The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits in the week ending July 18 declined by 22,000 to 187,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That's the fewest number of weekly applications since the week ending Sept. 6, 1969, according to Labor Department data.

It's also well below the 215,000 new applications forecast by analysts surveyed by the data firm FactSet.

Weekly filings for unemployment benefits are considered a proxy for layoffs and are close to a real-time indicator of the health of the U.S. job market.

In its expansive June jobs report earlier this month, the government reported that employers pulled back on hiring, adding only 57,000 jobs. That’s less than half the previous month’s total and a sign that companies remain cautious about adding to their head counts. The unemployment rate dropped to 4.2% from 4.3% in May, though that decline is mostly because many out-of-work people gave up looking for jobs and were no longer counted as unemployed.

June’s tepid hiring comes after a relative surge in job gains the previous three months, countering concerns that the war in Iran could trip up an already wobbly labor market.

Weekly jobless aid applications have stabilized in a range mostly between 200,000 and 250,000 since the U.S. economy emerged from the pandemic recession. However, hiring began slowing about two years ago and tapered further in 2025 due to President Donald Trump’s tariffs, his purge of the federal workforce and the lingering effects of high interest rates meant to control inflation.

Among the companies that have trimmed their workforce recently are Verizon, UPS, Amazon, Disney, Starbucks and Walmart.

Earlier this month Microsoft said it was cutting 4,800 jobs, about 2.1% of its global workforce, including a large number of workers at its Xbox video game business.

Thursday’s layoffs data showed that the four-week moving average of weekly jobless claims, which adjusts for volatility, fell by 7,250 to 207,500.

The total number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits for the previous week ending July 11 was down by 2,000 to just under 1.8 million, also a historically healthy figure.

The Houthi attack threatened to open a new front in a war that has roiled the global economy, sending prices for fuel and other goods surging across the world, with the standoff in the Gulf deepening as the United States and Iran vie for control of vital Strait of Hormuz.

U.S. President Donald Trump threatened “major military punishment” against the Houthis if their attacks on ships continue.

“If they do this again, the U.S. will hold Iran responsible, in that the Houthis are a Surrogate and/or Proxy of Iran, and major military punishment will be inflicted upon Iran and, of course, the Houthis, themselves,” Trump wrote on social media.

U.S. Central Command said its strikes on Iran were designed to “further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting regional waters,” as the Americans push to regain control over the Strait of Hormuz and restore the flow of international shipping.

Trump warned on Wednesday that the U.S. would destroy one bridge or power plant each time Iran shoots at a ship in the strait.

Both sides have increasingly threatened civilian infrastructure. International law generally prohibits such attacks unless the infrastructure is being used for military purposes.

Kuwait’s military says drones attacked its border crossing with Iraq, causing damage but no casualties. It did not say who was behind Thursday’s attack on the Abdali crossing, but Iran has launched repeated attacks on Kuwait since hostilities with the U.S. reignited last month. Iran also supports powerful militias in Iraq.

Diplomatic efforts show no signs of prog

ress

A day after saying the U.S. was still open to diplomacy, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio struck a darker tone Thursday.

“The price will continue to get higher every single night until they come to their senses,” Rubio told reporters while traveling in the Philippines for a regional summit. He insisted Iran is “begging” for a deal but that Trump “doesn’t see a lot of utility in responding to their overtures at this point, because, frankly, Iran is clearly not ready to make a deal, at least not when they’re willing to live by.”

Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi has said Tehran would adopt an “eye for an eye” defense doctrine.

“The president’s policy is a head for an eye,” Rubio said. “They will pay a very heavy price for the things they’re doing.”

Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni was in Pakistan, a key mediator in the conflict, seeking to revive diplomacy. But it was unclear what new arrangement might be reached to end the war.

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar urged the U.S and Iran “to exercise restraint, uphold their commitments, and pursue peaceful engagement.” Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned “in the strongest possible terms” the attacks on the Saudi tankers in the Red Sea, a statement from his office said.

An Arab diplomat said Gulf states are increasingly pessimistic about finding an off-ramp. The diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation, said regional countries, in addition to Pakistan and Turkey, continue to push for de-escalation but that chances of improvement appear bleak.

Iran-backed Houthis say they attacked oil tankers

The Houthis' SABA news agency said the rebels had struck two tankers, the Encelia and the Layla, in the Red Sea, leading to fires on both. That would be their first reported attack on a vessel since they announced a blockade of Saudi-linked shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait earlier this week in retaliation for the kingdom’s blockade on Yemen and a recent attack on the international airport in Yemen’s rebel-held capital, Sanaa.

Bab el-Mandeb, 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 fourth of global container traffic, passes through there, moving between Europe and Asia via Egypt’s Suez Canal.

A senior Houthi official said the blockade on Saudi-linked shipping would remain in effect until a years-old Saudi blockade against the Houthis is lifted. The official gave no details of the attack and spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.

The state-run Saudi Press Agency reported an attack set the Encelia ablaze overnight in the Red Sea. It said there were no casualties. It did not mention the Layla.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center, UKMTO, said it received a report of a tanker being struck by “an unknown projectile” 70 nautical miles (80 miles, 130 kilometers) southwest of Al Shuqaiq, Saudi Arabia, in the Red Sea. It said no casualties had been reported.

Asked about the tanker attack, Rubio said he hoped the Houthis would “de-escalate.”

“I think the Houthis, frankly, got snookered into this thing by the Iranians. And they were smart to stay out of it, and they should stay out of it and they should stop. We’ll see what happens there. Obviously, it’s not a positive development,” Rubio said.

Both sides dig in over Strait of Hormuz dispute

Iran and the U.S. have dug in on their dispute over the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway for global energy. The closure of the strait, through which a fifth of the world’s traded oil and gas passed during peacetime, has jolted the world economy with effects far beyond the Middle East.

Iran says it has the right to manage traffic and potentially charge fees in the strait, which was open to all and toll-free before the war. It has attacked ships using a route through the strait that is overseen by U.S. forces and intended to be outside Tehran’s control.

In response to Iran’s attacks, the U.S. re-imposed a blockade on Iranian ports and began the widening campaign of strikes across the country. On Tuesday, Trump signaled that U.S. forces could soon target an under-construction Iranian nuclear site buried deep under a mountain.

Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, who has led negotiations with the U.S., appeared to brush off Trump’s threats.

“We have repeatedly said that the situation of the strait will not return to prewar conditions,” he wrote on social media.

U.S. strikes in Iran overnight

Iranian state media reported that U.S. missiles struck locations overnight near the cities of Ahvaz, Ramshir and Andimeshk in western Iran, and two people were killed in a U.S. missile strike in the town of Shalamcheh on the Iraqi border.

Iran has responded to U.S. attacks by targeting energy infrastructure and desalination plants providing drinking water in parched neighboring Gulf countries.

Jordanian authorities said the country's military had intercepted three missiles Thursday morning, with a fourth falling in an empty area, while six drones were intercepted Wednesday night. Bahrain's Interior Ministry posted on X that sirens had sounded and urged the public to remain calm and head to a safe area.

Overnight, military officials in Kuwait said on social media that their air defenses were “confronting attacks by hostile drones.”

___

Becatoros reported from Athens, Greece, and Binkley from Washington. Associated Press writers Konstantin Toropin in Washington, Munir Ahmed in Islamabad, Pakistan; Bassem Mroue in Beirut, Michelle L. Price and Jim Gomez in Manila, Philippines, and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

The central bank for the 21 countries that use the euro currency left its benchmark rate unchanged at 2.25% following a quarter-point hike at its previous meeting June 11. That increase was aimed at dampening the impact on consumer prices from higher oil prices due to the US-Iran war and subsequent interruption of oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.

Analysts say the bank may simply be taking a pause to gather more information amid swings in oil prices, which fell after announcement of a ceasefire but then rose again when the ceasefire agreement collapsed and fighting resumed. Economists are pointing toward the bank's Sept. 10 meeting as a possibility for another rate increase.

"Uncertainty remains high and the full inflationary impact of the energy shock has yet to play out,” the bank said in a statement. “With today’s decision, the Governing Council remains well positioned to navigate the uncertainty caused by the conflict.”

Bank President Christine Lagarde has said the bank is making decisions meeting by meeting based on incoming data and has not committed to any particular path for rates.

Rate hikes combat inflation by raising the cost of credit for buying things, from new houses to new factories. That cools demand for goods and eases pressure on prices. Inflation in the eurozone ran at an annual 2.8% in June, down from 3.2% in May.

International benchmark Brent crude rose to $98 Thursday following US President Donald Trump’s July 8 declaration that a memorandum of understanding about a ceasefire and future talks was “ over.” Oil had trade around $76 before the ceasefire collapsed, not far from its prewar level of around $73.

Brent rose 4% on Thursday after Iranian-backed Houthi rebels attacked two Saudi oil tankers near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, raising doubts about Saudi Arabia’s ability to ship oil through the Red Sea instead of the Strait of Hormuz.

But with barely three months until November's contest, the perceived threat to rural life, ranchland and dwindling water supplies could become a defining issue for her long-shot challenge to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, dividing conservative rural areas that have traditionally served as a counterweight to Democrats' urban strongholds.

The backlash to energy-guzzling server warehouses is also shaping other statewide campaigns from Arizona to Ohio to New York, and even giving Democrats a glimmer of hope in Texas, where Republicans have dominated for three decades.

“There is this little issue that I recently started hearing about that I wanted to tell you about, in case you don’t know,” Hinojosa quipped to a Democratic Party-organized crowd of about 160 seated on fold-out chairs at an Amarillo social club in Texas' panhandle. “It’s this issue of data centers.”

The crowd booed, and she went on: “They are owned by the richest men in the world. We’re all footing the bill. There are no rules. It is the wild west of data centers.”

The fast growth of massive data centers has already upended races for local offices across the country, often uniting conservatives and liberals in revolting against projects in their midst.

People don't like the secrecy surrounding the projects or the prospect of air, noise, water and light pollution. They fear electric bills going up, wells going dry and losing open space, farmland or forest.

Now the ripple effects have spread to top-of-the-ticket races, where incumbents and challengers are trying to show that they hear an angry electorate.

In Ohio, Democratic nominee Sherrod Brown aired a television advertisement attacking Republican U.S. Sen. John Husted as the "face of data centers in Ohio" as people gather signatures for a statewide referendum to outright ban their construction.

In Wisconsin, a Democratic candidate for governor, Francesca Hong, is pledging to “tax the rich, fund our schools and stop AI data centers” as she campaigns for her party's nomination in a crowded primary.

In Pennsylvania, Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro is facing heat from some voters who feel like he's been too welcoming to tech behemoths. Sam Burleigh, a Democrat whose rural community is fighting off data center projects, accused Shapiro of “allowing these data centers to come in and take over acres and acres of prime farmland.”

Texas is fertile ground for data centers

Any political unrest may be felt most acutely in Texas.

The state is poised to overtake northern Virginia as the largest global data center market by 2030, according to a report by commercial real estate giant JLL. It has lots of land, lots of energy and a friendly regulatory environment under Republican leadership.

In rural west Texas and its panhandle, gargantuan data centers are under construction, including one near Amarillo touted as the world's largest. Some come with designs for natural gas-fired turbines to power them.

Rumors are flying about others popping up — Google, which is building four data centers in northwest Texas, sponsored moderated conversations with officials and business elite in Lubbock and Amarillo in recent weeks — and it is sowing an outcry across small cities, tiny towns and sprawling ranches where people vote overwhelmingly Republican.

Google says its investments are advancing American innovation, fortifying cybersecurity and boosting energy capacity, while President Donald Trump has made data centers a top priority to help the U.S. compete against China for AI superiority.

But tech giants and developers can be secretive about their plans, making it impossible to know what will be built or what sort of pollution they'll create, critics say. Some worry that data centers will destroy rural Texas' low cost of living and sully sunsets and sweeping views that stretch toward the horizon.

Others say construction and an influx of workers are already causing havoc for ranchers and towns, driving up rents, snapping up farmland, illuminating the night sky, clogging roads and turning parts of rural Texas into industrial zones.

Opposition crosses a partisan divide

Democrats are prominent among the data center critics, but so are Republicans, including Texas' sitting agriculture commissioner, Sid Miller. They say there are many more Republicans who are quieter because they fear publicly opposing their governor and party.

“They're upset with Greg Abbott,” said Suzanne Bellsnyder, a former Republican activist from Spearman who writes a syndicated column that advocates for rural Texas. “Whether that translates into voting against him, I don't know.”

Abbott has aggressively advocated for big projects in Texas and, in November, he helped make Google's announcement of a $40 billion investment there, saying “Texas is the epicenter of AI development.”

Compounding that, Texas counties don't have zoning authority — precisely the local land planning authority that communities around the country are increasingly using to fight off data centers.

Abbott seems to recognize that data centers are dividing his base. In recent weeks, he ordered regulators to take steps to ensure Texans weren't paying higher electricity bills because of data centers and promised to push a legislative agenda next year to impose regulations on data centers.

At an East Texas campaign stop, Abbott said that includes taking away the state's billion-dollar-plus-per-year tax break and preventing data centers from being built in “rural Texas neighborhoods.”

Hinojosa and others derided Abbott's words about “rural Texas neighborhoods” as meaningless — "doublespeak that makes no sense to anyone," Hinojosa said — and lacking urgency or seriousness.

“Now we have this gold rush of data centers in our communities," Hinojosa said in an interview, adding that “people want a say, and I think that’s fair.”

As governor, she said she'd block a permit for a data center if it wasn't a good deal for Texans or residents hadn't gotten a say in the matter.

Abbott tries to soothe concerns

Abbott's campaign season turnabout on data centers doesn't seem to have soothed many.

Of great concern is the prospect that data centers will consume massive amounts of water and worsen drought conditions for ranchers and farmers in a state where water shortages already crippled the sugar cane industry.

“Oh, I guarantee you, it's on everybody's mind,” said Giles Dalby, a cattle rancher and a Republican county commissioner in west Texas.

Dalby, who raises Angus and Brangus cattle on ranchland that's been in his family for 125 years, pointed to fast-growing cities where water authorities have had to go to greater lengths to procure water, including the “water wars” between San Antonio and ranchers several years ago.

Texas is increasingly steamrolling over landowner rights in the quest for public water, Dalby said, and that could mean that data centers get in line ahead of ranchers when shortages or rationing worsen.

Clayton Tucker, a rancher and the Democratic nominee for state agriculture commissioner, said his campaign events are consumed by talk of data centers. It doesn't matter whether he's meeting with Democrats or Republicans.

“This is the most cross-partisan issue I’ve ever seen in my life,” Tucker said.

Meanwhile, protest groups are springing up, including one in Lubbock that is led by Republicans. The founders, Stephen Sanders and Hallie Bertrand, like some other Republican opponents of data centers, say it's possible or even certain they won't vote for Abbott, although they may not necessarily vote for Hinojosa.

There is still time for Abbott to push through major legislation before the election and “be a hero,” Sanders said.

The big question is whether enough rural voters will turn against Abbott to give Hinojosa a shot. It’s hard to tell, Bertrand said, especially when some know nothing about the issue.

“They'll just hit that button, Republican all the way down,” Bertrand said. "But I think it’s a step towards something that we have not seen in Texas in a long time, with people on the right switching to the left. Or scooting a little closer to the middle, maybe."

___

Follow Marc Levy at http://twitter.com/timelywriter

Discussion

At 700 AM CDT (1200 UTC), the center of Tropical Storm Bertha was located near latitude 29.5 North, longitude 92.4 West. Bertha is moving toward the west near 13 mph (20 km/h). A generally westward motion is expected through tonight, followed by a turn toward the west-southwest on Friday. On the forecast track, the center of Bertha will move near or along the Louisiana and upper Texas coasts through this afternoon, and then move farther inland over Texas this evening and tonight.

Maximum sustained winds are near 45 mph (75 km/h) with higher gusts. Little change in strength is expected today, and Bertha is forecast to maintain tropical storm intensity until it reaches the upper Texas coast later today. Bertha is expected to dissipate inland over Texas by tonight or Friday.

Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 160 miles (260 km) from the center. The National Ocean Service station at Eugene Island, Louisiana, recently reported sustained winds of 36 mph (58 km/h) with a wind gust of 45 mph (73 km/h).

The estimated minimum central pressure is 1003 mb (29.62 inches).

Watches and Warnings

CHANGES WITH THIS ADVISORY:

None.

SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT:

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for, * The Gulf Coast from the Terrebonne/Lafourche Parish line, Louisiana, to Sargent, Texas

A Tropical Storm Warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area, in this case within 24 hours.

For storm information specific to your area, including possible inland watches and warnings, please monitor products issued by your local National Weather Service forecast office.

Land Hazards

Key messages for Tropical Storm Bertha can be found in the Tropical Cyclone Discussion under AWIPS header MIATCDAT2 and WMO header WTNT42 KNHC.

WIND: Tropical storm conditions will continue spreading across portions of the northern and northwestern Gulf Coast within the warning area through today.

STORM SURGE: The combination of storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the immediate coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline. The water could reach the following heights above ground somewhere in the indicated areas if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide,

Port Bolivar, TX to Mouth of the Mississippi River, LA, 1-3 ft

The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast. Surge-related flooding depends on the relative timing of the surge and the tidal cycle, and can vary greatly over short distances. For information specific to your area, please see products issued by your local National Weather Service forecast office.

For a complete depiction of areas at risk of storm surge inundation, please see the National Weather Service Peak Storm Surge Graphic, available at hurricanes.gov/graphics_at2.shtml?peakSurge.

RAINFALL: Bertha is expected to produce total rainfall amounts of 2 to 4 inches with isolated totals to 6 inches through tonight along Texas Gulf Coast and South Texas. This rainfall may produce isolated flash flooding, especially in urban areas.

For a complete depiction of forecast rainfall associated with Bertha, please see the National Weather Service Storm Total Rainfall Graphic available at hurricanes.gov/graphics_at2.shtml?rainqpf and the Flash Flood Risk graphic at hurricanes.gov/graphics_at2.shtml?ero.

SURF: Swells generated by Bertha will continue spreading westward along the northern and northwestern Gulf Coast. These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions. Please consult products from your local weather office.

A depiction of rip current risk for the United States can be found at: hurricanes.gov/graphics_at2.shtml?ripCurrents

Meanwhile, two shootings in Maine and Houston over the span of a week have led to fierce criticism that there’s not enough oversight of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. At least 10 people have died in encounters with immigration agents since Trump launched the crackdown after retaking office, and in the Maine shooting, family members of the officer who opened fire say he had a history of violent behavior and never should have been given a badge and gun.

Here's the latest:

Rubio says effort to end war in Ukraine needs new ideas

The Trump administration is poised to help end the “senseless war” in Ukraine but Rubio acknowledged there’s no quick path to a deal.

After holding talks in Manila with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, Rubio told reporters that diplomacy will require sustained effort and new ideas.

Rubio alluded to how U.S.-mediated talks have stalled, calling them “unsuccessful or at least unfruitful” in the past but insisted that President Trump was committed to the work “if conditions and factors have changed to make that possible.”

“That’s been the challenge — an end that both sides can accept. And we’ve tried and we’ll continue to try to see if we can, you know, find a middle ground that brings this about. And we’re prepared to play that role if the opportunity presents itself,” Rubio said.

Rubio strikes darker tone about renewed fighting with Iran

“The price will continue to get higher every single night until they come to their senses,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters while traveling in the Philippines.

He insisted Iran is “begging” for a deal but Trump “doesn’t see a lot of utility in responding to their overtures at this point, because, frankly, Iran is clearly not ready to make a deal, at least not one they’re willing to to live by.”

A day earlier. he said the U.S. was open to diplomacy.

Trump on Wednesday warned Iran that the U.S. will destroy one Iranian bridge or power plant each time Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded by saying the country’s defense doctrine was an “eye for an eye.”

“The president’s policy is a head for an eye,” Rubio said. “They will pay a very heavy price for the things they’re doing.”

Trump says Saudi nuclear pact requires kingdom to normalize Israel relations through Abraham Accords

In a post on social media, the Republican president said the deal doesn’t allow for enrichment of uranium. Nonproliferation experts have raised concerns that the deal fails to include guardrails to prevent enrichment of uranium to weapons-grade levels.

Trump’s post said the agreement “will be approved, but is totally subject to Saudi Arabia joining the very respected and successful Abraham Accords.” He added that “The United States is not opposed to Civil (Non-Enriched) Nuclear Facilities.”

Trump has sought to build on the 2020 agreements, which expanded the number of Arab states with diplomatic ties with Israel.

▶ Read more

House Republicans adopt $95 billion package for the Iran war and Trump’s priorities

The House adopted a Republican-only $95 billion budget proposal Wednesday, a long-shot effort to fund the Iran war and other White House priorities over objections from Democrats and a few GOP holdouts in a final push before the midterm elections.

House Republicans were divided over the plan, with conservatives wary because there are no offsetting budget cuts. But Speaker Mike Johnson plunged ahead, viewing the go-it-alone process as the best chance to usher Trump’s priorities through the split Congress, despite skepticism in the Senate.

The vote tally was 216-214, with two Republicans and one independent joining Democrats in opposition.

Democrats argued the money should be spent at home, particularly on efforts to lower costs for Americans.

Congress is at a standstill over the U.S. war against Iran — unable to stop Trump’s military strikes, but not having authorized the use of American military force — and politically torn over having to provide billions of taxpayer dollars to pay for it. Most Americans disapprove of Trump’s Iran strategy, according to a recent AP-NORC poll.

▶ Read more

Democrats press ICE on oversight, say 1 officer referred for discipline over use of force

One Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer has been referred for discipline over a use-of-force incident since the beginning of the Trump administration, said Democratic members of the House Homeland Security Committee after a briefing with ICE officials Wednesday about body cameras, vehicle stops and training.

The closed-door briefing for committee members comes in the wake of two shootings in which ICE officers shot and killed two immigrants they were trying to arrest, raising concerns over the agency’s tactics at a time that it's ratcheting up its arrests.

The shootings in Maine and Houston over the span of a week have led to fierce criticism that there’s not enough oversight of the agency key to President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda. At least 10 people have died in encounters with immigration agents since Trump launched the crackdown after retaking office, and in the Maine shooting, family members of the ICE officer who opened fire say he had a history of violent behavior and never should have been given a badge and gun.

▶ Read more

In a post on social media, the Republican president said the deal doesn’t allow for enrichment of uranium. Nonproliferation experts have raised concerns that the deal fails to include guardrails to prevent enrichment of uranium to weapons-grade levels.

Trump's post said the agreement “will be approved, but is totally subject to Saudi Arabia joining the very respected and successful Abraham Accords.” He added that “The United States is not opposed to Civil (Non-Enriched) Nuclear Facilities.”

The Saudis have made clear that normalizing relations with Israel would first require the establishment of a clear path for Palestinian statehood. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dismissed the idea of Palestinian statehood.

Trump has sought to build on the 2020 agreements, which expanded the number of Arab states with diplomatic ties with Israel.

The deal is expected to last 30 years and involve U.S. firms in the program’s development. It could allow for the building of a uranium enrichment facility in Saudi Arabia following a joint U.S.-Saudi study, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The agreement is expected to be submitted to Congress for review.

The agreement does not include the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Additional Protocol, which would allow for more monitoring, inspections and verification, according to a second person familiar with the decision.

The oil-rich kingdom’s Energy Ministry on Wednesday said the agreement bolsters “efforts to diversify energy sources, advance cutting-edge technologies, and expand opportunities for cooperation and investment in ways that serve the mutual interests of the two friendly countries.”

Enrichment isn’t an automatic path to a nuclear weapon — a nation also must master other steps, including the use of synchronized high explosives, for instance. But it does open the door to weaponization, which has fueled concerns over Iran’s program.

Futures for the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.6%. Nasdaq futures slid 0.8%.

Alphabet Inc., the parent company of Google, sank 4% after the European Union hit the company with a fine of 890 million euros ($1 billion). EU regulators 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.

News of the fine came a day after Alphabet posted stronger-than-expected results for its second quarter, a sign that its massive artificial intelligence spending spree may be paying off.

Tesla shares slid 5.6% in off-hours trading after the car company run by Elon Musk said it shoveled more money into research and development, cutting into profits that were lifted by a sharp increase in vehicle sales.

Investors are looking for signs that the deluge of dollars going into processors, computer memory and other building blocks of the AI boom will yield enough profits to make the investments worthwhile. Such worries have kept AI stocks at the center of Wall Street’s swings for weeks, though trading in that sector was muted early Thursday with most companies hovering near Wednesday's closing prices.

Companies in the defense sector got a boost after aerospace giant Lockheed Martin beat sales and profit forecasts, propelling its shares 5.5% in the premarket. RTX, which makes Patriot and Tomahawk cruise missiles, jumped 5.2% after it breezed past Wall Street targets and raised its guidance.

Rising oil prices are weighing on stocks because they make consumers more cautious about spending while raising costs for most businesses and erode their profits.

Airlines and other fuel-dependent companies usually get hit the hardest when energy prices are elevated. American Airlines fell 3.7% in premarket trading, even after beating profit forecasts on record revenue. The company said it expects third-quarter fuel expense to be up $1.7 billion year over year. That helped drag shares of other airlines lower, including Delta and United.

Southwest also posted strong quarterly results on Thursday, but its shares sank more than 4% after it trimmed expectations for the current quarter, also blaming higher fuel expenses.

Early Thursday, the price of a barrel of Brent crude oil, the international standard, was up 4.9% to $98.64, its highest level since early June.

It had fallen to less than $72 earlier this month, roughly where it was before the war with Iran. But continued fighting is preventing oil tankers from using the Strait of Hormuz to exit the Persian Gulf. Normally, a fifth of all oil and natural gas traded passes through the narrow strait.

U.S. benchmark crude gained $3.83 to $90.66 a barrel, also its highest level in six weeks.

Higher oil prices are threatening a reacceleration of inflation, which could push the Federal Reserve and other central banks to raise interest rates, slowing economies and undercutting prices for stocks and other investments.

Elsewhere, in Europe at midday Germany's DAX lost 0.9%, the CAC 40 in Paris shed 1.3% and Britain's FTSE 100 was 0.3% lower.

Asian shares mostly rose, led by South Korea’s Kospi, which gained 4.4% to 7,096.89.

In Tokyo, the Nikkei 225 picked up 0.5% to 66,422.60. Technology companies led gains, with stocks in SoftBank Group climbing 3.8%.

The U.S. dollar was trading at 163.36 yen as the Japanese currency wavered near its lowest level in 40 years. Expectations that the gap between U.S. interest rates and Japanese interest rates will widen due to higher inflation in the U.S. have helped to drive the dollar higher against the yen.

Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 1.3% to 25,210.81. The Shanghai Composite index bounced back from earlier losses to gain 0.3%, closing at 3,876.78.

In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.2% to 8,839.00.

Taiwan's Taiex edged 0.1% higher and the Sensex in India fell 0.6%.

Alberto Barbera, the festival's artistic director, unveiled the lineup Thursday for the 83rd edition of the festival, the first of many in a busy fall film season that culminates in the Hollywood awards showdown. Like the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, the selection is lighter on Hollywood studio films than in years past.

“Wild Horse Nine,” starring John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell as CIA agents in Chile before the 1973 coup, is among the higher-profile titles playing in competition. It will play alongside “Primetime,” in which Pattinson stars as “To Catch a Predator” host Chris Hansen. The broader slate has anticipated documentaries like Alex Gibney's “Musk,” a sweeping portrait of the billionaire, and Julia Loktev’s “My Undesirable Friends: Part II — Exile,” which follows Russian independent journalists after they leave the country. Similar to the first part, it runs 355 minutes.

The festival's main competition includes a diverse array of international and American films, like Werner Herzog’s “Bucking Fastard,” in which sisters Rooney and Kate Mara play identical twins.

Also on the program are Florian Zeller’s thriller “Bunker,” with Bardem and Cruz playing a married couple, Lee Chang-dong’s “Possible Love,” Stéphane Brizé’s “A Good Little Soldier” and Hirokazu Kore-eda’s “Look Back,” a coming of age story about two girls who dream of being manga artists. Casey Affleck will be in competition for the first time with “Company,” starring Nick Nolte and Ben Mendelsohn. Nanni Moretti also returns for the first time since 1989.

Notable documentary premieres out of competition include “Oasis: Don't Look Back in Anger,” Barbara Kopple’s “Union Town,” Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin's “Everest: The Other Side,” Luca Guadagnino’s seven-hour Bernardo Bertolucci film “Joie de Vivre,” Wim Wenders' look at architect Peter Zumthor, Russell Crowe’s autobiographical musical concert movie, “What Love Builds,” and Laura Poitras’s short about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Minneapolis, “They're Here.”

Barbera said he expects Noel and Liam Gallagher to attend on behalf of the film, which was directed by Steven Knight and will be in theaters soon after, on Sept. 11.

The festival is set to open on Sept. 2 with Danny Boyle’s “Ink,” an adaptation of James Graham’s stage play which dramatizes the rise of media tycoon Rupert Murdoch. “Ink” is also playing in the main competition and in the running for awards such as the Golden Lion, a prize that is decided upon by a jury led this year by filmmaker and actor Maggie Gyllenhaal. Other jurors include filmmakers like Kaouther Ben Hania, Johnnie To and Shahrbanoo Sadat and composer Daniel Blumberg.

Gyllenhaal has a film playing as well: A Marilyn Monroe-inspired short, “Flesh Impact,” in which Dakota Johnson and Ellen Burstyn “give body and voice to the myth of Marilyn,” Barbera said. The 93-year-old Burstyn will also get a lifetime achievement award from the festival.

Venice has in the last 15 years proved a desirable launching pad for Oscar hopefuls, even if not everything breaks through. Last year’s edition had plenty of star power in the lineup, with Julia Roberts, George Clooney and Dwayne Johnson movies among the splashy premieres. But the glow of the festival moment was short-lived: The films, “After the Hunt,” “Jay Kelly” and “The Smashing Machine,” were neither triumphant with audiences in theaters (“Jay Kelly” was a Netflix release) nor with awards voters.

Still, there’s usually a best picture nominee in the slate: Last year there were two in “Frankenstein” and “Bugonia.”

This year won’t be bereft of a Clooney moment either: The Venice regular is getting a lifetime achievement award.

India’s “Cockroach” protests began more than a month ago over alleged leaks in some of the country’s most competitive entrance exams for medical colleges and government jobs. The movement has since expanded beyond exam grievances, drawing professionals and families while channeling broader frustration.

Thursday’s demonstrations at Jantar Mantar, a designated protest site in New Delhi, followed overnight clashes in which police used tear gas and batons to disperse crowds, the second such confrontation this week.

On Monday, thousands of protesters had defied restrictions and marched toward Parliament before police broke up the demonstration with tear gas and batons.

Protesters regrouped by Thursday morning, returning to the protest site despite roadblocks, while authorities suspended Delhi Metro services at 16 stations across central New Delhi in an effort to limit access to the demonstrations.

Modi tries to contain protest fallout

The issue of exam leaks has become a powerful symbol of frustration for millions of young Indians. Protesters are demanding the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, examination system reforms and compensation for families of students who died by suicide after exam paper leaks.

Facing mounting pressure, Modi addressed the issue publicly for the first time Thursday, announcing fast-track courts to handle examination paper leak cases. Fast-track courts are special courts created to speed up cases in India’s notoriously slow justice system.

“Nothing is more important than the welfare and future of our youth!,” Modi wrote on X.

The announcement failed to calm protesters, who said Modi was not addressing their demands for accountability and reform.

“Rather than providing solution which is convenient for him, he should work toward a solution which is convenient for the nation and set an example,” law student Daksh Bhargava said.

Cockroach party stays true to satirical origins

Leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party, which launched the protest movement, said they would not end the demonstrations until the education minister resigned. Staying true to the movement’s tongue-in-cheek style, its founder, Abhijeet Dipke, responded by posting a meme of Pradhan captioned, “Hi, my name is Nothing.”

The Cockroach movement began as online satire campaign in May and moved to the streets in June through smaller protests across cities. It gained momentum after prominent activist Sonam Wangchuk joined the demonstration and began a hunger strike that has lasted more than three weeks. Police forcibly transferred Wangchuk to a hospital over the weekend.

Protests reflect rising youth anger

For many young Indians, the protests have become one of the few visible expressions of dissent in a country where demonstrations against Modi’s government have led to a broader crackdown on activists, opposition figures and public protests.

The movement’s rapid growth beyond student groups reflects wider frustration among young Indians and echoes a broader trend across South Asia, where young people have driven anti-government movements in recent years.

The movement also has gained a following among Indians of all ages over concerns about government accountability, unemployment and economic opportunity.

Opposition parties have backed the protests, using the issue to challenge the government in Parliament. Demonstrations and solidarity events have been held in other Indian cities, reflecting how the movement has spread beyond the capital.

India has one of the world’s youngest populations, with millions entering a labor market that has struggled to create enough secure, well-paying jobs. Despite years of rapid economic growth, many young people say their prospects have not improved.

As one of the country’s largest voting blocs, India’s youth could also become an increasingly important political force ahead of future elections.

Multiple agencies had made sustained and coordinated rescue efforts in the four days since a gas explosion ripped through the tunnel. Following the recovery of all the missing employees, teams carried out a final inspection of the tunnel, the state government of Sikkim said in a statement.

The blast occurred Monday at the 500-megawatt Teesta Hydroelectric Project about 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of the state capital Gangtok in the Himalayan state.

A buildup of methane gas triggered the explosion, trapping dozens of workers underground. Rescue efforts were hampered by the toxic gas inside, officials said.

The government said it formed a high-level committee to investigate the disaster and recommend safeguards against to prevent such accidents in the future.

Construction accidents are not uncommon in India, where rapid infrastructure growth often collides with fragile geology, construction lapses, extreme weather and safety standards.

The Teesta River basin, where the hydropower project is being built, lies in a seismically active region marked by young, fragile rock formations riddled with fractures and underground pockets that can trap ancient gases. Seismic activity and unpredictable underground conditions make tunnel projects especially risky in the region, according to experts.

A February explosion in a coal mine in neighboring Meghalaya state killed 18 workers. A tunnel section collapsed in 2023 in northern Uttarakhand state, trapping 41 workers for 17 days before they were rescued.

Officers were called to Plaza del Sol on Vine Street and North Hoagland Boulevard just before 11 p.m. When they arrived, they found a person behind the Ross store. That person was pronounced dead at the scene.

Officers blocked off much of the parking lot for several hours as they investigated. Evidence markers were visible on the ground, and officers moved in and out of the building throughout the night. Video from the scene shows the large police response that remained in place for hours before the scene was cleared.

The age and gender of the person found have not been released.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

If you’ve considered bike commuting but assumed you needed expensive gear and to be in excellent physical shape, or worried about arriving at work disheveled or smelly, there are ways to overcome those hurdles. Cycling can be a healthy, enjoyable and affordable way to a job site, especially at a time of elevated gasoline prices.

“It’s such a great, practical invention that I became enamored with as a little kid, and I find it just as valuable as a 72-year-old,” Roper, owner of the Hopleaf Bar and restaurant, said.

Below, experienced cyclists and bike safety advocates share tips on how to get started and arrive safely at your destination while still looking reasonably workplace-presentable.

You don't have to buy fancy equipment to commute by bike

Some cyclists splash out on pricey gear such as foldable bikes, premium padded shorts and waterproof bags. Specialty cycling equipment can be fun, but you can spend less and still have a great ride. If you don't want to purchase a bicycle, consider a bike-sharing program that rents two-wheelers for short rides.

Natalie Frank, 22, didn't have extra cash when she graduated from college and landed a job as a software engineer in the Boston office of technology company Topsort. She asked her friends if anyone had a bicycle they no longer wanted, and a free road bike was hers a few weeks later.

If the tires need air, she fills them using free pumps located in city parks.

“My commute costs zero dollars. That’s crazy,” Frank said.

Wash up and switch outfits to look presentable after a ride

Many cyclists reach their workplaces a few minutes early to freshen up and change into work clothes. Some bike commuters leave a spare set at their desks. Like many others, Frank carries clothing in a backpack along with her laptop.

Ellie Dannenberg, 37, a University of Denver math professor, commutes in gym clothes and carries a work outfit in panniers, which are storage bags and baskets that attach to a bicycle. She stashes a pair of work shoes in her office.

“Investing in pannier bags is a really great thing to do, especially for the commute to work when you probably don’t want to show up super sweaty,” Dannenberg said. “Backpacks are heavy, they’re more uncomfortable, and then you end up with a sweaty back when you get there.”

On Denver's wetter days, Dannenberg wears rain pants and a waterproof jacket that fits over her helmet.

Some office buildings have showers for washing up, but many don't. Keeping body wipes, rinse-free cleanser or deodorant at work can help you feel polished.

Use helmets and positioning to protect yourself on roads

Cyclists and safety advocates strongly recommend wearing a helmet to protect your head in case of a crash. Wearing bright colors or reflective vests and attaching lights and reflectors to the bicycle improves visibility.

Roper wears a yellow-green helmet and has front and rear lights that flash. “You really can't fail to see me,” he said.

To ensure you’re seen when traveling on smaller roads without bike lanes, ride in the middle of the lane, and if you’re at a stop light, go to the front of the traffic, Dannenberg suggested.

Watch out for black ice in the winter. “If you’re running late and there’s ice on the road, it’s worth it to slow down around the corners,” Dannenberg added.

The League of American Bicyclists has videos on its website covering traffic safety and hand signals, which cyclists can use to communicate when they’re turning or stopping.

New riders may want to find a biking companion who can point out safer, less congested routes.

“It’s nice to have a buddy if you know someone who’s commuting by bike in the vicinity that you’re going,” said Alison Dewey, education director at The League of American Bicyclists. “Maybe the most enjoyable route is just going another half-mile in this direction and getting on a trail instead of a more direct way. Someone who’s more experienced might know that.”

Some riders prefer electric bikes with a pedal-assist feature that provides a boost when they want to keep pace with traffic. After stopping at intersections, e-bikes help cyclists get going again, Dewey said.

Watch out for obstacles and swinging car doors to stay safe

When riding next to parked cars, leave space between yourself and those vehicles so you don't get “doored” — a common cycling collision that happens when someone opens a car door in a moving rider's path.

The League of American Bicyclists recommends staying four feet away from parked cars, even if it means positioning yourself outside of a marked bike lane. “It’s more important to be out of the ‘door zone’ than to be in the bike lane,” Dewey said.

Scan parked cars to see if anyone's inside, and if you notice a driver or passenger, move over, because you don't want to be next to that door when it opens, Dewey said.

If you do get into a crash with a car, call the police, gather information to identify the driver and don't hesitate to get medical treatment, advised Daniel Flanzig, a lawyer who is board president of the New York Bicycling Coalition, a nonprofit which advocates for bicycle-friendly policies.

“Be vigilant when you’re riding,” he said. “Things can come at you as a cyclist. Whether it’s a car or a pothole or a road defect, there’s a lot of hazards out there that we have to keep our head on the swivel for.”

Savor the exhilaration of riding outside

Starting the day with outdoor exercise helps many riders show up to work refreshed and energized.

“Biking is genuinely probably one of the best parts of my day. I get to listen to music. I get to be by myself. I get to think,” Frank said. “Biking feels like it’s reclaiming some of the autonomy of my day, like the joy and whimsy of moving around, especially in the city."

Dewey, 52, enjoys views of the Potomac River as she pedals 16 miles to work.

“It brings me a lot of happiness to just ride,” Dewey said. “Being outside is just always good for my emotional health. And honestly, I like being under my own power.”

___

Share your stories and questions about workplace wellness at cbussewitz@ap.org. Follow AP’s Be Well coverage, focusing on wellness, fitness, diet and mental health at https://apnews.com/hub/be-well

Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, referred Smith to the Justice Department on allegations he made false statements during closed-door testimony about whether he had obtained records of lawmakers while investigating Trump's efforts to overturn his 2020 presidential election loss.

The referral, sent Wednesday, centers on a December 2025 exchange in which Smith was asked about subpoenas that prosecutors had issued for the toll records of some Republican lawmakers as part of the investigation. Toll records show the time, date, length of call and phone numbers involved but do not reveal the content of the communication.

“Did the toll records that you requested from the Senators, did they include the content of the phone calls?” Smith was asked.

“No,” he said. He again answered no when asked whether the toll records he had requested included the content of text messages.

Jordan, in his referral, says that that answer was misleading in light of newly released records from Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa showing that Smith had obtained the contents of 44 lawmakers' text messages in a separate subpoena to the National Archives and Records Administration that sought the communications of various Trump advisers and aides.

“The responses provided by Mr. Smith gave the impression that neither Mr. Smith nor his team had access to the content of Members’ privileged text messages. We now know this to be false,” Jordan wrote.

In a letter to Jordan and Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, Smith's lawyers called his answers “unimpeachably truthful” and noted that he was responding explicitly to questions about toll records, which did not include the contents of any text messages.

A criminal referral to the Justice Department from Congress or any other party has no legal authority and does not compel prosecutors to act. But the department under the Trump administration has proved to be eager to investigate and in some cases prosecute foes of the president. Smith is certainly one such adversary, with Trump having called him “deranged” and urging his prosecution.

“During his testimony, Mr. Smith provided truthful, responsive answers and candidly discussed his work as Special Counsel,” wrote Smith's lawyers, Peter Koski and Lanny Breuer. “This referral reflects a chilling eagerness to weaponize the justice system by attacking a career, nonpartisan public servant who faithfully and fearlessly performed his duties by following the facts and the law.”

The Justice Department in a statement Wednesday night confirmed receipt of the referral and said it “will investigate all evidence of criminal conduct.”

Smith charged Trump with conspiring to undo the election he lost to Democrat Joe Biden and with hoarding classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, after his first term in the White House. Smith abandoned both prosecutions after Trump's election win in November 2024, citing longstanding Justice Department opinions that say sitting presidents cannot face federal indictment.

Smith resigned from the Justice Department in early 2025, 10 days before Trump was inaugurated again.

Scott Gardner, 33, is accused of leaving his son, Sebastian, in a truck for more than three hours on June 6, 2025, while he got a haircut and then spent nearly three hours drinking at Hanky Panky’s Lounge, according to the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office.

Medical personnel estimated Sebastian’s body temperature reached 111 degrees. Gardner did not call 911 until he drove home, deputies said.

Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said Gardner later returned to the bar with his mother after Sebastian was pronounced dead. Gardner also initially provided several false accounts of what happened that day.

News 6 will be in court for the plea hearing and will provide updates.

It 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 President Donald Trump, who has lashed out at the 27-nation bloc’s digital regulations amid 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.

In the past, Trump has 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 blasted the fine as “product degradation driven by a small group of self-serving complainants” that will have a negative impact on European businesses and consumers.

He said that 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 the world’s seven 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 in 2025.

Rubio, who held talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, said Moscow and Kyiv should have the incentive to end a “very bloody war” that has devastated both sides.

Rubio alluded to how U.S.-mediated talks have stalled, calling them “unsuccessful or at least unfruitful” in the past but insisted that President Donald Trump was committed to the work “if conditions and factors have changed to make that possible.”

“That’s been the challenge — an end that both sides can accept. And we’ve tried and we’ll continue to try to see if we can, you know, find a middle ground that brings this about. And we’re prepared to play that role if the opportunity presents itself,” Rubio told reporters.

Rubio met Lavrov and several other leaders, including China's foreign minister, on the sidelines of an annual gathering by foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Manila.

America's top diplomat said the U.S. is focused on Asia even as it steps up fighting with Iran, seeks a pathway to end Russia's war in Ukraine and pressures the Cuban government to make changes.

ASEAN talks focused on international conflicts

Three days of closed-door talks that started Tuesday have centered on the escalating war in the Middle East and tensions in the South China Sea, where a new clash flared Thursday.

“There’s always going to be a concern that America is so focused on one place that it can’t focus on another,” Rubio told reporters. But he said the U.S. remains “engaged in Asia every single day,” citing strong partnerships and economic ties across the region.

After meeting with Rubio, Lavrov largely ignored questions from reporters. The Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow said he emphasized to Rubio “the unacceptability of further arming” Ukraine and accused European countries of pursuing Russia’s “strategic defeat.”

Lavrov reiterated Russia’s readiness for “a political and diplomatic resolution of the conflict” and commitment to agreements reached at a summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump in Alaska last year, the Russian ministry said.

But Rubio said “we’ll have to find new suggestions and new ideas” that are acceptable to both sides for a peace deal. There has been no change to Washington’s military support for Ukraine, with weapons being purchased by NATO allies and transferred to the war-ravaged country, he said.

U.S. efforts to broker an end to the Russia-Ukraine war have been overshadowed by the outbreak of the Iran war earlier this year. Renewed strikes by Washington and Tehran have been intensifying after an interim ceasefire deal collapsed.

“The price will continue to get higher every single night until they come to their senses,” Rubio said. He insisted Tehran is “begging” for talks but Trump does not see the use in responding because “Iran is clearly not ready to make a deal, at least not one they’re willing to live by.”

Trump has warned Iran that the U.S. will destroy one Iranian bridge or power plant each time Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded by saying the country’s defense doctrine was an “eye for an eye.”

“The president’s policy is a head for an eye,” Rubio said. “They will pay a very heavy price for the things they’re doing.”

China defends maritime military actions

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong renewed her country's alarm over the Chinese navy’s recent test-launch of a missile from a nuclear-powered submarine in the region, saying the lack of notification to the Philippines and Pacific nations where the missile flew over and landed was destabilizing.

“It comes in the context of a rapid military build-up of China’s nuclear arsenal without the transparency or reassurance the region expects,” Wong told a university forum in Manila on Thursday. “This is why Australia has described the test as provocative and destabilizing.”

China has defended its actions, saying the launch was part of annual exercises and that it gave countries in the area appropriate notice in advance.

Rubio had a long meeting Wednesday with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Rubio told reporters that he and Wang discussed a new altercation this week between Chinese and Filipino forces in a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims virtually in its entirety. Rubio called the incident “escalatory.”

“Those need to be managed very carefully, because obviously, a conflict — be it economic or otherwise — between the U.S. and China would have a dramatic global impact,” Rubio said.

He also said they talked a lot about Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s planned trip in September, noting he believes Xi will have a “very positive visit when he comes to Washington.”

In Beijing, the Chinese coast guard said it took necessary measures, including monitoring and blocking, to drive away two Philippine ships that disregarded repeated warnings from the Chinese side in a fresh confrontation Thursday. China said its operations were professional and lawful and urged the Philippines to stop its provocative actions infringing on Chinese territory.

The Philippine coast guard, however, said the two fishing vessels were harassed while bringing fuel aid to Filipino fishermen in the Scarborough shoal. It said a Chinese coast guard ship tried to spray one vessel with a powerful water cannon but missed, calling these “illegal, coercive and aggressive actions.”

The Trump administration has repeatedly criticized China’s assertive actions in the South China Sea to the disadvantage of smaller claimant countries like the Philippines, Washington’s oldest treaty ally in Asia. Taiwan and ASEAN members Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei have also been involved in the often-tense territorial standoffs.

ASEAN aims to conclude yearslong negotiations with China on a proposed non-aggression pact by this year, according to a draft of a joint communiqué seen by The Associated Press. The so-called code of conduct aims to prevent a major conflict in the disputed waters, a key global trade route, that could draw in the United States.

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Associated Press journalists Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Ken Moritsugu in Beijing, Haruka Nuga in Bangkok and Fu Ting in Washington contributed to this report.

Thursday

A much drier air mass has moved into Central Florida, limiting shower and thunderstorm development Thursday. Aside from a few isolated coastal showers early this morning and a stray inland storm later this afternoon, most communities will stay dry.

Highs will reach the low 90s along the coast, while much of the I-4 corridor warms into the mid to upper 90s. Heat index values will still top 100 to 105 degrees.

Friday

Moisture begins returning Friday, bringing scattered (30-40%) afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms back to much of Central Florida. The highest rain chances will be from the Orlando metro southward, while areas farther north may stay a little drier.

A few stronger storms could produce frequent lightning, wind gusts over 40 mph, and locally heavy downpours.

Weekend outlook

The forecast calls for a return to a more typical Florida summer pattern this weekend as winds shift out of the southwest and deeper tropical moisture spreads across the state.

Scattered to numerous afternoon and evening thunderstorms (40-50%) are expected Saturday through early next week, with the greatest coverage likely from Orlando southward and along the east coast during the late afternoon and evening as sea breezes collide.

While rain chances increase, the heat isn’t going anywhere. High temperatures will remain in the low to mid 90s for most locations, with parts of the interior climbing into the upper 90s Saturday. Heat index values could approach Heat Advisory levels in some areas, especially inland.

The event, held at Lake Buena Vista High School, was organized by CareerSource Central Florida and Orange County Commissioner Nicole Wilson. It was initially planned for displaced Spirit employees but later expanded to include anyone struggling to find work.

Anya Alexandrova, who spent six years with the airline, said she still carries her Spirit lanyard and badge on her purse as a reminder of the job she did not expect to lose.

“We had an amazing team and I miss them all,” Alexandrova said.

Alexandrova said the loss became real when she arrived at work and saw flights canceled across the terminals.

“Walking into every terminal and seeing that every flight was canceled — it was terrifying,” she said.

Despite the abrupt layoffs, Alexandrova said events like the job fair have helped her feel supported.

“Things like this, events like this … you feel the support,” she said.

Wilson said the goal is to help people regain stability and connect with employers as they work to rebuild after a sudden disruption to their income.

“We want to make sure that we can still attain that for people’s quality of life, for their future reliability on a paycheck,” Wilson said.

Employers and organizations set up booths in the school cafeteria, where attendees exchanged resumes, asked questions and, in some cases, interviewed on the spot.

For Alexandrova, the job fair represented a step toward what she hopes is a fresh start.

For more information on CareerSource job fairs, click here.

The attack announced this week by OpenAI, which blamed rogue AI models, underscored the blistering growth in the technology’s capabilities. For many, it also added urgency to questions about whether and how it can be prevented from causing mayhem on a bigger scale, with more serious consequences.

In what OpenAI called an “unprecedented” episode, the company said its advanced AI models used stolen credentials to break into the servers of an AI startup. It started in what was supposed to be a “highly isolated” testing environment, with reduced guardrails, before the AI agent found its way onto the internet.

But the disclosure brought a told-you-so moment for researchers who have called for a slowdown of AI development and warned for years that the technology could pose existential risks to humanity. In its wake, experts have called for improved testing by the AI companies and more dialogue between the U.S. and China to come up with shared solutions.

“I think we’ve got to take this as a warning shot to not make them smarter, and that probably is going to require global collaboration,” said Nate Soares, co-author of the 2025 book “If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies.”

The hack could pressure companies to improve containment

If a model can decide to do something unethical, illegal or harmful on its own, what — if anything — can humans do to prevent it from doing so?

OpenAI said it had tasked the AI models involved with pursuing “advanced exploitation using complex attack paths” to test cyber capabilities, but the technology went to unexpected lengths. It apparently decided on its own to target Hugging Face, a well-known AI development hub and marketplace, to obtain information it needed to carry out a task.

Zahra Timsah, the co-founder and CEO of governance platform i-GENTIC AI, said she expects the incident to increase pressure on OpenAI and its competitors to complete rigorous testing and explore containment more thoroughly before AI systems are made accessible to the public.

Monitoring an agent’s behavior after the fact, as OpenAI is now doing with its investigation, is no longer enough, she said. “It’s like having a seat belt, air bags, brakes, everything in the car. It should be there before the car starts driving,” Timsah said.

The disclosure comes amid heightened concerns about the cybersecurity capabilities of powerful models. In June, President Donald Trump signed an executive order creating a framework for the federal government to vet the national security risks of the most advanced AI systems for up to a month before their public release.

Other experts see the event as a sign of AI's growing pains

Some experts say the hack is part of the trial and error that comes with improving cybersecurity capabilities and is no cause for panic.

“We’ve been dealing with people creating cybersecurity attacks for as long as the internet has existed. And one of the interesting properties of these language models is that the same capabilities that make them able to perform cybersecurity attacks also allow them to do cybersecurity threat analysis and make cybersecurity defenses,” said John Thickstun, an assistant professor of computer science at Cornell University who studies methods that control the behavior of AI models.

The disclosure has raised skepticism from those who say it advantages OpenAI to make its technology seem scarier. Given that humans at OpenAI had decided to turn off some safeguards for the test, some have argued the outcome should not have been terribly surprising.

Thickstun noted the disclosure plays into the need of OpenAI, a startup working toward a Wall Street debut, to raise money.

“The story that they’ve been consistently telling over the lifetime of this company is a story about how dangerous their models are, which their investors read as a story of how powerful their language models are,” he said.

The disclosure renews calls for more regulation

The hack renewed calls in some corners for increased regulations and oversight of AI companies.

U.S. Rep. Greg Casar, a Texas Democrat, wrote on social media: “We need regular mandatory independent safety testing and oversight, mandatory disclosure of security incidents, and international cooperation to keep people safe from absolute disaster.”

Soares, director of the Machine Intelligence Research Institute, said the U.S. will need to open talks with its biggest AI competitor, China, something he thinks is not as outlandish as it might have seemed even a year ago. China’s leader Xi Jinping warned at a conference just last week of the need to keep AI from evading human control. And after an early aversion to regulating AI, Trump’s administration has grown more restrictive at reining in cybersecurity risks.

“A lot can change when the national security community starts to notice that they have a serious threat,” Soares said. “Will this wake them up? Hopefully. I’m not sure. If this doesn’t, maybe the next incident will.”

AI pioneer Yoshua Bengio said on social media the episode is deeply concerning and should serve as a “wake-up call.”

“Continuing on the current trajectory of AI development will likely lead to an increase in concrete cases of autonomous cyberattacks as well as other high-risk incidents of misaligned and dangerous AI behavior,” said Bengio, a professor at the University of Montreal. “We urgently need to take action to prevent these situations, rather than attempting to clean up the damage after the fact.”

The Marion County Sheriff’s Office announced on Thursday that Teresa Capps Martyn has been found safe.

PREVIOUS STORY:

Marion County Sheriff’s Office deputies are searching for a missing woman who was last seen in the early morning hours Wednesday in Dunnellon.

Teresa Capps Martyn was last seen at approximately 4:30 a.m. on July 22 in the 5100 block of SW Azalea Court in Dunnellon, where witnesses reported she was yelling for help.

Vehicle Found Abandoned in Rainbow Park Estates

Deputies later located Martyn’s vehicle abandoned on the side of the road in the Rainbow Park Estates area. Her phone and wallet were still inside the vehicle.

A spokesperson for the MCSO told News 6 that it’s possible she was intoxicated or under the influence when she got out of her car.

Deputies also confirmed that Martyn was last spotted at a Circle K located at SW 60th Ave. and W. Highway 40 around 7:40 a.m. She left that location on foot.

Martyn was last seen wearing a red crop top, a white skirt, and red-and-black Jordan sneakers. Investigators note that one of her shoes was found near the location where she was last seen — she may be wearing only one shoe or may be barefoot.

Call 911 With Any Information

Anyone who has seen Teresa Capps Martyn or has information about her whereabouts is asked to call 911 immediately.

Should the trend continue, it would push the annual homicide rate to the lowest levels in over a century once final numbers are released at the end of the year.

The report, released Thursday, tracked 13 crimes and recorded drops in nine of those categories, including carjackings, residential burglary and aggravated assaults. There was a small jump in shoplifting, domestic violence incidents, sexual assaults and drug offenses over the same period between 2025 and 2026, the report showed.

Experts say the broadly positive changes are exceeding expectations, improving on baseline crime rates from before 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic, which brought historic surges in violence.

Democrats and Republicans across the country have tried to capitalize on the positive developments during a competitive midterm election year. But the trends documented in the report carry through in cities with leadership across the political spectrum.

That suggests the most significant factors contributing to the improvements are taking place nationwide and are not specific to a single local public safety measure, said Adam Gelb, the president and CEO of the Council on Criminal Justice, a nonpartisan think tank for criminal justice policy and research.

“Murder and other crime rates are falling across the map in cities with different political leadership, different housing and economic conditions, different policing and prosecution and violence reduction strategies and different levels of federal enforcement activity,” Gelb said.

The council collects data from police departments and other law enforcement sources. Some of the report categories include data from as many as 36 cities, while others include fewer cities in their totals because of tracking gaps or differences in definitions for specific crimes.

Notably, Gelb said that a significant number of violent crimes were less deadly: There was a 23% drop in the lethality of the crimes committed, which is measured by the share of serious violent crime that is fatal.

Many of the non-violent crimes tracked in the report also saw declines, including a 13% drop in residential burglaries year over year and a 50% drop in burglaries compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019. At the same time, reported shoplifting bucked the trends of other property crimes, showing a 5% increase. And while there was a small increase in drug offenses, those were still lower than pre-pandemic levels.

Roughly a third of the 30 sampled cities defied average homicide rate declines across the country, recording an increase in deadly violence from the first half of 2025 to the same period in 2026. That includes Norfolk, Virginia, which saw a 64% increase in homicides, and San Francisco, which saw a 55% increase. The number of cities that saw a longer-term increase was far smaller: Only Norfolk, Austin, Pittsburgh and Minneapolis experienced more homicides in 2026 than in the same period in 2019.

There are many factors that could impact why a location sees increases or decreases in certain crimes when another doesn't, according to John Roman, director of the Center on Public Safety and Justice at the National Opinion Research Center from the University of Chicago.

Roman said that conservative politicians affiliated with President Donald Trump will point to intensified immigration crackdowns and the deployment of the National Guard in cities like Los Angeles and Memphis, whereas liberal politicians might point to former Democratic President Joe Biden's public safety legislation that strengthened background checks on firearm sales.

But ultimately, Roman said, the best explanations transcend specific administrations. That ranges from decreased drug usage and therefore fewer purchases from illegal markets, which are often linked to violence, to an influx of federal funding for localities after the pandemic that was spent on social programming.

Those programs, Roman said, often funded jobs like teachers and social workers who primarily work with “young people who are the highest risk of violence and victimization.”

While both Gelb and Roman concurred that there wasn't a single reason, Gelb said the outcomes should be studied for future insights and celebrated.

“This is one of the most significant public safety developments in decades. It means lives are being saved, families are spared trauma and communities are regaining stability,” Gelb said.

A News 6 investigation found one Orlando woman paid $125 to a third-party website, only to receive the same PDF available for free on the official U.S. government site.

Alex needed to renew her passport before a Caribbean trip. She typed “passport renewal” into a search engine and clicked the first link that appeared, a sponsored result for a site called uspassportandvisa.org, believing she was on an official government page.

“I was wanting to take a trip this month to the Caribbean for the summer,” Alex said.

Alex filled out her application directly on the uspassportandvisa.org website. When she finished, the site emailed her a PDF of the completed form — the same form she could have downloaded and filled out herself for free at the official U.S. government site. She still had to submit the application to the State Department on her own. She only realized her mistake when she checked her credit card statement.

“When I went on my bank statement, this is what appeared — Easy Form Filler,” Alex said. “That’s not even a government official site.”

Alex contacted the site and received a refund.

In response to her complaints, uspassportandvisa.org states its role is to ensure applications are accurate and ready for submission to the U.S. Department of State. However, the site does not submit the application to the State Department on the user’s behalf.

The site also posts a disclaimer at the top of its webpage stating it is a privately owned organization not associated with any government agency.

But Better Business Bureau CEO Holly Salmons says most people miss it, especially when using a phone.

“They believed that they were on a government site,” Salmons said. “They believed they were completing the standard traditional process. And it wasn’t until they had submitted their information and given the money that they realized really all they were getting back in return was a completed form, that they then had to still process and submit themselves.”

Salmons says sponsored search results are a key part of the problem. When a result says “sponsored” at the top of a search page, that is paid ad placement, not an endorsement by the search engine.

“It can be really tempting to just go to a search engine, plug it in and click and go,” Salmons said. “But consumers should note that those sponsored results at the top of the page — that is essentially a paid ad.”

Domain records show uspassportandvisa.org launched in January of last year. Since then, the Better Business Bureau has logged more than 700 complaints against the site.

Salmons warns the risks go beyond losing money.

“Not only are these people not getting what they expect, they’re giving money, they’re giving very personal information to who knows who,” she said. “Consumers reported feeling very afraid or unassured about what’s going to happen now that my information is out there.”

She also notes that some consumers’ credit cards flagged the transaction as fraudulent before the consumer even realized what happened, providing a layer of protection that debit cards and payment apps do not offer.

“Even though the money may not be gone, even though the transaction may not have gone through, there is currency assigned to the value of our personal information,” Salmons said. “Where that information is going to go, how it’s going to be traded or sold, is unclear.”

The BBB is also tracking a broader trend: more copycat sites are appearing.

“If it works, there are going to be copycats,” Salmons said. “We want consumers to be aware, especially when doing a search online, to really inspect the search results.”

Ryan Dooley, Acting Managing Director for Passport Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, says there is one official website for passport services: travel.state.gov.

“That is the only official website for passport-related information,” Dooley said. “All the forms are on that site, they can be downloaded, filled out, and brought into one of our passport application acceptance facilities.”

Dooley says the State Department anticipates processing more than 23 million passport applications this year. For first-time applicants, the process starts at a local passport acceptance facility, such as a post office or clerk of court, where applicants bring their DS-11 application, passport photo, proof of citizenship, and valid ID. Routine processing takes four to six weeks; expedited processing takes two to three weeks.

Adults renewing a passport can use the State Department’s online renewal system at travel.state.gov, which allows applicants to take their own photo using a laptop or smartphone.

Dooley says third-party sites charging fees for forms is a known issue.

“Those companies charge a fee for the same service that we can provide you without that additional fee,” he said. “We want to make sure that all Americans reach our services directly.”

For travelers in Central Florida with urgent travel needs — typically defined as travel within a matter of days — the current option is to make an appointment at the Miami Passport Agency.

That is about to change. Dooley announced that the State Department plans to open an official passport agency in Orlando. The agency is expected to open in the fall of 2027, just north of the Orlando International Airport.

“Those citizens in the Orlando area who have urgent travel will no longer have to go to Miami for an urgent passport,” Dooley said. “We know that South Florida is a growing population and we’re really happy to be able to eventually open that passport agency to help your viewers.”

Both the State Department and the BBB stress the same bottom line: the passport application and renewal form process is free of charge. You will pay government fees to obtain or renew a passport, but there is no cost to download, complete, or submit the application form itself.

Salmons recommends completing the process on a laptop or desktop — not a phone — so you can clearly inspect the site’s address bar and look for red flags before submitting any personal information.

“Prevention is really the measure,” Salmons said, “because it’s unclear what’s going to happen once you hit submit.”

The official U.S. State Department passport website is travel.state.gov.

Travelers can also contact the National Passport Information Center at 1-877-487-2778 for assistance.

Shah, an emergency physician, will face Republican Jay Feely, a former NFL kicker who was endorsed by President Donald Trump in his primary, in the fall. Before becoming political opponents, Feely and Shah were part of the same team — the New York Jets. Shah was a doctor on the sidelines, while Feely was the kicker.

The DCCC backed Marlene Galán-Woods, a former Republican who switched parties at the beginning of Trump’s first term.

The competition for the 1st Congressional District, an affluent area that includes northeast Phoenix, Scottsdale, Fountain Hills and Paradise Valley, is expected to help determine control of the U.S. House. Although Republicans hold a voter registration advantage, the district has shifted toward the center over the last decade.

The seat is open because Republican Rep. David Schweikert ran for governor, losing to Rep. Andy Biggs in the GOP primary on Tuesday.

The DCCC's decision to endorse Galán-Woods, a former television journalist in Phoenix, puzzled local Democrats because there was little ideological difference between her and Shah. Both are moderates, and the race was not a proxy fight in the party's deepening feud between progressives and centrists.

“Our victory in this primary was a grassroots victory where Arizona voters made their voices heard,” Shah said Wednesday night in a statement that did not address the DCCC snub. “Now, it’s my job to earn the support of every voter in this district.”

Rep. Suzan DelBene, the DCCC Chair, issued a statement calling Feely an “extremist” and saying Shah “will always put his community first,” but did not address the controversy surrounding the support for Galán-Woods.

The National Republican Congressional Committee quickly released a digital ad Wednesday attacking Shah, labeling him a socialist and tying him to progressives in Congress.

“I’m a political outsider committed to delivering results,” Feely said in a statement.

The race was in some ways a replay of 2024, when Shah narrowly won in a crowded primary field that included Galán-Woods and lost in the general election. The DCCC did not endorse in the primary that year but backed Shah in the general.

The DCCC announced its support for Galán-Woods in May, when it added her to a list of candidates it was supporting in Republican-controlled districts. At the time, DelBene talked up Galán-Woods' experience in broadcast journalism but said nothing about Shah.

“I wasn’t exactly my party’s pick,” Shah told supporters Tuesday night. “And I was willing to stand up to that establishment. And that’s what the voters of this district want.”

Still, he has said he would work with the DCCC if nominated. He will need support from the party and its donors to win what's likely to be a tough race in a district Trump carried narrowly in 2024. Former Democratic President Joe Biden won the district in 2020 even as Schweikert was reelected.

Antiestablishment fervor has spooked congressional leaders, who fear that swing voters will see some insurgent candidates as too extreme and squander Democrats’ opportunity to take advantage of Trump’s unpopularity.

Last month progressive Randy Villegas beat a DCCC-backed candidate for a top battleground district in California's Central Valley. And similarly in Maine, Matt Dunlap defeated a more moderate rival backed by the party.

DCCC support generally brings an influx of money and staffing, both from the party itself and from the donors and interest groups that take its cues. But establishment support has been a turnoff for some voters.

“The Democratic Party needs to grow up and wake up,” said Maria Liong, a 24-year-old medical student who volunteered for Shah’s campaign. “They need to realize that they want candidates who listen to their people.”

In the GOP primary, Feely defeated Joseph Chaplik, a former state lawmaker popular with grassroots activists, for the party's nomination. He was in the NFL with seven teams over 14 seasons, including with the Arizona Cardinals from 2010 to 2013. He became an NFL broadcaster after retiring in 2014.

Feely and Shah overlapped on the Jets during the 2008 and 2009 seasons, when Shah worked home games as an airway management physician, according to his campaign. Every NFL game has an airway management doctor on the sideline to intubate and resuscitate a catastrophically injured player.

“It’s an old relationship,” Feely said of Shah on Tuesday night, before it was clear which Democrat he would face in November. “But whoever it is, I want to do this the right way. I want to run this the right way.”

___

This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Rep. Suzan DelBene’s last name on first reference, from DeBene.

___

Associated Press writers Jacques Billeaud and Wufei Yu contributed.

This includes several proposals for amendments to the state constitution.

Many of these proposals involved property tax reform — a major focus of Gov. Ron DeSantis.

[RELATED: DeSantis discusses ‘Save Our Homes’ property tax plan]

One such amendment from a special session managed to garner approval from lawmakers, sending it to the ballot in November. It will need at least 60% support from voters during the general election to take effect.

But around 30 other proposals died in the Legislature this year, meaning that voters won’t get the chance to consider them.

The full list of these failed amendments is as follows:

HJR 11F — Homestead Exemptions

House Joint Resolution 11F would have increased the state’s homestead exemption from non-school property taxes, though not from certain local add-on taxes.

The amendment would also mandate the creation of a trust fund to replace funding lost as a result of this increased homestead exemption.

In addition, the amendment would prohibit local governments from reducing their public safety funding.

HJR 23D — State Reapportionment

House Joint Resolution 23D came about during the redistricting special session this year, and it would have changed how redistricting is performed.

For example, the bill would create three independent redistricting commissions and increase the number of legislative districts in the state.

HJR 27 — Local Term Limits

House Joint Resolution 27 would have set up term limits of 12 consecutive years for county commissioners and school board members.

After that 12-year limit, prospective candidates would have to wait four more years before running again.

HJR 201 — Eliminating Property Taxes

House Joint Resolution 201 would have established a homestead exemption for all non-school property taxes.

In addition, the amendment would prohibit local governments from reducing their law enforcement funding.

HJR 203 — Phased-Out Property Taxes

House Joint Resolution 203 would have increased the homestead exemption for non-school property taxes by $100,000 per year for 10 years.

Afterward, the amendment would make all homestead properties exempt from non-school property taxes beginning on Jan. 1, 2037.

In addition, the amendment would prohibit local governments from reducing their law enforcement funding.

HJR 205 — Property Tax Exemptions (Seniors)

House Joint Resolution 205 would exempt residents ages 65 and over from paying non-school taxes on their homes.

In addition, the amendment would prohibit local governments from reducing their law enforcement funding.

HJR 207 — Property Tax Exemptions (25%)

House Joint Resolution 207 would have applied a homestead exemption for non-school property taxes equal to 25% of the remaining assessed value after applying existing exemptions.

In addition, the amendment would prohibit local governments from reducing their law enforcement funding.

HJR 209 — Insured Home Exemptions

House Joint Resolution 209 would have increased homestead exemptions for non-school property taxes.

Under current law, the property tax exemptions are imposed as follows:

Instead of the $50,000 - $75,000 exemption range, though, HJR 209 would extend it to $25,000 - $200,000.

However, this only applies if the property is subject to a comprehensive homeowners insurance policy.

In addition, the amendment would prohibit local governments from reducing their funding for law enforcement, firefighters and first responders.

HJR 211 — Accrued Tax Benefits

House Joint Resolution 211 would have allowed the full value of the accrued benefit from special limitations on homestead property tax assessments to be transferred to a new homestead for non-school levies.

In addition, the amendment would prohibit local governments from reducing their law enforcement funding.

HJR 213 — Assessment Limits

House Joint Resolution 213 would have limited homestead assessment increases for non-school property taxes to once every three years.

The proposal also limits assessment increases for non-homestead properties to 15% once every three years.

In addition, the amendment would prohibit local governments from reducing their law enforcement funding.

SJR 270 — Property Tax Exemptions (Seniors)

Senate Joint Resolution 270 would have exempted residents ages 65 and over from paying non-school taxes on their homes.

This exemption applies to homes owned and maintained as a permanent residence for at least five years, with a household income of $350,000 or less (adjusted annually for inflation).

SJR 274 — Property Tax Exemptions (Long-Term)

Senate Joint Resolution 274 would have prevented the assessed value of properties from going up.

This prohibition would apply to properties that have been owned and lived in for at least 20 years.

The proposal would also grant properties an extra homestead tax exemption equal to 50% of their assessed values (not including school district levies) if they’ve been owned and lived in as a primary residence for at least 30 years.

SJR 278 — Assessed Value Limits (Homes)

Senate Joint Resolution 278 would have limited the assessed values of certain homes in the state.

More specifically, the proposal would apply to new homestead properties established after a change of ownership that had an assessed value of under $500,000 in the preceding year.

Under this amendment, the assessed value of such a property could not be raised by over 150% in a given year for property taxes.

SJR 282 — Assessed Value Limits (Businesses)

Senate Joint Resolution 282 would have limited the assessed value of real property used for commercial purposes by small businesses.

More specifically, the proposal would prevent the assessed value from rising by over 3% or the CPI percentage change — whichever is lower.

SJR 550 — Tangible Personal Property

Senate Joint Resolution 550 would have prohibited counties, school districts and municipalities from levying property taxes on tangible personal property.

An identical bill was filed in the House, though that one also died.

HJR 583 — Religious Expression

House Joint Resolution 583 sought to protect students’ and staff’s religious expression in Florida schools.

This includes the expression of religious beliefs in schoolwork, attire, prayer, activities, moments of silence and opening remarks at high school championship contests.

One of the main provisions in the amendment says that all first-period teachers must set aside 1-2 minutes daily for a moment of silence.

An identical bill was filed in the Senate, though that one also died.

HJR 619 — State Reapportionment

House Joint Resolution 619 would have revised the Florida reapportionment process by creating three independent redistricting commissions: one each for the House, Senate and congressional districts.

Each of these three commissions would be responsible for coming up with a reapportionment map, which the state Legislature must choose between.

A similar bill was filed in the Senate, though that one also died.

HJR 787 — Local Taxing Ban

House Joint Resolution 787 would have taken away the ability of counties and school districts to levy property taxes.

If approved, another bill associated with this proposal — HB 791 — would take effect at the same time as HJR 787.

HB 791 would impose a 5% transaction fee for all real estate sales, aimed at helping counties make up for any funding lost due to property tax cuts.

HJR 793 — Housing Inheritance

House Joint Resolution 793 provides that a transfer of homestead property by inheritance is not considered a change of ownership when it comes to homestead property assessment.

If approved, another bill associated with this proposal — HB 795 — would take effect at the same time as HJR 787.

HB 795 would clarify that upon the death of a homeowner, this transfer is considered between the owner and another who makes the property his/her homestead within one year.

An identical bill was filed in the Senate, though that one also died.

HJR 903 — Non-Homestead Valuations

House Joint Resolution 903 would have reduced the maximum percentage that the assessed value of non-homestead properties may be increased annually, from 10% to 3%.

HJR 947 — Reorganizing Government

House Joint Resolution 947 would have moved the seat of government from Tallahassee to within 100 miles of the population center of the state by 2043.

It also makes several other changes regarding the Legislature, including:

• Setting lawmaker salaries to the state’s median household income
• Establishes independent redistricting commissions to generate maps
• Expands the Legislature by tying the number of Senate and House districts to population, rather than fixed chamber sizes
• Authorizes recall elections for statewide officers and members of the Legislature

SJR 1364 — Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

Senate Joint Resolution 1364 would have revised the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s composition.

Under this proposal, the new standards for the FWC would be as follows:

• There must be nine qualified members, instead of just seven
• At least one commissioner must be a full-time resident of one of the five regional administrative divisions established by the FWC
• At least three commissioners must also have:
• • A postgraduate degree in the field of conservation, biology or wildlife management
  • Direct experience in fish/wildlife conservation or management

The amendment also set up a new schedule for implementing the revised membership of the FWC.

SJR 1406 — Constitutional Amendments

Senate Joint Resolution 1406 would have changed the number of voters needed to approve a constitutional amendment.

While Florida law currently requires 60% of voter approval for an amendment to pass, SJR 1406 would lower that threshold to a simple majority.

HJR 1411 — Lowered Property Values

House Joint Resolution 1411 would have prohibited any additional increases in the assessed value of properties in the state if the just valuation of such a property has gone down since the previous assessment.

This refers to homestead and non-homestead properties that are subject to the current 3% and 10% assessment limitations, respectively.

A similar bill was filed in the Senate, though that one also died.

HJR 1527 — Emergency Powers

House Joint Resolution 1527 refers to situations where the governor declares a state of emergency.

Under this amendment, if a state of emergency is required to be extended beyond 60 days, the governor may do so only if the Legislature authorizes it.

An identical bill was filed in the Senate, though that one also died.

In all, 14 eateries were told to shut down — at least temporarily.

Per health inspection records, these closures stemmed from problems with pests, storage issues, and time/temperature violations for certain foods, among various other concerns.

However, nearly all of the affected restaurants were ultimately allowed to reopen upon meeting inspection standards.

The full list of Central Florida eateries forced to close between July 13 - 19 is as follows:

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS

• 2 Hermanos Tacos & Burrito — 451 E. Altamonte Drive
• • Closed on July 15
  • • Five dead roaches found on premises
    • Over 20 live roaches found on premises
  • Met inspection standards on July 17

CLEARWATER

• Nautical Brews Pizza — 2481 N. McMullen Booth Road
• • Closed on July 15
  • • Two dead roaches found on the floor beneath the triple sink
    • Over 120 rodent droppings found on premises
    • Dishmachine chlorine sanitizer not at proper minimum strength
  • Met inspection standards on July 17

CLERMONT

• Crooked Spoon Gastropub — 200 Citrus Tower Blvd.
• • Closed on July 15
  • • Five dead roaches found on premises
    • Four live roaches found in dry storage beneath canned dry goods rack (operator was aware and had pest control come by)
    • Nine roach droppings found beneath canned dry goods shelf
    • Time violations for sweet onion jam, SoCo wing sauce, and bourbon cream
  • Met inspection standards on July 17
• Papa John’s Pizza — 4420 S. Hwy. 27
• • Closed on July 15
  • • Two dead roaches found in control device in hot water heater closet
    • One dead mouse found in trap in hot water heater closet
    • Twenty rodent droppings found in hot water heater closet
  • Follow-up inspection required as of July 16

EDGEWATER

• Jan & Lib’s Hi-Tops Lounge — 319 N. Ridgewood Ave.
• • Closed on July 13
  • • Steaks kept over beer in walk-in cooler
    • Nearly 40 rodent droppings found on premises
  • Met inspection standards on July 14

LADY LAKE

• Latin Flavors Bar and Grill — 13769 N. US Hwy. 441
• • Closed on July 14
  • • Over 80 dead roaches found on premises, along with one egg sac
    • Eight live roaches found on premises
    • Roach excrement found in white freezer gasket and hinge
    • Time/temperature violations for cooked pork, refried beans, and cooked rice
  • Met inspection standards on July 16

MELBOURNE

• Las Comays Lonchera (Food Truck) — 5559 N. Wickham Road
• • Closed on July 14
  • • Establishment operating with no potable running water
    • Time/temperature violations for pasta salad; salsa; cut melon; cooked rice; cooked pork; and cooked black beans
  • Met inspection standards on July 16

ORLANDO

• Uncle Dieu’s (Food Truck) — 9318 E. Colonial Drive
• • Closed on July 16
  • • Two dead roaches found on premises
    • Eight live roaches found on premises
    • Time/temperature violations for shell eggs and sliced American cheese
    • Glass cleaner stored next to soy sauce and stove
    • Raw shell eggs stored over sliced cheese in cooler
    • Owner touched green onions with bare hands
    • Leak from potable water tank creating standing water beneath the tank, leaking to the ground
    • Metal stem-type thermometer soiled
  • Met inspection standards on July 18

SANFORD

• Colorado’s Prime Steak — 3863 S. Orlando Drive
• • Closed on July 16
  • • Three dead roaches found on premises
    • Seventeen live roaches found on premises
    • Operating with an expired Division of Hotels and Restaurants license
  • Met inspection standards on July 17
• Mel’s Family Diner — 3221 S. Orlando Drive
• • Closed on July 15
  • • Seventeen rodent droppings found on premises
    • Rodent chew marks spotted on two potatoes inside potato bag
    • Operating with an expired Division of Hotels and Restaurants license
    • Dishmachine chlorine sanitizer not at proper minimum strength
    • Vacuum breaker missing at hose bib
  • Follow-up inspection required as of July 16

ST. PETERSBURG

• Hungry Howie’s Pizza and Subs — 6570 Central Ave.
• • Closed on July 16
  • • One dead roach found on premises
    • Eight rodent droppings found on premises (operator was aware of rodent issue; trap were set and an exterminator was hired)
    • Operator handled cellphone and continued engaging in food preparation without changing gloves and washing hands
  • Met inspection standards on July 17

TAMPA

• Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar — 4006 W. Hillsborough Ave.
• • Closed on July 14
  • • Five dead roaches found on premises
    • Thirteen live roaches found on premises, including five stuck in glue traps
  • Met inspection standards on July 15
• Farandulero Pizzeria (Food Truck) — 9743 W. Hillsborough Ave.
• • Closed on July 16
  • • Over 20 dead roaches found on premises
    • Over 100 live roaches found on premises, primarily inside cabinet beneath three-compartment sink
    • Roach droppings and four roach eggs found inside cabinet beneath three-compartment sink
    • Nine live fly-like insects found inside food truck
    • Two bags of tamales stored inside nonfood-grade shopping bags in reach-in cooler
  • Facility remained closed as of July 21
• NY NY Pizza — 1512 E. 7 Ave.
• • Closed on July 16
  • • One live fly at front service counter
    • Fifteen rodent droppings found on premises, primarily on floor behind fountain drink station
    • Time/temperature violation for pizzas with no time marking
    • Quaternary ammonium sanitizer not at proper minimum strength for manual warewashing
  • Met inspection standards on July 17

Road closures are happening along sections of Jitway Avenue and Hughey Street as four phases of the eight-part drainage improvement project are in progress.

Rondalin Washington lives nearby and said she’s looking forward to completion of the work to help with flooding in the neighborhood.

“It’s almost like a river, like a small little river out in front or a pond that was out in front of the house,” Washington said. “I guess they’re doing what they need to do to get it done.”

The current work includes installation of drainage pipes, construction of a drainage pond near the Midway Community Center, and additional infrastructure improvements.

In 2018, residents went straight to the Seminole County Commission to voice their concerns over the flooding problems.

The action sparked a conversation with county leaders that got the ball rolling toward the beginning steps of the project

Through advocacy and action, easements were acquired from property owners for construction to begin.

The total cost of the project has grown to $33.5 million. It is being paid for with both federal and state grants, along with county funds from the sales tax.

Each of the phases that are currently under construction is expected to be completed by early 2027.

The four remaining parts of the project are each in the right-of-way acquisition phase.

For more details on the Midway Drainage Improvement Project, visit www.seminolecountyfl.gov/midway.

About 10 attackers opened fire and threw pipe bombs at soldiers at a security check point near a residential area in Narathiwat province Wednesday evening before fleeing, according to the regional Internal Security Operations Command. It said six civilians were injured during the attack, including a 10-year-old boy who remains hospitalized in stable condition.

Photos released by authorities showed a group identified as the attackers, dressed in black clothing and hats and riding on the back of a black pickup truck. Security officials said the truck was later found abandoned and set on fire about 21 kilometers (13 miles) away from the scene.

They said the attackers had stolen three AK-47 rifles, three bullet proof vests and three mobile phones from the soldiers, who were members of the country's paramilitary Ranger force, which operates as an auxiliary to the regular army and is usually deployed in border regions.

Narathiwat, along with Yala and Pattani, are Thailand’s southernmost provinces and are the only ones with Muslim majorities in the predominantly Buddhist nation. Since 2004, the provinces have been the site of a Muslim separatist insurgency that killed thousands.

Muslim residents have long complained of being treated like second-class citizens in Thailand, and separatist movements have been periodically active for decades. Heavy-handed crackdowns have fueled the discontent. Fighting continues to this day, but at a lower level.

The Internal Security Operations Command Region 4, which oversees security operations in southern Thailand, vowed in a Facebook post to “expedite the investigation and search for the perpetrators with the best efforts.”

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul condemned the attack, saying it was a “terrorist attack that clearly aimed at killing government officials, and a serious threat to national security,” according to government spokesperson Rachada Dhnadirek.

Footage aired by public broadcaster Thai PBS showed homes and properties of residents nearby were also damaged. One home had damage to its roof, windows and doors, while a motorcycle parked outside the house was destroyed. Another home had bullet holes scattered across its metal front gate.

Speaking at a health summit in Ghana on Wednesday, Dr. Jean Kaseya, director-general of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, said 1,031 deaths have been confirmed.

“These are people dying. They are dying because we don’t have vaccines, we don’t have medicine, we don’t have funding,” he added.

The latest update from Congo’s Ministry of Health showed that as of Monday, 2,473 cases had been recorded in the latest outbreak. At least 737 patients were in isolation or hospitalized, it said.

The outbreak, which was declared on May 15, is unlike most previous Ebola outbreaks because the Bundibugyo virus responsible for it has no approved vaccines or treatments. It has also killed more people at a faster rate than any outbreak on record, including the 2013-2016 outbreak that is considered the worst on record with over 11,000 deaths out of at least 28,000 cases. That outbreak took about eight months from the first case to reach 1,000 deaths.

Conflict and community resistance are complicating the response

The World Health Organization has said the true scale of the outbreak could be ⁠two to four times larger than official figures indicate. Some communities at its epicenter also remain difficult to reach, mainly because of fighting involving rebel groups.

Ebola is rare, but highly contagious and can be contracted through contact with bodily fluids such as vomit, blood or semen. It can cause severe illness and is often fatal.

Officials have warned that 80% of new cases have emerged outside known chains of transmission, a sign the outbreak is spreading faster than health officials can track it even as they step up their response in Ituri province, the epicenter of the outbreak, and four other provinces where cases have been recorded.

Community resistance to Ebola teams, particularly those carrying out safe burials, has also hampered the response. Robert Ndjalonga, head of civil protection in Ituri province, said some communities have refused to allow burial teams to operate because they prefer traditional burials, increasing the risk of further transmission.

“The biggest challenge remains resistance from or outright refusal by some communities to accept response teams," Ndjalonga said. "On several occasions, burial teams have had to be escorted by security forces to ensure that safe and dignified burials could be carried out without incident.”

Shortages of burial supplies have delayed responses to reported deaths, while some affected health zones still lack operational burial teams, Ndjalonga said.

Attacks on health facilities and response teams have also forced front-line workers and aid groups out of some areas. Some health workers have gone on strike, saying they haven’t been paid since the outbreak started.

A member of a team carrying out safe Ebola burials was recently injured when assailants threw stones at the team’s vehicle following a burial in Bunia last week, according to provincial civil protection authorities.

The attack highlighted the challenges facing the response in eastern Congo. In Ituri’s Irumu territory, the local military administrator recently described Ebola as a greater threat than the Islamic State-affiliated Allied Democratic Forces insurgency and urged residents to support, rather than attack, health workers.

Containment efforts are faltering

A humanitarian worker involved in the response, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly, cited poor coordination between response agencies, delays in transferring patients to treatment centers and waits of more than four days for some Ebola test results.

“At times, it’s unclear who is doing what and where,” the worker said.

The delays have led some patients to leave health facilities before they can be diagnosed, increasing the risk of further transmission, the worker said.

Africa CDC head Kaseya called for intensified efforts to slow the outbreak on the first day of the health summit in Ghana Tuesday.

“If we do not stop this outbreak today, it could become one of the worst Ebola outbreaks the world has ever documented,” Kaseya said.

Less than 9% of the contacts of confirmed patients who are expected to be traced are currently being monitored, far below the level needed to contain the outbreak, according to Africa CDC. More than 60% of deaths are occurring in the community before patients can receive care.

Pierre Akilimali, the Ebola response incident manager at the National Public Health Institute of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, said the high number of community deaths suggests many infections are not being detected or isolated in time, allowing the virus to continue spreading.

Experts warn of a worsening crisis

Last month, researchers at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention used computer modeling to estimate how the outbreak could evolve. In a worst-case scenario, they said it could approach the scale of the 2014-2016 West Africa epidemic.

“There’s never been an Ebola outbreak that started with so many cases because it was so late to be identified,” said Trish Newport, emergency program manager for Doctors Without Borders, who has been working in Congo.

“It’s like the outbreak is outrunning the response,” Newport said.

University of Pittsburgh epidemiologist Dr. Jean Nachega, who is advising African health authorities, said he does not expect the outbreak to reach the CDC’s worst-case scenario but cautioned that the challenges remain “huge.”

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Asadu reported from Abuja, Nigeria. Constant Same Bagalwa in Bunia, Congo, Mike Stobbe in New York and Naa Adorkor Cudjoe in Accra, Ghana, contributed.

The handover took place late Wednesday during a meeting with FBI Director Kash Patel at Prabowo’s residence in the Indonesian capital Jakarta. Patel arrived in Jakarta shortly after talks with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet concerning joint efforts to combat international online scam operations that cheat victims out of billions of dollars annually.

The exchange underscored growing cooperation between Indonesia and the U.S. in recovering stolen cultural heritage and returning the items to the country of origin, Indonesia Culture Minister Fadli Zon said.

The artifacts from Papua are part of the cultural heritage of the Dani and Asmat tribes and Lake Sentani communities. They were repatriated through cooperation between Indonesia’s Culture Ministry and the FBI after provenance research established the objects had been smuggled out of Indonesia, Zon said.

“These are very valuable objects because this repatriation process is part of our effort to restore our cultural sovereignty,” Zon said, adding that the artifacts will be displayed at Indonesia’s National Museum.

Images from Indonesia's Presidential Secretariat show several polished stone ax heads and ceremonial objects traditionally associated with Papuan societies.

Traditional Papuan stone axes were more than utilitarian tools. Among highland communities such as the Dani, they historically served as symbols of wealth and status, were exchanged in marriage and ceremonial transactions and were often passed down as treasured ancestral heirlooms, the Culture Ministry said.

The return is the latest in a series of efforts by U.S. authorities to recover and repatriate Southeast Asian cultural property that was trafficked through international antiquities networks, the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta said in a statement.

Earlier this month, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Jay Clayton announced the return of two bronze, Buddhist sculptures depicting Avalokiteshvara from the eighth century, the embassy said.

During a repatriation ceremony at the Indonesian Consulate on July 10, Clayton said U.S. authorities would continue working with Homeland Security Investigations to combat illicit trafficking in cultural property and return stolen artworks to their origin countries.

The sculptures were stolen from Indonesian archaeological sites and sold to an American collector by the late antiquities dealer Douglas Latchford. The sculptures were among 34 Southeast Asian antiquities voluntarily relinquished by the collector in 2021 after investigators determined they had been looted.

The Indonesian sculptures were removed decades ago by organized looters before entering the international art market through Latchford, a Bangkok-based dealer who was indicted by U.S. authorities in 2019 for allegedly orchestrating a large-scale trafficking scheme involving antiquities looted from Cambodia and other Southeast Asian countries. The case was later dismissed following his death, the U.S. embassy said.

The FBI has previously assisted Indonesia in recovering stolen cultural objects, including bronze statues and artifacts from historical and archaeological sites, according to Zon, who expressed hope that the cooperation on cultural repatriation and restitution would continue.

Indonesia has intensified efforts in recent years to track down cultural treasures scattered abroad through colonial-era collecting, theft and illicit trafficking, including from the Netherlands, which colonized Indonesia for centuries.

The storm made landfall Wednesday afternoon in St. Bernard Parish about 40 miles (65 kilometers) east of New Orleans. The storm was forecast to reach the upper Texas coast on Thursday before dissipating inland in Texas by Friday.

Early Thursday, the storm was about 110 miles (175 kilometers) southwest of New Orleans and about 120 miles (190 kilometers) southeast of Lake Charles, Louisiana, moving west at 12 mph (19 kph) with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (75 kph), the National Hurricane Center said.

The wind and storm surge were the main threats for the Deep South states. Parks and piers were closed up and down the coast, as were some low-lying roads. A tropical storm warning stretched from Alabama to Louisiana, including New Orleans where extreme heat was adding to misery.

Onlookers watched the storm surge at the Lake Pontchartrain estuary, with kids splashing in the floodwaters as Bertha approached the Louisiana Coast. Residents mowed their lawns even as streets filled up with water.

Tropical storm force winds were felt as much as 160 miles (260 kilometers) from the center of the storm, the hurricane center said. A wind gust of 44 mph (71 kph) was recorded at New Orleans Lakefront Airport on Wednesday afternoon. The strong gales knocked over a Waffle House sign onto a car in Panama City Beach, Florida.

But the heaviest rains were staying offshore, reducing the risks of flooding, the center said.

The storm is unlikely to leave behind widespread damage, Louisiana State Climatologist Jay Grymes said, adding that the impact should be manageable for coastal communities.

Gov. Jeff Landry called the forecast “encouraging” but also warned residents to be prepared for some flooding.

Storm surges up to 3 feet (1 meter) were possible in Louisiana and Alabama, forecasters said. Rain totals were forecast between 1 and 4 inches (3 to 10 centimeters), with higher amounts possible in isolated areas.

Elsewhere in the U.S., a line of storms on Tuesday generated reports of tornadoes stretching from Cincinnati to New Jersey. Torrential rains caused flash floods that swamped homes, washed out bridges and led to water rescues in West Virginia, authorities said.

Rare combination of tropical storm and heat warnings

Southern Louisiana was under tropical storm and extreme heat warnings for much of Wednesday — a rare double dose of suffering, the National Weather Service said.

It was the first time in at least two decades that’s happened in the area, the weather service said, citing records that date back to 2005.

Bertha is the second tropical storm of the Atlantic season

Bertha is the second tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season. Tropical Storm Arthur in June brought heavy rainfall to the southeastern U.S.

Bertha could dump heavy rain on coastal areas of Mississippi that are still recovering from flooding brought by Arthur that destroyed and damaged homes.

Hurricane Fausto in the Pacific is far from land

In the eastern Pacific Ocean, Hurricane Fausto churned far from land Wednesday. The hurricane was hundreds of miles west-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph (130 kph).

It was forecast to gradually strengthen and the hurricane center said that ocean swells generated by Fausto were spreading along the Baja California coast and likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip tides.

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Associated Press journalists Julie Walker in New York, Kim Chandler in Montgomery, Alabama, and Jaimie Ding in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

Vance Boelter, 59, agreed to plead guilty in June, almost a year after the Minneapolis-area attacks when he stalked and killed House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark, and critically wounded state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette.

Boelter pleaded guilty to six counts so federal prosecutors would not seek the death penalty; instead, he agreed to serve two consecutive life sentences, plus 40 years. Prosecutors and federal defenders said it was the maximum sentence he could be issued short of the death penalty.

Boelter admitted in court that he spent months identifying and stalking his targets, before driving to their homes in the middle of the night, disguised as a police officer, with the intention of killing them.

The killings sparked the largest police search in state history, causing panic, fear, and increased security and precautions. Elected officials faced escalating threats and political polarization that many worried would lead to more violence and attacks.

A presentencing memorandum submitted to the federal court in late June was sealed as of early Thursday, along with objections to that report.

But prosecutors and Boelter's defense team also submitted letters detailing their positions on the potential sentence.

“Vance Boelter committed an assault on democracy,” prosecutors wrote in their filing. “He shattered the lives of his victims. He terrified Minnesota’s public servants. He threatened police and pointed a gun at an officer. He viciously attacked the organs of Minnesota’s representative government.”

Boelter went to Hortman's home, wearing a tactical uniform and mask, about 3:30 a.m. on June 14, 2025. He rang the doorbell while shouting he was a police officer doing a welfare check, according to court documents.

Mark Hortman answered the door. Boelter gave him a fake name and badge number before requesting he summon Melissa Hortman to the door as well. He shot Mark Hortman multiple times before pushing into the house and shooting the lawmaker as she fled upstairs. Melissa and Mark Hortman were killed.

Boelter had already visited the Hoffmans' home that night, shooting and critically injuring the senator and his wife, according to police and court documents. Court documents said Boelter also went to two other lawmakers' houses that night. In one instance, no one answered the door, and in the other, Boelter was spooked when a police officer approached him in his car believing he was another officer.

Boelter also faces state charges, including two counts of murder, four counts of attempted murder, impersonating a police officer and animal cruelty. The Hortman family’s golden retriever was gravely injured in the shootings and had to be euthanized. Hoffman and his family filed a personal injury lawsuit against Boelter in April.

In his letter on the proposed sentencing, Boelter's attorney requested that he be sent to a federal prison in Florida, that he be allowed to work so he can pay restitution, and that he be allowed to participate in therapy and other in-person programs. The letter said Boelter had spent decades in food service and had experience in a handful of other fields.

“Mr. Boelter understands that his impending sentence means he will spend the rest of his life in prison. But the skill set he maintains from his diverse employment history makes him a strong candidate for programming, employment, and other opportunities at the Bureau of Prisons,” federal defender Manny Atwal wrote.

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Lauer reported from Philadelphia.

The two-day meeting hosted by the Food and Drug Administration has the backing of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has described himself as a “big fan” of peptides and vowed to overturn industry restrictions put in place under President Joe Biden.

Peptide supporters include podcaster Joe Rogan and wellness influencers such as Gary Brecka, a supporter of Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda who sells peptide vials online. Social media platforms are brimming with testimonials from people claiming the substances helped them build muscle, recover from injuries or look younger.

Despite such support, the FDA’s two-day meeting is expected to showcase a stark split over the compounds.

FDA’s career scientists have made clear they don’t think there’s enough data to support making peptides more widely available, specifically from compounding pharmacies, which mix customized medicines that aren’t available from traditional drugmakers.

That’s also the stance of many medical and scientific experts who have weighed in ahead of the meeting.

“This is really alarming,” said Rita Jew, a pharmacist and president of the Institute for Safe Medication Practices. "There aren’t that many other substances people are injecting into themselves where you see that the clinical evidence is so lacking.”

But the panel of outside advisers convened for the meeting includes at least seven doctors or pharmacists with financial ties to the peptide industry. The group includes owners of wellness clinics that sell peptides, pharmacies that produce the formulas and online consulting businesses that promote them. Other expert panels appointed under Kennedy have faced criticism for apparent conflicts of interest.

Earlier this week, the FDA added several additional experts to the 20-member panel, including academics who don't have connections to the industry.

FDA scientists remain unconvinced of peptide safety and health benefits

The experts will take votes on whether the FDA should allow seven popular peptides to be added to a list of substances that are safe for compounding by pharmacies. The votes aren't binding and the FDA has periodically bucked the recommendations of its outside experts.

Peptides are the building blocks of more complex proteins, triggering hormones inside the body needed for growth, metabolism and healing. Drug companies have brought several to market as medications, including mainstay treatments for diabetes and weight loss.

Peptide supporters have asked the FDA to consider the seven peptides under review this week for various medical conditions, including ulcerative colitis, migraines and opioid addiction.

In recent years, the FDA had warned Americans about the risks of injecting peptides like BPC-157 and TB-500, both of which are set for review on Thursday. The chemicals are promoted online as a way to recover from injuries and reduce inflammation. Both are considered doping substances by international sports authorities.

In a scientific review posted ahead of the meeting, FDA scientists reiterated their longstanding concerns. Again and again, regulators said they could find little data on safety or effectiveness and raised concerns about risks of contamination, allergic reactions and quality control. Most of the data they did find came from studies in animals, including rats, and not humans.

For all seven peptides reviewed, the staffers recommended against making them available for compounding.

Peptide supporters will push FDA to ease access

The FDA assessment is only one part of more than 18 hours of discussions and presentations scheduled across two days. The meeting also includes opportunities for members of the public to address the FDA and its experts.

Ahead of the meeting, the FDA received more than 1,900 public comments, including from doctors and patients attesting to the benefits of peptides.

“For many people, this is about a therapy that is helping them, and whether they can get it safely and legally from a regulated pharmacy instead of taking their chances in the gray market,” states the American Academy of Peptide Medicine, a group that includes doctors and wellness clinic operators who promote peptides. The group's website states that it is “an educational academy, not a licensing or accrediting body.”

After the meeting, the FDA will review the votes, discussion and public comments before making a decision on whether to ease access to the peptides.

FDA-watchers say the most likely outcome may be a temporary policy reassuring pharmacies that they won’t be targeted for compounding the peptides under review. Formally placing the substances on FDA's list of drugs that are safe for compounding would require new regulations, which can take months or years to draft.

“We’re still going through this process, but I think it’s more than likely that the process will end up at the result that Secretary Kennedy wants,” said Nathan Beaver, an attorney specializing in FDA issues.

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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.

Cellphone video of the shooting, where three gunshots could be heard, circulated on social media.

Madison Police Chief John Patterson stressed at a news conference that the footage circulating was just one perspective of what happened.

“I want to take a moment to honestly and sincerely offer my heartfelt sympathies to his family for this loss," Patterson said. The man killed was in his 30s, Patterson said, but police did not release his name.

The shooting happened on a city street in a popular neighborhood lined with restaurants, bars, shops and residential homes less than 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) from the state Capitol. Footage shows numerous cars stopped in the intersection with people watching as it unfolded.

A white police officer shot and killed Tony Robinson, who was biracial, on the same street in 2015, a shooting that spurred large protests. The district attorney did not file charges against police in that case, determining the officer was justified.

The race of the officer who fired his gun on Wednesday and that of the man killed were not released by police.

But Black advocacy groups in Madison quickly spoke out against the crime and said they believed the man was Black.

“Another Black man is dead on a Madison street, and our community watched him die before we even knew his name,” said Brandi Grayson, the head of the Madison-based Black community advocacy group Urban Triage. “That is the cruelty of state violence.”

A crowd formed near where the shooting occurred on Wednesday with people chanting, “Arrest the cops!”

They placed flowers and candles where the man was shot and held a vigil, the crowd continuing to grow as the sun set.

Protesters also marched to the Wisconsin State Capitol and took the stage at a summer concert series, demanding the name of the officer and that he be held accountable. The Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra announced on social media the show was canceled.

Police were responding to calls that someone was attempting to enter parked vehicles in the neighborhood, Patterson said. The suspect fled on a bike through nearby backyards in an attempt to get away before officers contacted him in the street, Patterson said.

The suspect either fell off of his bike or was taken off of his bike by officers and during the struggle pulled out a knife and injured an officer, Patterson said. Police posted a picture of the knife in a news release.

An officer deployed a taser but it was unsuccessful, the chief said. The same officer who was injured by the knife fired his weapon and the man who was shot died later at the hospital, the chief said. He described the officer who fired his weapon as a veteran officer, but did not reveal any other details.

Another officer was injured, but it is not clear how, Patterson said. The other two officers were uninjured.

The Wisconsin Department of Criminal Investigation will investigate the shooting because it involves police officers. The four responding officers will be placed on administrative leave, per the police department's policy.

The move, which officials say is being driven by increased security threats and harassment concerns, comes amid a host of other restrictions on press access largely driven by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The restrictions, which include a policy that reporters must be accompanied by an official escort on Pentagon grounds, are themselves playing out against a backdrop of escalating tension between President Donald Trump and media outlets whose content or reporting practices anger him.

All public-facing information ordered removed

Last Thursday, the Navy’s top spokesman, Rear Admiral John Robinson, released a policy that mandated the sea service remove all public-facing information about its commanding officers. Capt. Candice Thresh, a spokeswoman for the Chief of Naval Personnel, said the office had decided to expand the policy to deny access to any sailor’s service information, in the interest of equality.

Thresh told The Associated Press that the Navy would still confirm whether someone is a sailor, but only if it deems the request “of high public interest,” and no other details would be offered until the undefined threat has passed.

Information about sailors' service history, such as units they’ve been assigned and awards they’ve earned — information the Navy says it will now withhold — is critical in providing information and context when service members are involved in major news events. It is also information that a constellation of federal laws and Pentagon policies say should be made available on request.

The Pentagon’s governing document on its privacy program notes that information like a service member’s rank, duty assignments, awards, and service status is categorized as information “that is normally releasable” and “may be disclosed without a clearly unwarranted invasion of their personal privacy.”

However, Thresh, in an emailed statement, said they will now only release these details if the sailor is “a public figure or extenuating circumstances exist.” These are terms that the Navy can define for itself, and early indications suggest the sea service is not inclined to use these exemptions.

First Amendment attorney Floyd Abrams noted that the Navy’s new policy could make reporting on wounded or injured sailors much more challenging. “That effort at suppression of speech is flatly inconsistent with the First Amendment,” Abrams said.

He said the policy seemed “an obvious effort to limit information, however newsworthy, that might lead to questions about public policy decisions … there is no reason to think that this is anything less than an effort to prevent ‘bad’ press about the conduct of the administration with respect to our service people.”

New policy cited after incident last week

The Navy cited the new policy last week after the AP requested the biography of a pilot with the Blue Angels, the Navy's demonstration squadron, following a controversial maneuver over a crowded beach. Robinson’s office refused to provide the pilot’s biography despite the fact that his name, photo, and other service details were posted on the official Blue Angels website. Thresh did provide a copy of the biography personally after the AP began inquiring about the policy.

Robinson’s office did not respond to questions about the Chief of Naval Personnel’s broadening of his policy.

The restrictions are just the latest in a series of moves that the military has taken to restrict access to information. Last month, the military asked Congress for the ability to withhold certain types of unclassified records from the public.

The legislative proposal, first reported by CBS, would create a new section of federal law that would allow the defense secretary to exempt certain “controlled unclassified information,” or CUI, from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act.

Transparency advocates, and even the Pentagon’s own internal watchdog, have described the term CUI as inconsistently applied and overused. Critics have argued that it is arbitrarily used to keep embarrassing information from being made public.

Last year, the Pentagon attempted to impose major restrictions on journalists working inside the Pentagon, which, in turn, led most news outlets to turn in their access badges and walk out rather than agree to the new rules. The policy is now being litigated in federal court.

This summer, the Pentagon went a step further and declared that its press office was now a classified space inaccessible to journalists.

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Noveck reported from New York.

In a release, deputies said the sports car was going 137 mph when the OCSO’s Motors Unit encountered it.

Video released by the OCSO shows the Lamborghini weaving in and out of traffic as law enforcement gave chase on State Road 408.

Deputies eventually caught the vehicle and pulled the driver over, taking him into custody, the video shows.

“You’re being placed under arrest for dangerous excessive speed,” a deputy can be heard saying. “You’re going to be transported to the Orange County Jail, and I’m towing your car.”

137 mph in a Lamborghini.

That's what our Motors Unit encountered during a Super Speeder stop this morning.

Our efforts to curb super speeding continue every day. pic.twitter.com/4ZyX2ybiiY

— Orange County Sheriff's Office (@OrangeCoSheriff) July 22, 2026

That charge stems from a law that took effect last year, aimed at cracking down on highway speedsters.

WHAT IS THE “SUPER SPEEDER” LAW?

The law (HB 351) establishes a new criminal offense under state statutes: “dangerous excessive speeding.”

More specifically, the offense refers to situations where drivers:

• Go at least 50 mph over the speed limit
• Speed at 100 mph or more in a way that threatens the people or property around them

While reckless driving was already a crime in the state of Florida, courts had held that simply speeding too much didn’t necessarily count.

In addition, speeding itself is generally considered a noncriminal traffic infraction, punished primarily with fines.

As a result, HB 351 finally makes it so that excessive speeding is an arrestable offense. This is in addition to any applicable fines for speeding.

Under this law, someone who commits “dangerous excessive speeding” can be punished as follows:

• Upon a first conviction
• • Up to 30 days in jail;
  • A fine of $500; or
  • Both
• Upon subsequent convictions
• • Up to 90 days in jail;
  • A fine of $1,000;
  • Both
• Upon subsequent convictions within five years
• • Revocation of his/her driving privileges between 180 days to a year

On Wednesday, the Red Sox matched that streak from 80 years ago, beating the Baltimore Orioles 6-3 in the opener of a doubleheader.

The streak ended hours later when they dropped the nightcap 5-1.

“That was a great ride, a 15-game winning streak,” first baseman Willson Contreras in a quiet clubhouse. “There’s nothing to be sad about. We have to be happy. We should be proud of what we did and from now keep playing the way we’ve been playing.”

After the loss, interim manager Chad Tracy was ready to speak to the team but saw Contreras and pitcher Sonny Gray talking, so he let those veterans handle it.

“We just won 15 games in a row and I think all of us knew it was going to end at some point,” Tracy said.

After the earlier win, Tracy said he understood the historical significance.

“I’ve read some stuff. I know Ted Williams was around back then, so I’m aware of the year and how long it’s been,” he said. “It’s cool that they’ve accomplished something great.”

When the afternoon game ended, the Red Sox took a little more time than usual on the field to soak it in as The Standells’ song “Dirty Water” played in the background like it does after each victory in Fenway Park.

They also enjoyed the moment in the clubhouse.

“Oh, yeah, absolutely between the staff. We were realizing the guys were going crazy in the locker room — they always do — but even more emphasis right now with what we’re going through,” Tracy said. “Everybody enjoys it for sure.”

Boston fired manager Alex Cora after a 10-17 start and seemed to be in for a long season under Tracy. The Red Sox were 37-48 and last in the AL East on July 1 following a 10-2 loss to Washington.

Three weeks went by — a stretch including the All-Star break — before Boston (52-49) lost again.

Tracy is the first manager since the 19th century to lead a team to a win streak of 15 games or more who didn’t start the season in the job, according to MLB.

With a 6-3 lead after six innings, Caleb Durbin, who hit a tiebreaking homer in Monday’s win over Baltimore, started thinking about how many outs were left.

“I think in the seventh inning I’m counting them down a little bit,” he said, smiling.

After the final out, left fielder Jarren Duran said he was able to appreciate the cheering crowd when he met with center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela and right fielder Wilyer Abreu.

“When I get to go see (them), I take a look around and I get to enjoy that moment, that’s always fun,” he said.

With the organization in its 126th season, the streak has more meaning for some.

“You look back at it and think about where you’re doing it and how long this franchise has existed. It’s been incredible,” Durbin said.

Orioles manager Craig Albernaz, who grew up watching the Red Sox about 45 miles away in Fall River, Massachusetts, showed his respect.

“I mean, a 15-game heater is really impressive,” he said. “You know, its tough to win one game in the big leagues and them going 15 straight, it’s really impressive.”

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

Charlotte MacInnes alleged Wilson defamed her or breached her confidence in four social media posts from September 2024 to July 2025 by falsely suggesting she had withdrawn a sexual harassment complaint against one of the film’s producers to advance her career.

MacInnes denied ever making such a complaint but Justice Elizabeth Raper of the Federal Court of Australia ruled Wednesday that none of Wilson’s posts were defamatory.

The dispute stemmed from an incident in September 2023 when MacInnes and the producer went swimming at Sydney’s Bondi Beach before later sharing a bath at the apartment where they were staying. Wilson later said on Instagram that MacInnes told her the next day that the producer had asked her to bathe and shower with her, making her feel uncomfortable, but that MacInnes later retracted the complaint.

Raper ruled that MacInnes failed to prove Wilson’s posts caused serious harm to her reputation or that Wilson breached her confidence. She dismissed the case and ordered MacInnes to pay costs, according to a written judgement provided by the court.

Wilson, who starred in the “Pitch Perfect” films and “Bridesmaids,” thanked the judge and Australia’s legal system in an Instagram post, calling the ruling a “substantial win” and saying she looked forward to moving on.

MacInnes’ legal representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“The Deb,” a musical comedy about two teenage girls preparing for a debutante ball in a small rural town, is reportedly set for a U.S. digital release on Aug. 25.

She was scared, sure. But more than that, she was brought to tears.

“I thought I’d be a bit more petrified, but I was enamored. I was in awe. It was witnessing nature,” she says. “You can’t put it into words the emotions and the feelings that you experience.”

Viewers can watch Rei Ami's experience with sharks while off the Korean Peninsula when Discovery Channel’s “Shark Week” kicks off Sunday.

Twenty new, hourlong shows leap deep into the world of the ancient predators, from a record-setting dive attempt into shark-infested waters to trying to find out what triggers giant bull sharks to confront humans.

“Growing up, I always watched ‘Shark Week,’” says Rei Ami. “You see those epic commercials, with the great white jumping out and eating the chum and the tuna. That’s ingrained in my brain forever.”

Actor-comedian Ken Jeong joins her to start the week off with the show “K-Pop Shark Heroes” on Sunday. But while she went on two cage dives and two free dives with hammerheads and reef sharks and bull sharks, he preferred to stay out of the water.

“I’m more of the Christopher Nolan of the shark ‘Odyssey’ — just overseeing it,” Jeong jokes. “Just overlooking everything. High and dry. That’s when I do my best work.”

It’s a shark-a-thon

The seven nights of new shows ends Aug. 1 with a look at how great whites are moving further up the East Coast and an examination of how thresher sharks use their tails to stun and kill prey.

One highlight is watching high diver Molly Carlson leap 50 feet (15 meters) from a helicopter into a Plexiglas cage in the ocean surrounded by circling reef sharks. She's OK with jumping from enormous heights, but sharks terrify her.

“There was zero chances of me ever swimming with sharks. This was just not on my radar,” she says. “That’s always been my thing, and so for me to be invited to be on ‘Shark Week,’ I was like 'Why me?'”

Viewers will see Carlson, who has been frank about her struggles with anxiety, overcome her lifelong fear of sharks. Carlson hopes she can motivate others.

“If I can inspire that next 16-year-old girl who wants to just hide in her room and never come out because she’s scared of so many things, then I’m absolutely going to find a way to do this,” she says. “You’re allowed to be scared and do it anyways. And so I think that was the big purpose behind this project for me.”

This year’s highlights also include an attempt to locate a rumored 15-foot (4-meter) mako off the coast of Southern California, which would make it the largest ever documented.

Marine biologist Kendyl Berna, a “Shark Week” veteran who co-founded the ecology group Beyond the Reef, says her team of scientists were betting on the fact that a marine heat wave has made mako prey in those waters abundant, allowing the sharks to get bigger.

“Sharks are the cockroaches of the sea because they’ve been around for 450 million years. They’re older than dinosaurs, they’re older than trees. Sharks have just been around, but the form that they’re taking constantly changes,” she says.

‘Shark Week’ is fun but also educational

“Shark Week” has become a key part of the summer holiday TV schedule, a place where humans safe on land can see ancient apex predators unnervingly glide into view and snap open their jaws, fueling nightmares.

As always, there is a deep respect for the creatures and strong science beneath the amusing titles, sharky puns, dramatic music and racy titles like “Chum Island: Catching a Killer” and “Sharkzilla Takes New York.”

“While ‘Shark Week’ is very entertaining and thrilling, it is at the core very educational. And I think there’s still so much misinformation regarding sharks and how they behave,” says Rei Ami.

“Through these episodes, people can understand, there’s really no reason to fear them, you know? And I hope that message gets received.”

Discovery’s “Shark Week” has a rival — National Geographic’s “SharkFest,” which also has hours of sharky content. And there's Amazon Studios’ new movie “The Devil’s Mouth,” which has bull sharks terrorizing college students in a flooded cave system.

“Shark Week” also has practical advice about what to do when you find yourself face-to-snout with a shark, a rising concern from Korea to Brooklyn as interactions increase. The advice is clear: Stop splashing.

“It’s even more imperative that humans know how to act and react in a situation when they are in the waters and they see a shark,” says Rei Ami. “It would really, I think, help the public to understand how these apex predators work and behave.”

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This story has been updated to delete an incorrect reference to a K-pop song in the show being sung by Rei Amy.

Ramírez was activated from the injury list on Wednesday after the seven-time All-Star third baseman missed five weeks following left hand surgery. Cleveland stayed near the top of the AL Central while he was out, a testament to the young club's depth and resolve.

It wasn't easy.

“The last five weeks could have been a lot different, and it wasn’t,” manager Stephen Vogt said. "We kept our heads above water. You can use all the cliches you want, but we did not let the last five weeks determine the rest of our season.

“We had some low points. We had some high points, some in between. But really proud of what this group did over the last five weeks and we’ve got a lot of work left.”

Ramírez had been sidelined since getting hurt against Detroit on June 13 and having an operation to remove the hamate bone in his left hand.

The Guardians stayed afloat without Ramírez, going 15-15 and keeping pace with the division leaders.

In his first game back, Ramírez went 2 for 5 with an RBI and scored, but the Guardians were beaten 10-6 by the Twins. Not surprisingly, he made an immediate impact.

After receiving a warm ovation from Guardians fans, Ramírez singled in his first at-bat, hustled into second on a flyout and scored Cleveland's first run on a bloop single.

“Shows you what we missed,” Vogt said. “Gets a base hit, tags up right in the left fielder’s face, produces a run. I mean, just his presence. We felt like a lift up for the whole group today. Just so good to have him back.”

Twins manager Derek Shelton was equally impressed.

“He totally changes the dynamic of the lineup,” Shelton said. “You're talking about a guy they're going to build a statue next to (Larry) Doby and (Bob) Feller for. I was hoping it would be at the end of our series. You've got to give him credit. It's five weeks from a hamate with no rehab and he's back in major league games. That shows you what kind of player he is.”

Ramírez did not go on a minor league rehab assignment before being activated. The Guardians trusted him throughout his recovery. He had a similar injury to his right hand in 2019, the only other time he’s been on the injured list.

“Hosey's about winning,” Vogt said. “He’s not going to come back if he doesn’t believe that he can help us win. So it’s full trust in him, full trust in the medical staff. Everybody is on board with him being back in there today.”

Vogt said he would hold Ramírez back a little at the start.

“There’s going to be some limitations for him at first, but we’re going to be thoughtful about how much he plays, when he plays, things of that nature,” Vogt said. “But he’s done a great job of getting his body ready, which is most important and the wrist is feeling good.”

To make room for Ramírez, the Guardians optioned outfielder Kahlil Watson to Triple-A Columbus.

The 33-year-old Ramírez, who has numerous offensive club records, was batting .239 with 10 home runs and 33 RBIs in 72 games before getting hurt. The Guardians aren't the same without him in the lineup, and his mere presence should help a team that has struggled to score.

Watson played well in his stint with Guardians, batting .239 with one homer and 11 RBIs in 27 games. On Tuesday night, he made a game-ending leaping catch down the right-field line while crashing into the padded wall.

Vogt said Watson's contributions made his demotion a difficult decision.

“Khalil handled it like a true pro,” Vogt said. "He understood clearly. Not happy. No one wants to leave, but just the messaging was you came here when we needed you and you helped us. We saw an unbelievably talented player with Khalil Watson.

“He’s going to help us win a ton of games for a long time. It’s just not his time right now.”

Along with Ramírez, the Guardians could soon have outfielder Angel Martínez back as well. He's been out since June 13 with a non-displaced fracture when he fouled a pitch off his left foot. Martínez is on a rehab assignment at Double-A Akron and appears on the brink of being activated.

He went 1 for 4 with a walk Wednesday night.

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The call Tuesday night came at the union's request.

Players have been sharing threats and harassment they’ve received on social media over the last few weeks. Chelsea Gray of the Las Vegas Aces posted a message from a man that included a racial slur. The man was tracked down and fired from his job at Hilton Grand Vacations.

“The conversation underscored the importance of addressing issues early through proactive communication and strengthening the league-union relationship,” the league and union said in a joint statement Wednesday. “The league committed to continuing to enhance security resources and will work with the players’ union to explore collaborations with organizations that share the values of our league and advance our shared priorities.”

Dealing with abuse toward players has been a priority of the league the last few years, including the “No Space for Hate” platform that was introduced last season. Part of that program included the use of AI technology that players can use to filter out hateful comments.

When harassment escalates, the league's security office launches an investigation.

Additional steps that were discussed in the meeting included pursuing accountability from tech companies and having more streamlined conversations between the WNBA and law enforcement.

“The biggest thing was communication,” WNBPA secretary Elizabeth Williams told reporters at shootaround Wednesday before her Chicago team played New York. “Communication from Cathy and the league side being a little more consistent, so we feel more comfortable.”

Alyssa Thomas received death threats and social media vitriol after she hit Caitlin Clark in the throat a few weeks ago. No foul was called on the play, but the league upgraded it to a Flagrant-2 foul and suspended her for a game. Thomas said at the time she hadn't heard from the league about the threats she had received.

Natasha Cloud, who previously said Engelbert hasn't done enough to help the players, backed off a bit on Tuesday.

“There’s only so much that the league can do because people are going to be miserable and they’re going to be continue to be hateful human beings,” the Sky guard said Tuesday after practice. “We can find these IP addresses. We can make sure that bans are banned for life from certain arenas, certain teams, certain leagues.”

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The public can tour the majestic room and view its gilded ceilings and Greek frescoes en route to the nearby Mona Lisa, but they won’t see any crown jewels or empty display cases. The collections and precious jewels once displayed there have been removed, as the museum said the gallery is returning to its 17th-century original ceremonial purpose.

The stolen jewels remain unrecovered nine months later.

The gallery's former exhibits will be relocated elsewhere in the museum, said Christophe Leribault, the Louvre's director. “It’s also an opportunity to rediscover the splendid architecture and decor of this gallery,” he said.

Leribault was named to lead the Louvre in February after previous director Laurence des Cars resigned after the October crown jewels heist and a string of failures that battered confidence in the leadership of the world’s most-visited museum.

“That sinister day, when iconic pieces were taken, cannot be forgotten, and indeed, I believe, should not be,” said French Culture Minister Catherine Pegard. “It was a trauma for the entire world, which, for several days, expressed its shock and sadness in every language. It was a trauma for us, discovering the fragility of a place we thought unshakeable, and which, like so many others, proved vulnerable.”

Security at the Paris museum has been boosted with the addition of new surveillance cameras and anti-intrusion systems.

On the day of the heist, thieves took less than eight minutes to force their way through a window into the Apollo Gallery and steal crown jewels valued at 88 million euros ($102 million), in a weekend operation that stunned visitors and exposed glaring security vulnerabilities.

Security improvement is a priority of the decade-long “Louvre New Renaissance” plan launched last year, with an estimated cost of up to 800 million euros ($933 million) to modernize infrastructure, ease crowding and give the Mona Lisa a dedicated gallery by 2031.

It was Boston’s first loss since a 10-2 setback to Washington at Fenway Park on July 1.

The Red Sox won the opener 6-3 to match the club's 80-year-old record. Boston's 1946 team that won 15 straight was led by Ted Williams and won the American League pennant.

This year's Red Sox streak was the longest in the majors since St. Louis also won 15 straight in September of 2021.

Dylan Beavers had a two-run single in a four-run first inning for Baltimore, which avoided a three-game sweep and won for the 11th time in 16 games.

Masataka Yoshida had an RBI single for Boston.

The Orioles had a season-high seven-game winning streak halted in the series opener on Monday before a rainout Tuesday.

Making his first start after agreeing to a $90 million, five-year contract for 2027-31 on Saturday, the 29-year-old Bradish (7-9) gave up four hits with four strikeouts and a walk.

Three Orioles relievers combined to allow one hit.

After the Red Sox took a 4-0 lead in the day game, Baltimore knocked out Eduardo Rivera (0-1), who retired only two batters, with its four runs.

The first run came in on Rivera's wild pitch. After Beavers made it 3-0 with his single, he scored on Johnathan Rodriguez’s double off the Green Monster.

Up next

Orioles: Haven’t named a starter for their series opener at home on Friday against Atlanta.

Red Sox: Host last-place Toronto for a three-game series starting Friday.

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The fire in rural Guadalajara comes less than two weeks after a deadly blaze devastated a small expat community in southern Spain. That small but extremely virulent fire killed 13 people, including several foreigners, in one of the southern European country's deadliest wildfires.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Wednesday visited the fire-ravaged area in Guadalajara, and called for a pact between political parties to fight climate change.

“Year after year we clearly see how climate change kills and destroys wealth in our communities,” Sánchez said in the village of Tamajón, located less than two hours by car northeast of Madrid. “This isn’t politics. It is science, it’s about facts.”

Some 34 villages have been evacuated in the area but there are no reported serious injuries or deaths. Over 200 firefighters were supported by land vehicles and aircraft on Wednesday.

Spain this year has already suffered 22 major forest fires, defined as a fire that burns over 500 hectares (1,235 acres.)

The Socialist leader said over 100,000 hectares (247,000 acres) had already been scorched through the first half of the year, matching the total yearly average for Spain over the last decade.

Spain’s Minister for Ecological Transition, Sara Aagesen, described the Guadalajara fire as “one of the largest in the recent history of our country” and the largest ever for the region of Castilla La Mancha.

The Guadalajara blaze is the second-largest on record in Spain’s history after some 37,000 hectares (91,000 acres) were burned last year in the northwest of the country, according to data from the ecological transition ministry, as cited by EFE news agency.

Regional authorities said firefighters supported by water-dumping aircraft had so far protected homes in all 40 villages in the burned area, 90% of which belongs to a national park. Firefighters hope to have the nearly week-old fire under control by Friday, said Emiliano García-Page, regional president of Castilla La Mancha.

Miguel Ángel Moreno, mayor of the village of Zarzuela de Jadraque, said its 100 residents were evacuated Friday, with 14 taking refuge at a Red Cross shelter.

Moreno said that the firefighters should receive as much admiration as the soccer players who won the World Cup on Sunday.

The firefighters “had to run from one side of the village to the other putting out fires,” Moreno told Spanish national television TVE. “Besides the heroes who won the World Cup, we have other heroes who remain nameless.”

New heat wave could complicate firefighting efforts

Spain’s weather agency said a heat wave that began Tuesday was expected to reach its peak between Wednesday and Thursday, with temperatures pushing 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in several inland areas and crossing 42 Celsius (108 Fahrenheit) in parts of Andalusia, in southern Spain.

Guadalajara and large areas of Spain were under alert for high temperatures.

Like many other European countries, Spain is experiencing extreme heat, which is combining with wind and limited rainfall to create ideal conditions for small wildfires to grow unchecked.

Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent, with temperatures increasing twice as quickly as the global average since the 1980s, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.

Globally, 2025 was the third-hottest year on record, bringing severe heat waves across Europe. Scientists warn that climate change is exacerbating the frequency and intensity of heat and dryness especially in southeastern Europe, making the region more vulnerable to health impacts and wildfires.

Europe facing hot, dry weather

In Sicily, firefighters said they had carried out more than 1,000 operations since Saturday and have put all the Italian island’s fire departments on double shifts to cope with the blazes.

The latest was a wildland-urban blaze in Agrigento, in central western Sicily that required the evacuation of 100 people from homes and a clinic, with 22 patients transferred to other facilities, the national service said. Firefighters were particularly concerned about an oxygen storage plant nearby.

For days, Italy’s Civil Protection agency has declared all of Sicily at the highest risk for wildfires. Winds and temperatures near or above 40C (100F) have fueled blazes from near Palermo on the northern coast to Catania in the east and now Agrigento in the west.

Greece was sweltering under what was forecast to be the last of a four-day heat wave. Temperatures were predicted to top 42 C (107 F), while several regions in southern and central Greece, including the wider Athens area, were on the highest alert level for wildfire danger.

Cyprus, meanwhile, issued a warning for high temperatures expected to reach 43 C (109 F).

In Britain, it hasn’t rained in more than a month in some areas, and much of the southern half of England is in a state of “prolonged dry weather,” one step before a drought. Thames Water, the country’s biggest water company, has banned its 10 million customers from using hoses to water lawns or wash cars starting Thursday.

France's public health agency on Wednesday said the country recorded at least 5,700 more deaths than usual during a historic heatwave last month, sharply increasing its estimates of the feared toll from record-shattering temperatures.

Public Health France said regions hit by the heat between June 17 and July 2 recorded 21,674 deaths from all causes. But without a heatwave, those same regions would have been expected to have seen far fewer deaths, or 15,910, based on statistical modeling using data from previous years, it said.

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Nicole Winfield in Rome, Elena Becatoros in Athens, Greece, Menelaos Hadjicostis in Nicosia, Cyprus, Jill Lawless in London and John Leicester in Paris contributed to this report.

In a release, police said the incident happened shortly before noon near the railroad tracks at Eleanor Avenue.

Afterward, the teen was airlifted to an Orlando medical facility, the release shows.

Investigators added that based on the preliminary investigation, the incident appears to be accidental.

No additional information has been provided at this time.

The National Hurricane Center said Bertha made landfall in the afternoon in St. Bernard Parish, about 40 miles (65 kilometers) east of New Orleans. At landfall, Bertha's maximum sustained winds were around 45 mph (72 kph), and were expected to remain at that intensity until the storm reaches the upper Texas coast on Thursday.

The wind and storm surge were the main threats for the Deep South states. Parks and piers were closed up and down the coast, as were some low-lying roads. A tropical storm warning stretched from Alabama to Louisiana, including New Orleans where extreme heat was adding to misery.

By Thursday evening, the storm's center was located about 40 miles (70 kilometers) southwest of New Orleans.

Onlookers watched the storm surge at the Lake Pontchartrain estuary, with kids splashing in the floodwaters as Bertha approached the Louisiana Coast. Residents mowed their lawns even as streets filled up with water.

Tropical storm force winds were felt as much as 160 miles (260 kilometers) from the center of the storm, the National Hurricane Center said. A wind gust of 44 mph (71 kph) was recorded at New Orleans Lakefront Airport on Wednesday afternoon.

The strong gales knocked over a Waffle House sign onto a car in Panama City Beach, Florida.

But the heaviest rains were staying offshore, reducing the risks of flooding, the center said.

The storm is unlikely to leave behind widespread damage, Louisiana State Climatologist Jay Grymes said. The impact should be manageable for coastal communities, he said.

Gov. Jeff Landry called the forecast “encouraging” but also warned residents to be prepared for some flooding.

Storm surges up to 3 feet (1 meter) were possible in Louisiana and Alabama, forecasters said. Rain totals were forecast between 1 and 4 inches (3 to 10 centimeters), with higher amounts possible in isolated areas.

Bertha is expected to dissipate inland in Texas by Friday, the hurricane center said.

Elsewhere in the U.S., a line of storms on Tuesday generated reports of tornadoes stretching from Cincinnati to New Jersey. Torrential rains caused flash floods that swamped homes, washed out bridges and led to water rescues in West Virginia, authorities said.

Rare combination of tropical storm and heat warnings

Southern Louisiana was under tropical storm and extreme heat warnings for much of Wednesday — a rare double dose of suffering, the National Weather Service said.

It was the first time in at least two decades that’s happened in the area, the weather service said, citing records that date back to 2005.

Bertha is the second tropical storm of the Atlantic season

Bertha is the second tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season. Tropical Storm Arthur in June brought heavy rainfall to the southeastern U.S.

Bertha could dump heavy rain on coastal areas of Mississippi that are still recovering from flooding brought by Arthur that destroyed and damaged homes.

Hurricane Fausto in the Pacific is far from land

In the eastern Pacific Ocean, Hurricane Fausto churned far from land Wednesday. The hurricane was hundreds of miles west-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph (130 kph).

It was forecast to gradually strengthen and the hurricane center said that ocean swells generated by Fausto were spreading along the Baja California coast and likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip tides.

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Associated Press journalists Julie Walker in New York, Kim Chandler in Montgomery, Alabama, and Jaimie Ding in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

Families shopping for kindergarten through 12th grade students plan to spend an average of $863.86 on supplies — about $5 more than last year, the NRF survey found.

Where the money is going

Mark Mathews, the NRF’s chief economist and executive director of research, said rising electronics and shoe prices are the biggest factors pushing totals higher.

“I think there’s definitely an expectation that prices are going to be higher for certain goods,” Mathews said.

Here’s how the average K-12 back-to-school budget breaks down, according to the NRF:

• Electronics: ~$293
• Clothing: ~$250
• Shoes: ~$174
• School supplies: ~$146

Ways to save on K-12 supplies

Mathews said the good news is that retailers are already rolling out sales and discounts — and shopping early can make a real difference.

“One thing that helps you with is to spread that spending across the entire season because these are not small sums of money that people are having to spend to get their kids back to school,” he said.

College students face even steeper costs

Families shopping for college students can expect to spend an average of $1,437.79 this year — about $111 more than last year, according to the NRF survey.

Mathews said computer prices are the main driver.

“If we look at computers, we know that chip prices are incredibly high and that’s pushing some of the cost of computers and this is a big ticket item,” he said.

To help offset costs, many top computer manufacturers offer payment plans. Some also offer student discounts between 5% and 10%.

The closed-door briefing for committee members comes in the wake of two shootings in which ICE officers shot and killed two immigrants that they were trying to arrest, raising concerns over the agency's tactics at a time that it is ratcheting up its arrests.

The shootings in Maine and Houston over the span of a week have led to fierce criticism that there's not enough oversight of the agency key to President Donald Trump's mass deportation agenda. At least 10 people have died in encounters with immigration agents since Trump launched the crackdown after retaking office, and in the Maine shooting, family members of the ICE officer who opened fire say he had a history of violent behavior and never should have been given a badge and gun.

Rep. Seth Magaziner, a Democrat from Rhode Island, said they were told during the briefing that there have been 56 complaints of excessive force against ICE officers; 32 were cleared, and one was referred for disciplinary action. Magaziner said they were told no discipline had yet been handed out. The rest of the incidents are still under investigation, he said.

“It just defies belief that an agency of 20,000-plus officers with all of the chaos that we’ve seen over the last year and a half through the surges and civilians being injured and killed, that no one would be found to have violated use of force with the exception of possibly one person,” Magaziner said.

Homeland Security said in a statement Wednesday that ICE officers who violate the agency's policies are held accountable, their officers are trained in de-escalation tactics and take an annual refresher course on use of force policies. The agency also defended its officers, saying they are operating in an environment where they are constantly being attacked.

“When faced with dangerous circumstances, DHS law enforcement professionals have used their training to protect themselves, their fellow officers, and the public,” the agency said.

The use-of -force numbers mark an increase since February, when then-acting director Todd Lyons said during Senate testimony that ICE had opened 37 investigations for excessive force; 18 of those were closed, 19 were still pending, and one was referred for “further action,” Lyons said.

The ranking Democrat on the committee, Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, said the ICE officials could not discuss the shootings in Maine or Houston, as those are both open investigations. Thompson, who said he came away with more questions than answers from the briefing, said he wanted to know who investigates use of force incidents: “Sometimes they said the FBI, sometimes they said HSI. Sometimes they said another entity.”

The officials said they were going to retrain officers who had gone through a shorter curriculum that was in place last fall, Thompson said. In June, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the agency would be increasing the amount of training for new officers starting this month.

Thompson said he pressed for answers about how many officers had been brought back for retraining and how they're being retrained but couldn't get any clarity.

Thompson said he and the committee chair, Rep. Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y., will follow up with ICE with a list of questions.

Garbarino said he appreciated ICE briefing the members.

“Today was an important opportunity for Members to receive timely answers on the status of body camera deployment for law enforcement in the field, training and vetting standards and requirements, and current guidance on the use of vehicle stops as part of immigration enforcement,” Garbarino said in a statement.

When it comes to vehicle stops, Magaziner said they were told that current guidance to ICE officers is to only do them when there’s no other alternative, and they’re supposed to use lights and sirens. But, Magaziner said, that guidance has only been passed along verbally to the staff as opposed to a written directive.

Both the shootings in Maine and Houston involved shootings of immigrants who were in moving vehicles, raising questions about ICE’s training and policies surrounding how it tries to apprehend people when they’re driving.

After the Maine killing, Trump administration officials told ICE officers to suspend most vehicle stops. But the next day, Trump announced on social media that he wanted ICE to keep doing them.

U.S. Central Command said the attacks were designed to “further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting regional waters,” as the Americans push to regain control over the Strait of Hormuz and restore the flow of international shipping.

President Donald Trump warned earlier Wednesday that the U.S. would destroy one bridge or power plant each time Iran shoots at a ship in the strait.

“From this point forward, any time the Islamic Republic of Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz, whether it be by Missile, Rocket, Drone, or any other device or weapon, the United States will bomb and destroy ONE BRIDGE OR POWER PLANT,” Trump wrote on social media.

The continued American airstrikes are occurring even as diplomatic efforts show little public sign of progress and officials on both sides have dug in on the dispute over the crucial waterway for global energy that remains largely closed. The unpopular war threatens further worldwide economic disruption and is sending fuel prices up ahead of midterm U.S. elections this fall.

Seyed Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister, said his country would adopt an “eye for an eye” defense doctrine.

“Any aggression against Iran, including our infrastructure, will compel a powerful and decisive response,” he posted Wednesday on X.

Iranian state media reported that U.S. missiles struck locations late Wednesday near the cities of Ahvaz, Ramshir and Andimeshk in western Iran. Two people were killed in a U.S. missile strike in the town of Shalamcheh on the Iraqi boarder, Iranian state media said early Thursday.

Meanwhile, military officials in Kuwait said on social media that their air defenses were “confronting attacks by hostile drones, following the sinful Iranian aggression.”

Iran has responded to U.S. attacks by targeting energy infrastructure and desalination plants that provide drinking water in parched neighboring Gulf countries.

International law generally prohibits such attacks unless the infrastructure is being used for military purposes.

The costs of war are mounting

The closure of the strait, through which a fifth of the world’s traded oil and gas passed during peacetime, has jolted the world economy with effects far beyond the Middle East. A new threat by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen to target Saudi shipping in the Red Sea puts another trade chokepoint at risk.

Trump traveled to Dover Air Force Base on Wednesday for the arrival of the remains of four U.S. service members. A day earlier Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth estimated in a fiery Senate hearing that the U.S. had spent $37.5 billion on the war so far.

Benchmark Brent crude oil rose to more than $93 a barrel in trading. That's up from less than $72 early this month, which is roughly where it was before the war. Gasoline prices are also climbing.

Iran says it has the right to manage traffic and potentially charge fees in the strait, which was open to all and toll-free before the war. It has attacked ships using a route through the strait that is overseen by U.S. forces and intended to be outside Tehran's control.

Iran's parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, who has led negotiations with the U.S., appeared to brush off Trump's threats.

“We have repeatedly said that the situation of the strait will not return to prewar conditions," he wrote on social media..

Diplomatic efforts show no signs of progress

Before the latest strikes, Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni visited Pakistan, a key mediator in the conflict, seeking to revive diplomacy. But it was unclear what new arrangement might be reached to end the war, which lately has become a battle for control over the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran's Interior Ministry spokesman Ali Zeinivand said “diplomacy isn’t called off” and that messages were still being exchanged, without elaborating, according to IRNA.

An Arab diplomat said Gulf states are increasingly pessimistic about finding an off-ramp for escalating hostilities and are particularly concerned about the latest round of threats.

The diplomat said countries in the region, in addition to Pakistan and Turkey, are continuing to push for de-escalation. But, he said the chances for any improvement currently appear bleak. The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation.

At a regional summit in the Philippines, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio denounced Iran’s actions in the strait.

“If we create a precedent in the Middle East where a nation state can decide that they are going to control an international waterway, charge a toll and if you don’t pay them, blow up your ships, we have created a very dangerous precedent which will repeat itself in other parts of the world, including in this region,” he said.

Rubio said the U.S. remains open to negotiations with Iran, “but right now they don’t seem to be serious about that” so instead the focus is on protecting shipping.

In response to Iran’s attacks, the U.S. re-imposed a blockade on Iranian ports.

Trump signals US may attack underground nuclear site

Speaking from the Oval Office on Tuesday, Trump gave a dim view on possible talks, saying the U.S. had “no interest in meeting.”

He signaled that U.S. forces could soon target an under-construction Iranian nuclear site buried deep under a mountain.

The site, known as Pickaxe Mountain, lies on the south side of Iran’s Natanz nuclear enrichment site, which was bombed by the U.S. during the 12-day war between Iran and Israel in 2025. But Pickaxe Mountain has remained untouched as Iran continues to dig at the site.

Iran has always insisted its nuclear program is peaceful, while resuming the enrichment of uranium to near weapons-grade levels since Trump scrapped a 2015 nuclear deal during his first term.

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Binkley and Toropin reported from Washington. Contributing were Associated Press writers Bassem Mroue in Beirut; Michelle L. Price and Jim Gomez in Manila, Philippines; and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles.

It shows two adults and five children sitting at a table at the restaurant ‘@ The Diner’ last Sunday. At the end of the video, they leave.

What the video does not show is the adults paying the bill. That’s because the owners of the restaurant say there was no payment -- just a dine and dash.

“They never asked for the check,” Anthony, co-owner of @ The Diner, told News 6 Wednesday. “They never got the check. The server was making drinks for another table.”

Anthony and his mom, Diane, sat down with News 6 at their Universal Boulevard location -- the same location where they say the people in question bailed on the bill.

“They came in with the intention of eating and not paying,” Diane argued.

After the group left Sunday and employees had realized what happened, Diane said she got the phone number that the adults had left with the hostess stand.

“We immediately start texting and calling,” Diane recalled. ‘Ignore, ignore, ignore,’ until finally I said to them, ‘I’m reporting them to the police and we’re gonna post this.’ Then, we got a reaction, but the reaction was gloating, ‘I don’t care, you’ll just make me more famous.’"

After days of obfuscation and deflection from the alleged dine and dashers, Diane and Anthony called the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and filed a report.

The report has a breakdown of the alleged stolen goods and services, and characterizes the adults in question as “persons of interest.”

Diane and Anthony told News 6 that they would not proceed with pressing charges if the two people paid the bill and issued a public apology.

“We want accountability,” Anthony said. “You didn’t just do this, but you did it with kids, too, so we want accountability.”

Shortly after our conversation on camera, Anthony told News 6 that the man in question called and agreed to pay the check.

Around the same time that we confirmed the payment was processed, News 6 was able to get in touch with the man listed as a person of interest in the report.

Over the phone, News 6 tried to ask him questions about the incident, but he insisted that the conversation be conducted over Zoom, where he said he wanted to issue a public apology.

After about 20 minutes of waiting, it appeared that he bailed on the Zoom.

Gerald Tucker is accused of using his truck as a deadly weapon after deputies say he rammed a sales van carrying five people inside a Leesburg neighborhood.

The incident happened June 29 at the Plantation at Leesburg according to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

Investigators said it began when a member of a door-to-door sales crew knocked on Gerald Tucker’s door.

According to an arrest report, the company was already doing window installation work in the area and offered Tucker a free estimate. Deputies said Tucker “was not happy about them being there and told them to leave.”

Investigators said the situation escalated when a manager arrived to pick up the canvasser. According to deputies, the manager saw Tucker chasing the crew down the street in his truck.

Body camera video released by the sheriff’s office shows Tucker speaking with deputies after the incident.

“I was parked right here, diagonally in the road,” Tucker said in the video.

When asked why by the deputy, he responded, “To stop them from going.”

Deputies said Tucker followed the sales crew through the neighborhood and repeatedly tried to block their vehicle. The sheriff’s office also released cellphone video it said was recorded by one of the passengers inside the van.

Investigators said the chase ended when Tucker drove his truck into the van while five people were inside.

In body camera video, a deputy asks Tucker why he was following the group.

“You’re not supposed to solicit in here,” Tucker responded.

Tucker was arrested and charged with five counts of battery with a deadly weapon. He was released the next day on a $10,000 bond.

Tucker and the HOA were contacted for comment, including questions about whether he is still serving on the board, whether he will face any disciplinary action and what the HOA wants residents to know. No response had been received as of this report.

Gov. Patrick Morrisey sent hundreds of National Guard members to the hardest-hit areas in the northern part of the state and declared a state of emergency for all 55 counties Tuesday night. The state Division of Natural Resources has been involved in 85 rescues, he said, and 19 National Guard and state police helicopters were either out on rescue missions or standing by if needed.

Three shelters were opened Wednesday that housed a total of more than 100 residents, the governor said at a news conference.

Governor says he is concerned about any fatalities

Asked if anyone was unaccounted for, Morrisey replied: “We don’t have an exact number but we are concerned about fatalities,” adding that “as soon as we have more information” officials will provide details.

“This is a time for West Virginians to come together to do everything possible, not only to pray for all those who are affected, but we’re going to need a lot of help in the days and weeks ahead,” he said. “Let’s help these communities rebuild.”

Lars Dalseide, Morrisey’s communications director, said in an email Wednesday night that “any specific information related to the flooding will only be released after established procedures are followed and the relevant facts are verified to ensure accuracy.”

Sgt. 1st Class Ariana Shuemake, the West Virginia National Guard’s public affairs officer, referred questions on whether there were any deaths to the governor's office.

Emails seeking similar information weren’t immediately returned by West Virginia Department of Homeland Security spokesman Andy Malinoski and the heads of the Lewis and Upshur county offices of emergency management.

Forecasters said up to 7 inches (18 centimeters) of rain fell. Morrisey said some places received 4.5 inches (11.4 centimeters) in 37 minutes.

“There’s no place for the water to go,” he said.

Dozens of people are rescued from vehicles stranded in floodwater

Video and photos on social media showed submerged vehicles in parking lots, including at a Walmart in Weston where muddy water surged far into the store. Across a nearby highway, a hotel’s main floor was inundated.

Emergency crews reported dozens of rescues of people stuck in submerged vehicles. However, some rescuers were unable to get to locations where floodwaters had cut off access.

Officials in some communities were still waiting for floodwaters to recede Wednesday before figuring out where the public can drop off donated supplies. Buckhannon Mayor Robbie Skinner said one such place will be West Virginia Wesleyan College.

“This is heartbreaking,” Skinner said. “This is not something you want to see in your hometown. But we will get past it. We will get through it.”

Rains were part of series of storms stretching from Ohio to New York City suburbs

The heavy rains were part of wide-ranging storms — which also produced reports of tornadoes — stretching from the Cincinnati area across New Jersey to the New York City suburbs. Damage from a possible tornado was reported in the area of St. Marys and Belmont in West Virginia.

The ground was already saturated after storms dumped more than 2 inches (5 centimeters) of rain throughout the state on Saturday.

Although the rain had cleared out Wednesday, flood warnings remained in several counties for low-lying areas and areas near rivers and creeks. Flood watches were posted for a large swath from eastern Tennessee, Virginia and North Carolina.

Emergency service communication channels buzzed with activity late Tuesday night in West Virginia’s Lewis and Upshur counties, which have about 40,000 residents combined. First responders performed water rescues Tuesday night into Wednesday, Lewis County Commissioner Agnes Quinn Queen said.

“The devastation across our county is extensive,” she said in a social media post.

Floodwaters forced the closure of portions of Interstate 79, U.S. Route 48 and numerous secondary roads. A sinkhole caused by the storm swallowed a vehicle at a bar in Fayetteville.

Tuesday’s storms occurred a decade after 23 people died when heavy rains fell for hours over the same areas.

Data from a U.S. Geological Survey water gauge showed one creek tributary, Sand Run, rose to a record level near Buckhannon, topping the mark set during a November 1985 flood event that resulted in 47 deaths statewide.

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Associated Press writer Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut, contributed to this report.

On the second day of a preliminary hearing for D4vd, whose legal name is David Burke, Los Angeles police criminalists described collecting samples of possible blood and DNA from his garage, where prosecutors allege Burke dismembered her body, and from his Tesla, where the body was found months later.

Burke has pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, sexual abuse of a child and mutilation of a body, and his lawyers have said he did not cause Rivas Hernandez’s death.

Techs test and swab Burke's garage and car

On Tuesday, authorities had said they had evidence that Burke had purchased chain saws, an inflatable pool and a shovel that were used to kill and dismember the teen who had known him for several years and even traveled to London with him.

On Wednesday, the testimony focused on the forensic evidence authorities said they found that they say proves he killed her and got rid of the body by hiding it in a Tesla that was registered to him.

Lauren Wallace, a criminalist with the Los Angeles Police Department, testified that she found apparent blood stains on rubber mats on the floor of the garage in Burke’s Hollywood home, as well as slits — most likely from a sharp object — on the mats. Prosecutors said in a filing before the hearing that blood found in the garage matched Rivas Hernandez's DNA.

Wallace testified that she did not find blood evidence on two chain saws in the garage that purchase records showed Burke had ordered soon after the girl's death.

But she said she sprayed the floor mats with a chemical that shows possible blood stains otherwise not visible by the naked eye by making it glow blue. A photo showed the whole area cloaked in bright blue, bringing soft gasps from people in the courtroom.

And she said possible blood evidence was found on garbage bags and cleaning wipes, and a rowing machine in the garage.

Another LAPD criminalist, Chelsea Murillo, found fewer and smaller but similar stains in the Tesla.

The defense pressed the witnesses over every step of the evidence collection process, attempting to show lapses in preserving potential crime scenes. Burke's attorney, Blair Berk, asked who had been wearing gloves — or not — with access to the car, and why Murillo didn't swab for DNA on the outside of the Tesla.

“It didn’t seem necessary,” Murillo said.

Defense attorneys often use preliminary hearings to explore potential weaknesses in the prosecution's case that can be exploited at trial.

Prosecutors say Burke killed to keep his career

Prosecutors are seeking to prove Burke, an indie-pop singer whose music and online presence brought him a huge following, began a sexual relationship with Rivas Hernandez when she was 13 and he was 18.

They said in a court filing that she had grown jealous of his relationships with other women and threatened to expose him and ruin his career the night before she was killed.

The court filing said he sent a car to pick her up on the night of April 23, 2025, and stabbed her when she arrived at his Hollywood home.

Prosecutors say he kept the body for weeks or months in the front trunk of the Tesla, where it was found after the car was towed 4 1/2 months later in September.

Los Angeles police homicide detective Joshua Byers testified earlier that when he was called to the Hollywood tow yard he found a body bag with a head and torso inside, and garbage bags with arms and legs. Byers testified that records showed Burke had bought such a body bag on Amazon, along with the chain saws and other tools prosecutors say were used in the dismemberment.

Wallace testified that a third chain saw that police said Burke had ordered was not found.

Rivas Hernandez's passport found by highway

A California Highway Patrol officer testified that a road worker in January had found Rivas Hernandez’s passport in a brushy dirt area in a rural section of Santa Barbara County, about 95 miles (150 kilometers) northwest of Burke’s Hollywood home.

Prosecutors have said Burke made two trips to the area, once on the night of the killing and again about six weeks later, where data shows he was at the spot where the passport was found.

Rivas Hernandez’s parents, Jesus Rivas and Mercedes Martinez, have been in the audience both days. They are not expected to testify.

The defendant, who has been held without bail since his arrest, appeared in court in his orange jail clothes and glasses.

D4vd made millions between 2023 and 2025

Financial witnesses testified that Burke’s music had earned him at least $10 million between 2023 and 2025.

Under the name D4vd (pronounced “David”), he began writing and recording songs for YouTube videos he created of the video game Fortnite as a teen.

The music was a blend of indie rock, R&B and lo-fi pop and made him a phenomenon on TikTok, Soundcloud and Spotify, where his top songs, including his 2022 breakthrough “Romantic Homicide,” have more than a billion plays.

In 2023, he released two EPs and opened for SZA on tour. Last year, he performed at the Coachella music festival and released a full album that he was on tour promoting when the body was discovered.

The surveillance footage from the U.S. Attorney's Office offered the most complete look yet at the bizarre episode Monday morning outside 26 Federal Plaza, which didn’t seriously injure anyone but led to arson charges against Andrew Arrabaca, a former U.S. Army soldier.

Prosecutors say Arrabaca, 43, confessed to carrying out the attack and has been jailed without bail.

The video shows Arrabaca, who arrived at the building with a little wagon filled with supplies, setting up a large fireworks dispenser, capable of rapidly firing off dozens of rockets.

He ignites it, and rockets start shooting out into the air — then everywhere as the tube shooting off the projectiles topples over.

One hits his wagon and explodes. Others shoot down the sidewalk and into the street as cars drive past.

New Yorkers are famed for their ability to coolly ignore outlandish things happening in front of them, but the reaction of some passersby showed an Olympic level of minding your business.

One pair calmly walks past Arrabaca and the spewing fireworks as if nothing is happening, even as a rocket narrowly misses them and explodes right next to them in a shower of red sparks and smoke. But they dash for cover when Arrabaca pulls out a weapon that looks like a rifle — authorities said it was a pellet gun — and points it toward them.

Finally, Arrabaca dumps out a bucket full of what appears to be bottles, lighting up a large blaze on the sidewalk that engulfs the steps leading to the building's entrance. At one point during the commotion, a person rides by on a bicycle.

The building houses offices for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the FBI and other federal agencies and has been a hub of protests against President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.

Officials said Arrabaca was toting an anti-ICE sign and made “anti-government and anti-American statements” as he was being arrested. He also had with him two axes, three fixed-blade knives, a hammer and a machete.

Three people sustained minor injuries, including a person who had an immigration court hearing at the building. According to federal prosecutors, Arrabaca plotted the attack for months and considered striking other New York City targets.

He went to upstate New York to buy weapons and Pennsylvania to buy fireworks, prosecutors said. Outside the Manhattan building, he was tackled by a security officer after authorities say he dumped gasoline outside an employee entrance and set the sidewalk on fire.

At Arrabaca's hearing Tuesday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Robyn F. Tarnofsky said he was “quite clearly ill."

Arrabaca was living in his car and slept in a park the night before the attack, prosecutors said. In 2020, he was prescribed medication for a mental health condition, but he stopped taking it about a year later.

His defense attorney suggested that he be sent to a locked ward at a Veterans Health Administration facility for a mental health evaluation, but he was ordered jailed then evaluated there.

Arrabaca repaired Patriot missile systems while in the Army from 2001 to 2004. He also served a year in the New York Army National Guard. He had no deployments and left the Army as a specialist, an Army spokesperson said.

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Associated Press reporter Safiyah Riddle contributed.

In it’s latest Regional Price Parities report, the agency gave the Miami metro area — which includes cities like Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Boca Raton and Hialeah — a score of 114.155.

That eked out the New York metro area’s score of 112.563. A score of 100 represents the national average, meaning both regions still suffer a high cost of living.

The news comes after years of massive migration to the Sunshine State, with nearly 900,000 people moving to Florida in 2024 alone, per the U.S. Census Bureau. Over 50,000 of these people were from New York.

Meanwhile, a recent report by MovingPlace reveals that nearly 200,000 people left New York City between May 2024 and October 2025 — primarily lower-income earners (those who earn under $200,000 annually).

But the report also shows that many New York City residents have been moving to the Sunshine State in particular, with the Miami metro area being the No. 2 destination in the country.

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE LOOK LIKE FOR MIAMI?

In his latest forecast, UCF economist Sean Snaith said that South Florida real estate developers are placing their bets on Miami, with several major projects developing in the city’s financial core.

This includes the fully approved Citadel tower, which is set to become the tallest office building in the region.

“Developers said investment is concentrating in areas immediately surrounding the urban core — including Brickell, Downtown, and Edgewater — where proximity to commercial districts, walkability, and new infrastructure are driving continued construction activity," he writes.

The report further highlights the MSC Group’s $100 million Miami headquarters, which is expected to create up to 1,500 additional jobs over the next few years.

In all, over $1 billion has been attracted in new capital investment from over 100 companies pushing into the county, bringing in thousands of jobs and generating millions in annual county tax revenue.

So while the cost of living may be going up, it appears as though the area is expected to keep growing thanks to big building projects and new companies, with unemployment staying low, though further job growth may be slow.

Trump paid respects to four U.S. service members who were killed in the Middle East and returned to their families at an Air Force base in Delaware. It was the third dignified transfer that Trump has attended since he launched the war in Iran in February.

Earlier in the day, Trump warned Iran that the U.S. will destroy one bridge or power plant each time Iran shoots at a ship in the Strait of Hormuz. The warning came after the U.S. carried out another wave of strikes on Iran, where air defenses opened fire over the capital, Tehran.

Here's the latest:

Endangered right whales could wait almost a decade for new US protections

New protections for endangered right whales in the North Atlantic would be postponed for nearly a decade under a plan that cleared a key hurdle in Washington with the full-throated support of the fishing and lobster industries.

Environmentalists say this could spell the end for the vanishing whales, which can drown after getting tangled up in fishing gear or being struck by boats. There are only about 380 North Atlantic right whales left.

The federal government has already paused any new right whale rules until 2028, and the House Natural Resources Committee voted on July 15 to extend that moratorium to 2035. A vote by the Republican-controlled Congress could happen as soon as this summer, and is almost certain to pass.

President Donald Trump ’s administration has thrown its support behind U.S. Rep. Jared Golden, a Democrat from Maine, in his efforts to further delay new regulations aimed at protecting right whales.

Fishing industries say they already follow some of the most comprehensive conservation measures in the world and more rules might drive them out of business.

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Republicans in Congress continue to back Iran war despite the political risk

Republicans on Capitol Hill are walking a cautious election-year line on the Iran war as it future seems increasingly uncertain and polls show most Americans think the war isn’t worth fighting.

The potential political peril has only grown in recent days, particularly for Republicans facing reelection in November. But while some GOP lawmakers say they want more information from the administration on the endgame and the escalating cost, they continue to defend Trump’s decision to engage and have voted repeatedly to cede congressional powers to the White House.

It’s still unclear, though, if more Republicans — many of whom have been privately questioning the conflict — will speak out publicly as the midterm elections approach. GOP lawmakers in both chambers are expected to face the next test of their loyalty this week as Democrats force new votes on whether Trump should seek congressional approval for military action against Iran.

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US-Canada bridge has been years in the making. But tension between countries is sapping the joy

The strained relationship between the North American neighbors is spoiling the celebration of an extraordinary project: a new six-lane bridge named for a famous Canadian who played hockey for the Detroit Red Wings.

After years of planning and billions of dollars in construction, the Gordie Howe International Bridge is ready for business, rising high over the Detroit River between Michigan and Ontario.

But a ceremony planned for Friday, with dignitaries from both countries meeting in the middle, has been scratched after Trump announced 50% tariffs this week on most Canadian goods.

A spokesperson for the Canadian minister of infrastructure said joint festivities now would be “inappropriate,” though a separate event in Windsor, Ontario, is scheduled. The bridge still is expected to open to car and truck traffic on Monday, followed by pedestrian and bike crossings starting Aug. 5.

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Democrats press ICE on oversight, say 1 officer referred for discipline over use of force

One Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer has been referred for discipline over a use of force incident since the beginning of the Trump administration, Democratic members of the House Homeland Security Committee said after a briefing with ICE officials about body cameras, vehicle stops and training.

The briefing came in the wake of two recent fatal shootings of immigrants by ICE officers, raising concerns over agency tactics at a time when it is ratcheting up arrests.

The shootings have led to fierce criticism that there is not enough oversight of the agency, which is key to Trump’s mass deportation agenda. At least 10 people have died in encounters with immigration agents during the crackdown.

ICE and the Department of Homeland Security did not respond to requests for comment. Officials have promised to hold responsible officers who violate policy. But they have also defended officers as operating in a dangerous environment.

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UK withdraws embassy staff from Iran

Diplomatic staff at the British Embassy in Tehran have been temporarily withdrawn amid growing escalations between the U.S. and Iran, including recent strikes in the Iranian capital. The United Kingdom said it was due to “the security situation.”

The country made a similar move in the days leading up to the beginning of U.S. and Israeli combat operations in late February. Other Western embassies have continued to operate in Tehran.

Questions about what prompted the decision were not immediately answered by U.K. officials.

Judge questions difference between Hegseth’s testosterone policy and transgender care for troops

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s new initiative to test and treat troops for low testosterone has prompted a federal judge to question the differences between that kind of testosterone replacement therapy and hormone treatment for transgender men in the military.

U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes in Washington raised the question Wednesday in an ongoing lawsuit against President Donald Trump’s ban on transgender troops. Reyes noted that the ban says “the Armed Forces must adhere to high mental and physical health standards ... without the benefit of routine medical treatment or special provisions.”

Reyes ordered both parties in the lawsuit to address “the similarities and differences in administering TRT, both medically and logistically, for trans men compared to other service members, including cis individuals.”

She also requested information on the Pentagon’s “basis for treating trans men and other service members differently between this new policy and the Military Ban.”

Judge weighs tribe’s request to block construction of a border wall across its reservation

A federal judge is weighing what he says is an unprecedented request by a Native American tribe to block the Trump administration from taking any steps to build 62 miles of border wall across part of its reservation without its consent.

U.S. District Judge Richard Leon in Washington, D.C., did not rule from the bench Wednesday after hearing arguments from attorneys for Tohono O’odham Nation and the federal government. But he appeared to be skeptical that U.S. laws tip in favor of the tribe’s request for a preliminary injunction.

Leon, who was nominated to the bench by Republican President George W. Bush, said he could not find a previous court ruling under comparable circumstances.

The tribe’s 2.8-million-acre reservation in the Sonoran Desert in Arizona abuts the Mexico border.

Justice Department attorney Adam Gustafson said Congress gave the executive branch broad discretion to decide the best way to control the nation’s southwest border.

US carries out 12th night of strikes on Iran

The U.S. military has announced another night of strikes as both sides are increasingly targeting civilian infrastructure.

The U.S. Central Command once again said the strikes are designed to “further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting regional waters” as the U.S. pushes to regain control over the Strait of Hormuz and restore the flow of international shipping.

Trump administration says it will submit Saudi Arabia nuclear deal to Congress

Saudi Arabia could obtain uranium enrichment capability for its civilian nuclear program under a new cooperation agreement with the administration.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Saudi Minister of Energy Abdulaziz bin Salman signed it Wednesday along with a related agreement intended to offer nuclear safeguards.

U.S. officials said the deals lay the legal foundation for a decades-long, multibillion-dollar partnership that advances key economic and strategic objectives including nuclear nonproliferation.

The 123 agreement provides access for U.S. companies in the Saudi nuclear energy program, benefiting American industry and workers, while helping to meet Saudi energy needs, the Energy Department said.

The agreement will now be transmitted to Congress for review.

House Republicans adopt $95 billion package for the Iran war and Trump’s priorities

Lawmakers adopted the proposal, a long-shot effort to fund the Iran war and other White House priorities over objections from Democrats and a few GOP holdouts in a final push before the midterm elections.

Republicans were divided, with conservatives wary because there are no offsetting budget cuts. But Speaker Mike Johnson plunged ahead, viewing the go-it-alone process as the best chance to usher Trump’s priorities through a split Congress despite skepticism in the Senate.

The tally was 216-214, with all Democrats opposed.

“Just bullets and bombs to finish the job,” said Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, chairman of the Budget Committee.

Democrats argued that the money should be spent at home.

“Republicans plan to spend tens of billions of dollars on Trump’s failed war in Iran,” Rep. Pete Aguilar of California, chairman of the House Democratic caucus, said this week. “Think about what we could spend with these resources instead.”

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Jackson promises state match for Trump Accounts seed money

Rick Jackson, the state’s GOP nominee for governor, said Wednesday that he will push for Georgia legislators to approve a state match for the $1,000 in seed money that the federal government is giving to some holders of Trump Accounts.

Babies born from 2025 to 2028 currently receive $1,000 from the federal government in their accounts.

Jackson, a wealthy businessperson and CEO of a healthcare company, said he believes Georgia lawmakers will support that, but “if they don’t, I will personally donate it myself.”

“It changed my life when I got a $100 Christmas gift in an orphanage,” he said.

Trump accuses Georgia senator and other Democrats of being communists

“The United States of America will never be a communist country,” Trump said, drawing big applause and a chant of “USA, USA.”

“The blue states are all going bad” because communism is a loser, he said. “It’s a loser and it always has been and it always will be.”

The crowd booed enthusiastically when Trump mentioned “your terrible Sen. Jon Ossoff”

“Jon Ossoff and the Democrat communists want to let the Marxists into power, bankrupt your families and leave you totally undefended with wide-open borders,” Trump said.

Trump jokes about running for a third term, again

The president opened his Georgia rally with a joke about running for a third term.

“Well, thank you very much, everybody. It’s a special place, and I am here to announce my candidacy,” the president said at the start of his speech, pausing as the crowd cheered.

After a few seconds, he held up his hand and waved it in front of him slightly. “I’m only kidding,” Trump added.

The president is constitutionally barred from running again in 2028, but has repeatedly suggested he might somehow do so anyway. Sometimes Trump suggests he’s joking, but he’s also said he might lead a constitutional movement to rewrite the Constitution in his favor.

Trump finally gets to Trump Accounts

After a nearly half-hour riff on unrelated topics, the president began talking about the subject of Wednesday’s event in Georgia.

“It’s hot as a pistol,” Trump said of Trump Accounts.

He then gave a brief description of how the accounts work, including the $1,000 in seed money that the government awards babies born from 2025 to 2028.

After that initial investment, the value of the account “goes up, and up, and up,” Trump said.

Trump wants credit on lower inflation in June due to lower oil prices that have since climbed

The U.S. president is tweaking his pitch to voters on inflation — wanting credit for the monthly dip in the consumer price index that was caused by energy prices falling due to a ceasefire in the Iran war.

But the ceasefire has failed to endure and oil prices have since jumped, with average gasoline prices at $4.06 a gallon. That’s up 4.3% over the past week and prices at the pump have jumped nearly 29% from a year ago, according to AAA.

Speaking in Georgia, Trump claimed the monthly drop had more to do with his management of the U.S. economy. That claim carries a political risk if the rising energy prices cause inflation to rise this month.

“It was announced just last week that inflation dropped by the largest amount in more than six years,” Trump said. “Because we’re doing it right. We’re running the country properly.”

Trump says his White House ballroom is actually a ‘military facility’

He told the rally crowd in Georgia, “We’re building a tremendous military facility at the White House. It’s a ballroom, but it’s also a big military facility.”

The president said it would feature a “drone port on top and tremendous things underneath.”

Trump originally said the project, which is expected to cost at least $400 million, would be paid for by himself and wealthy donors. But Trump now says the ballroom is supposed to include White House security upgrades like the drone port.

However, $1 billion in federal funding proposed for White House security upgrades has stalled in Congress.

The president also said crews building the ballroom are working from around 6 a.m. until late in the night, sometimes 11 p.m., and working Sundays.

Trump says dignified transfers are ‘the toughest thing I do’

The president said his visit to Dover Air Force Base on Wednesday for the dignified transfer of four service members was particularly difficult.

“It’s very tough to watch, to be honest with you,” Trump said. “I think it’s the toughest thing I do.”

Trump said he invited the family of 1st Lt. Tyler Feehan to join him on Air Force One on his trip to Georgia, where the family lives.

“We will carry Tyler’s memory in our hearts forever,” Trump said, describing him as a “flawless” person.

Trump shouts out Republican candidate for Georgia governor, Rick Jackson

“Gonna be your next governor, right here,” Trump said, gesturing toward Jackson, who was right next to the stage.

Trump had endorsed Lt. Gov. Burt Jones in the Republican primary, but was quick to praise Jackson after he won a fiercely fought Republican primary.

Trump congratulated Jackson on social media the day after the primary runoff in June, saying he “very successfully campaigned on being ‘TRUMP,’ and won.”

Trump is about to give remarks in Marietta, Georgia

Leading up to Trump’s arrival, the crowd gathered in a suburban Atlanta high school gym heard from several candidates for statewide office.

They also heard from U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach, a former Georgia state senator; U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon; Small Business Administration Administrator Kelly Loeffler, a former U.S. senator from Georgia; and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

Friend says soldier killed in the Middle East ‘always made people feel seen’

A friend of Angel Rampersad says the 28-year-old Army sergeant genuinely cared about people and made them feel important and seen.

Deonne Jinkins and Rampersad met in 2024 in Germany, where they served together and became good friends.

On Wednesday, the 22-year-old Jinkins recalled how Rampersad jumped in and set up a weekend celebration for Jinkins’ birthday within weeks of their first meeting.

“The fact that we had barely known each other, yet she showed up for me in such a big way, spoke volumes about the kind of person she was,” Jinkins said over Facebook Messenger. “I’ll never forget what she did for me that weekend.”

Jinkins said her friend “loved deeply, cared genuinely, and always made people feel seen and important.”

Rampersad’s family said in a brief statement she was a “gentle giant” who “stood up for those who couldn’t fight for themselves.”

“She loved her family fiercely and will live on in the hearts of everyone she touched,” the statement said.

Trump pays respects to four service members killed in Middle East

The president saluted as four cases draped with American flags were escorted off an airplane during a dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.

He was joined by administration officials including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Trump was scheduled to meet privately with grieving family members.

The White House said one of the families will be joining on Air Force One later on Wednesday when Trump flies to an event in Georgia, where the family lives.

Senate committee moves nomination forward for FEMA administrator

The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs voted 8-4 Wednesday morning to advance Trump’s pick to lead the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Cameron Hamilton.

Hamilton is a former Navy SEAL who briefly led FEMA in a temporary role last year before being fired after defending the agency’s existence. His potential return marks a shift in the Trump administration’s stance toward the disaster agency, after Trump said early in his second term that he was considering eliminating it altogether.

If approved by the Senate, Hamilton would be the first permanent FEMA administrator in Trump’s second term. The agency has seen four temporary leaders and been roiled by upheaval, including the departure of thousands of staff.

Journalists urge correspondents’ association to stand up to Trump at rescheduled press dinner

Hundreds of former or retired journalists and eight press freedom groups are asking the White House Correspondents’ Association to stand up to the Trump administration’s recent attacks on the media at its rescheduled dinner this week — a dinner President Donald Trump says he’ll attend.

The first dinner was cut short in April when a gunman, who prosecutors say was trying to assassinate Trump, opened fire at the Washington Hilton. The much smaller rescheduled dinner will take place Friday, with enhanced security precautions, at the capital’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel, formerly the Trump International Hotel.

The letter expands on a similar one issued in April, before the first dinner. It notes that since then, “the administration’s attacks on journalists and press freedom have become even more egregious.”

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Iran war energy shock hits Southeast Asia hard

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong raised her country’s concern over renewed attacks by the U.S. and Iran in the Middle East, warning that “the situation could deteriorate further without much warning.”

“We want to see an end to this war. We want to see a ceasefire. We want to see negotiations and we want the strait to be opened,” Wong told reporters at the ASEAN summit. The war’s impact on global energy markets has had a direct and personal impact on people, she said.

Southeast Asia’s reliance on fossil fuel imports from the Mideast has made the region particularly vulnerable, according to the International Energy Agency. Asian markets imported about 80% of the crude oil and almost 90% of the liquefied natural gas, or LNG, transiting through the Strait of Hormuz in 2025, the IEA said.

Rubio says US willing to be ‘patient’ with pace of change in Cuba

Asked whether the Trump administration’s goal is regime change in Cuba, Rubio told reporters that the U.S. is prepared to be “very realistic” and “patient” about a process of ensuring that the Cuban people “can experience prosperity, safety, security and a better life moving forward.”

Rubio insisted the country’s socialist economic model doesn’t work and that the Cuban government is most interested in holding on to power, not making reforms.

But he said that “we’ll keep talking to them about the kind of changes they can make” because it affects U.S. national security.

“It’s a failed state. But I’ve never laid out any timeline as to what change would look like or when it would happen,” Rubio said.

A plane was carrying food and hygiene kits to Cuba on Tuesday, part of U.S. efforts to directly aid residents.

Oil prices rise another 3%

A barrel of Brent crude, the international standard, was trading at $93.83 at midday Wednesday after briefly topping $95 to touch its highest price in six weeks as the war with Iran continues.

Rising oil prices threaten to reaccelerate inflation, which could push the Federal Reserve and other central banks to raise interest rates, which would slow economies and undercut prices for stocks and other investments.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.65%, helping to bring long-term U.S. mortgage rates to their highest levels in nearly a year. The yield was 3.97% before the war.

The auto club AAA said Wednesday that the average price for a gallon of regular gas in the U.S. jumped again overnight to $4.06. It had been below $3 before the United States and Israel attacked Iran.

The soldiers whose remains are being returned to their families

The four U.S. service members were identified by the Defense Department:

1. 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii

2. Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas

3. Sgt. Angel Rampersad, 28, of Ozone Park, New York

4. Army Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, of Spring Lake, North Carolina

Since the war began on Feb. 28, 18 U.S. service members have been killed.

Trump to tell families of service members fallen in the Middle East, ‘we love your child’

Trump is at Dover Air Force Base, participating in the return of the remains of four U.S. service members killed in the Middle East.

Asked for his message to their families before he departed Joint Base Andrews, Trump said, “All I’m going to say is, ‘we love you. We love your child.’”

“All you can do is throw out your heart,” he said.

The Department of Homeland Security said shortly after the July 7 shooting that Salgado Araujo had “weaponized his vehicle in an attempt to run over an ICE law enforcement officer,” and that the officer had fired in self-defense.

But two men who were riding with Salgado Araujo wrote in statements submitted in court that the officers with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement were to the sides of their van, never in front or behind it; one of them described the government’s account as “a lie.”

Homebuilder died in front of his construction crew

Salgado Araujo, who was living without legal status in the U.S. for 35 years and running a homebuilding business, died that morning in front of his construction crew, including his own brother. His family said he had no criminal record.

His killing, one of at least 10 during immigration enforcement operations since the start of President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign, sparked widespread protests in Houston and calls for an i ndependent and transparent investigation. The officers were not wearing body cameras, and no photos and videos of the shooting have surfaced.

The three men who were with him that morning were arrested, and are now in immigration detention facilities. They have each filed habeas corpus petitions, alleging their confinement is unconstitutional and asking the court to order their release.

Jose Trinidad Rojas Pliego and Daniel Tirado Pantoja attached their accounts of the shooting to their petitions, which was first reported by the Texas Tribune. They both wrote that they have been in the U.S. for decades and have no criminal history. Victor Salgado, the brother of the man killed, has also asked a judge to order him released. But his attorney asked the court that his petition be sealed to protect his privacy, so his account of the killing is not yet public.

Rojas Pliego wrote in Spanish that Salgado Araujo picked him up at 6:30 that morning, which was their daily routine. They then picked up the other two men.

Passengers said they were ‘startled’ by vehicle following them

Tirado Pantoja said a vehicle soon began following them, “almost crashing” into their van. He wrote that they were “startled” and ran over a curb attempted to turn around.

The ICE vehicle chased them, Rojas Pliego wrote, and Salgado Araujo eventually thought they lost the tail. Then suddenly, the agents had them cornered.

Tirado Pantoja wrote that the ICE vehicle hit them from behind, then again on the driver’s side.

DHS, which oversees ICE, has said it was the other way around: they allege Salgado Araujo rammed the ICE vehicles with his van. A federal prosecutor in Texas has said that ICE officers were targeting two Guatemalan men who were potentially subject to deportation and driving a van similar to Salgado Araujo’s. DHS said he ignored commands and attempted to run over the officer with his vehicle, and the officer fired in self-defense.

Rojas Pliego wrote that’s “a lie” and “impossible:” “there wasn’t a single officer behind or in front of us, they were only on the sides.”

Tirado Pantoja, too, wrote that the agents were never in front of the vehicle, adding that Salgado Araujo had “put vehicle in park as the agents were shooting.”

After being shot, Salgado Araujo was handcuffed and thrown to the ground

Rojas Pliego wrote that the officers pulled Salgado Araujo wounded out of the car, handcuffed him and “threw him to the ground.”

Tirado Pantoja wrote that Salgado Araujo at some point said “Ya me mataron” – “they’ve already killed me.”

Rojas Pliego wrote that the same officer who fired the shot then “dragged us out violently, throwing us to the ground while we were handcuffed and chained from head to toe.”

Aaron Reitz, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, issued a statement last week promising a full investigation by his office, the FBI, DHS and state and local law enforcement.

“We are doing everything we can to seek the truth and do the right thing,” he wrote.

DHS said in a statement Wednesday that its Office of Inspector General is also investigating. It said the FBI's Houston office “is leading an investigation into the potential assault on a federal law enforcement officer.”

A judge on Monday barred the government from deporting Rojas Pliego or removing him from the district without the court’s approval. A different judge, overseeing Tirado Pantoja’s case, on Wednesday ordered the federal government to notify the court with at least five days notice if they plan to transfer him outside of the district or deport him.

Raed Gonzalez Olivieri, a lawyer representing both men, wrote in their petitions that the circumstances of their detentions “are exceptional: those who now administer his custody shot at him at close range.” The petition says that puts them at increased risk of emotional and physical pain while incarcerated.

Both men applied for visas designed to protect immigrants who are victims of crimes and assist law enforcement. Gonzalez Olivieri wrote in their petitions that they survived “aggravated assault with a deadly weapon” and are material witnesses to the killing.

___

Associated Press reporter Valerie Gonzalez contributed to this report.

A ridge of high pressure in the upper levels of the atmosphere, mixed in with very dry air in the mid-levels, is the perfect recipe for a hot and dry setup across Central Florida. Expect only a few isolated showers between I-4 and I-75 around sunset and into the early evening as our sea breeze continues pushing inland. After 10pm, our neighborhoods are dry for the rest of the overnight.

Thursday

Dry air remains in place across Central Florida, limiting our chance for rain. With an onshore flow all day, a few showers will hover around the coast around sunrise. That rain chance shifts inland as the day rolls on with the sea breeze pushing westward. Moisture will be limited to get more than isolated showers to form along it. Highs will reflect the dry conditions, hitting the mid 90s with heat indices over 100ºF.

Into the Weekend

Starting on Friday, and progressing over the weekend, moisture begins to enter our atmosphere as the ridge of high pressure weakens and a trough begins to dig into the Southeast. This will increase our “feels like” temperatures and rain chances as we move through the weekend and into early next week. This will allow highs to back down to near normal values in the low 90s.

During an event in Los Angeles, against the backdrop of a stinking, scorched food warehouse he described as a symbol of the state's political incompetence, Hilton rolled out a list of campaign promises clearly aimed at residents buckling under California's notoriously high cost of living. He vowed to bring the price of gasoline down to $3 a gallon, about half the current cost, cut residents’ utility bills in half, now among the nation's highest, and eliminate state income taxes on the first $150,000 in earnings.

He blamed the state's problems — from homelessness to low student test scores — squarely on Democrats, who hold every statewide office and supermajorities in the Legislature. He called Democrats a “rotten regime that has abandoned the working class.”

In his campaign remarks and ads he took out in leading newspapers throughout the state, Hilton addressed his relationship with Trump, who has endorsed him in the race.

“This is not about who you hate in Washington. It’s about what we love about California and what we can do to make California once again the best place anywhere in the country to start and raise a family, to start and run a business,” he said before a small group of supporters. “That’s what this election is about.”

Hilton’s maneuver is meant to create a sliver of distance from Trump without breaking from him. It's a tacit nod to the political math in California, one of the nation’s most solidly Democratic states. Registered Republicans are outnumbered nearly 2-to-1 by Democratic voters, and a GOP candidate hasn’t won a statewide election since 2006.

Trump is widely unpopular in California outside his loyal conservative base. In 2016, Trump lost to Democrat Hillary Clinton by 30 points; in 2020, he lost to Joe Biden by 29 points; and in 2024, he lost to Kamala Harris by 20 points.

California is regarded as the home of the so-called Trump resistance, where Democrats have effectively used Trump as a foil in campaigns to motivate voters. Last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom essentially nationalized the state's fight over Proposition 50, which recast U.S. House districts to favor Democrats, by framing it as a confrontation with Trump. The measure notched a 29-point win.

The campaign of Hilton's Democratic opponent, former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, scoffed at the notion of Hilton being a change agent.

“Californians already know who Steve Hilton is: Trump’s puppet in California. His campaign is a promise to run our state the way Trump runs the country and we’re not buying it," campaign spokesman Jonathan Underland said in a statement.

As for Hilton's pitch that voters who dislike Trump should feel free to consider him in November, Underland said, “Steve Hilton cheers on a president whose illegal war has sent gas prices soaring and illegal tariffs have cost California families more than $2,500 this year alone. You can’t fix the affordability crisis while carrying water for the man causing it.”

In a heavily Democratic state, Hilton's campaign is hoping his appeal to Democrats and independents will “give voters a permission slip” to look past the letter next to a candidate’s name, even in a nation deeply divided by partisanship.

“You do have a choice if you think that this state is going in the wrong direction,” he told supporters at a kickoff event in Boyle Heights, a Los Angeles neighborhood where residents have been complaining about the stench of rotting food, flies and rodents that followed a fire last month at a cold storage warehouse.

He was accompanied by Gloria Romero, a former Democratic state lawmaker who switched parties in 2024 and is this year's Republican nominee for lieutenant governor. She delivered her own address in both English and Spanish, with supporters holding “Hilton-Romero” signs in the background.

Becerra, a former state lawmaker, congressman and state attorney general, is heavily favored to win the seat now held by Newsom, a likely 2028 Democratic presidential candidate who is barred by law from seeking a third term. Hilton and Becerra emerged from a chaotic primary election in June that had more than 50 candidates on the ballot.

The race is unfolding at a time when California is facing multiple crises. Despite billions in spending, homelessness remains widespread, especially in larger cities. Multibillion-dollar budget gaps are projected into the future. Home prices remain out of reach for many residents. The home insurance market is in disarray, businesses and residents have been fleeing the state, and residents contend with some of the nation’s highest gas prices, taxes and utility bills.

Making good on his campaign promises won't be an easy task for Hilton, a former adviser to ex-United Kingdom Prime Minister David Cameron who has never held elective office. The governor doesn't control the oil or utility markets, but Hilton says he will get rid of mandates, taxes and fees that drive those prices higher. He also would likely need the consent of a Legislature controlled by Democrats to change the state's income tax structure.

Hilton crowned his campaign kickoff with a 30-second TV ad underscoring the financial challenges for many families.

“Life here has become impossible for anyone who isn't already rich,” he says. “Let's fix California.”

These roles are independent reporters who embed themselves in their assigned communities around the Orlando DMA as exclusive News 6 Community Correspondents, where they report, shoot, and edit major news stories from their beats. 

Beachside: Brevard County

This independent journalist will report, shoot, and edit major stories about the things that matter most to Brevard County, embedding into these coastal communities on Florida’s actively growing Space Coast.

Orlando Metro: Seminole County

This independent journalist will focus on one of our busier beats in Seminole County, including Altamonte Springs, Longwood, Sanford, and neighborhoods along I-4 heading East (physically north). 15-30 minutes from downtown Orlando, Seminole County is part of the core of our viewership and home to modern, robust communities of truly local residents and families that also offer extensive outdoor recreation/sports fields & complexes. Each city listed has a different vibe, from Sanford’s lakefront blend of history and a growing eclectic downtown nightlife to Altamonte Springs being easy access to all things downtown and home to key shopping and events like Red Hot and Boom, the area’s largest annual Fourth of July celebration.

In the Backyard of Theme Parks: Osceola County

This independent journalist will report, shoot, and edit major stories about the things that matter most to St Cloud, Poinciana, and the greater Osceola County area, a rapidly growing area south of Orlando.  To be clear, this is not a theme parks beat, but this reporter would live nearby, making it a great way to spend personal time.  Also, if you’re bilingual in Spanish, this is the beat for you!

The heart of Florida: Marion County

Sprawling live oaks, rolling hills, grand lakes, and breathtaking glimpses of old Florida bump right into the hustle and bustle of the Sunshine State’s rapid modernization! This journalist will report, shoot, and edit major stories about the things that matter most to Ocala, The Villages, and Marion County, living and working in communities in the heart of Florida’s horse country, and one of the fastest growing areas in the U.S., right along the I-75 corridor.

What kind of reporter are we looking for?

Graham Media Group, in Market #15 Orlando, Fla., is looking for an experienced reporter who is a fair, driven, and tech-savvy journalist who can work quickly and independently to cover a specific set of communities.

This role at WKMG News 6 is perfect for you if you excel at delivering fair, fact-based reporting, using compelling visuals and creative storytelling techniques you create and execute, which can hold people’s attention. 

You are an expert at developing trust rapidly with viewers and sources and can use those relationships to break high-impact local news stories first in the market.  You have a bit of a competitive edge, whether you’re covering breaking news first or asking the first question at every news conference.  And you can balance that competitive spirit with a strong team-first mentality in the newsroom that inspires the teammates around you.

Ultimately, you care deeply about standing up for what’s right, and you’re motivated by a call to serve, delivering relevant, hyper-local reporting that informs our audiences, helps keep them safe, holds others accountable, and improves our communities for the better.

POSITION OVERVIEW

As a News 6 Community Correspondent, you will embed yourself in an assigned geography and its associated county, where you will develop enterprise hard news stories that directly impact people in your area.

You work independently, reporting, shooting, and editing your own stories efficiently every day, with occasional options to partner with experienced photojournalists on certain stories.  You also get to work with a veteran broadcast journalist as your individual coach to help you master your reporter skillset, style, and storytelling craft.

You are comfortable with a rapidly changing workday, and you can quickly master new technologies, from cameras to content and editing software.  You know how to quickly deliver reports and storytelling on TV, vertical social media videos, and YouTube/digital formats.  You’re also game to try new equipment and techniques while still delivering quality high-impact local journalism.

It’s also important to have a strong on-camera presence/delivery that is clear, conversational, and commanding.  Your live experience ranges from successfully gathering relevant information first at breaking scenes to wall-to-wall live coverage, like the kind that accompanies hurricanes.  This live delivery helps you execute well on linear, digital, and streaming platforms.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Report, shoot, and edit your own stories efficiently, every day.
• Be the expert on the news that matters to your assigned geography or associated county.
• Pitch enterprise stories vetted in advance from your assigned beat.
• Produce digital articles, videos, vertical videos, and other visuals/graphics as needed that drive engagement with your stories.
• Report stories that are fair, balanced, and use process language often, when appropriate.
• Ask the right questions in interviews that capture key emotion or insights.
• Synthesize complex documents and break them down into conversational terms.
• Execute creative storytelling standups and teases that include movement and complement your reporting.
• Turn high-quality journalism despite daily deadline pressure.

KEY QUALIFICATIONS

• Several years of successful reporting in 2 television markets preferred; at least one of those was a medium market or a very active market with a high volume of news.
• A college degree in Journalism, Communications, or a related field is preferred.
• Proficiency in multiple newsroom producing and editing systems, social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, and verified internet search and research techniques and databases.
• Being bilingual in Spanish is preferred but not required.
• Work a flexible schedule including nights, weekends, and holidays, as news and business needs require.
• Have a valid driver’s license with a safety record acceptable to Graham Media Group.
• Create good solutions for problems or when something doesn’t go as planned.
• Partner productively with platform producers and newsroom leaders.
• Have experience partnering with a photojournalist.

Interested candidates should send their resume and links to their reporting work to WKMGCareers@wkmg.com.

WKMG-TV - Graham Media Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In addition to complying with the requirements of federal law, WKMG-TV/ GMG will comply with applicable state and local laws prohibiting employment discrimination.  Any offer of employment is conditional upon the successful completion of a pre-employment drug screening, investigative background check, employment/education verifications and reference checks.

The new tariffs, announced by U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday, are scheduled to come into effect Aug. 19. They cover a wide range of goods, including honey, liquor, cement, dairy products, some wood products, hockey sticks, essential oils, perfumes, candles, dog leashes and wigs.

They exclude energy products, potash, fish and critical minerals, but would include goods previously protected from import taxes by the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA. That 2020 trade pact was not renewed by the U.S., triggering a new set of negotiations that could run until 2036.

Prince Edward Island Premier Rob Lantz said the tariffs create uncertainty.

“We’re living in a time when uncertainty is the new norm,” Lantz said Wednesday following a meeting of the country’s premiers and territorial leaders in the province's capital, Charlottetown.

Randall Bartlett, deputy chief economist with Desjardins, one of Canada’s largest financial institutions, said the tariffs will impact about $28 billion Canadian ($19.8 billion) worth of annual Canadian exports to the United States. That’s about 5% of what the U.S. imports from Canada each year.

They have the potential to shave two to three tenths of a percent off growth in 2026 and 2027 in Canada, Bartlett said, although he said he didn't expect a recession.

"We’re expecting it to keep more investment on the sidelines (and) probably suppress hiring. That weighs on consumer activity and residential investment as well,” Bartlett said.

Fen Osler Hampson, a professor of international affairs at Carleton University in Ottawa, said the products hit by the tariffs are items U.S. consumers can decide not to purchase if prices rise.

Losing U.S. customers could lead to layoffs for companies that employ 10 to 200 workers that are the “backbone of the Canadian economy."

“That does have ripple effects in an economy because if people are out of a job, they’re not going to be spending," said Hampson, who is co-chair of the Expert Group on Canada-U.S. Relations.

Dennis Barby, president and CEO of Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, said the tariffs would inflict serious damage on manufacturers, workers and consumers on both sides of the border.

“These tariffs will raise costs, disrupt production, and make North America less competitive at a time when we should be strengthening our shared industrial base,” Barby said in a release.

British Columbia Premier David Eby said it’s frustrating the U.S. is proposing tariffs on some Canadian goods while also looking to invest in Canadian mines to secure metals and minerals.

“You can’t have a country on one hand attacking one group of families and workers while hoping to have access to the resources in Canada that the rest of the world wants,” said Eby, who added that Canada should limit access to the resources the U.S. wants if its stance remains.

Experts Bartlett and Hampson said the tariffs could be a negotiation tactic, and may not come into effect. Still, Canadian trade negotiators should be cautious moving forward, they said.

Hampson warned against retaliatory tariffs or reducing oil or electricity shipment to the U.S.

“You don’t want to poke the bear,” he said. “You get into that kind of war, we’re going to lose. We’re the smaller economy. They can absorb a hit much more than we can.”

Hampson said the tariffs could reflect the tense relationship between Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, which has soured since Carney criticized his counterpart at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

On Tuesday, Carney said he and Trump have agreed to intensify trade talks.

The Austin, Texas, company reported second-quarter net income of $1.11 billion, or 32 cents per share. Excluding certain items, earnings were 33 cents per share, well short of the 53 cents per share forecast by Wall Street analysts, according to FactSet.

Revenue rose 26% to $28.24 billion, beating analysts’ forecast of $26.42 billion.

While the core car business had a solid quarter, Tesla is now focused on building out the infrastructure and AI software that underpins its robotaxis and robotics businesses, which Musk has said are the future of the company. And doing so requires a lot more spending.

Research and development spending surged about 49% from a year earlier to $2.37 billion — higher than its been going back at least four quarters.

“We’re investing a lot in growing the core business and really preparing for the future,” Musk said during a conference call with Wall Street analysts, promising that the spending will yield “incredible returns.”

CFO Vaibhav Taneja told analysts that the company expects capital expenditures will increase further in the second half of this year, driving full-year spending to more than $25 billion.

Taneja also forecast that spending on capital expenditures will continue growing for the next “2 to 3 years,” as the company seeks to expand its fleet of robotaxis, add AI compute infrastructure and build more production capacity for its Optimus humanoid robot, among several other products.

Tesla shares fell 4.1% in after-hours trading shortly. The stock ended the regular trading session 1.3% lower and is down just under 17% this year.

Earlier this month, Tesla reported that it delivered 480,216 cars in the second quarter, a 25% increase from the same period last year and its second straight quarterly gain. The sales also exceeded analysts’ expectations, according to a FactSet survey.

Tesla’s improving sales this year mark a big turnaround from a year ago, when many Europeans refused to buy the company’s cars because of Musk’s embrace of far-right political candidates in elections there.

The vast majority of the company’s vehicle deliveries last quarter were comprised of its Model Y crossover SUV and Model 3 sedan. Tesla rolled out less expensive versions of both models last year in hopes of boosting sales. It also cut the cost of leasing and loans in Europe.

Sales were also helped by a surge of EV buying in general in Europe as gas and diesel prices have risen due to the Iran war.

Just a few months ago, Tesla reported sales had fallen in 2025 for a second year in a row and it had to yield its crown as the world’s largest EV maker to China’s BYD.

Tesla's EV sales accounted for most of the company’s overall revenue, but the company got a boost from its energy generation and battery storage business, which posted revenue of $3.14 billion, a 13% gain compared to the second quarter last year.

The company also benefited from increased subscriptions for its driver assistance feature, available in the U.S., called Full Self-Driving (Supervised). The number of FSD subscribers has now reached nearly 1.5 million globally.

Tesla said it has now rolled out its robotaxi service to seven major metro areas in the U.S., and that it it expects production on its Optimus humanoid robot to begin later this year.

The company has also been investing in building new battery factories and in the infrastructure needed to produce its Tesla Semi and Cybercab.

The company noted that it has begun production of the Cybercab at a factory in Texas, and that the Tesla Semi is on track for production this year at a factory in Nevada.

Tesla executives didn't offer more specifics on how many robotaxis or Cybercabs will be on the road, nor how soon.

Musk noted that the company needs more time to test the Cybercab chassis and doesn't want to rush the expansion of robotaxis, saying he prefers to take a cautious approach.

“We’re working on what we believe is the most ambitious buildout of advanced infrastructure manufacturing capacity ever in history,” he said. “Our goals are very ambitious for robotaxi, but we do need to be cautious about causing any accidents or causing any harm to anyone."

The civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who is representing the Wells family, announced the preliminary findings Wednesday in front of a standing-room-only crowd at the annual NAACP National Convention in Chicago.

The autopsy report, he said, showed no evidence of fractures or deep tissue injuries. It described a “red discoloration” in the back of Wells' skull as “inconclusive” and meriting further investigation.

Without further information, the forensic pathologist, Dr. Roger Mitchell, wrote that he could not rule out the possibility that “non-accidental factors contributed to or caused the death."

Wells had traveled to an island off the coast of Mississippi on July 4 with a group of friends, who later returned to the mainland without him. His body was discovered two days later floating off the island's coast.

In his report, the pathologist pointed to several challenges inherent to the independent autopsy, including the decomposition of the body and outstanding questions about whether Wells was conscious when he entered the water.

Because an initial autopsy was performed by the medical examiner in Mississippi, Wells’ body arrived without organs or neck structures — making it impossible to determine if he had suffered a neck injury or whether water had entered his lungs, according to the report, which notes that the practice is not unusual.

Still, the revelation, relayed by Crump, prompted gasps from the crowd of several hundred in Chicago. The attorney called on state officials to provide that evidence for the family to review as part of their own independent investigation.

The Mississippi medical examiner, which has not released the results of the state autopsy, did not return a message seeking comment.

The second autopsy was paid for by former NFL player Colin Kaepernick, whose group Know Your Rights Camp has paid for other independent autopsies.

“This is only another part of the puzzle, and even though it tells us significant information, we still have more questions than we have answers at this time,” Crump said of the results.

The still-unknown circumstances around Wells’ death have touched off rampant online speculation and prompted calls from Black leaders for transparency from local authorities. Wells, who was Black, had traveled to the island with a group of high school friends, all of whom are white.

A reward of $125,000 — jointly funded by the Rev. Al Sharpton, actor and producer Tyler Perry and former NFL player Terrell Owens — is now being offered in exchange for information leading to an arrest and conviction in connection with the death.

The autopsy announcement comes two days after Wells was laid to rest in his hometown of Ocean Springs, Mississippi.

In his eulogy, Sharpton lamented the “inconsistencies and unanswered questions” that had placed a dark cloud over the grieving family.

He questioned why Wells’ friends had left him behind, taken his phone and keys and failed to report him missing. And he suggested local investigators had spoken prematurely in statements to the news media indicating no crime was suspected.

“The reason that a lot of people across the nation are looking at this Nolan situation is because we’re looking at the history in Mississippi,” Sharpton added. “We can’t have someone in law enforcement saying there was no foul play before there was an investigation.”

Jackson County Sheriff John Ledbetter said initial interviews suggested Wells chose to stay on the island and that his friends believed he would get a ride with someone else. He has said the friends were cooperating with the investigation, which remains ongoing.

“We are trying to be respectful and collaborative as much as we can,” Crump said. “But it’s always troublesome to all of us when these investigations just take forever.”

___

An earlier version of this report had an incorrect first name for the forensic pathologist. He's Dr. Roger Mitchell, not Robert Mitchell.

John Etzler was arrested Monday afternoon by the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill.

News 6 learned of the incident through its neighborhood network, a viewer-submitted tip that a Palm Valley community resident had been arrested and removed from the management office after entering armed and threatening staff.

According to the arrest report, Etzler entered the Palm Valley subdivision community office at approximately 2:45 p.m. Monday to discuss multiple HOA violations he had received related to the condition of his property.

The community manager told Etzler he needed to communicate through an attorney rather than visiting the office directly. That’s when, according to the report, Etzler allegedly pulled out a handgun and pointed it at her.

Fearing for her life, the manager swiped the gun away and ran out of the office to seek safety, the report states. Etzler then left and returned to his home, where deputies took him into custody.

When News 6 visited the community office Wednesday, the door was locked and a sign indicated the office was closed.

Neighbors said they received an email from management describing the closure as a precautionary measure following a recent “security incident.”

“I was shocked, obviously,” one neighbor said. “It’s just quiet and it just feels safe. So, I hope it remains that way.”

Palm Valley Regional Management confirmed the incident in an email to residents, a copy of which was obtained by News 6 through its neighborhood network.

“We can confirm that a resident threatened a member of our staff and displayed a weapon in the community office,” the email reads. “Law enforcement responded immediately, and an arrest was made.”

Management said the office closure is a precautionary measure to support staff and allow time to evaluate additional security measures. Until further notice, residents are asked to contact the office by phone or email and to refrain from approaching staff working outdoors or in community common areas.

“Threats, intimidation, harassment, and abusive behavior toward our team members will not be tolerated,” the email states.

Management also noted it is evaluating all options available under the lease and applicable law, though it declined to identify the individual involved, citing ongoing legal proceedings.

Etzler appeared before a judge on Tuesday afternoon. Court records show he was granted a $3,500 bond and given orders not to possess any weapons or firearms.

Three days after a child was found with a gunshot wound at the Stella West Apartments, few details of the police investigation are public.

The child, whose name and age have not been released, was taken to the hospital but died from their injuries.

A spokesperson with the department sent News 6 the following statement Monday:

“We understand there is significant public interest in this case, and we appreciate the community’s patience as the investigation continues.

Our detectives have been working around the clock since receiving the call and are committed to conducting a thorough investigation.

As with many death investigations, this is a complex case that requires investigators to carefully examine all available evidence and follow every lead. The investigation remains active and ongoing. Releasing details at this stage, even information that may seem minor, could jeopardize the investigation, compromise evidence.

To protect the integrity of the investigation and ensure the facts are thoroughly established, we are unable to provide additional information at this time.

We will share updates as appropriate when doing so will not compromise the investigation."

News 6 also reached out to management at the apartment complex, but we have not heard back.

A response from the Medical Examiner’s Office for Orange and Osceola Counties cited the existence of an active police investigation, meaning the office could not reveal the identity of the child.

“I just remember being taught that area was kind of dangerous, in the sense of there being steep slopes” and a quick drop-off into the river, he told The Associated Press. A few years earlier, Martin had warned a pair of young people playing in the water at that same spot to “be very careful.”

He saw five adults in the water and two children playing on the grassy bank nearby, tracking the description of the group provided by Delaware County authorities after the drownings.

Pastor may have taken ‘the last picture’ of the group

Martin and his family floated away to enjoy a beautiful summer evening. But when they returned past the spot about two hours later and saw the group still wading in the river, Martin thought to snap a photo.

“I don't know what it was. I said, I just need to capture this picture,” he said.

Martin said he knows the area well from 10 years of boating there and considered warning the people of the potential danger. But, unlike when he'd warned the two people earlier, there were two or three boats between him and them and he didn't want to cross between them and cause too many waves in the water.

He's been losing sleep over the decision since news broke of five people drowning that afternoon. It feels “surreal,” he said.

“I believe the picture I took may have been the last picture of them being alive,” he said.

The image didn't catch authorities' initial interest

Delaware County Sheriff Jeffrey Balzer has said authorities believe one of the adults began struggling to swim and the others successively went to that person's aid. All five were swept under and died. The two women’s bodies were recovered Sunday and the three other bodies a day later.

Neither Balzer's office nor the local EMS agency immediately responded to requests for verification of the photo and those who appear in it.

Martin said he feels certain the group he photographed is of the five people who perished Sunday; it's rare to see people fishing or swimming in that stretch of the river. He said he attempted to share the picture with both law enforcement and a news reporter at the scene the day after the drownings, but no one seemed interested.

Honduran authorities confirmed Tuesday that four of the five adults were Honduran citizens. One was Jose Mario Pineda Dias, 33, another his wife Marina Suyapa Regalado, 28. Pineda was from the department of Lempira and Suyapa from the department of Cortés, according to Flabia Zamora, director of consular affairs at the Honduran Foreign Ministry.

The names of the other couple and the fifth individual would be released once their families could be notified of their deaths, a spokesperson for Balzer said Wednesday.

U.S., Honduras still working to identify victims, help children

A Honduran embassy said the government is in contact with the victims' families and assisting local authorities in verifying their identities. In a statement, it added that Honduras stands ready to repatriate any of the victims should relatives request that — a process that could take six weeks.

An 8-year-old and a 10-year-old, children of one of the couples, were orphaned by the tragedy. A boy shouting for his mother was spotted by a passing driver on the day of the accident and reported to 911.

Scott Varner, a spokesman for Franklin County Children Services, said the youngsters have been in the agency's care since Monday and that they are working with relatives and family friends in Columbus who are providing them with a temporary home. The children were provided with therapy dogs as they coped with the trauma, he said.

The Honduran embassy statement said the consulate has checked in with family members about their well-being and stands ready to help once relatives make a decision on next steps for the children.

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Associated Press reporter Hallie Golden contributed to this report.

House Republicans were divided over the plan, with conservatives wary because there are no offsetting budget cuts. But Speaker Mike Johnson plunged ahead, viewing the go-it-alone process as the best chance to usher President Donald Trump's priorities through the split Congress, despite skepticism in the Senate.

The vote tally was 216-214, with two Republicans and one independent joining Democrats in opposition.

“Just bullets and bombs to finish the job,” said Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, the chairman of the Budget Committee.

Democrats argued the money should be spent at home, particularly on efforts to lower costs for Americans.

“Republicans plan to spend tens of billions of dollars on Trump’s failed war in Iran,” said Rep. Pete Aguilar of California, chairman of the House Democratic caucus, this week. “Think about what we could spend with these resources instead.”

Congress is at a standstill over the U.S. war against Iran — unable to stop Trump's military strikes, but not having authorized the use of American military force — and politically torn over having to provide billions of taxpayer dollars to pay for it. Most Americans disapprove of Trump's Iran strategy, according to a recent AP-NORC poll.

The budget battle comes as Trump attended the dignified transfer of four service members killed in the Middle East, bringing the military death toll to 18. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told senators at a fiery hearing this week that the Pentagon is running short of cash, despite a massive $150 billion one-time allotment in last year's big budget bill.

Even as the House action advanced the resolution, Johnson’s strategy faces uncertainty in the Senate.

The package has $60 billion for the Pentagon and $13 billion for other national security needs, $12 billion for farmers struggling under Trump’s tariffs and $10 billion for voting law changes aligned with the SAVE America Act and proof-of-citizenship requirements that are Trump’s top priority.

A once rare budget tool is now the norm in split Congress

Republicans are relying on the budget reconciliation process, which enables approval on a majority vote in Congress, bypassing the Senate's ability to filibuster the measure t o stall or kill it.

Once rare, the reconciliation process is now Johnson's preferred strategy for pushing proposals through Congress. It's the way Republicans approved Trump's big tax breaks and spending cuts bill last summer and funded Homeland Security this year over Democrats' refusal to fund Trump's mass deportation agenda.

“No matter how you feel about current events, these funds are necessary to ensure our fighting forces remain ready, our troops are paid and our nation is safe," said Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama, the Republican chairman of the Armed Services Committee.

But House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said, “Republicans have literally ripped food from the mouths of hungry children, seniors and veterans to sustain the Trump war machine.”

Among those opposed was Rep. Kevin Kiley of California, a former Republican turned independent, who said he felt any war funding bill should be bipartisan. He also wanted to ensure Congress had a “much higher level of involvement” in bringing the war to an end, and he said this proposal did not set that process in motion.

Republicans Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Rep. Warren Davidson of Ohio also voted against.

This is the third time GOP leaders have relied on reconciliation, dubbing this version 3.0, and it's a lengthy process. If the House approves the budget resolution, it next goes to the Senate for a round-the-clock session to consider politically tough amendments — something senators would rather avoid in an election year.

The budget resolution sets out instructions for the various committees to draft legislation, which Johnson hopes could be done this summer, with final voting on the package once lawmakers return after the August recess.

Senators pan House's budget and have their own ideas

Senate Majority Leader John Thune has been noncommittal on the House package that also divides his own GOP majority, with some Republican senators preferring more money for the military and others demanding the costs be offset with cuts elsewhere.

“We’ll see,” Thune said this week.

Thune's focus, at the moment, is avoiding another government shutdown. He wants the Senate to approve a stopgap funding measure, called a continuing resolution, to provide routine government funding before lawmakers leave for the summer break.

If senators are unable to reach agreement on government funding, Thune has said he may hold onto the House's budget resolution and use it later in the fall as a way to push the resolution through the Senate over objections. He wants to prevent a federal shutdown when current funds expire, Sept. 30.

“It’s a possibility that, if necessary, we could pull that budget resolution passed by the House and use it to fund government,” Thune said. “I hope that’s not necessary.”

Thune has also clashed with Trump over the president's push for the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship for voting. The measure, while popular among Trump's most ardent supporters, does not have enough support among Senate Republicans for passage.

It's already against the law for noncitizens to vote in federal elections and experts warn the proposed new rules could make it more difficult for eligible Americans to cast ballots.

Weary of Caballero's routine of waiting to acknowledge the pitcher just before the pitch clock reaches eight seconds, MLB told umpires Wednesday his regimen amounted to deception.

Plate umpire Quinn Wolcott charged Caballero with a pitch-clock violation in the sixth inning that led to a strikeout and the ejection of hitting coach James Rowson as New York lost a doubleheader opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-3 in 10 innings.

“I’ve seen other guys do some other things and they don’t call anything on them,” Caballero said. “They’re just picking on me.”

Caballero was acquired from Tampa Bay last July 31 and Yankees manager Aaron Boone acknowledged his thoughts on the utilityman spun 180 degrees with the swap.

“He’s one of those guys I would yell at from the dugout,” Boone said Wednesday morning. “He was a pest and I didn’t like it. Now I like him because he's a good player and he's on our side. But, yeah, we've had a laugh about that.”

During a June 14 game at Toronto, Caballero twice was deliberate in raising his head until eight seconds remained on the pitch clock, leading to a warning by plate umpire Steven Jaschinsk. That prompted a delay of more than two minutes while Caballero, Jaschinski, Boone and crew chief John Tumpane discussed the situation.

Benches and bullpens cleared at the end of the eighth inning during Monday night's series opener when Pirates reliever Dennis Santana yelled at Caballero for taking too long to get ready in the batter’s box. Then on Wednesday, Wolcott charged Caballero with a violation in the sixth inning while the batter faced Carmen Mlodzinski with the Yankees trailing 2-0. After a delay of 2 1/2 minutes, Cabellero took a called third strike that stranded a runner.

“He’s not allowed to do an inordinate amount of time looking down, trying to get the pitcher to cause a violation,” Wolcott told a pool reporter. “There’s no other hitter that gets in the box, takes the amount of the time that Caballero does while looking down, not making eye contact with the pitcher. Obviously it’s caused a lot of problems in the past. It’s not going to be allowed anymore.”

MLB adopted the pitch clock for the 2023 season in an effort to cut game times. It has been 15 seconds with no runners and 18 seconds with runners since 2024.

In cracking down on Caballero, MLB cited a provision in its Pace of Game Procedures that states: “Conduct by batters designed to deceive a pitcher into beginning their windup or coming to the set position in violation of these regulations shall be considered circumvention."

Crew chief Adrian Johnson said the series opener skirmish caused MLB to take action.

“It’s not allowed anymore. It was the cause of a bench-clearing situation on Monday night. Major League Baseball stepped in, and they wanted enforced,” crew chief Adrian Johnson said. “We were instructed not to warn him. We were instructed to violate him.”

Boone said MLB didn't inform the Yankees before the game of the change in stance.

“It's embarrassing,” he said.

Based on previous conversations with MLB, Boone instructed Caballero to “make sure you’re looking up at nine so that you are alert by eight.”

“He actually said that they were making new rules today and it’s on me because I was deceiving or something like that to the pitcher, which doesn’t make sense,” Caballero said. “I don’t know, maybe my English is so bad that I don’t understand, but deceiving kind of means that you’re trying to trick someone and I’m not trying to trick someone because I do the same thing over and over. You can check my last 50 at-bats and see if I do it the same or not, or check maybe 100 at-bats or 150.”

MLB issued a memo in 2023 warning batters not to keep a foot out of the batter's box, which Willson Contreras called “the Willson rule.”

Caballero claims he is being singled out.

“For everyone, it is eight seconds. For me was nine," he said. "But now they just don’t want me to do my routine so it’s kind of like tricky for me because it’s the way that I get settled, the way that I try to approach my at-bats.”

Caballero is concerned about giving pitchers control of the timing of pitches.

“If I get in the box and they have 16, 17 seconds left, they can hold the ball on me all that time and I’d be tied up," he said.

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

It also would provide for a pay raise next year ranging from 5% to 7% for service members, depending upon their rank.

The National Defense Authorization Act is generally one of the more bipartisan bills that Congress takes up on an annual basis. That's not the case this year. The vote was 216-212.

Democrats took issue with steep spending increases for the Pentagon as Republicans attempted to cut numerous non-defense programs through other bills. They also opposed some of the conservative social policy riders that were included.

For example, the bill includes a prohibition on gender-related medical care under the military health program known as TRICARE. It also eases hurdles for service members to carry a privately owned firearm on base, following Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's lead on the issue.

Republican leaders' decision to attach Trump's elections overhaul bill to the defense bill upon its passing also amplified the partisan divide. Speaker Mike Johnson is working to accommodate Republican lawmakers who are angry that the Senate won't pass the SAVE America Act and are insisting that it be included in must-pass bills until the Senate relents.

The House bill is testing a normally bipartisan process

Rep. Mike Rogers, the Republican chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, emphasized that he knows there were areas of disagreement, but he emphasized that Wednesday's vote was a step in a long process. He promised to work in a bipartisan manner on a final product that can pass both chambers and be signed into law.

Rogers said the United States needs to reverse decades of underinvestment and neglect in the nation's armed forces and defense industrial base.

“This bill will do that and much more,” he said. “It will build the ready, capable and lethal fighting force we need to deter China and other adversaries.”

Rep. Adam Smith, the ranking Democratic lawmaker on the Armed Services Committee, said the defense spending the administration has asked for this year is approaching $1.6 trillion when including separate efforts to pay for the war in Iran and boost weapons stockpiles.

“The American people are struggling to pay their bills and we're going to put $1.6 trillion into the defense budget. It's not a reasonable thing to ask,” Smith said.

Smith also expressed concern about the war with Iran and that in supporting the defense bill, lawmakers are “de facto supporting this war with no end in sight.”

“We are in an incredibly, incredibly dangerous time,” Smith said. “I want to maintain the bipartisan nature of this bill. I do. And I know that the chairman does. But if we're going to do this, we're going to need some Republicans to stand up to the president of the United States and say, ‘No. No, we’re not going to get you $1.6 trillion. No, we're not just going to give you a blank check for a war that is totally out of control."

The White House backs parts of the legislation

The spending increases authorized in the bill would not take effect until Congress follows up with a separate defense appropriations bill. The Senate has not yet approved its version of the defense measure. It's possible a final product won't be ready until after the midterm elections.

The White House applauded the spending levels authorized in the House bill and the Department of War designation that it says recognizes the “willingness to fight and win wars on behalf of our nation.”

The president issued an executive order last year renaming the Defense Department, but it's up to Congress to make the change official. The Congressional Budget Office has projected that the renaming could cost taxpayers as much as $125 million.

The White House's statement also said that the administration has a number of concerns with certain provisions in the bill and would work with Congress before a final bill is presented to the president. Among those concerns was a section of the bill it said would limit or undermine the president's ability to name military installations and property.

In 2023, during a national reckoning on issues of race in America, seven Army bases’ names were changed because they honored Confederate leaders. Last year, those bases reverted to their original names, but with different namesakes who share Confederate surnames. The Army found other service members with the same last names to honor.

“Think of that. The government is finally giving money back to our children,” Trump said to the crowd gathered at a Georgia high school

Some parents who opened accounts earlier this month for their babies say they're still waiting for their money. The accounts went live July 4, two days before Trump rang the opening bells for the New York Stock Exchange and the Nasdaq from the Oval Office.

The tax-advantaged accounts can be opened for any child under the age of 18, and more than 7 million accounts are already active, Trump said Wednesday. Babies born between January 1, 2025, and December 31, 2028 get $1,000 in seed money from the U.S. Treasury. Most of those families receive their $1,000 in one or two days, the Treasury Department said.

After the Trump Accounts are set up, parents, relatives, friends and employers can contribute to them. Some billionaires have also pledged philanthropic contributions to the accounts. The money is turned over to private firms that invest it in index funds, a type of mutual fund that tracks the performance of the stock market. The money can’t be accessed until the child turns 18, and only then for specific purposes, such as going to school, opening a business or buying a home.

At the rally Wednesday, Rick Jackson, Georgia’s GOP nominee for governor, said he would push for state lawmakers to match the $1,000 in seed money from the federal government. Jackson, a wealthy businessman and CEO of a healthcare company, said he believes Georgia lawmakers will support that, but “if they don’t, I will personally donate it myself.”

Boosters of the program say it’s a chance to give more Americans a stake in the stock market. They hope it will stem the rising popularity of democratic socialists, who seek to raise taxes on corporations and wealthy people to ease the cost of things like food and healthcare for low-income and middle-class Americans.

Some parents were told it could take 4 weeks for the deposit

For babies born since Trump took office last year, $1,000 from the U.S. Treasury is supposed to kick off the accounts. While some parents report receiving the money, others said in interviews and on social media they're still waiting for their $1,000.

Masaki and Kristina McLellan, new parents from Bergen County, New Jersey, said in an interview they were wary of signing up for the accounts because they worried it was a promotional stunt for the president. But the $1,000 incentive persuaded the couple, whose daughter Maya was born in late March, to start an account anyway.

Masaki McLellan said he applied for the account July 6. At first, the application was rejected, but the account was activated after he called the Trump Account hotline. He was told he'd see the money in the account in 10 days. Now, he says, he's been told it will take up to four weeks.

Kristina McLellan said she was disappointed it was taking so long to fund her daughter's account. But the infant has multiple other investments already compounding for her. Maya's parents have already started a 529 college savings plan and a custodial brokerage account for her. The Trump Account is the third investment account in the little girl's name.

“We definitely want to give her options for her future and make sure she can choose what she wants to do,” said McLellan, a studio director for a local news station, who returns from maternity leave next week.

The Treasury Department emphasized the McLellans’ case is unusual and said only a sliver of those who apply need customer support.

Treasury says most parents wait only 1 or 2 days

The Treasury Department said that the lag between opening an account and receiving the seed funding constitutes “standard processing time, like receiving a tax refund,” and that the overwhelming majority of parents are waiting only one to two days. But the department likes to give parents a conservative estimate for how long it might take for the money to be transferred, such as the estimate of up to four weeks given to the McLellans.

“Trump Accounts level the playing field by allowing every parent to invest in their children’s future, not just wealthy families with trust funds,” the department said.

The government also unveiled an initiative last month that permits child welfare agencies to open accounts on behalf of foster youth.

"With roughly 1 million sign-ups per month before launch, Trump Accounts have become the most popular and successful government-backed savings product in U.S. history,” the Treasury Department said.

On Wednesday, Trump called the accounts “the most consequential” part of his signature tax and spending cuts bill, also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill.

Trump faces pressure over his handling of the economy

Trump's stop in Georgia comes as he and fellow Republicans face pressure in the midterm elections for their handling of the economy. Only 33% of U.S. adults approve of Trump’s economic leadership, among the lower ratings of his second term, according to a June survey by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Trump pledged to lower costs, but his tariffs and the war in Iran have instead helped to increase prices.

Trump Accounts are similar to baby bonds, championed by Democratic-led cities and states meant to shrink the wealth gap between low- and high-income children. But unlike most baby bonds, which generally target kids from disadvantaged backgrounds, Trump Accounts are available to families of all incomes.

The program has faced criticism from those who say it does nothing to help families in a child's first years of life, when children are most likely to experience poverty, homelessness and hunger. And the Republican bill that created the program also slashed funding for programs that are disproportionately used by children, including Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

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This story has been corrected to show the mother's surname is McLellan, not McClellan.

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Associated Press writers Seung Min Kim and Adriana Morga contributed to this report.

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

Linebacker Myles Graham tells reporters, “I think our job is to go 100%, and whenever they say go, we gotta go. We gotta compete. We gotta get better. We gotta push each other. We gotta strain.”

“The fire is definitely spread throughout the team,” says star running back Jaden Baugh.

Judging from the players’ comments at Media Days, Sumrall and the new staff have won the buy-in from his football team.

“Having those coaches that you know love you and it makes you want to play harder for not only them but for the team and the program as well,” says wide receiver and Jones HS alum Vernell Brown III.

The Florida Gators kick off the season Sept. 5 at the Swamp against FAU.

U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes in Washington raised the question Wednesday in an ongoing lawsuit against President Donald Trump's ban on transgender troops. Reyes noted that Trump's ban says “the Armed Forces must adhere to high mental and physical health standards ... without the benefit of routine medical treatment or special provisions.”

Reyes ordered both parties in the lawsuit to address “the similarities and differences in administering TRT, both medically and logistically, for trans men compared to other service members, including cis individuals.” She was using the acronym for testosterone replacement therapy.

The judge also requested information on the Pentagon's “basis for treating trans men and other service members differently between this new policy and the Military Ban.”

Reyes' order comes a week after Hegseth announced that he is rolling out a new screening program for “testosterone deficiency” among troops, calling it necessary to allow them to operate at their “absolute best.”

The screenings will be conducted annually as part of service members’ required medical screenings for those 30 and older, he said. Troops under 30 can volunteer to be tested. In a video on social media, Hegseth said receiving testosterone replacement therapy would be voluntary.

Other Trump administration officials have begun to advocate for men to have easier access to testosterone replacement therapies, but the messaging from Hegseth and others blends known science on the hormone with broader, and less substantiated, claims.

Testosterone levels in men decline naturally with age and have long been linked to issues like erectile dysfunction, low libido, mood changes and weight gain. But experts have debated for years how to diagnose those problems and whether they should be treated by replacing the hormone.

Reyes, who was nominated by President Joe Biden, is overseeing one of the lawsuits against Trump's ban on transgender troops. Transgender active duty service members and former service members seeking to reenlist sued in late January 2025, shortly after the president returned for his second term in office.

Reyes ruled last year against Trump's executive order to exclude transgender troops. A divided panel of federal appeals court judges sent the case back to Reyes after partially upholding her order, finding that the ban was unlawful and service members who sued could not be kicked out.

Reyes has since given the case class-action status, which means the outcome could expand to all service members.

Trump's transgender military ban remains in effect, however. The U.S. Supreme Court has allowed the Pentagon to enforce it as litigation plays out.

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Associated Press writers Lindsay Whitehurst and Michael Kunzelman contributed to this report.

Seattle will be represented by Lauren Jackson and Flau’jae Johnson. Washington will have Elena Delle Donne partnered with Shakira Austin. Dallas, which started out as a franchise in Detroit, will pair Jessica Shepard with Deanna Nolan. Minnesota will have Rebekkah Brunson playing with Courtney Williams.

Each team will also include a standout high school player from Nike EYBL, bringing together three generations of women’s basketball in one competition.

The Nike EYBL participants are Jezelle “GG” Banks, Ryan Carter, Tatianna Griffin and Morghan Reckley. Honorary general managers for the WNBA All-Star Game, Cynthia Cooper and Teresa Weatherspoon, will serve as designated passers, with Cooper distributing the ball to two teams and Weatherspoon passing it to the other two teams.

The format is a two-round, timed shooting competition in which teams have 70 seconds to score as many points as possible from seven shooting locations around the court. The competition features shots ranging from a layup to a 3-pointer, with the two teams posting the highest scores in the opening round advancing to the championship round.

The shooting stars winners will get $15,000. Each competitor will receive $7,500.

Last year the winners of the skills contest each received $2,575 from the WNBA.

The league announced the participants of the 3-point contest on Tuesday.

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

It is a second trial for Hadi Matar, who was found guilty in a New York state attempted murder case last year. The federal terror charges focus more on Matar's alleged motive for the attack on the renowned author and free-speech advocate in 2022.

Prosecutors started working Wednesday to persuade jurors that Matar was trying to carry out a 1989 fatwa, or religious ruling, that called for Rushdie's death because of what some Muslims saw as blasphemy in his 1988 novel “The Satanic Verses.”

“Fulfill the fatwa — that’s what Hadi Matar intended to do,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Lynch said in an opening statement at a federal courthouse in Buffalo, New York, about 70 miles (110 km) from the arts and intellectual retreat where Rushdie was assaulted. The Booker Prize-winning author is expected to testify later this week about the stabbing that nearly killed him and left him blind in one eye.

Defense attorney Nathaniel Barone urged jurors to keep their minds open.

“You’re going to have to ask yourselves: What was Hadi Matar’s intent?” Barone said in his opening.

Speaking to The Associated Press outside of court, Barone said the biggest challenge facing prosecutors is determining Matar's state of mind at the time of the attack.

""Certainly, they can't do that demonstrably. There's no facts. There's no hard evidence," Barone said. “They’ll have to draw together different events, different circumstances, and then ask that jury to connect the dots. And that’s difficult to do because there could be a number of reasonable, plausible explanations as to what he was thinking.”

Prosecutors contend that Matar's writings, communications and other materials showed he acted out of loyalty to Iran’s theocratic government and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group; Iran's late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued the fatwa.

A stunned audience saw Rushdie's stabbing

Matar, 28, has pleaded not guilty to federal charges that include engaging in an act of transnational terrorism. Currently serving a 25-year New York State prison sentence, he faces a potential life sentence if convicted in the federal case.

The attack — which jurors saw on video Wednesday — unfolded in front of a horrified audience at the Chautauqua Institution, where Rushdie was about to discuss writer safety.

His assailant, wearing a medical mask, strode onstage and stabbed Rushdie repeatedly, continuing even as the writer got up and fell backward. Spectators rushed to pull the attacker off Rushdie and assisted the lone state trooper on site in holding the assailant face-down before he could be handcuffed.

Zachary Colvin's body-camera video was also played and showed Matar informing the trooper he had no weapons in his pockets, admitting he had a fake New Jersey driver's license, and telling him his real name was Hadi.

Asked by the defense whether Matar was cooperative as he was being detained, Colvin said: “Initially he did attempt to knee me, but he was cooperative beyond that.”

As one of the videos played, Matar, 28, placed his head down on the defense table several times before looking back up at the screen. Otherwise, he spent much of the time writing notes on a yellow pad and exchanged comments with his lawyers — and waved at Colvin when asked to point him out in court.

Rushdie, now 79, has recounted the assault and his lengthy recovery during Matar's earlier trial, in a memoir and in multiple interviews.

“The thing that happens when you get really a close-up look at death — that’s as close as you can get without actually doing the dance of death and heading off to nowhere — it stays with you,” he told The Associated Press in 2024. “There’s a shadow.”

Federal terrorism trial hinges on Matar's motivation

Born in the U.S. to parents who immigrated from Lebanon, Matar is a citizen of both countries. His mother has said he turned moody and withdrawn after a 2018 trip to Lebanon, where Hezbollah is based.

Prosecutors say his attack on Rushdie was propelled partly by remarks that the late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah made in 2006, amid an uproar in the Muslim world over caricatures of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad in European newspapers. Nasrallah opined that “the problem began the day Salman Rushdie wrote 'The Satanic Verses' ” and that the furor over the cartoon wouldn't have happened if someone had followed through on Khomeini’s fatwa.

Matar started researching Rushdie in 2020, asking online contacts where the writer lived and eventually looking into where his office was, what sports teams he followed and where he watched games, Lynch said in his opening statement. He said Matar kept sticky notes and a notebook about his project.

“We need to kill him ASAP,” Matar wrote, according to the prosecutor. He said Matar framed the killing as part of what he considered a jihad, or holy war, and added: “Become a warrior and just get it over with.”

In Matar’s New Jersey bedroom, federal agents found photos of Khomeini, his now-deceased successor Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and a Hezbollah figure, Lynch said. Matar's computer held a photo of him saluting in a Hezbollah-related T-shirt, plus a video about Khomeini’s fatwa, and Matar asked a contact in 2022 whether the edict was still valid, the prosecutor said.

And the fake ID Matar carried echoed a Hezbollah figure's name, prosecutors said.

“The defendant wanted everyone to know he was doing this for Hezbollah," Lynch told jurors.

Matar declined to testify at his state court trial, and it is unclear whether he will take the stand in federal court. At his state court sentencing, Matar said he believed in free speech but blasted Rushdie as “a hypocrite” and a “bully.”

How Ayatollah's edict affected Rushdie

Rushdie was born in India, raised in Britain — where he was knighted by the late Queen Elizabeth II — and now is a U.S. citizen. He won the Booker Prize in 1981 for his novel “Midnight’s Children” and became most famous, and notorious, for “The Satanic Verses.” A dream sequence about the Prophet Muhammad sparked often-violent protests erupted against Rushdie, who was born into a Muslim family.

Khomeini's 1989 fatwa drove Rushdie into hiding for years. Although the edict was rescinded, Iran hasn’t focused on it in recent years. Iran's government denied involvement in the 2022 stabbing, but its Foreign Ministry's then-spokesperson suggested Rushdie invited trouble by insulting Islam.

Hezbollah's Nasrallah did not comment on the attack.

After “Knife,” Rushdie's memoir about the stabbing, he returned to fiction with last year's “The Eleventh Hour,” a book of short stories and novellas. He received a Dayton Literary Peace Prize lifetime achievement award in November.

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Peltz reported from New York. Associated Press writer Bassem Mroue contributed from Beirut.

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Saudi Minister of Energy Abdulaziz bin Salman formally signed the nuclear cooperation agreement, known as a “123 agreement,” alongside what the Trump administration described as a “bilateral safeguards agreement.”

The U.S. administration released scant details of the deal, but the framework paves the way for the building of a uranium enrichment facility in Saudi Arabia after a joint U.S.-Saudi study, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

“These agreements reflect our two nations’ shared commitment to strengthening U.S.-Saudi commercial relations, delivering prosperity at home and security to our allies abroad,” Wright said in a statement. “Rest assured, these agreements uphold the highest standards of nuclear safety and nonproliferation, while relying on the world’s best nuclear technology and scientists, designed right here in the United States.”

Earlier, Secretary of State Marco Rubio sought to head off emerging criticism of the decision under questioning by reporters about the risk that helping the Saudis fulfill their long-standing desire to enrich their own uranium could lead to new rounds of nuclear proliferation and competition in a volatile region.

“The U.S. is not going to reach any agreement with any country in the world that leads to the risk of proliferation,” said Rubio, who was traveling in the Philippines on Wednesday.

The agreement does not include the International Atomic Energy Agency 's Additional Protocol, which would allow for more monitoring, inspections and verification, according to a second person familiar with the decision.

The deal is expected to last 30 years and involve U.S. firms in developing the program. The Energy Department in a statement said it will be submitted for review to Congress, where it could face opposition.

The oil-rich kingdom's Energy Ministry said the agreement bolsters “efforts to diversify energy sources, advance cutting-edge technologies, and expand opportunities for cooperation and investment in ways that serve the mutual interests of the two friendly countries.”

The announcement comes during the war against Iran launched by the U.S. and Israel, in part, to wipe out Tehran’s ability to develop a nuclear weapon. Iran has insisted its nuclear enrichment program is peaceful.

Ahead of the announcement, Alexander Bollfrass, a nuclear expert at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, called the deal “a revolutionary new approach” to nuclear nonproliferation policy.

“The revolutionary aspect of this agreement is that the United States is not asking Saudi Arabia to abide by the highest possible safeguards, internationally monitored safeguards that are standard and are available today, but instead is willing to at least theoretically transfer highly sensitive technology without the same level of oversight that one would expect,” Bollfrass said.

President Donald Trump, during his first term, and former President Joe Biden tried to reach a nuclear deal with the kingdom to share American technology.

Enrichment could open the door to weaponization

Nonproliferation experts warn any spinning centrifuges within Saudi Arabia could open the door to a possible weapons program for the kingdom, something its assertive de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has suggested he could pursue if Tehran obtains an atomic bomb.

Wright traveled to Saudi Arabia last year shortly before Trump visited and discussed building out the kingdom’s commercial nuclear power industry with his Saudi counterpart. The U.S. Department of Energy has not responded to multiple requests for comment.

Already, Saudi Arabia and nuclear-armed Pakistan signed a mutual defense pact after Israel launched an attack on Qatar targeting Hamas officials. Pakistan’s defense minister then said his nation’s nuclear program “will be made available” to Saudi Arabia if needed, something seen as a warning for Israel, long believed to be the Middle East’s only nuclear-armed state.

Some lawmakers are hesitant about giving Saudis enrichment capability

Enrichment isn’t an automatic path to a nuclear weapon — a nation also must master other steps, including the use of synchronized high explosives, for instance. But it does open the door to weaponization, which has fueled the West's concerns over Iran’s program.

The United Arab Emirates, a neighbor to Saudi Arabia, signed a 123 agreement with the U.S. to build its Barakah nuclear power plant with South Korean assistance. But the UAE did so without seeking enrichment, something nonproliferation experts have held up as the “gold standard” for nations wanting atomic power.

Rubio, as a Republican senator representing Florida, backed a bipartisan 2018 proposal that called for requiring Congress to approve any 123 agreement with Saudi Arabia. The bill was reintroduced by a group of Democratic lawmakers in March but has not passed into law.

Typically, 123 agreements — which authorize U.S. companies to sell nuclear technology abroad — go into effect unless veto-proof majorities of Congress pass joint resolutions of disapproval.

Rosemary Kelanic, the Middle East director at Defense Priorities, a Washington think tank, said that uranium enrichment capability could give Saudi Arabia “a potent source of leverage to extract future concessions from Washington, including new security guarantees, by threatening to weaponize its program unless the United States promises enhanced military protection.”

US firms could be winners in expected deal

Rep. Brad Sherman, a California Democrat, predicted the deal would benefit U.S. nuclear giant Westinghouse, which builds the large light-water reactors Saudi Arabia is seeking.

The Trump administration said last month it is providing $17.5 billion in loans to speed development of 10 new large nuclear reactors designed by Westinghouse to meet skyrocketing power demand from massive data centers. The new reactors could use the same design, Westinghouse’s AP1000, in the planned Saudi deal.

Sherman said the U.S. military is “bombing Iran because they insist upon enriching and reprocessing” nuclear material.

Now it appears that U.S. officials “are entering into an agreement with Saudi Arabia, giving them the green light to reprocess and to enrich, and the only difference I see here is that Westinghouse stands to make an awful lot of money on this deal, whereas the Iranians were not enriching American companies,” Sherman said at a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing Wednesday.

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Price reported from Manila, Philippines. Associated Press writers Danica Kirka in London and Will Weissert contributed to this report.

The potential political peril has only grown in recent days, particularly for Republicans facing reelection in November. But while some GOP lawmakers say they want more information from President Donald Trump’s administration on the endgame and the escalating cost, they continue to defend the president’s decision to engage and have voted repeatedly to cede congressional powers to the White House.

“Is anyone out there in the real world happy with gas prices? No,” said Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy, a Republican who grilled military leaders for more detail at a contentious hearing Tuesday. “But I think they understand why gas prices are as high as they are.”

It’s still unclear, though, if more Republicans — many of whom have been privately questioning the conflict — will speak out publicly as the midterm elections approach. GOP lawmakers in both the House and Senate are expected to face the next test of their loyalty this week as Democrats force new votes on whether Trump should seek congressional approval for military action against Iran.

As Congress considers whether to weigh in, the U.S. has carried out waves of airstrikes in recent days as the two countries clash over control of the Strait of Hormuz. Gas prices have spiked again and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told senators at the hearing Tuesday that the U.S. had spent $37.5 billion on the war so far. On Wednesday, Trump traveled to Dover Air Force Base for the arrival and dignified transfer of the remains of four U.S. service members.

“I do think the combination of the hearings, plus the fact that we are in this new escalatory phase where Americans have been killed, and Americans are experiencing the rising costs — I think it’s important that people be held accountable,” said Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat who is expected to lead the next war powers vote as soon as Thursday. “And this is a very unpopular war.”

Polls find Americans disapprove of the war

Most Americans disapprove of the way Trump is handling the situation with Iran, according to recent polling. A Washington Post/Ipsos poll conducted in July found that few Americans think the war in Iran has been worth fighting, and most aren’t confident that the U.S. military action in Iran and negotiations to end the war will prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

Only about two-thirds of Republicans approve of Trump’s handling of the situation in Iran, according to the Washington Post/Ipsos poll. Most Republicans, about 6 in 10, think the war has been worth fighting and are confident that the military action and ensuing negotiations will prevent Iran from development nuclear weapons, but a sizable share — about one-third — are not convinced.

Republican Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota, who is up for reelection this year, said that he tries to explain to voters that he has seen the intelligence and believes the war was necessary to prevent Iran from having a nuclear weapon. But we need to “finish the job,” Rounds said.

“It’s challenging” to explain it to people back home, Rounds said. “It’s complicated, and a lot of the stuff we know, we can’t talk about, because it’s classified.”

Maine Sen. Susan Collins, another Republican up for reelection, questioned military leaders at Tuesday’s hearing on the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

“It seems to me that there’s been a different plan almost daily with dealing with this problem,” she told Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

War powers votes have shifted as conflict has dragged on

Opposing the war can have a political cost, as well. Collins was one of four Republicans to side with Democrats when the Senate passed a war powers resolution on Iran for the first time in June. The vote greatly angered Trump, who attended a GOP Senate luncheon the next day and called the four Republicans “losers.”

One of the other Republicans to vote for the war powers resolution was Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Republican who lost his Senate seat in a primary after Trump endorsed one of his opponents.

In the closed-door luncheon, Cassidy told Trump directly that he needed to give more details to the public about the conflict. “This was supposed to last four weeks, it’s lasted four months,” he said. “Our original objectives have not been achieved.”

Trump argued back, Cassidy later told reporters, and he told the president that he wouldn’t change his vote until he got a briefing. The White House later relented, giving Cassidy a one-on-one meeting, and the Louisiana Republican changed his vote in a late night do-over vote before the Senate left for a two-week recess.

Cassidy wouldn’t say Wednesday whether recent developments would change his vote when the Senate takes up the next resolution to halt the war.

“I’m not commenting on that,” he said.

House to consider war powers resolution

The House is expected to consider a war powers resolution Thursday after also approving a similar measure in June. It is unclear whether enough Republicans could again vote with Democrats to pass the resolution, led by Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington.

House Speaker Mike Johnson has aggressively lobbied his members against the war powers measures. Echoing Trump, Johnson said this week that the U.S. has ensured that Iran doesn’t have a nuclear weapon that “would be a disaster for everybody.”

Still, he said, there is a global understanding that “now we got to wrap it up.”

Asked about the war on Wednesday before his Dover trip, Trump voiced continued confidence in his approach.

“Americans don’t want high gasoline prices but they aren’t against the war,” he said.

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Associated Press writer Amelia Thomson DeVeaux contributed to this report.

On Saturday, July 25, participating Ghirardelli Ice Cream & Chocolate Shop locations nationwide will sell a Mini World Famous Hot Fudge Sundae for $7.25.

For Orlando-area fans, the closest Ghirardelli location is at Disney Springs.

What’s in the sundae?

Ghirardelli says the Mini World Famous Hot Fudge Sundae includes:

• Vanilla ice cream
• Ghirardelli’s handcrafted hot fudge
• Whipped cream
• Diced almonds
• A cherry
• A Milk Chocolate Caramel SQUARE®

“National Hot Fudge Sundae Day is the perfect time to gather with family and friends over a sweet treat,” said Lacey Zane, vice president of restaurant and retail at Ghirardelli Chocolate Company, in a statement. “Whether you’re celebrating a special occasion or simply making the most of summer, our World Famous Hot Fudge Sundae brings people together with the premium chocolate and handmade hot fudge guests know and love.”

How to find a participating shop

The offer is valid Saturday only at participating locations. Ghirardelli recommends checking store participation online at ghirardelli.com/our-stores.

Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein set the June 1 trial date at the request of lawyers on both sides. Under the approved schedule, defense lawyers will begin filing requests in early September to challenge the indictment and the couple will return to the courtroom Nov. 17 for oral arguments on the motions.

Maduro, 63, and his wife, Cilia Flores, 69, have been held at a Brooklyn jail since U.S. forces seized them from their Caracas home in a middle-of-the-night raid and brought them to New York in early January.

Neither spoke during Wednesday’s 15-minute hearing as each sat separately at a defense table, surrounded by their lawyers. Both have pleaded not guilty. They face potential life prison sentences if a jury agrees that they were part of a conspiracy to send cocaine into the U.S.

As he was led into the courtroom, the bespectacled Maduro greeted the judge’s staff and shook hands with lawyers for him and his wife. Noticeably thinner in a tan jail suit and with his thick mustache, he seemed upbeat, smiling and chatting with his lawyer. He listened to a Spanish interpretation of the proceeding through headphones and clasped his hands in front of him in a prayerlike gesture. He had a black pen wedged in his right fingers and sporadically jotted notes on a white pad.

As deputy U.S. marshals led him out, he waved to someone in the gallery.

President Donald Trump’s administration has defended the raid to capture Maduro as a “surgical law enforcement operation” in a criminal case first brought six years ago. Maduro has called himself a prisoner of war and his capture a kidnapping.

U.S. prosecutors say Maduro carried out a conspiracy to move thousands of tons of cocaine into the U.S. by colluding with Venezuelan law enforcement to help drug kingpins.

“I am not guilty. I am a decent man, the constitutional president of my country,” he said in Spanish at his arraignment in January.

Maduro’s lawyer, Barry Pollack, has said he expects to contest the legality of Maduro’s “military abduction.”

During Wednesday's hearing, Pollack said he will first challenge the indictment on sovereign immunity grounds because if that is successful, Maduro won't have to continue litigating the case.

The lawyers have said there are complex legal defenses that the court must address before a trial can begin.

Maduro and Flores have not asked to be released on bail.

The meeting is set for 5:30-6:30 p.m. on Thursday at Catalina Elementary School inside the media center, next to the site of the proposed development.

OCPS Deputy Superintendent Dr. Bridget Williams, who says she also lives near the proposed development, told News 6 she’s hopeful residents will support the plan once they meet with school officials face-to-face and learn more about the project.

“We need to come together and I guarantee you once they get to see us and they know us and they sit next to us at the meeting and they talk to us, we’ll be just fine,” said Dr. Williams.

The plan calls for a developer to build 100 apartments on an 8.5-acre parcel adjacent to Catalina Elementary School, with priority for OCPS employees. According to a staff report for the municipal planning board, the development will be called “Warwick Place.”

Neighbors in the Isle of Catalina neighborhood previously packed a City of Orlando zoning meeting to oppose the proposal, raising concerns about how an apartment complex would fit into their single-family neighborhood, the potential traffic impacts, and the impacts on nearby Clear Lake.

“What we’re against is having an apartment complex and a single-family neighborhood,” said Isle of Catalina resident Byron Hebert. “If they wanted to build single-family homes for the teachers, something like that, we would not be against that.”

Days later, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed the latest version of the Live Local Act, which allows school districts to build affordable housing on their properties regardless of current zoning.

The Live Local Act was signed into law in 2023, allowing eligible multifamily and mixed-use affordable housing developments to override local zoning in commercial, industrial, and mixed-use areas.

According to the Florida Housing Coalition (FHC) there are 234 total proposed projects in Florida and 24 projects already under construction.

The FHC has a dedicated Live Local Dashboards page that includes an interactive statewide map of all proposed projects.

Warwick Place is not yet on that Dashboard, but homeowners are still concerned about the increased traffic in the area and the potential environmental impact on nearby Clear Lake.

“We invested our livelihoods to live on this lake,” said resident Ronen Sartena. “This lake is a gold mine for people enjoying fishing and meeting up with friends.”

Dr. Williams responded by referencing a recent study which showed no impact to Clear Lake. She also pointed out that an entrance could be routed behind the development, using L.B. Mcleod Rd, to avoid increased traffic in the Isle of Catalina neighborhood.

“We want to be good neighbors and if there’s an issue, let’s talk about it, let’s come together,” said Dr. Williams.

Some Democrats sided with the Republican majority in the 232-198 vote that came as lawmakers prepared to return home and campaign ahead of the midterm elections, with Republicans working to show action on an issue that has become a symbol of voter distrust.

But the breakthrough was tempered by Republican provisions in the bill that would exempt the president from the trading ban and from the inclusion of an unrelated voter identification requirement, drawing opposition from many Democrats. The bill's passage in the Senate remains uncertain.

“This bill, quite simply, is a sham,” Rep. Joe Morelle, a New York Democrat, said on the House floor ahead of the vote. He called the voter identification provision a “poison pill” designed to sink the legislation.

Supporters nevertheless hailed the bill, known as the Stop Insider Trading Act, as the most significant congressional action yet to restrict stock trades by members of Congress.

“I had legislation that would have required divestiture. I preferred that approach,” Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, said. “But you got to build a coalition in a body. And I think this is a giant step forward.”

Rep. Bryan Steil, the Wisconsin Republican who sponsored the legislation, called it “transformational.”

Critics argued the legislation falls well short of a true stock trading ban because it would let lawmakers keep stocks they already own and continue selling them.

Bipartisan support eroded further after Republicans added a requirement that voters present photo identification at the polls, a key element of the SAVE Act, an election measure backed by President Donald Trump that has repeatedly stalled in the Senate.

What is in the Stop Insider Trading Act?

The legislation would prohibit lawmakers, their spouses and dependent children from buying individual stocks while in office. It would let them keep stocks they already own but require public notice at least seven days before selling them. Some investments would be exempt, including interest in a widely held investment fund and certain investments held in a trust.

The bill does not extend to the president or vice president. President Donald Trump disclosed in May that in the first quarter of this year he had made more than 3,600 buy and sell orders, many of them involving companies whose profits have been directly impacted by his decisions as head of the government.

Outside ethics groups said the bill leaves intact the very conflicts it is meant to address by allowing lawmakers to keep existing stock holdings.

The Campaign Legal Center urged Congress to reject the measure, saying it “fails to address the two inherent problems with congressional stock ownership: the appearance of insider trading and members’ ability to profit from their official position.”

Not all Republicans were on board for the stock ban. Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, who was defeated in a primary earlier this year by a Trump-backed candidate, derided Republicans for inserting the voter identification requirement.

“Republicans added voter-ID in the legislation. Not to get Dems to vote for voter-ID,” Massie wrote in a social media post. “but to get them to vote against the stock trading ban, so they can use it in the Nov. election.”

Stock trading has become a potent campaign issue

Congressional stock trading has become a potent campaign issue as candidates from both parties call for banning the practice. The issue has been a fixture of campaign ads for several years as candidates seek to tap into voters’ distrust of Washington.

Ahead of Wednesday's vote, many Republicans facing tough reelection races lined up to speak in favor of it.

“Banning congressional stock trading is a simple proposition: If you serve the public, you serve only the public,” said New York Rep. Mike Lawler. “You don't get to benefit from the power the people have loaned you. This reform is about fairness.”

Lawmakers have faced ethics scrutiny and, in some cases, criminal investigations over stock trades that critics say benefited from nonpublic information obtained through lawmakers' official duties. Although no broad ban has become law, similar proposals have been introduced for years.

Momentum accelerated last year when Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., launched a discharge petition to force a vote on a congressional stock trading ban that bypassed House Republican leaders.

His dream is on the cusp of becoming reality.

A little more than a month after the Indianapolis-based team owner died at 65, his oldest son, Derek, announced Dreyer & Reinbold Racing had purchased one of the series' 25 charters from Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing. The transaction paves the way for DRR to run one full-time car next season for the first time since 2012.

Series officials must still approve the move, though that appears to be little more than a formality.

“There are a lot of emotions today,” Derek Reinbold said Wednesday on a conference call. “Let me just start with my dad because he spent years working towards this moment. He believed this team belonged in the IndyCar Series full-time, and he never stopped building toward that goal. He and I were talking through this charter purchase right up until he went into the hospital. Today is bittersweet. I wish he were on this call with us. But I know exactly how he’d feel today because this was his vision, and we’re really proud to finish what he started.”

The late Reinbold became a regular in Gasoline Alley after co-founding the team in 2000, fielding cars, often multiple cars, in each of the past 27 Indianapolis 500s. During that time, DRR employed nearly three dozen drivers though it reached victory lane only one time — when Robbie Buhl won at Walt Disney World Speedway in January 2000.

The team's top finish at Indianapolis came in 2012 when Oriol Servia was fourth. But following that season, DRR came up short on funding and began cutting back its schedule. From 2013-19, DRR's drivers were limited to one race — Indianapolis.

It appeared there may be an opening for DRR when Sage Karam competed in all four events held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway during the COVID-19 season in 2020. But the team returned to just one-race seasons from 2021 through Reinbodld's death following a battle with cancer last month.

Now, all indications are that DRR will return to full-time action next year.

“The first transfer of an IndyCar charter is an important milestone for the IndyCar charter system and demonstrates that the system is working as intended," said Mark Miles, the president and CEO of IndyCar's parent company Penske Entertainment. “The charter system provides teams with a valuable asset encouraging their continued investment in the long-term growth of the sport while also providing new ownership groups with a clear pathway into the series. It’s another step in strengthening the long-term foundation of IndyCar.”

Bobby Rahal's team received three of the 25 charters when they were first introduced in 2024, but when it decided to scale back from three full-time cars to two next season, the idea of helping Reinbold's team get back in the mix just seemed like the right thing to do.

“I have always had tremendous respect for Dennis Reinbold, both as a fellow team owner and as a fellow automobile dealer," the 1986 Indy winner said in a statement. “His dedication to IndyCar and the legacy he built over many years earned the respect of everyone in the paddock. Dennis had expressed interest in acquiring a charter from the time the charter program was established, and we had several discussions with him before his passing. We’re pleased we were able to complete this transaction, and we can’t think of a more deserving organization to receive the charter.”

Rahal also said in the statement that he believes a two-car team will better position RLL to “maximize” its competition level and focus on the introduction of a new race car in 2028.

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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/apf-AutoRacing

The case was put on hold almost immediately after the July 2 indictment, when the Louisiana Supreme Court said the local court and special prosecutor did not follow procedures surrounding the indictment. The dismissal by special prosecutor Laurie White came a day after New Orleans District Attorney Jason Williams, Democratic Mayor Helena Moreno and five City Council members sent a letter urging her to drop the case.

“What I did was not a crime, it was never a crime,” said Murrill, a Republican. “I think this was a malicious prosecution.”

At the center of the case are deepening rifts between the state's Republican leaders and Democrats who control Louisiana’s most prominent city.

Orleans Parish online court records show White submitted the letters from the elected city officials and the prosecutor to a judge before dismissing each count. The case against Murrill was then ordered “closed.”

In a prepared statement, White said she performed her lawful duty as a special prosecutor and noted that a grand jury brought the indictment.

White also criticized what she described as interference in the case but did not go into detail.

“Extraordinary interference in this situation has been truly unfortunate, and we should all hope that it doesn’t set a precedent,” White said.

Reached by phone later in the day, White declined further comment.

Republican Gov. Jeff Landry had promised a swift pardon, saying Murrill would not have her reputation tarnished by an “Orleans Kangaroo court.”

Appearing with Murrill at a news conference on the state's preparations for Tropical Storm Bertha, Landry said he would welcome state and federal investigations into how and why Murrill was indicted.

“I think the feds need to come in,” Landry said.

Moreno was among those who had accused the state’s top law enforcement official in May of making threats against public officials.

The initial 16-count indictment handed up by a New Orleans grand jury accused Murrill, the state’s first female attorney general, of intimidation and malfeasance.

For months, political tensions intensified between Louisiana Republicans and New Orleans officials over a new law that abolished a court clerk office won by an exoneree, Calvin Duncan, who spent nearly three decades in prison. The change consolidated that job with another clerk’s office, which Republican supporters said would make the local judicial system more efficient.

New Orleans leaders opposed the change. In May, the City Council set a special election that would have given Duncan a chance to win the newly combined job. Murrill responded by warning local officials in letters that they could lose their offices for violating state “usurper” laws, which forbid support for an unauthorized officeholder.

The mayor was among those who had accused the state’s top law enforcement official in May of making threats against public officials.

Murrill said she had merely advised city officials of what the law was and that they had broken it. “I didn’t write that law. The Legislature wrote that law. I just explained it to them.”

Murrill called the indictment a threat of extortion and public intimidation, “to put me in jail for telling them that I'm going to carry out my official duties.”

In their Tuesday letter, the mayor and City Council members said they were not intimidated by Murrill's previous letters.

“While the correspondence at issue contained threatening language directed toward public officials, we never believed those threats could lawfully or practically be carried out. We continue serving the people of New Orleans without hesitation,” the mayor and council members wrote.

___

Associated Press reporter Jack Brook contributed to this story.

“I have no ill will toward Coach Kiffin,” Golding said Wednesday at SEC Media Days.

Golding was the up-and-coming defensive coordinator who was asked to pick up the pieces when his old boss, Lane Kiffin, abruptly left for LSU for a seven-year, $91 million deal just as the Rebels were about to embark on their first trip to the College Football Playoff last season.

Partly thanks to the fact that the coach had two of the game's most explosive players in quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and running back Kewan Lacy, Golding racked up two wins, over Tulane and Georgia, and almost a third.

That made Mississippi's decision to give him a five-year contract right after Kiffin's departure look like a stroke of genius. It also gave Golding a spot at the podium in Tampa, where he opened up and became an early favorite to “win” the 38th version of the SEC's annual preseason football gabfest.

“It’s the ex, right? There’s always going to be the history," said Golding, who is married with three children. "Do you have an ex? Are you married? Well, if you do get married and you have an ex that your wife knows about, like, she doesn’t ever end; she’s never dead. She’s always going to get brought up, and so that’s kind of where it is right now. That’s always going to be there a little bit, which is fun to a certain degree.”

Fun, indeed. And it's no sure thing that Ole Miss is going to take a step back from last year's 13-2 record and its trip to the national semifinals just because its celebrity coach, Kiffin, has moved west. (By the way, Ole Miss hosts LSU on Sept. 19.)

Chambliss is returning off a 3,900-yard, 22-touchdown season and a win in court, where he was granted a sixth year of eligibility. Lacy's 73-yard touchdown run in Mississippi's CFP loss to Miami capped a playoff stretch that identified him as a first-tier threat. The Rebels have launched Heisman Trophy campaigns for both.

“You know they’re really good players,” Golding said. “I’m not going to talk to you about that. Y'all already know that.”

Golding flicks away questions about tampering allegations

Golding was equally colorful about tampering, a topic the Rebels were drawn into this offseason when Clemson's Dabo Sweeney accused Ole Miss of unethically luring linebacker Luke Ferelli, who had barely moved from Cal to Death Valley when he suddenly bailed for Mississippi.

Without getting into details of the Ferelli affair — which served as a rare example of a coach calling out another coach for tampering — Golding pointed to one of the key problems about the transfer portal, saying it's only natural a player would want to know he has a place to go before he leaves his current school. Add agents into the mix, who can easily circumvent rules that prohibit contacting the player, and chaos ensues.

“By design it’s put a lot of people in bad positions,” Golding said. “Let’s not act like recruiting in college football for the last 100 years is the most moral thing.”

Golding is a new homeowner and it's Kiffin's old house

When it comes to ethics and morals, though, the conversation down South seems to funnel back to Ole Miss these days. And Golding and Kiffin.

Kiffin's move, the pundits say, showed college sports' money-grubbing opportunistic side at its worst. The much-debated bill circulating in Congress intended to regulate the industry includes what's known as a “Lane Kiffin Rule" that restricts when coaches can leave for new jobs.

It has made for great headlines. Golding's reaction to it — golden, as well. And in a sign that all may truly be forgiven, ESPN reported that not long after Kiffin bailed for Baton Rouge Golding bought his house in Oxford.

He said he and Kiffin text frequently, and there's a friendship there that goes beyond coaching.

“I can separate the two. Some people can’t,” Golding said. "I probably shouldn’t say this, but I don’t care, all right? Like I told an Ole Miss group the other day, ‘In 2021, if you said you could look in 2025 and you’re about to be 11-1 and go to the playoff, would you take it if your coach was leaving?’ Hell yeah. You would. Everybody won from it. It’s OK.”

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As of Wednesday, turtles have laid 1,517 nests along the county’s coastline, surpassing the previous record of 1,516 nests set in 2023. Nesting season runs through Oct. 31.

“We have nests hatching pretty much nightly now,” said Nicole Weiss, a member of the county’s Habitat Conservation Plan team.

Weiss says one of the biggest contributing factors to the boom is conservation efforts that began in the 1970s. Because sea turtles take decades to reach breeding age, those early protections are now paying off in a measurable way.

[WATCH: SeaWorld Orlando returns 9 rehabilitated green sea turtles to Atlantic Ocean]

“Because of the time frame it takes for sea turtles to reach that breeding stage of life, usually 20 to 30 years depending on species, we’re seeing a lot more turtles now being able to reach that reproductive age,” Weiss said.

While the record has already been broken, Weiss says the pace of nesting is expected to slow in the coming weeks.

“Typically we start to see the nest count slowing down in the August-September time frame, so we still have a good, solid month of daily nests,” she said.

Some beachgoers in Daytona Beach Shores were lucky enough to witness a nest hatch overnight — right next to the nest that broke the record. Kelly Sheller and her family were among those who saw it.

“You can see the little tracks where the mama turtle went up this morning and then came back out to the beach. It’s amazing to see it in real life, you see it on TV but I’ve never had a chance to see it in real life,” Sheller said.

As nesting numbers continue to climb, county officials are asking beachgoers to do their part to keep the shoreline safe for sea turtles. Recommended steps include keeping the beach clean and flat, filling in holes after digging them, picking up trash and turning off lights at night.

Elkhorn coral populations were decimated by a 2023 heat wave and a less severe one in 2024 that left them functionally extinct — meaning remaining colonies are too small and far apart to reproduce in the wild — from Broward County to the Florida Keys, said Diego Lirman, associate professor of marine biology at the University of Miami. Heat causes coral to bleach, which can be fatal if it lasts long enough.

Researchers have been propagating them at coastal nurseries, but decided to bring some ashore now because of indications that 2026 will be “a really bad year” for bleaching — perhaps even worse than 2023, Lirman said. Coral has been showing indications of heat stress as water temperatures rise.

Coral populations are living creatures that form reefs, globally important for seafood production, protecting coastlines from storm surges and tourism. But scientists fear they could be lost because of climate change: Florida coral has experienced four mass bleaching events in the past decade.

“They seem to be blending into each other and corals are not getting time to recover,” Lirman said.

Divers focused Wednesday on collecting genetically diverse coral pieces, wrapping each in wet bubble wrap and placing them in coolers before sanitizing them and putting them in tanks at the hatchery.

The university exchanges coral with other researchers and facilities to preserve as much original genetic diversity as possible in nurseries and in hatcheries, “so if one goes down you don’t lose the last remaining genetic information,” Lirman said.

“You never know: You may have some that are resistant to disease, some that are resistant to temperature, some that are resistant to acidification,” he said. “Once we lose them, then that information is lost.”

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

The S&P 500 edged down by 0.1%, coming off its best day in three weeks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 6 points, or less than 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite fell 0.6%.

Despite the modest moves for indexes, stocks had some big swings underneath the surface. Philip Morris International rallied 3.3% after the seller of Marlboro cigarettes reported stronger profit and revenue for the latest quarter than expected. Its shipments of smoke-free products rose 7.5%.

AT&T climbed 3.5% after reporting a stronger profit than analysts expected. CEO John Stankey also said the telecom is accelerating plans to send roughly $10 billion to its shareholders this year through the buybacks of its stock.

Super Micro Computer soared 19.8% after the seller of AI servers said it expects to report stronger profit margins for the latest quarter than it had earlier forecast. It, though, also said that revenue will likely come in at the low end of its forecasted range of $11 billion to $12.5 billion.

On the losing side of the market was GE Vernova, which fell 8.7% after reporting a weaker profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected.

Alphabet sank 1.5% ahead of its earnings report, which arrived after trading ended for the day.

Anticipation was high, and not just because the parent company of Google is one of the largest stocks on Wall Street. It’s also one of the biggest spenders on artificial-intelligence technology.

Investors are looking for signs that the deluge of dollars going into processors, computer memory and other building blocks of the AI boom are producing enough profits to make the investments worth it. If Alphabet and other “hyperscalers” say that isn’t the case, stocks of chip companies and other AI winners would look very expensive following their monumental moves higher.

Such worries have kept AI stocks at the center of Wall Street’s swings for weeks, and they helped drag the market up and down Wednesday.

Micron Technology swung between a loss of 3.6% and a gain of 1.2% before finishing with a drop of 1.2%. That’s after it jumped 14.4% in the first two days of this week to reclaim nearly all its 13.3% plunge from the week before. It’s still up 236% for the year so far.

All told, the S&P 500 fell 10.24 points to 7,498.96. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 6.06 to 52,218.58, and the Nasdaq composite sank 146.30 to 25,690.90.

Stocks broadly also felt pressure from continuing climbs for oil prices, which raise costs for most businesses and erode their profits.

The price for a barrel of Brent crude oil, the international standard, rose 3.4% to $94.07 and briefly topped $95 in the morning to touch its highest level in nearly six weeks. That’s up from less than $72 early this month, which is roughly where it was before the war with Iran.

Rising oil prices are threatening a reacceleration of inflation. That in turn could push the Federal Reserve and other central banks to raise interest rates, which would slow economies and undercut prices for stocks and other investments.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.65% from 4.63% late Tuesday and from just 3.97% before the war with Iran began. It’s already helped bring long-term U.S. mortgage rates to their highest levels in nearly a year.

Oil prices have climbed as fighting in the Middle East keeps oil tankers from using the Strait of Hormuz to exit the Persian Gulf. Normally, a fifth of all oil and natural gas traded passes through the narrow strait.

The auto club AAA said Wednesday that the average price for a gallon of regular gas in the U.S. jumped again overnight to $4.06. That’s still below highs of around $4.56 per gallon in May, but it had been below $3 before the United States and Israel attacked Iran in late February.

In stock markets abroad, indexes climbed in Europe following a mixed session in Asia.

London’s FTSE 100 rose 1.2%, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 1% for two of the world’s bigger moves.

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AP Business Writers Yuri Kageyama and Matt Ott contributed to this report.

The Mountain View, California-based company said Wednesday it earned $112.11 billion, or $9.11 per share, in the April-June period. That's up from $28.2 billion, or $2.31 per share, in the same period a year earlier.

Revenue grew 24% to $119.8 billion from $96.43 billion.

Analysts, on average, were expecting revenue of $117.06 billion, according to a poll by FactSet. Google did not disclose an adjusted earnings figure that's comparable to analysts' expectations, which was $2.88 per share. Google saw a net gain of $98 billion, mainly as a result of gains on its equity investments — mostly in SpaceX, which went public in June.

“Our AI investments are redefining what’s possible across every part of our business,” said CEO Sundar Pichai in a statement.

Emarketer analyst Nate Elliott called the results “impressive,” especially in regards to AI.

“On the consumer side, Gemini is now within a whisker of becoming Google’s third different 1 billion-user consumer AI product, alongside AI Overviews and AI Mode,” he said. "On the enterprise side, AI demand is driving enormous growth in the cloud business. And continued strong growth in search advertising backs up Google’s claim that AI is additive to search, not a replacement.”

As usual, digital ads fueled by Google’s dominant search engine propelled the quarter's revenue growth, boosted by World Cup advertising, especially on YouTube.

The tech giant also saw strong growth in its cloud business, boosted by its AI portfolio consisting of chips, models, data, security, and agent platforms.

Alphabet's shares climbed $2.71 to $344.62 in after-hours trading.

But the greenlight comes with certain conditions.

The European Commission — which serves as the EU's antitrust enforcer — said that even with a Paramount-Warner combo, enough competitors would exist across markets like film production and streaming in its 27-nation bloc. Still, when it comes to distributing movies to theaters, the Commission warned of high concentration that could lead to “worse rental and distribution terms for cinema operators, ultimately disadvantaging consumers.”

To address this, the Commission said Skydance-owned Paramount agreed to end its European Economic Area stake in United International Pictures — a longstanding venture with another major studio, Universal, that Paramount has used to distribute films in theaters outside North America. The company must end that partnership within 13 months of closing its Warner acquisition, the Commission said, and not enter any new agreements with Universal for the next 10 years.

Among other terms, current distribution of Warner films must be shifted to the same pipeline Paramount is using in these European countries. The European Commission said its approval was conditional on the company's commitments and that it would monitor their implementation, without expanding further on how that would be enforced.

Paramount welcomed the EU's greenlight, which it said represented “a major milestone” toward completing its acquisition. In a Wednesday statement, the company added that such clearances reflect how a Paramount-Warner combo “will enhance consumer choice” and create a business with a scale “capable of competing with the tech companies that have come to dominate the industry.”

Universal did not respond Wednesday to a request for comment about Paramount's new film distribution commitments in Europe.

A Paramount-Warner combo would mean putting HBO Max, fan favorite titles like “Harry Potter” and even CNN under the same roof with CBS, “Top Gun” and the Paramount+ streaming service. Beyond movies and streaming, both American companies also own a handful of European-based TV assets — including Warner's TVN Group in Poland, as well as localized channels for flagship Paramount brands like MTV and Nickelodeon.

Ongoing challenge from US states

The EU's blessing marks the latest in a chain of regulatory clearances inching the merger closer to becoming a reality, but the deal faces other challenges. In the U.S., a federal judge on Monday ordered the companies to pause their transaction for at least two weeks.

That spans from a lawsuit brought forth by California and 11 other states seeking to block Paramount and Warner's merger altogether — on the grounds such a tie-up would “extinguish competition” in Hollywood and lead to fewer choices for consumers, particularly moviegoers and cable customers in the U.S.

Paramount has called the states’ claims meritless. And the company reiterated that on Wednesday — saying findings from the EU's approval “directly refute key assumptions that underpin the state AGs’ complaint,” particularly when it comes to competition from newer or smaller film studios.

Either way, the deal is set to be halted until at least a preliminary injunction hearing, currently slated for Aug. 3. When granting the temporary restraining order earlier this week, U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín said states had made a strong case about a combined Paramount-Warner’s potential to “substantially lessen competition” and that the merger would be “difficult, if not impossible, to unwind” without a pause.

Other regulatory clearances

In contrast to the states' case, the Trump administration's U.S. Justice Department said it wouldn’t block the deal — and instead released a lengthy statement in support, maintaining a Paramount-Warner combo would bring "benefits for American consumers and workers.”

Paramount says it's also received regulatory clearances from countries like Australia, China and Canada. Other reviews remain in progress — including from the U.K., which has separately suggested it may intervene.

The clock is ticking. The company has pledged to start paying Warner shareholders added “ticking fee” compensation amounting to about $7 million per day if the deal isn’t closed by Sept. 30.

Including debt, Paramount’s proposed purchase of Warner is valued at nearly $111 billion based on current outstanding shares.

Beyond central antitrust reviews, regulators in Europe have also effectively approved of the billions of dollars in financial backing Paramount has secured from three Gulf states: Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. In regulatory filings, Paramount has maintained that these sovereign funds will not have any voting rights. Still, critics have sounded the alarm about what their money could mean in terms behind the scenes influence.

The crash happened around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday on northbound Clarke Road near A.D. Mims Road.

According to police, the crash involved seven vehicles and 10 people. Speed was also most likely a contributing factor.

One person was killed in the crash. Two people were transported to the hospital, and a total of seven people received medical treatment. A section of Clarke Road was shut down for hours following the crash before reopening.

The investigation remains active. Investigators are asking anyone who witnessed the crash or has additional information to contact Sgt. William Wagner at WWagner@ocoee.org or 407-554-7195.

They equaled the 1946 American League champs, who were led by future Hall of Famer Ted Williams.

Jarren Duran had a two-run triple and a sacrifice fly, and Caleb Durbin — who hit a tiebreaking homer when they posted their 14th straight victory on Monday — chipped in with a two-run single.

Ceddanne Rafaela added a solo home run for Boston in a makeup from Tuesday’s rainout.

Christian Encarnacion-Strand had a solo homer for Baltimore, his second in two games.

Red Sox rookie left-hander Jake Bennnett (6-3) worked 5 2/3 innings, giving up three runs — one coming on a sun-aided RBI double by Tyler O’Neill — on nine hits.

He took a 102.8 mph liner off the stomach from Taylor Ward in the fifth, but remained in the game after being checked by a trainer, interim manager Chad Tracy and first baseman Willson Contreras, who appeared to make him breath while telling him to lift his arms.

Aroldis Chapman got the final three outs for his 23rd save and 390th of his career, tying Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley for ninth all-time.

The Red Sox jumped out to a 4-0 lead against Dean Kremer (1-3) in the first on Durbin’s line single and Duran’s two-out hit.

Encarnacion-Strand hit his homer into the batter’s eye to make it 5-2 in the fourth but Rafaela hit his over the Green Monster in the bottom half.

Kremer lasted six innings, allowing six runs.

Up next

Orioles: RHP Kyle Bradish (6-9, 3.61 ERA) is set to start the nightcap.

Red Sox: LHP Eduardo Rivera (0-0, 2.89 ) will start the second game.

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

Ben Rice tied the score with his 30th home run, a three-run drive in the seventh inning off Carmen Mlodzinski.

Triolo and Mangum drove in runs off Cruz (4-4), who allowed two hits and two walks while getting just one out.

Mason Montgomery (3-3) pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings and Gregory Soto got three straight outs for his 13th save in 18 chances.

Cole retired his first 14 batters before allowing Nick Gonzales' single and Jacob Gonzalez's two-run homer. Nick Gonzales added a solo homer in the seventh off Cole, who in his previous start gave up Max Muncy's two-run, eighth-inning homer that lifted the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 2-1 win.

Cole struck out 11, his most since Aug. 25, 2023, and extended his Yankees record for double-digit strikeouts games with 29. He allowed three runs and four hits with no walks.

Pittsburgh starter Mitch Keller gave up three hits in five scoreless innings.

New York went 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position.

Yankees hitting coach James Rowson was ejected in the sixth inning for arguing after José Caballero was called for a pitch clock violation for not for engaging Mlodzinski with more than eight seconds remaining. Caballero took an inning-ending called strike and Yankees manager Aaron Boone continued arguing with plate umpire Quinn Wolcott during the break.

Brent Headrick struck out the side in the eighth and extended his home scoreless streak to 35 innings, the longest for the Yankees since Allie Reynolds' 36 innings rom Sept 16, 1953, to June 2, 1954, according to STATS.

Up Next

New York LHP Max Fried (4-3) and Pittsburgh RHP Bubba Chandler (3-8, 4.77) were to start the night game.

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

The president saluted as four transfer cases carrying the service members' remains were escorted off an airplane during the dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base. The ritual is one of the most somber duties of a commander in chief. It was the third that Trump has attended since he launched the war in Iran in February.

Speaking at an event in Georgia hours later, Trump described the ritual as “the toughest thing I do.”

“I’ve been there many times before," he said of Dover. “This was, in particular, something very sad.”

Earlier in the day, Trump said his message to families was simple: “We love you. We love your child," Trump told reporters.

Trump was accompanied at the dignified transfer by administration officials including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Also present were Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del.

During the ritual, transfer cases draped with the American flag and holding the remains of the fallen soldiers are carried from the military aircraft that transported them to awaiting vehicles to take them to the mortuary facility at the base. There, the service members are prepared for their final resting place.

Fallen troops came from Hawaii, Texas, New York and North Carolina

Two U.S. Army soldiers killed in Iranian missile and drone attacks in Jordan were returned during the dignified transfer. The remains of a third service member who is believed to be the soldier missing after the Jordan attacks were also returned, as well as the remains of a soldier killed in Iraq during a detonation of an Iranian drone.

The soldiers killed in Jordan were identified by the Defense Department as Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii; and Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas. The soldier who disappeared after the Jordan attacks is Angel S. Rampersad, 28, of Ozone Park, New York, the Defense Department said.

The soldier killed in Iraq was identified as Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, who lived in Spring Lake, North Carolina.

Trump said Feehan's family accepted an invitation to join him on Air Force One on Wednesday as he traveled to an event in Georgia, where the family lives. Speaking at the event in Marietta, Trump described Feehan as a “flawless” person who was “going all the way — he was going to be a general.”

“We will carry Tyler's memory in our hearts forever, and I just want to thank you," he told Feehan’s parents during his remarks. “It’s an honor to have you here today.”

Trump previously said the soldiers died while protecting America and other nations from Iran.

“We feel very badly, but you know, those great people, those great patriots were out there fighting so that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon,” Trump told reporters on Sunday. He added that the U.S. was striking Iran “in honor” of the fallen troops.

Trump vows to retaliate for each US death

The U.S. has launched multiple retaliatory strikes against Iran as an interim agreement to end the war falls apart. Trump on Monday said that every time Iran kills an American soldier, “they will pay for that killing many times over!”

Since the war began on Feb. 28, 18 U.S. service members have been killed.

Trump on Tuesday said that while almost all the incoming fire in Jordan was stopped, some made it through.

“They did slip something through in Jordan,” he said. “If we had other operators, you know, it would have not happened, unfortunately.” He added that "we let other people do the job — and sometimes it doesn’t work out so well.”

Trump did not elaborate on his comments, and it was not immediately clear who he was saying was responsible for protecting U.S. forces in Jordan.

Trump attended two previous dignified transfers since the outset of the war, most recently in March.

Soldier had planned to marry fiance and attend law school

Feehan, a first lieutenant who was killed Saturday, will be posthumously promoted to the rank of captain and awarded the Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Combat Action Badge. He was assigned out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to the 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command.

Feehan’s family said in a statement that their hearts were shattered by his loss. They remembered Feehan, who went by “Tivo,” as someone who “packed in more living” in his 25 years than most do in a lifetime.

“He chased adventure relentlessly,” the statement said. “He believed deeply in the power of military service, especially what it builds in a person: discipline, leadership, character.”

He planned to marry his fiance and attend law school after his deployment. The family said they’re starting a scholarship in his name.

Gonzales, who was killed Friday, was a private with the 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command in Ansbach, Germany. She graduated last year from Hebron High School in Carrollton, near Dallas, school officials said.

Rampersad, a sergeant who was believed to have been killed in Friday's attacks, was assigned to the 57th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 52nd Air Defense Artillery Brigade, 10th Army Air and Missile Defense Command in Ansbach, Germany.

In a brief statement, Rampersad’s family called her a “gentle giant” who “stood up for those who couldn’t fight for themselves.”

“She loved her family fiercely and will live on in the hearts of everyone she touched,” the statement said.

Deonne Jinkins, 22, a friend, said Rampersad “loved deeply, cared genuinely, and always made people feel seen and important.”

Swinton, a sergeant who was killed Sunday, will receive a Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Combat Action Badge, and will be promoted to staff sergeant. He enlisted in the Army in 2017 and was assigned to the 55th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 108th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

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Binkley reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Michael Catalini in Morrisville, Pa., and Sudhin Thanawala in Atlanta contributed to this report.

That work was far from done when a new round of storms began pummeling the state this week, triggering catastrophic flash floods in some of the same areas devastated in 2025. At least two people died. Hundreds needed rescue.

But residents in some hard-hit areas said a year of preparation did make a difference. Newly installed flood sirens sounded in the darkness, warning people to get out. Phones buzzed with alerts that weren't sent out in last year's disaster.

Still, stories of people surprised to find their homes inundated by rising rivers illustrate the challenges of trying to bolster early warning systems in a vast, rural area known as Flash Flood Alley.

Some agencies were more proactive about sending wireless alerts

Over the last decade, a variety of Texas state and local agencies missed opportunities to implement flood warning systems along the Guadalupe River, the AP reported after last summer’s floods killed 136 people, including 28 at a sleepaway camp for girls.

That changed after the tragedy as lawmakers and others scrutinized a lack of preparedness by government agencies and riverside camps.

Unlike last summer, when local officials in Kerr County said they had been reluctant to “cry wolf” and order evacuations and failed to send out wireless alerts to warn of flash floods, Kerr County issued four alerts and the city of Kerrville issued one early on Thursday as the risk for flooding became apparent, according to an Associated Press review of available data.

They warned residents along Quinlan Creek to evacuate to higher ground, and of “extremely dangerous” flash flooding. Those alerts came alongside flood watches, warnings and emergencies sent to broadcast outlets, weather radios and mobile phones by the National Weather Service. People who signed up for the CodeRED notification emergency system in Kerr County also received text message warnings.

“Last year, we got no alarms. We had no idea what was going on,” said Suzanne Sutphin Gschwind, of Kerrville.

“This year, very different,” she said, with multiple texts and calls coming in from local authorities, a weather channel and her doorbell camera. One night the warnings arrived “about every two hours.”

“I think we would all like to err on the side of too much,” she said.

The warnings didn't reach everyone

Between the early morning hours of Tuesday and about 9 a.m. Thursday, the National Weather Service sent 38 alerts to people in certain southwest Texas communities, including 14 tornado warnings and 24 warnings that flooding was occurring or imminent and could be “life threatening.”

Those Weather Service notifications, though, often don’t contain the highly localized information put in alerts sometimes sent by municipal and county emergency agencies — and people in some places may not have gotten any of those local alerts, which can be more decisive for people considering whether to seek high ground.

An Associated Press review of wireless emergency alert data did not find any listed as sent by agencies in Uvalde County, which was hit hard by flooding, though agencies in that county might have used other means to alert the public.

Jaclyn Gonzales was awakened at 2 a.m. Wednesday by a friend who called to warn that a tornado might be headed toward her Uvalde-area home. When she jumped out of bed, the floor was wet.

“It was the shock of the water to my feet that made me really wake up,” she said.

Kat Sprawls only learned floodwaters were nearing her Batesville home when a friend called her at 3:30 a.m. Friday. It took five or six calls before she woke up, because she had her phone on do-not-disturb mode.

“There's no warning system at all. It's just like the flood in Kerrville last year — we had no warnings,” Sprawls said. “Over half of Batesville is under water now."

Zavala County Sheriff's Department secretary Jessica Belmarez said the department is updating its Facebook page with evacuation information and that law enforcement officers were going door-to-door in affected areas, including Batesville.

The network of flood sirens is expanding

Newly installed sirens in Ingram and in Kerr and Kendall counties were used this week to warn residents, said state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, who authored legislation in 2025 to help fund the sirens. Twenty-eight additional counties are also eligible for flood warning funding. Most are in the process of putting together implementation plans for review by the Texas Water Development Board.

“Between the outdoor sirens, and the cellphone alerts, the response was very positive in getting people out of the way and to higher ground,” Bettencourt said. “It’s an enormous improvement over a year ago.”

Three of six new sirens installed in Kerr County were used to warn people to seek high ground, said Tara Bushnoe, manager of the Upper Guadalupe River Authority. The other three were in areas with only minor flooding, Bushnoe said.

The small town of Comfort had one warning siren for years. The volunteer fire department recently installed two more.

“Some people just don’t want to leave — that’s our problem here,” said Danny Morales, the assistant fire chief. “But we did set them off twice, probably an hour from one to another, just because we had people just lingering, and not wanting to move."

Private companies are working to fill the gaps

Ian Cunningham founded River Sentry after the 2025 floods, building flood siren towers for privately owned sites like RV parks, camps and hotels. The sirens are triggered by rising water levels.

So far, the company has installed 104 sirens along the Guadalupe River, Cunningham said, including several near the site of an RV park where more than three dozen people died in 2025.

“We installed them about three months ago and did not expect them to be used so soon,” Cunningham said.

Hohonu, which has developed water-level sensor technology and a real-time data network, received a state contract that will make it easier for agencies to purchase its flood warning technology.

Watch Duty, a fire-tracking app used by millions, expanded earlier this year to help monitor floods.

Officials say the changes saved lives

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the lessons of 2025 led to a better emergency response this time.

“Everybody in Texas has been far more prepared to deal with what has happened this year,” Abbott said during a news conference in Uvalde. “Lives have been saved.”

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This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Hohonu.

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Associated Press reporters Jamie Stengle in Dallas, Claudia Lauer in Philadelphia and Jesse Bedayn in Uvalde, Texas, contributed to this report.

Luminate, the industry data and analytics company that provides insight into changing behaviors across music listenership, examined streams of each song performed by each musician two days before the final (Friday and Saturday) and compared those figures to the final and the day afterward (Sunday and Monday.)

They found:

1. Global streams of Justin Bieber's “Everything Hallelujah” more than doubled, rising 110% from 592,000 streams to 1.25 million.

2. Global streams of Madonna's “Music” rose 66%, from 193,000 streams to 321,000.

3. BTS' “Dynamite” also grew in terms of global streams, from 2.14 million to 3.05 million for an increase of 43%.

4. And Shakira and Burna Boy's official anthem for the 2026 World Cup, “Dai Dai,” also saw a slight bump for an addition of 3.48 million new global streams. That's a 24% increase, from 14.78 million to 18.27 million. In the U.S. alone, streams of “Dai Dai” rose 52%, from 1.68 million streams to 2.55 million.

Luminate also found that the aforementioned artists only saw considerable jumps in the songs they performed on the field last weekend as opposed to their full catalogs. That phenomenon is more common for Super Bowl halftime performers.

Take Bad Bunny for example: After his record-breaking performance this year, streams of his catalog jumped 175% in the U.S. on the day after the Super Bowl, when compared to the previous Monday.

The 24-year-old Beck looks as if he’ll be part of a three-man quarterback competition when training camp begins on Thursday, facing off against veterans Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew. Kedon Slovis is also on the roster. The Cardinals are led by first-year coach Mike LaFleur.

Beck was drafted in the third round out of Miami after leading the Hurricanes to a runner-up finish in the College Football Playoff last season.

The Cardinals have now signed all of the players in their most recent draft class.

Also on Wednesday, the team announced it signed defensive lineman Coziah Izzard and placed rookie defensive lineman Kaleb Proctor on injured reserve. Proctor injured his knee during offseason workouts.

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

WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala warned the U.N. Security Council that “critical minerals are increasingly viewed as strategic assets, not just commodities, and a major source of interstate competition.”

Major economies are racing to get supplies of the minerals needed for technology from smartphones to fighter jets to use as leverage, she said. That means a real risk that conflicts will rise and developing economies will find themselves locked into the lowest level of production, while “the highest value jobs, technologies and profits go elsewhere,” she said.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said competition for lithium, cobalt, nickel and rare earths has seen armed groups reap the benefits of illegal mining and mineral smuggling in eastern Congo — “and civilians have paid the price of ongoing conflict.”

In Sudan, he told the council, the bitter fight between government and paramilitary forces for political and territorial dominance has been fueled by the exploitation of natural resources, especially gold and gum arabic used in printing, paints, glues, cosmetics and other industries, "leading to atrocities and displacing millions.”

“The minerals beneath Africa or any developing region’s soil should never help to finance the conflicts above it,” Okonjo-Iweala said.

She said a real opportunity exists to create “a more diversified, inclusive, and win-win global economy” where mineral wealth is not just extracted and shaped abroad but is a catalyst for economic transformation.

She proposed three priorities:

1. Resource-rich developing countries should demand more local processing, refining and “value addition.”

2. The international rule of law should be strengthened.

3. Most important, resource-rich countries should work together and use the leverage they have to reverse the export of raw materials and import of finished goods as well as promote investment.

“The world cannot achieve energy security, the green transition or digital transformation without them," Okonjo-Iweala said. “Africa alone has roughly 30% of the world’s critical minerals, and less than half of its mineral reserves have been explored.”

Congo accounts for over 70% of global cobalt production, South Africa holds the world’s largest reserves of platinum and manganese, and Zambia and Congo are major copper producers, she said. Between 10 and 12 African countries have commercially exploitable reserves of lithium, and 15 to 20 have commercially exploitable deposits of rare earths.

In a video, Mamdani described the Israeli prime minister as a “war criminal” and said he is not welcome in New York City.

“It is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant,” he said in the video posted on X. “The federal government however does and I call on them to join the ICC and execute this warrant,” he added, referring to the International Criminal Court.

Mamdani had told the New York Times earlier this month that he and the city’s legal department were discussing arresting Netanyahu if he comes to New York City for the U.N. General Assembly in September.

President Donald Trump on Monday told Netanyahu in a social media post that he “will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America.” The post did not directly mention Mamdani.

Mamdani had said throughout his mayoral election campaign last year that he would seek to order the city’s police to arrest Netanyahu under the criminal court's warrant over Netanyahu’s role in the war in Gaza.

In his video message Tuesday, Mamdani said his administration has reviewed all avenues available and determined the city can't execute the arrest warrant.

“I want to be equally clear, Benjamin Netanyahu is not welcome in New York City, nor is any other war criminal at large,” he said.

Danny Danon, the Israeli ambassador to the U.N., responded by telling the mayor “enough.”

“You were elected to serve New Yorkers, not Hamas’ propaganda,” he said in a statement on social media. “Do your job!”

The world’s top war-crimes court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and others in 2024, accusing them of crimes against humanity in connection with the war in Gaza.

They said there was reason to believe Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant have used “starvation as a method of warfare” by restricting humanitarian aid and have intentionally targeted civilians in Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza — charges Israeli officials deny.

In a release, troopers said they responded to the crash around 1:21 p.m. at East Colonial Drive and Woodbury Road.

Per investigators, the crash involved the bicyclist and a 2022 Tesla Model 3. While the bicyclist died at the scene, the driver was taken to the hospital with minor injuries, troopers reported.

“There is currently roadblock for the eastbound lanes on E. Colonial Drive,” the release states.

No additional information has been provided at this time.

Adams, 25, was charged with possession of a firearm obtained in a crime, possession of a restricted/prohibited firearm, no license while in possession of a loaded firearm and possessing a prohibited device, according to an online release from the Durham Regional Police Service in Ontario.

Adams was one of four people arrested.

“Isaiah is completely innocent in this matter,” Adams’ attorney Adam Weisberg said in a statement. “He had no knowledge of any firearm, and he will be fully exonerated.”

The report says that on Friday, police concluded an investigation into a male believed to be in possession of a firearm and involved in drug trafficking. Two of the other people arrested were charged with possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute.

The Cardinals are scheduled to have their first practice of training camp on Thursday. A person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press that Adams was expected to be in camp Thursday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team is not commenting on the details of Adams' situation.

“We are aware of the situation involving Isaiah Adams,” the Cardinals said in a statement. “Out of respect for the process, we will refrain from commenting further at this time.”

Adams — who was born in Ajax, Ontario — is a third-year player for the Cardinals and in the mix for a starting job. He was a third-round pick out of Illinois in 2024.

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

So when Kovar, 64, bought a Ford F-150 last fall, his hope was to be better prepared for any new crisis.

“I was interested in trying to find some sort of power backup situation,” he said.

Now, Kovar has a setup from Ford that allows drivers of certain F-150 models to plug their vehicle directly into their electric meter to power parts of their home during an outage.

It is the latest example of automakers broadly adapting their electrification technologies to the home energy business, especially as demand on the grid increases and sales of electric vehicles slow. Car companies are looking to leverage their multibillion dollar EV investments to tap into a promising market in vehicle, home and grid technology, both for backup power and for supporting electrical grid resiliency.

“They’re trying to look for other businesses that they might sell into,” said Parth Vaishnav, assistant professor of sustainable systems at the University of Michigan.

Ford's latest connects F-150 drivers to their meter

Drivers of the F-150 PowerBoost hybrid and F-150 Lightning electric pickup trucks can now plug in a one-foot long adapter to a 240-volt outlet onboard. That adapter — which Ford made with company Global Power Products — makes the vehicle compatible to plug into a longer, separate cable. That cable connects to a transfer switch installed directly on one's electric meter.

Through the adapter and cable series, homeowners can connect their vehicle essentially right to their home’s breaker box. The homeowner simply turns on and off which breaker switches they want for which devices they want powered.

“The way we think about it, especially for customers who already have a compatible vehicle is, you already own the power source, it’s in your driveway,” said Amanda Roraff, Ford's grid and energy services business acceleration lead.

The Lightning might provide power for two to three days, depending on what home devices are being used, and the PowerBoost Hybrid, up to five days on a single tank of gas.

The automaker says its solution is a less expensive way to supply backup power. Conventional, diesel-powered portable generators and full-home standby setups require expensive installation, costing several thousands of dollars. This solution, which also requires professional installation at the meter, starts around $1,100.

The setup only applies to about 200,000 vehicles so far, and it is also exclusively for outages. Ford also offers its Home Integration System for bidirectionality, sending power both from the vehicle to the home and from the home to the vehicle, while also being able to feed the grid.

Other automakers are boosting their energy solutions

Over 630,000 U.S. vehicles already have this functionality, estimates say, and automakers are rapidly expanding their available options with the goal of full vehicle-to-grid support in the long run.

South Korean auto brand Kia and Wallbox, an EV charging company, have teamed up so that drivers of eligible compatible vehicles can have home power backup during outages or during periods of high demand, to cut their utility use. They can send power back to the grid.

Tesla’s technology is similar — allowing drivers of equipped vehicles to connect to their home using additional Tesla hardware. The Cybertruck provides full vehicle-to-home capability, where other Tesla models can only connect to and power specific devices or appliances.

General Motors is also in the energy space.

A recent partnership with WeaveGrid, for instance, allows homeowners who drive certain GM EVs — and have the automaker’s home system and a proper grid interconnection — to enroll in some grid reliability utility programs. Once an outage is detected, GM’s vehicle-to-home tech has the capability to disconnect one's home from the grid and start supplying power from their GM EV.

“If you can imagine the future as we go forward, it's having the ability — now that we have this single platform — that allows our customer to experience our system,” said Wade Sheffer, vice president of GM energy, “but also can have the full control of the energy.”

The capability is an important lifeline amid EV sales slowdown

Not only is this business critical amid growing grid demand and increasing power outages, experts say automakers need to pivot with the EV market less active under current U.S. federal policy. Pure EV sales in the U.S. year-over-year are down 23.8%, according to a July Cox Automotive report on the first half of 2026. This demonstrates what an asset that EV and hybrid ownership can be.

The tech is not without challenges.

On the industry side, these systems have to undergo third-party testing to ensure they meet safety standards, and the vehicle and the charger need to be programmed to communicate. It also requires the approval of the utility where the capability is being used. It could take years to get an interconnect agreement.

On the customer side, homeowners need to understand their vehicles' abilities and how to self-manage their system. It also just brings another generator of power into the home mix.

Still, experts see opportunity, especially with interest in EV sales high outside of the U.S.

“We already know during an outage, its impact, providing electricity to the home,” said Scott Samuelsen, engineering professor emeritus at the University of California, Irvine. “This is going to become very, very popular.”

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Alexa St. John is an Associated Press climate reporter. Follow her on X: @alexa_stjohn. Reach her at ast.john@ap.org.

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