Orange County’s in-person voters won’t be mailed sample ballots for the upcoming primary, a shift that has upset some voters and election advocates.

Primary voters can view, and then print, a sample ballot via a QR code, which was provided on a mailer sent to their homes. They can also call or email the elections office and request a sample ballot be sent to them or stop in and pick one up.

But, in a shift from past elections, no paper sample ballots will automatically be sent to those who didn’t register to vote by mail, said Blake Summerlin, a spokesperson for the Orange County Supervisor of Elections, in an emailed statement.

[ELECTION 2026: Primary Election Guide|How to vote by mail|Election Myths]

However, for the November general election, the county will move back to traditional paper sample ballots, as it has in the past, Summerlin added.

He did not directly respond to a question about why the office had decided against sample ballots mailed to homes for the primary. “We have used a variety of sample ballot mailer formats in the past to provide voters with important election information and help them prepare for upcoming elections,” Summerlin wrote. “Because each election is unique, the format and method of providing this information varies.”

The QR codes first landed in Orange mailboxes last year during the special election for Senate District 15 and House District 40, and that system has now been expanded for the Aug. 18 primary.

A sample ballot also ran recently in the Orlando Sentinel, which — paired with the QR codes — serves as an appropriate substitute for mailing them, Summerlin said.

But Eugenia Economos, a 73-year-old county resident, said older voters are in a panic about the change. The elderly people she knows want to vote, but they often have little understanding of technology, she said.

Contacting the elections office to request a paper sample ballot can also be too much, she argued, as it demands more use of technology, by phone or email. And an extra in-person visit can be challenging, especially for the disabled.

“They tell me they take their paper ballots into voting booths so that they can remember who to vote for,” she said. “Without having paper ballots mailed to them, they’re going to be disenfranchised. They’re not going to know where to go, how to do it, who the candidates are.”

The mailer with the QR code doesn’t mention that traditional sample ballots won’t be sent at all, she added, so some people she spoke to were still unknowingly waiting for them to arrive.

Lake, Osceola and Seminole counties are still mailing sample ballots to voters for the primary, which is consistent with past elections, officials said.

Orange’s shift worries the League of Women Voters of Orange County. Kathy Schmitz, the group’s co-president, agreed older people will more than likely be put off by the QR codes. But younger and low-income people also might not have access to printers to make their own copies of sample ballots, she said.

“Even those who are savvy enough to use the QR codes often like to mark their ballots and take them into the voting booth with them,” she said. “The tech makes that more difficult.”

The advocacy group has already reached out to the supervisor of elections office about the change, she added, and urged bringing the old system back for the general election.

For the primary, voters who want a sample ballot mailed to them can contact the Orange County Supervisor of Elections at (407) 836-2070 or at sampleballot@ocfelections.gov, or pick one up at one at the election offices at 119 W. Kaley Street, Orlando or 9401 W. Colonial Drive, Suite 360A, Ocoee.

In a release on Tuesday, deputies said the incident happened after a Sunday evening mass at St. Ann’s Catholic Church in DeBary.

“A parishioner noticed the Virgin Mary statue in the prayer garden was missing,” the release reads. “On a closer look, the church discovered Mary’s statue had been ripped off its slab and thrown in the woods.”

Per investigators, surveillance footage caught an unidentified man committing the vandalism on July 23.

Anyone who recognizes the suspect is urged to contact the VSO at (386) 668-3830 or email CBuettner@volusiasheriff.gov.

The Bears announced the deal Tuesday by saying “The Wright Tackle is here to stay.” It's a four-year, $116 million contract, a person familiar with the agreement told The Associated Press. The deal includes $93 million guaranteed, the person said.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because details had not been announced by either side.

The contract is the biggest ever for a right tackle and includes the most guaranteed money for an offensive lineman in NFL history, according to ESPN.

The 10th overall pick in the 2023 draft out of Tennessee, Wright anchored an offensive line that helped the Bears rank third in the NFL in rushing and win the NFC North. He earned second-team All-Pro honors.

Wright said during training camp last week that he believed an extension would work out.

“Obviously, I know I’ll be here for a long time, hopefully my whole career,” he said. “Those things kind of just handle themselves. I just have to stay focused on the main things. That’s just getting better, consistency every day.”

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

In comments toward the end of the briefing, Judd said that he and other members of the Florida Sheriff’s Association had concerns about the proposal, Amendment 3.

“Make no mistake about it: the Florida sheriffs believe that we can have meaningful tax savings for the people of the state of Florida, but this instrument in November is not the instrument to do that,” he said.

No state funding after all?

To start, Judd pointed out the many cuts that were made to the original plan proposed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, calling out state lawmakers for having “zero financial analysis.”

“(Lawmakers) have no idea what the devastation of Amendment 3 in its current form will be to cities and counties,” he stated. “When you get to some small counties, it’s going to wipe them out. It’s going to be 50% of their taxes.”

In DeSantis’ original proposal, he pushed for a state fund to help struggling local governments cover core services while property taxes were phased out.

But that provision was scrubbed from the final plan.

Uh, the Legislature put a measure on the ballot. It wasn’t “signed” by me because it does not require the approval of the governor per the Florida Constitution.

In fact, the Legislature’s measure is different from my proposal in significant respects (ie, it doesn’t provide for… https://t.co/GLilr7af0U

— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) June 7, 2026

“(The proposal) does not protect law enforcement, fire, emergency services as earlier editions of it supposedly did,” he continued. “It doesn’t provide money to fix roads adequately, clean stormwater adequately; it doesn’t do any of that.”

As such, Judd suggested that voters vote against Amendment 3 during the general election in November.

“It’s a train wreck,” he argued. “So tell your legislators to go back to work next session and give you meaningful, appropriate, well-thought-out, well-managed, well-researched tax relief.”

How Amendment 3 works

The amendment — HJR 1F — provides a new homestead exemption for non-school taxes for residents in the state.

Current homestead exemption rules in the state operate as follows, with two different brackets of assessed value being tax exempt:

But under HJR 1F, the exemptions would apply solely to non-school taxes, though the exempted amount would raise dramatically:

• 2027 — First $150,000 of assessed value
• 2028 — First $250,000 of assessed value
• 2029 onward — First $250,000 of assessed value, indexed to inflation

In his original draft, DeSantis said he wanted a full elimination of property taxes on homesteaded properties — not just cuts. Lawmakers ultimately scaled that back, though.

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

However, the new proposed cuts only apply to homeowners who are permanent residents of Florida before the proposed amendment takes effect on Jan. 1, 2027 (if it gets approved, that is).

What about new residents?

For newcomers, the timeline is a bit different.

HJR 1F instead provides new residents with a five-year homestead exemption that comes out as follows:

After this five-year period, the new residents will then be eligible for the higher exemption.

What else is in the plan?

Meanwhile, the amendment also reduces the annual non-homestead property assessment growth cap from 10% to 5%, limiting how much these sorts of properties may be assessed each year.

[RELATED: Local governments warn of revenue losses under Florida tax proposal]

In addition, the plan limits how local governments may spend property tax revenue:

• Public safety, including law enforcement, EMS and fire services
• Education and public schools
• Infrastructure, including roads, bridges and stormwater controls
• Natural resource projects, including flood control measures
• Issue local bonds for approved uses or to make debt service payments
• Meet obligations and retirement benefits of local government employees
• Fund the operations and administration of county officers and commissioners

What does it need to take effect?

While the amendment has been approved by lawmakers, it will still need 60% approval from voters in the general election on Nov. 3.

The State Department said the decision was a reciprocal response to Brazil’s actions and officials said the step had been delayed several times to give Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva room to back down, something he did not do. Officials said, however, that it could be quickly reversed if Brazil takes appropriate action and accepts Trump’s ambassadorial choice.

Trump has had a fractious relationship for some time with Lula's administration, which has opposed him on numerous policies, particularly in the Western Hemisphere regarding Venezuela and Cuba. Their relationship also has been strained by Trump’s fondness for Lula’s first term successor and then predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, who is currently under house arrest, and his son Flavio, who is Lula’s main opponent in October election.

Despite the revocation of her visa, Brazil’s ambassador Maria Luiza Ribeiro Viotti is not being expelled from the United States, said one State Department official, who like several others spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive diplomatic matter. The ambassador was previously a senior United Nations official.

She could be allowed to resume her official duties if the Brazilian government accepts Trump’s choice of former Florida House speaker Danny Perez to be U.S. ambassador to Brazil. Perez was nominated to the post in June and the official said Brazil had signaled it would not act on the appointment until after the October election.

In addition to stalling on Perez, Brazil denied visas last month for Riley Barnes, the assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor, and one of his top aides after reports emerged that the pair were going to criticize Lula or the election process.

The State Department denied the allegations and said the two had planned to visit Brasilia on July 27-30 to meet government officials, religious leaders and others about “election integrity,” religious freedom and freedom of expression.

It said the visit was routine and that “any insinuation of a ‘ploy’ to undermine a democratic nation’s election is a baseless lie.”

Brazil’s government did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press about the revocation of the ambassador's visa, but last week a top Brazilian diplomat told journalists the government was expecting a response from the U.S.

The diplomat also mentioned the U.S. government had triggered the proceedings to send Perez to Brasilia before seeking Brazil’s approval, which is different from standard diplomatic procedure. The diplomat spoke on condition of anonymity due to lack of authorization to discuss the matter publicly.

Lula will face Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, whose father once served as Brazil’s president and whose family has many ties with the Trump administration, in the Oct. 4 polls. The administration has numerous issues with Lula and his policies and has also hosted the younger Bolsonaro, who is seeking to carry on his father's conservative governance.

Sen. Bolsonaro and his brother, Eduardo, visited U.S. officials in Washington, including Trump, in late May. Shortly afterward, the Trump administration classified Brazil’s biggest drug-trafficking groups — First Command Capital and Red Command — as foreign terrorist organizations, a move Lula opposes.

The Trump administration also imposed an up to 37.5% tariff hike on thousands of Brazilian exports, which came into force Friday. The U.S. government claims the South American nation has unfair competition practices and fails to stop forced labor practices — both accusations rejected by the Lula administration as an attempt to sway the election to Sen. Bolsonaro.

Jair Bolsonaro has for years fed concerns about the country’s electronic voting system, without providing any evidence for his claims. He is now serving a 27-year prison sentence at home for an attempted coup. He has long insisted that the machines, used for a quarter-century, are prone to fraud.

His son, Sen. Bolsonaro, has recently repeated some of these claims, although he steered clear of those on Saturday when his Liberal Party confirmed him as a presidential candidate in Sao Paulo.

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Savarese reported from Sao Paulo, Brazil.

It's good to be prepared, but kids who walk to school or participate in extracurricular activities may be lugging more than their bodies can handle. Lockers and classroom storage aren’t available everywhere — and a child carrying too much weight might not be ready to learn.

As families begin back-to-school shopping, here's how to know if your child's backpack is too heavy, and how to lighten their load.

How heavy is too heavy?

The modern school backpack has evolved, but it hasn’t necessarily gotten lighter. Whether students have textbooks, digital devices or both, they often are accompanied by notebooks, water bottles, lunch containers, workout clothes and more. Individually, those items may not seem heavy, but together they can add unnecessary strain to children's bodies.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, signs a backpack may be too heavy include a child leaning forward to support its weight or having difficulty walking. Straps should not dig into shoulders.

Don't wait for a child to express discomfort or pain to lighten the load, experts say.

Dr. Sadika Kendi, a physician who chairs the academy’s injury-prevention efforts, says back injuries are uncommon but possible, particularly if a child falls while carrying a heavy backpack.

“It’s worse if, for example, they trip and fall and they have a huge, heavy backpack on their back. Then that’s just more weight that could increase the severity of an injury,” she said.

Although 10% to 15% of a child’s body weight is often cited as a backpack guideline, there isn’t enough evidence to establish a one-size-fits-all approach, Kendi said. Because children vary in size, strength, physical development and daily routines, caregivers should consider their child’s individual needs and, in general, keep backpacks as light as possible.

Teachers say leave this stuff at home

After families receive back-to-school checklists for classroom materials, they should take an audit of what a child really must carry every day.

Samantha Ness, a history teacher in Phoenix, said parents should focus on making sure children have basic supplies rather than getting caught up in trendy, decorative or expensive items. Her students have access to classroom textbooks but are still expected to carry a laptop and charger each day. As technology becomes more central to schoolwork, some students have stopped bringing paper, she said. They rely instead on their devices, which can also become distractions.

“When considering the things going into their backpacks, how is it going to help them be successful in the classroom?” said Ness, who has been teaching for about 10 years.

In Fairfax County, Virginia, the school district is bringing back math textbooks after a backlash against technology. That was a win for the group Fairfax County Parents for Intentional Technology, but it also means hard decisions about weight in backpacks.

Parents should think carefully about whether a child really needs to carry both books and a laptop every day, said mom Alix Fetch, a spokesperson for the parents group. For example, a student might not always need their laptop at home. Parents of elementary school students in Fairfax County can now opt out of having the device come home in backpacks. For older students, block scheduling means they don’t need every textbook every day.

Fetch said her 7-year-old typically carries lunch, a water bottle and occasionally a folder with homework or notes from the teacher. Even that can feel burdensome, she said, particularly when students move between classrooms for activities such as art or music. And the inside of the bag can still be messy.

“Kids are still kids. There’s food in their backpack and water, and they’re scrunching up papers,” Fetch said.

As students get older, Ness said, backpacks can become more personal storage than school storage, carrying items such as makeup, nail polish and hair dryers.

“They’re using their backpacks more as purses and like storage than they are actually using them for school,” she said.

How to carry the load safely

Experts recommend choosing a backpack that fits the child and has two broad, padded shoulder straps, a padded back, compartments to distribute weight and a waist or chest strap to redistribute the load. The American Academy of Pediatrics also recommends teaching children to pick up and carry backpacks safely, including bending at the knees rather than the waist when lifting heavier bags to avoid strain.

Backpacks with wheels can be helpful, especially for children with injuries, but experts say they may be problematic in schools with stairs or crowded walkways, where they can pose a tripping hazard.

Children should remove their backpacks before riding in a moving vehicle, Kendi said, because wearing one can interfere with how a seat belt works during a crash or sudden stop. Instead, place the backpack beside the child, even if leaving it on seems more convenient during drop-off.

“Don’t wear it in a car or any form of transportation while that car is moving,” Kendi said. “It’s just incredibly dangerous.”

Regularly cleaning out backpacks can also help reduce unnecessary weight and keep track of notes, permission slips and assignments. Some teachers recommend doing it weekly to catch missing work, spills from leaky water bottles and accumulating crumbs.

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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.

Although there have been similar contests around the country, this one will hold extra weight because Michigan is a key state in presidential races. Abdul El-Sayed, backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, is up against four-term Rep. Haley Stevens, supported by Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer.

Democratic and Republican voters in Michigan are also deciding on their parties’ nominees to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

In Kansas, Missouri, Virginia and Washington state, voters are settling primaries in a host of races, including a key rematch between Democrats in a Missouri House contest. Also in play is whether Democrats, who tried to redraw districts in Virginia to their advantage but were rebuffed by the state supreme court, can pick candidates who can defeat Republicans in the fall.

Here is a look at the Latest:

Missouri election chief rejects referendum on Trump-backed congressional districts

Missouri’s top election official has rejected a citizens’ petition seeking a statewide referendum on new congressional districts backed by President Donald Trump.

Supporters of the referendum had submitted hundreds of thousands of petition signatures in a bid to force a November election on a new U.S. House map approved by the Republican-led state Legislature. But Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins asserted Tuesday that the petition is unconstitutional because congressional redistricting plans cannot be subject to voter referendums.

A group backing the referendum effort has said it will challenge Hoskins’ decision in court.

The new map, which is being used in Tuesday’s primaries, dramatically reshapes the Kansas City-based 5th Congressional District, held by longtime Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, by stretching it into rural central Missouri to give it a Republican tilt. Republicans already hold six of Missouri’s eight congressional seats and hope to gain another under the new map.

Trump’s influence will be tested in Michigan’s GOP primary for governor

Trump has endorsed U.S. Rep. John James and invited him onstage during a recent rally in the state. Business owner Perry Johnson, who’s also seeking the nomination, held a tailgate with supporters at the same event.

Most of the candidates backed by Trump have won their primaries across the country this year — but not all of them.

In Texas, Trump’s endorsement boosted Ken Paxton in the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate over Sen. John Cornyn. In Louisiana, Trump-backed U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow won the Republican nomination for Senate over Sen. Bill Cassidy, who voted to convict the president during his 2021 impeachment trial.

After Indiana state lawmakers rejected a White House-backed redistricting plan last year, Trump endorsed seven state Senate candidates, most of whom won their primaries in May.

Trump-endorsed candidates who lost their primaries for governor include Rep. Randy Feenstra of Iowa and Burt Jones in Georgia.

In the Democratic primary for Michigan governor, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is the frontrunner against Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson.

Detroit voter casts ballot for McKinney over incumbent Thanedar for 13th House District seat

Bernie Henderix, 58, of Detroit, voted Tuesday for state Rep. Donavan McKinney in the Democratic 13th House District primary.

McKinney is challenging incumbent Shri Thanedar. Detroit has not had Black representation in Congress since 2022. McKinney is Black. Thanedar was born in India.

Henderix said he’s heard good things about McKinney and it’s important for the city to have Black congressional representation. “But I want the best person I think is going to represent us the best way,” he said.

He also voted for U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens over Abdul El-Sayed in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate.

“I like the way she talks. I know she talks about she’s going to go up against Trump, so I really like that,” Henderix said. “We need somebody to check him (Trump). He’s out of control.”

Henderix does have concerns about the current state of the Democratic party.

“We’re too weak,” Henderix said, adding that he doesn’t like the split between traditional Democrat and progressives. “We’re Democrats. But I think everybody is getting sick of this Trump mentality.”

El-Sayed voter says his progressive campaign appeals to younger voters eager for change

Jordan Snyder, 20, said she was voting for Abdul El-Sayed because of his advocacy for Palestinians, opposition to data centers and the fact that she views him as “a candidate that I feel like I can trust.”

El-Sayed’s progressive platform has proven popular among younger voters, some of whom say they are disillusioned with both political parties.

“People are feeling like a lot of the people that they’ve trusted that have been in government haven’t really been living up to expectations,” Snyder said.

She believes people are more willing to vote for a progressive candidate than in the past, citing New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who ran a viral social media campaign and was buoyed by younger voters. Snyder said she has heard more directly from El-Sayed on social media and thinks he has a good chance of winning against Republican Mike Rogers in the November general election, especially if a lot of younger people vote.

“As far as me and my friends are concerned, he’s kind of the only candidate we’re interested in,” Snyder said.

Kansas voters are choosing party nominees for an open governor’s race

Two-term Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly cannot run again, and both major parties had contentious campaigns ahead of Tuesday’s primaries.

The departing governor’s party has lost every open race for governor since 1962, but Democrats hope centrist voters unhappy with President Donald Trump and worried about the state shifting hard to the right will help them break that trend.

Republican candidates include Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson, Secretary of State Scott Schwab, Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt and a Kansas City-area businessman Philip Sarnecki.

The Democrats running are state Sens. Ethan Corson and Cindy Holscher and Overland Park Mayor Curt Skoog.

Missouri ballot measure seeks to axe the income tax in favor of more sales taxes

The Missouri measure marks the first time since the modern income tax began over a century ago that a U.S. state legislature has asked voters whether to eliminate the tax.

Amendment 5 would direct the legislature to phase out the individual income tax as state revenue grows. To spur that along, it also allows lawmakers to expand the sales tax to “any goods and services.” It gives them five years to decide which sales to tax without needing further voter approval.

Alaska is the only state so far to impose a general individual income tax and then repeal it, doing so in 1980 by a legislative vote.

Massachusetts voters rejected income tax eliminations in 2008 and 2002 that were initiated by citizens, not lawmakers.

Another Virginia voter says she’d ‘never’ vote for a Democrat

Republican voter Chris Weymouth, 85, cast a ballot in a Richmond suburb for Bert Mizusawa in the Republican Senate primary. The winner of that three-way race will face a stiff general election challenge from Democratic Sen. Mark Warner, the longtime, well-funded incumbent.

Weymouth, who said Democrats have moved so far left she would “never” consider voting for one, said Mizusawa — a decorated Army veteran — won her support in the primary because she believed he would put America first, support the Constitution and protect America’s freedoms. Her faith also guided her vote, she said.

One Virginia voter wants someone ‘gung ho’ on supporting progressive issues

Devin Garcia, 30, voted in suburban Richmond for Salaam Bhatti, a public interest lawyer running for the Democratic nomination in Virginia’s 1st Congressional District. The winner of the seven-way nomination contest will face longtime Republican incumbent Rob Wittman. The 1st district leans red, but Democrats are hopeful they can flip it.

Garcia backed Bhatti over more centrist candidates in the race, including establishment favorite Shannon Taylor, wanting someone “gung ho” about supporting progressive politics, including diversity initiatives, abortion access and affordable health care.

“I do think that we need more bold people that are going to take a real stand. The Trump administration isn’t fighting fair, and I think caught the Democrats on the back foot,” Garcia said.

Stevens voter wants to see bipartisan work, says AIPAC questions have overshadowed primary race

Birmingham resident Nessa Fuller, 51, said she voted for Stevens because she will “fight to get the right things done, and she’ll work with other people.”

Fuller, who wore a Haley Stevens T-shirt outside her polling place, said she has progressive values but no longer identifies with the term as it has swung too far left. Rhetoric within the progressive wing that Fuller describes as antisemitic has overshadowed what she supports, she said, including in El-Sayed’s campaign.

“Here’s the deal with Abdul, I think, in the Jewish community. The question is, do you vote for your values? Do you take Israel out of the equation and say, these are social justice issues that we agree with, and I’m going to vote for you?” Fuller, who is Jewish, said. “I don’t think one issue should crowd out everything else. So it’s a conundrum.”

While Fuller agrees with some elements of El-Sayed’s campaign and said she would vote for him in November if he wins the primary, she isn’t sure all Democratic voters will do the same.

Missouri Republicans are picking a candidate in a congressional district reshaped at Trump’s request

A six-way Republican primary will settle who will try to unseat Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver in a dramatically reshaped district.

Missouri was the second Republican state, after Texas, to respond to Trump’s call last year to redraw congressional districts to the GOP’s advantage ahead of the midterms. The revamped map stretches Cleaver’s Kansas City district eastward into rural central Missouri to give the new 5th District a Republican tilt.

The GOP race features state Sen. Rick Brattin, a Marine veteran and founding member of the conservative Missouri Freedom Caucus. Brattin and fellow primary contestant Taylor Burks both ran unsuccessfully in 2022 for an open seat in Missouri’s 4th District.

Burks is a Navy officer who once served as a local election official in the University of Missouri’s home of Boone County.

Cleaver is unopposed for the Democratic nomination.

Abdul El-Sayed dances to Michigan Democratic Senate primary finish line

El-Sayed stopped by Detroit’s Eastern Market to talk to voters, going at one point to dance with a group of ladies in a Zumba class at the market.

“That’s generally how we operate,” El-Sayed told AP about the joyful tone to end his campaign. “The hope here is we build a world where people are free to actually fully enjoy their lives.”

Michigan lawmaker wants Detroit to have a Black representative in Congress again

Rep. Shri Thanedar is trying to fend off a primary challenge from state Rep. Donavan McKinney in a heavily Democratic district representing Detroit.

Thanedar first won election in 2022, marking the first time since the early 1950s that Detroit had no Black representation in Congress.

McKinney wants to change that. He’s trying to win office in the 13th District, which includes most of Detroit and other parts of Wayne County.

Thanedar was born in Indian. Since 2022, Democrat Rashida Tlaib, who is Palestinian American, has represented the 12th Congressional District, which also includes other parts of Detroit.

McKinney, who is Black, first was elected in 2022 to Michigan’s state House. He has been endorsed by influential progressive U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and several Detroit-area state lawmakers.

Wildfires disrupt primary voting in eastern Washington

The elections office in Spokane County, where wildfires have forced thousands to evacuate and destroyed hundreds of structures, says some voters are reporting that they had left their ballots behind when their homes were evacuated.

The secretary of state’s office says any voter who needs a replacement ballot should print one off the state’s website or go to a county elections office to receive one. Election officials say they have two centers open in Spokane County to help affected voters.

“We are here to assist them and ensure they can cast a ballot,” Spokane County Auditor Vicky Dalton said in an online post. “This is one small aspect of normalcy we can offer in what is otherwise a traumatic and overwhelming situation.”

The state’s most closely watched primary, in the 3rd Congressional District, was far south of the major wildfires.

Washington conducts its elections almost entirely with mail ballots.

Stevens casts her ballot, says she will focus on local priorities

U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens cast her ballot Tuesday afternoon at a public library in her hometown of Birmingham, Michigan, amid a slow trickle of voters.

“We’re getting everybody all excited and we’re ready for tomorrow,” she said. “I think we’re seeing a lot of great turnout.”

While speaking to the press, she positioned herself as someone who will focus on local priorities.

“Our voices often times get drowned out. They get drowned out by podcasts. They get drowned out by, you know, Twitch streamers. They get drowned out by other national priorities,” she said.

Democrats expect to hold Warner’s Senate seat

Both parties are focused on the open U.S. Senate race to the south, in North Carolina, but Virginia is not expected to be a battleground this year.

Democrats are confident that Sen. Mark Warner, a moderate who was first elected in 2008, will win reelection in November, and independent analysts rate the seat as safely blue. Voters will be deciding among three Republicans who hope to take on Warner in the fall.

The GOP contenders are: Kim Farington, an accountant who has touted her work over decades in the federal government; Bert Mizusawa, a decorated retired Army major general; and David Williams, a Marine Corps reservist.

Warner, who does not have a primary challenger, is a well-known former governor who currently serves as the ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee. He will have a massive cash advantage and name recognition in a state where Trump has proven deeply unpopular.

House retirement creates a crowded Washington primary

Republican U.S. Rep. Dan Newhouse’s retirement created a frenzy of interest to replace him.

Eleven candidates will be on the ballot for the 4th Congressional District, a Republican stronghold in Washington’s agricultural center, including Yakima and the Tri-Cities. Six are Republicans, one is a Democrat, and the other four are from minor parties or unaffiliated.

The GOP dominates the district, so the primary could prove decisive if the top-two structure creates a traditional Republican vs. Democrat matchup in November.

Newhouse is one of two remaining House Republicans who voted to impeach President Donald Trump. The other is Rep. David Valadao of California, whose district is a top pickup target for Democrats.

Michigan Democratic voter supports El-Sayed, messaging by progressives

Madison Francis voted Tuesday in Southfield, Michigan, for Abdul El-Sayed saying she especially supports his views on things like inclusion.

“Just having somebody that sees everybody and wants the best for everybody,” said Francis, a 19-year-old student at Michigan State University. “I feel like the world is very divided, right now.”

Francis also believes that if El-Sayed wins Tuesday’s Democratic primary over U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, Michigan voters are open-minded enough to elect him over Republican Mike Rogers in the November general election.

She said the United States is being run by “some interesting Republicans,” and that the Democratic party should focus on unity before the nation spirals “further out of control.”

Young voters also are having a hard time hearing what traditional Democrats are saying and that messaging by progressives appear more fluid.

“I think they’re taking more of a progressive and proactive stance,” she said of young voters. “Both the Republicans and Democrats can sometimes (come across as) being too rigid on their stances.”

Missouri voters weigh the nation’s most difficult standard for constitutional amendments

Proposed Amendment 4 would require future constitutional amendments proposed by initiative petition to pass by a majority in each of the state’s congressional districts instead of a simple statewide majority. No other state has a standard that high.

The Republican-led legislature referred the measure to the ballot after voters in recent years narrowly passed several controversial amendments proposed through citizen initiatives. Those measures enshrined abortion rights into the state constitution, legalized recreational marijuana, allowed sports betting and expanded Medicaid coverage to low-income adults.

None of those measures would have passed under a requirement for amendments to win approval in all congressional districts.

Under Amendment 4, the higher standard would apply only to citizen-initiated amendments — not ones placed on the ballot by the legislature.

A Stevens voter says he’ll vote Republican in the general if El-Sayed wins the Democratic nomination

David Salama says he typically votes as an independent, but the U.S. Senate race between U.S. Rep. Stevens and El-Sayed prompted him to vote Tuesday in Michigan’s Democratic primary.

He voted for Stevens. “Haley is somebody who has experience legislating and because she understands the fight of good versus evil, that is extremely important about what’s going on in this world,” said Salama, 48, an anesthesiologist from West Bloomfield.

“I would vote for Haley in November if she were to win today, but if Abdul wins today, I will vote for Mike Rogers in November,” he said, noting, “In the extremes lie trouble.”

These Michigan districts could decide which party controls the House

Republicans control the U.S. House by a slim margin, and three of Michigan’s races are among the most competitive in the country.

1. Congressional District 4’s incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga is running for reelection after Trump recommended he keep his seat rather than run for U.S. Senate. He has one primary challenger, and there are two Democratic primary candidates on the ballot: Democratic state Sen. Sean McCann and election newcomer Diop Harris II.

2. In Congressional District 7, incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett, who flipped the seat in 2024, has no primary challengers. Barrett will face one of three Democrats in November. They are former U.S. Ambassador Bridget Brink, community organizer William Lawrence and former Navy Seal Matt Maasdam .

3. Republican U.S. Rep. John James left his Congressional District 10 seat open to run for governor. In the GOP primary, Trump endorsed Mike Bouchard against Steffan Demetropoulos and Justin Kirk. The Democratic primary is between former state House Rep. Tim Greimel, former prosecutor Christina Hines and former Commerce Department attorney Eric Chung.

Three employees resigned as part of a human resources investigation stemming from the audit, county officials confirmed. The findings were publicly addressed Tuesday by the Volusia County Council for the first time.

“There were some issues involving permits that were not issued properly — that’s been caught. There was an investigation and they no longer work here,” Councilman David Santiago told News 6.

The audit reviewed 33,700 inspections conducted during fiscal year 2025 — covering everything from buildings to seawalls. Investigators pulled 100 of those inspection reports, more than half selected at random.

[WATCH: Volusia County considers first domestic violence offender registry in Florida]

Among the most serious findings was evidence of preferential treatment tied to a county employee. That permit contained several irregularities, including recalculated fees, removed required fees and undocumented approvals — prompting the HR investigation. Three employees resigned before that investigation was completed.

The audit also found more than 8,000 permits have expired since 2008 without a final inspection. Investigators flagged nearly $400,000 in potential revenue loss, though the county’s auditor told council members Tuesday the figure largely reflects a policy decision — not misconduct.

“It’s not that we lost that revenue. It’s a decision to keep the re-inspection fees low so we don’t charge more fees to the people unnecessarily,” Santiago said.

The county manager is now reviewing the audit and is expected to bring forward proposals for new protocols. When asked whether the conduct that led to the resignations could result in criminal charges, Santiago said no — at least as far as county officials have been told.

Ashley Garibay was on a team tapped to train new employees, away from where she lived in Stockton, California. Her family said she loved her work and called her an “amazing, beautiful soul who loved living life.”

“She was adventurous, outgoing, smart and driven, never letting obstacles get in her way," her family said in a statement Tuesday. “She lit up a room with her bright smile and a laugh that was contagious.”

Police have not yet said what led the gunman, identified by police as 24-year-old Chad Williams, to open fire Saturday afternoon at the Twin Falls restaurant. The attack ended when Williams shot and killed himself. Police said they are confident Williams acted alone.

Twin Falls police Lt. Steven Gassert said Tuesday that he expected more details to be released later in the day. He didn’t elaborate further.

A candlelight vigil was planned Tuesday night at Twin Falls City Park, and police have opened a center where those who were affected by the shooting could get support and request or collect personal items left at the scene. Flags in the city will be at half-staff until next week.

The In-N-Out location opened in late July as part of the California chain's Idaho expansion. Garibay got her first job at one of the restaurants, and she dreamed of one day managing one of the stores, her family said. She worked in Stockton and joined the traveling team in 2023, said family spokesperson Kristin Cole.

Witnesses described a chaotic scene in and around the Idaho restaurant as shots were fired. One customer told the AP she and her daughters were waiting inside when she heard shots from the kitchen and an employee told her to get down. Another woman and her mother were waiting in the drive-thru line when they saw people running across the road and workers bolting out of the restaurant as a man directing traffic told them there was a shooter.

A man who was at a stoplight near the restaurant described seeing a person with an AR-style rifle emerge from the drive-thru and a man with a pistol start firing toward the suspect.

During the attack, an off-duty state trooper and a civilian fired on Williams, diverting him from the restaurant, police have said. Police haven't released the identities of any of the victims, but family and friends identified Garibay and Christopher Claunch as among those killed.

One of Claunch's friends, Garren Taylor, said Claunch completed a rehab program for alcohol abuse at Renaissance Ranch Recovery Center in Rupert, Idaho, a couple of years ago and was immediately hired there. Taylor said Claunch, known to those close to him as “Toph,” dedicated his life to helping others get sober.

“He helped hundreds of people,” Taylor said Monday. “He was just a gift to anyone he came in contact with. It wasn’t about the paycheck. His attitude was: ‘I get to help someone today.’ ”

Steven Pixley was among those injured. He was riding his motorcycle near the In-N-Out when he heard a pop and his left hand dropped, his cousin Shane Klaas said Tuesday.

A bullet went into his arm above his elbow and exited right below it, Klaas said. Klaas said the shooting left Pixley without use of three of his fingers, and doctors are waiting for the swelling to go down so they can do surgery.

“His attitude is wonderful, which is a big part of getting through this,” Klaas said. “He’s laughing, he’s joking.”

Klaas said Pixley recently moved to Twin Falls, found a job and was trying to get his life together.

“He had everything in front of him,” Klaas said. “And then this just, I mean, this is just senseless.”

___

Associated Press writer Jamie Stengle contributed to this report.

Netanyahu's remarks cast more doubt on the deal to disarm Hamas, which was seen as a potential breakthrough for ending the war. It also marked a rare public display of friction with the Trump administration.

The agreement called for Hamas to begin disarming and for Israel to halt its strikes and begin withdrawing from the roughly 60% of Gaza it currently controls. It was based on an October ceasefire agreement that ended major military operations and brought about the release of the remaining hostages held in Gaza but has stalled on other fronts.

Netanyahu, who faces a tough battle for reelection in October, reiterated his stance that disarmament should come first. He said Israeli forces would continue to “do whatever is necessary to protect themselves, our territory, and our citizens.”

The Trump administration “sent us a draft. We did not agree. It is not our draft. We sent our comments. … This is our position,” Netanyahu said in a video posted on social media.

Mass funeral held for dozens killed in 2023 strike

Earlier on Tuesday, Palestinians gathered for a mass funeral of more than 100 bodies finally recovered from a deadly Israeli strike in Gaza in 2023. More than 300 people were killed on Nov. 22, 2023, weeks into the war with Hamas, when warplanes flattened a residential block in Gaza City’s Sabra neighborhood.

Around 40 bodies were recovered soon afterward in a frantic scramble of rough tools and bare hands, but most were buried deep beneath the rubble. Reports of the high number of victims in one of the war's deadliest attacks took days to reach the public in the chaos just before its first ceasefire.

Over the weekend, first responders dug through the destroyed buildings and recovered remains of 112 victims, including 40 children, according to the Civil Defense, a rescue agency operating under the Hamas-run Interior Ministry.

It said 157 bodies still have not been found.

“The only crime of these martyrs was that they remained steadfast and resilient in their homes, believing that these homes would protect them,” one relative, Taysir al-Hassayna, told The Associated Press following the funeral prayers.

For the missing, it's “as if their bodies had evaporated without a trace.”

The current ceasefire has allowed recovery of remains

Only now are some bodies of people killed in the war's ferocious early months slowly being recovered, as the fragile ceasefire allows such efforts to push ahead in parts of devastated Gaza.

Those discoveries have contributed to the war's rising toll. The Hamas-led militant attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killed around 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 73,377 Palestinians, including since the ceasefire, Gaza’s Health Ministry said.

At least 7,400 people have been reported by relatives to still be under the rubble, Zaher al-Waheidi, head of the ministry's records department, told the AP. The true number is likely thousands higher because in some cases entire families were killed in a single bombing, leaving no one to report the missing, al-Waheidi has said.

The people mourned on Tuesday were from a residential block belonging to the Hassayna and Abu Sharia clan, and many were related. AP has identified at least 60 families across Gaza who lost 25 or more family members during the first three months of war.

On Tuesday, the remains of the victims, wrapped in Palestinian flags, were laid in rows on the ground. Many were marked with photos, and flower petals were scattered around them all. Hundreds of people surrounded the bodies for funeral prayers, some standing on the rubble.

Following the prayers, people carried the bodies on stretchers along a narrow street lined by destroyed buildings and buried them in a nearby cemetery.

Deadly strikes continue and rebuilding is on hold

At least 1,252 people have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire took effect, according to the territory’s Health Ministry.

The ministry, part of the Hamas-led government, maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts. It does not give a breakdown of civilians and militants but says women and children make up most of the dead.

Israel says its strikes are against militants who endanger its soldiers, took part in the Oct. 7 attack or carry out other violations. Five Israeli soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire.

The U.S.-backed ceasefire agreement last October called for Hamas to be disarmed and for Israel to withdraw. An International Stabilization Force was to be deployed, and an independent Palestinian administration was to oversee governance and reconstruction.

Israel says everything hinges on Hamas giving up its weapons, while Hamas says Israel must end its strikes and begin withdrawing from the territory. Each side accuses the other of violating the truce.

Gaza remains largely shattered. Most of its 2 million Palestinians are displaced, many living in tent camps where poor conditions and overcrowding have led to rodent infestations and outbreaks of infectious diseases such as chickenpox.

___

Magdy reported from Cairo and Lidman from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press writer Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, contributed to this report.

Supporters of the referendum had submitted hundreds of thousands of petition signatures in a bid to force a November election on a new U.S. House map approved by the Republican-led state Legislature. But Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins asserted Tuesday that the petition is unconstitutional because congressional redistricting plans cannot be subject to voter referendums.

A group backing the referendum effort has said it will challenge Hoskins' decision in court.

Missouri was the second Republican-led state, after Texas, to respond to Trump's call last year to redraw congressional districts to the GOP's advantage in hopes of holding on to the party's slim House majority in the midterm elections.

The new map, which is being used in Tuesday's primaries, dramatically reshapes the Kansas City-based 5th Congressional District, held by longtime Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, by stretching it into rural central Missouri to give it a Republican tilt. Republicans already hold six of Missouri's eight congressional seats and hope to gain another under the new map.

Missouri's redistricting plan has faced lots of litigation

People Not Politicians, the group sponsoring the referendum drive, submitted more than 300,000 signatures to the secretary of state's office in December. Local election officials reviewed the signatures' validity over the ensuing months and approved well more than the roughly 111,000 needed to qualify for the ballot.

But Hoskins waited until the last day allowed under state law to announce his decision about the referendum — a move that let the new districts be used in the meantime.

Hoskins had long signaled that he was likely to reject the referendum. He asked a federal court last fall to block the referendum petition from being submitted, arguing that congressional redistricting is not subject to a referendum under the U.S. and Missouri constitutions. A judge dismissed the lawsuit as premature, noting in a December ruling that Hoskins had the authority to reject the petition himself if he thought it was unconstitutional.

When Missouri candidates began filing for office in February, Hoskins said they were doing so under the new districts and told The Associated Press that “the referendum process was never meant to be used for redistricting.”

If Hoskins is wrong, and a court orders him to place the redistricting referendum on the ballot, it's unclear what that means for the 2026 elections. Would candidates who win Tuesday's primaries be allowed to continue running under the new districts in November while voters simultaneously decide whether those districts can be used in future elections? Would candidates run in different districts for the general election than were used in the primaries? Or would courts order a do-over for the congressional primaries using the state’s prior congressional districts?

Missouri's mid-decade redistricting effort already has been among the most litigated nationally, triggering about a dozen lawsuits over the past year.

Republicans are ahead in the national redistricting fight

Legislative voting districts typically are redrawn at the start of each decade, immediately after a census. But Trump's call for Republicans to redraw districts to their advantage led to an unusual outbreak of mid-decade mapmaking. The redistricting effort gained additional steam when the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a majority Black congressional district in Louisiana in late April, prompting Republicans in several Southern states to also redraw districts that had large minority populations.

All told, Republicans think they could win as many as 16 additional seats from new House maps enacted in eight states — Texas, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Florida, Tennessee, Louisiana and Alabama. Democrats, whose counterattack faced several setbacks, think they could win up to six additional seats from new districts in California and Utah.

Voters ultimately will determine whether the new districts perform as intended. Even with redistricting, Republicans are facing headwinds. The president's party historically has lost congressional seats in the midterms, and Trump’s poor approval ratings could provide an extra hurdle for Republican candidates.

Nearly 145 million people — about two of every five U.S. residents — live in states with new congressional districts for this election. Additional states are considering redistricting before the 2028 elections.

Trump, meanwhile, is making a rare visit to California and Nevada on Tuesday and Wednesday to shore up support for Republicans in the November midterm elections. The president has so far struggled to connect with voters on the economy, as elevated inflation and feelings of uncertainty overshadow the stock market gains he often highlights, alongside a low national unemployment rate.

Here is the latest:

Watchdog finds FEMA cuts came without reviewing whether it had adequate staffing for disasters

The Federal Emergency Management Agency may not have a workforce capable of effectively responding to disasters now or in the future.

That’s the assessment of a new report from the Government Accountability Office, the independent watchdog that advises Congress on how taxpayer dollars are being spent.

The agency says more than 4,300 employees separated from FEMA in the 2025 fiscal year, a 55% increase from the prior year.

The workforce cuts came without the agency assessing whether it had the staffing capacity to meet its mission, GAO said. Without such planning, FEMA is not positioned to determine whether it has the numbers it needs in the right positions.

GAO offered several recommendations, including urging Congress to require FEMA to report before the start of each year’s hurricane season on its workforce planning results.

Democratic lawmakers on the House Homeland Security Committee requested the report.

Trump administration revokes visa of Brazil’s ambassador to US in spat with Lula

The Trump administration has revoked the visa of Brazil’s ambassador to the United States in retaliation for Brazil’s denial of visas last month for two American diplomats who sought to visit the country ahead of upcoming elections as well as Brazil’s stalling on approving Trump’s nominee to be ambassador in Brasilia.

The State Department said the decision was a reciprocal response to Brazil’s move and officials said the step had been delayed several times to give Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva room to back down, something he did not do.

Officials said it could be quickly reversed if Brazil takes appropriate action and accepts Trump’s ambassadorial choice.

Lula will face Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, whose father once served as Brazil’s president and whose family has many ties with the Trump administration, in the Oct. 4 polls. The administration has numerous issues with the leftist Lula and his policies and has also hosted the younger Bolsonaro, who is seeking to carry on his father, Jair’s, conservative governance.

Wall Street rallies to records, pushing S&P 500 up 1.8%, as profits pile up and oil prices ease

The U.S. stock market rallied to records as companies kept piling up profits and oil prices eased. The S&P 500 shot up 1.8% Tuesday, and the main measure of Wall Street’s health topped its prior all-time high set in June.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 1.7% to its own record set the day before, and the Nasdaq composite jumped 2.6%. Palantir Technologies and Caterpillar helped lead the way after becoming the latest companies to deliver stronger profits for the spring than expected. Brent crude fell below $80 per barrel, which helped Treasury yields ease in the bond market.

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Guard deployment to Washington into 2029 will cost roughly $1.4B, estimate shows

The extension of the National Guard deployment in Washington, D.C. until January 2029 will cost roughly $1.4 billion, according to a Defense Department estimate provided to Congress.

The figure offers a glimpse of how much taxpayer money will be spent on a deployment that has been criticized by local officials as an infringement of their city’s autonomy and by Democrats who say it has militarized the streets of nation’s capital at the public’s expense.

The cost estimate is for fiscal years 2027-2029 and came in response to questions from Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren and was provided to The Associated Press.

The deployment began last summer, when Trump issued an emergency order that launched a law enforcement surge in the city which the administration says was meant to fight crime. Hundreds of armed Guard troops have been deployed to city streets, supporting arrest operations but also helping with snow removal and carrying out beautification projects.

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Trump’s arch could harm the integrity of many of Washington’s historical sites, report says

A divided federal appeals court on Tuesday said the Trump administration improperly terminated a multi-billion program to boost clean energy projects, handing a win to a coalition of nonprofits picked to run the Biden-era effort.

Climate United Fund and other nonprofits won’t have access to their funds immediately as the decision will be put on hold for several days giving the Environmental Protection Agency time to ask the Supreme Court to step in.

The split ruling by the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia is a loss for the Trump administration in one of its earliest efforts to dismantle President Joe Biden’s campaign to reduce climate-warming greenhouse gases. The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, commonly referred to as a “green bank,” is a congressionally authorized program that provided money to nonprofits that would then make loans and invest in small energy projects, energy-efficient buildings and transportation.

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Divided federal appeals court says Trump administration was wrong to terminate climate program

A divided federal appeals court on Tuesday said the Trump administration improperly terminated a multi-billion program to boost clean energy projects, handing a win to a coalition of nonprofits picked to run the Biden-era effort.

Climate United Fund and other nonprofits won’t have access to their funds immediately as the decision will be put on hold for several days giving the Environmental Protection Agency time to ask the Supreme Court to step in.

The split ruling by the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia is a loss for the Trump administration in one of its earliest efforts to dismantle President Joe Biden’s campaign to reduce climate-warming greenhouse gases. The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, commonly referred to as a “green bank,” is a congressionally authorized program that provided money to nonprofits that would then make loans and invest in small energy projects, energy-efficient buildings and transportation.

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Housing prices are a big issue in Nevada

In Nevada, where Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo faces Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford in one of the nation’s most competitive governor’s races, Democrats are putting up billboard signs blaming Trump and Lombardo for the shortage of affordable housing, exploding energy demand from data centers and federal cuts to key state programs.

Trump has tried to sell voters on his income tax cuts and claims of a manufacturing renaissance. But interest rates are high, gasoline costs more because of the Iran war, tariffs are still reshaping the economy and even the White House acknowledges a national shortage of housing.

Staying on message could be difficult for Trump, who called his own housing bill a “yawn.” Past speeches advertised by the White House as being about the economy gave way to Trumpian weaves about his political enemies and capital construction projects.

Democrats complain about Blanche’s deal making for Trump

Democrats say Blanche’s order doesn’t go far enough to prevent the Trump administration from claiming more immunity from tax audits or compensating Trump allies — including people who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 — through a previously established process that allows damage claims for government wrongdoing.

Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the top Democrat on the Senate Justice Committee, said Blanche’s promises are virtually unenforceable. The fund “can easily be revived with a new order from the Department of Justice 15 minutes after Mr. Blanche is confirmed as attorney general,” Durbin said.

Todd Blanche’s nomination for attorney general clears critical hurdle after deal with GOP holdouts

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12-10 along party lines in support of the nomination of Trump’s former personal attorney, who has aggressively pushed the Republican administration’s priorities since taking over from Pam Bondi in April.

The vote followed a deal struck late Sunday between Blanche and two Republican senators who had been threatening to block his confirmation over the settlement of Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service regarding the president’s leaked tax returns.

Republican Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina had said they were withholding their support unless the Justice Department confirmed in writing that it was not moving forward with a $1.8 billion fund to compensate Trump allies who believe they were prosecuted for political purposes, which the administration had announced as part of the settlement.

Blanche issued an order Sunday evening confirming “beyond any doubt, that there is no Fund.”

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Attacks continue in Gulf region despite talks

A cargo ship reported being “hit by an unknown projectile” early Tuesday in the Strait of Hormuz , the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center said, without providing further information on the ship. It suffered damage, according to British maritime security firm Ambrey, which did not elaborate.

Yemen’s Houthis, meanwhile, fired at an airport in Saudi Arabia. Gen. Yahya Saree, a military spokesman for the Iranian-backed rebels, said a drone hit a “sensitive target” at the airport in the southwestern city of Najran, without providing evidence.

Saree said the attack was in response to what he described as Saudi breaching of Yemen’s airspace over the provinces of Saada and Hajjah. There was no immediate comment from Saudi Arabia.

The Houthis recently announced a blockade on Saudi-linked shipping passing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait that leads to the Red Sea.

Qatar mediating talks between US and Iran

Despite conflicting claims, mediation efforts have been underway between the U.S. and Iran to wind down the war, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said Tuesday.

“We’re looking into a diplomatic solution,” he said during a briefing, without elaborating.

Comedian Jenny Yang uplifts immigrants, one grocery store at a time

Stand-up comic Jenny Yang is spending her summer turning cultural grocery stores into comedy clubs for a night in a response to Trump’s immigration crackdown.

The Good Egg Immigrant Grocery Store Standup Comedy Tour is using the unusual venues in immigrant enclaves and pairing with nonprofits to raise funds for Asian, Latino and Black communities. It’s grown to 20 performances and a possible comedy special on TV.

For one show in Minneapolis, the manager of a supermarket down the block from where an ICE agent fatally shot Alex Pretti fit 150 chairs near the checkout lanes so people could see her show.

Comedians are divided on whether stand-up should stand down on politics, but Yang says “I believe in punching up, not down.”

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Rubio says progress made in Iran, Oman talks and deal on Strait of Hormuz could happen ‘very shortly’

Secretary of State Marco Rubio says that there has been progress made in talks between Iran and Oman on the status of the critical Strait of Hormuz waterway.

Speaking to reporters after meeting with the vice president of Paraguay at the State Department on Tuesday, Rubio said that “suffice it to say, there’s been progress made in those talks, but not finality yet. We’re hoping that will happen very shortly.”

Rubio said ships continue to transit the strait but the U.S. would like to see more commercial traffic.

US job market continues to show strength despite bumpy economy

U.S. job openings fell slightly in June, but the labor market continued to show resilience to the Iran war’s economic shocks.

The Labor Department said employers posted 7.36 million vacancies, down from 7.54 million in May, in line with economists’ expectations. Layoffs were little-changed at 1.8 million, and the number of people quitting jobs — a sign of confidence in their prospects — rose slightly.

So far this year, companies, government agencies and nonprofits have added an average 92,000 jobs a month. That would have been mediocre in years past, but Trump’s immigration crackdown and baby boomer retirements mean fewer people are competing for work, so the economy doesn’t need as many new jobs to keep unemployment from rising. In fact, some economists believe the “break-even″ rate could be nearly as low as zero jobs.

Trump administration to close five smaller US embassies, consulates and other posts while opening others

The Trump administration has informed Congress that it intends to close five smaller U.S. embassies, consulates and other diplomatic missions even as it steams ahead with plans to reopen shuttered posts in Libya and Syria and has reopened the long-closed embassy in Venezuela.

In separate notices sent late last week to lawmakers, the State Department said it would close the U.S. embassy in the Caribbean island of Grenada, the consulates in Nagoya, Japan and Medan, Indonesia, the American Presence Post in Winnipeg, Canada and an embassy branch office in Douala, Cameroon.

The closures are expected to save the government roughly $4.4 million per year, according to the notices, which were obtained by The Associated Press.

Markets move, again, on Trump comments

Trump said he’s not happy with energy company profits, though it was the war he launched that enabled their windfalls.

Shares of ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips and Chevron all fell around 1% before the bell. Brent crude, the international standard, lost $1.87 to $81.90 a barrel.

Also possibly helping to push oil prices lower was comments from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who said Tuesday in an interview on CNBC that “we are in talks with the Iranians.” Bessent added, “There is a chance we may have a deal today or tomorrow to open the Strait and move towards a more normalized position in this conflict.”

Big oil reports bigger profits in Iran war windfall

Exxon Mobil on Friday reported that its second quarter profits doubled to $14.53 billion, while Chevron nearly quadrupled its profits to $12.07 billion.

Foreign oil companies are also posting massive increases in profits: Saudi Aramco on Tuesday reported a 44% year-on-year increase in second-quarter net profit to $32.69 billion, driven by higher prices for crude oil, refined products and chemicals. And London-based BP reported its profits more than doubled to $3.9 billion.

US markets poised to open with gains and oil prices slide again as Trump bashes Big Oil

Wall Street was poised to open higher and oil prices flipped to significant losses Tuesday after Trump criticized oil companies for using the Iran conflict to amass excessive profits.

Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.2%, while S&P 500 futures rose 0.3%. Nasdaq futures jumped 1.1%. Oil prices slid close to 3% early Tuesday after Trump bashed big oil companies.

“They made too much money, too much money,” Trump said on Monday. “They ought to give some of that back to the public, and they better cut the retail price.”

FIFA executives distance themselves from Infantino’s World Cup plan

Two senior FIFA executives — coaching great Arsène Wenger and CEO-like Secretary-General Mattias Grafström — distanced themselves Tuesday from their boss Gianni Infantino’s failed plan to sell stakes in future World Cup profits to private investors through a money-making subsidiary to be launched by Joshua Kushner, whose brother Jared Kushner is a son-in-law of Trump.

Wenger said in a statement he knew nothing of the $20 billion plan and that it was “absolutely necessary” to drop the proposal, and Grafström sent an email to all FIFA staff — seen by The Associated Press — calling the last week a “sad and reproachable series of events.” He also said it created “turmoil which is difficult to comprehend and accept.”

Neither directly named their boss nor offered support for Infantino, who has not commented in public on the schism in soccer since a FIFA statement Saturday announcing the proposal had been dropped.

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What to watch as primary voters choose nominees

Michigan is testing the direction of the Democratic Party, as voters choose between a progressive standard-bearer and an establishment-backed candidate for the U.S. Senate. Abdul El-Sayed, backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, is up against four-term Rep. Haley Stevens, supported by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer.

Democratic and Republican voters in Michigan are also choosing nominees to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

In Kansas, Missouri, Virginia and Washington state, voters are settling a host of races, including a key rematch between Democrats in a Missouri House contest. Virginia Democrats who lost a court battle over trying to redraw districts to their advantage are picking candidates they hope can defeat Republicans in the fall.

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Trump and Newsom, mocking and taunting

As Trump flies to California he’ll likely throw barbs at the governor, eyed as a likely candidate for the next Democratic presidential nomination.

White House spokesperson Olivia Wales said the president plans to “draw a sharp contrast between his commonsense agenda and the radical policies of Democrats like Gavin Newsom.”

Trump routinely mocks Newsom using a derogatory nickname. Newsom taunts the president in turn.

The Democrat wrote on social media on Monday that California is raising its minimum wage next year to $17.40 an hour, more than double the federal minimum. “Donald Trump and the GOP are still defending a $7.25 minimum wage while workers scrape by. Pitiful,” Newsom wrote.

The economy is on Trump’s agenda in California and Nevada

Trump’s rare visit to California and Nevada is meant to draw contrasts with Democrats on the economy, border security and crime in support of Republicans in November elections that will determine whether party control of Congress.

But he’s struggled to connect with voters on the economy as elevated inflation and feelings of uncertainty have overshadowed the stock market gains he often talks about, along with a low national unemployment rate.

Trump is headlining a Republican National Committee fundraising dinner at a golf club his family owns in the Los Angeles suburb of Rancho Palos Verdes on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Trump will discuss the economy at Red Rock casino in Las Vegas.

Only 32% of U.S. adults approved of Trump’s handling of the economy in an AP-NORC poll conducted in late July, while 69% characterized the state of the economy as “poor.”

Police have issued an arrest warrant for Keyan Jayden Rundell. Rundell is considered armed and dangerous and police are urging the public to call 911 immediately if they see him or know where he is, and do not approach him.

Police did not release any details into why they believe Rundell is responsible for the deaths of 19-year-old Dustin Rose and 18-year-old Samson Campbell.

Last Thursday, police say the bodies of Rose and Campbell were found on a vacant industrial property near the Athens Theater. The childhood friends had each been shot multiple times. One of their mothers tracked a phone and located them at the scene.

[WATCH: DeLand police investigate double homicide near Athens Theatre]

Police say they are aware of the social media chatter and community concern surrounding the case. In response, they are increasing patrols and their physical presence throughout DeLand to help residents feel safe.

“I think the focus is more on trying to like get to the bottom of it. I think that’s what has everyone on edge — are we going to find answers today,” said Brittany Schleper, a local salon owner.

Schleper’s salon is roughly a football field away from where the two bodies were discovered. She is among the downtown DeLand business owners and residents waiting for answers.

The S&P 500 shot up 1.8%, and the main measure of Wall Street’s health topped its prior all-time high set a couple months ago. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 907 points, or 1.7%, to its own record set the day before, while the Nasdaq composite jumped 2.6%.

Despite worries about high inflation, the war in Iran, frustration with the economy and a possible bubble in stock prices because of the boom in artificial-intelligence technology, Wall Street hit its latest apex and rewarded investors who remained patient because profits keep soaring for companies. Stock prices tend to follow the path of corporate earnings over the long term.

Palantir Technologies helped lead the way and surged 29.5% after CEO Alex Karp said its overall revenue leaped 93% in what he called an “otherworldly” quarter. Besides reporting a stronger profit for the spring than analysts expected, the AI company also raised its revenue forecast for the full year of 2026.

Caterpillar climbed 5.6% after the heavy-equipment maker likewise reported stronger profit and revenue than analysts expected. It was the first time Caterpillar made more than $20 billion in sales and revenue in a quarter, and CEO Joe Creed said it’s seeing strong order rates and a growing backlog across its main businesses.

Caterpillar is also benefiting from the AI boom through increased orders for turbines used to power data centers, among other things.

They’re the latest companies to deliver even better profits for the latest quarter than investors expected, following strong results from Amazon, Microsoft and others. Coming into this week, companies in the S&P 500 index were on track to deliver growth of nearly 50% in earnings per share for the spring from a year earlier, according to FactSet.

That would be the biggest such jump since 2021, when the economy was roaring back to life after cratering in the COVID-19 pandemic. With corporate profits up so much, when stock prices are still roughly where they were two months ago, stocks don’t look as expensive as they did before, according to Phil Segner, a co-portfolio manager at the Leuthold Group.

Also helping stocks on Tuesday was another drop for oil prices.

Brent crude, the international standard, sank 5.3% to $79.36 per barrel as hope once again took over from fear in the oil market. It had swung sharply between $72 and $102 through July on uncertainty about when the war with Iran would allow oil tankers to freely exit the Persian Gulf again to deliver crude around the world.

It’s jerked up and down many times as uncertainty built, receded and then built again, not only week to week but also hour to hour. Analysts warn more swings could be ahead, but the latest drop in oil prices nevertheless helped ease Wall Street’s worries about inflation. That pulled down yields in the bond market, which in turn relaxed pressure on the overall economy and on prices for stocks and other investments.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.62% from 4.70% Monday and from 4.75% at the end of last week. That’s a notable move for the bond market, though it remains well above its 3.97% level from before the war with Iran.

Higher yields make it more expensive for all kinds of Americans to borrow money, from homebuyers looking for a mortgage to big companies looking to build AI data centers.

Reports on the U.S. economy, meanwhile, showed it remains resilient even though inflation remains worse than anyone would like. One said U.S. employers were advertising nearly 7.4 million job openings at the end of June, a slight slowdown from May’s level but close to economists’ expectations.

In stock markets abroad, indexes rose modestly across much of Europe and Asia.

South Korea’s Kospi had a more significant move and climbed 1.6%. Seoul has seen some of the world’s sharpest swings because two companies swept up in AI mania dominate its market, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. The Kospi had dropped 5.1% and soared 17.9% in the prior two days.

Stocks of computer chip companies also strengthened on Wall Street, where gains of 2.6% for Nvidia, 6.6% for Broadcom and 7.6% for Micron Technology were some of the strongest forces lifting the S&P 500.

They more than offset a drop for Chipotle Mexican Group, which fell 9.7% on fears that future profits could be hurt after the chain removed jalapeños from some of its restaurants following a salmonella outbreak. Chipotle said that Minnesota health officials have no ongoing concerns with it.

All told, the S&P 500 rallied 136.02 points to 7,736.52. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped 907.47 to 54,085.88, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 671.10 to 26,584.99.

___

AP Business Writers Yuri Kageyama and Matt Ott contributed to this report.

During a one-on-one interview with morning anchor Lauren Melendez, Fine, who represents Florida’s sixth district, pointed to his help securing $44 million in grants over the past year to fund projects across the state.

[ELECTION 2026: Make sure you’re eligible to vote|How to vote by mail|Election Myths]

More specifically, he worked to secure $23.5 million to expand E-ONE, the Ocala-based fire apparatus manufacturer and global industry leader.

The expansion is expected to create more than 100 new jobs in Marion County.

“We’re excited,” Fine said. “Florida is growing. We want it to be a great place for companies to start, build and grow. My job is to make sure the federal government doesn’t get in the way of the incredible economic boom that we’re seeing here in Florida.”

Fine said the expansion reflects Florida’s pro-business environment but acknowledged the challenges that accompany rapid population growth.

“The great thing about Florida is everybody wants to come here,” he said. “The terrible thing about Florida is everybody wants to come here.”

He said economic growth should be balanced with preserving what makes Florida attractive while ensuring the state’s housing supply keeps pace with demand.

Property tax proposal sparks questions

Fine also addressed concerns from residents across his six-county district over the proposal to reduce or eliminate property taxes—a move that critics warn could significantly reduce funding for local governments and essential services.

Fine emphasized that property tax policy is a state issue and not one Congress controls.

“That would affect state and local revenues,” Fine said. “I don’t deal with that. My focus is federal taxes.”

He argued local governments should prioritize spending on core services, including schools, law enforcement, fire protection and roads, while reevaluating other expenditures.

Fine also made clear the federal government would not replace lost local revenue if Florida voters ultimately approve property tax changes.

“The federal government will not be backfilling state and local government from these property tax cuts,” he said. “Those state and local government agencies will have to figure that out.”

Instead, Fine highlighted federal tax policies he supports, including eliminating taxes on tips, overtime pay and Social Security benefits, saying those measures provide direct financial relief to families.

Affordability remains top concern

When asked about the biggest issues constituents raise, Fine said affordability remains the dominant concern throughout his district.

He argued illegal immigration is the primary driver behind Florida’s affordability challenges, claiming it increases demand for housing and contributes to higher costs in education, healthcare and auto insurance.

“The number one thing that makes Florida unaffordable is illegal immigration,” Fine said.

Economists generally cite multiple factors contributing to Florida’s affordability crisis, including housing shortages, population growth, inflation, insurance costs, wages and interest rates.

Beyond affordability, Fine said residents continue raising concerns about infrastructure, including roads, wastewater systems, stormwater projects and beach protection.

Looking ahead

As Congress prepares to return from its August recess, Fine said his immediate priorities include passing legislation to keep the federal government funded beyond September and advancing President Trump’s SAVE ACT, an election-related legislation requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration.

“My focus continues to be to help President Trump with his agenda,” Fine said.

Fine is up for reelection. He faces several Republican primary challengers in the Aug. 18 primary. To learn about the candidates, head to our Voter’s Guide HERE.

Many of Washington's monuments, buildings and sites have been carefully planned over decades to reflect significant moments in the nation's history and evoke symbolism in being connected by sightline to other sites.

The proposed towering gilded arch, which last month received initial approval from a key federal commission, would impact the “integrity” of dozens of those historical properties because it would change “character-defining visual and spatial relationships” between them.

The NPS report, published recently, said the immediate project area is located within the Memorial Avenue Corridor cultural landscape, “a nationally significant historic designed landscape extending between the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., and Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.”

One of the most obvious elements the report cited is that the arch would break alignment between the Lincoln Memorial, Memorial Bridge and Arlington House that was formerly Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee’s home.

“The bridge alignment and associated ceremonial landscape were intended to physically and symbolically unite North and South through a coordinated monumental composition extending across the Potomac River,” the report said.

The Lincoln Memorial Arlington House connection was one of dozens of historic sites and structures listed as being impacted directly by the proposed structure. It added that the National Mall, the U.S. Capitol, Washington Monument and grounds and Lady Bird Johnson Park would also be directly affected.

The report puts a snag in a project that has sailed through several steps of the approval process in front of planning bodies stocked with Trump appointees and allies.

The White House said in an email that it would follow all legal requirements in constructing the arch.

The proposed arch is one of several projects the Republican president is pursuing to leave his lasting imprint on Washington. With the potential to change the city’s sightline, it has already sparked opposition, including through a lawsuit filed by a group of veterans and a historian.

The arch design, proposed by Trump, has already received early approval from the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts. The commissioners were all appointed by Trump. The National Capital Area Planning Commission approved the site and preliminary plans at its July meeting. The commission is expected to take up the matter again at its September meeting.

“The Triumphal Arch in Memorial Circle is going to be one of the most iconic landmarks not only in Washington, D.C., but throughout the world,” said White House spokesman Davis Ingle in an emailed response for comment. “It will enhance the visitor experience at Arlington National Cemetery for veterans, the families of the fallen, and all Americans alike, serving as a visual reminder of the noble sacrifices borne by so many American heroes throughout our 250 year history so we can enjoy our freedoms today.”

The arch is one of several projects Trump has proposed that is involved in litigation. The plaintiffs, three veterans and a historian, have challenged its construction saying it requires Congressional approval.

“Our claim is essentially that none of this has any authorization to be happening in the first place,” said Nicolas Sansone, an attorney with Public Citizen Litigation Group representing the plaintiffs. Authorization of the construction of a monument “in the core of Washington, D.C., on National Park Service land” requires an act of Congress, he said.

The National Park Service assessment confirms what the plaintiffs have said the construction will do to the symbolic and solemn area, he added.

“I think its very significant that the National Park Service itself understands that this is the effect that it's going to have,” Sansone said.

Aaron F. Farinacci, of Spokane, was arrested Monday and booked on suspicion of first-degree arson in connection with the Old Trails Fire, the biggest of three blazes that have destroyed at least 700 buildings and forced tens of thousands of people from their homes. According to court records, he denied setting the fire. His bond was set at $1 million.

Authorities haven't said what caused the other two fires burning around Spokane. No deaths have been reported.

Farinacci, 37, served about a decade in prison after killing his father in Arizona in 2010. Last year, authorities questioned him in two fire-related cases in Spokane, according to a probable cause statement filed in Spokane County Superior Court.

One involved several “bus-sized” fires in an area near Farinacci's apartment in July 2025, police records in that case say. The other involved a wildfire in a state park that prompted evacuation notices the following month. In neither case was he arrested.

A tip leads to an arrest

On Saturday, Paul Child, 64, was driving with his grandson along some railroad tracks in his rural neighborhood northwest of Spokane. He saw a man standing and looking toward nearby trees. About 10 minutes later, as they were returning home, the man was still there.

“He was bent over in the brush, acting nervous," Child told The Associated Press on Tuesday. "You get the feeling this guy’s up to something.”

“No longer than 10 minutes after I got home, my daughter says, ‘There’s a fire,’” Child recalled. “My first words were, ‘That SOB started a fire!’ It was the exact spot where he was standing.”

Child’s daughter called 911 and he drove back to the spot where he'd seen the man, sheriff’s detective Michael Drapeau wrote in the probable cause statement. He gave a police officer a description of the man he had seen — bald, white, wearing a green shirt and carrying a backpack.

A responding sheriff’s deputy saw a man matching that description walking more than one mile (1.6 kilometers) away and detained him. Another deputy also responded, and Child showed up to identify the person in custody — Farinacci — as the one he had seen in the area of the fire, the document states.

Farinacci had a backpack and a fanny pack, in which he had a pack of cigarettes, waterproof matches and a butane lighter, it says. He told the deputies he didn’t start the fire and he denied having been in the area where it started. He was wearing a green T-shirt that read, “who needs luck I have charm,” the detective wrote.

The deputies were unaware of Farinacci’s prior fire-related contacts and the cause of the Old Trails Fire hadn’t been determined yet, so they released him to continue working on evacuation efforts, Drapeau wrote.

But the following day, a wildland fire investigator ruled out other possible causes, including sparks from electric wires or passing trains, and police arrested Farinacci on Monday.

“As it happens in so many critical cases, it was citizens who were paying attention to their surroundings, being aware and willing to step up and say something that led to the relatively quick apprehension of Mr. Farinacci,” Sheriff John Nowels told reporters.

Child credited the heroic work of police and firefighters responding to the disaster, and said he hopes people who lost homes “can get some kind of peace of mind or a little bit of comfort” from the arrest.

Farinacci appeared in court Tuesday via video link from the jail and was represented by Colin Charbonneau, director of the Spokane County public defender’s office. A judge set his arraignment for Thursday.

In an effort to get comment from Farinacci’s family, The Associated Press sent a message to a possible social media account for a brother.

Police contacted him about earlier fires

A detective investigating the Old Trails Fire ran a criminal history check on Farinacci and found that he had been contacted by law enforcement twice before during fire investigations.

Spokane police responded to reports of several fires on July 8, 2025, near Farinacci’s apartment. The area near the Spokane River involved several “bus-sized” fires and prompted a significant emergency response, according to a police record.

The Washington State Patrol made contact with Farinacci the following month while pursuing a suspect in a wildfire at Riverside State Park. They found him on a park bench, “seemingly out of breath from possibly running.” They took photos of him. He was wearing a green T-shirt just like the one he was seen wearing on Saturday, the document says.

Convicted of manslaughter

Farinacci, then age 21, shot and killed his father in Mesa, Arizona, during a 2010 argument about washing dishes, police said. Farinacci also shot himself but survived.

He was charged with murder but pleaded guilty in 2012 to manslaughter and aggravated assault, records show.

A judge in 2011 found that Farinacci was mentally fit to assist in his own defense, though defense lawyer Jose Colon continued to raise questions about his mental health and noted that he had been hospitalized multiple times for psychiatric treatment, court records show.

In a letter to the judge, Beth Farinacci, who had married Farinacci's father, said second-degree murder, not manslaughter, would have been a more appropriate way to resolve the case.

“Manslaughter is for when someone accidentally kills another person. It is not for someone who intentionally points a loaded gun at their father and shoots him in his face and back,” Beth Farinacci wrote.

Farinacci was released from probation in Arizona in early 2024. A probation officer said Farinacci maintained a stable residence with his girlfriend and her family in the previous year, but also noted he hadn’t completed a mental health evaluation or domestic violence treatment.

Residents return to destroyed homes

The fires were among dozens across the Western U.S. that have stretched the ability of federal, state and local agencies to fight them. More than 1,000 firefighters, many from outside of Washington state, were in the Spokane area Tuesday, and that number was expected to rise.

Winds died down Monday and Tuesday, aiding firefighters, but the weather was expected to get hotter by Wednesday.

In one neighborhood, blackened vehicles, a boat twisted by the heat and melted plastic recycling bins remained. Across the street, lawns were still green and houses were spared, as residents continued to run hoses or sprinklers to water their properties.

Some residents who had to flee blazes returned to find only chimneys left standing.

“There’s nothing to save,” Miriam Sim, 76, said as she and her husband, Daniel Sim, surveyed the ruins of the home where they had lived since 2005.

___

Johnson and Bellisle reported from Seattle, and White reported from Detroit. Associated Press reporters Jacques Billeaud in Phoenix; Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire; and Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed.

The proposed pickleball facility would be built off Jacob Nathan Boulevard on what is currently a wooded site. Plans call for 25 indoor pickleball courts across multiple buildings, an outdoor championship court with shaded seating, a restaurant, banquet hall, and outdoor gathering space. The project also includes amenities such as locker rooms, a pro shop, office space, and parking areas.

Supporters say the complex could attract tournaments, visitors, and new business opportunities to Ocoee.

“I think it could bring people here, which would drive up local business, so it could be great,” said Ocoee resident Brandon Kari.

[WATCH: Ocoee cancels annual Music Fest as city braces for possible property tax revenue losses]

The proposal comes as pickleball courts continue to appear in communities across Central Florida, including Sanford and Hamlin, reflecting the sport’s growing popularity nationwide.

The project would be built on a wooded site adjacent to an existing neighborhood, where some residents have expressed concerns about how the development could affect their quality of life.

Among the issues raised are increased traffic, noise and the overall size of the project.

“I don’t think we need the noise,” one nearby resident said.

City officials say they have already modified the proposal to address those concerns by moving most of the courts indoors, a change intended to reduce the sound that often accompanies pickleball play.

Even so, some neighbors remain uneasy.

“We don’t know who goes to pickleball. We don’t know the kind of people,” another resident said. “So we would like to keep our neighborhood safe.”

Others believe the complex would provide valuable recreational opportunities for families.

“We’re all about recreation and sports, so we are all for it,” Kari said. “I think it would be a great place for recreation and a great place for our kids to hang out and have fun with my wife and I.”

If approved, the proposal would allow the developer to move forward with seeking permits to begin site work. City leaders are expected to vote on the project Tuesday evening.

And yes—those cows are kind of judgy.

What makes Joe Overstreet Road special?

Joe Overstreet Road is a really great example of old Florida and an even older Florida living side by side. It’s open pasture, scattered trees, fence lines, and big sky—the kind of habitat that makes it easier to spot wildlife because there’s nowhere to hide… except, apparently, for the animal everyone comes here to see.

At the end of the road, you’re rewarded with a pier and a view of Lake Kissimmee. The landing can be as rewarding as the road itself, with a totally different set of birds tied to the water—so even if your “target species” is being difficult, there’s usually something worth scanning for.

The “dinosaur” that brings bird nerds to the yard

But there’s one dinosaur out here that brings all the birdwatchers to the yard: the burrowing owl.

Burrowing owls are small, long-legged owls found in open, treeless grasslands. Instead of nesting in trees like most owls, they live underground, using burrows (often ones originally made by other animals). That’s part of what makes seeing them feel so random: you can be staring at a perfect-looking patch of habitat… and the owl is basically a surprise feature popping up out of the ground.

They hunt insects, reptiles, and small mammals, and one of the coolest things about them—especially for photographers—is that they can be active during the day. Daylight owls. Florida stays weird.

Why open pasture matters

Burrowing owls like wide open areas like this because they want a clear view to spot predators. They’ll pop up near the burrow entrance and watch everything like tiny, feathery security guards. If you’re lucky, you’ll even see that signature head-bob behavior—part of how they judge distance and track movement.

Other wildlife you can find out here

Even when the owls are playing hard to get, Joe Overstreet Road is still a greatest-hits album for open-country Florida wildlife.

Here are a few species that make this road worth the drive:

• Eastern meadowlark: A classic grassland songbird that loves open fields and fence posts. If you’re learning birding, this is one of those “okay, now I’m in Florida” birds.
• Loggerhead shrike (the “butcher bird”): Famous for impaling prey on thorns and barbed wire. Cute and hardcore is the correct description, unfortunately.
• Alligators: Especially closer to water. Keep your distance and don’t be the person who turns a wildlife outing into a cautionary tale.
• Green anoles and grackles: The supporting cast that makes the whole place feel alive, even when the “main character” isn’t on set.

(And depending on the day and season, birding resources note this area can also be good for additional specialties—including occasional reports of larger, rarer birds out in the pastures.)

How to bird Joe Overstreet Road without being “that person”

Quick disclaimer if you do decide to come out here: please be respectful of private property. Much of what you’re looking at is working ranchland. Birding here is typically done from the road/shoulder where legal and safe—no hopping fences, no wandering into fields, no blocking traffic because your dream bird chose the worst possible perch.

A few practical tips:

• Drive slow and stay aware of traffic.
• Pull off only where it’s safe and fully out of the way.
• Bring binoculars and a long lens (or spotting scope if you’re serious).
• Give wildlife space—especially burrowing owls near burrows.

The real reason this road works for wildlife photography

Joe Overstreet is basically a masterclass in wildlife photography expectations: you can come for one species, and the road might hand you ten others first. When your subject doesn’t show up, you don’t just go home. You look for opportunities everywhere—light, behavior, compositions, and the moments you didn’t plan for.

And if you’re chasing burrowing owls specifically, that patience pays off. Sometimes the “hole in the ground” stays a hole… until it doesn’t.

It took firefighters nearly a month to extinguish the blaze, which scorched 22 square miles (57 square kilometers). The Eaton fire burned at the same time as the wind-whipped Palisades fire. An AP analysis at the time showed both blazes torched more urban area than any California fire in decades.

The Eaton fire was caused by electrical arcing on the utility’s out-of-service tower atop a ridge covered with dry fuel, the agency said in a statement. When bare, uninsulated wires touch or come close together it can cause arcing, which is when electricity jumps through the air, producing sparks.

The report said SoCal Edison was responsible for maintaining and operating its electrical lines and equipment “in a manner that would minimize the risk of catastrophic wildfire posed by them.”

Utility has acknowledged potential involvement

The utility indicated previously its equipment may be involved. In early reports to the California Public Utility Commission, SoCal Edison said it detected a “fault” on one of its transmission lines around the time that the Eaton fire started.

Kathleen Dunleavy, a spokesperson for SoCal Edison, said the utility is reviewing the report.

“We have taken our potential role in the start of this fire seriously from the very beginning,” Dunleavy said. She said SCE previously acknowledged “it was likely our equipment was associated with the ignition of the Eaton Fire.”

Utilities have been blamed for many of California’s most destructive fires in recent years.

SoCal Edison, which provides electric service to about 15 million people in California, has paid out hefty sums over the years due to its equipment sparking fires, including $2.2 billion to settle insurance claims from the deadly, destructive Woolsey wildfire in 2018.

Dunleavy said the utility has claims against other agencies over issues such as emergency response and the condition of surrounding vegetation.

“Ignition is different from spread,” Dunleavy said. “A fire of that magnitude – it’s never just one thing. There are numerous factors.”

The utility is facing hundreds of lawsuits from fire victims, insurers and government entities related to the Eaton fire. The U.S. Department of Justice has also sued the company over damage to National Forest land, and has asked for more than $40 million in damages to the federal, state and local governments.

Joy Chen, executive director of Every Fire Survivor’s Network, said the report confirms what thousands of fire victims already knew about what caused the blaze.

“The real question is who pays?” asked Chen, whose home sustained smoke damage.

Messages were sent to state and county prosecutors asking if SoCal Edison could face criminal charges.

Another California utility, Pacific Gas & Electric, filed for bankruptcy after its outdated equipment ignited wildfires in California that killed more than 100 people and wiped out entire towns, including Paradise. The utility pleaded guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the 2018 Camp Fire.

The Los Angeles County Arson Fire Investigation Unit jointly conducted the investigation with California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection or Cal Fire. The blaze was sparked during extreme weather conditions that included high temperatures, low humidity and powerful winds. Two “electrical arcing events” occurred in quick succession, causing an unknown burning material to fall from the tower to the ground below, according to the report.

Investigators interviewed residents who saw flames

The report cites interviews with several residents who saw the fire in its early stages on Jan. 7, some who said it occurred below power lines. One witness who noticed flames under an electrical tower said “he observed an arc while watching the fire; he described it as a blue light,” the report said. The witness began taking photos around 6:25 p.m., then watched as the blaze spread rapidly amid heavy winds.

Another Pasadena resident told investigators she was doing dishes with her daughter when she observed a circle of orange sparks that turned into flames. “The circle of fire was located at the base of the transmission towers,” the report said.

Fire Chief Anthony C. Marrone said “while the cause has been determined, our focus remains on assisting our residents to rebuild their homes and livelihoods, and ensuring lessons learned drive meaningful and impactful change in memory of the 19 lives lost.”

The Palisades Fire was the most destructive blaze in Los Angeles to date and among the five worst in California’s history. That fire killed 12 people and destroyed more than 6,800 homes and buildings in Pacific Palisades. The fire ripped through hillside neighborhoods, destroying mansions with spectacular ocean views.

The man accused of sparking the Palisades Fire will be tried again this fall after his first federal arson case ended in a mistrial in June. Prosecutors said Jonathan Rinderknecht used a barbecue lighter on Jan. 1, 2025 to spark a blaze that burned undetected deep in root systems before flaring back up Jan. 7.

—-

Taxin reported from Santa Ana, California.

In a brief statement, Chipotle maintained that the “health and safety of our guests and employees is our highest priority” — and that it had pulled the jalapeños out of an abundance of caution and “replaced them with product from different growers” in all locations where a previous common lot had been distributed.

The company did not specify where the initial peppers came from but noted that the jalapeños in question were sent across multiple states to several retailers.

The Minnesota Department of Health on Tuesday confirmed that it was investigating a salmonella outbreak tied to several Mexican-style, quick-service restaurants — with jalapeños as the suspected source. Officials identified 110 cases in the state. Chipotle made up the majority of those where they were able to reach impacted consumers for an interview — who ate at the chain between mid-June and mid-July — but not all.

“Based on all the evidence so far, the food that made people sick was served at other restaurants as well,” Carlota Medus, senior epidemiologist supervisor in the Minnesota Department of Health's Foodborne Diseases Unit, said in a statement.

Medus said Chipotle had been cooperative over the course of the investigation — and that given the measures the company put in place, his department was not concerned about the chain at this time. Still, he said it was “too soon for us to know if the outbreak is ongoing” and that it's possible contaminated food is being served elsewhere.

The Minnesota Department of Health noted that other states are contributing to the investigation, without elaborating further. On the federal level, the Food and Drug Administration is conducting the traceback probe, covering but not limited to jalapeños.

The FDA on Tuesday confirmed it initiated its traceback investigation “of multiple ingredients” on July 22, in response to a cluster of salmonella illnesses identified by both state officials and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In a statement, the agency said it appreciated Chipotle's cooperation and that it would “provide additional information if and when there is an actionable public health update.”

The CDC did not respond a request for further comments Tuesday afternoon.

Symptoms of salmonella poisoning include diarrhea, fever, severe vomiting, dehydration and stomach cramps. Most people who get sick recover within a week. Infections can be more severe in young children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems, who may require hospitalization.

Chipotle has been battered by larger outbreaks in years past — notably between 2015 and 2018, where a string of E coli., norovirus and food poisoning illnesses sent sales plunging. The California-based company has since boasted stronger food safety practices.

The latest salmonella outbreak arrives at a tough time for restaurant-goers and the dining industry nationwide. A handful of fast-casual chains are still wrestling with the fallout of a separate, wider cyclospora outbreak linked to shredded lettuce that has sickened thousands of Americans.

Chipotle hasn't been tied to or named by government investigations into those cyclospora illnesses. Still, the company is among those bracing for lower sales because of that outbreak.

Shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill plunged nearly 10% Tuesday.

Salah Sarsour, a legal permanent resident of the United States, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers at his Milwaukee home in late March. A judge released him from ICE detention in June, finding that the government had not sufficiently laid out why it was trying to expel him now after allowing him to live in the U.S. for decades.

The Department of Homeland Security says it wants to deport Sarsour on the grounds that he is a foreign policy threat, based on his convictions in Israel in the 1980s and '90s. Sarsour, who has no criminal record in the U.S., has said he is being punished for speaking out against Israel.

It was Sarsour's third appearance in Chicago immigration court since his release from detention. One of his attorneys, Patrick Taurel, presented a witness Tuesday to underscore his argument that the Israeli convictions do not stand up to scrutiny.

Jawad Boulos, who was Sarsour's lawyer when he was charged in Israel decades ago, testified that Sarsour was tortured in Israeli custody and coerced into making confessions. Boulos also said his former client was convicted of attempting to possess a weapon, but not of any charge tying him to a terrorist organization.

Human rights organizations have released multiple reports alleging Palestinian prisoners are mistreated, tortured and wrongfully detained in Israeli jails.

Boulos told the court Sarsour was tortured and that he accepted a plea deal in the mid-1990's because fighting the charge could lead to a longer sentence behind bars.

On the first day of the hearing, July 22, Salah Sarsour’s brother, Mohammad Sarsour, testified that his brother appeared gaunt and dirty and complained of pain during his detention in Israeli jail.

Sarsour will appear remotely for his next hearing on Sept. 14. Taurel said his client will not testify.

Sarsour is among several people who have been arrested in the U.S. and threatened with deportation after speaking out in favor of Palestinians since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023.

___

Mayes-Osterman is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

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Central Florida Insider (@centralflinsider_news6) • Instagram photos and videos

Kara Moeller

Kara Moeller is one of the News 6 Insider Guides to Central Florida, exploring Florida’s wild side, uncovering hidden gems, and spotlighting the people and businesses that make the region one-of-a-kind. She’s in love with the mix of outdoor adventure, quirky local history, and small businesses that give this area its character—and she’s on a mission to show there’s so much more to Central Florida than what you can see from I-4.

Kara loves experiencing new places the same way viewers do: hands-on, in-the-moment, and with plenty of curiosity. Sometimes she’s introducing audiences to a favorite find she can’t stop talking about; other times she’s taking a tip from a viewer and chasing down something totally new. To her, the best part of the job is the shared experience, she considers the viewers her friends, and she loves that they get to explore Central Florida together.

Daytrippers with Kara Moeller is your go-to guide for the best day trips, outdoor adventures, and unique local spots across the region—no overnight stay required. Each episode dives into a new experience, from theme park highlights to zip-line parks, local eco-tours, and creative DIY studios. Whether you’re a Florida local looking to break your weekend routine or a visitor wanting to explore beyond the theme parks, Kara has your itinerary covered—complete with practical ideas, can’t-miss stops, and plenty of inspiration for your next day out.

Email Daytripper ideas to Kara at kmoeller@wkmg.com🚗

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Kara Møller (@kara_moeller) • Instagram photos and videos

Kaia Poisall

Kaia, also known as Florida Foodie, has had a passion for food for as long as she can remember—starting with experimenting in the kitchen at a young age and growing into a never-ending curiosity for what’s next. She’s always down to try something new (and will try just about anything once), whether it’s a hidden hole-in-the-wall gem or a once-in-a-lifetime Michelin-worthy meal.

What she loves most is stepping into kitchens and watching how today’s chefs keep raising the bar—pushing flavors, techniques, and creativity in ways that make every bite feel like a story. While she has a special place in her heart for Asian cuisine, she’s passionate about learning through food and exploring the traditions behind every culture on the plate.

Kaia truly believes Central Florida has one of the best food scenes in the country, and she’s here to show you why. Because at the end of the day, food brings people together in a way few things can.

And if she’s not thinking about food (which is rare), she’s probably reading a new book, heading to Pilates, planning her next trip, or taking photos of the people she loves most.

Have foodie suggestions? Share them with Kaia at kpoisall@wkmg.com🍽️

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The Florida Foodie (@floridafoodienews6) • Instagram photos and videos

Joey Manna

Joey is a bird nerd, wildlife photographer and the host of Everyday Wild, a Central Florida Insider original series exploring Florida’s wildlife and wild places. He’s spent years turning his backyard obsession with critters into a full-blown mission to get people outside and paying attention to the wild things living right under their noses, gators, sandhill cranes, gopher tortoises, and everything in between.

When he’s not out chasing whatever critter caught his attention that week, you can find him touching grass and picking up bugs (literally), digging around in the garden, or hunting down his next rare houseplant. He’s also usually behind the scenes helping Kara and Kaia film Daytripper’s, Florida Foodie, and Central Florida Insider LIVE, because if there’s a camera rolling on something fun in Central Florida, there’s a good chance Joey had something to do with it.

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Joey Manna (@joeymanna_creative) • Instagram photos and videos

Share your best birding photos with Joey at jmanna@wkmg.com🦆

Together, they’re your News 6 Insider Guides—taking you deeper into Central Florida and giving you an inside look at the places, people, and experiences that make this area special. From day trips and hidden gems to wildlife adventures and unforgettable local eats, Kara, Joey, and Kaia bring you along behind the scenes and into the story, so you can discover what to do next across Orlando, the Space Coast, and beyond.

Have ideas, suggestions or things you want to see? Let us know in the comments below.

Miller, a senior adviser to Trump during his first presidency, faced a Wednesday deadline to decide whether to stay in his race for reelection, with Republicans nervous that the allegations surrounding the second-term congressman could cost them a seat as they try to hang on to their House majority in this year's midterms.

Leaders of the ethics committee said in their statement that the committee was reviewing whether Miller “may have engaged in domestic violence and abuse or illegal drug use.” Earlier in the day, Miller said he had requested his own investigation into the allegations made by his ex-wife, Emily Moreno. It was not clear whether his request or another one prompted the committee to investigate.

Trump spoke with Miller on Monday and advised that his candidacy “doesn’t look good,” according to a source familiar with the conversation who was granted anonymity to discuss a private conversation. Trump’s conversation with Miller was first reported by Axios.

But Miller, in announcing his plans on the social platform X to request an ethics probe, said, “I have nothing to hide" and said he was seeking “to clear my name.”

The former Trump aide, whom the president endorsed in May, is facing a flurry of legal filings by his ex-wife, who is the Republican senator's daughter, and an ex-girlfriend.

Sen. Moreno, who until Sunday had remained quiet about the allegations at his daughter's request, on Tuesday described the impact on his daughter, granddaughter and wider family as “truly the seventh level of hell."

“This has been brutal beyond comprehension," he told reporters at the Capitol. "And if there's any minimum standard for being a public official, as I said, he fails to meet that minimum, basic standard.”

Asked about the election implications of the allegations for Republicans, Moreno told reporters, “I don't care about the politics at all.”

Moreno expressed concern for his granddaughter and told reporters that he traveled Sunday to a suburban Cleveland police station, where Miller was dropping off their daughter. Miller and his ex-wife share custody of the 2-year-old.

Miller had previewed his intention to stay in the race over the weekend when he livestreamed a video defending himself on X and posting a cache of documents related to his divorce and custody cases.

“I’m not dropping out of this race and I’ll win in November,” he said on the platform.

Sen. Moreno said the video prompted him to break his silence and call for Miller to no longer hold public office.

Trump declined to say publicly on Monday whether Miller should exit the race, noting that the accusations against him were “allegations.”

“I know Max. He's a good person. I mean, I always thought he was a very good person. And I'm going to let the families figure that out,” Trump told reporters when asked about Miller during an Oval Office event.

On Tuesday, the city council will vote to authorize a contractor to complete the Downtown One-Way Street Conversion Project.

The plan, which was initially approved in 2025, calls for changes to three streets so emergency vehicles have more room to respond to parts of downtown.

“We were told by engineers that the streets are unsafe in their current condition, so we couldn’t allow that lack of safety to continue,” Mayor James Homich said.

The project includes one-way southbound conversion on Alexander Street between 5th Avenue and 4th Avenue, Tremain Street would become one-way northbound between 5th Avenue and 3rd Avenue, and Baker Street would be one-way southbound between 5th Avenue and 3rd Avenue.

[WATCH: Mount Dora reopening Donnelly Street 7 months after historic flooding]

Todd Abell owns a business in downtown and said the plans will be a benefit for the city.

“These type of streets, it’s hard to get two cars by. So, one way, that street’s good. Some of them would make sense to do that,” Abell said.

Street parking will be on one side of each of the streets with a total of 49 spaces preserved.

“Downtown Mount Dora, there’s not going to be a lot of parking, but they make it work,” Abell said.

Once work begins, construction on the project is expected to take about six weeks.

The city council will vote on the contract approval during a meeting on Tuesday at 6 p.m.

The company run by Elon Musk reported a loss of $541 million, or 9 cents per share, in the three months through June, less than half what financial analysts had expected. Revenue jumped to $7.8 billion, up more than 90% from the year-earlier period.

Musk will field questions from investors and financial analysts soon on a conference call.

Stock in the rocket, satellite communications and AI company has fallen by roughly half since its June peak shortly an initial public offering that briefly made Musk the world’s first trillionaire.

Investors have knocked the share price down on worries Musk had oversold them on the company's future prospects for space travel and colonization among other issues. They’re also bracing for volatile trading as some company insiders get the opportunity to sell shares after the expiration of what’s known as a lockup provision later in the week.

The shares jumped 19% on their first day of trading, making Musk the first-ever trillionaire. The subsequent drop in SpaceX, as well as a decline in the shares of Musk’s electric vehicle company Tesla, have knocked his wealth down to $783 billion, according to Forbes.

Part visionary, part salesman, Musk is likely to be asked on the conference call about when he expects to finish testing SpaceX’s giant Starship rockets that NASA hopes to use to put astronauts on the moon again, his plans for its satellite network and the prospects of putting football-field sized data centers in orbit.

Given rumors of SpaceX possibly merging with Musk’s Tesla car company, he may also face questions about that tie-up but that is likely to yield few details. Neither company has confirmed plans for a combination and Musk has parried questions before by noting securities regulations bar him from discussing the issue.

SpaceX insiders were barred from selling in the public offering in June but that prohibition begins to ease on Thursday when more than 900 million shares are released for trading, more than doubling the amount currently available for trading. The lockup release is the first of several tranches of stock that will be freed to trade over the next several months.

The prospect of more supply has weighed on the shares, which closed Tuesday at $125.33, down from both the peak of $225 in June and also the IPO price of $135.

The Starship rocket successfully deployed satellites in space during a test late last month. Future tests could include trying to use giant arms at its Starbase launching site in Texas to grab the spacecraft and its booster upon their hovering return to earth.

SpaceX’s satellite communication business, Starlink, is a big cash generator for the company with contracts around the world. The company also runs a money-losing AI business, known for its Grok tool, as well as the social media platform X, the renamed Twitter.

__

An earlier version of this story erroneously reported that 900,000 shares will be released for trading later this week. It should have said more than 900 million.

Critics have argued the measure could be used to crack down on certain drag performances and chill free expression.

DeSantis responded to the news by saying the law is meant to protect children and “shouldn’t even be controversial,” but that Florida still had to fight lawsuits to defend it.

11th Circuit upholds Florida law that prohibits minors from establishments featuring sexually explicit performances.

This shouldn’t even be controversial, yet our law protecting kids required us to fend off lawsuits and win a case before a divided appellate court. https://t.co/Kcve9dLjRs

— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) August 4, 2026

What this means in plain terms

The court’s ruling removes a temporary block that had stopped Florida from enforcing the law statewide.

Bottom line: Florida regulators now have more ability to enforce the law again while the legal fight continues.

Why drag shows are part of this story

The lawsuit was filed by HM Florida-ORL, LLC, which operates Hamburger Mary’s in Orlando.

Hamburger Mary’s told the court the law’s wording was so broad and unclear it chilled constitutionally protected speech and forced changes to operations. In the appeals court’s summary of the record, the business said it:

• Offered drag performances, including a “family friendly” Sunday show where children were invited
• Announced in advance when shows were not suitable for children and barred children from those events
• Ultimately canceled family drag shows and barred minors from other shows after the law passed

Hamburger Mary’s also alleged business losses after changing its approach to minors attending performances.

That case was also brought after a Christmas-themed Orlando drag show in 2022 — described by state officials as being sexually explicit — reportedly had underage attendees, leading state officials to warn the venue.

[RELATED: Officials move to suspend Orlando venue’s liquor license after drag show attended by children]

What the law does (and doesn’t) say about drag

The Protection of Children Act does not specifically mention drag shows. Instead, it creates a criminal penalty for admitting minors to an “adult live performance,” a term Florida law defines.

According to the court, an “adult live performance” includes live performances depicting or simulating:

• Nudity
• Sexual conduct
• Sexual excitement
• Specific sexual activities (as defined under Florida law)
• Lewd conduct
• Lewd exposure of prosthetic or imitation genitals or breasts

The court also noted the statute is limited to performances meeting additional criteria, including standards tied to whether the material is:

• Predominantly appealing to prurient interest
• Patently offensive under statewide adult community standards as to what is suitable “for the age of the child present”
• Lacking serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value for the age of the child present

Why the appeals court disagreed with the lower court (for now)

A federal judge had previously stopped Florida from enforcing the law against anyone in the state while the case moved forward.

But in the new ruling, the appeals court said that decision was too broad — and that, at this early stage, Hamburger Mary’s hasn’t shown it’s likely to win the case.

In other words, the appeals court said the law can be enforced again while the lawsuit keeps going.

Local context: Plaza Live case in Orlando

This legal fight has played out during wider state scrutiny of drag performances described as sexually explicit.

In a separate Orlando case, Plaza Live agreed to pay a $5,000 fine after state investigators found minors attended a Christmas-themed drag show that officials said included sexual simulations and prosthetics.

What venues may do next

For venues that host drag shows or other adult-themed performances, the ruling may mean:

• More age limits (18+)
• Clearer warning labels in advertising
• More ID checks at the door
• More caution about what minors are allowed to see

A divided full bench of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has cleared the way for Florida to enforce its Protection of Children Act — a law backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis that targets venues that “knowingly admit a child to an adult live performance.” Critics have argued the measure could be used to crack down on certain drag performances.

“This shouldn’t even be controversial,” DeSantis said in a statement after the ruling. “Yet our law protecting kids required us to fend off lawsuits and win a case before a divided appellate court.”

What the ruling changes

The decision vacates a preliminary injunction from a federal judge in the Middle District of Florida that had blocked statewide enforcement while the lawsuit played out.

In practical terms, the ruling means Florida officials are no longer barred (by that injunction) from enforcing the law against venues beyond the plaintiff in the case.

Climate United Fund and other nonprofits won’t have access to their funds immediately as the decision will be put on hold for several days giving the Environmental Protection Agency time to ask the Supreme Court to step in.

The judgement by the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia is a loss for the Trump administration in one of its earliest efforts to dismantle President Joe Biden’s campaign to reduce climate-warming greenhouse gases. The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, commonly referred to as a “green bank,” is a $20 billion congressionally authorized program that provided money to nonprofits that would then make loans and invest in small energy projects, energy-efficient buildings and transportation.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin accused Climate United Fund and other nonprofits picked to run the green bank of mismanagement and potential fraud. He froze billions that had been placed in a Citibank account for the program and then terminated their grants. The groups disputed any wrongdoing and sued, arguing the Trump administration broke the law and violated the Constitution by not spending money authorized by Congress.

“Despite efforts to harm the awardees with false allegations and misinformation, there remains no legal basis for terminating our grant award and clawing back funds that were already disbursed in our bank accounts,” Climate United said in a statement.

In September, a divided three-judge panel of the same appeals court overturned a lower court and said the Trump administration had broad power to cancel grants without having to face charges of illegality in federal court.

The full appeals court agreed to revisit that decision, a rare occurrence reserved for the most important cases.

Zeldin early last year told Fox News that he suspected the green bank “was a clear-cut case of waste and abuse” that “in my opinion, is criminal.”

U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan last year said that when the federal government was asked for evidence of fraud, the agency didn’t provide it and shifted its position to more general concerns about the level of EPA oversight over the program. Chutkan ruled the government can’t violate the law and terminate the contracts and that the groups should have access to some of their frozen money. That order was put on hold during appeal.

A lawyer for the nonprofits argued at the time that the agency had already allocated the money by putting it in the Citibank account for the program’s use.

The agency argued the nonprofits are making constitutional and statutory arguments that don’t apply in a simple contract fight, and that the matter should be heard by a different court that can only award a lump sum — not force the government to keep the grants in place. Federal officials argue there is no law or provision in the Constitution that compels the EPA to make these grants to these groups.

The green bank was created by the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, a Biden administration priority that boosted clean energy and climate-friendly projects. President Trump’s tax and spending bill last year, however, repealed part of the law that established the bank and rescinded money that hadn’t already been obligated to its recipients. That added a layer of complication to the legal case.

Six of 10 judges agreed with a lower court judge that the Trump EPA likely violated the 2022 law when it terminated the grants and tried to claw back funds based on a policy disagreement.

However, one of the six judges that agreed the grant terminations were improper said Trump's bill complicated whether the clean energy groups could access funds going forward.

The remaining four judges broadly disagreed with the majority and sided with the EPA, saying that after Trump's tax and spend bill, the agency likely would have authority to end the grants.

The EPA did not immediately provide comment.

___

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

“We must act now to stem the rise in child deaths, which this crisis is provoking,” John Aylieff, WFP’s country director in Afghanistan, said in a statement, adding that “it is already too late for too many."

Afghanistan continues to recover from decades of conflict and upheaval, including the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. forces in 2021 as the Taliban took power.

Olga Cherevko, spokesperson for the U.N. humanitarian office in Afghanistan, said nutrition specialists report that “wasting among children has worsened this year in over three-quarters of the country." Children suffering from a condition known as wasting are acutely malnourished, become very thin for their height, and need immediate therapeutic feeding.

But “too many children arrive at health facilities severely malnourished” while others never make it, Cherevko told reporters at U.N. headquarters by video from Afghanistan, where she has traveled across the country in recent months and weeks.

WFP said 142 health centers closed in 2025 because of aid reductions and more than 13,000 children lost access to nutrition treatment. It did not mention any specific donor, such as the United States, where the Trump administration has made sweeping cuts in foreign aid.

Nearly 3.7 million Afghan children are projected to suffer from acute malnutrition this year, along with 1.2 million pregnant and breastfeeding women, according to WFP.

The agency said 12 Afghan provinces have reached critical levels of acute child malnutrition, a record number. It cited a combination of conflict, unemployment, rising food prices, disease outbreaks, poor water and sanitation and reduced humanitarian funding.

The Iran war and other fighting ha delayed deliveries

WFP said supply shortages linked to conflict in the Middle East and the nine-month closure of Pakistan’s border because of fighting between the neighbors have disrupted deliveries of nutrition products, leaving nearly one million malnourished women and children without essential nutrition services for five months.

From August through October, WFP said food distributions aimed at preventing famine in the worst-hit areas are being suspended due to lack of funding, even though the annual peak season for malnutrition is between July and October.

It said it urgently needs $540 million over the next six months.

WFP previously described cuts as ‘devastating’

Humanitarian groups in Afghanistan are grappling with steep funding cuts. In February, Aylieff told The Associated Press that cuts had been “devastating” and were forcing the agency to turn away three out of four acutely malnourished children.

Funding for food assistance has dropped sharply — by about 59% since 2022 — even as needs have surged, according to a recent WFP report.

In June, the U.S. pledged $800 million to WFP, which said it will help more than 38 million people in at least 37 countries.

Cherevko of the U.N. humanitarian office said the larger $1.71 billion humanitarian appeal for Afghanistan is just over 26% funded, which is “alarming,” especially since malnutrition and other indicators are worsening.

—-

Edith M. Lederer contributed to this report from the United Nations.

The man, Edwin Lopez-Cornejo, was hospitalized Saturday after suffering a “medical emergency” while being held at Delaney Hall in Newark, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He died the same day.

His official cause of death will be released following further medical examination, according to ICE, which has listed his age as 41. Relatives said he was 39.

At a news conference Tuesday, distraught family members said Lopez-Cornejo had complained he was not getting regular access to his medications, which he took for diabetes, high blood pressure and seizures. His mother, Maria Cornejo, said he called the day before his death to tell her he had spoken to a doctor early Friday and had lost feeling in half his face and arm.

“My son needed medical attention, and he didn’t receive it,” Cornejo said in Spanish. “He was a good father. A good son. A hardworking man. He didn’t harm anyone.”

Through tears, his 12-year-old daughter, Ashley Lopez, said the family knew his health had worsened in detention. “All of us were worried about him,” she said.

In their statement, ICE said Lopez-Cornejo “received proper medical care and was seen by medical professionals” while in custody. He had been held at the facility since his arrest June 18, according to the agency, which accused him of entering the country illegally.

In all, at least 56 people have died in ICE custody during Trump’s second term. Hundreds of detainees across the U.S. have brought lawsuits accusing immigrant detention facilities of failing to provide proper medical care.

In recent months, Delaney Hall has been the site of fierce protests by immigration advocates, with demonstrators at times attempting to block vehicles from entering or leaving the facility. Earlier this year, some detainees launched a hunger strike over the conditions, according to Cosecha, an immigrant advocacy group.

The facility is owned by Geo Group, a private prison contractor that operates multiple detention centers across the country. The contractor did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment.

After Lopez-Cornejo's death, Democratic politicians and civil rights groups renewed their calls to shutter the 1,000-bed facility.

“This is not the first death of a detainee at Delaney Hall, and absent decisive action, it will not be the last,” Democratic U.S. Sen. Cory Booker said in a statement. “I have visited the facility myself and witnessed these conditions firsthand, so I say this plainly: Delaney Hall must be closed immediately and permanently.”

In December, Jean Wilson Brutus, a 41-year-old Haitian national, died after collapsing at the jail in what a medical examiner ruled was due to a blood clot blocking an artery in his lungs.

On Monday, U.S. Rep. Rob Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat who has routinely visited Delaney Hall, told reporters another person detained by ICE died in July after they suffered a seizure while they were being processed at the facility. Menendez said ICE granted the individual a “discretionary release” from custody after they were taken to a hospital and lost consciousness, and the person died shortly afterward.

Menendez did not identify the individual. ICE didn’t immediately respond to an inquiry about the case.

Menendez said ICE did not report the death, in line with a policy change announced earlier this year in which the agency no longer reports deaths that occur within 30 days of someone’s release from custody.

ICE has also not publicly recognized the July 24 death of 29-year-old Priciliano Trejo in Georgia, which came nine days after the agency released him from custody while he was hospitalized in a coma, according to a coalition of advocacy groups in the state. The agency has not responded to inquiries about Trejo’s death.

On Tuesday, Lopez-Cornejo’s brother, Danilo Lopez, called for the release of all medically vulnerable detainees, adding that the family would seek an independent state investigation into the “health crisis” at Delaney Hall.

In a statement, New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill, a Democrat, said her administration’s inspection efforts “continue to face obstruction.”

“Every effort to block oversight raises serious questions about what is happening inside Delaney Hall and what those operating the facility are trying to hide,” she added.

___

Associated Press journalists Ryan Foley in Iowa City, Iowa, and Joseph Frederick, in Highland Park, New Jersey, contributed to this report.

So Elias was asked point blank why fans should believe he's the man to guide the team to future success.

“While the last couple of years have really felt like a step back, and have been a step back from where this team was in 2023 and 2024, we have so many good players in this organization,” he said. "We have so many things going for us in this organization in terms of the strength and the infrastructure, the business side of the operation, the ownership, the facilities. We now have a top farm system, and we have a great roster with a lot of really good players that are signed up for many years. And we have a lot of things going for us right now.”

Monday's trade may work out for the Orioles in the long run. They acquired three of Boston's top five prospects according to MLB Pipeline. Fans generally understand the logic of dealing a player who might become a free agent in the next year or two. But what makes this trade harder to stomach is the year and a half of failure that led up to it.

In 2023, the Orioles won 101 games. Rutschman and infielder Gunnar Henderson were franchise cornerstones, and there were several more top prospects on the way. Even then, there were concerns Baltimore would have a hard time keeping those two stars — but the assumption was there would be a lot more winning before days like Monday. Instead, the Orioles are in danger of missing the playoffs for a second straight season.

“The last couple seasons have not gone to plan. There have been shortcomings, and ultimately those are my responsibility," Elias said. "But this is a very hard game, we cannot succeed all the time, and we must keep going when things aren't going our way.”

Elias did not sound Monday like a man whose job was in jeopardy. The Orioles were 54-58 but just 2 1/2 games out of the last wild card in the American League. If Elias felt he needed to produce a playoff team this year, he could have kept Rutschman and even added help.

There were reasons to trade him, though. Baltimore has catcher Samuel Basallo, who is signed long term and is seven years younger than Rutschman. This type of deal — using a surplus at a key position to acquire help elsewhere — is something the Orioles could perhaps have used more of a few years ago, when they had a wealth of hitting in the majors and minors but needed pitching.

Baltimore acquired just one major leaguer — catcher Carlos Narváez — for Rutschman. Once again, the Orioles have to sell their fans on minor league prospects. The last collection of young talent hasn't totally delivered on its promise. Rutschman had a down year in 2025, and Henderson is having one this year. Jackson Holliday, Colton Cowser and Coby Mayo have all had struggles at the plate. Pitcher Grayson Rodriguez couldn't stay healthy and was ultimately traded for what turned out to be four months of outfielder Taylor Ward. (Ward, a pending free agent, was also dealt away Monday.)

Baltimore hasn't won a pennant since 1983. The franchise that became famous for the Oriole Way has been largely mediocre since then — an issue that long preceded Elias. When he arrived in November 2018, a rebuild was already underway after the team lost 115 games that year.

“We had a lot of work to do around the org. We did it, and for a period of time there — we won a hundred games in 2023 — we had a consensus farm system and a core that looked like it was in a tremendous spot, in a really historically strong spot," Elias said. “I think to some degree I personally, looking back, got caught up in a narrative about a rebuild. Baseball's very humbling, and it doesn't go linearly, and things shifted and changed, and we had a lot of bad luck on the injury front. We had a lot of injuries, and we had regression and things that changed course.”

It's possible Baltimore's fortune will swing back in a positive direction. The injury luck could improve, and maybe someone like Holliday grows into a star. Or the next generation of prospects might have more staying power. Even so, Elias will have to prove he's as good at buying as he seems to be at selling — and that acquiring all this young talent can lead to more than just a fleeting two-year stretch as a contender.

“We're in a really good spot with the health of the org, the talent that's in the org, the players, the system that we have," Elias said. "We need to get better, we need to continue to adjust and evolve. Our competition is very, very stiff, but I like where we're at. The way that we've gotten here has felt different because of the last couple of years and how we've tapered down the last couple years from where our record was in 2023 and 2024. But the future is strong and I think it starts right now.”

___

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

Arbaeen is held 40 days after Ashoura, which commemorates the killing of Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, and members of his family, at the Battle of Karbala in 680 A.D.

Karbala Gov. Nasseif Jassim al-Khattabi said Tuesday that more than 22 million people entered the city during the pilgrimage, including about 5 million non-Iraqi visitors as well as Iraqis from different regions of the country.

The event is considered one of the world’s largest annual religious gatherings.

Among the highest-profile foreign visitors was Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who arrived in the Iraqi city of Najaf on Monday and continued on to Karbala to take part in the pilgrimage.

Araghchi's presence was a reminder of the delicate balancing act that Iraq — which has close ties to both Washington and Tehran — has carried out since the beginning of the war. Iraq has found itself in the crosshairs of both sides and has sought to avoid getting pulled further into the conflict.

As usual, Iranian pilgrims arrived in large numbers, but some observers said the number of pilgrims from other countries had shrunk.

Aqeel al-Rubaie, 45, a pilgrim from Baghdad who was on his way to Karbala, said Iranian flags were particularly visible along the Najaf-Karbala road, while there were fewer flags than usual from European, Arab and other Islamic countries.

He attributed this to “the war and the events unfolding across the region, which have affected the number of Arab and foreign pilgrims."

Another pilgrim from Baghdad, Hassan al-Sarai, 35, said, “I hardly saw any flags other than Iranian ones, which were clearly visible along the road as well as inside and around the city of Karbala."

Volunteer processions providing food, water, medical care and other services lined the roads leading to Karbala from across Iraq.

The pilgrimage is taking place this year as Iraq faces difficult economic conditions following the war and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which has disrupted Iraqi oil exports. More than 90% of Iraqi state revenues come from oil exports, making the country’s economy highly vulnerable to any interruption in crude shipments.

It also comes as Baghdad is wrestling with a difficult task it has set for itself: disarming the country's network of militias, many of them Iran-backed.

One of the most powerful Iran-backed militias, Kataib Hezbollah, said in a statement marking the occasion of Arbaeen that it rejects calls to disarm and remains committed to retaining what it described as the “weapons of the resistance."

Meanwhile in Iran, many observant Shiites unable to make the pilgrimage to Karbala held their own observances, which sometimes took on a political tone.

In the capital, Tehran, black-clad mourners rallied along a nearly 20-kilometer (12-mile) route to a Shiite holy shrine in the south of the city from a starting point in the central part of the city.

The mourners chanted slogans seeking retaliation for the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in strikes by the U.S. and Israel, while some demonstrators trampled on U.S. and Israeli flags.

State media said similar rallies were held in other Iranian cities and towns.

——

Associated Press writer Nasser Karimi in Tehran contributed.

Several fires that burned through mountain communities and coastal areas west of the Greek capital were brought under control overnight. Planes and helicopters dumped water inside the contained perimeters through the morning, dousing hot spots while the winds stayed calm.

“There is a huge fire load in the area and the risk goes up as the day progresses,” said Costas Tsingas, head of the Greek Firefighters Association. “The goal is for the day to end better than it started.”

Fires started through negligence prompt wave of arrests

Burning for a fifth day, the blaze outside Athens prompted the evacuation of more than 1,000 people and was blamed on a faulty power line from a wind farm in the area.

Restrictions and park closures are imposed locally according to fire‑risk levels. Authorities say 33 people were arrested between June 29 and Aug. 2 for starting fires, including 30 through negligence and three on suspicion of arson. Most of the negligence cases involved farm work carried out despite local bans, including prohibited welding.

On Tuesday, crews were working against the clock: Winds typically pick up in the afternoon, a coastal phenomenon common across the Mediterranean in summer as land heats faster than the sea and draws in stronger breezes.

The army deployed tracked earth movers to carve fire breaks across the scorched hillsides, while specialist units pushed into forest areas on foot to extinguish smoldering embers before they could reignite.

More than 1,000 people have been evacuated from around the seaside resort of Porto Germeno and other areas west of the capital, including more than 250 rescued by boats from beaches in the area.

Wildfires in France expose ammunition

Prolonged heat waves across Europe this summer have left France tinder-dry, fueling blazes that this week exposed long-buried ammunition in a forested area.

The massive wildfire outside the southwestern city of Bordeaux, which has scorched about 420 square kilometers (162 square miles), uncovered what is believed to be World War II-era ammunition.

Demining experts have found more than 400 shells and other munitions in recent days at Le Porge, the hardest-hit town, where 183 homes were destroyed. Residents described hearing explosions believed to be blasts from the old shells, authorities said.

The fire remained contained and thousands of evacuees were allowed to return Monday. More than 224,000 people fled in France’s largest civilian evacuation outside wartime.

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Corbet reported from Paris.

The figure offers a glimpse of how much taxpayer money will be spent on a deployment that has been criticized by local officials as an infringement of their city's autonomy and by Democrats who say it has militarized the streets of nation's capital at the public's expense.

The cost estimate is for fiscal years 2027-2029 and came in response to questions from Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren and was provided to The Associated Press.

The deployment began last summer, when President Donald Trump issued an emergency order that launched a law enforcement surge in the city which the administration says was meant to fight crime. Hundreds of armed Guard troops have been deployed to city streets, supporting arrest operations but also helping with snow removal and carrying out beautification projects. This summer, as the city marked the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, their numbers surged to about 5,000.

The Defense Department said in its estimate the cost assumes there will be an average of 2,500 National Guard members in Washington through January 2029.

"While American families are getting flattened by skyrocketing costs, Donald Trump is spending $1.4 billion to keep troops on the streets in Washington for years on end," Warren said in an emailed statement. "The National Guard are not pawns and taxpayer dollars are not a piggy bank for Trump’s political stunts.”

The cost was first reported by The Washington Post.

The Pentagon said last month the Guard mission will continue until Jan. 20, 2029, “or until terminated by the President.” The deployment was set to expire at the end of this year after previously being extended.

While the use of National Guard members has been restricted by courts elsewhere, their presence continues in large numbers in D.C. where the president is the direct commander of the D.C. Guard.

What's not clear is whether the governors will extend their state units for more than two years. As of late July there were 4,600 military personnel from D.C. and 23 states and territories still in the city, some sent to help with security and other functions as part of events around July 4th.

One state, Georgia, had roughly 800 personnel here, more than the D.C. National Guard. Maj. R. Dustin Cole, spokesperson for the Georgia Air National Guard, said in an email the increased number is temporary. He stopped short of saying how many Georgia troops might be pulled away, and when.

Col. Joel Lynch of the Arkansas National Guard said about half of the state’s 238 soldiers in D.C. will return home the end of this month and 123 are projected to return near the end of October.

Hawaii said it will bring home its 27 members later this month after the Freedom 250 Grand Prix. Louisiana will have about 150 Guard members in the city through January 2027.

Don and Donna Powell, residents of the city who split time between Washington and Texas, said the money being spent on the National Guard could be used for other necessities.

“They’re everywhere. They’re just hiding wherever it’s shady,” said Donna Powell, while attending a FreeDC protest Monday against the continued surge. The money being spent for them “could be spent on healthcare and food for families that need it and instead we’re wasting our money.”

Helicopters were on standby but unable to fly by noon for the ongoing search and recovery operation on Broad Peak, the regional government said in a statement Tuesday.

The climbers from Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, China, Britain and the United States were swept away by the avalanche Thursday in the Gilgit-Baltistan region, which the Alpine Club of Pakistan called one of the country's deadliest mountaineering disasters.

Ground teams located the remains of eight climbers and at least three bodies were brought down the mountain on Saturday, officials said.

Nirmal Purja, a Nepal-born former British Army soldier widely known as Nims Dai, was among the climbers killed in the avalanche while attempting to scale the peak. His expedition company said Saturday that the world had lost one of mountaineering’s greats.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday expressed condolences to the families of those killed, saying he was deeply saddened by the tragedy.

“My heartfelt condolences go to the bereaved families and to the governments and people of China, Nepal, Oman, the United Kingdom and the United States,” Dar said in a post on X.

Dar also offered condolences to the family of Pakistani mountaineer Sohail Sakhi, saying his courage and passion for the mountains would be remembered with pride.

“The determination and pursuit of excellence shown by all those who perished embodied the true spirit of mountaineering and will continue to inspire generations,” Dar said.

Dar praised the “tireless efforts of our rescue and recovery teams” and said Pakistan remained committed to the ongoing search and recovery operation in close coordination with the Nepal, Oman, U.K. and U.S. embassies.

Mountaineering accidents are common in northern Pakistan because of avalanches, falling ice and rock, extreme altitude and rapidly changing weather. A Chinese mountaineer died last year after being struck by falling rocks while descending K2, the world’s second-highest mountain, in northern Pakistan.

Bodies of foreign climbers who die attempting to summit mountains in Pakistan are typically recovered at the request of their families and governments. If the family declines a rescue, the remains are left at the spot where the climber died.

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Khan reported from Peshawar, Pakistan.

On Tuesday, lawmakers in the Democratic-dominated House approved putting an amendment on the ballot to allow the change. The Senate was expected to vote on it later in the day. Sending it to voters requires three-fifths approval of both legislative chambers, who met in a special session to consider the change.

In a state where Democrats now occupy seven of the eight House seats, Republicans are calling the effort a blatant power grab.

In debate in the House on Tuesday, Republican Delegate Kevin Hornberger told his colleagues: “Just because we can go ultra-partisan doesn't mean we should go ultra-partisan.” Other Republicans said constituents weren't behind it and one Democratic lawmaker worried that the change could cost rural parts of the state federal resources if they're put in the same districts with suburban areas. The measure still passed 96-38.

If the amendment is ultimately approved, it would be part of a rapid reconfiguration of congressional district lines that began last year when President Donald Trump urged Republican-controlled states to adjust their maps to help the party in the 2026 midterm elections. Normally, redistricting happens just once a decade after new Census data is released.

Eight states — Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee and Texas — have redrawn maps to help Republicans, who could pick up as many as 16 seats due to the redistricting. New maps in California and Utah could give Democrats an advantage in six races.

Maryland moved more slowly because Democratic state Senate President Bill Ferguson blocked an earlier initiative aimed at putting new maps in place for this year. He was worried that the state Supreme Court, with most of its members appointed by a Republican former governor, could backfire — especially because a judge in 2022 rejected a new map that could have boosted the Democrats.

Ferguson said his view changed after the U.S. Supreme Court weakened the Voting Rights Act in April, giving Republicans grounds for reconfiguring districts with large minority populations in Southern states.

The question that could go to voters is designed to make it hard for the court to reject redistricting. It would make it clear that the parameters the judge cited — including that districts be compact in form and have regard given to “natural boundaries” — apply only to state legislative districts, not congressional ones.

That would allow congressional districts to cross the Chesapeake Bay. Currently, the only district on the rural Eastern Shore east of the Bay is also the only one represented by a Republican, Rep. Andy Harris, the chair of the conservative House Freedom Caucus.

The Buckeyes received 38 of the 72 first-place votes and were well ahead of the Ducks, who got six first-place votes.

No. 3 Georgia received seven first-place votes, No. 4 Texas got two and No. 5 Notre Dame five.

Defending national champion Indiana was No. 6 with 14 first-place votes and was followed by Miami, the team it beat in the College Football Playoff championship game. Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Mississippi rounded out the top 10.

Texas Tech, at No. 12, was the highest-ranked of four Big 12 teams in the poll. The SEC, with nine, had the most ranked teams.

No teams from a Group of Six conference were in the Top 25.

Ohio State went 12-0 in the 2025 regular season before losing to Indiana in the Big Ten championship game and to Miami in the first round of the CFP. The Buckeyes return a Heisman Trophy finalist in quarterback Julian Sayin, one of the nation's top receivers in Jeremiah Smith and an experienced offensive line.

The Associated Press preseason Top 25 poll will be released at noon Eastern on Aug. 17.

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Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

Tuesday, Aug. 18 is the Florida Statewide Primary election, a mix of party primaries and nonpartisan local elections, such as school board races, judicial races, and county commission races in some counties.

[ELECTION 2026: Make sure you’re eligible to vote|How to vote by mail|Election Myths]

Florida has a closed primary system, which means only members of a political party may vote in party primaries. To be eligible, a voter had to identify with that party by July 20.

However, judicial races and local races, for the most part, are open to all registered voters, regardless of political party.

Everything you need to know in order to vote in the Aug. 18 Statewide Primary, including how to vote by mail, vote early, and vote on Election Day, can be found in our Election 2026 section HERE.

Flagler County School Board District 2

The Flagler County School Board has five districts. These are nonpartisan races, so they are open to all voters.

School Board District 2 encompasses voters in the northeastern part of the county. You can see a map of the area HERE.

The News Collaborative of Central Florida created a list of common questions to ask the candidates. Questionnaires were sent to all candidates.

Not all of the candidates responded. Where candidates did not respond, we have filled out the information to the best of our abilities.

News 6 compiled the candidate responses for Flagler County School Board District 2, emailing and calling the candidates over several weeks. Responses were edited for spelling and grammar, but otherwise left intact.

Will Furry - Incumbent

WEBSITE: https://www.willfurryforschoolboard.com/

FOR INCUMBENTS: Why do you deserve to be re-elected in this race? FOR CHALLENGERS AND OPEN SEATS: Why do you deserve to be elected in this race? Under my leadership, and with the hard work of our students, faculty, and staff, we returned Flagler Schools to an A-rated school district. I also served as Chairman of the Board, leading a renewed direction of fiscal responsibility by cutting wasteful spending, rebuilding our reserves to $11 million, implementing top-down leadership changes, creating safer schools, and achieving year-over-year academic gains.

I was elected with the endorsement of Governor Ron DeSantis and have stood strong to protect parents’ rights and school choice. I am the most tenured member of the Board, and I have invested countless hours building the institutional knowledge needed to be effective in this leadership role.

I am the only candidate in District 2 who earned a place on the ballot by the voters of Flagler County collecting over 1200 signed ballot petitions, and I am the only candidate in District 2 who has two children actively learning in our schools.

We are winning on all fronts at Flagler Schools, and I am proud of what we have accomplished. I’m ready to keep going. We have term limits, so I would be humbled if you would allow me a second and final term to continue building on these accomplishments.

Vote August 18th, and remember: Will is the Way to Keep Flagler Schools an A.

TOP ISSUES

What are the three most pressing problems happening in your district, and what do you suggest to solve them? Please put your responses in the sections below.

Problem Number 1 and Solution: Kindergarten Readiness - One of the most pressing challenges facing our school district is kindergarten readiness. Too many children are entering the classroom without the foundational skills they need to be successful from day one. This isn’t just a school district issue—it’s a community issue that requires all of us to work together, especially parents. That’s why I’ve supported expanding access to our Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) programs. Today, we have more than 300 students enrolled in VPK—an increase of over 100 students from last year. We’ve also approved certified teachers to teach in some of these classrooms, further strengthening the quality of early learning. The data is clear: children who participate in quality VPK programs are significantly more likely to be reading at grade level by third grade. We are doing our part by expanding opportunities, but parents play a critical role by taking advantage of these programs. When we invest in early childhood education together, we give our students the strongest possible start and set them up for long-term success.

Problem Number 2 and Solution: School Funding - Many people don’t realize that approximately 82–85% of the district’s operating budget is dedicated to salaries and employee benefits. That leaves a limited portion of our budget to cover everything else required to educate our students, maintain our schools, operate transportation, and provide essential services.

That’s why being good stewards of taxpayer dollars is so important. We must continue prioritizing our resources where they have the greatest impact on student success while aggressively pursuing grants and other funding opportunities to support innovative programs.

At the same time, the state often requires school districts to provide services without fully funding them. Student transportation is one example and has been an ongoing challenge. We’ve responded by improving operational efficiencies, leveraging technology, and streamlining our transportation system to provide more reliable service for students and families.

We’ve also made strategic investments that reduce long-term operating costs. During my tenure, we replaced an aging bus fleet—some buses dated back to the 1980s—with newer, more efficient vehicles that have lowered maintenance and fuel costs. We also invested in modern, high-efficiency HVAC systems at our two high schools, significantly reducing energy consumption while earning the district six-figure rebates from Florida Power & Light. These are the kinds of smart, long-term investments that save taxpayers money while improving the learning environment for our students.

Problem Number 3 and Solution: Student Enrollment - Since school choice became available to families, Flagler Schools has fared much better than many districts across Florida. While some school districts have lost thousands of students, only about 300 Flagler students have chosen educational options outside our district. That speaks to the confidence many families continue to have in our schools, but it also reminds us that we can never become complacent.

School choice, however, is only one factor affecting enrollment. Demographic trends also play a significant role. Flagler County has a growing population of residents without school-aged children, and like many communities across the country, we are experiencing lower birth rates. These factors naturally affect the number of students entering our schools each year.

Student enrollment is one of the most important issues facing public education because school funding is largely based on the number of students we serve—what we often refer to as “funding follows the student.” At the same time, many of our costs are fixed. Whether we have more or fewer students, we still have to maintain our schools, operate transportation, provide insurance, and support essential district operations. That means enrollment directly impacts our financial flexibility.

The best way to address this challenge is to make Flagler Schools the premier choice for families. By continuing to improve academic achievement, expanding Career and Technical Education, offering innovative learning opportunities, and maintaining safe, well-managed schools, we can attract and retain students while ensuring the long-term financial health of our district.

How would you handle district budget issues? Fiscal responsibility has always been one of my highest priorities. My background as an executive in the banking and financial services industry has been a tremendous asset in helping guide the district’s financial decisions.

Since taking office, I’ve demonstrated that we can accomplish more while being responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars. We’ve rebuilt the district’s financial reserves to approximately $11 million, helped move the district away from a trajectory that could have led to state intervention, and eliminated the need to borrow money to meet payroll—a practice that had cost the district hundreds of thousands of dollars in interest over the years. We’ve also worked to eliminate wasteful spending, improve operational efficiency, and make smarter long-term financial decisions.

A School Board member’s role is to provide leadership and governance, including strong fiscal oversight. I believe my record demonstrates that I have the experience, discipline, and leadership necessary to ensure Flagler Schools remains financially strong while continuing to invest in student success.

How should the district handle teacher shortages? Fortunately, we are not seeing a significant problem in this area in Flagler Schools, but it’s important that we continue fostering a positive work environment where teachers feel valued and supported. Teachers need to know that when behavioral issues arise in the classroom, they have the backing of school leadership and the School Board.

It’s also our responsibility to ensure educators have the tools, resources, and technology they need to be successful. In addition, we should continue investing in high-quality professional development and ongoing learning opportunities so our teachers can grow in their profession and provide the best possible education for our students.

Florida ranked last for academic growth in reading. How would you improve that? Flagler Schools has made significant gains in reading achievement, and we’ve accomplished that by making strategic investments in early learning. One of our greatest challenges is that too many children enter kindergarten without the foundational skills they need to be successful.To address this, we are expanding access to Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) programs and placing certified teachers in more VPK classrooms to strengthen early instruction. We also want to provide parents with the resources and support they need to help prepare their children before they ever step into a kindergarten classroom.

The research is clear: children who participate in high-quality prekindergarten programs are much more likely to be reading at grade level by third grade. By investing in early learning and partnering with parents, we can give every child a stronger start and continue improving student achievement across our district.

What changes, if any, would you make to school safety policies? School safety has been my highest priority since taking office, and I believe our schools are safer today than they have ever been. During my tenure, we’ve implemented numerous safety enhancements and ensured that every school has a dedicated School Resource Deputy. While we’ve made significant progress, there is always more we can do. Because many of our campuses are large, I support exploring the implementation of Florida’s Guardian Program. This program allows carefully selected, thoroughly vetted, and extensively trained members of the faculty and staff to serve as an additional layer of protection alongside our School Resource Deputies. In the event of an active threat, the Guardian Program can serve as a force multiplier, helping to improve response capabilities and protect students and staff. If reelected, I will continue to make the safety and security of our students, teachers, and staff my highest priority.

How should book challenges and library removals be handled? Florida has enacted clear laws governing instructional and library materials, and as a constitutional officer, I am committed to faithfully upholding those laws. Books in our school libraries should support student learning, be age-appropriate, and comply with Florida law. Materials should align with our educational mission and should not contain content that is prohibited by state statute. When concerns are raised, I believe they should be addressed through the established review process, ensuring that every challenge is handled fairly, transparently, and in accordance with the law.

What outside organizations or endorsements are supporting your campaign? I was elected in 2022 with the endorsement of Governor Ron DeSantis and the support of nearly 60% of Flagler County voters. I am seeking reelection based on a proven record of results, including helping lead Flagler Schools back to an A-rated district. I have self-funded my campaign and have chosen not to seek or accept endorsements from special interest groups because I believe my accountability should be to the voters and the students of Flagler County.

If elected, what policy would you try to pass in your first year? One of my top priorities would be expanding innovative educational opportunities that make Flagler Schools the first choice for families. Public education is no longer a monopoly—we’re competing with charter schools, private schools, virtual schools, and homeschooling. To succeed in a school choice environment, we must offer programs that attract and retain students.

I also want to continue expanding our Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs so more students graduate with industry certifications, workforce skills, and pathways to high-paying careers. Not every student’s path is the same, and we should provide opportunities that prepare students for college, the military, or the workforce.

In addition, I want to explore opportunities such as hybrid learning options and other innovative programs that enhance student engagement while maintaining a strong focus on academic excellence. My goal is to ensure Flagler Schools is not just a great option, but the best choice for families in our community.

Rob Wood

WEBSITE: robwoodforflagler.com/

FOR INCUMBENTS: Why do you deserve to be re-elected in this race? FOR CHALLENGERS AND OPEN SEATS: Why do you deserve to be elected in this race? My commitment to education didn’t begin with this school board run. It began in 2001. I spent more than a decade on active duty in the Air Force, much of it as a trainer. I taught GED courses inside a maximum-security prison while working for Daytona State College, and in a separate role as a federal contractor I specialized in leadership and organizational development and executive coaching, which is where I earned my Associate Certified Coach credential through the International Coach Federation. For the past decade, I have been a senior leader at Western Governors University, where I support more than 17,000 students. I hold an MBA in finance, I run a small business, and my wife taught right here in Flagler before she moved into higher education. I am not looking for a stepping stone. This is the job I want, and I believe my qualifications and experience make me the best person to do it. For Students. For Educators. For Flagler.

TOP ISSUES

What are the three most pressing problems happening in your district, and what do you suggest to solve them? Please put your responses in the sections below.

Problem Number 1 and Solution: The culture of the board. On paper, the board’s role is simple. Set the budget, set policy, and hold the superintendent accountable. But when there is dysfunction at the top and the board fails to lead by example, it undermines everything below it. The solution is leadership that values relationships over being right and drives commitment instead of compliance. Board members can disagree and still protect the trust the whole district depends on.

Problem Number 2 and Solution: Enrollment. Some of the decline is demographic, an aging county and lower birth rates, but the board has been reactive when it should be planning ahead. The solution is to grow enrollment at both ends of the pipeline. On the front end, expand access to VPK, and go further by tackling the wraparound care costs and transportation barriers that actually keep eligible families from enrolling. On the back end, invest in and better market our technical education and career and certification programs, add technical education wings to our high schools, and make sure homeschool families know they can partially enroll in district programs. The goal is to prepare for what is next, not to manage decline.

Problem Number 3 and Solution: Fiscal accountability under enrollment pressure. Between voucher programs and flat-to-declining enrollment, the district has to get more serious about its fixed costs. The solution is to take a hard, honest look at the budget to find where we can cut or reappropriate dollars, bring down fixed costs where we responsibly can, and build in the agility to respond as enrollment shifts. A budget is a commitment, not a rough draft, and it should be able to adapt to reality without losing sight of its priorities.

How would you handle district budget issues? With discipline and forethought. A budget is a commitment, not a rough draft. It should reflect the district’s real priorities, students and teachers first, and it should not quietly shift from month to month without scrutiny. I would also plan for the second-order effects that are easy to miss, like the county funding that supports our resource deputies, so the district is never caught flat-footed. And I would keep more of our spending competitive and local, because every dollar we save on process is a dollar that can reach a classroom.

How should the district handle teacher shortages? Our teacher shortage is really a retention challenge, and retention starts with how we treat the people already in our classrooms. To the district’s credit, it has made real progress reducing the overall cost of benefits packages for faculty and staff, and that work matters. I think we can go further. There is room to diversify the risk profiles behind those plans and use other alternatives to keep driving costs down, which puts more value back in the hands of the people doing the work. But pay and benefits are only part of it. Teachers stay where they feel trusted and supported, so the culture we build matters as much as the compensation. We keep good teachers by valuing the ones we have, not just by recruiting new ones to replace the ones who leave.

Florida ranked last for academic growth in reading. How would you improve that? Reading growth is built long before a child is ever tested on it. Right now, fewer than 40% of eligible Flagler families use Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten, and when you dig into why, it is usually access and transportation rather than a lack of interest. If we close that gap, we move the needle on third-grade literacy, which is one of the strongest predictors of a student’s long-term success. That early foundation has to be paired with keeping experienced teachers in place, because reading gains are closely tied to teacher stability. Our district just earned an A rating for the first time in seven years, and that credit belongs to our teachers and staff. My job on the board would be to give them the conditions and the consistency to keep that momentum going.

What changes, if any, would you make to school safety policies? School safety is a non-negotiable. It is also a budget issue that the board has to see coming. Today the county and city cover over half the base salaries of our school resource deputies. That means a change in the county’s budget can reach our schools even when it never touches a school property tax. A board that plans for that ahead of time protects students and staff better than one that reacts after the fact. My priority is keeping sworn law enforcement officers at every campus. I would consider a guardian program only as a supplement to those officers, never as a substitute for them.

How should book challenges and library removals be handled? Flagler already has a well-established process for this, and it follows Florida’s instructional-materials adoption cycle. There are public review and comment periods, a formal Request for Reconsideration of Materials, and sound guidance that encourages parents to meet with the principal first to understand how a material is actually being used. That process should be applied the same way for every family, consistently and out in the open. Where I see room to improve is the other direction. The path to challenge or remove a book is clear, but there is not an equally clear, published way to ask that a book be reconsidered for addition or restored to a library or an elective. A fair system should work both ways. Whether a parent is raising a concern or asking that something be made available, they deserve the same transparent, evenhanded process.

What outside organizations or endorsements are supporting your campaign? I am proud to be endorsed by the Flagler County Deputy Sheriff’s Union, IBPO Local #598, the men and women who protect our schools and our community every day.

If elected, what policy would you try to pass in your first year? I am going to be honest here, because I think promising a signature policy in year one is the wrong instinct for a new board member. My first job would be to learn public school finance and district operations from the inside and to get genuinely smart on how a roughly 400 million dollar system works before I start changing it. What I will commit to from day one is bringing discipline, fresh eyes, and hard questions to how we spend. When I do move on a policy, I want it to be the right change made for the right reason, not a headline I promised before I understood the problem.

The emerging agreement calls for ships to enter the Persian Gulf through an Iranian-controlled route and exit through a route controlled by Oman, two regional officials told The Associated Press.

Any deal, though, appears contingent on the United States lifting its blockade on Iran’s ports. The Trump administration has previously ruled out any deal that would give Iran control over the strait.

Elsewhere, a mass funeral was held in Gaza City for more than 100 people killed in an Israeli strike early in the conflict. A memorial service was also held in Beirut, for victims of a 2020 port explosion, and Yemen’s Houthis claimed they fired at a Saudi Arabian airport.

Here is a look at the most important developments in the Middle East on Tuesday:

US officials suggest strait deal imminent

Senior U.S. officials struck an optimistic tone on Tuesday, suggesting a deal to reopen the strait could be reached soon.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed there has been progress made in talks between Iran and Oman, “but not finality yet.”

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC that “there is a chance we may have a deal today or tomorrow to open the strait and move towards a more normalized position in this conflict.”

The Strait of Hormuz is the crucial waterway at the mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas passed before the war. It has been effectively shut by Iran’s attacks on shipping since the start of the war in February.

Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, said he also spoke to U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday as the Arab country tries to broker a resolution to the war.

Al Thani’s office said in a statement that on the phone call, the two discussed ways to bridge the divide “in a way that enhances the prospects of reaching a sustainable diplomatic settlement to the crisis.”

Ships attacked in Strait of Hormuz and in Red Sea

A cargo ship reported being “hit by an unknown projectile” while traversing the Strait of Hormuz, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center.

The center said the reported strike damaged the vessel at around 2 a.m. local time while it was about 37 kilometers (23 miles) northeast of Al Khasab, a port city in Oman.

It's unclear what flag the ship was sailing under or whether it was carrying cargo, but the British maritime security firm Ambrey said the ship sustained damage.

On the Red Sea, meanwhile, an Indian-flagged commercial ship sank off Yemen after being struck by an explosive-laden boat, Yemeni and Indian authorities said.

Yemen’s coast guard rescued the crew, which included 13 Indians and a Yemeni.

India’s Foreign Ministry condemned the attack, though no one immediately claimed responsibility. Iran-backed Houthi militants have repeatedly struck ships traversing the Red Sea near Yemen.

Gaza residents killed in 2023 airstrike laid to rest

Hundreds of people gathered Tuesday as bodies wrapped in Palestinian flags were laid in rows near flattened buildings in Gaza City.

The 112 victims were then carried off on stretchers through a narrow street, destined for burial in a nearby cemetery. They were among more than 300 killed during an attack on Nov. 22, 2023, in the city’s Sabra neighborhood.

First responders recovered the bodies, including 40 children and 30 women, over the weekend, according to the Civil Defense, a rescue agency operated under Gaza’s Hamas-run Interior Ministry.

The Gaza war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostage.

Israel’s military offensive in Gaza has since killed 73,375 people, including civilians and combatants, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

Around 7,400 people are still missing and presumed buried under the rubble from the war, according to Zaher al-Waheidi, head of the Gaza Health Ministry’s records department.

Israel discusses withdrawal from Lebanon

Israeli and Lebanese officials met in Rome on Tuesday to continue talks on implementing a U.S.-mediated deal to drawdown the Israeli military from southern Lebanon and disarm the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group.

A diplomat familiar with the negotiations said Lebanon had asked for the next “pilot zone” — where Israeli forces would withdraw and the Lebanese army would take control — to be either in the town of Khiam or Bint Jbeil. Both areas saw heavy fighting in the latest Israel-Hezbollah war and are currently occupied by Israeli forces.

But U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa suggested ahead of the three-day talks that no new pilot zones would be immediately implemented, saying that “moving too quickly risks jeopardizing the very civilians this process is meant to protect.”

Implementation of the June 26 agreement began last month with an initial pilot zone in an area that wasn’t occupied by Israeli forces but had previously sustained Israeli fire.

Yemen’s Houthis fire at airport in Saudi Arabia

In Yemen, Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a military spokesman for the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, said a drone hit a “sensitive target” at the airport in the southwestern city of Najran, without providing evidence.

He said the attack was in response to what he described as Saudi breaching of Yemen’s airspace over the provinces of Saada and Hajjah. There was no immediate comment from Saudi Arabia.

The Houthis recently announced a blockade on Saudi-linked shipping passing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait that leads to the Red Sea.

Saudi Arabia led an international coalition and imposed an air and sea blockade against the rebels after they seized the capital, Sanaa, and much of northern Yemen in a civil war that began in 2014. Major fighting ended in a truce in 2022.

Memorial marks Beirut port explosion anniversary

Families of the more than 200 people killed in the massive explosion at the port in Beirut in 2020 gathered at the blast site to mark six years since tons of improperly stored ammonium nitrate exploded, devastating large parts of the Lebanese capital.

No one has been convicted in a long-stalled judicial investigation into the incident, but some families expressed renewed hope after government officials promised indictments would be issued by the end of the year.

The tragedy has been overshadowed by recent events, including two wars between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group and an Israeli military occupation of much of the country’s south.

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Becatoros reported from Athens, Greece. Wafaa Shurafa in Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Abby Sewell in Beirut, Lebanon, Maria Grazia Murru in Rome, Matthew Lee in Washington and Philip Marcelo in New York contributed to this report.

But Dane County Circuit Judge Everett Mitchell stopped short of ordering electronic voting, setting up a trial on that issue later. It almost certainly will not be resolved before the November election.

Disability Rights Wisconsin, the League of Women Voters and four disabled voters brought the lawsuit in 2024. They argued that the lack of an electronic absentee voting option violated their right to independence and privacy and the protections of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Mitchell issued a temporary injunction in 2024, saying that disabled voters should have the option to vote electronically. But an appeals court reversed that ruling, sending it back to the lower court, saying it was wrong to issue a temporary injunction that would have changed and “significantly disrupted the status quo.”

The Republican-controlled Legislature is fighting the lawsuit.

Mitchell ruled on Tuesday that the state's absentee ballot program, which requires voters to complete and return a ballot on paper, denies disabled people “the equal opportunity to vote absentee privately and independently.”

The judge declined to order elections officials to offer electronic ballots to qualified disabled voters, saying the parties still disputed whether that was a reasonable remedy. The judge noted that those included the difficulty of instituting such a program and the risks involved.

Under his previous ruling, made before more facts in the case were presented, Mitchell said that voters who self-certify that they can’t read or mark a paper ballot without help would be eligible to request an electronic ballot.

Absentee ballots are currently emailed to military and overseas voters from Wisconsin.

Neither those who brought the lawsuit nor the Wisconsin Elections Commission had any estimates of how many disabled voters would request absentee ballots electronically.

Spokespeople for the elections commission and the Wisconsin Department of Justice, which represented the commission, did not immediately return messages seeking comment.

A hearing on the case is set for Aug. 12, where a potential trial date could be set.

The Republican president has struggled to connect with voters on the economy as elevated inflation and Americans' feelings of uncertainty have overshadowed the stock market gains he often cites along with a low national unemployment rate.

Trump was headed to the Los Angeles area on Tuesday to speak at a fundraising dinner for the Republican National Committee at a golf club his family owns in the suburb of Rancho Palos Verdes. On Wednesday, Trump will discuss the economy during an event at Red Rock casino in Las Vegas.

Only 32% of U.S. adults approved of Trump’s handling of the economy in an AP-NORC poll conducted in late July. In the same poll, most Americans, 69%, characterized the state of the economy as “poor,” and many said the cost of everyday essentials like groceries and gas was a “major” source of stress in their lives.

Trump’s overall approval rating is at 33%, slightly below where he stood at this point in his first term.

Trump is likely to take aim at Democratic Gov. Newsom

During the trip, Trump is likely to throw barbs at California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat eyed as a likely candidate for his party’s presidential nomination in 2028. Newsom has become one of the president’s highest-profile opponents.

White House spokesperson Olivia Wales said the president plans to “draw a sharp contrast between his commonsense agenda and the radical policies of Democrats like Gavin Newsom," touting his own efforts to cut taxes, reduce fraud in government programs, and crack down on immigration and crime.

California was one of Trump's first domestic stops after returning to office in January 2025. He surveyed the aftermath of wildfires that had wiped out whole neighborhoods of Los Angeles County, left thousands of people homeless and killed more than two dozen.

Newsom greeted Trump at the airport on that trip, and they chatted amiably and gestured toward cooperation despite a bitter history. But the comity did not last. Six months later, Newsom argued in a speech that “democracy is under assault” by Trump after the president sent National Guard troops and U.S. Marines into Los Angeles without Newsom's consent. This came after protests following a series of immigration raids by federal authorities.

Trump routinely mocks Newsom and refers to the governor using a derogatory nickname, while Newsom taunts the president with frequent social media posts.

The Democrat's press office on Tuesday put out a statement saying that Trump was traveling to California not to help survivors of the wildfires but to raise money and attack the state with lies.

“More than anything, we’d like the President to keep the promise he made on January 24, 2025: to 'take care of Los Angeles,'" Newsom said. “18 months later, survivors are still waiting. And while you’re here, Mr. President, welcome to the world’s fourth-largest economy — growing faster than Texas and Florida combined. Enjoy your stay.”

“Trump treats California like his personal political punching bag—right up until he needs someone to write a check,” California Democratic Party Chair Rusty Hicks said in a statement. “He may hit up a few billionaire donors who bankroll his political operation, but the people of California have already made it clear: they want nothing to do with his chaos and corruption.”

Housing prices are a big issue at Trump's second stop: Nevada

Nevada, where Trump will be on Wednesday, is led by a Republican governor, Joe Lombardo, who faces Democratic Attorney General Aaron Ford in a battle for reelection in November. The contest is considered one of the most competitive governor’s races in the country.

The Nevada State Democratic Party is putting up billboard signs about Trump’s visit that tie him to Lombardo and higher costs. The state is grappling with a shortage of affordable housing, exploding energy demand from artificial intelligence data centers and federal cuts to key state programs.

Trump has tried for several months to sell voters on his income tax cuts and claims of a manufacturing renaissance. But interest rates are high, a gallon of gasoline costs more because of the Iran war, tariffs are still reshaping the economy and, by the White House’s own estimates, there is a national shortage of housing.

The president called his own housing bill a “yawn,” and past speeches advertised by the White House as being about the economy, including one he delivered at a General Motors facility in Michigan last week, gave way to Trumpian weaves about his political enemies and construction projects in the nation's capital.

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Associated Press writers Josh Boak and Michelle L. Price in Washington, Michael R. Blood in Las Vegas and Jessica Hill in Las Vegas contributed to this report.

Robinson reposted the NFL's Instagram post detailing the extension on Tuesday morning, writing “God this is for you! Blessings. Love this team and this city!”

The extension is worth up to $75 million with incentives, with $51 million guaranteed, a person with knowledge of the details told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because terms weren’t announced.

The base value of $66.75 million gives Robinson a $22.25 million average per year that makes him the league's top-paid running back. Philadelphia running back Saquon Barkley's average is $20.6 million.

“Obviously very excited for him, excited for us,” Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski said Tuesday.

NFL Network and ESPN first reported the extension.

The deal with Robinson continues the Falcons' trend of locking up foundation players on their offense.

On Saturday, the Falcons announced signing left guard Matthew Bergeron to a four-year contract extension. The team gave new contracts to wide receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts in the offseason.

“It’s all guys that we believe in, all guys that fit who we are,” Stefanski said.

The new deal comes after Robinson spent the first week of training camp, including Monday's first day in pads, as a spectator. He attended the practices but did not participate in an apparent contract “hold-in."

“I just knew throughout this whole process that it would be a process and I felt good about where we were,” Stefanski said. “I think everybody understands how we feel about Bijan the person and Bijan the player.”

Robinson joined practice on Tuesday as Stefanski and the Falcons no longer have to worry about their star running back's status for the season.

“It means obviously as a coach, you want to get your guys ready for the football season and it allows us to get Bijan ready,” Stefanski said. “And he’s eager, beyond eager, to get out here. So on that note, we’ll slowly get him back in there. ... We’ll have a plan here for the next week to ramp him up.”

A panel of eight AP Pro Football Writers ranked Robinson the league's top running back in a preseason survey.

Robinson led the NFL with 2,298 yards from scrimmage and scored 11 TDs last season.

Robinson has been the focus of Atlanta's productive ground game since he was the No. 8 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft. He flourished as a dual-threat back last season, finishing fourth in the league with 1,478 rushing yards while adding 820 receiving yards.

Steven Jackson in 2006 is the only other player ever with at least 1,400 rushing yards and 800 receiving yards in the same season.

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AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi and AP Sports Writer Maura Carey contributed to this report.

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

Flagler County deputies said it was Sheriff Rick Staly who stopped a super speeder, all while he was on the way to dinner with his wife.

Around 5 p.m. on Friday, Staly was traveling south on I-95 in his unmarked agency vehicle, just south of the State Road 100 exit, when a white 2016 Dodge Challenger with black racing stripes flew past him at a high rate of speed, according to a news release.

The sheriff followed and tried to stop the weaving driver for about six miles, clocking him between speeds of 115 mph and 125 mph. The driver was weaving across all three lanes, even passing cars within three to four feet of their bumpers, deputies said.

The report goes on to say the sheriff eventually activated his lights and sirens just south of Old Dixie Highway in Volusia County, and pulled over the driver.

That driver was identified as 22-year-old Arul Nayak of Palm Coast.

Deputies said the vehicles Nayak had previously passed began honking their horns during the stop, appreciating that the driver had been stopped before anyone was hurt. Nayak told the sheriff he had a final pilot’s exam the next day, and hoped he would be out of jail in time.

“Driving 125 mph and weaving through three lanes of traffic isn’t a mistake; it’s a decision to gamble with everyone else’s life, including the three passengers sitting in his own car,” said Staly. “This wannabe pilot was flying fast and low, but he wasn’t in an airplane, and this wasn’t his final exam.”

Nayak was cited for willful and wanton reckless driving and violation of Florida’s super speeder law.

Because the stop happened in Volusia County, Nayak was arrested and booked into the Volusia County Jail.

He has been released on bond.

The Super Speeder law (HB 351) established a new criminal offense under state statutes last year: “dangerous excessive speeding.”

More specifically, the offense refers to situations where drivers:

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

HB 351 also makes it so that excessive speeding is an arrestable offense. This is in addition to any applicable fines for speeding.

The sudden arrival of 72,000 migrants on Thursday and Friday sparked a humanitarian crisis in Ceuta and reignited the immigration debate in the 27-nation bloc, though most of the migrants soon went back. More than 80 migrants died, including some who drowned or were trampled in a stampede to cross a breakwater barrier, according to Spanish and Moroccan authorities.

Open letters from 22 EU leaders, and a quick retort from Sanchez, have exposed a roiling debate inside the EU pitting migration hawks against the progressive Spanish leader who has challenged consensus within the bloc on migration as well as NATO spending, Gaza and Israel.

Sanchez's government has dismissed the attacks as politically motivated, saying most of the migrants were pushed back from Ceuta within hours in “close coordination with the Moroccan authorities and with very little support from other European states.”

While ministers seemed to rally back around Sanchez after meeting Tuesday, Europe displayed a deeply damaging disunity in the aftermath of Ceuta as it faces security threats from Moscow, instability with Washington and economic tension with Beijing, said Alicia García-Herrero, chief economist for Asia Pacific and Middle East for the financial firm Natixis.

“Europe has shown weakness again,” she said. “Massive weakness.”

Sanchez defends court ruling blamed by Morocco and EU leaders

EU leaders quickly pounced on Sanchez once videos from Ceuta went viral. Many blamed the incident on his government's progressive policies and publicly rallied for new border checks at sea, air and land ports of entry.

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni issued the most blunt criticism of Sanchez, as well as announcing that Italy would enforce air and sea border controls with Spain.

Yet Ceuta’s remote geographical position meant “there was almost zero risk that people (would) really arrive in Spain and then move on to Italy,” said analyst Matteo Villa at the Italian Institute for Political Studies in Milan. He said that just 2% of migrants arriving in Europe make it to Italy.

Nando Sigona, a professor at the University of Birmingham, said that Meloni detested a move Sanchez presided over in July to potentially grant legal status to as many as 1 million immigrants living in the country without permission, and is eager to portray his approach as a failure.

Sanchez fired back in an online post that called Meloni’s position on Ceuta “contrary to European law, humanitarian law, and the principles of solidarity that bind us together.” He said that Italy has allowed in twice the number of migrants as Spain since 2021, with Spain receiving 234,000 to Italy’s 478,000.

But the criticism was EU-wide, with Meloni signing a joint letter with 21 other leaders from Finland to Malta that pointed to a July Spanish court ruling as the “trigger” for “this attack on our migration and asylum system.”

Spain’s Supreme Court had ruled that migrants arriving by sea could not be summarily deported without due process — unlike those who cross by land or climb Ceuta’s border fence — because they had not crossed a physical barrier.

Sanchez said that the ruling had been intentionally misconstrued by migrant smugglers to persuade thousands of people to swim around the border fence.

The Socialist leader replied in his own letter by recalling that Spain had taken in migrants who arrived at eastern European nations from Belarus in 2021 and at the southern Italian island of Lampedusa in 2023.

Morocco's government views the situation as a predictable result of the court ruling, said a high-ranking diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a highly sensitive issue.

He said it “sent a clear message to migrants: ‘Come. If you arrive, you’ll be protected.’ That outcome should have been anticipated by Ceuta’s authorities.”

Blame has been pointed the other way, however, with Spain’s Defense Minister Margarita Robles on Monday demanding Rabat investigate the local failure to stop tens of thousands of migrants from leaving the kingdom.

Gil Arias, who served as deputy executive director of the EU’s border agency Frontex from 2006-2016 and also worked for Spain’s interior and migration ministries, said he has “absolutely no doubt” Morocco not only knew of, but was likely directly or indirectly complicit in the Ceuta crisis.

“This doesn’t happen simply due to a passive attitude or omission from Morocco,” Arias, who retired in 2020, told The Associated Press. “There was an invitation or it was encouraged.”

The Moroccan diplomat rejected using force to tackle the migration phenomenon.

“We are not Europe’s police.”

Policies keep changing to meet influx migration patterns

Many right-wing politicians have won elections across the EU by promising to crack down on migration — and they claim to have done so with the European Migration and Asylum Pact that grants capitals greater abilities to surveil, detain and deport migrants to so-called “safe countries” like Morocco or “return hubs” outside the bloc.

Data from Frontex shows migration to the EU peaked in 2015 with 1.8 million people, the majority of whom crossed via the Balkans or the eastern Mediterranean. Since then numbers have dramatically fallen: In the first half of 2026, crossings fell by 37% to around 49,000 people.

“Fewer boats are setting out towards Europe, and that is the result of sustained cooperation with our partners in the region,” said Frontex Executive Director Hans Leijtens.

But Ceuta shows there's still an underlying migration problem that the EU has not tackled, said Michele LeVoy, director of the Brussels-based Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants.

“On Ceuta, political games are being played over the lives of people on both sides of the border,” she said.

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the crisis has exposed a need in the EU to develop an emergency mechanism when “migration is weaponized,” he wrote in a Tuesday op-ed in Politico that attempted to make peace between European politicians.

“The deliberate instrumentalization of migration by state and nonstate actors seeking to test Europe’s resilience, undermine its cohesion and extract political concessions” requires new legal and operational tools to “defend its external borders, deter those who seek to exploit its openness and respond to this new reality firmly, lawfully and collectively,” Mitsotakis wrote.

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Wilson reported from Barcelona, Spain, and Barry from Milan. Associated Press writers Renata Brito in Barcelona, Akram Oubachir in Fnideq, Morocco, and Derek Gatopoulos in Athens contributed to this report.

As of Tuesday, 3,802 cases had been recorded, with 1,707 deaths, the latest government update showed.

It was not clear when the outbreak will reach its peak, Africa CDC Director-General Jean Kaseya said Tuesday during his second visit to the town of Bunia, located near the epicenter of the outbreak in Ituri province.

Kaseya pointed out that some 60-70% of the new cases were recorded from spreading within a community, not from contact tracing — a method that traces those who have been in contact with a confirmed case.

“Contact tracing is not working,” said Kaseya, “we don’t like the trajectory of this outbreak, and it’s already the second largest outbreak (ever) in the world.”

The director-general of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, was expected to arrive in the Congolese capital, Kinshasa, later on Tuesday and would visit Bunia later this week.

The outbreak, declared on May 15, has been linked to the Bundibugyo virus for which there are no approved vaccines or treatments. Delays in contact tracing, difficulties accessing affected areas, mistrust from communities, and violence by armed groups and some residents have hampered the response, the Africa CDC has said.

Two clinical trials for post-exposure prophylaxis drugs are ongoing in Ituri province as well as two separate vaccine trials in the United Kingdom and Canada.

The outbreak is mostly concentrated in eastern Congo’s remote Ituri province, which accounts for nearly 90% of cases, but cases have also been confirmed in five other provinces, including in one of the country’s largest cities, Kisangani.

Neighboring Uganda declared itself free of Ebola following the discharge of the country’s last patient in mid-June.

A key challenge is that patient zero has yet to be identified in the outbreak while displacement from armed conflict and illegal mining in the region have made it difficult to trace thousands who have come in contact with infected individuals.

The World Health Organization said Tuesday that it was monitoring over 17,000 potential contacts, with nearly 80% of them being seen daily.

Mohamed Janabi, WHO's regional director for Africa, told reporters on Tuesday that the U.N. health agency is now testing over 2,000 samples a day, up from 20 previously.

On Monday, healthcare workers in the hard-hit town of Mongbwalu issued an ultimatum over unpaid wages saying that “if nothing is done within 24 hours, we will escalate our action.”

Previously, healthcare workers in Bunia went on strike over a lack of pay and dangerous working conditions. The WHO says more than 100 healthcare workers have been infected since the beginning of the outbreak.

The latest outbreak has killed people at a quicker rate than any previous outbreak, including in 2014-2016 when 28,000 cases were reported, of which over 11,000 people died. That outbreak took about eight months to reach 1,000 deaths.

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

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

A unanimous Orange County jury earlier this year recommended the death penalty for DeMorris Hunter, and a judge on Tuesday agreed with that recommendation.

Hunter, 59, strangled Theresa Green following a small gathering at her College Park home in 2002, then placed her body in the trunk of her car and left the vehicle in a Sanford parking lot, prosecutors said.

The two were neighbors at the time of the killing.

“I see no other punishment fitting for this defendant who ruthlessly took the life of Theresa Green,” said Bill Gladson, the State Attorney for the Fifth Judicial Circuit. “While imposing this sentence, the court said may God have mercy upon this defendant. While the Court has rendered justice under the law, the final judgement does rests with God - and may he levy an even greater punishment knowing the defendant denied every measure of mercy to his victim.”

Hunter was already serving a 110-year prison sentence in California for the murder of another woman in 2005 when he was extradited to Florida in 2015 following his indictment in Green’s death.

The case faced several setbacks, including delays tied to COVID-19 and a heart attack Hunter suffered.

Eugenie, the younger daughter of the former Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson, and husband, Jack Brooksbank, announced the birth of the 6-pound, 9-ounce (3 kilograms), girl delivered Monday in Lisbon, Portugal.

The girl was not named yet. The couple has two sons August, 5, and Ernest, 3.

Eugenie is the niece of King Charles III, the older brother of the former prince now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

“Their majesties the King and Queen and other members of the royal family were delighted to be informed of the news,” the palace said.

The country’s disaster management agency said 659 people were evacuated from eight villages in the danger area and are being housed in nearby shelters. The eruption started on Monday morning, with videos showing clouds of gas and ash above the volcano as lava and pyroclastic flows roll down.

Claudinne Ogaldes, executive secretary of the Guatemalan disaster management agency, or CONRED, said that about 10 more communities are expected to be evacuated throughout the day.

Among those evacuated were around 250 people from El Porvenir and the hamlet of Las Lajitas, CONRED said and also warned of ash spreading to nearby towns.

A major highway that passes close to the volcano, National Route 14, was closed. The Education Ministry suspended classes in nearby towns.

During a previous eruption of the volcano in June 2018, hundreds of people were killed and a whole village was destroyed — with as many as 1.7 million people impacted by the event, according to authorities. Another eruption in June last year spurred preventive evacuations.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Tuesday because the terms hadn't been announced. The agreement, which includes $108 million guaranteed, is a sizable commitment to Flowers, who is coming off a season in which he caught 86 passes for 1,211 yards and five touchdowns. Baltimore drafted him in the first round in 2023, and the shifty 5-foot-9 receiver immediately became a factor with his quickness. He's now posted back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons as a top target for quarterback Lamar Jackson.

“Great day for the Ravens. Shoutout to Zay Flowers,” Baltimore coach Jesse Minter said. “Nothing better as a coach than to see those guys get what they deserve. Really happy for Zay and excited for him. I can't wait to see him thrive in our offense.”

The Ravens drafted a receiver in the first round three times from 2019 through 2023. They haven't done it again since taking Flowers. He's missed only one regular-season game in three seasons, although he was unavailable for the 2024 playoffs.

Flowers became the fastest player in Ravens history (21 games) to reach 100 receptions and the first Raven with multiple 1,000-yard seasons in the first three years of his career. He ranked 11th in the NFL in receptions in 2025 and seventh in yards receiving. That was despite an underwhelming, injury-plagued season from Jackson — and Baltimore's willingness to run the ball with Derrick Henry.

Flowers was asked last week about his contract situation as he entered his fourth season.

“Honestly, I am just working right now. I am trying to get better. I leave that to my agents,” he said. "Right now, I am trying to learn this offense, get closer to my teammates and my coaches, and just keep getting right for the season.”

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AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi contributed to this report.

In separate notices sent late last week to lawmakers, the State Department said it would close the U.S. Embassy in the Caribbean island of Grenada; the consulates in Nagoya, Japan, and Medan, Indonesia; the American Presence Post in Winnipeg, Canada; and an embassy branch office in Douala, Cameroon.

The closures by the Republican administration are expected to save the government roughly $4.4 million per year, according to the notices obtained by The Associated Press. But the missions to be closed employ very few people compared with others.

The embassy in St. George’s, Grenada, and the consulate in Nagoya have only one American staffer and five local employees each. The consulate in Medan has four direct-hire U.S. staffers and 47 local employees. The Winnipeg post has only two local staffers, and the embassy office in Douala has only 14 local staffers.

The State Department announced plans earlier this year to permanently close the U.S. consulate in Peshawar, Pakistan, which was the closest diplomatic mission to Afghanistan since American troops withdrew in 2021.

The steps come as the department moves to streamline its operations at home and abroad, while investing millions of dollars into reopening the U.S. embassies in Caracas, Venezuela; Damascus, Syria; and Tripoli, Libya, to restore America’s formal diplomatic presence following the ouster of long-ruling autocrats in those countries.

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This story has been corrected to show the Pakistani city’s name is Peshawar, not Peshwar.

Under the emerging agreement, ships would enter the Persian Gulf through an Iranian-controlled route and exit through a route controlled by Oman, with service fees charged for providing security and preserving the maritime environment, two regional officials told The Associated Press.

They said negotiations are still underway and that the final agreement could take a different form, with any deal linked to lifting the U.S. blockade on Iran’s ports. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive negotiations unfolding behind closed doors.

Any agreement formalizing Iran’s control of the strait would mark a significant strategic victory for Tehran. For that reason, the U.S. could seek to block the deal by refusing to lift the blockade. The strait was an open international waterway before the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28.

A U.S. official familiar with the negotiations said that any “temporary” routes established through the strait would not involve approvals by Iran or charges. The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the U.S. remains committed to returning to the status quo in which “no party controls the lanes or the ability to transit through them.”

U.S. President Donald Trump is under mounting pressure to end an unpopular war that has driven up gas prices ahead of midterm elections and drawn down U.S. supplies of some munitions. In recent days, he has again whipsawed between threatening massive strikes and voicing support for diplomatic efforts.

In an exchange with reporters on Monday, Trump reiterated his public stance that he’s opposed to tolling in the strait. “I’m not going to let them charge,” Trump said. “Anybody’s going to charge, we’ll charge.”

US and Iranian officials confirm progress without giving details

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said the bilateral talks with Oman are focused on “establishing safe inbound and outbound shipping lanes,” routes that “uphold sovereign rights while also addressing the national security considerations of both Iran and Oman.”

“The final results of these negotiations will be announced once concluded,” he added, in remarks carried by Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking to reporters at the State Department, said “there’s been progress made in those talks, but not finality yet. We’re hoping that will happen very shortly.”

Rubio has previously ruled out any deal that would give Iran control over the strait, saying last month that it would create a “very dangerous precedent” for other parts of the world.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC that “there is a chance we may have a deal today or tomorrow to open the strait and move towards a more normalized position in this conflict.”

Asked whether there would be tolls for movement through the strait, Bessent said: “I think it would be freedom of movement.”

The potential agreement between Iran and Oman was first reported by The New York Times.

Trump says this is Iran's 'last chance'

A fifth of the world's traded oil and gas transited the waterway before the war. Iranian attacks on ships have largely shut it down, causing a spike in the price of fuel, fertilizer and other goods, and rattling economies far beyond the Middle East.

Trump said Monday that the U.S. was in talks with Iran, saying it was Tehran's “last chance” to reach a deal and avoid another U.S. military escalation.

“The first phase is the opening of the straits. The second phase will be the denuclearization,” Trump said. “And that will take a little while.”

Iran has denied it is negotiating with the U.S., saying the talks are only with Oman.

The two sides reached an interim agreement in June to reopen the strait and launch 60 days of talks aimed at ending the war and resolving the longstanding dispute over Iran's nuclear program. That agreement collapsed over escalating hostilities focused on the strait, and the deadline is around two weeks away.

Cargo ship reports strike in Strait of Hormuz

Meanwhile, a cargo ship reported being “hit by an unknown projectile” in the strait off the coast of Oman, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center said, without providing further information on the ship, including what flag it was sailing under or whether it was carrying cargo.

The ship sustained damage, according to British maritime security firm Ambrey, which did not elaborate.

In recent weeks, Iran had repeatedly attacked ships using a route running close to Oman that is overseen by the U.S. military and intended to bypass Tehran's control.

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Madhani and Lee reported from Washington.

It had to have its own identity and not be related to the Cavaliers. It needed to tie into Lake Erie. And fans wanted something progressive.

The Cleveland Sirens think they accomplished all three Tuesday when they introduced the name and branding during an event at Rocket Arena on Tuesday.

The WNBA's 16th team will begin play in 2028. Cleveland was home to one of the league's original franchises when the WNBA started in 1997, but the Rockers folded in 2003 when owner Gordon Gund could not find a new buyer.

Dan Gilbert's Rock Entertainment Group, which has owned the Cavaliers since 2005, paid a $250 million expansion fee for Cleveland's return to the WNBA.

Janice Braxton, who played for the Rockers for three seasons (1997-99), narrated a video introducing the name and the theme of “Hear the Call.”

Braxton, along with other former Rockers' players, were also at Tuesday's event.

“We were at dinner with them last night and we gave them a sneak peak of the video. And they were overwhelming in their support and clapped several different times,” said Allison Howard, the Sirens president of business operations.

The logo features a Siren underneath the name. The “S” in the wordmark also conceals “CLE”. The two shades of blue take inspiration from Lake Erie and the Rockers logo.

“We really wanted something that people could rally behind a real character. And we’re really excited about that,” said Grant Gilbert, Rock Entertainment Group's VP of business and basketball operations. “I think the other aspect of the siren name and brand that was really considered and that we get very excited about is how authentically it extends just beyond the name and branded logos itself. The potential of the name is endless.”

Over the past year, Cleveland has had 9,000 deposits for season tickets. Howard expects that to increase now that the name has been announced.

“This team can exist very much on the independent side of the Cavaliers. And that’s also what we are seeing right now. The demographic is totally different,” Howard said. “They eat different food, they drink different drinks, they get here earlier, they purchase merchandise differently, and they come from all over the state and even outside of the state.”

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

Prince Ali said the Jordanian federation he leads still has not been paid money due for reaching the final of the FIFA Arab Cup played last December in Qatar.

In a social media post, Prince Ali said that during the World Cup — where Jordan made its debut in June — he was told if he endorsed FIFA President Gianni Infantino “it would go a long way to helping our FA out.”

Infantino is under pressure to save his 11-year presidency amid a fierce backlash from global soccer leaders about his now-failed plan to sell a stake in future World Cup profits to investors led by Joshua Kushner.

“We pride ourselves in Jordan in upholding ethical values. We did not endorse him before and certainly will not now,” said Prince Ali, who placed third in a five-candidate FIFA presidential contest when Infantino was first elected in February 2016.

“But the whole situation amounts to blackmail and we refuse to give in to that,” the Jordanian royal wrote Tuesday.

FIFA Arab Cup money not paid

The 2025 FIFA Arab Cup that Jordan lost in the title match against Morocco was set to pay $4.2 million to the beaten finalist, Jordanian media reported last year.

“The money our team should receive for having reached the final has not been delivered yet,” Prince Ali wrote, “while at the same time FIFA brags about how many billions they have in reserve.”

“It is clear the problem really is with leadership. For months, FIFA has been refusing to help us on any of these or other matters,” he said.

FIFA was approached for comment about the claims.

Prince Ali’s FIFA history

Prince Ali was elected by Asian soccer to serve on FIFA's ruling executive committee from 2011-15, and stood against then-president Sepp Blatter in a May 2015 election. That vote to re-elect Blatter was held in the shadow of raids at Zurich hotels two days earlier to arrest soccer officials as part of investigations by U.S. and Swiss federal agencies.

Infantino had seemed a lock to be re-elected unopposed for a fourth and final term leading FIFA through 2031 when he left New York two weeks after the World Cup final.

Fallout from his secretive private equity plan revealed one week ago has rocked soccer politics with Infantino’s former colleagues at European soccer body UEFA now looking for a rival candidate. The proposal underwritten by Kushner's Thrive Eternal fund would have paid $20 million each to Jordan and all other FIFA members had they accepted by a Sept. 19 deadline

UEFA also is threatening a boycott of FIFA games, events and meetings, while the leadership of the North American soccer body CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation, of which Jordan is a member, also have spoken out against Infantino.

FIFA has set a Nov. 18 deadline for candidates to declare for the election by 211 member federations on March 18 in Rabat, Morocco.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and AP World Cup coverage

Bieniemy's son, Elijah Bieniemy, has been arrested in connection with the shooting of his mother, Mia. He has been charged with malicious wounding, use of a firearm in commission of a felony and discharge of a firearm inside a dwelling, but court appearances for the 27-year-old Bieniemy have been delayed pending a mental health evaluation.

Mia Bieniemy's condition has been improving, Chiefs coach Andy Reid said this week.

"It was great to hear from him just from a personal standpoint. You were just so devastated for him,” Chiefs pass game coordinator Joe Bleymaier, who has assumed many of Bieniemy's duties, said Tuesday. “He has been reaching out more and more lately for the football stuff and that's brought a sense of normalcy to our team, hearing from him and his thoughts on football.”

Bieniemy returned to the Chiefs earlier this year, after leaving to serve as offensive coordinator with the Commanders and spending a season apiece with UCLA and the Chicago Bears. He replaced Matt Nagy, who is now the offensive coordinator with the Giants.

The reason the Chiefs were eager to get Bieniemy back in the building was twofold: He has an intimate knowledge of the Kansas City offense, having helped the franchise reach three Super Bowls and win two, and he carries along a certain no-nonsense attitude that the Chiefs desperately needed after slipping to a disappointing 6-11 finish last season.

“We'll hold it down and when (Bieniemy) gets back, we'll be ready to have that intensity and energy. That's what I love most about him,” said Chiefs running back Kenneth Walker III, the reigning Super Bowl MVP and one of their big free-agent acquisitions.

“You can't take a play off,” Walker said, “because he's going to say something to you about it.”

Bleymaier, who is widely considered a rising star in the coaching profession, has a much quieter personality. But he joked Tuesday that he had lost his voice during practice, so perhaps some of Bieniemy's vocal traits have worn off on him.

“The guys want to be held accountable. They want someone to remind them what to do and not let anything slide,” Bleymaier said. “That's the role of the coordinator and that's the role of whoever is put in that position, to constantly uphold that standard.”

In other news Tuesday, the Chiefs continued with their second padded practice of camp at Missouri Western, and quarterback Patrick Mahomes once again worked out in full after undergoing surgery less than eight months ago to repair torn knee ligaments.

Mahomes has been wearing a brace on the left knee, but otherwise it's been hard to notice anything different about him.

“You hate to say that anything Patrick does surprises you,” Bleymaier said, “because he's always pushing the limits of what he can do with the football, and the recovery timetable from just the injuries that he's had. But physically, I haven't seen anything with the knee out on the field that would show any setbacks. Just nonexistent, any sort of knee issues, which has been incredible.”

Notes: Undrafted rookie RT Kahlil Benson continued to get first-team reps on Tuesday. He's been one of the biggest surprises of camp. ... WRs Cyrus Allen (bruised shin) and Xavier Worthy (sore shoulder) did not practice. DL Ashton Gillotte (hamstring strain) also sat out the workout. ... First-round pick CB Mansoor Delane (shoulder) continued to practice in a yellow no-contact jersey.

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

Six of Europe’s largest oil companies posted combined first-quarter profits of $22 billion, more than 40% higher than last year. Profits at BP, based in London, more than doubled to $3.9 billion in the second quarter, the company said Tuesday.

And Saudi Aramco reported a 44% year-on-year increase in second-quarter net profit that reached $32.69 billion, driven by higher crude oil, refined products and chemicals prices.

The supercharged performances from big oil in Europe and the Middle East follow reports of enormous profits from the largest U.S. oil drillers last week.

As the conflict has dragged on, high oil prices have driven up the cost of gasoline, jet fuel and diesel, which has led to higher shipping costs. In the West, filling up the car or buying a plane ticket is costing consumers more. But the situation in parts of Asia are more dire because the region depends more heavily on fuel exported through the Strait of Hormuz. Fuel supplies have run low in some countries, leading to rationing and sporadic closures of schools and government offices.

Despite oil prices falling to their lowest level in three weeks Tuesday, big U.S. energy companies drew the ire of President Donald Trump, who criticized them this week for their outsized profits.

Trump said he’s not happy with Chevron and Exxon Mobil, though energy prices skyrocketed only after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran in late February, and the Strait of Hormuz was effectively closed off to tanker traffic.

About 20% of the world’s oil typically flows through the strait.

“They made too much money, too much money,” Trump said Monday. “They ought to give some of that back to the public, and they better cut the retail price.”

Exxon Mobil on Friday reported that its second quarter profits doubled to $14.5 billion, boosted by record diesel production. The oil giant, based in Spring, Texas, brought in $116 billion in revenue, up 42%.

Chevron, based in Houston, nearly quadrupled its profits to $12 billion and revenue jumped 56% to more than $70 billion.

On Tuesday, the price of U.S. crude oil fell 5.4%, or $4.36, to $75.98 per barrel. The sharp decline followed comments by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who told CNBC that the U.S. and Iran “may have a deal today or tomorrow to open the Strait.”

Oil prices for U.S. crude are down from around $92 a barrel in late July, but still more than 13% higher than when the conflict with Iran started.

Brent crude, the international standard, fell 4.9% to $83.87 per barrel.

A resolution to the Iran conflict, which has lasted more than five months, could give oil shippers the ability to send vessels out of the Persian Gulf, where tankers of oil and other products have been trapped during the fighting.

Shares of major oil companies are up by around 20% to 30% this year, easily outpacing the 13% gains on the S&P 500.

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.

I don’t even have a dog. And I still come to BarkHaven just to eat.

That’s the funniest part about this place. You hear “dog bar” and assume it’s all about the dog run (which, yes, is adorable). But the real surprise is the food is actually really good. Like... “why is this so fresh?” good. The dogs running around are honestly just a bonus.

They just rolled out a bunch of new menu items for humans, and the kitchen is seriously impressive. Everything is cooked exclusively in beef tallow, which gives the food this rich, deepened flavor you don’t find very often anymore. And the craziest part? Every single thing is made out of a food truck... even the wood-fired pizzas. Nothing tastes like it was microwaved or thrown together. It tastes like someone back there is putting their heart and soul into every dish.

The Cobb Salad: I never thought I’d be raving about a salad, but I kept going back to it. It tastes like they didn’t just toss it on the menu to have a salad. The crispy bacon makes the salad and adds so much texture.

The Spud Flight (homemade chips, truffle fries, sweet potato waffle fries). This is the perfect appetizer for the table (but I could honestly crush this by myself) The truffle fries were my favorite — super flavorful without being greasy, and they had that real truffle/garlic vibe that hits right away. But the homemade chips were the surprise for me: they had the perfect texture that you can’t find in a bag and the beef tallow added a nice savory flavor to each bite.

The Patty Melt: I took one bite and immediately thought, “Wait… this tastes like In-N-Out.” Like that exact comfort-food flavor that’s salty and melty and makes you want another bite before you’re even done chewing. The closest thing to the west coast classic that I’ve ever tried!

The Lebanese Burger: This one isn’t part of the new menu, but I just can’t skip it when I’m here. The meat is so spiced and the pickled side salad and creamy sauce perfectly balance out the kick, and it has a KICK, so if you don’t like heat, just know that going in. But if you do like spicy? It’s that kind of burger where you’re like, why is a DOG BAR making one of my favorite burgers in town?

The Protein Bowl: This tasted homemade in the best way. Served with either chicken or beef it’s the perfect meal to treat your tastebuds but also nourish your body with a balanced, hearty meal.

The Pup-eroni Pizza: I truly wasn’t expecting this to be a standout, but the crust was perfect — that in-between chewy and crunchy texture that you can only get from a real wood fire oven. It was perfectly cheesy and not greasy at all.

Being dogless, BarkHaven was never the type of place I thought I’d be frequenting, but I’m so glad I discovered this hidden foodie gem. If you’re a dog owner this place is a no brainer. But if you’re like me and you’re just coming for a great meal and you happen to get to watch a bunch of cute dogs living their best life while you eat? That’s a pretty great perk.

The winter season officially ends in March, but there are some areas in Florida with Winter — year round — figuratively speaking.

It’s in the name.

Winter Springs, Winter Garden, Winter Park, Winter Haven and Winter Beach are all located in the Sunshine State. But you won’t find snow there.

“I’m from Florida and I always thought ‘Why is this called Winter-whatever,’ we don’t have winter, but when you think about it, it makes sense,” said Historian Rachel Williams.

Williams works at the Orange County Regional History Center and said the names aren’t so surprising. Florida has been a hot spot for snowbirds in the wintertime for hundreds of years.

Winter Park was originally named Lakeview in 1858, then renamed Osceola in 1870.

“The founders, Loring Chase and Oliver Chapman, decided they wanted the name to do with something about winter in the park and named it Winter Park.”

According to the City of Winter Park’s website, “the city was originally developed as a winter resort for wealthy Northerners seeking refuge from the harsh winters and a tranquil place to rest and relax.”

The meaning behind Winter Garden is simple.

“It was the idea that you can garden in the winter,” said Williams.

Winter Springs was originally incorporated as North Orlando in 1959, which caused some confusion for visitors.

“It wasn’t part of Orlando and there were cities in between Orlando and what became Winer Springs. It was almost called Semoran, because of Seminole County and Orange County. It wasn’t near the county line and would be confused with Semoran Boulevard. Ultimately, they decided to rename it Winter Springs because there was the Winter Springs Development Company and they named it after that,” said Williams. “I’m not entirely sure why the Florida company was named Winter Springs Development Company.”

Another unique Florida city is named Frostproof in Polk County.

It was originally named Keystone City known for its vast citrus farms. According to Florida Memory, the Great Freeze brought plummeting temperatures down to the teens in some areas in Florida in 1894-1895.

Many citrus growers saw their farms crumble and never recovered.

Groves that survived the Great Freeze gained a lot of attention, for example the town of Keytstone City was renamed Frostproof after its trees sustained fruit during that time. The town was renamed to encourage potential landowners that the town was frost-free and would remain that way.

So the next time you’re bothered by a city name like Winter Beach just think, at least you’re not shoveling snow on the beach.

“It’s a celebrity itself. It’s a movie star. It’s one of the best Porsche’s ever made and it’s got the Steve McQueen history,” Mecum Auctions COO Sam Murtaugh said.

The 1969 Porsche 917K racer is the headliner for Mecum Auctions car show in Kissimmee. It’s got the recognizable blue paint, orange stripes and number 20 livery. It was originally purchased by Steve McQueen and featured in the movie La Mans, filmed in France. McQueen played the main character in the fast-paced drama about the 24-hour endurance race. The legend’s autograph is on the door with the message: “finished thanks for staying together.”

After the film, the car would go on to have a successful racing career before retirement in 1974.

The car has since had several owners including race car driver, Reinhold Joest, Brian Redman, Richard Attwood and Frank Gallogly.

After nearly 24 years of ownership, comedian Jerry Seinfeld is giving someone else a chance to hold on to the iconic racecar.

“A lot of collectors refer to themselves as stewards and not necessarily owners of the car, but stewards of history. They own it and hold on to that history and there comes a point in time when they want to pass it on and let someone else hold this piece of history,” Murtaugh said.

The car will hit the auction block Saturday, Jan. 18. Car enthusiasts are estimating it will sell for more than $20 million. It’s just one of nearly 5,000 vehicles featured at Mecum Auctions in Kissimmee.

“You don’t have to be a multimillionaire, you don’t have to be in the market to buy a car at all. Just come and walk around the acres and acres of cars. It’s fun to come and observe. It’s more than an auction, it’s a car show,” Murtaugh said. “Every one of these cars has a story and it’s really what people gravitate towards.”

The auto show has everything from the classics, to new and unique rides. You can even check out a fully-armored presidential limo used in the 1990s.

[VIDEO: Step inside former president’s bulletproof limo at Kissimmee car show]

“If you’re a car person, I hope you’re leaving this event feeling fulfilled by all the cars you got to see and touch and observe, but really the community and people here... It’s very welcoming and comfortable place to be,” Murtaugh sai.

The auto show runs through Sunday, Jan. 19.

Click HERE to purchase tickets for Mecum Auctions in Kissimmee.

[CLICK HERE FOR CONTEST RULES]

We’re giving News 6 Insiders the chance to win two tickets to the four-day Hilton Grand Vacations Tournament of Champions taking place at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club, located at 9100 Chiltern Drive in Orlando. The contest runs Jan. 16 through 11:30 p.m. on Jan. 23 and you can enter as many times as you’d like for more chances to win. To enter, fill out the form below.

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• Two 4-Day Tickets with Taste and Travel Badges (2 winners)
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“Now everything we do here, Discovery Cove with our animals is voluntary,” a trainer told participants. “So if they would like to participate in the training session, they are more than welcome to. But if they don’t want to, we’re not going to make them.”

During the interaction, I met Triton, a full-grown male nurse shark. Trainers said he is about 9 feet long and around 200 pounds. They also use the moment to explain shark biology, including the tooth-like scales that cover a shark’s body. Known as dermal denticles, the structures can make shark skin feel rough and help protect the animals as they move through their environment.

After the trainer-led portion, participants gear up with snorkels and masks and move into deeper water for a free swim alongside several shark species. Discovery Cove said the habitat can include Pacific blacktip, nurse, zebra, whitetip reef and bonnethead sharks.

A portion of the proceeds from the Shark Interaction Program supports the Guy Harvey Foundation, which funds scientific research and educational programs focused on marine conservation, according to Discovery Cove.

The overall goal, trainers said, is to leave participants with a clearer understanding of sharks — not just as animals with teeth, but as species that play a role in a healthy ocean ecosystem.

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There were no regrets.

“I'm betting on myself,” Horschel said at the Sony Open.

He has reached the end of the regular season at No. 176 in the world, which isn't nearly as troubling as being No. 107 in the FedEx Cup in a year when his full exempt status is set to expire.

It's a reminder how golf offers no guarantees — meritocracy works both ways — and Horschel has plenty of company at the Wyndham Championship, the final regular-season event that determines the top 70 who advance to the postseason and are assured a full card for 2027.

On the outside looking in

Jason Day, who 10 years ago was No. 1 in the world and looked unbeatable at times, is at No. 75 in the FedEx Cup. He started the year with a runner-up finish behind Scottie Scheffler at The American Express but has had only one other top 10 this season.

Particularly glaring another 11 spots down the standings at No. 86 is five-time major champion Brooks Koepka, who was all the talk back in January when he became the first player who bolted from LIV Golf (at just the right time as it turns out) to rejoin the PGA Tour.

Koepka had been gone nearly four years, long enough to not fully understand how the points system worked. His immediate goal was to get into the $20 million signature events — one of the conditions of his return was being ineligible for sponsor exemptions to those tournaments. He didn't make it into any of them.

And right when he was in position to contend — two shots out of the lead going into the weekend of the Canadian Open — he had a freak injury in his hand that one round later forced him to withdraw.

Now he has one tournament left to reach the postseason. He needs at least a fourth-place finish at the Wyndham Championship, a tall task considering he has only one top 10 this year. At least he is secure for two more years from winning the PGA Championship at Oak Hill in 2023.

The year in which no one has stood out

But it's been a strange year for so many players accustomed to smoother waters.

Who would have predicted before the first tee shot of 2026 that Chris Gotterup would have more wins than Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy combined?

No one will — or should — be concerned with Scheffler. He won his season opener in the California desert, and nothing else. He also has five runner-up finishes and five other finishes in the top 4. Four of those runner-up finishes paid out more than his lone victory.

The margins are thin in golf, even for the No. 1 player in the world.

McIlroy isn't the least bit stressed that his one title this year was a repeat at Augusta National. Yes, he would love to win another FedEx Cup title. Odds are it would be sweeter to get another Race to Dubai title in Europe, especially at the expense of Patrick Reed.

No winners from the top 10 in the world in three months

Cameron Young is the defending champion at the Wyndham Championship. And to think it was only a year ago when Young had never won on the PGA Tour. Since then, he was a lone bright spot for the Americans in his Ryder Cup debut, he won The Players Championship and a signature event at Doral, and he had at least a share of the Sunday lead at two majors without bagging one.

But there's something else about Young and this odd season.

He won the Cadillac Championship when he was No. 4 in the world. That was May 3, and no from the top 10 has won a PGA Tour event since then. It's not getting any easier out there, if it ever was.

Half of the PGA Tour members among the top 30 in the world ranking have yet to win this year.

The world ranking of the other three major champions sounds like numbers drawn in Bingo — 44 (Aaron Rai at the PGA Championship), 34 (Wyndham Clark at the U.S. Open) and 56 (Ryan Fox at the British Open).

It was the first time three major champions in one year were outside the top 30 since 2009 delivered Angel Cabrera (69), Lucas Glover (71), Stewart Cink (33) and Y.E. Yang (110).

Brian Rolapp mentioned three guiding principles when he was introduced as CEO at the Tour Championship last year. First on his list was parity, and he probably didn't know how right he was when he said, “The PGA Tour has incredible, competitive parity and balance among its players.”

“Everybody wants to go into an event not knowing who's going to win,” Rolapp said.

Show of hands who had Rai winning the PGA Championship against the strongest field in the majors. Or Gary Woodland winning the Houston Open just over two years after returning from brain surgery, one of the most emotional wins of this crazy season.

Four weeks remain before the FedEx Cup is decided, and perhaps it will all make sense in the end. It starts with the Wyndham Championship, the tournament most players would love to skip because it means they're locked into a good spot for the postseason.

Horschel would need at least a two-way tie for second to have a mathematical chance of making it to the FedEx Cup playoffs. The way this year has gone, don't bet against it.

Young might have summed it up best on Tuesday when he shared advice for himself and anyone else in this game: “Nothing is given and nothing is impossible.”

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On The Fringe analyzes the biggest topics in golf during the season. AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf

Around 8 a.m. Tuesday, officers responded to a 911 call reporting a crash at the intersection of W. Airport Boulevard and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

According to police, a City of Sanford Class V rear-loader garbage truck was traveling northbound on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and struck a bicyclist who was also heading north and attempting to make a right turn onto Airport Boulevard.

The driver did not stop to render aid. A witness at the scene helped officers identify the vehicle and driver. The bicyclist was transported to a local hospital, where they later died from their injuries, police said.

The driver, Shawannia Smith, 46, a city of Sanford employee, was charged with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and cited for violating the right of way of a cyclist.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the Sanford Police Department or Crimeline at 800-423-8477. Calls remain anonymous.

While it may seem like the planet is baking through a record-shattering summer from hell, it's not quite in record territory. Yet.

So far this is only the third-hottest year, behind 2024 and 2025, climate statistics show. But give 2026 time. Because of a one-two punch of accelerated human-caused global warming and a supersized El Nino, there's an increasing chance that by the end of the year, 2026 could eke out the crown for the hottest year on record, eclipsing 2024 — or at least come close, scientists said.

Even if this year sets the record, it won't last long. Although scientists disagree on whether 2026 will be the hottest year on record, they agree on it being a near lock that 2027 will beat out any modern year for heat, maybe by a great deal.

With wars around the globe in the last few years people didn't pay much attention to climate change "because the world was on fire in different ways. The world is now on fire again with climate change in a way that’s increasingly difficult to ignore,” said climate scientist Zeke Hausfather of Berkeley Earth. “It's going to keep getting worse.''

Increasing odds for a record hot year

Hausfather calculated there's a 35% chance that 2026 will pass 2024 as the hottest year on record. But Hausfather keeps increasing those odds nearly every month — up from only 7% in March.

Former top NASA climate scientist James Hansen, often called the godfather of climate science for 40 years of accurate long-term warnings, predicted that 2026 will edge out 2024 at the end of the year.

The world's daily sea surface temperature tied 2024 starting in May and since June it's been record hot nearly every day. With oceans more than 70% of the globe's surface, there's generally a month-and-a-half lag between heat showing up in oceans and then being reflected in the global average temperature, Hansen said. So it's about time that the entire globe starts shattering records, he said. About 82% of the world's ocean surface is overheated with marine heat waves this year, according to Europe's Copernicus climate service.

About a month ago the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecast that there was a 66% chance that 2026 would be the fourth hottest and only a 0.1% chance it would be No.1 for warmth by year's end. NOAA monitoring chief Russell Vose said those odds will be rising when NOAA finishes its analysis from July.

Hausfather said what's changing outlooks is the increasingly strong forecasts for a “mind-numbing” record-setting El Nino.

El Nino is a natural temporary warming of parts of the equatorial Pacific that heats up the globe's average temperature and warps weather extremes across the planet. Most forecasts have El Nino becoming the strongest in history. El Ninos always release pent-up heat in the ocean, but because of greenhouse gases trapping heat and 90% of it going into the world's seas, there's more heat to release, said Zachary Labe, a climate scientist at Climate Central, a science and communications nonprofit.

The amount of heat in the world's oceans — a marker of human-caused climate change — keeps setting new record highs, Labe said.

This summer's heat is human caused, not from El Nino

Climate scientists said what we've seen this summer can't be blamed on El Nino because its impacts really don't kick in for a few more months. The fires, heat and extremes that have dominated the summer of 2026 are what scientists have long been warning about from the burning of coal, oil and gas.

“The driver of the record warmth is climate change in the background. And it’s a much larger — much, much larger — contribution than El Nino, which is just a tenth to two-tenths of a degree on top of that long-term trend,” Labe said.

That warming is accelerating, Hansen said.

That's because traditional industrial pollution that creates soot and smog — which cool the planet and mask greenhouse gas-triggered warming — is decreasing, Hansen said. Also, it looks as if the climate might be reacting to greenhouse gases stronger than scientists anticipated, he said.

Heat waves keep hitting

This summer’s heat waves have hit hard in places where people aren’t used to triple-digit heat, unlike in the tropics, climate scientists said. And they've been especially noticeable at night, making it hard for people to sleep, which impairs their health and their ability to be productive at work, said Samantha Burgess, global strategic lead at Copernicus climate service.

She pointed to Europe, where there was an “exceptional” heat wave in May, another in June, two in July and another one going on now in France and Spain.

“European heat waves are not in isolation. So there’s also been shocking heat waves in North America. There’s been shockingly hot conditions in South America as well. There’s been devastating heat waves in India,” Burgess said. “There’s always heat waves somewhere in the world sometime, but what is very unusual for Europe for this particular year is the frequency and extent of the heat waves.”

Princeton University climate scientist Michael Oppenheimer said this is what scientists have long been warning about.

"These are vivid pictures of not just the future, which is what we used to say, but on the whole of what climate change is doing. There’s no question that climate change has increased the risk of wildfires. There’s no question that the climate change increased the probability of really hot, nasty, even unprecedented summers around the world.”

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

Russia has relentlessly pounded civilian areas of Ukraine, even though Moscow insists its forces target only military facilities.

Since the Kremlin launched its full-scale invasion over four years ago, Ukraine has developed long-range drones that can strike deep inside Russia. In the past year, its forces have battered oil facilities, major storage depots and other key infrastructure.

More than 16,000 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since the war began, the United Nations said last month in its most recent casualty report, with the vast majority occurring in areas under the Ukrainian government’s control. Casualties have risen steadily each year.

The U.N. children’s agency on Tuesday urged both countries to uphold international humanitarian law requiring the protection of children, citing recent deaths in Russia's Belgorod and Krasnodar regions, as well as in Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk and Sumy regions.

“Attacks that kill and injure children must stop,” UNICEF said in a statement.

Meanwhile, escalating attacks on shipping in the Black Sea by both sides has reawakened fears that global food security could be put at risk.

Russia is accused of using a drone to attack a street vendor

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted a video on social media that he said showed a Russian drone hunting a man selling vegetables from a street stall in the southern city of Kherson.

The video shows the man trying to flee the drone as it circles his vehicle, follows him and ultimately strikes the car where he was trying to hide. He suffered wounds to his back, legs and arms, according to an interview he gave to the Kherson regional military administration.

Russia's Defense Ministry did not immediately reply to an Associated Press request for comment.

Drone attacks on civilians have surged since the war began, with 967 people killed, including 10 children, and nearly 7,000 people injured, Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office said Tuesday.

Russian drone operators track and strike civilians going about daily activities, according to previous AP reporting. A U.N. commission concluded in October 2025 that such attacks amounted to crimes against humanity.

“The world must see this,” Zelenskyy said. “It must see every piece of evidence that Russia has gone mad and that its soldiers take pleasure in killing and abusing civilians.”

Russia says a Ukrainian drone killed 7 on Black Sea coast

The death toll from a drone strike Monday in the Russian Black Sea resort of Arkhipo-Osipovka rose to seven, including four children, regional authorities said.

On Tuesday, Krasnodar regional authorities updated the number of wounded to 58, with 21 hospitalized.

Video circulating online showed a drone slamming into a crowded beach with what sounded like gunfire in the background. Ukraine has not commented on the strike.

Ukrainian drones strike near Moscow and St. Petersburg

A Ukrainian drone attack Tuesday in the region around Moscow killed five people and wounded 10 others, said Gov. Andrei Vorobyov. Most of the damage occurred in the Chekhov municipal district, where several fires erupted at the Novoselki industrial zone, he said.

In the latest in a series of attacks on Russia’s biggest online retailer Wildberries, the company said its warehouse in the Leningrad region, adjacent to St. Petersburg, was on fire.

In the village of Emmaus, located between Moscow and St. Petersburg, drone debris partially damaged a wall of a Wildberries warehouse, regional Gov. Vitaly Korolyov said.

In the past 18 days, Ukrainian drones have targeted 15 Wildberries warehouses, 13 of which caught fire, said Robert Brovdi, commander of Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces. Ukrainian officials say the company provides goods that can be used by the military. Kyiv is also keen to unsettle the Russian public with high-profile attacks.

Russia hits Ukrainian ports and shipping

The Russian Defense Ministry said its forces on Monday night struck “Ukrainian ports, vessels and port infrastructure” used by Kyiv’s army.

In the port of Chornomorsk, in Ukraine’s southern Odesa region, Russia said it hit an automobile components plant and a port terminal, where the military vehicles were being repaired and ammunition and fuel were being stored.

In the southern port of Mykolaiv, a bulk carrier with military cargo was damaged, while in Pivdennyi, another Ukrainian port, a vessel unloading military cargo was hit, according to the Russian statement.

The ministry also said two bulk carriers hauling weapons and military equipment were damaged at sea, south of Odesa.

Turkey on Tuesday repeated its appeal for both countries to ensure safe passage in the Black Sea after two Turkish-owned ships were attacked by drones after leaving the Russian port of Novorossiysk.

A Turkish Foreign Ministry statement expressed concerns that the war is increasingly spreading across the Black Sea, threatening merchant shipping, and warned such incidents could have broader consequences, including for the global food supply, as important shipments of grain, fertilizer and other key products move through those waters.

Ukraine reports more Russian glide bomb attack

s

Russian attacks on Mykolaiv, including its port, killed an 89-year-old woman and wounded seven other people aged between 2 and 83, Ukrainian regional officials said.

The Russian strike on civilian infrastructure in southern Odesa region destroyed a private home and wounded two people, according to Oleh Kiper, head of the regional military administration.

In Ukraine’s northern Sumy region, six Russian glide bombs killed two girls aged 5 and 10 and an elderly woman, said Oleh Hryhorov, head of the Sumy regional military administration.

Russian forces also struck Kharkiv and 18 towns and villages across the northern region in the previous 24 hours, killing one person and injuring seven, including an 8-year-old, said Oleh Syniehubov, head of the Kharkiv regional military administration.

Strikes in Balakliia, also in the Kharkiv region, damaged an apartment building, a library, three stores and more than 10 houses, wounding two women, local authorities said.

Two glide bombs struck Kramatorsk in the eastern Donetsk region of Ukraine, injuring 24 people, local officials said. Kramatorsk sits at the northern end of Ukraine’s Fortress Belt, where Western analysts say Russia is making a renewed effort to break through after four years of attrition.

Vadym Filashkin, head of the regional military administration, urged people still living near the front to evacuate, saying authorities would help with transportation, housing and other support.

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Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed.

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Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12-10 along party lines in support of the nomination of President Donald Trump’s former personal attorney, who has aggressively pushed the Republican administration’s priorities since taking over from Pam Bondi in April.

The vote followed a deal struck late Sunday between Blanche and two Republican senators — John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina — who had been threatening to block his confirmation over the settlement of Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service regarding the president’s leaked tax returns.

The full Senate could vote later this week on Blanche’s nomination. If all Democrats oppose him, Blanche can only afford to lose two Republican votes if Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who was hospitalized after a fall, does not return before then.

Cornyn and Tillis backed Blanche's nomination after the Justice Department confirmed in writing that it wasn't moving forward with a $1.8 billion fund to compensate Trump allies who believe they were prosecuted for political purposes, which the administration announced as part of the settlement.

After days of negotiations, Blanche issued an order Sunday evening confirming “beyond any doubt, that there is no Fund.”

Democrats complain about the fund

Democrats say Blanche’s order doesn’t go far enough to prevent the Trump administration from reviving the fund after the acting attorney general’s confirmation and have called for legislation to permanently bar it.

The order also doesn’t stop the administration from compensating Trump allies — including people who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 — through a previously established process that allows people to file claims for damages if they believed they were wronged by the government.

The fund “can easily be revived with a new order from the Department of Justice 15 minutes after Mr. Blanche is confirmed as attorney general,” said Dick Durbin of Illinois, the top Democrat on the committee.

Cornyn and Tillis had also pressed for clarification on a separate part of the settlement that would grant Trump and members of his family immunity from tax audits.

Under the deal, the Justice Department clarified in writing that the tax audit immunity agreement applies only to claims open at the time of the settlement and does not protect Trump from examination of future tax filings. It also makes clear that only the parties that brought the lawsuit — Trump, two of his sons, and the Trump Organization — are covered by the tax agreement.

Cornyn said his reasons for backing Blanche go beyond the deal struck Sunday, adding that he believes the Justice Department needs a “stabilizing force" at the helm.

“The Department of Justice does not need a temporary, unconfirmed nominee as our nation’s top law enforcement official. Trump needs someone in this role, as well, with a strong legal mind," Cornyn said.

Blanche's independence has been called into question

Blanche has faced intense scrutiny regarding his ability to maintain independence from the White House, the Justice Department’s pursuit of the president’s political foes and the agency’s handling of files related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking investigation.

But it was the settlement of Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS that threatened to derail Blanche's nomination, forcing a delay in the committee vote last week amid pressure from the two Republican senators, who are not returning to Capitol Hill after their terms end in January.

Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, who chairs the committee, said Tillis and Cornyn’s demands were “common sense.” Grassley said the senators’ concerns about the “Anti-Weaponization Fund” and the IRS settlement were shared by many other lawmakers, including himself.

“I’m grateful that they as well as Mr. Blanche and the White House worked in good faith to solve them, formally rescinding the fund, clarifying the scope of the release of claims has put this issue to bed once and for all," Grassley said.

Trump’s lawsuit has been sharply criticized because of the highly unusual way it was handled, with the president challenging an agency overseen by the executive branch he leads. A judge last month slammed the case as an improper exercise in self-dealing and referred one of Trump’s attorneys who filed it for potential disciplinary action.

Blanche was an important figure for Trump's defense

Blanche, a former federal prosecutor and key member of Trump’s defense team as the Republican battled four indictments, arrived at the Justice Department last year as deputy attorney general. He was elevated to acting attorney general following Bondi’s failure to meet Trump’s demands to successfully prosecute his perceived political opponents.

While Blanche insisted he wasn’t auditioning for the permanent post, he moved swiftly to accelerate investigations into Trump foes and advance other White House priorities, drawing condemnation from critics who say he has not shed his title as Trump’s personal lawyer.

Shortly after Blanche took the top post, the Justice Department moved to indict longtime Trump adversary James Comey, the former FBI director, on charges of threatening the 47th president by posting a social media photograph of seashells in the numerical arrangement of “86 47.”

Comey’s lawyers have accused the Justice Department of misleading judges, submitting documents containing false statements and withholding key facts to bring what the defense described as a politically motivated prosecution.

Blanche separately appointed Joseph diGenova, a former Justice Department prosecutor from the Reagan administration, to oversee a Florida-based investigation into whether former law enforcement and intelligence officials conspired over the last decade to undermine Trump.

The 30-team league that Graber grew during his 27-year tenure now looks to Berg to capitalize on the success of the World Cup this past summer and guide the transition to a new international schedule next year.

“I think one of the reasons that I raised my hand is I feel like I have the enthusiasm and the passion to hopefully have other people, in some cases, see it through my eyes and understand where we’re going and where it can go and what what it can be," Berg told The Associated Press. ”I’m very proud of where we already are. I think we’ve come a very, very long way."

Berg, a co-owner of LAFC, will formally take over as commissioner at the start of next year. Garber, who has served as the league’s commissioner since 1999, will help guide the transition before moving into a new role as chairman.

Garber said the ideal candidate would unite the entire MLS ecosystem around a shared vision. And he believes the league will have that under Berg, who will become just the third commissioner in the history of the league.

“I think he’s convinced the ownership through a very comprehensive process that he has what it takes to do the two most important things, which is to create that vision, and then to get the owners to unite around it,” Garber said. “That requires great relationships. It requires the capability to put the plan together and do the work. ... He (Berg) is super smart. He doesn’t lead with ego. He leads with understanding perspectives, and I think that’s a super important part of being the commissioner.”

The 60-year-old Berg, who has served as co-chair of the MLS sporting and competition committee, will divest his ownership interest in LAFC. He was formally introduced as the incoming commissioner on Tuesday at the league's New York headquarters, a day after he received the required two-thirds of the votes from the owners.

“First of all, he loves soccer, and I think next to his family, soccer is the most important thing in his life. Second of all, he knows the league really well. We have 30 great owners, and all of them are very involved in the league. But Larry is, I think it’s safe to say, has been over the last five years the most involved owner,” Columbus Crew owner Jimmy Haslam said. “He understands what we do well, where we have opportunity. I think he has a great relationship with all the owners. Going through this process certainly enhanced that.”

Berg previously held ownership stakes in Italian club AS Roma, as well as English league team Swansea. Under Berg’s ownership, LAFC won the MLS Cup in 2022, and the Supporters’ Shield in 2019.

Under Garber's watch, the league has expanded from 12 to 30 teams. He introduced the league’s marketing arm, Soccer United Marketing, encouraged the construction of soccer-specific stadiums and spurred the growth of an academy system to develop players in the United States.

Five clubs, Inter Miami, the home of Lionel Messi, LAFC, LA Galaxy, Atlanta United and NYCFC are valued at more than $1 billion, according to Forbes.

At the start, Berg will oversee the league's shift to a new calendar, with the season running from on a summer to spring schedule to more align with its international counterparts. Currently the league plays a late winter to late fall schedule.

Following the conclusion of the current season, MLS will play a shortened 14-game “sprint season” in early 2027 before the league switches to its new schedule, kicking off in July with the league championship to be played in May 2028.

Berg will also be charged with negotiating a new media rights deal. The current contract with Apple TV ends in 2029. The league is also looking at changes to roster rules.

“This has been a passion my whole life. This sport and some of the great joys of my life have been involved in the LAFC and involved with the sporting competition committee," Berg said. ”I have a lot of ideas. I feel like we’re at a point where a tremendous amount of success has been achieved with the games and the live gameday entertainment experience, etc. But as the World Cup showed, you can be incredibly happy and very successful, but somehow there’s always more. You want to get to that next step."

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

Actors Steve Coogan and Chris O’Dowd and musicians including Bono, Hozier, Declan O’Rourke and Imelda May were in the congregation alongside friends, family and fans who had queued for hours outside St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

A large crowd watched on big screens outside as pallbearers carried a wicker coffin topped with flowers into the cathedral.

William Morton, the dean of the cathedral, said: “Glen’s remarkable gifts and outstanding talent, which touched so many hearts, took him from the streets of Dublin to audiences across the globe.”

The funeral service was interwoven with music, including a performance by Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, who sang Hansard’s “The Song of Good Hope” alongside Hansard’s longstanding musical partner Markéta Irglová.

U2's Bono said of Hansard: “Everyone who met him, they just remembered the day they met him.”

Bono held up his phone to play a message he'd received from singer and poet Patti Smith performing “a lullaby for Glen’s family and friends,” before reciting lyrics to U2’s “Beautiful Day.”

Hansard was killed in a single-vehicle crash on the outskirts of Dublin on July 29, hours after taking part in a trad music session at a pub.

His widow, Finnish poet Maire Saaritsa, who thanked the police officers who came to his aid, read a poem she had written for him early in their relationship.

She said the couple's 3-year-old son was too young to attend or understand the funeral, but “the bright spirit he inherited from his father is with us.”

Hansard was the longtime front man of Irish rock band The Frames and played a member of a Dublin soul band in the hit 1991 movie “The Commitments.” He won an Oscar in 2008 for the song “Falling Slowly” from the movie “Once,” in which he co-starred with Irglová. A stage adaptation won eight Tony Awards in 2012.

Hansard also was half of rock duo The Swell Season with Irglová and released solo albums including “Didn’t He Ramble,” which was nominated for a Grammy for Best Folk Album in 2016.

For many years he led a Christmas Eve busk outside Dublin’s Gaiety Theatre, where members of the public gathered to see famous Irish musicians perform in aid of a homelessness charity.

Tributes have been paid by fellow musicians. Bruce Springsteen said on Instagram he was “heartbroken” at the loss of “a great musician, a good friend and a generous and gracious man.”

Stingers are injuries that impact the nerves in the upper arm, neck or shoulder and often give a player a burning sensation in his arms and hands. Most stingers resolve quickly, but some symptoms can last weeks or months.

“We’re going to evaluate him more over the next day or so and just make sure that he is in the right spot,” Panthers coach Dave Canales said. “We have a nice little window here to get him turned around.”

Canales said Legette does not have a concussion.

Legette will not play in the Panthers’ preseason opener on Thursday night against the Arizona Cardinals in Canton, Ohio.

Legette came crashing down after high-pointing a catch in the left corner of the end zone and landed hard and stayed down. Trainers rushed to his side and Legette was later seen wiggling his fingers in the air before boarding a cart.

Players shook Legette's right hand before he was taken into the locker room.

The Panthers have already lost wide receiver Chris Brazzell, their third-round pick from Tennessee, for the season to a torn LCL injury. Legette and Brazell were expected to battle for the team’s No. 3 wide receiver spot behind Jalen Coker and last year’s NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Tetairoa McMillan.

Legette had 35 catches for 363 yards and three TDs last season and lost his job late in the year to Coker.

Canales said despite the demotion he has been impressed with how Legette has responded in training camp.

“He’s been the same person since he got here,” Canales said. “He’s a tireless worker. He cares. It matters to him. He takes coaching well. He’s a very humble guy. He wants to work at the things he needs to improve on."

Canales added that "the longer he’s with us, the less it’s about the concepts and the more it’s about just the details and fine techniques of playing the wide receiver position.”

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

While on stage at Chicago’s United Center, Grande told her fans that “things can get a little blown out of proportion,” and that her decision to take a break from public life was one she had "quietly made a long time ago,” rather than a “reactive or impulsive thing.”

Reading from her phone, she continued: “It was a decision that was made from a thoughtful and empowered place. And I want you to know that many things can be true at the same time.”

On Sunday, producers for a London production of Stephen Sondheim’s “Sunday in the Park With George” announced that Grande had withdrawn from her role in the musical, set to debut at the Barbican theater in 2027.

Grande’s recent breakup from “Wicked” co-star Ethan Slater, the ongoing tour and last week’s release of the album “Petal” has fueled rampant speculation online about her health and appearance. She has previously expressed discomfort with public discourse around her weight, stating in a 2023 TikTok video, “I think we should be gentler and less comfortable commenting on people’s bodies, no matter what.”

A representative for Grande told People magazine that the 33-year-old singer “will be taking a step back from visibility after she completes the Eternal Sunshine Tour.”

“She looks forward to finishing the tour and ending it on a high note, both healthily and happily, and then taking a much-deserved break from public-facing work and appearances, which has led to endless, ongoing public scrutiny,” the statement said.

A representative for Grande did not offer further comment to The Associated Press.

Continuing her remarks from the stage Monday, Grande said she knows fans are worried that “negativity was ruining things” for her, but said the opposite is true.

"Multiple things can be true at the same time: boundaries need to be set, human beings can need a break sometimes, and also, this can be and will continue to be the greatest experience of my professional and creative life,” she told her fans, who erupted in cheers.

The “Eternal Sunshine” tour is scheduled to conclude on Sept. 1 in London, after a 10-night residency at the famed O2 Arena.

Japan has bolstered its military capability and spending in recent years and has started deploying long-range cruise missiles as a deterrent to China's military activity.

The 598-page defense paper adopted by the Cabinet on Tuesday reiterated that China is Japan’s biggest strategic challenge. Japan is alarmed by the growing presence and frequency of Chinese warships in the Pacific Ocean.

The annual white paper outlines Japan’s military activity and priorities and analysis of military trends in specific countries. As Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s government needs public support for further military buildup and spending and to attract service members, the report has features to appeal to readers including a cartoon on the cover and links to video clips in Japanese, English and Chinese.

Combat drones for new warfare

Inspired by the use of drones by Ukraine, Japan considers it is essential to adapt to “new ways of warfare,” the paper said.

With many countries racing to develop combat drones, Japan's government prioritizes development of its own for a coastal defense, in combination with long-range missiles.

“Speed is key,” Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi said in early July.

The Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency recently selected four drone makers out of 38 applicants for a rapid development program and that they will advance to testing by Japan's navy in early August before a final selection.

A number of companies are developing similar drones. Toshiba announced Friday plans to jointly develop combat drones with startup Pro Drone.

Uncrewed weapons could help Japan make up for its decreasing number of service members in a country with a shrinking population.

Experts say developing fully homemade drones while Japan’s commercial drone market is dominated by Chinese imports would be a challenge.

Alarmed by China’s activity in the Pacific, Russia and North Korea

Japan has strengthened its military forces on southwestern islands in recent years and has started deploying long-range cruise missiles, as it worries about a conflict in Taiwan, which China claims as its territory.

The paper noted the growing presence of Chinese warships and frequency of their activity in the Pacific as a major concern. The Defense Ministry has established a unit dedicated to studying Japan’s Pacific strategy and strengthening its defense against China.

China has consistently increased its military spending without transparency and strengthened nuclear and missile capability extensively and rapidly, the defense paper said.

It noted that last December, during Chinese aircraft carrier drills near southwestern Japan, Chinese aircraft locked their radars on Japanese planes — which is considered a possible preparation for firing missiles.

Two Chinese aircraft carriers were spotted last June near the southern Japanese island of Iwo Jima for the first time. This triggered Tokyo's worries about Beijing’s rapidly expanding military activity far beyond its borders and in disputed areas in the East China Sea.

Tensions between Tokyo and Beijing have escalated since Takaichi said in November that Chinese military action against Taiwan could justify Japan’s use of force.

China on Tuesday rejected sections of Japan’s annual defense white paper concerning the Chinese military, calling the document “rife with false narratives” and accusing Japan of using it as “an excuse to ease restrictions on its military buildup.”

“It is a classic case of the thief crying ‘stop thief’ — a pretext to unshackle its own military,” said Chen Xi, a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of National Defense.

China’s growing joint military operation with Russia around Japan, including joint bomber flights and warship operations, is also “a grave national security concern,” the paper said.

It says North Korea’s rapid development of missiles, including hypersonic arsenals, is an “increasingly serious and pressing threat” and that the North’s growing military ties with Russia and its backing for Moscow's war in Ukraine are a grave concern.

Bolstering defense industry, weapons sale

Strengthening arms production and technology is essential to Japan's military power, the paper said. The government has been expanding funding for startups and scientific research.

In a country that had maintained a pacifist pledge since the end of World War II, many established companies avoid ties to lethal weapons, but a growing number of startups are showing interest in converting dual-use technology for military use, officials say.

Japan’s recent scrapping of lethal weapons export ban could also help strengthen the country's underdeveloped defense industry.

Weapons technology transfer and joint development and production strengthens both the Japanese defense industry base and Japan's ties with its defense partners, said Koizumi, whose travels to other countries have involved arms sales.

Japan recently made major deals, including the joint development and transfer of 11 upgraded Mogami-class frigates to Australia. It is discussing a similar deal with New Zealand and has struck a deal to sell retired destroyers to the Philippines.

On Friday, deputies responded to a report of a verbal disturbance at a home on 6524 NW 67th Terrace.

According to an arrest affidavit, Clifford Dean Duvall, 54, confronted the repossession workers who had hooked up his black truck and were preparing to tow it from his home. That’s when Duvall hopped inside his truck, grabbed a black metallic tomahawk, pulled off the sheath, and went straight for the workers.

Deputies said security camera footage showed Duvall approaching the victims, pointing the weapon at them, and hitting the metal cable that was pulling the truck, all while getting within a few feet of them.

Both workers told deputies they feared for their safety.

Duvall told them he grabbed the tomahawk, but said his intention was to “scare both victims” so they wouldn’t repossess his vehicle.

The Marion County Sheriff’s Office released body camera footage showing Duvall being taken into custody.

“Please, let it down. Please, let it down. I never threatened I’d kill them or anything like that,” Duvall can be heard saying in the video.

Duvall was booked into the Marion County jail and faces two charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without intent to kill.

His bond is set at $15,000 on each count.

The attack Saturday at a new In-N-Out Burger in Twin Falls ended when the gunman, identified by police as 24-year-old Chad Williams, shot and killed himself. On Monday, police were still trying to determine why Williams carried out the attack, which happened early in the afternoon in a busy shopping plaza in the southern Idaho city.

Many details about Williams' life were still unknown Monday, but an initial search of court records in Idaho and Arizona, where he used to live, didn't show any criminal cases matching his name and birth date.

Man who knew gunman says he was ‘pretty chill’

Elijah Moseley, who lived across the hall from Williams in a College of Southern Idaho dorm a few years ago, described him as “an introvert” and “a pretty chill guy.”

“I was never scared or weirded out by him,” he said.

Moseley said he considered Williams a relatively close friend, though they lost touch a couple of years ago.

“I’m shocked by this and sick to my stomach about this,” he said.

Detectives are confident that Williams acted alone, Police Chief Matthew Hicks said Sunday, noting that Williams’ family is cooperating fully with the investigation.

Two of the wounded victims were treated at a hospital and released, three were listed as stable, and two others were in critical condition, police said Sunday.

During the attack, an off-duty state trooper and a civilian fired on Williams and diverted him from the restaurant, the chief said. Police haven't disclosed their names or those of the victims, but some victims have been identified by friends and relatives. Twin Falls spokesperson Josh Palmer said Monday that police were still trying to identify next of kin.

A vigil is planned for Tuesday evening at Twin Falls City Park, Palmer said.

In-N-Out employee among those killed

The attack happened at an In-N-Out that opened late last month as part of the California chain’s Idaho expansion, and an employee at the burger joint was among those killed, the fast-food chain’s owner, Lynsi Snyder, said in a statement. She didn't identify the worker.

Kimberley Castaneda confirmed to The Associated Press that her brother, Christopher Claunch, was among those killed, but she declined to discuss him further.

Garren Taylor, one of Claunch's friends, said that two years ago, Claunch completed a rehab program for alcohol abuse at Renaissance Ranch Recovery Center in Rupert, Idaho, and was immediately hired there. Taylor said Claunch, known to those close to him as “Toph,” had since then dedicated his life to helping others get sober.

“He helped hundreds of people,” Taylor recalled Monday. “He was just a gift to anyone he came in contact with. It wasn’t about the paycheck, his attitude was: ‘I get to help someone today.’”

Renaissance Ranch declined to comment Monday.

Wounded man moved closer to gunfire to help

In a Facebook post, Marcus Scott James said his son Austin “A.J.” Scott James was critically wounded in the attack and faces a long recovery. He said his son was shot after he moved “toward the danger” when he heard gunfire in an effort to protect others.

“We are incredibly thankful that God spared his life and that his wife and friend were there to provide immediate care until he could get to the hospital," he wrote.

Marcus James said in a message to the AP on Monday that his son used to work as a law enforcement officer for the Twin Falls police and the Idaho State Police. He declined to comment further on his son’s actions, saying it is his son's story to tell.

Terry Dudley, a driver for North Star Taxi, was shot as he was charging one of the company’s Teslas in a parking lot next to the In-N-Out Burger, said James Palmer, who owns the taxi service and is Dudley’s friend.

Palmer said Dudley called him to tell him he was shot after he couldn’t get through to 911. He said Dudley was flown to a hospital in Boise and remained there Monday with serious injuries, he said.

“It’s a lot, man,” Palmer said. “It’s daunting, to say the least, to even try to gather the scope of all this. It’s been absolute chaos."

He said Dudley was “kind of like my right hand.”

Gunman left local college before graduating

Williams attended the College of Southern Idaho from August 2022 and December 2023, according to the school's president, L. Dean Fisher. He didn’t graduate or earn a certificate from the school, which has about 10,000 students.

Williams served in the student senate but was unanimously impeached by his fellow senators in February 2023. Moseley, who served as the senate pro-tempore at the time, said Williams was ousted because he wasn't very active or engaged in student government.

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Associated Press reporters Christopher Weber and Jamie Stengle contributed to this report.

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This story was first published on Aug. 3, 2026. It was updated on Aug. 4, 2026, to include the last names of victim Austin Scott James and his father, Marcus Scott James.

The judge is ordering the Florida attorney general to rewrite the ballot measure, which he says is full of “political taglines” that do more to make the amendment appealing for voters than actually tell them what the amendment will do.

Attorney General James Uthmeier has to submit the revised ballot language to the Florida Department of State within 10 days.

Anyone challenging the new ballot language has 10 days to do so once it’s submitted to the Dept. of State.

At least 60% of voters must approve the amendment on the November ballot for it to pass.

[WATCH: Florida Legislature OKs tweaked property tax amendment for November ballot]

What is the amendment?

A group called Save Our Voters From Misleading Ballot Language sued the state over the amendment passed by the Florida Legislature earlier this year.

That amendment, titled “Save Our Homes From Excessive Property Taxes,” would expand the homestead exemption to $150,000 starting in 2027, and to $250,000 beginning in 2028.

It also reduced the cap on increasing the tax assessment on non-homesteaded properties to 5% per year, and limits how local governments can use tax revenue to “core services,” which include: public safety (law enforcement, fire services, emergency medical services), public schools, infrastructure (road and bridge construction and maintenance and stormwater control), natural resource projects (like flood control measures), fund county administration officers, and meet obligations for local government employees’ retirement benefits.

You can read the full ballot language HERE.

What the judge says

In his ruling, Judge David Frank said he can’t strike the amendment from the ballot, and he is not assessing the merit or wisdom of the amendment. His job is simply to determine whether the ballot title and summary “pass muster under longstanding Florida law that demands fairness and accuracy in its description before placement on the ballot.”

“They fail both prerequisites and must be rewritten,” the judge added.

Frank ruled the ballot title and summary are full of “political taglines” that give reasons for voters to say yes to the amendment, but that is not the purpose of the title and summary. The purpose is to explain what the amendment does, not advocate for its adoption.

In one example, Frank writes, “The summary states that the amendment is ‘Ensuring funding for core services’ because it ‘requires local governments to use remaining property taxes solely for core public needs.’ Yet the proposed amendment does not ‘ensure’ funding for police, fire protection, schools, infrastructure, or any other ‘core’ public service, nor does it create any new restrictions on how property tax revenues may be expended. In fact, by substantially reducing the local property tax base, the proposed amendment is likely to decrease the revenues available to local governments to fund core services. The amendment cannot fairly or accurately be described as ‘ensuring funding.’”

Frank also says the ballot summary claims the amendment will ultimately lead to the full elimination of non-school property taxes on homestead property. Except the amendment does not require “full elimination.”

“Rather, it would require the Legislature to establish procedures through which local governments may choose to grant additional exemptions in the future ‘up to’ the full assessed valuation,” Frank writes.

Frank also points out that the ballot summary omits the fact that the amendment proposes “major change[s] in the function of government” by giving the Legislature the right to control ad valorem tax spending, thus changing the home rule powers local governments currently enjoy under Florida’s constitution.

Read the full ruling below.

Amendment 3 ruling by Peter Schorsch

Property taxes in Florida

Florida’s property tax system is a multi-level system that includes homesteaded and non-homesteaded properties.

Homesteaded properties are primary homes that get a special exemption. Annual tax assessments are also capped at 3% each year, which means people who have owned their homes a long time are more likely to enjoy lower property taxes than newer neighbors across the street.

“So, for example, if you live in your home for 10 years, you bought it for $100,000, you then live in it for the 10 years, and it’s worth $300,000,” Orange County Property Appraiser Amy Mercado told News 6 in an interview earlier this year.

“The savings between your market and your assessed value for those 10 years, you have the opportunity to take with you,” Mercado said. “The person that buys your home doesn’t pay the (tax) rate that you’re paying. You may be at $1,000… a year in taxes because of the years you’ve been in it. You bought it at $100,000, and it slowly progressed. That person is going to pay on the $300,000 mark because it resets as soon as you sell.”

Non-homesteaded properties include any primary homeowner who has not filed for a homestead exemption, along with vacation homes, rental properties, and business properties.

According to the Florida Association of Counties, 55 of 67 counties have lowered or maintained their operating millage rates since 2020. Millage rates are the tax rates used to calculate local property taxes.

However, Florida TaxWatch says property tax levies have risen 108.1% from 2014 to 2024, while population and inflation rose 54.9%.

How is that possible?

Because property values have exploded, particularly in the last six years. In January 2014, the average home price in the Orlando market was $166,339, according to the Beracha-Johnson Housing Ranking Index, an index managed by the American Real Estate Society.

In May 2024, which was the high point in the Orlando housing market, the average price was $410,853, according to the index.

At the time, the Orlando market was one of the most overvalued in the country, as were the markets in Tampa and South Florida.

In fact, News 6 published a story in July 2023 that Orlando was the 13th most overvalued market in the country. At the time, the median home price in Orlando was $385,000.

The Orlando market has since dropped to the 52nd most overvalued market in the country.

Property values are a key factor in determining property tax bills.

Local government concerns

The most vocal critics of the property tax amendment are county and city governments, particularly in communities that do not have a diverse property tax base.

In a report by the Florida Office of Economic and Demographic Research, local governments would lose nearly $5 billion in revenue the first year, and nearly $12 billion in the fifth year.

The Florida Association of Counties offers a breakdown HERE of the data by county.

Volusia County, for instance, would lose nearly a quarter of its property tax revenues in year two if the amendment passes, 24.9%.

Marion County would lose 28.36% of its levy in year two. Sumter County would lose 28.34%. Flagler County would lose 26.28%, Brevard County would lose 26.59%, Lake County would lose 26.11%, and Seminole County would lose 24.43%.

Orange and Osceola counties, which have a larger percentage of their tax revenue in non-homesteaded properties, would fare better. Orange County would lose only 13.56% of its tax revenue in year two. Osceola County would lose 15.14%.

[WATCH: Central Florida cities discuss budget against the backdrop of potential property tax reform]

Cities also stand to lose because a greater portion of their tax rolls rely on ad valorem taxes. The Florida League of Cities also points out that its governments already, on average, spend more on public safety than they take in from property taxes.

On Monday, the Florida Sheriffs Association became the latest public safety group to speak out against the amendment, joining the Florida State Fraternal Order of Police, Florida Professional Firefighters, and the Florida Fire Chiefs Association.

The amendment “potentially allows Tallahassee to control your local budgets, creates longer law enforcement times, limits communities’ abilities to provide road repairs and stormwater removal – these are a few of the things voters need to be aware of,” the FSA statement reads.

The sanctioning body announced the move Tuesday, saying the race will be held Feb. 13, 2027. It will be sponsored by Wheatley American Vodka.

The race doesn’t count for points and is the lead-up to the season-opening Daytona 500, which is set for Feb. 21.

Daytona hosted the Clash from 1979 to 2021. It was moved to a temporary track inside Los Angeles Memorial Stadium for three years in an effort to shake up the annual event and then relocated to tiny Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the last two years in a return to NASCAR's grassroots racing.

The event was postponed twice this year because of historic winter weather in North Carolina. Snow-covered roads were too dangerous for teams and fans to get to the historic short track.

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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Serena and Venus Williams are set to take part in the Cincinnati Open, which begins next week. Organizers announced Monday they had received a wild-card entry into the doubles field.

They last played a doubles match together at the 2022 U.S. Open. It is their first time teaming up in the hard-court tune-up tournament in Mason, Ohio.

The Williams sisters received a wild-card entry to play doubles at Wimbledon, but an injury to Serena prevented that from happening. They have won 14 major titles and three Olympic gold medals in doubles play.

Venus Williams, 46, is set to play mixed doubles at the U.S. Open later this month in New York alongside Alexander Bublik. She and her younger sister playing at Cincinnati is the latest step in Serena’s comeback at age 44 after losing at Wimbledon in her first singles match in nearly four years.

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

The nominee will face former U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, who is running unopposed after narrowly losing a Senate race in 2024.

Democrats endured a bitter and expensive campaign that became a proxy battle between the party’s establishment and progressive wings. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer backed Stevens, while Sen. Bernie Sanders and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez supported El-Sayed.

Stevens is a four-term congresswoman from the outskirts of Detroit who has focused on manufacturing and the economy in a campaign she called a “love letter to Michigan.” She stresses her past victories in tough races, saying she is best positioned to beat Rogers.

Asked Sunday about the race being a battle for two Democratic visions, Stevens replied: “It's a Michigan moment for me, baby.”

Stevens benefited from tens of millions of dollars in outside spending, including the largest investment in a race ever from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which supports pro-Israel candidates.

El-Sayed, a former Wayne County health director, is seeking a political comeback after losing the 2018 gubernatorial primary to now-Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. He campaigned on Medicare for All, campaign finance reform and ending military aid to Israel.

“We’re in a situation right now where the rich keep getting hyper-rich on the backs of figuring out how to monetize everyday people,” El-Sayed told AP during a Sunday afternoon march, as his supporters chanted behind him, “Money out of politics! Money in your pockets!”

Voters are also choosing nominees in competitive House races and for governor. The GOP gubernatorial primary features U.S. Rep. John James, who is backed by President Donald Trump, and businessman Perry Johnson, who has spent millions of his personal fortune. For Democrats, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is the overwhelming favorite over Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson.

Michigan is a must-win Senate race for Democrats

Michigan's Senate seat is open because Democratic Sen. Gary Peters is retiring. Hopes for a relatively orderly primary to replace him disappeared when Stevens, El-Sayed and state Sen. Mallory McMorrow all entered the race. McMorrow suspended her campaign in July.

Stevens won election to Congress in 2018 after serving as chief of staff to President Barack Obama’s auto task force, which helped oversee the federal rescue of General Motors and Chrysler. Her campaign and allied groups have repeatedly highlighted that experience, including advertisements featuring Obama calling her “a critical part of my team.”

Backed by Sanders from the outset, El-Sayed cast himself as the anti-establishment candidate and aimed to join the ranks of newcomers winning races this year across the country — sometimes unseating incumbents backed by party leaders, in places like New York and Denver.

He argued that Democrats need to reject corporate influence and embrace a more progressive agenda. In addition to Medicare for All, his campaign centered on lowering prescription drug costs and banning corporate PAC money.

Kenneth Woodside, 87, of West Bloomfield, said he voted Tuesday for El-Sayed over Stevens because he wants someone in office who is "more focused on the people rather than just on the wealthy and businesses.”

Woodside said he has faith that El-Sayed can defeat Rogers.

“I think the nation is ready for someone who wants to take some more action rather than on the road we are now, which is on the road to an oligarchy and authoritarianism,” he said.

Outside influences have spent millions on the Senate race

National groups poured unprecedented sums into the race, making it one of the country’s biggest tests of outside spending.

Groups backing Stevens spent more than $50 million, led by more than $30 million from AIPAC and its affiliates.

The spending thrust Israel policy into the center of the race even though the ads never mentioned it. While El-Sayed called for ending military aid to Israel, Stevens maintained strong support for the relationship.

Israel has become a contentious issue within the Democratic Party amid a war in Gaza that killed more than 73,000 Palestinians in its retaliatory offensive after about 1,200 people were killed and 251 hostages were taken in attacks by the militant group Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023.

The race also became a proxy fight over the direction of the party. In addition to Schumer, more establishment-aligned senators, such as Peters, backed Stevens, while progressives such as Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Elizabeth Warren lined up behind El-Sayed.

Voters also will decide governor and U.S. House matchups

Trump traveled to Michigan on July 27 and gave a speech at a General Motors plant, at one point calling the gubernatorial hopeful James and several other Republican politicians, including Rogers, onstage. James, a second-term congressman, previously ran twice unsuccessfully for Senate.

The primary turned uglier than Republicans hoped, with Johnson spending big sums of money on ads targeting James. Johnson ran unsuccessfully for governor in 2022 and also launched a long-shot presidential bid in 2024.

In the Democratic gubernatorial primary, much of the party including lawmakers and outside groups, such as the United Auto Workers union, coalesced behind Benson.

Meanwhile there are several competitive House races this year that will help decide whether Republicans hold their slim majority or Democrats reclaim the chamber.

In the 4th District, which stretches along Lake Michigan, Democratic state Sen. Sean McCann and election newcomer Diop Harris II are vying to become the nominee to try to oust GOP Rep. Bill Huizenga.

In the 7th District, former U.S. Ambassador Bridget Brink, community organizer William Lawrence and former Navy Seal Matt Maasdam are seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge Republican Rep. Tom Barrett in the seat representing the Lansing area.

James' decision to run for governor left open his seat in the 10th District, which includes a portion of Oakland County and stretches across conservative communities in Macomb County. In the GOP primary, Trump endorsed Michael Bouchard against Steffan Demetropoulos and Justin Kirk. The Democratic primary features former state House Rep. Tim Greimel, former prosecutor Christina Hines and former Commerce Department attorney Eric Chung.

And in a heavily Democratic district representing Detroit, Rep. Shri Thanedar looks to fend off a primary challenge from state Rep. Donavan McKinney, who argued that the city should once again have a Black representative in Congress. After Thanedar won election in 2022, Detroit had no Black representation in Congress for the first time since the early 1950s.

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Associated Press reporter Corey Williams contributed from West Bloomfield, Michigan.

The friendlies include games against Peru, Chile, Mexico and Canada in U.S. cities that didn’t host World Cup action this summer.

The Americans will face Peru on Sept. 26 at Inter.co Stadium in Orlando, Florida. Three days later, they will host Chile at Energizer Park in St. Louis. The US-Mexico rivalry resumes Oct. 3 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. And the finale against Canada follows three days later at Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minnesota.

All four matches will be broadcast on TNT, HBO Max, Telemundo, Universo and Peacock.

The games come on the heels of the U.S. team’s run to the round of 16 at the World Cup. They also will serve as the first action since U.S. head coach Mauricio Pochettino agreed to a new deal that puts him under contract through 2030.

“We are so excited to start this new phase of our journey with matches in front of our home fans,” Pochettino said in a statement. “Their amazing energy during the summer has set the standard.

“Our objective is always to play the best opponents possible, and these matches provide a variety of experiences for this group of players as we begin this new chapter of the U.S Men’s National Team.”

The 2030 World Cup will be held in Spain, Portugal and Morocco.

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

Same-store sales, or sales at locations open at least a year, edged up 0.8% in the U.S. That’s a sharp slowdown from the 2.5% increase a year ago, when the company had a big win with a meal tied to “A Minecraft Movie.” Global same-store sales rose 1.3%.

CEO Chris Kempczinski said during the company's earnings call on Tuesday that the U.S. performance was partly hurt by inconsistent execution across its restaurants and marketing programs that didn't meet expectations.

“We don’t have a strategy problem," he said. "We simply didn’t execute at the level we needed to in the second quarter.”

Another issue was a pullback on the number of digital offers that customers received, Chief Financial Officer Ian Borden said. Without those offers, customers either bought less, or didn't buy at all. McDonald’s plans to address this by launching more digital offers nationally, starting next week. The company is also looking to send more personalized offers to its most loyal users, he added.

McDonald's, like many restaurant chains, is dealing with American consumers that are keeping a close eye on their wallets. The company warned in May that high gas prices and consumer anxiety over the U.S. conflict with Iran could dent its sales. The U.S. average for regular gasoline reached its most recent peak on May 21 at $4.56 per gallon, according to AAA.

McDonald's has jostled its menu and tried to lure some cost-conscious customers to its restaurants through value meals and other specials. These items can be particularly important for low-income customers, who are hit hard by rising costs. In April, the chain introduced a simplified McValue menu, which has 10 items that cost $3 or less.

Kempczinski said that about a year ago, McDonald's got a bit off target on value, and that its base menu pricing began running higher than its competitors in many places. The company has since worked to bring its prices below or closer to competitors on items ranging from burgers to drinks.

For the three months ended June 30, the Chicago burger chain earned $2.36 billion, or $3.32 per share. A year earlier it earned $2.25 billion, or $3.14 per share.

Excluding one time charges and benefits, earnings were $3.38 per share, beating the $3.32 per share analysts polled by FactSet expected.

Revenue climbed to $7.1 billion from $6.84 billion in the prior-year period, but came a bit short of Wall Street's estimate of $7.13 billion.

McDonald's also announced Tuesday that Skye Anderson will be president of McDonald's USA.

Company shares rose less than 2% Tuesday.

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AP reporter Dee-Ann Durbin contributed to this report.

A legal brief by the FBI Agents Association is one of five filed by outside parties in the last week in support of the agents, who were terminated as part of a broader personnel purge by FBI Director Kash Patel that has targeted employees who investigated Trump or are perceived as being against the administration's interest.

Taken together, the filings, including from former FBI and Justice Department alumni, underscore a concerted and bipartisan pushback to the waves of terminations that have roiled the FBI in the last year and a half as Patel has sought to remake the bureau in his own image.

The briefs argue that the firings were illegal because the agents were denied due process and punished for perceived political affiliation, and say the terminations contradict decades of expectations that the bureau's “apolitical, professional career corps of agents” can work on sensitive cases without putting their careers at risk.

“The Bureau simply cannot function if individual Special Agents must choose whether to accept a lawful assignment that could later get them fired, or alternatively to reject it and become subject to firing for insubordination. FBI Special Agents have long understood that they are subject to assignment and reassignment at any time based on the needs of the Bureau,” the agents association, which serves nearly 12,000 members, wrote in its brief.

A brief filed by former senior Justice Department officials says the firings have undermined a “half-century of independence as a guiding principle.”

“Putting aside the resulting violation of Plaintiffs' rights, the inevitable impact of this ‘purge’ will be to chill the independence of remaining and future career agents, attorneys, analysts, and other staff at the FBI, DOJ and other law enforcement agencies who must now act with the understanding that their investigative and law enforcement judgments can, for the first time in their careers, be assessed through a partisan political lens,” the brief states.

The three agents — Michelle Ball, Jamie Garman and Blaire Toleman — said in a federal lawsuit filed in March that they were fired in a “retribution campaign” targeting them for their work on the investigation into Trump. The agents performed “exemplary and unblemished” service in the FBI and expected to spend the remainder of their careers at the bureau but were abruptly fired without cause and without being given a chance to respond, the lawsuit says.

The investigation the agents worked on culminated in an indictment from special counsel Jack Smith that accused Trump of scheming to overturn the 2020 election he lost to Democrat Joe Biden.

Smith ultimately abandoned that case, along with a separate one accusing Trump of illegally retaining classified records at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, after Trump won back the White House in 2024, citing Justice Department legal opinions that prohibit the federal indictments of sitting presidents.

Patel and Pam Bondi, who was the attorney general at the time, have said the fired agents and prosecutors who worked on Smith’s team were responsible for weaponizing federal law enforcement, a claim that was also asserted in their termination letters but that the plaintiffs call defamatory and baseless.

The filings are known in the law as amici, or friend-of-the-court, briefs. They are sometimes submitted by outside parties in lawsuits to help stress particular arguments or inform a judge's thinking.

Other groups who submitted briefs include a collection of First Amendment Scholars, a group called Lawyers for the Rule of Law, and Justice Connection, a network of department alumni that warned in its filing that a “politicized” FBI could turn against citizens because of their speech, association or perceived disloyalty.

“The Constitution,” the filing said, “is designed to prevent precisely this kind of abuse.”

Employers posted 7.36 million vacancies in June, down from 7.54 million in May, the Labor Department said Tuesday. The numbers were in line with economist expectations. Openings rose by 97,000 at warehouse, transportation and utility companies and 39,000 at federal government agencies. Openings dropped at wholesalers and manufacturers of nondurable goods.

Layoffs were little-changed at 1.8 million, and the number of people quitting their jobs — a sign of confidence in their prospects — rose slightly.

The gross number of people hired — before subtracting those who quit or lost their jobs — rose slightly 5.3 million. But hiring is weaker than it was in the jobs boom that followed pandemic lockdowns. Then, gross monthly hiring often topped 6 million.

Still, the U.S. job market has remained sturdy despite a surge in energy prices caused by the conflict in Iran, rebounding from a 2025 slump. Before the war in Iran, roughly 15 million barrels of Persian Gulf oil were shipped each day through the Strait of Hormuz. The strait borders Iran, which has fired on ships attempting to transit the passage.

So far this year, companies, government agencies and nonprofits have added an average 92,000 jobs a month. That is up from fewer than 10,000 a month last year — fewest outside a recession since 2002 — as employers held off on hiring because of high interest rates and uncertainty caused by President Donald Trump’s unpredictable economic policies.

When the Labor Department releases its jobs report for July on Friday, it is expected to show job gains of 100,000, up from 57,000 in June. The unemployment rate is expected to have remained at a low 4.2%, according to a survey of forecasters by the data firm FactSet.

In years past, 100,000 new jobs a month would have been mediocre. But Trump’s immigration crackdown and the ongoing retirements of baby boomers mean that fewer people are competing for work. So the economy doesn’t need as many new jobs as it once did to keep the unemployment rate from rising. In fact, some economists believe the “break-even″ rate could be nearly as low as zero jobs.

But an estimated 1,000 minors — among the most vulnerable of those who crossed the border — remain in Ceuta, staying without their families in a foreign land.

One 17-year-old girl told The Associated Press how she watched her 8-year-old brother drown as migrants made a chaotic crossing around a breakwater and a subsequent stampede on the rocky shore to avoid the border fence last Thursday at the peak of the migration surge. She was separated from her mother and has been begging on the streets of Ceuta since. The AP is withholding her identity because she is a minor in a vulnerable situation.

“I saw people stepping on the dead,” she said through a translator since she doesn’t speak Spanish. “Now we are children begging on the street.”

Spain’s Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska on Tuesday gave a fresh estimate of the migrants who pushed into Ceuta last week, saying a total of around 72,000 crossed over. Of those, he said, 70,000 had returned. Local official Alejandro Ramírez, however, said that it was impossible to know the exact number, which he estimated to be closer to 3,000-5,000 remaining in the city.

The Spanish minister also increased the death toll to 75 people who perished mostly in the water, during the crossing. Morocco reported 11 deaths which are not included in the Spanish total, the Spanish interior ministry said.

Spanish authorities said many of the migrants went back voluntarily after they saw that there was little chance to reach mainland Europe, or that the tiny enclave of 84,000 people was unable or unwilling to accommodate them. Spanish security forces have rounded up others, placing them on trucks and taking them back to the border, but by law, they're not supposed to do that with unaccompanied minors.

Like many migrants, the teenage girl from Tangier came to Ceuta, perched on the north African coast, driven by a viral social media onslaught to try a mad dash to Spain seeking better opportunities. She said some locals gave her food and some clothing, with one woman taking her into her home so she could bathe. She then went to a center for youths run by the government for some help, but found it was full.

Anguish among parents looking for children

The inverse drama was seen in Fnideq on the Moroccan side of the border where parents were hoping to see their children come home.

Ibtissam Chari has been waiting for signs of life from her son, called Rayan. He left Morocco with a group of friends last week. She knows he made it across because he was able to get word to her that he made it to Ceuta. But since then, she hadn't heard from him.

“Every day, we come here in the hope to have any news but there is none,” she said. “Some of his friends from the same neighborhood came back home, which is good news. I heard that many people died. May God protect us.”

Minors must be cared for under Spanish law

Spanish law says that adult migrants can apply for asylum. If rejected, they will face expulsion procedures. The bar is normally very high for Moroccans to be granted humanitarian protection.

Migrant minors who are unaccompanied by adults, however, are supposed to be granted protection and taken care of by Spanish authorities.

An AP journalist witnessed Monday how Spanish soldiers escorted an unaccompanied Moroccan boy who was crying and begging not to be sent back to Morocco. A few meters before reaching the border, and due to pressure from local residents who insisted he was a minor, as well as the presence of the media, a lieutenant colonel in the Spanish Army stopped the repatriation and transferred the boy to the Spanish Civil Guard.

AP journalists, however, witnessed Spanish security forces ushering other young migrants toward the border.

Spain’s government announced Tuesday that it has earmarked 25 million euros ($28.8 million) to be spent on assisting the minors in Ceuta.

Spain's Civil Guard also said Tuesday that it was opening an office for missing persons at the customs house on the border, as well as providing an email address for people to write to with missing persons reports. An AP reporter was unable to arrive at the customs house on the Moroccan side on Tuesday without a European passport or visa.

“In Spain, the fundamental rights of minors as vulnerable individuals are respected, as are those of adults,” Grande-Marlaska told reporters in Madrid Tuesday.

Food is main concern for those migrants still in Ceuta

Among the adult migrants who remain in Ceuta are significant numbers of people from other countries, including Sudanese fleeing their war-torn country, Palestinians from Gaza and Afghans, as well as people from several African nations.

Food is scarce among the migrants, according to reporting by AP journalists. Authorities organized food distribution among the remaining migrants late on Monday.

Ahmed Chenaf, a 25-year-old Moroccan man, told of the poor conditions he experienced in Ceuta before returning. He said he didn’t eat for two days.

“To those thinking of trying to reach Ceuta: you will suffer. All the grocery stores (were) closed. There is no food, and no one wanted to sell us anything,” he said.

The city’s migrant center with a capacity for 600 people is completely full. Many migrants sleep or rest on the beach or hills surrounding the speck of Spain. In the hazy distance, mainland Europe, their ultimate goal, lies across the sea.

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Joseph Wilson reported from Barcelona, Spain. Associated Press writer Akram Oubachir and video journalist Majd Semlali contributed from Fnideq, Morocco.

Astronaut Luke Delaney will pilot NASA’s SpaceX Crew-13 mission to the International Space Station, with a target launch date of Sept. 12. It will be his first mission to space, joining Expedition 75.

Delaney earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of North Florida in 2006 before going on to earn a degree in aerospace engineering. Jacksonville was home for him, his wife Tracey, and their family for a period of time — a chapter of life he still reflects on fondly.

“It was early on for me and Tracey, my wife and my family — kind of a young family then,” Delaney said. “So it stands out as a lot of those experiences. Experiences on UNF.”

From Central Florida to the cosmos

Growing up in Debary, Delaney told WKMG news partner WJXT that watching Space Shuttle launches planted an early seed.

“I think the goal was always kind of there in the background — growing up in central Florida, watching Space Shuttle launches — kind of an inspiration for moving down that track,” he said.

Before NASA, Delaney built a career as a retired Marine, naval aviator and combat veteran. He has logged more than 550 combat flight hours and, including his NASA career, more than 3,900 total flight hours across 48 models of jet, prop and rotary wing aircraft.

“It all just kind of melts together pretty nicely,” Delaney said, “and the latter portion of my career in a test pilot environment — that helped culminate everything for astronaut training and future spaceflight missions.”

NASA selected Delaney to join the 2021 Astronaut Candidate Class, and he reported for duty in January 2022.

Spacewalks, science on agenda

Once aboard the International Space Station, Delaney said he is looking forward to getting outside the spacecraft.

“Of course we are looking forward to spacewalks, and looking forward to those — and that will be fantastic,” he said. “Any time you get outside of a spaceship and do some maintenance and upgrade things, it just sounds like a good time.”

The crew also has a full science agenda. Research planned for the mission includes work to better characterize blood flow, understand how fluid shifts affect human vision in microgravity, and explore stem cell development — examining how microgravity can be used to scale those opportunities.

Every challenge built on the last

When asked what has been the most challenging chapter of his career — becoming a pilot, a Marine or an astronaut — Delaney said each phase prepared him for the next.

“I think they all had their challenges. And it was perfect at that time for me that those challenges were something that I was ready for,” he said. “They all built on each other to get to this point.”

Now, the challenge ahead will take him further than any before — out of this world entirely.

Delaney is married to Tracey Delaney, and they have two daughters. His parents, Robert and Stephanie Delaney, are from Central Florida.

Although there have been similar contests around the country, this one will hold extra weight because Michigan is a key state in presidential races. Abdul El-Sayed, backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, is up against four-term Rep. Haley Stevens, supported by Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer.

Democratic and Republican voters in Michigan are also deciding on their parties’ nominees to succeed term-limited Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

In Kansas, Missouri, Virginia and Washington state, voters are settling primaries in a host of races, including a key rematch between Democrats in a Missouri House contest. Also in play is whether Democrats, who tried to redraw districts in Virginia to their advantage but were rebuffed by the state supreme court, can pick candidates who can defeat Republicans in the fall.

Test time for Democrats in Michigan's Senate race

The choice between El-Sayed and Stevens has become a focal point for Democrats this year, and the race has become bitter. Whoever wins will need to bring splintered factions back into the fold to beat Republican Mike Rogers, a former congressman.

The seat is open because Democratic Sen. Gary Peters is retiring, and Democrats are under pressure to defend it to preserve their chance of winning control of the chamber.

Another dynamic at play has been the influence of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC and its affiliated groups, which have spent nearly $30 million supporting Stevens.

The issue has become a lightning rod in Democratic politics since the Gaza war has split the party over U.S. backing of Israel. AIPAC backs candidates who support strengthening U.S.-Israeli relations. It's a significant issue in Michigan, which is home to the country's largest Arab American population.

El-Sayed cast the spending as a question of whether grassroots organizing can overcome millions in outside contributions.

That tension was also at play in 2024 when Democratic activists pressured now-Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin to take a harder line on Israel’s war in Gaza. Slotkin, who is Jewish, had already distanced herself from AIPAC earlier. She ultimately defeated Rogers by fewer than 20,000 votes.

Rogers is running for Senate again this year, and is unopposed in the GOP primary.

Will Trump's endorsement overpower self-funded candidate for governor?

Republican voters will decide on their nominee for Michigan governor on Tuesday as well. President Donald Trump has endorsed Rep. John James.

The president's backing typically carries significant weight in Republican politics, but there could be a complicating factor. Businessman Perry Johnson has loaned his campaign more than $30 million, according to Michigan campaign finance records.

A similar dynamic played out this year in Georgia's race for governor, where Rick Jackson spent $100 million, largely of his own money, to overcome the Trump-backed Burt Jones in a runoff.

On the Democratic side, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson faces Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson.

Virginia Democrats aim to overcome redistricting disappointment

Virginia has been one of Democrats’ greatest regrets this year after the state’s supreme court overturned a voter-approved referendum to redraw its House map to create four new winnable seats for the party.

The measure’s failure left Republicans with a clear national lead in winnable House seats in the partisan footrace triggered by Trump’s unusual mid-decade redistricting push.

Democrats are hoping to whittle away at that lead the old-fashioned way — by winning elections. The first step is Tuesday’s primary, where the party will be watching races in three of the state’s 11 districts to see whether the candidates its strategists see as most competitive can win the nomination.

Two of those candidates are former House members. Elaine Luria, a former Naval commander, is seeking to return to her Virginia Beach-centered swing seat, which she narrowly lost in 2022 to Republican Rep. Jen Kiggans. Luria faces three other Democrats, none with a history of holding elected office, in the primary.

Former Rep. Tom Perriello is running for his old central Virginia seat in the state’s 5th congressional district. The district has swung even further to the right since Perriello briefly represented the region following President Barack Obama’s 2008 election.

Perriello ran this year hoping a remap would make it friendlier to Democrats but says he’ll still compete and hope to flip it in November. He faces political commentator Robert Tracinski and physician Suzanne Krzyzanowski.

Many Democratic strategists see Shannon Taylor, the longtime Henrico County commonwealth’s attorney, as their best bet out of the seven candidates competing for the party’s nomination in the state’s 1st congressional district, a swing seat held by Republican Rep. Rob Wittman.

Last time the progressive lost in Missouri. Who'll emerge in the rematch?

All eyes have been on Michigan, but there's another matchup between Democrats' centrist and leftist wings playing out in a safely blue House seat in the St. Louis area.

Two years ago, prosecutor Wesley Bell ousted firebrand leftist Rep. Cori Bush in the Democratic primary for the district that includes Ferguson, the city where a police killing of a Black teenager helped set off 2014’s Black Lives Matter protests.

Now Bush is back, challenging Bell and arguing voters can take revenge against AIPAC for targeting her in the previous cycle.

Strasbourg said Tuesday it signed the 23-year-old Reyna on a five-year deal from Borussia Mönchengladbach. The transfer fee was reported to be 3 million euros ($3.5 million).

Reyna played in all five U.S. games at the World Cup, and scored a signature goal to cap the opening 4-1 win against Paraguay.

He had a quiet debut season with Gladbach, scoring just once in 20 games, after several seasons at Borussia Dortmund.

Strasbourg, which is in a shared ownership group with Chelsea, placed eighth in Ligue 1 last season and did not qualify for any European competition.

Reyna will play for new coach Hugo Oliveira, a long-time former assistant to Marco Silva who left Fulham to join Benfica.

___

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

After many shares and comments, thousands of Moroccans became convinced that Europe was suddenly within reach.

Within hours, young people began heading toward the border with the Spanish territory of Ceuta in North Africa. Packed buses rolled into the neighboring Moroccan city of Fnideq. Regional trains filled up. Taxis did too.

By the time authorities reacted, some 72,000 people had reached Ceuta in just a few days, the largest migration surge between Morocco and Spain in years. More than 80 migrants died on both sides of the border, including some who drowned and others who were killed in a stampede, authorities said.

Nearly all of the surviving migrants soon returned, but the fallout from last week’s events will linger.

Rumors started online

In the northern Moroccan city of Larache, about 93 miles (150 kilometers) from Ceuta, three friends watched a video posted by an Instagram account called Haraga Ceuta claiming the border would be open. Haraga refers in Moroccan dialect to young migrants who destroy their identification papers and try crossing illegally into Europe.

The post convinced Anas Amrani, Yahya Harak and Ismail Atik that it was worth risking the journey.

For migrants hoping to reach Spanish territory, the most common route begins in Fnideq, where many attempt the roughly 3-mile (5-kilometer) swim around the border breakwater. Others leave from the nearby village of Belyounech.

One TikTok video mapped the exact route swimmers should follow.

On Facebook groups such as Fnideq Bab Sebta, users shared screenshots from vessel-tracking platforms to identify moments when coast guard patrols appeared lighter. Some sought advice on using inflatable boats. Others advertised wetsuits for sale.

“I saw online that the border was open, and I decided to go,” said 17-year-old Omar Danbor from Fnideq, walking back exhausted along the coast.

It's unclear who was behind the claims that the border was open or who operated many of the social media accounts, several of which were deleted soon after the crossings. The Associated Press contacted several accounts but received no response.

The surge to Ceuta touched a political nerve in Europe, and the European Union is investigating what happened. The EU's migration commissioner expressed concern Tuesday about online disinformation but didn’t identify a specific culprit.

Chaos unfolded at the breakwater

As migrants reached the shores of Ceuta, mass chaos erupted at a narrow concrete breakwater where many tried to climb onto land.

According to multiple migrants interviewed by AP, people rushed to scramble over the slick rocks at the same time, pushing and climbing over one another. Several said they saw people knocked back into the water and forced beneath others, leaving them unable to resurface as migrants sought to reach land.

“I stepped on the face of a dead man while I was climbing out. I hope God forgives me and all those whose bodies were found,” said Lahcen Kalouch, a Moroccan migrant who reached Ceuta before returning home distraught.

At least 72 people died on the Spanish side of the border. Another 11 died on the Moroccan side.

Tens of thousands of migrants have since returned to Morocco, either after being expelled or leaving by choice because of a lack of shelter, food and water in Ceuta.

Some misinterpreted Spain’s new migration measures

Some migrants misunderstood recent legal developments in Spain, including Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s immigration regularization measures and a court ruling limiting authorities’ ability to immediately return migrants who swim into Ceuta.

Sánchez’s recent efforts to regularize migration were meant only for people already living in Spain prior to Jan. 1, the majority of whom hail from Latin America and entered Spain legally but overstayed their visas. But some in Morocco misinterpreted his policy, believing they would be allowed to stay. That belief spread online.

“Pedro Sánchez is a liar. He told us if we came, we would get jobs and papers, but they sent us back,” said Adam Assil, a migrant from Casablanca, even though Sánchez never made such a promise.

While attempts to reach Ceuta are common, migration activists said this episode was different because of the way rumors snowballed online, encouraging thousands of people to head toward the territory at the same time instead of in smaller, scattered groups.

Failures happened on both sides of the border

Moroccan authorities said the migration wave was not spontaneous. The Interior Ministry blamed the “exploitation of the digital sphere” and “the spread of misinformation.” Officials offered no evidence but said an investigation had been opened. Spain’s government made similar statements.

Ceuta officials said they had warned the Spanish government of a surge in arrivals before the massive crush on Thursday. The Spanish Interior Ministry said Monday that it had not received “any report or warning regarding the mass arrival of people in Ceuta,” and it praised cooperation with the Moroccan authorities in sending most of the migrants back.

“Nobody addressed how these individuals managed to breach the border," said Mustapha Azaitraoui, a Moroccan geographer specializing in migration dynamics. “If a large group of people can cross the border under these circumstances, it suggests a broader security issue that has yet to be acknowledged publicly.”

Migrants reject government claims of smuggling

Both Morocco and Spain blamed the Ceuta crisis on human smugglers and trafficking networks, saying organized criminal groups encouraged the mass crossings.

But returning Moroccan migrants interviewed by AP largely rejected that explanation.

“No one smuggled me there. I wanted to go of my own free will, but that country is not worth all this sacrifice,” Kalouch said.

“There are no mafias. The border was open, and I crossed. But now I regret it,” said Danbor, his clothes still wet after making the journey back.

The Spanish Interior Ministry said investigations into smuggling networks are ongoing and noted that Spain and Morocco have carried out joint operations against trafficking groups. The Moroccan Interior Ministry did not respond to questions about smuggling networks.

Several politicians and experts have suggested it would be impossible for so many to cross without Moroccan complicity. A high-ranking Moroccan diplomat appeared to push back against that.

“It would be reductive to say that Morocco should have used force to stop the migrants,” said the diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the issue is highly sensitive in Morocco. “We are not Europe’s police.”

The lack of jobs is a key factor

Morocco’s economy is projected to grow by 4.5% this year, boasting major factories, advanced ports and ambitions to become a regional hub for the car industry.

Yet for many young Moroccans, that transformation has not translated into stable work. Youth unemployment remains high, with 37% of people ages 15 to 24 out of work. Among university graduates, unemployment stands at nearly 20%. The dream of migration is often reinforced by stories of relatives who left and returned with cars, new clothes and foreign currency.

One of those who breached the border was a 16-year-old who grew up a few dozen miles from Ceuta. Europe had always seemed a dream close enough to see, yet impossibly far.

So when he saw a post on Facebook suggesting the border was open and thousands were making it across, he joined the rush.

Days later, he was back in Morocco, crying as he asked strangers for money for a taxi home.

“They fired tear gas at me and beat me with batons. There’s nothing for me there,” said the teen, who spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of being stigmatized following his failed border crossing attempt.

“I just wanted to provide for my mom,” he said, wiping his tears.

___

Associated Press journalists Bernat Armangue in Ceuta, Spain; Joseph Wilson and Renata Brito in Barcelona, Spain; Houda Benalla in Rabat, Morocco; and Sam McNeil in Brussels contributed.

The 7-0 vote came after Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said his office would not enforce the city’s ordinance and questioned whether it would hold up in court.

“This is right now, as it sits on its face, unenforceable,” Chitwood said.

Chitwood had previously raised concerns about applying the ban to teens who already hold a learner’s permit or driver’s license. He said deputies would follow state motor vehicle code rather than the city’s rule.

“From my perspective, what am I going to do? Put a roadblock up outside of a school — ‘how old are you? Let me check your thing, OK, you’re good to go,’” Chitwood said.

Every commissioner agreed it made little sense to keep the age restriction in place if law enforcement would not enforce it. One commissioner put the question plainly before the vote.

“If we could possibly get with the sheriff and find out what they will actually enforce for us versus what not — because if not, we might as well just fall back to the state statutes and not create ordinances,” the commissioner said.

The age restriction is now suspended, but a 15 mph speed limit for e-bikes and scooters remains in effect.

Commissioners said they plan to revisit the ordinance at a workshop in September.

[ELECTION 2026: Make sure you’re eligible to vote|How to vote by mail|Election Myths]

Florida has a closed primary system, which means only members of a political party may vote in those elections. To be eligible, a voter had to identify with that party by July 20.

July 20 was the deadline to register to vote for the Florida Statewide Primary.

[WATCH: Election security, voter fraud and vote by mail: Central Florida supervisors answer tough questions]

What’s on the ballot?

Registered Democrats and Republicans will be choosing candidates to be on the ballot in the November general election. They include races for governor and other Florida cabinet seats, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, Florida House and Senate, and in some counties, county commission seats that are partisan.

If you are not a Democrat or a Republican, though, there are still lots of races on the ballot for you -- school board races, judicial races, and any nonpartisan county commission seats.

[SEE WHAT’S ON THE BALLOT: The Voting Central Florida Guide]

Your county elections supervisor will send out a sample ballot ahead of the primary, so watch your mailbox. That will tell you what races will be on your particular ballot.

You can also look up your ballot on the county election supervisors’ websites below.

• BREVARD COUNTY: View your sample ballot
• FLAGLER COUNTY: View Your Sample Ballot
• LAKE COUNTY: View Your Sample Ballot
• MARION COUNTY: View Your sample ballot
• ORANGE COUNTY: View your sample ballot
• OSCEOLA COUNTY: View your sample ballot
• SEMINOLE COUNTY: View your sample ballot
• SUMTER COUNTY: View your sample ballot
• VOLUSIA COUNTY: View Your sample ballot

“Yes, the president is an important election. Yes, the governor is at the general, but they’re not the ones worrying about your potholes, your schools, your roadways, your stormwater issues,” said Seminole County Supervisor of Elections Amy Pennock.

Pennock was one of six election supervisors who recently joined News 6 and other members of the News Collaborative of Central Florida for a wide-ranging discussion on election issues. Central Florida Public Media hosted the discussion.

In addition, some Florida House of Representatives races will be decided in August in what are called “universal primaries,” said Osceola County Supervisor Mary Jane Arrington.

“These are races where there’s only one party running, and that selection will be made,” Arrington said. “And in the primary, House District 47, in Osceola County, will be a universal primary for every voter.”

Vote by mail

The deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot is Aug. 6. To request a VBM ballot, go to your county supervisor of elections office website. You can find a list of the county offices in the state on the Florida Division of Elections website.

You will need the statewide request form, which you can download there, and then send it in via mail, email or fax. You will need to provide officials the following information:

• Voter’s name
• Date of birth
• Full address
• A Florida driver’s license, identification card, or the last four digits of the voter’s Social Security number for verification
• You also need to provide a signature

[WATCH: Inside Seminole County’s vote-by-mail count: New system will audit every ballot]

Once the ballot is completed, it must be returned to the supervisor of elections office by 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 18. Be sure to sign the certificate envelope provided.

To learn more about voting by mail and the vote-by-mail process, go HERE.

What you need to vote in person

In Florida, voting in person is not just for Election Day — you can also vote early.

To vote, you need to be registered. When you go to your polling place, you need to bring a current and valid photo and signature ID.

The following forms of picture identification are allowed if they are current:

• Florida driver’s license
• Florida identification card issued by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles
• United States passport
• Military identification
• Student identification
• Retirement center identification
• Neighborhood association identification
• Public assistance identification

If you do not have a proper photo ID, you will be given a provisional ballot, which will allow you to vote and then later provide documents to prove your identity to the supervisor of elections office.

Also, if your ID does not have a signature on it, you may be asked to provide more forms of identification.

NOTE: The Florida Legislature passed a law that will make changes to this, but it will not take effect until January of 2027.

Have questions about voting at the polls? We have an in-depth guide to voting in the 2026 Election HERE.

Early Voting

Early voting will take place over several days in August ahead of the primary on Aug. 18.

Election supervisors set up early voting sites at libraries, recreation centers, and other community centers throughout the county. Unlike on Election Day, when you must vote in your assigned polling precinct, voters can go to any early voting site in their county and vote.

Different counties have different early voting periods. The list of dates is below by county. Click on the links to find an early voting site near you.

• Brevard County: Aug. 8-15
• Flagler County: Aug. 8-15
• Lake County: Aug. 6-15
• Marion County: Aug. 8-15
• Orange County: Aug. 3-16
• Osceola County: Aug. 7-16
• Seminole County: Aug. 8-15
• Sumter County: Aug. 8-15
• Volusia County: Aug. 8-15

Voting on Election Day

The polling places will open at 7 a.m. and continue until 7 p.m. If you are in line at the polling place at 7 p.m. and have not yet voted, stay in line. The polls have to be kept open until all voters in line have voted.

To find your Central Florida Election Day polling place, use the links below.

To find information outside Central Florida, find your county supervisor of elections office HERE.

• BREVARD COUNTY: Find Your Election Day polling place
• FLAGLER COUNTY: Find Your Election Day polling place
• LAKE COUNTY: Find Your Election Day polling place
• MARION COUNTY: Find Your Election Day polling place
• ORANGE COUNTY: Find your Election Day polling place
• OSCEOLA COUNTY: Find your Election Day polling place
• SEMINOLE COUNTY: Find Your Election Day polling place
• SUMTER COUNTY: Find Your Election Day polling place
• VOLUSIA COUNTY: Find Your Election Day polling place

DiCaprio's Re:wild and the Bezos Earth Fund are leading the Phoenix Species Project, the groups announced Tuesday. They call it the largest single fund in history dedicated exclusively to recovering critically endangered species.

DiCaprio has for years been developing the idea of a major concerted effort to help species whose habitats and future existence are threatened by climate change.

In 2021, he and Re:wild co-founder Wes Sechrest, a biologist who serves as the organization's CEO, met with the Amazon-founding mega billionaire Bezos and his wife, former TV news reporter and host Lauren Sánchez Bezos. He serves as chair and she as vice chair of the Bezos Earth Fund.

The meeting led to a series of conversations with local governments, environmental groups and Indigenous people on how best to reverse the decline of their most vulnerable species. Those conversations eventually led to the Phoenix Species Project.

Animals the initiative is seeking to sustain include:

- The golden-crowned sifaka, a lemur from Madagascar

- The Hickory Nut Gorge green salamander, a lungless tree-dweller that lives only in a small canyon in North Carolina.

- The Visayan warty pig, endemic to islands in the Philippines.

- Mexico's Cozumel harvest mouse, which lives only on an island off the Yucatán Peninsula.

- The pink land iguana, found only on Wolf Volcano in the Galápagos Islands.

- The Malayan pangolin, also known as the Sunda pangolin, native to Southeast Asia.

- Tanzania's pancake tortoise, named for its flat, flexible shell.

- The starry night harlequin toad, known and named for its black-and-white evening sky appearance, found only in the mountains of Colombia.

- Attenborough’s long-beaked echidna, a monotreme, or mammal that lays eggs, from New Guinea named in honor of the 100-year-old naturalist and narrator-of-nature David Attenborough.

The project’s goals include giving long-term sustenance to successful but fleeting smaller efforts.

“We’ve protected the golden-crowned sifaka for years on a budget that would never match what this species deserves, but letting it go extinct was never an option,” Tiana Andriamanana, executive director of Association Fanamby, one of the groups getting a grant from the initiative, said in a statement. “This funding, this global platform and technical support change what is possible.”

U.S. military personnel detained the four male and four female students after they allegedly entered Osan Air Base near the capital Seoul. They were later transferred to the custody of South Korean authorities, police said.

The students were being investigated under a law protecting military installations in South Korea, according to police, who said they all had invoked their right to remain silent during questioning.

Police said the students shouted slogans at the site including, “Let’s smash U.S. 7th Air Force.”

A U.S. military statement said the group attempted to unlawfully enter the base through the main gate and that “unauthorized attempts to access a U.S. military installation are taken extremely seriously.”

The incident will be addressed in accordance with applicable U.S. and South Korean laws and procedures, the military said.

The Korean Progressive University Student Union said in a statement on Facebook that those detained were members who were trying to protest what it called the U.S. military's opposition to a South Korean semiconductor cluster project.

South Korean police declined to comment on the group's statement, which was not addressed by the U.S. military.

Yonhap news agency reported the U.S. said it has important interests in a military airport set to be relocated over the semiconductor project.

There are about 28,500 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea to help deter potential aggression from North Korea, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War that ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty.

Surveys have steadfastly shown a majority of South Koreans support the U.S.-South Korean military alliance, but the U.S. presence and its role in South Korea's turbulent modern history also have been long-running sources of anti-U.S. sentiment among many in South Korea.

South Korean police arrested four students in 2019 who broke into the U.S. ambassador’s residence in Seoul while protesting the Trump administration’s demands for the country to pay more to help cover the costs of U.S. troops there.

The Kissimmee City Commission is taking up an ordinance that would update criteria for commercial vehicles in residential districts.

The proposed change would raise the weight limit for commercial vehicles allowed in residential zones from 8,000 pounds to 10,000 pounds and introduce a new standard for measuring vehicle size.

The ordinance would use Gross Vehicle Weight Rating — or GVWR — to determine whether a commercial vehicle is permitted in a residential area. GVWR is the maximum weight a vehicle can safely operate, as established by the manufacturer, and includes the weight of the vehicle, passengers, cargo, fuel and additional equipment.

City staff arrived at the 10,000-pound maximum after comparing rules in other Central Florida jurisdictions. The GVWR standard is intended to make enforcement clearer for vehicle owners, property owners and code officers alike. The rating can be found on the vehicle’s Safety Compliance Certification Label, located on the driver’s side door frame or door latch pillar, in the owner’s manual, or on the manufacturer’s website.

Joseph Schaefer, a Kissimmee handyman, said the ability to park a work vehicle at home can have a direct impact on what customers pay.

“If [the owner’s] got to pay for parking in a storage unit someplace, so he can’t park in front of his house, even though he’s got the room, it costs him,” Schaefer said. “And when he has a cost like that, he’s got to pass that on to the consumer — so that means everybody’s going to have to pay more if he can’t park his truck in his driveway.”

Still, Schaefer acknowledged the issue isn’t black and white.

“But as far as a neighborhood in appearance, it doesn’t look good,” he said. “So, it’s got good points and it’s got bad points, it just depends on how you look at it.”

Under the proposed ordinance, one commercial vehicle at or under 10,000 pounds GVWR would be permitted on a residential property, provided it is used by a resident of the premises. The rule applies both to vehicles parked in driveways and those stored in an enclosed garage.

The ordinance also continues to allow many take-home work vehicles, such as vans used by plumbers and electricians.

The Kissimmee City Commission tabled this item at its April 7, meeting to allow staff more time to research an appropriate weight maximum. The commission subsequently held a workshop before arriving at the 10,000-pound figure.

The commission is scheduled to hold a public hearing on the ordinance at its meeting Tuesday at 6 p.m. This is a first reading of the proposed ordinance; if approved on first reading, it will come back for a second reading and final vote at a later date.

Wenger said in a statement he knew nothing of the $20 billion plan and that it was “absolutely necessary” to drop the proposal, and Grafström sent an email to all FIFA staff — seen by The Associated Press — calling the last week a “sad and reproachable series of events.” He also said it created “turmoil which is difficult to comprehend and accept.”

Neither directly named Infantino or offered support for the now-embattled president.

The comments by Wenger and Grafström had echoes of the direct criticism from FIFA chief operating officer Kevin Lamour, who said Friday that staff had been “deceived” by Infantino's private equity plan, which provoked a furor in global soccer. Lamour called it the "project of one person” and said FIFA staff “deserve better than contempt and intimidation.”

The three executives are respected and trusted figures among the 211 FIFA member federations who now hold sway over Infantino's grip on a presidency that looked unshakeable after the World Cup ended barely two weeks ago.

UEFA legal threat to FIFA

Wenger, Grafström and Lamour also were named in a letter from UEFA’s lawyers to Infantino among 18 executives whose data and communications should be retained as potential evidence.

“You do not need to worry,” Grafström wrote Tuesday to the hundreds of FIFA staff based mostly in Zurich and Coral Gables, Florida. “I assure you that you as members of the administration, you will be defended and safeguarded from the political context we currently experience.”

Wenger, who was hired by Infantino in 2019 and is FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development, said he was “not involved in this strategic plan and first became aware of the project through media reports.”

Infantino withdrew his $20 billion proposal early Saturday after a furious backlash by global soccer officials, including European body UEFA warning of a boycott of all FIFA games and events.

The plan would have created a subsidiary — known as FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) — to run the money-making parts of the not-for-profit soccer body’s work: organizing tournaments like the World Cup, selling broadcasting and sponsorship rights, tickets and hospitality.

It proposed raising $4.2 billion from investors by selling stakes amounting to about 20% in FFE, based on an equity valuation of $20 billion. The “anchor investor” would have been Thrive Eternal, launched by Joshua Kushner, whose brother Jared Kushner is a son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump.

“The decision to withdraw the project was absolutely necessary and beyond question, because I firmly believe in an independent FIFA that serves our game with commitment, transparency, and integrity,” Wenger wrote.

Cash offers to FIFA members

FIFA’s 211 member federations — already effective owners of the governing body as a nonprofit association under Swiss law — were offered $20 million each. The deadline to accept was Sept. 19.

They also were promised a doubling of their FIFA funding for the four years through 2030 to $20 million instead of the previously announced $10 million.

Infantino shared details of the project to FIFA management just one week after the July 19 final of the financially successful World Cup in North America that drove FIFA's revenues to $15 billion for the 2023-26 commercial cycle — almost double the income tied to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Grafström, a long-time loyal aide to Infantino since their work together at UEFA, urged FIFA staff to “all continue being proud and happy” about the first 48-team World Cup.

“A sad and reproachable series of events — which were thankfully concluded with the FFE project permanently abandoned — for as much as we feel dismayed by them, should not overshadow this reality,” he wrote.

Infantino's ties to Trump

The World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico was judged a success on the field, though it had unprecedented issues linked to Infantino's close ally Trump, who received a specially created FIFA Peace Prize at the tournament draw in December.

During the tournament, Iran's team could not stay in the U.S. where it played three games, a Somali referee picked by FIFA was refused entry, and U.S. forward Folarin Balogun was allowed to play against Belgium despite a red card in his previous game.

“We have all been thrown into the middle of a turmoil, which is difficult to comprehend and accept, but, as secretary general, I urge you to remain focused on what has always united us,” Grafström wrote. “I will continue to support our teams, our work and our mission every hour of every day for as long as my work is valued by those we serve.”

Waiting to hear from Infantino

Infantino has not commented in public on the schism in soccer since a FIFA statement early Saturday announcing that the proposal had been dropped. His official Instagram account has posted letters of support from several member federations, including 2030 World Cup co-host Morocco, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

Infantino has been president of FIFA for more than 10 years and had seemed sure to be re-elected unopposed next March in Morocco. FIFA has set a Nov. 18 deadline for challengers to come forward, with Sweden's soccer leader saying Monday that UEFA is seeking a rival candidate.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and AP World Cup coverage

Scenery selected by artificial intelligence sparked boos at the 150th anniversary performance of Wagner’s Ring Cycle from an audience frustrated that software could integrate images but not drama.

Called “10010110” — the number 150 in written in binary — the staging is subtitled “From Myth to Code" and was intended to portray the history of “Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung)," a series of four operas about the destruction of gods by humans, giants and dwarfs. It was timed to coincide with the anniversary of the full cycle's premiere from Aug. 13-17, 1876, at the Festspielhaus theater built to Wagner's specifications atop a Bavarian hill.

Curator Marcus Lobbes developed the concept with Nils Corte and dramaturge Andri Hardmeier, feeding computers about 1,000 images culled from the 15 prior Bayreuth Ring productions. They did not intend to produce a cohesive drama and suggested minimal blocking.

“We always communicated that it’s an experiment, it’s not stage-directed,” Lobbes said.

Disgruntled by 19th century standards, Wagner demanded his own theater of innovation. Bayreuth's 239th Ring Cycle was an encyclopedia of interpretations rather than a new one.

The audience also responded with a 17-minute ovation

Singers stood between two 20-by-60 meter (33-by-66 foot) screens, often not moving, for 14 1/2 hours over four nights. About a dozen AI models were combined and Stable Diffusion was used to start each act with 1876 scenery designed by Gotthold Brückner and Max Brückner from sketches by Josef Hoffmann, then select images based on text and music.

After Saturday night's concluding “Götterdämmerung,” conductor Christian Thielemann and the cast were greeted with a 17-minute ovation that wrapped around 30 seconds of boos and whistles when the production team joined for their bows.

Many Bayreuth productions are initially jeered, such as Patrice Chéreau's centennial staging in 1976 that moved the action to the Industrial Revolution, then cheered years later. That production's final appearance in 1980 ignited a 45-minute ovation.

“I know the ritual,” said Lobbes, director of the Academy for Theatre and Digitality in Dortmund.

He was approached in February 2023 to stage an AI Ring for the sesquicentennial by Katharina Wagner, a great-granddaughter of the composer and current festival director.

Wagner composed the Ring over 26 years. Coders divided it into about 250 scenes of two to six minutes and loaded images from past performances and topical moments to a pair of custom-built Tower PCs with NVIDIA RTX 5090 graphics cards.

Singers led by Michael Volle (Wotan), Camilla Nylund (Brünnhilde) and Klaus Florian Vogt (Siegfried) wore birdlike costumes of wire mesh with black backing and laser voile designed by Pia Maria Mackert, Lobbes' wife. The outfits shimmered in brilliant colors depending on the lighting, with gold and red most prominent.

As the narrative moved forward, so did AI's projections.

An image of Theodor Herzl, a key figure in modern Zionism, appeared in “Das Rheingold,” and one of Adolf Hitler in “Die Walküre." A sign that read: “Sorry, no gas today“ flashed in ”Siegfried" as the timeline reached the 1973 oil crisis and Brünnhilde awakened to sing "Heil dir, Sonne! Heil dir, Licht! (Hail to you, Sun! Hail to you, Light!)”

“Every year of the 150 years, we have an answer from artificial intelligence what she thinks that the audience of Bayreuth would have said is the main political topic of this year or this summer,” Hardmeier said.

Many of the images provoked director name-checking in viewers' minds — Was this from Wieland Wagner in 1951? From Frank Castorf in 2013? From Valentin Schwarz in 2020?

At other times, AI picked forms that shifted like a giant Etch A Sketch into images evoking works by Mark Rothko and Willem de Kooning.

Original plans for 2026 envisioned performances of the final 10 of Wagner’s 13 operas plus the Festspielhaus debut of the composer’s third, “Rienzi,” until now deemed not worthy of inclusion. The AI Ring was to be presented once to coincide approximately with the original premiere dates, but budget cuts two years ago caused four operas to be scrapped and replaced by two additional Rings, the first from July 27 to Aug. 1.

Singers were together for just one nine-hour rehearsal over a four-day period in which the directing team worked with cast members in small groups.

“I would wish that with a certain openness people will find some interesting correlations and will see things that maybe others don't see,” Hardmeier said. “I hope that people go out with a very fruitful irritation — not irritation in the sense of ‘What was this about’ but more sort of, ‘Hey, interesting.’"

Beethoven's 9th starts festival

Thielemann conducted Beethoven's Ninth Symphony to open the festival. Wagner led the work at the downtown Margravial Opera House after the Bayreuth cornerstone ceremony in 1872 and it has been repeated on special occasions, such as the 1951 resumption after World War II.

A speech the following day by Michel Friedman titled “Silenced Voices” addressed Wagner's antisemitism and his family's support of Hitler and the Nazi party.

‘Rienzi’ a success in Bayreuth Festspielhaus premiere

A striking staging with Alexandra Szemerédy and Magdolna Parditka, updated to post-modern dystopian times, was greeted with extended applause when it opened on July 26 in the first of nine performances through Aug. 26.

Tenor Andreas Schager gave the title role charisma and vocal beauty, telling the story of 14th century Italian populist Cola di Rienzo.

Conductor Nathalie Stutzmann made a convincing case for an unwieldy composition whose autographed score was given by Wagner's daughter-in-law, Winifried, to Hitler and lost in the destruction that ended World War II.

The ballet became a hilarious parody of Wagnerian cliches as a cartwheeling child wearing sneakers with rainbow lights and dressed in gold, resembling statues of the composer, presided in front of a faux Bayreuth proscenium. A procession of characters, some in winged helmets, performed silent camp references to Wagner's renowned roles.

When she’s not teaching, Lindstrom tutors on the side at the Windermere Library. “I tutor as much as I can when I can find the clients,” she said.

Lindstrom moved from Arizona to Orange County in 2020, expecting her years of experience to carry over. Instead, she said her offer letter was a reality check.

“When I finally got my offer letter that said how much money I was going to be making, it was about $20,000 less. I was starting at a base salary,” Lindstrom explained.

Average teacher pay in Florida has climbed to about $56,000, but that’s still roughly $18,000 below the national average.

For many teachers, stretching a paycheck has become part of the job. “My birthday aligns with the start of the school year, so if I need school supplies, there’s my birthday presents.”

She says the financial strain goes beyond budgeting. “It is an emotional and mental burden to be almost 50 years old. I have five degrees and not be able to make a living because of the profession that I have chosen,” Lindstrom said.

News 6 Investigator Pavlina Osta compared the average teacher salary with the average cost of a one-bedroom apartment near schools across Central Florida, according to Zillow.

Using the standard financial guideline of spending no more than 30% of income on housing, a teacher earning the state average could afford about $1,400 a month in rent.

In many communities near Central Florida schools, that’s not enough:

Near Glenridge Middle: Average one-bedroom rent is about $2,000/month

Near Northlake Park and Laureate Park Elementary: Average rent is nearly $1,800/month

Near Dr. Phillips Elementary and Southwest Middle: Rent averages around $1,600/month

Lindstrom says the gap between what teachers earn and what landlords charge has pushed some educators to the breaking point.

“There was a time I thought of quitting in the middle of a school year. I have never been that close to walking away from a job. I didn’t know how I was gonna pay my bills. It was difficult,” Lindstrom said.

U.S. Congressman Darren Soto said he has sponsored a budget project to help fund affordable housing specifically for Orange County teachers, calling housing the biggest expense facing many educators in the region.

“For Florida’s 9th Congressional District, the median income is $82,000 a year household,” Soto said. “So if you have a teacher living by themselves, they’re literally under the median and struggling to live around here.”

Soto said keeping talented educators in the classroom depends on giving them a place to live near the schools where they teach. “If we want the best and brightest teachers, we need to make them have an ability to live near the schools they teach and be part of the community,” he said.

The latest state budget includes about $200 million for teacher pay. Unlike previous funding rounds, this cycle focuses on experienced educators, with eligible teachers receiving up to $3,000.

If passed, the millage is expected to generate approximately $62 million a year for the district, with school leaders saying the funding is critical to covering teacher salaries, school safety and student programs.

Superintendent Dr. Mark Shanoff said the stakes couldn’t be higher.

“We are now at a point where it’s going to be pretty catastrophic over the next four years if we don’t do something,” Shanoff said.

The proposed millage — one mill — equals $1 for every $1,000 of taxable property value. For a home with a taxable value of $200,000, that works out to $200 per year. If approved, the millage would last for four years.

“One mill, we have calculated, would generate $62.5 million. Now because about 25% of our students attend charter schools, we would need to provide the charter schools with their proportional share. So this this millage, not just benefits students in your traditional stock schools, but it also benefits the traditional charter schools as well,” Shanoff explained.

If approved, an independent citizen advisory committee would oversee how the money is spent. Shanoff tells News 6 that the money would go toward competitive pay and benefits to recruit and retain teachers and staff, maintaining safety and security personnel, and preserving academic programs including arts, music and athletics.

Here is the question voters would see on the ballot:

“To provide for essential operating expenses, including competitive compensation and benefits to recruit and retain high-quality teachers and staff, maintain safety and security personnel, preserve academic programs, arts, music, athletics and student activities, shall the School District of Osceola County levy an ad valorem tax of one mill for four years, to be shared proportionately between public and charter schools, with oversight by an independent citizen advisory committee?”

District leaders say budget pressures are not new. Over the past two years alone, the district has already been forced to make significant reductions.

“Over the last two years, over $60 million we’ve had to cut out of our budget,” Shanoff said. “Osceola County schools, we only we generate the the second lowest per pupil funding in the entire state. We have the second lowest administrative overhead in the state. So when people say, ‘oh, we’ll just cut the district office,’ we’re already lean at the district office. We really can’t cut any more than we’ve already cut. So at the end of the day, it’s really important that our public knows that we’ve taken the austerity measures that we can possibly take.”

Without new revenue, Shanoff warns those cuts will continue and deepen. About 80% of the district’s total operating budget goes toward salaries and benefits, making personnel the most likely target.

“If it doesn’t pass, we’re going to be looking at further austerity because we will have to cut people,” he said. “There’s no other way to handle this than to cut people, and when we cut people, that means that we cut critical services and critical programs to our schools.”

One area of particular concern is school safety. State law mandates that schools have at least one armed security officer during the school day. Osceola County schools are currently staffed by school resource officers through a cost-sharing partnership between the district and local municipalities — including the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office, St. Cloud Police Department and Kissimmee Police Department.

Shanoff said that arrangement could be jeopardized if local governments face their own budget constraints, especially as voters statewide consider Amendment 3, which would overhaul state property taxes.

“If the municipalities run short of funds, the responsibility of staffing armed security at schools comes back to the school district, and we will have to go with private armed security, different than having actual law enforcement on campus,” Shanoff said.

The millage, he says, would help cover the municipality’s share of those costs and keep sworn law enforcement officers in schools.

Beyond safety, Shanoff points to federal funding reductions as another growing threat to student programming.

“If Title 4 goes away, all of a sudden we run the risk of having to cut back on our arts and our athletics programing. If we end up doing that, all of a sudden we’ve taken away the draw for so many of our students into schools. We know that our parents want our kids involved in the arts. We know that our parents want our kids involved in athletics,” Shanoff said.

“We want to make sure that those opportunities are still available for our students, because many of them use those opportunities as a launching point to where they go next. And for many of them, that means also being able to pay for college, which is really, really important.”

Shanoff also frames the millage as a matter of regional competitiveness when it comes to hiring qualified teachers.

“Otherwise, we stand to lose really great teachers and staff members who can then go somewhere else in Central Florida that may be paying more as a result of having their operational millage already in place and approved,” he said.

As for whether the district is considering closing or consolidating schools, like other districts have recently done, Shanoff says that it is not an option right now, but he did not rule it out entirely.

“I think everything is on the table,” he said. “Especially in lean budget times and especially as costs continue to rise. I think that school districts are forced to do more with less.”

Voters will be able to weigh in on the millage question on Nov. 3. For more information on the millage request, click here.

The Japanese automaker, which makes the Prius hybrid and Lexus luxury models, recorded a 1.48 trillion yen ($9.4 billion) net profit in the April-June period, up from 841 billion yen the same quarter the previous year.

Quarterly sales rose 10% year on year to 13.5 trillion yen ($85 billion).

A cheap yen raises the value of overseas earnings for Japan’s giant exporters like Toyota Motor Corp. The U.S. dollar was trading at about 145 yen during the fiscal first quarter in 2025, but at about 160 yen for the same period this year.

The dollar is now trading at about 158 yen because of a joint U.S.-Japan market intervention, which came last week, or in the fiscal second quarter.

The favorable currency effect added 345 billion yen ($2.2 billion) to Toyota’s quarterly operating profit in the April-June period.

The automaker is figuring the yen at 160 to the dollar for the full fiscal year.

Chief Officer Takanori Azuma said Toyota sold fewer vehicles globally for the quarter just ended at 2.39 million, compared with 2.41 million vehicles a year ago.

But the automaker expects to sell more vehicles for the full fiscal year at 9.7 million vehicles, compared with 9.595 million the previous fiscal year.

Azuma said demand remains strong for Toyota hybrids in various global markets, including the U.S., where the Camry mid-size sedan and RAV4 compact sport utility vehicle are selling briskly.

Toyota plans to boost hybrid and hybrid battery production through 2030, said Azuma, adding that it will bring down costs. Toyota’s electric vehicle sales are also going strong, he said.

Among the popular models in India were the Urban Cruiser and Innova Hycross, while the Yaris remained a strong seller in Thailand and Europe.

The recent political instability in the Middle East has weighed on Japanese automakers, which rely heavily on the now effectively closed Strait of Hormuz for shipping. Toyota said it was working on tackling such challenges, including finding alternative routes.

Another potential negative impact was the 7.1 magnitude earthquake in Kumamoto in southwestern Japan, which hit July 28.

Toyota's manufacturing facilities in the Kyushu region, where Kumamoto is located, halted production, but are readying to resume production later this week. Its Tahara plant in Aichi Prefecture, central Japan, also halted production, partly because of the quake. Since a summer break is upcoming, unrelated to the disaster, production will be down there through the end of the month.

Toyota is projecting a 3.25 trillion yen ($20.6 billion) profit for the full fiscal year through March 2027, not as good as the 3.85 trillion yen ($24 billion) profit racked up the previous fiscal year.

Annual sales are forecast at 54 trillion yen ($342 billion), better than the 50.7 trillion yen for the previous fiscal year that ended in March.

Toyota shares fell nearly 2% in Tokyo trading after earnings results were announced.

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

Storms will be most widespread today before a change in wind direction pushes the highest rain chances inland during the second half of the week.

Another surge of tropical moisture could then bring a wetter pattern back by Friday and Saturday.

Tuesday

Scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms are expected this afternoon, with the greatest coverage along and east of I-95 as storms interact with the Atlantic sea breeze. Rain chances range from 50-60% across the interior to 70-80% along the coast.

The strongest storms may produce wind gusts between 40 and 50 mph, frequent lightning, and torrential downpours.

Outside of the storms, highs will climb into the low 90s with heat index values between 100 and 105 degrees.

Midweek

By Wednesday and Thursday, winds will turn onshore as high pressure builds north of Florida. That means coastal communities will have a better chance of staying drier during the afternoon, while the highest storm coverage shifts toward the interior and west of Interstate 95.

Rain chances will lower to around 30-50% along the coast and 50-70% inland, with any stronger storms still capable of gusty winds and heavy rainfall.

Late week

Forecast models continue to show another area of tropical moisture approaching Florida late this week. While there are still questions about its exact track and strength, the forecast continues to point toward increasing rain chances Friday and Saturday, with coverage around 60-80%.

It’s too early to pinpoint where the heaviest rain may fall, but the wetter pattern could lead to periods of heavy downpours if bands of rain repeatedly move over the same locations.

Next week

By Sunday and into the first week of the school year, the deeper tropical moisture is expected to lift north, allowing rain chances to return closer to a typical August pattern.

Daily afternoon storms will remain in the forecast, with temperatures climbing back into the low to mid 90s under hot and humid conditions.

Decision 1: How much to withdraw each year in retirement

It’s impossible to say at the outset of retirement what the “right” withdrawal rate is. You don’t know what the major asset classes will return or how high (or low) inflation will run during your retirement. Nor do you know how long you’ll live.

But you have to use something, and this is where the disagreements come in. A 4% starting withdrawal rate, with annual inflation adjustments to that initial dollar amount thereafter, is often cited as a “safe” withdrawal system for new retirees.  Research we conducted at the end of 2021 suggested that a 3.3% withdrawal rate was a safe starting point for new retirees with balanced portfolios over a 30-year horizon. When we revisited the research  in late 2022, our safe starting withdrawal percentage was 3.8%.  By late 2023, that number had popped up to the classic 4%, thanks to rising fixed-income yields and moderating inflation.  At the end of 2024, it was 3.7%, and  3.9% at the end of 2025. Further complicating matters is that retirees don’t spend the same amount, adjusted for inflation, year after year.

There’s a comforting consensus in a few key areas.

1. Vary your withdrawal rate based on your time horizon. Older retirees with shorter life expectancies can reasonably take higher withdrawals than younger retirees with 25 or 30 years.

2. Be flexible. Taking less when the portfolio is down leaves more of the portfolio in place to recover when the market eventually does. We explored several variable withdrawal-rate strategies , and the pros, cons, and logistics of each, in our retirement income research .

3. Maximize nonportfolio income. Examples: Social Security, a pension, an annuity, rental income, and so on. Enlarging nonportfolio income with strategies like delaying Social Security can help enhance lifetime spending and alleviate demands on the portfolio.

Decision 2: Whether to buy long-term-care insurance

According to a 2019 study, about half of people turning 65 will need some type of paid long-term care. But paying for it can be financially devastating. What’s up for debate is whether and how to protect yourself.

The long-term-care insurance market is deeply troubled today. While  recent interest rate hikes have improved the economics of the long-term-care insurance industry, premiums have increased and several insurers have gotten out of the business.

That’s why purchasing pure long-term-care insurance is by no means a no-brainer. Hybrid products offer a long-term-care rider bolted onto a life insurance policy or annuity, but they’re complicated and often purchased with a lump sum.

Take a hard look at your retirement portfolio to decide whether your assets are sufficient to self-fund, you’re likely to qualify for Medicaid, or you fall somewhere in between. From there, you can create a long-term-care action plan.

Decision 3: Whether to buy an annuity

Academic researchers have long championed simple income annuities for retirement, arguing they provide longevity risk protection and a higher payout than would be available from fixed-rate investment products like bond funds. Annuities have been getting even more attention as  payouts tend to get better during a period of rising interest rates.

But annuity types vary widely, from single-premium immediate annuities to more complicated products that provide equity exposure, guaranteed minimum living benefits, and death benefits.

Research has demonstrated that the  peace of mind  that accompanies the purchase of a basic annuity is greater than would be associated with holding the same amount in investment assets. Yet the annuity products that retirement researchers generally like best—the plain-vanilla immediate and deferred-income annuities—have struggled in the sales department. Investors may be reluctant to part with the capital to purchase them, and advisers may not have a strong motive to recommend them.

While there’s no consensus on whether annuities are a must-have or which types to buy, there’s little doubt that the lifetime income they offer is in short supply. That’s especially true given that only about a fourth of baby boomers retiring today have pensions, and that number trends down for the generations behind them.

The starting point when  thinking about lifetime income isn’t an annuity. It’s Social Security, which is basically an annuity backed by the U.S. government. Only after maximizing lifetime income through Social Security should an annuity come into play.

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This article was provided to The Associated Press by Morningstar. For more retirement content, go to https://www.morningstar.com/retirement.

Christine Benz  is director of personal finance and retirement planning for Morningstar and co-host of The Long View podcast. Subscribe to her free newsletter, Improving Your Finances.

Related Links

The Retirement Planning Mistake That Makes Inflation Much More Expensive

https://www.morningstar.com/retirement/retirement-planning-mistake-that-makes-inflation-much-more-expensive

Retiring Alone? Here’s How to Build Financial Security

https://www.morningstar.com/retirement/retirement-planning-singles

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They were among several rookies that made major impacts in 2025, including Seattle's versatile defender Nick Emmanwori, who helped elevate a defense that led the Seahawks to a Super Bowl title, top-10 pick tackles Armand Membou and Kelvin Banks, and pass catchers Tyler Warren and Emeka Ebuka.

But failing to become a star in year one doesn't mean a draft pick was wasted.

Here's a look at some players who showed promise as rookies in 2025 who now have a chance to break out and become stars in their second seasons in the NFL:

Arizona DT Walter Nolen

Nolen never really got started as a rookie, missing the start of the season with a calf injury and then getting shut down early with a knee injury. Nolen had flashes in his limited time in six games that showed why the Cardinals drafted him 16th overall. He had two sacks and 15 pressures in just 99 pass rush opportunities, according to Pro Football Focus, and also returned a fumble for a TD. If he can have close to that kind of production in more extensive time, he could quickly become one of the top pass rushing defensive tackles in the game.

Los Angeles Chargers RB Omarion Hampton

Hampton rushed for 545 yards in nine games behind an injury-riddled offensive line after being drafted 22nd overall. With tackles Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater expected back from injuries and Hampton healthy after dealing with ankle injuries, he is position for a big season in new coordinator Mike McDaniel's offense. McDaniel has a history of creating big plays for speedy players such as Hampton, who had 15 carries for at least 15 yards in limited action last season.

Chicago WR Luther Burden

Coach Ben Johnson said early in the offseason that he was “ buying Luther Burden stock.” There's a good reason to do so. The second-round pick put up solid numbers as a rookie with 47 catches for 652 yards and two TDs in the regular season. But he had some big performances late in the season that showed he has the potential to do even more, highlighted by his eight catches for 138 yards and a TD in a Week 17 game against San Francisco. Burden averaged 2.69 yards per route run during the regular season, according to Pro Football Focus, ranking third in the league among wide receivers.

Dallas DE Donovan Ezeiruaku

After trading away Micah Parsons before the start of last season, the Cowboys were lacking on the defensive line. That put added pressure on Ezeiruaku to perform at a high level immediately as a second-round pick. He was strong against the run but had only two sacks and 36 pressures as a rookie, according to PFF. With better talent around him, with Quinnen Williams there all season on the inside and Rashan Gary and rookie Malachi Lawrence helping on the outside, Ezeiruaku is in position to be an even more effective pass rusher in year two.

San Francisco DB Upton Stout

The 49ers used their first picks last season on defense with much of the focus on big bodies on the defensive line. But the smallest player showed some of the most promise, with 5-foot-9 cornerback Upton Stout flashing as a third rounder. He excelled in the slot last season and could be in position to make even splashier plays with a year of experience under his belt after having four tackles for loss, two QB hits, five passes defensed, a forced fumble and a sack last season.

Kansas City CB Nohl Williams

The Chiefs traded Trent McDuffie and lost Jaylen Watson in free agency in the offseason and are planning to go young at cornerback with No. 6 pick Mansoor Delane and Williams, a third-rounder last season, as the potential starters. Williams played just less than half of the defensive snaps as a rookie but had a strong finish to the season in coverage in a sign of potential bigger things to come this season.

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