WEDNESDAY

A stalled front lingering across the region, combined with deep tropical moisture, will keep rain chances elevated through the day. Storms are expected to develop during the afternoon before gradually pushing east southeast toward the coast and offshore later tonight.

While Wednesday’s severe weather threat is lower than Tuesday’s, a few storms could still become strong. The main concerns include frequent lightning, wind gusts between 40 and 50 mph, small hail, and pockets of heavy rainfall.

Wednesday’s temperatures are expected to stay closer to normal for May, with highs reaching the mid to upper 80s.

LATE WEEK

Looking ahead, drier weather gradually returns late this week as high pressure builds back across Florida. Rain chances drop Thursday and Friday, as highs climb into the upper 80s.

WEEKEND

By the weekend and early next week, temperatures begin climbing even further with highs returning to the low 90s. Higher humidity levels could push the feels-like temperatures into the upper 90s.

The only tortoise native to the Southeast (and why that matters)

Gopher tortoises are the only tortoise species found east of the Mississippi River. They live in dry, sandy uplands such as longleaf pine, oak scrub, sandhills, and even coastal dunes. These are places where digging is easy and sunlight reaches the ground.

That’s the key: gopher tortoises need open, sunny habitats with low-growing plants for food. When the forest canopy closes in and shade takes over, their food disappears, and so do they.

One tortoise, an entire neighborhood

Katherine explained that gopher tortoises are a keystone species, which means they shape the entire ecosystem around them. They don’t just live in the habitat; they actually build it.

Their burrows provide shelter for up to hundreds of other species in Florida, including snakes, mammals, birds, and many insects and other small animals. Think of it as the original Florida starter home: cool, stable, and always available when the weather turns violent, which in Florida happens pretty often.

Those burrows also help other wildlife survive extreme heat, drought, and even fire. Underground, the temperature and humidity stay fairly constant, making a gopher tortoise burrow one of the best natural refuges in the state.

The habitat problem: Florida’s “high and dry” is disappearing

We filmed in oak scrub and longleaf pine habitat, an ecosystem that once covered a large part of the Southeast. Today, more than 90% of that habitat has been lost because of development and lack of management.

The issue is painfully simple: the places gopher tortoises want to live are the same places humans want to build.

Flat, high, dry land is perfect for tortoises and also for houses, roads, apartments, and almost anything that comes with a mailbox. When development spreads into these uplands, tortoise habitat gets fragmented or destroyed, and burrows can be buried, blocked, or erased.

Also, many of these ecosystems depend on fire. Without regular prescribed burns or natural fires, woody plants take over, the habitat becomes thicker and shadier, and it slowly stops being suitable for tortoises.

Why they’re so hard to find (even when they’re right there)

I learned quickly that gopher tortoises spend most of their lives underground. They come out to bask, forage, and sometimes socialize, but if you’re picturing a tortoise casually posing for your camera like it’s an influencer, that’s not going to happen.

Their burrows can be surprisingly deep and long, sometimes reaching about 40 feet in length and usually about six feet below the surface. According to the National Park Service, gopher tortoise burrows can stretch up to thirty feet long and reach depths of eight feet, sometimes even more, which shows just how extensive their underground homes can be—so when you’re standing at the entrance wondering what’s inside, there is a lot more to these burrows than meets the eye. Anyone home?’ there’s a good chance they’re deep inside, enjoying their perfectly climate-controlled bunker.

The twist: the tortoises weren’t in the state park

Here’s the part that hit me the hardest: even after all that effort, the gopher tortoises I eventually found weren’t in the state park two hours away.

They were ten minutes from my house—in the middle of suburbia.

That’s the real lesson from the whole experience. Nature isn’t always a far-off adventure. Sometimes it’s right outside your door, or even under your feet. Once you realize that, protecting wildlife habitat feels less like an abstract ‘save the planet’ idea and more like protecting the place where you actually live.

A few extra gopher tortoise facts (and where to learn more)

Defenders of Wildlife has great resources on gopher tortoises, including why they’re considered a keystone species and how their burrows support hundreds of other animals.

If you want to learn more or support their work, visit Defenders of Wildlife by clicking here.

You can also start with their tortoise resources by clicking here.

And a Defenders blog post specifically on gopher tortoises by clicking here.

How you can help (without “helping” too much)

If you see a gopher tortoise, the best thing you can do is give it space and avoid disturbing it or its burrow. These are not aquatic turtles, and they should never be put in ponds, lakes, or near water just because it seems right.

If you have gopher tortoises on your property, Katherine suggests looking into a gopher tortoise-friendly yard certification from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Sometimes the most effective way to help conservation isn’t glamorous. It can be as simple as letting a tortoise keep its unique sand tunnel undisturbed.

The question is whether Prime Minister Keir Starmer will be around to implement it and, even if he remains in post, whether he will have the authority to push his proposals through.

The embattled prime minister has been urged to set a timetable for his departure by more than a fifth of the Labour Party's lawmakers in the House of Commons. Some junior ministers have quit the government in protest, but no one has yet challenged Starmer directly.

Early on Wednesday, Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who is one of those widely tipped to be interested in succeeding Starmer, had a meeting with the prime minister that lasted less than 20 minutes. Streeting did not speak to reporters on his way in or out of 10 Downing Street.

Streeting is widely expected to break his silence after the King's Speech, which represents Starmer's latest effort to save his premiership after Labour suffered huge losses in local and regional elections last week. If those results were repeated in a national election that has to be held by 2029, the party would be overwhelmingly ejected from power.

Labour secured a landslide election victory in 2024, driving the Conservatives from power after 14 years, but since then the party’s popularity has plunged and Starmer is getting much of the blame. The reasons include a series of policy missteps, a struggling British economy, a perceived lack of vision on the prime minister’s part and questions over his judgment. Starmer’s choice of Peter Mandelson as U.K. ambassador to Washington despite ties to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has continued to haunt him.

Historic power collides with modern reality

The King’s Speech, which is written by the government, will be a moment when the historic power and grandeur of Britain will collide with the reality of the modern United Kingdom, a mid-sized country with an underfunded military, rising debt and waning international influence. It's a country struggling to control immigration and pay for public services such as health care and education.

The speech is just one element of the state opening of Parliament, a traditional set piece of the political calendar that uses carefully choreographed pageantry to showcase Britain’s evolution from an absolute monarchy to a parliamentary democracy where real power is vested in the elected House of Commons.

The speech is likely to take on cost of living crisis

The speech is expected to include proposals to address the cost of living crisis, create a national wealth fund to stimulate private investment in public infrastructure and tighten rules for asylum seekers. It may also include the government’s controversial proposal to abolish jury trials for some cases in England and Wales, lower the voting age to 16 and introduce a “duty of candor” for public officials, requiring them to tell the truth and cooperate with investigations.

The problem for Starmer is that many of the proposals expected to appear in the speech have been announced previously. That raises the question of whether he will be able to win over his doubters.

Even so, the speech is the focal point of a day of ceremony and tradition that has been followed since 1852, with elements of the program dating to the 16th century.

King Charles III visits Parliament

The monarch traditionally travels from Buckingham Palace to the Houses of Parliament, a distance of less than a mile, in a horse-drawn carriage. He then dons the Imperial State Crown and robe of state before leading a procession into the chamber of the unelected House of Lords.

A Lords official called Black Rod, named for the ebony rod he or she carries, then goes to the House of Commons to summon the chamber’s members to a joint sitting of Parliament. The doors to the Commons chamber are slammed in Black Rod’s face to symbolize the chamber’s independence from the monarchy, and they aren’t opened until Black Rod strikes the doors three times.

Once members of the Commons have crowded into the Lords’ chamber, the king delivers a speech written by the government and laying out its legislative program for the coming session of Parliament.

After the speech is read and the king leaves, the two houses of Parliament begin several days of debate on its contents.

Aim for hybrids with the shortest payback periods

New hybrids typically cost more than similar gas-only vehicles, so aim for a hybrid that doesn’t cost much more than its non-hybrid sibling. With this strategy, you will offset the price difference more quickly with the fuel savings a hybrid provides. For example, the SE hybrid version of the 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe, which is one of Hyundai’s three-row SUVs, costs just $1,350 more than the regular Santa Fe. According to the EPA, the hybrid version can save you $850 a year in fuel costs compared to the regular Santa Fe if you drive 15,000 miles a year. So, depending on how much you drive, the fuel savings could cover the extra cost in less than two years.

The Ford Maverick, which is Ford’s compact pickup, and the Lexus NX small luxury SUV are two other models that will pay you back quicker than most if you get the hybrid version. In contrast, some hybrids may take several years to recoup their extra cost. For example, a hybrid version of the Honda Civic costs $2,700 more than a comparable non-hybrid Civic, and the EPA estimates that you’ll save just $450 a year by getting the hybrid.

To find out how long it will take to recover the extra cost of the hybrid you want, visit the EPA’s mpg comparison tool. But if the hybrid you want isn’t there, you can find out for yourself by comparing the price difference between the hybrid you want and the non-hybrid version of it. Then, compare the estimated annual fuel cost of each by entering the vehicles in the EPA’s fuel economy website.

Find models that are mpg standouts

If you aren’t worried about price differences and just want to start saving money on gas, focus on getting a vehicle with high fuel economy estimates. The 2026 Toyota RAV4 is a great choice for a small SUV because it comes exclusively as a hybrid and gets up to an EPA-estimated 43 mpg combined.

Want something smaller than a RAV4? The Kia Niro delivers up to 53 mpg. And what if you want the most efficient hybrid for 2026? The answer is something you’ve probably heard of: the Toyota Prius. A 2026 Prius can get up to an EPA-estimated 57 mpg combined.

Go used or certified pre-owned for a better deal

If you’re OK with a used hybrid, then you can potentially avoid the hybrid price premium entirely. A hybrid model that has more miles or is a year or two older can cost the same or less than a comparable non-hybrid. To help offset the higher mileage or age, aim for a certified pre-owned hybrid because it typically includes an additional warranty.

In some cases, you might be able to find a hybrid that’s priced the same as a non-hybrid regardless of age or mileage if it’s been on the dealership lot for an extended time. Dealerships tend to discount vehicles that aren’t selling quickly to move inventory.

New three-row hybrid SUVs can save you more

Hybrid-powered three-row SUVs are a great choice if you’ve got a large family and want to save on gas. There are also more hybrid models on the market than ever before. The all-new 2026 Hyundai Palisade Hybrid SEL, for example, can save you up to $1,100 a year versus the non-hybrid version, assuming you drive 15,000 miles a year. With savings like that, you recoup the extra cost in about two years. The Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid is another roomy three-row SUV that could pay for itself in about two years.

Edmunds says

Saving money is just one of the advantages of owning a hybrid. Many hybrids are also more powerful than non-hybrids and deliver a smoother driving experience. They also produce lower emissions and have less brake wear because of their regenerative braking system.

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

Michael Cantu is a contributor at Edmunds.

Major donors aren’t giving. Liberal influencers are publicly questioning Martin's refusal to release an internal report on the party's failures. And Democratic operatives have begun informal discussions about recruiting a new chair, even as most believe that Martin's job isn't in serious jeopardy ahead of the midterm elections.

Amanda Litman, who leads the Democratic-allied organization Run For Something, said she's been approached by senior strategists in recent days gauging her interest in replacing Martin. She declined but said many in the party have lost faith in the DNC leader.

“I think it’s a really hard job, and also Ken is not doing it very well,” Litman told The Associated Press. “I honestly think he’s going to have a hard time rebuilding trust.”

Part of the challenge for those Democrats frustrated with Martin, she said, “is that there’s not really an alternative.”

The criticism has gotten to Martin, said two people who insisted on anonymity to describe private conversations. They said he's become increasingly paranoid, even inside party headquarters in Washington, where he did not install his own team after taking over last year.

Martin tries to press forward

The handwringing comes in spite of the Democratic Party's undeniable success in the vast majority of elections under Martin's leadership, which coincides with Republican President Donald Trump's return to the White House. Democrats over the last year have dominated races for governor and special elections for state legislative and congressional seats. They've also won campaigns for state supreme court, county executive and even county sheriff.

Less than six months before the 2026 midterm elections, however, the concern over Martin's leadership is, at best, an unwanted distraction for a party desperate to break the Republican Party's grip on power in Washington. And, at worst, the conflict will make it harder for Democrats to win in November, while undermining faith in the DNC as it coordinates the party's next presidential nomination process.

Martin declined to comment for this article. He has sought to avoid media interviews over the last week, preferring to keep his head down while focusing on improving the DNC's financial health and scouting potential sites for the presidential convention in 2028.

While in Denver, for example, Martin hosted a crowded fundraising event before three private one-on-one donor meetings in between calls to more donors in other cities.

Former DNC Chair Jaime Harrison, whom Martin replaced, said he’s upset and frustrated by those in his party who are publicly challenging Martin's leadership. Harrison was especially angry with Democratic operatives from the podcast “Pod Save America,” who pressed Martin during a recent episode about why he reneged on a promise to release a post-2024 election autopsy.

Even Martin's close allies described the interview as a cringeworthy moment for the first-term chair.

“Am I happy with everything that goes on in the party? No. Am I happy with leadership that sometimes you get? No. But do you see me going out at this juncture trying to make that case? This is not the moment for that,” Harrison said. “We have to be as strong as we possibly can going into November, because we have to win. Once we win, we can fight like hell.”

Asked if he thought Martin's job was at risk, Harrison said, “I don't think so.”

Martin's gamble

Martin is leaning into a 50-state spending strategy that his supporters privately acknowledge is risky.

The DNC each month is distributing $1 million among party organizations in every state and key U.S. territories, besides allocating $5,000 more per month to nearly two dozen Republican-controlled states, to help build party infrastructure.

The investments are overwhelmingly popular with local leaders even as the DNC struggles financially.

The national party reported $22.1 million cash on hand with $18.4 million in debt at the end of March, according to its most recent federal filing. The Republican National Committee, by contrast, reported $116.8 million in the bank with zero debt.

Despite the criticism, DNC national finance co-chair Chris Lowe said the cash disparity is the result of an intentional strategy Martin outlined when running for chair and has executed since taking over the building.

“We made a conscious decision to spend money,” Lowe said. “His view, and I would agree with this view, is the best way to position ourselves for the presidential (election) in ’28 is not just to amass a bunch of money, it’s to have a history of winning elections all across the country up and down the ballot. And that’s what we’ve done.”

Lowe notes that Martin raised more money in his first year as chair than anyone else in an equivalent year when the Democrats did not have the White House. And in 2026 so far, he said, the committee has exceeded its big-dollar fundraising targets every month.

DNC member Michael Kapp, a vocal Martin ally from California, said that he'd “love to have big donors come on board” but that the committee's bank account isn't what matters most.

“Republicans can brag about having more money but they’re not spending it, and they’re not winning,” Kapp said. “At the end of the day the scoreboard matters more than the spreadsheet.”

The secret autopsy

Beyond fundraising, the furor around Martin's leadership centers on his refusal to release the DNC's internal study of the 2024 election — known inside the DNC as the “after-action report” — despite his past promises to do so on his first day as chair.

Kapp, as is the case with many of Martin's allies, said “it's certainly something that should be made public,” but he's willing to accept Martin's argument that it's too close to the November midterm elections to release the autopsy now.

“I know there are lessons to be learned from that,” he said of the report. “I trust Ken. I’ve known the man for 10 years. But at this point, when we’re six, seven months away from the midterms, we need to be focused on the midterms.”

Martin has been aggressively courting big-dollar donors, despite their demonstrated reluctance to give to the committee. He acknowledged pressure related to the autopsy in some of the conversations and indicated changes could be coming soon, according to two people with direct knowledge of the discussions but not authorized to share them.

As Martin looks ahead to 2028, when the DNC is tasked with building out the political infrastructure for the party's next presidential nominee, some presidential prospects are approaching the intraparty conflict with caution.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, who is expected to launch a presidential bid, did not answer directly when asked whether Martin should continue to lead the DNC.

“Ken and I work well together. And I say that being somebody who wasn’t originally on board,” Beshear said. “But he made an effort to reach out to me. And, listen, I want to work with whoever’s there. We need a healthy DNC. We need it to work.”

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AP writer Joey Cappelletti in Washington contributed.

City planning director Jason Burton says Orlando’s housing crunch has been decades in the making. After World War II, many cities, including Orlando, restricted or outright banned accessory dwelling units, often called ADUs. That decision, Burton says, erased a key option for “gentle” growth: small second homes on existing lots that can add housing without changing the look and feel of a neighborhood.

“So we were kind of missing all that incremental development, that latent demand for accessory dwelling units,” said Burton.

The Orlando City Council originally passed changes in 2018 to the Land Development Code encouraging the construction of ADUs, as one way to alleviate the housing shortage in Orlando. Since then, many new ADUs have been built, especially in the historic districts where permitting is actually easier, since garage apartments were often part of the original neighborhoods.

Today, ADUs are making a comeback and Burton says they can help a wide range of people. They can work for seniors who want to downsize while staying close to family, adult children who move back home, single renters, or relatives who need a nearby place to live.

To encourage more of them, the City of Orlando is rolling out a $1.5 million incentive program aimed at homeowners willing to build an ADU on their property. Under the program, homeowners can be reimbursed $10,000 for construction costs, plus receive rebates for building permits and impact fees, benefits that can total roughly another $4,000.

But there is a requirement: for 12 of the first 24 months, the ADU has to be rented to someone who meets 120% of the area median income. The lease requirement may be waived if the ADU resident is aged 62 or older

Burton says that threshold is higher than many people might expect: about $89,000 a year for a single person, meaning a lot of renters would qualify. To meet the program rules, homeowners must provide a lease showing the unit is rented for at least 12 months within the first 24 months after the ADU is built.

The city is also trying to make the process easier by working with an architect to develop pre-approved building plans that would be available to homeowners at no cost, potentially speeding up approvals and lowering design costs.

For homeowners who don’t want a traditional build, the city says another option is a modular unit purchased from an approved manufacturer and installed on a foundation. One example is Movable Roots, based in Melbourne, which offers several ADU models designed for that purpose.

What won’t qualify: a tiny home or RV on wheels.

Burton says interested applicants should review the site checklist to help determine their property’s eligibility and readiness to construct an ADU

Burton says ADUs aren’t a new idea at all.

“If you think about it, they’re Americana as apple pie because every good American sitcom has always involved in ADU,” said Burton. “In Happy Days, where Fonzie lived, that was an ADU... or that 70s show or Family Ties, they all involved an ADU, so it’s part of our culture to have them.”

The Dutch-flagged MV Hondius is listed on Oceanwide Expeditions' website as scheduled to depart on a cruise later in May that would take it to the Arctic for a series of cruises throughout the summer.

Three cruise ship passengers have died, including a Dutch couple whom health officials believe were the first exposed to the virus while visiting South America. In all, there have been 11 cases reported in the outbreak, nine of which have been confirmed.

On Monday, after the ship reached Spain's Canary Islands where all remaining passengers were taken off, Oceanwide Expeditions said that it did not “foresee changes to our operations” — which included a new cruise beginning May 29.

But on Wednesday the company said it expects “clarity on whether the vessel will sail and the sailing schedule by the end of this week.”

More than 120 people on board during the outbreak — all passengers and some crew — disembarked on Sunday and Monday and are now quarantined in several countries. The ship then set sail for Rotterdam, the Netherlands, where it is expected to arrive on May 17 or 18, Oceanwide Expeditions says.

Twenty-five crew members, two health workers and the body of one of the passengers who died are still on board. None are showing any symptoms, the company has said.

Hantavirus usually spreads from rodent droppings and is not easily transmitted between people, though the Andes virus detected on the Hondius may be able to spread between people in rare cases. Symptoms usually show between one and eight weeks after exposure.

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Becatoros reported from Athens, Greece, and Shastri reported from Milwaukee.

Prosecutors are asking for 2 1/2 years in prison for 56-year-old Erik Fleming, one of five people who pleaded guilty in connection with the actor's 2023 death in the Jacuzzi of his Los Angeles home. Fleming connected Perry to Jasveen Sangha, the convicted drug dealer who prosecutors called “The Ketamine Queen.” She was sentenced last month to 15 years in prison.

Defense lawyers are asking for a sentence of three months in prison and nine months in a residential drug treatment facility, saying in a sentencing memo that Fleming “has gone to extreme lengths to atone for his criminal conduct.”

Fleming gave up Sangha to investigators as soon as they contacted him and in August 2024 became the first defendant to plead guilty, admitting to one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death. That was before arrests in the case were even announced.

He will be the fourth defendant in the case to be sentenced in the Los Angeles federal courtroom of Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett. It will be his first court appearance since his role became public knowledge.

Prosecutors said in their sentencing memo that while Fleming's exceptional cooperation should bring a lighter sentence, his role as a drug counselor who “deliberately undertook to sell illegal street drugs to a victim who had a public, well-documented battle with drug addiction” should count against him, even if Perry wasn't one of his regular clients.

Perry had been receiving ketamine treatments for depression — an increasingly common off-label use.

A few weeks before his death, Perry was seeking more of the drug than he could get through doctors and asked a friend to help him get more. She was in a treatment facility, so introduced Perry to Fleming. He was a former film and television producer whose career had been ravaged by addiction. He got sober and became a drug counselor, but had relapsed after the 2023 death of a beloved stepmother who had rescued him from a traumatic childhood, his lawyers said.

Fleming would get ketamine from Sangha, mark up the price to make a profit, and deliver it to Perry's house where he sold it to the actor's live-in personal assistant Kenneth Iwamasa.

“I procured ketamine for Matthew Perry because I wanted the money and because I thought I was doing a favor for a friend,” Fleming said in a letter to the court. “I never contemplated the worst possible outcome. This grievous failure will haunt me forever.”

His deliveries included 25 vials for $6,000 four days before Perry's death.

Iwamasa would inject Perry from that batch on Oct. 28, 2023, and hours later he found the actor dead. A medical examiner's report found that Perry died from the acute effects of ketamine, a surgical anesthetic, and drowning was a secondary cause.

Fleming can technically get 25 years in prison, but it's very unlikely it will be anywhere near that much.

His lawyers say he has undergone a “transformative” rehabilitation since Perry's death.

“I will accept my punishment with humility and spend the rest of my life working to become worthy of forgiveness,” Fleming's letter said.

Iwamasa is the last defendant to be sentenced in two weeks.

Perry, who died at 54, became one of the biggest stars of his generation as Chandler Bing on “Friends,” NBC’s culture-changing sitcom that ran from 1994 to 2004.

An auction of his valuables including “Friends” memorabilia will go to benefit the foundation founded in his name soon after his death.

France's CAC 40 was little changed, inching down less than 0.1% in early trading to 7,975.77, while the German DAX added 0.8% to 24,153.10. Britain's FTSE 100 gained 0.4% to 10,308.30. U.S. shares were set to trade mixed with Dow futures down 0.2% at 49,769.00. S&P 5600 futures rose 0.2% to 7,442.00.

In Asia, Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 edged up 0.8% to finish at 63,272.11.

South Korea's Kospi index surged 2.6% to 7,844.01, recouping recent losses. The Kospi sank 2.3% earlier in the week from an all-time high after a senior figure in the administration suggested the government may redistribute windfall AI profits from companies to citizens. Analysts said some investors were snatching the shares that got sold as the actual impact of the remarks was still unclear.

Australia's S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.5% to 8,630.40. The Hang Seng gained 0.2% to 26,388.44, while the Shanghai Composite rose 0.7% to 4,242.57.

“Corporate earnings and AI momentum are acting as the market’s primary shock absorbers, but the road is getting significantly rougher,” said Tim Waterer, chief market analyst at KCM Trade.

“With oil prices becoming entrenched at elevated levels and a diplomatic breakthrough between the U.S. and Iran remaining elusive, the easy bullish narrative is becoming much harder to maintain.”

In energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude fell $1.30 to $100.88 a barrel. Brent crude lost $1.33 to $106.44 a barrel.

Those prices are still way above what they were before the war with Iran, which threatens to drag on, the ceasefire looking more tenuous. Brent has surged from roughly $70 per barrel before the war. The war has essentially shut the Strait of Hormuz to oil tankers.

In currency trading, the U.S. dollar rose to 157.83 Japanese yen from 157.59 yen. The euro cost $1.1704, down from $1.1744.

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AP Business Writer Stan Choe contributed to this report.

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

Nissan Motor Corp., based in the port city of Yokohama, reported a 533 billion yen ($3.4 billion) loss, smaller than the 670.9 billion yen in red ink racked up the previous fiscal year.

Nissan’s annual sales fell 5% to 12 trillion yen ($76 billion.)

Chief Executive Ivan Espinosa said Nissan was making steady progress and seeing “clear signs” of a turnaround.

“We have moved beyond recovery and are entering a phase of growth,” he said. “We will build on this momentum through disciplined cost management and faster product execution, driving sales and profitability.”

On a quarterly basis, Nissan had a net loss of 282.9 billion yen ($1.8 billion) in the January-March period, compared to the 676 billion yen loss the same period a year ago.

Quarterly sales declined nearly 2% to 3.43 trillion yen ($22 billion).

Nissan said it was working on cost cuts and other efforts to become more profitable. It said it managed to record a better-than-expected operating profit and expects better results for the current year with upcoming model launches.

Nissan, which makes the Altima sedan, Pathfinder sport utility vehicle, Leaf EV and Infiniti luxury models, sold 3.15 million vehicles globally during the fiscal year ended March 31.

Despite the positive spin the executives tried to put on their revival plan, the automaker’s financials are in their worst shape in years. Nissan is slashing thousands of jobs and has sold its headquarters building.

Nissan said it expects to revert into the black for the fiscal year through March 2027, eking out a 20 billion yen ($127 million) profit.

Japanese automakers have all struggled amid powerful competition from the newer Chinese makers, now dominating Asian markets.

There were talks in recent years for Nissan to merge some operations with Japanese rival Honda Motor Co., which has also been struggling, but those talks collapsed. Although a merger is out, there may be limited cooperative partnerships.

Nissan stocks, which have zigzagged over the past year, finished 4% higher.

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

Tokyo-based Calbee Inc., which makes potato chips and cereal, said what’s inside remains the same. Calbee's popular snacks are available in Japan's ubiquitous convenience stores and shipped to the United States, China and Australia.

“This measure is intended to help maintain a stable supply of products,” it said in a statement this week.

The change on 14 products in its lineup will start May 25, limiting ink colors to just two, the company said, noting it was necessary to respond flexibly to changing geopolitical conditions.

How long the change might last remains unclear, according to Calbee, founded in 1949. The Calbee group employs more than 5,000 people.

The move is the latest as companies grapple with spiking prices and shortages of oil and other products caused by the war in the Middle East and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Japan, which relies almost entirely on imports for its oil, has so far ridden out the worries relatively calmly, as the government has worked to allay such fears by noting the nation’s oil reserves.

But it's still facing a squeeze on naphtha, an oil-derived product that's used in items like plastics and ink.

There’s no mistaking the stark change in the chip’s packaging.

Calbee’s lightly salted chips, known as “usu shio,” originally came in a bright-orange bag with an image of yellow chips and a potato-man mascot wearing a hat.

The new packaging just has monochrome lettering.

The company, which also makes shrimp chips, or “kappa ebisen,” had just announced an ambitious growth strategy in March.

“Calbee will continue to respond flexibly and promptly to changes in its operating environment, including geopolitical risks, and remains committed to maintaining a stable supply of safe, high‑quality products,” it said. “We ask for your understanding.”

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

On Tuesday, commissioners gave approval for the county to apply for up to $10 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All grant.

As part of the Intelligent Transportation System, intersection movement count cameras will be installed to capture traffic movements and guide safety improvements.

Safety analytics modules will analyze camera data to identify unsafe patterns, generate near-miss alerts, and target safety interventions at high-risk intersections.

According to the county, the real-time data enables signal timing adjustments and additional safety measures to reduce the risk of crashes.

Tessa Wagner, who often drives through Seminole County to visit her parents, thought the new initiative would be an improvement at some of the busiest intersections.

“If they have a way to automate that a little bit better to show we need it to stay red a little longer here and turn green longer there, that would really help,” Wagner said.

Once installed, live video feeds would be integrated with the county’s dispatch system to help first responders reach incidents faster.

The intersection improvements also include battery backup systems to keep traffic signals operational during power outages.

In a release, company officials said that the invention is a product of Smoothie King and Grillo’s Pickles, targeted to “those who love pickles so much they could drink them.”

“The new smoothie blends real Grillo’s Pickles with bananas, organic kale, and coconut water for a refreshingly tangy, electrolyte-packed sip designed to support hydration all summer long,” the release reads.

While the new smoothie will only be available for a limited time, Smoothie King said customers can also grab a free 4-ounce sample in stores to celebrate International Pickle Day on May 16.

“Alongside the launch, Smoothie King is also bringing back watermelon nationwide with five electrolyte-packed watermelon smoothies designed to keep guests refreshed all season long,” the release continues.

For more information about the new smoothie, visit Smoothie King’s website here.

However, these latest laws deal with two animal-related issues: animal welfare and pet sales.

During a news conference on Tuesday in Palm Beach, DeSantis claimed that the new laws would help protect animals and hold abusers accountable.

“HB 559 gives law enforcement and local communities additional tools to crack down on animal abuse, including new felony penalties for horrific acts of animal cruelty,” he said. “SB 1004 enhances legal protections for Floridians who buy and own pets and provides real accountability for businesses that violate the law. In Florida, anyone who mistreats or exploits animals—or tries to defraud those who care about them—will be held accountable.”

According to state officials, both new laws will do the following:

HB 559 — Animal Welfare

House Bill 559 establishes a new third-degree felony offense if an adult:

• causes or entices a minor to commit aggravated animal cruelty; fighting or baiting animals; or sexual activities involving animals
• commits in the presence of a minor aggravated animal cruelty; fighting or baiting animals; or sexual activities involving animals

The law also requires a juvenile court to order a minor who commits animal cruelty to undergo a psychological evaluation and potentially receive certain treatments.

The law takes effect on Oct. 1.

SB 1004 — Pet Sales

Senate Bill 1004 implements several new consumer protections related to pet sales in Florida.

The new provisions include the following:

• Requiring pet dealers to disclose financing terms before a sale is finalized
• Allowing consumers to terminate financing agreements without penalty if an animal is later found unfit for purchase due to illness or disease
• Requiring pet dealers to provide veterinary medical records documenting examinations, medications, and treatments provided to the animal
• Requiring written notice informing consumers of their rights under Florida law, including the ability to return or exchange a sick animal and seek reimbursement of veterinary costs
• Making violations enforceable under Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act

The law takes effect on July 1.

“We're the two superpowers,” Trump told reporters as he departed the White House on Tuesday. “We're the strongest nation on Earth in terms of military. China’s considered second.”

While Trump likes to project a sense of strength, the visit occurs at a delicate moment for his presidency as his popularity at home has been weighed down by the U.S. and Israel's war with Iran and rising inflation as a consequence of that conflict. The president is seeking a win by signing deals with China to buy more American food and aircraft, saying he'll be talking with Xi about trade “more than anything else.”

The Trump administration hopes to begin the process of establishing a “Board of Trade” with China to address differences between the countries. The board could help prevent the trade war ignited last year after Trump's tariff hikes, an action China countered through its control of rare earth minerals. That led to a one-year truce last October.

But Trump comes to Beijing at a time when Iran continues to dominate his domestic agenda. The war has led to the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, stranding oil and natural gas tankers and causing energy prices to spike to levels that could sabotage global economic growth. The U.S. president declared that Xi didn’t need to assist in resolving the conflict, even though Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was in Beijing last week.

“We have a lot of things to discuss. I wouldn’t say Iran is one of them, to be honest with you, because we have Iran very much under control," Trump told reporters Tuesday.

Taiwan high on the agenda

The status of Taiwan also appears to be a major topic as China is displeased with U.S. plans to sell weapons to the self-governing island that the Chinese government claims as part of its own territory.

Trump told reporters Monday that he would be discussing with Xi an $11 billion weapons package for Taiwan that the U.S. administration authorized in December but has not yet begun fulfilling. The arms package is the largest ever approved for Taiwan.

But the U.S. leader has demonstrated greater ambivalence toward Taiwan, an approach that’s raising questions about whether Trump could be open to dialing back support for the island democracy.

At the same time, Taiwan — as the world's leading chipmaker — has become essential for the development of AI, with the U.S. importing more goods so far this year from Taiwan than China. Trump has sought to use Biden-era programs and his own deals to bring more chipmaking to America.

The Chinese Communist Party's news outlet, People's Daily, published a strongly worded editorial on Tuesday underscoring that Taiwan is “the first red line that cannot be crossed in China-U.S. relations” and is “the biggest point of risk” between the two nations.

Trump says relationship with Xi is on solid footing

Trump was already portraying the trip as a success before he left White House grounds. He openly mused about Xi's planned reciprocal visit to the U.S., lamenting that the ballroom under construction would not be completed in time to properly fete the Chinese leader.

“We’re going to have a great relationship for many, many decades to come,” Trump said of the U.S. and China. “As you know, President Xi will be coming here toward the end of the year. So that would be exciting. I only wish we had the ballroom finished.”

Trump said he had spoken with the Chinese leader and the meeting would be “positive" as he embarked on Air Force One with a coterie of aides, family members and business world titans, including Nvidia's Jensen Huang and Tesla and SpaceX's Elon Musk.

Trump, as he flew to Beijing, posted on social media that his "first request" to Xi during the visit will be to ask the Chinese leader to bolster the presence of U.S. firms in China.

“I will be asking President Xi, a Leader of extraordinary distinction, to ‘open up’ China so that these brilliant people can work their magic, and help bring the People’s Republic to an even higher level!” wrote Trump, who is expected to receive a formal ceremonial greeting when he arrives in the Chinese capital on Wednesday evening.

Despite Trump’s outward confidence, China appears to be entering the meeting from “a much stronger place," said Scott Kennedy, a senior adviser on Chinese business and economics at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank.

China would like to reduce tech restrictions on accessing computer chips and find ways to reduce tariffs, among other goals.

“But even if they don’t get much on any of those things, as long as there’s not a blow-up in the meeting and President Trump doesn’t go away and look to re-escalate, China basically comes out stronger,” Kennedy said.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng met on Wednesday to discuss economic and trade issues at Incheon International Airport, just west of the South Korean capital Seoul, according to the Chinese state run Xinhua News Agency.

Trump wants 3-way nuclear arms deal

Trump also intends to raise the idea of the U.S., China and Russia signing a pact that would set limits on the nuclear weapons each nation keeps in its arsenal, according to a senior Trump administration official who briefed reporters ahead of the trip. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the White House.

China has previously been cool to entering such a pact. Beijing's arsenal, according to Pentagon estimates, exceeds more than 600 operational nuclear warheads and is far from parity with the U.S. and Russia, which each are estimated to have more than 5,000 nuclear warheads.

The last nuclear arms pact, known as the New START treaty, between Russia and the United States expired in February, removing any caps on the two largest atomic arsenals for the first time in more than a half-century. As the treaty was set to expire, Trump rejected a call by Russia to extend the two-country deal for another year and called for “a new, improved, and modernized” deal that includes China.

The Pentagon estimates China has more than 600 operational nuclear warheads and will have over 1,000 by 2030.

___

Boak reported from Washington. Huizhong Wu in Bangkok and Hyung-jin Kim in Seoul contributed reporting.

Prices for food eaten at home rose 2.9% in April compared to the same month a year earlier, according to government figures released Tuesday. That was the highest year-over-year inflation rate for the category since August 2023.

Prices at restaurants, fast-food chains and other places to get prepared meals also increased, putting overall food prices up 3.2% in the last year, the Labor Department’s consumer price index showed.

Fuel prices have soared while the Iran war prevents cargo ships from passing through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital corridor for global oil supplies. Diesel fuel powers fishing boats, tractors and the trucks that ship 83% of U.S. agricultural products. As of Tuesday, the average price per gallon was up 61% from a year ago, according to AAA.

The meat, produce and dry goods vendors that supply Sparrow Market, a small independent grocer in Ann Arbor, Michigan, all added fuel surcharges to their deliveries in recent weeks, owner Raymond Campise said. Wholesale prices for meat, produce and some other products also have gone up, he said.

“For independent markets operating on narrow margins, even small increases can have a major impact,” Campise said.

The full impact of rising energy costs on food likely has not hit retail grocery prices yet in the U.S., according to Purdue University economists Ken Foster and Bernhard Dalheimer. Higher costs to produce, process, store and transport food can take three to six months to show up on supermarket shelves, where prices typically fall slowly once increased, they said.

“Most of what we’re seeing now in the food price chain probably predates the conflict," Foster, a professor of agricultural economics, said. "We’re cautiously waiting to see what the June numbers and the May numbers might show as they come out in terms of ... the extent to which energy shocks in the Strait of Hormuz and shipping blockades and so forth are going to impact food prices.”

The consumer price index measures changes in what people in U.S. cities paid at retail stores for meat, bread, milk, produce and other grocery staples. Over the last 20 years, grocery prices increased an average of 2.6%, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Prices for perishable and refrigerated products tend to increase faster than prices for packaged goods when energy is an issue. Consumers paid 6.5% more for fresh fruit and vegetables in U.S. cities last month than they did in April 2025, and 8.8% more for meat, the Labor Department reported.

But U.S. trade policies and extreme weather also have weighed on U.S. food prices in the last year. In July 2025, the Trump administration imposed a 17% duty on fresh tomatoes imported from Mexico; consumer prices rose 40% in the 12 months before April.

Dry weather in the Western U.S. has been one of many factors pushing up beef prices, which in April were 15% higher year-over-year. Coffee prices were up 18.5%, partly due to drought and other weather conditions that have hurt global coffee production in recent years.

“Today's CPI showed that food prices have been rising 3.2 percent in the past year, but the story behind that number is more complicated than just an energy shock,” said Dalheimer, an assistant professor of macroeconomics and trade in Purdue’s Department of Agricultural Economics.

Prices for some foods remained more or less flat or declined over 12 months. Milk and chicken dipped slightly. Butter cost 5.8% less in April than it did a year earlier. Egg prices fell 39% as farmers rebuilt flocks that were decimated by an ongoing bird flu outbreak.

Food prices and broader inflation are likely to feature prominently in November's midterm elections. During his 2024 campaign, President Donald Trump often cited the prices of bacon, cereal, crackers and other groceries as reasons why voters should return him to the White House.

Some food producers say they're struggling now because of higher fuel costs. The Southern Shrimp Alliance, which represents shrimpers in eight states, said some boats haven't left the dock this spring because they can't catch enough shrimp to compensate for the cost of diesel.

Fuel typically makes up 30% to 50% of the costs for U.S. shrimpers, but because they supply only 6% of the shrimp that Americans consume, they have limited ability to raise prices or add surcharges for fuel, the organization said.

Higher fuel prices may also be impacting food costs in other ways. Part of April's 5% annual increase in prices for nonalcoholic beverages may be due to the petroleum derivative that goes into making plastic bottles, Foster said.

“It’s possible some of that’s starting to seep down the supply chain and get into those prices,” he said.

Over the next year or more, Americans could also see higher food prices due to spiking fertilizer costs, since around 30% of the world's fertilizer travels through the Strait of Hormuz.

Fertilizer costs are less of an issue for U.S. farmers this year, since many already had fertilizer supplies in place before the war began, according to Foster. But the effects could become more noticeable next year if the war drags on, he said.

“I expect the Iran conflict to impact the coming years’ food prices through a couple of channels. One, the energy costs and transportation handling. The other would be through packaging costs,” Foster said. “If the conflict were to last longer, then we might see more coming online as fertilizer prices start to impact longer-term planting decisions and cropping decisions.”

Now, he is one of 18 Americans under observation at specialized healthcare facilities designed to treat people with dangerous infectious diseases after three people died and others were sickened by a hantavirus outbreak aboard the ship.

Rosmarin, 30, said he expects to spend 42 days at the National Quarantine Unit at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.

Fourteen other American passengers from the ship are also there. Another who tested positive for the virus is in the Nebraska Biocontainment Unit. Two were being monitored in the serious communicable disease unit at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta.

Public health officials have said the risk of the virus spreading from passengers into the general public is very low and that healthy people are being quarantined as a precaution.

Rosmarin, a content creator and photographer from Boston, told The Associated Press he intends to make the best of his isolation.

His room is more like a small hotel suite. He has a closet, smart TV, bathroom, small refrigerator, bed, chair and stationary bike. He has windows, but he keeps the blinds closed from peering media.

“It's a very nice room,” Rosmarin said. “I already ordered a mattress pad, new pillows. I think, for now, my plan is to take it one day at a time and that's the best I can do.”

On Tuesday, he received a special treat that he posted to social media.

Nurses at the facility brought him an iced horchata with oat milk and vanilla cold foam. “This is everything I needed, right now. Wow!” Rosmarin said into the camera.

Life in quarantine

Hantavirus usually spreads from rodent droppings and is not easily transmitted between people. But the Andes virus detected in the cruise ship outbreak may be able to spread between people in rare cases. Symptoms usually show between one and eight weeks after exposure.

“I never got sick,” Rosmarin said Tuesday.

Eleven people who were aboard the MV Hondius fell ill, with at least nine confirmed cases. Three people on the cruise died, including a Dutch couple that health officials believe were the first exposed to the virus while visiting South America.

The last remaining passengers on the ship disembarked Monday and boarded flights to more than 20 countries to enter quarantine.

The quarantine and biocontainment units in Omaha are specialized facilities created to monitor people exposed to serious illnesses. The biocontainment unit is used for treating people who are ill with highly infectious diseases.

Outside of doctors, who wear full personal protection equipment that include gowns and masks when they come into his room, Rosmarin can't receive visitors. Most nurses don't come into his room even when it is time for meals.

“I open the door with a mask on and they kind of put the food toward me and I grab it on the tray,” he said.

Once people began to get sick on the ship, passengers were also advised to stay in their cabins as much as possible.

“I left the cabin about 15 minutes each day to refill my water, get fresh air and grab food for breakfast and lunch," he said, adding that passengers practiced social distancing and masked up.

Penguins, seals and albatross

Rosmarin began traveling the world in 2022 after quitting his job as a media buyer. He has an influencer partnership with the ship's operator. The company covered the cost of his trip, which included stops at remote islands in the South Atlantic, including South Georgia Island.

“We saw a king penguin colony — the largest in the world, 300,000 to 500,000,” Rosmarin said. “We got to see gentoo penguins, fur seals, elephant seals, chinstrap penguins, albatross.”

Rosmarin described the MV Hondius as an expedition vessel and not a cruise ship. Since passengers and crew would be disembarking on islands, some with fragile ecosystems, biosecurity measures were in place, he said.

“An expedition vessel is much cleaner than any cruise ship you’re ever going to go on,” Rosmarin added. “For South Georgia, there were the strictest biosecurity measures. We have to sit down in the lounge pulling fuzz out of our jackets. A little pebble in your shoe, it needs to come out.”

Those precautions, though, were meant to protect the environment from passengers, rather than the other way around.

His planned trip of five weeks stretched to six because he couldn't get off the ship once the outbreak was discovered.

“We didn't really know it was the hantavirus until the night we were supposed to disembark,” Rosmarin said.

Waiting for Rosmarin back home in Boston is his fiance. The couple plans to marry next year. “I think he tried to be calm for me, but I think he was also very scared,” Rosmarin said Tuesday.

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Associated Press writer Josh Funk in Omaha, Nebraska, contributed to this report.

The princess, commonly known as Kate, will travel to Reggio Emilia in northern Italy to learn about its child-centered approach to early education, which has become a focal point for educators around the world. The trip is part of what her office called an international “fact-finding mission” to explore different approaches to supporting young children and their carers.

The choice of destination for Kate’s first trip abroad since her 2024 cancer diagnosis is no coincidence as early years development is the signature cause of the mother of three who will one day be queen.

“She wants to make a point that she is going to keep making this her cause," said Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty Magazine.

The Reggio Emilia approach is based on the idea that young children have many different ways of thinking, understanding and expressing themselves, and that teachers need to work with their students to help them learn.

The visit will highlight the idea that the environment and human relationships that surround children are crucial to laying the foundations for a resilient and healthy future, Kensington Palace said in a statement.

“The Reggio Emilia approach clearly suits the narrative at the start of international operations,’’ Little said.

The visit is part of her work with the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood, which she founded in 2021 to increase public understanding of the importance of supporting children in the first five years of life.

One of Britain’s most popular royals, the Princess of Wales has proved to be adept at focusing attention on matters she cares about.

When Kate announced that she had completed chemotherapy treatment in a soft-focus, Insta-ready video, she ventured into realms not previously inhabited by the royal family, whose members traditionally shied away from talking about their health.

And she did it in a new way, using social media to share the fact that for all her wealth and privilege, her life had been upended by cancer, like so many others.

Then, later, when she announced she was in remission, she spent the day supporting other cancer patients at the hospital where she received treatment.

In a statement on social media, she offered her thanks to everyone who helped her and her husband, Prince William, as they navigated the ups and downs of treatment and recovery. She hugged patients at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London and described her own treatment as “exceptional.”

“It is a relief to now be in remission and I remain focused on recovery," the princess, now 44, wrote in a note signed with her initial, C. “As anyone who has experienced a cancer diagnosis will know, it takes time to adjust to a new normal."

Her new normal involves becoming the go-to advocate for early years education, which refers to the learning and development of children from birth to five years of age.

There’s lots to do in Britain, where advocates say there aren’t enough spaces to go around and many teachers don’t have the training they need.

Edoardo Masset, associate research director at the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, said Kate’s focus on early childhood development is important because it brings attention to an issue that really matters to children.

“This relationship between early years education and success later in life is supported not only by strong theoretical arguments, but also by a large body of evidence on the effectiveness of programs for preschool children,’’ Masset said in a blog post.

But this is the Stanley Cup playoffs and toughness is asked of all the players.

Dorofeyev took a hard shot off his right knee in the second period Tuesday night, forcing him to leave the ice for a few minutes. But Dorofeyev, who earlier had a power-play goal, scored at 4:10 of overtime to give Vegas a 3-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks, moving the Golden Knights a victory away from advancing to the Western Conference final.

“I just blocked a shot,” said Dorofeyev, who has seven goals this postseason. “It’s kind of a (lousy) part of my job, but it hurts more when I miss it. I just had to get myself together and get back on the ice.”

Game 6 of the second-round series is Thursday night at Anaheim.

The Golden Knights can reach the conference final for the first time since winning the Stanley Cup in 2023. Anaheim, making its first playoff appearance in eight years, will try force a Game 7 back in Las Vegas on Saturday.

Tomas Hertl had gone 29 games going back to the regular season without a goal, but now has two in two games. He also had the primary assist on Dorofeyev’s power-play goal in the first period.

Jack Eichel had two assists, including the primary one on the winner.

Carter Hart stopped 34 shots, two nights after allowing four goals on 23 shots in a 4-3 loss in Anaheim. Hart bounced back from a similar situation in the opening series, allowing four goals on 12 shots in Game 3 at Utah before winning five of his next six starts.

“We have all the faith in the world in Carter,” said Vegas defenseman Rasmus Andersson, who disputed the notion Hart was coming off a down performance. “I look at the Utah series and he was really good there, and he stole a couple of games for us. ... But every time you lose a game in the playoffs, it’s about how you bounce back. I thought all 20 guys who played tonight bounced back and Carter led that.”

Ducks defenseman Olen Zellweger scored his first career playoff goal from the left circle to tie it at 2 with 3:05 left in regulation. Beckett Sennecke extended his goals streak to four games with a power-play score. Mason McTavish and Cutter Gauthier each has two assists and Lukas Dostal made 29 saves.

“I know this group’s going to bounce back,” Zellweger said. “We have all playoffs long.”

Ducks center Ryan Poehling was helped off the ice after being checked hard into the boards by Vegas defenseman Brayden McNabb nearly midway through the first period. McNabb received a five-minute major for interference and was sent to the dressing room with a game misconduct, costing the Golden Knights a first-pair blue liner.

Golden Knights coach John Tortorella said he wouldn’t address whether the officials made the right call to make that a major penalty and eject McNabb, but quickly questioned why there wasn’t call when Vegas defenseman Dylan Coghlan was hit at the end of regulation.

“I just don’t get it,” Tortorella said.

The Ducks got a goal off the McNabb-induced power play when Sennecke scored off a rebound. Dorofeyev answered after taking the puck from Chris Kreider, shifting to the slot and snapping a shot past Dostal.

Hertl’s rebound goal at 4:48 of the third period nearly stood up before Zellweger took advantage of extended offensive zone time to force extra play.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

The struggling Los Angeles Dodgers superstar hit just his second home run in his last 24 games — an opposite field solo shot to left-center in a 6-2 loss to the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday night. It ended an 11-game homerless streak, which tied his longest as a Dodger.

Ohtani looked skyward as he crossed the plate.

“Relief, he smiled, he laughed,” manager Dave Roberts said. “He's going to feel good about the offensive side tonight to then refocus for tomorrow to pitch and now he's got something to build on come Friday.”

Ohtani finished the game going 2 for 4 with two runs, an RBI and a walk. The rest of the team was 2 for 25 with four walks. He has seven home runs on the season and is batting .240.

“I thought tonight was a really good night,” Roberts said. “He can hopefully take that momentum from tonight and then be building on that through Anaheim and San Diego.”

Roberts said after the game that Ohtani won't be in the lineup as the designated hitter Wednesday when he also starts against the Giants. Earlier, Roberts said he was giving Ohtani a day from hitting Thursday, although he would be available late if the outcome hangs in the balance.

“It might just be a good thing to take a little bit of a load off of his plate offensively,” Roberts said before the game. “I just can’t take for granted what’s on his plate and so I’m trying to be sensitive.”

As Ohtani goes, so have the Dodgers (24-18). They remained a half-game behind NL West-leading San Diego despite their fourth loss in a row. Andy Pages (.318 average) and Max Muncy (.272) have been LA's best hitters so far, while the rest of the lineup is struggling, including Freddie Freeman (.276) and Kyle Tucker (.253).

“When your best player is doing what he's capable of doing, it just adds that energy into the dugout, frees guys up a little bit to do something too,” Roberts said. “When he's doing well, he's slugging, so those are runs.”

Ohtani is in his first full season as a two-way player for the Dodgers. Coming off two major right elbow surgeries, he was limited to the DH role in 2024, when he created the 50/50 club, with 54 home runs and 59 stolen bases, was named NL MVP and the Dodgers won the World Series.

Last year, Ohtani didn't return to the mound until midseason. He wasn't built up to pitching six innings until September and offensively, he hit 55 home runs and had 20 stolen bases. He repeated as NL MVP and the Dodgers won the World Series again.

This season, he has had no innings restrictions on the mound, where he's been dominant. The right-hander is 2-2 with a 0.97 ERA to go with 42 strikeouts and 37 innings pitched over six starts. He's allowed just four earned runs and 21 hits.

“He's still calibrating on this kind of newfound two-way player,” Roberts said.

Roberts has said Ohtani is willing to do whatever the team needs, but at the same time, the manager knows the team's most valuable asset needs to be protected from himself.

“He’s always going to want to do more,” Roberts said. “He has that sense of responsibility to his teammates that he wants to be out there on both ways. I've learned that I have to be proactive and take it out of his hands.”

Roberts has seen enough to decide that taking the bat out of Ohtani's hands might help him reset.

“When the quality of at-bats starts to go down consistently, I think that’s a sign that there needs to be a break because you’re just not able to stay within your game plan and then the chase starts to spike,” he said. “The fatigue is bleeding into the mechanics. Most players get that towards the end of the summer. Now I'm learning managing Shohei it’s probably showing itself a little earlier as far as the tax on pitching and all that comes with it to the hitting, too.”

Ohtani isn't used to not hitting; he's had just three games so far this season in which he wasn't the DH. Roberts suggested he show up late on Thursday.

The Dodgers knew in spring training that having Ohtani return to being a full-time two-way player for the first time since 2023 with the Los Angeles Angels would be challenging.

“It definitely feels sustainable,” Roberts said. “I wouldn’t say it’s more difficult. I think that we all came in knowing that we had to read and react, it was going to be fluid. It should be. It’s very unique.”

___

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

Political activist Denise Powell had a lead of about 2 percentage points over state Sen. John Cavanaugh, out of more than 51,000 votes counted.

Douglas County, which accounts for more than 90% of the district, has a history of counting a significant number of votes after election day, and county officials were unable to provide an estimate of the number of outstanding ballots late Tuesday. The county expects to provide additional information about outstanding ballots on Wednesday afternoon.

The winner of the Democratic primary will face Republican Brinkner Harding, who was endorsed by President Donald Trump, in what will be one of the Democrats' top targets in the November general election. The seat has been held for much of the last decade by U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, a Republican who is retiring.

"Hopefully, we wake up tomorrow morning to some good news," Powell said at her election night party. “I think people are ready for that fired up mom. I think that they’re looking for change, and hopefully they see me as the person to help Nebraska to bring it."

The district draws national attention because Nebraska is one of just two states that splits its electoral votes in presidential elections. The 2nd District has gone to Democratic presidential candidates three out of five times since 2008 — a “blue dot” in an otherwise sea of red.

Some Democrats contended that the very survival of the “blue dot,” a point of intense local pride, was at stake on Tuesday.

Powell's supporters argued that a Cavanaugh primary victory would jeopardize the district's special status because he'd be leaving his valuable state legislative seat, making it easier for Republicans in the Nebraska Legislature to change the law that allows the state to split its electoral votes.

The issue has defined the primary contest, where the leading candidates have much in common ideologically, perhaps more than any other.

Outside an Omaha polling place, Beth Pepitone said she voted for Powell because she wanted someone who would stand up to Trump.

“I just think we’re going in the wrong direction and it’s very sad,” said Pepitone. “I want to preserve the ‘blue dot.’”

Clarity for key Senate contest

A key Senate contest also got clarity on Tuesday night, as U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts easily won the GOP primary in his bid to seek his first full term. Ricketts was appointed to replace former Sen. Ben Sasse in 2023 and then won a 2024 special election.

Ricketts' real test will come in the November general election against independent candidate Dan Osborn, an industrial mechanic and military veteran who came within 7 points of defeating Republican U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer in her 2024 reelection bid.

Democrats are not expected to promote their own competitor in the general election, even after Cindy Burbank won the party's primary. Burbank has said she plans to drop out of the race and rally behind Osborn as part of her party's broader strategy to defeat Ricketts this fall. On her website, Burbank says Osborn “deserves a fair shot against Ricketts.”

The Nebraska Democratic Party said it would support the independent Osborn for the general election as well.

Meanwhile, in the race for governor, incumbent Republican Gov. Jim Pillen won his party’s primary, while former state Sen. Lynne Walz won the Democratic nomination.

Opponents say the ‘blue dot’ is in danger

In the 2nd District, the Democratic argument against Cavanaugh has little to do with his politics or policies.

His opponents and groups backing them have flooded mailboxes, airwaves and social media warning that if he wins the congressional primary, Nebraska's Republican governor would appoint a conservative Republican to replace him in the Legislature.

That move, they say, could give state Republicans enough votes to enact a conservative wish list that includes stricter limitations on abortion and transgender rights.

It could also empower Republicans to enact midcycle redistricting or change the state's unusual system of splitting presidential electoral votes, some Democrats argue. Republicans failed in 2024 to pass a bill that would have made Nebraska the 49th state to award its Electoral College votes on a winner-take-all basis.

“Our Blue Dot. We fought hard for it. But if John Cavanaugh goes to Congress, it could all fall down,” cautions one TV ad by the super PAC New Democrat Majority.

EMILY’s List, a national group that supports women running for office, has put its reach and money behind Powell, calling Cavanaugh’s candidacy “a gift to MAGA Republicans.”

A contentious primary

While all the Democratic contenders cite affordability and opposition to Trump administration policies — from immigration and healthcare to military actions — the top contenders began attacking one another more aggressively in the days leading up to the primary.

Powell, who is Latina, co-founded Women Who Run Nebraska, a political action committee that supports progressive female candidates, and she has a decade of Democratic political activism. She's never held office but said her deep connections have helped her with independents and third-party voters who make up nearly 30% of the district's electorate.

Cavanaugh talked up his support for labor unions, specifically the Teamsters, as he addressed supporters Tuesday night.

“This campaign is fueled by working people,” he said. “We stand in solidarity with those working people.”

The winner of Tuesday's primary will head to a highly competitive general election.

Trump won the district in 2016, and the retiring Bacon, who has clashed with Trump, has held the House seat for five terms.

At an Omaha polling place, independent Hayden Kephart said her biggest concern is inflation.

“Obviously the price of everything has really gone up,” she said. “And the price of oil can be a factor in everyday life and travel plans.”

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Peoples reported from New York. Josh Funk in Omaha, Nebraska, contributed to this report.

The Spurs got both, much to the dismay of the Timberwolves.

“They ain’t mutually exclusive,” Wembanyama said. “I’m looking for both.”

Wembanyama had 27 points, 17 rebounds, five assists and three blocks as San Antonio beat Minnesota 126-97 on Tuesday night to take a 3-2 lead in their second-round series.

“I feel like we got the Vic that you've seen all year,” Spurs guard Stephon Castle said. “I think his maturity level was off the charts. I mean, he played smart, didn’t really foul much, took the shots that were there for him. So, I mean, when he’s playing like that, playing aggressive with everything that he brings for us defensively, I feel like we’re pretty hard to beat.”

Wembanyama was ejected from Game 4 on Sunday night because of an elbow he threw early in the second quarter after getting tangled with Minnesota’s Naz Reid and Jaden McDaniels while grabbing a rebound. Wembanyama swung his arms and his elbow struck Reid in the face.

Officials looked at the play and upgraded the foul to a Flagrant 2, which comes with an automatic ejection. The NBA, as it always does in those situations, further reviewed the play after the game and decided Monday that the ejection was sufficient. It could have fined or even suspended Wembanyama for Game 5 and beyond if it felt that was warranted.

“I don’t think we even thought about it much at all,” Timberwolves guard Mike Conley Jr. told reporters at Minnesota’s shootaround Tuesday. “I think once the ruling came down, it was just like, we expected that and just moved forward. It’s one of those things. We don’t want guys to miss games. We want to play against the best. We don’t want to have guys missing games like that.”

Even before it was determined Wembanyama would play in Game 5, the 7-foot-4 star from France went through his normal off-day routines in preparation to play. He quickly put the incident behind him, to the point he misspoke on the timeline between Games 4 and 5.

“I mean, it was two games ago,” Wembanyama said. “It’s the playoffs. I’m focused. I was focused on the game today and now I’m focusing on the game in three days. It’s the playoff. We got to move on and I got to care about my team.”

San Antonio has a chance to reach the Western Conference finals for the first time since 2017 and Wembanyama's historic postseason has been key.

Wembanyama (22 years, 128 days) is the third-youngest player in league history with 25 points, 15 rebounds and five assists in a postseason game behind Magic Johnson (20 years, 276 days) and Luka Doncic (21 years, 177 days).

Wembanyama set an early tone, becoming the first Spurs player since Tim Duncan in 2002 with 20 points and 10 rebounds in the first half of a playoff game.

While the series continued to be extremely physical, Wembanyama remained calm.

After being approached by Minnesota’s Ayo Dosunmu after getting tangled up with McDaniels in the first quarter, Wembanyama would run untouched to the rim for an emphatic windmill dunk.

“Yeah, I feel like the rage baiting would’ve been maybe one of the strategies,” Wembanyama said. “I feel like I need to stay composed as a team.”

Wembanyama finished with just one personal foul. He was 9 for 16 from the field, including 2 for 5 on 3-pointers.

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

“When we’re talking about Asian Americans or Asian people in the U.S., oftentimes it’s people who might look like you and me, and maybe not people who look like (New York City Mayor) Zohran Mamdani," Yi told The Associated Press. “Why is that when this term is supposed to be so capacious and so inclusive?”

So Yi, who is Korean American, was beyond excited when approached to helm a new HBO documentary dedicated to AAPI identity and community.

Timed for release during AAPI Heritage Month, “The A List: 15 Stories from Asian and Pacific Diasporas” drops Wednesday on HBO Max. It's the latest in “The List Series” created by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders. The franchise has previously produced documentaries on prominent Black, Latino and LGBTQ+ Americans.

In the documentary, Yi captures no-frills, intimate interviews conducted by journalist Jada Yuan with 15 people of AAPI heritage across industries. They include TV broadcaster Connie Chung, Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth and “Basement Bhangra” creator DJ Rekha. Actors Sandra Oh, Kumail Nanjiani and Bowen Yang — who are sometimes more associated with comical roles — also shared their thoughts about identity and belonging.

“When talking to people who are professionally funny, oftentimes they’re really comfortable not being funny,” in unscripted conversation, Yi said. “I appreciated that chance to get a little bit deeper into some of their stories.”

Stars say talking about growing up AAPI on camera was cathartic

Yia Vang, chef and owner of Vinai, a popular Hmong restaurant in Minneapolis, filmed his “A List” interview three years ago. Since then he's been featured in various cooking and lifestyle shows. Vang, who was born in a Thai refugee camp until his family settled in Wisconsin when he was 4, likened the experience of being interviewed on camera to a confessional.

Vang tearfully recounts to viewers how his desire to not be “the weird kid” drove him to throw out school lunches of sticky rice and fermented vegetables packed by his mother. He did not expect to get emotional but the memory sparked a core life lesson.

“I will never, ever try to be ‘cool,’” Vang said. “That’s why I guess I get so intense about like how we do our food here. Not because I’m chasing perfection or some kind of award, but I just want to make sure I stay true to the integrity that they (my parents) laid before me.”

In what Vang calls “full-circle redemption,” those dishes he used to throw out are now on his restaurant's menu.

Last month, Vang got a taste of reactions to the documentary back home at a Milwaukee Film Festival screening. He definitely was not seen as the weird guy.

“The audience really connected because I’m a Wisconsin boy,” Vang said. A few approached him just to say “It's so awesome to see a Midwest kid in there.”

Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders still struggle for visibility

Asian Americans make up one of the fastest growing U.S. populations. Still, adults in the U.S. have a harder time recognizing the influence of AAPI people than people from other racial groups, according to a new survey by The Asian American Foundation.

The annual Social Tracking of Asian Americans in the United States, or STAATUS, Index, done in partnership with NORC at the University of Chicago, found 4 in 10 U.S. adults cannot think of a single, famous Asian American; Jackie Chan, who is not American, was among the most frequently named. About half were unable to name examples of famous Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders.

“It’s an indication of just how for most of America — and our data shows this as well — people get most of their information about Asian Americans not so much from direct contacts, but from the media,” said Norman Chen, CEO of The Asian American Foundation.

Chen recently attended a screening of “The A List.” He applauded the breadth of personal stories Yi and his team curated. It's a film he's not sure would have gotten made a decade ago. So, it was gratifying to see how moved the audience was by stories recounted by celebrities and everyday people.

“Even people that we don’t know have such powerful stories to show you the depth and richness of our community and the struggles that we’ve had to go through in multiple generations,” Chen said.

Working on a film about identity as the political climate changed

When Yi and the crew started working on the documentary, Vice President Kamala Harris was running against Donald Trump for president. Now under a Republican Trump administration that vehemently opposes diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, Yi acknowledges how the documentary might come off as inherently political.

“What I’ve certainly seen during the stretch of time — just speaking for myself — is just how quickly things can backslide and how quickly people can be erased,” Yi said. “We literally have people being disappeared on the streets and we literally have histories being erased.”

He is especially gratified that some of the documentary's older participants related to historical events such as a story told by activist Kathy Masaoka, whose mother was held in Japanese American incarceration camps. Yi hopes people recognize the struggles AAPI people have endured in the past and present while building community.

“We can really move forward from this moment in terms of rebuilding and reclaiming and taking up space with confidence and hope again,” Yi said.

Three people on the cruise died, including a Dutch couple that health officials believe were the first exposed to the virus while visiting South America.

The French passenger hospitalized in Paris has a severe form of the disease that has caused life-threatening lung and heart problems, said Dr. Xavier Lescure, an infectious disease specialist at Bichat Hospital.

He said the woman is on a life-support device that pumps blood through an artificial lung, providing it with oxygen and returning it to the body. The hope is that the device relieves enough pressure on the lungs and heart to give them some time to recover. Lescure called it “the final stage of supportive care.”

With the evacuation of all passengers and many crew members completed, the MV Hondius is now sailing back to the Netherlands, where it will be cleaned and disinfected.

The director of the World Health Organization said confirmed and suspected cases have only been reported among the cruise ship's passengers or crew.

“At the moment, there is no sign that we are seeing the start of a larger outbreak,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO director general. He added: “But of course the situation could change, and given the long incubation period of the virus, it’s possible we might see more cases in the coming weeks.”

The latest person confirmed to be infected is a Spanish passenger who tested positive for hantavirus after being evacuated from the ship, Spain’s health ministry said Tuesday. The passenger was in quarantine at a military hospital in Madrid.

Health authorities say it is the first hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship. While there is no cure or vaccine for hantavirus, the WHO says early detection and treatment improves survival rates.

Argentina sending experts to investigate source of outbreak

Argentina’s health ministry said Tuesday a team of scientific experts will be dispatched in the coming days to investigate the origin of outbreak.

A Dutch couple, identified by the WHO as the first cruise passengers infected with hantavirus, spent several months in Argentina and neighboring South American countries before boarding the cruise ship. The husband and wife later died.

Argentine officials have said the couple took a bird-watching tour that included a stop at a garbage dump where they may have been exposed to rodents carrying the infection. The health ministry said its team will investigate the landfill and other locations the couple visited where rats known to carry the virus are found, although local officials in the province where the cruise departed have challenged the theory it began there.

The evacuation of the MV Hondius is complete

A total of 87 passengers and 35 crew were escorted from the ship to shore in Tenerife by personnel in full-body protective gear and breathing masks in a carefully choreographed effort that ended Monday night.

Two aircraft arrived in the southern Dutch city of Eindhoven overnight carrying Dutch nationals as well as passengers from Australia and New Zealand and crew members from the Philippines. All were placed into quarantine, according to the Dutch government.

Some crew stayed aboard the ship and set course for the Dutch port city of Rotterdam, said ship operator Oceanwide Expeditions.

Hantavirus usually spreads from rodent droppings and is not easily transmitted between people. But the Andes virus detected in the cruise ship outbreak may be able to spread between people in rare cases. Symptoms — which can include fever, chills and muscle aches — usually show between one and eight weeks after exposure.

WHO chief Tedros has advised that returning passengers should stay in quarantine, either in their homes or in other facilities, for 42 days. He added that WHO cannot enforce its guidance, and that different countries may handle the monitoring of passengers without symptoms in different ways.

Dutch hospital staff quarantined

Twelve employees at a Dutch hospital where a passenger from the Hondius is being treated have to quarantine for six weeks after improperly handling bodily fluids, Radboud University Medical Center said in a statement Monday night.

The “risk of infection is low” the hospital said, but it was requiring the dozen employees to go into preventive quarantine as a “precaution.”

The hospital in the eastern city of Nijmegen received a passenger last week from one of the evacuation flights that landed in the Netherlands and the person has since tested positive for hantavirus.

Blood and urine from the patient should have been handled “according to a stricter procedure,” the hospital said.

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This story has been corrected to show that the WHO says nine hantavirus cases have been confirmed worldwide. Two suspected cases have been reported but not confirmed. ___

Bynum reported from Savannah, Georgia. Associated Press writers Mike Corder and Molly Quell in The Hague, Netherlands; Suman Naishadham in Madrid; Jamey Keaten in Geneva; Isabel DeBre in Buenos Aires, Argentina; Lauran Neergaard in Washington; and Angela Charlton in Paris contributed.

At 22 years old, Wembanyama is the third-youngest player in NBA history to post that stat line in a playoff game, trailing only Magic Johnson (20) and Luka Doncic (21).

“I was fresh, feeling good,” Wembanyama said. “Honestly, it’s hard to tell. It was just Game 5. Obviously, I’m going to be excited (and) to have butterflies. So, excitement is not something abnormal at this point in the playoffs.”

Keldon Johnson had 21 points, De'Aaron Fox added 18 and Stephon Castle had 17 as San Antonio moved a game away from the Western Conference finals. The Spurs can advance to face Oklahoma City with a victory in Game 6 on Friday in Minneapolis.

Anthony Edwards, who was limited to eight points in the first half, finished with 20 points for Minnesota. Julius Randle and Jaden McDaniels added 17 points apiece.

Wembanyama returned after being ejected early in the second quarter of Minnesota's 114-109 victory Sunday during Game 4 in Minneapolis. Wembanyama received a Flagrant 2 foul after elbowing Naz Reid in the throat.

Both teams continued to hammer each other, with Reid receiving a technical foul for pushing Wembanyama in the back on a Minnesota free throw with 2:24 left in the first half.

“I felt like, to start the game, we knew it was going to be physical,” Castle said. “So, just making that a point of emphasis and trying to keep them off the offensive glass. I feel like we started the game off well and that’s where our runs came from. But obviously they’re a good team. They’re going to go on their own run. So, just try not to hang our head when that does happen and be able to respond and spark another run for ourselves.”

The foul by Reid fired up Wembanyama, not that he needed any additional motivation.

Wembanyama was 6 for 8 from the field and 2 for 3 on 3-pointers in scoring 18 points in the opening quarter.

“I think it’s super important for us the way we start the game, because it sets the tone," Wembanyama said, “Now the challenge is to do it for 48 minutes.”

The Timberwolves opened the third quarter on a 14-2 run to tie the game at 61 after trailing by 18 points in the first half. Minnesota tipped away three attempted alley-oop passes to Wembanyama before they reached the 7-foot-4 post.

The Spurs recaptured a double-digit lead in the third spurred by Johnson's block on Rudy Gobert's attempted dunk followed by his short jumper after bodying Edwards under the rim.

“We went away from what was working," Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. "Our defense just cratered. We gave up 30 points, I think, in the last six minutes of the third quarter. A lot of it was just ball contain, ball contain stuff.”

San Antonio held its opponent under 100 points for the fifth time in 10 games this postseason.

“I thought we did a good job of having resistance early in the clock," Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. "They’ve shown as the series has gone on, they’ve tried to play faster at times and they’re tough when they get downhill. I think when we’ve had better starting spots, more connectivity at the start of possessions, I think it’s really helped us be on a string and be organized and connected defensively.”

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Kouri Richins was convicted in March of aggravated murder for lacing her husband's cocktail with five times the lethal dose of fentanyl at their home near Park City in 2022.

Prosecutors said Richins, a 35-year-old real estate agent with a house-flipping business, was millions in debt and planning a future with another man. She had opened numerous life insurance policies on her husband Eric Richins without his knowledge and falsely believed she would inherit his estate worth more than $4 million after he died.

Jurors in Park City also found Richins guilty of four other felonies, including attempted murder for trying to poison her husband weeks earlier on Valentine’s Day with a fentanyl-laced sandwich.

Her case captivated true-crime enthusiasts when she was arrested in 2023 while promoting her children’s book “Are You with Me?” about a boy coping with the death of his father.

Richins faces several decades to life in prison at her sentencing hearing Wednesday, which falls on the day her husband would have turned 44. Her lawyers declined to comment before the hearing.

Eric Richins' sister, Amy Richins, said after the verdict that she was “just very happy that we got justice for my brother” and could now focus solely on supporting his sons, who were ages 9, 7 and 5 when their father died.

Richins' sons say they are afraid of their mother

In a memo filed by prosecutors ahead of the hearing, the sons told the judge they would feel unsafe if their mother was ever released from prison.

“I’m afraid if she gets out, she will come after me and my brothers, my whole family,” said the oldest boy, who is now 13. “I think she would come and take us and not do good things to us, like hurt us.”

The middle child, now 11, said he is sad that his dad won't be present for major milestones. With his mother behind bars, he said he can “live a happy and successful life without fear of (her) hurting me or anyone I love.”

The youngest said he would be ”so scared” if his mother was released.

Possible sentences by charge

Judges in Utah typically impose sentences as a broad range rather than a fixed number of years.

The most serious charge, aggravated murder, is punishable by 25 years to life in prison, or a life sentence without parole. Prosecutors did not push for the death penalty.

Prison time for the attempted aggravated murder charge depends on the severity of the bodily injury that occurred. After taking a bite of the sandwich his wife left for him, Eric Richins broke out in hives, injected himself with his son’s EpiPen, drank a bottle of Benadryl and passed out, prosecutors said. Depending on the judge's assessment, Kouri Richins could face 15 years to life, 6 years to life or 5 years to life for that charge.

Two counts of insurance fraud, second-degree felonies, each carry a 1-15 year sentence, and a third-degree felony forgery charge is punishable by 0-5 years in prison.

Judge Richard Mrazik has discretion to decide whether Richins' prison sentences for each count will overlap or stack up. Prosecutors have asked for no overlap and urged the judge to give her life without parole.

Richins also faces more than two dozen money-related criminal charges in a separate case that has not yet gone to trial.

Trial cut short by defense team

The trial was scheduled for five weeks but ended early when Richins waived her right to testify, and her legal team rested its case without calling any witnesses. Her attorneys said they were confident that prosecutors had not produced enough evidence to convict her of murder.

The jury deliberated for just under three hours before finding her guilty of all counts.

Throughout the trial, prosecutors portrayed the mother of three as a money-hungry killer. They showed the jury text messages between Richins and her lover in which she fantasized about leaving her husband and gaining millions in a divorce. Prosecutors also displayed the internet search history from Richins’ phone, which included queries about the lethal dose of fentanyl, luxury prisons and how poisoning is marked on a death certificate.

The defense argued that Eric Richins was addicted to painkillers. Prosecutors countered by showing police body camera footage from the night of his death in which Kouri Richins tells an officer that her husband had no history of illicit drug use.

Defense attorneys also argued that the prosecution’s star witness, a housekeeper who claimed to have sold Kouri Richins fentanyl on multiple occasions, was motivated to lie for legal protection. The housekeeper was granted immunity for her cooperation in the case.

Lately, there’s been a lot to celebrate in elementary schools in Modesto, California. Both reading and math scores have increased consistently over the past several years.

But across the country, results are gloomier. Researchers warn that the U.S. is experiencing a reading recession — a slide predating the pandemic’s disruptions in schooling.

Scholars at Harvard, Stanford and Dartmouth analyzed state test scores from third to eighth grade for over 5,000 school districts in 38 states, allowing comparisons across school districts and states in a national Education Scorecard.

What they found was sobering: Only five states plus the District of Columbia had meaningful growth in reading test scores from 2022 to 2025. Nationally, students remain nearly half a grade level behind pre-pandemic reading scores and only slightly better in math.

While schools have focused on catching kids up since the COVID-19 pandemic upended education, reading test scores have been falling since 2013 for eighth graders and 2015 for fourth graders, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress.

“The pandemic was the mudslide that had followed seven years of steady erosion in achievement,” said Thomas Kane, a Harvard professor who helped create the Education Scorecard.

Still, some states and school districts are making progress — largely by shifting toward phonics-based instruction and providing extra support for struggling readers.

The picture is also brighter in math.

Almost every state in the analysis saw improvements in math test scores from 2022 to 2025. Student absenteeism also declined in most states. In over 400 U.S. school districts, including Modesto, reading or math growth outpaced demographically similar districts in the same state.

A shift toward phonics and extra reading support

Researchers are still debating the reading recession’s causes.

One possible factor, researchers say, is the rise of social media on smartphones and corresponding declines in kids’ recreational reading. States have also backed off on strict consequences for schools whose students fail to make progress on standardized tests, Kane said.

But the states that improved reading scores — notably Louisiana, Maryland, Tennessee, Kentucky and Indiana — all had one thing in common: They ordered schools to teach with a phonics-based approach known as the “ science of reading.”

For years, schools taught reading using approaches that de-emphasized phonics and encouraged strategies such as guessing words based on context clues. As reading scores tumbled over the past decade, parents, scholars and literacy advocates pushed for teaching methods that align with decades of research about how kids learn to read — largely by sounding out words.

Along with reforming teaching methods, states have also required schools to screen for learning disabilities such as dyslexia and hire coaches to help teachers improve their reading instruction.

That said, “science of reading” reforms did not guarantee success. Some states, including Florida, Arizona and Nebraska, changed parts of their reading instruction but still saw test scores fall.

In Modesto, reading instruction was revamped during the pandemic, and math a couple years earlier. The district created a new department to help students who are still learning English. Schools also ramped up teacher training, paying educators $5,000 to complete an extensive “science of reading” program called LETRS, or Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling.

Modesto’s test scores grew enough to represent an extra 18 weeks of learning in math and 13 weeks in reading. Nevertheless, the district still has a way to go: Overall scores remain far below grade level.

Getting kids ‘consistently in the seat’ key to Detroit's success

A focus on reading has also improved scores in Detroit — but so have efforts to get kids in school more consistently. For years, the large urban district struggled with deplorable school conditions, leading to a 2016 lawsuit in which students argued they’d been denied the “right to read.”

The lawsuit ended in a settlement of over $94 million, money that helped move the needle. While the district is still far below the national average, student test scores have grown faster than in similar urban districts in Michigan.

“It took a lot to rebuild systems, and now kids are learning at higher levels, but I’m still not satisfied. And I think that’s the next challenge: continuing to motivate, inspire and change things,” said Detroit Superintendent Nikolai Vitti.

The money has helped Munger Elementary-Middle School, located in a largely Latino neighborhood in Detroit, to employ 18 educators who give kids extra support in small groups. An attendance agent also makes calls to the homes of absent students, even showing up at their doors.

Just a few years ago, says first grade teacher Samantha Ciaffone, it was normal for about seven or eight kids to be absent from her class every day. Now it’s usually only one or two.

“It allows us to be better educators to see kids consistently in the seat instead of once or twice a week,” said Ciaffone. “It makes such a difference.”

A bright spot in the South

For the last decade, the South has stood out as a region leading the way on education reforms — bucking an established trend of landing at the bottom of education rankings. Southern states were quick to change to research-based teaching methods, and states have paid to train and coach teachers.

It's paid off. Louisiana and Alabama were the only states where math scores were higher in 2025 than pre-pandemic. Louisiana is also the only state that beat its pre-pandemic average in reading, with 87% of traditional public school students attending a district where scores are higher than in 2019.

Alabama had standout gains in reading following the pandemic, driven by a state law requiring every school to use phonics-based instruction. The Legislature modeled math reforms in 2022 off Alabama's reading successes. The state’s Numeracy Act standardized math instruction, required regular testing and mandated intervention for kids who lacked adequate math skills.

Oxmoor Valley Elementary in Birmingham hired a full-time math specialist this year to help struggling kids. The school, which made the state’s “failing” list in 2016, has steadily improved math and reading scores, although a majority of kids still test below proficient in both subjects.

“We can provide all of these supports, but at the same time, hold kids to high expectations,” Birmingham Superintendent Mark Sullivan said.

Researchers stress such progress is possible across the U.S., because it’s been done before. Starting in the 1990s, the country saw decades of growth in test scores and graduation rates, while racial disparities declined. That progress continued until the mid-2010s.

“We made enormous progress as a country in terms of educational success from over a 30-year period. Test scores went up dramatically,” said Stanford professor Sean Reardon. “And so I think that says, as a country, we can improve education and educational opportunity.”

At Modesto's Fairview Elementary, where Barajas teaches, students now practice their reading speed and fluency every day. After a dance break, the class reads a one-page text together in unison for one minute, then students split into pairs to read again. Students learning English are paired with native English speakers, and each child gets a turn reading with Barajas.

“Eventually, you get through the word like it’s water,” one boy said. “You just say it smooth.”

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The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Pratt is casting himself as a hero in his latest venture, a bid to be mayor of Los Angeles, in which he's promising to rid the nation's second most populous city of disorder and dysfunction.

Originally greeted with bemusement, Pratt is now upending the race with early voting underway ahead of the June 2 election. The Republican is riding a wave of buzz fueled by viral videos taking aim at incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, Gov. Gavin Newsom and others.

Pratt's goal is to turn the chatter into a ticket to a November runoff against Bass, a Democrat who is struggling to recover from a widely panned response to devastating wildfires last year.

He would face long odds in a city that last elected a Republican mayor in 1997. But during last week's debate, Pratt was one of only three candidates onstage, alongside Bass and progressive City Council member Nithya Raman.

“As crazy as this will sound, I’m the adult in the room,” Pratt said.

A populist campaign against liberal governance

Pratt and his supporters are making a populist appeal to voters, emphasizing day-to-day concerns about life in Los Angeles and leaning on visceral imagery of drug use and homeless encampments from the grittier corners of the city of nearly 4 million.

He blames the city's Democratic leaders and pledges to “stop these corrupt politicians from destroying our city.” He advocates a hard line against homelessness, pledging to eliminate encampments and pursue criminal investigations of nonprofit organizations that serve people living on the streets.

“These people do not want a bed,” he said in last week's debate. “They want fentanyl or meth.”

Pratt announced his campaign in January at an event marking the one-year anniversary of the deadly Palisades Fire, which destroyed his home and thousands of others.

In an ad released late last month, Pratt stands in cozy neighborhoods where Bass and Raman live. He contrasts them with an Airstream trailer parked on a flattened lot, where he says he's living after his house was destroyed.

“They let my home burn down," Pratt says in the ad. “I know what the consequences of failed leadership are.”

Over the past week, a series of viral videos created with artificial intelligence have portrayed Pratt as the city's savior from hapless Democrats and violent socialists.

In one, Pratt is portrayed as Batman saving a dystopian Los Angeles from Bass, portrayed as a villainous Joker.

Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor and onetime Republican presidential candidate, called it “maybe the best political ad of the year” in a post on X.

That video and others were shared on social media by filmmaker Charles Curran, and Pratt has reposted them from his own accounts. Curran did not respond to an email and direct messages on X.

“He’s playing on the most powerful emotion, which is anger, and LA voters are angry right now,” said Matt Klink, a Republican strategist based in Los Angeles.

A background in reality TV

Pratt, 43, is well-versed in the art of generating buzz and entertainment.

He first rose to prominence in 2007 as Heidi Montag's boyfriend on “The Hills,” a hit reality series built around the lives of young women as they navigated young adulthood in Southern California. He was portrayed as driving a wedge between Montag and her roommate, Lauren Conrad, leading to the disintegration of their friendship.

He went on to marry Montag, and they have two children together. They have appeared on a variety of other scripted and reality television series since “The Hills” ended in 2010, and each has more than 1 million followers in their social media accounts.

Pratt points to a 2013 political science degree from the University of Southern California as evidence of his readiness to lead a massive city.

His campaign did not respond to interview requests.

Bass seeks a second term

Bass, the first Black woman to lead Los Angeles, is a wounded incumbent continuing to deal with fallout from the wildfires and general frustration with City Hall.

She was in Ghana on a diplomatic mission when the fires began tearing through her city, prompting a fierce backlash, and her administration was accused of watering down an after-action report by the fire department, which she denies.

Still, Bass has much of the Democratic establishment firmly behind her, including most of the city's powerful labor movement. A group of unions is funding an advertising campaign attacking Pratt in terms that seem calibrated to increase his appeal to Republicans and help lift him ahead of Bass's progressive challengers, a potential bet that he might be easier to defeat in November.

The rising attention on Pratt shakes up a race that, until recently, was shaping up to pit Bass against a rival to her left rather than her right.

“I feel like he’s exploiting the grief of people in the Palisades, and I think that’s reprehensible. That’s the main thing. And I think he is about his own celebrity. He’s famous now again,” Bass told Fox News last week.

Pratt has run a fun and imaginative campaign that has effectively parlayed his celebrity into attention, the lifeblood of politics, just as Donald Trump and Arnold Schwarzenegger did before him, said Michael Trujillo, a Los Angeles-based Democratic strategist. He said that has put him in a strong position to get through the first round of voting and face Bass one-on-one in the runoff.

But eventually, Pratt will have to face a stark reality as a Republican — Los Angeles is an overwhelmingly Democratic city.

“Not to diminish the creativity and imagination that they’re putting into their campaign, but they’re going to run into a big math problem,” Trujillo said.

Fifteen years later after Kay arrived in Central Florida, Orlando City is fresh off six consecutive MLS playoff appearances, the Orlando Pride are looking to contend for a second league championship, and the City Beautiful is a soccer capital. News 6 Sports Director Jamie Seh sat down with Kay to reminisce.

The reigning National League Cy Young Award winner tipped his cap, then disappeared from view for a quick debrief with Pirates manager Don Kelly.

Sure, the competitor in Skenes wanted the opportunity to go back out for the ninth in search for the first complete game victory of his big league career. The remarkably mature 23-year-old who is constantly trying to keep things in perspective knew better.

His first pitch of the eighth, a fastball, hit just 93.7 mph, pedestrian by his standards.

So Skenes told Kelly he was done after 98 pitches and eight innings of two-hit brilliance and the chance for that elusive shutout had to wait. Skenes quietly gave way to Gregory Soto, who got the final three outs of a 3-1 win over Colorado that pushed Skenes' record to 6-2 and whittled his ERA to 1.98.

“It’s a long season,” Skenes said. "That was start nine out of 32, 33 and then hopefully eight or nine more after that. So, just got to see the big picture.”

One that seems to be growing ever brighter for Skenes. Two years and a day after his electric major league debut, Skenes is somehow surpassing the outsized expectations that followed him to Pittsburgh.

Consider this: Skenes took a no-hitter into the seventh inning against the Rockies, the third time in his last four starts he hasn't allowed a hit until the fifth or later.

Colorado spent six innings flailing away against Skenes before Mickey Moniak's sinking line-drive single to left-center with one out in the seventh. Pirates centerfielder Oneil Cruz stretched out every inch of his 6-foot-7 frame to make the grab, only to see it bounce a foot or two in front of his glove.

“I ran so hard that I’ll tell you right now, I would not run after my kids like that,” Cruz said afterward with a laugh.

And while the Pirates remain without a no-hitter since Francisco Cordova and Ricardo Rincon teamed for a 10-inning masterpiece in July 1997 — nearly five years before Skenes was born — there's a growing sense that it's not a matter of ‘if’ Skenes will make history, but when.

Kelly turned to pitching coach Bill Murphy at one point as Skenes was retiring 18 of his first 19 hitters and admitted he felt like he was enduring a flashback of sorts to his time as a player in Detroit in the early 2010s, when it seemed like Tigers ace Justin Verlander could do no wrong.

“You were shocked when he gave up a hit,” Kelly said. “And Paul is on that type of run right now. Just the way that he’s throwing the ball, the command in the zone too, and then to be able to mix it up with all of his pitches. Impressive to watch."

The rookie whose fastball would hit triple-digits with ease has dialed back a bit on the velocity, focusing more on placement and a deep repertoire that keeps opponents off balance. By his count there are seven different pitches he can call upon at any time.

Nearly all of them were working against Colorado. Skenes struck out his first six batters. Willi Castro tried to break Skenes' rhythm by laying down a bunt to lead off the third.

The ball bounced right back to Skenes, who tossed it to first and said “nice bunt” to no one in particular as the PNC Park crowd booed the attempt.

Skenes didn't boo. He just thought “it was kind of funny" and then went back to work while becoming the first Pirates pitcher since 1961 to have consecutive starts of eight innings or more while allowing two hits without issuing a walk.

It's heady territory to be clear. Not that Skenes wants to talk about it. He prefers to bury himself in the process and let the results speak for themselves.

“He’ll tinker with stuff. Wind up. Stretch. Pitches. Pitch grips,” Kelly said. “It’s just really, honestly, the way he goes about it every day, whether it’s with the actual pitching or his conditioning, the way he gets after in the weight room. It’s amazing to watch.”

And he's still just getting started. Skenes doesn't turn 24 until later this month. His next turn in the rotation comes on Sunday when Philadelphia visits. When his towering No. 30 takes the hill against the Phillies, what happened on Tuesday night against the Rockies won't matter. No one knows that better than Skenes.

“Every start is new,” he said. "And you can get humbled real quick.”

Getting hit, however, is another matter entirely.

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

The festival launched with a tribute to director Peter Jackson, handing the “Lord of the Rings” filmmaker an honorary Palme d’Or. He was introduced by actor Elijah Wood, who played Frodo Baggins in Jackson's fantasy franchise, one of many notable faces on the Cannes red carpet, including Bong Joon Ho, Joan Collins, Heidi Klum and James Franco.

“I've never figured out why I'm getting a Palme d'Or. I'm not a Palme d'Or sorta guy,” said the shaggy haired New Zealand filmmaker.

Jackson was then serenaded with a rendition of the song “Get Back,” a nod to his lauded 2021 documentary about The Beatles. The director sat stage right mouthing the lyrics.

Jane Fonda and Gong Li officially opened the festival, with Fonda declaring: “Cinema has always been an act of resistance.”

It was a fitting observation for a film festival that has already seen politics take center stage. At the introduction of the jury that will decide the Palme d’Or, Cannes’ top honor, jury members spoke bluntly about holding a film festival during a time of geopolitical conflict.

The Palme d'Or jury weighs politics in film

Paul Laverty, the Scottish screenwriter known for his films with director Ken Loach, pointed toward this year's Cannes poster, of “Thelma and Louise,” while discussing attending Cannes during what he called “genocide in Gaza.” Quoting “King Lear,” he said: “Madmen lead the blind.”

“Cannes has a wonderful poster,” said Laverty. “Isn’t it fascinating to see some of them like Susan Sarandon, Javier Bardem and Mark Ruffalo blacklisted because of their views in opposing the murder of women and children in Gaza? Shame on Hollywood people who do that.”

The nine-member jury is being presided over by Park Chan-wook, the South Korean filmmaker of “Oldboy” and “No Other Choice,” who said that politics and cinema go hand in hand.

“Art and politics are not concepts that are in conflict with each other,” said Park. “One cannot disqualify a film on the pretext that it has a political message. Just as one cannot reject a film because it would not be political enough.”

Other jury members include Chloé Zhao, Stellan Skarsgård, Ruth Negga and Demi Moore, who two years ago was celebrated in Cannes for her comeback performance in “The Substance.”

Moore spoke about a topic that's already dominated conversation at this year's festival.

“AI is here, and so to fight it is to, in a sense, to fight something that is a battle that we will lose,” she said. “So to find ways in which we can work with it, I think, is a more valuable path,” she said. “Are we doing enough to protect ourselves? I don’t know. My inclination would be to say probably not.”

Hollywood takes a hiatus

What isn’t at Cannes has been as buzzed about as much as what is. Hollywood is largely absent this year.

While recent blockbusters like “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Elvis” have touched down at previous incarnations, studio films this year have been either scared away by the possibility of a rocky reception or by the high cost of flying in A-listers to the Cote d’Azur. The closest thing in Cannes' slate is an anniversary celebration for “Fast & Furious.”

Cannes artistic director Thierry Frémaux said Hollywood “is reshaping” in the midst of Paramount Skydance’s proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.

“I hope the studio films will come back,” Frémaux told reporters on Monday.

Oscar season starts early

Cannes has become better known for its lengthy standing ovations than its boos.

This year, a long list of big-name filmmakers will have center stage. Among the filmmakers set to unveil new movies are Pedro Almodovar (“Bitter Christmas”), James Gray (“Paper Tiger”), Na Hong-jin (“Hope”), Pawel Pawlikowski (“Fatherland”) and Ryusuke Hamaguchi (“All of a Sudden”).

If Cannes has waned as a global launchpad for studio releases, it has grown as a breeding ground for Oscar contenders.

Two years ago, Sean Baker’s “Anora” won the Palme before winning best picture. Last year, Cannes selections like “Sentimental Value,” “The Secret Agent” and “It Was Just an Accident” went on to play prominent roles in awards season.

More often than not, the specialty distributor Neon has been at the forefront of the Cannes-to-Oscars pipeline. Neon has backed the past six Palme d’Or winners, an unprecedented streak that it may be poised to extend. The company is attached to more than a quarter of the 22 films in competition for the Palme d’Or.

While Cannes may be light on big Hollywood movies, it isn’t lacking in stars. Set to appear over the next two weeks are Kristen Stewart, Barbra Streisand, Adam Driver, Javier Bardem, Michael Fassbender, Cate Blanchett, Rami Malek, Sebastian Stan, Sandra Hüller and many others.

How much any of this will serve as backdrop for “The White Lotus” remains to be seen. The fourth season of Mike White’s acclaimed HBO series is based around a trip to Cannes. Last month, the show began shooting on the French Riviera.

Around 5 a.m., deputies responded to the Extended Stay Suites on Irlo Bronson Highway in response to a reported shooting. Upon arrival, they found a 26-year-old man with a gunshot wound who was then transported to the hospital in critical condition.

Deputies later announced that 53-year-old Raul Perez of Kissimmee was arrested and now faces a charge of attempted murder. He is held without bond.

Deputies said the scene is secure and there is no ongoing threat to the community.

The shooting remains under investigation. No additional information has been provided at this time.

In an arrest affidavit, a deputy said that officers originally responded to the incident around 1 p.m. on May 6.

Upon arrival, the deputy spoke with the school’s principal, who advised that three separate staff members had already reported the incident ahead of time, the affidavit reveals.

“It should be noted that [REDACTED] is a special-needs school and that the victim is a nonverbal special-needs student diagnosed with ASD and epilepsy,” the affidavit reads. “The victim utilizes picture exchange for communication, as well as an electronic communication device, and is also known to display attention-seeking behaviors.”

The deputy wrote that he reviewed the video footage of the incident, which showed the teacher’s assistant — identified as Mark McArthy, 60 — escorting the victim while bending the student’s arm backwards in a way that appeared “uncomfortable and unreasonable.”

However, the footage continued, revealing that McArthy pushed the student against he wall several times while also “aggressively getting into the victim’s face,” the affidavit states.

“From another camera angle, the arrestee could be seen throwing the victim against he wall and appearing to place his hand over the victim’s mouth,” the affidavit reads. “At that time, another staff member intervened and assisted in escorting the victim away from the area and out of camera view.”

Investigators said they spoke with McArthy, who claimed that the student had been blowing air and spitting at him, which is what caused him to act so aggressively, the affidavit notes.

Furthermore, McArthy was told to remain in place and not move through the campus while officers investigated, but he continued walking away toward the principal’s office instead, the deputy said.

As a result, McArthy was ultimately taken into custody and now faces charges battery, child abuse and resisting an officer without violence.

Trumpleaves on Tuesday for Beijing to meet with President Xi Jinping. Aside from discussions about Iran, the two leaders are expected to discuss trade and artificial intelligence.

Here's a look at some of the executives according to the White House official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Elon Musk

Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, led Trump's Department of Government Efficiency until leaving in the spring of 2025 before the controversial pop-up agency was shuttered in November. The billionaire, who also owns the social media platform X, feuded with Trump last summer in a war of words that included Musk claiming without evidence that the government was concealing information about the president’s association with infamous pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Musk eventually said that he regretted some of his posts on X about Trump.

Since then, Musk has refocused his energy on Tesla and his other companies. Tesla has operations in China and Musk has visited there. He's also been dealing with French prosecutors seeking charges against him and X for child sexual abuse images on the platform, deepfakes, disinformation and complicity in denying crimes against humanity by the platform’s artificial intelligence system, Grok. There's also trial pitting Musk against OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

Tim Cook

Cook remains busy as his tenure at Apple winds down. The CEO announced last month that his 15-year reign as the head of the technology company will come to an end on Sept. 1, when he turns the CEO duties over to Apple’s head of hardware engineering, John Ternus. During Cook's years as the top executive, Apple saw the its market value soar by more than $3.6 trillion during an iPhone-fueled era of prosperity. Cook will remain with the company as executive chairman.

Apple’s reliance on overseas manufacturing required Cook to master the art of political diplomacy, particularly while Trump waged trade wars with China during both his terms in the White House. After persuading Trump to exempt the iPhone and other products from Trump’s first-term tariffs, he faced a more daunting challenge during the current administration.

While insisting that Apple shift its iPhone manufacturing from China to the U.S., Trump imposed some tariffs on the device this time around. But Cook still managed to minimize the fees by shifting the production of iPhones destined for the U.S. market to India and also winning some exemptions after promising Apple would invest $600 billion in the U.S. during Trump’s second administration.

Kelly Ortberg

Robert “Kelly” Ortberg, a former CEO at aerospace manufacturer Rockwell Collins, became CEO of Boeing in 2024. He's spent time focusing on Boeing's recovery, as the aerospace company was dealing with legal, regulatory and production problems and mounting financial repercussions when he took over.

A year ago Ortberg said that he didn't expect the U.S. trade war with China to forestall Boeing's financial recovery, nor prevent it from reaching aircraft delivery targets with Chinese airlines that were refusing to accept its planes. Beijing increased its import tax on American goods to 125% in April 2025 in retaliation for Trump raising the tariff on products made in China to 145%. China’s tariff would more than double the cost of passenger jets that Boeing, the U.S.’ largest exporter, sells for tens of millions of dollars. But Beijing is less of a threat to Boeing now that it used to be, as it has started to send fewer of its finished planes there over time.

Boeing has been in ongoing talks with China over a possible large aircraft sale.

Who else is going

Nvidia President and CEO Jensen Huang

Blackrock Chairman and CEO Larry Fink

Blackstone Chairman, CEO and co-founder Stephen Schwarzman

Cargill Chairman and CEO Brian Sikes

Citi Chairman and CEO Jane Fraser

Coherent CEO Jim Anderson

GE Aerospace Chairman and CEO H. Lawrence Culp

Goldman Sachs Chairman and CEO David Solomon

Illumina CEO Jacob Thaysen

Mastercard CEO Michael Miebach

Meta President and Vice Chairman Dina Powell McCormick

Micron Chairman, President and CEO Sanjay Mehrotra

Qualcomm President and CEO Cristiano Amon

Visa CEO Ryan McInerney

———-

Aamer Madhani in Washington D.C. contributed to this report.

The 29-year-old Clarke was found dead Monday at a home in the Los Angeles area and emergency personnel who responded to the scene found drug paraphernalia in the home, said the person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because those details were not released publicly.

Neither the Grizzlies nor Clarke's agency, Priority Sports, provided any details about the cause of Clarke's death.

“We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of Brandon Clarke. Brandon was an outstanding teammate and an even better person whose impact on the organization and the greater Memphis community will not be forgotten," read a statement from the Grizzlies.

His agents wrote on social media that they were “beyond devastated.”

“He was so loved by all of us here and everyone whose life he touched,” read the statement from Priority Sports. “He was the gentlest soul who was the first to be there for all of his friends and family.”

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver expressed sympathies to Clarke’s family and friends and the Grizzlies organization.

“We are devastated to learn of the passing of Brandon Clarke,” Silver said. “As one of the longest-tenured members of the Grizzlies, Brandon was a beloved teammate and leader who played the game with enormous passion and grit.”

Clarke was the 21st overall pick out of Gonzaga in the 2019 NBA draft by Oklahoma City, which dealt his rights to the Grizzlies.

He was fourth in the 2019-20 Rookie of the Year balloting — his Grizzlies’ teammate Ja Morant was the overwhelming winner of that award — and also was 11th in the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year voting for the 2021-22 season.

Clarke averaged 10.2 points and 5.5 rebounds in 309 career NBA games.

He averaged 16.9 points in his one season at Gonzaga, transferring there after starting his college career at San Jose State. At Gonzaga, he was a huge part of a team that also had Rui Hachimura — now with the Los Angeles Lakers — and went 33-4.

“He had such a kind, gentle and warm soul, and I will remember the great smile he had on his face whenever you were around him,” read a statement from Gonzaga and its coach, Mark Few. “BC was one of the most easygoing players we have ever had, and he was part of one of the greatest teams in our program’s history.”

Clarke was arrested April 1 in Arkansas for speeding and possession of a controlled substance that was reportedly kratom, an herbal supplement promoted as an alternative pain remedy that becomes illegal in Tennessee as of July 1. He was released on bond a day later.

Health officials have been warning about the risks of an opioid-related chemical known as 7-hydroxymitragynine and a component of kratom. The plant native to Southeast Asia has gained popularity in the U.S. as an unapproved treatment for pain, anxiety and drug dependence.

A federal report in 2019 found overdose deaths involving the herbal supplement kratom were more common than previously reported. Most who died had also taken heroin, fentanyl or others, though officials counted a few instances in which kratom was the only substance listed.

“love you broski. gone way too soon,” Morant wrote in an Instagram post Tuesday.

Clarke joined Morant on the NBA's All-Rookie team in 2020, and the Grizzlies gave him a multiyear contract extension in October 2022.

But injuries dogged him for more than three years. He tore his left Achilles tendon on March 3, 2023, in a loss to the Denver Nuggets in a showdown of what were then the top two teams in the Western Conference. Injuries limited him to 72 of a possible 246 games over the past three seasons, including only two this season.

“This is an incredible loss for the brotherhood," the National Basketball Players Association said. "We will remember Brandon not only for the immense joy he brought to so many throughout his career, but for the genuine friendships he built far beyond basketball.”

Clarke was under contract for the 2026-27 season with Memphis, which went 25-57 this season. The San Antonio Spurs paid tribute to Clarke with a moment of silence — both for him and former NBA player Jason Collins, whose death was announced Tuesday — before a playoff game Tuesday night.

Clarke's “leadership and passion earned him respect throughout the Memphis community and around the league,” the Spurs said.

___

AP Sports Writers Teresa M. Walker and Anne M. Peterson contributed to this report

___

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

In a release, the agency announced that C-27 had been launched to search for the aircraft, while came down around 80 miles off Melbourne.

“Reportedly, all 10 people are accounted for & are being brought to EMS for further eval,” the release reads. “The cause of the crash in unknown.”

The FAA also issued a statement, saying that a Beechcraft BE30 had crashed in the ocean 50 miles east of Vero Beach Regional Airport around 12:05 p.m.

“The flight departed from Marsh Harbour Airport and was headed to Grand Bahama International Airport,” an FAA spokesperson explained. “Ten people were on board.”

The FAA later updated that 11 passengers were rescued in all.

Now, the FAA said it will investigate what happened.

No additional information has been provided at this time.

On Monday, the global tribunal in The Hague unsealed an arrest warrant for Sen. Ronald dela Rosa, a former national police chief who first enforced then- President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-drugs crackdowns in which thousands of mostly petty suspects were killed.

Originally issued in November, the warrant charges dela Rosa with the crime against humanity of murder of “no less than 32 persons” between July 2016 and the end of April 2018 in the Philippines.

“If I have something to answer for, I will face those in our local courts and not before foreigners,” dela Rosa told reporters in the Senate, which took him into “protective custody” Monday when he reappeared after months of absence.

“I will avail of all legal processes,” he said, and pleaded to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.: “Don’t bring me to The Hague.”

After winning the presidency in 2016, Duterte designated dela Rosa, a loyal ally, as head of the national police force, which enforced the brutal campaign against illegal drugs.

Dela Rosa also once headed the police force in the southern city of Davao, where Duterte was a longtime mayor and built a political name for his extra tough approach to crimes.

“My role was to lead the war on drugs, and that war on drugs was not meant to annihilate people,” dela Rosa said when he was asked about the huge death toll.

“When the lives of police officers came under threat, of course they needed to defend themselves,” dela Rosa said.

Duterte’s six-year term ended in mid-2022. He was arrested last year and detained by the ICC in the Netherlands, where he is awaiting trial for alleged crimes against humanity in connection with several killings under his crackdowns.

Duterte withdrew the Philippines in 2019 from the ICC, in a move human rights activists say was aimed at escaping accountability. The court, however, said it retained jurisdiction over crimes committed when the Philippines was still a member.

Asked if the Philippines will enforce the ICC’s arrest warrant against dela Rosa, officials suggested they were ready and could surrender him to the global court’s jurisdiction like Duterte under a Philippine law enacted to address crimes against humanity like genocide.

“We have an obligation that all those who should be held to account should be held responsible,” Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro said in a news briefing.

Dela Rosa cannot invoke a privilege of immunity from arrest while attending formal sessions or staying within the Senate because the crimes he allegedly committed were serious and punishable by a long prison term, Castro said.

Police have deployed nearly 350 law enforcers outside the Senate, sparking concerns from dela Rosa and allied senators, but officials said they were assigned to keep order and not to eventually help arrest the senator.

Uthmeier issued a statement on Tuesday morning, referring to a case out of the Orlando area involving now-19-year-old Marcus Anttwain Anderson.

According to court records, Anderson was arrested in December 2024 after a teen was shot and killed in Orange County. Deputies said the shooting happened late at night in the 10100 block of Chesham Drive.

At the time, he was only 18 years old.

Originally, Anderson was indicted by a grand jury on a charge of first-degree murder and robbery with a firearm, which Uthmeier claimed should have made him eligible for the death penalty.

[RELATED: Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier calls out state attorney over murder sentencing]

However, Anderson was ultimately found guilty of second-degree murder, and the robbery charge was dropped. He was sentenced earlier this year to only four years in prison as part of a “youthful offender sentence,” court records reveal.

In response, Uthmeier took aim at Orange-Osceola State Attorney Monique Worrell.

“She keeps handing out sweetheart plea deals to violent criminals,” he wrote. “This neglect of duty must end!”

Nobody indicted for capital murder should get a sweetheart plea deal for only four years in prison. Unacceptable! https://t.co/bZUjBLKhLq pic.twitter.com/bxspxuk4ef

— Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) May 12, 2026

It’s not the first time that Uthmeier has put Worrell in his sights, though.

Just last year, he criticized Worrell when he claimed she had given a man a “free walk in the park” after the man was allegedly caught masturbating near children at a public splash pad in Apopka.

“It is an open-shut case. Why would you not bring charges?” Uthmeier stated at the time. “You’ve got video evidence, witness testimony; you’ve got this dad that saw this feet away, made sure all the other kids were going to be safe, handled it correctly. Justice needs to be served.”

[RELATED: Florida AG, Orange-Osceola state attorney take jabs at one another]

Worrell later responded to the Florida attorney general, claiming that she had no personal knowledge of the situation at the time. However, she added that the attorney who did handle it eventually determined charges couldn’t be brought after interviewing the victim’s father.

“(The father) confirmed that the child did not see anything and wasn’t aware of what was happening,” she said. “(The attorney) explained that based on the language of the statute, he could not charge the charge of exhibition — which would have been the felony in the case — and he also explained that because no other adult saw the defendant’s penis, that he could not charge any of the misdemeanor crimes of exposure."

[RELATED: Orange-Osceola State Attorney Monique Worrell responds to AG’s criticisms]

News 6 reached out to Worrell’s office for comment regarding Uthmeier’s latest criticism. Her office responded with the following statement:

“Appointed Attorney General Uthmeier is well within his rights to have opinions about sentencing outcomes. What he is not within his rights to do is misrepresent how the law works.

The Youthful Offender Act is unambiguous: it is the court, not the prosecutor, that determines whether a defendant is sentenced as a youthful offender. The Appointed Attorney General accurately cites the governing statute in his letter to my office, that courts may sentence as a youthful offender any person who is at least 18 years of age, found guilty or pled nolo contendere to a felony before the defendant turned 21 years of age, and has not previously been classified as a youthful offender. He also accurately notes that youthful offender sentencing is not a fundamental right, and that a lower court is under no obligation to impose it unless the court believes such a sentence is appropriate. He knows this. That language is not incidental. It is dispositive. The sentencing authority rests with the judiciary, not my office.

Mr. Uthmeier has highlighted the exact issues I have been raising for years — the missing middle that exists in our system for violent juvenile offenders. It would be far more productive if, instead of using his platform to target me, Mr. Uthmeier used his platform to advance the legislation I have proposed to bring greater accountability within the Department of Juvenile Justice for juveniles who commit violent crime.

Because of the lack of accountability in juvenile court, prosecutors are often left with no option but to charge these individuals as adults. Youthful offender sentencing is the only middle ground that exists between juvenile and adult sentencing, and it exists precisely because the legislature recognized that gap.

My office’s role is to pursue justice within the bounds of the law and in partnership with the court. We present the facts. We advocate for outcomes that reflect the gravity of the offense and the needs of the community. But the court is an independent institution, and its sentencing discretion is not subject to prosecutorial override. That separation is not a loophole. It is a cornerstone of how our legal system is designed to function. While the Attorney General sits on social media offering critiques, this office is on the ground, working alongside community partners to identify real solutions to the public safety challenges his commentary does nothing to solve.

Although the Attorney General has directed his outrage toward me, he is fully aware that assistant state attorneys cannot impose youthful offender sentences. Only the court can do that. Upon even a cursory review of the cases he cited, at least two were resolved by a plea to the bench, meaning the sentence was decided by the judge, not through any plea resolution offered by my office. That is not an asterisk; that is the entire point.

In the case of Julian Vicente, that case was a plea to the bench, meaning the sentence was not the product of a plea agreement negotiated by my office. It was a sentence imposed directly by the court, at the court’s discretion, under the court’s independent authority. When the Attorney General demands that I answer for that outcome, he is asking me to answer for a decision I did not make. The sentencing judge made that decision. Florida law gave the judge that authority. And the Attorney General, who has read the statute, knows exactly where that authority resides.

The Attorney General referenced Savion Lambert in a video posted to his social media accounts, though notably, he did not include his case in his formal letter to the office. That omission speaks volumes. In 2022, Mr. Lambert received a youthful offender sentence — not through any plea offered by this office, but through a plea to the bench, a sentence imposed entirely at the court’s discretion. Most recently, when Mr. Lambert faced new charges in connection with a shooting, the evidence established that the shooting was accidental, not incidental. He pled to 20 years — holding him to greater accountability than the scoresheet required, because the facts and public safety interests demanded it. The Attorney General cannot post videos on social media selectively presenting cases that serve his narrative while omitting the facts that dismantle it.

In the case of Marcus Anderson, the Attorney General omits another critical fact: Stand Your Ground was a potential defense in this matter. Prosecutors do not operate in a vacuum. Every charging and plea decision is made in the context of the full evidentiary record, including the legal defenses available to the defendant. A Stand Your Ground claim materially affects the calculus of what a jury may or may not do at trial. The Attorney General is fully aware of how this works, as just last year, he vehemently pushed for this same defense to be used as a protective mechanism against a woman who murdered someone following a road rage dispute. His decision to leave that out is not an oversight; it is a distortion.

I have spent years identifying the accountability gap that exists between juvenile court and adult sentencing and proposing solutions to close it. I will not accept responsibility for sentences I did not impose, in cases decided by the court, under a statute that explicitly vests that discretion in the judiciary. The Youthful Offender Act exists because the legislature made a deliberate policy choice that young people accused of crimes deserve the court’s consideration for an alternative sentencing path. That is not a loophole; it is the law. If the Attorney General takes issue with that, his remedy is at the legislature, not my inbox.

If he shares my concern about the juvenile accountability gap in violent cases, I welcome his legislative support in workable solutions to the missing middle."

State Attorney Monique Worrell

Rather than waning, a national redistricting battle that began 10 months ago has intensified — inflamed by a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that weakened the federal Voting Rights Act and provided grounds for states to try to eliminate voting districts with large minority populations.

Republican lawmakers in Louisiana are wrestling with how politically aggressive to be when redrawing House districts after the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated a majority-Black district as an illegal racial gerrymander.

The ripples of the Louisiana ruling already have led to new U.S. House districts in Tennessee and have extended to Alabama, where Republican Gov. Kay Ivey announced an Aug. 11 special primary for four of the state’s seven congressional districts. That came after the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday overturned an order mandating use of a map with two largely Black districts. The state plans to switch to a map passed in 2023 that has only one majority-Black district, giving Republicans a chance to win an additional seat.

Republicans think they could gain as many as 14 seats from new House maps enacted so far in Texas, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Florida and Tennessee. Democrats, meanwhile, think they could gain six seats from new maps in California and Utah. The Virginia Supreme Court last week struck down a redistricting effort that could have yielded four more winnable seats for Democrats.

Missouri court upholds split of Kansas City

Missouri was the second Republican state, after Texas, to redraw its congressional districts at Trump’s urging last year.

Tuesday's two unanimous state Supreme Court decisions, delivered just hours after arguments, “are a complete victory for Missouri and for the people's elected representatives,” Republican Attorney General Catherine Hanaway said in a statement.

The rulings sided “against voters in every respect,” the ACLU and Campaign Legal Center, which represented suing voters, said in a joint statement. “This state — and our democracy — are worse off for this outcome.”

Attorneys challenging Missouri's new map had focused on changes to a Kansas City-based district long represented by Democratic U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, who previously was the city’s first Black mayor.

The new map takes a compact urban district that covered 20 miles (32 kilometers) and two counties and stretches it 200 miles (322 kilometers) over 15 counties, distorting it “into a sprawling behemoth that cuts clear across the state to unite territories that share nothing in common,” said Abha Khanna, a partner in the Elias Law Group, a Democratic firm.

But the Supreme Court upheld a March decision by a lower court, which found the map as a whole satisfied the compactness requirement even though the Kansas City district looks less compact. No Missouri court has ever struck down a congressional map for not being compact, said attorney John Gore, who defended the districts on behalf of the Republican Party.

A second case heard by the high court centered on whether the new map took effect in December, as asserted by Hanaway and Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins, or whether it should have been suspended when referendum signatures were submitted.

To suspend the map before validating the signatures would let activists temporarily undercut laws by submitting boxes of fraudulent signatures, Missouri Solicitor General Lou Capozzi argued.

But to not immediately suspend the map “would dilute the referendum right, if not destroy it altogether,” said attorney Jonathan Hawley, arguing for voters who sued.

The Supreme Court agreed with Republican officials, who contend the new districts can be suspended only after Hoskins determines the petition meets constitutional requirements and has enough valid signatures. Hoskins has until Aug. 4, the day of Missouri’s primary elections, to make that determination.

South Carolina senator sees risk in redistricting

Trump urged South Carolina to redraw its congressional districts ahead of the November elections in an attempt to help Republicans win another seat.

A House committee endorsed a map Tuesday that could eliminate the state's only Democratic-held seat, and the chamber voted previously to let lawmakers return after their regular work ends Thursday to further consider redistricting.

But the Senate had to give permission too. The 29-17 vote failed, coming just two votes short of the two-thirds needed, as five Republicans joined all Democrats in opposition.

Republican Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey said he expects redistricting to come up again in some way before the June 9 primary.

Trump had said on social media that he was closely watching the redistricting vote, urging South Carolina senators to “be bold and courageous” and to delay the congressional primaries so new districts can be drawn.

Although Republicans have a supermajority in the chamber, some GOP senators weren’t sure the proposed map would guarantee the party could unseat longtime Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn. They also said it could push enough Democrats into other districts to backfire, resulting in a 5-2 or even a 4-3 Republican split.

Massey acknowledged the pressure from Trump but said he doesn’t like being asked to bend to someone’s will instead of doing what’s best for his state.

“I got too much Southern in my blood,” Massey said. “I’ve got too much resistance in my heritage.”

Louisiana teen recounts family's fight

A state Senate committee was considering how to reshape congressional districts — currently represented by four Republicans and two Democrats — in response to the Supreme Court ruling.

Republican-backed options aimed to eliminate either one or both of those Democratic seats.

But Democrats backed a map that still would allow for two majority-Black districts centered on Baton Rouge and New Orleans. They argued that would comply with the Supreme Court’s ruling while retaining fairness.

As a hearing stretched late into Tuesday night, Josiah Hardy, a high school sophomore, told lawmakers that his great-grandfather fought for civil rights and equal representation in Louisiana when Black voters were disenfranchised.

“Why are we still fighting the same fight decades later,” Hardy said. “My great-grandfather believed democracy is stronger when more people are included, not excluded. Further generations should not have to keep fighting the same battles for fairness and voting rights that leaders before us have already fought.”

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Brook reported from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Chandler from Montgomery, Alabama, Collins from Columbia, South Carolina, and Lieb from Jefferson City, Missouri.

Richins, 35, faces several decades to life in prison on five felony convictions, including aggravated murder.

Prosecutors said she laced her husband Eric Richins’ cocktail with five times the lethal dose of fentanyl in 2022 at their home near the ski town of Park City. She then published a children’s book about a boy coping with the death of his father shortly before her arrest in 2023.

Richins' attorneys declined to comment Tuesday before her sentencing hearing, which falls on the day her husband would have turned 44.

The statements from their sons, who were ages 9, 7 and 5 when their father died, came in a memo from prosecutors urging Judge Richard Mrazik to sentence Richins to life without parole.

The oldest child, now 13, said he wants the court to know that he does not miss his mom.

“I’m afraid if she gets out, she will come after me and my brothers, my whole family," he said. “I think she would come and take us and not do good things to us, like hurt us.”

Prosecutors allege that the boy suffered emotional and physical abuse from his mother, which they say is supported by findings from the Utah Division of Child and Family Services that are contained in a sealed court document. Agency officials could not comment on the allegations, as most records concerning minors are heavily protected, spokesperson Josh Loftin said.

Richins was a real estate agent with a house-flipping business who was millions in debt and planning a future with another man, prosecutors said. She had opened numerous life insurance policies on her husband without his knowledge and falsely believed she would inherit his estate worth more than $4 million after he died.

Her aggravated murder conviction alone is punishable either by a range of 25 years to life in prison, or a life sentence without parole. Prosecutors did not push for the death penalty.

Jurors also found Richins guilty of other felonies, including insurance fraud, forgery and attempted murder for trying to poison her husband weeks earlier on Valentine’s Day with a fentanyl-laced sandwich that made him black out.

The Richins' middle child, now 11, refuted his mother's claim that she slept in his bedroom with him on the night of his father's death. He recalled unusual circumstances from that night, like being put to bed early without a bath, his parents' bedroom being locked and the television blaring from inside. The boy said his mother yelled at him to go away after he used a broom to try to reach a key to their bedroom, where Richins later told a 911 operator she found her husband cold to the touch.

The 11-year-old told the judge he is sad that his dad can no longer take him camping and fishing, coach him in sports or be present for major milestones. Like his older brother, he said he would feel unsafe if his mom wasn't behind bars.

“With (her) in jail, I will be able to continue to feel safe and live a happy and successful life without fear of (her) hurting me or anyone I love,” his statement read.

The youngest son said he feels “hateful and ashamed” when people talk about his mom because “she took away my dad.” He said he would be ”so scared" if his mother got out of prison.

“Once she is gone I will feel happy and I will feel safer and relaxed and trust people more,” said the boy, whose current age was not included in the memo.

Richins also faces more than two dozen money-related criminal charges in a separate case that has not yet gone to trial.

And as it turns out, the No. 1 spot was given to a beach right here in the Sunshine State.

According to the report, the ranking was built based on over 750,000 responses as part of the outlet’s 38th Readers’ Choice Awards.

[WATCH: The BEST Beaches in Florida for Summer 2026?]

“When it comes to the short list of the best beaches in the US, the candidates did not disappoint...” the report reads. “Your picks run the gamut of family-friendly fun, romantic seclusion, fly-and-flop convenience, and off-grid escape.”

Florida had several different placements on the list, including St. Augustine Beach at No. 14, Siesta Beach at No. 8, and Navarre Beach all the way up at No. 2.

However, the top-ranked beach this year turned out to be Pensacola Beach.

“Taking the top spot on this list, Pensacola is so much more than its beach. Venture beyond its perpetually summery sands and discover a thriving arts and culture scene well worth its own full itinerary.

The so-called “Festival City of the South,” Pensacola has a fully booked dance card of cultural programming to catch, including Mural Fest, the Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival, and the Pensacola Foo Foo Festival, all of which happen in November and showcase a wide range of regional artistic talent.

Add on a revitalized nightlife scene plus a culinary landscape where you can tell the chefs are having fun, and you have the ingredients for a formidableReaders’ Choice Awardswinner."

Condé Nast Traveler, "The Best Beaches in the US, According to the Readers' Choice Awards"

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Visit Florida celebrated the achievement earlier this year, posting the results to social media.

Congrats to Pensacola Beach — ranked #1 in the nation! https://t.co/GDLAWgtwDl

— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) February 5, 2026

[BELOW: New report says Publix is no longer Florida’s top grocer]

Meanwhile, the reasoning for the rest of the Florida beaches is as follows:

• No. 14 - St. Augustine Beach

“This northern Florida beach town likes to call itself the oldest city in the country, and it certainly has the historical charisma to back it up. Wander about its ambling brick streets and take a self-guided walking tour of the Spanish colonial architecture and remarkably preserved fortresses, some of which date back to the 17th century. True, the beach is home to the warm white sands and surfable waves many great beaches lay claim to, but what places St. Augustine over the top is its family-friendly boardwalk that has a little something for everyone. With a population just shy of 16,000 residents, St. Augustine offers idyllic small-town vibes."

Condé Nast Traveler, "The Best Beaches in the US, According to the Readers' Choice Awards"

• No. 8 - Siesta Beach

"Siesta Beach recently celebrated recognition as not only one of the best beaches in the US, but also the title as one of the best in the world. The Sarasota County beach was recently ranked the 12th best beach in North America and 42nd best globally on The World’s 50 Best Beaches list for 2025. It’s one of three fabulous beaches on Siesta Key, a barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Sarasota. According to the World’s Best team, Siesta Beach stands out thanks to its “powdery, blindingly white sand, made up of 99% pure quartz from the Appalachian Mountains.” And it’s true, unlike many other beautiful beaches in the US, Siesta’s sand has a silky, sugar-fine texture. For some OOO time that keeps up with the best of ‘em, Siesta Beach is plucked straight from our daydreams."

Condé Nast Traveler, "The Best Beaches in the US, According to the Readers' Choice Awards"

• No. 2 - Navarre Beach

“At this Florida panhandle beach, adventure exists all around you. Underwater, scuba down to the artificial reefs of Navarre Beach Marine Sanctuary, where swarming schools of fish, sting rays, and sharks swim among the coral. Once you’ve dried off, take the scenic route and savor the sea views just a little longer on a stroll down the pier, the longest in northwest Florida. With leg room aplenty for even the largest crowds, Navarre is a balmy sandbox waiting to be explored.”

Condé Nast Traveler, "The Best Beaches in the US, According to the Readers' Choice Awards"

The reigning National League Cy Young winner carried a no-hitter into the seventh while retiring 18 of the first 19 batters he faced. Colorado's Mickey Moniak broke up the no-hit bid when he dumped a single into left-center field with one out in the seventh. Skenes (6-2) retired Hunter Goodman and TJ Rumfield to end the threat.

Skenes returned for the eighth, giving up a one-out double to Troy Johnston before getting a flyout and a ground ball. The 23-year-old received a standing ovation on his way back to the dugout after throwing out Ezequiel Tovar to end the eighth. Skenes tipped his cap before making his way down the dugout steps after finishing with a season-high 10 strikeouts and lowering his ERA to 1.98.

Six days after allowing two hits over eight shutout innings in a victory over Arizona, Skenes was perhaps even better against Colorado. He struck out the first six Rockies who came to the plate, the second time in his three-year career he has fanned that many hitters to start the game.

Colorado's Willi Castro ended that run when he laid down a bunt with the first pitch of the third inning. The ball went right back to Skenes, who scooped it up and easily tossed to first as the PNC Park booed.

Skenes kept on rolling, his only hiccup coming in the fifth when he hit Johnston in the left foot on a 2-1 pitch with two out. Johnston was promptly thrown out trying to steak second base to end the inning.

Though Skenes threw 68 of his 98 pitches for strikes, he didn't come back on in the ninth in search of his first career shutout. There were brief chants of “We Want Paul! We Want Paul!” when reliever Gregory Soto came on. Soto allowed a a two-out RBI-double by Goodman but recovered for his fourth save.

Oneil Cruz had three hits for the Pirates. Nick Gonzales added two hits, including an RBI-single off Michael Lorenzen (2-5) in the first that gave Skenes all the offense he would need.

Up next

The series continues Wednesday, with Jose Quintana (1-2, 3.90 ERA) set to start for Colorado against Mitch Keller (4-1, 2.87).

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

Vast crowds in downtown Buenos Aires marched toward the government headquarters to denounce budget shortfalls eroding the financial foundation of the country's higher education. Argentina's public university system, a cornerstone of its well-educated workforce cherished by its large middle class, has been tuition-free since 1949 and produced five Nobel Prize laureates.

Congress passed a law last year to fund universities’ operational costs and raise teacher salaries in line with high inflation. But the government has not implemented it as it challenges the legislation in court.

Like his powerful backer and ally U.S. President Donald Trump, Milei routinely attacks university campuses as bastions of “woke” indoctrination. He has slashed public education funding as part of his plan to take a chain saw to state funding in a sharp break from what he describes as decades of reckless spending that spawned corruption under his left-leaning predecessors.

Tuesday's protest gathered people of all ages and political persuasions as Milei faces declining approval ratings over slumping economic activity, falling wages and climbing unemployment. A recent series of corruption scandals has also struck a nerve, with fallout particularly growing from an investigation into lavish spending by Milei’s close ally, Cabinet chief Manuel Adorni, that appears inconsistent with his modest public salary and declared assets.

“How much does Adorni cost us?” read one of several student protest signs alluding to the alleged misuse of public funds.

Milei's undersecretary for university policies, Alejandro Álvarez, criticized Tuesday's march as “completely political" and said the government had compensated universities for higher operating costs — marginal increases that unions have rejected as insufficient.

In seeking to annul the legislation, Milei's administration argues that it fails to specify how the state will supply the mandatory funding increases in a time of harsh fiscal austerity. The case is expected to go to the Supreme Court. Student protesters on Tuesday called on the nation's highest court to “listen to the outcry throughout the country's public squares.”

Since Milei took power in late 2023, university professors’ paychecks have declined by roughly 33% after accounting for stubborn inflation, according to the main teachers’ federation.

The rector of the prestigious University of Buenos Aires, Ricardo Gelpi, said the steep losses in purchasing power has driven at least 580 research professors in the engineering and science departments to ditch the public system for private universities or other better-paying jobs.

“It’s very clear this government is determined to defund public education,” said Sol Muñíz, 24, a law student at the University of Buenos Aires at the march. “University is a source of pride for us. It is the best thing we have.”

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Associated Press writer Isabel DeBre contributed to this report.

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Follow AP’s Latin America coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

In a release, deputies said the incident happened on Friday, when the people and animals were located along the Florida Trail, deep in the Juniper Prairie Wilderness.

[WATCH: Pregnant woman rescued after dangerous hike in Florida heat]

“At around, 3:15 p.m., a call was received after the couple began suffering signs of heat exhaustion along the Florida National Scenic Trail,” the release reads.

Deputies added that the couple told dispatchers they had underestimated the heat, were running low on water, and were over an hour from the trailhead on foot.

But as temperatures and medical concerns grew, Air-1 responded to help guide rescuers through the remote terrain and quickly located the group, the sheriff’s office revealed.

“The woman is around 25 weeks pregnant, and she was showing obvious signs of heat exhaustion,” the release reads. “After receiving an IV drip for dehydration, the couple and their dogs were safely evacuated from the wilderness area.”

The sheriff’s office also provided the following tips for those planning to hike or spend time outdoors:

• Bring more water than you think you’ll need
• Avoid peak afternoon heat when possible
• Know your route and estimated travel time
• Watch for signs of heat exhaustion in both people and pets

The 76ers were easily ousted by the New York Knicks to end Morey's sixth season in charge, and the organization quickly decided that someone else would lead the basketball operations department.

Sixers managing partner Josh Harris said in a statement that he and Morey had spoken and decided it was time for a fresh start.

Bob Myers, the former Golden State Warriors general manager, will lead the search for Morey's replacement and will oversee the department in the interim.

“To our fans, your frustration and disappointment are understandable and warranted,” Harris said. “We have fallen well short of our own expectations and failed to deliver in the way this city deserves. That bothers me deeply and I have confidence in Bob to establish a path forward for our franchise.”

The Sixers went 270-212 in the regular season under Morey but just 28-26 in the postseason, failing to advance past the second round. They returned to the playoffs this season after missing them for the only time in Morey's tenure in 2024-25, when they went 24-58.

Myers built the Golden State teams that won NBA championships in 2015, ’17, ’18 and ’22. He worked as a commentator at ESPN after leaving the Warriors before joining Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment in October 2025 as president of sports.

Morey joined the 76ers in 2020 after 14 seasons with the Houston Rockets, including 13 as their general manager. The Rockets made the playoffs in his final eight seasons and he was voted the NBA's executive of the year in 2018 after Houston went 65-17 and reached the Western Conference finals.

In 2019, he sent a tweet in support of anti-government protesters in Hong Kong, angering Chinese officials and wrecking the NBA's lucrative relationship with the country. The Rockets had previously enjoyed enormous popularity in China after drafting Yao Ming with the No. 1 pick in 2002.

Morey, best known for his analytical approach — he has an MBA from MIT and serves as the co-chair of the school’s annual Sports Analytics Conference — failed to build a title contender around oft-injured center Joel Embiid. He acquired James Harden, his former star in Houston, and later added another high-priced veteran in Paul George.

He did well with recent draft choices Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe, last year's No. 3 pick. But he also made a heavily criticized deal this season when he sent Jared McCain, a 2024 first-round pick, to Oklahoma City. McCain averaged 11.5 points in the defending champion Thunder's second-round sweep of the Lakers.

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

Orange County Public Schools held a board workshop Monday to discuss a proposed AI policy, ahead of a regular board meeting at 5 p.m. at OCPS headquarters in downtown Orlando.

Scott Howat, the district’s chief communications officer, said protecting students starts with keeping humans in charge.

“We want to make sure there’s always a human in the loop when you’re talking about artificial intelligence,” Howat said. “The computer is secondary. We want to make sure there’s a human there that’s checking the work.”

Howat said the district’s approved AI platforms use closed AI, meaning the code is kept private by the school to protect student data.

What the proposed policy would do

The proposed policy would require all AI tools to be vetted by the district before use. Key provisions include:

• Banning OpenAI programs for students and staff, so no district or student work can be used to train future AI models.
• Prohibiting student data from being entered into any AI program.
• Banning deepfakes and copyright infringement.
• Holding students and staff accountable for how AI is used
• Strengthening rules around cyberbullying and AI use in mental health
• Blocking students from using AI chatbots for emotional support.

Teachers would also be required to use AI detectors to check whether students are doing their own work.

Students and parents weigh in

Student town halls were held across each school board member’s district. The common thread: students felt it was unfair that teachers could use AI when they couldn’t. Many also said AI could help fill gaps in tutoring support and that for some students, AI feels like the only help available.

More than 5,800 parents responded to a district survey about AI in schools. Parents weighed in on their concerns, which grade levels should have access to AI, and how comfortable they felt with their children using it for schoolwork. Some said the technology has no place in the classroom. Others said it’s the next step forward. Some parents also worried the district might use AI to reduce human staff.

Mental health a top concern

School board members flagged mental health as a major concern, specifically making sure students don’t turn to AI as their only source of support.

“If there’s something that’s concerning involving a student, then we act on that, whether it’s through law enforcement or whether it’s through school psychologists or social worker or just school staff,” Howat said. “We make sure that we’re responding to that.”

Howat said AI should never replace real human connection.

“It should not replace learning. It shouldn’t replace human interaction. We need to make sure we are protecting that,” he said.

The district plans to vote on the AI policy in June.

In China's rigidly hierarchical world of diplomacy, protocol and ceremony carry weight. The reception of Trump is shaping up to be warm and designed to flatter him, indicative of Beijing's tactical approach to a U.S. leader known for his love for pomp, but it is unlikely to top the “state visit plus" extravaganza President Xi Jinping extended to Trump in 2017.

“That reflects greater Chinese confidence in their position, greater skepticism of Trump, and the awkwardness of the current relationship,” said Rush Doshi, C.V. Starr senior fellow for Asia studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and an assistant professor of security studies at Georgetown University.

In the past nine years, the China-U.S. relationship has shifted from engagement to competition and has dipped to a low point during the COVID-19 pandemic and trade wars.

Experts say China's economic clout and its ability to leverage its dominance in the global supply chain have allowed the Chinese leadership to negotiate from a position of strength and led to a more pragmatic China policy by the Trump administration. And now the war with Iran, which has left the Strait of Hormuz blocked and rattled the global economy, has given Xi an upper hand coming into the summit.

The war, which began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Feb. 28, delayed Trump's visit, initially scheduled for the end of March. Now, Trump is going to Beijing for a shorter stay than in 2017, and without first lady Melania Trump.

“The context for this visit is wholly different,” said Danny Russel, a former senior U.S. diplomat, who does not expect Beijing to outdo itself this time in receiving Trump. “The schedule has been compressed to basically one day and stripped down to the basics.”

China will roll out the red carpet

But the U.S. holds a special place in China's foreign relations, and China will shower Trump with plenty of ceremonial pomp because Beijing sees it as a diplomatic tool, Russel said.

If the 2017 trip is any indication, Trump can expect to walk down from Air Force One along a red-carpet stairway with golden edging and be greeted by a warm crowd.

At a formal welcome ceremony the next day, he will be greeted by Xi and other Chinese officials, whose rank could be telling. Trump is then expected to inspect military honor guards, lined up precisely by height, their eyes closely tracking him and Xi as the two leaders walk down the red carpet. And he will likely receive a 21-gun salute.

“It’s no secret to any government that President Trump responds positively to flattery and spectacle,” Russel said. “The pomp and pageantry is designed both to flatter Trump and to pacify him, making him more amenable to Chinese asks and reducing the risk of an embarrassing public confrontation.”

Xi also will offer something extra, as he did during past visits by American presidents. In 2014, it was an evening stroll with former President Barack Obama in the leadership compound of Zhongnanhai. In 2017, he hosted a private dinner for Trump at the Palace Museum, on the grounds of the former imperial palace.

This time, the special relationship between the Chinese and American leaders will play out at the Temple of Heaven, a former imperial site, in front of the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, an iconic, blue-tiled building known for its circular design and a triple-gabled roof. The White House says Xi will accompany Trump on a tour of the World Heritage site, where Chinese emperors once prayed for bumper harvests.

The entire park is closed on Wednesday and Thursday, while the main attractions, including the hall and the Echo Wall, were closed on Tuesday for “the maintenance of ancient architecture,” park management said.

This is unusual. The park was not closed for the prime ministers of Britain or Spain when they visited the Palace Museum and the Summer Palace in Beijing, respectively, earlier this year. And Xi didn’t accompany them.

But it is not 2017 anymore

Beijing declared Trump’s first presidential trip to China to be a “state visit plus,” and it is the only one China has held for any foreign leader. The trip was full of unprecedented arrangements.

Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, gave Trump and the first lady a tour of the Palace Museum, where they chatted over afternoon tea and watched a traditional opera performance at a royal theater that had not seen a show for a century. They also dined there — a first for any foreign leader.

During the formal welcome ceremony the next day, “The Stars and Stripes Forever” was played as the presidents inspected Chinese military guards, an unusual choice intended to impress Trump.

Trump, who often boasts of his good relationship with Xi, still harkens back to that visit nearly nine years ago.

“You know, last time I went to China, President Xi, he treated me so well, he gave me a display,” Trump said in February. “I never saw so many soldiers, all the same height, exactly the same height within a quarter of an inch.”

How China treats Trump this time will offer clues about the dynamics of the relationship, said Doshi, who served on former President Joe Biden's National Security Council and helped plan his summits with Xi in 2022 and 2023.

“China uses diplomatic protocol as a method of signaling favor or disfavor. That is why we should pay close attention to how President Trump is received,” Doshi said.

Collins spent 13 years as a player in the league for six different franchises. He revealed in 2013 that he was gay, an announcement that came toward the end of his playing career.

Collins had been diagnosed with Stage 4 glioblastoma, which has an extremely low survival rate. He was 47.

“Jason changed lives in unexpected ways and was an inspiration to all who knew him and to those who admired him from afar," Collins' family said in a statement released through the NBA. "We are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers over the past eight months and for the exceptional medical care Jason received from his doctors and nurses. Our family will miss him dearly.”

Just last week, Collins received the inaugural Bill Walton Global Champion Award at the Green Sports Alliance Summit. He was too ill to attend and his twin brother, former NBA player Jarron Collins, accepted for him.

“I told my brother this before I came here: He’s the bravest, strongest man I’ve ever known,” Jarron Collins said while accepting that award.

Jason Collins averaged 3.6 points and 3.7 rebounds in his career. He helped the New Jersey Nets reach two NBA Finals and in his best season averaged 6.4 points and 6.1 rebounds for them in 2004-05.

“Jason Collins’ impact and influence extended far beyond basketball as he helped make the NBA, WNBA and larger sports community more inclusive and welcoming for future generations,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said. “He exemplified outstanding leadership and professionalism throughout his 13-year NBA career and in his dedicated work as an NBA Cares Ambassador. Jason will be remembered not only for breaking barriers, but also for the kindness and humanity that defined his life and touched so many others.

“On behalf of the NBA, I send my heartfelt condolences to Jason’s husband, Brunson, and his family, friends and colleagues across our leagues.”

Jason Collins spent the bulk of his career with the Nets, and also played for Atlanta, Boston, Memphis, Minnesota and Washington.

“This one hurts,” Dallas coach Jason Kidd, a former teammate and coach of Collins, wrote on X. “Jason Collins was a pioneer. He had courage like you’ve never seen. He was an incredible teammate. And having him in Brooklyn at the start of my coaching journey meant so much. Those who knew him were blessed to call him a friend. You are already missed my brother. Rest in power.”

Jason Collins revealed his sexuality in a first-person account for Sports Illustrated in April 2013. He was a free agent at the time, said he wanted to keep playing, and went on to play in 22 games with Brooklyn the following season.

“If I had my way, someone else would have already done this,” he wrote at that time. “Nobody has, which is why I’m raising my hand.”

His decision was widely lauded, with star players such as Kobe Bryant quickly speaking out in support of Collins. There was even support from the White House and then-former President Bill Clinton — whose daughter, Chelsea, went to Stanford with Collins. At Stanford, Collins was roommates with someone who was part of another American political dynasty, that being Joe Kennedy III, who spent eight years in Congress representing Massachusetts.

Collins, in the piece for Sports Illustrated, wrote that he realized he needed to go public about his sexuality when Kennedy walked in Boston’s gay pride parade in 2012 — but Collins couldn’t do the same.

Until then, Collins kept his feelings about gay rights close to the vest. He wore jersey No. 98 for the majority of his final three playing stints with Boston, Washington and Brooklyn — a nod to the year that Matthew Shepard, a gay college student in Wyoming, was killed. He also wore 46 in one game for the Nets, since it was the only jersey the team had available when he signed.

Tributes poured in Tuesday from around basketball and beyond. The Human Rights Campaign, a civil rights advocacy group, released a statement that said in part, “stepping forward as he did boldly changed the conversation. He was and will always be a legend for the LGBTQ+ community.”

Added Arn Tellem, the agent who represented Collins: “Representing Jason Collins was one of the great honors and privileges of my life — not only as an agent, but as a counselor and confidant. ... The courage he showed changed lives and transcended our game. His impact reached far beyond basketball.”

A moment of silence was held Tuesday before the Minnesota at San Antonio playoff game, in tribute to both Collins and Memphis Grizzlies forward Brandon Clarke — whose death was announced Tuesday as well. The Spurs lauded Collins not just for breaking barriers, but for “his bravery and kindness.”

Collins made nearly 61% of his shots in his career at Stanford, which remains a school record. He was an honorable mention selection for The Associated Press' All-America team in 2001, a few months before the Houston Rockets took him with the 18th pick in that year's NBA draft.

“It’s a sad day for all of us associated with Stanford basketball when we lose one of the program’s greats," former Stanford coach Mike Montgomery said. “We all have great memories of Jason and the kind of person he was. It’s hard to separate Jarron and Jason because they thought so alike, but even though he was an identical twin, Jason was unique in his own way. The impact he had on Stanford was immense, as he could match up against anyone in the country because he was big, smart, strong and skilled, all while being a very bright and nice person.”

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

“I will not be tarnished by baseless allegations and fraudulent statements from the media,” Patel told Sen. Chris Van Hollen during a testy exchange that began when the Maryland Democrat confronted him about a recent article in The Atlantic magazine that painted an unflattering portrait of his leadership of the nation’s premier federal law enforcement agency.

Patel has filed a $250 million lawsuit over the story. The Atlantic has said it stands by its reporting and would vigorously defend against the “meritless lawsuit.”

Patel shouted over Van Hollen and sought to turn the tables by accusing him of “slinging margaritas on the taxpayer dime” in El Salvador, a reference to a visit the Democrat paid last year to Kilmar Abrego Garcia while he was jailed there following his mistaken deportation to the country.

“The only person who has been drinking during the day on the taxpayer dime was you,” Patel said.

“Director Patel, come on,” Van Hollen said. “These are serious allegations that were made against you.”

He at one point asked Patel if he was willing to take a test meant to measure whether an individual has a drinking problem, prompting Patel to shoot back, “I’ll take any test you’re willing to take.”

The senator called Patel's claims of margaritas in El Salvador “provably false.” After last year's meeting, Van Hollen publicly accused El Salvador’s government of having misrepresented the nature of his encounter with Abrego Garcia, saying officials there had staged the meeting with drinks appearing to be alcohol and angled to set the meeting by a hotel pool.

The testy exchange occurred at an annual Senate subcommittee budget hearing featuring Patel and other senior law enforcement leaders. The director used the forum to tout what he described as major crime-fighting achievements since he took the position and received a friendly reception from Republican senators who praised his leadership.

Democrats, by contrast, pressed Patel on headline-generating travel that has blended his professional duties with private leisure — including a trip to the Winter Olympics in Italy, where he partied with the U.S. men's hockey team after their gold medal win — as well as the mass terminations of agents who worked on investigations into President Donald Trump.

“You attended the Olympics in Milan,” said Sen. Chris Coons, a Delaware Democrat. “How much did your trip cost and to what extent did that help you carry out your mission as director of the FBI?”

Patel responded that the FBI was responsible for security at the Olympics and asserted that his trip to Italy helped facilitate the transfer of a Chinese cybercriminal to U.S. custody, who had been detained by Italian authorities.

’’Children crying, and even babies,” said Ross, the French widow of a U.S. military veteran, whose arrest last month as part of the Trump administration’s i mmigration crackdown made international headlines.

Ross spoke to The Associated Press on Monday about her 16 days in federal immigration custody after being arrested on April 1 in Alabama following an alleged visa overstay, and the late-in-life love story that brought her to the United States. She has been released and returned to France.

The experience in detention, she said, changed her, and her view of politics.

She was held in a dormitory-style room with 58 other women, mostly mothers. ‘’Some of them didn’t know where their children were,'' she said. ‘’I think it’s terrible for a woman not to know where her children are.”

Her arrest in Alabama unfolded so quickly that she barely understood what was happening. Five men, who identified themselves as immigration officers, banged on her door and windows at 8 a.m. before handcuffing her and placing her in a vehicle, she said. She was still wearing her bathrobe, slippers and pajamas.

She was transferred two days later to a facility in Basile, Louisiana. Later that month, she was freed. She is now recovering in a suburb of Nantes in western France with her family. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot had publicly called for her release, saying that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement methods are “not in line” with French standards.

Ross had entered the U.S. to start a new life with William B. Ross, a retired U.S. soldier she had met when he was stationed in France in the 1950s and she was a secretary at NATO.

Between 1962 and 2022, they stayed in touch via William's wife, who was friends with Marie-Therese. “After we both became widowed, we decided to spend holidays together,'' Marie-Therese Ross said. ‘’Then feelings came back, and we decided to marry last year.'' She crossed the Atlantic and moved in with him in Anniston, Alabama.

After he died of natural causes in January, a dispute emerged over his estate.

His sons rerouted mail from the Alabama residence, leading their stepmother to miss an immigration-related appointment, an Alabama judge noted in a court order. The judge accused one son — a former Alabama State Trooper who now works as a federal employee — of using his position to prompt the detention of his stepmother, and urged a federal investigation into what happened.

The stepson denied involvement in her arrest. Marie-Therese described warm relations with William's sons before he died. After his death, she said, they ‘’transformed.''

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday that Ross overstayed her 90-day visa and that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facilities are “regularly audited and inspected” to comply with national standards.

“All detainees are provided with proper meals, quality water, blankets, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with their family members and lawyers. ICE has higher detention standards than most U.S. prisons that hold actual U.S. citizens," the department said.

At the detention facility in Louisiana, Ross described strict rules, constant shouting from guards and condescending treatment.

“The prison was clean, the food was OK, but it was the way they spoke to us,” she told the AP. “The guards could not speak without yelling.”

She described the place as noisy. ’’Everybody was talking loudly so everybody could hear what they were saying, but when silence came, you could hear children crying and even babies crying,″ she said. ’’There’s babies in this jail.″

Despite the conditions, Ross described moments of solidarity among detainees. “During the night, if my bed cover slipped away, I felt a small hand putting it back,” she said. “I didn’t know who it was, but they pampered me because I was older than them.”

She said the women called her “Grandma.” She kept a handmade friendship bracelet given to her by another detainee, woven from strips of colored plastic, a gift she wears today.

Family members said Ross is still struggling with memory gaps and emotional distress following her detention. She said she wants to seek medical follow-up in France to address symptoms consistent with post-traumatic stress and is receiving support.

Ross said she continues to think about the women she met in custody, most of them from South America. Many were mothers separated from their children.

Her experience changed the way she sees the United States and its immigration policies, Ross said. Her husband was a Trump supporter and they used to watch Fox News together. But she was shocked to learn firsthand how immigrants are treated inside immigration facilities.

She used to view the U.S. as a “country of freedom, where people are not arrested based on how they look, and where those who are detained are treated fairly and with respect.” But the women she met did not deserve to be detained, she said. “Their only fault was to be South American.”

As she recovers in France, Ross still thinks about them: “When I left this jail in Louisiana, I told them that if I ever had the chance to speak about them, I would do it, to help them.”

In all, 81 bills have already been approved by the governor as of Tuesday, May 12, with many of these new laws set to take effect later this year.

You can find the full list below. Be sure to check back, as News 6 will update this list as more laws are signed.

HB 1D — Redistricting

House Bill 1D redistricts the state’s congressional districts using 2020 Census data.

Signed, Sealed, and Delivered. pic.twitter.com/mKFQdQ2Xbo

— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) May 4, 2026

DATE OF EFFECT: May 4

HB 35 — Traffic Offenders

House Bill 35 revises the term “habitual traffic offender” to add the offense of driving without a valid license.

This crime will be added to the list of offenses for which a certain number of convictions in a five-year period requires the state to designate the person as a habitual traffic offender.

Once a person is designated as a habitual traffic offender, he/she can generally be prosecuted for a third-degree felony for driving a motor vehicle thereafter.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 52 — Security Services

Senate Bill 52 refers to a state statute that regulates private investigative and security services.

More specifically, the law expresses that this statute doesn’t apply to volunteers who provide armed security services at churches, mosques, synagogues or other places of worship.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 91 — Candidate Qualification

House Bill 91 requires that someone who wants to run for office must affirm that he/she hasn’t changed his/her name in the year prior to qualification, with few exceptions.

DATE OF EFFECT: April 1

SB 118 — R.V. Park Assessments

Senate Bill 118 revises how special assessments may be levied against R.V. parks.

The bill does this by prohibiting local governments from levying special assessments against areas over 400 square feet for each R.V. parking space or campsite.

DATE OF EFFECT: April 21

SB 124 — Florida Virtual Schools

Senate Bill 124 amends state statutes regarding the Florida Virtual School, which was founded in 1997 to provide students in the state with tech-based educational opportunities.

More specifically, the law makes several technical changes, such as including all full-time and part-time FLVS students for the purposes of full-time equivalent student calculations.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 182 — Teacher Mentors

Senate Bill 182 establishes the School Teacher Training and Mentoring Program, aimed at improving teacher effectiveness in public schools.

Under this program, qualified teachers can be placed as mentors in schools that have a “D” or “F” grade, thereby improving the performance of these schools.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 212 — Sex Offenders

Senate Bill 212 amends state statutes regarding sexual offenders and predators in the state.

Under this law, those convicted of certain sex offenses against children 16 years of age or younger may not live within 1,000 feet of a public swimming pool.

[BELOW: Florida attorney general unveils Sanford ‘house of horrors’]

Current law already prohibits these sorts of sex offenders from living near schools, childcare facilities, parks and playgrounds, though this bill cracks down even harder via the following rules:

• Contacting Children: Such offenders may be arrested without a warrant if they knowingly contact a minor at any park, playground or public swimming pool.
• School Grounds: Such offenders may be arrested without a warrant if they’re purposefully present in any pre-K-12 school while the school is still in operation, with few exceptions.
• Prowling Offenders: The bill increases the restricted distance for loitering and prowling by such sex offenders from 300 feet to 500 feet of places where children congregate.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 245 — Child Pornography

House Bill 245 replaces the term “child pornography” with “child sexual abuse material” under state law.

This shift does not change any other elements of the law, including offenses related to child pornography.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 246 — Specialty Plates

Senate Bill 246 grants permission for five new specialty license plates, which are as follows:

• Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)
• Miami Northwestern Alumni Association
• Outsider
• St. Petersburg College
• First Responders Resiliency

The bill also revises certain requirements for the existing “Florida Wildflower” and “Fraternal Order of Police” plates.

DATE OF EFFECT: Oct. 1

HB 249 — State Flagship

House Bill 249 redesignates the official state flagship.

More specifically, the law replaces the current state flagship (the schooner Western Union) with the S.S. American Victory.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

[BELOW: New Florida bill could change meaning of ‘criminal gang member’]

HB 271 — Bail Bonds

House Bill 271 subjects foreign and alien bail bond insurers doing business in Florida to the same reporting requirements as domestic bail bond insurers.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 288 — Electric Cooperatives

Senate Bill 288 revises a state statute that prohibits certain bylaws, tariffs and policies from being used by rural electric cooperatives.

Under this law, the statute is limited to only those cooperatives that sell electricity at retail.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 290 — FDACS

Senate Bill 290 makes a number of changes to state law related to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS).

Some of these changes include a prohibition on local governments from banning gas-powered landscape equipment, and criminal penalties for those receiving unauthorized help on a CDL exam.

You can read a list of more changes here.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 302 — Coastal Resiliency

Senate Bill 302 prohibits any dredging or filling of submerged lands at the Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve, with some exceptions provided for public safety and environmental protection.

This law is also expected to streamline the permitting process for nature-based methods aimed at improving coastal resiliency, helping to accelerate restoration timelines.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 386 — Farm Equipment

Senate Bill 386 sets up a process for consumers and manufacturers to remedy defective farm equipment.

If farm equipment is defective, this law lets buyers report the defect to the manufacturer during the warranty period or the one-year period after the original delivery date of the farm equipment.

The law also requires the manufacturer to either replace or refund any defective farm equipment.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 399 — Development Regulations

House Bill 399 requires application fees for development permits to be reasonably related to the costs associated with processing the application and prohibits fees based on a percentage of project costs.

The legislation also mandates that each local government’s land development regulations must include factors for assessing compatibility of residential uses.

DATE OF EFFECT: March 27

SB 422 — Airport Broadcasts

Senate Bill 422 prohibits airports from using information derived from automatic dependent surveillance broadcast (ADS-B) systems emitted from certain aircraft as a means of collecting fees from owners.

This rule is limited to aircraft with a gross weight of 12,499 pounds or less operating under FAA rules and applies under the following two scenarios:

• The operation for which a fee would be assessed is a departure or a landing, including touch-and-go landings
• The fee would be assessed based on an aircraft entering into the airspace of the airport where the fee is assessed

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 428 — Drowning Prevention

Senate Bill 428 amends the Swimming Lesson Voucher Program, raising the age limit to include children between 1 and 7 years of age.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 441 — Conservation Lands

House Bill 441 requires that when a water management district considers selling conservation lands, the governing board publish the following information at least 30 days before meeting:

• The district-owned parcels of land for sale or proposed for exchange
• The privately owned parcels proposed for exchange
• The portions of those parcels that will be preserved in a permanent conservation easement
• A statement from the district explaining why those lands are no longer needed for conservation purposes

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 445 — Dangerous Crimes

House Bill 445 adds certain offenses dealing with child exploitation and certain kinds of computer porn to the list of dangerous crimes under Florida law.

This means that someone arrested for one of these offenses can’t be given nonmonetary pretrial release at a first appearance hearing.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 453 — High School Diplomas

House Bill 453 allows student with disabilities to substitute one school year of participation in the Special Olympics for the P.E. requirement for a standard high school diploma.

Furthermore, the law specifies that two years of marching band satisfies both the one-credit requirement in P.E. and the one-credit requirement in performing arts.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 484 — Data Centers

Senate Bill 484 prohibits utilities from passing data center costs — including electricity costs — onto residential and small business customers.

Furthermore, the law prohibits utilities from serving data centers controlled by foreign countries of concern, and it allows local communities to set stricter standards on such centers.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 488 — Transportation

Senate Bill 488 amends various provisions related to topics like motor vehicle registration, licensing and tax-related requirements. These new rules include the following:

• Creates penalties for counterfeiting or illegally altering fuel tax licenses and the related permits
• Revises penalties and interest calculations for delinquent tax payments
• Provides penalties for specific offenses related to the misuse of motor fuel-tax related documents and establishes detailed requirements for recordkeeping by motor carriers
• Increases the amount of estimated damage resulting from a crash that is required to be reported to law enforcement from $500 to $2,000

DATE OF EFFECT: Oct. 1

SB 490 — Public Records (FLHSMV)

Senate Bill 490 expands a public records exemption for email addresses collected by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

This expansion includes email addresses that are used to provide customers with general notifications.

DATE OF EFFECT: Oct. 1

HB 491 — Faith-Based Content (BIPs)

House Bill 491 allows Batterers’ Intervention Programs (BIPs) to offer supplemental faith-based activities as a voluntary service to participants referred to a BIP by court order or by consent for acts of domestic violence.

That said, the law also preserves current rules, which require all mandatory BIP curricula to be based on a psychoeducational or cognitive behavioral therapy intervention model.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 504 — Body Cameras

Senate Bill 504 requires governmental agencies that allow code inspectors to wear body cameras to set up policies addressing proper use and storage of these cameras, as well as the recorded data.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 506 — Public Records (Body Cameras)

Senate Bill 506 creates a public records exemption for code inspectors’ body camera recordings if the footage is recorded:

• Inside a private residence
• Inside a facility that offers health care, mental health care, or social services
• In a place that a reasonable person would expect to be private

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 559 — Animal Welfare

House Bill 559 establishes a new third-degree felony offense if an adult:

• causes or entices a minor to commit aggravated animal cruelty; fighting or baiting animals; or sexual activities involving animals
• commits in the presence of a minor aggravated animal cruelty; fighting or baiting animals; or sexual activities involving animals

The law also requires a juvenile court to order a minor who commits animal cruelty to undergo a psychological evaluation and potentially receive certain treatments.

DATE OF EFFECT: Oct. 1

HB 569 — Forensic Client Services

House Bill 569 allows the Agency for Persons with Disabilities to house non-forensic clients and forensic clients within the same wards in secure APD facilities.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 572 — Public Ethics

Senate Bill 572 revises the term “relative” in the Code of Ethics for Public Officers and Employees to include foster parents and foster children.

DATE OF EFFECT: April 1

HB 589 — Sewage Treatment

House Bill 589 refers to owners and builders of single-family homes that need to have an onsite sewage treatment and disposal system (OSTDS).

Under this law, local governments may no longer require these people to receive a construction permit for the OSTDS before issuing a building or plumbing permit, so long as there’s proof that the OSTDS permit has been applied for.

DATE OF EFFECT: May 6

SB 598 — Funeral Services

Senate Bill 598 makes several revisions to a state statute that regulates funeral and cemetery services.

For example, the law prohibits licensees from contracting to become the sole provider of funeral services for any firm that provides medical or end-of-life care to the public.

Furthermore, SB 598 allows licensees to dispose of human remains that have been in their lawful possession for at least 90 days if the legally authorized person of the decedent fails to direct the disposition.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 628 — Trump Highway

Senate Bill 628 renames over a dozen roadways across the state.

The bill also designates the Tallahassee airport at 3300 Capital Circle SW as the “Bobby Bowden-Tallahassee International Airport.”

Furthermore, SB 628 designates 124 miles of SR-80 stretching from SR-A1A in Palm Beach County to US-41 in Lee County as the “President Donald J. Trump Highway.”

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 679 — Trademark Registration

House Bill 679 mandate that the Florida Department of State use the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s schedule of classes of goods and services as the state’s classification for trademark purposes, rather than the general classes for trademarks for goods and services set in statute.

Furthermore, the bill requires that agency to set up a website where applicants can apply for a trademark or renew a trademark and provides that the website must safeguard the applicant’s information to ensure data integrity.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 686 — Agricultural Enclaves

Senate Bill 686 deals with agricultural enclaves: pockets of agricultural land that are mainly surrounded by development.

Under this bill, enclave owners may submit development plans for single-family housing.

Local governments won’t be allowed to enact regulation for one of these enclaves that is more burdensome than for other types of applications for comparable uses, either.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1 (Provisions expire Jan. 1, 2028)

HB 697 — Drug Prices

House Bill 697 makes it unlawful for a PBM to force a pharmacy to take a loss when dispensing a drug or to reimburse a nonaffiliated pharmacy less than an affiliated pharmacy.

Furthermore, the law requires PBMs to allow in-network pharmacies to submit consolidated appeals comprised of multiple adjudicated claims featuring identical drugs, day supplies, and dates of service.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 803 — Building Permits

House Bill 803 limits local government regulation of glazing requirements on commercial buildings, and provides for lower fees when a private provider is retained for commercial construction projects.

The law also mandates that certain building permits expire after one year after issuance or on the effective date of the next edition of the Florida Building Code — whichever is later.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 844 — Sickle Cell Disease

Senate Bill 844 requires that the standard continuing education course on prescribing controlled substances include information regarding the treatment of pain for patients with sickle cell disease.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 848 — Stormwater Treatment

Senate Bill 848 allows ERP applicants to use compensating stormwater treatment as a mitigation measure when existing ambient water quality prevents compliance with water quality standards.

Furthermore, ERP applicants for regional stormwater managements systems must provide documentation of adequate financial responsibility, along with a graphic depicting the drainage area served by the system.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 883 — Insurance Companies

House Bill 883 allows protected cell captive insurance companies to operate and be domiciled in Florida, thus creating a regulatory framework for such companies.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 895 — Trustee Settlement

House Bill 895 establishes a summary procedure for trustee liability and claims discharge under the Florida Trust Code.

This applies to non-adversarial irrevocable trust administrations where the trustee has substantially complied with certain trustee duties, negating the need for judicial process to achieve such discharge.

DATE OF EFFECT: April 29

HB 905 — Foreign Influence

House Bill 905 aims to limit influence in the state from “foreign countries of concern,” including places like Iran, North Korea, Cuba, China and Russia.

The law accomplishes this by prohibiting charities from accepting contributions from these countries, restricting preplanned adoption/surrogacy agreements with citizens of these nations, and setting up harsher penalties for crimes committed to benefit such groups.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 919 — Donald Trump Airport

House Bill 919 preempts to the state the ability to name major commercial service airports.

More specifically, the law renames the Palm Beach International Airport as the “President Donald J. Trump International Airport.”

All other major airports, including the Orlando International Airport, may keep their current names for now.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

[BELOW: New Florida law could let lawmakers rename Orlando airport]

HB 927 — Local Land Planning

House Bill 927 requires certain local governments to create a registry of qualified contractors to conduct pre-application reviews of plans, permits or plats submitted in line with local land development rules.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 929 — Chickee Regulation

House Bill 929 prohibits local governments from enacting an ordinance that prevents a member of the Miccosukee or Seminole tribes from constructing a chickee under certain conditions.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 961 — Electronic Signatures

House Bill 961 requires that insurance companies implement secure control processes and procedures for electronic signatures that are acceptable to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 991 — Elections

House Bill 991 makes several revisions to the Florida Election Code, including:

• Driver’s License: Requires the state to include a person’s legal status on any new, replacement or renewal driver’s licenses and ID cards
• Voter Oath: Voter registration applicants must affirm that they are U.S. citizens and may face criminal penalties for perjury if that is not the case
• Forms of ID: Debit/credit cards, student IDs, retirement center IDs, neighborhood association IDs, and public assistance IDs are no longer acceptable forms of identification for voters
• Campaign Contributions: Political parties and candidates may not willfully accept a contribution from a foreign national in connection with any election held in the state.
• Federal Courts: Requires the state to provide voter registration lists to federal courts to aid in their jury selection process, and requires those courts to provide the state with information about voters being ineligible due to convictions, death, or being a non-U.S. citizen
• Statute of Limitations: Creates a five-year statute of limitations for the prosecution of a felony under the Election Code
• New Penalties: Provides new fines and penalties for those who violate the law of involvement of foreign nationals in state elections
• Early Voting: Election supervisors must use local time when uploading the results of all early voting and vote-by-mail ballots by 7 p.m. the day before the election

DATE OF EFFECT: Jan. 1, 2027

SB 1004 — Pet Sales

Senate Bill 1004 implements several new consumer protections related to the sales of cats and dogs in Florida.

The new provisions include the following:

• Requiring pet dealers to disclose financing terms before a sale is finalized
• Allowing consumers to terminate financing agreements without penalty if an animal is later found unfit for purchase due to illness or disease
• Requiring pet dealers to provide veterinary medical records documenting examinations, medications, and treatments provided to the animal
• Requiring written notice informing consumers of their rights under Florida law, including the ability to return or exchange a sick animal and seek reimbursement of veterinary costs
• Making violations enforceable under Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 1073 — School Board Bill of Rights

House Bill 1073 establishes a District School Board Members’ Bill of Rights, which does the following:

• Provides members with access to school district documents necessary to fulfill the duties required under the State Constitution and Florida
• Allows members to consult with the district’s CFO on budget information
• Lets members request documents or information from school staff, subject to legal restrictions and administrative approval
• Grants members the ability to publicly comment on district school board business, except for student/employee disciplinary matters or other issues prohibited by law

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 1074 — Penny Extinction

Senate Bill 1074 lets vendors round cash transactions to the nearest nickel if the penny is no longer available. The businesses are expected to round transactions as follows:

• If the final digit ends in 1 or 2 cents? Round to 0 cents.
• If the final digit ends in 3, 4, 6, or 7 cents? Round to 5 cents.
• If the final digit ends in 8 or 9 cents? Round to 10 cents.

However, this doesn’t apply to noncash transactions, such as gift cards, credit cards or checks.

DATE OF EFFECT: May 11

[A LOOK BACK: What to know after the penny-rounding bill passed the Florida Senate]

HB 1093 — Vertiports

House Bill 1093 includes vertiports and charging systems as qualifying projects for funding under public-private partnerships between state and private entities.

In addition, the law allows the FDOT to fund all of the project costs of a public vertiport if federal funds aren’t available.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 1103 — Vessel Restrictions (I)

House Bill 1103 allows local governments to administer provisions of law concerning vessels at risk of becoming derelict and long-term anchoring permits.

Furthermore, the law lets cities and counties regulate vessel speed and operation within 300 feet of a confluence of water bodies presenting a blind corner (up to 1,000 feet) if the extended area is necessary to ensure safe navigation and visibility for approaching vessels.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 1113 — Vessel Restrictions (II)

House Bill 1103 allows local governments to authorize a code enforcement officer to administer the provision of law concerning vessels at risk of becoming derelict on state waters.

This can be done by way of local ordinances.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 1121 — Disability Services

House Bill 1121 revises aging and disability services provided by the Department of Elder Affairs.

More specifically, the law adds food and nutritional supplements as allowable uses of subsidy payments under the Home Care for the Elderly Program.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 1134 — DEI Policy Ban

Senate Bill 1134 prohibits local governments from funding, promoting, or enacting any DEI policies, initiatives, and programs.

DATE OF EFFECT: Jan. 1, 2027

HB 1137 — Alcoholic Beverage Taxes

House Bill 1137 allows alcoholic beverage distributors to take a deduction from alcoholic beverage excise taxes for standard product losses, including breakage, spoilage, evaporation, and expiration.

DATE OF EFFECT: April 21

HB 1153 — Juvenile Justice

House Bill 1153 includes “juvenile detention officers” and “juvenile probation officers” in multiple state statutes related to correctional officers.

This allows such positions to be eligible for a Medal of Heroism or Valor, as well as subjects a person to first-degree aggravated manslaughter if he/she causes such an officer to die through culpable negligence.

DATE OF EFFECT: March 30

HB 1159 — Sexual Offenses

House Bill 1159 sets up harsher penalties for various sexual offenses. These changes include:

• CSAM: Replacing the term “child pornography” with “child sexual abuse material” in Florida statutes
• Harsher Penalties: Increases penalties for use of a child in a sexual performance; possession and transmission of child porn; creation of generated child porn; possession of a child-like doll; and certain sex acts involving animals
• Mandatory Sentencing: Adults must receive a mandatory minimum sentence for certain offenses related to using children in sexual performances and transmitting child porn
• Repeat Offenders: Raises mandatory minimum sentences for certain repeat sex offenders
• Life Felony: Creates a life felony for aggravated use of a child under 12 years old in a sexual performance
• Generated Child Porn: Creates a second-degree felony for transmitting generated child pornography
• No Pets: Prohibits anyone convicted of certain sex offenses involving animals from owning or working with animals for at least five years

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 1201 — Student Health

House Bill 1201 updates statutory provisions regarding the care of students with epilepsy or seizure disorders and expands the definition of schools to include charter schools.

The law also requires schools to display a poster identifying the basic steps of responding to someone having a seizure.

Lastly, the law requires the FDOH to include required education and training for schools in its epilepsy education program.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 1217 — Greenhouse Gases

House Bill 1217 prohibits the state and local governments from adopting or enforcing net-zero greenhouse gas emissions policies, including carbon taxes.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 1219 — Spoil Island

House Bill 1219 designates a mangrove island within Jupiter Sound as the “Andrew ‘Red’ Harris Spoil Island.”

The island will be named for Andrew “Red” Harris, a native of Jupiter who started his own insurance brokerage agency in 2011 and was killed in a boating accident roughly three years later.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 1279 — Teacher Funding

House Bill 1279 lets school districts provide immediate pay incentives to high-performing teachers who choose to teach in lower-performing schools, even without collective bargaining.

The law also allows bonuses for districts and teachers who offer Florida Advanced Courses (FACTs), in line with bonuses offered for other advanced courses like AP, AICE and IB.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 1296 — Union Crackdown

Senate Bill 1296 provides for the decertification of partisan school unions, fast-tracking salary increases that some unions have stalled.

The law requires at least 50% participation in union certification elections, meaning that unions can no longer be recertified through elections with just a handful of voters.

Furthermore, SB 1296 increases penalties for illegal strikes, raising the maximum fine from $20,000 per day to $40,000 per day for such organizations.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 1337 — Estate Authority

House Bill 1337 amends several provisions of Florida law to reduce the necessity for court involvement or formal proceedings in the distribution of a decedent.

More specifically, this bill does the following:

• Gives a personal representative more authority with respect to a decedent’s safe deposit box
• Expressly allows a personal representative to institute a proceeding to enforce his/her authority as personal representative
• Increases the amounts of what Florida law considers “small estates,” such that procedures other than formal probate proceedings may be instituted to dispose of the subject property under certain conditions

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 1417 — Department of Environmental Protection

House Bill 1417 repeals the Environmental Regulation Commission, which is expected to streamline rulemaking for environmental protection.

This law also requires erosion and sediment control plans for the construction of solar facilities to include stormwater best management practices.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 1443 — Parkinson’s Disease Registry

House Bill 1443 requires the Florida Institute for Parkinson’s Disease at USF to set up a statewide Parkinson’s disease registry.

Under this legislation, physicians who diagnose a patient with Parkinson’s disease must report nationally recognized performance measures to the registry beginning on Jan. 1, 2027.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

[BELOW: Here’s what to know about Florida’s ‘license plate’ law]

HB 1445 — Public Records (Parkinson’s Disease Registry)

House Bill 1445 creates a public record exemption for patient-identifying information held in the Parkinson’s disease registry set up by HB 1443.

The exemption will be repealed on Oct. 2, 2031, unless reenacted by lawmakers.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 1471 — Terrorist Organizations

House Bill 1471 makes several changes to state law regarding terrorist organizations. Many of those revisions are as follows:

• Terrorist Designations: Creates a process by which the state may designate groups as domestic or foreign terrorist organization if certain conditions are met
• Religious Laws: Courts and tribunals are prohibited from enforcing religious or foreign laws against someone if such application would violate his/her constitutional rights
• Private Schools: Prohibits private schools participating in state scholarship programs from being owned or funded by terrorist groups, terrorist supporters, or criminal gangs
• State Universities: Prevents institutions in the Florida College System from using state funds to support programs that advocate for terrorist organizations
• Visa Students: Public colleges must report information about the current status of students who are attending on a visa if they promote terrorist organizations
• Student Expulsions: If a student promotes a terrorist organization while enrolled at a public university, the student must be immediately expelled and assessed an out-of-state fee

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 1473 — Public Records (Terrorism)

House Bill 1473 creates a public record exemption tied to HB 1471 for certain information that would require Florida’s Chief of Domestic Security to provide to the governor and cabinet in certain situations.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 4005 — Naples Airport Authority

House Bill 4005 revises the method of selection for the Naples Airport Authority board from a body appointed by the city to one elected by the residents of Collier County.

DATE OF EFFECT: April 6

HB 4019 — Lake County

House Bill 4019 limits the compensation of healthcare providers for medical services to inmates housed in a Lake County detention center to 110% of the Medicare allowable rate if the provider doesn’t have a contract with the county.

DATE OF EFFECT: April 14

HB 4037 — Pasco County

House Bill 4037 revises term limits for board members on the Pasco County Mosquito Control District from two terms to three terms, starting with the 2026 general election.

DATE OF EFFECT: April 23

HB 4041 — Indian River County

House Bill 4041 limits the compensation of healthcare providers for medical services to inmates housed in an Indian River County detention center to 110% of the Medicare allowable rate if the provider doesn’t have a contract with the county.

DATE OF EFFECT: April 14

HB 4059 — Polk County

House Bill 4059 limits the compensation of healthcare providers for medical services to inmates housed in a Polk County detention center to 110% of the Medicare allowable rate if the provider doesn’t have a contract with the county.

DATE OF EFFECT: April 14

SB 7000 — Public Records (Emergency Shelters)

Senate Bill 7000 continues a public records exemption for addresses and telephone numbers of those who provide public emergency shelter during a storm or catastrophic event.

DATE OF EFFECT: April 23

SB 7006 — Public Records (Florida PSC)

Senate Bill 7006 continues a public records exemption for for portions of hearings conducted by the Florida Public Service Commission.

More specifically, this exemption extends to proprietary confidential business information that is already exempt under state law.

DATE OF EFFECT: April 1

HB 7011 — Public Records (Aquaculture)

House Bill 7011 continues a public records exemption for certain aquaculture records held by the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

That exemption refers to the following:

• Shellfish receiving and production records generated by licensed shellfish processing facilities
• Audit records and supporting documentation required for submerged land leases
• Aquaculture production records and receipts generated by certified aquaculture facilities

DATE OF EFFECT: March 27

SB 7016 — Public Records (Loan Programs)

Senate Bill 7016 continues a public records exemption for certain details held by an economic development agency pursuant to the administration of a state/federally funded small business loan program.

More specifically, the exemption protects tax returns, financial information and credit information.

DATE OF EFFECT: April 1

SB 7022 — Public Records (Exam Instruments)

Senate Bill 7022 expands the public records exemption for examination and assessment instruments.

It does so by adding public schools, district school boards, university boards of trustees, the State Board of Education, and the Board of Governors as additional records custodians.

The law also extends the existing public records exemption through 2031.

DATE OF EFFECT: May 11

SB 7026 — Public Records (Trade Secrets)

Senate Bill 7026 continues a public records exemption for trade secrets held by an agency, which are kept confidential.

DATE OF EFFECT: April 23

The runway fatality underscores the longstanding challenge of keeping intruders out of major airports. Denver International Airport sprawls across 53 square miles (138 square kilometers) — twice the size of Manhattan — on open prairie northeast of the city center.

The 41-year-old trespasser triggered an alarm as he crossed into the airport in a remote area about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) from the terminal late Friday night. But security personnel mistakenly attributed that alarm to a herd of deer that was nearby and the airport did not find out about the intruder until after the fact, when the pilot notified the control tower that the plane had hit somebody.

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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org

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Authorities said the man died by suicide. However, no note from the victim was immediately recovered. The manner of death was determined based on the investigation at the scene, a records review and a postmortem examination, said Sterling McLaren, chief medical examiner for the city and county of Denver.

The collision involving the Frontier Airlines plane as it was taking off for Los Angeles sparked an engine fire that forced passengers to evacuate via slides. Twelve people sustained minor injuries and five were taken to hospitals. Four have since been released, said airport Chief Executive Officer Phillip Washington.

A black-and-white video released by the airport shows, from a distance, a figure walking toward the runway with arms swaying. The person crosses onto the runway at a slight angle and seconds later the plane is seen speeding past. It strikes the person with its right engine, which bursts into flame.

Federal officials notified the airport

A few minutes before the man scaled the 8-foot (2.4-meter) fence, a ground-based radar system activated in the area, triggering an alarm. A worker at the city-owned airport checked a surveillance camera and saw a herd of deer in the same area but did not initially see the trespasser, Washington said.

"The camera view was alternating between the wildlife and the individual. There are some ditches in the area, so the person was out of view for a bit as well,” Washington said.

The man crossed about 650 feet (200 meters) from the fence to the runway and was inside the perimeter for only two minutes before being struck by the Frontier Airlines plane that was traveling at 150 mph (240 kph), he said.

Emergency personnel were dispatched to the scene after air traffic controllers were notified by the pilot about the collision, airport representatives said in response to questions from The Associated Press.

The airport declined to provide details on their procedures for dealing with trespassers or how often they enter its grounds.

The plane’s engine caused the man’s death, McLaren said. She described it as “a purposeful act with a foreseeable fatal outcome.”

Denver police Chief Ron Thomas said investigators were contacting the man’s family and those who knew him to seek more information about his motivations.

Trespassers breaching airport perimeters is a regular problem, with perhaps dozens annually nationwide, said security expert Jeff Price, who was assistant director of security at the Denver airport in the 1990s. The airport is surrounded by about 36 miles (58 kilometers) of perimeter fence, which airport officials say is continuously inspected.

The vast majority of airport trespassers are intoxicated or simply “messing around just to see if they could do it,” said Price, adding that they typically don't pose a real threat. Denver also gets the rare individual who will jump the fence seeking to prove a long-running conspiracy theory about there being a UFO base at the airport, he said.

The Transportation Security Administration oversees airport security programs, including perimeter security requirements.

“It's really not that difficult to jump an airport perimeter fence,” Price said. “They meet the standards for TSA, but the standards are not that robust.”

The fences are typically 6 to 8 feet (1.8 to 2.4 meters) tall with barbed wire at the top, he said. They must be approved by federal inspectors, but there are no set rules on their construction. Major airports such as Denver typically also have intrusion detection systems that include cameras and motion sensors, he said. Some systems detect the seismic impact of people dropping to the ground, Price said.

Evacuation under scrutiny

The person was killed on the airport’s easternmost north-south runway and at least 1.25 miles (2 kilometers) from any airport buildings. Empty fields and croplands surround Denver International Airport in most directions. Distant trees and structures in the video showed that the person was headed toward the airport when they crossed the runway.

The National Transportation Safety Board on Sunday said it is gathering information about the plane's evacuation.

An agency spokesperson said an investigation would be launched if it's determined the injuries meet the agency's definition for “serious." That can include a person requiring hospitalization for more than 48 hours, suffering a broken bone, or second- or third-degree burns affecting more than 5% of their body.

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Brown reported from Billings, Montana.

Host city Vienna has been bedecked in hearts and the contest’s “United by Music” motto for a week in which singers and bands from 35 countries will compete onstage for the continent’s musical crown. But divisions are clouding the contest’s 70th anniversary edition, with five countries — Spain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Iceland — boycotting to protest Israel’s inclusion.

Despite the absentee nations, thousands of ebullient fans from across Europe and beyond packed the Wiener Stadthalle arena for the first semifinal. Some had flags painted on their faces or clothes in national colors, others wore sequins and spangles for a contest that celebrates the kitschy, infectious power of pop.

Security is tight across the city, with police from across Austria deployed in the capital, and support from forces in neighboring Germany. Awareness of risk is high after a 21-year-old Austrian man accused of pledging allegiance to the Islamic State group pleaded guilty to plotting to attack a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna in 2024.

Israel through to the Eurovision final

Acts from 15 countries performed their 3-minute songs onstage – often with eye-catching choreography and pyrotechnics – in a bid for votes from juries in participating nations and viewers around the world.

Israeli singer Noam Bettan was met with shouts of protests amid the cheers in the auditorium when he performed the rock ballad “Michelle,” but was one of 10 acts voted into Saturday's final.

Finland, the favorite on betting markets, made the cut with “Liekinheitin,” or “Flamethrower,” a mashup of pop singer Pete Parkkonen’s anguished vocals and violinist Linda Lampenius’ fiery fiddling.

Joining them in the final are Greece’s Akylas with party-rap track “Ferto," or "Bring It”; Serbian goth metal band Lavina with “Kraj Mene”; Moldovan folk-rapper Satoshi with “Viva, Moldova!”; and “Andromeda” by Croatian female ensemble Lelek.

Soulful Polish singer Alicja, Lithuanian performer Lion Ceccah, Swedish singer Felicia and Belgium’s Essyla also made the final. Estonia, Georgia, Montenegro, Portugal and San Marino were eliminated — despite a guest appearance by 1980s icon Boy George on singer Senhit's San Marino song, “Superstar.”

Ten more finalists will be chosen in a second semifinal Thursday. The U.K., France, Germany and Italy automatically qualify for the final because they are among the contest’s biggest funders. Austria, last year’s winner, gets a place in the final as host country.

Protesters urge artists to withdraw

Long a forum for good-natured — and sometimes more pointed — national rivalries, Eurovision has found it hard to separate pop and politics in recent years. Russia was expelled in 2022 after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The 2024 contest in Malmo, Sweden, and last year’s event in Basel, Switzerland, saw pro-Palestinian protests that called for Israel to be expelled over the conduct of its war against Hamas in Gaza and allegations it ran a rule-breaking marketing campaign to get votes for its contestant.

The European Broadcasting Union, which runs Eurovision, has toughened voting rules in response to the vote-rigging allegations, halving the number of votes per person to 10 and tightening safeguards against “suspicious or coordinated voting activity.”

But the EBU declined to kick Israel out, spurring five countries to announce in December that they would not participate this year.

Several pro-Palestinian demonstrations are planned during Eurovision week, including a musical event dubbed No Stage for Genocide. Its backers urged Eurovision performers to pull out of the competition.

“I think it is a moral obligation for each and every artist to take action and step away from the competition,” said Congolese-Austrian activist Patrick Bongola.

Israel strongly denies committing genocide in Gaza. Demonstrations in support of the country’s participation are also planned this week in Vienna.

The five-country boycott is a revenue and viewership blow to an event that organizers say was watched by 166 million people around the world last year. Bulgaria, Moldova and Romania have returned after skipping the event for artistic or financial reasons in recent years, but the number of participants, at 35, is still the lowest since 2003.

Jonathan Hendrickx, a media researcher at the University of Copenhagen, said any more boycotts will stress the structure of the contest and raise doubts about its future.

“They really are at their limits now, in terms of what they can handle with the current format,” Hendrickx said.

Dean Vuletic, the author of “Postwar Europe and the Eurovision Song Contest,” is confident Eurovision can weather the latest storms.

“If you look at the history of Eurovision, it’s gone through so many crises, so many political challenges, so many geopolitical changes in Europe, and it’s always managed to survive,” he said.

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Associated Press writer Sam McNeil in Brussels contributed to this report.

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For more coverage of the Eurovision Song Contest, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/eurovision-song-contest

The way the U.S. views Taiwan under the “One China” policy recognizes the Chinese position that Taiwan is part of China, while still allowing for informal U.S. relations with the self-governing island.

It is intended to be vague -- built on what's become known as strategic ambiguity. That is, the U.S. has agreed to ensure Taiwan has the resources to defend itself if China attempts to force a unilateral change, without saying how far it will go militarily to counter Beijing.

As assistant U.S. defense secretary Joseph Nye said in 1995 to Chinese officials wondering how the U.S. would react to a Taiwan crisis: “We don’t know, and you don’t know.”

“The idea was, stick to the very careful language that’s been crafted and don’t vary,” said Mike McCurry, former White House press secretary under Bill Clinton. “Because there are too many people listening and paying attention.”

Carefully balanced to protect Taiwan’s security and sovereignty without promising too much but also not irking Beijing, the policy could again be pushed into the spotlight during President Donald Trump’s visit to China this week. In the past, some U.S. officials have flubbed it, requiring swift diplomatic cleanup.

“It’s the precision of the words,” said John Kirby, who served across multiple Democratic administrations as a spokesman at the State Department and Pentagon and at President Joe Biden’s White House. “They just have to be so extraordinarily precise when you’re talking about Taiwan because, quite frankly, the stakes are enormously high.”

A look at how the Taiwan policy has tripped up presidents:

Biden went too far repeatedly

He suggested four times that the U.S. would intervene militarily if China were to invade Taiwan, forcing White House officials to clarify that he wasn't undoing decades of precedent.

During an August 2021 ABC News interview, Biden talked about a U.S. commitment to respond militarily if NATO allies were attacked and added, “Same with Taiwan.” The White House later said that U.S. policy toward Taiwan hadn't changed.

Biden said during a CNN forum that October that the U.S. was committed to defending Taiwan should China attack, resulting in similar White House backtracking.

In a May 2022 news conference in Tokyo, Biden said “yes” when asked if he was willing to use the military to defend Taiwan. “That’s the commitment we made,” he added, forcing Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to reaffirm U.S. commitment to the “One China” policy.

And Biden suggested similarly during a September 2022 interview with CBS' “60 Minutes,” prompting more White House clarifications.

Trump's first administration had flubs

Trump was president-elect in 2016 when he took a call from Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen — likely the first president to do so since the U.S. severed diplomatic relations with the island in 1979. He later scoffed at the hubbub, posting: “Interesting how the U.S. sells Taiwan billions of dollars of military equipment but I should not accept a congratulatory call.”

The following year, the Trump White House issued a statement about a meeting in Germany between Xi and Trump that described Xi as president of the Republic of China, the formal name for Taiwan — not the correct People’s Republic of China. The event's White House transcript was later altered to fix the mistake.

“There is a lot of difficulty to navigate a lot of these concepts. However, the reason why that is the case — a lot of misunderstanding and misspeaking — is because those concepts are conceptual traps set up by China,” said Miles Yu, who was principal China policy adviser to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo during Trump’s first administration. “You cannot explain something that’s unexplainable.”

Yu, now a senior fellow and director of the China Center at the Hudson Institute, has advocated for more firmly stating the U.S. commitment to defending Taiwan. He said the concept of a “One China” policy or a “One China” principle, as Beijing calls its insistence that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, was “completely of Chinese making.”

“No one inside the Chinese high command has ever believed there is any ambiguity as to America’s resolve to defend Taiwan,” Yu said.

Instead, he said, the U.S. has long adhered to plans to defend Taiwan in proportion to Chinese threats, as evidenced by Washington repeatedly mobilizing forces to the Taiwan Strait over the years amid heightened tensions.

Today, the Trump White House says there's been no change in policy but scoffs at the idea of verbal gymnastics required in stating it, noting that Trump has approved major arms sales to Taiwan over the years.

The policy was always hard to articulate

After the Chinese civil war ended in 1949, Washington recognized Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalists as China’s leaders, even after that government fled from Beijing to Taiwan. But, under an agreement with Beijing beginning in 1979 with Jimmy Carter, the U.S. began adhering to the “One China” policy.

Carter’s administration spent months in secret negotiations with China to reach the agreement. Yet Carter later said that it “does nothing to prevent” a future president or Congress from “even going to war” to protect Taiwan.

Bill Clinton, during a 1998 roundtable in Shanghai, said he supported the “three no’s”: The U.S. not supporting Taiwan independence; not supporting the “two Chinas” idea, which would be a separate China and Taiwan; and not backing Taiwan’s admittance into international organizations.

But the following year, Clinton said, “You know what I’ve done in the past,” seeming to point to previous U.S. military interventions and suggesting he could do something similar involving Taiwan.

During a 2001 interview with The Associated Press, George W. Bush was asked whether the U.S. might use military force to counter a Chinese attack on Taiwan and answered, “It’s certainly an option.” Bush later told CNN that didn’t mean the U.S. was toughening its stance, saying, “I have said that I will do what it takes to help Taiwan defend itself.”

Five years later, during a state visit to Washington by then-Chinese President Hu Jintao, Bush's White House announcer mistakenly said the national anthem of the Republic of China would be played, instead of the People’s Republic of China. The correct anthem was ultimately played.

Some stayed on message

In 1989, George H.W. Bush said during a banquet in China that while the U.S. adheres to “the bedrock principle that there is but one China, we have found ways to address Taiwan constructively without rancor.”

During a 2014 joint news conference in Beijing with Xi, Barack Obama said, “We encourage further progress by both sides of the Taiwan Strait towards building ties, reducing tensions and promoting stability on the basis of dignity and respect.”

Still, getting it right can be tricky.

“Anybody who has been at the State Department, the Pentagon or even the White House podium can tell you: When the issue of Taiwan came up, you went to your notes,” Kirby said. “You didn’t freelance it.”

Yet Kirby recalled that he “got cocky once and didn't,” mischaracterizing the policy and causing “a little kerfuffle.”

Any big error usually first draws complaints from U.S. policy officials, Kirby said, who aren't shy with their displeasure: “You’ll be highly encouraged to make a statement correcting it right away.”

Monique Verdieux, 56, fled to the highway after watching armed men burning houses in her neighborhood. Her family scattered in different directions and she said she's not sure where they are.

“I am now sleeping in the street,” Verdieux said, noting it was unsafe to return.

Gangs have overtaken more than 70% of Port-au-Prince since the assassination of President Jovenal Moïse in July 2021 at his home. That number was as high as 90% but has dropped. Police say they have expanded their activities — including looting, kidnapping, sexual assaults and rape — into the countryside. Haiti has not had a president since the assassination.

In a statement released Monday, the humanitarian group Doctors Without Borders announced the evacuation of its hospital in Cité Soleil following intense clashes in the Port-au-Prince neighborhood on Sunday. The organization, known by its French acronym MSF, reported treating over 40 gunshot victims within 12 hours while providing temporary shelter to 800 people fleeing the violence. One of those injured was a security guard who was hit by a stray bullet in the hospital's grounds.

“We managed to evacuate him and his condition is now stable,” said Davina Hayles, MSF’s head of mission in Haiti. “But it is unthinkable that our teams and civilians should become victims of these clashes.”

For the past two weeks, Haitian rum maker Barbancourt and two of the nation's largest bottlers have also warned about deteriorating security conditions near Port-au-Prince's Toussaint Louverture International Airport, where operations are now severely restricted.

In a statement released on Sunday, the companies said that the government's response to the crisis has been “largely insufficient,” and noted that the poor state of the roads leading to the airport makes it difficult for Haitian security forces to patrol the area. The companies are among Haiti’s main fiscal contributors.

“You cannot secure an airport if you allow the roads around it to degrade,” the statement read.

In April, the first foreign troops linked to a U.N. force arrived in Haiti to help quell ongoing violence.

The U.N. Security Council in late September approved a plan to authorize a 5,550-member force, which has not fully arrived in the island nation. An unknown number of troops from Chad have so far been deployed.

A report published earlier this year by the International Organization for Migration found that gang violence has displaced more than 1.4 million people in Haiti, with approximately 200,000 of them now living in crowded and underfunded sites in the nation's capital.

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Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

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This story clarifies that gangs control 70% of Port-au-Prince, down from 90% previously.

Secret Service Director Sean Curran attended the closed-door party lunch and talked through the request as a number of Republicans have questioned it in recent days. According to a handout he gave to senators obtained by The Associated Press, the $220 million would go to harden the ballroom addition, including “bulletproof glass, drone detection technologies, chemical and other threat filtration and detection systems and a host of other national security functions.”

The rest of the money would go for other security improvements, according to the document, including $180 million for a new, “long overdue” White House visitors screening facility and $175 million for “investments to train USSS agents in the modern threat environment.”

The Secret Service request comes after a man was charged with trying to assassinate Trump at the White House Correspondents Association dinner last month. Trump has said repeatedly that the ballroom construction would be paid for with $400 million in private funds, but the White House hadn’t previously disclosed the budget for security costs.

Republican senators have said they are supportive of a boost in security for the president, but several said that Curran's breakdown was too vague — and they want to know more about how the money would be spent.

“I want more information,” said Florida Sen. Rick Scott, a close ally of the president. “I ran companies, okay? If somebody came to me and said they were going to spend a billion dollars on something, I’d get more detail.”

GOP pushback could endanger immigration enforcement funding

Republicans have added the security money to a partisan spending bill that would restore funding for immigration enforcement agencies after Democrats have blocked that funding since February. But questions within the party about the White House funding proposal could jeopardize the legislation, which GOP leaders are trying to pass without Democratic votes.

Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Susan Collins, R-Maine, questioned why all of the security improvements weren’t in Trump’s budget released by the White House earlier this year. She said she asked for “a lot more data" in the meeting.

Indiana Sen. Todd Young said he could be supportive of "a certain measure of ballroom funding, which I think is defensible, but they need to go back and get us more detail about how exactly they arrived at the figures.”

The information provided to the senators was “broad categories,” Young said.

Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rand Paul, R-Ky., said Monday, ahead of the meeting, that he believes the funding should be private. “That’s still my preference,” Paul said, adding that Congress had also increased the Secret Service budget after another attempted assassination attempt on Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, during the 2024 campaign.

“Was it spent wisely? Do they really need more at this time?” Paul asked.

Secret Service cites 'evolving threats' in funding request

Beyond the White House improvements, the Secret Service said it is requesting $175 million for “enhancements for protectee security,” $150 million for “evolving threats and technology,” including countering drones and airspace incursions, and $100 million for security at high-profile “events of national significance.”

The budget bill introduced by Republicans last week has far less detail. It would designate the money for Secret Service “security adjustments and upgrades” related to the ballroom project, “including above-ground and below-ground security features." But it specifies that the money may not be used for non-security elements.

The White House has said in court documents that the East Wing project would be “heavily fortified,” including bomb shelters, military installations and a medical facility underneath the ballroom.

Democrats push back

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats will push the Senate parliamentarian to strike the security money from the bill. Under the rules for budget reconciliation, the complicated process that Republicans are using to pass the immigration enforcement money, the parliamentarian must review the text and can rule certain provisions in or out.

“Americans want lower costs, not a gold-plated ballroom for our billionaire president,” Schumer said.

If the security money stays in the bill, Democrats plan to offer amendments on the Senate floor that force Republicans to vote on it. Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nevada, said that she will offer two amendments to redirect the $1 billion to money for a criminal justice program or law enforcement officers' benefits.

There are also concerns about the money in the House, where Republicans have not introduced their own version of the bill. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., also attended the GOP lunch on Tuesday.

“We're waiting on the Senate product,” Johnson told reporters later in the day when asked if the security funding was proving to be a hard sell with House Republicans. “They're working through all that, and then we'll see what bill we get."

If doubts about the proposal persist, Republican Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota suggested the security plan could potentially be pared down, punting some of the request to future annual spending bills.

Still, Rounds said it’s possible Republicans will approve the entire request once they have more details, so it gets done quickly.

“I think as more of the information begins to come out, I think people are going to feel a lot more comfortable with what they are requesting,” Rounds said.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune has backed the legislation, arguing that the Senate should pass it now, “given the obstruction that the Democrats have posed and their unwillingness to fund law enforcement.”

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This story has been updated to correct the last name of the Secret Service director. It is Curran, not Callan.

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Associated Press writers Kevin Freking and Stephen Groves contributed to this report.

News of Makary's departure Tuesday came just 13 months after he was confirmed to lead the powerful regulatory agency.

A surgeon and health researcher, Makary came to prominence among Republicans as an outspoken critic of public health measures during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he frequently appeared on Fox News Channel. But he struggled to manage the FDA’s bureaucracy and failed to win the confidence of its staff after mass layoffs, leadership upheavals and a series of controversies in which the agency’s scientific principles appeared to be overridden by political interests, including those of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

“He’s a great doctor, and he was having some difficulty,” Trump told reporters outside the White House. “But he’s going to go on and he’s going to do well.”

Trump later confirmed in a social media post that Kyle Diamantas, the agency’s chief for foods, is expected to take over as acting commissioner. Diamantas is an attorney with personal ties to Donald Trump Jr.

In that post, the president included what appeared to be a text message from Makary submitting his resignation. In it, he noted: “I announced 50 major FDA reforms. Joe Biden's FDA had none.” He thanked Trump for the chance to serve.

The FDA commissioner, as the leader of an agency that regulates billions of dollars in consumer goods and medicines, is often required to juggle competing priorities that straddle science and politics.

Makary faced a unique challenge in balancing calls by Trump and other Republicans to cut red tape at the FDA, while also tending to Kennedy’s interest in scrutinizing the safety of vaccines, drugs and food additives. The decision to get rid of Makary was made by Kennedy, and then the White House signed off on it, according to an administration official who was granted anonymity because they were not authorized to describe internal dynamics.

Virtually all of the FDA’s senior career officials resigned, retired or were forced out in the first year of the second-term Trump administration, leading to a steady stream of leaks and negative stories in the media cataloging low morale, dysfunction and frustration among staff.

Makary’s handpicked deputy, Dr. Vinay Prasad, was pushed out of the agency twice in less than a year for running afoul of specialty drugmakers and groups for patients with rare diseases. Makary appeared poised to weather the controversy, despite an ongoing pressure campaign calling on Trump to fire him.

Recent weeks brought fresh criticisms from other interest groups that the White House considers key to Republican chances in November elections.

Anti-abortion groups have accused Makary of slow-walking an internal review of the abortion pill mifepristone, which has been on the market for 25 years but remains a target for conservative activists. They are seeking to roll back FDA rules that currently allow the pill to be sent through the mail.

“We look forward to a new FDA commissioner who will put an end to the mail-order abortion drug regime,” said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America.

Vaping executives told Trump that Makary was blocking approval of their products, including new flavored e-cigarettes seen as crucial to the industry's survival.

Last week, the agency abruptly changed course, authorizing the first fruit-flavored e-cigarettes and issuing guidelines that loosened marketing for major manufacturers. But it wasn't enough to keep Makary in the job.

A permanent replacement for the FDA job will need to be nominated by Trump and confirmed by the Senate.

Faster drug reviews are overshadowed

As a former regular on Fox News, Makary was aggressive about promoting his accomplishments on cable television and podcasts and in online opinion pieces.

A string of initiatives from Makary aimed to speed up or streamline FDA drug reviews, including dropping certain study requirements, incorporating artificial intelligence into drug evaluations and offering expedited reviews to medicines that support “national interests.”

But pharmaceutical executives rely on the predictability and consistency of FDA decisions, even more than speedy reviews. Makary’s efforts on drug reviews were overshadowed by internal conflicts and disputes that created headaches for drugmakers, investors and patients.

More than a half-dozen drugmakers studying therapies for rare or hard-to-treat diseases said they received rejection letters or requests to run additional studies for drugs that had previously been given the go-ahead by FDA staff. Those drugs were primarily overseen by Prasad, who stepped down for a second time from his role as the FDA’s vaccine and biotech chief in April.

Vaccine moves denounced

Prasad repeatedly overruled vaccine staffers to restrict eligibility for new coronavirus shots. In February, Prasad initially refused to even consider Moderna’s mRNA shot for flu. The FDA was forced to reverse itself after Moderna pledged to formally challenge the decision and called for intervention by the White House.

Some of Makary and Prasad’s most controversial vaccine proposals never came to fruition, despite stoking confusion and anxiety within the FDA and beyond.

In an internal memo in November, Prasad claimed — without publishing evidence — that the FDA had linked COVID-19 shots to the deaths of 10 children. Prasad used that to justify a planned overhaul of the agency’s approach to approving vaccines.

A dozen former FDA commissioners issued a scathing denunciation of the plan, warning it would “undermine the public interest” and decimate vaccine development. The FDA has not released its analysis of the deaths or its plan for the vaccine overhaul.

FDA's drug center had a revolving door

In the FDA’s drug center, which is the agency's largest division, Makary oversaw a revolving door of leadership changes. Six people served as director over the course of one year.

Makary’s initial pick for the job, Dr. George Tidmarsh, was forced to resign after allegations that he used his FDA position to pursue a personal vendetta against a former business partner.

His replacement, longtime FDA cancer specialist Dr. Rick Pazdur, announced he would retire after just three weeks on the job, after clashing with Makary on multiple issues surrounding drug reviews.

With Makary's departure, the fate of many of his fledgling initiatives is uncertain.

Most of the programs Makary introduced have not gone through federal rulemaking required to enshrine them in U.S. law. Democrats in Congress have questioned the legality of some of those efforts, including a program that offers drugmakers expedited reviews for innovative medicines.

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

The person spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because no resolution has been announced. ESPN first reported that the investigation had concluded.

Antetokounmpo left a March 15 victory over the Indiana Pacers early after an awkward landing on a dunk, and he didn’t play again the rest of the season due to what Bucks officials described as a left knee hyperextension and bone bruise. Antetokounmpo said in the last few weeks of the season that he was healthy and wanted to play.

“I did what I was supposed to do,” Antetokounmpo said after the Bucks’ final game of the season. “I wasn’t able to come on the court now. Who has that say? It comes from above. I thought I had control. OK, if I’m healthy, I’m going to play. This just shows me that not just me, players in general, don’t have no control. No, I didn’t feel like I had control.”

The NBA had announced on April 4 that an investigation into the dispute was ongoing. The National Basketball Players Association had referenced Antetokounmpo while issuing a statement in late March recommending anti-tanking measures.

“The Player Participation Policy was designed by the league to hold teams accountable and ensure that when an All-Star like Giannis Antetokounmpo is healthy and ready to play, he is on the court,” the union had said in its statement. “Unfortunately, anti-tanking policies are only as effective as their enforcement; fans, broadcast partners, and the integrity of the game itself will continue to suffer as long as ownership goes unchecked. We look forward to collaborating with the NBA on meaningful new proposals that will directly address and discourage tanking.”

Antetokounmpo had two extended absences due to calf strains this season and played a career-low 36 games as the Bucks went 32-50 to snap a string of nine straight playoff appearances. Doc Rivers stepped down as coach the day after the Bucks’ final game.

Antetokounmpo has spent his entire 13-year career in Milwaukee and led the 2020-21 Bucks to the franchise’s first title since 1971. But the nine-time All-NBA forward’s future with the Bucks is uncertain.

The Bucks can offer Antetokounmpo a four-year, $275 million contract extension in October. If Antetokounmpo doesn’t sign, he could become a free agent after next season. Or the Bucks could decide to trade him beforehand.

Bucks co-owner Jimmy Haslam said last week at new coach Taylor Jenkins’ introductory news conference that he’d like the matter settled before the June 23-24 draft.

“Giannis has brought Milwaukee its second championship and the first in 50 years,” Haslam said. “He’s a phenomenal player. He’s a phenomenal person. He’s arguably one of the best basketball players in the world and we will do what’s best for Giannis and what’s best for the organization. We don’t know whether Giannis will stay with us or not, but we’ll work through that with Giannis in the coming weeks.”

___

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

While the Pentagon chief softened his tone from hearings before Congress nearly two weeks ago, notably avoiding the same pointed criticism of lawmakers, he got far more pushback from members of his own Republican Party about the levels of U.S. munitions used in the Iran war and President Donald Trump’s intense criticism of traditional allies for not taking part in the conflict.

“I take issue with the characterization that munitions are depleted in a public forum,” Hegseth said. “That’s not true.”

Even as he insisted that the U.S. military has plenty of missile defense systems and other munitions for the Iran war or future conflicts, Hegseth told House and Senate lawmakers overseeing defense spending that the Trump administration is working to ramp up production of weapons.

Pentagon officials also told lawmakers that the cost of the Iran war has risen to about $29 billion, the vast bulk of which — roughly $24 billion — is related to replacing munitions and repairing equipment but also includes operational costs to keep forces deployed. That is up from the overall total of $25 billion that Pentagon comptroller Jay Hurst revealed nearly two weeks ago. He said the updated estimate does not include the cost to repair or rebuild U.S. military sites damaged in the region.

Republicans tout the importance of American allies

Hegseth faced notable pushback from Republicans on the Trump administration's straining of relations with longtime allies, with Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell telling Hegseth, “NATO is the most important military alliance in world history.”

“It seems to me that a lot of the European countries think that we’re reducing our influence there, they’re sort of on their own,” said McConnell, the GOP chairman of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on defense.

Trump has assailed NATO allies and others for not helping reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global shipping corridor, or otherwise offering more support, saying he plans to pull thousands of troops out of Germany in the coming months.

Oklahoma Rep. Tom Cole, the Republican chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, voiced his concerns in a separate hearing, saying, “America First has never meant American alone.”

“American power is most effective when it’s exercised in concert with like-minded nations who share our interests and our values,” Cole said.

Hegseth gets bipartisan pushback on munition stockpiles

The hearings before the powerful House and Senate Appropriations defense subcommittees spanned four hours as they reviewed the Trump administration’s 2027 military budget proposal, which calls for a historic allocation of $1.5 trillion.

The discussions quickly veered into the handling of a war that appears locked in a stalemate as higher fuel prices pose political problems for Republicans in the midterm congressional elections.

California Republican Rep. Ken Calvert, the House subcommittee's chair, asked about the impact of the Iran war on military funding as well as weapons stockpiles drawn down from the conflict.

“Questions persist about whether we are building the depth and reliance required for a high-end conflict,” Calvert said.

Minnesota Rep. Betty McCollum, the defense subcommittee's ranking Democrat, pressed Hegseth on whether the military has a plan to draw down troops in the Middle East if Congress passes so-far-unsuccessful efforts to end the Iran war.

“We have a plan to escalate if necessary," Hegseth said. "We have a plan to retrograde if necessary. We have a plan to shift assets.”

He said he would not reveal any next steps publicly. Noting repeated questions from lawmakers over weapons stockpiles, Hegseth said the concerns have been “unhelpfully overstated” and "we have plenty of what we need.”

He said the defense industry has been told to "build more and build faster,” blaming the military industrial base's inadequate capacity on previous administrations and U.S. aid to Ukraine in its war with Russia.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies has painted an alarming picture of U.S. stockpiles of munitions, including interceptors that can defend against incoming enemy missiles on land and sea.

The think tank said in an April analysis that American forces “expended more than half of the prewar inventory” on four key weapons systems and that rebuilding to adequate levels for a possible war with China “will take additional time.”

Trump administration faces pressure from the economic impact of the Iran war

Trump is facing increasing pressure from the economic shocks of Iran effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz, where 20% of the world's oil normally flows. The U.S. military in turn has blockaded Iranian ports and the two sides have traded fire, with American forces thwarting attacks on their warships and disabling Tehran-linked oil tankers.

Republican Sen. Susan Collins, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, questioned whether the Trump administration anticipated Iran’s closure of the strait, which has surged gasoline prices.

Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the president is briefed with carefully considered military options.

“It seems to me that there’s been a different plan almost daily of, with dealing with this problem, which is why I ask,” said Collins, who joined Democrats last month in a failed vote to halt the conflict and is facing a tough reelection fight.

Democrats in both hearings repeatedly questioned what the cost of the war would be, from repairing damaged military installations in the Middle East to the rising fuel prices.

"You’re spending families’ hard-earned tax dollars on a war that many strongly oppose, and you’re forcing people to pay more at the pump,” said Sen. Patty Murray, a Democrat from Washington state. “And yet you’re not even providing a real breakdown for the cost of this war.”

Hegseth responded rhetorically: “What is the cost of Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon? And the fact that this president has been willing to make a historic and courageous choice to confront that it comes with cost — and we recognize that.”

Delaware Sen. Chris Coons, the ranking Democrat on the Senate's subcommittee, repeatedly asked how the Trump administration will reopen the strait to commercial shipping.

“If we control it, how do we reopen it?" Coons pressed Hegseth in a tense exchange.

Hegseth responded defensively, saying the senator was being disingenuous and ignoring the “incredible battlefield successes.”

Coons shot back that he was worried that “you’ve achieved a series of tactical successes but are on the verge of a strategic loss.”

——

Barrow reported from Atlanta.

Putin said that the nuclear-armed Sarmat missile would enter combat service at the end of the year. It was built to replace the aging Soviet-built Voyevoda.

“This is the most powerful missile in the world,” Putin declared, adding that the combined power of the Sarmat’s individually targeted warheads is more than four times higher than that of any Western counterpart.

The Russian leader has repeatedly brandished the nuclear sword after sending troops into Ukraine in February 2022 to try to deter the West from ramping up support for Ukraine.

After overseeing a military parade on Red Square on Saturday commemorating the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, which for the first time in nearly two decades didn’t include heavy weapons, Putin declared the conflict in Ukraine is coming to an end.

Since coming to power in 2000, Putin has overseen efforts to upgrade the Soviet-built components of the Russian nuclear triad — deploying hundreds of new, land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles, commissioning new nuclear submarines and modernizing nuclear-capable bombers.

Russia’s effort to revamp its nuclear forces pushed the United States to launch a costly modernization of its arsenal.

The last remaining nuclear arms pact between Russia and the U.S. expired in February, leaving no caps on the world's two largest atomic arsenals for the first time in more than a half-century and fueling fears of an unconstrained nuclear arms race.

The Sarmat — designated “Satan II” in the West — is meant to replace about 40 Soviet-built Voyevoda missiles. Its development began in 2011 and before Tuesday, the missile had only one known successful test and reportedly suffered a massive explosion during an abortive test in 2024.

Putin said Tuesday that the Sarmat — part of a slew of new weapons that Putin revealed in 2018, claiming they would render any prospective U.S. missile defenses useless — is as powerful as the Voyevoda but with a higher precision. It is capable of suborbital flight, he said, giving it a range of more than 35,000 kilometers (21,700 miles) and an extended capability to penetrate any prospective missile defenses.

Moscow's new weapons include the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle, capable of flying 27 times faster than the speed of sound. The first vehicles have already entered service.

Russia has also commissioned the new nuclear-capable Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile, and used its conventionally-armed version twice to strike Ukraine. Oreshnik's range of up to 5,000 kilometers (3,100 miles) makes it capable of reaching any target in Europe.

Putin also announced Russia was in the “final stages” of the development of the nuclear-armed Poseidon underwater drone and the Burevestnik cruise missile powered by miniature atomic reactors.

The Poseidon is designed to explode near enemy coastlines and cause a radioactive tsunami. The Burevestnik has virtually unlimited range thanks to nuclear propulsion, allowing it to loiter for days, circling air defenses and attacking from an unexpected direction.

Putin has described those new weapons as part of a Russian response to the U.S. missile shield that Washington developed after its 2001 withdrawal from a Cold War-era U.S.-Soviet pact that limited missile defenses.

Russian military planners have feared a missile shield could tempt Washington to launch a first strike that would knock out most of Moscow’s nuclear arsenal in hopes of intercepting a small number of surviving missiles fired in retaliation.

"We were forced to consider ensuring our strategic security in the face of the new reality and the need to maintain a strategic balance of power and parity,” Putin said.

U.S. consumer prices climbed sharply again last month as the 10-week war with Iran delivered higher gasoline prices and more pain for Americans, according to data released Tuesday.

Senators from both parties grilled Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth about the Iran war ’s unclear endgame and spiraling costs, as he defended the Pentagon’s historic $1.5 trillion budget request for 2027.

Meanwhile, the Congressional Budget Office reports that Trump’s “Golden Dome” missile defense program could cost $1.2 trillion over 20 years, far more than he initially said.

Also Tuesday, a White House official said the head of Trump's Food and Drug Administration is resigning after a rocky tenure. Dr. Marty Makary drew months of complaints from health industry executives, anti-abortion activists, vaping lobbyists and other allies of the president.

Here's the latest:

FEMA’s temporary leader again replaced as agency awaits permanent administrator

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is under new temporary leadership for the fourth time in Trump’s second term.

Longtime FEMA official and regional Administrator Robert Fenton has replaced Karen S. Evans as temporary leader while the agency awaits a Senate confirmation hearing for Trump’s new pick for permanent FEMA administrator, Cameron Hamilton.

In recent months, Evans’ correspondence with DHS officials on her personal cellphone using the commercial messaging app Signal has been a focal point in a lawsuit brought by labor unions and others against the Trump administration.

Her departure was first reported by Politico’s E&E News.

Trump’s redistricting push fizzles in South Carolina Senate but wins in Missouri’s top court

The president’s efforts to reshape U.S. House districts have seen mixed outcomes.

South Carolina senators defied his push Tuesday, while Missouri’s top court upheld a new map backed by Trump that could benefit Republicans in the midterm elections.

The national redistricting battle has been raging for 10 months. But it became more intense after the U.S. Supreme Court recently weakened the federal Voting Rights Act.

The ruling has led Republicans in states such as Louisiana, Tennessee and Alabama to push for new districts. South Carolina senators expressed concerns that redistricting could backfire, resulting in losses to Democrats.

Push for South Carolina to join congressional redistricting battle fails as Republicans question map

The Republican push for South Carolina to join the national redistricting battle by redrawing its U.S. House map fizzled Tuesday as an initial vote in the state Senate fell short.

President Donald Trump had urged South Carolina to redraw its congressional districts ahead of the November elections in an attempt to help Republicans win another seat in the closely divided chamber. The state House had voted in favor of letting lawmakers return after the regular session ends this week to consider redistricting, and had proposed a new map that could eliminate the state’s only Democratic-held seat.

But the Senate had to give permission to take up redistricting, too.

The 29-17 vote failed, with just two votes short of the two-thirds needed. Five Republicans joined all the Democrats in the chamber to reject the proposal.

Appeals court spares Trump from paying $83 million defamation award to E. Jean Carroll — for now

Trump won’t have to pay the defamation award to the longtime advice columnist until the U.S. Supreme Court reviews the case or rejects an appeal.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, according to a court entry Tuesday, has agreed to let Trump delay payment to E. Jean Carroll as long as he posts a $7.4 million bond to cover interest accruing through October.

The appeals court in late April refused Trump’s request for all its judges to hear an appeal of a three-judge panel’s affirmance of the January 2024 verdict.

Trump has called Carroll’s claims, first made publicly in 2019, that she was sexually attacked by him in a luxury department store dressing room in 1996 a “made up scam.”

The award to Carroll, 82, came from a jury that briefly heard Trump testify and observed his animated behavior for several days.

▶ Read more

Patel denies drinking allegations in testy Senate hearing

FBI Director Kash Patel angrily lashed out at a Democratic lawmaker during a budget hearing Tuesday, calling allegations that he drinks excessively on the job and has been unreachable at times to his staff “unequivocally, categorically false.”

“I will not be tarnished by baseless allegations,” Patel told Sen. Chris Van Hollen when the Maryland Democrat confronted him about a recent article in The Atlantic magazine that painted an unflattering portrait of his leadership of the nation’s premier federal law enforcement agency. Patel has sued over the story.

Patel shouted over Van Hollen and sought to turn the tables by accusing him of “slinging margaritas” in El Salvador, a reference to a visit the Democrat paid last year to Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was jailed there following his arrest in Maryland.

The director of Melania Trump’s movie is aboard Air Force One for the president’s trip to China

Also meeting Trump in Beijing are more than a dozen CEOs of such American corporations as Apple, Boeing, Goldman Sachs, and others, according to the White House.

Trump’s friend Elon Musk — of Tesla, SpaceX and the social platform X — is also expected to join.

Brett Ratner directed “Melania,” released in January, about the first lady’s life in the weeks before her husband began his second term as president.

It was Ratner’s first project since he was accused of sexual misconduct in the early days of the #MeToo reckoning. His lawyer has denied the allegations.

Ratner is also director of the “Rush Hour” movie series, including a fourth installment that Trump is said to be interested in.

Ratner paid a brief visit to the press cabin on Air Force One before it took off on the trip to China.

Trump renews his threat to decimate Iran if there’s no agreement on its nuclear program

“We have Iran very much under control,” Trump told reporters as he left the White House for a summit in Beijing. “We’re either going to make a deal or they’re going to be decimated. One way or the other, we win.”

Trump said he would be thinking about the fate of the ceasefire during his flight to China and “for the next little while.”

“We’re going to see what happens,” he said.

Trump says trade will be focus of Beijing visit, plays down discussions on Iran

The president said he would have a “long talk” about Iran with Chinese leader Xi Jinping but added that trade would be the central issue.

“We have a lot of things to discuss. I wouldn’t say Iran is one of them, to be honest with you, because we have Iran very much under control,” Trump said as he departed the White House for Beijing on Tuesday.

Trump said he spoke with Xi and both are looking forward to the visit.

“He’s been a friend of mine. He’s been somebody that we get along with. And, I think you’re going to see that good things are going to happen.”

▶ Read more

Trump’s proposed ‘Golden Dome’ is estimated to cost $1.2 trillion for 20 years, far more than he initially said

A new Congressional Budget Office analysis released Tuesday suggests a far heftier sum than the initial $175 billion price tag Trump gave last year for his plan to put weapons in space, called the “Golden Dome for America” missile defense program.

The system, inspired by Israel’s “Iron Dome,” aims to detect and intercept missiles at all stages of an attack. Congress has already approved about $24 billion for the initiative.

Trump ordered the system during his first week in office, expecting it to be operational before his term ends in January 2029.

With Makary’s departure from the FDA, the fate of many fledgling initiatives is uncertain

Most of the programs Makary introduced have not gone through federal rulemaking required to enshrine them in U.S. regulations and could easily be overturned by his successors.

Democrats in Congress have questioned the legality of some of those efforts, including a program that offers drugmakers expedited reviews for innovative medicines.

▶ Read more

Marty Makary is out as Trump’s Food and Drug Administration head

That’s according to a White House official who was not authorized to speak ahead of an official announcement and spoke on condition of anonymity Tuesday.

Makary, a surgeon and health researcher, had drawn complaints from health industry executives, anti-abortion activists and other Trump allies.

He came to the attention of Republican operatives as an outspoken critic of COVID-19 health measures during the pandemic when he appeared frequently on Fox News Channel.

But at the FDA, Makary failed to win the staff’s confidence after mass layoffs, leadership changes and a series of controversies in which the agency’s scientific principles appeared to be overridden by political interests.

— By Matthew Perrone and Seung Min Kim

Hegseth hearing concludes with questions on long-term strategy in Iran war

The defense secretary’s hearing for a subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee has concluded with Democratic senators repeatedly asking the defense secretary for clarity on what the plan is to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Hegseth was defensive and countered that the questions were ignoring the U.S. military’s successes in the war.

Sen. John Kennedy offers encouragement and warning to Hegseth

The Republican from Louisiana did not echo the administration’s claims of victory in Iran, noting the Strait of Hormuz remains closed.

But Kennedy agreed with Trump that the U.S. has long-term leverage with its blockade of Iranian ships and those aligned with Tehran. And Kennedy pushed back at Democrats that he accused of suggesting the U.S. already has lost.

“You’re not going to win over my Democratic friends,” Kennedy told Hegseth. “It’s not worth getting your blood pressure up. Focus on other things.”

Kennedy added a muted endorsement of international alliances. He wasn’t as direct as McConnell, but he concluded with advice:

“America First does not have to mean America alone,” he said. “We need all the friends we can get. They need to carry their own weight. They need to pay their bills. But the more the better.”

Democratic senator closely questions Hegseth on strategy to reopen Strait of Hormuz

Sen. Chris Coons had some intense questions for the defense secretary after he claimed that the U.S. essentially controls the Strait of Hormuz.

Coons repeatedly asked what the Trump administration’s strategy is for reopening the waterway to commercial shipping.

“If we control it, how do we reopen it? And your average American is seeing this at the gas pump every single day as the cost of gas continues to rise,” Coons told Hegseth.

Hegseth responded defensively, saying the senator was being disingenuous and ignoring the U.S.’s “incredible battlefield successes.”

Still, Coons said he was worried that “you’ve achieved a series of tactical successes but are on the verge of a strategic loss.”

Hegseth suggests Iran is accessing old drone supplies, not replenishing

Some Democrats pushed back against Trump’s claims of victory and Hegseth’s assertions that Iran’s military has been obliterated.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat from New Hampshire, noted Iran’s continued use of drones, which are inexpensive assets compared to what the U.S. has used to prosecute the war.

Hegseth retorted that “pulling a drone out of a cave that’s been collapsed” is not the same as “producing more drones.”

Shaheen was unmoved, joining colleagues who have put Hegseth on the defensive deep into his testimony.

“But if Iran still has almost 50% of their capacity and the ability to pull drones out of caves and still injure our allies and U.S. service members, then we have not won the war,” she said.

Defense secretary tells senators Trump has authority to resume war

That posture has resulted in some tension between the Republican-controlled Congress and White House.

Presidents are required by law to gain authorization from Congress after 60 days of starting a war. However, the White House has argued that the 60-day deadline no longer applies because the war is currently in a ceasefire.

Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski voiced some skepticism to that argument. Pointing to the troops and warships deployed to the region, she said, “It doesn’t appear that that hostilities have ended.”

Murkowski has hinted she may bring legislation that would authorize the use of military force against Iran.

Hegseth claims the US controls the Strait of Hormuz

He claimed to senators that “ultimately we control the Strait, because nothing’s going in that we don’t allow to go in.”

It was a striking statement from the defense secretary at a time when Iran has seized control of the waterway, causing a global spike in fuel prices that’s rippled through other economic sectors. In response, the U.S. has tried to cut off all Iranian traffic through the strait as well.

Hegseth claimed “the economic pressure that creates on them greatly outstrips the pressure on us.”

Cuban diplomat slams Hegseth’s testimony that Havana poses a threat to the US

Ernesto Soberón Guzmán, the Cuban ambassador to the U.N., said Tuesday that it is the U.S., not the small island country, that poses “an unusual and extraordinary threat” to the world and international law.

“Its acts of aggression and threats against Venezuela, Iran, Greenland, Canada, His Holiness the Pope, Palestine, Mexico, Cuba — and an endless list of others — demonstrate this to be true,” Guzman said in a statement.

His comments came hours after Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart, a Florida Republican, asked Hegseth in a congressional hearing whether he believed the Cuban government poses a national security threat to the U.S. The Pentagon chief responded, “I do.”

GOP senator pushes for the military to take a harder line on Iran

There are plenty of lawmakers, including Republicans, who are uneasy with President Donald Trump’s war with Iran. GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham isn’t one of them.

He drew a tough line as he questioned the Trump administration’s efforts to draw down the conflict and questioned the decision to use China and Pakistan as intermediaries in peace negotiations with Iran.

Graham’s ire was mostly aimed at efforts by previous Democratic presidents to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. He said those efforts had “failed.”

Graham praised the current war with Iran as “spectacular” and said there should be “more to come.”

White House holds off on beef executive orders

The president on Monday had planned to sign two directives meant to address short-term supply issues in the U.S. beef market.

But the White House is saying it’s reworking the orders a bit.

A White House official, noting that Trump is “committed” to lowering the cost of beef and other groceries, said Tuesday the administration is “accordingly finetuning potential executive actions.” The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations.

The two executive orders that had been on tap were meant to expand beef imports and support the renewal of America’s domestic cattle herd.

— Seung Min Kim

Hegseth offers no timeline on details for how Ukraine aid funds will be spent

The defense secretary wouldn’t offer lawmakers a timeline on delivering a plan for what the military will buy with the $400 million that was set aside for Ukraine aid by Congress at the start of the year.

Hegseth said he wanted to make sure U.S. European Command, which has been tasked with determining what the money will be spent on, “is fully informed in how they want to spend this.”

However, Democratic Sen. Chris Coons noted that “it’s May and this has been the law since January, and you or your representatives have been asked this repeatedly on a bipartisan basis by members of this committee.”

Hegseth has only publicly confirmed that he’ll spend the money about two weeks ago when he last appeared before Congress and just a day after Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell called out the Pentagon for withholding the funds in an editorial in The Washington Post.

Sen. Susan Collins critiques Trump administration’s shifting strategy on the Strait of Hormuz

The Republican, who’s in the midst of a reelection campaign for her Maine Senate seat, questioned whether the military anticipated Iran could take actions to blockade the Strait of Hormuz.

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine, told her the military’s briefings to the Trump administration “cover and consider the full range of things all the time in our careful consideration of military actions.”

But Collins, the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, responded with criticism for the Trump administration’s current strategy.

“It seems there has been a different plan almost daily with dealing with this problem,” she said.

Collins late last month also joined Democrats to vote for failed legislation that would have forced Trump to halt the war with Iran.

Hegseth treads carefully on China but says the US works with regional partners

When pressed by Sen. McConnell about U.S.-China relations, the defense secretary said he wouldn’t speak for the president ahead of his Beijing summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

But Hegseth said the U.S. has “worked very hard in that region, in the Indo-Pacific, with Japan, with the Philippines and others” to prioritize U.S. security and security for its allies around China.

Hegseth said U.S. interests are “amplified by burden sharing of partners who recognize the shared threats that we face and are willing to invest alongside us.”

He insisted that “every aspect” Trump does regarding China “is to ensure that American interests are advanced.”

McConnell had asked explicitly whether Trump is trying “to preserve American primacy or simply to accommodate China’s rise?”

The senator also asked about Trump’s commitment to navigational freedom in the South China Sea. Hegseth said, “Americans ships should — should sail freely. So should others.”

McConnell warns against the administration’s budget approach

The Kentucky Republican got into the weeds on the president’s budget request, noting it’s not a $1.5 trillion annual baseline. Instead, he noted it’s a roughly $1.1 trillion request plus a supplemental bill.

The latter can be passed by “reconciliation,” a process that allows the Republican majority the easiest way to bypass Democrats’ objections. But McConnell suggested the White House think about future years when Republicans may not have the Senate majority.

He said the Pentagon’s approach means it’s putting necessary ongoing funding requests in the supplemental, one-time measure.

McConnell alluded to “continuing resolutions” that have become a common budget device for a divided Congress to extend agencies’ funding even without a larger budget deal. But one-time funding, McConnell noted, cannot be included in those CRs.

“I’m confused by the administration’s failure to prioritize” ongoing funding, the senator said.

Anti-war protester interrupts Hegseth’s opening statement

As Hegseth started his opening statement, a woman stood up and pronounced, “I am an Iranian American and against this war of aggression.”

Within moments, she was removed from the hearing room by Capitol police officers , but she continued to tell the hearing room she was opposed to the war with Iran.

There are a handful more anti-war protesters wearing pink shirts sitting in the back row of the Senate hearing room, but they remained silent. Several of them stood and walked out while Hegseth was talking.

Senate Democrat overseeing defense spending says administration ‘distracted’ from military priorities

Democratic Sen. Chris Coons launched into a wide-ranging critique of how Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is leading the military and raised concerns that his decisions are undermining U.S. military priorities.

“I am concerned that we have a distracted administration and a distracted department,” Coons said, adding that “We have a president who seems more focused on a $1 billion ballroom and a victory arch, rather than achieving actual victory.”

Coons also questioned why the administration has withdrawn support from allies in Europe, including Ukraine, at a time when their drone defenses could aid U.S. efforts to counteract drone attacks from Iran.

Sen. Mitch McConnell emphasizes the need for US alliances in a rebuke of Trump’s approach

Without naming Trump, McConnell sternly critiqued the president’s belligerent approach to traditional U.S. allies and he advocated for NATO and defending Ukraine.

The former Republican Senate leader now chairs the Senate’s Appropriations subcommittee. McConnell told Hegseth that strained relationships with democratic allies “only serves our adversaries’ interests and limits our capacity and deterrent power globally.”

McConnell, who voted against Hegseth’s confirmation in 2025, said he wanted to see U.S. assistance previously approved for Ukraine “reach their destination without further delay.”

The senator said such aid is not “charity,” but part of cultivating relationships that can benefit the U.S. in the future.

“I want to hear about the future of capacity building with committed allies and partners,” he said.

“We have things to learn from our friends,” McConnell added, alluding to Ukraine’s success in drone warfare.

Hegseth’s Senate hearing gets underway

The defense secretary has started his hearing before a Senate appropriations panel after spending several hours Tuesday morning testifying before House lawmakers.

The hearing room is packed and there are a handful of anti-war protesters in the audience as well.

Republican Sen. John Kennedy greeted Hegseth with some friendly advice before the hearing got underway. “Don’t let them get you down,” Kennedy told Hegseth.

House panel adjourns with a final push for more information from the Pentagon

The budget subcommittee adjourned with a final bipartisan push for the Pentagon to provide more details about its $1.5 trillion budget request for the coming year.

The leading Democrat and Republican also noted the more professional tenor of the hearing, which did not feature the name-calling and other tense exchanges that have defined Hegseth’s previous Hill appearances.

“This is the way these hearings should be conducted, especially when it’s dealing with national defense,” said McCollum, the ranking Democrat, after urging Hegseth to answer the panel’s questions by the end of next week.

“I thank everyone for a respectful hearing, but we need the information, Mr. Secretary,” she added.

Rep. Ken Calvert, the Republican chair, clarified that the committee wants details both for the Pentagon’s more immediate supplemental funding request and the larger proposal for fiscal 2027.

The subcommittee plans to more formally consider the administration’s requests on June 11.

Three days after Cleon Williams was booked into the jail, a court docket related to his arrest finally appeared on the Orange County Clerk of Court’s website, indicating that Williams received a ‘Notice to Appear’ for possession of alcohol without a license with the intent to sell.

Williams, known to many in Orlando’s indie music scene as “Uncle Lou,” has run “Uncle Lou’s Entertainment Hall” on North Mills Avenue for about two decades.

Last Friday night, undercover agents with the Florida Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco (ABT) walked into the venue and successfully ordered a shot of New Amsterdam Vodka and a shot of Rumple Minze Peppermint Schnapps, according to court documents.

The establishment, however, had a license for beer and wine sales, but not for liquor, according to court documents.

Orlando Police assisted in the operation and told News 6 Monday that one person was arrested during the operation and taken to the jail, where ICE later placed an immigration detainer on him because he had an expired visa.

A source intimately familiar with Williams’ situation told News 6 Tuesday that Williams “very likely” could be deported.

Originally from Jamaica, Williams has been held since early Saturday morning on an immigration detainer, which means ICE has requested that the jail hold him until its agents can retrieve him.

An inmate who has an immigration detainer but is not facing criminal charges can be held at the jail for up to 72 hours before ICE is supposed to take that person into custody.

The jail’s website does not show that Williams is facing criminal charges. At the time of this article’s publication, Williams had been in the jail longer than 72 hours.

Court documents state that he has an arraignment on the second-degree misdemeanor charge set for June 23.

During the ABT operation, a second person also received a ‘Notice to Appear’ for the same second-degree misdemeanor charge.

Unlike Williams, though, the second defendant is a U.S. citizen and is not currently in the jail.

In a heated second leg that saw both coaches square up to each other at one point, Southampton rallied for a 2-1 victory at its home stadium at St. Mary's and seal a win on aggregate by the same score. The decisive goal — scored by Shea Charles when his cross curled into the bottom corner — came with four minutes left of extra time.

The two games were played under a cloud, with Southampton having been charged by the English Football League with a breach of its regulations following accusations that unauthorized filming of Middlesbrough’s training took place last week.

The EFL requested that an independent disciplinary commission undertake a hearing “at the earliest opportunity” but Southampton asked for more time to complete an internal review into the issue, meaning any punishment would likely be meted out before the playoff final with Hull on May 23.

That final is the richest one-off game in world soccer, with the winner assured a windfall of at least 200 million pounds ($270 million) in future earnings via things like prize money and broadcast revenue in the Premier League.

Tensions between Southampton and Middlesbrough boiled over at the end of the first half when the respective coaches — Tonda Eckert and Kim Hellberg — got in each other's faces on the touchline while being spoken to by the referee. After the first leg, which finished 0-0, Hellberg said he “couldn’t believe my eyes or ears” when he heard about the spying allegations and accused Southampton of trying to “cheat.”

Following another first-half exchange — between Middlesbrough's Luke Ayling and Southampton’s Taylor Harwood-Bellis — the BBC and Sky Sports reported that Ayling accused Harwood-Bellis of using discriminatory language.

Southampton is seeking an immediate return to the Premier League after relegation last season. Before that, it was in the top flight from 2012-23.

Hull was last in the Premier League in 2017.

___

Steve Douglas is at https://twitter.com/sdouglas80

___

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

It’s a development researchers are calling exciting, but are careful not to overstate.

The 2025 aerial mapping study, which tracks seagrass extent across the 156-mile lagoon, from Volusia County down to Jupiter, shows a 72% increase in seagrass coverage since 2023 - equivalent to roughly 7,000 hectares, or about 13,000 football fields.

“We are excited to say that we saw a substantial increase of seagrasses in the IRL,” said Lorae Simpson, supervising environmental scientist at the St. Johns River Water Management District. “It points to improvements in water quality, but I also want to caution this, we are still 42% behind the seagrass coverage that we had in 2009 and 2007.”

The district has monitored seagrass in the Indian River Lagoon since the early 1990s using a two-tiered approach. Every two years, aircraft fly over the lagoon and photograph the waterway. Those images are then translated into high-resolution maps that allow scientists to calculate seagrass acreage across the entire lagoon.

“When you have the map, it’s essentially the whole extent of the Indian River Lagoon overlaid with green polygons - and that’s the seagrass,” Simpson said. “While the maps are very informative, it’s really the data we pull from that map and the actual numbers of hectares that matter.”

The aerial survey is paired with on-the-ground, in-water monitoring conducted twice a year - once in winter and once in summer to capture peak seagrass productivity. ,

Teams wade into the lagoon carrying one-meter-square PVC frames called quadrats, which they use to methodically measure seagrass coverage, species diversity, density, and blade height at fixed transect sites.

“We will even go as far as to count every single seagrass blade in some of these squares, which can get up into the hundreds,” Simpson said.

Simpson says water clarity is the single biggest driver of seagrass recovery. Seagrasses require sunlight to photosynthesize, and murky water - caused by algal blooms, nutrient runoff or freshwater pulses - can wipe out entire beds.

A multi-year drought has played a significant role in the recent gains. Less rainfall means less water flowing off the surrounding landscape and into the lagoon, reducing the nutrient loads that fuel harmful algal blooms.,

“When we have long periods of clear water quality - no algal blooms, no turbid events - this is when we see increases,” Simpson said. “Our management initiatives, coupled with our drought right now is probably why we’re seeing the seagrass.”

Water diversion projects are also contributing. Simpson said large volumes of water that had historically been redirected away from the St. Johns River and into the Indian River Lagoon are now being rerouted back to where they belong.

The recovery is not uniform across the lagoon’s six distinct sub- lagoons. According to Simpson, five of the six regions saw increases in seagrass coverage but the central Indian River Lagoon bucked the trend, recording a 2% decline.

“In the one region where seagrasses weren’t coming back, it has historically been an area with low seagrass coverage, and the water quality issues there are making it difficult for seagrasses to come back,” Simpson said. “It’s just a reminder that we need to continue with our management initiatives.”

Simpson noted that unlike areas in South Florida, which benefit from two tidal inlets that help flush and clean the water, the central lagoon lacks that natural water exchange, making recovery there more difficult.

Seagrass isn’t just a plant on the lagoon floor - it’s what scientists call a “foundation species,” one that connects and supports nearly every other habitat in the ecosystem.

“75% of our commercially and recreationally important fishery species spend some portion of their life cycle in the IRL,” Simpson said. “You think about the livelihoods it supports. You think about the recreation and the wonderful memories you have out on the IRL - those might actually have started within a seagrass bed if you’re out fishing.”

Beyond fishing, seagrass plays a critical role in shoreline protection, erosion control, carbon storage, and nutrient cycling. It also serves as a food source and habitat for manatees, sea turtles, and hundreds of fish species.

“It’s hard to care about something you might not always interact with,” Simpson said. “But the second you can enjoy it, you really want to protect it.”

Perhaps the most surprising finding in the new data is that the seagrass recovery appears to be entirely natural. A previously little-understood seed bank in the lagoon floor appears to be driving regrowth on its own.

“The seagrass recovery we’ve seen is actually 100% natural, which means there is a seed bank out there that we had not previously fully understood,” Simpson said.

Despite the encouraging numbers, Simpson said the district is not celebrating prematurely. The 2016 and 2010 algal blooms serve as stark reminders of how quickly progress can be reversed.

“When you head out to monitor the seagrass, and there’s nothing there to monitor, it’s very disheartening,” Simpson said. “I am just cautiously optimistic because I want people to remember that while we did see an increase, we are still so far behind where we used to be. We can’t take our foot off the gas right now.”

Simpson, who has worked in the Indian River Lagoon for roughly 15 to 20 years and monitored seagrass specifically for the last seven, says the new data is a powerful reminder of what’s possible.

“Recovery is possible with water clarity,” She said. “If we can just keep moving in that direction, we can see our seagrass hopefully reach historical levels.”

Judge Darren Steele approved an agreement between Woods' defense attorney and prosecutors following a four-minute hearing in Martin County circuit court, just north of Palm Beach County.

Prosecutors had issued a subpoena seeking copies of all prescription medication records for the legendary golfer at a Palm Beach pharmacy from the start of the year through the end of March. Defense attorney Doug Duncan had previously argued that Woods has a constitutional right to privacy when it comes to his prescription medications, but he acknowledged during the hearing that the right is not absolute and that prosecutors could make a compelling argument for why they were needed.

Meanwhile, prosecutors agreed to Duncan's request for a protective order limiting the release of records only to prosecutors, law enforcement officers, state experts and Woods' defense team.

Bob Jarvis, a law professor at Nova Southeastern University who is not connected to the case, said the agreement and the judge's approval seems normal for DUI case, particularly one that involves drugs instead of alcohol. Florida law considers a driver with a blood-alcohol content of 0.08% or higher to be impaired, but there's no clear, measurable standard to determine impairment for other drugs. That means prosecutors will have to use field sobriety tests, officer testimony and other evidence to convince jurors beyond a reasonable doubt that Woods was impaired.

Jarvis said there's no indication so far that Woods is receiving special treatment, either more harsh or more lenient, because of his celebrity status.

“We don’t know if the prosecutor offered a plea, and a typical defendant would have taken the plea, and Tiger Woods decided not to take the plea,” Jarvis said. “But other than that, I think that this is what would happen no matter who the defendant was.”

Woods has pleaded not guilty to driving under the influence. A sheriff’s office report said deputies found two pain pills in his pocket, and he showed signs of impairment after his SUV clipped a truck's trailer and rolled onto its side.

Woods was traveling at high speeds on a beachside, residential road on Jupiter Island with a 30 mph (nearly 50 kph) speed limit when his Land Rover caused $5,000 in damage to the truck, according to an incident report. Woods agreed to a Breathalyzer test that showed no signs of alcohol, but refused a urine test, authorities said.

Woods has traveled outside of the United States to seek treatment at an inpatient treatment facility, according to court records.

Weinstein, the former Hollywood honcho who has been imprisoned on various sex crime convictions since 2020, watched quietly as the two sides made their closing arguments about whether he raped hairstylist and actor Jessica Mann in a New York hotel in March 2013.

“She has taken on a false narrative about all of this,” Weinstein lawyer Marc Agnifilo said.

“She has absolutely no motive to lie. None,” prosecutor Nicole Blumberg countered, noting that Mann went through five days of grueling, deeply personal testimony.

Jurors are expected to start deliberating Wednesday. They will have to sift through the complexities of a yearslong relationship between Weinstein, 73, and Mann, 40.

They met in early 2013, when she was trying to make it big in Hollywood. She testified that she anticipated a professional connection, was taken aback when he started making sexual advances but decided to have a relationship with the then-married, Oscar-winning producer.

A few weeks later, according to Mann, Weinstein abruptly took a room at a hotel where she and a friend were staying. She testified that she accompanied Weinstein upstairs to tell him she didn't want a sexual interlude, but he trapped her in the room, grabbed her arms, insisted she undress, went into the bathroom for a time, and then raped her.

“He just treated me like he owned me,” she testified last month.

Weinstein didn't testify, but his defense contends the encounter was consensual and part of a caring, if on-and-off, relationship that Mann valued until Weinstein’s #MeToo downfall in 2017. That was when news reports about allegations against him propelled a global campaign against sexual assault and sexual harassment. He has said he behaved “wrongly” but never assaulted anyone.

He was convicted in 2020 of raping Mann, got the conviction overturned, then saw a jury deadlock on it at a retrial last year.

In summations Tuesday, Agnifilo portrayed Mann as an unreliable witness making an ill-supported, implausible accusation. He cited her uncertainty about various dates and details in the years-old events, and he recalled a point when she said she was struggling to stay focused during cross-examination, prompting court to end early for the day.

Agnifilo underscored Mann's warm email exchanges and get-togethers with Weinstein before and after the alleged rape — and a musing, diary-like note she wrote to herself two days after the encounter. In the note, she expresses her misgivings about her emotional attachment in a nonexclusive relationship, asks whether she loves “him or the idea of him,” questions her “woulds and would nots,” and worries about being “a ‘bad’ person.”

The note doesn't name the man, but Agnifilo asserted that it was about Weinstein and that its silence about the alleged assault spoke volumes.

“This is how she's falling in love with him,” the defense lawyer argued.

The prosecutor's rebuttal: “She’s burying what the defendant did to her, and she’s struggling with the good parts of the defendant and the awful, the evil parts of the defendant.”

Over the years, Weinstein encouraged Mann’s acting ambitions, helped her land a hairstyling job, provided emotional support during her father’s terminal illness and tried to send her money — which she declined — when she was broke, according to trial testimony and exhibits.

To Weinstein's attorney, it amounted to “a sweet, loving, supportive relationship.”

But to Blumberg, “This was a woman who got manipulated by that man.”

While Mann acknowledged she loved “a part” of Weinstein, she testified that she begged him not to do anything sexual that day in the Manhattan hotel.

“No means no — to everyone except Harvey Weinstein,” Blumberg said, adding: “Jessica Mann deserves closure and justice.”

At points during her summation, Weinstein shook his head slightly and exchanged glances with his lawyer.

Whatever the outcome of the trial, the former studio boss still will stand convicted of other sex crimes in New York and California, though he is appealing those convictions. If convicted in the current trial, Weinstein could face up to four years in prison — less time than he already has served.

The Associated Press does not identify people who say they have been sexually assaulted unless they agree to be named, as Mann has done.

Bullets tore through at least a dozen cars, including a state police cruiser, in the Monday afternoon attack as panicked drivers abandoned their vehicles seeking cover, prosecutors and state police said.

The gunman fired more than 60 rounds as he walked beside the road before he was shot and fell wounded, according to authorities. They said the two motorists were hospitalized with life-threatening injuries.

The shooting happened on a heavily traveled road along the Charles River in Cambridge, home to Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Sidewalks and riverside paths in the area are often bustling with pedestrians, joggers and cyclists.

“While people were jumping from their cars, scattering in various directions … both that trooper and that civilian, rather than going in one direction, went toward the suspect with their weapons to try to end that situation,” Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said later Monday night.

The suspect, Tyler Brown, 46, of Boston, faces two counts of armed assault with intent to murder and six other charges, including possessing a gun without a license. Court documents show Brown had recently been released from a psychiatric hospital.

About an hour before the shootings, he connected with his parole officer via video conference. Armed with a gun, he said on video that he had relapsed and wanted to end his life. The parole officer called police, who began searching for Brown and found him in Cambridge using phone records.

Witnesses describe chaotic scene

Armando Zona, whose apartment overlooks the scene, initially thought he was hearing construction equipment when banging noises started. But when he went onto his balcony to check, he saw the gunman firing at cars.

“He took a glance towards here, I'm quite sure about that, and I ran," he said. As Zona yelled to his wife to hide in the bathroom, he heard another bang.

“I turned around, I see the window splattered,” he said. “I could not comprehend, how can this be? This is a bullet that just came into my house.”

Rachael Saveriano said she was trapped in her car as Brown walked toward her, waving his gun. A man later described as the Marine veteran helped her escape, she told The Boston Globe.

“It doesn’t feel like you should get out of the car when there is a shooter coming toward you, but there was a man next to me,” she said. “He opened my car door, pulled me out, and told me to run.”

Saveriano said she saw the man shooting at Brown as she fled.

“He is an incredible hero,” she said. “He was so calm, and he didn’t hesitate.”

The Marine veteran told investigators he had been driving southbound when he saw cars turning around and heard gunfire. A former firearms instructor, he retrieved his pistol from a safe in his backseat and — after the gunman got closer — fired eight rounds, according to a criminal complaint.

Court documents include criminal history, mental health issues

The complaint describes what led up to the shootings. According to investigators, Brown had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression and had been released Friday from a psychiatric hospital.

According to the complaint, Brown is on parole and probation for offenses including armed assault to murder and other gun-related convictions. His parole was set to end this week, though his probation continued.

In 2020, Brown was arrested after firing several rounds at Boston police officers, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office. Prosecutors said then that he should serve at least 10 years in prison, due to the “level of brazen violence” and because he was on probation for a 2014 conviction on assault and witness intimidation charges. A judge instead ordered Brown to serve five to six years in state prison and three years of probation with credit for nearly 18 months spent in custody.

At the time, the judge’s decision sparked outrage and criticism among local officials concerned that violent offenders weren’t being held accountable. Those same concerns returned Monday.

“Talk about a ball drop,” said the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association in a statement on social media. “The fact that the judicial system thought it was prudent to show leniency to a wannabe cop killer 5-years ago is not only the definition of insanity but an undeniable insult to those who put their lives on the line everyday.”

Joey Bennett, a friend of Brown's who rode his bike to the scene after hearing about the shooting, said that he “can't make sense of it.”

“Only thing that makes sense to me is that he was struggling,” Bennett said, adding that his friend “had a good heart” and that “we all get stigmatized by our past.”

“He obviously was going through a moment because the person that I know, I don’t understand why he would be right here doing what he did," he said. "I mean, he could have made other decisions other than doing what he did . But the only thing I can say is that mental health is real. Mental health is not taken seriously across the United States until there always is a shooting or something that happens to innocent people.”

No connection found between shooter, victims

Ryan, the district attorney, said investigators found no connection between Brown and those targeted Monday. She renewed her call for harsher penalties on people who fire weapons disregarding the risk of serious injury.

“What happened today cannot stand,” she said.

Brown was not medically ready to go to court for an arraignment, the Cambridge District Court said Tuesday. The Committee for Public Counsel Services confirmed it has been appointed to defend him but declined to comment. A message was also left at a phone number listed for Brown and a potential family member.

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Ramer reported from Concord, New Hampshire. Kruesi reported from Providence, Rhode Island.

NYU Langone is the first hospital system to publicly acknowledge receiving a subpoena for such records as part of a federal criminal investigation. But the institution said in its statement Tuesday it was one of several that received a subpoena out of the Northern District of Texas on May 7. It said it was deciding on how to respond.

NYU Langone Health includes seven inpatient facilities and more than 300 locations in the New York City area and Florida. The hospital system said prosecutors want information on patients under 18 who received gender-affirming care from 2020 to 2026, as well as the names of the providers.

It is the latest move in the Trump administration's efforts to block care for transgender youths. NYU Langone had already announced earlier this year that it was ending such treatment for transgender kids amid funding threats from the federal government.

Last July, the Justice Department sent more than 20 civil subpoenas to doctors and clinics that provide gender care to minors, saying it was investigating “healthcare fraud, false statements and more.” Then-Attorney General Pam Bondi said the DOJ was holding accountable “medical professionals and organizations that mutilated children in the service of a warped ideology.”

A federal judge in the Northern District of Texas recently sided with the Justice Department that Rhode Island Hospital in Providence must comply with one of those subpoenas, seeking records surrounding gender-affirming care provided to children.

The NYU Langone subpoena came up several times Tuesday during a federal court hearing in Providence on those records. An attorney for the Justice Department declined to disclose when exactly the grand jury had convened, saying that they could only speak to what had been publicly reported.

U.S. District Judge Mary McElroy then ordered the DOJ to provide the attorneys in the Rhode Island case with the affidavit related to the grand jury because it was now public.

Since the Justice Department issued the civil subpoenas last year, court documents show that at least seven federal courts have agreed to quash or limit the expansive subpoenas, which demanded that providers hand over the birth dates, Social Security numbers and addresses of patients who received transgender care.

As doctors and hospitals grapple with those subpoenas, 11 families this week filed a class-action lawsuit seeking to block the DOJ from obtaining the documents. The lawsuit, filed in Maryland’s federal court, is backed by families who have transgender children who have received care from hospitals across the U.S.

The Justice Department said Tuesday that it does not comment on grand jury investigations.

NYU Langone and the U.S. attorney’s office for the Northern District of Texas did not immediately return messages seeking comment Tuesday.

LGBTQ+ groups condemned the latest federal requests for gender care information.

“We will not allow anti-trans extremists to turn our hospitals into hunting grounds,” Tyler Hack, executive director of the transgender rights group the Christopher Street Project in New York, said in a statement. “Playing political games to weaponize Americans’ private healthcare information is not just an attack on trans people — it is an attack on every single American who benefits from basic patient-provider privacy."

The unlikely pair came together Tuesday not for a most unusual duet, but instead to praise ongoing efforts to find new homes for roughly 1,500 beagles purchased from dog breeder and research facility Ridglan Farms outside of Madison.

Forget Black Sabbath’s anti-war anthem “War Pigs.” This day was all about the dogs — more specifically, the beagles.

“It was so profound to be able to hold each of these dogs in our arms and be able to assure them that their new life was starting,” Gibson said. “Today was a very emotional day.”

Gibson and Butler pet the beagles taken from research facility

Both Gibson and Butler held beagles from Ridglan Farms that had been transported from the facility to the humane society on Tuesday.

“They’ve never let me down,” Butler said of his pet dogs at the Dane County Humane Society, which is working to find new homes for 500 beagles. “They’re always loving.”

As they and others spoke in the humane society's barn, beagles from Ridglan Farms sat in the arms of volunteers as they waited to be seen by veterinarians for a health check, vaccinations and other care.

Beagles bought following violent clash with police

The Washington, D.C.-based Center for a Humane Economy and Florida's Big Dog Ranch Rescue, which both oppose using animals in research, struck the deal last month to buy the dogs for an undisclosed amount from Ridglan Farms.

The deal was announced just days after a violent clash between animal welfare advocates and police outside of the Ridglan Farms facility. Police used tear gas and pepper spray to turn back activists who said they were there to take the dogs. Protesters also broke into the facility in March and took 30 dogs.

Numerous groups are working to transfer the 1,500 dogs bought from Ridglan to facilities where they will get veterinary care and be prepared for transport to shelters around the country, where they will eventually be put up for adoption.

Demand is high to adopt the beagles

More than 1,300 people have expressed interest to the Dane County Humane Society alone in adopting the dogs, said Amy Good, the society's director of marketing.

“It’s not a tough sell to get beagles into homes," said Wayne Pacelle, president of the Center for a Humane Economy. "The response across the nation has been overwhelming.”

The first 1,000 dogs were removed earlier this month and are in temporary shelters with agencies partnering with Big Dog Ranch Rescue. The Dane County Humane Society began receiving the remaining 500 dogs this week.

Ridglan Farms agreed in October to give up its state breeding license as of July 1 as part of a deal to avoid prosecution on felony animal mistreatment charges. The firm has denied mistreating animals, but a special prosecutor determined that Ridglan Farms was performing eye procedures that violated state veterinary standards.

Butler, who said he has five dogs and five cats at home, called it a historic day for the end of experimenting on animals.

“This is just the beginning,” he said.

Gibson, who released her debut album at age 16 in 1987, said she planned on fostering and possibly adopting one of the beagles she met on Tuesday.

“This little guy was the last one put in my arms, and I couldn’t put him back in a cage,” she said, holding the beagle as she spoke.

Asked whether they will ever work together on a song about dogs, Butler and Gibson chuckled.

“Maybe,” Butler said with a smile and a beagle still on his lap.

The reaction came during a speech delivered by Gloria Caulfield, president of the Lake Nona Institute and vice president of strategic alliances at Tavistock.

“Artificial intelligence is the next industrial revolution,” Caulfield told graduates during the commencement ceremony.

Video from the event shows students booing after references to AI, with clips of the moment quickly spreading on social media.

“Only a few years ago, AI was not a factor in our lives,” Caulfield continued, with graduates then cheering at that statement.

“Why say that in a room full of creatives?” said Madison Fuentes, a recent UCF graduate with a degree in English creative writing.

[DOLLARS & SENSE: Your next boss might be a bot]

Fuentes said many students are worried artificial intelligence could reduce opportunities in creative fields.

“I don’t think that kids are having a hard time accepting it because we know that AI exists,” Fuentes said. “I think we’re just having a hard time acknowledging that it’s taking away job opportunities from us.”

Concerns about employment and AI are becoming more common among recent college graduates.

According to a report from education technology group Cengage, only 30% of recent graduates in 2025 said they were able to find full-time jobs, compared with 41% in 2024. The survey included 1,000 recent graduates, many of whom cited concerns about artificial intelligence replacing jobs.

An Instagram poll conducted by News 6 also reflected mixed feelings about AI among young people. About 88% of respondents said “get it out of here,” while 12% said they supported it.

Still, some respondents said AI can be helpful when used responsibly and in moderation.

[DOLLARS & SENSE: Why states want guardrails on your AI addiction]

During the commencement ceremony, Caulfield acknowledged the divided reaction in the room, saying, “We’ve got a bipolar topic here, I see.”

After reviewing the full commencement speech, News 6 reached out to Caulfield for additional comment. A voicemail was left, but she had not responded as of publication.

News 6 also contacted the University of Central Florida with questions about whether commencement speeches are reviewed ahead of ceremonies and what message the university has for students entering an increasingly AI-driven workforce.

“I am disappointed in her choice of words. Maybe she wasn’t expecting that reaction from talking about AI in a roomful of creatives, and that that might have rubbed us the wrong way,” said Fuentes.

Musk, the world’s richest man, is seeking Altman’s ouster from the company leadership as part of a civil lawsuit accusing him of betraying their shared vision for OpenAI. Since its start as a nonprofit funded primarily by Musk, OpenAI has evolved into a capitalistic venture now valued at $852 billion.

In the third week of the trial in a federal courthouse in Oakland, California, neither of the tech titans has emerged as an overly sympathetic character. But nobody has more to lose than Altman.

Even if Musk loses the case, the trial has invited further scrutiny of Altman’s leadership at a crucial time for the company and its competition with Musk’s own AI firm and another rival, Anthropic, formed by a group of seven ex-OpenAI leaders. All three firms are moving toward planned initial public offerings that are expected to be some of the largest ever.

Under a barrage of questions by a lawyer for Musk, Altman said he did not agree with trial testimony that depicted him as dishonest.

“I believe I am an honest and trustworthy businessperson,” Altman said.

A jury that’s already heard about Altman’s character from a parade of his former allies and adversaries will ultimately decide the verdict. But the repercussions could reverberate widely.

“This is not looking good for any of them, and I think that that’s a little bit unfortunate for the AI industry at a time when the public perception of AI is quite negative and seems to be getting worse,” said Sarah Kreps, director of Cornell University’s Tech Policy Institute.

Testimony about Altman has been a font of social media memes

The lawsuit accuses Altman and his top lieutenant, Greg Brockman, of double-crossing Musk by straying from the San Francisco company’s founding mission to be an altruistic steward of a revolutionary technology. The lawsuit alleges they shifted into a moneymaking mode behind his back. Musk is seeking an unspecified amount of money to be paid to fund the altruistic efforts of OpenAI’s charitable arm.

While Musk, the head of SpaceX, Tesla and a slew of other companies, was well known by the San Francisco Bay Area jury pool, fewer knew who Altman was before the start of the trial, even if they were familiar with ChatGPT.

Since the start of the trial, testimony about Altman’s turbulent tenure at OpenAI has become prime fodder for internet jokes. One piece of evidence that has inspired countless memes was a text exchange between Altman and a company officer, Mira Murati, in 2023 during his short-lived ouster as CEO, when Altman asked if things were moving “directionally good or bad” and she wrote back: “Sam this is very bad.”

Jurors have heard from witnesses including OpenAI ex-board members Helen Toner and Tasha McCauley, who spoke about the decision to fire Altman in 2023 before they were themselves ousted from the board when Altman returned to his role.

In video testimony last week, Toner said a starting point for the decision to oust Altman was when OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever, a respected AI scientist, reached out to confide some of his own concerns.

“A phrase we used was ‘a pattern of behavior,’ so no one single cause,” Toner said. “The pattern of behavior related to his honesty and candor, his resistance of board oversight.”

Sutskever was instrumental in the unsuccessful attempt to oust Altman but later said he regretted his role in the shakeup. In his own testimony Monday, Sutskever confirmed that he wrote a 2023 memo to OpenAI’s board that characterized Altman as pitting his executives against one another and exhibiting a “consistent pattern of lying” that was causing a loss of trust and productivity.

Altman has cast Musk as bent on control of OpenAI

The trial has carried risks for Musk's reputation as well. Sutskever testified to his early admiration for Musk as an entrepreneur but said that once they were working together as co-founders, Musk's push for a controlling stake in the startup “just felt aggressive to me.”

OpenAI has brushed off Musk’s allegations as an unfounded case of sour grapes that’s aimed at undercutting its rapid growth and bolstering Musk’s own xAI, now part of SpaceX.

Altman and Musk both vied to be OpenAI's CEO in its early years. In his testimony Tuesday, Altman said he had concerns about Musk’s attempts to gain more control over OpenAI, which was aiming to safely build a better-than-human form of AI called artificial general intelligence.

“Part of the reason we started OpenAI is we didn’t think AGI could be under the control of any one person, no matter how good their intents are," Altman said.

He described what he called a “particularly hair-raising moment when my co-founders asked Mr. Musk about, well, ‘If you have control, what happens when you die?’”

Altman said Musk’s response was that maybe “control of OpenAI should pass to my children.” Altman said he did not feel comfortable with that.

Altman said Musk was known to be “fairly mercurial” and only trusted himself to make decisions. He said Musk made repeated attempts to have his car company Tesla absorb OpenAI, a proposal Altman said would not have aligned with OpenAI’s mission.

Despite Musk's claims in the lawsuit about a violation of the nonprofit's purpose, Altman testified that OpenAI has ended up creating “through a ton of hard work, this extremely large charity.”

Near the end of his testimony, Altman said he had thought incredibly highly of Musk during his early involvement with OpenAI, before things turned sour.

“I felt like he had abandoned us, not come through on his promises, put the company in a very difficult place, jeopardized the mission, didn’t really care about the things I thought he cared about,” Altman said. “It’s been an extremely painful thing for me ... to have someone that I respected so much not acknowledge that and continue to publicly attack us."

He attributed Musk's leaving OpenAI and the ongoing conflicts to "jealousy, as we got more and more successful, in trying to beat us down as he was starting a competitor.”

____

O'Brien contributed from Providence, Rhode Island.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed to a request by one of Trump's lawyers that it let the president delay the payment to E. Jean Carroll, though it required that Trump post a $7.4 million bond to cover any additional interest costs, a request Carroll's attorney had made.

The appeals court late last month refused Trump’s request for a rare meeting of the full 2nd Circuit to hear an appeal of a three-judge panel’s affirmance of the January 2024 verdict.

Afterward, Trump attorney Justin D. Smith asked the 2nd Circuit to stay the effect of its decision upholding the award so that Trump would not be forced to pay the judgment before the high court has a chance to consider an appeal.

Smith said last week there was a “fair prospect” that the Supreme Court will find in favor of Trump, who has called Carroll’s claims first made publicly in 2019 that she was sexually attacked by Trump in a Manhattan luxury department store dressing room in spring 1996 a “made up scam.”

The $83 million award to Carroll, 82, came from a jury that briefly heard Trump testify and observed his animated behavior for several days.

In upholding the verdict, a 2nd Circuit panel wrote last September that Trump continued his attacks against Carroll for at least five years, making them “more extreme and frequent as the trial approached.”

“He also continued these same attacks during the trial itself,” the appeals court said. “In one such statement, issued two days into the trial, Trump proclaimed that he would continue to defame Carroll ‘a thousand times.’ ”

The jury had been instructed to accept the findings of a jury that in May 2023 awarded Carroll $5 million after concluding Trump sexually abused her in the department store and then defamed her after she published her account of it in a 2019 memoir.

Trump is challenging the $83 million award on several grounds, asserting “absolute immunity” for comments he made while president as he disavowed knowing Carroll and attacked her motivations, saying they were politically driven or arose from a desire to promote her memoir.

Trump said he would have a “long talk” about Iran with Chinese President Xi Jinping but said trade would be a bigger focus. As he left for the summit, Trump again threatened Iran if its leaders don’t reach an agreement on its nuclear program.

“We have Iran very much under control,” Trump said. “We’re either going to make a deal or they’re going to be decimated. One way or the other, we win.”

Iranian state media quoted the country's foreign ministry as calling “baseless” the allegation by Kuwait, which came under attack by Iran in the war and during the shaky ceasefire that is still holding. But the allegation and ongoing attacks in the region have threatened to reignite open warfare.

The narrow Strait of Hormuz remains in Iran's chokehold, the U.S. is maintaining a blockade against Iran and negotiations between the two countries appear at a standstill.

“True peace cannot be built with a literature of humiliation, threats, and coercive score-settling,” Kazem Gharibabadi, an Iranian diplomat, said Tuesday on X.

With the risk of the conflict breaking out again, Israel has sent Iron Dome air-defense weapons and personnel to operate them to the United Arab Emirates, the U.S. ambassador to Israel said.

It was the first publicly acknowledged deployment of Israel’s military to the Emirates — home to Abu Dhabi and Dubai — and underlined the growing relationship between Israel and the UAE.

Also very late on Tuesday night, a magnitude 4.6 earthquake shook parts of Iran, followed by several aftershocks, according to Iranian state media. Witnesses felt the temblor in the capital of Tehran, where some people sought refuge in the streets. Iranian state TV said there were no reports of casualties.

Kuwait alleges Iran planned attack

Kuwait said a paramilitary Revolutionary Guard team tried to infiltrate Bubiyan Island in the northwest corner of the Persian Gulf near Iraq and Iran on May 1.

Four men were detained and two escaped when Kuwait's forces disrupted the attack, it said.

A statement that Iranian media attributed to the foreign ministry in Tehran said four officers on a “conventional maritime patrol mission” had entered Kuwait's waters because of “a disruption in the navigation system." It denied any hostile intent and called for the men's release.

Bubiyan Island is home to Mubarak Al Kabeer Port, which is under construction as part of a Chinese plan to build infrastructure across the world. It also came under Iranian attack during the war.

Kuwait provided no reason for why it delayed linking the attack to Iran after initially announcing it on May 3 without any details. Trump is traveling this week to China for a summit where Iran will likely be a main topic. Beijing long has been a buyer of sanctioned Iranian crude oil and has been hurt by the strait's closure, which has sparked a global energy crisis.

Huckabee says Israel deployed to UAE

U.S. ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee revealed at a conference in Tel Aviv, Israel, that Israel has sent Iron Dome air-defense to the UAE.

The United Arab Emirates diplomatically recognized Israel in 2020. That drew criticism from Iran, long Israel's main regional enemy. Iran didn't immediately respond to Huckabee's remarks, though it has repeatedly suggested over the years that Israel maintained a military and intelligence presence in the Emirates.

The Israeli military declined to comment on Huckabee’s statement about the Iron Dome while the UAE didn't immediately respond.

The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, was quoted as making comments similar to Huckabee's during an event at the Israeli mission — suggesting the release of the information was intentional, likely with the Emiratis' and Israelis' blessing.

The UAE has faced Iranian missile and drone fire even after the ceasefire was reached last month. It has been trying to signal to nervous investors and the public that it remains open for business and safe.

Hegseth tells Congress: ‘We control the strait’

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told members of Congress Tuesday that the military has plenty of bombs and missiles despite concerns about its stockpiles.

He also maintained that the U.S. is in control of the Strait of Hormuz, even as Iranian attacks — and threats — have disrupted the shipment of oil and other products through the vital waterway.

“Ultimately we control the strait, because nothing’s going in that we don’t allow to go in,” said Hegseth, who faced tough questions from Republican and Democratic lawmakers who oversee defense spending.

Sen. Chris Coons, a Delaware Democrat, asked what the Trump administration’s strategy is for reopening the waterway. “Your average American is seeing this at the gas pump every single day as the cost of gas continues to rise,” Coons said.

Hegseth avoided specifics about the next steps in Iran. The Pentagon’s top budget official told Congress that the cost of the war is close to $29 billion so far — that’s up from an estimate of $25 billion just two weeks ago.

Norway has some 25 stranded vessels

One of Norway’s top diplomats met Tuesday with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Tehran, pressing for the need to open the strait.

Deputy Foreign Minister Andreas Kravik stressed that the attacks on commercial shipping and obstruction of the passageway must end, his minister, Espen Barth Eide, said in an email.

Kravik said Iran’s actions affecting third-party countries are “completely unacceptable” and noted that Norway has some 25 vessels stranded, according to Eide.

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Lidman reported from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press reporters Sam Metz in Ramallah, West Bank, Collin Binkley and Konstantin Toropin in Washington, Jamey Keaten in Geneva, Switzerland, and Giovanna Dell'Orto in Minneapolis contributed to this report.

Runner-up to Rory McIlroy at the Masters. Playoff loss to Matt Fitzpatrick at the RBC Heritage. Runner-up (by six shots) to Cameron Young at Doral.

“Last week my wife was like, ‘Hey, Scottie. You’re like the first guy in PGA Tour history to have three solo runner-ups in a row.' I'm like, ‘Yeah, it’s probably because the guy that was playing that good figured out a way to win one of those,'” Scheffler said Tuesday.

It hasn't put much of a dent in his confidence going into the second major of the year. Scheffler is fierce when it comes to competition, hates losing even in friendly matches with his caddie and still has come to appreciate that winning isn't always easy.

He has a firm hold on the No. 1 world ranking — he is approaching three straight years at the top of golf — despite not winning since his season debut in the California desert.

“You know you're playing good golf, and you'd love to get some wins,” he said. “Finishing second hurts, but I think when you reflect and you're looking at things to work on, there's a lot less to clean up when you're finishing second than there is when you're finishing 30th.”

Not that he has a lot of experience with the latter — Scheffler hasn't finished 30th or worse since August 2024.

To end that run of silver medal this week at Aronimink would allow him to join Brooks Koepka (2018-19) and Tiger Woods (1999-00 and 2006-07) as the only players to win back-to-back in the PGA Championship in stroke play.

In his way is a course has plenty of room off the tee and little room for error when it comes to hitting the correct spot on the large, severely contoured greens.

He also faces the strongest field of the four majors, with 98 of the top 100 in the world, which includes the last three players to beat him — McIlroy (No. 2), Young (No. 3) and Fitzpatrick (No. 4).

McIlroy came up to Aronimink two weeks ago for a peek at the course he had not played since the BMW Championship in 2018, when it was so soft and mushy from rain that the event couldn't finish until Monday. The hope this week is for minimal rain and firm, dry conditions.

“For the most part, it should be a bit drier, which really brings out the character of the greens,” McIlroy said. “The greens seem to be the big defense and the big talking point of the golf course.”

McIlroy had his practice round cut short on Tuesday with a blister on his right toe that was causing some discomfort last week at the Truist Championship.

Not since Jordan Spieth in 2015 has anyone captured the first two majors of the season, and McIlroy has a chance to do that. The majors have become his focus of late, especially now that he finally has the career Grand Slam from winning the Masters a year ago.

McIlroy and Spieth are in the same group when the PGA Championship begins Thursday, along with Jon Rahm of LIV Golf. Spieth lacks only the PGA Championship to complete the career slam.

For all the talk about bunker complexes that seem to line every landing area — there are 20 bunkers on the 11th hole alone — players have been talking about the greens all week, particularly if the rain holds off and the course gets firm.

“Greens are diabolical. Should be a really good test,” Xander Schauffele said. "You can make it as easy or difficult on yourself as you’d like. If you get aggressive to certain pins and short-side yourself, you’re going to hit it to 20 or 30 feet at best, just based on how fast and firm it is and how much it runs away from you. But at the same time, there's certain pockets where ... you can hit a really good shot and get rewarded for it.

“The greens are definitely the thing to prepare for this tournament. I think it will be fun to watch.”

Scheffler and McIlroy have combined to win four of the last five majors — McIlroy at Augusta National the last two times, Scheffler at the PGA Championship and British Open last year.

Scheffler is more about precision, though he certainly has enough length. McIlroy feasts on wider fairways as one of the best drivers of the ball. Aronimink could test a little of each, though McIlroy was more concerned about the second shot.

“I think in this day and age I’m not sure if it’s going to test all aspects of your bag,” McIlroy said. "Strategy off the tee is pretty nonexistent. It's basically bash driver down there and then figure it out from there. ... When these traditional golf courses take a lot of trees out, it makes strategy not as much of a concern off the tee.

“But the greens are the main focus this week, and I think getting yourself in the right sections of the greens, making sure you leave yourself below the hole for the most part. That’s the key.”

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

The nonpartisan CBO report, published Tuesday, is described as an analysis that reflects “one illustrative approach rather than an estimate of a specific Administration proposal.”

The futuristic system was ordered by Trump in an executive order during his first week in office. He said then that he expected the system to be “fully operational before the end of my term,” which wraps up in January 2029.

“Over the past 40 years, rather than lessening, the threat from next-generation strategic weapons has become more intense and complex with the development by peer and near-peer adversaries of next-generation delivery systems,” Trump said in his executive order, justifying the need for the missile defense system.

The CBO’s estimates are in part based on a lack of details from the Defense Department about what and how many systems will be deployed, “making it impossible to estimate the long term cost” of the Golden Dome system, the report says.

The concept for the missile system is at least partly inspired by Israel’s multitiered defenses, often collectively referred to as the “Iron Dome,” which played a key role in defending it from rocket and missile fire from Iran and allied militant groups as it prosecutes the war on Iran alongside the U.S.

The U.S. Golden Dome is envisioned to include ground- and space-based capabilities able to detect, intercept and stop missiles at all major stages of a potential attack.

Congress has already approved roughly $24 billion for the missile defense initiative through Republicans' massive tax and spending measure signed into law last summer.

Gen. Michael A. Guetlein, director of the Golden Dome project, testified last month about its costs. He told lawmakers that various groups estimating costs “just take the cost of a legacy system and they multiply it out and they get these really large numbers and they say, well, that must be it.

"That is not what Golden Dome is doing,” the U.S. Space Force general said. “We are laser focused on affordability.”

Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., who requested the estimate from the CBO, said in response to the report that the missile defense project is “nothing more than a massive giveaway to defense contractors paid for entirely by working Americans.”

Last May, the president said the Golden Dome would cost $175 billion. The CBO last year estimated that just the space-based components of the Golden Dome could cost as much as $542 billion over the next 20 years.

Researchers and supporters of the change said the old name, often shortened to PCOS, is inaccurate. It reduced a complex hormonal or endocrine disorder to a misunderstanding about cysts and a focus on ovaries, contributing to missed diagnoses and inadequate treatment, said the Endocrine Society, a global group of physicians and scientists.

“The thought behind that is that one, there’s no cysts in the ovary, so it’s very confusing,” said Dr. Melanie Cree, one of the authors of the Lancet article and a pediatric endocrinology expert at the University of Colorado Anschutz. “The hope was that with a more comprehensive and accurate name change, that it would start to enable and push better care.”

The name change – made after 14 years of collaboration between experts and patients – was published in The Lancet on Tuesday.

Now PCOS is called PMOS

The condition is characterized by fluctuations in hormones that can affect weight, metabolic and mental health, the reproductive system and the skin.

It is associated with metabolic syndrome, a group of health conditions that increases your risk of Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke, Dr. Sarah Hutto with the University of Minnesota Medical School said in an online article put out by the university.

No one knows exactly what causes the condition, but there’s evidence that genetics and obesity play roles, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

What are the symptoms of PMOS?

Symptoms vary, which can make it tough for doctors to diagnose.

It is associated with irregular menstrual cycles and excess production of a group of hormones known as androgens, which can cause acne and hair growth or thinning. It may also cause follicles on the ovaries, although not abnormal cysts. But not all of these findings are required for the diagnosis.

To make the diagnosis in teens, Cree said, the patient has to have both irregular periods and signs of high androgens. This can include high blood levels of the hormones or symptoms such as severe acne or chest hair.

PMOS is associated with infertility problems

Cleveland Clinic experts say it is the most common cause of female infertility, because not ovulating frequently can result in not being able to conceive.

Having the condition may also increase your risk of certain pregnancy complications, such as gestational diabetes or preterm birth. Still, most people with the condition can successfully carry a pregnancy.

How PMOS can be treated

Cree says the No. 1 treatment is lifestyle changes, such as eating less processed food, exercising and getting a good night's sleep.

“We’re not trying to be judgmental. There is science to back this up,” she said. “So in PMOS, there is too much of the hormone insulin in many women, and that insulin confuses the ovary to make too much testosterone. And it’s the high testosterone that is causing all the symptoms.”

Other treatments include insulin-sensitizing medicines such as Metformin, medications that block androgens and hormonal birth control.

But Hutto stresses that management of the condition should be individualized to address specific symptoms and concerns. For example, those who plan to get pregnant may want to focus on fertility treatments while others may be more interested in options like hormonal birth control.

How will the name change help?

Researchers and doctors are spreading the word about the name change to their peers at meetings and through medical societies and other means. They hope it raises awareness about the reality of the condition and how they can best help patients.

“I’m very excited about the name change,” Cree said, “as are the majority of my colleagues.”

———-

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.

You'll have to wait until Feb. 7, 2027, when the 69th annual ceremony once again airs live from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, it was announced Tuesday during the Disney Upfront presentation in New York.

The 2027 Grammys will also have a new broadcasting home: ABC. Back in 2024 the network and the Recording Academy announced a 10-year deal beginning next year.

That moves the show from CBS, which has aired the Grammys since 1973.

It also means next year ABC will be home to three major events: the Grammys, the Oscars and the Super Bowl.

Nominations will be announced Nov. 16, with eligible albums having been released between Aug. 31, 2025, and Aug. 28, 2026.

That means blockbusters like Justin Bieber's “Swag ll,” Taylor Swift's “The Life of a Showgirl,” Rosalía's “Lux,” Bruno Mars' “The Romantic,” and Harry Styles' “Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally” may be competing.

Olivia Rodrigo's forthcoming third record, “You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love,” will also be eligible.

The first round of voting takes place Oct. 12 through Oct. 22, followed by final round between Dec. 10 and Jan. 7.

“The Grammys are all about celebrating the music that moves the world, and this moment is built on exactly that,” Recording Academy CEO and President Harvey Mason jr. said in a statement. “This is an exciting time for us as an organization — a new home and a bold new chapter for the Grammy Awards. We’re just getting started and the best is yet to come.”

An initial session of about two hours took place at the office of the Major League Baseball Players Association, a five-minute walk from Major League Baseball's headquarters in Manhattan's Rockefeller Center. The meeting lasted about two hours and was scheduled for initial presentations from each side on their view of the sport and its economics. No proposals were made.

Players who attended included Mets infielder Marcus Semien, a member of the union's eight-man executive subcommittee, along with Mets teammates Clay Holmes, David Peterson, Austin Slater and Sean Manaea. Several Detroit Tigers, who were in town to play the Mets, also were at the meeting and additional players joined via video conference.

“It’s the first one I’ve been at, so I don’t really have much to compare it to," Holmes said. "It was just kind of initial meetings, first time the sides were getting together and kind of sharing their thoughts on kind of where they thought things were at and what they thought was best for kind of the game moving forward.”

The sport's five-year labor contract expires Dec. 1, and baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred has said repeatedly that management prefers offseason lockouts to in-season strikes, aiming to prevent the loss of regular-season games. Baseball has not lost regular-season games to a work stoppage since a 7 1/2-month strike in 1994-95 that caused the first cancellation of the World Series in 90 years.

Talks for the last agreement began in April 2021 and ended with a deal on March 10, 2022 that preserved the 162-game schedule only after the sides bargained past several deadlines and Manfred announced the cancellation of 184 games, which were restored.

Bruce Meyer will lead negotiations for the union, as he did in 2021-22, but in his new role as interim union head. He moved up from deputy director in February after the forced resignation of Tony Clark, a former All-Star first baseman who took over following the death of Michael Weiner in 2013.

Deputy commissioner Dan Halem heads MLB's negotiations team, as he did in talks for the previous two agreements.

MLB and Meyer declined to comment on the session.

“I think just player engagement as a whole, it just seems like there’s a lot of it right now,” Holmes said. “Guys are wanting to hear and guys are wanting to be there and so, just to be able to kind of be there and pass along things that you may see or learn or just have conversations there.”

Some major league owners have said a salary cap system that also contains a floor is needed and would improve the sport. MLB, unlike the NFL, NBA and NHL, has not had a cap system, but since 2003 has had a luxury tax designed to slow spending.

“When I talk to the players, I don’t try to convince them that a salary cap system would be a good thing,” Manfred told the Baseball Writers’ Association of America last summer. “I identify a problem in the media business and explain to them that owners need to change to address that problem. I then identify a second problem that we need to work together and that is that there are fans in a lot of our markets who feel like we have a competitive balance problem."

Restraints had not appeared to have had much impact on the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets in recent years. The Dodgers shattered MLB's spending records with a combined $515 million in payroll and luxury tax last year en route to their second straight World Series title, according to final figures compiled by the commissioner’s office, and Los Angeles is projected for the highest total again in 2026. The ratio of the five highest spenders to the five lowest increased from 3.6 in 2021 to a record-high 4.7 last year.

The union maintains a cap system decreases spending on players, while management argues a cap and a floor would benefit most players.

Players increased their potential war chest of cash and investments ahead of collective bargaining to $415 million heading into 2026. MLB also has been accumulating cash ahead of bargaining, about $75 million per club in withheld central fund distributions.

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AP Baseball Writer Mike Fitzpatrick contributed to this report.

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

TUESDAY

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A weakening cold front will continue to sag over the area, helping fuel scattered storms into the evening. The greatest concern will be between 2 p.m. and 11 p.m., when conditions become favorable for severe weather.

The Storm Prediction Center has placed all of Central Florida under a Marginal Risk for severe storms, where sea breezes are expected to collide.

The combination of heat, humidity, and instability will allow strong storms to turn severe. The main threats on Tuesday include damaging wind gusts over 60 mph, frequent lightning, heavy rainfall, and hail up to around one inch in diameter.

Some storms could quickly produce 1 to 2.5 inches of rain, with isolated areas seeing even higher amounts.

WEDNESDAY

Rain chances remain elevated on Wednesday (40-50%) as the front stalls near South Florida. Additional scattered showers and storms are expected, though the severe weather threat looks lower with highs near 90 degrees.

OUTLOOK

After midweek, drier weather gradually returns with more sunshine and another warming trend settling in. Temperatures climb back in the low 90s inland by the weekend, with heat index values approaching the upper 90s early next week.

Dr. Michael Cheatham still remembers the voice on the other end of the phone.

“Normally when we call each other in the middle of the night, you start off apologizing,” Cheatham said. “And there was none of that. I picked up the phone and he said, ‘I have 20 gunshot wounds. I need you now.’ And that’s when I knew that this was not a normal night.”

Dr. Cheatham and Dr. Joseph Ibrahim were two of the trauma surgeons inside Orlando Regional Medical Center during the Pulse nightclub mass shooting on June 12, 2016.

At ORMC, the Central Florida’s only Level One Trauma Center, patients began arriving almost immediately.

“We were receiving an injured patient literally one per minute during the first 36 minutes,” Dr.Cheatham said.

The volume of patients forced doctors and nurses to improvise in real time.

“We had to kind of get creative to get all of them in the trauma room because that’s where most of our resources are for the most critically injured patients,” Dr. Ibrahim said.

The surgeons say they relied on the same trauma protocols they use every day, only at a pace they had never experienced before.

“Anybody that was deemed critically ill when they first hit that door, they brought them into that room,” Dr. Ibrahim said.

But while doctors and nurses fought to save lives, another fear spread through the hospital.

Staff received reports there could be an active shooter on campus.

“We get a page gunman on campus,” Dr. Ibrahim recalled. “SWAT team kind of comes in, takes over. You come around a corner and you’re met by SWAT, showing your badge, those kind of things.”

“They thought that the gunman had actually escaped from Pulse and was masquerading as a victim,” Dr. Cheatham said.

The trauma team decided they would not leave their patients.

Instead, they barricaded themselves inside the trauma bay using heavy X-ray machines.

“We did use the x-ray machines, which are hundreds and hundreds of pounds, to block the doors, so that no one could try and come into the trauma bay,” Dr. Cheatham said. “The problem was we then realized well, now we’re trapped in here.”

Still, they kept working.

At one point, Dr. Cheatham moved the barricade aside and walked back into the hallway because more patients needed help.

“We had patients that were dying out there,” he said. “What is going to kill this patient in the next two minutes?”

Dr. Ibrahim says the pace of the night left little room to process what was happening.

“You’re such in that mindset,” he said. “There’s just a mindset of taking care of the next patient, next patient, next patient. None of the gravity of it really hits any of us until much, much later.”

The surgeons also say another group of workers deserves recognition: the environmental services staff who cleaned the trauma bay between waves of patients.

“The environmental service people cleaned the room up in a rapid fashion so that we can have the next patient there,” Dr. Ibrahim said.

“These are people without medical training,” he added. “They’re not used to some of the things that we have to see - and yet they’re in there seeing that. They’re not trained for that. They’re seeing some of these horrific images - and they’re just putting their heads down and going to work.”

Cheatham says it took more than 48 hours before he could finally stop and think about everything that had happened.

“I think the moment that I could actually sit down and start thinking was actually late that Sunday night,” he said. “We had just been going nonstop since two in the morning, and my wife brought me dinner. The two of us just sat in my car in the parking garage while I ate. And I was able to share with her what all had happened.”

Even now, a decade later, Dr. Ibrahim says one question still lingers.

“You know, everybody asks the why,” he said. “Even us that work in the ER, we see it every day and we know there’s no answer to that question. We know it just is the way it is. But still, with those kind of situations, you can’t help but ask why. And then why am I so blessed and why am I so lucky.”

Five firefighters remain in a department that is supposed to have 12 staff members. The departures came after the resigning firefighters submitted resignation letters and the remaining firefighters voted no confidence in Chief Stephen Cox, citing what they described as a “consistent pattern of behavior” that created a hostile work environment. City Manager Dale Martin fired Cox Monday.

“The message was consistent across the board for all of them, and that’s why I felt that if I didn’t take this action, I ran the serious risk that I would lose the remaining five firefighters,” Martin said.

The small coastal city is home to more than 5,000 residents and draws thousands of visitors — all of whom rely on the now-depleted department for emergency response.

“I’m concerned about response times a bit. I’m hoping that gets cleared up,” said resident David Carpenter.

Some residents pointed to the broader environment as reason for added urgency.

“The fires are out of control around here — we’ve been in an 18-month drought,” said resident Michelle.

Former city Commissioner Ken Bryan, who also lives in Flagler Beach, feels the staffing shortfall will be difficult to overcome quickly.

“Half the department is gone. It’s yet to be seen what will happen because it’s very hard to recruit,” Bryan said.

Martin said the Flagler County Fire Department is providing one firefighter per day and has agreed to assist with emergency response as needed in the interim.

“We are only able to continue with the assistance of Flagler County at this point in time,” Martin said.

Martin added that two of the firefighters who resigned have agreed to return temporarily for 45 days — one to fill the interim fire chief role and another to fill a separate position — while the city conducts a search for a permanent chief. The city is also actively advertising to fill the remaining open positions.

Obama lunched with Talarico and Democratic state Rep. Gina Hinojosa, the nominee running to unseat Texas' Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, at a taco shop in Austin. The visit was meant to give the candidates a boost from one of the more liked figures in the Democratic Party.

Obama has been highlighting younger leaders in the party, including New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who he joined recently in the Bronx to promote free child care.

The former president first mentioned Talarico months ago on a podcast, saying he was “terrific, really talented young man," and he also called Hinojosa in March to congratulate her on the campaign, she said in a Facebook post.

Talarico's campaign has garnered national attention with his progressive, Christian platform. He will face either Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton or the incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, who are are battling it out in a Republican primary runoff election on May 26.

Where that game will be played was not part of Tuesday morning's announcement. The location has not been determined yet with the NFL still finalizing things ahead of Thursday night's 2026 season schedule release.

The Cincinnati Bengals will play the Atlanta Falcons in Madrid on Nov. 8 as part of the NFL-record nine international games in 2026 spanning span four continents, seven countries and eight stadiums. This game announced Tuesday afternoon will be played at Bernabéu Stadium, home of Real Madrid C.F.

The NFL will be playing at Bernabéu Stadium for a second straight season. Miami beat Washington in Madrid last year.

Another unknown is whether two-time NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes will be available for the Chiefs' season opener. His goal is to be ready for Week 1. The Chiefs quarterback tore the ACL and LCL in his left knee on Dec. 14 in the final minutes of a loss to the Chargers, which effectively eliminated the Chiefs from playoff contention.

Quarterback Bo Nix is expected to be ready for training camp after breaking a bone in his right ankle on Jan. 18 during the AFC playoffs. Denver finished last season losing the AFC championship game to New England.

More matchups will be revealed before the NFL releases the complete schedule Thursday night.

The trio of games announced Monday came as NBC, Fox and Prime Video made their upfront presentations to advertisers. The Buffalo Bills’ first regular-season game in their new stadium will be against the Detroit Lions on Sept. 17 and will kick off Amazon Prime Video’s “Thursday Night Football” schedule.

The Dallas Cowboys were part of the other two unveilings. The Cowboys will visit the New York Giants in the first NBC “Sunday Night Football” game of the season on Sept. 13 and they will host the Philadelphia Eagles on Fox on Thanksgiving Day on Nov. 26.

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

The company, which revolutionized online shopping in 2005 with two-day deliveries for Prime members, is rapidly opening small order-processing hubs in dozens of U.S. and foreign cities to cater to shoppers who can't or don't want to wait for cough medicine to relieve flu symptoms or tomatoes for tonight's dinner salad.

The ultrafast service, called Amazon Now, first launched in India last June. Amazon says 30-minute deliveries now are also available in urban areas of Brazil, Mexico, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The mini-warehouses devoted to Amazon Now are about the size of a CVS drugstore. They stock about 3,500 products for expedited delivery, including beer, diapers, pet food, meat, nonprescription medications, playing cards and cellphone charging cables.

“We know that customers love speed and always have,” Beryl Tomay, Amazon’s head of transportation, told The Associated Press on Monday. “What we see customers doing, when we offer faster speeds, are they purchase more from Amazon. And Amazon becomes more top of mind for that or other types of items as well.”

In the U.S., the company first tested Amazon Now in Seattle, the home of its headquarters, and in Philadelphia. Most residents of Atlanta and the Dallas-Fort Worth area now have access as well. The service is also live in Houston, Denver, Minneapolis, Phoenix, Oklahoma City, Orlando, Florida, and dozens of other cities, Amazon said, with New York City and others expected by year-end.

The service charges for Amazon Now start at $3.99 for Prime members, who pay an annual fee of $139, and $13.99 for non-members. A $1.99 small basket fee applies to orders under $15, Amazon said.

The company's bet on a need for speed also comes as some consumers are rebelling against rushed deliveries as they weigh the potential impact on the environment and the workers tasked with preparing orders at a rapid rate.

Amazon’s approach

A relentless focus on speed helped Amazon build a logistics and e-commerce empire. After it made two days the new delivery time normal, Amazon moved into one-day and same-day deliveries for its Prime members. This spring, the company began making 90,000 products available in one hour or three hours at an extra cost.

The scaled down and sped up microhubs that are designed to handle 30-minute orders represent another step in Amazon's pursuit.

Only a handful of people prepare orders from aisles of shelves in the 5,000- to 10,000-square-foot facilities, unlike the sprawling fulfillment centers storing millions of items where Amazon employs a mix of human workers and robotics to pick and pack orders.

Amazon tailors the product inventory to each location and uses artificial intelligence and other technology to analyze what customers buy, as well as when and how often. The most popular U.S. purchases so far include soap, toothpaste, mouthwash, toilet plungers, bananas, limes and wireless earbuds, Amazon said.

The competition

Amazon’s attempt to up the instant gratification ante provides direct competition to on-demand food delivery platforms like Instacart, Uber Eats, DoorDash and Grubhub, which don't have the scale of the e-commerce titan, according to independent retail analyst Bruce Winder.

“What Amazon brings is their prowess in supply chain,” Winder said.

These smaller companies said they don't see Amazon as a threat, though, citing the hundreds of thousands of items they are able to deliver to users' doorsteps by partnering with various merchants and restaurants.

“DoorDash has a mission to empower grocers and retailers and augment their existing footprint, not to replace them,” DoorDash spokesperson Ali Musa said in an emailed statement. “We win only when they win, which is how we can offer over half a million grocery and retail items in under an hour across the country.”

Amazon also is in a race with Walmart to become the retailer that reliably gets orders to online shoppers in under an hour.

For an additional $10 on top of standard delivery charges, shoppers can place Walmart Express Delivery orders from among more than 100,000 products that are guaranteed to arrive in an hour. Many customers, however, are receiving the items under 30 minutes, Walmart CEO John Furner told analysts in February.

Domino's cautionary tale

Companies have promised deliveries in 30 minutes or less before, but the landscape also is littered with failed attempts to break the speed barrier.

The COVID-19 pandemic produced a flurry of companies that promised 10- to 15-minute grocery deliveries from microwarehouses in dense neighborhoods, according to Sucharita Kodali, an analyst at market research firm Forrester Research.

But soaring operating costs, low customer loyalty and the drying up of investor money ultimately caused most to fail before the pandemic was over, analysts said.

Domino’s in 1984 pushed a guarantee that customers would receive their pizzas for free if they weren't delivered in under a half-hour. The company amended the “30 minutes or it’s free” policy after two years, providing only a $3 discount for late deliveries.

The promotion helped Domino’s win market share, but it ended up tarnishing the company's reputation. It dropped the guarantee in December 1993 after a string of crashes and lawsuits involving drivers racing to meet the deadline.

Brad Jashinsky, a retail analyst at information technology research and consulting firm Gartner, said he thinks Amazon should take the pizza chain's experience as a cautionary tale.

“You get in trouble when you start overpromising something like that,” he said.

Amazon won't be making any time guarantees and instead plans to keep customers who chose the 30-minute delivery option updated on the progress of their orders, Tomay said.

“There's no rushing either in our building workers or the gig workers,” she said.

Taking it slow

Kodali thinks Amazon will need a lot of people placing orders around the same time from the same or adjacent apartment buildings for the 30-minute service to be cost-effective.

Consumers may appreciate rapid receipt of products like toilet paper and batteries, but retailers and logistics experts said they also see some online shoppers, especially members of Generation Z, choosing no-rush shipping for products they don't need in a hurry.

Amazon for several years has invited customers to skip one- or two-day delivery and to receive their orders on the same day in as few parcels as possible. Consolidating orders into fewer packages by electing to have them delivered at the same time cuts down on boxes, shipping envelopes and fuel use, analysts said.

“The millennials who came to age in an era that was on fast delivery came to expect it de facto, whereas ... Gen Z is more accepting of a slower speed than previous generations before them,” said Darby Meegan, a general manager at Flexport, a supply chain and logistics company that fulfills orders for thousands of online merchants.

Still, Amazon executives have cited positive early results for Amazon Now in India, where they said Prime members tripled their requests for 30-minute deliveries once they started using the service.

Amazon Now also is attracting more repeat American customers, Tomay said.

“It’s in early days and time will tell,” she said. “I think that it will be interesting to see how it evolves.”

Location: Remote in one of GMG’s markets Detroit, MI; Houston or San Antonio TX; Jacksonville or Orlando, FL; Roanoke, VA.

Description

The Ad Operations team supports our sales teams by fulfilling all post-sale digital advertising campaigns. The Digital Campaign Specialists process all orders and enter into owned and operated (O&O), or extension partners’ platforms. They monitor campaigns throughout delivery looking at pacing and performance. They analyze reporting and provide campaign optimization options to the Client Experience team.

Responsibilities

• Processing and fulfillment of digital campaigns for all GMG properties including O&O in Google Ad Manager, SpringServe and third-party vendors.
• Map data connections in TapClicks for Client Reporting Dashboard setup
• Regular monitoring of campaigns, making minor optimizations automatically and communicating more strategic recommendations to Account Manager
• Work collaboratively with Order Entry, Client Success and Sales teams.

Requirements

• 3+ years managing digital advertising/marketing campaigns
• Excellent communication skills and comfortability upholding processes and business rules
• Able to analyze reporting data and create strategies for improvement based on client goals
• Adapts appropriately to new technology and process updates
• Familiarity with Google ad products including Ad Manager, Analytics, Tag Manager
• Strong digital marketing ideation skills.
• Proven ability of successfully handling digital pre-sales and post-sales processes
• Demonstrable characteristics of a self-starter including, but not limited to, being self- directed, taking initiative, being accountable, having problem-solving and decision- making skills and having the ability to operate with minimal supervision.
• Completion of a bachelor’s degree and a multidisciplinary background preferred, ideally in a related major such as marketing, strategy, psychology, sociology or related work experience

Contact: Jessica Benavides, Campaign Operations Manager

jbenavides@grahammedia.com

Graham Media Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In addition to complying with the requirements of federal law, GMG will comply with applicable state and local laws prohibiting employment discrimination. Any offer of employment is conditional upon the successful completion of a pre-employment drug screening, investigative background check, employment/education verifications and reference checks.

O’Brien hosted the last two Oscar ceremonies to positive reviews. Earlier this year, in his opening monologue, he said he was “honored to be the last human host of the Academy Awards … Next year it’s going to be a Waymo in a tux.”

He’ll be surrounded by a familiar team, as well, with the return of Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan as the show’s executive producers.

Film academy leaders Bill Kramer and Lynette Howell Taylor said in a joint statement, “They are an incredible team and have produced such captivating, entertaining and heartfelt shows over the last two years,” adding that they’re looking forward to “Conan superbly leading the celebration with his brilliance and humor.”

After several years of ratings increases, including a post-pandemic high of 19.7 million viewers who tuned in for O’Brien’s inaugural year as host, when “Anora” swept the awards, the show took a dip in viewership this year, when “One Battle After Another” was crowned best picture. Engagement for the Oscars rose by other metrics, though. Social media engagement during the broadcast went up by over 42% this year.

“Conan has created remarkable energy around ‘The Oscars,’” Craig Erwich, the president of Disney’s Television Group, said in a statement. “His singular comedic voice makes Hollywood’s biggest night one of the most entertaining celebrations of the year. We’re proud to welcome him back and look forward to what he and the producing team deliver next.”

The 99th Oscars will be broadcast live on ABC from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday, March 14, 2027. It will be the penultimate ceremony at the Hollywood location and on broadcast television. In 2029, the show moves to YouTube, and downtown Los Angeles for its 101st awards.

Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is now targeted for 6:50 p.m. on Wednesday.

The Space Force 45th Weather Squadron is predicting only a 35% chance of favorable conditions at launch time.

Because the Falcon 9’s first stage booster is set to land at Landing Zone 40 at Cape Canaveral, residents along Florida’s Space Coast should expect a sonic boom as the booster returns to Earth shortly after launch.

The Dragon spacecraft flying this mission previously flew five ISS resupply missions. The Falcon 9 booster also has prior flight experience, having previously launched the KF-01, IMAP, NROL-77, GPS III-9 missions, along with one Starlink mission.

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After an approximately 38-hour flight, Dragon is expected to autonomously dock to the forward port of the space station’s Harmony module on Thursday at around 9:50 a.m.

Among the highlights of this mission’s science payload are five new experiments. ODYSSEY will examine how well Earth-based simulators recreate microgravity conditions by studying bacterial behavior in space. STORIE will monitor charged particles in Earth’s orbit that respond to space weather and can impact power grids and satellites.

The Laplace experiment will study dust particle movement and collisions in microgravity, with researchers hoping to better understand how planets form. Green Bone will observe bone cell growth on a wood-based scaffold in space, with potential applications for treating conditions like osteoporosis. SPARK will study how red blood cells and the spleen respond to spaceflight to help protect astronaut health on long-duration missions.

Dragon is expected to remain docked to the station for about a month before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean in mid-June. The spacecraft will return an ocular imaging device, a cabin air filtration sorbent bed, a waste system separator pump, and a pressure management device. NASA’s Advanced Plant Habitat — which supported long-duration plant biology research — will also return to Earth for eventual museum display.

The S&P 500 fell 0.2% from its all-time high set the day before. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 56 points, or 0.1%, while the Nasdaq composite sank 0.7% from its own record.

Some of the sharpest drops hit chip companies and stocks that had been on electric runs because of the artificial-intelligence boom. Intel slumped 6.8% after its stock had more than tripled so far this year. Micron Technology dropped 3.6% after coming into the day with a gain of nearly 180% for the year to date, and CoreWeave sank 6.1% to cut into its gain of 60% for 2026.

The pullback for AI stocks began earlier in the day in Asia, where South Korea’s Kospi index sank 2.3% from its all-time high on worries that the government may redistribute windfall AI profits from companies to its citizens.

Also weighing on Wall Street was another rise in oil prices as the war with Iran threatens to drag on. The price for a barrel of Brent crude climbed 3.4% to settle at $107.77 as a fragile U.S.-Iran ceasefire looks more tenuous. The war has essentially shut the Strait of Hormuz to oil tankers, keeping them stuck in the Persian Gulf instead of delivering crude to customers worldwide.

The resulting leap for crude oil prices, with Brent up from roughly $70 per barrel before the war, caused inflation in the United States to worsen last month by more than economists expected, according to a report released Tuesday. In another discouraging signal, price increases accelerated by more in April than economists expected even after excluding gasoline and food costs.

That could be a result of tariffs and bad weather also pushing prices higher, according to Brian Jacobsen, chief economic strategist at Annex Wealth Management.

Treasury yields rose in the bond market following an initial zigzag, suggesting traders suspect the Federal Reserve will keep interest rates high to combat inflation.

The Fed has been keeping its cuts to interest rates on hold recently, as it waits to see how high inflation will go because of the war with Iran and the tariffs introduced by President Donald Trump. That’s because lower rates can worsen inflation at the same time that they give the economy a boost.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.45% from 4.42% late Monday and remains well above its 3.97% level from before the war.

Traders still largely expect the Fed to keep its main interest rate steady this year, but they’re now betting on a better than 1-in-3 chance that it could hike rates by December, according to data from CME Group. Higher rates tend to push down on stock prices, while also slowing the economy.

Despite the climbs for Treasury yields, oil prices and uncertainty because of the Iran war, the U.S. stock market has remained remarkably resilient recently, in large part because companies keep producing bigger profits than analysts expected.

Zebra Technologies became the latest company in the S&P 500 to top analysts’ expectations for earnings, and its stock leaped 11.4%. The company, which helps customers digitize and automate their workflows with bar code scanners and other products, also gave a forecast for profit over the full year that topped analysts’ expectations.

But Under Armour sank 17% after reporting a worse loss for the latest quarter than analysts expected. CEO Kevin Plank said the company is continuing steps to “reset the business and restore the discipline required to operate as a best-in-class brand.”

Outside of earnings reports, GameStop fell 3.5% after eBay rejected a buyout offer from the much smaller company, calling it “neither credible nor attractive.” It highlighted uncertainty about how GameStop would raise the money to pay for the purchase, among other challenges for the deal, and eBay’s stock rose 2.1%.

Beazer Homes USA fell 7.3% after likewise rejecting an unsolicited buyout offer. It said that Dream Finders Homes has repeatedly undervalued it in its attempts to buy the homebuilder, including with its latest bid, which offered less than prior offers.

Dream Finders dropped 13.4%.

All told, the S&P 500 fell 11.88 points to 7,400.96. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 56.09 to 49,760.56, and the Nasdaq composite sank 185.92 to 26,088.20.

In stock markets abroad, indexes mostly fell across Europe and Asia.

Besides South Korea’s tumble, losses of 1.6% for Germany’s DAX and 0.9% for France’s CAC 40 were some of the world’s sharpest.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 added 0.5%.

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AP Business Writers Yuri Kageyama and Matt Ott contributed to this report.

General manager Rob Pelinka and coach JJ Redick affirmed their desire to keep James in a Lakers uniform on Tuesday. James' eighth season with the club ended Monday night with a heartbreaking 115-110 loss and a second-round sweep at the hands of the powerhouse champion Oklahoma City Thunder.

The 41-year-old James just completed his unprecedented 23rd NBA season, and he says he doesn't know whether he'll keep going.

"Any team, including ours, would love to have LeBron James on their roster,” Pelinka said. “That’s a blessing in itself, just with what he does.”

The top scorer in league history is an unrestricted free agent this offseason, so James can choose his destination if he postpones retirement for another year — although not every team has the payroll flexibility to pay him something near his worth. The Lakers have significant salary cap room and many decisions to make, but they're hoping James will choose to remain a part of their attempt to build a championship-contending roster around Luka Doncic.

“He’s given so much to his teammates, to this organization, and the thing we want to do more than anything else is honor him back," Pelinka said.

Pelinka spoke repeatedly of his desire to “honor” James' decision process. That means waiting until James tells them what's happening, and the Lakers appear to be content to wait for weeks to come.

“The first order of business there is allowing him to spend the time he needs to decide what his next steps are,” Pelinka said. “Does he want to play another year in the NBA? That’ll be (determined through) family time, I think, time with his inner circle, and we just want to honor that for him.”

James is eight seasons into his longest continuous stint with one team, and his family is happily settled in Los Angeles, where he has won a championship and set multiple NBA career records. What's more, his 21-year-old son, Bronny, is two seasons into a career as a backup guard with the Lakers, allowing LeBron to play alongside his son — most notably in several significant stretches together in these playoffs.

James missed 22 games this season because of injuries, and he scored a career-low 20.9 points per game while frequently serving as the Lakers' third offensive option behind Doncic and Austin Reaves — filling that role for the first time in his basketball life, he said with a laugh. But James seemed to thrive in that secondary playmaking role, particularly when Los Angeles was playing its best basketball in March.

The Lakers won 53 games and the Pacific Division title despite losing Doncic for the season and Reaves for nearly a month to injuries in the same game April 2. While the season ended with a four-game sweep at the hands of the strong favorites to win the NBA title, the Lakers are headed into the offseason with optimism about their ability to get even better next season — particularly if James sticks around.

But Pelinka also made it clear that the Lakers are building around the 27-year-old Doncic, who won the NBA scoring title and appeared to be ramping up for a formidable playoff run before a hamstring strain sidelined him.

“The archetype of the roster that we want is going to be retrofitted around Luka and the things he needs,” Pelinka said. ”Clearly he’s that leader and player for the future that we want to build the right way around.”

The Lakers' largest offseason transaction is likely to be a new contract for Reaves, the former undrafted free agent who has become one of the NBA's most prolific scorers in five seasons with Los Angeles. Reaves is expected to decline his player option for next season, and Pelinka confirmed that both sides expect the guard to sign a massive deal to stay with the Lakers.

“He started his journey here as a Laker and has made it very clear to us that he wants his journey to continue as a Laker, and we feel the same way,” Pelinka said. “We want his odyssey to continue to unfold in the purple and gold. Both sides have made it abundantly clear that we want to work something out.”

The Lakers' other unrestricted free agents including forward Rui Hachimura, who likely earned a big payday with his strong postseason play after long stretches of offensive passivity in the regular season; shooting guard Luke Kennard, a late-season trade pickup who made big contributions while Reaves was injured; and backup center Jaxson Hayes.

Starting center Deandre Ayton has an $8.1 million player option, and he said Monday that he hasn't even begun to think about whether to pick it up. Marcus Smart, another big-time playoff contributor, has a $5.4 million player option that he seems likely to decline for a bigger deal.

“Being here in LA, the crowd and everybody has been amazing,” Ayton said. “I wouldn't change it for nothing, to be honest.”

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

The U.S. men open at SoFi Stadium (to be known as Los Angeles Stadium) against Paraguay on June 12, the first of eight matches to be played at the NFL stadium in Inglewood.

The field was all dirt on Tuesday.

That changes Wednesday, when sod arrives after a 1,600-mile trip in refrigerated trucks from Washington state. It’ll be installed over two days.

“This surface is the players’ stage,” said Otto Benedict, senior vice president of facilities and campus operation for SoFi Stadium.

Construction on the field began April 13 after the stadium hosted a Monster Jam event in which 12,000-pound trucks competed in racing, skills and freestyle competitions.

The stadium modified the field shared by the NFL's Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers in two phases. Auxiliary space and wider dimensions were created by removing corner seats to meet FIFA specifications, and a sophisticated irrigation system was installed to maintain the grass.

"To be the place where the energy first ignites, where the home crowd gets to set the tone for the rest of the tournament is a responsibility we don’t take lightly,” Benedict said.

Construction, landscape, grass and engineering crews were applauded by local World Cup organizers and community ambassador Magic Johnson, who pointed out his suite where he'll be watching.

"When you think about the financial impact it's going to have on Los Angeles, it's going to be amazing,” said Johnson, who is a co-owner of LAFC in Major League Soccer and the Washington Spirit of the National Women's Soccer League.

Already coming down was signage advertising the stadium's usual sponsors.

Tours of the stadium during the tournament are being sold for $86.50. Still available are premium seating, suites and hospitality packages.

Fans can choose from a variety of food and drink options. Among the items on display Tuesday was salsa verde aguachile with lime marinated shrimp, kettle cooked crispy pickles, stone fruit panzanella, spiced lamb rack, smoked salmon mousse, petite beef burgers, tune poke and aged ribeye cap with bordelaise and mashed potatoes.

Desserts include a World Cup trophy made of chocolate mousse, raspberry, chocolate crunch and chocolate sponge and a soccer ball filled with vanilla mousse, peach, strawberry crunch and vanilla sponge.

Metro debuted special edition TAP cards featuring three FIFA-themed designs, 17 country-specific designs, four FIFA collector cards, including a light-up card, and a collector's box.

“We want to provide a system that is safe, fast and fun,” Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins said.

Metro is working with 11 other transit lines in the region to offer direct-to-stadium bus service for $3.75 roundtrip from 15 park-and-ride lots in Los Angeles and Orange counties. Reserved parking lots range in price from $55 to more than $100. Fans can access 300 dedicated buses to every match in an effort to avoid disrupting service to Metro's regular riders.

The official FIFA Fan Festival will be held June 11-14 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum with big screens showing games. Ten fan zones around Los Angeles County will host activities and watch parties.

___

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

The top-ranked Sinner beat qualifier Andrea Pellegrino 6-2, 6-3 to reach the Italian Open quarterfinals on Tuesday and match Novak Djokovic’s record with a 31st consecutive Masters Series victory.

Sinner hasn’t been beaten in a Masters Series event — the biggest tournaments outside the Grand Slams — since he retired with cramps in extreme heat against Tallon Griekspoor in Shanghai in October.

Djokovic won 31 straight Masters matches in 2011.

“If you want to be a great player you've got to play on all the surfaces and all the tournaments at your maximum,” Sinner said. “It's the mind that makes the difference.”

Like in his previous match, Sinner took control quickly with a break in the opening game before a packed Campo Centrale — where many fans were decked out in orange, which is Sinner's theme color. He improved to 19-0 against fellow Italians.

If Sinner raises the trophy in Rome, he’ll become the second man after Djokovic to triumph at all nine Masters 1000 events. Djokovic has won each event at least twice.

Sinner has already won a record five straight Masters events and with Carlos Alcaraz sidelined due to a right wrist injury, it doesn’t seem like anyone can prevent him from winning in Rome and at the upcoming French Open.

“It's time to take the title away from Adriano,” read a sign that one fan held aloft at the Foro Italico, referring to the last Italian man to win the singles title in Rome: Adriano Panatta 50 years ago.

Panatta will present the winner's trophy after Sunday's title match.

Overall, Sinner extended his winning streak to 26 matches. He hasn’t lost since getting beat by Jakub Mensik in the Qatar Open quarterfinals on Feb. 19.

Sinner’s quarterfinal opponent will be 12th-seeded Andrey Rublev, who beat Georgian qualifier Nikoloz Basilashvili 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2.

Also, 19-year-old Rafael Jodar swept aside Learner Tien 6-1, 6-4 to become only the second teenager after Rafael Nadal (in 2005) to reach the Madrid and Rome quarterfinals in the same season.

Jodar will next face Luciano Darderi, who saved four match points in the second set of a 1-6, 7-6 (10), 6-0 victory over two-time Rome champion Alexander Zverev,

Casper Ruud eased past Lorenzo Musetti 6-3, 6-1 with Musetti getting treatment for a left thigh issue.

Ruud will face Karen Khachanov, who beat Dino Prizmic 6-1, 7-6 (2). Prizmic eliminated Novak Djokovic on Friday.

Coco Gauff reaches the semifinals again

In the women’s tournament, Coco Gauff reached the Rome semifinals for the third consecutive year with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 victory over Mirra Andreeva.

Gauff was the runner-up in Rome last year and is preparing to defend her French Open title.

Gauff will next play 36-year-old Sorana Cirstea, who eliminated 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko 6-1, 7-6 (0).

Cirstea upset top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka in the third round and is now the second-oldest semifinalist in a WTA 1000 clay-court event. Only Martina Navratilova did it at an older age, at 37 in Rome in 1994.

“I always said there’s no expiration date for ambition and dreams,” said Cirstea, who plans to retire at the end of the year. “I think everyone can see that I absolutely love this sport. I have so much passion for it.”

Defending champion Jasmine Paolini, who lost in the third round of singles, withdrew from the doubles competition due to a "minor foot issue.” She and partner Sara Errani are the defending champions in doubles, too.

___

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

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche called it a “preventable tragedy of enormous consequence.”

The indictment names Synergy Marine Pte Ltd., based in Singapore, and Synergy Maritime Pte Ltd., based in Chennai, India. Radhakrishnan Karthik Nair, 47, an Indian national who was technical superintendent for the Dali container ship, was also charged.

Synergy Marine expressed disappointment and accused the U.S. Justice Department of turning an accident into a crime.

“This was a maritime casualty that should be assessed through the full factual, technical and regulatory record, rather than through selective mischaracterizations in a criminal indictment. ... Synergy will vigorously defend itself against these inaccurate allegations," the company said.

Nair's lawyer, David Gerger, had a similar response, saying his client “thinks about this accident every day, but he certainly did not cause it.”

Disaster began with a loose wire

The Dali, bound for Sri Lanka, lost power twice in a four-minute span as it moved to sea from the Port of Baltimore, causing it to crash into the Key Bridge in the early hours of March 26, 2024. Investigators say a loose wire in a switchboard likely caused the first power loss that led to its steering failure.

After regaining power, the ship found itself in trouble again. The Dali turned to a certain pump to supply fuel to two generators but the pump was not designed to automatically restart after the first blackout, so a second blackout occurred, the indictment says.

If the Dali had used the proper fuel pumps, according to the indictment, the vessel would have regained power in time to safely get under the bridge. Instead, it crashed into a supporting column of the bridge, killing six construction workers who had been filling potholes.

“As alleged, the bridge was struck and collapsed because those who were responsible for the ship’s operation deliberately cut corners at the expense of safety,” said Jimmy Paul, head of the FBI’s Baltimore office.

The government alleges that the same problem occurred with same type of pump on two of the Dali's sister ships.

Grand jury returns 47-page indictment

The companies and Nair are charged with conspiracy, misconduct causing death, failing to immediately inform the U.S. Coast Guard of a hazardous condition, obstructing the National Transportation Safety Board and making false statements.

The Synergy companies are also charged with misdemeanors for the release of pollutants into the Patapsco River, including shipping containers and their contents.

The FBI's investigation focused on the vessel’s operations and whether the crew knew of critical systems issues before leaving port. The NTSB found that the two electrical blackouts disabled the controls of the huge cargo ship before it crashed into the bridge.

The ship had experienced two blackouts in port a day earlier, but Synergy didn’t investigate or report those as required and provided false information to the NTSB, the government alleges.

Maryland officials estimate it could cost between $4.3 billion and $5.2 billion to replace the bridge, which is expected to be open to traffic in late 2030.

“The altered skyline is a constant reminder of this tragedy,” Paul said.

But the true cost of the collapse was far greater, according to the Maryland Attorney General’s Office. It halted shipping at the Port of Baltimore, disrupted the livelihoods of thousands, rerouted road traffic through communities already bearing disproportionate burdens and triggered economic problems statewide.

More legal action

The indictment follows a $2.25 billion settlement between the state of Maryland, Synergy Marine and Grace Ocean Private Limited, the Singapore-based ship owner. The deal was announced in April but the amount was not disclosed until Tuesday.

That lawsuit claimed the crash was the result of negligence, mismanagement and the reckless operation of a vessel that was not seaworthy and should never have left port. Plaintiffs included the owners of cargo aboard the ship and local governments seeking damages for economic losses. Some portions of the lawsuit remain unresolved.

Meanwhile, there's civil litigation pending on behalf of people who died while on the bridge. Trial is scheduled for June 1, though the indictment could cause a delay.

“The biggest takeaway is: ‘Will we get justice now?’ That's the common question we get from our clients daily,” said attorney L. Chris Stewart, who represents four families and a man who survived the bridge crash.

He described the indictment as a “bombshell.”

The bridge, a longstanding Baltimore landmark, was a vital piece of transportation infrastructure that allowed drivers to easily bypass downtown. The original 1.6-mile (2.6-kilometer) steel span took five years to build and opened to traffic in 1977.

___

White reported from Detroit.

Trump has been unsuccessfully pressing Xi to use China's considerable leverage to prod Iran to agree to U.S. terms to end the more than 2-month-old war — or, at the very least, reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

But just before he left the White House on Tuesday for his flight to Beijing, Trump sought to downplay differences with Xi over Iran and the shadow the conflict is casting on global oil markets.

“We’re going to have a long talk about it. I think he’s been relatively good, to be honest with you," Trump said of his plans to discuss the conflict with Xi. Minutes later, he added, “We have a lot of things to discuss. I wouldn’t say Iran is one of them, to be honest with you, because we have Iran very much under control."

But Trump over the course of the conflict has veered between venting that China, the world’s biggest buyer of Iranian oil, hasn't done more to get the Islamic Republic in line and acknowledging that Xi's government helped de-escalate the conflict last month by nudging Tehran back to ceasefire talks when negotiations wobbled.

Ahead of the visit, Trump sought to minimize the need to persuade Xi to change China's posture on Iran.

Instead, Trump's Republican administration seems determined not to let differences on Iran overshadow efforts to make headway on other difficult matters in the complicated relationship — ranging from trade to further Chinese cooperation to block exports of fentanyl precursors.

“I don’t think we need any help with Iran,” Trump said when asked by a reporter if he would press Xi to pressure the Islamic Republic.

US administration sanctioned China ahead of the trip

Beijing publicly insists that it wants to see the war end and has been working diplomatically behind the scenes to help its ally Pakistan push to broker a peace agreement. It has also sent a “subtle message of discontent to Iran” for closing the Strait of Hormuz and to the U.S. for its blockade of Iranian shipping, said Ahmed Aboudouh, a specialist on China’s influence in the Middle East with the London-based Chatham House think tank.

“They are very cautious, risk averse, and they don’t want to be involved in anything that would drag them into something that they don’t consider their problem,” he said.

Meanwhile, Kuwait on Tuesday accused Iran of dispatching an armed paramilitary Revolutionary Guard team to launch a failed attack earlier this month on an island in the Middle East nation that is home to a China-funded port project. Iran didn’t immediately acknowledge the allegation by Kuwait, which came under repeated attack by Iran in the war and even during the shaky ceasefire still holding in the region.

In recent days, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent have stepped up their calls for China to use its influence to help reopen the strait, through which about 20% of the world's crude flowed before the war began.

The State Department announced on Friday it was sanctioning four entities, including three China-based firms, for providing sensitive satellite imagery that enables Iranian military strikes against U.S. forces in the Middle East. Earlier, the Treasury Department moved to target Chinese oil refineries accused of buying oil from Tehran, as well as shippers of the oil. The sanctions cut off the companies from the U.S. financial system and penalize anyone who does business with them.

Beijing has called the sanctions “illegal unilateral pressure” and enacted a blocking statute — passed in 2021 and never used until now — that prohibits any Chinese entity from recognizing or complying with the sanctions.

Ahead of Trump's arrival, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi last week hosted his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, in Beijing. The Chinese foreign minister used the moment to defend Iran’s right to develop civilian nuclear energy.

Xi has also offered implicit criticism of the U.S. over the war. He has said that safeguarding international rule of law is paramount, adding it “must not be selectively applied or disregarded,” nor should the world be allowed to revert “to the law of the jungle.”

China and the US want to avoid a return to a tariff war

Like Trump, Xi also has plenty of reason to not let differences over Iran impact other facets of the relationship, analysts say.

Beijing wants to guard against further deterioration of the U.S.-China relationship — something that would add further challenges to its economy.

Yet, since the U.S. and Israel launched strikes on Iran in late February, there have been difficult moments between Trump and Xi that threatened to set back the relative stability in their relationship.

China has long supported Iran’s ballistic missile program and backed it with dual-use industrial components that can be used for missile production, according to the U.S. government.

Last month, Trump threatened to impose a 50% tariff on China after reports that Beijing was preparing to deliver a shipment of new air defense systems to Iran, but he later backed away from the threat, claiming that he had received written assurance from Xi that he would not provide Tehran with weaponry. Days later, Trump said cryptically that the U.S. Navy had intercepted a Chinese vessel carrying a “gift” for Iran. He has not offered further explanation.

Both Trump and Xi may be eager to avoid creating dark economic clouds, as they did last year, when the two powers appeared on the precipice of a massive trade war.

Trump had set tariffs on Chinese goods at 145%, and China announced a further tightening of rare-earth export controls that would have hurt U.S. industry — before the governments backed off from inflicting maximalist penalties on each other. The two sides reached a fragile truce in their long-running trade disputes in October.

Trump and other administration officials have made the case that the Iran conflict — particularly the closure of the strait — has caused greater harm to China and its Pacific neighbors than it has to the United States, which is far less dependent on Middle East oil and has an export-driven economy.

“You can’t buy from them if you can’t ship it there, and you can’t buy from them if your economy is being destroyed by what Iran is doing,” Rubio told reporters last week, making the case that it was in China’s interest for Iran to let traffic resume.

But for now, China has shown little interest in wading deeper into the conflict and has appeared reluctant to be seen siding with Washington.

“It will be difficult to get the Chinese deeply involved under any circumstances,” said Kurt Campbell, a former deputy secretary of state during President Joe Biden's Democratic administration and chair of The Asia Group. “They will want to be careful because they can see political quicksand as well as the next guy.”

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Madhani reported from Beijing. Associated Press writers Didi Tang in Washington, Adam Schreck in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and David Rising in Bangkok contributed to this report.

A day before the state opening of Parliament when the government will present its legislative program for the coming year, Starmer tried to shore up support within his Cabinet.

Starmer's future has become a hot topic over the past few feverish days following historic losses for the Labour Party in local elections last week, which if repeated in a national election that has to be held by 2029, would see it overwhelmingly ejected from power.

Though no Cabinet member has quit or publicly stated the prime minister should step aside for a change in leader, there's growing speculation that the ambitious health secretary, Wes Streeting, will inform Starmer that his days are numbered when they meet on Wednesday.

Streeting has many supporters within the parliamentary party, including some of those who resigned from Starmer's government on Tuesday, which stoked speculation that Starmer could suffer the fate of Boris Johnson in 2022 when dozens of ministers quit en masse and forced his departure.

While more than 100 members of Parliament signed a letter saying it was "no time for a leadership contest,” about 90 others said Starmer should stand down or at least set out a timetable for his departure.

That's not enough to trigger a leadership contest, though, as no candidate has issued a challenge to the prime minister. Under Labour party rules, a fifth of its lawmakers in the House of Commons, or 81 members, must publicly give their backing to a single candidate for a leadership election to take place.

First resignations

On Tuesday, several junior ministers, some of whom were elected for the first time in Labour's landslide election victory in July 2024, resigned and urged Starmer to do the same.

Miatta Fahnbulleh, minister of housing, communities and local government, was the first to quit, urging Starmer “to do the right thing for the country.”

She was followed by Jess Phillips, the safeguarding minister and a prominent member of the Labour Party. In her resignation letter, she described Starmer as a “good man fundamentally” but unable to make bold changes.

“I know you care deeply, but deeds, not words are what matter,” Phillips said. “I’m not sure we are grasping this rare opportunity with the gusto that’s needed and I cannot keep waiting around for a crisis to push for faster progress.”

Despite the party's dominant win driving out the Conservatives after 14 years in power, Labour’s popularity has plunged and Starmer is getting much of the blame.

The reasons include a series of policy missteps, a perceived lack of vision on the prime minister's part, a struggling British economy and questions over his judgment. Starmer's choice of Peter Mandelson as U.K. ambassador to Washington despite ties to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has continued to haunt him.

Starmer defiant

At the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Starmer said he took responsibility for the losses in last week’s elections but would fight on.

Labour was squeezed from the right and the left, losing votes to both anti-immigrant Reform UK and the Green Party, as well as nationalist parties in Scotland and Wales. The result reflects the increasing fragmentation of U.K. politics, long dominated by Labour and the Conservatives.

Starmer told his Cabinet that there’s a process to oust a leader and it hadn't been triggered.

“The country expects us to get on with governing,” Starmer said. “The past 48 hours have been destabilizing for government and that has a real economic cost for our country and for families.”

That cost was evident in financial markets on Tuesday, with the interest rate charged on British government bonds up by more than those of comparable nations. That shows investors think it's increasingly risky to hold British government debt.

Embattled PM wins support

As Cabinet members left 10 Downing Street, some voiced their support for the embattled prime minister.

Works and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden said nobody publicly challenged Starmer at the meeting, while Business Secretary Peter Kyle said the prime minister was showing “really steadfast leadership.”

Later, Starmer's deputy David Lammy warned Labour lawmakers that the only beneficiary of the party's “navel-gazing” is the populist right and the leader of Reform UK, Nigel Farage, in particular.

“He has my full support, and what I say to colleagues is, look, let’s just step back," he said. “Take a breath.”

Potential candidates

Health Secretary Wes Streeting, long believed to be preparing for a leadership challenge against Starmer, was among senior ministers who dodged a barrage of shouted questions from a gaggle of reporters outside.

“Wes Streeting, do you want the job, or not?” a man yelled from across the street. “Are you measuring the curtains?”

Streeting is expected to meet Starmer early on Wednesday, before King Charles III outlines the government's program, to discuss the future.

The other two names often touted as possible successors are Angela Rayner, the former deputy prime minister who had to quit last year over an unpaid tax bill. She has long set herself apart as a different kind of politician with a compelling personal story, brought up in social housing and leaving school at 16 as a teen mother.

Andy Burnham, the popular mayor of Greater Manchester, is widely perceived to be one of the strongest candidates but is not currently eligible because he’s not in Parliament. To get in the race, he'll have to find a seat where he can be elected.

That may involve a close ally of Burnham's in the northwest of England vacating their seat for him to stand for election. However, he may be blocked as was the case earlier this year or could even lose, if last week's results are any guide.

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Danica Kirka and Sylvia Hui in London contributed to this report.

The report, titled “Silenced No More,” was published Tuesday by the Civil Commission, an independent group that documents and researches gender-based violence by Hamas after its 2023 attack on Israel that sparked the war in Gaza.

The report details a two-year investigation that drew on more than 400 testimonies and nearly 2,000 hours of visual analysis documenting 13 patterns of violence, including gang rape, sexual torture and forced nudity.

“Our findings demonstrate that it was a deliberate tactic within the broader architecture of the terror inflicted on victims and hostages,” said Cochav Elkayam-Levy, founder and chair of the commission and lead author of the report.

Sexual violence has been heavily politicized since the war in Gaza began, with each side trying to discredit the other’s accusations.

Israel has pointed to incidents during the Oct. 7 attacks and to treatment of hostages to highlight what it says is Hamas’ savagery and to justify its wartime goal of preventing any repeated threat from Gaza. The Israeli government has accused the international community of ignoring or playing down evidence of sexual violence, alleging anti-Israel bias.

The report's findings could not be independently verified by The Associated Press, and critics have challenged some of Elkayam-Levy’s previous research. A number of prominent figures, including Hillary Rodham Clinton, Rahm Emanuel and Facebook pioneer Sheryl Sandberg, have endorsed her work.

The United Nations says it has found “ reasonable grounds ” to believe that Hamas militants committed rape and other sexual violence during their rampage. The prosecutor for the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, has said he had reason to believe that three key Hamas leaders bore responsibility for “rape and other acts of sexual violence as crimes against humanity.”

Human rights groups and Palestinians rounded up by Israel after the attacks have also shared detailed testimonies of sexual violence and torture in Israeli prisons.

In March, Israel dropped charges against five soldiers who had been accused of beating and sodomizing a Palestinian detainee in an alleged assault partially caught on camera. Hard-line politicians, who had angrily protested the charges, hailed the decision to dismiss the charges, while human rights groups said it illustrated Israel's unwillingness to investigate abuses.

Israel's government and Hamas did not immediately respond to requests from AP for comment.

The commission — composed of a team of researchers, lawyers and trauma experts — collected digital materials, conducted interviews and filmed testimonies. It also cross-referenced information using independent data sources, it said.

The report said Hamas and its collaborators primarily targeted women and hostages but that children also were subjected to violence and abuse.

In one example, it said two returning young hostages were forced to perform “sexual acts on one another," such as taking off their clothes while their captors touched their private parts.

It said sexual torture was used to maximize pain and suffering, with survivors enduring burning, mutilation and forced insertion of objects. Victims were sometimes found handcuffed or bound. Armed groups also recorded acts of abuse and killing and circulated footage through social media, the report said.

The report documented assaults at multiple sites, including the Nova Music festival, where hundreds were killed and others taken hostage. The AP previously found evidence that sexual assault was part of Hamas’ atrocities-filled rampage on Oct. 7, including a witness account by a man at the festival who said he heard a woman screaming for help and shouting, “They’re raping me, they’re raping me!”

Hostages also were subjected to sexual harassment and assault, some for months at a time, according to the report.

Some released hostages have spoken out about being sexually assaulted in captivity. In an interview with Israeli media, Romi Gonen said she was repeatedly sexually assaulted and harassed by three men.

Another hostage, Guy Gilboa-Dalal, told the New York Times he was sexually abused by one of his captors and threatened with death if he said anything.

Here are five things that happened on Cannes' opening day:

Peter Jackson received an honorary Palme d'Or

The French Riviera festival began with a tribute to Jackson, handing the “Lord of the Rings” filmmaker an honorary Palme d’Or. He was introduced by Elijah Wood, who played Frodo Baggins in the films.

“I’ve never figured out why I’m getting a Palme d’Or. I’m not a Palme d’Or sorta guy,” said the shaggy-haired New Zealand filmmaker.

Jackson was then serenaded with a rendition of the Beatles’ “Get Back,” a nod to his lauded 2021 documentary. The director sat stage right mouthing the lyrics.

Jane Fonda and Gong Li declared the festival open

The task of declaring the festival officially open fell to the 88-year-old Fonda and Gong, the Chinese-Singaporean actor.

“Cinema has always been an act of resistance,” said Fonda.

Politics dominated the jury introduction

At the introduction of the jury that will decide the Palme d’Or — Cannes’ top honor — jury members spoke bluntly about holding a film festival during a time of geopolitical conflict.

Paul Laverty, the Scottish screenwriter known for his films with director Ken Loach, pointed toward this year’s Cannes poster, of “Thelma and Louise,” while discussing attending Cannes during what he called “genocide in Gaza.”

Quoting “King Lear,” he said: “Madmen lead the blind.”

“Cannes has a wonderful poster,” said Laverty. “Isn’t it fascinating to see some of them like Susan Sarandon, Javier Bardem and Mark Ruffalo blacklisted because of their views in opposing the murder of women and children in Gaza? Shame on Hollywood people who do that.”

The nine-member jury is being presided over by Park Chan-wook, the South Korean filmmaker of “Oldboy” and “No Other Choice,” who said that politics and cinema go hand in hand.

“Art and politics are not concepts that are in conflict with each other,” said Park. “One cannot disqualify a film on the pretext that it has a political message. Just as one cannot reject a film because it would not be political enough.”

Other jury members include Chloé Zhao, Stellan Skarsgård, Ruth Negga and Demi Moore, who two years ago was celebrated in Cannes for her comeback performance in “The Substance.”

James Franco turned up on the red carpet

Cannes has sometimes been known for hosting personalities that find a less welcome reception in Hollywood. Three years ago, the festival famously opened with the Johnny Depp film “Jeanne du Barry.”

On Tuesday, James Franco was an unexpected guest at the opening ceremony. The 48-year-old actor also appeared in Cannes in 2024.

In 2021, Franco and his co-defendants agreed to pay $2.2 million to settle a lawsuit alleging he intimidated students at an acting and film school he founded into gratuitous and exploitative sexual situations.

Guillermo del Toro presented a restored ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’

Twenty years after Guillermo del Toro premiered his lauded fable, “Pan's Labyrinth,” he returned to Cannes on Tuesday to screen a 4K restoration of it. The filmmaker said the movie, about a young girl and fascist captain in 1940s Spain, remains timely.

“We are, unfortunately, in times that make this movie more pertinent than ever because they tell us everything is useless to resist, that art can be done with a —-ing app,” said del Toro.

Vahle shared the news in a LinkedIn post on Monday, writing: “Today, I shared with our team that after 36 years with Disney, I’ll be retiring this summer.”

He added: “I started my career as an engineer at Magic Kingdom and I’m wrapping it up with the best job ever, leading Walt Disney World into a period of remarkable growth in partnership with our incredible Cast Members and community.”

Vahle became president in May 2020, stepping into the role during one of the most turbulent chapters in the resort’s history. He navigated Walt Disney World through the COVID-19 pandemic — which forced a temporary shutdown of the resort — and led the landmark 50th anniversary celebration of Walt Disney World.

During his tenure, Vahle and his team opened several major attractions, including Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, TRON Lightcycle/Run, and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. New nighttime spectaculars debuted at both Magic Kingdom and EPCOT.

[WATCH: Walt Disney World president, Orlando city leaders mark spot where Disney’s Florida dream began]

Vahle said he plans to remain in his role through late July. Before then, he noted several milestones ahead, including launching Cool Kids’ Summer, opening Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring the Muppets, and debuting an updated Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run.

[RELATED: Here’s why May is a big month at Walt Disney World]

“It’s an exciting time at Walt Disney World, and I’m looking forward to being part of it in the months ahead,” he wrote.

Vahle oversees a workforce of approximately 80,000 Cast Members across four theme parks, more than 25 resort hotels, two water parks, a sports complex, and a themed retail, dining, and entertainment district. He also oversees Worldwide Safety, Health, Engineering, and Sourcing for Disney Experiences.

Messi’s new contract includes $25 million in base salary and $28,333,333 in guaranteed compensation, the MLS Players Association said Tuesday in its first release of 2026 salaries. He earns more than the payrolls of 28 of the other 29 MLS teams.

Miami's $54.6 million payroll is more than $20 million higher than LAFC, which is second at $32.7 million, and nearly five times as much as Philadelphia's league-low $11.7 million. Miami's payroll is up from $46.8 million at the start of last season.

Toronto cut payroll to $21.4 million from $34.1 million at the start of 2025, and LAFC boosted its spending to $32.7 million from $22.4 million.

Total league compensation was $631 million and the average guaranteed compensation of $688,816 on April 16 was up 8.9% from $632,809 as of last Oct. 1.

Messi's initial MLS contract, agreed to in July 2023, included a $12 million base salary and annualized guaranteed compensation of $20,446,667. Messi agreed last October to a three-year contract through the 2028 season, then led the team to its first MLS title.

An attacker who turns 39 next month, Messi is captain of defending World Cup champion Argentina and is expected to play in his sixth World Cup. Messi has 59 goals in 64 regular-season games with Miami, including nine in 11 matches this season. He led MLS with 29 regular-season goals last season and won his second straight MVP award.

His salary figures are for his MLS contract and include any marketing bonus and agent’s fees but do not account for any additional agreements with the team or its affiliates, or for any performance bonuses.

Son is second at $10,368,750 in base salary and $11,152,852 in total compensation, the same as his figures last season. The 33-year-old winger joined LA last August.

Midfielder Rodrigo de Paul, who signed with Miami last summer, is third at $7,569,000 in salary and $9,688,320 in total compensation, followed by Atlanta winger Miguel Almirón ($6,056,000, $7,871,000), San Diego winger Hirving Lozano ($6 million, $9,333,333), New York Red Bulls winger Emil Forsberg ($5,405,000, $6,035,625), Nashville forward Sam Surridge ($5.27 million, $5,933,000), LA Galaxy midfielder Riqui Puig ($5,125,000, $5,792,188), Vancouver attacker Thomas Müller ($5,000,004, $5,152,504) and Chicago winger Jonathan Bamba ($5 million, $5,581,806).

Cincinnati defender Miles Robinson topped MLS players in contention for spots on the U.S. World Cup roster at $3.5 million in base salary and $3.95 million in total compensation, followed by New England goalkeeper Matt Turner ($1,776,136, $1,942,886), Seattle midfielder Cristian Roldan ($1,645,000, $1,766,000), Charlotte midfielder Tim Ream ($1 million, $1,127,750), Columbus goalkeeper Patrick Schulte ($900,000, $1,032,083), Columbus left back/winger Max Arfsten ($800,000, $895,000), New York City goalkeeper Matt Freese ($675,000, $795,833), Cincinnati goalkeeper Roman Celentano ($525,000, $574,000), Salt Lake midfielder Diego Luna ($450,000, $500,833), Vancouver midfielder Sebastian Berhalter ($480,000) and Chicago goalkeeper Chris Brady ($250,000, $348,333).

Newcomers to the league include Toronto forward Josh Sargent ($3.21 million, $5,265,667), San Jose forward Timo Werner ($3,738,872, $4,268,039), Salt Lake winger Morgan Guilavogui ($2.2 million, $2,225,500), Houston forward Guilherme ($1,528,572, $1,925,230), LAFC midfielder Stephen Eustáquio ($1.8 million), D.C. forward Louis Munteanu ($1.19 million, $1,634,100) and Minnesota midfielder James Rodríguez ($684,000).

MLS's median salary — the point an equal number of players earned above and below — rose 4.1% to $352,104 from $338,347 last fall. There were 133 players earning $1 million or more, up from 131 at the start of last season and 91 at the start of 2022.

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

Naturally, he was upset the No. 20 car wound up parked next to the concrete wall near Indianapolis Motor Speedway's famed yard of bricks. What really irked him, though, was waiting another lap for a full-course caution to come out.

IndyCar Officiating heard the complaints and responded Tuesday by announcing the series would no longer consider race order or pit window status to determine whether to employ a full-course yellow or a local caution.

Drivers almost universally lauded the move, just hours before their first Indianapolis 500 practice.

“I was surprised it took so long to be thrown,” Marcus Armstrong of Meyer Shank Racing said Tuesday. “But there was also debris on the track at the time on the race line, which is what they threw the yellow for at Long Beach, so I thought a yellow would be thrown for that. Not sure why it wasn't, but I think it should be totally yellow when there is danger for drivers. Rossi trying to jump out of his car — safety needs to be the priority.”

The rule change won't impact the Greatest Spectacle in Racing, scheduled for May 24, because there are no local yellows on ovals.

But it's intended to avoid a repeat of Saturday's scary scene when Rossi climbed out of his cockpit and across the wall separating the racetrack from pit lane before walking to his pit stall. Rossi waited for the full-course caution to come out and when it didn't the 2016 Indianapolis 500 winner, who now drives for Ed Carpenter Racing, left nobody guessing about his thoughts.

"It's pretty annoying to have failures on the car because of a product that we didn't ask for, that doesn't improve the racing, so that's frustrating," Rossi told Fox's pit reporter. “Second, the fact it took that long to throw a full-course yellow when a car is on the front straight, people are going 175 mph, also seems insane when they didn't let us run in the rain (Friday). So I don't know where the priorities lie.”

The series' Independent Officiating Board tried to clarify what happened Tuesday, saying in a news release Rossi's car was out of the normal racing line and that Saturday's decision to throw a local yellow was based on a standard set of factors that included both pit windows and running order.

Moving forward, though, those two factors will not be used in the equation of when a full-course yellow is needed.

“The Lap 21 incident on Saturday made clear there needs to be a cleaner standard for how race control moves from a local to a full-course yellow,” said Raj Nair, the chairman of the new board. “IndyCar Officiating, with IndyCar’s full support, has made this change of approach to ensure that the only inputs to the full course yellow escalation are safety ones.”

It's the second rule change the series has made since the season moved to the historic Brickyard for May. But it's one everyone seems to believe is warranted.

“The most important job in race control is to ensure the safety of our drivers, crews, safety workers and fans,” IndyCar President Doug Boles said in a news release. “Saturday highlighted we must not waver from that central mission, and aligning everyone on that philosophy was critical to discuss over the last 48 hours.”

The drivers concur.

“I heard there was something that came out this morning," said Josef Newgarden, a two-time 500 champion who drives for Team Penske. "Every incident is different, but I think IndyCar has always tried to optimize the show versus safety and whatever they've tried to do, I fully support.”

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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

The Associated Press was allowed to witness the Swedish-led military exercise this week as Europe faces not only the threat of Russia but the wavering of NATO’s most powerful member, the United States.

The war game that also involved U.S. forces played out with a real threat in mind. For months, Russia has ramped up sabotage including cyberattacks against critical infrastructure and disinformation against countries across Europe, as detailed by an AP investigation.

The war game scenario — with the Swedish island of Gotland in theory facing power outages and food shortages because of sabotage — tested what NATO members might do before NATO’s collective defense clause, Article 5, has been invoked.

“In theory, it could happen tomorrow,” said Rear Adm. Jonas Wikström, director of the exercise.

Europe considers Trump's volatile approach to NATO

Sweden’s chief of defense, Gen. Michael Claesson, noted that the U.S. is Europe’s most militarily capable ally so “any change in the American presence” affects the overall dynamics. He told the AP that announcements by U.S. President Donald Trump of troop reductions in Europe are interpreted “as the Americans are leaving — and they are not.”

Europe’s military leaders, however, are watching closely how Trump and his administration treat NATO, which Trump has described as a “paper tiger.” Most recently, he has ordered the withdrawal of at least 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany and threatens to remove more.

Trump also has criticized allies, and NATO, for not coming to the aid of the U.S. in the Iran war, while U.S. air defense systems and missiles have been moved toward the Middle East from Europe, raising concerns about gaps in protection. Some European nations have been told they will face delays to their orders of U.S. weapons.

Claesson denied that recent announcements — including plans for a “hybrid navy” between a group of Nordic and Baltic nations, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, as announced by Gen. Sir Gwyn Jenkins, the U.K's First Sea Lord — were a hedge against a possible future where the U.S. does not come to the aid of NATO allies.

But, he said, “everything that offers European allies freedom of action is good.”

The U.K. and Norway also aim to build a combined frigate fleet, said Marte Gerhardsen, state secretary at the Norwegian Ministry of Defense.

Ukrainian drone forces destroy Swedish troops in exercise

Since Trump returned to the White House in January 2025, he also has paused intelligence sharing with Ukraine and at times aligned with Moscow in negotiations to end the war.

In the war game scenario this week, Ukrainian forces had a chance to demonstrate what they have learned on the battlefield and why their country might be a worthy NATO member.

A group of Ukrainian drone pilots, invited to teach Western forces how to win at drone warfare, destroyed Sweden’s troops in an exercise where the Ukrainians played the role of the aggressor, a 24-year-old drone pilot told the AP.

“They stopped the training three times” for troops to work out what to do better, but if it were real life they would have been dead, he said, giving his call sign Tarik in line with Ukrainian military regulations.

Swedish troops have potential but need to improve their drones and tactics and commanders need a deeper understanding of drone warfare, said another pilot with the call sign Karat.

He described flying small, first-person-view attack drones on the front line against Russian forces. Sometimes drone pilots are supported by reconnaissance drone teams but other times they are “working blindly.”

Western forces cannot understand what it is like, he added: “You need to see this with your own eyes.”

All Western forces need to “learn rapidly” how to perform drone and counter-drone operations, and the “fastest” way is to listen to the Ukrainians, Claesson said.

“What they’ve taught us is you have to really focus on your survivability and how you can’t be detected,” said Brig. Gen. Curtis King with the U.S. military. At the same time, he said, Western nations need to focus on “deep” detection capabilities to spot drones from far away.

Such knowledge is desperately needed along Russia’s border with NATO where there has been a spate of drone incursions in recent months, including from Ukrainian drones sent off course by Russian jamming.

The goal is to have systems that work together so that radar made by different companies in different countries can be integrated to share data and track threats, King said. That process has started but, “we’re not there yet.”

Putin could use Gotland to test the alliance

The war game focused on the Swedish island of Gotland because it is strategically located in the Baltic Sea between the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad — where Moscow has stationed missiles — and Sweden.

“If you control Gotland, you pretty much control the central part of the Baltic Sea,” Claesson said.

The Baltic Sea is a financial lifeline for Russia as vessels with its “shadow fleet” carry oil and liquefied natural gas that Moscow uses to fund its war in Ukraine.

After the Cold War, Sweden effectively abandoned its military presence on Gotland but Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 prompted a rethink and a strengthened military presence there. And Sweden, along with Finland, decided to join NATO in 2024.

“A very reasonable scenario” is that Russian President Vladimir Putin could use Gotland to test NATO by trying to take a thin sliver of alliance territory to probe the collective reaction, Claesson said.

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Associated Press writer Jamey Keaten in Geneva contributed.