Global leaders on Wednesday welcomed the ceasefire announcement and subsequent reopening of the strait. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said it supports Trump’s decision to suspend strikes against Iran for two weeks, but that it doesn’t include the war with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The plan also includes allowing both Iran and Oman to charge fees on ships transiting through the Strait of Hormuz, a regional official said Wednesday on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. The strait is in the territorial waters of both Oman and Iran. The world had considered the passage an international waterway and never paid tolls before.

Here is the latest:

Israel vows to continue striking Hezbollah

The Israeli military chief of staff said on Wednesday that Israel will continue to “utilize every operational opportunity” to strike Hezbollah after the military said it struck more than 100 targets within 10 minutes across Lebanon, the largest wave of strikes since March 1.

Lt Gen. Eyal Zamir said Israel will continue striking Hezbollah to protect Israel’s northern residents, who have come under heavy fire from Hezbollah. The Israeli strikes caused panic during Lebanon’s afternoon rush hour as plumes of black smoke rose over several neighborhoods across the capital.

Trump administration once again shifts the objectives for the war

Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in a news conference at the Pentagon Wednesday that the U.S. military had three objectives in Iran: to destroy Iran’s ballistic missile and drone capabilities, to destroy its navy, and to destroy its defense industrial base.

The president and members of his administration have offered varying objectives throughout the 5 1/2-week war and have shifted them throughout, despite claiming they have not changed.

Trump has at times named five objectives, but has changed them.

Other objectives have included eliminating Iran’s air force, blocking Iran’s path to a nuclear weapon, cutting off support for its proxy groups and protecting allies in the Middle East.

Airstrikes repo

rted in Beirut

A series of Israeli airstrikes hit at least five different neighborhoods in the heart and along the coast of Beirut on Wednesday, Lebanon’s National News Agency reported.

The simultaneous strikes during rush hour caused panic around the capital.

French ex-detainees recount ‘hell’ in Iran’s prison

Two French former detainees in Iran who were allowed to return to France on Wednesday described years “under constant threat” in Tehran’s Evin prison, where many dissidents are held.

Cécile Kohler, 41, and Jacques Paris, 72, had been staying in French diplomatic premises in Tehran since their release in November after more than three years in detention on spying charges, which Paris called unfounded.

The two were received by President Emmanuel Macron in Paris hours after arriving. French authorities said the pair left Iran by road into neighboring Azerbaijan on Tuesday before flying to Paris.

Kohler thanked those who helped secure their release “from the hell of Evin, where we experienced daily horror,” adding: “We realize how narrowly we escaped, because it could have been much worse.”

“We were under constant threat,” Paris said. “We had no right to read or write. Whenever we left our cell, we were blindfolded.”

“We are not broken,” he added. “We will bear witness … and we will enjoy life again.”

White House says nothing final in plans for talks

The White House says “nothing is final” over plans for in-person talks over Iran.

In response to questions about whether U.S. Vice President JD Vance would be participating in U.S.-Iran talks expected to be held later this week in Pakistan, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement, “There are discussions about in person talks, but nothing is final until announced by the President or the White House.”

The vice president was in Hungary, where he was supporting. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán ahead of upcoming elections.

Iranians express cautious optimism about ceasefire

“As we have seen in Gaza and Lebanon, ceasefires have often been violated unilaterally. Hopefully, this time they will remain committed, the ceasefire will hold, and our people will stay steadfast until we achieve final results,” said Ezzat Papar, a Tehran resident.

“When dialogue and negotiation are possible, we should pursue our demands that way,” said Alireza Khoddami, a 60-year-old taxi driver in Tehran.

“How long have we been under sanctions, and what progress have we truly made? In my view, it is the people and the country who continue to suffer. This is a valuable opportunity. We are in a strong position and have the upper hand,” Khoddami said.

WHO warns Middle East health facilities under enormous strain

The World Health Organization said it welcomed the two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, but warned an additional ceasefire is needed between Israel and Hezbollah as more than 1 in 5 Lebanese have been displaced.

“Further violence and displacement will continue to devastate the Lebanese health system and disproportionately impact the most vulnerable—including people with chronic conditions, the elderly and children,” said Dr. Hanan Balkhy, the WHO regional director.

Balkhy spoke at a news conference describing the organization’s emergency response across the Middle East.

He added that regional hospitals and health facilities are operating under intense strain, especially in Iran, where more than 33,000 are injured and more than 2,300 have been killed.

Oil prices drop sharply but energy costs still high

Financial markets see the two-week ceasefire reached between the U.S. and Iran as reducing the threats to global energy supplies, with the global benchmark for crude oil falling roughly 14% to $94 a barrel in Wednesday morning trading.

But oil prices are still higher than before the start of the Iran war, a sign that uncertainty persists about the conflict and the flow of tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, which now appears to be under Iran’s control.

Brent crude oil futures were trading at $72.29 a barrel before the war began.

Israel hits over 100 Hezbollah targets in 10 minutes

Israel’s military said it struck more than 100 Hezbollah targets within a space of 10 minutes in Beirut, southern Lebanon and the Beqaa region, calling it the largest coordinated strike in the current war.

The military noted the targets included missile launchers, command centers and intelligence infrastructure.

Many were located within civilian areas and Israel accused Hezbollah of using civilians as human shields.

“The State of Lebanon and its civilians must refuse Hezbollah’s entrenchment in civilian areas and its weapons build-up capabilities,” Israel’s military said.

Multiple airstrikes hit Beirut

A series of Israeli strikes hit several areas in central Beirut Wednesday without warning, the state-run National News Agency reported.

Loud booms could be heard throughout the city and smoke was rising from several points.

It was not immediately clear what was targeted, but several of the strikes were in busy commercial locations.

Since the outbreak of the latest Israel-Hezbollah war on March 2, Israel has regularly struck southern and eastern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs but rarely in the center of Beirut.

There was no immediate report on the number of casualties.

The strikes came hours after a ceasefire was announced in the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. Israel has said the agreement does not extend to Lebanon, although mediator Pakistan said it does.

Trump says US will work with Iran to ‘dig up’ enriched uranium, Iran does not confirm

U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday the U.S. will work with Iran to “dig up and remove” its enriched uranium that was buried under joint U.S-Israeli strikes last summer.

Trump said on social media, “There will be no enrichment of Uranium,” and that none of the material had been touched since the June attacks.

He previously said the U.S. would retrieve the deeply buried material, which is expected to be an intensive undertaking, if it struck an agreement with Iran.

“We are, and will be, talking Tariff and Sanctions relief with Iran,” Trump said.

Although Trump had said on Tuesday the U.S. found a 10-point ceasefire proposal from Iran “workable,” the president on Wednesday suggested many of the points in his 15-point plan, which Iran had rejected, had been agreed to.

Iran has neither said that nor confirmed it would work with the U.S. to retrieve the buried uranium.

German government dampens hopes of lower fuel prices

The government in Europe’s biggest economy is calling for “realistic expectations” after the ceasefire announcement.

German officials say their country doesn’t have a supply problem but point to the effect of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz on the global market.

Government spokesperson Sebastian Hille noted “significant setbacks” are possible at any time in the peace process, damaged production facilities need to be repaired, reopening the strait will take time, and ships will take weeks to make their journeys.

He said it will take time for significant price reductions to show up.

Turkey discusses ceasefire in call with Iran

During a call Wednesday with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan expressed Turkey’s satisfaction with the planned two-week pause in fighting.

He also stated Turkey, which has been involved in efforts to end the war, would keep working toward a permanent peace.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the ceasefire should be implemented fully and shielded from possible “provocations and sabotage.”

“It is our genuine wish that our geography, which has suffered greatly from war, conflict, tension, and oppression, will soon achieve peace, tranquility, and stability,” Erdogan said in a message posted on X.

Russia supports move away from escalation

Speaking about the ceasefire agreement between the U.S. and Iran, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia “from the very beginning spoke about the need for swiftly shifting this escalation onto a peaceful track, onto a track of political and diplomatic contacts, negotiations.”

Peskov said that “given yesterday’s rather harsh statements from different sides, which elicited a lot of emotions around the world,” Moscow welcomed the news.

“We welcome the decision not to follow the path of military escalation further, not to carry out strikes on civilian targets,” Peskov said. “We consider this to be very important.”

The Kremlin spokesman expressed hope that “each side will be able to defend its interests not through armed intervention, but at the negotiating table.”

Pope calls ceasefire a sign of hope

At the end of his weekly general audience Wednesday, Pope Leo XIV called the ceasefire a “sign of true hope” and repeated a call for the faithful to join him in a peace prayer vigil Saturday in St. Peter’s Basilica. The previous day, the pope condemned U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat to destroy Iranian civilization as “truly unacceptable” and said that any attacks on civilian infrastructure would violate international law. Meanwhile, Italy’s foreign minister welcomed the ceasefire as a positive sign for both peace in the Mideast and the Italian economy. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani wrote on social media: “Iran cannot be allowed to possess nuclear weapons, and it is right that the U.S. does not bomb the civilian population.”

Hezbollah giving mediators opportunity to secure ceasefire

A Hezbollah official says the militant group backed by Iran is giving a chance for mediators to secure a ceasefire in Lebanon.

In the meantime, the official said, “We have not announced our adherence to the ceasefire since the Israelis are not adhering to it.”

He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment publicly.

Israel has said the agreement reached to halt the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran does not extend to its war against Hezbollah in Lebanon, although Pakistan, which mediated the agreement, said the two-week cessation of hostilities included Lebanon.

The Hezbollah official said the group will not accept a return to the pre-March 2 status quo, when Israel carried out near-daily strikes in Lebanon despite a ceasefire being nominally in place since the last full-blown Israel-Hezbollah war ended in November 2024.

“We will not accept for the Israelis to continue behaving as they did before this war with regards to attacks,” he said. “We do not want this phase to continue.”

375 people detained in Abu Dhabi

Authorities in the United Arab Emirates said police have detained 375 people across the capital, Abu Dhabi, over the course of the war.

Abu Dhabi police said the people are from various countries and were detained for filming and “disseminating false information” on social media.

It said the cases have been referred to prosecutors for allegations of violating the UAE’s laws aimed at “protecting the society.”

Gulf countries have cracked down on people who have filmed impacted sites throughout the war, with hundreds detained, including migrant workers.

Lebanese president and Kuwait hope ceasefire leads to comprehensive settlement

Lebanon President Joseph Aoun said he hopes the two-week agreement is a “first step” toward final and comprehensive agreements for regional crises.

Israel and the Hezbollah militant group are at war in Lebanon and Israel denies they are part of the agreement, while mediators Pakistan and Egypt, as well as France, say Lebanon is included.

“The President affirmed the Lebanese state’s ongoing efforts to ensure regional peace encompasses Lebanon in a sustainable manner, based on the principles agreed upon by the Lebanese people,” Auon’s statement said.

He called on Israeli forces to withdraw from Lebanese territory and for Hezbollah and other non-state groups to disarm.

“The complete sovereignty of the state over all its territory, its liberation from any occupying presence, and the exclusive right to declare war and peace and to use legitimate force, solely in the hands of its constitutional institutions.”

Separately, Kuwait said it hopes the ceasefire will lead to a “comprehensive and permanent settlement.”

The foreign ministry in Kuwait, which is one of the nations that has been most impacted by Iranian attacks, called for adhering to the ceasefire to pave the way for dialogue between the warring parties, according to the state-run Kuwait News Agency.

Pakistan says Iran confirms attendance at talks with US

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Wednesday that Iran has confirmed it will attend talks with the United States on Friday in Islamabad.

It was not immediately clear who would represent Tehran at the negotiations.

Sharif’s office said he spoke for more than 45 minutes with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, thanking Iran’s leadership for agreeing to a ceasefire and accepting Pakistan’s offer to host the talks.

Pezeshkian thanked Pakistan for its efforts and conveyed his best wishes to the country’s people, the office said.

Saudi Arabia calls for unrestricted transit through Strait of Hormuz

Saudi Arabia welcomed the ceasefire deal between the U.S. and Iran and called for the unrestricted opening of the Strait of Hormuz.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Riyadh supports efforts to achieve a permanent deal that addresses “all issues that have resulted in instability and insecurity over the past decades.”

The statement called for keeping the Strait of Hormuz open according to U.N. agreements governing international waterways “without any restrictions.”

Iran says Lavan Island refinery came under attack after ceasefire announced

An oil refinery on Iran’s Lavan Island came under attack Wednesday, hours after a ceasefire in the war was announced, Iranian state television reported.

The report said the attack came at 10 a.m.

It added that firefighters were working to contain the blaze but no one had been hurt.

It did not say who launched the attack.

Vance calls agreement ‘a fragile truce’

U.S. Vice President JD Vance called the ceasefire agreement “a fragile truce” but offered no details

The vice president, who was speaking at an event in Hungary, said the deal that the U.S. struck with Iran was being misrepresented within Iran, though he didn’t offer details beyond saying the agreement included a ceasefire, plans to negotiate and the opening of the Strait of Hormuz.

“You have people who are lying about even the fragile truce that we’ve already struck,” Vance said.

Vance did not address speculation about whether he might travel to Pakistan to personally participate in talks with Iran. Vance’s office has not commented.

Vance said Trump told U.S. representatives who will be negotiating with Iran to do so in “good faith” but warned that Trump is “impatient to make progress.”

The U.S. is prepared to use “extraordinary economic leverage,” but Trump has instructed us “not to use those tools.”

“He’s told us to come to the negotiating table. But if the Iranians don’t do the exact same thing, they’re going to find out that the president of the United States is not one to mess around,” Vance said.

Vance said of Iran: “I think if they negotiate in good faith, we will be able to find a deal. That’s a big if. And ultimately, it’s up to the Iranians how they negotiate. I hope they make the right decision.”

Kuwait reports drone attacks targeting oil and power facilities

Kuwait’s military said it has responded to an “extensive wave” of drone attacks targeting oil and power facilities despite the ceasefire announcement.

The military said it engaged 31 drones that targeted the oil-rich country since 8 a.m. Wednesday.

The attacks caused significant damage to oil and power facilities and water desalination plants.

UAE says air defenses are firing at incoming Iranian missile barrage

The United Arab Emirates said Wednesday afternoon its air defenses were firing at an incoming Iranian missile barrage.

The UAE did not elaborate on where the attack was happening.

The announcement came hours after Iran, the U.S. and Israel reached a two-week ceasefire in the war.

Hezbollah legislator warns of response if Israel does not adhere to ceasefire

Hezbollah legislator Ibrahim Al-Moussawi has warned of a response from Iran and its allies if Israel “does not adhere to a ceasefire.”

His comment to local television channel Al-Jadeed is the first from the militant group in Lebanon after the U.S. and Iran reached a ceasefire agreement mediated by Pakistan.

Iran-backed Hezbollah joined the war after firing rockets toward Israel on March 2 in solidarity with Tehran. Hezbollah has not issued an official statement since the ceasefire, but also has not yet claimed any strikes on Israel.

Israel has denied Lebanon’s inclusion in the agreement and said it will continue strikes against the small country. Pakistan, France and Egypt, which helped mediate the deal, all have confirmed Lebanon’s inclusion.

“The agreement includes Lebanon, according to its terms, and Iran insisted on this inclusion,” Al-Moussawi said.

Iran’s allies elsewhere, notably the Iraqi umbrella group the Islamic Resistance, announced it would halt its attacks.

Macron says ceasefire ‘fully includes Lebanon’

French President Emmanuel Macron said the ceasefire agreement between the U.S., Israel and Iran “fully includes Lebanon,” which is in opposition to the stance taken by Israel as it continues an offensive there against the militant group Hezbollah.

Macron said the inclusion of Lebanon in the deal is “a good and even essential thing.”

“What we are witnessing today, both from what we have seen with the strikes and the occupation of southern Lebanon, cannot be a long-term solution, we know that,” Macron said.

Macron unsuccessfully backed Beirut’s earlier efforts to de-escalate and push back against an Israeli ground invasion that has displaced more than 1 million people.

Zelenskyy uses Middle East ceasefire to call for halt to Ukraine conflict

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy used the ceasefire in the Middle East to again call for a halt to fighting in Ukraine.

“A ceasefire is the right decision that leads to ending the war,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X, adding that an agreement which “paves the way for diplomatic efforts” would save lives and stop the destruction of cities.

“Security must be guaranteed, and the interests of every nation must be taken into account when defining post-war arrangements,” Zelenskyy said, calling for freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

Ukraine has “always called for a ceasefire” in the war with Russia and Kyiv would respond in kind if Moscow stops its strikes, he said.

Ceasefire efforts in Ukraine have yielded no results, with both sides continuing long-range strikes.

Two other assailants were wounded and captured during Tuesday’s shootout in the city's financial and business district, while two police officers sustained slight injuries, officials said.

Israel had withdrawn its diplomats from Turkey over security concerns and deteriorating relations with Ankara shortly after the start of the war in Gaza, and officials said the consulate was closed at the time of the attack.

Interior Minister Mustafa Ciftci said one of the assailants had links to a group that he said “exploits religion,” without naming the organization.

The Islamic State group has carried out deadly attacks in Turkey in the past.

Anadolu Agency reported that security forces detained nine suspects in operations conducted in Istanbul as well as in the provinces of Konya and Kocaeli. They were being questioned along with the two injured assailants, the agency reported, without providing further details.

Cifti said the attackers had traveled from the city of Izmit, in Kocaeli province, in a rented car. The two wounded assailants are brothers, identified as Onur C. and Enes C. The first has a criminal record related to drugs.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday condemned the attack and praised the Turkish authorities for preventing further violence.

It was not clear if the strikes would scuttle the deal, which U.S. Vice President JD Vance called “fragile.”

Even before the new attacks, much about the agreement was unclear as the sides presented vastly different visions of the terms.

— Iran said the deal would allow it to formalize its new practice of charging ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial transit lane for oil, but the terms were not clear, nor was whether ships would feel safe using it. It also was unclear whether any other country agreed to this condition.

— Pakistan, which helped to mediate the deal, and others said fighting would pause in Lebanon, where Israel has launched a ground invasion against the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group. Israel said it would not, and strikes hit Beirut on Wednesday.

— The fate of Iran's missile and nuclear programs — the elimination of which were major objectives for the U.S. and Israel in going to war — also remained unclear. Trump said the U.S. would work with Iran to remove buried enriched uranium, though Iran did not confirm that.

In the streets of Tehran, pro-government demonstrators screamed: “Death to America, death to Israel, death to compromisers!” after the ceasefire announcement and burned American and Israeli flags.

The chants underscored the anger animating hard-liners, who have been preparing for what many assumed would be an apocalyptic battle with the United States. Trump warned Tuesday that “a whole civilization will die tonight,” if a deal wasn’t reached.

Varying reports of ceasefire’s terms

Trump initially said Iran proposed a “workable” 10-point plan that could help end the war the U.S. launched with Israel on Feb. 28. But when a version in Farsi emerged that indicated Iran would be allowed to continue enriching uranium — which is key to building a nuclear weapon — Trump called it fraudulent without elaborating.

Vance later said the deal was being misrepresented within Iran, though he didn’t offer details.

Iran’s demands for ending the war, meanwhile, include a withdrawal of U.S. combat forces from the region, the lifting of sanctions, and the release of its frozen assets.

In his post Wednesday, Trump said: “We are, and will be, talking Tariff and Sanctions relief with Iran.”

It’s not clear if other Western nations would agree to that — and the other points are likely nonstarters.

Pakistan said that talks to hammer out a permanent end to the war could begin in Islamabad as soon as Friday.

Israel backed the U.S. ceasefire with Iran, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said early Wednesday that the deal doesn’t cover fighting against Hezbollah. Israel’s military said later that fighting and ground operations continue.

Loud booms could be heard throughout Beirut on Wednesday, and smoke rose from several points. It was not immediately clear what was targeted.

Hezbollah has not confirmed if it will abide by the ceasefire, though the group has said it was open to giving mediators a chance to secure an agreement. An official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment publicly, said the group would not stop firing at Israel unless Israel agreed to do the same.

Iran and Oman will collect shipping fees in Strait of Hormuz

While Iran could not match the sophistication of U.S. and Israeli weaponry or their dominance in the air, its ability to control the Strait of Hormuz since the war began proved a tremendous strategic advantage: Iranian attacks and threats deterred many commercial ships from passing through the waterway, through which 20% of all traded oil and natural gas passes in peacetime.

That has roiled the world economy and raised the pressure on Trump both at home and abroad to find a way out of the standoff.

The ceasefire may formalize a system of charging fees in the strait that Iran instituted — and give it a new source of revenue.

The plan allows for both Iran and Oman to charge ships, according to a regional official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss negotiations they were directly involved in. The official said Iran would use the money it raised for reconstruction.

That would upend decades of precedent treating the strait as an international waterway that was free to transit and will likely not be acceptable to the Gulf Arab states, which also need to rebuild after repeated Iranian attacks targeting their oil fields.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said passage through the strait would be allowed under Iranian military management — further clouding the picture of who would be allowed to transit the waterway.

Trump, meanwhile, suggested American warships would be “hangin’ around” the strait. That could be a potential flashpoint in days to come.

News of the ceasefire drove oil prices down Wednesday, but they were still higher than before the start of the Iran war, a sign that uncertainty still persists about the conflict.

Fate of Iran’s nuclear and missile programs remains unclear

U.S.-Israeli strikes have battered Iran and its leadership, but they have not entirely eliminated the threats posed by Tehran's nuclear program, its ballistic missiles or its support for regional proxies, like Hezbollah. The U.S. and Israel said addressing those threats was a key justification for going to war.

Trump said Wednesday that the U.S. would work with Iran to “dig up and remove” enriched uranium that was buried under joint U.S-Israeli strikes in June. He added that none of the material had been touched since. Any retrieval is expected to be an intensive undertaking.

There was no confirmation from Iran on that.

Tehran insisted for years that its nuclear program was peaceful, although it enriched uranium up to 60% purity, a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels.

Iran referred to its nuclear program differently in two versions of the ceasefire plan that it released. The version in Farsi included the phrase “acceptance of enrichment” for its nuclear program. That phrase was missing in English versions shared by Iranian diplomats with journalists.

A senior Israeli official said the United States had coordinated the ceasefire with Israel in advance and said Israel’s government credited “the massive crushing of the regime’s infrastructure” with securing the agreement.

Speaking on condition of anonymity because they were discussing private diplomatic conversations, the official said Washington had committed to pressing for the removal of nuclear material and dismantling of Iran’s ballistic missile program.

Airstrikes reported in the hours after the deal is announced

Shortly after the ceasefire announcement, Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates all issued warnings about incoming missiles from Iran. That fire stopped for a time, then hostilities appeared to restart.

An oil refinery on Iran’s Lavan Island came under attack, according to Iranian state television. Its report said that firefighters were working to contain the blaze but no one had been hurt. It did not say who launched the attack.

The island is home to one of the terminals that Iran uses to export oil and gas.

Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani says the army wasn’t involved in the Lavan attack. The U.S. military’s Central Command did not respond to questions about the strike.

A short time later, the United Arab Emirates’ air defenses fired at an incoming Iranian missile barrage. Kuwait’s military forces, meanwhile, responded to an “extensive wave” of drone attacks.

More than 1,900 people had been killed in Iran as of late March, but the government has not updated the war’s toll for days.

In Lebanon, where Israel is fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah militants, more than 1,500 people have been killed. and 1 million people have been displaced. Eleven Israeli soldiers have died.

In Gulf Arab states and the occupied West Bank, more than two dozen people have died, while 23 have been reported dead in Israel, and 13 U.S. service members have been killed.

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Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Magdy from Cairo and Metz from Ramallah, West Bank. Associated Press writers Edie Lederer at the United Nations, Natalie Melzer in Jerusalem, Abby Sewell in Beirut, and Michelle L. Price and Aamer Madhani in Washington contributed to this report.

The 19-year-old shortstop agreed to a nine-year, $140 million contract with the Pirates early Wednesday, less than a week after the former first-round pick made his major league debut.

The deal, the largest in club history, includes escalators that could raise the total value to $150 million.

“Signing Konnor is a meaningful commitment to this team, this city and our fans,” owner Bob Nutting said in a statement. “It reflects our belief in Konnor, in this season's club and in the future of the organization.”

The agreement comes less than 24 hours after general manager Ben Cherington said the “ingredients” were in place for a long-term pact.

The Pirates selected Griffin with the ninth overall pick in the 2024 amateur draft. He sprinted through the team's farm system, hitting .333 with 21 home runs, 94 RBIs and 65 stolen bases. He was one of the final cuts during spring training last month, and his stay at Triple-A Indianapolis was brief.

Pittsburgh called Griffin to the majors after just a week, and he has played well through his first handful of games. Griffin laced an RBI-double in his first big-league at bat against Baltimore last Friday, and added a pair of hits, including a two-run single, in a 7-1 win over San Diego on Tuesday night that helped the Pirates to their sixth win in seven games.

Griffin, who has said repeatedly he wants to stay in Pittsburgh for as long as possible, has impressed teammates with his maturity and his unique skillset.

Reigning NL Cy Young winner Paul Skenes called Griffin “a big leaguer through and through,” though Griffin is doing his best to ignore the attention that has surrounded his arrival for a team that is trying to return to relevance and end a playoff drought that's now over a decade old.

“Just sticking to being myself, not trying to do too much,” Griffin said Tuesday night. "Just let the game tell me the situation. Compete one pitch at a time and let it all happen.”

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

The Panama Ports Company, a unit of Hong Kong’s CK Hutchison Holdings, said in a statement dated Tuesday that Maersk A/S had undermined a contract over the Hong Kong company's operations of ports at either end of the Panama Canal in order to pave the way for a new operator affiliated with Maersk to take over the Balboa terminal.

The company said the arbitration will be held in London, but didn't explain what remedy it was seeking. Company arbitration is a dispute resolution process in which a neutral third party decides corporate conflicts.

In February, Panama’s government seized control of the Balboa and Cristobal ports after the country’s Supreme Court declared earlier that a concession allowing the Panama Ports Company to run the ports was unconstitutional. The ruling drew backlash from China.

The Panamanian government later allowed subsidiaries of Maersk and the Mediterranean Shipping Company to take over operations at the two ports.

Panama Ports Company started arbitration proceedings against Panama in February. In late March, it expanded its claims, saying damages have escalated beyond $2 billion.

It said on Tuesday that its claim against Maersk is separate from its ongoing steps to hold Panama accountable for what it called “anti-contract and anti-investor conduct.”

Maersk said it does not believe it is liable for the claims and will address them “in the appropriate forum," without elaborating.

There was no immediate comment from Panama's government.

The legal actions could further complicate CK Hutchison's initial plan to sell the bulk of its dozens of global ports, including the two Panama ports, to a consortium that involved U.S. investment firm BlackRock in a $23 billion deal.

The sale plan, first announced in March 2025, pleased U.S. President Donald Trump, who has alleged Chinese interference with the critical shipping lane’s operations. But the planned sale apparently angered Beijing, and China's antitrust regulator last year said it would initiate a review of the deal.

The parties involved in the deal have since been looking for ways to move forward with the sale, including considering plans to add a Chinese investor to the consortium.

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Associated Press writer Alma Solís in Panama City contributed to this report.

Israel has said the agreement does not extend to its war with the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon, although mediator Pakistan said it does.

Israel’s military called it the largest coordinated strike in the current war, striking more than 100 Hezbollah targets within 10 minutes in Beirut, southern Lebanon and the eastern Bekaa valley.

Black smoke towered over several parts of the seaside capital. Booms interrupted the honking of traffic on what had been a blue-sky afternoon. Ambulances raced toward open flames. At least one apartment building was struck. Emergency responders searched charred vehicles.

It was not immediately clear how many people were killed or wounded, but several strikes were in busy commercial locations, causing panic in the streets.

Israel's military said it had targeted missile launchers, command centers and intelligence infrastructure and accused Hezbollah of using civilians as human shields.

“The State of Lebanon and its civilians must refuse Hezbollah’s entrenchment in civilian areas and its weapons build-up capabilities,” the military said in a statement.

Israel has rarely struck central Beirut since the outbreak of the latest Israel-Hezbollah war on March 2 but has regularly struck southern and eastern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs.

Before the wave of new strikes, a Hezbollah official told The Associated Press that the group was giving a chance for mediators to secure a ceasefire in Lebanon, but “we have not announced our adherence to the ceasefire since the Israelis are not adhering to it.” He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment publicly.

The Hezbollah official said the group will not accept a return to the pre-March 2 status quo, when Israel carried out near-daily strikes in Lebanon despite a ceasefire being nominally in place since the last full-blown Israel-Hezbollah war ended in November 2024.

“We will not accept for the Israelis to continue behaving as they did before this war with regards to attacks,” he said. “We do not want this phase to continue.”

Hezbollah had fired missiles across the border days after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran, sparking a regional war. Israel responded with widespread bombardment of Lebanon and a ground invasion.

Israeli airstrikes have killed more than 1,530 people in Lebanon, including more than 100 women and 130 children. The Israeli military has said it has killed hundreds of Hezbollah fighters. More than one million people have been displaced in Lebanon.

Early Wednesday, after the ceasefire in Iran was announced, many displaced people sleeping in tents on the streets of Beirut and the coastal city of Sidon began packing their belongings in preparation to return to their homes.

That was before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed the military would press on in Lebanon.

At a sprawling displacement camp on Beirut’s waterfront, families whiplashed by the conflicting statements expressed confusion and despair.

“We can’t take this anymore, sleeping in a tent, not showering, the uncertainty,” said Fadi Zaydan, 35. He and his parents had prepared to head back to the southern city of Nabatieh before Netanyahu's comments stopped them in their tracks.

“But we’ll be targeted if we go home," Zaydan said. His family decided to wait things out for now in Sidon, a bit closer to home.

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Associated Press writer Isabel DeBre contributed.

Futures for the S&P 500 jumped 2.7% before the opening bell and futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 2.6%. Nasdaq futures soared 3.4%.

Benchmark U.S. crude sank $18.43 to $94.52 a barrel, a nearly 16% decline. Brent crude, the international standard dropped $15.54 to $93.73 a barrel. Natural gas futures declined close to 5%.

The drops reversed some of the rise in oil prices since the start of the war more than five weeks ago that had effectively blocked passage through the strait that’s a crucial route for global supplies.

For now, market analysts see the ceasefire as more of a reprieve than a resolution.

“Yet the mood remains one of cautious optimism rather than outright celebration," said Tim Waterer, chief market analyst at KCM Trade. "The ceasefire is only two weeks long, and markets will be watching closely to see whether shipping through the Strait of Hormuz normalizes as promised and whether the fragile truce can pave the way for a more durable peace agreement."

Late Tuesday, Trump said he was holding off on his threatened attacks on Iranian bridges, power plants and other civilian targets. Iran’s foreign minister said passage through the strait would be allowed for the next two weeks under Iranian military management.

But analysts warned against too much optimism.

“There is a reason to be optimistic, but it is still too early to tell, because, as you know, after all, it is Trump,” said Takashi Hiroki, chief strategist at MONEX.

U.S. Treasury yields fell as the drop in oil prices could alleviate some of the concerns in the bond market about a hefty spike in inflation. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.24% from 4.30% on Tuesday.

In equities trading, major U.S. airline stocks soared on the steep drop in oil prices. Delta and United jumped more than 12% in premarket while American rose 10%. Delta on Wednesday also reported first-quarter sales and profit that came in ahead of Wall Street forecasts and said that demand remained strong with the summer travel season just a few months away.

Companies in the energy sector fell along with the drop in oil prices. Exxon Mobil and ConocoPhillips each lost close to 6% while Chevron tumbled 4.6%.

Elsewhere, in Europe France's CAC 40 added 4.5% by midday, while the German DAX soared nearly 5%. Britain's FTSE 100 gained 2.9%.

In Asia, Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 gained 5.4% to finish at 56,308.42. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 jumped 2.6% to 8,951.80. South Korea’s Kospi soared 6.9% to 5,872.34. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng surged 3.1% to 25,893.02, while the Shanghai Composite added 2.7% to 3,995.00.

In currency trading, the U.S. dollar fell to 158.39 Japanese yen from 159.52 yen Wednesday. The euro cost $1.1701, up from $1.1597. The dollar usually becomes a safe haven during geopolitical uncertainty, so the ceasefire deal worked to lessen that appeal.

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Associated Press videographer Mayuko Ono in Tokyo and Writer Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.

Yuri Kageyama is on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@yurikageyama

Jasveen Sangha will be the third defendant sentenced of the five people who have pleaded guilty in connection with the 2023 overdose of the 54-year-old actor. His role as Chandler Bing on NBC's “Friends” in the 1990s and 2000s made him one of the biggest television stars of his era.

Sangha is the only one whose plea deal included an acknowledgment of causing Perry’s death, and is likely to get the stiffest sentence of the group by far.

Prosecutors are asking a federal judge in Los Angeles to sentence the 42-year-old Sangha to 15 years in prison. They cast her in court filings as a “Ketamine Queen” who had an elaborate drug operation catering to high-end clients to give herself a jet-setting lifestyle.

Sangha's attorneys said in their sentencing filing that the time she has spent in jail since her August 2024 indictment should be sufficient, and prosecutors' math on federal sentencing guidelines is “factually wrong.” They point to her lack of a previous criminal record and exemplary behavior as an inmate, as well as the unlikelihood she would return to a life of drug dealing.

Members of Perry’s family are expected to speak in court before the sentencing.

He was found dead in the hot tub at his Los Angeles home. The medical examiner ruled that ketamine, typically used as a surgical anesthetic, was the primary cause of death.

Perry, who had lifelong struggles with addiction, had been using the drug through his regular doctor as a legal off-label treatment for depression. But he wanted more than the doctor would give him. That at first led him to Dr. Salvador Plasencia, who admitted to illegally selling Perry ketamine and was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison after prosecutors asked for three years. And it later led Perry to Sangha, who sold him 25 vials of ketamine, including the fatal dose, for $6,000 in cash four days before his death, prosecutors said.

Another doctor, who admitted to providing Plasencia the ketamine he sold to Perry, was sentenced to eight months of home detention. Perry's assistant and his friend, who admitted acting as the actor's middlemen, are awaiting sentencing.

U.S. District Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett has said she is seeking to calibrate how she sentences each of the five defendants to make sense as a whole.

In September, shortly before a scheduled trial, Sangha pleaded guilty to one count of using her home for drug distribution, three counts of distribution of ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death. She also admitted to selling drugs to another man, 33-year-old Cody McLaury, who had no connection to Perry, before his overdose death in 2019.

The prosecution said that despite Sangha's plea, she continued drug dealing, showing her lack of remorse.

A dual U.S.-U.K. citizen, Sangha moved from England to the U.S. at age 3, and when she was around age 10, her family settled in Southern California.

She didn't know her father but has said her grandfather and stepfather were essential male influences in her life. Both recently died and it has had a “profound effect” on her, the defense said.

She is very close to her mother and grandmother, who would provide her with stability if she were released, her lawyers said.

Sangha has a bachelor's degree from the University of California, Irvine, and a master's degree from Hult International Business School in England.

The defense used her biography to show she's an educated and otherwise upstanding citizen who made an aberrant mistake when she fell into selling drugs.

The prosecution said her life circumstances show she didn't act out of desperation, and that she freely chose to deal drugs to finance the posh lifestyle she wanted.

Sangha's lawyers said she has been a model inmate in jail, maintaining sobriety and organizing and leading Narcotics Anonymous meetings.

Information on which vehicles hold their value best isn’t readily accessible, but savvy shoppers can use it to pick a vehicle that depreciates less than average over the long haul. The car experts at Edmunds analyzed sales transaction data and compared the average transaction price of used 2023 model-year SUVs with their original manufacturer’s suggested retail price. From there, they identified the top two SUVs in five size categories that hold their value best. These rankings are specific to the 2023 model year but could also be seen as solid bets if you buy a new 2026 model.

Extra-small SUVs: Toyota Corolla Cross and Honda HR-V

The Toyota Corolla Cross is a subcompact SUV that excels as a practical and budget-friendly vehicle. It comes with many standard driver assist features and offers ample cargo space for its size. The Corolla Cross isn’t flashy, but it can’t be beat for value considering it’s worth 81.7% of its original value after three years of ownership.

Nipping at the heels of the Corolla Cross, the HR-V will also appeal to SUV shoppers who want a practical means of transportation. Edmunds praised the HR-V’s amount of passenger space and cargo volume but was underwhelmed by its slow acceleration.

Small SUVs: Toyota RAV4 Hybrid and Honda CR-V

Among small SUVs, the Toyota RAV4 aces the fundamentals. It’s comfortable and roomy, and it’s available in a wide range of trim levels to suit varied budgets. Excellent performance in crash tests is another draw, as is great fuel economy. It all leads to the RAV4 Hybrid having a strong 81.4% residual value in our analysis.

Close behind is another very popular small SUV, the Honda CR-V. A smooth ride and easy-to-use tech features are just some of the CR-V’s positive attributes. Edmunds also singled out its easygoing driving nature, roomy cargo hold, and impressive fuel economy from its available hybrid powertrain.

Midsize SUVs: Toyota 4Runner and Ford Bronco

The Toyota 4Runner has a loyal following among those seeking an SUV with a rugged design and genuine off-road capability. Based on the Tacoma pickup, the midsize 4Runner still waves the flag for the traditional SUV fans who want real off-road performance. After three years, the 4Runner retains 83% of its value on average, the best of all SUVs mentioned in our article.

If you want a vehicle with an even more adventurous spirit but still maintains its value, check out the Ford Bronco. It has a retro-fueled design, incredible go-anywhere capability, and a seemingly endless options sheet.

Midsize three-row SUVs: Toyota Highlander Hybrid and Honda Pilot

The Toyota Highlander has been a popular three-row SUV for more than two decades. The current version continues to provide a comfortable driving experience and excellent fuel economy from the Highlander Hybrid version. The Highlander’s third-row seat is pretty small, but you’re not going to complain about the Highlander Hybrid’s residual value of 77% after three years.

Coming in second is the Honda Pilot. It also has an enviable reputation for providing ample space and cargo room for growing families. Its third-row seat is bigger than the Highlander’s, but Honda doesn’t currently offer a hybrid version of the Pilot.

Large three-row SUVs: Toyota Sequoia and Chevrolet Tahoe

The Toyota Sequoia is bound to appeal to SUV shoppers who need maximum room and crave strong performance. Its hybrid engine packs a punch and delivers plenty of passing power — even if fuel economy is about on par with most other large non-hybrid rivals. A residual value of 80% after three years adds reassurance that this large SUV won’t burn a giant hole in your wallet when you drive off the dealer lot.

Chevrolet’s Tahoe comes in second for large three-row SUVs that best maintain their value after three years. Thanks to its lineup of two stout V8 engines and a turbocharged diesel-powered six-cylinder, the Tahoe is ideal if you’re planning on towing a heavy trailer. The Tahoe also comes with Chevy’s latest technology features.

Edmunds says

An SUV of any shape or size is a major investment. Knowing the vehicle that’s caught your eye won’t plummet in value provides added peace of mind.

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This story was provided to The Associated Press by the automotive website Edmunds.

Nick Kurczewski is a contributor at Edmunds.

Trump had suggested the U.S. may consider leaving the trans-Atlantic alliance after NATO member countries ignored his call to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping waterway, as Iran effectively shut it and sent gas prices soaring.

The Republican president's meeting with Rutte, with whom he had a warm relationship, comes as the U.S. and Iran late Tuesday agreed to a two-week ceasefire that includes the reopening of the strait. The nascent ceasefire was struck after Trump said he would strike Iran's power plants and bridges, threatening that “a whole civilization will die tonight."

The plan to reopen the strait is still cloudy and is expected to be a central focus of the Wednesday afternoon meeting with Rutte. The White House said the meeting was expected to be behind closed doors. In the Trump administration, though, that can change at the last minute, and meetings can be opened to the press.

Congress in 2023 passed a law that prevents any U.S. president from pulling out of NATO without its approval. Trump has been a longtime critic of NATO and in his first term had suggested he had the authority on his own to leave the alliance, which was founded in 1949 to counter the Cold War threat posed to European security by the Soviet Union.

The crux of the commitment its 32 member countries make is a mutual defense agreement in which an attack on one is considered an attack on them all. The only time it has been activated was in 2001, to support the United States in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks on New York and Washington.

Despite that, Trump has complained during his war of choice with Iran that NATO has shown it will not be there for the U.S.

Ahead of the meeting, Sen. Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, issued a statement Tuesday night in support of the alliance, noting that, “Following the September 11th attacks, NATO allies sent their young servicemembers to fight and die alongside America’s own in Afghanistan and Iraq.” McConnell, who sits on a committee overseeing defense spending, urged Trump to be “clear and consistent” and said it's not in America's interest to “spend more time nursing grudges with allies who share our interests than deterring adversaries who threaten us.”

If Rutte's meeting does not alleviate Trump's frustrations, it's unclear if the Trump administration would challenge the law barring a president from pulling out of NATO. When the law passed, it was championed by Trump's current secretary of state, Marco Rubio, who at the time was a senator from Florida.

The alliance was already rattled over the past year as Trump returned to power and reduced U.S. military support for Ukraine in the war against Russia and threatened to seize Greenland from ally Denmark.

But Trump's badgering of NATO intensified after the Iran war began at the end of February, with the president insisting that securing the Strait of Hormuz was not America's job but the responsibility of countries that depend on the flow of oil through it.

“Go to the strait and just take it,” Trump said last week.

Trump was also angered as NATO allies Spain and France forbade or restricted use of their airspace or joint military facilities for the U.S. in the Iran war. They and other nations, however, agreed to help with an international coalition to open the Strait of Hormuz when the conflict ends.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has been a particular source of Trump's frustration, was set to travel on Wednesday to the Gulf to support the ceasefire. The U.K. has been working on developing a post-conflict security plan for the strait, a narrow waterway between Iran and Oman through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil passes.

Trump has previously threatened to leave NATO and often said that he would abandon allies who don’t spend enough on their military budgets. Former NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, in his recent memoir, said he feared that Trump might walk away from the alliance in 2018, during his first term as president.

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Associated Press writer Lorne Cook in Brussels contributed to this report.

Several Orange County Deputy vehicles can be seen near the campus, after responding to gunshots early this morning.

It’s all happening near Aristotle Avenue an area with several apartment buildings as well as some of the off-campus fraternity housing.

Deputies say the call came in around 12:30 Wednesday morning.

Right now, investigators say one victim in his 30’s had non life - threatening injuries.

Deputies say another victim in his 40’s had critical injuries.

Both are currently in the hospital.

We’re pressing the Orange County Sheriff’s Office for more information.

Check back with us for updates.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said several missiles lifted off from North Korea’s eastern coastal Wonsan area on Wednesday morning and flew about 240 kilometers (150 miles) each in a direction toward the North’s eastern waters.

It said an additional North Korean ballistic missile fired later Wednesday traveled more than 700 kilometers off the North’s east coast. Japan’s Defense Ministry said it assesses that the missile fell in waters outside the country’s exclusive economic zone.

South Korea’s military said it maintains a readiness to repel any provocations by North Korea under a solid military alliance with the United States. It earlier said it detected the launch of an unidentified projectile from North Korea’s capital region on Tuesday.

South Korean media reported the projectile, also likely a ballistic missile, disappeared from South Korean military radars after displaying an abnormal development in the initial launch stage. This indicated the launch ended in failure, according to the reports.

The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement that the North Korean launches had not posed any immediate threat to U.S. personnel or territory, or to allies.

The back-to-back launches came after North Korea made it clear that it has no intentions of improving ties with South Korea, whose liberal government has steadfastly expressed its hopes to restore long-dormant dialogue.

South Korea would always remain North Korea's “most hostile enemy state,” Jang Kum Chol, first vice minister at Pyongyang’s Foreign Ministry, said on Tuesday. He derided South Korea as “world-startling fools” engaged in wishful thinking over a recent statement by Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

After South Korean President Lee Jae Myung expressed regret over alleged civilian drone flights into North Korea, Kim Yo Jong on Monday praised him for what she called honesty and courage, but reiterated a threat to retaliate if such flights recur. South Korean officials responded by describing Kim’s statement as meaningful progress in relations.

Jang said her statement was intended as a warning. He cited Kim Yo Jong as calling South Korea “the dogs affected by mange that blindly bark to the tune of neighboring dogs” as she criticized it for recently co-sponsoring of a U.N. resolution on the North’s purported human rights violations.

North Korea has refused to return to talks with South Korea and the U.S. and pushed to expand its nuclear arsenal since Kim Jong Un’s diplomacy with U.S. President Donald Trump collapsed in 2019. North Korea has instead sought to strengthen ties with Russia, China and other countries embroiled in confrontations with the U.S. Last September, Kim Jong Un traveled to Beijing to attend a military parade alongside other foreign leaders and held his first summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in six years.

North Korean media reported on Wednesday that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit North Korea on Thursday for a two-day trip.

Earlier this week, North Korea said Kim Jong Un had observed a test of an upgraded solid-fuel engine for weapons and called it a significant development boosting his country’s strategic military arsenal.

Missiles with built-in solid propellants are easier to move and conceal their launches than liquid-fuel weapons, which in general must be fueled before liftoffs and cannot last long.

South Korea’s spy agency told lawmakers Monday the engine test was likely related to an effort to build a more powerful solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile that can carry multiple nuclear warheads, according to lawmakers who attended the meeting.

Experts say North Korea wants multi-warhead missiles to penetrate U.S. missile defenses, but they doubt Pyongyang has mastered the technology needed to acquire such a weapon.

— AP journalists Mari Yamaguchi and Mayuko Ono contributed from Tokyo.

Resisting an early onslaught from PSG is key to Liverpool's chances of keeping the tie alive heading into the return leg at Anfield next week.

“PSG under (coach) Luis Enrique do not give you a second to have the ball comfortable on your feet,” Liverpool manager Arne Slot said. “It’s press, press, press every second of the game.”

When the two sides met last season in the round of 16, PSG advanced on penalties against six-time champion Liverpool following an intense battle. PSG carried the momentum from that victory all the way to a first Champions League title.

While Liverpool was arguably the pre-match favorite last year, it's a different story now. Slot's team is reeling from a crushing FA Cup loss and will be trophyless unless it wins the Champions League.

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has yet to find his best form in his last season at the club, with only 10 goals in 35 games so far.

PSG has Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembélé, midfielder Vitinha and flying winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in top form. Dembélé scored a scintillating volley against Toulouse in the French league on Friday and seems to be peaking at the right time.

However, PSG is still missing midfielder Fabián Ruiz with a knee injury and is without winger Bradley Barcola, who injured his ankle in the last-16 rout of Chelsea.

Liverpool striker Alexander Isak — the British-record signing for 125 million pounds ($170 million) — has recovered from injury and Slot said he will be on the bench at Parc des Princes.

Isak had surgery in December on a broken ankle and fibula.

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

Rain Threat

Rain chances stay elevated through Thursday, with scattered showers and a few storms redeveloping as the atmosphere remains very moist.

A stalled front with a low off the Florida east coast, will favors the heaviest rain near the coast.

Most areas will see manageable totals (1-3″), but higher amounts are possible for the east coast.

Latest forecast models are hinting at heavier bands of rain repeatedly move onshore, accumulating an additional 4-5″ of rainfall. This is why a Flood Watch remains in effect for coastal communities in Volusia and Brevard county until 10pm.

If flooding is a concern where you live, it’s a good idea to check nearby storm drains and clear out any debris. That simple step can help prevent water from backing up as heavier rain moves through.

Windy Weather

It’s not just the rain we will have to deal with, as strong northeast winds are expected to continue to ramp up through the afternoon.

Gusts are forecast to reach 30 to 40 mph inland and up to 45 mph along the coast. That’s strong enough to blow around loose items and could lead to a few isolated power outages.

A Wind Advisory is in effect for the majority of east Central Florida through midnight.

Winds won’t be quite as intense on Thursday, but it will stay breezy for several more days.

Dangerous Marine Conditions

All beach and boating activities will be dangerous through Thursday with large swells causing rough seas.

Along the beaches, breaking waves of 8 to 12 feet will continue to pound the shoreline, causing rip currents and minor beach erosion.

Boating conditions are just as rough, with strong northeast winds. Small craft advisory and gale warnings are in effect through Thursday.

For farmers like Bruce Waters in Groveland, the consequences are becoming life-or-death for their animals. Waters has lived on his property since 2016. He says his pond, which is normally nine feet deep, has been reduced to a shallow puddle ringed by thick, unstable muck that acts like quicksand. Asked if he’d ever seen the water this low, he didn’t hesitate: “Never, never.”

[WATCH: the latest drought monitor shows things continuing to worsen]

The danger became clear when one of his goats ventured toward the water’s edge for a drink and ended up neck-deep in the mud. Waters’ daughter, who rushed to free it, became stuck herself. Three hours later, a sheep wandered too close and was quickly trapped, requiring Waters’ daughter, Penny, to use a lasso to get it out. As Waters described it, one minute an animal seems fine on the dried crust — the next, it crashes through and can’t turn back toward dry land.

Waters, whose last name carries particular irony given the current crisis, insisted News 6 anchor Matt Austin feel the muck for himself. A few steps in, with the ground giving way underfoot, it was easy to understand the danger. The goat, named Chance, survived the ordeal with a mud-caked beard to show for it.

Waters’ farm got lucky — every animal was rescued. But he worries about livestock and wildlife across Florida facing the same invisible hazard with no one around to help. As ponds and lakes recede to record lows, the drying mud at their edges hardens on top while staying dangerously soft below, a trap that gives no warning.

Asked how many animals across the state he thinks are ending up in situations like his goat’s, Waters shook his head: “Who knows? Too many.”

Florida’s drought shows no immediate signs of easing, according to News 6 Chief Meteorologist Candace Campos. Central Florida needs more than 13 inches of rain within one month to officially end the drought.

To John Steinbeck, it was the Mother Road that led poor farmers from Dust Bowl desperation to sunny California. To Native Americans along the route, it was an economic boon that also left scars. To Black travelers, it offered sanctuary during segregation. And to music fans, it was the place to get their kicks.

Route 66 marks its 100th anniversary this year. Despite losing its status decades ago as one of the nation’s main arteries, people from around the world still flock to it to take perhaps the quintessential American road trip and soak in its neon lights, kitschy motels and attractions, and culinary offerings.

Each town has its own history and magic, said Sebastiaan de Boorder, a Dutch entrepreneur who, with his wife, breathed new life into The Aztec Motel in Seligman, Arizona.

“It's an essential part of American culture and history,” he said of the highway. “The historical aspect is just a very big important part of American culture, with its influence and its character.”

The dream

Route 66, which runs for roughly 2,400 miles (3,860 kilometers) from Chicago through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona before ending in Santa Monica, California, was stitched together a century ago from a collection of Native American trading routes and old dirt roads with the goal of linking the industrial Midwest to the Pacific coast.

Oklahoma businessman Cyrus Avery, known as the Father of Route 66, saw it as more than just a way to cross the country efficiently. It was a chance to connect rural America and create new pockets of commerce.

Avery knew the number 66 would be ripe for marketing and could be seared into drivers' minds, and he was right: Route 66 has been immortalized in movies, books, including Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath” and Jack Kerouac’s “On the Road,” and songs such as Bobby Troup's “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66,” which served as an anthem for post-World War II optimism and mobility.

Waves of migration

Since its November 1926 designation as one of the nation's original numbered highways, the onetime Main Street of America has embodied the promise of prosperity.

It became a literal path of hope for migrants escaping drought-ravaged farms and poverty during the 1930s Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. And during World War II, it was used to move troops, equipment and workers out West.

The postwar boom of the 1940s and 1950s were Route 66's heyday, as it became a popular vacation route. Cars became more affordable, disposable income increased, and people began chasing freedom on the open road.

“People generally have a sense of adventure, a sense curiosity. And you can find that on Route 66. This is the road of dreams,” author and historian Jim Hinckley said.

Going mainstream

Roadside diners and motels thrived, as crafty entrepreneurs dreamed up ways to part motorists from their money. There were rattlesnake pits, totem poles, trading posts, caverns where Old West outlaws purportedly hung out, and modern engineering marvels like St. Louis' gleaming steel arch.

Barns were painted with larger-than-life ads, billboards teased local attractions, and neon was everywhere.

The cherry on top? The food.

There were places to grab and go, but also to sit down and relish a slice of home. The Cozy Dog Drive In — famous for its breaded hot dogs on a stick — has fit both bills since 1949. Inside the dining room in Springfield, Illinois, travelers tell tales of life on the highway.

“The road wouldn’t be alive without the stories of all the places along it that kept it going from town to town,” third-generation owner Josh Waldmire said. “We just survive off each other. The road feeds us, and as long as we put our feelings and love back into the road, it will reverberate with the travelers and the stories of the people.”

A divided highway

Route 66 was an economic boon to the Native American tribes along the way. But although it brought tourists, it also left scars of eminent domain across tribal land and perpetuated stereotypes.

More than half of the highway crossed through Indian Country, and vendor signs often made casual references to tipis and feathered headdresses — symbols easily appropriated for marketing but not always representative of the distinct cultures found along the route.

At Laguna Pueblo west of Albuquerque, restaurants and service stations sprang up, some operated by military veterans from the pueblo who were masters at fixing everything from flat tires to busted radiators.

Pueblo women adapted too, turning utilitarian pottery vessels into works of art coveted by tourists. Homemade bread and pies sealed the deal.

Laguna leaders have long considered the road — or he-ya-nhee' in the tribe's language of Keres — as “the corridor of commerce,” said businessman and tribal member Ron Solimon. Capitalizing on that potential, the tribe has built a multimillion-dollar empire of casinos, burger stands and other businesses.

There were also dangers along the route, particularly during the Jim Crow era, when Black travelers had to rely on guides like the Green Book to find safe lodging and services.

“Especially for long-distance travel, segregation was a fact of life,” said Matthew Pearce, state historian for the Oklahoma Historical Society. “And so Black motorists needed to know a safe place to go.”

The Threatt Filling Station near the central Oklahoma community of Luther wasn't listed in the Green Book, but it did serve as a safe haven between two sundown towns, where people who weren't white needed to leave by sunset. The station offered barbecue and even baseball.

Edward Threatt, whose grandparents opened the station around 1933, recalled a TV program about travelers getting their kicks on 66. “By and large, the Black traveler didn’t get a lot of kicks on Route 66,” he said. “And if they got some kicks, it wasn’t the kind you would think of.”

A new direction

President Dwight Eisenhower’s vision for a modern interstate highway system eventually led to Route 66 being decommissioned as a federal highway in 1985. Some towns along the route died, and it fell to local governments, state historical societies, and private businesses to preserve their sections of the famed road.

A driving force was Angel Delgadillo, a barber who lobbied the Arizona Legislature to designate the road as a historic highway. He saved Seligman from turning into a ghost town and set the bar for preservation elsewhere.

In New Mexico, original sketches for neon signs have been preserved, Route 66-themed murals abound and developers in Albuquerque have restored motor lodges along the longest urban stretch of the road still intact.

More than 90% of the road is still drivable in California. Cadillac Ranch in the Texas Panhandle offers the chance to spray-paint half-buried cars. And at the Mississippi River, travelers can walk or bike across the old Chain of Rocks Bridge.

More than 250 of the route's buildings, districts and road segments are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. But it's more than bricks and asphalt that fuel the fascination.

“Some of the most interesting and fun things that happen to people when they travel the route is running into somebody they know or some happenstance thing that comes totally unexpected,” said author and historian Jim Ross. “And that's a great part of the Route 66 experience.”

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Associated Press writers John O'Connor in Springfield, Illinois, and Sean Murphy in Oklahoma City contributed to this report.

Barcelona's hopes of ending an 11-year wait for another European Cup will largely rest on the performances of 18-year-old Lamine Yamal. The Spain playmaker has scored in three consecutive Champions League games and his 21 goals overall in all competitions this campaign leads his team.

Atletico for its part will look for inspiration from forward Antoine Griezmann. Atletico's all-time top scorer wants to end his stellar run with the club on a high note before the 35-year-old leaves for the MLS.

The Spanish rivals will have played five times in two months after next week’s second leg in Madrid.

Atletico edged Barcelona in the Copa del Rey semifinals in February before Hansi Flick's side got some revenge on Saturday when it won 2-1 away in the Spanish league to strengthen its league lead.

Barcelona is a five-time European champion, but Diego Simeone’s Atletico eliminated the Catalan club at the same stage both in 2014 and 2016 on the way to reaching the Champions League final.

Barcelona is aiming to reach the semifinals for a second straight year.

Atletico's bid to make its first semifinal appearance since 2017 will depend on its defense and a mix of attacking options which include Julián Álvarez, Ademola Lookman and Alexander Sorloth.

Marcus Rashford will likely start for Barcelona in place of the injured Raphinha.

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

Delaney announced Wednesday night at the county commission meeting that her family had decided to accept a “life-changing” opportunity that would take them out of state.

The Republican ran in 2024 as an outsider against more established candidates, promising to make changes to how county government was run. That’s a goal she told the commission would continue with her staff and supporters.

“We didn’t just show up. We shifted the culture. We proved that bold, servant leadership still has a place here in Brevard County,” she said.

Delaney also posted a video to her Facebook page, saying that sometimes life throws you a curveball, but acknowledging that some would be disappointed by the decision.

Delaney came to prominence as an early member of Moms for Liberty, campaigning to end the school quarantines for COVID-19 in 2021, and also spoke out against educational tools used in the district that the group claimed promoted far-left ideology, like critical race theory and social-emotional learning.

But she also became a champion in pushing direct community engagement with government, something she took with her when she became a county commissioner for District 1, which included the northern part of the county.

[WATCH: New Brevard water plants will remove cancer-causing forever chemicals, county says]

Delaney urged the community to continue to demand that same level of engagement on Tuesday night.

“Thank you for standing beside me through it all, I will carry that with me long after this chapter closes,” Delaney said.

Delaney’s resignation will be effective May 2. Gov. DeSantis will be the one to appoint someone to serve as commissioner through the end of Delaney’s term, which ends in 2028.

The visit is the first by a Taiwanese opposition leader in a decade and comes ahead of a meeting in Beijing between Xi and U.S. President Donald Trump scheduled to take place in May.

Meanwhile, Taiwan's opposition-controlled parliament has stalled attempts by its government to pass a $40 billion special defense budget, expected to fund arms deals with the United States and the development of Taiwan's indigenous defense industry.

China claims the self-ruled island as its own territory and has not excluded the use of force to take it. Beijing has been ramping up its military pressure by sending warplanes and naval vessels around the island almost daily, while its military occasionally stages live-fire drills nearby, the latest in December.

The U.S. State Department said such activities “increase tensions unnecessarily” and called on Beijing to cease military pressure against Taiwan.

Before leaving the capital, Taipei, the chairwoman of the Kuomintang party told reporters that Taiwan must spare no effort to prevent war and seize any opportunity to promote peace.

A few dozen supporters and detractors of Cheng showed up at Taipei’s airport, chanting and holding signs.

“The purpose of this visit to mainland China is precisely to show the world that it is not just Taiwan that unilaterally hopes for peace,” Cheng said.

“I believe that through this journey for peace, everyone is even more eager to see the sincerity and determination of the CPC Central Committee to use peaceful dialogue and exchange to resolve all possible differences between the two sides,” she added, referring to the initials of the Communist Party of China.

China takes issue with US arms sales to Taiwan

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said Tuesday relations with Taiwan were part of China's internal affairs.

“China’s opposition to military ties between the U.S. and Taiwan is consistent and clear,” spokesperson Mao Ning said.

Beijing has repeatedly criticized U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, in particular a massive deal announced by the Trump administration in December, valued at more than $11 billion, that includes medium-range missiles, howitzers and drones.

China prohibits all its diplomatic partners, including the U.S., from maintaining formal ties with Taipei. The U.S. is the island’s strongest informal backer and arms provider, and the arms sale is expected to be discussed at the Xi-Trump summit.

In a call in February between Xi and Trump, the Chinese leader said that “Taiwan will never be allowed to separate from China,” according to a Chinese government statement about the conversation released at the time. “The U.S. must handle the issue of arms sales to Taiwan with prudence,” it added.

Beijing also said that the “Taiwan question is the most important issue in China-U.S. relations.”

Taiwan's ruling and opposition parties hold different stances toward Beijing

It was not clear if Cheng was going to meet with Xi as part of her six-day trip to China, which started in the eastern metropolis of Shanghai and is set to conclude in Beijing.

The KMT, as Taiwan's main opposition party, is not in a position to strike agreements with Beijing that would affect the entire island; however, Cheng might sign party-to-party cooperation agreements with the Communist Party to reinstitute regular dialogue or boost ties at a municipal level between KMT-controlled localities and Chinese cities, said Wen-Ti Sung, a fellow with the Atlantic Council, an American think tank.

Cheng's visit “may sideline the Taiwan Strait tension issue from the Xi-Trump summit, thus enabling the U.S.-China summit to focus on business areas of common interest rather than geostrategic points of contention,” Sung said.

The KMT has proposed a smaller defense budget and criticizes the governing Democratic Progressive Party's larger budget as a “blank check” for arms purchases.

Cheng's visit contrasts sharply with Beijing's treatment of Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, with whom China does not engage, labeling him a “separatist.”

Taiwan has been governed separately from China since 1949, when a civil war brought the Communist Party to power in Beijing. Defeated KMT forces fled to Taiwan, where they set up their own government.

Lai's party views Taiwan as a sovereign country, not a subordinate to China. The KMT, meanwhile, officially recognizes only one China, which it interprets as the Republic of China that before 1949 included the mainland and today is Taiwan’s official name.

___

Mistreanu reported from Bangkok.

While these are the highest rain chances in consecutive days in Central Florida in months this isn’t the wet season just yet.

The wet season has several distinctions that characterizes its arrival.

The main one, of course, is the rain. Most Floridians know you can basically set your watch for 3 p.m. in the warm months, and just like that, the skies get dark.

Those near-daily afternoon thunderstorms are generated by the sea breeze, the mechanism of the wet season.

Cold fronts that deliver cooler, drier air stop paying the Sunshine State a visit which allows the heat and humidity to surge through October.

The catalyst for this rainy forecast in Central Florida is actually a cold front that has stalled over the peninsula. This front acts as a pathway for moisture to develop on.

While this isn’t the wet season yet it’s also not far off.

On average, it rolls around in Central Florida in late May or early June.

Regardless, the wet pattern for parts of Central Florida is bringing beneficial rain to the region. With that said, to be completely rid of the severe-to-extreme drought in Central Florida, upwards of 20 inches of rain will be needed through June.

The wet season should help to rid most of state from drought conditions by late summer.

Earlier this year, News 6 uncovered property records showing that the restaurant is set to open in the Town Park Shopping Center along East Colonial Drive.

[BELOW: Publix is no longer the top grocer?]

Permit records shows that a vacant restaurant located at 12305 E. Colonial Drive has been approved to be converted into the new Whataburger restaurant, complete with the following elements:

• A directional sign
• Clearance bar
• Drive-thru window
• Canopy
• Menu board

Furthermore, county records say that the restaurant will span 2,554 square feet.

You can see the approved interior plan below.

I0.1-INTERIOR-FINISH-PLAN30012026192823184 by Anthony Talcott

But on Tuesday, a Whataburger spokesperson told News 6 that its first location in the area is tentatively scheduled to open in late summer or early fall.

The Texas-based burger chain first opened its doors in Corpus Christi all the way back in 1950.

[BELOW: Florida bans these foods from SNAP next month]

According to the Tampa Bay Times, Whataburger’s previous locations in Central Florida, including two in Orlando and Ocala, were shuttered in 2009.

As of now, Whataburger has 48 listed locations across the Sunshine State, though the closest to Orlando is situated all the way out in Largo.

Last week, state Rep. Ryan Chamberlin (R-Belleview) announced his plan to lead a citizens initiative to get rid of property taxes from the state Constitution.

“I will help lead an effort to pass a citizen constitutional amendment that bans ad valorem taxes on real estate levied by any level of government,” Chamberlin declared. “Then, the Legislature will be forced to implement new solutions to make sure we have a system in place for funding police, fire departments, and schools.”

[BELOW: DeSantis weighs in on latest Florida tax ranking]

During the latest Legislative session, Chamberlin filed an amendment (HJR 787) that would have stripped local governments and school districts of the ability to levy property taxes.

It was meant to be combined with another bill (HB 791) that imposes a transaction fee for all real estate sales, which would help counties make up for any funding lost from the tax cuts. Chamberlin also wanted to rely on a combination of sales and tourism taxes to fill in the gaps.

However, both pieces of legislation ultimately died in committee.

“No one is interested in defunding any of the vitally important government service funded by local taxes,” Chamberlin explained. “It’s just time to figure out a better way to pay for it than letting government continue to be the owner of all property and impose an onerous tax system on our people.”

[BELOW: Here’s a look at the property tax amendments that died]

In Florida, property taxes are a local issue, so a constitutional amendment is required if the state wants to make any cuts.

There are several ways this can happen:

• A joint resolution of the Florida Legislature
• A proposal from the Constitution Revision Commission
• A proposal from the Taxation and Budget Reform Commission
• A citizens’ initiative

Of these, the initiative process requires a sponsor to obtain petitions signed by voters across the state. This means garnering at least 891,523 valid signatures.

And even if he does get to that point, the measure would still need at least 60% voter approval during the next general election to take effect.

Meanwhile, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — a vocal proponent of property tax cuts — has said that the issue will be revisited during a special Legislative session planned for later this month.

Rep. Chamberlin’s full message reads as follows:

These records show that the reported eateries experienced violations like roaches, hygiene issues, storage violations and more.

[BELOW: Over 100 roaches, hundreds of droppings found at Orlando Chinese restaurant]

However, many of the closed restaurants were eventually allowed to reopen after meeting inspection standards.

The full list of Central Florida eateries required to close last week is as follows:

APOPKA

• Pho Que 91 — 713 S. Orange Blossom Trail
• • Closed on April 1
  • • Over 15 live roaches found on premises (corrected on-site)
  • Met inspection standards on April 1

ORLANDO

• Boteco Do Manolo — 7653 International Drive
• • Closed on March 31
  • • Over 20 rodent droppings found on premises
  • Met inspection standards on April 1
• Dill-icious Hot Dogs — 1020 W. Michigan Street
• • Closed on March 30
  • • Hot dog cart running with no potable running water after water line was cut in half
  • Met inspection standards on March 31
• Fritanga La Nueva — 1 S. Semoran Blvd.
• • Closed on March 30
  • • Over 20 small flying insects found on premises
    • Raw chicken stored over raw pork in reach-in freezer
    • Raw shell eggs stored over avocados on reach-in cooler
    • Time/temperature violations for Crema, meat roast, white rice, steak, and beans
    • Pan of refried beans in reach-in cooler spotted with mold-like growth
  • Follow-up inspection required as of April 1

SOUTH DAYTONA

• Iron Axe Bar & Grill — 2842 S. Ridgewood Ave.
• • Closed on April 2
  • • Over 40 rodent droppings found on premises
    • Three small flying insects found in kitchen area
    • Employee came in from outside, touched bare body part, and then put gloves on to work with food
    • Time/temperature violations for French onion
    • Dishmachine chlorine sanitizer too weak
  • Met inspection standards on April 3

During a budget workshop on Wednesday, commissioners will discuss funding options for the city’s upcoming fiscal year.

The meeting will happen less than two weeks before the state holds a special session on property tax changes.

On April 20, lawmakers will discuss proposals that include a gradual elimination or an immediate cut to non-school property taxes.

Florida Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, spoke about the options at the close of the legislative session.

“The senate is still dedicated to the proposition of giving property tax relief,” Albritton said. “Threading the needle on this is about making sure it’s meaningful and protecting the core services that local government provides.”

[WATCH: How would property tax cuts impact Seminole County?]

With the issue unresolved in the legislature, municipalities have discussed the possibility of budget cuts.

City managers across the state, meanwhile, have been engaged with state lawmakers.

“We’ve had conversations about it,” Albritton said. “Here’s where these types of changes would impact what we’re doing for our citizens, and more importantly, what we’re required to do for them.”

Wednesday’s budget workshop with Longwood commissioner is scheduled for 1 p.m. at City Hall.

Roberts-Smith was awarded both the Victoria Cross and Medal of Gallantry for his service in Afghanistan and is only the second Australian veteran of the Afghanistan campaign to be charged with a war crime.

The charges follow a military report released in 2020 that found evidence that elite Australian Special Air Service and commando regiment troops unlawfully killed 39 Afghan prisoners, farmers and other noncombatants. Around 40,000 Australian military personnel served in Afghanistan between 2001 and 2021, of whom 41 were killed.

Veteran accused of 5 unlawful deaths

The allegations against Roberts-Smith relate to the deaths of five Afghan people who died in 2009 and 2012 while he served in Afghanistan as an elite SAS corporal. Police allege he either shot his victims or ordered a subordinate to shoot them in Uruzgan province where Australia's forces were based.

Police said he had been charged Tuesday with five counts of war crime murder. But the charges laid in court Wednesday were two counts of war crime murder and three counts of aiding or abetting a war crime murder. All charges carry the same potential maximum sentence of life in prison.

The charges allege Roberts-Smith killed and caused a subordinate to kill at Kakarak village on April 12, 2009. He allegedly caused a subordinate to kill at Darwan village on Sept. 11, 2012. He allegedly killed and caused a subordinate to kill at Syahchow village on Oct. 20, 2012.

Australian law defines war crime murder as the intentional killing in a context of armed conflict of a person who is not taking an active part in the hostilities, such as a civilian, prisoner of war or a wounded soldier.

Australian prime minister describes veteran's arrest as a ‘difficult time’

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described Roberts-Smith's arrest as a “difficult time” for the Australian Defense Force.

“We should give thanks every day for the men and women who wear our uniform, who are prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of our nation, to keep our Australian way of life going forward. That doesn’t change,” Albanese told Sky News television.

“It’s important that this not be politicized, and I have no intention of commenting on what is a legal process,” Albanese added.

Opposition leader Angus Taylor called on the federal government, known as the Commonwealth of Australia, to pay for the legal defenses of all military personnel prosecuted for war crimes, including Roberts-Smith.

“It is an imperative that the Commonwealth provide anyone who’s prosecuted in this process, including Ben Roberts-Smith, with ... the financial support they need to defend themselves and to ensure that there is a fair trial,” Taylor told reporters. “The presumption of innocence is crucial.”

Former Australian prime minister pays tribute to troops

John Howard, who as Australia's then-prime minister first committed Australian troops to fight in Afghanistan in 2001, said Roberts-Smith's arrest would emotionally impact millions of Australians.

“This is a difficult issue for many, as it tests to the limits not only our respect for Australian values, but the deep and special reverence we have for those who put their lives on the line to keep us safe,” Howard said in a statement.

The Australian Special Air Service Association, which represents current and former members of the elite regiment, said some may be required to testify against former comrades. Others must defend themselves against “grave allegations.”

“These realities are deeply confronting for a close and enduring community,” the association said in a statement.

Roberts-Smith, 47, spent the night in jail after he was arrested at the Sydney Airport on Tuesday morning, and he did not appear in court either in person or by video link Wednesday.

His lawyers did not enter pleas to the charges or apply for his release on bail. The case was adjourned until June 4.

Civil court upholds similar allegations

A civil court has already found similar allegations against Roberts-Smith credible in a defamation suit he brought after newspapers published articles in 2018 accusing him of a range of war crimes. In 2023, a federal judge rejected Roberts-Smith’s claims and ruled that he likely killed four noncombatants unlawfully in 2009 and 2012.

But while the civil court found the war crimes allegations were mostly proven on a balance of probabilities, the war crime murder charges would have to be proved in a criminal court to a higher standard of beyond reasonable doubt.

Media magnate Kerry Stokes helped fund Roberts-Smith's civil court action. Roberts-Smith quit his job as a state manager of Stokes' Seven West Media in 2023 after losing the defamation case.

During his defamation trial, Roberts-Smith had testified that he had never killed an unarmed Afghan and denied ever committing a war crime. He claimed he has the victim of spiteful fellow soldiers' lies and of others' envy of his medals.

Roberts-Smith is the second Australian veteran of the Afghanistan campaign to be charged with a war crime.

Fellow veteran pleads not guilty to war crime allegation

Former SAS soldier Oliver Schulz has pleaded not guilty to a charge of war crime murder. He is accused of shooting Afghan man Dad Mohammad three times in the head in an Uruzgan province wheat field in 2012.

Prosecutors and defense lawyers said Schulz's trial is unlikely to be held before 2027.

In 2024, the government announced that several serving and former Australian military commanders had been stripped of medals over allegations of war crimes committed in Afghanistan.

Holding commanders to account for alleged misconduct of Australian special forces between 2005 and 2016 had been recommended in the war crime investigation report made public in 2020.

Soler homered off López in the first inning, then was hit by a 96 mph fastball from the right-hander his next time up. In the fifth, Soler charged the mound after López threw a high-and-inside wild pitch that tipped off catcher Jonah Heim's mitt.

At first, López held up his hands as the two glared at each other before both started throwing punches.

“I asked him if everything was OK and the answer he gave me, I didn’t like it,” Soler said through a translator, according to MLB.com. “That’s why I went out there.”

The benches and bullpens emptied as players from both teams tried to separate the two. Atlanta manager Walt Weiss was among those who tackled Soler, the 2021 World Series MVP with the Braves.

“I love Soler. We were teammates here,” Weiss said. “But that’s a big man, and so I just felt I've gotta get him off his feet because he’s gonna hurt somebody. And so that was my instinct, just to get in there and get Jorge off his feet, yeah, because he was on a warpath.”

López was still holding the baseball when he landed a punch on Soler's batting helmet.

The two were teammates in Atlanta during the second half of the 2024 season.

“It’s just a shame, the situation and how things unfolded,” López said through a translator, according to MLB.com. “On my part, there was never any intent to hit him at any point. So, again, it’s just a shame.”

Atlanta led 4-2 when the fight occurred and went on to a 7-2 victory.

Soler's two-run shot in the first made him 14 for 23 with five homers and three doubles against López.

“Obviously, I have good numbers against him,” Soler said. “After the home run and getting hit by a pitch after that, and then he missed way too high and close to my head. At this level, you can’t miss like that.”

Weiss understood why Soler was mad.

“I know it didn’t look good because of Soler’s numbers against Lópey, and he hit a homer, he hit him. It didn’t look good," Weiss said. "Lópey’s not throwing at him. I don’t allow our pitchers to throw at people just because they can’t get ’em out. Our job is to get ’em out. But I understand why Soler got angry. And he’s a really mild-mannered guy. So, I think the switch flipped for him.

“There was no intent there. I just think that Lópey’s just overthrowing, because he’s had a hard time getting him out. But he’s certainly not trying to hit him,” Weiss added.

López pitched 4 2/3 innings, allowing three hits with seven strikeouts and two walks.

“Obviously, guy’s got good numbers off López, and hits a homer his first at-bat. Gets drilled up high in the wrist his second at-bat and then third one takes a good swing and then throws the next one head-high. It wasn’t over his head but it was head-high coming in," Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said.

“I don’t blame Jorge one bit. He went out there and words were exchanged and Jorge went out,” Suzuki added. “You get thrown at your head, you have a family, your career, you know, it’s dangerous. I know it’s part of the game. I know it happens."

The Angels won 6-2 on Monday in the opener of the three-game series. Tuesday night's game was more eventful, to say the least.

“It gets your juices flowing a little bit, on both teams I’m sure," Weiss said. "So, as long as nobody gets hurt, it’s kind of a good time. But as long as nobody gets hurt. But yeah, I was proud of our guys the way we handled everything tonight.”

___

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

In a deep red district that Greene won by 29 points and Trump carried by almost 37 points two years ago, Fuller was on track to prevail by about 12 points with almost all votes counted. The result added to a string of special elections where Democrats performed better than expected, a track record that the party hopes will create momentum toward November's midterm elections when control of Congress hangs in the balance.

In another election held Tuesday, a Democratic-backed candidate for the Wisconsin Supreme Court won by double-digit margins, growing the liberal majority there.

Fuller insisted that his victory over Democratic candidate Shawn Harris in Georgia was a testimony to Trump's staying power.

“They couldn’t beat Donald Trump and they never will,” he told supporters in Ringgold, near the border with Tennessee. “And I will be on Capitol Hill as a warrior to have his back each and every day.”

However, Trump’s escalating rhetoric had some Republicans concerned, even in this deep red district. The president had set a deadline for Tuesday at 8 p.m. — one hour after polls closed in Georgia — for Iran to reach a deal with the United States, saying that “a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again.” However, he later announced a two-week ceasefire to allow negotiations to continue.

Acworth resident Jason McGinty said he was worried Trump was “about to go too far" and "may be committing a war crime” if he followed through on threats to bomb power plants and other infrastructure in Iran. He voted for Fuller to “make sure the America First party is still in place.”

Retiree Judy McDonald agreed with the president’s decision to go to war but was “very anxiety-ridden” over the conflict.

“Eventually we will have peace and the Iranians will kind of come to a conclusion that they won’t have a country if they don’t stop the terrorism,” she said.

Some Democrats hoped the election would send a message to Trump

Fuller will serve out the remaining months of Greene’s term, bolstering the party’s slim majority in the House, where Republicans control 217 seats to Democrats’ 214, with one independent.

He’ll have to face another Republican primary on May 19 to win a full two-year term, and could face a June 16 party runoff. Harris is already the Democratic nominee for November.

Retiree Melinda Dorl supported Harris “so it sends a message to Trump and his cronies that people aren’t happy," she said.

“This war was totally uncalled for. Trump is a liar. Everything he says is a lie,” Dorl said, adding that Trump was wrecking relationships with countries that have traditionally been American allies.

Harris, a cattle farmer and retired general who describes himself as a “dirt-road Democrat,” stirred enthusiasm even among supporters who expected him to lose.

“I voted for the Democrat even though this is a very red district and the Democrat has almost no chance of winning,” said Michael Robards, a software engineer from Kennesaw who calls himself a center-right independent. He said he wants to see Trump’s policies rolled back and the president again impeached.

Georgia's 14th District stretches across 10 counties from suburban Atlanta to Tennessee. After losing to Greene two years ago, Harris said his strong showing this time would be a stepping stone to November.

“We’re going to beat him next time,” Harris said on Tuesday in Rome, Georgia.

Fuller said he had withstood Democrats’ best punch.

“The left did their best. They poured in millions upon millions of dollars,” Fuller told reporters. “And what you’re seeing is the best that they can accomplish.”

Fuller had presidential support

Trump endorsed Fuller, a district attorney who prosecuted crimes in four counties, to succeed Greene in February, boosting him over other Republican candidates in a crowded field.

Greene, once among Trump’s most ardent supporters, had split with the president by criticizing his foreign policy and his reluctance to release documents involving the Jeffrey Epstein case. The president eventually had enough, saying he would support a primary challenge against her. Greene announced a week later that she would resign.

Outside of Congress, Greene has continued to assail Trump.

“Trump was elected to go to war against America’s deep state and to end America’s involvement in foreign wars,” she wrote on social media on Tuesday. “Not to kill an entire civilization while waging a foreign war on behalf of Israel, another foreign country.”

However, Fuller has backed Trump to the hilt — including the war — and has identified no issue on which he disagreed with the president.

Trump reiterated his support for Fuller on Monday night and then again on Tuesday.

“To the Great Patriots in Georgia’s 14th Congressional District: GET OUT AND VOTE TODAY for a fantastic Candidate, Clay Fuller, who has my Complete and Total Endorsement!” the president wrote on social media.

“They think they’re invincible. They’re not,” Swalwell told a large crowd at a town hall in Sacramento, the state capital. He didn't specify how he'd advance those policies, which would likely face legal challenges.

The event kicked off a series of campaign functions he's planned around the state with less than a month to go until mail-in ballots go out to voters ahead of the June 2 primary. Swalwell, a Democrat, is among a crowded field of candidates jostling for advantage in a race in which a small margin could decide who advances to the November general election. The two highest vote-getters advance regardless of party, and Democrats are worried about a possible lock-out if no clear front-runner emerges.

Speaking to a friendly crowd, Swalwell painted himself as a “battle-tested” fighter in Congress against President Donald Trump. He served as House manager for Trump’s second impeachment trial and said he wants to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement and has supported taking away the agency's funding. Los Angeles was the target of one of the administration's first large-scale immigration sweeps last summer and the first place where it deployed the National Guard. The position comes after Swalwell faced accusations by some of his Democratic rivals for not taking a strong enough stance against the agency.

Positioning himself as a labor-friendly and progressive candidate, Swalwell said he wants to address ongoing state budget gaps with a new corporate tax and use state funding to pay for health care for low-income people, including immigrants. He also said he supports letting state employees work remotely, a contentious issue in Sacramento.

“I will root for the success of anyone who invests and does business in California, if they work with me to lift the wages of hard-working Californians and expand the benefits,” he said.

This year's election marks the first time since voters approved the state’s “ top two ” primary system more than a decade ago that there has been a governor’s race with no dominant candidate. Swalwell is considered among the leading candidates, alongside billionaire Tom Steyer and former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter on the Democratic side. Republican Steve Hilton, a former Fox News host, won Trump's endorsement this week. Sheriff Chad Bianco is another prominent Republican in the contest.

Swalwell in recent weeks has emerged as a favorite target for fellow Democrats, who have accused him of failing to show up for votes in Congress and questioned whether he actually lives in California. On Tuesday, Swalwell again disputed those criticisms and said he's “not going to be distracted.”

An Iowa native who was elected in 2012 and represents a House district east of San Francisco, Swalwell ran a short-lived presidential campaign in 2019.

Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is term-limited, hasn't endorsed anyone to replace him.

The dramatic shift in tenor came as intermediaries, led by Pakistan, worked feverishly to head off a further escalation of the conflict. Even China — Iran's biggest trading partner and the United States' most significant economic competitor — quietly pulled strings to find a pathway toward a ceasefire, according to two officials briefed on the matter who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

“The reason for doing so is that we have already met and exceeded all Military objectives, and are very far along with a definitive Agreement concerning Longterm PEACE with Iran, and PEACE in the Middle East,” Trump declared in a social media post announcing the temporary ceasefire, about 90 minutes before his deadline for Tehran to open the critical Strait of Hormuz or see its power plants and other critical infrastructure obliterated.

The president is set to meet at the White House on Wednesday with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte. The emerging ceasefire and plan to reopen the strait is expected to be at the center of talks.

As the deadline neared, Democratic lawmakers decried Trump's threat to wipe away an entire civilization as “a moral failure" and Pope Leo XIV warned strikes against civilian infrastructure would violate international law, calling the president’s comments “truly unacceptable.”

But in the end, Trump may have ultimately backed down because of a simple truth: Escalation could risk involving the United States in the sort of “forever war” that had bedeviled his predecessors and that he had vowed he'd keep the United States out of if voters sent him back to the White House.

Controlling the strait would have been a long, costly operation

As Trump boasted about U.S. and Israeli military success over the last six weeks, he appeared to be working from the premise that he could bomb Iran into capitulation.

Starting with the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the opening salvos of the war, he seemed to discount that the Iranian leadership could opt for a long, bloody war.

The Islamic Republic over the last 47 years has repeatedly shown it’s willing to dig in, even when it appears to America they’re working against their own self-interest.

The clerical leadership held Americans hostages for 444 days, from late 1979 to early 1981, at the cost of the country’s international standing. The mullahs allowed the ruinous Iran-Iraq war to go on for years, leaving hundreds of thousands dead. It stood by Hamas after the Oct. 7 attack that spurred a war with Israel that would defang the Iran-backed group in Gaza as well as Hezbollah in Lebanon, and created the conditions that led to the collapse of Tehran-backed Bashar Assad's authoritarian rule in Syria.

Iran's leadership — battered and outgunned — exuded confidence that it could very well bog down the world's superpower in a costly, extended conflict even if it might not defeat a mighty U.S. military.

Defense analysts largely agreed that the U.S. military could quickly take control of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow Persian Gulf waterway between Iran and Oman through which roughly 20% of the world's oil flows on any given day. But maintaining security over the waterway would require a high-risk, resource-intensive operation that could be a years-long American commitment.

Ben Connable, executive director of the nonprofit Battle Research Group, said securing the strait would require the U.S. military to maintain control of about 600 kilometers (373 miles) of Iranian territory, from Kish Island in the West to Bandar Abbas in the East, to stop Iran from firing missiles at ships passing through the strait. It's a mission that Connable said would likely require three U.S. infantry divisions, roughly 30,000 to 45,000 troops.

“This would be an indefinite operation — so, you know, think: be ready to do this for 20 years,” said Connable, a retired Marine Corps intelligence officer. “We didn't think we were going to be in Afghanistan for 20 years. We didn’t think we’re going to have to be in Vietnam as long as we were, or Iraq.”

The two-week ceasefire plan includes allowing both Iran and Oman to charge fees on ships transiting through Hormuz, a regional official said. The official said Iran would use the money it raised for reconstruction. It wasn’t immediately clear what Oman would use its money for.

The strait is in the territorial waters of both Oman and Iran. The world had considered the passage an international waterway and never paid tolls before.

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said after the ceasefire was announced that Trump was effectively giving Tehran “control” of the strait and delivering “a history-changing win for Iran.”

“The level of incompetence is both stunning and heartbreaking,” Murphy said.

Trump has a pattern of backing down from maximalist demands

The ceasefire announcement came after Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif urged Trump to extend his deadline by two weeks to allow diplomacy to advance while also asking Iran to open the strait for two weeks.

Two weeks has become Trump’s favorite interval to buy himself time when making major decisions. Last summer, the White House said he’d decide about launching an initial bombing campaign against Iran within two weeks — only to have the president order airstrikes that he said “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program before that interval was up.

Trump has also repeatedly used two weeks to set deadlines that ultimately led to very little during negotiations to end Russia’s war with Ukraine and even going back to his first term, suggesting he’d have major policy issues like health care solved over such a timeframe.

Trump has repeatedly made maximalist demands throughout the first 15 months of his second White House term only to dial them back.

The president backed off many of the sweeping “Liberation Day” tariffs he first announced in April 2025 after they caused the financial markets to go haywire. Perhaps the most spectacular example came during a January meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, where Trump insisted that he wanted the U.S. to take control of Greenland “including right, title and ownership” only to switch course and abandon his threat to impose widespread tariffs on Europe to press his case.

The pretext for backing down that time was Trump saying he’d agreed with the head of NATO on a “framework of a future deal” on Arctic security — even though the U.S. already enjoyed widespread military latitude in Greenland, which is part of the kingdom of Denmark.

The White House celebrated on Tuesday evening with aides crediting the U.S. military's prowess and Trump's maneuvering for setting conditions for the ceasefire.

“The success of our military created maximum leverage, allowing President Trump and the team to engage in tough negotiations that have now created an opening for a diplomatic solution and long-term peace,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt declared. She added, “Never underestimate President Trump’s ability to successfully advance America’s interests and broker peace.”

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Associated Press writers Samy Magdy in Cairo and Farnoush Amiri in New York contributed reporting.

“Nah, not really,” Tatum said Tuesday following Boston's win over Charlotte. “I mean, yeah, I thought about it. Not, like, thrilled to go back and play there. Last time I played there, obviously, it was a traumatic experience for me."

The experience, of course, was when he was carried off the floor with a ruptured right Achilles tendon in Game 4 of the Celtics' Eastern Conference semifinals loss to the Knicks last season. It ended the six-time All-Star's season, and following surgery the next day thrust him into a nearly 10-month rehab.

It ended on March 6 with his season debut and a 15-game stretch since then that has him averaging over 20 points and 10 rebounds with the playoffs upcoming. But being back in New York for the first time since his injury still will come with some trepidation, he acknowledged.

“Obviously, at some point I knew I would have to get over that hurdle and play there again. So, it's going to have to be this Thursday," Tatum said.

Teammate Jaylen Brown said he thinks Tatum is in a good place.

“I think he's trending in the right direction,” Brown said. “Mentally, it could possibly be something. But that's what the teammates are there for. We got his back."

Coach Joe Mazzulla said the way Tatum has worked his way back into condition both physically and mentally are a testament to everything he's done since being helped off the court in New York last May.

“I think the entire process leading up from Day 1 with the surgery put him in position to be able to do that,” Mazzulla said. “Just how he approached the entire journey and the people he had around him kind of put him in position. I think where he's at now, it all goes together. How do you approach that day? How do you approach recovery? How he's approached every step of the way that he's taken. He did it with a lot of hard work and diligence. ... That kind of set him up to be where he is now."

And like it or not, it's brought him to perhaps the most important step in him feeling mentally back — returning to the site of the worst day of his basketball career.

“It's part of it,” Tatum said. "I decided to come back and play and I'm not necessarily, like, skipping certain games. I mean, I can't play back-to-backs right now. But, I decided to come back and play, so it's another game on the schedule.”

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

Valentina Orellana-Peralta was shopping for Christmas clothes with her mother at a Burlington store in the San Fernando Valley’s North Hollywood neighborhood on Dec. 23, 2021, when she was struck by a bullet that had gone through the dressing room wall.

Police were responding to calls for help after a man wielding a bike lock attacked two women in the building. As armed officers walked through the store, Officer William Dorsey Jones Jr. fired his rifle three times, killing the man and Orellana-Peralta.

The lawsuit filed by the girl's parents alleges wrongful death, negligence and negligent infliction of emotional distress.

Her mother Soledad Peralta “felt her daughter’s body go limp and watched helplessly as her daughter died while still in her arms,” the lawsuit states.

It alleges that the LAPD failed to adequately train and supervise the responding officers and “fostered an environment that allowed and permitted this shooting to occur.”

“Valentina had her entire life in front of her, and it was taken in an instant due to reckless decisions made by the very people who were sworn to protect her," said Nick Rowley, who represents the family. “We intend to hold LAPD fully accountable for taking an innocent young woman’s life.”

The Los Angeles city attorney’s office, representing the LAPD, did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.

The Los Angeles Police Commission, a civilian oversight board, ruled in 2022 that Jones was justified in firing once but that his two subsequent shots were out of policy. Then-Police Chief Michel Moore previously found in his own review that all three shots were unjustified.

Jones told the LAPD’s Use of Force Review Board that he believed someone inside the store was shooting people and mistook the bike lock the man was wielding for a gun. He said he thought a wall behind the man backed up against an exterior brick wall when in fact, the area contained the women’s dressing rooms.

Rowley recently secured a $30 million settlement from the city of San Diego for the killing of 16-year-old Konoa Wilson, one of the largest settlements in a police killing case in U.S. history. It surpassed the $27 million settlement that the city of Minneapolis agreed to pay in the lawsuit over the killing of George Floyd.

The Mother Road, as author John Steinbeck dubbed it, has evolved over the years from an escape for poor farmers fleeing the devastating dust storms of the 1930s to perhaps the quintessential American road trip that’s still delivering kicks.

Although there have been faster and more direct routes between the nation’s second- and third-largest cities for some time, Route 66’s neon still burns brightly and its vintage signs beckon travelers to restored motor lodges, classic diners and roadside attractions.

Each stop turns the wheels of the imagination, leaving travelers to contemplate what life was like for the people and communities that have made the road hum over the years.

Illinois

Chicago has long been one of the country’s economic engines, with access to international waters and railroads that linked all corners of the country. In the 1920s, Oklahoma businessman Cyrus Avery, known as the Father of Route 66, knew it wouldn’t be long before automobiles would dominate the transportation landscape, and the Windy City would be the perfect place to start the journey he envisioned.

A member of the federal highway board appointed to map the U.S. highway system, Avery opted to go with the number 66. He knew those double digits were ripe for marketing and could be seared into the minds of motorists.

For some travelers, the journey is fueled more by the food than the scenery, and there’s plenty to choose from — slices of homemade pie, thick shakes, cheeseburgers and an assortment of fried delights.

The Cozy Dog Drive In in Springfield, the Illinois capital, is one of the many diners that sprang up along Route 66, and its breaded hot dogs on a stick have stood the test of time. Third-generation owner Josh Waldmire says the recipe is a secret.

Waldmire’s grandfather, Ed, saw the concoction’s potential as fast and convenient road food and developed a system for frying the dogs vertically.

Missouri

Route 66 has its share of twists and turns, and it’s no surprise that a highway famous for its quirky roadside attractions would cross the nation’s most famous river on one of the more peculiar bridges known to modern engineering.

As the road nears St. Louis, the mile-long (1.6-kilometer-long) Chain of Rocks Bridge hovers more than 60 feet (18 meters) above the Mississippi River.

Engineers eventually built a straighter, higher-speed option, and a poor resale market spared the original bridge from the scrap heap. Today it’s reserved for pedestrians and cyclists.

A median in Missouri is home to St. Robert Route 66 Neon Park, which features orphaned neon signs that once beckoned travelers to stop at certain sites and businesses along the highway. Often handcrafted, they weren’t only markers for motels, cafes and gas stations, but were also folk art and symbols of local culture.

Kansas

The Sunflower State hosts only a short stretch of Route 66, but it packs a punch with the Kan-O-Tex Service Station in Galena. A classic example of roadside fare, the station served as inspiration for the animated 2006 Pixar film “Cars.”

Director John Lasseter and his crew took road trips along the route, digging into history and looking for elements that could bring the project to life. It was in Galena where they spotted the old boom truck that served as the basis for the character Tow Mater. The plot wasn’t far off, as so many once bustling towns — like the fictional Radiator Springs — nearly faded away after being bypassed by an interstate.

Kansas also is home to the Brush Creek Bridge, otherwise known as the Rainbow Bridge. It’s on the National Register of Historic Places and is one of few remaining examples of the concrete arched bridges designed by James Barney Marsh.

Oklahoma

There was a real danger for some who traveled the road, particularly Black motorists passing through inhospitable and segregated areas during the Jim Crow era. The Green Book — a guide first published in 1936 by Victor Hugo Green — listed hotels, restaurants and gas stations that would serve Black customers.

The Threatt Filling Station near Luther wasn’t listed in The Green Book, but it was a safe haven — not only for getting fuel, but for barbecue and baseball. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it was the only known Black-owned and operated gas station along Route 66.

Route 66 is littered with abandoned buildings and faded signs, but one example of the highway’s resilient spirit stands tall in Sapulpa, near Tulsa. The restored Tee Pee Drive-In Theater offers a step back into the 1950s, when the booming car culture helped spawn thousands of drive-in theaters nationwide.

Built in 1949, the drive-in officially opened in the spring of 1950 with a screening of John Wayne’s “Tycoon.” It was one of the few drive-ins at the time to have paved pathways. Over the years, it survived a tornado, a fire that destroyed the concession stand and break-ins before being shuttered for more than 20 years. It reopened in 2023.

Texas

Blink and you might miss it, but a stop at the Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo is a must for any Route 66 journey. For decades, visitors have been spray-painting the 10 vintage Cadillacs at the site and mulling the transitory nature of time as Bruce Springsteen did in his 1980 song of the same name.

It’s not a ranch, but rather a public art installation created in 1974 by the art and architecture collective Ant Farm. At first, the cars — which were half-buried front-down at a 60-degree angle — were used for target practice. Others would scratch their initials into the metal. The spray painting started later.

Arrive in Adrian and you’re halfway through your trip. Steps from a white line marking the midpoint of Route 66 is the Midway Cafe, where the “ugly pies” are anything but.

If you’re still hungry, head back to Amarillo for a 72-ounce (2 kilogram) steak and all the sides at The Big Texan. If you can finish the meal in an hour or less, it's free.

New Mexico

More than half of Route 66 cuts through sovereign Native American lands, often tracing routes used by tribes long before settlers arrived. Much like the railroad in the 1800s, the highway opened the door to a new era of commerce, but it also fueled stereotypes about cultures along the way.

There are still faded and crumbling references to tipis and feathered headdresses at some stops along the historic highway. The symbols were easily appropriated for marketing by roadside vendors but weren't indicative of the separate and distinct Native American cultures in the area.

Today, tribes are telling their own stories and showcasing their creations, whether it be pottery, fruit pies or poems.

Albuquerque boasts the longest intact urban stretch of Route 66. Those 18 miles (29 kilometers) pass through several neighborhoods and business districts, from historic Old Town to Nob Hill.

Some of the old motor lodges and neon signs along what is now Central Avenue have been restored. Other signs are being reimagined using hubcaps, elaborate lowrider-inspired paint jobs and New Mexico’s classic yellow and red license plates in a nod to the car culture that is very much still alive in the city.

Arizona

Musician Jackson Browne was taking his own road trip in the early 1970s when his car left him stranded in Winslow. The experience inspired the lyrics to the Eagles’ hit “Take it Easy.” But it’s certainly not the only song that is a must-have for a Route 66 playlist.

Bobby Troup created a classic American road anthem in the 1940s with “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66.” Nat King Cole, Chuck Berry, The Rolling Stones and Depeche Mode carried it through the decades, each covering the song with their own flare.

While standing on a corner in Winslow, don’t be surprised if someone saunters up with a guitar and starts strumming favorites from their own road trip playlist.

Before leaving the state, the one-time gold mining town of Oatman features a Wild West atmosphere, daily staged shootouts and beloved burros. Oatman was a destination along one of the original alignments of Route 66 via a treacherous path through the Black Mountains, but it was later bypassed as part of improvements made in the 1950s.

California

Once a desert oasis, Roy’s Motel & Café in Amboy is a quintessential Route 66 landmark. The towering neon sign is one of the most photographed spots along the road. Inside, foreign currency left by international visitors lines one wall. Across the street, a clothing post decorated with shoes, shirts and other items juts up from the desert floor.

This stretch of the highway through the Mojave Desert offers a special kind of solitude. The pavement gets rough in spots and the landscape takes charge, showing off Joshua trees, wide-open spaces and the remnants of ancient volcanic activity.

Much of the area is undeveloped, meaning it looks a lot like it would have when Route 66 was commissioned in 1926.

After making it through oft-congested Los Angeles, the iconic Santa Monica Pier marks the end of the line, and it’s nothing short of a perpetual party with a steady stream of spectators and performers. Although many stretches of Route 66 have lapsed into decay, the breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean are a reminder of the pursuits made possible by the road over the last century.

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Associated Press writers John O’Connor in Springfield, Illinois, and Sean Murphy in Oklahoma City contributed to this report.

After a blast of guitar feedback, 20-year-old Kurt Cobain politely announced to the crowd at the small club called Dreamerz: “Hello, we're Nirvana. We're from Seattle.” With that, the band, then a quartet, launched into the riff-heavy first song, “School.”

Jacobs surreptitiously recorded the performance, documenting the fledgling band in raw, fiery form more than two years before Nirvana's global breakthrough with the album “Nevermind.”

Jacobs went on to record more than 10,000 concerts, with increasingly sophisticated equipment, over four decades in Chicago and other cities. Now a group of devoted volunteers in the U.S. and Europe is methodically cataloging, digitizing and uploading them one by one.

The growing Aadam Jacobs Collection is an internet treasure trove for music lovers, especially for fans of indie and punk rock during the 1980s through the early 2000s, when the scene blossomed and became mainstream. The collection features early-in-their-career performances from alternative and experimental artists like R.E.M., The Cure, The Pixies, The Replacements, Depeche Mode, Stereolab, Sonic Youth and Björk.

There's also a smattering of hip-hop, including a 1988 concert by rap pioneers Boogie Down Productions. Devotees of Phish were thrilled to discover that a previously uncirculated 1990 show by the jam band is included. And there are hundreds of sets by smaller artists who are unlikely to be known to even fans with the most obscure tastes.

All of it is slowly becoming available for streaming and free download at the nonprofit online repository Internet Archive, including that nascent Nirvana show recording, with the audio from Jacobs' cassette recorder cleaned up.

Jacbos' first recording was in 1984

By the time Jacobs snuck his tape recorder into that Nirvana gig, he had been recording concerts for five years already. As a teen discovering music, Jacobs began taping songs off the radio.

“And I eventually met a fellow who said, ‘You can just take a tape recorder into a show with you, just sneak it in, record the show.’ And I thought, ‘Wow, that’s cool.’ So I got started,” Jacobs, now 59, recalled.

He doesn't remember offhand what that first concert was in 1984, but he taped it with a tiny Dictaphone-type device that he borrowed from his grandmother. A short time later, he bought the Sony Walkman-style tape recorder. When that broke, he briefly used his home console cassette machine stuffed in a backpack that a generous soundman let him plug in.

“I was using, at times, pretty lackluster equipment, simply because I had no money to buy anything better,” he said. Later, he moved on to digital audio tape, or DAT, and, as technology progressed, to solid-state digital recorders.

Jacobs doesn't consider himself obsessive or, as many call him, an archivist. He says he's just a music fan. He figured if he was going to attend a few concerts a week anyway, why not document them? In the early years, he contended with contentious club owners who tried to prevent him from taping. But they eventually relented as he became a fixture in the music scene, and many began letting the “taper guy” in for free.

Author Bob Mehr, who wrote about Jacobs in 2004 for the Chicago Reader, calls him one of the city's cultural institutions.

“He's a character. I think you have to be, to do what he does,” Mehr said. “But I think he proved over time that his intentions were really pure."

After a local filmmaker made a documentary about Jacobs in 2023, a volunteer with the Internet Archive reached out to suggest his collection be preserved. “Before all the tapes started not working because of time, just disintegrating, I finally said yes,” he said.

Boxes stuffed with tapes

Once a month, Brian Emerick makes the trip from the Chicago suburbs to Jacobs' house in the city to pick up 10 or 20 boxes each stuffed with 50 or 100 tapes. Emerick's job is to transfer — in real time — the analog recordings to digital files that can be sent to other volunteers who mix and master the shows for upload to the archive. Emerick has a room devoted to his setup of outdated cassette and DAT decks.

“So many of the machines I find are broken. They’re trashed. And so I learned how to fix those, get them running again,” said Emerick. “Currently, I have 10 working cassette decks, and I run those all simultaneously.”

Emerick estimates he's digitized at least 5,500 shows since late 2024 and that it will take another few years to complete the project. The digital files are claimed by a dozen or so volunteer-engineers in the U.S, U.K. and Germany who provide the metadata and clean up the audio. Among them is Neil deMause in Brooklyn, who said he's constantly impressed by the audio fidelity of the original tapes, especially considering Jacobs was using “weird RadioShack mics” and other primitive equipment.

“Especially after the first couple years, he's got it so dialed in that some of these recordings, on, like, crappy little cassette tapes from the early 90s, sound incredible,” deMause said.

Emerick pointed to a 1984 James Brown concert as a gem he discovered in the stacks.

Often, the hardest job is figuring out song titles. Occasionally, Jacobs kept helpful notes, but the volunteers frequently spend days consulting each other, searching and even reaching out to artists to make sure the setlists are accurately documented.

Jacobs said the majority of the artists he recorded are pleased to have their work preserved. As for copyright concerns, he's happy to remove recordings if requested, but added that only one or two musicians so far have asked that their material be taken down.

“I think that the general consensus is, it’s easier to say I’m sorry than to ask for permission,” he said. The Internet Archive declined to comment for this story. David Nimmer, a longtime copyright attorney who also teaches at UCLA, said that under anti-bootlegging laws, the artists technically own the original compositions and live recordings. But since neither Jacobs nor the archive are profiting from the endeavor, lawsuits seem unlikely.

The Replacements, a foundational punk-alternative band, were so happy with Jacobs’ tape of a 1986 show that they mixed some of it in with a soundboard recording. They released it in 2023 as a live album as part of a box set produced by Mehr.

Jacobs stopped recording a few years ago as worsening health problems sapped his desire to go out and see concerts. But he still enjoys experiencing live music he finds online, much of it recorded by a new generation of fans.

“Since everybody’s got a cellphone, anybody can record a concert,” he said.

“It is emphasized that this does not signify the termination of the war,” the statement said. “Our hands remain upon the trigger, and should the slightest error be committed by the enemy, it shall be met with full force.”

U.S. President Donald Trump said he’s pulling back on his threats to widen attacks on Iran. The president said that includes an array of bridges, power plants and other civilian targets — subject to Iran being ready for a two-week ceasefire and to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump’s latest threat over the Iran war hit a new extreme earlier Tuesday when he warned, “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” if Iran fails to make a deal that includes reopening the vital Strait of Hormuz.

The Republican president’s earlier comments were swiftly met with condemnation from Democrats, some “Make America Great Again” supporters who have since broken with Trump, and the first American pope.

Here is the latest:

UN chief welcomes two-week ceasefire and urges end to hostilities

Secretary-General António Guterres calls on all parties “to abide by the terms of the ceasefire in order to pave the way towards a lasting and comprehensive peace in the region,” his spokesperson said.

Guterres also calls on the parties to comply with their obligations under international law, spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement late Tuesday.

International law requires the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure.

“The secretary-general underscores that an end to hostilities is urgently needed to protect civilian lives and alleviate human suffering,” Dujarric said.

Jean Arnault, the secretary-general’s personal envoy, is in the region “to support efforts toward lasting peace,” the spokesperson said.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq says it will halt operations for two weeks

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iran-backed Iraqi militias, said in a statement early Wednesday that it will halt its operations in Iraq and the region for two weeks.

The announcement came hours after the U.S. and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire.

Iran-backed militias in Iraq have claimed responsibility for dozens of attacks on U.S. bases and other facilities in the country in solidarity with Tehran since the war began.

Key bridge between Saudi Arabia and Bahrain reopens

The King Fahd Causeway, a key bridge linking Saudi Arabia and the island kingdom of Bahrain, reopened Wednesday morning after an hourslong closure over possible incoming fire from Iran.

The King Fahd Causeway Authority said in its announcement on X that vehicle traffic has resumed.

Israel says ceasefire with Iran doesn’t include war in Lebanon against Hezbollah

In a statement Wednesday morning, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said it supports Trump’s decision to suspend strikes against Iran for two weeks, but that it doesn’t include the war with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

It said the ceasefire is subject to Iran immediately opening the Strait of Hormuz and stopping all attacks on the U.S., Israel and countries in the region.

The statement said Israel also supports U.S. efforts to ensure Iran no longer poses a nuclear or missile threat.

Governments in Asia and the Pacific welcome ceasefire

Australia said it “welcomes the agreement by the United States, Israel and Iran to a two-week ceasefire to negotiate a resolution to the conflict in the Middle East.”

“The Australian government has been calling for de-escalation and an end to the conflict for some time now,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Wednesday in a statement.

They also criticized “Iran’s de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz, coupled with its attacks on commercial vessels, civilian infrastructure, and oil and gas facilities.”

In Japan Minoru Kihara, chief cabinet secretary, said his nation “welcomes the announcement as a positive development. We hope they reach an agreement.”

Winston Peters, New Zealand’s foreign minister, said on X, that his nation welcomed the effort to end the war.

“While this is encouraging news, there remains significant important work to be done in the coming days to secure a lasting ceasefire,” he said.

Australia PM says Trump’s threat to Iranian civilization was not appropriate

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Trump’s threat to the Iranian population was not appropriate.

Albanese referred to Trump’s threat that “a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” if Iran failed to make a peace deal that included reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

“I don’t think it’s appropriate to use language such as that from the President of the United States. And I think it will cause some concern,” Albanese told Sky News television on Wednesday.

“We’ve said very clearly that the conduct of any conflict must be within international law and that provides for making sure that civilians — who aren’t parties to the conflict — are given every protection possible,” Albanese added.

Albanese described the agreement reached by the United States, Israel and Iran to a two-week ceasefire to negotiate a resolution to the conflict as “positive news.”

Pro-government demonstrators take to the streets in Tehran

Pro-government demonstrators in the streets of Iran’s capital Wednesday morning after the ceasefire was announced screamed: “Death to America, death to Israel, death to compromisers!”

Organizers tried at one point to calm demonstrators, but they continued the chants.

They also burned American and Israeli flags in the street.

It shows the ongoing anger from hard-liners, who had been preparing for what many assumed would be an apocalyptic battle with the U.S.

Iran includes ‘acceptance of enrichment’ in Farsi version of its ceasefire plan

Iran in the Farsi-language version of its 10-point ceasefire plan included the phrase “acceptance of enrichment” for its nuclear program, something that was missing in English versions shared by Iranian diplomats to journalists.

It wasn’t immediately clear why that term was missing.

However, Trump had said ending Iran’s nuclear program entirely was a key point of the war.

Trump after Iran issued its 10-point plan had described it as fraudulent, without elaborating.

Israel is still attacking Iran, military official says

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said early Wednesday that Israel was still attacking Iran.

Moments earlier the White House said Israel had agreed to the terms of the two-week US-Iran ceasefire agreement.

Iran also kept up fire on Israel.

— Sam Mednick

Israeli strike kills at least eight people in southern Lebanese coastal city

Lebanon’s Health Ministry said another 22 people were wounded in the strike on Sidon.

The strike came without warning, and the Israeli military did not immediately specify who it was targeting.

At least 1,530 people have been killed in the latest war between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group.

Pakistan invites Iran and the US to talks in Islamabad on Friday

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he is inviting Iran and the United States to meet in Islamabad and have further discussions.

In a post on X, Sharif said that both parties have agreed on the ceasefire.

“I warmly welcome the sagacious gesture and extend deepest gratitude to the leadership of both the countries,” he said. “And invite their delegations to Islamabad on Friday, 10th April 2026, to further negotiate for a conclusive agreement to settle all disputes.”

There has been no public response from the U.S. or Iran to the invitation.

US confirms release of journalist kidnapped by Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia in Iraq

Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed in a statement that American journalist Shelley Kittleson, who was kidnapped last week in Iraq, has been released.

Kittleson was abducted by the Iran-backed Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah from a street corner in Baghdad on March 31.

Rubio said in a statement posted on X, “We are relieved that this American is now freed and are working to support her safe departure from Iraq.”

He thanked Iraqi authorities, as well as the FBI and U.S. defense department and other U.S. agencies for their work toward securing Kittleson’s release.

Vance was involved in talks as deadline drew closer

As the clock inched closer to Trump’s proposed 8 p.m. deadline with no resolution in sight, U.S. Vice President JD Vance got roped into the conversation late Tuesday, according to an official from one of the mediating countries who was briefed on the matter and spoke on the condition of anonymity to share sensitive diplomatic discussions.

Vance’s office did not immediately have a comment.

Vance is currently traveling in Hungary.

— Farnoush Amiri and Michelle L. Price

Neither Iran nor the US has offered any time for the ceasefire to begin

But a U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military operations, said American forces had halted offensive operations.

Iran continued to fire at Gulf Arab states and Israel, despite Pakistan saying the ceasefire had taken hold immediately.

—- Jon Gambrell

Chinese officials encouraged Iran to find path to ceasefire with US, AP sources say

China, which is Tehran’s biggest trade partner, spoke with the Iranians to get them on board, according to two officials who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Chinese officials were in touch with Iranian officials to encourage Tehran to find a path to a ceasefire deal as the negotiations were evolving, the officials said.

Beijing primarily had been working with intermediaries, including Pakistan, Turkey and Egypt, as it tried to use its influence, said one of the officials, who was not authorized to comment publicly on the diplomatic matter.

The Chinese foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Earlier Tuesday, Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, said, “All parties need to demonstrate sincerity and quickly end this war that should not have happened in the first place.” She said China was “deeply concerned” about the impact the conflict has on the world economy and energy security.

— Farnoush Amiri and Aamer Madhani

Iran and Oman to be allowed to charge for Strait of Hormuz passage

The two-week ceasefire plan includes allowing both Iran and Oman to charge fees on ships transiting through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, a regional official said Wednesday.

The official said Iran would use the money it raised for reconstruction. It wasn’t immediately clear what Oman would use its money for.

The strait is in the territorial waters of both Oman and Iran. The world had considered the passage an international waterway and never paid tolls before.

The official, who had been directly involved in the negotiations, spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.

— Samy Magdy

Pentagon press briefing set for Wednesday morning

The announcement of the press conference with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, comes after the president announced the ceasefire agreement.

Israel agrees to terms of the two-week US-Iran ceasefire agreement, White House official says

The official was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Pakistan, which brokered the ceasefire deal, says it extends to Israel and Hezbollah fighting in Lebanon.

— Aamer Madhani

There are concerns in Israel about ceasefire agreement, says AP source

That’s according to a person familiar with the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to speak to the media.

The person said Israel would like to achieve more in the war with Iran.

— Sam Mednick

Leavitt says negotiations will continue

Asked for clarity on what Trump meant by the Iranian peace proposal being “workable,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “President Trump’s words speak for themselves: this is a workable basis to negotiate, and those negotiations will continue.”

“The truth is that President Trump and our powerful military got Iran to agree to reopening the Strait of Hormuz, and negotiations will continue,” Leavitt said in a statement.

Oil prices plunge after Trump pulls back on threats to widen attacks

Futures for U.S. crude oil sank 18% to around $92.60, while Brent crude oil futures fell about 6% to $103.40.

Both prices remain well above where they were at the start of the war.

Futures for the S&P 500 rose 2.4%.

US signaled to Israel that strikes were meant to show Iran what could come, official says

Some Israeli officials had begun speculating as Trump neared his self-imposed deadline that he was edging toward finding an off-ramp even as he offered increasingly menacing rhetoric, according to person privy to internal deliberations.

The U.S. administration had signaled to Israelis that the strikes on military assets on Kharg Island earlier Tuesday and the targeting of Iran’s two main petrochemical hubs, Mahshahr and Assaluyeh, were sending a clear message to Tehran of what would come if Trump chose to further intensify the bombardment, according to the person who requested anonymity to discuss the matter.

Israeli officials were skeptical and believed the apparent breakthrough could unravel and lead to further escalation if the Iranians don’t make good on quickly opening the Strait of Hormuz, the person added.

— Aamer Madhani

US military has halted all offensive operations against Iran, US official says

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe sensitive military operations, noted that defensive measures and operations would still be in effect.

It comes after President Donald Trump announced a two-week ceasefire agreement with the Islamic Republic.

— Konstantin Toropin

White House doesn’t immediately clarify what Trump meant by ‘workable’ Iranian plan

The White House on Tuesday night did not answer messages on why the president described Iran’s 10-point peace plan as “workable.”

Among the points communicated by Tehran were an easing of U.S. sanctions on Iran and “the withdrawal of United States combat forces from all bases and points of deployment within the region.”

In his social media post announcing a postponement of his threatened bombing campaign, Trump wrote: “We received a 10 point proposal from Iran, and believe it is a workable basis on which to negotiate.”

The White House did not immediately clarify what Trump meant or provide details on what a “basis” for future negotiations might entail.

Missile alerts sound despite Iran and US saying they’ve reached a ceasefire

Israel and the United Arab Emirates both sounded missile alerts early Wednesday, despite Iran and the United States saying they had reached a two-week ceasefire in the war.

It wasn’t immediately clear what was being targeted in the two countries, which bore the brunt of the missile and drone fire during the war.

Throughout the war, Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard has called the shots in all decisions. Individual commanders have made decisions on what to strike and when, with the nation’s political leadership sidelined.

Whether they agreed to stop shooting with the declared ceasefire and negotiations being planned in Islamabad remained in question.

However, many Mideast wars see combatants launch last-minute attacks to be able to claim victory with their populations.

Also not clear: What Iran means in referencing ‘withdrawal’ of US combat forces

In question is another point messaged by the Iranians — “the withdrawal of United States combat forces from all bases and points of deployment within the region.”

The U.S. has maintained a network of military bases through the Persian Gulf for decades after the 1991 Gulf War with Iraq.

The bases have served as the region’s chief security guarantor and provided protection for the energy-rich Gulf Arab states.

Iran did not define, however, what it meant by “combat forces,” potentially giving wiggle room for those bases to remain.

But any step-down in troop levels in the region likely would anger the Gulf Arab states that have suffered through weeks of war.

It isn’t clear if Iran will loosen its chokehold on the waterway that’s crucial to global energy supplies

Iran’s foreign minister says that ships would be allowed to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, over the next two weeks under coordination from Iran’s military.

About a fifth of the world’s oil transits the strait in peacetime.

Araghchi wrote in a statement that: “For a period of two weeks, safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz will be possible via coordination with Iran’s Armed Forces and with due consideration of technical limitations.”

Before the war, there were no “technical limitations.” Over 100 ships a day passed through the water in Iranian and Omani territorial waters in a decades-old traffic system.

But any step-down in troop levels in the region likely would anger the Gulf Arab states that have suffered through weeks of war.

Iran’s explanation of its 10-point plan says Strait of Hormuz would be subject to ‘regulated passage’

Iran’s explanation of the 10-point plan included its claim that the Strait of Hormuz would be subject to “regulated passage ... under the coordination of the Armed Forces of Iran.”

It added that it would be “thereby conferring upon Iran a unique economic and geopolitical standing.” It would also receive full sanctions relief.

These terms would represent an extraordinary step down by the U.S. after 47 years of hostilities with Iran, starting from the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Iran says its acceptance of a ceasefire doesn’t mean an end to the war

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said Wednesday it had accepted a two-week ceasefire in the war.

Its statement said it would negotiate with the United States in Islamabad beginning Friday.

“It is emphasized that this does not signify the termination of the war,” the statement said. “Our hands remain upon the trigger, and should the slightest error be committed by the enemy, it shall be met with full force.”

Trump says talks with Pakistani officials helped lead to his decision to delay bombing campaign

In his social media post, Trump said he decided to delay an expansion of U.S. strikes “based on conversations” with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Gen. Asim Munir, Pakistan’s powerful army chief.

Sharif, in a post on the social platform X earlier Tuesday, urged Trump to extend his deadline by two weeks to allow diplomacy to advance. Pakistan has been leading negotiations.

Sharif used the same post to ask Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz for two weeks.

Trump’s second term has largely been defined by his eagerness to make intimidating threats

And then to retreat if a backlash ensues — a phenomenon his critics have derided as “Trump Always Chickens Out,” or TACO.

The president backed off on many of the sweeping “Liberation Day” tariffs he first announced in April 2025 after they caused the financial markets to go haywire.

He also largely dropped threats to impose high levies on many imported products from China, Mexico, the European Union and Canada — among other trade partners.

Perhaps the most spectacular example came during a January meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, where Trump insisted that he wanted the U.S. to get Greenland “including right, title and ownership,” only to switch course and abandon his threat to impose widespread tariffs on Europe to press his case.

Trump says Iran has proposed a ‘workable’ 10-point peace plan that could help end war

The president added in his social media post that Iran has presented “a workable basis on which to negotiate.”

“Almost all of the various points of past contention have been agreed to between the United States and Iran, but a two-week period will allow the Agreement to be finalized and consummated,” Trump said in the post.

Trump says he’s pulling back on his threats to widen attacks

The president says that includes an array of bridges, power plants and other civilian targets — subject to Iran being ready for a two-week ceasefire and to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

In a post on his social media site on Tuesday evening, Trump said Iran could agree “to the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz” and said that he’d then “suspend the bombing and attack of Iran for a period of two weeks.”

Since the war began in February, Trump has set a series of deadlines threatening escalation of the conflict, only to back off just before they expire.

Iran threatens to cut US and its allies off from the region’s oil and gas ‘for years’

Iran’s joint military command spokesperson made the warning in a statement responding to U.S.-Israeli attacks.

Ebrahim Zolfaghari said Iran will intensify its attacks on military, security, and economic infrastructure in Israel and on “centers related to” the U.S. in the region.

Zolfaghari said Iran’s continued attacks on the infrastructure of the U.S. and its allies aim to deprive them of the region’s oil and gas supplies “for many years” and “force them to leave” the Middle East.

White House insists that Trump stands with innocent civilians in Iran

That’s according to a statement by spokeswoman Anna Kelly in response to criticism the president’s comments have received.

“As President Trump has said, Iran can never have a nuclear weapon, and the Iranian people welcome the sound of bombs because it means their oppressors are losing,” the statement says.

“The President will always stand with innocent civilians while annihilating the terrorists responsible for threatening our country and the entire world with a nuclear weapon. Greater destruction can be avoided if the regime understands the seriousness of this moment and makes a deal with the United States.”

▶ Read more

4 wounded in Qatar after interception of Iranian missiles

Qatar’s Interior Ministry said late Tuesday that falling debris hit a residence in the Muraikh area, moderately wounding four people, including a child, as the country responds to Iranian attacks.

Trump uses the language of annihilation to threaten Iran

The president who yearned for a Nobel Peace Prize and once reveled in the appearance of solving conflicts has turned to the language of annihilation as he struggles to find a resolution to his war of choice in Iran.

Donald Trump’s latest threat over the Iran war hit a new extreme Tuesday as he warned, “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” if Iran fails to make a deal that includes reopening the vital Strait of Hormuz.

His comments were swiftly met with condemnation from Democrats, some “Make America Great Again” supporters who have since broken with Trump, and the first American pope. Some fellow Republicans suggested his comments were a negotiating tactic.

Pakistan’s foreign minister briefs Saudi, Egyptian, Turkish counterparts on peace efforts

Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar late Tuesday briefed his Saudi, Egyptian and Turkish counterparts on Islamabad’s efforts to promote dialogue and diplomatic engagement in pursuit of peace and stability in the region.

The Foreign Ministry says Dar and Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan discussed the regional situation, and that Dar also spoke with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

Iranians fear power outages as Trump’s deadline nears

Three times a week, Asghar Hashemi undergoes dialysis treatment at a hospital in northern Tehran. He fears that if power stations are knocked out, as Trump has threatened, his life will be in danger.

Tehran residents rushed Tuesday to stock up on bottled water and charge cellphones, flashlights and portable power banks as the hours ticked down to Trump’s latest ultimatum.

“I am worried, but I am more worried about my fellow citizens,” Hashemi said, lying on his bed at Tajrish Martyrs Hospital for treatment. “Whatever happens, we will stand until the end.”

Alaska Republican senator says Trump’s Iran rhetoric ‘endangers’ Americans

Alaska Republican U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski on Tuesday said President Trump’s threat “that ‘a whole civilization will die tonight’ cannot be excused away as an attempt to gain leverage in negotiations with Iran.”

She said on social media that the rhetoric is an “affront” to ideas the U.S. has long sought to uphold and promote around the world.

“It undermines our long-standing role as a global beacon of freedom and directly endangers Americans both abroad and at home,” she said.

Murkowski, a centrist who at times has been critical of Trump, called on all those involved in the conflict — including Trump and Iran’s leaders — to “de-escalate their unprecedented saber-rattling before it is too late.”

Some have pitched him as a gateway to young people — particularly young men — who have drifted to the right in recent years. Others fear he is a sign of the party beholden to its extremes, pointing to inflammatory rhetoric like “Hamas is a thousand times better” than Israel, describing some Orthodox Jews as “inbred” and that “America deserved 9/11."

Piker's appearances with Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive candidate in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in Michigan, have catalyzed questions of how big a tent the party wants to build as it works to regain power in the midterm elections and win back the White House.

The packed, raucous events on state university campuses offered a clear signal from at least one faction of Democrats that there's a growing appetite for figures like Piker and the candidates who stand with them.

"Belief itself is an act of hope,” El-Sayed told the crowd.

“Because we may not win, but for damn sure if we don't try, we will lose,” he added. “And look, winning is right there. We live at the golden edge of a horizon of our own making.”

Piker said he is a ‘megaphone’ for an angry electorate

In an interview with The Associated Press prior to the events, Piker cast the reaction to his role as part of a broader fight for Democrats' future.

“There is definitely, I think, a battle right now for who gets to be more representative of the national Democratic Party,” he said.

Piker remains largely unapologetic for his past remarks, although he's said some were poorly worded. He called the renewed focus on them “totally ridiculous, especially considering that there are far more consequential things happening in the world right now.”

“The super wealthy are picking apart the scraps of the American carcass like a bunch of vultures, and some of the Democrats are talking about their affiliations with a Twitch streamer,” Piker said. “I think Americans understand that this is totally ridiculous.”

The 34-year-old Turkish American streamer has 3.1 million followers on Twitch and 1.8 million on YouTube, making him an influential voice in a shifting media landscape where mainstream outlets are losing clout. Unlike traditional podcasts, his livestreams are often unscripted and interactive. He has hosted prominent Democrats, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

Piker said he is a “megaphone” for an angry electorate, and he believes the criticism that he faces is less about him personally and more about what he represents — a younger, more populist wing of the party.

“I think they find me to be a more appropriate target than to just actively disparage the voters,” he said.

El-Sayed said the Democratic Party ‘has given up on the idea of persuasion'

El-Sayed, who has been backed by progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders, attempted to channel that appeal in appearances at Michigan State University and the University of Michigan on Tuesday. A physician and former county health official, he is locked in a competitive Senate primary with U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens and state Sen. Mallory McMorrow. It's a critical race for a seat being vacated by Democratic Sen. Gary Peters and the winner of the primary will likely face former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers.

El-Sayed has cast himself as an outsider in the race and said he's finding ways to reach voters across the political spectrum, such as starting the day on Tuesday on Fox News Channel's “Fox & Friends” and ending it at the University of Michigan with Piker.

“I think the Democratic Party, frankly, has given up on the idea of persuasion," El-Sayed said in an interview. “If you’re serious about persuading, what you do is you engage with that audience and you engage through that creator to have a conversation about what you actually want to build.”

He added that he doesn't agree with everything Piker has said, but that he believes the Democratic Party hasn't learned its lesson when it comes to “cancel culture.”

“Everybody’s sick and tired of trying to toss people out because they said something that we disagree with rather than actually having an adult conversation about what we believe in,” said El-Sayed.

The war in Gaza remains a flashpoint in Michigan

In Michigan, home to large Muslim and Jewish communities, the war in Gaza has become a flashpoint in the Senate primary. Both El-Sayed and McMorrow have described the war as a genocide, but El-Sayed has called for ending U.S. military aid while McMorrow has emphasized a two-state solution. Stevens, meanwhile, calls herself a “proud pro-Israel Democrat.”

McMorrow told Jewish Insider that Piker was someone who “says extremely offensive things in order to generate clicks and views and followers," and she compared him to white supremacist Nick Fuentes. Trump's decision to dine with Fuentes between his presidencies ignited a firestorm of controversy over his association with extreme voices on the right. Stevens said El-Sayed is “choosing to campaign with someone who has a history of antisemitic rhetoric.”

El-Sayed responded to the backlash over Piker by saying, “If we want to have a conversation where we're actually bringing people together about the things that we need and deserve, we're gonna have to go to unlikely and uncommon places.”

Not everyone in the party wants to go to those places. Rep. Brad Schneider of Illinois, who chairs the moderate New Democratic Coalition and co-chairs the Congressional Jewish Caucus, called Piker “an unapologetic antisemite.”

“We are deeply disappointed by the decision to host a speaker at the University of Michigan with a documented record of antisemitic rhetoric," said Rabbi Davey Rosen, the CEO of Michigan Hillel. “Such invitations normalize hate and contribute to a hostile environment for Jewish students.”

Piker said he is not antisemitic and describes himself as anti-Zionist. Hostility toward Israel has risen across the political spectrum and has become a fault line within the Democratic Party during the war in Gaza.

Criticism has centered on Piker's past remarks. After the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, Piker argued that whether reports of sexual violence are accurate “doesn’t change the dynamic” of the conflict. He has repeatedly said the core issue is Israel’s conduct in Gaza.

Piker has drawn backlash for a comment in which he said “America deserved 9/11,” made during a 2019 livestream while discussing U.S. foreign policy. Piker has said the remark was poorly worded and added in the AP interview that he “didn’t mean that Americans deserved to die.”

Moments after the Avalanche beat the St. Louis Blues 3-1 on Tuesday night to clinch Central Division and top seed in the Western Conference, Bednar was already focusing on the next step toward the ultimate goal of a Stanley Cup.

“We’re not all the way there yet,” Bednar said. “You know, like the goal for us started with winning the division, the conference, we still need another win to get first overall. Like, we’d be crazy not to chase that at this point, right? It’s important, if you get to where you want to go, you might as well try and get your home ice, especially after a season like this.”

It is the third time in five seasons, and first since 2023, that the Avalanche finished as the top team in the conference. The team lost in the first round of the playoffs that season, but won the organization’s third Stanley Cup after finishing first in the Western Conference in 2022.

The Avalanche (51-16-10, 112 points) actually have a better record on the road with a 27-7-5 mark compared to a 24-9-5 record at Ball Arena. But goalie Scott Wedgewood said home ice in the playoffs is a big advantage.

“Just atmosphere, altitude … you’re in your own bed the night before,” Wedgewood said. “You know, you still got to perform. It doesn’t mean you win because you’re at home, but like I said in between rounds, you’re able to knock a team out in five or six, you’re home for that many more days.”

The Avalanche are also on the cusp of clinching the President’s Trophy, awarded to the team with the best regular-season record, which would give them home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs.

“Then obviously the fans, you get them going with a couple of hits, playoff hockey’s intense, and it’ll pay in your favor,” Wedgewood said.

Bednar would like to see consistency from the team through the final five games, noting that the Avalanche have been up and down over the last few games.

“We’ve proven that we can do it when we want to set our minds to it, which is really important,” Bednar said. “I don’t have to see it for 60 minutes for every game the rest of the way, but we need to see it enough to secure our goal and making sure everyone’s confident in the way we play.”

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

In a release on Tuesday evening, police said the incident happened shortly before 4 a.m. along West Colonial Drive.

Now, the driver — whose identity was not released — is facing charges of dangerous driving and street racing.

“When we got two cars going over 100 (mph), there are homeless people walking up and down this road,” an officer can be heard saying on body-camera footage. “If he — but the second he kills somebody, that’s when y’all are going to be like, ‘Damn, bro.’"

The Super Speeder law (HB 351) established a new criminal offense under state statutes last year: “dangerous excessive speeding.”

[BELOW: Check out how this new law aims to punish major speeders in the state]

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

HB 351 also 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

Facing declining enrollment and financial strain, Orange County Public Schools plans to cut “SAFE coordinator” positions — an $8.2 million program that serves middle and high school students dealing with mental health challenges, substance abuse and violence prevention.

District leaders say the move is part of broader cost-cutting efforts, this comes after seven schools were closed last month due to falling enrollment.

“We are in a crisis,” the superintendent said during a recent school board meeting, referring to the district’s financial outlook.

According to the district, the responsibilities of SAFE coordinators will be absorbed by school counselors and social workers.

According to an OCPS statement, “Due to declining enrollment and reduced revenue, the district is making targeted adjustments to ensure long-term sustainability while prioritizing student support. This includes eliminating the SAFE coordinator position, an $8.2 million investment, due to overlap of duties with school-based social workers.”

The statement goes on to say, “Moving forward, students will receive direct counseling services from certified school counselors and social workers — improving access to care and strengthening student-to-certified staff ratios. These decisions, while difficult, ensure resources are aligned to provide the most direct and effective support for our students.”

Still, the decision has sparked strong opposition from those who say the cuts could harm vulnerable students.

Mercedes Foster, a student who relied on a SAFE coordinator, said the support was critical during some of her most difficult moments.

“She has been there for me during my lowest moments, and I’m not sure what I would do without her, honestly,” Foster said.

Foster also questioned the district’s priorities, arguing that financial concerns should not outweigh student well-being.

“Money shouldn’t matter in this situation — what matters is the children and their mental health,” she said. “They say money is a crisis, but what about the kid dying to suicide?”

Parents and educators echoed those concerns at a school board meeting Tuesday night, urging leaders to reconsider the cuts.

“When we have a huge mental health issue on our campus, we should not be cutting resources,” one school counselor said, adding that existing staff are already stretched thin and “can’t handle it” with additional responsibilities.

Dr. Maria Vazquez, Foster’s mother, called mental health services essential.

“Mental health services are an emergency, not an option,” she said.

Foster’s SAFE coordinator is Lainey Dorris, she spoke to the board against reducing direct student services.

“I think it’s important to focus on continuing direct services for students and thinking about cuts elsewhere,” Dorris said.

District leaders maintain the decision, while difficult, reflects financial realities. The superintendent said officials have searched for savings across the system but have limited options.

“There is one pot of money and that pot of money has to go beyond what it has in the past.” The superintendent said, noting the district is still awaiting final state funding numbers for the upcoming school year.

In the meantime, counselors and social workers are expected to fill the gap left by the eliminated positions — a transition many families worry could leave some students without the support they depend on.

Taylor, who focused her campaign on abortion rights, handily defeated Republican-backed Maria Lazar in the fourth straight victory for liberal court candidates dating back to 2020. Liberals are now guaranteed to hold a majority on the court until at least 2030.

“Once again, Wisconsin showed the entire nation that we believe that the people should be at the center of government and the priority of our judiciary, not the billionaires, not the most powerful and privileged, but the people,” Taylor said in her victory speech.

Wisconsin Republican Party Chair Brian Schimming, in the wake of Lazar's double-digit defeat, called for Republicans to “stay united and continue fighting for our conservative values.”

Democrats tightened their control of the court just months before a November election in which they seek to keep the governor’s office and flip the state Legislature, where Republicans have held the majority since 2011. Democrats aspire to undo a host of Republican-enacted laws that made Wisconsin a focal point for the nation’s conservative movement in the 2010s.

This year’s Supreme Court election stands in stark contrast to the swing state’s previous two, where national spending records were set in battles over majority control. Spending and national attention was down dramatically this year without control of the court at stake.

Liberals took control of the state’s top court in 2023, ending 15 years under a conservative majority. They held onto their majority with last year’s victory in a race that drew involvement from President Donald Trump and billionaires George Soros and Elon Musk, who personally handed out $1 million checks to voters in the state.

Liberals argued that democracy was at stake in the 2025 election, noting that when the court was controlled by conservative justices in 2020 it came just one vote shy of siding with Trump in his attempt to invalidate enough votes to overturn his loss in that year’s presidential election.

The court under liberal control has reversed several election-related rulings, including one that overturned a ban on absentee ballot drop boxes, and it is poised to once again be in the spotlight around the 2028 presidential election.

Races for the court are officially nonpartisan, but support for candidates breaks down mostly along partisan lines. The seat was open due to the retirement of a conservative justice.

Taylor, who is a state Appeals Court judge and previously worked for Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, focused much of her campaign on abortion rights. One of her TV ads argued that “abortion is on the ballot.” In another ad, she criticized Lazar for calling the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022 “very wise.”

Lazar, who is also a state Appeals Court judge and was supported by anti-abortion groups in her run for that court, tried to brand Taylor as nothing more than a politician who will push a partisan agenda on the high court.

They sparred over each other’s partisanship during the campaign’s sole debate last week.

Lazar accused Taylor of being a “radical, extreme legislator” and a “judicial activist.” Taylor said that Lazar would bring “an extreme, right-wing political agenda to the bench.”

But she had a much harder time getting her message out. Taylor had a large fundraising advantage and spent about nine times as much as Lazar on television ads, based on a tally by the Brennan Center for Justice.

The liberal-controlled court has already struck down a state abortion ban law and ordered new legislative maps since taking control of the court, fueling Democrats’ hopes of capturing a majority this November.

Taylor has been a judge since 2020 and before that spent 10 years as a Democrat representing the liberal capital city of Madison in the state Assembly.

Lazar, a judge since 2015, previously worked four years under a Republican attorney general in the state Department of Justice. In that role, she defended a law enacted under former Republican Gov. Scott Walker that effectively ended collective bargaining for most public workers.

A circuit court judge ruled in December that the law is unconstitutional, a decision expected to ultimately land before the state Supreme Court.

Lazar also defended laws passed by Republicans and signed by Walker implementing a voter ID requirement and restricting abortion access.

Democrats had been optimistic given the past two Supreme Court elections, which saw candidates they backed winning by double digits.

Another conservative justice is retiring next year, giving liberals a chance to take 6-1 control of the court thanks to Taylor’s victory.

Trump swerved to deescalate the war less than two hours before the deadline he set for Tehran to capitulate to a deal or face attacks on its bridges and power plants meant to destroy Iranian “civilization.”

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said it has accepted the ceasefire and that it would negotiate with the United States in Pakistan beginning Friday. Neither Iran nor the United States said when the ceasefire would begin, and attacks took place in Israel, Iran and across the Gulf region early Wednesday.

Israel backed the U.S. ceasefire with Iran but the deal doesn’t cover fighting against Hezbollah in Lebanon, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said early Wednesday.

His office said in the statement that Israel supported Trump’s decision to suspend strikes subject to Iran immediately opening the Strait of Hormuz and stopping all attacks on the U.S. Israel and countries in the region. His office said Israel also supports U.S. efforts to ensure Iran no longer poses a nuclear or missile threat.

The ceasefire calls for Israel and Hezbollah to halt fighting in Lebanon, according to the prime minister of Pakistan, which has been mediating talks.

The ceasefire process was clouded in uncertainty after Iran released different versions of the 10-point plan intended to be the basis for negotiations. The version in Farsi included the phrase “acceptance of enrichment” for its nuclear program. But for reasons that remain unclear, that phrase was missing in English versions shared by Iranian diplomats to journalists.

Trump initially had said Iran proposed a “workable” 10-point plan that could help end the war launched by the U.S. and Israel in February. But he later called it fraudulent, without elaborating. Trump has said ending Iran’s nuclear program entirely was a key point of the war.

Pro-government demonstrators in the streets of Iran’s capital screamed: “Death to America, death to Israel, death to compromisers!” after the ceasefire announcement Wednesday morning. They also burned American and Israeli flags in the street.

It shows the ongoing anger from hard-liners, who had been preparing for what many assumed would be an apocalyptical battle with the United States.

Iran and Oman to collect shipping fees in Strait of Hormuz

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said passage through the strait would be allowed under Iranian military management. It wasn’t immediately clear whether that meant Iran would completely loosen its chokehold on the waterway.

The plan allows for both Iran and Oman to charge fees on ships transiting through the strait, according to a regional official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss negotiations they were directly involved in. The official said Iran would use the money it raised for reconstruction.

In addition to control of the strait, Iran’s demands for ending the war include withdrawal of U.S. combat forces from the region, the lifting of sanctions and the release of its frozen assets.

Since the war began, Trump has repeatedly backed off deadlines just before they expire.

In doing so again Tuesday, Trump said in a social media post he had come to the decision “based on conversations” with Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Gen. Asim Munir, Pakistan’s powerful army chief. Sharif, in a post on X hours earlier, urged Trump to extend his deadline by two weeks to allow diplomacy to advance. He used the same post to ask Iran to open the strait for two weeks.

“Almost all of the various points of past contention have been agreed to between the United States and Iran, but a two week period will allow the Agreement to be finalized and consummated,” Trump said.

There are concerns in Israel about the agreement, according to a person familiar with the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to speak to the media. The person said Israel would like to achieve more.

Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium is still buried at enrichment sites. The program had been one of the main issues cited by both Israel and the U.S. in launching the war.

Earlier Trump threats raised alarms

“A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” if a deal isn’t reached, Trump said in an online post Tuesday morning. But he also seemed to keep open the possibility of an off-ramp, saying that “maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen.”

Trump’s expansive threat did not seem to account for potential harm to civilians, prompting Democrats in Congress, some United Nations officials and scholars in military law to say such strikes would violate international law.

Tehran’s representative at the U.N., Amir-Saeid Iravani, said the threats “constitute incitement to war crimes and potentially genocide” and that Iran would "take immediate and proportionate reciprocal measures” if Trump launches devastating strikes.

The U.S. and Israel have battered Iran with attacks targeting its military capabilities, leadership and nuclear program. Iran has responded with a stream of strikes on Israel and Gulf Arab neighbors, causing regional chaos and outsized economic and political shock.

Late Tuesday, Pakistan's prime minister urged Trump to extend his deadline by two weeks to allow diplomacy to advance. In a post on X, Shehbaz Sharif, whose country has been leading negotiations, also asked Iran to open up for two weeks the Strait of Hormuz.

China, which is Tehran’s biggest trade partner, encouraged the Iranians to find a way to a ceasefire as talks progressed, according to two officials who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Before the deadline, airstrikes hit two bridges and a train station, and the U.S. hit military infrastructure on Kharg Island, a key hub for Iranian oil production.

While Iran cannot match the sophistication of U.S. and Israeli weaponry or their dominance in the air, its chokehold on the strait since the war began in late February is roiling the world economy and raising the pressure on Trump both at home and abroad to find a way out of the standoff.

Airstrikes hit Iran, which fires on Saudi Arabia and Israel

Even as the ceasefire was announced, missile alerts continued in the United Arab Emirates, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait early Wednesday, hinting at the chaos surrounding the diplomatic moves. A gas processing facility in Abu Dhabi was ablaze after incoming Iranian fire, officials said.

Israel was continuing its attacks on Iran, said an Israeli military official who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with military regulations. Iran also kept up fire on Israel.

The U.S. military has halted all offensive operations against Iran but continues defensive actions, said an official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe sensitive military operations.

Earlier Tuesday the Israeli military said it attacked an Iranian petrochemical site in Shiraz, the second day in a row it hit such a facility. The military later said it also struck bridges in several cities that were being used by Iranian forces to transport weapons and military equipment.

More than 1,900 people have been killed in Iran since the war began, but the government has not updated the toll for days.

In Lebanon, where Israel is fighting Iran-backed Hezbollah militants, more than 1,500 people have been killed. and more than 1 million people have been displaced. Eleven Israeli soldiers have died there.

In Gulf Arab states and the occupied West Bank, more than two dozen people have died, while 23 have been reported dead in Israel, and 13 U.S. service members have been killed.

___

Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writers Farnoush Amiri at The United Nations; Aamer Madhani, Konstantin Toropin, Seung Min Kim, Michelle L. Price, Joshua Boak and Will Weissert in Washington; John Leicester in Paris; Nicole Winfield in Rome; Amir-Hussein Radjy in Cairo and Natalie Melzer in Jerusalem contributed to this report.

The case of Nigel Max Edge had been scheduled for a Brunswick County court hearing in which the local prosecutor was slated to reveal whether he intended to seek the death penalty. But District Attorney Jon David said in a news release that part of the case was set aside because questions about Edge's “capacity to proceed” were raised by multiple mental health professionals.

“The defense has presented evaluations from two experts, and this office requested an independent evaluation by a state forensic examiner,” David said. “All three evaluations conclude that Mr. Edge currently lacks the capacity to proceed to trial.”

Superior Court Judge Jason Disbrow ordered that Edge be transferred to Cherry Hospital, a state psychiatric facility in Goldsboro, David said.

David said the state’s mental expert found that Edge “may be restored to capacity through appropriate treatment, including medication and counseling." With such a restoration, the legal case against Edge would resume.

Voicemail and email seeking comment were left for Edge's public defender, Matthew Geoffrion.

Authorities allege Edge, 41, piloted a small motorboat up to a dockside cocktail bar in Southport last Sept. 27 and opened fire with a short-barreled semiautomatic rifle. Three people were killed, and several others were injured.

Edge, who faces additional charges, was serving with an elite sniper unit in Iraq when he was shot four times, including once in the head. Friends and family say he has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and still has a bullet lodged in his brain.

Tuesday’s action has “the practical effect of suspending further litigation unless and until the defendant’s capacity is restored,” David said, adding the state could still seek the death penalty “should the facts and law warrant this designation.”

Edge will remain in custody during treatment, which David said would be for an “indeterminate” amount of time.

It is the third time in five seasons, and first since 2023, that the Avalanche finished as the top team in the conference.

Martin Necas also scored and Scott Wedgewood made 18 saves for Colorado, which has earned points in eight of its last 11 games.

Wedgewood was shaken up midway through the third period after Philip Broberg made contact with him after being tripped by Sam Malinski. Wedgewood was driven awkwardly into the post and stayed down for several minutes, but remained in the game.

Robert Thomas scored and Joel Hofer made 34 saves for the Blues, whose slim playoff hope took a hit with the loss.

Colorado outshot St. Louis 17-3 in the first period and had a two-goal lead as a result.

Nichushkin gave the Avalanche the lead with 3:49 left in the first and Necas made it 2-0 with 27.7 seconds left in the period, scoring off a feed from Nathan Mackinnon feed.

Nichushkin added to the Colorado advantage with a short-handed goal at the 1:40 mark of the second. It was Colorado's second short-handed goal of the season and first since November 8.

Thomas got the Blues on the board with 4:22 left in the second. It was the sixth goal in the last four games for Thomas, who had a hat trick against Colorado on Sunday.

Nicholas Roy returned to the Colorado lineup after missing seven games to an upper-body injury.

Up next

Avalanche: Hosts Calgary on Thursday night.

Blues: Host Winnipeg on Thursday night.

___

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

The county told News 6 no authorization has been granted for anyone to be living in units still tagged “unsafe for occupancy.” In a statement, county officials said residents were only allowed a short window to enter affected units and collect personal belongings.

But at the complex Tuesday, News 6 found signs on apartment doors showing some residents are back inside.

One sign read: “We are inside the apartment. We cannot afford to live anywhere else.”

A resident who spoke with News 6 said his brother and sister-in-law live in one of the affected units. He said after residents were forced out, the complex told them they could return — even though, he said, nothing had changed.

“We’re told to leave and come back and nothing changed,” he said.

The resident also said the complex did not offer displaced families money to move elsewhere.

“They were just giving credit on the apartment lease, not money to get out,” he said.

When News 6 told him Seminole County says no one is allowed to be living in the unsafe units, he responded: “Honestly, that’s a little concerning.”

He said being back is not about feeling safe. Instead, he said, families are trying to figure out what to do next.

“It’s more comfortable being back right now just so that we can get things out,” he said. “But I’m also worried that they’re going to come and be like, ‘Hey, get back out.’”

News 6 reached out to Pebble Creek management multiple times Tuesday to ask who told residents they could return and what displaced families are supposed to do now, but had not heard back as of Tuesday evening.

Seminole County said it did speak with property management Tuesday and that management has now engaged an engineer.

In a release, deputies initially said the incident happened in the 2900 block of Socrum Loop Road West in Lakeland.

“No deputies were injured, and a suspect was shot,” the release reads.

The suspect was later identified as 76-year-old Ronald Breese, and deputies confirmed that he died. In addition, the sheriff’s office announced Breese didn’t have any criminal history.

During a news conference afterward, Sheriff Grady Judd said that Breese — a veteran who had done three tours of Vietnam — and his wife had reportedly been drinking alcohol earlier in the day.

“He called the Veterans Crisis Line this afternoon. He said there were five guns in his residence, and he had every intention of hurting himself,” Judd explained. “He had a gun in his hand, and he would not put it down.”

In response, the crisis help line contacted the sheriff’s office, which dispatched deputies out to Breese’s home.

“Ronald Breese was sitting in a chair on the porch with a gun to his head,” Judd continued. “The deputies started de-escalating, trying to talk to Ronald, and they thought — according to the early information that they had — that the wife was also in the house."

However, Breese’s wife actually pulled into the driveway as this was happening, and she jumped out of the car, starting toward her husband, Judd stated.

Deputies tried to stop her, though she ignored them, causing one of the deputies to run and tackle her in order to keep her safe, the sheriff said.

“At that moment, Ronald could see what was occurring, and he jumped up, and it’s told to us that he fired at least one shot at the deputies,” Judd added. “Four deputies returned fire.”

Now, the State Attorney’s Office and the PCSO are investigating the deputy-involved shooting.

“But it’s clear to us at this early stage of the investigation: those deputies had to shoot to protect themselves and to protect his wife,” Judd concluded. “We don’t know why he was acting like that. Preliminarily, we’re told they’re drinking and he was upset over some kind of business deal or business transaction. We can’t verify that.”

No additional information has been provided at this time.

For veterans struggling with mental health, the Veterans Crisis Line can be reached by calling 988 and then pressing 1. Alternatively, click here.

Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 rose 4.8% and South Korea’s Kospi gained 5.6%. Futures for the S&P 500 advanced 2.3% as of 9:30 p.m. EDT, while Dow futures rose 2%.

Futures for U.S. crude oil sank 14.3% to $96.83 a barrel and Brent crude oil, the international standard, dropped 13.3% to $94.74. Oil prices had spiked because the war snarled the production and transportation of crude in the Persian Gulf. Much of that oil exits the gulf through the Strait of Hormuz to reach customers around the world, but Iran had blocked it to enemies.

Late Tuesday, Trump said he was holding off on his threatened attacks on Iranian bridges, power plants and other civilian targets. Iran’s foreign minister said passage through the strait would be allowed for the next two weeks under Iranian military management.

The dramatic moves in prices are just the latest swings to hit financial markets since late February because of constantly shifting signals about when the conflict may end. Even with word of a ceasefire, neither Iran nor the United States said when it would begin, and attacks took place in Israel, Iran and across the Gulf region early Wednesday.

Earlier, U.S. stocks swung sharply during regular trading as uncertainty about the war with Iran increased after Trump had threatened that a “whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again” if Iran does not meet his deadline at 8 p.m. Eastern time to open the Strait of Hormuz.

The S&P 500 fell as much as 1.2% but stocks rallied at the end of trading after Pakistan’s prime minister urged Trump to extend his deadline for another two weeks and asked Iran to open up the strait for the same amount of time.

The S&P 500 erased all its losses and ended with a modest gain of 0.1%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 85 points, or 0.2%, and the Nasdaq composite added 0.1%.

They’re the latest swings to hit financial markets since late February because of deep uncertainty about when the fighting may end.

Oil prices were likewise shaky. The price for a barrel of benchmark U.S. crude to be delivered in May briefly climbed above $117 before settling at $112.95.

Oil prices have spiked because the war has snarled the production and transportation of crude in the Persian Gulf. Much of that oil exits the gulf through the Strait of Hormuz to reach customers around the world, but Iran has blocked it to enemies.

The worry in markets has been that a long-term disruption will keep oil prices high for a long time and send a painful wave of inflation crashing through the global economy. Trump kept traders on edge by making a series of threats to blow up Iranian power plants only to delay several times.

The average price for a gallon of regular gasoline across the United States has leaped to $4.14, according to AAA. It was below $3 a couple days before the United States and Israel launched attacks to begin the war in late February.

In the bond market, Treasury yields eased on word of a potential cease-fire. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.24% from 4.30% earlier Tuesday.

That’s still well above its 3.97% level from before the war, and the rise has pushed up rates for mortgages and other loans going to U.S. households and businesses, which slows the economy.

Reaves is out for the rest of the regular season after straining his oblique during the Lakers' blowout loss at Oklahoma City last Thursday. He was examined in Dallas, where the Lakers had subsequently traveled for their next game, by the Mavericks' medical team in a courtesy typically extended by home NBA teams to their visitors.

At the Lakers' practice in Dallas on Saturday, Redick claimed the Mavs' medical team “scanned the wrong area” and had to do two MRIs to identify Reaves' Grade 2 left oblique strain.

The Mavericks issued a statement to DLLS Sports on Tuesday saying their “medical team followed standard imaging protocols based on the information provided at the time. There was no error in the scan performed.”

When Redick was asked why he claimed otherwise before the Lakers hosted the Thunder on Tuesday, he was brief.

“Look, I think in the end, we got the image we needed,” Redick said. “Obviously very appreciative, because it’s happened throughout the season, whenever the home team is accommodating to us, just like we would be for them. And we’re going to move on.”

The Lakers also lost Luka Doncic for the rest of the regular season during that loss in Oklahoma City. The NBA's top scorer has a Grade 2 strain of his left hamstring.

___

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

Slotkin, a potential Democratic 2028 presidential contender, peppered five Iowa voters with questions about divisiveness in U.S. politics and issues affecting their communities. She also wanted to know what the voters would look for if they could “build a candidate in a test tube" and why they chose Trump over Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024.

“What would have gotten you to actually consider a Democrat?” Slotkin asked as the discussion winded down.

She hadn’t told them yet she was one.

The conversation was one of many Slotkin is having ahead of this fall’s crucial midterm elections. They are a way for the Midwestern Democrat to hear what it might take for the party to win back parts of the country like Iowa, which swung from backing President Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012 to Trump in the last three elections.

Slotkin on Tuesday described a Democratic Party that has forgotten about the middle of the country, has spent too much time rehashing old fights and lacks coordination in delivering a strong counter to Trump.

“I’m pretty clear-eyed about the problems,” Slotkin told The Associated Press in an interview. “I’m interested in being a part of the next generation who’s going to rehab the Democratic brand.”

Slotkin's sit down with Trump voters in Iowa Tuesday, and a town hall in Ohio Wednesday, was organized by a PAC dedicated to reshaping the party, Majority Democrats. But for Slotkin, the stops in red and purple states also are opportunities for the former CIA analyst to introduce herself to voters outside her home state, many of whom — like those gathered for Tuesday’s lunch — don’t know who she is or what she stands for.

Slotkin was elected to the Senate in 2024 after serving three terms in the U.S. House. She was among six Democrats in Congress with military or national security backgrounds who in a video last year urged U.S. military members to resist “illegal orders.” Trump accused the lawmakers of sedition punishable by death, and the video prompted a Justice Department investigation.

Slotkin said Tuesday that they made the video “for moments exactly like this,” shortly before Trump paused for two weeks his threat to take out Iran’s “whole civilization.”

Democrats want to flip House seats in Iowa

Later Tuesday, Slotkin’s schedule included headlining a fundraiser and a county party dinner. She also held a health care-focused town hall with Iowa state Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott, a Democrat looking to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn in one of the most competitive House seats in the country.

She shared some of the same themes to the friendly faces in Des Moines as she did earlier with the Trump voters, lamenting that politics is so divisive and describing the bipartisan disappointment over the health care system that she hears across the country.

But she put a finer point on her own views to the Democratic audiences, saying that the U.S. needs a public health insurance option for people of any age and giving advice on how to convince voters that supporting a Democrat is in their best interest.

“I want to win in November," Slotkin told an applauding audience. “That means being honest about where the Democratic Party needs to go.”

“The debate is not between progressive and moderate," she said. "It’s fight or flight.”

Slotkin shies away from answer on 2028

Visiting Iowa used to hold more obvious significance for Democrats before the party shook up the early presidential nominating calendar last cycle, bumping Iowa from its place as the first state to weigh in on the nominations. The state party in 2024 did away with the traditional, quirky caucuses that have historically been the first contest for both parties.

Now Iowa Democrats are among those pitching their state should go first in 2028; Michigan is also vying for the first Midwest slot. But it's still months before the Democratic National Committee will decide the order.

Slotkin is one of many prominent Democrats eyeing a potential 2028 run that have been visiting swing states and those that have traditionally been important in the nominating process.

“I'm not announcing anything,” Slotkin said Tuesday, and even joked about Iowa and Michigan's “cage match" for the early position.

The ambition didn't get past Ed Klavins, a Trump voter who participated in the focus group.

“She’s trying to figure out what she can do differently to have a better chance of getting reelected and maybe higher office,” said Klavins, a retiree from Urbandale, Iowa, who didn’t know Slotkin was the guest for Tuesday’s focus group lunch and said he was paid $200, plus lunch, to be there.

Klavins wants politicians on both sides of the aisle that challenge their party’s status quo. He told Slotkin that he wants a candidate who doesn’t pander to what they think voters want. He voted for Trump and thinks he’s succeeding in putting national security first, like closing the U.S.-Mexico border and eliminating the threat Iran poses to national security.

But Slotkin showing up to listen “makes her a little more genuine in my eyes,” he said. “I like her.”

The rally was organized by the Federation of Cuban Women, a massive organization with close ties to the government and the Communist Party, to honor the late Vilma Espín, the federation’s founder, a guerrilla fighter and Raúl Castro’s wife.

The crowd that gathered at a park commemorating a 19th-century independence patriot waved Cuban flags, held signs that read “Down with the Blockade" and clutched pictures of Fidel Castro and Espín.

Deputy Prime Minister Inés María Chapman and Deputy Foreign Minister Josefina Vidal led the demonstration along with Mariela Castro, daughter of Espín and former President Raúl Castro.

“This policy of abuse has to stop," Vidal told The Associated Press. “The Cuban people don’t deserve this. It’s the most comprehensive, all-encompassing, and longest-running system of coercive measures ever imposed against an entire country.”

Vidal, a key negotiator in a historic rapprochement between Cuba and the United States in 2014 under the administration of former U.S. President Barack Obama, added: “It subjects us to collective punishment, recognized as such under international law, and we couldn’t fail to be here."

In early January, the U.S. attacked Venezuela and arrested its then-leader, disrupting critical oil shipments to Cuba. Later that month, Trump threatened tariffs against any country that sells or supplies oil to the island.

However, Trump said he didn't mind when a Russian tanker carrying 730,000 barrels of crude oil arrived in Cuba last week, marking the island's first oil shipment in three months. Russia has since said it would send a second tanker.

Cuba produces only 40% of the fuel it consumes, and the shortage has paralyzed the Caribbean nation, affecting its health system, public transportation and the production of goods and services, and deepened an economic crisis that has plagued the island for the past five years.

“I am here fighting for the people of Cuba," said Leydys de la Cruz, a 57-year-old seamstress who joined Tuesday's rally. “I would ask Trump to leave us in peace. The situation is very bad because of the blockade he’s imposed on us.”

Georgina Reyes, a 36-year-old IT technician, also pleaded with Trump: “I would tell him that we don’t hurt anyone. ... Please don’t hurt us.”

Trump has pressured for regime change in Cuba and threatened to take over the island while U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio — the son of Cuban immigrants — has demanded the release of political prisoners and liberal economic reforms.

The U.S. and Cuban governments have confirmed talks, but the extent of those is unclear.

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Follow AP’s Latin America coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

The development came after the powerful Iran-backed Iraqi militia Kataib Hezbollah said in a statement that it had decided to free Kittleson, who was abducted on March 31. Its condition was that Kittleson must “leave the country immediately” upon her release.

Two officials within the militia, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly, told The Associated Press that in exchange for freeing Kittleson, several members of the group who had previously been detained by Iraqi authorities would be released.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed Kittleson's release in a statement early Wednesday. He said on X, “We are relieved that this American is now freed and are working to support her safe departure from Iraq.”

Rubio thanked Iraqi authorities, as well as the FBI and U.S. Defense Department and other U.S. agencies for their work toward securing Kittleson’s release.

A one-off release

According to one of two Iraqi officials who confirmed her release before the U.S. announcement, Kittleson was freed in the afternoon. The officials, who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly, did not share her current whereabouts but said that prior to her release, Kittleson had been held in Baghdad.

In its statement, Kataib Hezbollah said its decision came “in appreciation of the patriotic stances of the outgoing" Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, without giving more details.

It added that “this initiative will not be repeated in the future.”

In Mount Horeb, Wisconsin, Kittleson's mother told a reporter who knocked on her door Tuesday that FBI agents were at her home. A number of people could be seen sitting at Barb Kittleson’s kitchen table.

Initially she said that her daughter had not yet been freed, but when a reporter returned later, she said she did not know if her daughter had been released or not. No update from the Kittleson family was immediately available after Rubio confirmed her release.

Caroline Clancy, a spokesperson for the FBI’s Milwaukee field office, declined to comment.

Kataib Hezbollah had not previously acknowledged that it abducted Kittleson, although both U.S. and Iraqi officials had blamed the group.

A respected journalist in conflict zones

Kittleson, 49, had lived abroad for years before the kidnapping, using Rome as her base for a time and building a respected journalism career across the Middle East, particularly in Iraq and Syria. Like many freelancers, she often worked on a shoestring budget and without the protections afforded by large news organizations to staff.

She had entered Iraq again shortly before her abduction. U.S. officials have said that they warned her multiple times of threats against her, but that she did not want to leave.

Iraqi officials have said that two cars were involved in the kidnapping, one of which crashed while being pursued near the town of al-Haswa in Babil province, southwest of Baghdad. The journalist was then transferred to a second car that fled the scene.

Three other Iraqi officials said earlier Tuesday that attempts to negotiate her release had run into obstacles. The two Iraqi security officials and one official from the pro-Iran Coordination Framework political bloc spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the sensitive case publicly.

A shadowy militia group

According to one of the security officials, a member of the Popular Mobilization Forces, a coalition of Iran-backed militias that is nominally under the control of the Iraqi military, had been tasked with communicating with the abductors to secure Kittleson’s release but had run into difficulties in communicating with the Kataib Hezbollah leadership.

“The primary challenge is that the leaders of the Kataib militia — specifically, the commanders of the battalions — are nowhere to be found. No one knows their whereabouts, and the process of establishing contact with them is extremely complex,” the security officials said.

“These leaders have gone underground, maintaining no active lines of communication, out of fear of being targeted,” they added.

According to the officials, a message had been sent to the Kataib leadership to determine their demands in exchange for releasing Kittleson. Iraqi authorities were willing to release six Kataib Hezbollah members who are currently detained, most of them in connection with attacks on a U.S. base in Syria, they said.

Kataib Hezbollah has previously been accused of kidnapping foreigners.

Elizabeth Tsurkov, a Princeton graduate student with Israeli and Russian citizenship, disappeared in Baghdad in 2023. After she was freed and handed over to U.S. authorities in September 2025, she said that she had been held by Kataib Hezbollah.

The group never officially claimed responsibility for kidnapping Tsurkov.

Iran-backed militias in Iraq have also launched regular attacks on U.S. facilities in the country since the beginning of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.

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Associated Press writers Todd Richmond in Mount Horeb, Wisconsin, Abby Sewell in Beirut and Matthew Lee and Eric Tucker in Washington contributed to this report.

Staley released a statement on South Carolina's X account on Tuesday in which she expressed her respect for Auriemma and said the two have spoken since South Carolina’s 62-48 victory on Friday night. The season ended with UCLA's runaway 79-51 win over South Carolina in Sunday's national championship game.

“With the college women’s basketball season behind us, it’s time to move forward and close the chapter on how our semifinal game with UConn ended,” Staley wrote in her statement. "I spoke with Geno and I want to be clear — I have a great deal of respect for him and what he’s meant to the game. One moment doesn’t define a career and it doesn’t change the impact he’s had on growing women’s basketball.

“The standard at UConn is what it is because of him, and that’s something this game has benefited from. So I’m asking everyone to turn the page. Let’s refocus on what matters most, continuing to elevate our game, creating opportunities and pushing it forward. That’s always been my mission, and it’s not changing.”

Staley's statement followed Auriemma's apology on Saturday after he went over to Staley in the final seconds of Friday night's game and appeared to chastise her. Coaches from both teams had to separate them. When the game finally ended, Auriemma walked off the court to the locker room without going back to shake hands with anyone from South Carolina.

Auriemma said in a statement on Saturday that there was no excuse for how he handled the end of the game against South Carolina. Tuesday night he released a statement saying he had spoken to Staley, her staff and team, and again expressed his apologies.

“I apologized to Dawn, her staff and her team,” Auriemma said. "I’ve lost more games in the Final Four than any coach in history. But Friday I lost something more important. I lost myself.

"Those who know me know I have nothing but respect and admiration for the game and the coaches who coach it. Dawn and her team deserved to win, and they deserved better from me.

"Women’s basketball deserved better. My university, my athletes, my former players and our fans deserved better.

“Dawn and I have agreed to move on, and we hope the focus will shift back to the growth in women’s basketball. The game deserves it.”

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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

“Nobody has any idea why the attorney general is no longer the attorney general, and I’m the acting attorney general, except for President Trump,” Todd Blanche told reporters when asked at an unrelated news conference if Bondi lost her job because she was not successful in bringing criminal cases against the Republican president's perceived adversaries.

Blanche, the deputy attorney general for the last year, was elevated to the top job on at least an acting basis after Trump replaced Bondi. He insisted Tuesday that he did not feel "pressure" in the job despite Trump's well-publicized desire for retribution, though he also said that the president was entitled to seek investigations against former government officials he believes have wronged him.

“We have thousands of ongoing investigations and prosecutions going on in this country right now. And it is true that some of them involve men, women and entities that the president in the past has had issues with and believes should be investigated. That is his right, and indeed it is his duty to do that," Blanche said.

Blanche demurred when asked if he was interested in being nominated to the role of attorney general.

“If President Trump chooses to keep me as acting,” Blanche said, “that's an honor. If he chooses to nominate me, that's an honor. If he chooses to nominate somebody else and I go back to being the DAG, that’s an honor. If he chooses to nominate somebody else and asks me to go do something else, I will say, ‘Thank you very much. I love you, sir.’ I don't have any goals or aspirations beyond that.”

Blanche used his first news conference in his new role as acting attorney general to herald a redoubled effort in fighting fraud, offering details about a new fraud enforcement division that he said would draw in prosecutors from offices across the country. The Senate last month confirmed a veteran prosecutor and Blanche aide, Colin McDonald, to lead that division.

The detention of 22-year-old Annie Ramos, the Honduran born-wife of a U.S. Army staff sergeant preparing to deploy, prompted public backlash from critics of the Trump administration's mass deportation campaign who warned it demoralized troops during an ongoing war.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Ramos’ mother-in-law, Jen Rickling, confirmed her release to The Associated Press. The New York Times first reported Ramos' release.

Ramos, who married Staff Sgt. Matthew Blank in March, had been detained by federal immigration agents while attempting to register at his base to receive military benefits and ultimately obtain a green card. She had lived in the country since she was less than 2 years old. DHS said Ramos had been ordered removed by a federal immigration judge in 2005 after her family had failed to appear for a hearing.

Ramos and her husband say she has been attempting to gain legal status, including by applying for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in 2020 though her application remained stalled amid legal battles to eliminate the program.

“All I have ever wanted is to live with dignity in the country I have called home since I was a baby,” Ramos said in a statement to the AP after her release. “I want to finish my degree, continue my education, and serve my community — just as my husband serves our country with honor.”

A spokeswoman for U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, a Democrat from Arizona, said that Kelly had called DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin regarding Ramos’ detention. Blank has family in Arizona.

“I’m happy Annie is back with her husband and family where she belongs,” Kelly said in a statement. “They never should have gone through this painful process, but far too many families like theirs are because of this administration.”

DHS told the AP that Ramos had been released with a GPS monitor “while she undergoes further removal proceedings.”

“She will receive full due process,” DHS said.

The Trump administration has scrapped policies of immigration enforcement leniency toward the family members of military personnel and veterans, even as the military has promoted the protection of U.S. soldiers' family members from deportation as a recruiting incentive.

Ramos said she plans to continue studying biochemistry and focusing on enjoying married life with her husband.

“As Matthew continues preparing for his long career in the military, my focus now is on securing my status, continuing my studies, and building our life together,” Ramos said. “We want to create a home, a future, and a family. This experience has been incredibly difficult, but it has also reminded me of the power of faith, love, and community. I am hopeful for what comes next.”

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Associated Press reporter Juan Lozano contributed reporting from Houston.

___

Brook is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

The opinion said Customs and Border Protection officers have limited authority to cancel visas and can't do so for suspected smuggling of biological samples. The cancellation of Kseniia Petrova 's visa was arbitrary and capricious, U.S. District Court Judge Christina Reiss said in her written ruling.

“The undisputed facts reveal that Ms. Petrova’s visa was impermissibly canceled because of the frog embryo samples and for no other reason,” Reiss wrote.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which includes Customs and Border Protection, didn't immediately return an email message seeking comment.

In February last year, Petrova was returning from a vacation in France, where she had stopped at a lab specializing in splicing superfine sections of frog embryos and obtained a package of samples for research. She was questioned about the samples while passing through a customs checkpoint at Boston Logan International Airport.

After an interrogation, Petrova was told her visa was being canceled.

Petrova was briefly detained by immigration officials in Vermont, where she filed a petition seeking her release. She was later sent to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Louisiana.

She told The Associated Press in an interview last year that she did not realize the samples needed to be declared and was not trying to sneak anything into the country. Petrova has been back in her Harvard lab since January after successfully petitioning a court for the right to return to work, her attorney, Gregory Romanovsky, said.

Tuesday's ruling was an important step toward “correcting what should never have happened in the first place,” Romanovsky said in a statement.

Petrova’s case is being closely watched by the scientific community, with some fearing it could impact recruiting and retaining foreign scientists at U.S. universities.

Rivers' reason: grandkids.

And put simply, he sounds like someone who wants to spent more time with them.

“I won't answer that, but I have grandkids that I want to see,” Rivers told reporters when asked before the Bucks' game in Brooklyn about his future. "I'll put it that way. I'll let you figure it out from there."

The 64-year-old Rivers is going into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame this summer. Only Gregg Popovich, Don Nelson, Lenny Wilkens, Jerry Sloan and Pat Riley have more coaching wins than Rivers — who won the NBA title as a coach with Boston in 2008.

Milwaukee came into the season with championship aspirations, built again around perennial All-Star and former MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and further bolstered by the acquisition of Myles Turner in free agency last summer. But injuries doomed Milwaukee; the Bucks started 8-5, then lost seven consecutive games to fall under .500 and that's where they stayed the rest of the way.

They haven't been a top-eight team in the Eastern Conference since mid-November, wound up fielding trade offers for Antetokounmpo in February — ultimately deciding to keep him, at least for now — and now are embroiled in a war of words with their best player. He says he wants to play even though the Bucks are out of the playoff picture; the team has kept him out citing injuries.

Antetokounmpo has appeared in 36 games this season, by far the fewest of his 13-year career. The constant speculation about his future in Milwaukee has grated on Rivers for some time, prompting him to say last week that it has been bothersome to incessantly have to deal with questions about the relationship between Antetokounmpo and the franchise.

“The tough part about all this is I’m in the middle when I have nothing to do with it,” Rivers said Friday. “Coaches don’t decide any of this. But, the problem with our league is the coaches are the ones sitting out front and we have to sit here and answer this stuff. And I think there are two sides to this. I will tell you that.”

Antetokounmpo's future with the team is certain to be a major topic in the offseason. And now, Rivers' will be as well.

He sounded somewhat reflective last week when formally announced as a Hall inductee.

“Without the players that I’ve coached, without the coaches that I’ve coached with, I wouldn’t be here,” Rivers said when announced as part of this year’s Hall class. “None of us live in isolation. We all live and breathe with other people, and other people help us get to places we are.”

Rivers joined the Bucks midway through the 2023-24 season. He has a number of interests outside of coaching, would likely be a sought-after broadcaster — he's done TV work before — if he steps down from coaching, and indicated that it's difficult to not be present around young grandchildren.

"I have seven grandkids now and they're all 8 years and under," Rivers said. “And it kills me every time I miss grandparents' day with each one of them in school. And it's probably time to go see them more. So, I'll let you figure out the rest.”

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

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EDITOR’S NOTE: This story includes discussion of domestic violence. If you or someone you know needs help, please call the national domestic violence hotline: 1-800-799-7233 in the U.S.

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Gerhardt Konig, 47, had a plan and backup plans for murdering his wife, Arielle Konig, during a weekend trip to Honolulu for her birthday in March 2025, deputy prosecutor Joel Garner said. He tried to push her off a cliff, and when that didn't work he tried to stab her with a syringe filled with an unknown substance.

And when that didn't work, he grabbed the rock, Garner said.

“Every backup plan ends in Arielle’s death,” Garner said, displaying the rock and photos of her injuries.

The doctor's lawyer told jurors Tuesday there were no such plans, and he repeatedly sought to cast doubt on Arielle Konig's account. Gerhardt Konig has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder, and he insists he was defending himself from his wife, who he says attacked him with the rock first.

If Gerhardt Konig had wanted to kill his wife and had access to a syringe in a remote area, attorney Thomas Otake suggested, wouldn't he have drugged her and then thrown her from the cliff, rather than having started a scuffle before attempting to fill the syringe as he was wrestling with her?

“You would use the syringe first,” Otake said. “It makes no sense.”

The trial started last month, nearly a year after Gerhadt and Arielle Konig went on a hike on the Pali Puka trail in Honolulu that ended with her bloodied and screaming that he had tried to kill her.

Their two young sons stayed home on Maui while the Konigs were on the trip. Near a lookout offering sweeping views, Gerhardt Konig — upset about his wife's relationship with a coworker — attacked her, Garner said. It was only because two other hikers interrupted the assault that he stopped, Garner said.

The trial, with testimony livestreamed by Court TV, has aired the couple's marital problems leading up to the hike, along with their versions of what happened on the trail.

Gerhardt Konig testified that his wife was having an affair, which he confirmed by unlocking her phone while she slept. The relationship, which Arielle Konig characterized as an “emotional affair” involving flirty messages with a coworker, came up during the hike.

Arielle Konig testified that her husband grabbed her and moved her toward the cliff's edge but she threw herself on the ground in an attempt to hold on. He straddled her and had a syringe in his hand, she said, but she batted it away. She bit his forearm and squeezed his testicles in attempt to get him off her, she said.

Her husband denied pushing her toward the edge and testified that she hit him with a rock on the side of his face. He wrestled the rock away and hit her with it twice in self-defense, he said.

“He reacted, and then he felt horrible about it,” Otake said. “He never wanted to hurt her.”

But the prosecutor told the jury that all of the blood found on the rock and on clothing belonged to Arielle Konig, not her husband.

Gerhardt Konig also denied having any syringes on the mountain, or trying to stab his wife. His defense attorney said no syringe was found at the scene because he never had one.

Otake said Gerhardt Konig was not someone who would try to commit murder, but someone who was struggling with infidelity and trying to do his best. Otake quoted from a heart-shaped birthday card Gerhardt Konig had written to his wife, calling her “the heart of our family” and saying, “The kids and I hit the jackpot with you.”

Gerhardt Konig testified that as he watched his wife crawl away, he believed his marriage and career were over, and he decided to jump to his death. But first, he called his adult son from a previous marriage. The son told authorities that his father said he “tried to kill your stepmom” — a confession Gerhardt Konig denied having made.

During that call, the defendant made no reference to having struck his wife in self-defense, Garner said.

He spent about eight hours hiding on the mountain before deciding to come down, and even then he tried to flee when confronted by police, Garner said.

His wife has since filed for divorce.

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Associated Press writer Gene Johnson in Seattle contributed.

The 87-year-old country star, who is known for his topical satire, fell late last month, according to the statement released on his X account. He will need to wear a neck brace for about a month.

“He remains fully mobile & in good spirits," the statement said.

Stevens' decades-long recording career has included such hits as the Grammy-winning “Everything Is Beautiful" as well as the zany “The Streak," which captured the mid-1970s craze for running naked in public.

Born Harold Ray Ragsdale, Stevens's music was also known for its social commentary. In 1961, he recorded “Jeremiah Peabody’s Poly Unsaturated Quick Dissolving Fast Acting Pleasant Tasting Green and Purple Pills,” which made fun of the advertising industry.

His latest album is expected to be released Friday on Curb Records.

In July, Stevens suffered a mild heart attack and had heart surgery, according to a post on his X account. His performances at his CabaRay Showroom in Nashville, Tennessee, were canceled for the rest of the month as he recovered.

The vote — 11-2, with two abstentions from Pakistan and Colombia — took place shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump issued an unprecedented threat that a “whole civilization will die tonight" if Iran does not open the strategic waterway and make a deal. But late Tuesday, less than two hours before the deadline he set, Trump pulled back his threat.

Trump said he would suspend the threatened attack for two weeks provided Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. One-fifth of the world’s oil typically passes through the strait, and Iran’s stranglehold during the war has sent energy prices soaring.

Iran accepted the two-week ceasefire and said passage through the strait during this period would be allowed under Iranian military management. Trump said Iran has proposed a “workable” 10-point plan for ending the war.

Russia and China strongly defended their opposition to the U.N. resolution, both citing Trump's threat to end Iran’s civilization as confirmation that the proposal would have given the U.S. and Israel “carte blanche for continued aggression," as Russian envoy Vassily Nebenzia put it.

Nebenzia and China’s U.N. ambassador, Fu Cong, said the resolution failed to capture the root causes and full picture of the conflict by not showing that America and its closest ally started the now spiraling war.

Fu said in his statement that resolution was “highly susceptible to misinterpretation or even abuse,” and if it were adopted ”would send a wrong message and have serious, very serious consequences."

Russia and China immediately followed up by circulating a rival resolution, seen by The Associated Press, which urged all parties to halt military activities and condemned attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure. Nebenzia told reporters it was already in a form that could be put to a vote.

,The foreign minister of Bahrain, which authored the draft, assailed the U.N.'s most powerful body for not taking action and allowing the international community to be “held hostage to economic blackmail" from Iran.

Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani said failing to adopt the resolution sends “the signal that the threat to international waterways can pass without any decisive action by the international organization responsible for the maintenance of international peace and security.”

Al-Zayani told reporters that Gulf countries will intensify diplomatic efforts to deter Iran's attacks and safeguard freedom of navigation.

But Iran’s ambassador to the U.N. thanked its allies on the 15-member council for refusing to adopt the resolution.

“The text unjustifiably and misleadingly portrays Iran’s lawful measures in the Strait of Hormuz, which have been taken in the exercise of its inherent right of self-defense in accordance with the UN Charter, as threats to international peace and security,” Amir-Saeid Iravani said in his statement.

How the resolution evolved

It’s doubtful the resolution, even if it had been adopted, would have impacted the war, now in its sixth week, because it was been significantly weakened to try to get Moscow and Beijing to abstain rather than veto it.

The initial Gulf proposal would have authorized countries to use “all necessary means” — U.N. wording that would include military action — to ensure transit through the Strait of Hormuz and deter attempts to close it.

The United States, which had supported the draft from its original form, assailed the countries that objected to the resolution.

“No one should tolerate that they are holding the global economy at gunpoint," Mike Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., said of Iran, “but today, Russia and China did tolerate it.” He said in his statement: “They sided with a regime that seeks to intimidate the Gulf into submission, even as it brutalizes its own people during a national internet blackout, for daring to imagine dignity or freedom.”

After Russia, China and France, all veto-wielding members of the Security Council, expressed opposition to approving the use of force, the resolution was revised to eliminate all references to offensive action. It would have authorized only “all defensive means necessary.” A vote had been expected on Saturday.

But instead the resolution was further weakened to eliminate any reference to Security Council authorization — which is an order for action — and limit its provisions to the Strait of Hormuz. Previous drafts had included adjacent waters.

The resolution vetoed Tuesday would have “strongly” encouraged countries to coordinate their efforts to ensure the safety of navigation across the Strait of Hormuz, including escorting merchant and commercial vessels.

The resolution also demanded that Iran stop impeding freedom of navigation through the strait and attacking civilian infrastructure.

Why it was Bahrain pushing the UN resolution

In response to the U.S. and Israeli attacks beginning on Feb. 28, Iran has targeted hotels, airports, residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure in more than 10 countries, including the Islamic Republic's Gulf neighbors, some of the world’s

major exporters of oil and natural gas.

Iran's blockade in the strait is seen by Gulf nations as an existential threat. Bahrain, a Gulf nation that hosts the U.S. Fifth Fleet and is the Security Council’s Arab representative and its president this month, has been pressing for U.N. action.

In response to Iran’s strikes against its Gulf neighbors, the Security Council adopted a Bahrain-sponsored resolution on March 11 condemning the “egregious attacks” and calling for Tehran to immediately halt its strikes.

That resolution, adopted by a vote of 13-0 with Russia and China abstaining, also condemned Iran’s actions in the Strait of Hormuz as a threat to international peace and security and called for an immediate end to all actions blocking shipping.

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This version corrects the second reference to China's U.N. ambassador to Fu.

“I did not play here. I’m not from Carolina,” he said Tuesday evening during his introductory news conference at the Dean Smith Center. “But I think they’re ready to embrace somebody new. A new vision to try to get this program back to where we all want it to be.”

The Tar Heels hired the NBA championship-winning coach Tuesday, signing him to a six-year deal worth $50 million in base compensation.

Malone replaces Hubert Davis, who was fired on March 24 after five seasons as the successor to retired Hall of Famer Roy Williams.

The 54-year-old Malone spent 12 seasons as a head coach in the NBA, including a 10-year run in Denver. He led the Nuggets to the 2023 title behind three-time league MVP Nikola Jokic.

The Nuggets fired Malone last spring with less than a week left in that regular season. Almost a year later, Malone took over a blue-blood program with six national titles, a record 21 appearances in the Final Four and alums including Michael Jordan, James Worthy Vince Carter and Atlantic Coast Conference career scoring leader Tyler Hansbrough.

Malone said 10 to 12 former UNC players visited him in his arena office in the few hours after he arrived earlier Tuesday from Colorado.

“I think family is important,” he said. “It’s something we talked a lot about in Denver. I think it’s even more important in the college landscape because you’re talking about young men coming to your program.”

Malone said he rebuffed overtures from UNC — and then regretted it — early in the search process. Executive associate athletic director Steve Newmark, who’ll become the AD this summer, visited Malone’s Colorado home Sunday and persuaded him to accept the position.

“Coach Malone was the first coach we called and the first coach we talked to,” Newmark said. “And we ended in the right place.”

Malone said he realized that a coaching job like North Carolina becomes available only so often. Davis’ firing opened one of the top jobs in college basketball for only the fourth time since the late Hall of Famer Dean Smith’s retirement after 36 seasons in October 1997.

The job had stayed in the “Carolina Family” ever since. Longtime assistant Bill Guthridge replaced Smith, followed by former UNC player Matt Doherty, former Smith assistant Williams and then Davis, who played under Smith and worked on Williams’ staff.

“I have a chance to be a part of something special — the history, the tradition,” Malone said.

UNC also broke with tradition in December 2024 when it brought in a championship-winning pro coach to lead its football program, hiring Bill Belichick, who went 4-8 in his first season.

Malone’s six-year deal starts at $7.5 million in base compensation and rises to $9 million by the 2031-32 season. Malone can also earn incentives worth up to nearly $1.5 annually, while he has a buyout that starts at $8 million through April 1 and drops to $6.5 million in 2028 and $5 million in 2029 as it continues to decline over the life of the deal.

Additionally, the agreement requires a $4 million salary pool for assistant coaches and support staff, as well as for the school to commit no less than $6.75 million of its revenue-share allotment to men’s basketball.

Malone has never been a college head coach and has spent most of his career in the NBA. His primary connection to UNC athletics is the presence of daughter Bridget on the Tar Heels’ volleyball team. He said he attended multiple basketball practices — with Davis even asking him to speak to the team at least once — during his visits to Chapel Hill during the past season.

After 24 seasons in the NBA, he’ll face some challenges. One that he mentioned: adapting to games played with halves instead of quarters.

Soon to be part of the Tobacco Road rivalries, he’s determined to lead the Tar Heels back to the top.

“I want to add to that rivalry (with Duke),” Malone said. “I want to win. I didn’t come here to be second best. I didn’t come here to lose in the first round of the ACC Tournament.”

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AP Basketball Writer Aaron Beard in Indianapolis contributed to this report.

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Melby the manatee, rescued from a storm water drain in Melbourne Beach, was officially released at Ballard Park in Melbourne, drawing a large crowd of supporters eager to see him return to his natural habitat. The event drew residents, wildlife officials, and even the family of a children’s book author who turned Melby’s story into a lesson about resilience.

For Sara Russo and her 9-year-old twin daughters, Aven and Luna, the day was nothing short of a full-circle moment. Their Melbourne Beach home sits about 200 yards from where Melby was pulled from the ground - and they were there the night it happened.

“We knew that something was going on out of the norm,” Russo said. “There were school kids watching - around 2:30 is right when they had lifted up the cover and found him. And then, I think it was close to 10 o’clock when he was finally extricated from the ground, and we were there the entire time.”

The experience inspired Russo to write a children’s book, Melby and the Warm-Water Wrong Turn, which tells the rescue story from Melby’s perspective. She published it within about a week of the rescue.

“I honestly felt like the story was writing itself,” Russo said. “As it was happening, it just felt like - wow, this is meant to be told.”

The book carries a message that resonates well beyond manatees.

“The lesson is really about - if you make a wrong turn, or maybe you’re stuck in a place you didn’t mean to be, that is not the end of your story,” Russo said. “Even if you feel like your options are none, or you feel like you’re stuck in a place you don’t want to be - if you are patient, resilient, help will find you, and helpers are all around us as well.”

Russo’s daughters played a hands-on role in creating the book - and were front and center at the release.

“My daughters are 9-year-old twins, and since they were babies, reading and story time has just been a part of our daily rituals,” Russo said.

Russo said she used a combination of her own photography from the night of the rescue and graphic design tools to bring the book to life quickly.

As for Melby’s release day, Russo said she felt it deeply.

“For me today, personally, just because I’m so connected to this story, it feels like a full-circle moment,” she said. “It’s a little bit emotional, and I’m happy that he’s going to be well.”

The crowd’s energy was not lost on the wildlife professionals who orchestrated the release. Mallory McCormack, a senior zoological specialist on the SeaWorld rescue team, said the community’s presence made the day especially meaningful.

“I absolutely love when the community shows up and has the support of manatees,” McCormack said. “Melby deserves the support. And his story is really incredible.”

Blake Fawcett, an assistant research scientist with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), said the turnout reflected how invested the local community had become in Melby’s journey from the very beginning.

“It was awesome to see all the community involvement and just the support of everybody super invested in Melby’s story all the way through,” Fawcett said. “I think it’s just a part of the small town, and they just came together. A lot of people were actually there for his rescue as well, so I think they were just invested in it from the start.”

Before his release, wildlife officials took final measurements and scanned his microchip - a standard procedure before returning a manatee to the wild.

McCormack said Melby’s progress during his rehabilitation, including gaining more than 100 pounds, combined with strong bloodwork, made him a clear candidate for release.

Melby does not carry a satellite tracker, as those are typically reserved for younger, more inexperienced animals. He does, however, carry a microchip - similar to those used for dogs and cats - that would allow officials to identify him if he gets in trouble again.

Fawcett reminded attendees that the best way to help manatees is to report injured or distressed animals to the FWC hotline at 888-404-FWCC

Russo said she is already working on a second Melby book and has been sharing the story with schools as far away as Pennsylvania. The book is available on Amazon, on Kindle, and through select local retailers.

“I guess I’ll keep writing as long as Melby keeps swimming,” Russo said

On Truth Social, Trump posted that he would withhold “the bombing and attack of Iran” for two weeks, subject to Iran reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian officials said they had accepted a two-week ceasefire and that passage through the strait would be allowed for that same period.

The temporary agreement comes after weeks of the Republican president posting a slew of heated threats, announcing deadline delays and proclamations that the negotiations were going well, sometimes in the same statement.

That was true in Trump's Truth Social post before his now-suspended Tuesday 8 p.m. ET deadline. After threatening a “whole civilization," Trump had said Iran's new leaders were more reasonable and “maybe something revolutionarily wonderful can happen, WHO KNOWS?”

Trumps posts earlier in the day had raised the ante from his threats Monday, in which he said: “They’ll have no bridges. They’ll have no power plants. They’ll have no anything.”

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres previously warned the U.S. that attacks on civilian infrastructure are banned under international law, according to his office. Trump had said he's “not at all” concerned about committing war crimes with such attacks.

So how did Trump's deadline delays and threats escalate over the weeks leading up to Tuesday night?

An ultimatum about reopening the Strait of Hormuz

On March 21, Trump posted on Truth Social that the U.S. would “hit and obliterate” Iranian power plants if it did not fully reopen the strait within 48 hours.

Iran had until the evening of March 23.

Then, 12 hours before the deadline, Trump took to Truth Social to share what seemed good news: that both countries had productive conversations toward concluding the conflict.

He wrote that he had instructed the Pentagon to postpone any strikes on Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for five days, to give more time for talks.

That pushed the deadline out to the end of that week.

A threat to target desalination plants

Before that deadline, on March 26, Trump doubled down on his threats on Truth Social: “They better get serious soon, before it is too late, because once that happens, there is NO TURNING BACK, and it won’t be pretty!”

But later that day, he extended the deadline for 10 more days, to April 6 at 8 p.m. Eastern, and said on Truth Social that negotiations were “going very well.”

On March 30, Trump put out a mixed statement: celebrating progress in the talks with Iran while also expanding his threatened bombing if a deal wasn't “shortly reached,” adding that “it probably will be."

“We will conclude our lovely ‘stay’ in Iran by blowing up and completely obliterating all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalinization plants!),” he wrote.

It's unclear how soon “shortly reached” meant for Trump, but a deal was not made as the deadline loomed.

An expletive-filled threat to attack power plants and bridges

“Remember when I gave Iran ten days to MAKE A DEAL or OPEN UP THE HORMUZ STRAIT," Trump said in a Truth Social post on Saturday, "Time is running out - 48 hours before all Hell will reign down on them.” He meant rain down.

As the deadline approached, his posts had doubled down on his threats until Sunday, when Trump pushed it again in an expletive-filled post.

“Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the F——-in’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell,” Trump said on Truth Social, followed by another post that specified 8 p.m. as the deadline.

Trump then suggested on Monday that Tuesday's deadline would be final, saying he'd already given Iran enough extensions.

“The entire country can be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night,” Trump said. “We have a plan, because of the power of our military, where every bridge in Iran will be decimated by 12 o’clock tomorrow night.”

By Tuesday morning, Trump had sent his statement saying “a whole civilization will die tonight,” to which he added that “I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will.”

What's next for diplomacy with Iran?

Tuesday night, Trump said that Iran has proposed a “workable” 10-point peace plan that could help end the war the U.S. and Israel launched on Feb. 28.

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said it has accepted a two-week ceasefire and that it would negotiate with the U.S. starting Friday, but added in its statement that “this does not signify the termination of the war.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said passage through the Strait of Hormuz would be allowed for the next two weeks under Iranian military management, though it wasn’t immediately clear whether that meant Iran would loosen its chokehold on the waterway.

In his post, Trump said that “Almost all of the various points of past contention have been agreed to between the United States and Iran, but a two-week period will allow the Agreement to be finalized and consummated."

The Texas Rangers are also helping look into allegations of neglect, according to the Texas Department of Safety, although the scope of the state’s elite investigations unit was not immediately clear.

The investigations underscore the hurdles facing Camp Mystic as it pushes ahead with reopening plans over the outrage of the families of the 25 girls and two teenage counselors who died in the July 4 floods. More than 850 families have signed up to return to the Christian, all-girls camp this summer if it is allowed to reopen a portion of the camp that did not flood.

The Department of State Health Services said that since February, the agency has received “hundreds of complaints regarding Camp Mystic’s operations in the summer of 2025” alleging violations of state laws governing youth camps. The agency said it asked for help from state police.

The Texas Department of Public Safety said the Texas Rangers joined an “investigation regarding complaints of neglect” during the flood. Neither agency released details. The camp did not evacuate and was hit hard when the river rose from 14 feet (4.2 meters) to 29.5 feet (9 meters) within 60 minutes before dawn.

A letter sent Tuesday from the health agency to the camp owners informed them of the agency’s investigation, but made no mention of the Texas Rangers being involved.

Lawyers for the families of the girls who were killed and the Camp Mystic owners did not immediately respond to email messages requesting comment.

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick called the Texas Rangers’ involvement a “criminal investigation” and said the state should not grant the camp a license to reopen until that probe and another one by state lawmakers are complete.

“I urge you to prioritize safety and do everything in your power to ensure Camp Mystic and/or their operators are not allowed to operate until the facts are in,” Patrick wrote in a letter Tuesday to the head of the health agency.

Families of several of the girls who died have sued the camp’s operators, arguing that camp officials failed to take necessary steps to protect the campers as life-threatening floodwaters approached. A district judge last month ordered the camp owners to preserve damaged cabins and other parts of the grounds in the flooded area as the lawsuits proceed.

The body of one of the campers killed, 8-year old Cile Steward, has not yet been recovered. DPS officials said the search for the girl continues.

Richard Eastland, one of the camp owners, was also killed. All told, the destructive flooding killed at least 136 people along a several-mile stretch of the river, raising questions about how things went so terribly wrong.

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This story has been corrected to show that Richard Eastland, not Edward Eastland, was killed in the flooding.

The eldest child of the U.S. president said that “the biggest players, the biggest names in banking and finance, in tech and AI across the board” believe that “Europe is a disaster,” but “the disaster that they feel also needs to be fixed.”

“The only way it gets fixed, though, in my opinion is if they (Europe) get out of of their own way,” Trump Jr. said during a business discussion in the northwestern Bosnian city of Banja Luka, according to video recordings provided by the official television RTRS television.

Banja Luka is a key city in Republika Srpska, the Serb-run part of Bosnia, whose leaders are staunch admirers of U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The press office of the U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo, Bosnia’s capital, told The Associated Press in an email that Trump Jr. came “in a private capacity.” The visit was nonetheless seen here as a boost for the Serb separatist political leadership.

Trump Jr.’s trip came as U.S. Vice President JD Vance traveled to Hungary to support the reelection bid of nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán before a highly-contested vote next weekend.

Bosnian Serb politician and former Republika Srpska president, Milorad Dodik, an ally of Orbán, said on X that the two visits “signal an important shift of the U.S. administration under the leadership of President Trump and the care for this part of Europe regarding the position of Christians.”

Trump Jr,, in Banja Luka, said that eastern European countries “have a work ethic that has (withstood) some of the ‘woke’ nonsense that has really been a parasitic thing in the mind in Western Europe.”

“I see that creating major fractures in the European Union between those few countries in eastern Europe that actually still believe in common sense, and Western Europe that’s clearly missing in the political discourse these days,” he said.

Dodik has repeatedly called for the Serb-run half of Bosnia to break off from the rest of the country that is run by Bosniaks, who are mainly Muslims, and Croats. The Serb bid to form its own state and unite with neighboring Serbia was seen as the main cause of the 1992-95 ethnic war that killed more than 100,000 before ending in a U.S.-brokered peace agreement.

The Biden administration in 2022 imposed sanctions on Dodik and individuals and companies linked to him because of the separatist policies that stoked fear of renewed instability. The sanctions were lifted by the Trump administration last year.

The Trump administration has long been critical of the EU, notably over trade and EU regulation of the technology sector. Its criticism of long-time European allies has intensified during the Iran war.

Bosnia is a candidate country for EU membership and the 27-nation bloc says it's Bosnia’s biggest trading partner, investor and provider of financial aid.

President Donald Trump's latest threat over the Iran war hit a new extreme Tuesday as he warned, “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” if Iran failed to make a deal that includes reopening the vital Strait of Hormuz.

The Republican president's comments were swiftly met with condemnation from Democrats, some “Make America Great Again” supporters who have since broken with Trump, and the first American pope. Some fellow Republicans suggested his comments were a negotiating tactic.

It followed his threats in recent days that he would be “blasting Iran into oblivion” and “back to the Stone Ages!!!” He said he would blow up bridges and civilian power plants, which experts in military law said could constitute a war crime. And on Easter morning, he wrote on his social media account: “Open the F——-in’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell.”

Just over an hour before his 8 p.m. deadline, Trump announced he was pulling back from his threats of widespread strikes, subject to Iran agreeing to a two-week ceasefire and to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's Supreme National Security Council said it had accepted a two-week ceasefire in the war.

But Trump’s intensifying warnings of widespread and seemingly indiscriminate destruction were a sea change from his January pledge to the people of Iran that “HELP IS ON ITS WAY” after a brutal crackdown on protests. They were the antithesis of the peacemaking image he spent much of the last year trying to cultivate as he sought a Nobel Peace Prize.

And, most urgently, they raised questions about whether the president was threatening actions that could be considered war crimes, whether he is considering using a nuclear weapon or whether it is all bluster.

The president’s extraordinary threat to wipe out Iran's “civilization” Tuesday morning came as the conflict with Iran reached a precipice. Iran rejected the Americans’ latest ceasefire proposal, and the Middle Eastern country’s president said 14 million people, including himself, have volunteered to fight. Meanwhile, there were international calls for restraint, and officials involved in diplomatic efforts said talks were ongoing.

Experts said that Trump's threats to blow up bridges and power plants could constitute a war crime depending on whether the power plants were legitimate military targets, whether any attacks were proportional compared with what Iran has done and whether civilian casualties were minimized.

Trump on Monday defended his profane language, saying he used it only to make a point, and said he’s “not at all” concerned that his threats could amount to a war crime.

In response to the criticism Trump’s comments received, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in a statement: “As President Trump has said, Iran can never have a nuclear weapon, and the Iranian people welcome the sound of bombs because it means their oppressors are losing. The President will always stand with innocent civilians while annihilating the terrorists responsible for threatening our country and the entire world with a nuclear weapon. Greater destruction can be avoided if the regime understands the seriousness of this moment and makes a deal with the United States.”

Trump's comments drew condemnation and hopes that it was bluster

Sen. Todd Young, an Indiana Republican and a Marine Corps veteran, said that what Trump is “clearly trying to accomplish” is to “bring this whole effort to a close and that’s the best way to preserve lives and property and reduce suffering.”

“The president clearly, to me, wants to increase the amount of leverage he has immediately so that we can bring this conflict to a close and avoid further bloodshed or suffering from the Iranians, from the Americans or from any other people.”

Sen. Ron Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican and a stalwart Trump ally, said Monday before the president's annihilation warning that he hoped Trump's threats to bomb power plants and bridges were bombast.

“I am hoping and praying that President Trump is, this really is bluster. I do not want to see us start blowing up civilian infrastructure. I do not want to see that,” Johnson said on a podcast. “We are not at war with the Iranian people. We are trying to liberate them.”

Democratic leaders in the House said in a joint statement that Trump's “statement threatening to eradicate an entire civilization shocks the conscience.” Their Senate counterparts said it was “a betrayal of the values this nation was founded on, and a moral failure.”

Pope Leo XIV said any attacks on civilian infrastructure violate international law and called the president’s comments “truly unacceptable.”

Former Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, once a stalwart MAGA supporter who has since turned critic of the president, suggested invoking the 25th Amendment, under which the vice president and a majority of Cabinet members declare a president unfit for office and remove him.

“Not a single bomb has dropped on America. We cannot kill an entire civilization. This is evil and madness,” she wrote on X.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, an Alaska Republican who often breaks with the president, called Trump's latest threat “an affront to the ideals our nation has sought to uphold and promote around the world for nearly 250 years.”

Trump's history of inflammatory threats

Roseanne McManus, a professor of political science at Penn State University whose research has focused on international security and how countries signal their intentions in ongoing or potential conflict, said presidential threats of force traditionally had some restraint and subtlety.

But Trump, dating back to his first term, has broken with those norms, she said. That was most notable when he warned North Korea in 2017 that it would see “fire and fury like the world has never seen” if it made more threats against the U.S., raising fears of a nuclear escalation. He later said he and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un “fell in love,” and the threats largely stopped.

Since returning to the White House last year, he has made more incendiary threats and moves.

Last summer, he joined Israel in striking Iran's nuclear sites, a move that came before a self-imposed timeline for action ran out. Earlier this year, he launched a brazen strike that captured Venezuela's authoritarian president, Nicolás Maduro, and brought him to the U.S. for trial.

He has also suggested using military force to take control of Greenland and has said he believes he’ll have “the honor of taking Cuba” soon, but he has so far not followed through on those threats.

Trump has referred to his unpredictability as an asset, McManus said, and has seemed to lean into the “Madman Theory,” attributed to former President Richard Nixon, that aims to deter adversaries by convincing them he’s unpredictable enough to carry out an extreme action.

His actions over the last year, along with increasingly frequent over-the-top threats in recent days to Iran, seem to show that “he’s been leaning into the strategy to a greater extent in his second term.”

“I think the fact that Trump is willing to shatter these norms with his rhetoric could suggest that he is not restrained by the same sorts of things that would restrain a normal leader,” she said.

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Associated Press writers Steven Sloan and Stephen Groves in Washington and Nicole Winfield in Rome contributed to this report.

Southwest Airlines announced Tuesday that starting April 20 passengers will only be able to carry one charger on their planes, and they won't be allowed to put it in the overhead bin or in their checked luggage. The airline already requires passengers to keep their chargers in the open while they are using them, so flight attendants can act quickly if they start to overheat.

The new Southwest rule goes even further than the limit of two chargers per passenger that the International Civil Aviation Organization recommended last month. But the airline says it isn't going to aggressively enforce the policy by searching bags and confiscating chargers. Instead, Southwest's Vice President of Safety and Security Dave Hunt said the airline will stress this to travelers when they book their flights and arrive at the airport while explaining the potential dangers.

That alone might be a big help because most people don't seem to be aware of the risks, said Jeff Marootian, who is CEO of UL Standards & Engagement, which establishes the guidelines for the makers of these chargers and other electronic devices.

“A huge part of the concern here is seeing that number of incidents continue to increase, correlating, of course, to the number of devices that people are bringing on planes,” he said.

The Federal Aviation Administration said more lithium battery incidents are reported every year and hit 97 in 2025 as everyone carries more re-chargable devices like phones, iPads, laptops and these portable chargers. Marootian said that his organization hears about two incidents every week, and reported a 42% increase in the number of incidents involving portable chargers in 2025.

One of the worst happened in January 2025 when a devastating fire aboard an Air Busan plane waiting to take off from an airport in South Korea forced the evacuation of all 176 people aboard before the fire burned through the plane's roof.

Flight attendants have fire-resistant bags and insulated gloves to put overheating devices into to contain any potential blaze. Southwest’s Hunt said the airline’s new rule will “strengthen our ability to contain and mitigate lithium battery incidents, including reducing the risk of battery fires.”

To help make the rule workable for passengers, Southwest plans to equip all of its planes with in-seat power by the middle of next year.

Aviation safety expert Steve Arroyo, who flew for United Airlines for 37 years, said he thinks Southwest's new policy is a positive step to reduce the risk. Even though the number of fires is small compared to the roughly 100,000 flights every day around the globe, the potential consequences of a battery fire can be disastrous.

“It can turn into something very serious very quickly,” Arroyo said.

Here's a short breakdown of some of the issues at play.

Could this raise war crimes questions?

In his news conference on Monday, Trump threatened to blow up every bridge and power plant in Iran, an action that would be so far-reaching that some experts in military law said it could constitute a war crime. The issue could turn on whether the power plants were legitimate military targets, whether the attacks were proportional compared with what Iran has done and whether civilian casualties were minimized.

Trump’s threat did not seem to account for the harm to civilians, prompting Democrats in Congress, some U.N. officials and scholars in military law to say such strikes would violate international law.

The president’s eventual actions often fall short of his all-encompassing rhetoric in the moment, but his warnings about the power plants and bridges were unambiguous both on Sunday and Monday as he set a deadline of Tuesday night for Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump said Monday that he’s “not at all” concerned about committing war crimes as he continues to threaten destruction. He also warned that every power plant will be “burning, exploding and never to be used again.”

He followed up Tuesday morning with this threat on Truth Social: “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will.” Trump pulled back on that threat Tuesday night, and Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said it had accepted a two-week ceasefire.

Last month, shortly after the war started, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said there would be “no stupid rules of engagement, no nation building quagmire, no democracy building exercise, no politically correct wars. We fight to win and we don’t waste time or lives.”

What the U.N. and experts say about Trump's words

A spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday warned that attacking such infrastructure is banned under international law.

“Even if specific civilian infrastructure were to qualify as a military objective,” Stephane Dujarric said, an attack would still be prohibited if it risks “excessive incidental civilian harm.”

Rachel VanLandingham, a Southwestern Law School professor who served as a judge advocate general in the U.S. Air Force, said civilians are likely to die if power is cut to hospitals and water treatment plans. “What Trump is saying is, ‘We don’t care about precision, we don’t care about impact on civilians, we’re just going to take out all of Iranian power generating capacity,’” the retired lieutenant colonel said.

Shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint in the Persian Gulf through which 20% of the world’s oil normally flows, has been all but halted, sending oil prices soaring and roiling the stock market.

Under the U.N. Charter, nations are only permitted to use force against another nation if it has been authorized by the Security Council or in self-defense, said Marieke de Hoon, an associate professor of international criminal law at the University of Amsterdam.

What Trump is threatening to attack

As the conflict has entered its second month, Trump has escalated his warnings to bomb Iran’s infrastructure, including Kharg Island, central to Iran’s oil industry, and desalination plants that provide drinking water.

In a Truth Social post on March 30, Trump warned that the U.S. would obliterate “all of their Electric Generating Plants, Oil Wells and Kharg Island (and possibly all desalinization plants!), which we have purposefully not yet ‘touched.’”

On Easter Sunday, Trump threatened in an expletive-laden post that Iran will face “Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one,” while adding that “you’ll be living in Hell” unless the strait reopens.

“This strikes me as clearly a threat of unlawful action,” said Michael Schmitt, a professor emeritus at the U.S. Naval War College and an international law professor at the University of Reading in Britain.

A power facility can be attacked under the laws of armed conflict if it provides electricity to a military base in addition to civilians, Schmitt said. But the strike must not “cause disproportionate harm to the civilian population, and you’ve done everything to minimize that harm.”

Harm does not include inconvenience or fear, said Schmitt, who has taught military commanders. But it does mean severe mental suffering, physical injury or illness.

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Associated Press journalists Ben Finley, Lindsay Whitehurst, Gary Fields and Mike Corder contributed to this report.

Jay Rothman had refused an offer from the board of regents to quietly resign, saying it never gave a clear reason why he should. Rothman has led the system that oversees the state’s four-year universities, including the flagship Madison campus, for nearly four years.

Rothman has to tread carefully dealing with a Republican-controlled Legislature and a board of regents where all current members were appointed by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers. When Rothman was hired, the board also had a majority of Evers appointees.

Asked Monday about the move to oust Rothman, Evers didn’t take a side. “It’s their call,” he said of the board.

But Republican lawmakers were furious and threatened to fire regents who have yet to be confirmed by the state Senate.

“Make no mistake about it, the firing of UW President Rothman is a blatant partisan hatchet job,” Republican Senate President Patrick Testing said in a statement.

He said Rothman was fired for “not being liberal enough.”

“His only crime was his willingness to work with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to get things done,” Testin said.

The vote to fire Rothman came just five days after The Associated Press first reported that the regents asked Rothman to either resign or be fired. Rothman said in two letters to the regents that he would not leave voluntarily without knowing what he did wrong.

Regent President Amy Bogost said in a statement Monday that the board has shared results of a performance review with Rothman, with “direct conversations and clear feedback regarding leadership expectations.” She said the system needs “a clear vision” but did not elaborate on the review’s findings.

She repeated the statement Tuesday following a roughly 30-minute closed session regents meeting. No other regents spoke before the vote to fire Rothman, effective immediately.

Rothman said in an earlier statement Tuesday that regents repeatedly declined to cite a specific reason for finding no confidence in his leadership. No one ever indicated to him that an evaluation could lead to termination, he said, adding that Bogost called his review “overwhelmingly positive.”

“It is disappointing that the first I heard any sort of defense of their position was when they communicated with the media,” Rothman said. “I am left to conclude that, at best, this reflects an after-the-fact rationalization of a decision that was previously made.”

Rothman declined to comment after the vote.

The state Senate’s committee that oversees higher education scheduled a hearing for Thursday for 10 regents whose appointments by Evers have yet to be confirmed. Testin called for the Senate to reject all 10, which would mean they could no longer serve as regents.

However, the Senate is not scheduled to be in session again this year.

Rothman has served as president of the 165,000-student, multicampus system since June 2022. The former chair and CEO of the Milwaukee-based Foley & Lardner law firm, Rothman had no prior experience administering higher education.

He has spent his tenure lobbying Republican legislators to increase state aid for the system in the face of federal cuts, navigating free speech issues surrounding pro-Palestinian protests, and grappling with declining enrollment that has forced eight branch campuses to close. Overall enrollment across the system has remained steady under his leadership.

Rothman brokered a deal with Republicans in 2023 that called for freezing diversity hires and creating a position at UW-Madison focused on conservative thought in exchange for the Legislature releasing money for UW employee raises and tens of millions of dollars for construction projects across the system.

The regents initially rejected the deal only to approve it in a second vote held just days later. Evers said at the time the deal left him disappointed and frustrated.

The fight over Rothman’s future comes as the flagship Madison campus is losing its chancellor. Jennifer Mnookin is leaving in May at the end of the current academic year to take the job as president of Columbia University.

Rothman makes $600,943 annually as UW president. He can be fired for no stated reason and he has no appeal rights, said Wisconsin employment law attorney Tamara Packard, who reviewed Rothman’s contract at the AP’s request.

It was the first moonship-to-spaceship radio linkup ever. NASA's Apollo crews had no off-the-planet company back in the 1960s and 1970s, the last time humanity set sail for deep space.

"We have been waiting for this like you can’t imagine,” Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman called out.

For Christina Koch on Artemis II and Jessica Meir aboard the space station, it marked a joyous space reunion despite being 230,000 miles (370,000 kilometers) apart. The two teamed up for the world's first all-female spacewalk in 2019 outside the orbiting lab.

Koch told her “astro-sister” that she'd hoped to meet up with her again in space “but I never thought it would be like this — it's amazing.”

“I'm so happy that we are back in space together,” Meir replied, “even if we are a few miles apart.”

Houston's Mission Control arranged the cosmic chitchat between the four lunar travelers and the space station's three NASA and one French residents.

Koch described being awe-struck by not just the beauty of Earth, “but how much blackness there was around it.”

“It just made it even more special. It truly emphasized how alike we are, how the same thing keeps every single person on planet Earth alive,” she told the space station crew. “The specialness and preciousness of that really is emphasized” when viewing the home planet from the moon.

By late Tuesday afternoon, the Artemis II astronauts had beamed back more than 50 gigabytes' worth of pictures and other data from the previous day's lunar rendezvous, which set a new distance record for humanity. The highlight: an Earthset photo reminiscent of Apollo 8's Earthrise shot from 1968.

"While they are inspirational and, I think, allow all of us to really feel a little bit of what they were feeling, there's also a lot of science hidden inside of those images," said Mission Control's lead lunar scientist Kelsey Young. “The conversations and the science lessons learned are just beginning."

During a debriefing with Young, the astronauts recounted how they spotted a cascade of pinpricks of light on the lunar surface from impacting cosmic debris. The flashes lasted mere milliseconds and coincided by chance with Monday evening's total solar eclipse.

Young said it was too soon to know whether the crew witnessed an actual meteor shower or more random, run-of-the-mill micrometeoroid hits. Either way, there were “audible screams of delight” in the science operations center, she said.

Koch described being awe-struck by not just the beauty of Earth, “but how much blackness there was around it.”

“It just made it even more special. It truly emphasized how alike we are, how the same thing keeps every single person on planet Earth alive,” she told the space station crew. “The specialness and preciousness of that really is emphasized” when viewing the home planet from the moon.

The first lunar explorers since Apollo 17 in 1972, Wiseman and his crew are aiming for a splashdown off the San Diego coast on Friday to wrap up the nearly 10-day test flight. The recovery ship USS John P. Murtha left port Tuesday for the target zone.

It sets the stage for next year's Artemis III, a lunar lander docking demo in orbit around Earth. Artemis IV will follow in 2028 with two astronauts attempting to land near the lunar south pole.

As for the Orion capsule’s pesky potty, Mission Control assured the astronauts that no maintenance was required Tuesday. The toilet has been on-and-off limits to the crew ever since last week’s launch, prompting them to rely on a backup bag-and-funnel system for urinating.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman told the crew following the lunar flyby Monday night: “We definitely have to fix some of the plumbing” ahead of the next Artemis mission. Engineers suspect a clogged filter in the overboard flushing system.

Aside from the toilet and other relatively minor matters, the mission has gone well, Isaacman noted at a news conference Tuesday, “but I'll breathe easier when we get through reentry and everybody's under chutes and in the water.”

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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.

But the weight of that phrase truly sunk in at the O’Smach Resort complex that we visited on Tuesday. Thailand's military, which conducted a tour for the media, said that the whole area encompasses around 197 acres (80 hectares), equivalent to 150 American football fields.

It wasn't my first time at a scam center, but its scale dwarfed anything I had seen before.

From my base in the region, I have followed this issue for the past few years, watching its scale only grow larger and larger.

Scam compounds have mushroomed across Southeast Asia since the pandemic. Inside these industrial-scale complexes, workers attempt to lure unsuspecting targets from countries all across the world in sophisticated online-based scams. The latest estimates from the U.N. office on Human Rights are that around 300,000 workers are caught up in the industry regionally.

Thailand’s military invited journalists back to the huge scam complex it seized in December during its border conflict with Cambodia. The military said it took the area in response to the Cambodian side using it as a base of operations for launching attacks.

The complex was called the O’Smach Resort, owned by Cambodian politician Ly Yong Phat, who faces U.S. sanctions for rights abuses in the very same complex. It's unclear, however, whether the new construction also belongs to Ly. Throughout the massive grounds of the self-contained town, there were signs of construction. Piles of bricks and construction cranes sat waiting for workers to finish the job.

The military also took us to the premises where workers likely scammed Americans. FBI data released on Tuesday shows that Americans lost near $21 billion to scams in 2025 alone.

On the desks inside a four-story office building were still snacks from the previous users, as well as scripts and notes in Chinese on each aspect of the scam. American SIM cards were scattered about as well.

There was an elaborate backstory to target the Americans. One of the scripts on the desk was 24 pages of an in-depth character sketch of a woman named Mila who had earned a lot of money on the gold options trading market.

But the script went further. Mila had lost her husband to leukemia when their daughter was just a baby. It constructed memories of her childhood, such as her getting bullied by other girls, and then her parents sending her to South Africa to live with her uncle in order to be in a healthier environment.

There are 157 buildings, 29 of which housed the scam companies and their offices. The rest included massive dorm complexes, and more luxurious accommodations that included apartments and three-story villas. The military officials said they estimated that at least 10,000 people were living there.

There was also a variety of Chinese restaurants, catering to people who wanted spicy Hunan cuisine, or southern Shaxian cuisine, or hot and sour rice noodles, a Sichuanese classic.

While Thailand and Cambodia have vowed to tackle the scamming problem, its scale is far more global.

“Every country of the world has to join together to solve this problem, (we) cannot do it alone with Cambodia and Thailand,” said Air Chief Marshal Prapas Sornchaidee, who was one of the officials leading the tour.

“You brought it all year, every home game,” he said, resting his hand on top of the trophy. “You guys were there every step of the way.”

May and his players stood atop the Junge Family Champions Center, a multipurpose event space between Michigan Stadium and the arena, and overlooked a crowd of maize and blue.

Michigan held off UConn 69-63 in Monday night's title game, an effort powered by its all-transfer starting lineup. Point guard Elliot Cadeau, named the Final Four's most outstanding player, led Michigan with 19 points. Morez Johnson Jr. had 12 points and 10 rebounds.

The Wolverines' leading scorer, Yaxel Lendeborg, had 13 points and two rebounds.

“You guys are amazing,” Lendeborg told the crowd before leading a rendition of Michigan's fight song. “You made this season very, very special for me. ... Go Blue, baby!"

Michigan's offense made history in the NCAA Tournament as the first team to score 90-plus points in five consecutive games, but it was the Wolverines' defense that paved the way on Monday night. Michigan held UConn to 31% shooting from the field and 27% shooting from the 3-point line.

Michigan finished the season a unanimous No. 1 in the final AP Top 25 released Tuesday.

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AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

That person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because Mendoza hasn't made his plans public.

The draft will take place in Pittsburgh starting April 23, and many top players will be there to receive congratulations and a hug from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. But players, even those who are drafted first, sometimes prefer to watch from a different location.

Defensive end Travon Walker in 2022 and quarterback Trevor Lawrence in 2021 were the two most recent top picks to watch from afar.

Raiders officials have signaled they would like to ease Mendoza into the starting lineup without expressly saying they will draft the player who won the Heisman Trophy and led Indiana to the national championship.

Las Vegas signed veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins last week likely with the idea of him starting while Mendoza watches and learns from the sideline. Cousins is in Las Vegas for offseason workouts.

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

Offset, who was once married to Cardi B, was being treated at a hospital after Monday night's shooting, the spokesperson said in a statement, although his exact condition was unknown. Police said the injuries were not life-threatening.

More than three years ago, Offset’s cousin Takeoff, another member of Migos, was shot and killed at a Houston bowling alley.

Monday's shooting followed a fight at the Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, just north of Miami, police said. Officers detained two people.

A rapper known as Lil Tjay, Tione Jayden Merritt, was arrested for the altercation that occurred before the shooting, the Seminole Police Department in Florida said. He was charged with disorderly conduct and operating a vehicle without a valid license.

His lawyer, Dawn M. Florio, told The Associated Press that Lil Tjay did not have a gun and was not charged with any weapons or gun-related crimes.

She said he paid his bond and was released Tuesday afternoon. The 24-year-old rapper is a stalwart of New York’s South Bronx scene, celebrated for his sing-rapping and pop-hip-hop style delivered atop drill beats.

Walking out of the Broward County jail, Lil Tjay told reporters that he was not involved in any fighting.

While police said one person was injured at a valet area outside the casino, they did not identify the victim.

The second person detained at the scene has not been charged and investigators were working to identify others involved, police said in a statement Tuesday.

Offset, born Kiari Kendrell Cephus, first made a name for himself with Migos. The Atlanta trio is one of the most popular hip-hop groups of all time, celebrated for their rapid-fire triplet flow, an often imitated delivery that changed the trajectory of trap.

Their career kicked off with the 2013 hit “Versace.” They then had several multiplatinum selling singles, including “Bad and Boujee,” which went No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart, “Stir Fry,” “Narcos,” and “T-Shirt.” Migos released four full-length albums across their career, closing that chapter after the killing of Takeoff.

Offset and Cardi B were secretly wed in September 2017 in Atlanta. In 2024, Cardi B announced that she filed for divorce. They have three children together.

The third member of Migos, rapper Quavo, sought to transform his nephew Takeoff’s tragic shooting into a force for change, holding a summit against gun violence in 2024.

Police said Takeoff was an innocent bystander when he was shot outside a Houston bowling alley after a disagreement over a dice game. Takeoff’s death was among a string of fatal shootings in recent years that involved hip-hop stars such as Nipsey Hussle, Pop Smoke, PnB Rock and Young Dolph.

Offset embarked on a solo career years before Takeoff's death.

As a solo artist, Offset is known for an idiosyncratic style — a melodic, aggressive finesse. He released three full-length albums: 2019’s “Father of Four”; 2023’s “Set It Off,” which he described to The Associated Press as an effort to “bring rap back” in a genre currently led by rappers who sing; and 2025’s “Kiari.”

“‘Set It Off’ was a freedom,” he told AP last year, proof that he could shine as a solo artist outside of Migos. “Kiari,” instead, is “me, for what I am. And recognizing who I am, because I feel like sometimes you could get lost in trying to please other people and trying to do what they want you to do. So, this is like my rebellion. My rebellion album.” ___

Sherman reported from New York. Associated Press writers Claudia Lauer in Philadelphia and John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, contributed.

Beginning Wednesday, most domestic and short-haul international passengers will pay $45 to check one bag, $55 for a second and $200 for a third, according to Delta. That's an increase of $10 on each of the first two bags and $50 on the third.

The move follows similar announcements from United Airlines and JetBlue, both of which raised baggage fees last week.

“These updates are part of Delta’s ongoing review of pricing across its business and reflect the impact of evolving global conditions and industry dynamics,” the carrier said in a statement. It marks Delta’s first increase to checked baggage fees on domestic routes in two years.

Delta said complimentary bags will still be available to customers in premium cabins, active-duty military personnel, eligible co-branded credit card holders and members of certain loyalty tiers. Fees for long-haul international flights are not affected.

CEO Ed Bastian told investors last month that the jump in jet fuel prices had already added about $400 million to Delta’s operating expenses since the conflict began on Feb. 28. Executives at United and American Airlines reported similar figures.

Delta is scheduled to report its first-quarter earnings on Wednesday, kicking off the earnings season for U.S. airlines, which could offer travelers an early gauge of how rising jet fuel prices may affect them.

Airlines around the world have been grappling with volatile oil markets as fighting near the Strait of Hormuz disrupts global supplies. Roughly a fifth of the world's oil typically passes through the narrow water way, and the threat to that chokepoint is pushing up the price of jet fuel, which is refined from crude.

Fuel typically ranks as the second-largest expense for airlines after labor.

The average price for a gallon of jet fuel in Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles and New York was $4.81 on Tuesday, up from $2.50 the day before the war started, according to Argus Media. The energy market intelligence company’s U.S. Jet Fuel Index tracks average prices across those major hubs.

In addition to raising ticket prices, analysts say U.S. carriers are likely to lean more on ancillary fees to offset the higher expenses, while many non-U.S. carriers are responding by adding or increasing fuel surcharges.

Third District Court Commissioner Russell Minas said, “I have concerns going both ways” about competing allegations between Dakota Mortensen and Paul, who was also set to star in the most recent season of “The Bachelorette” before it was pulled days before airing.

“Even if he was trying to provoke a response," Minas said, "the actions that occurred are very troubling.”

The hearing set the stage for an April 30 court battle in which Minas will assess dueling petitions for protective orders between the pair.

Mortensen, who shares son Ever with Paul, has asked the court to turn a short-term protective order against his ex into a long-term one. Paul filed her own request just before Tuesday's hearing. Both participated remotely while their lawyers were in court.

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EDITOR’S NOTE: This story includes discussion of domestic violence. If you or someone you know needs help, please call the national domestic violence hotline: 1-800-799-7233 in the U.S.

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Lawyers for the two sides and a court-appointed attorney for Ever addressed several heated and sometimes violent interactions between the couple, some of which were caught on video.

In one key video from 2023, Paul appeared to punch, kick and throw chairs at Mortensen while her young daughter watched and cried. The leak of that video last month spurred the unprecedented move by ABC of shelving Paul's already-filmed season of “The Bachelorette.”

Paul was charged for that altercation with aggravated assault and other offenses, including domestic violence in the presence of a child. She pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge, and the other counts were dismissed.

Eric Swinyard, a lawyer for Paul, argued Tuesday that Mortensen was the aggressor in another fight from February that the lawyer called “the truck tussle.”

In his request for a protective order, Mortensen said Paul threw a drink at him as they argued in a truck to not wake children who were sleeping inside Paul's home. Swinyard said Mortensen slammed Paul's head into the dashboard and punched her in the leg, showing the court commissioner photos of her bruises.

That and another fight around the same time are under investigation by police in the Salt Lake City suburb of Draper City.

The sides generally agreed that Paul didn't intentionally direct violence at their son or her other two children from a previous relationship. At issue was her willingness to lash out at Mortensen in front of her children.

Ever's court-appointed lawyer pointed to a May 2025 video that has not been released publicly. He said it shows Paul pushing Mortensen and shouting at him to get out of her house while he's holding the boy.

"To me, that makes me very nervous about her ability to control herself, and her volatility," said the lawyer, Michael McDonald. He said Paul has “a very difficult time with self-control, and I think that it puts my client at risk.”

Paul's attorney said Mortensen deliberately created that situation.

“He’s holding the child as his human shield, so to speak, and provoking my client and not getting out of her house," Swinyard said.

Daniela Diaz, a lawyer for Mortensen, argued that Paul uses their shared child to perpetuate a cycle of abuse that keeps Mortensen coming back.

“He’s often invited back, and his child is often used as a pawn, as a pawn to start fights,” Diaz said.

Minas ordered that Paul can have eight hours per week of supervised visits with Ever, emphasizing it was a stopgap arrangement until the next hearing. Paul had primary custody of the boy before Mortensen got the temporary protective order.

The couple's 2023 fight, one of 11 cited in court filings, was central to the first season of Hulu's “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives,” which made Paul a reality star. The series premiere featured police body camera footage of her arrest.

Production has been paused on the show's fifth season. Paul’s co-star Mikayla Matthews said the cast “didn’t feel comfortable filming with everything that was happening.”

Paul rose to popularity as an influencer in the #MomTok community, a group of women from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who share their lives on TikTok. The group, and Paul's admissions of polyamory within it, helped spawn the hit reality show.

On Easter Sunday, Paul announced she was leaving what is widely known as the Mormon church. She said on Instagram, “It's time to detach myself.”

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Dalton reported from Los Angeles.

Kylian Mbappé scored Madrid's goal after the visitors had taken a two-goal lead at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium. Veteran goalkeeper Manuel Neuer came up big for Bayern with several key saves to keep the German champions with the first-leg edge.

Kane had been listed as a gameday decision after missing the team’s Bundesliga match last weekend because of an ankle injury.

“We knew that coming to Madrid and trying to get a result is always difficult," Kane told TNT Sports. "We played some really good stuff and we could have done even better — maybe the final ball, the final finish, we had some good chances. But credit to Madrid as well.”

The result left Bayern with an edge ahead of the second leg in Germany next week as it tries to reach the Champions League semifinals for the first time since 2023-24, when it was eliminated by eventual champion Madrid.

“We are still alive, clearly,” Madrid coach Álvaro Arbeloa said. “We are one goal away. We have shown that we can win anywhere. We showed it with the scoring chances that we had against an opponent that we knew was going to make it difficult for us.”

Arsenal won 1-0 at Sporting Lisbon in the other quarterfinal on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, Barcelona will host Spanish rival Atletico Madrid, and Liverpool will visit defending champion Paris Saint-Germain.

Madrid and Bayern are playing their sixth knockout-stage meeting in 14 seasons, with the Spanish powerhouse having won four of their five two-leg matchups since the 2011-12 season.

Kane participated in the build up of Bayern’s first goal in the 41st minute, exchanging passes with Serge Gnabry who ultimately fed a through ball for Luis Díaz inside the area. The Colombia forward calmly sent a low shot past Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin.

Kane scored himself in the 46th with a nice one-timer from the top of the area, firmly finding the corner with a low strike. It was his 11th Champions League goal, equaling his best scoring season in the European tournament. He finished with 11 goals in 2024-25.

Kane has scored 22 Champions League goals since the start of the 2024-25 season, the most of anybody.

Mbappé scored his 20th Champions League goal since the start of the 2024-25 season in the 74th, finding the net from close range after a pinpoint low cross by Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Mbappé leads the scoring this season with 14 goals, which is double the forward’s total last season. He is three goals shy of the most goals in a single Champions League campaign achieved by Cristiano Ronaldo with Madrid in 2013-14.

Vinícius Júnior had one of Madrid’s best chances in a one-on-one situation with Neuer in the 61st, but the Brazil forward couldn’t get past the Bayern goalkeeper and his attempt hit the outside of the net. A few minutes later, Neuer — who had nine saves in total and was named the man of the match — dived to his right to make a nice stop on a shot by Mbappé.

Neuer had already made two tough saves to keep Madrid from finding the net in the first half on other attempts by Mbappé and Vinícius.

“I had the feeling that he was in very good shape and we needed him — not only for his experience, but his quality,” Bayern coach Vincent Kompany said of the 40-year-old Neuer. “He reacted in very difficult stages of this game. With his work rate in training, I’m not surprised.”

Madrid defender Álvaro Carreras made a goal-line clearance on a shot by Dayot Upamecano in the first-half.

It was a bad touch by Carreras near midfield that led to Bayern's second goal.

“We went out for the second half and they immediately scored," Madrid defender Antonio Rüdiger said. “I’d say we gifted Bayern both their goals here. We need to do better.”

Bayern lost to Inter Milan in the quarterfinals last season. Record 15-time European champion Madrid was eliminated by Arsenal in the last eight last year.

Bayern is unbeaten in its last 14 games in all competitions, with 12 wins. Madrid was coming off a 2-1 loss at Mallorca on Saturday that hurt its La Liga title hopes.

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

Kai Havertz scored in stoppage time on Tuesday to seal a 1-0 win over Sporting Lisbon at Estadio Jose Alvalade to put Mikel Arteta's team in control of the quarterfinal tie.

The substitute fired past goalkeeper Rui Silva from close range to give Arsenal the advantage ahead of next week’s second leg at the Emirates.

In Tuesday’s other quarterfinal, Bayern Munich beat Real Madrid 2-1 at the Bernabeu.

Havertz settled a tight game in Portugal by combining with fellow substitute Gabriel Martinelli in the first minute of added time. With one touch the German controlled Martinelli's defense-splitting pass in the box and then converted with a side-footed finish.

“To score a late goal is always nice,” Havertz told Amazon Prime. “We will take that result. There is still a lot of work to do next week.”

Victory saw Arsenal bounce back from successive defeats which cut its quadruple trophy hunt in half in recent weeks. Losses in the League Cup final and FA Cup quarterfinals had shaken the Premier League leader going into Tuesday’s match.

And it had to withstand an early charge from Sporting in front of a raucous crowd, with player-of-the-match David Raya producing an outstanding save to tip Maximiliano Araujo’s sixth-minute shot onto the bar.

“It could have changed the tie,” Arteta said.

Arsenal also hit the bar in the first half direct from Noni Madueke’s corner, but both teams struggled to create openings.

Martin Zubimendi thought he’d found the breakthrough in the second half with a curling effort from range only for the goal to be ruled out for offside.

Late on, Raya produced a string of saves. First he pushed away a goal-bound header from Geny Catamo and then pulled off a double stop to deny Catamo again and Luis Suarez.

“For me, the last two seasons, he’s the best keeper in the world. He has saved us so many times,” Havertz said.

But it was Havertz who delivered the goal that pushed Arsenal a step closer to another semifinal, having lost to eventual champion Paris Saint-Germain at that stage last year.

The forward scored the winner for Chelsea in the Champions League final in 2021 and this was another decisive moment for him in this competition.

“He loves the big occasion and the big games,” Arteta said. “And that’s what we need — the big players to turn up when we need them.”

Defeat was Sporting's first at home since August. The Portuguese team has never advanced beyond the quarterfinals of the Champions League.

"A small lapse in concentration cost us dearly, and it’s frustrating because it happened in the 90th minute, but we have to lift our heads and move on,” coach Rui Borges told Sport TV.

The scenes of celebration for Arsenal's players were in stark contrast to the dejection that followed the League Cup final loss to Manchester City and the shock of being beaten by second-division Southampton in the FA Cup on Saturday.

“We had to reveal ourselves today and I talked about identity and other things that we are as a team and that I definitely saw,” Arteta said. “It’s halftime. We are a step closer, now we need to finish the tie at home in front of our people, and if we do that, we’re going to start to dream.”

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

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

“Union and Glades (counties) are the canary in the coal mine,” said Sen. Jennifer Bradley, R-Fleming Island, who represents Union County.

Last week, the Florida Department of Education appointed a financial board to both Union and Glades counties’ school districts to help with “operations, management and finances and to make recommendations for financial recovery,” because their projected fund balances were below 2 percent.

State law requires school districts to maintain a 3 percent fund balance.

According to Union County School Board meeting records from February, the district has a $1.4 million deficit caused by the reduction of students, based on the third calculation of the Florida Education Finance Program.

[WATCH: Florida audit reveals school voucher system cost millions]

The FEFP is the formula the state uses to distribute money to public school districts. One of its main components is student enrollment data, which is calculated at different times throughout the year.

The third calculation showed Union schools had 2,146 students, or 103 fewer than the previous calculation. The drop meant the district was due $947,000 less than anticipated.

For Glades schools, there were 1,921 students, a decline of 46 students from the previous calculation, which put a $337,000 dent in their anticipated funds.

Union schools officials point to the state’s universal voucher program, which offers scholarships to any K-12 student in Florida, as the main reason for the declining enrollment, even though Union County has few private schools.

“While some students move to other districts and states, many of them are going to homeschool settings and private schools,” said Mike Ripplinger, Union County Schools superintendent.

“We have seen an increase in private school and homeschool options with the growth of the scholarships available to parents offered by the State of Florida,” he added. “While these options for education have always been available, I believe the financial incentive due to the scholarships available has drawn more parents towards these options.”

Ripplinger said the last time the district experienced major financial stress was in 2000.

[WATCH: Florida public schools face leaner budgets, declining enrollment amid scholarship growth]

The superintendent for the Glades County School District, Alice Barfield, said the district was grateful for the state’s help.

“We fully embrace this collaboration and are committed to working closely with the State to strengthen our financial position and ensure long-term stability for our district,” Barfield said.

Bradley said she could not recall another instance of a school district falling into financial emergency, other than Jefferson County in 2016. Because of mismanagement, Jefferson County schools were taken over by the state and managed by a charter company until 2022.

“What we’re dealing with in Union County is not due to mismanagement,” Bradley said. “The school district has taken steps for the last three years to try to make cuts, make reductions in order to cure their financials.”

Ripplinger said the district has been in danger of being below the 3 percent fund balance threshold throughout the school year.

“We have been taking steps to reduce our expenditures as much as possible to mitigate our situation while still providing the required educational and supplemental services to our students,” he said.

This spring, the district eliminated benefits for school board members, canceled bus service for more than 60 daycare students and reduced the school supply budget.

The district also explored taking out a loan to cover expenses for the rest of the school year.

Florida legislators tried to pass a bill that would have included a “school district stabilization” fund for this issue during this year’s session, but the House never considered it.

The bill (SB 318) set up accountability measures for the Family Empowerment Scholarship, taking recommendations from a state auditor general’s report that found a “myriad of accountability challenges” with Florida’s K-12 school voucher system.

The report showed overspending and delays in scholarship payments that resulted in a funding shortfall and a system without proper controls to verify where students who received the voucher payments were being educated.

The stabilization fund included in the bill would have distributed money to school districts if the state money appropriated for the current year was not sufficient.

“If the money is going to follow the student, it has to be transparent, and the system that we create has to work, and right now it’s not working,” Bradley said.

“Cade is gonna have surgery,” Counsell said before the Cubs game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. “He’s gonna miss the rest of the year.”

The exact procedure, whether it will be a full Tommy John reconstruction or an internal brace repair, won’t be determined until surgeons go into the elbow. Horton visited renowned elbow specialist Dr. Keith Meister in Arlington, Texas, on Tuesday.

No surgery date has been set.

The announcement confirms what Cubs fans feared when Horton walked off the mound in Cleveland on April 3, after just 17 pitches. His velocity had dropped from 96 mph in the first inning to 93.8 mph on his final pitch before he waved toward the dugout.

It will be the 24-year-old right-hander’s second elbow reconstruction surgery. He had Tommy John surgery as a freshman at Oklahoma in 2021. He was the No. 7 overall pick in the 2022 draft and broke through in the majors last season with an 11-4 record and a 2.67 ERA in 118 innings. He finished second in NL Rookie of the Year voting. In his 2026 debut, Horton held Washington to two runs in 6 1/3 innings just one week before the injury.

The blow is particularly tough because the Cubs are already without ace Justin Steele, who is recovering from his own UCL surgery and is not expected back until late May at the earliest. With Matthew Boyd also on the injured list, the Cubs will lean on Colin Rea and Javier Assad in the rotation. Rea stepped up in a similar role last season, posting a 3.95 ERA across 27 starts after Steele went down.

“Colin’s going to be asked to pitch more innings out of the bullpen, and then somebody’s going to take Colin’s bullpen innings," Counsell said. "That’s how it’s going to be addressed on paper. But it’s not all on Colin. ... We all have to just do our part.”

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

While the trip focused on emergency management, Mullin also weighed in on immigration enforcement, a centerpiece policy of the Trump administration, which his department also oversees. He suggested he might halt customs processing at airports serving cities whose local governments resist the administration's immigration policies, a move that would align with his predecessor's hardline approach.

At his confirmation hearing last month, Mullin tried to project a softer tone on immigration enforcement, after a backlash over high-profile operations and the deaths of two Americans at the hands of federal officers. Mullin also signaled a different approach to the Federal Emergency Management Agency following criticism of Noem's policies.

At a roundtable discussion Tuesday, Mullin said FEMA was focused on catching up on past disaster work and clearing a backlog of needs that stacked up during his predecessor's tenure ahead of the Atlantic hurricane season, which begins June 1.

“Disasters are happening constantly,” Mullin said, adding that he would brief President Donald Trump Tuesday on the 22 still pending major disaster declaration requests from states and tribes across the U.S. “We’re trying to push this stuff forward as fast as possible."

Mullin also said he “may have identified” a candidate for permanent administrator of FEMA, which is on its third temporary leader since Trump took office, but declined to name them.

Asked if eliminating FEMA — which Trump has threatened to do — was still on the table, Mullin said “reforming FEMA would be a better term.”

Mullin's visit comes less than a week after he ended Noem's directive that all DHS expenditures over $100,000 be personally approved by the secretary's office, a rule that critics said bottlenecked FEMA reimbursements and compromised disaster response and recovery.

Mullin threatens to remove CBP officers from some airports

While Mullin has already made strides on disaster response, he has yet to set forth a clear vision for immigration enforcement, although he is expected to align with the president’s vision. That was apparent in his comments about removing Customs and Border Protection officers from airports in so-called “sanctuary cities.”

“If they’re not enforcing immigration laws, then why would I be processing immigration in their city?” Mullin said, adding that the idea was still under consideration. He suggested he would raise the idea in his briefing to Trump.

Mullin gave no further details. But withdrawing CBP officers from airports could disrupt international travel and trade. CBP officers check all incoming travelers into the country as well as the billions of dollars of trade that enters through land crossings and airports.

The Trump administration has already threatened to withdraw funding to Democratic cities and states that it says do not cooperate with immigration enforcement.

North Carolina is still hard-hit

Few disaster-hit areas experienced the impacts of FEMA's recent tumult as acutely as North Carolina, where about $1.6 billion in FEMA public assistance dollars has been obligated so far and where roughly 2,000 projects are still in some stage of FEMA approval, according to a letter North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein sent Mullin after his swearing in.

North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis excoriated Noem for delays in reimbursements to his state just days before her firing, telling her at a Senate hearing she had "failed” at FEMA.

Mullin said at the roundtable that Trump had told him he wanted North Carolina to be his first stop and had told Mullin “people in North Carolina love me.”

North Carolina carries outsize political significance this year. Tillis, one of the state’s Republican senators, is retiring, raising Democratic hopes of a pickup this fall. The race is sure to attract hundreds of millions in campaign spending and pits Democrat Roy Cooper, the state’s former governor, against Michael Whatley, the former chairman of the Republican National Committee.

Helene, a 350-mile-wide (560 kilometers) hurricane, ravaged multiple southeastern states in September 2024.

The storm caused 108 deaths in North Carolina and $60 billion in damages. It destroyed homes, businesses and utility infrastructure. Entire communities were cut off, prompting helicopter rescues after roads and bridges washed away.

Hurricane damage is still visible, with cars and remnants of homes washed up on banks, remains of knocked-out bridges and piles of thick trees and branches that rushed down the river when it swelled to a torrent of water.

Misinformation shrouded FEMA's response to Hurricane Helene

Rep. Chuck Edwards, a Republican representing some of the impacted areas who lost one of his own businesses in the storm, said Tuesday he also grew frustrated with what he called FEMA’s “bureaucracy” and the difficulties local communities faced in receiving payments.

“Still plenty of bureaucracy there,” said Edwards, who praised Mullin’s removal of the $100,000 rule.

FEMA’s presence in North Carolina had a tense start as distrust grew among some impacted residents, fueled in part by then-candidate Trump’s own misinformation about the Biden administration and FEMA’s response in the swing state.

Edwards found himself debunking FEMA-related misinformation shortly after the storm, issuing a statement to his constituents that FEMA was not diverting donations to the border or seizing property, among other claims.

After an armed man was arrested in Lake Lure for making threats toward FEMA workers, the agency temporarily suspended door-to-door home visits in the affected areas.

Stein, a Democrat, welcomed Mullin's visit. “It is encouraging that Secretary Mullin is getting down to business,” he told The Associated Press in a statement Tuesday.

On Monday, FEMA approved $26 million in buyouts of damaged and destroyed North Carolina homes, saying in a statement that Mullin encouraged the agency to “redouble its efforts” to help survivors.

Mullin’s remarks drew a sharp contrast from his predecessor Noem, who repeatedly called for FEMA to be eliminated “as it exists today." Trump floated the idea of eliminating FEMA altogether on a North Carolina visit just days into his second term, calling the agency a “very big disappointment.”

Trump has repeatedly expressed a desire to push more responsibility for disasters down to states, and a presidentially appointed FEMA Review Council is expected to soon release a report recommending sweeping reforms of how and to what extent the federal government supports disaster-impacted communities.

While most FEMA staff are still being paid during the record-long partial government shutdown, many offices were ordered to slow or stop work shortly after the shutdown began on Feb. 14.

Meanwhile, the agency's Disaster Relief Fund is running low, with about $3.6 billion remaining. The DHS appropriations bill would replenish the fund with over $26 billion.

———

This version corrects that Mullin said Trump told him “people in North Carolina love me,” not that Trump “wanted North Carolina to love" him.

Gabriela Aoun Angueira reported from San Diego, California.

“I’m like, ‘Hi, John Harbaugh,’" he said with a chuckle. “Most guys will say, hey and give me their name. Some guys don’t give me their name and I'm like, ‘Dude, I’m not really sure who you are.’”

Harbaugh knows who Dexter Lawrence is but did not get the chance to say hello Tuesday. The three-time Pro Bowl nose tackle was one of three players not present, following word that Lawrence had asked for a trade.

Attendance is voluntary at this stage, and Harbaugh cited good conversations with agent Joel Segal while acknowledging he was not surprised by Lawrence's absence. Still, though, Harbaugh estimated “the prospects are going to be high” for Lawrence to stick around.

“Speaking for the Giants, we want Dexter here. I believe Dexter wants to be here. That’s a good formula,” Harbaugh said on a video call with reporters. “But there’s business involved. It’s a business proposition. We know it’s pro football. These things happen every year pretty much on every team.”

Harbaugh spent the past 18 season with the Baltimore Ravens, coached them to a Super Bowl, and three years ago dealt with a trade request from quarterback Lamar Jackson, which got resolved. Familiarity helped that situation, though Harbaugh said this also calls for a patient approach.

"It’s going to work out," Harbaugh said. “It’s high-level business, high-level football. I’m sure it will be handled in a real high-level way like that. I’m not worried about it.”

Lawrence, 28, has two years left on his contract, set to earn $20 million and $19.5 million, respectively. He's coming off a tumultuous 17 games in which he finished with a career-low 31 tackles and a half-sack.

Offensive coordinator Matt Nagy called New York's front the best he and the Kansas City Chiefs saw last season, and Lawrence is a significant part of that, even if the stats are not there.

"He’s a beast," Nagy said. “He’s been doing it a while and a lot of respect for him. I just know that when we played him last year, we had to know where he was on every play.”

Defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson reached out after getting the job on Harbaugh's new staff to open a line of communication and sensed Lawrence was in a good place.

“Hopefully everything works out in our favor, but, hey, I love Dexter and we have a good relationship,” Wilson said. “For me personally, and from an organization standpoint, we understand the value of Dex. We love him, and we understand the business side, as well.”

Cornerback Paulson Adebo also did not attend

Cornerback Paulson Adebo made it two defensive starters not in attendance for the start of the spring program, Harbaugh said, adding he was not sure of the reason.

“It's his right,” Harbaugh said. “Guys come or not come according to their choosing: voluntary time of year.”

Harbaugh said the third player who did not take part was defensive tackle Sam Roberts, who had a procedure that did not allow him to travel to the practice facility in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Malik Nabers and Cam Skattebo have different injury return timelines

Top receiver Malik Nabers is coming off a torn ACL in his right knee from a home game on Sept. 28, and running back Cam Skattebo is working back from a dislocated right ankle and additional damage incurred Oct. 26 at Philadelphia.

Each player was at the facility, Harbaugh said, with Skattebo ahead of Nabers, who is expected back either during training camp or closer to the season.

“It wouldn’t be fair for me to give you days or dates,” Harbaugh said. “I have a vague idea. It’s not that important today.”

Kayvon Thibodeaux remains with the Giants

After edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux's name surfaced in trade buzz in recent weeks, Harbaugh said “everybody's tradeable.” But Thibodeaux was in attendance and has not been traded yet, if he is at all.

“He’s a great player,” Harbaugh said. “I’m excited about him. I was fired up to see him today. He looks great, he’s in great shape. I’m thinking about him on the field, getting him plugged into our defense and getting him rolling.”

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

U.S. District Judge David Joseph, who sits in Lafayette, Louisiana, ruled against Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, who asked that U.S. Food and Drug Administration rules that allow mifepristone to be dispensed through the mail be paused while a challenge to those 2023 regulations moves through the courts.

He granted the government’s request to put the case on hold for now, though he warned that the pause would not be indefinite — and that he could side with Louisiana later.

Murrill said in a statement that she would ask an appeals court to throw out the federal rules, noting that the judge “concluded that Louisiana suffers irreparable harm every day” the current rules are in effect.

In his opinion, Joseph, who was nominated to the bench by President Donald Trump, said that he would follow an FDA study of the drug that is in the works. He also told the agency to update him on the status of its investigation within six months.

“Should the agency fail to complete its review and make any necessary revisions” to the rules “within a reasonable time frame, the Court’s analysis – and the weight accorded to these factors – will inevitably change,” he wrote.

He also said that he believes the plaintiffs are “likely to succeed on the merits.”

Murrill contends that allowing the prescriptions to be filled by mail undermines the abortion ban in Louisiana, one of 13 states that now bar it at all stages of pregnancy. Republican state officials elsewhere have made similar court challenges in other districts.

Groups that advocate for abortion rights also stressed that Tuesday's ruling isn't a final one.

“From the courts to the Trump administration to state legislatures across the country, mifepristone and abortion access are very much still under attack,” Planned Parenthood Federation of America President and CEO Alexis McGill Johnson said in a statement.

Mifepristone, usually taken in combination with a second drug, misoprostol, has moved to the center of legal fights over abortion access since the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade and allowed states to ban abortion.

In 2024, the nation’s top court refused to block filling prescriptions for mifepristone by mail. That case was different because it was brought by anti-abortion doctors, who the court said did not have legal standing to challenge the rules.

While conservative states have moved to ban or restrict abortion, liberal states have moved to protect access. Eight now have laws that seek to protect providers who prescribe abortion pills by telehealth and have them mailed into states with bans.

One study found that by the end of 2024, one-fourth of abortions were accessed by telehealth — a fivefold increase in two years. Another study found that in 2025, women in states where abortion is banned were more likely to obtain one by getting pills through telehealth than by traveling to other states.

Murrill is pursuing criminal cases against two doctors — one each in California and New York — accused of sending pills to patients in Louisiana. Those states have not been willing to have the doctors extradited to face the charges.

Joining Murrill as a plaintiff is a Louisiana woman who says her boyfriend coerced her into taking mifepristone from a California doctor.

Arguments surrounding coercion, particularly when an abusive partner controls a victim’s reproductive care, became a major theme for the plaintiffs’ legal case. They say without in-person requirements surrounding the abortion pill, intimate partner abuse will only increase. Some anti-domestic abuse advocates pushed back, saying telehealth can be a valuable lifeline for survivors.

President Donald Trump’s administration last year outraged anti-abortion groups when it approved an additional generic version of mifepristone.

A Hawaii judge last year ruled that the FDA violated the law by imposing restrictions on mifepristone, which is also used for miscarriage management.

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Associated Press writers Lindsay Whitehurst, Sara Cline and Mark Sherman contributed to this report.

Tehran residents rushed Tuesday to stock up on bottled water and charge cellphones, flashlights and portable power banks as the hours ticked down to Trump's latest ultimatum for a deal that includes Iran reopening the Strait of Hormuz or face attacks on power plants and bridges. Despite the threats and risks to his health, the 56-year-old employee at Tehran's subway authority said he's no worse off than other Iranians who've been living under attack for more than five weeks.

“I am worried, but I am more worried about my fellow citizens,” Hashemi said, lying on his bed at Tajrish Martyrs Hospital for the treatment. “Whatever happens, we will stand until the end.”

As Trump stressed that his deadline — 8 p.m. in Washington — was final, some Iranians said they were terrified. Others expressed resignation. And some, like Hashemi, said they'd be prepared to defend their country.

“I will be ready to pick up a gun and start a fight against the enemy,” he said.

The Associated Press has been granted permission by the Iranian government to send an additional team into the country for a brief reporting trip. AP already operates in Iran. The visiting team must be accompanied by a media assistant from a government-affiliated company. AP retains full editorial control of its content.

For many Iranians, power is now the No. 1 concern

Tehran, like other parts of the country, has been shaken by almost daily airstrikes by the United States and Israel since Feb. 28. Iranians’ main concern quickly became electricity as Trump's deadline grew closer.

“When there is no electricity, there will be no water, no hygiene, nothing,” said Mahan Qayoumi, 23, who works at an artisan shop, where he said business would stop under a power outage. He brought emergency lights to his apartment to prepare, noting that “all aspects of life” would be affected.

A young designer in central Tehran, speaking on condition of anonymity for her safety, said her parents left at the beginning of the war, but she stayed behind to take care of her cat, Maya. Now, because of Trump's threats, she said she plans to drive north — which has largely been spared heavy strikes — with Maya and join her family.

“If there is no electricity, there is no water," she told AP on the messaging app Telegram, noting Tehran's low water pressure and electric water pumps. “You can’t cook, either.”

The streets of sprawling Tehran, overlooked by snow-capped mountains, have seen less traffic over the past several weeks, with many residents leaving to seek safer areas. Schools and many state institutions remain closed.

But even as some residents frantically prepared, stocking up on water and canned foods, life in one of north Tehran’s largest covered markets seemed almost normal Tuesday. People went on with business as usual, fresh bread was made at bakeries, and Iranian sweets such as gaz and sohan were prepared.

“We are living our normal lives," said Said Motazavi, 58, who owns a home appliances shop. Motazavi said Iranians have a lot of experience preparing for and living with conflict, referring to the 1980-88 Iraq-Iran war and the 12-day war with Israel last year.

At Tajrish Martyrs Hospital, the director told AP that a generator can keep much of the medical facility functioning if needed. He said the hospital has enough fuel to power it, as well as ample medicine and supplies for six months.

“I do not see any problem,” Dr. Masoud Moslemifard said, adding that the hospital has been prioritizing operations for those wounded in the war and postponing nonurgent surgeries.

Tighter security and still a lack of internet in Iran

In the streets of Tehran, security was tighter than usual Tuesday, with checkpoints in different parts of the capital. At major intersections, jeeps with heavy machine guns mounted on top were deployed.

Iran’s internet remains largely shut off, throttling news even as panic spread over Trump's warnings.

A 26-year-old Pilates instructor told AP on condition of anonymity for her safety via Telegram that she's been unable to prepare for possible attacks. She called this week the “worst atmosphere” since the war began.

“Honestly, we’ve kind of lost it at this point," she said, describing how she's not left home for the last few days and she and her family refuse to leave Tehran. "Whatever is going to happen, let it happen. We are dying bit by bit.”

One resident told AP that if the U.S. follows through on its threat, the people of Iran — not the government — will be the victims.

“By attacking infrastructure, the Islamic Republic will not be destroyed, only we will be destroyed,” the woman, a teacher in her 20s, told AP via a message on Telegram, on condition of anonymity for her safety.

She fears the attacks will spread chaos. “If we don’t have the internet," she said, "and if we don’t have electricity, water, and gas, we’re really going back to the Stone Age, as Trump said."

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Associated Press reporters Amir-Hussein Radjy in Cairo and Sahar Ameri in Berlin contributed.

The Salvadoran national’s case has become a focal point in the immigration debate after he was mistakenly deported to El Salvador last year. Since his return, he has been fighting a second deportation to a series of African countries proposed by Homeland Security officials.

U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis, of Maryland, previously barred U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from deporting him or detaining him. She has written that the agency has no viable plan to actually deport Abrego Garcia, referring in February to "one empty threat after another to remove him to countries in Africa with no real chance of success.”

Abrego Garcia has argued that if he is going to be deported, it should be to Costa Rica, which previously agreed to accept him. But Todd Lyons, the acting head of U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement, said in a March memo that deporting Abrego Garcia to Costa Rica would be “prejudicial to the United States.” Abrego Garcia should be sent to Liberia because the U.S. has spent government resources and political capital negotiating with the West African nation to accept third-country nationals, Lyons wrote.

At a Tuesday hearing in Xinis' court, Ernesto Molina, director of the Department of Justice's Office of Immigration Litigation, suggested that Abrego Garcia could “remove himself” to Costa Rica.

Xinis pointed out that the DOJ is prosecuting him in Tennessee on human smuggling charges. She called it a “fantasy” to say that he can remove himself anywhere while the criminal case is pending. Xinis set a schedule for a briefing on the matter and scheduled a new hearing for April 28.

Abrego Garcia, 30, has an American wife and child and has lived in Maryland for years, but he immigrated to the U.S. illegally as a teenager. In 2019, an immigration judge ruled that he could not be deported to El Salvador because he faced danger there from a gang that had threatened his family. By mistake, he was deported there anyway in last year.

Facing public pressure and a court order, President Donald Trump’s administration brought him back in June, but only after securing an indictment charging him with human smuggling in Tennessee. He has pleaded not guilty and asked the judge to dismiss that case.

In a release, Sheriff Billy Woods said that investigators responded to Happy Valley Horse Rescue along 95th Avenue Road back in November in response to an anonymous complaint about neglected horses.

Upon arrival, they contacted two people — David Palacio, 57; and Janine Chaux, 58 — who offered to give them a tour of the property and horses, the release shows.

“Through their investigation, investigators found that most of the horses were underweight, with bony structures visible, hooves in deplorable condition, and some appearing to be in pain while walking,” the release reads.

Furthermore, the barn stalls hadn’t been cleared of excrement and soiled bedding for quite some time, Woods added.

However, Palacio and Chaux weren’t able to explain the neglect, nor were they able to provide a total number of horses on the property, the MCSO noted.

MCSO personnel said they later searched the rescue and came up with 69 horses. Another 17 horses in Chaux’s care were found on a neighboring property. A veterinarian reportedly examined the animals and found that over 30 of the horses were either emaciated or close to it.

“Two of the horses were in such poor condition that medical professionals determined that euthanasia was the most humane option,” the release continues.

As a result of these discoveries, both Palacio and Chaux were arrested on Monday and now face 22 counts of aggravated animal cruelty and 16 counts of animal cruelty. They were each held on bond of $71,000.

That said, the seized horses were taken to the MCSO Agriculture Investigations Farm for treatment, where they were successfully rehabilitated, Woods declared.

[BELOW: Watch Sheriff Woods’ full video statement]

Tina Garrett and Matt Venaleck, of Southwest Florida Horse Rescue, were selected to help rehab the horses.

“There’s no excuse for neglect, especially neglect in such a way as what was exhibited at that so-called horse rescue,” Garrett said.

“This is kind of the epitome of what we think we should be here for horses of this nature that were wronged by humankind at some point,” Venaleck said.

Overall, five groups have provided help for the horses.

• Rainbows Edge Equine Transition Center
• Triple R Horse Rescue
• Southwest Florida Horse Rescue
• Mississippi Horse Rescue
• Humane World for Animals

The energy is part of the draw, especially for visitors looking for a big night out near the area’s theme parks. But the real reason people linger is the food. The menu leans seafood first, with plenty of familiar favorites, and it backs up the fun with scratch cooking and sauces that taste like someone in the kitchen actually cares.

My first stop was a fan favorite: jambalaya pasta. Linguine comes tossed with chicken, shrimp and smoky sausage, all coated in a creamy Cajun-Creole sauce.

You smell the sausage first, and that flavor carries through the entire bowl. The sauce hits warm and spice-forward without burying the seafood. It is comfort food with real personality, the kind of dish that makes you slow down because every bite feels fuller than the last.

Next came crab legs drenched in melted Cajun butter. This is not a fork-and-knife situation. It is hands-on and unapologetically messy, and it is better that way.

Once you crack into a good piece, the payoff is immediate. The crab is delicate and sweet, and the butter brings heat, salt and richness that clings to every bite. It is the kind of dish that turns a table into a shared project, and nobody stays clean.

The biggest surprise of the night was not seafood. It was the tomahawk.

A 42-ounce tomahawk steak arrives grilled and deeply seared, then presented tableside in a treasure chest with dramatic flair. It is finished with gold salt, because The Wharf commits to the moment.

The steak comes with a full flight of housemade sauces, and that is where the experience goes from fun to unforgettable. Chimichurri brings a bright herb kick. A blackened béarnaise adds creamy richness. Horseradish cream leans sharp and classic. And then there is the bacon jam, sweet, savory and smoky all at once.

With so much meat on the board, the sauces change the meal bite by bite. One cut turns into several different flavor experiences, which makes the dish feel less like a splurge and more like a tasting.

The Wharf succeeds because it does not make you choose between atmosphere and food. It offers both.

If you come for the live bands and the party energy, you will get it. If you come hungry, you will still find dishes that feel thoughtfully built, from a creamy Cajun pasta to butter-soaked crab legs and a steak presentation that turns dinner into something you will talk about later.

For anyone planning a night out at Sunset Walk, The Wharf is best approached with two expectations. Show up ready for noise and fun. Show up even more ready to eat.

There is a civil case in Maryland where he has been challenging the Department of Homeland Security's attempts to deport him to a series of African countries. There is also a criminal case in Tennessee, where the government accuses him of human smuggling. He has pleaded not guilty and asked that the case be dismissed, claiming it was only brought to punish him.

Here is a timeline of key events:

Arrival: around 2011

Abrego Garcia flees El Salvador for the U.S. as a teenager.

Arrest: March 28, 2019

Abrego Garcia is arrested outside a Maryland hardware store. Police accuse him of being a gang member and turn him over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Immigration court: Oct. 10, 2019

A Maryland immigration judge rules that Abrego Garcia cannot be deported to El Salvador, where a gang has threatened his family. He is given a work permit and placed under federal supervision.

Detained by ICE: March 12, 2025

Abrego Garcia is detained by ICE in Baltimore while driving home with his 5-year-old son.

Deportation: March 15, 2025

Abrego Garcia is mistakenly deported to El Salvador and held in a notoriously brutal prison.

Supreme Court: April 10, 2025

The U.S. Supreme Court says the Trump administration must work to bring Abrego Garcia back.

Criminal charges: June 6, 2025

Abrego Garcia is returned to the U.S. and charged with human smuggling, based on a Tennessee traffic stop from 2022.

Attempts at second deportation: July 23, 2025—present

ICE announces plans to remove him to a series of African countries, but is blocked by an injunction from a Maryland federal judge.

Released from jail: August 22, 2025

Abrego Garcia leaves the Tennessee jail, where he has been since June, to return to his family in Maryland and await trial. Within minutes of his release, ICE sends notice that they intend to deport him to Uganda.

In immigration custody: Aug. 25, 2025

Abrego Garcia reports to an immigration office in Baltimore and is taken into custody.

Judge orders release: Dec. 11, 2025

A federal judge in Maryland orders ICE to immediately release Abrego Garcia.

No immigration detention: Feb. 17, 2026

A Maryland federal judge rules ICE cannot re-detain Abrego Garcia.

Bidunga finished his second season with the Jayhawks as the Big 12 defensive player of the year and an Associated Press All-Big 12 second-team pick. He averaged 13.3 points and 9.0 rebounds and was a Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year finalist. He led the Big 12 and was fourth nationally with 91 blocked shots and 10th in field-goal shooting at 64%.

Bidunga was the only D-I player to average more than 13 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocked shots. The Jayhawks had another starting big man, Bryson Tiller, enter the portal along with three other players.

Harris was voted the Atlantic Coast Conference's most improved player after he increased his scoring average from 6.1 points as a freshman to 21.4 this season. He also was an AP All-ACC second-team pick after becoming one of two players in program history to score 750 points in a season. Myles Colvin, the Demon Deacons' second-leading scorer, joined Harris and four other teammates in the portal.

Murauskas was joined in the portal by four of his teammates as the Gaels transition from longtime coach Randy Bennett, who left for Arizona State, to Mickey McConnell, who was Bennett's associate head coach. Murauskas was the West Coast Conference's second-leading scorer at 18.4 points and had two 30-point games. He was an All-WCC first-team pick both years he was with the Gaels after transferring from Arizona.

James Nnaji, who made headlines for signing with Baylor after being selected in the second round of the NBA draft and playing professionally overseas, entered the portal. The 7-footer was granted eligibility because he had never signed an NBA contract or played in the G League. He ended up playing limited minutes for the Bears as a freshman and averaged 1.4 points and 2.1 rebounds.

Isaiah Johnson, who led Colorado and was third in the Big 12 in scoring with 16.9 points per game, went into the portal after one season with the Buffaloes.

Providence, which fired Kim English last month and hired Bryan Hodgson, had just one player listed on its 2026-27 roster Tuesday. Among seven players in the portal was Stefan Vaaks, who as a freshman averaged 15.2 points and 3.3 assists and made a Big East-leading 91 3-pointers. Elsewhere in the Big East, Butler's Finley Bizjack, who led the Bulldogs with 17.1 points per game, and KJ Lewis, who averaged 14.9 points and 5.1 rebounds at Georgetown, are in the portal.

LSU's Dedan Thomas (15.3 ppg) and Michael Nowoko (13.4 ppg), the Tigers' second- and third-leading scorers, were among seven players in the portal with Will Wade returning as coach after the firing of Matt McMahon.

California saw its top two scorers enter the portal in Dai Dai Ames and Justin Pippen. Ames is looking for his fourth school in four years after previously making one-year stops at Kansas State and Virginia. He scored 16.9 points per game for the Bears. Pippen, a son of NBA great Scottie Pippen, started his career at Michigan and will be heading to his third school in three years after averaging 14.2 points.

Also entering the portal was San Diego State forward Miles Byrd, the Mountain West's defensive player of the year.

Gavin Doty, who averaged 18 points for Siena to rank second in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, announced he would follow coach Gerry McNamara to Syracuse. The Orange later saw leading scorer Donnie Freeman (16.5 points) enter the portal.

Zoom Diallo, who scored 15.7 points per game for Washington, and Jackson Shelstad, who averaged 15.6 for Oregon in an injury-shortened season, also are in the portal. Purdue announced the signing of Caden Pierce, who played three seasons at Princeton and was 2023-24 Ivy League player of year after averaging 16.6 points, 9.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball

According to a report from the Volusia Sheriff’s Office, a deputy responded to the Stetson Aquatic Center on April 3 after a university public safety officer reported the incident. The security officer said she witnessed the incident through one of the school’s security cameras near the docks.

“We arrested a 14-year-old for twirling a baby alligator around,” said Sheriff Mike Chitwood. “Obviously, abusing wildlife is not a way to spend your downtime, you know, it’s a felony. You just do not abuse wildlife. Unfortunately, this young man is going to learn a very expensive lesson.”

The security officer told deputies she saw the boy holding the baby alligator by its tail and swinging it back and forth. The report also states that while watching the incident live, she saw the boy kicking at the alligator and holding the animal while another child took photographs. At one point, the teen was reportedly seen placing the alligator on the ground and kicking dirt on it.

The responding deputy spoke with five children at the aquatic center, who claimed they were fishing. The report states they denied knowing anything about an alligator after the deputy told them the sheriff’s office had received a report about kids messing with one.

Stetson’s security requested all five children be trespassed from the aquatic center. The facility, located near Lake Beresford, houses the Institute for Water and Environmental Resilience and is used by the university’s rowing teams.

The Broadway tour of Meredith Willson’s “The Music Man” is scheduled for two performances.

The six-time Tony Award-winning musical comedy follows fast-talking traveling salesman, Harold Hill, as he cons the people of River City, Iowa, into buying instruments and uniforms for a boys’ band that he vows to organize.

His plans to skip town fall apart when he falls for the librarian, Marian.

Elizabeth D’Aiuto plays Marian in the show, marking her national tour debut.

“Marian Paroo is such a strong, independent character and was truly ahead of her time for a 1950s musical theater soprano. I relate to her, because I share her focus on family and her refusal to settle. Like Marian, I am deeply passionate about my work and my loved ones,” said D’Aiuto.

She said they officially opened in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and have been on the road for about three months now.

The show features popular songs like “Seventy-Six Trombones,” “Ya Got Trouble,” “‘Till There Was You,” “Pick-a-Little” and “Gary, Indiana.”

“I hope people see how music can bring a community together. Even though Harold Hill begins as a con man, he makes people feel seen and transforms the town, children are dancing in the streets and former enemies find common ground. I especially love his line: ‘Oh, I always think there’s a band, kid,’” D’Aiuto shared.

The show will be at the King Center April 12-13. After that, it will head to Naples and Gainesville.

Click here for ticket information.

The 18th trip might be even better.

This must feel like a victory lap for McIlroy, who has been at Augusta National all weekend with an eye on hosting the Masters Club dinner on Tuesday night. And then he can move on to that small matter of trying to become only the fourth player to win back-to-back at the Masters.

What's the rush?

“I think for the past 17 years I just could not wait for the tournament to start,” McIlroy said Tuesday. “And this year, I wouldn't care if the tournament never started.”

That brought laughter, including his own. He met with the media at Augusta National — a preview of his Prime Video documentary was played before he walked in — for the first time since he won last year and began his news conference by asking, “What are we going to talk about next year?”

He said the goal posts have moved, but he's still kicking.

“It's completely different,” McIlroy said. “I feel so much more relaxed. I know that I’m going to be coming back here for a lot of years, going to enjoy the perks that the champions get here. It doesn’t make me any less motivated to go out there and play well and try to win the tournament.”

He doesn't expect it to be any easier than a wild Sunday afternoon, 18 holes that in some respects resembled his 18 years on tour.

That's true for everyone in the 91-man field. There was a chill in the air Tuesday morning that now gives way to a forecast for hot, dry weather. That can be Augusta National at its toughest, no matter how pretty it looks with the azalea and dogwood blooms.

“If it's firm and fast, the greens are going to be even more difficult to hit than they already are,” Bryson DeChambeau said.

Scottie Scheffler knows the drill as defending champion, having won in 2022 and 2024. Scheffler prefers a routine — disrupted slightly now with a newborn son in tow.

“Defending can always be difficult, but I think that’s mostly just the odds of winning a tournament in back-to-back years,” Scheffler said. “I think that’s just extremely challenging, especially when you look at these major championships.”

Jack Nicklaus (1965-66), Nick Faldo (1989-90) and Tiger Woods (2001-02) are the only players to win in consecutive years at the Masters.

“I think everything's new when you’re a first-time defending (champion) here,” Scheffler said. “You host the dinner — that's a big deal. There’s certain things that go on that maybe would make it a touch more difficult, but I wouldn’t say it’s anything too substantial.”

For McIlroy, it's everything so new that's making this so enjoyable.

He never bothered to spend much time upstairs in the clubhouse during the Masters, where a room is dedicated to the co-founders and to President Dwight D. Eisenhower, a proud member at Augusta National. McIlroy loves golf history.

“I knew the week of the tournament that the clubhouse is for participants and their families, but I still felt like I had to earn the right to be there a little more often,” he said.

McIlroy recalled one potentially awkward moment last year when he and Justin Rose, whom he would beat in a playoff, were going to have dinner in the clubhouse on Tuesday night. He drove down Magnolia Lane toward the clubhouse right as the past champions were on the balcony for cocktail hour before their dinner.

“I'm like, ‘I don’t want to valet, get out, they’re going to see me and it’s going to be weird.’ So I had this really awkward moment with it all last year,” McIlroy said. “Yeah, thankfully that was the last time that I needed to do that.”

He has prepared remarks for a dinner of past champions, and a menu that is among the more exquisite for this occasion, particularly the wine. One of the side dishes is “Irish Champ," creamy mashed potatoes with green onions, butter and milk.

“People keep asking me, ‘Why didn’t you go more Irish?' And I said, ‘Because I want to enjoy the dinner as well,’” McIlroy said.

More laughter. There was a lot of that Tuesday, different from past years when he heard the same questions — When are you going to win the Masters? — and didn't have great answers. Now he has the ultimate response: He wore his green jacket to his news conference.

What's next?

McIlroy has said he wants to win as many majors as possible — Harry Vardon with seven has the most of any European player; McIlroy has five — and at prestigious venues, such as St. Andrews next year for the British Open.

“There's still a lot that I want to do,” he said. “I think what I’ve realized is if you can just really find enjoyment in the journey, that’s the big thing. Because honestly, I felt like the career Grand Slam was my destination, and I got there, and then I realized it wasn’t the destination.”

___

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

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and ABC said Tuesday that the 99th Oscars will be held on March 14, 2027, and the 100th on March 5, 2028.

They will be the last ceremonies broadcast on its longtime network home before the show moves to YouTube in 2029, and the last two held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. The film academy just recently announced that the show would also have a new physical location at the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles as part of a 10-year agreement with AEG. ABC and the film academy will continue to air the show at its earlier time of 7 p.m. Eastern/4 p.m. Pacific.

The 98th Oscars last month saw a 9% dip in ratings after several years of gains. Conan O'Brien returned to host the show which saw “One Battle After Another” take best picture and director, Michael B. Jordan win best actor, for “Sinners,” and Jessie Buckley pick up best actress, for “Hamnet.”

Erick Valencia Salazar formed the Jalisco New Generation Cartel with Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, the drug lord known as “El Mencho" who was killed by the Mexican army in February.

Valencia Salazar, 49, of Santa Clara, California, faces a mandatory-minimum prison sentence of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison after pleading guilty in Washington, D.C., to one count of conspiring to distribute cocaine for U.S. importation. Chief Judge James Boasberg is scheduled to sentence him on July 31.

Valencia Salazar was a member of the Milenio Cartel before he and Oseguera Cervantes founded the Jalisco cartel, which is known by its Spanish-language acronym CJNG. Hundreds of CJNG members reported to Valencia Salazar, whose duties included recruitment and obtaining information about cartel rivals, prosecutors said.

Valencia Salazar, also known as “El 85,” formed his own cartel, La Nueva Plaza, after parting ways with "El Mencho," who led the CJNG until his death.

A. Tysen Duva, the assistant attorney general in charge of the Justice Department’s criminal division, said the CJNG has inflicted “immeasurable damage” on the U.S.

“Valencia Salazar was also responsible for furthering the rampant violence in Mexico, at the expense of people’s lives and the safety of communities, that helped destabilize the region and allow crime to flourish,” Duva said in a statement.

A grand jury indicted Valencia Salazar on the conspiracy charge in 2018. In February 2025, Mexican authorities sent him to the U.S. as part of an initial group of 29 drug lords.

Last year, President Donald Trump's administration designated the CJNG and other cartels as foreign terrorist organizations.

Valencia Salazar was arrested twice in Mexico. The first time was in 2012, when he was detained by the military in the municipality of Zapopan, near Guadalajara, the capital of the state of Jalisco.

Five years later, he was released from prison by order of a judge who cited alleged procedural flaws. In 2022, the Army recaptured him in the town of Tapalpa, the same place where “El Mencho” was captured and killed.

The U.S. State Department had offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to Valencia Salazar's arrest or conviction.

___

Associated Press writer Fabiola Sanchez in Mexico City contributed to this report.

Festival organizers canceled the three-day outdoor event as a result of the travel ban and said those who had bought tickets would get refunds.

Ye applied for an electronic travel authorization to visit the U.K., but it was blocked by the government on the grounds that his presence in the country would not be “conducive to the public good.”

“Kanye West should never have been invited to headline Wireless,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a statement posted on social media. “This government stands firmly with the Jewish community, and we will not stop in our fight to confront and defeat the poison of antisemitism. We will always take the action necessary to protect the public and uphold our values.”

The rapper, who changed his name in 2021, had been expected to play his first U.K. dates for more than a decade in front of around 150,000 revelers over three nights July 10-12 at the Wireless Festival, in London’s Finsbury Park. Other acts for the festival had not yet been announced.

The event's organizers had been under mounting pressure from sponsors and politicians to cancel the gigs by the rapper, who has drawn widespread condemnation for making antisemitic remarks and voicing admiration for Adolf Hitler.

Last year, Ye released a song called “Heil Hitler” and advertised a swastika T-shirt for sale on his website. Officials in Australia canceled the musician's visa in July after the release of the single.

The 48-year-old apologized in January with a letter, published as a full-page advertisement in The Wall Street Journal. He said his bipolar disorder led him to fall into “a four-month long, manic episode of psychotic, paranoid and impulsive behavior that destroyed my life.”

Wireless sponsors Pepsi, Rockstar Energy and Diageo pulled out of the festival since Ye was announced as the headliner.

In a statement issued Tuesday before his travel authorization was revoked, Ye said he “would be grateful for the opportunity to meet with members of the Jewish community in the U.K. in person, to listen.

“I know words aren’t enough — I’ll have to show change through my actions,” he said. “If you’re open, I’m here.”

Phil Rosenberg, president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, had said the group would be willing to meet with the musician if he pulled out of the festival.

“The Jewish community will want to see a genuine remorse and change before believing that the appropriate place to test this sincerity is on the main stage at the Wireless Festival,” Rosenberg said.

Organizer Festival Republic had stood by Ye. In a statement issued Monday, managing director Melvin Benn urged people to offer the performer “forgiveness and hope.”

“We are not giving him a platform to extol opinion of whatever nature, only to perform the songs that are currently played on the radio stations in our country and the streaming platforms in our country and listened to and enjoyed by millions,” the statement said.

Announcing the cancellation, Festival Republic said that “multiple stakeholders were consulted in advance of booking Ye and no concerns were highlighted at the time.

“Antisemitism in all its forms is abhorrent, and we recognize the real and personal impact these issues have had,” it said in a statement. “As Ye said today, he acknowledges that words alone are not enough, and in spite of this still hopes to be given the opportunity to begin a conversation with the Jewish community in the U.K.”

The Community Security Trust, which works to protect British Jews, said the government had made the right decision.

“Anti-Jewish hatred should have no place in society and cultural leaders have a role to play in ensuring that is the case,” it said in a statement.

“People who show genuine and meaningful remorse for previous antisemitic behavior will always receive a sympathetic hearing from the Jewish community, but that process must come before this kind of public rehabilitation.”

A representative for Ye didn’t reply to a request for comment.

Anne Demegillo, 20, appeared in court on Tuesday, where a judge scheduled her arraignment on the charge for April 21.

The incident was revealed in early March when law enforcement arrived at her Palm Coast home for a welfare check, which came at the behest of a friend who’d learned that she’d been secretly pregnant and had unexpectedly given birth.

According to investigators, the woman — identified as Demegillo — explained she’d delivered the baby in a toilet, that the infant cried at first before no longer breathing, and that she hid the child in a duffel bag before burying the infant the night before.

[BELOW: Central Florida mom accused of murdering baby right after birth, sheriff says]

“It’s tragic for the child, for everyone. And it baffles me. I could never imagine being able to do that," said Chief Deputy Joe Barile.

The sheriff’s office said Demegillo was initially reluctant to speak with deputies but later led them to the grave and gave a statement about the birth and her actions afterward.

Deputies said the grave was very shallow, as investigators had to remove about 4-5 inches of dirt to uncover the infant, who had been wrapped in a towel.

“Our detectives and our deputies, when they first got there on a well-being check, when they found out what she had done, they immediately went to that garden and used their hands and dug the baby up, hoping that there was still an opportunity to save the child,” Sheriff Rick Staly said.

Investigators said they believe no one else in the household knew the woman was pregnant. Officials said Demegillo attended a local college and that only her mother was at the home; they said the baby’s father’s whereabouts are unknown.

While Demegillo was initially charged with aggravated manslaughter, the FCSO announced on Monday that she now faces charges of first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse, and failure to report a person’s death to conceal the death.

“It became very apparent that she did know she was pregnant, that she did not want to be pregnant and was trying to figure out how to dispose of the fetus before birth,” Staly told News 6. “Or then, what to do afterward.”

According to the FCSO, detectives uncovered searches on Demegillo’s phone for “newborn premature babies,” “Palm Coast OBGYN,” and “foods to decrease fertility.” Images of Casey Anthony and new babies were reportedly also found, which suggested searches on the death of a child and subsequent investigation.

[BELOW: Florida woman accused of letting newborn drown in toilet, burying baby in backyard bonds out of jail]

“This is one of those tragic cases that shock you to your core that a mother would allow a newborn to die because the newborn was a distraction to her life,” Staly added. “It’s hard to comprehend how a mother would choose to watch their infant drown instead of lifting the baby out of the toilet.”

Deputies also reported that Demegillo turned herself in and will be held on no bond pending a court hearing.

“I battled the last 10 holes," Woodland revealed Tuesday, “thinking people were trying to kill me.”

That's not intended to be a joke. The exact opposite, in fact: a powerful admission of Woodland's mental health struggles, and one he hopes will help others dealing with trauma, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder in their own lives.

The inner turmoil that Woodland feels even at Augusta National, one of the most bucolic places in the world, has its roots in a scan that uncovered a lesion on his brain that had been causing him unfounded fears of dying. In September 2023, he wrote letters to his wife and kids in the event something went wrong, then had surgery to remove as much of it as possible.

The procedure involved cutting a baseball-sized hole from the side of his head, but it proved to be successful. Woodland was back on the course in January 2024, slowly working his way back into form, making enough cuts to keep him motivated.

The following year, he finished second at the Houston Open — the same tournament he would win last month, when Woodland got through his Friday bout of hypervigilance and closed with a 3-under 67 on Sunday for a five-shot win over Nicolai Hojgaard.

Few knew that Woodland was still struggling, though. He had become crippled by PTSD to the point that he would rush to bathrooms to break down in tears, and it always felt as if people were out to get him; one symptom of PTSD is a heightened state of sensory sensitivity, which causes the nervous system to continually stay in an on-guard state.

“I talked to (PGA) Tour security that night,” Woodland said of that Friday at the Houston Open, "and I told them what I was going through, and every time I looked up on the weekend, my security team was behind me. Any time I got startled on the weekend, I turn around — last year I didn't talk to Tour security. I fought this on my own. It was awful.

“Turning around and knowing I'm safe, having somebody there with me? It's the only reason I won two weeks ago.”

Well, not quite the only reason.

Woodland's ball speed was 196 mph on one tee shot, a good indication that the strength that helped carry him to the 2019 U.S. Open championship had returned. His approach play was sublime and his short game even better on the way to finishing at 21 under, giving Woodland his first win since his only major championship and the fifth victory of his career.

“We live in a world, as men and especially as an athlete, that you put your head down and you fight through it. I’ve done it my whole life,” Woodland said. “This is honestly one battle that I’m not able to do on my own. I tried, and it wasn’t working.”

So, Woodland got some help. And it has helped him immeasurably.

Never one to think about himself, Woodland quickly realized that his struggles might help somebody else, too. That is why he went public with his PTSD diagnosis in an interview with the Golf Channel, and why he was so forthcoming Tuesday at the Masters.

“The world we live in, speaking about something you would call a weakness is hard,” he said, "but speaking about it and how I feel afterwards made me a lot stronger. I didn’t know that releasing this battle was going to make me stronger, and it’s done that. I feel a lot stronger now than I did three weeks ago, I can tell you that. No matter how hard it is out here, I know I have someone I can talk to that I can have security. My team have been amazing in helping me, but I’ve turned a weakness into a strength.

“I wouldn’t even say it as a weakness, but I think that’s the stigma out there. But I feel a lot stronger after I came out for sure.”

This week will be another test for Woodland, perhaps an even tougher one. More people are sure to trail him around Augusta National after his win in Houston, and the proximity of the patrons to the players — especially on the tees — can be a matter of a few feet.

The PGA Tour has worked with the Masters to provide the security Woodland needs to feel safe.

“There’s probably not a safer golf tournament in the world, so I’m happy for that, but it’s still a battle in my head if I’m safe or not,” he said. “I don’t have control when this thing hits me, and it’s tough. It can be a fan. It can be a walking score (board holder). It can be a camera guy running by me. Just any startlement from behind me can trigger this pretty quickly. Knowing where that security is is a constant reminder that I’m safe.”

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

The developer was asking commissioners to approve plans to build 79 homes on a 40-acre parcel along Log House Road. The problem? Current zoning only allows 49 homes.

In a packed Lake County Commission meeting Tuesday morning, residents voiced their concerns. In a 3-to-2 vote, Commissioners Anthony Sabatini, Sean Parks and Leslie Campione agreed with residents, denying KB Home’s request.

As News 6 first reported last week, it’s a battle neighbors have described as David vs. Goliath.

“The whole community is at real risk because everything gets flooded, everything will continue to flow downhill,” said neighbor Bill Decker.

Nearby residents tell News 6, the parcel is also on a 40 foot slope and they believe clearing the wooded land would lead to more flooding.

“During Hurricane Milton, we had that issue already. We had water come in towards our property already,” said neighbor Gail Cisneros.

Nearby residents are also worried the increased density would lead to traffic jams and problems for emergency vehicles.

Despite the vote, the battle is not necessarily over just yet. KB Home and the property owner can now sue the county, leaving taxpayers on the hook for legal fees and a judge could potentially green-light a future development.

No such data center is planned right now, but if one’s built at some point, county commissioners Tuesday night will weigh whether to deny property tax breaks.

There are other parts of the country trying to ban data centers. Brevard’s not saying that, but some still worry about the massive amounts of energy the centers use between electricity and water, and how that affects their utility bills.

“A lot of people, candidly, don’t want it in their backyard, and we’re all worried about the potential energy costs,” Rep. Mike Haridopolos (R-Brevard County) told your Viera Community Correspondent James Sparvero.

James asked others at the government center ahead of the commission meeting for their opinions.

One woman told him her husband works in AI, and she’d worry that by not offering tax breaks, an opportunity for the county to be a leader in the sector, like in spaceflight, could be blown.

“We have all these launches going off in our backyard. Brevard County, in general, it seems like this is the place to make progress,” Elizabeth Buescher said.

A man, who didn’t wish to share his name, agreed that data centers are necessary.

“You need to have the debate of what’s benefits and what’s the rewards,” he said. “Of course, we want them in places where there’s not a negative impact on environment matters.”

One of the world’s largest AI data centers is planned an hour south of Brevard in St. Lucie County.

Stick with News 6 and ClickOrlando.com for updates on what the commission decides.

In a release around 2:49 p.m., police said they are investigating the anonymous threat, which school officials had received.

Meanwhile, Principal Nate Fancher explained that the threat was called into the school office after dismissal on Tuesday.

“As a precaution, we placed the students and staff who were still on campus for after-school activities under a secure hold,” he wrote. “All students and staff are safe.”

Shortly before 3:40 p.m., police declared that officers had swept the campus and found no threats, so the precautionary lockdown was lifted and students were released.

No additional information has been provided at this time.

Emerging from the Lightning locker room before playing at Buffalo on Monday night, Cooper shook his head in mock dismay upon seeing the larger than usual crowd of reporters awaiting his arrival.

“Ugh. Why are there so many people here?” Cooper asked with a wink. “It’s Game 77 folks, not Game 83.”

Point taken from a two-time Stanley Cup-winner overseeing a team that’s already clinched its 12th playoff berth over his 13-year tenure in Tampa Bay.

As much as Cooper can appreciate the importance of a late-season outing between two budding Atlantic Division rivals jockeying for playoff positioning, it doesn’t match the ramped-up intensity that follows an 82-game regular season.

“It’s Game 77. I think both teams accomplished their goals for the year in regard to the regular season,” he said, before the Lightning’s 4-2 loss. “It’s just I don’t put a ton of stock into it. The stock was made of making the final eight (in the Eastern Conference), and we did that.”

Tell that to the upstart Sabres and their revitalized fanbase celebrating a team finally snapping an NHL-record 14-season playoff drought.

It’s no different in Montreal, where the young and talented Canadiens are continuing the franchise’s upward trajectory in securing back-to-back playoff berths for just the second time in 11 years.

Upstarts shake up Atlantic hierarchy

Entering Tuesday, the Lightning and Sabres were tied for the division lead with 102 points. Montreal sat only two points back in a season the Atlantic’s hierarchy — save for the Lightning — has been turned upside down.

While the Bruins are in contention and Ottawa and Detroit battling for wild-card seeds, the two-time defending Cup champion Florida Panthers have already been eliminated. So has Toronto, with the Maple Leafs in upheaval after missing the playoffs for the first time in 11 years.

Keith Pelley, CEO of the Maple Leafs’ parent corporation, said as much of the shifting landscape in discussing his reasons for firing GM Brad Treliving last week.

“We definitely didn’t see the train coming which was the Buffalo Sabres and the Montreal Canadiens,” Pelley said. “Buffalo and Montreal have shown that they’re young, energetic teams who are gonna be here for a long time.”

That’s the hope in Buffalo, where the Sabres are on a 36-9-4 run that’s vaulted them from last place in East in early December.

“You’ve got to take a lot of pride in the fact you made the playoffs in a year where this division and this conference was so incredibly tough,” Sabres coach Lindy Ruff said.

And unlike Cooper, Ruff is relishing this moment in the second year of his second stint in Buffalo.

Buzz returns to Buffalo

He’s captivated by the electricity the team has generated after its 17th consecutive sellout on Monday, and 22nd of the season. The fans were fully on board in booing the Lightning from the pregame warmup to chanting “We want Hagel!” in the third period.

Hagel has emerged as Public Enemy No. 1 in Buffalo after the Lightning forward jumped captain Rasmus Dahlin from behind in the Sabres electrifying 8-7 win a month ago.

“Everybody’s into it,” Ruff said. “I think our fans have been waiting for this for a while, so it’s good to see.”

Lightning forward Brayden Point was measured in assessing the loss to Buffalo.

“This game definitely had more meaning than some of them. And it’s disappointing not to get the result we wanted,” Point said. “It wasn’t playoff Game 1, so there’s still time to learn from it, but hopefully we learn pretty quick.”

In Montreal, the Canadiens had won eight straight before losing to New Jersey on Sunday, and host the Lightning on Thursday.

Lightning remain competitive

Cooper has enjoyed seeing the competitive shift that's taken place in the division, while reassured the Lightning have stayed in the mix.

“Buffalo has a heck of a team. And I’d like to think we’re not too shabby ourselves,” Cooper said. “There’s been waves of different teams that have made the playoffs in our division, and we’ve found a way to be able to do it.”

Come playoff time, Cooper is holding the Lightning to a higher standard no matter where they finish, noting Tampa Bay hasn’t won a playoff series since failing to three-peat as Cup champions in 2022.

“There’s potentially new teams sitting around the table but it shouldn’t change anything in our mindset,” Cooper said. “We need to look after our business here to keep moving forward because haven’t been really satisfied with the fact that we’ve been bounced the last three years.”

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

In a release on Monday afternoon, deputies said that the woman — identified as Alexandra Gonzalez, 46 — is a property management bookkeeper who was accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from local HOAs.

“Investigators say that over an extended period of time, Gonzalez wrote checks to herself from HOA accounts that she managed and concealed the thefts by creating fictitious invoices and false ledger entries,” the release reads. “She also allegedly forged the signatures of authorized account holders.”

According to investigators, the stolen funds were used for personal expenses like shopping, plastic surgery and vacations.

[BELOW: Brevard County couple gets scammed in ‘Puppies for Sale’ rip-off’]

The sheriff’s office said that Gonzalez worked for Avant-Garde Property Management, and the identified victims at this time include Whitemarsh Reserve Homeowners Association and The Dunes of Hutchinson Island.

Now, Gonzalez has warrants out for her arrest on the following charges:

• Two counts of fraud over $50,000
• Two counts of grand theft
• 61 counts of uttering false instruments
• 59 counts of embezzlement

Her total bond has been set at $1.35 million.

Meanwhile, deputies said Gonzalez may currently be in the Miramar or Vero Beach areas.

Anyone with information on her whereabouts is urged to contact the Martin County Sheriff’s Office.

[BELOW: Florida woman claims conspiracy with country singers after selling other people’s homes]

Kate Jackson, Jaclyn Smith and Cheryl Ladd reunited to mark the show's 50th anniversary at PaleyFest LA on Monday night. They were greeted with a standing ovation and whoops and cheers from an audience at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

The hour-long crime adventure series debuted on Sept. 22, 1976, in a pre-internet and streaming world when there were just three major television networks. It was a top-10 hit for ABC in its first two of five seasons, ending in 1981.

“I knew the show was different, special and unique,” Smith told the audience. “Three women chasing danger instead of getting rescued.”

Jackson added, “We made an impact, I think.”

Farrah Fawcett-Majors became a 1970s icon with her feathered hair and sexy swimsuit poster. She left after the first season to pursue a film career. She died in 2009.

She was replaced by Ladd, who showed up on her first day wearing a Farrah Fawcett Minor T-shirt. She had turned down producer Aaron Spelling three times, knowing how beloved Fawcett had been.

“I knew that there was nobody that was going to replace Farrah, so I made a joke of myself,” Ladd said on the red carpet. “Everybody laughed. Farrah would have done something like that.”

Jackson added, "Cheryl stepped in and we didn’t miss a beat.”

Critics weren’t kind, however, calling the show “jiggle television” because the women dressed scantily to go undercover and slamming it for vapid acting.

“It didn’t bother me,” Jackson said on the red carpet. “I knew what we were doing and Gloria Steinem knew what we were doing, and some other very impressive people knew what we were doing. We were helping to punch a hole in that glass ceiling and that makes a big difference."

Five decades later, the show remains popular in reruns and DVDs, having spawned a film series starring Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu.

"We were giving people an hour to sit back, put their feet up, forget everything and watch television,” Jackson said, “and then again just kind of subtly getting the message in there that women are just as capable, intelligent, can do anything that a man can do.”

The mostly older audience cheered and laughed as scenes from various episodes were played. Included in the highlights were Shelley Hack, who lasted one season after replacing Jackson, and the late Tanya Roberts, who appeared in the final season. Smith and the late David Doyle, who played Charlie's go-between, were on the show's entire run.

Smith, who is 80, and Ladd, who is 74, went on to prolific careers in made-for-TV movies and guesting on other shows. Jackson, who quit after three seasons, later starred in the CBS hit “Scarecrow and Mrs. King.”

Jackson left the business nearly 20 years ago to raise her son. Now 77, she said, “I’m ready to go back.”

The trio's sisterhood includes all of them overcoming breast cancer, with Ladd revealing for the first time publicly Monday that she had an aggressive form of the disease. She didn't say when it occurred.

“When Cheryl called me,” Smith said, “the first thing I did was send her my wigs.”

Smith was at Jackson's bedside during her cancer battle. Each of them urged the audience to have regular health screenings.

In one of many lighter moments, the women were asked to name their favorite outfits.

“I wore a lot of turtlenecks,” Jackson said, drawing laughs.

Smith singled out her tiny white bikini seen in the opening credits.

Ladd recalled, “Bikinis, a lot of bikinis.”

Smith joked, “Our ratings went up.”

Jackson, Smith and Ladd will reunite again on May 14 when they are among the recipients at the Paley Honors gala in New York. Smith's memoir titled “I Once Knew a Guy Named Charlie” comes out in September.

“I was really proud to be part of that show,” said Ladd, who always welcomed fans expressing their fondness for the Angels. "I felt so loved. You couldn't be in a bad mood. It was always uplifting to hear it.”