept. 4, Flagler Palm Coast at Parker, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 11, First Coast at Flagler Palm Coast

Sept. 18, OFF

Sept. 24, Flagler Palm Coast at Tocoi Creek

Oct. 2, Flagler Palm Coast at Orange City University

Oct. 9, Sandalwood at Flagler Palm Coast

Oct. 16, Creekside at Flagler Palm Coast

Oct. 23, Flagler Palm Coast at Atlantic Coast, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 30, Orange Park at Flagler Palm Coast

Fleming Island

Aug. 14, TBA

Aug. 21, Fleming Island at Atlantic Coast, 6:30 p.m.

Aug. 28, Fleming Island at Creekside

Sept. 4, Oakleaf at Fleming Island

Sept. 11, Ridgeview at Fleming Island

Sept. 18, Ponte Vedra at Fleming Island

Sept. 25, Fleming Island at Orange Park

Oct. 2, OFF

Oct. 9, Clay at Fleming Island

Oct. 16, Middleburg at Fleming Island

Oct. 23, Fleming Island at St. Augustine

Oct. 30, Fleming Island at Bishop Kenny

Fletcher

Aug. 14, Fletcher at Yulee

Aug. 21, Fletcher at Sandalwood, 6:30 p.m.

Aug. 28, Plant City at Fletcher, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 4, Creekside at Fletcher, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 11, Bartram Trail at Fletcher, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 18, Fletcher at First Coast, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 25, Fletcher at Mandarin, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 2, OFF

Oct. 9, Nease at Fletcher, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 16, Fletcher at Ponte Vedra

Oct. 23, Beachside at Fletcher, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 30, Atlantic Coast at Fletcher, 6:30 p.m.

Fort White

Aug. 14, Fort White at Providence, 6:30 p.m.

Aug. 21, Eastside at Fort White, 7:30 p.m.

Aug. 28, Fort White at Chiefland, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 4, OFF

Sept. 11, Fort White at Union County, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 18, Santa Fe at Fort White, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 25, Taylor County at Fort White, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 2, Mayo Lafayette at Fort White, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 9, Fort White at Madison County, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 16, Fort White at Baker County

Oct. 23, Hamilton County at Fort White, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 30, Fort White at Palatka

Harvest Community

Aug. 14, First Coast Christian at Harvest Community

Aug. 21, Harvest Community at Stanton, 6:30 p.m.

Aug. 27 (Thursday), Duval Charter at Harvest Community

Sept. 4, Harvest Community at Cornerstone Classical

Sept. 11, Bell at Harvest Community

Sept. 18, Harvest Community at Bronson

Sept. 25, Halifax Academy at Harvest Community

Oct. 1 (Thursday), Trinity Prep at Harvest Community

Oct. 8 (Thursday), Harvest Community at Christ’s Church Academy

Oct. 16, Harvest Community at Taylor Pierson

Oct. 23, OFF

Oct. 30, TBA SSAA playoffs

Hilliard

Aug. 14, TBA

Aug. 21, Hilliard at All Saints Academy

Aug. 28, First Coast Christian at Hilliard

Sept. 4, Keystone Heights at Hilliard, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 11, OFF

Sept. 18, Hilliard at St. Joseph

Sept. 25, Scintilla Charter at Hilliard

Oct. 2, Old Plank Christian at Hilliard, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 9, Aucilla Christian at Hilliard

Oct. 16, Hilliard at Dixie County, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 23, Hilliard at Cornerstone Classical

Oct. 30, Hilliard at Taylor Pierson, 7:30 p.m.

Impact Christian

Aug. 14, Impact Christian at Taylor County

Aug. 21, Impact Christian at Chiles

Aug. 29 (Saturday), Halifax Academy at Impact Christian

Sept. 4, Trenton at Impact Christian

Sept. 11, Impact Christian at Baldwin, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 18, Providence at Impact Christian

Sept. 25, Impact Christian at University Christian, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 2, Gadsden County at Impact Christian

Oct. 9, Impact Christian at Hamilton County, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 16, Impact Christian at Menendez

Oct. 23, Impact Christian at Trinity Christian

Oct. 30, OFF

Note: Home games played at Fort Family Regional Park.

Interlachen

Aug. 14, Interlachen at Trenton, 7:30 p.m.

Aug. 21, Keystone Heights at Interlachen, 7:30 p.m.

Aug. 28, Bell at Interlachen, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 4, Interlachen at Crescent City, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 11, Bronson at Interlachen, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 18, Interlachen at Citrus, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 25, OFF

Oct. 2, Lake Weir at Interlachen, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 9, P.K. Yonge at Interlachen, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 16, Interlachen at Wildwood

Oct. 23, Interlachen at Atlantic

Oct. 30, TBA, SSAA playoffs

Jackson

Aug. 14, Jackson at Riverside, 6:30 p.m.

Aug. 21, Jackson at Orange Park

Aug. 28, Ribault at Jackson, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 4, Jackson at Westside, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 11, OFF

Sept. 18, Jackson at Paxon, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 25, KIPP Bold City at Jackson, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 2, Fernandina Beach at Jackson, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 9, Jackson at Baldwin, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 16, Jackson at West Nassau, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 23, Bolles at Jackson, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 30, Clay at Jackson, 6:30 p.m.

Keystone Heights

Aug. 14, Fernandina Beach at Keystone Heights

Aug. 21, Keystone Heights at Interlachen, 7:30 p.m.

Aug. 28, P.K. Yonge at Keystone Heights

Sept. 4, Keystone Heights at Hilliard

Sept. 11, OFF

Sept. 18, Keystone Heights at Bell

Sept. 25, Atlantic at Keystone Heights

Oct. 2, Keystone Heights at Crescent City

Oct. 9, Dixie County at Keystone Heights

Oct. 16, Keystone Heights at Paxon, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 23, West Nassau at Keystone Heights

Oct. 30, TBA, SSAA playoffs

KIPP Bold City

Aug. 14, Sandalwood at KIPP Bold City, 6:30 p.m.

Aug. 21, Beachside at KIPP Bold City, 6:30 p.m.

Aug. 28, KIPP Bold City at West Nassau

Sept. 4, Episcopal at KIPP Bold City, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 11, Wolfson at KIPP Bold City, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 18, OFF

Sept. 25, KIPP Bold City at Jackson, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 2, KIPP Bold City at Ribault, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 9, KIPP Bold City at Bolles

Oct. 16, KIPP Bold City at Stanton, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 23, Baldwin at KIPP Bold City, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 30, Sunlake at KIPP Bold City, 6:30 p.m.

Mandarin

Aug. 14, Creekside at Mandarin, 6:30 p.m.

Aug. 21, Mandarin at McArthur (Broward County Showcase)

Aug. 28, Mandarin at Atlantic Coast, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 4, OFF

Sept. 11, Mandarin at Nease

Sept. 18, Mandarin at Raines, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 25, Fletcher at Mandarin, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 2, Lake Mary at Mandarin, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 9, Mandarin at Ponte Vedra

Oct. 16, Mandarin at Beachside

Oct. 23, Bartram Trail at Mandarin, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 30, St. Augustine at Mandarin, 6:30 p.m.

Matanzas

Aug. 14, Daytona Beach Seabreeze at Matanzas

Aug. 21, Matanzas at Flagler Palm Coast

Aug. 28, Matanzas at Clay

Sept. 4, Deltona at Matanzas

Sept. 11, Matanzas at Ocala Forest

Sept. 18, Menendez at Matanzas

Sept. 25, Pine Ridge at Matanzas

Oct. 2, OFF

Oct. 9, Gainesville Buchholz at Matanzas

Oct. 16, Matanzas at Oakleaf

Oct. 23, West Port at Matanzas

Oct. 30, Matanzas at Palm Bay

Menendez

Aug. 14, Menendez at Bradford

Aug. 21, Menendez at Middleburg

Aug. 28, Menendez at Ridgeview

Sept. 4, St. Augustine at Menendez

Sept. 11, OFF

Sept. 18, Menendez at Matanzas

Sept. 25, Menendez at Wolfson, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 2, Menendez at Bishop Kenny

Oct. 9, Menendez at Palatka

Oct. 16, Impact Christian at Menendez

Oct. 23, Westside at Menendez

Oct. 30, Tocoi Creek at Menendez

Middleburg

Aug. 14, Baldwin at Middleburg

Aug. 21, Menendez at Middleburg

Aug. 28, Bartram Trail at Middleburg

Sept. 4, Middleburg at North Marion

Sept. 11, St. Augustine at Middleburg

Sept. 18, Newberry at Middleburg

Sept. 25, Middleburg at Ridgeview

Oct. 2, OFF

Oct. 9, Orange Park at Middleburg

Oct. 16, Middleburg at Fleming Island

Oct. 23, Middleburg at Clay

Oct. 30, Middleburg at Parker, 6:30 p.m.

Nease

Aug. 14, Ed White at Nease

Aug. 21, Creekside at Nease

Aug. 28, Nease at St. Augustine

Sept. 4, Daytona Beach Mainland at Nease

Sept. 11, Mandarin at Nease

Sept. 18, OFF

Sept. 24, Beachside at Nease

Oct. 2, Riverside at Nease

Oct. 9, Nease at Fletcher, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 16, Nease at Bartram Trail

Oct. 23, Ponte Vedra at Nease

Oct. 30, Nease at Sandalwood, 6:30 p.m.

NFEI

Aug. 14, NFEI at Father Lopez

Aug. 21, Bishop Kenny at NFEI

Aug. 28, Fernandina Beach at NFEI

Sept. 4, Bluffton at NFEI

Sept. 11, NFEI at Providence

Sept. 18, NFEI at University Christian, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 25, Trinity Christian at NFEI

Oct. 2, NFEI at Episcopal

Oct. 9, Wilder Sports Academy

Oct. 16, Taylor County at NFEI

Oct. 23, OFF

Oct. 30, TBA

Oakleaf

Aug. 14, Columbia at Oakleaf

Aug. 21, Raines at Oakleaf

Aug. 28, Orange Park at Oakleaf

Sept. 4, Oakleaf at Fleming Island

Sept. 11, OFF

Sept. 18, Oakleaf at Bolles

Sept. 25, West Port at Oakleaf

Oct. 2, Ed White at Oakleaf

Oct. 9, Oakleaf at Ocala Forest

Oct. 16, Matanzas at Oakleaf

Oct. 23, Oakleaf at Buchholz

Oct. 30, Oakleaf at First Coast, 6:30 p.m.

Old Plank Christian Academy

Aug. 14, Eagle’s View at Old Plank Christian

Aug. 21, Duval Charter at Old Plank, 7:30 p.m.

Aug. 28, OFF

Sept. 4, Christ’s Church Academy at Old Plank, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 11, St. Joseph at Old Plank

Sept. 18, Old Plank at Cornerstone Classical, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 25, Seven Rivers Christian at Old Plank, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 2, Old Plank at Hilliard, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 9, Oak Hall at Old Plank

Oct. 16, Old Plank at Bishop Snyder

Oct. 23, Bronson at Old Plank

Oct. 30, TBA, SSAA playoffs

Orange Park

Aug. 13, Tocoi Creek at Orange Park

Aug. 21, Jackson at Orange Park

Aug. 28, Orange Park at Oakleaf

Sept. 4, Atlantic Coast at Orange Park

Sept. 11, Orange Park at Clay

Sept. 18, Parker at Orange Park

Sept. 25, Fleming Island at Orange Park

Oct. 2, OFF

Oct. 9, Orange Park at Middleburg

Oct. 16, Orange Park at St. Augustine

Oct. 22 (Thursday), Ridgeview at Orange Park

Oct. 30, Orange Park at Flagler Palm Coast

Palatka

Aug. 14, TBA

Aug. 21, St. Augustine at Palatka

Aug. 28, Palatka at Union County

Sept. 4, Clay at Palatka

Sept. 11, Palatka at Suwannee, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 18, Baker County at Palatka

Sept. 25, Westside at Palatka

Oct. 2, OFF

Oct. 9, Palatka at Menendez

Oct. 16, Palatka at Newberry

Oct. 23, Palatka at Wolfson, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 30, Fort White at Palatka

Parker

Aug. 14, Joshua Christian at Parker, 6:30 p.m.

Aug. 21, Parker at Riverside, 6:30 p.m.

Aug. 28, Sandalwood at Parker, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 4, Flagler Palm Coast at Parker, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 11, Raines at Parker, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 18, Parker at Orange Park

Sept. 25, Parker at Union County, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 2, Baldwin at Parker, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 9, OFF

Oct. 16, Wolfson at Parker, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 23, Bishop Kenny at Parker, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 30, Middleburg at Parker, 6:30 p.m.

Paxon

Aug. 14, West Nassau at Paxon, 6:30 p.m.

Aug. 21, Paxon at Wolfson, 6:30 p.m.

Aug. 28, Paxon at Christ’s Church Academy

Sept. 4, Paxon at Williston, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 11, Stanton at Paxon, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 18, Jackson at Paxon, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 25, OFF

Oct. 2, Paxon at Ridgeview

Oct. 9, Paxon at Englewood, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 16, Keystone Heights at Paxon, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 23, Union County at Paxon, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 30, TBA, SSAA playoffs

Ponte Vedra

Aug. 14, St. Augustine at Ponte Vedra

Aug. 21, University Christian at Ponte Vedra

Aug. 28, Ponte Vedra at Bishop Kenny

Sept. 4, Merritt Island at Ponte Vedra

Sept. 11, Ponte Vedra at Beachside

Sept. 18, Ponte Vedra at Fleming Island

Sept. 25, Ponte Vedra at Bartram Trail

Oct. 2, OFF

Oct. 9, Mandarin at Ponte Vedra

Oct. 16, Fletcher at Ponte Vedra

Oct. 23, Ponte Vedra at Nease

Oct. 30, Creekside at Ponte Vedra

Providence

Aug. 14, Fort White at Providence, 6:30 p.m.

Aug. 21, Episcopal at Providence

Aug. 28, Providence at Umatilla

Sept. 4, Providence at Eagle’s View

Sept. 11, NFEI at Providence

Sept. 18, Providence at Impact Christian

Sept. 25, Providence at Seffner Christian

Oct. 2, West Nassau at Providence

Oct. 9, Foundation Academy at Providence

Oct. 16, Providence at Fernandina Beach

Oct. 23, OFF

Oct. 30, Halifax Academy at Providence

Raines

Aug. 14, Raines at First Coast, 6:30 p.m.

Aug. 21, Raines at Oakleaf

Aug. 28, Baldwin at Raines, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 4, Raines at Ed White, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 11, Raines at Parker, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 18, Mandarin at Raines, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 25, OFF

Oct. 2, Venice at Raines, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 9, Raines at Bishop Kenny

Oct. 16, Riverside at Raines, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 23, Raines at Cocoa

Oct. 31 (Saturday), Ribault at Raines, 2 p.m.

Ribault

Aug. 13 (Thursday), Ribault at Rickards

Aug. 21, First Coast at Ribault, 6:30 p.m.

Aug. 28, Ribault at Jackson, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 4, OFF

Sept. 11, Columbia at Ribault, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 18, Ribault at Ridgeview

Sept. 25, Englewood at Ribault, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 2, KIPP Bold City at Ribault, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 9, Ed White at Ribault, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 16, Ribault at Yulee

Oct. 23, Ribault at Riverside, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 31 (Saturday), Ribault at Raines, 2 p.m.

Ridgeview

Aug. 13 (Thursday), Ridgeview at Gainesville, 6 p.m.

Aug. 21, Westside at Ridgeview

Aug. 28, Menendez at Ridgeview

Sept. 4, OFF

Sept. 11, Ridgeview at Fleming Island

Sept. 18, Ribault at Ridgeview

Sept. 25, Middleburg at Ridgeview

Oct. 2, Paxon at Ridgeview

Oct. 9, St. Augustine at Ridgeview

Oct. 16, Ridgeview at Clay

Oct. 22 (Thursday), Ridgeview at Orange Park

Oct. 30, Ridgeview at Englewood, 6:30 p.m.

Riverside

Aug. 14, Jackson at Riverside, 6:30 p.m.

Aug. 21, Parker at Riverside, 6:30 p.m.

Aug. 28, Riverside at Flagler Palm Coast

Sept. 4, Riverside at First Coast, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 11, Ed White at Riverside, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 18, OFF

Sept. 25, Riverside at Columbia, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 2, Riverside at Nease

Oct. 9, Yulee at Riverside, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 16, Riverside at Raines, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 23, Ribault at Riverside, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 30, Trinity Christian at Riverside, 6:30 p.m.

Sandalwood

Aug. 14, Sandalwood at KIPP Bold City, 6:30 p.m.

Aug. 21, Fletcher at Sandalwood, 6:30 p.m.

Aug. 28, Sandalwood at Parker, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 4, Sandalwood at Wolfson, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 11, Sandalwood at Atlantic Coast, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 18, Westside at Sandalwood, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 25, Creekside at Sandalwood, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 2, OFF

Oct. 9, Sandalwood at Flagler Palm Coast

Oct. 16, First Coast at Sandalwood, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 23, Sandalwood at Tocoi Creek

Oct. 30, Nease at Sandalwood, 6:30 p.m.

St. Augustine

Aug. 14, St. Augustine at Ponte Vedra

Aug. 21, St. Augustine at Palatka

Aug. 28, Nease at St. Augustine

Sept. 4, St. Augustine at Menendez

Sept. 11, St. Augustine at Middleburg

Sept. 18, Orlando Evans at St. Augustine

Sept. 24 (Thursday), Clay at St. Augustine

Oct. 2, OFF

Oct. 9, St. Augustine at Ridgeview

Oct. 16, Orange Park at St. Augustine

Oct. 23, Fleming Island at St. Augustine

Oct. 30, St. Augustine at Mandarin, 6:30 p.m.

St. Joseph

Aug. 14, Christ’s Church Academy at St. Joseph

Aug. 21, OFF

Aug. 28, Geneva at St. Joseph

Sept. 3 (Thursday), Young Kids in Motion at St. Joseph

Sept. 11, St. Joseph at Old Plank Christian

Sept. 18, Hilliard at St. Joseph

Sept. 25, St. Joseph at Bishop Snyder

Oct. 2, Branford at St. Joseph

Oct. 9, St. Joseph at West Oaks Academy

Oct. 16, St. Joseph at Oak Hall

Oct. 23, St. Joseph at Saint Stephen’s Episcopal

TBA, Sunshine State Athletic Association playoffs

Stanton

Aug. 14, Stanton at Duval Charter

Aug. 21, Harvest Community at Stanton, 6:30 p.m.

Aug. 28, Eagle’s View at Stanton, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 4, Englewood at Stanton, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 11, Stanton at Paxon, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 18, Stanton at Bishop Snyder

Sept. 25, Stanton at First Coast Christian

Oct. 2, Wolfson at Stanton, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 9, Stanton at Westside, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 16, KIPP Bold City at Stanton, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 23, OFF

Oct. 30, TBA SSAA playoffs

Suwannee

Aug. 14, Madison County at Suwannee, 7:30 p.m.

Aug. 21, Suwannee at Crystal River

Aug. 28, Lafayette at Suwannee, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 4, Gainesville at Suwannee, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 11, Palatka at Suwannee, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 18, Hamilton County at Suwannee, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 25, Suwannee at Wakulla

Oct. 2, Zarephath Academy at Suwannee, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 9, Baker County at Suwannee, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 16, OFF

Oct. 23, Suwannee at Godby

Oct. 30, Suwannee at Columbia, 7:30 p.m.

Tocoi Creek

Aug. 13 (Thursday), Tocoi Creek at Orange Park

Aug. 21, Tocoi Creek at Bartram Trail

Aug. 28, Tocoi Creek at Daytona Beach Seabreeze

Sept. 4, Beachside at Tocoi Creek

Sept. 11, Tocoi Creek at Creekside

Sept. 18, Bradford at Tocoi Creek

Sept. 24 (Thursday), Flagler Palm Coast at Tocoi Creek

Oct. 2, OFF

Oct. 9, Tocoi Creek at First Coast, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 16, Atlantic Coast at Tocoi Creek

Oct. 23, Sandalwood at Tocoi Creek

Oct. 30, Tocoi Creek at Menendez

Trinity Christian

Aug. 14, TBA

Aug. 21, Trinity Christian at Ed White, 6:30 p.m.

Aug. 28, University Christian at Trinity Christian

Sept. 4, Trinity Christian at Tallahassee Lincoln

Sept. 11, American Heritage at Trinity Christian

Sept. 18, Columbia at Trinity Christian

Sept. 25, Trinity Christian at NFEI

Oct. 2, Trinity Christian at Carrollwood Day

Oct. 9, OFF

Oct. 16, Bolles at Trinity Christian

Oct. 23, Impact Christian at Trinity Christian

Oct. 30, Trinity Christian at Riverside, 6:30 p.m.

Union County

Aug. 14, Lafayette at Union County, 7:30 p.m.

Aug. 21, Union County at Rutherford, 7:30 p.m.

Aug. 28, Palatka at Union County, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 4, OFF

Sept. 11, Fort White at Union County, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 18, Union County at First Coast Christian, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 25, Parker at Union County, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 2, Union County at Atlantic Coast, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 9, Union County at Fernandina Beach

Oct. 16, Father Lopez at Union County, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 23, Union County at Paxon, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 30, TBA, SSAA playoffs

University Christian

Aug. 14, University Christian at Trinity Catholic

Aug. 21, University Christian at Ponte Vedra

Aug. 28, University Christian at Trinity Christian

Sept. 4, Lecanto at University Christian, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 11, University Christian at Madison County, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 18, NFEI at University Christian, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 25, Impact Christian at University Christian, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 2, Florida High at University Christian, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 9, University Christian at Williston

Oct. 16, University Christian at Bradford, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 23, OFF

Oct. 29 (Thursday), University Christian at Calvary Christian

West Nassau

Aug. 14, West Nassau at Paxon, 6:30 p.m.

Aug. 21, Charlton County at West Nassau

Aug. 28, KIPP Bold City at West Nassau

Sept. 4, OFF

Sept. 11, West Nassau at Bayside

Sept. 18, Yulee at West Nassau

Sept. 25, West Nassau at Fernandina Beach

Oct. 2, West Nassau at Providence

Oct. 10, West Deptford (NJ) at West Nassau

Oct. 16, Jackson at West Nassau

Oct. 23, West Nassau at Keystone Heights

Oct. 30, TBA, SSAA playoffs

Westside

Aug. 14, Westside at Englewood, 6:30 p.m.

Aug. 21, Westside at Ridgeview

Aug. 28, Wolfson at Westside, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 4, Jackson at Westside, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 11, Westside at Episcopal

Sept. 18, Westside at Sandalwood, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 25, Westside at Palatka

Oct. 2, Englewood at Westside, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 9, Stanton at Westside, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 16, OFF

Oct. 23, Westside at Menendez

Oct. 30, Westside at Beachside

Wolfson

Aug. 14, Hamilton County at Wolfson, 6:30 p.m.

Aug. 21, Paxon at Wolfson, 6:30 p.m.

Aug. 28, Wolfson at Westside, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 4, Sandalwood at Wolfson, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 11, Wolfson at KIPP Bold City, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 18, Eagle’s View at Wolfson, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 25, Menendez at Wolfson, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 2, Wolfson at Stanton, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 9, Wolfson at Episcopal

Oct. 16, Wolfson at Parker, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 23, Palatka at Wolfson, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 30, OFF

Yulee

Aug. 14, Fletcher at Yulee

Aug. 21, Yulee at Baldwin, 6:30 p.m.

Aug. 28, Yulee at First Coast, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 4, Fernandina Beach at Yulee

Sept. 11, Baker County at Yulee

Sept. 18, Yulee at West Nassau

Sept. 25, Yulee at Ed White, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 2, OFF

Oct. 9, Yulee at Riverside, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 16, Ribault at Yulee

Oct. 23, Yulee at Columbia

Oct. 30, Zarephath Academy at Yulee

Zarephath Academy

Aug. 14, OFF

Aug. 21, Zarephath Academy at IMG Academy White

Aug. 28, Zarephath Academy at Santa Fe

Sept. 4, Zarephath Academy at Bradford, 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 11, Zarephath Academy at Dixie County

Sept. 18, OFF

Sept. 25, Zarephath Academy at West Oaks

Oct. 2, Zarephath Academy at Suwannee, 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 9, OFF

Oct. 16, Zarephath Academy at Bishop Kenny

Oct. 23, Zarephath Academy at Umatilla

Oct. 30, Zarephath Academy at Yulee

Note: Home games, if any, played at Ray Greene Park 2149 Leonid Road

Trump's move follows a report released July 4 by his Domestic Policy Council saying leaders of the Smithsonian and its National Museum of American History don't tell history “in a way that is inspiring, unifying, and worthy of our great republic.”

The president lacks authority to quickly fire the Smithsonian leadership or to order changes to exhibits, so his executive order targets the sidewalks out front, which are maintained by the National Park Service. His executive order calls for signs telling visitors about the White House report and directing them to resources for what he calls “accurate information regarding America’s history.” It also calls for a temporary exhibit that corrects information he deems inaccurate.

Smithsonian officials declined to comment on Trump's order.

Anthea M. Hartig, director of the American history museum, pushed back on the White House report during congressional hearings this week.

“As we continue to fact check the report, we unwaveringly attest that it does not fairly or accurately characterize the full body of work at the museum,” she told lawmakers. “There is always room for improvement. But I also know the beauty and the inspiration and the expertise that lies in our collections, our exhibits, and our programming.”

The Smithsonian operates outside the executive branch and museum directors report to Secretary Lonnie Bunch, who is subject to oversight from a Board of Regents.

Trump’s escalating effort to force changes at the Smithsonian marks the Republican president’s latest move to transform cultural pillars of society, such as universities and art, that he considers out of step with conservative sensibilities. Trump had himself installed as chairman of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts with the aim of overhauling programming, and his handpicked board voted to add his name to the building, only to have a federal judge later order the signs to be removed.

Trump has also imposed changes on historical sites beyond Washington, including in Philadelphia, where the administration won a court ruling last week allowing it to reinstall interpretive panels that critics say whitewash the history of slavery at the site of President George Washington’s home. Advocates, academics and officials have been concerned for months that the version that complies with Trump’s order could give a history that plays down the pain in the nation’s past in favor of a more triumphant view.

Trump in March revealed his intention to force changes at the Smithsonian Institution with an executive order that targeted funding for programs that advanced “divisive narratives” and “improper ideology.”

Biden's attorneys filed the notice of voluntary dismissal less than a week after a divided panel of appeals court judges rejected his bid to block the material's release. Biden could have petitioned the Supreme Court to intervene or asked for a rehearing by the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

In a 2-1 ruling on Monday, a three-judge panel from the circuit court found a “substantial” public interest in disclosing the material that Biden wants to keep under wraps. The panel had suspended its decision until Aug. 3 to allow more time for Biden to consider his appellate options.

Circuit Judge Florence Pan wrote a dissenting opinion in which she said Biden has shown a “substantial privacy interest” in keeping the material hidden. The appeal also was heard by D.C. Circuit Chief Judge Sri Srinivasan and Judge Gregory Katsas.

Pan was nominated to the court by Biden, a Democrat. Srinivasan was nominated by President Barack Obama, also a Democrat. Katsas was nominated by President Donald Trump, a Republican.

Mark Zwonitzer, who worked with Biden on two memoirs, 2007’s “Promises to Keep” and 2017’s “Promise Me, Dad,” interviewed him at his home in 2016 and 2017. Biden’s lawyers say the conversations were candid, personal and intended to remain private.

The recordings were obtained by special counsel Robert Hur, who investigated Biden’s handling of classified documents from his time as a senator from Delaware and as Obama’s vice president. Republicans in Congress demanded the material after Hur declined to file charges against the then-president.

Biden sued and sought an injunction to prevent the Justice Department under Trump from releasing the recordings to Congress and the conservative Heritage Foundation. The department previously argued that the recordings were exempt from disclosure under public records law.

Biden appealed after U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich, a Trump nominee, ruled in June that the public interest in the material outweighed whatever privacy rights Biden had.

Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was killed July 7 when Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers chased his white work van through the streets, then shot him through the window in front of his work crew, including his brother.

Salgado Araujo’s sons read from prepared remarks at a Houston hearing with Democratic members of Congress. The sons' voices often choked with emotion as they described their father as a humble and hardworking family man. He lived without legal status in the U.S. for 35 years, ran a homebuilding business and had never been in trouble with the law.

“He didn’t need anybody to know his name,” Lorenzo Salgado Araujo Jr. told the hearing, held by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. “He worked hard to protect and provide for our family, to put me and my siblings through college. He taught us that good things come to those that work hard.”

The Department of Homeland Security said shortly after the shooting that Salgado Araujo had rammed his van into the immigration vehicles chasing him, then “weaponized his vehicle in an attempt to run over an ICE law enforcement officer,” and that the officer fired in self-defense. The officers were not wearing body cameras.

Passengers in Salgado Araujo’s van describe a different version of events

At least two of the passengers in the van have disputed the government's account, saying the officers crashed into the van and were safely on the sides of the vehicle, never in danger of being struck, when the officer fired. All three passengers in the van were arrested and remain in immigration detention. One of them is Salgado Araujo’s brother, Victor, whose account of the killing is not public because his petition for release is sealed.

Harris County District Attorney Sean Teare told the hearing that DHS, which oversees ICE, has ignored his requests for information and evidence, including the name of the officer who fired the fatal shot.

Nevertheless, he said, his office was making “significant progress.” He declined to discuss specific evidence or speculate on when his office’s investigation would end.

Salgado Araujo’s sons said their father would have never run from officers, who were driving unmarked vehicles, if he’d known who they were. They had talked as a family about what they would do if he encountered ICE, and they said he believed he would find a way to get back home to them.

Salgado Araujo’s sons describe an excruciating wait for information

They said he was a man of routine. The day he was killed started as most did: He woke up before dawn, his wife cooked him a hearty breakfast, then he said goodbye to her and their dog. He got into his white van, said a prayer and left before 6 a.m. to pick up his crew.

Ronaldo Salgado said his mother called him around 7 a.m. to say something bad had happened. He saw a Facebook post about an encounter with immigration officers and rushed to the scene. He was there for hours, he said, begging officers and neighbors for information, even asking one homeowner to climb onto her roof to survey the scene.

Then a Facebook video appeared.

“I learned again from a Facebook post that our dad had been shot,” he told the hearing. “Not because I could see him, but because I could hear his voice on videos posted online crying for help.”

He rushed to the hospital. More hours passed before Democratic U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia demanded answers, and they learned he was dead.

Garcia said the Democratic delegation has sent multiple letters to DHS and ICE about the shooting and has received no response. The delegation also invited representatives of the department and the administration to attend the hearing, and they declined.

An email sent to DHS by The Associated Press seeking comment Friday was not immediately returned.

The FBI executed a search warrant on the van, alleging that officers saw several small bags inside filled with a white substance that appeared to be methamphetamine. Salgado Araujo's sons said the insinuation that their father was involved in drug trafficking was “absurd.” The substance, the family said, was a salt mixture that the crew used as electrolytes to stay hydrated while working under the blazing sun.

Teare, the district attorney, said later Friday on the social platform X that the substance tested negative for any illegal drugs.

Lorenzo Salgado Araujo Jr. called what happened to them “a kafkaesque nightmare.” They said they mourned not only for their father but also for the families of others killed by immigration officers, including Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, a 26-year-old who was shot in Maine days after their father.

The sons say they want justice

The sons called on Congress to make sure justice is served.

Salgado Araujo Jr. asked people to imagine what the brothers were experiencing by picturing a loved one “pinned to the ground in pain and yelling out in desperate need of help.”

“Picture the anger and helplessness of watching that person bleed out through a video on your phone. What would you do after?” he said. “How would you cope with the feeling of losing your protector, your role model, your mother’s loving partner, your grandmother’s little boy?”

He added, “That feeling you feel right now is only a fraction of what my family and I have felt these past 17 days.”

Russell, a Jacksonville Beach native who has committed to Florida State, edged Mawhinney 2 and 1 in the match play event. Russell moves on to Saturday’s 8 a.m. championship against Noah Maclauchlan.

Russell will play Maclauchlan, the No. 49 golfer in the field in a 36-hole final. The winner of the Junior Amateur will earn an automatic spot in next year’s U.S. Open.

The thrilling battle between locals in the semifinals went down to the 17^th hole. Mawhinney, a recent graduate of Fleming Island High School and a two-time All-News4JAX boys golfer of the year, went 1 up on the 10^th hole after a birdie. Russell knotted things back with a par on the par-3 11^th hole and grabbed a 1-up lead with an eagle on the 12^th. He’d stay up at that number until a birdie on 17 closed out Mawhinney.

Russell is one of the best amateur golfers in the country, and he’s seeded No. 2 for this event. Mawhinney was seeded sixth. He’s vying to become the first golfer who graduated from a local high school to win the Junior Amateur since David Duval (Episcopal) in 1989.

Winning the Junior Amateur is among the most prestigious events for golfers. Tiger Woods won the Junior Am three times (1991-93) before embarking on a professional career that stands among the best in sports.

Paramount said in a filing Friday that it won't close its Warner buyout until either a court ruling is made on the states' claims or June 1, 2027. The agreement comes just days after U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín granted a temporary restraining order to freeze the transaction for weeks, noting that the states had raised some “serious questions” and made a strong case about the merger's potential to “substantially lessen competition.”

Paramount and the states have also agreed to cancel an preliminary injunction hearing that was set for Aug. 3. The states’ case in now headed down the path toward a larger antitrust trial.

Both sides touted the delay as a victory.

The result was “exactly what we have sought from the outset: a direct path to a trial based on the evidence," Paramount said in a statement. The company, which was bought by Skydance just last year, added that it looked forward to proving its transaction is “good for competition, good for consumers, and good for creators.”

Meanwhile, California Attorney General Rob Bonta — who is leading the states' case — called the delay great news for audiences, movie theaters and entertainment and media workers nationwide.

“Our argument against this illegal merger is straightforward: When too few corporations have too much power in markets central to American life, it makes things more expensive, and it makes things worse,” Bonta said in a statement. He added that the states were eager to see their challenge through court and ensure the Paramount-Warner combo "never sees the light of day.”

The Writers Guild of America has also filed a lawsuit seeking to block the merger, arguing that the deal would cause specific harm to movie and TV writers. The delay will give more time for that case to make its way through court, too.

States argue merger would harm Hollywood competition

A Warner-Paramount tie-up would bring together two of the last five legacy studios in Hollywood and a host of TV networks that include CNN. Warner’s HBO Max streaming service and fan favorite titles like “Harry Potter” would come under the same roof as Paramount-owned CBS and the Paramount+ streaming service, which includes titles like “Top Gun."

Last week, the 12 states — which, beyond California, also include entertainment heavyweights like New York — sued to block the buyout, alleging that such a combination would “extinguish competition” in Hollywood and lead to fewer choices for consumers, particularly moviegoers and cable customers.

Paramount has repeatedly called the states' claims meritless and not reflective of the current industry. The company points to tech and streaming giants’ growing reach across the entertainment industry and argues the merger would help it compete with bigger rivals like Netflix (which once wanted to buy much of Warner’s business itself) and others “who have harmed the market for theatrical exhibition.”

The states' complaint doesn’t focus specifically on streaming. It alleges that the merger violates the Clayton Act — a key federal antitrust law — due to anticipated reach across three markets: theatrical movie distribution, theater releases of bigger blockbusters and the licensing of basic cable channels.

Trump administration says deal would benefit consumers

The challenge by the states — all of which have Democratic attorneys general — notably contrasts with the Trump administration’s effective greenlight of the deal. The U.S. Justice Department announced in June that it wouldn’t challenge the merger, and instead released an unusually long statement ruling that a Paramount-Warner tie up would bring “benefits for American consumers and workers.”

The Justice Department maintained that its review wasn’t political. But critics have raised their eyebrows — and pointed to Republican President Donald Trump’s close relationship with the billionaire family of Paramount CEO David Ellison. Many eyes are also on Warner assets like CNN, a network that has long attracted ire from Trump and members of his administration, particularly in light of editorial turmoil at Paramount-owned CBS following Skydance's takeover.

Friday's delay “materially reduces the near-term concern that a politicized Paramount would control CNN during the 2026 midterms,” noted Mike Proulx, vice president and research director at Forrester.

Still, there is uncertainty farther down the road.

“I’ve said from the start that anyone who thinks they know how this deal ends should think again," Proulx wrote. “What we know is that the path to either outcome just got longer, messier, and likely more expensive.”

The now monthslong delay could become very costly for Paramount. The company previously pledged to start paying Warner shareholders added “ticking fee” compensation amounting to about $7 million per day if the deal wasn’t closed by Sept. 30.

Including billions of dollars in debt, Paramount’s proposed purchase of Warner is currently valued at nearly $111 billion based on outstanding shares.

Beyond the U.S., Paramount has also touted regulatory clearances in countries like Canada, China and Australia. The European Union also gave the deal its blessing, conditional on company commitments to adjust film distribution partnerships there. Meanwhile, ongoing reviews continue in the U.K., which has separately suggested it may intervene.

U.N. member nations rejected a U.S. proposal to delay the vote until the end of next week as well as a Russian proposal to extend Türk’s term just until the end of the year. The vote in the 193-member General Assembly to reappoint Türk was 144-10, with 13 abstentions.

While he got strong support, the votes and speeches also reflected concern that Secretary-General António Guterres quietly nominated the Austrian lawyer this month after private consultations, with no public discussion, as the U.N. chief nears the end of his own 10-year tenure.

Türk’s job as the U.N. rights chief, by its nature, is tricky: It requires speaking out against rights violations by the governments of the countries that make up the membership of the world body. For instance, Türk has sharply criticized Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

Türk got wide support but loud pushback from the U.S. and Israel

Türk, whose term was supposed to expire on Oct. 11, has faced opposition from critics and some countries for his criticism of Israel’s attacks in Gaza and his approach to China’s crackdown on its Uyghur minority. None of Türk’s predecessors have served two full terms since the job was created in 1993.

U.S. deputy ambassador Jeff Bartos warned before the vote that reappointing Türk would prove that the General Assembly “is dysfunctional” and that the vote “was quietly shoved onto the agenda at the last minute to bypass meaningful review.”

“Make no mistake, if this assembly tolerates procedural overreach, backroom deals and the misuse of U.N. posts, there will be consequences,” he warned. “The United States will immediately reassess our engagement, participation and funding.”

The Trump administration already owes nearly $4 billion to the U.N. for its regular dues and for the separate budget for U.N. peacekeeping operations.

Russia’s deputy ambassador, Dmitry Chumakov, said Guterres had sown discord among U.N. members and accused Türk of “political bias” and promoting “Western geopolitical interests under the pretext of concern for human rights.”

Speaking for the European Union, Ireland’s U.N. Ambassador Fergal Mythen reaffirmed the 27-nation bloc’s “wholehearted support” for Türk.

“The European Union believes that Mr. Türk has demonstrably fulfilled responsibilities entrusted to him effectively and with integrity in an objective and non-selective manner over the past four years,” Mythen said. He takes on another term when “the multiplication of obstacles and challenges and rights violations is relentless, and the promotion and protection of all human rights becomes ever more contested.”

Guterres, whose own second five-year term ends Dec. 31, sent letters to regional groups at the United Nations this month informing them of his intention to reappoint Türk. The African group had no objection, but the Latin American countries had several, including Nicaragua, Argentina and Paraguay.

Before the vote, Israel’s Foreign Ministry called Guterres’ action to get a second term for Türk the U.N. secretary-general’s “latest moral failure,” saying on social media that the choice should be left to his successor.

“After years of bias against Israel, the answer is accountability — not rewriting the rules,” the ministry said.

Guterres is ‘following the rules’ on the reappointment, UN says

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric says Guterres was following the 1993 resolution that established a U.N. high commissioner for human rights and allows for a second term.

“The secretary-general is doing things in a very transparent manner, following the rules and his authority,” Dujarric told reporters Friday. “Consultations were had with member states prior to this and with regional groups.”

As human rights chief, the longtime U.N. functionary who worked for Guterres at United Nations headquarters in New York, Türk has expressed concerns on issues in China as diverse as the fate of detained individuals — like artist Gao Zhen, lawyer Yu Wensheng and media mogul Jimmy Lai — and counterterrorism and assimilation practices that affect ethnic minorities including the Uyghurs in the regions of Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia and Tibet.

Critics insist he could have done more to publicly follow up on a report issued by his predecessor, former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, that said China’s discriminatory detention of Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim ethnic groups in Xinjiang may amount to crimes against humanity.

Türk also has stopped short of joining independent U.N. rights experts who have accused Israel of genocide against Palestinians during its war against Hamas in Gaza. Israel vehemently denies those claims.

Former head of Human Rights Watch Ken Roth said: “The biggest stain on Türk’s reputation is his utter abandonment of the Uyghurs.”

Türk has used both private engagement with Beijing and public advocacy to support human rights in China, his office said. Roth called that “an admission that he is doing nothing, that he’s putting the plight of the Uyghurs on the deep back burner, and is just pretending to care.”

The Chinese government denies the Uyghurs have been or are being persecuted. It maintains its policies in Xinjiang rooted out terrorism and religious extremism after sporadic bouts of violence rocked the region in previous decades.

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Associated Press writers Jamey Keaten in Geneva, Farnoush Amiri in New York and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.

In Duval County, election officials say they are working to build confidence well before voters cast ballots.

The Duval County Supervisor of Elections Office on Thursday invited the public inside for a live demonstration of its voting equipment tests, allowing residents to watch as officials verified the machines that will be used in the upcoming primary.

“What we’re doing is a logic and accuracy test, where we publicly test the equipment prior to its use in the upcoming elections,” Duval County Supervisor of Elections Jerry Holland said.

The test involves running prepared “test decks” of ballots through the county’s tabulators and comparing the results with known totals, Holland said.

“We have prepared test decks of ballots with all the different candidates and races and variations of what the tabulation could be. We know what the results should be,” Holland said. “Now we’re going to run them in the machine in front of the public, tabulate them in front of the public, and make sure those results match.”

Among those attending was Victoria Bryant-Riggins of the League of Women Voters, who said public access is key to encouraging participation.

“I am here as a part of the League of Women Voters and our mission is to make sure that voting is available to everyone and that it is fair,” Bryant-Riggins said. “As more individuals participate in the process and they see for themselves that it is really open, free, and there are nothing to stand in the way of free voting, more people will vote.”

The logic-and-accuracy test uses a random sampling of one precinct tabulator from each of Jacksonville’s 14 City Council districts, one tabulator from an early voting site and all four high-speed tabulators.

Holland said the county also must account for hundreds of variations in ballots.

“We have a lot of different ballot styles. You have one for each of the major parties and those with no party affiliation,” he said. “We have over 500 ballot styles that we have to test today.”

Asked about Trump’s fraud allegations, Holland said the scrutiny gives election officials a chance to explain their procedures and pointed to Florida’s existing safeguards.

“What helps is it gives us an opportunity to share what we do because Florida is really the platinum standard when it comes to doing elections,” Holland said. “There wasn’t anything the president mentioned that we’re not already doing as part of our election systems here in the state of Florida.”

Election officials said the system worked without issues during Thursday’s test and that all votes were tabulated accurately. They said they hope the public testing will reassure voters that the process is secure and that their ballots will be counted.

Akers now faces three misdemeanor charges that include simple assault, battery, and making verbal threats, following his arrest Thursday. He bonded out of custody shortly after his arrest.

The video, recorded Monday in Jacksonville’s San Jose neighborhood, has been seen more than one million times across social media platforms.

Tynika Munn, known to many as Ty, is the woman behind the camera in that video. She spoke to News4JAX Reporter Ashley French on Thursday and says the charges against Akers feel insufficient.

“I just don’t think it’s right. I don’t think it is fair,” Munn said.

Munn says the incident began when she pulled into Akers’ driveway to pick up a friend, invited by the woman she was there to get. She says Akers never approached her to ask her to move. Instead, she says he escalated immediately.

“The man actually got into his car, revved it up, and forced me to back out of the driveway. Then he parks to the side and approaches me,” Munn said.

Munn says she called 911 during the encounter and waited nearly 40 minutes for officers to arrive. She says no one ever showed up.

“I reached out at about seven o’clock, and they said they were going to send an officer to my address,” Munn said. “I sat at home and waited for them to come. They never came.”

In an email response to News4JAX, a JSO spokesperson wrote:

“An officer did respond to the call, contacted Ms. Munn, and Ms. Munn advised she had left the home to run an errand and would call back when she returned to the home to report the incident. I do not see that a return call was made later in the day.”

Munn disputes that account. After the video went viral, JSO says it became aware of the incident and launched an investigation. Officers interviewed Munn on Thursday morning, three days after the incident — and Akers was arrested later that Thursday, July 23rd.

JSO also confirmed it had prior contact with Akers on several separate occasions, none of which resulted in an arrest.

Akers bonded out of custody on a $1,300 bond. His next court date has not yet been set.

Munn says the three misdemeanor charges don’t go far enough, and believes the incident should be considered a hate crime.

“He got three charges that mean nothing — just for him to go back and do the same, repeat the same character,” Munn said. “That’s a combination where it should have been taken into higher consideration for an enhancement of a hate crime.”

News4JAX reached out to Gene Nichols, an attorney with Nichols and Pina law firm — who is not associated with this case but gave his perspective on the charges and what the State Attorney’s Office could do next.

“What I see here is a crime that was committed — figuring out from a defense standpoint why,” Nichols said. “And that will dictate a little bit about whether or not they try and enhance under the hate crime statute.”

Nichols offered this advice to Munn directly.

“If I was speaking to her, I would tell her — be patient. Give them the chance to do their job. But it’s going to take some time.”

JSO says its investigation has concluded with Akers’ arrest. The case now moves to the State Attorney’s Office, which will determine whether any charges are enhanced or additional charges are filed.

Akers’ next court date has not yet been scheduled. News4JAX will continue to follow this case.

Dennis Williams, 42, and Antoinette Upshaw, 38, both face charges stemming from a May 12 shooting at the New Neighborhood Tavern on Century St. Williams was arrested May 27. Upshaw was taken into custody nearly two months later, on July 22.

Fight over pool game turns violent

According to the arrest affidavit for Williams, the incident began around 3 a.m. when the victim got into a verbal argument with a suspect over who was next to play pool.

The victim told detectives the suspect began threatening him and told him to step outside. The victim said he expected a fist fight — but the suspect pulled out a small handgun instead.

“He tried to back away from the situation, but the suspect pursued him while pointing the gun,” the affidavit states. The victim said he lunged for the gun but was shot. The two then fell to the floor, wrestling over the weapon.

According to the victim, he began to overpower the suspect when the situation took a second, more dangerous turn.

“The suspect started to yell ‘get him, shoot him’ and a black female produced a gun and shot [the victim] while he was on the ground,” the affidavit states. The victim said he then broke free and ran from the two suspects.

[RELATED: JSO searching for woman after man shot twice during fight at bar in Woodland Acres]

Witness account, surveillance video

A witness who said he came to the bar with the victim that night told detectives he saw the verbal altercation unfold. The witness said he thought the suspect and the victim were going to fight but saw the male suspect pull out a firearm. When the victim and suspect fell to the ground, the witness said he tried to help hold the firearm down — then heard shots and saw a female suspect with a gun. He said he backed away and ran to a backroom.

A business owner provided investigators with surveillance video from inside the bar. According to the affidavit, detectives watched the footage and observed the victim near the bar before a verbal altercation broke out off screen.

“The victim is then seen being pursued by the suspect with what appears to be a handgun in his hand, which is being pointed at the victim,” the affidavit states. The video shows the victim backing up, reaching for the firearm and the two becoming entangled. A gunshot is then heard on the recording.

Detectives said the video then shows a second female suspect approaching the two men on the ground and pulling out a firearm. Two additional gunshots are heard. The victim is then seen running away, while the male suspect is seen walking back into frame, also appearing to hold a firearm. Both suspects then leave the frame.

Officers respond, victim transported to hospital

JSO officers responded around 3 a.m. to the area of Century Street and Atlantic Boulevard and found the victim suffering from two gunshot wounds to the abdomen. He was transported to a local hospital, where his injuries were listed as stable. JSO said at the time that the victim was cooperating and speaking with detectives.

Neighbor, victim’s brother react

A business owner next door to the Neighborhood Tavern said he learned about the shooting when he arrived for work that morning.

“When I came in this morning there was some police car. Taped off from there. I couldn’t come into the place it was taped all over. I didn’t know exactly what happened I asked they told me an incident happened,” he said.

The victim’s brother also spoke with News4JAX, describing the shooting as an “unfortunate incident of tough guy-ness.” He said the victim was coming home from the hospital at the time of the original report.

JSO steps up patrols

In response to questions about recent incidents in the area at the time, JSO said it had increased its presence.

“They have stepped up manpower and targeted patrols in the area as a result. And, though we have not seen an increase in crime rates in the district, we understand instances such as this effect [sic] how citizens will view their surrounding community. As such, we will work hard to solve these particular crimes and continue to be visible and further reduce the potential for future incidents,” JSO said in a statement.

Investigation leads to two arrests

Detectives responded to Memorial Hospital and interviewed the victim, who was described as oriented and alert. Investigators also spoke with a witness and the business owner as part of the investigation.

A review of reports from a separate, prior incident at the New Neighborhood Tavern led detectives to Williams, whose physical description matched accounts provided by both the victim and a witness. A photo lineup was compiled and shown to both by an independent third party; both identified Williams as the male suspect.

Williams was arrested May 27 after being transported from the St. Johns County Jail to JSO’s Pretrial Detention Facility on a local arrest warrant. He faces two charges: possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, a second-degree felony, and aggravated assault, a third-degree felony. His bond was set at $200,006.

The investigation then turned to a second suspect. A local arrest warrant for Upshaw was issued July 16. She was taken into custody six days later by the U.S. Marshals Service at her home. Upshaw is charged with attempted murder in the second degree, a first-degree felony, with a bond set at $500,000.

The ballistic missile strike came a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met in Kyiv with senior representatives of Raytheon, the U.S. company that makes the Patriot air defense systems that Ukraine desperately needs to counter the devastating ballistic missiles Russia uses to advance its invasion. Raytheon didn't immediately respond to an email inquiring whether any of its workers were at the event.

“Missiles for Patriot systems are the number one priority,” Zelenskyy said on social media, where he reported the attack.

The attack hit the grounds of a privately operated military training site that was hosting an event, acting regional military administration head Ruslan Oliinyk wrote on Facebook, citing preliminary information. The site is about 20-30 kilometers (12-19 miles) from central Kyiv, in the Bucha district.

Emergency crews responded to the area, where 27 homes and 44 vehicles also were damaged, Oliinyk said.

The Ukrainian Defense Industry Council, which describes itself as the country’s largest association of private defense manufacturers, said industry representatives were at the site when it was hit, although it did not immediately provide further details.

Ruslan Kravchenko, the country’s prosecutor general, opened a war crimes investigation into the attack and a separate criminal case over possible negligence in organizing the event.

Investigators will examine who approved its location, timing and format, and whether adequate precautions were taken, Kravchenko said.

The Ukrainian government imposed reporting restrictions on the attack.

Meanwhile, a Ukrainian attack on a military plant in Russia killed six people and wounded 26 others, the regional governor said.

Zelenskyy meets with delegation from US company Raytheon

The Raytheon meeting came less than three weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump vowed to give Ukraine a license to produce Patriots. The pledge marked an important shift, as Trump recently adopted a more positive tone toward Zelenskyy.

In another sign that Ukraine is changing minds in Washington, ardent Trump ally Laura Loomer met with Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Thursday. After years of minimizing the invasion, she rebuked Russian President Vladimir Putin for missile attacks on Ukraine.

The Ukrainian leader said late Thursday that he held talks with a Raytheon delegation, adding that the company was ready to jointly produce Patriot interceptors with Ukraine. The system is comprised of radars, command-and-control systems, and different types of interceptor missiles.

The company made no immediate comment about the meeting on its website or social media accounts.

“Our teams — both at the government level and from the private sector — will stay in close touch to work (it) out,” Zelenskyy said on social media.

Zelenskyy is keen to move quickly on a coproduction agreement as Russia relentlessly fires ballistic missiles that are hard to stop and cause civilian casualties as well as inflicting huge damage on civilian areas.

Zelenskyy has for several years been pleading for more and quicker Patriot deliveries from Western partners. Ukraine has developed its own innovative air defenses, but large-scale production is vital.

Even so, experts and Kyiv officials have cautioned that setting up production in Ukraine would likely take years.

Ukraine hits another hub of Russia's biggest online retailer

When the Trump administration engaged in a diplomatic effort to end the war last year, Putin portrayed Russia as negotiating from a position of strength. The peace efforts have produced no results so far.

But since first attacking its neighbor in 2014, Russia has captured only around 20% of the country.

Now, the Russian army’s advance is stalling due to Ukraine’s successful front-line and mid- and long-range attacks using cutting-edge drone technology it has developed at home and that is now coveted by other countries, Western officials and analysts say.

Ukraine has expanded its campaign of disruption with bigger and increasingly frequent drone attacks inside Russia that are hitting high-profile targets, causing fuel shortages and piling pressure on Putin.

Ukrainian forces again targeted the logistical hubs of Wildberries, Russia’s biggest online retailer that is often compared to Amazon, the company’s founder said Friday.

Founder Tatyana Kim said Wildberries logistical facilities came under attack in St. Petersburg, the adjacent Leningrad region and in Simferopol — a city in illegally annexed Crimea.

Photos and videos published by Russian media showed massive plumes of smoke rising over St. Petersburg.

Ukraine struck four other Wildberries warehouses across Russia in recent days, sparking massive fires.

Kyiv officials want ordinary Russians to feel the consequences of the war and question whether Putin can keep them safe. The almost daily attacks have caused consternation in Russia.

Ukraine keeps targeting Russian oil facilities, weapons plants

Ukrainian long-range weapons hit an oil facility nearly 1,350 kilometers (840 miles) from the Ukrainian border, as well as a military plant, Zelenskyy said Friday.

The plant in Russia's Kirov region makes components for aircraft and missiles used in attacks on Ukrainian cities, he said.

The Ukrainian attack on the military plant killed six people and wounded 26 others, regional governor Alexander Sokolov said. He didn’t identify the plant, but Astra online news outlet said it was the Avitec plant, which makes air defense missiles and aircraft components.

The Russian Defense Ministry reported Friday that its air defenses shot down 571 Ukrainian drones overnight.

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This story was corrected to show that the Ukrainian attack that killed six people in Russia was on the military plant, not the oil facility.

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

“They not only tackled him, not only tased him, not only kicked him, but you saw they shot him three times in his head and other parts of his body,” Crump said.

He spoke at an emotional news conference with Ruiz's mother, siblings and 13-year-old daughter, Kah’liyah Aliomar.

Ruiz, 38, was killed on a busy city street Wednesday, just a couple of blocks away from his daughter's home and along the route she walks to school. Police say Ruiz pulled a knife during a struggle with four officers, injuring one of them. That officer then fired the shots, according to police. All four officers have been placed on administrative leave pending a state investigation, and the officer who fired the shots has not yet been identified.

Aliomar cried as she described learning of her father’s death.

“My heart was broken and hurt so much knowing I can’t see my father anymore,” she said.

His mother Elsa Ruiz said she never imagined she would have to bury her son.

“He was my love. He loved his daughter, he loved his family. He did not deserve to be taken out like that. They took my baby from me,” she said, sobbing.

The family promised to seek justice for Ruiz’s death, which Crump called an unjustified “execution.”

“Anytime there is excessive use of force, there should be accountability,” Crump said. He said it was “shocking on every level.”

The shooting was captured on cellphone video that was widely shared online, though Madison Police Chief John Patterson cautioned Thursday that the video did not show the altercation from the police officers’ perspective.

But unlike nearly every other similarly sized city, Madison doesn’t require its police to use body-worn cameras, so there is no footage from the officers’ perspective. Over the last decade city officials have repeatedly debated adopting the cameras — at times creating subcommittees and doing studies on the idea — but local officials have primarily blamed budget concerns and political inertia for the ongoing stalemate.

Another common source of opposition, identified in a 2021 feasibility study, came from community groups worried the cameras would be used to surveil and criminalize marginalized groups. Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said Thursday that she expects the new budget that takes effect in January to include funding for body-worn cameras.

“Thank God there was video,” Crump said. “If there wasn’t video, imagine what the narrative would have been.”

Wisconsin court records show Ruiz had been in and out of jail over the past decade for mostly misdemeanor offenses including disorderly conduct, drug possession, auto theft, battery and invasion of privacy. He was also convicted of felonies including possession of cocaine and marijuana, robbery, strangulation, resisting an officer and causing bodily harm.

“People are saying he’s a criminal. So what? He had a family, he had me,” Aliomar said, breaking down into tears.

Police said they were at the street to investigate reports that someone was trying to enter parked cars, something Crump said amounted to only the suspicion of a low-level property crime.

“I need somebody to help me understand why they felt it was OK to execute my brother based on no facts at all,” Veronica Ruiz said. “I hope everyone continues to support and come together and find justice for him.”

The police chief has released few details about the shooting. Patterson said Thursday that a Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation probe must run its course. A separate investigation by the city’s independent police monitor is also underway.

“The situation was clearly dangerous,” Patterson said, and that he did not know the extent of the knife injuries sustained by the officer. He also said he wanted transparency and accountability in the investigation.

The killing sparked protests, calls for justice from elected officials and anger from a community where police have killed three people in the same neighborhood since 2012.

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This story has been updated to correct that Corey Ruiz's daughter's last name is Aliomar, not Ruiz.

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Boone reported from Boise, Idaho.

The ouster of Karim Khan comes at a time when the court is already facing daunting challenges, including a campaign by the United States to “dismantle” the ICC, which was established to prosecute people responsible for humanity’s worst crimes.

By a large majority, the ICC’s 125-member states voted to remove Khan, a British barrister, for “serious misconduct and serious breach of duty,” the court’s oversight body, the Assembly of States Parties, said in a statement.

“The ICC should hold itself to the highest standards. This includes ensuring a safe workplace with effective and credible mechanisms available to staff or others who experience abuse, including sexual violence or harassment,” Liz Evenson, international justice director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement to The Associated Press.

The 56-year-old Khan was accused of sexual misconduct with a female aide, as outlined by the AP in a series of stories, allegations he has steadfastly denied. According to documents seen by the AP, Khan engaged in a sexual relationship with the woman and tried to prevent her from pursuing her allegations.

The oversight body will now need to hold elections for a new prosecutor, someone who is likely to face sanctions by the Trump administration, which has already brought the force of financial penalties and travel bans on 13 members of staff, including Khan.

Khan's lawyers criticized the process leading to his ouster, complaining that he was blocked from addressing the session Friday and arguing the regulations had been rewritten to disadvantage him.

Khan's “removal was determined by a process in which he was never given a fair opportunity to be heard, and in defiance of the conclusions of the independent judges who examined the full evidential record,” attorney Tayab Ali said in a statement. He said Khan's legal team would challenge the decision “through all available legal mechanisms."

The decision comes at a time when the global tribunal is under enormous pressure.

In a statement last week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. was launching a “sweeping campaign to dismantle the threat posed by the International Criminal Court to U.S. sovereignty.”

Rubio said he will pressure member states to withdraw from the institution, sanction organizations that work with the court and ban staff from traveling to the United States. Countries that “enjoy the benefits of the U.S. security umbrella” will be called upon to reject the court’s jurisdiction over U.S. citizens, Rubio said.

Hours after Friday's vote, Venezuela announced it would withdraw from the court. “Venezuela considers that the Court’s actions reflect a demonstrated geographical bias, which has disproportionately concentrated its work on African and Latin American countries, to the detriment of the Global South,” Félix Plasencia, the country’s foreign affairs minister announced in a statement.

Earlier this year, prosecutors at the court announced they were dropping an investigation into whether U.S. sanctions against Venezuela qualified as crimes against humanity, citing a lack of evidence. A separate investigation into possible crimes committed by Venezuelan security forces under former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro will continue.

Trump’s administration already has brought sanctions against Khan and a dozen other ICC staff in retaliation for warrants the court has issued for top Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, over the war in Gaza and investigations into U.S. personnel in Afghanistan.

The allegations against Khan have become entwined with the court’s investigation into the war in Gaza, experts said.

“Political considerations have been folded into this, especially as it is the first time a prosecutor has pursued warrants against a Western ally,” Iva Vukusic, a researcher at Utrecht University who has been following the process, told the AP.

Khan's removal will have no immediate impact on the arrest warrants in 2024 for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for crimes against humanity, which can only be withdrawn by ICC judges.

Before ending the closed session, Kaukoranta called for the international community to respect “the dignity and privacy of all those involved” in the case regarding Khan.

“I expressed my deep appreciation to the assembly of states parties for the diligent consideration of this difficult matter, and for the spirit of unity shown in upholding the integrity of the court,” she said.

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Quell reported from The Hague, Netherlands. Amiri reported from New York.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the outbreak first tied to shredded lettuce served at Taco Bell restaurants now includes Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania. Previously the agency's investigation included five states: Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia.

The CDC, Food and Drug Administration and state health officials have been tracing the supply of the lettuce and interviewing people across the nation about the foods they ate two weeks before getting sick.

The number of cases linked to the lettuce is now 1,947, including at least 98 people who had to be hospitalized. There have been no deaths, the agency reported on its website.

The total number of people sickened by the outbreak is likely higher than the official tally, given that not all cases are reported, the agency noted.

FDA officials earlier this week said they remain focused on lettuce from Taylor Farms as the source of the multistate outbreak. The company last week announced it was recalling iceberg lettuce grown in central Mexico.

Asked when it would be safe to eat lettuce again, Trump said Friday that his government is “going to put a major tariff on tax on Mexico because of the lettuce.”

On Thursday, the FDA announced it was investigating a separate outbreak of cyclospora reported in 72 people. Regulators had not yet identified the products linked to the illnesses.

Overall, cyclospora cases have set a U.S. record. Since May 1, CDC has received reports of more than 4,100 laboratory-confirmed cases and is investigating more than 7,400 other likely cases across 41 states. Federal health officials have said that other “brands, restaurants, retailers, or distribution channels” could be tied to the outbreak as the investigation continues.

Cyclospora is a microscopic parasite that infects food that has come into contact with human feces, most commonly when produce is irrigated or washed with contaminated water. When ingested, the parasite causes intestinal illness marked by “frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements,” according to the CDC.

Mexican health officials announced Thursday that the parasite was not detected in the lettuce or water at the Taylor Farms plant in the Mexican state of Guanajuato.

The results were announced following a visit by Mexican health authorities to the Taylor Farms plant between July 18 and 20, during which 10 samples of iceberg lettuce were collected. Four water samples also were collected for analysis, authorities stated.

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Fabiola Sanchez contributed to this story from Mexico City. Fatima Hussein contributed from Washington.

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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.

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Sheriff T.K. Waters made clear the enforcement isn’t aimed at car culture — it’s aimed at keeping people safe.

Recent operations lead to dozens of arrests

Several recent car meetups in Jacksonville ended with deputies making arrests after events turned dangerous. During a meetup in Tinseltown, people were seen on video speeding and doing burnouts in a parking lot. JSO officers swarmed the scene during “Operation Braking News,” resulting in more than 20 arrests.

A second operation the following Friday brought more enforcement action. JSO’s “Operation Friday Night Lights” resulted in eight arrests for street racing, including two DUI arrests.

During a news conference Monday, Waters warned of an expected car meetup scheduled for this Saturday, though he declined to release further details.

“As long as these gatherings happen in Duval County, JSO will carefully monitor them and arrest anyone engaging in criminal behavior,” Waters said. “I hear you’re planning on doing it again this Saturday. We’ll see you there.”

When asked how JSO received information about the potential meetup, the agency declined to answer, saying only that intel teams closely monitor these kinds of activities. Multiple Facebook pages have been used to organize these events.

Traffic fatalities outpace homicides in Jacksonville

According to JSO, there have been 105 traffic fatalities in Jacksonville so far this year — a number that far exceeds the city’s homicide total.

Drivers attending legal car meetups say safety is a priority for the community.

“Safety’s the main concern, right? We wanna make sure that, you know, everybody goes to these events to have fun and not have to worry about somebody bringing in guns or kids trying to destroy the property or gangs, uh, in the area,” said Levan Sims, a driver.

David Jennings, another driver, said the danger extends to everyone in the area.

“It’s not safe. It causes kids to be in places that they shouldn’t be and get in trouble that they shouldn’t have to get in, you know. So if we do our jobs and stop these extra little meetups, because we have those in Atlanta too, and it’s not safe for the kids, it’s not safe for adults, it’s not safe for the elderly. It’s just a bad situation altogether,” Jennings said.

Sheriff: ‘Street racing is illegal and dangerous’

What starts as a car meetup can quickly turn to illegal street racing. Waters has been direct about where JSO stands.

“We will never interfere with car enthusiasts who gather for safe and legal fun. I like cars myself. But street racing is illegal and dangerous,” Waters said.

Under Florida law, spectators shouldn’t assume they’re safe, either. Simply attending an illegal street racing event can result in costly citations.

JSO says it will continue closely monitoring social media and flyers promoting car meetups going forward. Anyone who witnesses street racing or reckless driving is urged to call 911.

Miles, 17, of Knoxville, Tennessee, is one of more than 500 incoming first-year students at Howard who learned this week that they have been unenrolled from the prestigious, historically Black Washington, D.C., university and no longer have spots for the upcoming fall semester that begins Aug. 17.

Many have taken to social media — some in tears — to share their stories. Some posts have gone viral.

After Miles learned she had been unenrolled, her mother, Kendra Miles, said the school's automated system would not allow the family to enroll in a payment plan because the amount that was owed made them ineligible to sign up.

“I’ve reached out since we got the email (Wednesday). I've emailed, literally, everybody," Kendra Miles said. “I emailed her adviser. He responded and said it wasn't a mistake and there was nothing they could do.”

On Friday, Howard confirmed in an email that the school sent notifications to “502 first-time-in-college students whose accounts did not reflect the required enrollment and financial obligations by the previously communicated deadlines."

Starting in March, the unenrolled students began receiving specific communications about enrollment requirements, payment expectations and deadlines via email and orientation sessions, the school said.

“The university recognizes that timing differences may have occurred between when financial aid was reflected and when charges were finalized,” Howard said in the email. “Students who believe their account did not accurately reflect their financial standing at the deadline should contact the Bursar’s Office. Each case will be reviewed individually to determine whether adjustments or reinstatement are appropriate.”

Howard, one of about 100 historically Black colleges and universities in the United States, had an undergraduate enrollment last fall of about 11,000. The average annual tuition for undergraduate students living on campus is about $38,000. Housing costs are about $13,600.

Colleges try to walk a fine line

Robert Kelchen, a professor of higher education at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, said colleges generally try to walk a fine line in making sure students can enroll, but also making sure students pay their bills.

Howard “either had students who owed a lot of money and they didn’t think a lot of students would pay, or potentially, they have a really big incoming class and they can replace those students,” Kelchen said.

Laverne Mickens coaches students and their families on how to apply for college scholarships. Mickens said that she answered more than 400 emails Wednesday and Thursday from students and families impacted by the enrollment situation at Howard. She said most of them were strangers and they were “frantic and crying.”

Students and parents are upset

“People are devastated,” said Mickens who runs The Scholarship College Mama LLC, which is not affiliated with Howard. “Parents are saying: ‘Can you help us? Howard unenrolled us.’ ”

A'Zariah Miles, who plans to major in biology, chose Howard over other schools that accepted her. Now, she is worried that it is too deep into the summer to enroll elsewhere.

“Everybody’s housing is booked, or I can’t enroll because it’s too late or I missed orientation,” she said. “I've been trying to continue to have hope with Howard, but I don't really have that much time before school starts and I don't really want to have a gap year.”

Like Miles and others, Saniah Collins learned Wednesday that she no longer was enrolled at Howard.

“My mom is part of a parent group chat,” said Collins, 17, of Atlanta. “That day we learned that a lot of students were getting unenrolled."

Collins received an email from the school Wednesday afternoon that said a July 10 deadline to pay her tuition balance or make payment arrangements had passed and the school no longer could hold her place.

But Collins said she was also told by an adviser that most of her balance for the fall semester was paid. She's not giving up.

“I worked like crazy to get into this school,” Collins said. “Howard has been my everything. My whole senior year, my whole summer I worked consistently on scholarships. We tried to make ourselves 10 steps ahead to make sure we were on the right page.”

Given that HBCUs are seen as caring and nurturing places for Black students, the mass removal of students from Howard’s fall enrollment is a bad look for the school, said Marybeth Gasman, an expert in higher education at Rutgers University.

“If it were me and it was over 500 students, I wouldn’t have done it in one day,” Gasman said. “I would have also done the due diligence of going through each one. Now, they are going to have to go back and do that.”

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Williams is as member of AP’s Race & Ethnicity team. He reported from Detroit.

“ @KingJames hey bro hope you’re having a good day...... Want to join us in philly?? Peace," Embiid wrote.

His recruitment skills were on point and James — the four-time NBA champion and career scoring leader — will join Embiid in a startling turn of events on the Philadelphia 76ers.

Ok, fine, just a short 12 years after the July 1, 2014, post.

The 76ers expect James to be worth the wait and hope he can win an NBA championship in Philadelphia much as he did in his previous three stops in Cleveland, Miami and with the Los Angeles Lakers.

The 76ers are used to playing the long game. The franchise hasn't won an NBA championship since 1983, when Julius Erving still soared and a year before James was born.

Certainly not as dominant as he was in his MVP heyday, LeBron James is still, well LeBron James and his addition should lift any team mired in the NBA mucky middle such as the Sixers into contention.

Throw him into in a lineup that includes a league MVP in Embiid, All-Stars Tyrese Maxey and Jaylen Brown, and promising second-year standout VJ Edgecombe, and it's no shock the Sixers moved up few a few pegs Friday on the betting board and into the short list of favorites for an NBA title.

Just not the favorite.

James is again chasing a ring and his arrival on a two-year deal for the veterans' minimum of about $3.9 million per season shook up the Sixers and put the Eastern Conference on notice — yes, even the NBA champion Knicks — that a real championship contender might finally emerge in Philly.

The 76ers won the offseason

Here they come, team of the year?

The Sixers earned straight A's on their summer school report card even before James said he would sign with team.

The Sixers fired team president Daryl Morey and replaced him with longtime Cleveland executive Mike Gansey, who came out swinging for the fences in his first month on the job. He pulled off the shocker of a trade with Boston that landed them Brown — the 2024 NBA Finals MVP, a five-time All-Star and the league’s fourth-leading scorer this past season.

It's difficult to fathom that an oft-injured Embiid — who won Olympic gold with James — and Maxey alone would have been enough to coax James to Philadelphia.

But adding a stud like Brown?

Brown surely played a key deciding factor in James' decision — his “last” one, he says — and now the Sixers boast perhaps the top starting five in the NBA.

And boy, what a bargain.

There are some caveats, of course.

James turns 42 in December and there are a lot of miles on those legs. James battled injuries last season and played in only 60 games. Embiid has never been reliable with only 57 combined games played the last two seasons, and the Sixers have churned through a slew of imported stars over the last decade — James Harden, Jimmy Butler, Paul George — and still haven't advanced out of the second round since 2001.

There's only one ball and a lot of talent that has the resume to command it.

But with apologies to Wilt Chamberlain, many, many apologies, James becomes the most accomplished player to ever wear a 76ers uniform.

He won't be alone in that No. 23 uniform — Fanatics sold out almost instantly of his jerseys on Friday.

It’s also a big win for front office boss Bob Myers, who openly pitched for James to sign in Philadelphia on his agent’s podcast and won four championships as a Golden State Warriors executive.

The balance of power shifts in the East. Not by much

The Sixers ended their season with a second-round sweep to Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and the NBA champion Knicks.

The Knicks are still the team to beat. By talent, by virtue of winning it all and, at least out of the East, the betting favorite to again reach the NBA Finals.

The Knicks have largely stayed pat while other hopeful contenders went for major moves.

The Heat — hey, when exactly is that presser? — like their chances after they traded with Milwaukee for Giannis Antetokounmpo. The two-time MVP was the latest on a long list of superstar acquisitions made since Pat Riley arrived to take over as team president in 1995.

Much like the Sixers before they acquired Brown, the Heat are a two-star team with Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo. Antetokounmpo, Adebayo and James would have made them a new Big 3, much like when James won titles in Miami with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

Toronto is hopeful for a resolution to their held-up trade with the Los Angeles Clippers that should land them Kawhi Leonard. The trade is on hold pending the outcome of the NBA’s investigation into whether the Clippers circumvented salary cap rules.

It's a bad day for Cleveland

The Cavaliers would have loved a sentimental third tour with James and have the franchise's greatest player eventually retire in Cleveland.

James instead left the Cavaliers in a lurch, and they have to hope they can re-sign 36-year-old James Harden as part of a lineup that includes Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley and Donovan Mitchell.

They will be projected to finish behind the Knicks and 76ers in the East.

Don't forget, Detroit won 60 games last season and would like to prove its early playoff exit was a part of the growing pains of a contender.

LeBron's legacy

Look, James' legacy is set and not even a flameout in Philly is going to change his indelible stamp on the game from the court to the cash register.

There is one major mark he could hit should he send the Sixers on a parade route down Broad Street. He would become the first player to win NBA titles with four teams.

Sixers coach Nick Nurse turned 59 on Friday and there's no better professional gift he could have received than LeBron James.

Purchased on a discount rack.

Look for LeBron on opening night in New York. Look for LeBron on a Christmas game in Philadelphia. Look for LeBron to keep Sixers' tickets sky high on the secondary market even on nights when Embiid sits.

Look for the ride of a lifetime in Philadelphia where the franchise wants to reach the sky again just like it did with Dr. J.

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

Located at 4461 Beverly Avenue, Unit 5, The Roosevelt (Ortega) center is CareSpot’s 46th location and expands access to walk-in and scheduled urgent care across the greater Jacksonville market, the release said.

“We open today with a clear mission: to provide swift, compassionate medical care precisely when our community needs it,” Shaun Ginter, CEO of CareSpot Urgent Care, said in the release.

Eric Fletcher, executive vice president and chief strategy officer at Baptist Health, said the partnership strengthens the health system’s ability to provide “the right care, in the right place, at the right time,” and helps ensure more people have timely access to care close to home.

The center offers a full range of urgent care and occupational health services, including treatment for minor injuries and illnesses; flu, COVID-19 and other respiratory care; immunizations and vaccinations; on-site X-rays and lab testing; and school, sports, employment and pre-op physicals. Employers can access occupational health services. Patients may walk in or schedule online; the center will have extended hours seven days a week, including evenings and holidays.

The opening is part of a longer-term strategy by CareSpot and Baptist Health to expand urgent care access across high-demand communities in Northeast Florida, the release said.

For more information or to schedule an appointment, visit carespot.com.

According to the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office’s arrest report, Romo performed poorly on field sobriety tests after getting stopped while driving south on Interstate 43 on Thursday. Sheriff’s officials said Romo was taken into custody, booked and released.

He has a court appearance set for Sept. 21.

Romo went to high school about 35 miles from Milwaukee in Burlington, Wisconsin.

The 46-year-old Romo has been the lead game analyst for CBS’ NFL coverage since 2017 after making four Pro Bowl appearances during an NFL career that ran from 2004-16 and was spent entirely with Dallas.

CBS had no comment regarding the arrest.

Romo remains the Cowboys’ franchise leader in career touchdown passes with 248. He held the franchise record for career passing yards (34,183) until Dak Prescott overtook him last season.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

The decision by the Democratic National Committee’s Rules and Bylaws Committee will need to be approved by the full organization, which is scheduled to meet in August.

Nevada is expected to follow South Carolina, with New Hampshire, New Mexico, Michigan and Virginia rounding out the early-state calendar. Those states will wield outsized influence in the nominating contest before Super Tuesday, when voters across a large group of states cast presidential primary ballots.

“This calendar will battle test our candidates, ensure our nominee can appeal to broad swaths of the electorate and this calendar will allow voters, not money, but voters to be the ultimate decider,” DNC Chair Ken Martin said after the vote.

The overhaul reflects Democrats’ effort to give greater influence to states that better mirror the party’s diverse coalition, particularly Black and Latino voters, after years of a calendar led by Iowa and New Hampshire, two states with overwhelmingly white electorates.

But hopes of emerging from Friday’s meeting with a party unified around one map were dashed by anger from states that had previously led the process. Rita Hart, chair of the Iowa Democratic Party, said she was disappointed but not surprised by Friday’s calendar vote, which she called “very messy” and a sign that the national party is “out of touch with voters.”

There was more angst in New Hampshire, where the secretary of state is required by law to schedule its presidential primary at least seven days before any other state holds a similar contest, setting up a potential conflict with the DNC calendar.

“The Democratic National Committee’s decision today is wrong for Democrats, wrong for New Hampshire, and wrong for the country,” said a group of congressional leaders in New Hampshire, including Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan.

Democrats elevate more diverse states

Democrats opted to lead with South Carolina after President Joe Biden successfully pushed to move the state to the front of Democrats’ 2024 calendar after the state revived his struggling 2020 presidential campaign. South Carolina has long been the first Southern contest and has served as a key test of candidates’ support among Black voters.

Jaime Harrison, a former DNC chair in attendance Friday, told The Associated Press after the vote that keeping his home state first on Democrats’ nominating calendar signaled to Black voters the value they bring to the party, especially after a Supreme Court decision aimed at weakening their voting power.

“I think we needed a strong statement to say to the most loyal members of our party, which are Black voters, that we’re going to stand up with you,” said Harrison, who also chaired South Carolina's Democratic Party. “It was just really important for us to stand up and say, ’We see you, we hear you, but most importantly, we’re gonna fight like hell for you. And your voices are important.'”

Much of Friday's debate stood as a contrast on several fronts. South Carolina proponents argued they had the experience to stand up a lead-off primary, and served as a showcase for the Black voters whose support has become vital for Democrats.

“Black voters didn't just show up for this party in 2020. They saved us,” Nebraska Democratic Party Chair Jane Kleeb said, in making her argument for South Carolina. "They saved our entire country from Donald Trump.”

Nevada's supporters, meanwhile, portrayed their state as the party's future, in which they argued Latino voters play a larger and larger role.

“We are the battleground state," said Artie Blanco of Nevada, a DNC vice chair. "We win elections because we leave no voter untouched.”

Republicans still need to do their calendar. They’re expected to stick with their traditional early-state lineup led off by Iowa and New Hampshire.

Anger emerges from states that are not selected

Iowa has long led both parties' calendars with caucuses. Hart declined to say whether Iowa Democrats will defy the national party in 2028. She said they will wait until after the state’s midterm races when Democrats hope to make recently unattainable gains in the increasingly conservative state.

“We’re going to win elections here, and then we’re going to tell them what we’re going to do,” said Scott Brennan, who formerly represented Iowa on the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee.

New Hampshire Democrats similarly would not commit Friday to following the new calendar.

“This committee’s vote does not change the realities governing New Hampshire’s primary, which are beyond the control of both this committee and our state party,” said New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Ray Buckley.

Asked about some states not committing to the new calendar, Martin said the party will “have to cross that bridge when we get there.”

“We got some time, and the calendar was just set here,” said Martin.

The new map will shape the opening stage of what is expected to be a crowded Democratic presidential primary. Without an incumbent or clear front-runner, the states that vote first could once again play an outsized role in determining which candidates gain momentum, attract donors and emerge as viable contenders.

The calendar decision is one of the first milestones in what's expected to be a tumultuous two-year sprint to the Democratic nomination.

There has not been a truly open Democratic presidential primary — without an incumbent president or a dominant front-runner — in almost two decades.

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Holly Ramer in Concord, N.H., and Hannah Fingerhut in Des Moines, Iowa, contributed reporting.

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Kinnard reported from Columbia, S.C., and can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP

Clark called her conversation with Obama “a moment I’ll probably remember for the rest of my life.”

“It was obviously super cool. He just complimented me for the way that I handle everything, obviously with everything that’s been going on,” the Indiana Fever star said Friday after meeting Obama. “He’s somebody that has been in front of the media quite a bit and he reminded me, ‘When I got famous in my 40s, I didn’t have to do it in my 20s.’"

Obama spoke to the players for a few minutes on the basketball court at the center which opened last month.

“Some of you I’m meeting for the first time. All of you are extraordinary and I could not be bigger fans,” Obama said. “The way the game has been growing lately, the way it’s been picking up and people paying attention to your excellence, I think it’s been something for basketball fans, generally, a sight to see. It’s been making me happy.”

He spoke to the players for a few minutes before taking a group photo. Obama then spent about 10 minutes shaking hands with the players and taking photos with them, including Clark.

“I know many of you are involved in some wonderful ventures off the court, looking out for other young people and inspiring them. I just wanted to say thanks,” Obama said.

The former president gave a shout out to A’ja Wilson in his talk to the players and then went over and chatted with her as well.

After the photo-ops were done, Obama stepped on the court and talked with New York Liberty star Jonquel Jones, getting down in a defensive stance for a few seconds on her.

“I feel like as a hooper, you know when someone’s challenging you. So I was just like, let me go over there with the basketball, you know, do a little cross, bump him a little bit," Jones said. “And I knew that I would get him activated a little because he’s a hooper, too.”

Jones said she had met Obama once before.

“He’s a role model for me and it was nice to be able to have that moment,” Jones said. “Someone that I look up to, someone that has paved the way for a lot of people to be here and see him continuing, his family continuing to give back to the community when they’ve already done so much is just so inspirational.”

That was the extent of his time on the court. He told the players that he didn’t play 5-on-5 anymore to protect his Achilles. He did say that he broke in the court with a game of “horse.”

Obama was the first sitting U.S. President to attend a WNBA game when he and his daughter, Sasha, sat courtside in 2010 for a Washington Mystics game. He also has hosted many of them at the White House after they either won WNBA championships or NCAA titles.

Obama was gifted with a No. 44 WNBA All-Star jersey that the players were going to autograph later.

This was the first professional sport to use the basketball court at the center, which opened in June. Obama went to the NBA All-Star Game in Los Angeles in February. Obama said he unfortunately wasn’t going to be able to make the All-Star Game on Saturday because of a previous engagement with his wife, Michelle.

“It’s fitting for our 30th anniversary that we’re here as the first sports league to play in the Obama Presidential Center,” WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said. “Someone who has inspired hundreds of millions of people to dream big and accomplish things like President Obama has and his tie to basketball is amazing, too. I think there’s no more fitting person to be meeting with the players.”

After talking to the players, Obama went across the center to talk to a group of investors in the league and nearly 100 high school girls to talk.

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

Produced by environmental scientists, the report — which the state for more than six months had refused to release — said regulators should have more authority to reject industrial water withdrawal permits, force entities to examine alternative sources of water and clamp down on users who might be using more water than they should be.

The report noted limits around publicly available information on data center water use but did not lay blame with the industry for the concerns raised about the aquifer.

The groundwater supply in Virginia’s populous eastern coastal plain region “is constrained, and current projections indicate declining availability in the near future,” said the report, which Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s office provided to The Associated Press Thursday.

Data centers use water, sometimes in large amounts, to cool their servers. Worries about data centers' impact on the quality and supply of both ground and surface water — and about tech companies’ failures to be as transparent as the public would like — have dogged projects around the country. The issues have become politically explosive heading into the midterm elections.

Perhaps nowhere are those topics more resonant than in Virginia, home to hundreds of data centers with more under development and where the sustainability of groundwater, the supply stored naturally under the earth's surface, in the coastal eastern region has been a long-running concern.

A wide range of interest groups had begun to publicly admonish the governor's administration for withholding the report; those reviewing it Friday said its findings were sobering.

“We’re standing on the ledge,” said Jay Ford, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Virginia policy manager.

Report says lawmakers should tighten regulations

Virginia enacted its first groundwater law in 1973, but legislators acknowledged it was “too permissive” and tightened it in 1992, the report said. The law remains in effect, but the report warns it should be strengthened again.

State Sen. Richard Stuart, a conservative Republican who represents Virginia’s coastal Northern Neck region and has made conservation a cornerstone of his legislative work, said he's been making noise about the issue for at least 15 years. Increasingly, local governments in his district are being told by regulators that they will have to shift to new surface water sources because of the strain on groundwater.

He said the water crunch is happening at the same time as many new data centers are coming online across his district. He wanted more specifics, so he passed a bill requiring the study.

The report found that groundwater withdrawals in the region fell sharply roughly 15 years ago after a paper mill closed, which, along with regulatory efforts, helped water levels rise in the area’s biggest aquifer. Recently, those trends stalled, and levels throughout the aquifer are projected to resume declining, it said.

There likely isn’t enough groundwater to sustainably add any big, new industrial user, according to the study.

The report suggests the Legislature strengthen regulators' permitting authority; require applicants who want to tap large volumes of groundwater first examine surface water or water reuse; require better planning for local water use; and beef up funding for water management staffing and equipment.

Lawmakers should also weigh in on how they want regulators to prioritize drinking water for the public with current law, which directs them to consider protecting current uses.

Stuart said Friday that while he was still processing the more than 100-page report, its summary findings were worrisome, though they will help lawmakers make tough decisions moving forward.

“Folks worry about the lack of the ability for growth. A lot of them are talking about industrial and commercial. I’m worried about our citizens having drinking water, and I’m worried about our seafood industry because they need clean water,” he said.

Data centers would struggle to get a groundwater permit, study finds

The report said most existing and planned data center capacity is located in public water supply service areas that mostly draw from surface water. But it went on to note that no comprehensive public data exists about groundwater-sourced water withdrawals from the facilities.

While it’s also not clear exactly how many data centers are under development in the state’s eastern region, 371 are in operation across the state and another 438 are planned, according to Cleanview, a company that tracks data centers and other power infrastructure development.

The report’s authors performed an analysis to evaluate what hypothetical water withdrawals from a data center would look like and whether they could be permitted.

“Under current conditions, it appears unlikely that a data center with evaporative cooling technology (or any comparable water user) would find a reliable, sufficient groundwater supply anywhere” in the region, the report said.

Groundwater management and quality as more data centers come online has also been a concern in states including Texas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Georgia and South Carolina.

Administration initially blocked the report's release, but Spanberger says she will act on it

The state’s delay in issuing the report had raised transparency concerns and questions about its contents, partly because of its connection to data centers.

A wide range of advocacy organizations and a committee that advises state regulators on eastern Virginia groundwater issues had begun to raise concerns in June and July about why the report due in January had not yet been made public. Stuart said he had not been able to obtain a copy of it.

The AP sought the report under an open records request, and the Department of Environmental Quality withheld it. After AP requested comment for a story about the refusal to release the report, the governor’s office provided a copy late Thursday night.

Jack Bledsoe, a spokesperson for Spanberger, who took office in January, attributed delays in the report's release to a backlog of outstanding items from the previous governor's administration.

“This report represents the most comprehensive analysis of groundwater resources conducted in Virginia history. Governor Spanberger is committed to working with the General Assembly to carefully evaluate its findings, strengthen the Commonwealth’s groundwater management policies, and protect Virginia’s water supply for future generations,” Bledsoe said.

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Associated Press reporters Michael Phillis in Washington and Marc Levy in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, contributed to this report.

Mahomes said Friday he visited earlier this week with Dr. Dan Cooper, the Dallas-based orthopedic surgeon who performed the operation, and that he met all the benchmarks necessary to report to Missouri Western State University on time.

The Chiefs begin practice Saturday for rookies, quarterbacks and players coming off injuries. Full-squad work begins next week.

None of those players is more important than Mahomes, who hurt his knee late in a loss to the Chargers in December. He underwent surgery immediately afterward, and rather than spend the offseason at his Texas home like usual, Mahomes toiled away at the Chiefs' practice facility, pushing forward with his rehab so he would be ready to go by the late-July start of camp.

“It was always the goal to be able to practice when I got to training camp. We kind of hit that step," Mahomes said. “Now, it's about building and keep getting better and better, so when the regular season comes around, I can be available.”

Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Mahomes was fully cleared — no limitations at all — but that he would evaluate the cornerstone of the franchise on a daily basis. Whether he participates in any of the Chiefs' preseason games remains to be seen.

The preseason opener against the Rams is Aug. 15. But the far more important date is Sept. 14, when the Chiefs welcome the AFC West-champion Broncos to Arrowhead Stadium for a marquee Monday night showdown in Week 1.

“We'll see about games and all that once we get there,” Reid said, “but right now, we're just taking it day by day.”

Mahomes, who signed a lucrative restructured contract in June that will tie him to the Chiefs through the 2033 season, plans to wear a brace on his left knee, much like he did while recovering from an injury in college, in part because it doesn't really bother him.

But other than that, he plans to participate in camp just like he has for the past decade.

“Like, I'm a competitor,” Mahomes said, “so gameday, I'm going to want to be out there. But I understand the process of getting myself ready to play in the regular season is more important (than the preseason). But we'll see. I mean, the coaches and doctors will kind of make that decision for me, but I'll prepare myself like I'm going to play. And then if I'm just doing a very hard warmup, I'll take that as serious as playing in the preseason game. It's just a couple of weeks away, but it feels like a long ways away.”

Not nearly as long as it probably felt in December, when Mahomes was rehabbing largely by himself. He got some advice from Tom Brady and former teammate Tyrann Mathieu, who overcame similar injuries in their careers, about how to proceed, and then he found an unexpected virtual workout buddy in Eagles tight end Zach Ertz.

Ertz also tore his ACL last December, and the two would send each other videos of themselves doing deadlifts, sprints and agility, each trying to upstage the other as they progressed through the long, difficult days of the rehab process.

“They all said, ‘Stay on top of it,’” Mahomes said. “I mean, it's a long process. I remember sitting on the table and watching us play those last few games, how much it hurt me. But I knew that if I continue to work, I can be at this spot where I get cleared for practice, and now I'm trying to get to that spot where I'm cleared to play for the regular season.”

Notes: DT Omarr Norman-Lott is likely to begin camp on the physically unable-to-perform list after tearing his right ACL in October, Reid said. “Big guys with ACLs, it takes a little time to come back," he said. ... WR Rashee Rice was cleared to practice after surgery in May to clean up debris in his right knee. ... CB Mansoor Delane, the Chiefs' first-round pick, was undergoing physicals Friday and Reid is hopeful that he will be on the practice field soon. He hurt his shoulder during offseason workouts.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Every major index lost ground overall for the week amid increasing pressure from a sharp escalation in the U.S. war with Iran. Investors are also contending with new tariffs from the Trump administration and worries about the economy suffering under the weight of stubborn inflation.

The S&P 500 barely budged in a day of uneventful trading. It rose 3.68 points, or less than 0.1%, to 7,411.98. The index notched its second consecutive losing week, which hasn't happened since March.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 235.60 points, or 0.5%, to 51,947.25.

The Nasdaq fell 161.87 points, or 0.6%, to 24,975.82. It was weighed down by sharp losses from several big tech stocks.

Micron Technology fell 7% and Broadcom fell 2.7%. Both companies have large market values that tend to weigh more heavily on the market. They were big reasons for the technology-heavy Nasdaq lagging the market, and also why the market's gains were kept in check despite more stocks rising than falling within the S&P 500.

Heavy fighting in the Middle East throughout the week again threatened to slow the global flow of oil and gas. It has been an ongoing concern for Wall Street, and now many of the buffers in the energy market from earlier in the year, including strategic reserves in the U.S., have been weakened.

“If escalation continues and the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, the impact will land on an energy market with far less resilience than in the spring,” wrote Theodore Bunzel, head of geopolitical advisory at Lazard Asset Management, in a report.

Brent crude, the international standard, fell 3.9% to $96.78. It rose the first four days of the week and moved back above $100 on Thursday. Before the Iran war began in late February it was trading around $72 per barrel.

Bond yields also eased and relieved some of the pressure on stocks. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.68% from 4.71% late Thursday.

Markets in Europe gained ground, while Asian markets closed lower.

The U.S. is also ramping up its global trade war with a fresh round of tariffs on dozens of nations. The new round of tariffs impacts nearly all U.S. imports and they are paid by companies importing those goods, who then typically pass the added costs along to consumers. That move came just as the clock was running out Friday on stopgap levies the president imposed after a stinging defeat for other tariffs at the Supreme Court.

Rising energy prices and fresh tariffs could result in hotter inflation, which has been squeezing consumers and looming over the Federal Reserve’s interest rate policy.

The Fed meets next week and has been closely monitoring prices and their impact. Rising inflation dashed hopes earlier this year for an interest rate cut. Wall Street has since leaned more toward a potential rate increase, which the central bank can use to help cool inflation.

Wall Street is anticipating at least one rate hike by the end of the year, with a nearly 38% chance that could happen at the upcoming meeting next week, according to CME FedWatch.

Higher energy costs threaten to take a bigger chunk out of household budgets, which means a shift in spending toward more basic needs, like gasoline. Nationally, a gallon of gasoline costs $4.10 per gallon, according to AAA. That’s still lower than this spring as the conflict in Iran expanded, but it’s almost a dollar higher than last year at this time.

Investors are worried about the impact to companies profits. Those profits and expectations for more growth are what typically justifies a stock's value. The latest round of corporate earnings showed that companies are still notching growth, but concerns are growing.

American Express fell 4.3% despite reporting a jump in profit during its most recent quarter. AmEx maintained its profit forecast for the year and has been spending more heavily to keep wealthy individuals amid more competition.

Worries about the sustainability of broader profits are on top of lingering concerns about AI-focused tech companies. Companies like Alphabet and Nvidia have been spending heavily on AI technology. Investors are increasingly questioning whether those investments will produce profits to justify the large stock values that have been steering the broader market higher throughout the year.

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

Thomas Goldstein, who also published a popular blog about the nation's highest court, had asked U.S. District Judge Lydia Kay Griggsby to spare him from a prison sentence. Instead, the judge sentenced Goldstein to five years of supervised release after his prison term and ordered him to pay over $3.1 million in restitution, according to a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Maryland.

Goldstein, 56, of Chevy Chase, Maryland, co-founded SCOTUSblog and argued over 40 cases before the Supreme Court before retiring in 2023 at age 52. He was a member of Democrat Al Gore's legal team in the Supreme Court litigation over the 2000 election ultimately won by Republican President George W. Bush.

Many friends and colleagues didn’t know the extent of Goldstein’s gambling until his January 2025 indictment, which sent shock waves through the legal community in Washington, D.C.

A jury found Goldstein guilty of 12 of 16 counts, including eight felonies, after a six-week trial that ended in February. Jurors convicted him of one count of tax evasion, four counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of false tax returns, four counts of willfully failing to pay taxes and three counts of mortgage fraud.

The trial in Greenbelt, Maryland, included testimony by “Spider-Man” star Tobey Maguire, an avid poker player who enlisted Goldstein’s help in recovering a gambling debt from a billionaire.

Prosecutors recommended a prison sentence of just over eight years for Goldstein. They say he concealed more than $25 million in income between 2016 and 2023, depriving the federal government of over $9.5 million in unpaid taxes.

“His motivation was singular: pure, unrelenting greed,” prosecutors wrote. “Whether funneling gambling income through offshore bank accounts, shaving millions off his true law firm income, or lying to his lenders, Goldstein’s crimes always sought to advance and maintain his exorbitant lifestyle, replete with Bentleys, globe-trotting vacations, and a $200,000 watch.”

Goldstein's attorneys argued that sparing him from prison would allow him to repay debts and address his severe addiction to gambling. He maintains that his conduct, while self-destructive, wasn't illegal.

“He should be retiring with significant life savings or, if he wanted to, continuing to practice law at the highest levels," defense lawyers wrote. "Instead, he has spent many years gambling with money he didn’t have, and gambling away money that he won, to the detriment of himself and his loved ones.”

Prosecutors say Goldstein diverted money from his law firm to pay gambling debts and falsely deducting gambling debts as business expenses. Goldstein also was accused of lying to IRS agents and hiding his gambling debts from his accountants, employees and mortgage lenders. He omitted a $15 million gambling debt from mortgage loan applications while looking for a new home in Washington, D.C., with his wife in 2021, his indictment alleges.

Goldstein, who testified at his trial, said he repeatedly instructed his law firm’s staff and accountants to correctly characterize his personal expenses. In a 2014 email, he told a firm employee that “we always play completely by the rules.”

Goldstein spent years gambling money he didn’t have, his lawyers say.

“He is not wealthy enough to sustain the losses of the billionaires he has played against, and he is not good enough at poker to win at the rate of professionals,” they wrote.

Prosecutors say Goldstein's crimes were motivated by “pure, uninhibited greed” and his “obvious disdain for the tax system.”

“We can and should expect more from every attorney and officer of the court — let alone one of Goldstein’s status,” they wrote.

The update comes after the News4JAX I-TEAM began asking questions about the case, which gained widespread attention after Jacksonville resident Rhiannon Alvarez shared her experience in a TikTok video viewed tens of thousands of times.

Alvarez told News4JAX she was shopping for home decor when she noticed a man following her through the store. She said she later realized he was sexually gratifying himself while watching her.

After alerting store employees, Alvarez recorded the man’s license plate and called the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.

She said officers arrived about three hours later and told her there was nothing they could do. Although she said the responding officer reviewed the store’s surveillance video, she was told no charged could be filed.

When the I-TEAM initially requested a copy of the incident report, JSO responded that no records existed but confirmed the agency had received a call about the incident.

After News4JAX contacted the sheriff’s office with additional questions, the agency said detectives are now reviewing the case.

“I can tell you that our detectives are actively looking into this case, so they’re currently unable to provide any updates at this time,” a JSO spokesperson said in a statement.

It is unclear what prompted the detective review or whether the investigation could result in arrest or criminal charges.

In the original interview with News4JAX, Alvarez questioned why the alleged conduct did not violate Florida law.

“I feel like that’s just as much a crime as anything else,” she said. “I don’t understand how it doesn’t fall under public indecency or lewd and lascivious conduct.”

The I-TEAM found that under Florida law, simply touching oneself in public is not automatically a crime. Florida’s exposure statute generally requires a person to expose their sexual organs in a vulgar or indecent manner. Depending on the facts of a case, prosecutors may have limited charging options if no exposure occurred.

Alvarez’s TikTok video has since generated hundreds of comments from women describing similar encounters, prompting calls for lawmakers to examine whether Florida law adequately addresses incidents like the one she described.

HomeGoods previously provided the following statement to News4JAX:

“At HomeGoods, we take the security of our customers and Associates very seriously. We are aware of this matter and have cooperated with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. We will continue to assist law enforcement as appropriate and respectfully defer further comment to the authorities.”

The I-TEAM will continue to follow the investigation and update this story as more information becomes available.

The 98 people had illnesses that started between Nov. 21 and June 30, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. No deaths have been reported, but 26 people have been hospitalized.

Investigators have determined that shell eggs recalled by Midwest Poultry Services are a likely source of the germ, but the Indiana-based company doesn’t account for all the illnesses.

Midwest Poultry previously recalled eggs produced and distributed from farms in Texas between June 6 and July 3. The eggs were sold under several brand names and have sell-by or best-by dates between July 20 and Aug. 17.

Among the stores that received the recalled eggs were Kroger stores in Texas and Louisiana and Brookshire Grocery stores in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico and Mississippi.

Samples collected by Midwest Poultry at farms in Texas tested positive for salmonella, and genetic testing showed that some samples match the bacteria strain that sickened people, federal officials said.

Consumers should check their refrigerators for recalled eggs and throw them away or return them to stores for a refund.

Symptoms of salmonella poisoning include diarrhea, fever, severe vomiting, dehydration and stomach cramps. Most people who get sick recover within a week. Infections can be severe in young children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems, who may require hospitalization.

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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.

The department said it was dispatched at about 2:13 p.m. and crews arrived at 2:17 p.m. Firefighters worked to bring the blaze under control, and the fire was extinguished at about 2:55 p.m.

No injuries were reported, the department said. The boat owner lost their home as a result of the fire.

The department praised the training, teamwork and coordination demonstrated during the response and thanked assisting agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Glynn County Fire Rescue, the Brunswick Police Department and Brunswick Landing Marina.

Micah Hatcher, 41, of Palatka, was arrested July 21, by the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office following an investigation by the agency’s Special Victims Unit. He faces three felony counts: lewd or lascivious battery on a disabled person, sexual battery on a person under 18 by a person 18 or older, and sexual misconduct by an employee with a client who has a disability.

Investigation begins

The investigation began June 22, when the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office Special Victims Unit opened a sexual battery case involving a vulnerable adult.

According to the arrest warrant’s probable cause affidavit, Hatcher was employed as a caregiver by Out and About People Incorporated, a home health service provider serving disabled and vulnerable adults in St. Johns County and the Jacksonville area. He was responsible for the care of up to six vulnerable adult residents at a licensed group home located on Ervin Street in St. Augustine.

Alleged grooming

The victim — a resident at the group home who moved in during April 2026 — told detectives the relationship began shortly after his arrival, while Hatcher was already employed at the facility, according to court documents.

Investigators say Hatcher engaged in a series of behaviors consistent with grooming. The affidavit describes promises of gifts, including a PlayStation 5, an iPhone and a debit card bearing Hatcher’s name — which the victim displayed to detectives during the initial interview. The victim reported never receiving the gaming system or phone and believed the promises were used to manipulate him.

Detectives say Hatcher also instructed the victim to stay behind during scheduled group outings — referred to in the affidavit as “life skills days” — to ensure no other staff or residents were present.

Digital evidence

Investigators say they obtained text message communications between Hatcher.

The affidavit details that Hatcher allegedly used two phone numbers — including one he posed as his own niece — to communicate with the victim. Detectives say the fictitious persona was traced back to Hatcher through a TextNow account linked to his personal iCloud email address.

Victim’s legal inability to consent

The affidavit states the victim is diagnosed with multiple conditions that significantly impair his ability to understand, evaluate or consent to sexual activity. Under Florida law, he is legally incapable of providing informed consent.

Charges, bond

Hatcher was booked into the St. Johns County jail on July 21. A judge set his total bond at $1 million.

News4JAX tried calling the phone number listed for Out and About People Incorporated. An automated message said the number had been disconnected.

As the six-lane Gordie Howe International Bridge dominated the skyline behind them, officials lined up in Windsor, Ontario, to hail what one described as “one of the most significant infrastructure achievements in Canada's history.” The bridge opens to traffic on Monday.

“Some days are remembered because they mark the end of a journey. Others are remembered because they mark the beginning of something entirely new. Today is both,” said Chuck Andary, interim CEO of the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority, which will operate the bridge.

Missing from the event: U.S. and Michigan representatives. Canada scratched a joint gathering after President Donald Trump this week suddenly announced 50% tariffs on Canadian goods entering the U.S. A soloist sang the national anthem, “O Canada,” but the U.S. anthem was not performed.

“Our relationship has been challenged over the last few years, and President Trump is threatening tariffs just this month. But team Canada has never been more united,” Ontario Premier Doug Ford told the crowd, which applauded at times during his defense of the country.

Bridges are critical to moving goods between countries

More than 70% of Canada’s exports go to the U.S., making America its largest trade partner, and Detroit is the No. 1 port for truck traffic on the U.S.-Canada border, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The Howe bridge will instantly create competition. For nearly a century, the privately owned Ambassador Bridge has been the only route for large commercial trucks moving between the U.S. and Canada at Detroit. Businesses say the new span will be faster and less expensive.

The bridge is named for Howe, a Canadian icon — “Mr. Hockey” — who played on the other side of the Detroit River for the NHL's Detroit Red Wings. He died in 2016. Ford and Mark Wiseman, the Canadian ambassador to the U.S., wore hockey sweaters with Howe's No. 9.

Trump didn't attend, but his role was felt

Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens repeatedly praised Howe and appeared to take a subtle dig at Trump. He said he recently texted Dr. Murray Howe to ask who might be his father's target these days if he had to slam someone into the hockey boards.

“He's a gentleman. He didn't answer,” Dilkens said. “But I think we all know who that person might be if Gordie was going to check one person into the board.”

Surrounded by family, Murray Howe thanked residents of both countries and specifically named Canadian officials and the U.S. president. He recalled how his father grew up in Saskatchewan before moving to Ontario at age 16 for a tryout with the Red Wings.

“This bridge will serve as an unmistakable symbol of the priceless bond and true friendship between the people of Canada and the people of the United States,” Murray Howe said, expressing the same long-term view as other speakers.

Canada paid for the bridge but will share revenue

Construction, which began in 2018, took years, partly because of a global slowdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Canada paid to build the bridge at an estimated cost of $6.4 billion. A recent agreement says Canada will share some toll revenue with the U.S. government for 15 years.

Trump praised his administration for that deal in a social media post while the Ontario event was in progress. “We changed the terms,” he said.

Michigan will also get a share, but not until Canada’s costs are recovered, likely decades from now.

The bridge is 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) long and rises 151 feet (46 meters) above the Detroit River at its highest point. Pedestrians and bicyclists carrying proper identification will be able to cross it for free in a few weeks.

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White reported from Detroit.

Colt Gray, 16, entered the plea Friday without having reached a deal with prosecutors. The Sept. 4, 2024, shooting also left several others wounded at the school of 1,900 students about 45 miles (73 kilometers) northeast of Atlanta.

Gray, who was 14 at the time, was charged as an adult. His trial had been scheduled to start in mid-October.

A jury in March convicted his father, Colin Gray, on charges including second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter. He is scheduled to be sentenced next week. Prosecutors said he gave his son the assault-style rifle used to open fire at the school.

Teachers Richard “Ricky” Aspinwall, 39, and Cristina Irimie, 53, and students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14, died in the shooting. Another teacher and eight more students were wounded, seven of them hit by gunfire.

Teen faces life in prison

Barrow County Superior Court Judge Nicholas Primm questioned Gray to ensure he understood the consequences of his plea and was entering it voluntarily. Gray responded, “Yes, your honor,” each time.

Murder carries a minimum sentence of life in prison. The judge must decide whether Gray should be eligible for parole after hearing victim statements, evidence and each side's summary of the case.

Victim: ‘Those decisions were his and his alone’

Family members of those killed and students who were shot gave statements, expressing anger and grief, with most asking the judge to sentence Gray to life without parole.

Breanna Schermerhorn, whose son Mason was killed, said she doesn't forgive Gray. While adults around him missed warning signs, she said, he brought the gun and pulled the trigger.

“Those decisions were his and his alone,” she said.

Shayna Aspinwall, Richard Aspinwall's wife, lamented that the lives of their daughters, who were 2 and 5 when their father died, will be “forever marked by his absence.”

“It is a life sentence of grief and trauma for those left behind,” she said.

A teenage student who was shot told the judge she remembered feeling “really scared and confused because I saw Colt standing in the door with a gun.” The Associated Press is not identifying the girl, who is a minor.

She said she realized she had been shot and asked a friend to hold her hand. She asked other friends to call her brother to let him know she'd been shot and didn't know if she'd make it. She had multiple surgeries and wasn't able to walk for about a year.

“After the shooting, I struggled with so much anxiety, and I felt like my life was over,” she said.

Apalachee High School Principal Jessica Rehberg said Colt Gray’s “cruel actions” deserve “the harshest consequences.”

The hearing is set to resume Monday, and Gray's defense attorney wrote in a court filing that he plans testimony from a psychologist, a juvenile detention center counselor and Gray's grandmother.

Investigator says Colt Gray carefully plotted the shooting

Barrow County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Jason Smith testified about the timeline. Gray told his second period teacher just before 10 a.m. that he needed to see a crisis counselor but instead went to a bathroom to prepare for the shooting, Smith said.

He emerged from the bathroom at 10:21 a.m., and when he was unable to reenter his classroom, he went down the hall to another classroom, where he opened fire and then shot other people in the hallway. He ultimately surrendered to law enforcement officers.

Smith said he interviewed Gray at the school and again at the sheriff’s office.

Prosecutors played a recording of the interview at the school. Gray sobbed hysterically during questioning. He repeatedly apologized, said he wasn't trying to justify his actions and said what happened was “horrible" and “the worst nightmare for everyone involved.”

He talked about having uncontrollable urges and hearing people tell him to do things and said he was supposed to see a doctor soon: “I was so close to getting the help I need and the medication I need.”

Gray told Smith that right before the shooting he felt things were getting really bad and he feared he was going to be attacked. He repeatedly mentioned believing teachers, and possibly students, were plotting against him.

The teenager was much calmer several hours later during the second interview. He said he didn’t target anyone specifically and didn't know how many people he'd killed.

“Colt indicated that it was spontaneous, that it was a last minute thing,” that he heard voices and on the way to the crisis counselor and “decided to do the shooting,” Smith testified. But the investigation showed that the shooting had been planned in detail for some time, he said.

The investigator described a notebook Gray had that included a detailed step-by-step plan to get himself ready in the bathroom that included notations like, “Don’t shoot anyone in the bathroom. You will alert people.”

On one page he wrote, “I’m not a killer,” and “I’m scared.” On multiple pages, he wrote “why” dozens of times. He also estimated the number of people he would kill and injure. On one page, he wrote, “Surprised if I make it.”

Sheriff’s deputies had previously interviewed Colt and Colin Gray in May 2023 about an online threat linked to the son. Colt Gray denied making the threat.

Investigators found a shrine in Colt Gray's bedroom to Nikolas Cruz, the shooter in the 2018 massacre at Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, prosecutors have said. Gray told Smith he “became obsessed with him on an emotional level,” referring to Cruz.

An investigator testified during Colin Gray's trial that he had sought help for his son from a counseling service weeks before the shooting but then failed to follow through.

Colt Gray's mother, Marcee Gray, who was separated from Colin Gray, told investigators she had urged him weeks before the shooting to secure his guns and restrict their son’s access to them. Instead, over time, Colin Gray bought the teenager ammunition, a gun sight and other shooting accessories, records show.

The Staged Accident Fraud Prevention Act would establish criminal penalties for individuals who organize or participate in staged crashes and would hold attorneys, physicians and other co-conspirators accountable if they knowingly take part in the fraud.

“Anyone who stages or helps stage an accident with a commercial motor vehicle endangers people’s lives and livelihoods,” Moody said. “On top of that, these stunts run up insurance premiums for everyone. Unacceptable. This legislation sends a clear message: if you do this, you will be prosecuted.”

A growing threat to highways, supply chains

Despite a rise in staged truck accidents, Moody says few states have taken action to combat the fraud. A notable example unfolded in Louisiana, where she says scammers caused dozens of intentional crashes with 18-wheelers over five years. Following an FBI investigation, a personal injury attorney pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, admitting he paid a cooperating government witness to stage 31 accidents and represented 77 plaintiffs in subsequent lawsuits.

Industry groups say the ripple effects go far beyond the crashes themselves.

“Staged accidents are not victimless crimes,” said Lewie Pugh, executive vice president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association. “These are calculated, premeditated assaults that endanger lives, destroy livelihoods, and compromise highway safety. To add insult to injury, criminals abuse the legal system for profit through false accusations and lawsuits, which contribute to skyrocketing insurance premiums for small trucking businesses.”

Supporters of the bill

The legislation has drawn support from the American Trucking Associations, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, National Tank Truck Carriers, American Bus Association and others. Florida, one of the nation’s largest freight hubs with more than 460,000 trucking jobs and 130,000 trucking companies, has a particular stake in the outcome.

The bill was introduced in the House by Reps. Mike Collins of Georgia and Brandon Gill of Texas.

He's hoping to put Roger Penske back in victory lane at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and he'd like to add a second crown jewel win to his resume. At the same time, he's chasing a $1 million pay day — if he finishes ahead of surprise finalist Todd Gilliland in NASCAR's second In-Season Challenge.

Blaney's solution is to simplify matters by sweeping both titles Sunday with one amazing Brickyard 400.

“We obviously understand what we're going for with the In-Season Challenge,” Blaney said before Friday's short practice. “But at the same time, you're trying to win the race. That's the big one here — and trying to win for Roger at this place is incredibly important in our race shop and to everyone on this team. So I've looked at it as like, just go try to run the best race you can and focus on that.”

Blaney heads into race weekend as the favorite in the final round of the challenge. The 2023 Cup champion has strung together 11 consecutive finishes of 11th or better, a feat he's achieved in 17 of 21 races this season. Two weeks ago in Atlanta he captured his second win of the year.

Now the Ohio-born Blaney returns to the Midwest ranked third in points, 19 behind Tyler Reddick, the 2022 Brickyard 200 champ who is trying to become the first Cup driver to win on the track's road course and the historic 2.5-mile oval that will be used Sunday.

Reddick said he wasn't sure if team owner Michael Jordan would attend the race.

Gilliland, meanwhile, has struggled lately. His eighth-place finish at North Wilkesboro, North Carolina, was his first top 10 in 13 races, and the 26-year-old enters the weekend 23rd in points, though he's continued to do just enough to keep advancing through the challenge rounds.

But facing his toughest test yet, Gilliland seems to be adopting a “Hoosiers”-like attitude.

“We've caught a lot of lucky breaks. We've barely been skating by all these rounds,” the Front Row Motorsports driver said. “But now that we're here, yeah, it feels a bit more real and you never know, right? Four hundred miles, anything can happen. So we're just going to go give our best effort and try not to think about what it would be like if we won.”

Neither finalist was near the top of Friday's leaderboard, though.

Christopher Bell of Joe Gibbs Racing posted the fastest lap of the day at 183.512 mph, leading Toyota to a top-five sweep. John Hunter Nemechek of Legacy Motor Club was second at 183.180, followed by Ty Gibbs, Bell's teammate; Erik Jones, Nemechek's teammate; and Denny Hamlin of JGR, who still needs a Brickyard win to capture the fourth and final crown jewel title with time running shot on the 45-year-old's career.

“I've got a couple shots in this left, so I think more desperate," Hamlin said when asked about his level of desire to win at Indy. “I'm certainly willing to take a small risk here on a restart, whatever it might be, on strategy, something to give us a real shot to win because this is like the Daytona 500.”

Gilliland and Blaney, who sat side by side at microphones Friday, view the Brickyard similarly even though they know fans will be watching the race inside the race just as closely as the final charge across the Yard of Bricks.

In practice, Blaney also had the advantage. He was ninth on the speed chart at 182.526, the top speed of the Ford drivers. Gilliland, who also drives a Ford, was 28th at 180.712.

Will that make a difference Sunday?

“We beat them here last year so I don't know why we can't do it again,” said Gilliland, who finished sixth — one spot ahead of Blaney in 2025 at Indy. “But, yeah, overall, I think it's fair to say we're big underdogs. At the same time, anything can happen.”

Even, perhaps, Blaney's highly coveted sweep.

“I got knocked out in the first round last year in Atlanta so it was nice to kind of go be part of it, see you racing every single week and go through the gauntlet,” he said. “So nice to end it here at Indy. I think it's a great place to end it, an amazing race track. It will be exciting.”

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

As of July 23, 2026, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 2,318 confirmed measles cases nationwide, surpassing the 2,289 confirmed cases recorded for all of 2025. Florida is one of 45 jurisdictions reporting cases this year.

Florida’s numbers

Florida has reported 141 confirmed measles cases in 2026, making it the fifth-highest state in the nation for cases this year, according to CDC data. That is a dramatic increase from just eight cases in all of 2025 and 11 cases in 2024.

Only South Carolina (670), Utah (522), Texas (188) and Virginia (176) have reported more cases in 2026. Pennsylvania (134) and Arizona (108) round out the top seven.

Outbreak-driven spread

The vast majority of this year’s cases are tied to outbreaks. According to the CDC, 93% of confirmed 2026 cases — 2,153 of 2,318 — are outbreak-associated. Of those, 782 are linked to outbreaks that began in 2026, while 1,371 stem from outbreaks that started in 2025.

Thirty-five new outbreaks have been reported so far in 2026. An outbreak is defined by the CDC as three or more related cases. That compares with 48 outbreaks reported during all of 2025 and 16 outbreaks in 2024.

Health officials stress that measles is among the most contagious diseases known. The CDC and public health experts consistently point to vaccination as the most effective tool for prevention. The measles, mumps and rubella — or MMR — vaccine is widely available and recommended for children and unvaccinated adults.

The adoption event runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 2020 Forest Street.

All adoption fees will be waived for the event. Each pet adopted will leave spayed or neutered, microchipped and up to date on vaccinations. Cats and dogs will also be available for foster.

“It has been a really busy summer, and we’re operating over capacity for both dogs and cats,” said ACPS Chief Michael Bricker.

“We’re all hands on deck for this event, and hope to find loving homes for the hundreds of amazing animals we have at the shelter. The more animals we find homes for, the more new animals we can bring into the shelter, meaning more animals are saved from dangerous and urgent situations. Everyone who adopts from us is part of saving lives,” Bricker said.

Staff and volunteers will be on hand to provide information and facilitate meet-and-greets with available animals.

Community members interested in adopting or fostering a pet are encouraged to attend.

The horse that died, an 8-year-old bay mare named Alex, was living in what the sheriff’s office described as “less than ideal conditions.” A neighbor first raised concerns in late June after contacting the owner about whether she had horses for sale.

The owner, Cheyenne Baldwin, 29, told the neighbor she was selling a horse, Alex, for $1,800 and sent a photo. The neighbor said the horse looked in poor condition and offered to take Alex for treatment free of charge; Baldwin declined and the neighbor then notified the sheriff’s office.

Agriculture Deputy Mullins contacted Baldwin, who said Alex was a “hard keeper” and was having difficulty eating. Mullins took photos and submitted a search-warrant affidavit to the state attorney’s office.

On July 8, a search warrant was approved and deputies removed three horses, including Alex, from the property. The sheriff’s office said all three animals showed emaciation ranging from moderate to severe. They were taken to a horse rescue for veterinary care and rehabilitation.

A veterinarian evaluated the horses on July 10. On July 13, the veterinarian was called back after Alex fell into distress; the vet, caretakers and Deputy Mullins decided to humanely euthanize the mare, the sheriff’s office said.

The veterinarian’s findings noted that all three horses needed hoof care from a qualified farrier and dental work from an equine dentist. Two of the horses also had rain rot, a preventable skin condition that can be avoided with regular grooming, keeping horses dry, using fly spray and maintaining overall health, the sheriff’s office said.

A warrant was issued for Baldwin on Tuesday, and she was arrested that afternoon on three counts of cruelty toward animals. She was booked into the Putnam County Jail and released on $30,000 bond.

The other two horses, Sanji and June Bug, are receiving treatment at the rescue and are expected to make a full recovery, the sheriff’s office said.

Varsity 4 top 25 player countdown

16. Marcus Small

Position/school: OL/First Coast.

Class: Sr.

Height/weight: 6-7, 290.

Recruiting: Committed to Syracuse.

Why here’s here: A consensus three-star recruit, Small is ranked between the 51st (ESPN) and 120th (Rivals/On3) player in Florida this year. He’s not only big but he’s very versatile for the Buccaneers and head coach Jarvis Parker. Small can flip to left or right tackle and earned All-Gateway and first-team All-News4JAX honors last year. As Small goes, so will the First Coast offense.

17. Omari Lawson

Position/school: Zarephath Academy.

Class: Jr.

Height/weight: 6-6, 260.

Recruiting: Committed to Syracuse.

Why he’s here: Zarephath is a younger program, so seeing a player listed may be a bit of a shock. But Lawson is a talent who can’t be looked over just because of school size. Power Four programs across the country have zeroed in on Lawson. He’s a four-star prospect at tackle and may wind up being the area’s fifth-best recruit in a blockbuster 2028 class. Come next year, this ranking could seem laughably low.

18. Camden Tietze

Position/school: WR/Bolles.

Class: Sr.

Height/weight: 6-1, 180.

Recruiting: Committed to Marshall.

Why he’s here: A Rivals/On3 three-star prospect who came on strong during his first season with the Bulldogs. Had 35 catches for 689 yards and 11 TDs playing alongside electric playmaker Naeem Burroughs. Will open this season as the No. 1 target for QB Luke Toland. As a sophomore at Ponte Vedra, had 599 yards receiving and seven TDs.

19. Aiden Phifer

Position/school: QB/Nease.

Class: Jr.

Height/weight: 6-0, 190.

Recruiting: Committed to Northwestern.

Why here’s here: Phifer burst on the scene last year by passing for 2,003 yards and 20 TDs. He was a threat to break off a run, too. Phifer scored nine rushing TDs. He did it by going 9-3 against a tough schedule that included powerhouse Buchholz (twice), St. Augustine and Oakleaf. A Rivals/On3 three-star recruit, Phifer should continue to ascend as a dual-threat QB.

19. Julius LaRosa III

Position/school: DL/ University Christian.

Class: Sr.

Height/weight: 6-2, 260.

Recruiting: Committed to NC State.

Why here’s here: A multiyear force on the defensive line for the Christians, he’s got 24 career sacks and 43.5 tackles for loss. Recovered two fumbles and blocked a punt last year. Had 59 tackles last season and is up to 171 for his career. A consensus three-star recruit by the four major recruiting services and a top 140 player in Florida by those outlets.

21. Kindrid Outland

Position/school: DL/Mandarin.

Class: Sr.

Height/weight: 6-2, 270.

Recruiting: Committed to USF.

Why here’s here: He was all over the field last year for the Mustangs, earning a second-team All-News4JAX selection after racking up 62 tackles, 21 for loss, and 5.5 sacks. A three-star recruit by 247 Sports and Rivals/On3, Outland has serious muscle and pocket-busting interior presence.

22. Kyree Wilson

Position/school: ATH/University Christian.

Class: Senior.

Height/weight: 6-0, 190.

Recruiting: Committed to Toledo.

Why he’s here: Wilson has thrived as the No. 1 player at a small school (Christ’s Church) where he racked up 3,019 rushing yards and 32 TDs and added 74 combined tackles during his freshman and sophomore seasons. Wilson, a Rivals three-star prospect, spent his junior year at Mandarin in a two-back system and absolutely scorched teams when given the opportunity (9.1 yards per carry). He’s got 3,807 career rushing yards and 38 rushing TDs, and could join the exclusive 5,000-yard rushing club with a strong season. Factor in his work on defense in the secondary and he’s going to put up numbers all over the field for the Christians.

23. Kash Kolbow

Position/school: S/WR/Nease.

Class: Senior.

Height/weight: 6-1, 180.

Recruiting: Committed to UCF.

Why he’s here: He was a little bit of a do-it-all player on Nease’s defense in 2025. Kolbow had 68 total tackles and a couple of interceptions. He was sticky in coverage (23 passes defensed) and forced two fumbles. With as big graduation losses as the Panthers had on defense, Kolbow’s production is no doubt bound to keep ticking up.

24. King Boylston

Position/school: QB/Ed White.

Class: Sr.

Height/weight: 6-1, 195.

Recruiting: Uncommitted.

Why he’s here: Boylston isn’t rated by any of the major recruiting services, but he’s a player who should see his stock rise over the course of the year. He accounted for 38 TDs last season, passing for 25 and scampering for 13 more. Boylston passed for 2,091 yards and rushed for 712 more to help lead the Commanders to the mantle as the highest-scoring regular season team in state history.

25. Noah Ash

Position/school: Kicker, Ponte Vedra.

Class: Senior.

Height/weight: 5-11, 190.

Recruiting: Committed to Auburn.

Why he’s here: A placekicker among the area’s top players? You got that right. Ash is the area’s best player at his position, and one of the top recruits in the nation. He booted 11 field goals for the state semifinalist Sharks last year and had 74 touchbacks in 85 chances. Depending on the recruiting outlet, Ash ranks between fourth (247 Sports Composite) to sixth (Rivals/On3).

Corey Durell Ruiz, 38, was shot and killed on a city street Wednesday, the moments of his death captured in bystander videos that were later posted online. The race of the officer who fired his gun has not been released by police. Ruiz is identified as Black or Latino in Wisconsin court records.

“It does not matter who you are or what your past is, you should not lose your life as a result of an encounter with law enforcement,” Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said during a news conference Thursday afternoon.

Wisconsin court records show Ruiz had been in and out of jail over the past decade for mostly misdemeanor offenses including disorderly conduct, drug possession, auto theft, battery and invasion of privacy. He was also convicted of felonies including possession of cocaine and marijuana, robbery, strangulation, resisting an officer and causing bodily harm.

“He’s a human being. He had a family. He has parents who loved him, who brought him home, who cared for him,” Common Council President Sabrina Madison said, adding that she’s struggling to understand what she’s seen in videos of the shooting that have circulated on social media.

“My first thought is, when the officer’s walking away, why isn’t he walking away in cuffs?” Madison said. “I’m angry, there’s no way around it.”

Ruiz's family has retained Ben Crump, a prominent civil rights attorney, who said the case must be examined for excessive force.

Shooting sparks turmoil in a fed-up community

Frustrated residents marched, and a memorial of flowers and signs grew near the place where Ruiz died. It was just blocks from where two other police killings happened in 2015 and 2012.

A group of about 20 protesters burst into Thursday's news conference, taking the microphone from police Chief John Patterson and arguing with some attendees who said they wanted to hear more about the investigation.

One protester held a sign saying “Corrupt cops deserve to die too!!!”

Moments earlier, the mayor said the shooting would be “rigorously investigated.”

Once the protesters quieted down, the chief resumed his presentation, promising his department's full cooperation with the state investigation.

Police have released few details

None of the four officers who were detaining Ruiz wore body cameras, but passersby recorded the confrontation on video, and accused the officers of overreacting.

“I thought, ‘Holy cow — what could have warranted that?’ It looked to me like they had him under control,” David Ortiz-Whittingham, who saw officers swarming and heard the gunshots, said Thursday. “Even now, knowing about the knife, did he have to die for it? Could this have been de-escalated?”

The police chief released few details Thursday, saying a Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation probe of the officer-involved shooting must run its course.

Earlier Thursday, Madison's independent police monitor, Aeiramique Glass, said police had not yet shared evidence or the officer's identity with her office, which will review the case and can recommend to the district attorney that charges be filed if warranted. She said the department and city are “obstructing what the community and the public” want.

“Let me do my job,” she said.

Patterson said the police were committed to cooperating with Glass.

The chief urges people not to draw conclusions

Patterson has urged caution in reading too much from the cellphone videos. He said none show the perspective of the officers, and additional unreleased video was being reviewed.

The officer who fired his weapon is an 11-year veteran of the force, the chief said. He and the three other responding officers will be placed on administrative leave.

Patterson said police were responding to calls that someone was attempting to enter parked vehicles, and the suspect fled on a bike before the officers surrounded him. One deployed a taser, but Patterson said the effort failed to control the man.

In the videos circulating online, the man can be seen standing before he's brought to his knees as the officers struggle to force him into a prone position. Then he falls quickly to the pavement after what sounds like three gunshots, and seems motionless as the officers handcuff him behind his back. Arriving officers then escort one of the officers a short distance away.

Patterson said he did not know the extent of the knife injuries sustained by the officer.

“This situation was clearly dangerous,” Patterson said before adding he was saddened by the loss of life.

A neighborhood now accustomed to police shootings

The shooting happened in the middle of an intersection in the popular Marquette neighborhood, less than 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) from the state Capitol. Bystander videos show numerous cars at the scene, with people watching as it unfolds.

“I saw everything! I saw everything! You did not need to kill him! ... We watched it all!” a woman yells in the video recorded by Ortiz-Whittingham.

Residents who dealt with two other police killings expressed frustration Thursday.

In 2015, a white police officer shot and killed Tony Robinson, who was biracial, on the same street. Large protests followed, but the district attorney filed no charges, determining the officer was justified. In 2012, Paul Heenan, a white musician, was fatally shot after he had been drinking and mistakenly entered his neighbor's house. That officer was exonerated as well.

The chief acknowledged that the neighborhood “has experienced a lot of trauma” and urged people to support one another.

“I want transparency. I want accountability,” Patterson said.

Questions about race and technology emerge

Black advocacy groups, protesters and politicians are speaking out against the shooting, which has also focused attention on the Madison Police Department’s lack of body-worn cameras. The force of around 500 is among the largest in the Midwest that doesn’t use the devices.

Madison, the Common Council president, said Thursday that she expects a police request for $400,000 to be approved, enabling the cameras to be phased in over the next three years. Others lamented that cameras weren't already being used.

The mayor said her budget, which has not yet been released, will include funding for body-worn cameras. Rhodes-Conway said the city needs to put together a policy for their use before the budget takes effect in January.

And now it's a talking point in the governor's race

The shooting has quickly infused itself into the race to succeed Gov. Tony Evers, who is not seeking a third term. Voting is already underway in the Aug. 11 primary.

Democratic socialist candidate Francesca Hong called the shooting “state sanctioned violence.” Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, a Democrat, said the reports are “painfully reminiscent of the tragedies we have witnessed in Kenosha, Minneapolis, and far too many communities.”

Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany called on his rivals to let the state investigation “establish the facts without politicians rushing to judgment.”

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This story was first published on July 23, 2026. It was corrected on July 24, 2026, to remove inaccurate information about the killings of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery. The story previously corrected the name of a state agency to the Division of Criminal Investigation, not the Department of Criminal Investigation.

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Associated Press writers Ed White in Detroit and Jake Offenhartz in New York contributed to this report.

The administration announced tariffs of 10% to 12.5% on 60 economies late Thursday, saying the countries had failed to adequately enforce a ban on goods made with forced labor.

The new tariffs took effect just as stopgap levies Trump imposed after a stinging defeat at the Supreme Court expired at 12:01 a.m. Friday.

Countries object to what they call unfounded labor claims

Australian Trade Minister Don Farrell rejected claims linking Australia, a major exporter of beef, gold and copper, to modern slavery and raising the tariff on its exports to the U.S. to 12.5% from the 10% level imposed after Trump’s “Liberation Day” hikes last year.

“We believe that amongst all of the countries in the world Australia does take the issue of slavery, modern slavery, seriously, and will continue to do that,” Farrell told reporters in Adelaide.

Australia believes the higher tariffs are “completely unjustified and we will continue to lobby the United States Trade Representative to remove all tariffs on Australian goods,” Farrell said.

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said the tariffs on his country, also subject to a 12.5% import duty, were “extremely disappointing,” unjustified and harmful to trade.

A U.S. investigation serving as the basis for the tariffs did not provide meaningful evidence to support allegations of forced labor.

“Tariffs are not the way — they drive up costs and uncertainty for businesses,” he wrote on X.

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas questioned the U.S. stance in comments on Channel News Asia.

“If you compare our labor laws to the ones of the United States, I mean we have, people have paid vacations, we have very good conditions, labor conditions for our employees, so it's not really grounded,” Kallas said.

Also facing a 12.5% tariff, Singapore’s Ministry of Trade and Industry said it would “continue to engage the USTR (United States Trade Representative) to explore options.”

Some hope to forestall the new tariffs

Japan likewise protested the 12.5% tariff imposed on its exports, noting Tokyo had been reassured by the Trump administration that there would be no more tariffs on top of an earlier agreement on a 10% U.S. import duty.

“Our understanding is both sides are still committed to that,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said.

“It is regrettable that the measure imposes tariffs on the grounds of non-existence of measures banning imports of goods made by forced labor, even though Japan’s industry and trade are in line with international rules,” Kihara said.

South Korea’s trade ministry said the announcement eased some uncertainty over U.S. trade policy, but noted that a Section 301 investigation into alleged Korean excess production continues.

The combined duties on South Korean exports should not exceed 15%, the ministry said in a statement.

Thailand noted it is subject to the new 12.5% tariff by the U.S. under the forced labor provision, but the measure exempts around 2,120 items, representing more than half the value of Thai goods exported to the U.S.

China opposes unilateral tariffs in ‘all forms’

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it “opposes all forms of unilateral tariffs” in response to the new 12.5% tariffs.

“Tariff wars and trade wars do not serve any parties' interests,” ministry spokesman Lin Jian said at a press conference.

Trade tensions have clouded relations between China and the U.S., two of the world’s biggest economies, as Trump’s hefty “Liberation Day” tariffs resulted in a sharp drop in Chinese exports to the U.S.

Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who agreed to set up new boards of trade and investment at their mid-May meeting in Beijing, are expected to meet again in September.

Some Chinese exporters say, however, the impacts are limited as the latest U.S. tariffs on China remain at lower levels than last year's rates, which were initially 34%.

“Of course it’d be best if they (the tariffs) are not there,” said Richard Chan, manager of Golden Arts Gifts & Decor, which manufactures Christmas trees and decorations in the southern Chinese city of Dongguan and supplies globally to those including Walmart.

Golden Arts' share of sales to the U.S., however, already have fallen as U.S. tariffs added more uncertainty. They have pivoted more to Europe, which now accounts for roughly 70% of their sales, Chan said.

The latest import duties might stick

Wendy Cutler, a former senior U.S. trade official, said the latest round of tariffs involved “few surprises” since they range just between 10% and 12.5%.

The U.S. Trade Representative's office spent four months investigating the basis for those tariffs to meet legal requirements under Section 301 of the U.S. Trade Act of 1974.

“Time will tell whether the third attempt to impose tariffs is the charm and this action stands up to legal challenges,” said Cutler, senior vice president of the Asia Society Policy Institute.

These duties are less likely than earlier ones to be overruled by U.S. courts, she said.

Further tariffs may be coming in the fall related to alleged structural excess capacity of trading partners, she noted.

Experts say these tariffs may be less disruptive

Washington has generally tended to engage in increased trade friction, William Bratton of BNP Paribas said in a research note Friday.

“On the positive side, however, these tariffs are lower than the earlier (Emergency Powers Act) ‘reciprocal’ tariffs and appear to exempt a substantial proportion of Asia’s current trade flows with the U.S.,” he said.

The Trump administration has made tariff exceptions, however, including imported goods that the U.S. does not produce, Cutler noted.

“This should reduce the impact of these duties. Nevertheless, they will contribute to higher prices both for end consumers and businesses importing inputs and machinery,” she said.

Immediate pushback, legal and political

There was immediate pushback, both legally, and politically.

The Liberty Justice Center, a libertarian advocacy group that successfully challenged earlier Trump tariffs, filed a lawsuit in the U.S. Court of International Trade in New York, challenging the double-digit import taxes that Trump imposed Friday.

The group called the new tariffs a pretext to allow Trump to maintain a wall of tariffs around the U.S. economy after the Supreme Court struck down big global taxes he’d imposed last year.

“The administration allowed one global tariff to expire and immediately replaced it with another under a different statute,” said Sara Albrecht, chair of the center. “Changing the statute doesn’t change the law. Every tariff authority has limits, and every administration must respect them.”

Her group represented businesses that successfully challenged Trump’s 2025 global tariffs.

Rep. Linda Sanchez, a California Democrat questioned the reasons for the latest slew of tariffs.

“If he was serious, he would not be applying the same tariff rate to China, one of the worst forced labor abusers in the world, as he does to countries like Australia,” she said. “Then again, unlike China, Australia doesn’t manufacture any Trump corporation products.”

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., said Americans will be the ones paying for the new tariffs.

“Instead of continuing his disastrous tariff scheme, the president must put the American people first and revoke these harmful policies that are making everyday Americans’ lives flat-out unaffordable," Gillibrand said. "At home in New York and across the country, people are struggling, and they need relief.”

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Chan reported from Hong Kong. Associated Press writers Tong-hyung Kim in Seoul, South Korea, Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo and Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Grant Peck in Bangkok and Ken Moritsugu in Beijing, as well as AP Economics Writer in Washington, and AP Business Writer Michelle Chapman in New York, contributed to this report.

California has become notorious for its ponderously slow vote counts that can drag on for weeks and sometimes longer, largely the result of multiple changes over the years that were intended to increase turnout but have done little to achieve that. Among the changes: Every voter receives a mail-in ballot that can arrive at an election office seven days late and still be counted, provided the envelope is postmarked by Election Day.

Yet even with that generous weeklong window, the primary driver of the higher rejection numbers is late-arriving ballots, according to data compiled by the secretary of state's office. Voting experts suspect the main problem is postmarks on ballots that came after Election Day, making them ineligible to be counted. The culprit could be U.S. Postal Service changes that might affect the timing of when postmarks are applied.

Late-arriving ballots drove the rejections

According to state data, 148,241 mail ballots were rejected in the June election, or a rate of 1.73% of all mail ballots.

In raw numbers, that's up from the 2024 primary, when 108,982 mail ballots were rejected, or a 1.56% rate. In 2022, 105,818 mail ballots were voided during the primary, or a rate similar to 2024.

Lateness accounted for 93,479 rejected ballots in June, by far the largest category for disqualifying a ballot. That was up from about 70,000 in the 2022 primary and about 76,000 in the 2024 primary, though turnout in those elections was smaller compared to last June.

Kim Alexander, president of the nonpartisan California Voter Foundation, said the jump in rejected ballots because of lateness is a major concern that — along with postal procedures — might also be connected to a late surge in ballots in June. Many voters waited until the final days to make a decision in a wide-open and chaotic race for governor.

“Ballots rejected due to lateness are caused primarily to being postmarked too late to count, not because they arrived too late to count,” Alexander wrote in an email.

Rejection rates have fluctuated over time, but the growing number of those set aside for lateness compared to recent elections “does really demand the question why this is happening,” said Mindy Romero, director of the Center for Inclusive Democracy, a nonpartisan research group.

Lawmakers concerned about USPS postmark changes

In January, a group of mostly Democratic U.S. senators sent a letter to the U.S. Postal Service, alarmed that mail-processing changes might affect postmark dates for mail-in ballots during an election year that will determine control of Congress.

Updated agency policy says postmarks might not indicate the first day the Postal Service received the mail, but rather the day it was handled in one of its processing centers. Those centers are increasingly likely to be further away from certain communities because of recent consolidations within the Postal Service, which could further delay postmarks.

On Thursday, two Wisconsin Democrats, U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Gov. Tony Evers, called on the Postal Service to address delays that caused hundreds of ballots to arrive after Election Day in the state in April. In June, a federal judge halted President Donald Trump’s executive order that sought to create a federal voter list and limit who can receive a mail ballot.

Earlier this year, California election officials urged voters to send their mail ballots early, warning that Postal Service changes could lead to slower mail service.

In California, the highest mail ballot rejection rate in June — 3.52% — was in Tulare County, in the agriculture-heavy Central Valley. It was followed by Alpine County, south of Lake Tahoe, and Merced County, also in the Central Valley, which both notched a 3.36% rejection rate.

Mismatched signatures and multiple ballots in an envelope

Nearly 44,000 ballots were set aside because the voter’s signature didn't match the one on record with county officials. Over 8,300 ballots were rejected because there was no signature on the returned ballot envelope.

In 743 cases, the voter had already cast a ballot, so the mail ballot was voided. Other reasons for rejection included a ballot being missing from the return envelope, or multiple ballots were sent back in a single envelope.

The data didn’t break down the uncounted ballots by party registration.

Florida, Texas and other large population states quickly wrap up vote counting, while California is a national laggard.

After the June primary, President Donald Trump seized on California’s reputation as the national slowpoke in vote counting to renew his long-standing criticism of the state’s elections, while the Republican’s Department of Justice launched an investigation into Los Angeles County’s elections.

There is no indication of any widespread problems with mail voting, which has gained in popularity among Democrats and Republicans alike. A report by the Brookings Institution published in 2025 found that the number of cases of mail voting fraud was minuscule — about four cases per 10 million mail ballots.

The Republican president made the announcement a day after the EU hit Google with a fine of 890 million euros, or $1 billion, after it said the technology behemoth broke digital antitrust regulations by setting up Google Play and its ubiquitous search engine to corral consumers toward its own services and apps to the detriment of competitors.

In a lengthy post on social media, Trump said he has warned the EU about its practice of fining U.S. tech companies. He named Google, Apple, Meta, Amazon and others.

“The United States of America is not a ‘PIGGYBANK’ for Europe, nor will we allow it to be!” Trump said, adding that his post should serve as notice of an immediate trade investigation “into the practice of ‘ROBBING’ American Companies and, in turn, the American Taxpayer.”

“The European Union will pay a very big price for this illegal and highly unethical conduct, which I have consistently warned them about,” he said.

In the post, Trump asserted that the penalties against the companies “will be entirely reversed” and predicted “a substantial TARIFF” would be placed on the EU “at the earliest possible moment.”

“Stay tuned!” he said.

Investigation follows new Trump tariffs

Trump's move comes a day after the White House announced double-digit tariffs on imports from more than 60 countries, accusing them of inadequately enforcing bans on goods produced by forced labor. The new tariffs replace temporary 10% worldwide import taxes that Trump imposed after the Supreme Court struck down his biggest tariffs.

The new tariffs are being implemented using Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, which permits the president to impose import taxes and other sanctions against countries found to engage in “unjustifiable,” “unreasonable” or “discriminatory” trade practices.

José Castañeda, a spokesperson for Google, said the company has worked hard to comply with the EU's Digital Markets Act and has expressed its concerns about the effects of recent decisions by the European Commission.

"We appreciate the engagement by the administration and U.S. government,” he said.

Representatives of Amazon, Apple, Meta, and Microsoft did not immediately respond to requests for comment. There also was no immediate comment from the Brussels-based European Commission.

Trump had threatened retaliation over EU fines

The EU's billion-dollar fine against Google was the latest major crackdown on Big Tech by Brussels, which has led the world in reining in some of the world’s largest companies from Silicon Valley to Beijing.

It has done so despite the risk of incurring the wrath of Trump, who has lashed out at the 27-nation bloc’s digital regulations in a broader campaign against Europe: imposing high tariffs, making threats to seize Greenland from Denmark by force, and rattling trust within the NATO military alliance.

Trump had threatened retaliation if American tech companies are penalized.

Google had recently lost its appeal of a $4.5 billion antitrust fine imposed by the EU for throttling competition and reducing consumer choice through the dominance of its mobile Android operating system.

The European Commission, the bloc’s executive branch and highest antitrust enforcer, said it was acting in the interest of consumers after an investigation of Google.

“The best products should succeed because they’re better, not because they’re owned by the company running the search engine. And European consumers have a right to be told by app developers where to sign up to the best offers, even when the app store owner does not get a cut,” said Teresa Ribera, the commission’s executive vice president for clean, just and competitive transition.

Google’s president of global affairs, Kent Walker, assailed the fine as “product degradation driven by a small group of self-serving complainants” that will hurt European businesses and consumers.

He said the EU’s Digital Markets Act forces Google “to strip away real-time search features Europeans love — like instant pricing and direct availability for hotels, flights, and restaurants — and dismantle safety protections on Google Play.”

The EU describes some of the world’s leading tech giants — Amazon, Apple, Google parent Alphabet, Meta, Microsoft and TikTok owner ByteDance — as “gatekeepers” that control access for consumers.

“In the EU, businesses have the right to compete fairly. Gatekeepers have the obligation to ensure a level playing field and consumers the right to choose for cheaper alternative offers,” European Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier said. Alphabet reported $403 billion in revenue last year.

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Associated Press writer Kaitlyn Huamani in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

Click here for more Addressing A4dability coverage.

The proposal includes $6.3 million dedicated to affordable housing programs, with the largest share, $4.9 million, used to launch Jacksonville’s first Affordable Housing Fund. The remaining funding would support homelessness services and housing-related initiatives.

The money would help pay for:

• Down payment assistance for first-time homebuyers.
• Incentives for developers to build affordable housing.
• Utility connection costs for new developments helping keep rents lower.

$1,000,000 is proposed to fund the city’s emergency rental assistance and eviction diversion program. According to the city, the program has helped more than 650 families avoid eviction over the past two and a half years.

Another $400,000 would fund heirs’ property assistance through LISC Jacksonville, helping families preserve inherited homes and prevent properties from being lost or sold outside the family.

City leaders say the investment is intended to increase affordable housing, help more residents become homeowners, prevent evictions and create a long-term funding source to address Jacksonville’s housing shortage.

Affordable Housing Director Joshua Hicks said Thursday that the city faces a shortage of 47,000 affordable housing units.

“This budget about what can we do today to address the problems of tomorrow,” Hicks told News4JAX. “The problems tomorrow is generating the supply that we need to ensure that we’re building enough affordable housing to compliment the workforce and market rate housing that we are building.”

The proposed trust fund would be seeded with $4.9 million this year and is designed to become a permanent source of local housing dollars rather than relying solely on annual budget negotiations.

Filling the workforce housing gap

One of the most anticipated pieces of the proposal is the return of Jacksonville’s locally funded down payment assistance program.

The program was last funded during the 2023-24 budget but was not included after most of the city’s affordable housing funding requests were cut in last year’s budget. In 2025, the City Council ultimately approved just $900,000 for affordable housing initiatives.

Without local funding, the city has relied on its federally funded down payment assistance program, which is limited to households earning 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI) or below. That currently equals $60,880 annually for one person or $86,960 for a family of four.

Eligible buyers can receive up to $25,000 in assistance through the federal program, which serves roughly 100 to 150 households each year. Participants are also required to complete home maintenance and financial education courses.

Because federal rules cap eligibility at 80% AMI, many working residents earn too much to qualify but still cannot afford to buy a home.

The mayor’s proposal would fill that gap by creating a locally funded program for households earning 81% to 120% of the Area Median Income, which is about $61,000 to $91,320 annually for one person or $94,000 to $140,880 for a family of four.

The proposed program would provide up to $15,000 in down payment assistance to eligible first-time homebuyers and is expected to help another 100 to 125 households if the City Council approves the proposed $1.5 million allocation. Participants would also complete homeownership education before purchasing a home.

“Down payment assistance program, rental assistance programs, and other eviction diversion programs allows people to stay housed who are currently in financial need,” Hicks said. “That’s vitally important."

Hicks said the goal is to help teachers, nurses, police officers and other working professionals who make too much for federal assistance but still struggle to afford today’s housing market.

He also said increasing homeownership benefits the broader housing market by helping renters transition into ownership, freeing up rental units while allowing families to build long-term wealth through homeownership.

Looking beyond one budget cycle

The proposed trust fund also represents a different approach than previous affordable housing proposals.

Two years ago, a proposed $10 million affordable housing fund failed to win City Council approval. Last year, most of the administration’s affordable housing request was removed from the budget.

This year, the Deegan administration is proposing both the funding and companion legislation to formally establish the trust fund, with the long-term goal of creating recurring revenue that would continue supporting affordable housing beyond future budget cycles.

If approved, Jacksonville would join several Florida communities, including Miami, Orlando, St. Petersburg and Pinellas County that already operate affordable housing trust funds. Housing advocates say those dedicated funds provide stable, long-term local funding to build and preserve affordable housing rather than depending on annual budget decisions.

The City Council will consider the proposal during this year’s budget hearings.

Anthony Jones, 37, and Erica Bryant, 33, both of Jacksonville, were each charged with five counts of child neglect without great bodily harm, a third-degree felony. Both were booked into jail in the early morning hours of July 19.

What officers say they found

Officers were dispatched to the couple’s apartment on the evening of July 18, 2026, to assist the Department of Children and Family Services (DCF) with a well-being check. A DCF investigator had been called to the home after one of the children had been admitted to Wolfson Children’s Hospital at the recommendation of her primary care physician.

Upon entering the apartment, the arresting officer observed four juveniles who were described as “extremely thin in stature”, according to arrest reports. One child in particular showed visible signs of malnourishment, with the officer noting “boney prominence.” JSO says Jones was detained after repeatedly interrupting DCF’s attempt to independently interview the children.

Children evaluated at Wolfson Children’s Hospital

All five children were transported to Wolfson Children’s Hospital for full medical evaluations. An ER doctor examined each child and found all to be underweight for their age, according to the reports.

Police say one child weighed just 44 pounds and showed bruising on the left ankle, unexplained marks on the back, a right abdominal scar, and a bruise on the right side and back. The child told hospital staff that something tight had previously been around the ankle. A second child, weighing 75 pounds, had bruising to the right rib cage and a bruise and scrape to the left pinky finger. A third child weighed 61 pounds and had open wounds on both earlobes that the child could not explain. A fourth child weighed 63 pounds and had a scrape around one of his wrists and a forearm scar.

A registered nurse, who was providing care to two of the children, told officers that one child said he and a sibling had not eaten that day — and that they had been instructed by an adult in the home to lie to the DCF investigator. The child also told the nurse that a scar on his right forearm was the result of Bryant attempting to cut his arm, with Jones pulling him away, according to court documents.

Suspects questioned

According to JSO, Jones told police the children had not eaten that day — despite the children waking up at 1 p.m. and officers arriving nearly nine hours later at approximately 10 p.m. Jones said he had been waiting for the DCF investigator to arrive before feeding the children because he “did not want someone in the house while the children were eating.” When asked about groceries, he said the last purchase had been made during the first week of July.

Officers noted the kitchen was stocked with food, including deli meat, bread, and frozen items.

Bryant told officers she had been at the hospital with one of the children during the initial welfare check. She said Jones had been responsible for cooking in the household over the past three years. She also said she would not force the children to eat and that children could only get snacks after dinner.

The Bulldogs received 88 of 164 votes to reach the title game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta in early December. Texas was the second choice, with 57 votes, and Mississippi a distant third with six. Texas A&M, Alabama, Oklahoma, LSU and Kentucky also received votes.

Only 10 times since 1992 has the media’s preseason predicted champion proceeded to win the SEC title game.

Media also voted on preseason All-SEC teams, with Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss edging Texas’ Arch Manning for first-team quarterback.

Predicted order of finish

1. Georgia, 2,510 points

2. Texas, 2,449

3. Mississippi, 2,004

4. Texas A&M, 1,967

5. LSU, 1,961

6. Alabama, 1,930

7. Oklahoma, 1,914

8. Tennessee, 1,320

9. Florida, 1,217

10. Missouri, 1,105

11. South Carolina, 956

12. Auburn, 936

13. Vanderbilt, 751

14. Kentucky, 546

15. Mississippi State, 467

16. Arkansas, 262

First-team offense

QB: Trinidad Chambliss, Mississippi

RB: Kewan Lacy, Mississippi; Ahmad Hardy, Missouri

WR: Cam Coleman, Texas; Ryan Coleman-Williams, Alabama

TE: Trey’Dez Green, LSU

OG/OT: Trevor Goosby, Texas; Cayden Green, Missouri; Jordan Seaton, LSU; Earnest Greene III, Georgia

C: Drew Bobo, Georgia

All-purpose: Mario Craver, Texas A&M

First-team defense

DL: Colin Simmons, Texas; Will Echoles, Mississippi; Dylan Stewart, South Carolina; Princewill Umanmielen, LSU

LB: Whit Weeks, LSU; Xavier Atkins, Auburn; Rasheem Biles, Texas

DB: KJ Bolden, Georgia; Zabien Brown, Alabama; Bray Hubbard, Alabama; Ellis Robinson IV, Georgia

First-team specialists

PK: Tate Sandell, Oklahoma

P: Grant Chadwick, LSU

Return specialist: Ryan Niblett, Texas

Kickoff specialist: Tate Sandell, Oklahoma

Long snapper: Ben Anderson, Oklahoma

Second-team offense

QB: Arch Manning, Texas

RB: Jadan Baugh, Florida; Nate Frazier, Georgia

WR: Mario Craver, Texas A&M; Isaiah Sategna III, Oklahoma

TE: Lawson Luckie, Georgia

OG/OT: Dontrell Glover, Georgia; Michael Fasusi, Oklahoma; Michael Carroll, Alabama; Lance Heard, Kentucky

C: Mark Nabou Jr., Texas A&M

All-purpose: Ryan Niblett, Texas

Second-team defense

DL: David Stone, Oklahoma; Elijah Griffin, Georgia; Taylor Wein, Oklahoma; Quincy Rhodes Jr., Arkansas

LB: Raylen Wilson, Georgia; Suntarine Perkins, Mississippi; Kip Lewis, Oklahoma

DB: Kelley Jones, Mississippi State; DJ Pickett, LSU; Ty Benefield, LSU; Eli Bowen, Oklahoma; Peyton Bowen, Oklahoma

Second-team specialists

PK: Lucas Carneiro, Mississippi

P: Grayson Miller, Oklahoma

Return specialist: Isaiah Sategna III, Oklahoma

Kickoff specialist: Lucas Carneiro, Mississippi

Long snapper: Trey Dubuc, Texas

Third-team offense

QB: Gunner Stockton, Georgia

RB: DeSean Bishiop, Tennessee; Hollywood Smothers, Texas

WR: Ryan Wingo, Texas; Nyck Harbor, South Carolina

TE: Willie Rodriguez, Kentucky

OG/OT: David Sanders Jr., Tennessee; Patrick Kutas, Mississippi; Brandon Baker, Texas; Wendell Moe Jr., Tennessee

C: Braelin Moore, LSU

All-purpose: Jaden Baugh, Florida

Third-team defense

DL: Kam Franklin, Mississippi; DJ Hicks, Texas A&M; Gabe Harris, Georgia; Jayden Woods, Florida

LB: Arion Carter, Tennessee; TJ Dottery, LSU; Yhonzae Pierre, Alabama

DB: Keon Sabb, Alabama; Champ Anthony, Auburn; Khalil Barnes, Georgia; Jelani McDonald, Texas

Third-team specialists

PK: Alex McPherson, Auburn

P: Ethan Pulliam, Mississippi State

Return specialist: Vernell Brown III, Florida

Kickoff specialist: Terry Bussey, Texas A&M

Long snapper: Brett Le Blanc, Missouri

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The Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department told News4JAX it transported two adults with critical injuries.

CSX sent a statement to News4JAX about the accident.

At approximately 10:55 a.m. on Friday, July 24, two contractors were injured in an industrial incident at CSX’s Jacksonville Intermodal Yard. The contractors were dismantling cranes when one of the cranes collapsed. Both were transported to a local hospital with unknown injuries.

CSX appreciates the swift response of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and Jacksonville Fire Department and is supporting their response on scene. The cause of the incident is under investigation.

CSX Spokesperson

CSX sent a follow-up statement saying that the two injured were subcontractors working for the scrapping company performing the crane dismantling work.

The train yard is located at 5902 Sportsman Club Road.

This story is developing and it will be updated as we learn more.

Yusniel Lara, 40, was arrested after detectives say a weeks-long investigation tied him to a string of fuel thefts at Circle K locations in Deltona and DeLand.

Circle K stations in both cities reported multiple thefts on July 6 and July 12, with a combined loss of about 300 gallons of diesel fuel. Surveillance video from each location captured the same suspect vehicle — a white Ram 2500 pickup. Detectives used license plate reader data to identify the truck and trace it back to Lara.

Similar thefts were also reported in Sanford and Ocala during the same period.

Investigators say they entered Lara’s truck into the system as a felony vehicle. On Wednesday, a license plate reader in DeLand flagged the tag, prompting DeLand Police Department officers to locate the truck at the same Circle K where fuel had previously been stolen.

DeLand PD detained Lara, and VSO detectives responded to the scene. They say what they found painted a clear picture.

“On the driver’s seat, detectives found a large magnet commonly used to steal diesel fuel from pumps,” according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office. “In the pickup bed was a large auxiliary fuel tank with the cap open, but not yet filled.”

Detectives also discovered that an access panel on the gas pump itself had been pried open. A pry tool was found in the driver’s door compartment of Lara’s truck, according to deputies.

Lara now faces multiple counts of larceny. The Sheriff’s Office says additional charges are possible as investigators continue to look into similar cases in the region.

The reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots opened camp on Friday, joining the Arizona Cardinals and Carolina Panthers. The Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers report on Saturday, and the remaining 26 teams start on Tuesday.

Ten teams have new head coaches, 21 have new offensive coordinators and 14 brought in new defensive coordinators.

Here are the top stories to watch:

Will Aaron Donald come out of retirement?

The three-time AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year is contemplating a comeback to team with star edge rusher Myles Garrett and increase the Rams’ chances of winning another Super Bowl in their home stadium.

Donald is 35 and hasn’t played since retiring after the 2023 season. He played a key role for Los Angeles when the Rams won the Super Bowl five years ago.

Will Patrick Mahomes be ready for Week 1?

The three-time Super Bowl MVP tore two ligaments in his left knee last Dec. 14 as the Chiefs were on their way to a 6-11 finish. Mahomes had surgery to repair his ACL and LCL a day later, and participated in Kansas City’s offseason practices. He is on track to play against Denver on Sept. 14, barring any setbacks. If Mahomes starts the opener, it’ll be eight months post-injury.

Will Baker Mayfield get a contract extension?

Mayfield is in the final season of a three-year, $100 million deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He tailed off after an outstanding start last season when he played through several injuries. Mayfield wants to stay with Tampa Bay and the Bucs want him. He’s expected to get around $55 million per season and it’s just a matter of when the two sides reach an agreement.

Which quarterbacks will win the competition for starting jobs?

There’s a battle between two lefties in Atlanta where Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. will compete. A change of scenery could help Tagovailoa regain his Pro Bowl form.

Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy fight for the starting job in Minnesota. Murray, a two-time Pro Bowl QB in Arizona, is the favorite to start Week 1. McCarthy was the Vikings’ first-round pick in 2024 and could even end up No. 3 behind veteran Carson Wentz.

Deshaun Watson has a shot to start in Cleveland after tearing his right Achilles tendon twice in a span of three months and sitting out the 2025 season. Watson is in the final year of a five-year, fully guaranteed $230 million contract. Sheduer Sanders, who was 3-4 as a starter as a rookie, showed glimpses of his potential and will get an opportunity to win the job.

How many first-team reps will Fernando Mendoza get in camp and preseason?

Kirk Cousins is expected to start in Las Vegas but Mendoza could end up starting sooner than later. It’ll be interesting to see how many first-team snaps rookie coach Klint Kubiak gives Mendoza, the Heisman Trophy winner, national champion and No. 1 overall pick.

How does Sean Mannion change the Eagles’ offense?

The 2024 Super Bowl champs won 11 games last season despite an inconsistent offense that cost Kevin Patullo his job as offensive coordinator. Sean Mannion took over after coaching Green Bay’s QBs last season. He was a journeyman quarterback in the NFL between 2015-23 and brings a new system that’s rooted in Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan’s philosophies of pre-snap motion, under-center plays and use of play-action.

He’ll be the sixth OC in seven seasons for Jalen Hurts, who won’t have A.J. Brown as his primary receiver this season.

Can the Seahawks transition from Kubiak to Brian Fleury seamlessly?

The Super Bowl champs replaced Kubiak with another one of Shanahan’s disciples. Kubiak and Fleury worked together previously in San Francisco. Fleury served in various roles with the 49ers and coaches tight ends and was the run game coordinator in 2025. He plans to keep much of Kubiak’s system, which allowed Sam Darnold to thrive.

How are players returning from injuries progressing?

QBs Bo Nix (ankle) and Daniel Jones (Achilles) are expected to be ready for Week 1. Nix was injured in Denver’s playoff win against Buffalo and missed the AFC title game. Jones got hurt in Week 14 last season as the Colts were in the middle of a 7-game losing streak to end a season they began 8-2.

Tight end George Kittle (Achilles) could return to San Francisco’s lineup in the first month. Giants running back Cam Skattebo (tibia/ankle), Dolphins RB De’Von Achane (shoulder), 49ers edges Nick Bosa (ACL), Mykell Williams (ACL), Jaguars cornerback Travis Hunter (LCL) and Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers (ACL) are also coming back from significant injuries.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl