Trump has said multiple times in recent weeks that the warring parties have been on the cusp of a deal without anything coming to fruition. A spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry said in a live phone call on state television that mediators were active and nothing had been finalized to end the conflict that began Feb. 28 when the U.S. and Israel jointly attacked Iran.

Trump opened an Oval Office event Thursday afternoon saying: “We just made a great settlement of the war with Iran.” He offered scant details, other than to say he expects an agreement to extend a fragile ceasefire that started in April to be finalized “over the next few days.”

Extending the terms of the ceasefire gives U.S. leaders more time to negotiate over Iran’s nuclear program, the main reason Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used to justify launching the war. Netanyahu’s office said Thursday that Israel is not a party to the emerging agreement between the U.S. and Iran.

The announcement came after two days of back-and-forth attacks between the U.S. and Iran had pushed the Middle East closer to the resumption of a full-scale war.

Trump had threatened further escalation earlier Thursday, posting on social media that the U.S. would hit Iran “VERY HARD TONIGHT” and take “total control” of its oil and gas industries. A few hours later, Trump posted on social media that significant points in the negotiations “have been brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved.”

Esmail Baghaei, the spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, said in his phone call on state television that the text of a deal is “mostly finalized.”

"The problem is that the contradictions in America’s position have caused turbulence to this process,” he said Thursday night.

A major sticking point in negotiations has been Iran's nuclear program, which the U.S. and Israel fear could lead to an atomic weapon, but which Tehran says is for peaceful purposes. Another key issue is Iran’s stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping lane for transporting oil and natural gas.

Trump again moves quickly from threats to negotiating

Trump's rapid shift Thursday from dire threats to promoting peace negotiations again underscored his whipsaw approach to the war. He suggested on Monday that a deal to end the conflict could be reached in a matter of days.

Then back-and-forth strikes rattled the Middle East this week. The first involved attacks between Iran and Israel, followed by the two rounds of fire between the U.S. and Iran, which targeted countries where U.S. troops are based. The U.S. strikes began after Trump blamed Iran for downing an American attack helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz. Both pilots were rescued safely.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry said the U.S. attacks had “effectively rendered the ceasefire ... meaningless,” without saying it was abandoning it.

After Trump threatened more attacks were to come on Thursday, Iran’s parliamentary speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, responded on social media that “wrong strategies and impulsive decisions” would wreak havoc on energy markets and “create an endless quagmire that you will be stuck in for years.”

It wasn't the first time Trump threatened escalation before giving negotiations another chance. In April, he warned Iran that “a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again” if it didn’t agree to his terms, before extending a ceasefire.

Trump threatened to seize Iran's main oil terminal

Iran’s monthslong disruption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has crimped global energy supplies, driven up fuel prices and made food and other basics more expensive well beyond the region.

Trump had threatened Thursday to seize Kharg Island, the heart of Iran’s oil industry, through which 90% of its exports pass.

But Trump himself soon voiced doubts about taking over the oil terminal, saying in an interview with Fox News: “I don’t know that America has the stomach for it, to be honest.”

“I don’t want to have boots on the ground," Trump said. "But if I wanted to, we could put a small group of soldiers and take over the place.”

Tensions persist over Iran's nuclear program, Strait of Hormuz

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a social media post that the U.S. would extract funds from frozen Iranian accounts to offset the costs of damage to American allies and any tolls Iran imposes for ships to transit the Strait of Hormuz.

Beyond the deadlock over the strait, the two sides also remain at odds over Iran's nuclear program. Tehran insists its nuclear efforts are peaceful. The U.S. and Israel fear Tehran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium could be used to build an atomic weapon.

Iran has insisted that any deal to end the war must also end fighting in Lebanon between its ally militia Hezbollah and Israel. But Netanyahu appears intent on pursuing his goal of destroying the militant group.

Iranian student says hope dwindles as attacks escalate

A 25-year-old student in northern Iran says Iranians are fearing “chaos” amid the war with the U.S. and Israel and multiplying crises at home.

The student, who lives in the city of Babol, said many Iranians are struggling to afford groceries in the face of mass job losses and triple-digit food inflation. He spoke on the condition of anonymity out of security fears.

“Everything is going wrong and there is no hope among the people,” the student added.

The student first spoke to The Associated Press before the war when he participated in widespread anti-government protests. He now says his chief concern is that Iran “maintain territorial integrity and deterrence” in the face of attacks by the U.S. and Israel.

US fires on another merchant ship to enforce blockade

The U.S. military's Central Command said Thursday that it struck a Guinea-Bissau-flagged tanker attempting to evade the American blockade on Iranian ports. It said the M/T Jalveer was transporting Iranian oil when it was disabled late Wednesday after its crew failed to obey U.S. orders.

It's the ninth merchant vessel the U.S. military says it disabled to enforce the blockade.

Three Indian sailors were killed when American forces struck the Palau-flagged M/T Settebello on Tuesday, India's minister overseeing ports and shipping said Thursday on X.

U.S. Central Command said American forces issued warnings before firing on the ship, which it accused of trying to evade the blockade.

The leader of the International Maritime Organization, a United Nations agency, condemned the attack.

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Madhani reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Will Weissert, Collin Binkley, Michelle L. Price and Konstantin Toropin in Washington; Sheikh Saaliq in New Delhi; Munir Ahmed in Islamabad, Victoria Eastwood and Amir-Hussein Radjy in Cairo; Russ Bynum in Savannah, Georgia, and Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City contributed to this report.

The Seoul Central District Court found Yoon and his ex-defense minister, Kim Yong Hyun, guilty of aiding an adversary and abusing their power, saying they sought to provoke North Korea into launching armed attacks or other serious retaliation against South Korea to manufacture a national emergency. It said the moves harmed South Korea’s military interests by exposing its capabilities, undermining its ability to conduct future operations and prompting North Korea to strengthen its defense posture. Yoon’s lawyers appealed the ruling.

The same court earlier sentenced Yoon to life in prison for a rebellion conviction over his short-lived imposition of martial law in December 2024.

North Korea accused Seoul of flying drones over Pyongyang to drop propaganda leaflets three times in October 2024. Kim, who was South Korea’s defense minister at the time, issued a vague denial before the Defense Ministry said it could neither confirm nor deny the allegations. Tensions rose sharply but did not lead to any military clashes.

Yoon’s lawyers criticized the latest ruling, saying the drone flights were a response to North Korea flying thousands of trash-carrying balloons into the South earlier in 2024. They argued that a guilty verdict would undermine South Korea’s security interests.

Investigators led by special prosecutor Cho Eun-suk had sought a 30-year prison term for Yoon, accusing him of trying to create a warlike situation between the Koreas while plotting an authoritarian push to remove his political opponents and “monopolize” power. They had sought a 25-year prison term for Kim, a key confidant of Yoon who helped plan and mobilize forces for Yoon’s martial law declaration.

Yoon proceeded with the declaration late in the night of Dec. 3, 2024, delivering a televised address in which he accused liberal lawmakers of being North Korea-sympathizing “anti-state” forces. He cited a range of grievances, but particularly the opposition’s impeachments of senior officials and cuts to his government’s budget bill.

Martial law lasted about six hours until lawmakers broke through a blockade of soldiers and police at the National Assembly and voted to overturn it, forcing Yoon’s Cabinet to lift the measure.

Yoon was quickly impeached, suspended from office, and formally removed by the Constitutional Court. He was arrested in July 2025 and several criminal trials are ongoing.

The verdict in the most serious case, of rebellion, has been appealed both by Yoon and prosecutors, who had sought a death sentence.

The future for the S&P 500 was 0.2% lower while that for the Dow Jones Industrial Average was nearly unchanged.

Investors in the U.S. and elsewhere were awaiting the debut Friday on Wall Street of SpaceX, Elon Musk’s rocket company, which is set to become the largest IPO on record, raising around $75 billion.

In early European trading, Germany's DAX picked up 1.3% to 24,524.21, while the CAC 40 in Paris rose 1.4% to 8,312.87. Britain's FTSE 100 added 0.7% to 10,374.37.

Asian markets logged bigger gains.

South Korea’s Kospi jumped 4.5% to 8,112.58, narrowing losses from earlier this month from sell-offs of shares related to artificial intelligence. The Kospi has roughly doubled over the past six months, with a record closing high of 8.801.49 on June 2.

Samsung Electronics, South Korea's most valuable company, advanced 7.9%. Computer chipmaker SK Hynix rose 2.3%.

Tokyo’s Nikkei’s 225 gained 2.8% to 66,020.04, also led by gains for technology stocks. SoftBank Group, a multinational investment holding company with a strong AI focus, was up 2%. Chip equipment maker Tokyo Electron jumped 10.3%.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng gained 1.4% to 24,585.93 and the Shanghai Composite index rose 1.1% to 4,031.51.

In Australia, the S&P/ASX 200 closed 2% higher at 8,804.00.

Taiwan’s Taiex gained 2.4%, while India’s Sensex advanced 1%.

The renewed investor optimism came after Trump said Thursday he had called off military strikes against Iran. He asserted that the U.S. had made “a great settlement of the war with Iran,” adding that an extension of the shaky ceasefire between the two sides could be finalized in “the next few days.” Few details were offered.

Global markets retreated earlier in the week as tensions between the U.S. and Iran escalated. High oil prices have added to inflationary pressures globally as the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for the world's oil and gas transit, remained largely closed.

“Trump has said many times before that a deal is very close, only for hostilities to resume,” ING commodities analysts Warren Patterson and Ewa Manthey wrote in a note on Friday. “However, there does appear to be more positive noise around the deal this time.”

“(But) we would be cautious about assuming that the extension of the ceasefire is a done deal,” they added. “Even if it is, it could be fragile.”

Brent crude oil, the international standard, fell 2.2% to $88.37 per barrel early Friday. That was still much higher than the roughly $70 a barrel level it was at before the war began in late February.

Benchmark U.S. crude shed 2% to $85.92 a barrel.

On Thursday, Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 surged 1.8% to 7,394.30, back to where it was in early May. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rallied 1.9% to 50,848.75, and the technology-heavy Nasdaq composite climbed 2.5% to 25,809.66.

Prices of AI and other tech stocks have been volatile the past week in part due to renewed worries that massive investments and soaring share prices are creating a bubble liable to burst. On Thursday, U.S. chipmaker Marvell Technology climbed 11.1%, but technology company Oracle lost 8.5% on worries over its high spending, despite strong-than-expected quarterly results.

In other dealings early Friday, the U.S. dollar rose to 160.35 Japanese yen from 159.93 yen. The euro was trading at $1.1571, down from $1.1578.

The 7.8 magnitude offshore quake, which struck Monday off Sarangani province, injured about 1,120 people and displaced more than 45,000 people, about half them still in emergency shelters, after the quake damaged more than 12,600 houses across farming towns and cities.

Many were still too traumatized to return home because of strong aftershocks, officials said.

Days after the earthquake hit, more videos of the chaotic moments have been posted on social media showing horrified crowds witnessing the collapse of small buildings, and flag-raising ceremonies turning chaotic when the ground started to shake on the first day of school after a long summer break.

Students are seen on videos screaming in panic, but staying seated or standing still outside school buildings, with some covering their heads with their hands as teachers admonished them to calm down.

One video, which has gone viral on Facebook with millions of views, showed dozens of grade-schoolers screaming and breaking into tears as they sat on a tree-ringed school ground, which visibly swayed them from side to side. A tin roof shed nearby later collapsed with a loud thud, prompting many to dash away, but were asked by teachers to return and stay seated.

The grade school in the coastal town of Malita in Davao Occidental province reported no injuries from the quake.

“This incident serves as a reminder of the importance of earthquake preparedness and the value of regular disaster response drills,” the Mahayahay elementary school said in a statement.

Teresito Bacolcol, director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, said years of disaster-preparedness drills helped people anticipate and brace for extreme events like Monday’s quake, one of the strongest to hit the archipelago in a half-century.

He said that it was also fortunate that the quake hit at 7:37 a.m., a few minutes before work and classes were to start indoors.

“It’s good that our efforts to educate people on what to do when earthquakes hit somehow paid off,” Bacolcol told The Associated Press.

He expressed concern, however, over the collapse of some buildings that he said should have withstood the powerful quake, if construction standards based on the country’s building code were followed.

Ednar Dayanghirang, director of the Office of Civil Defense in a quake-hit region of about 5 million people, said that regular disaster-preparedness drills helped reduce casualties in many ways, including by preventing deadly stampedes.

“We required all school principals to take one-day courses on incident management, then they appointed disaster-response teams among teachers to deal with earthquakes, tsunamis,” Dayanghirang said. “They listened and they learned.”

The Philippines, one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries, is often hit by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions because of its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of seismic faults around the ocean.

As a large column of air descended on Merrillville, Indiana, a town about 33 miles (53 kilometers) southeast of Chicago, the city’s police warned residents to take cover. By the evening, downed trees and power lines blocked the streets, homes were torn up and part of a high school's roof was ripped off.

Meanwhile, emergency crews were in the nearby manufacturing and farm city of Streator, Illinois, as the community reeled from tornado damage. A reunification center for displaced residents was set up in its city hall and the Red Cross opened a shelter.

Streator Mayor Tara Bedei said there were no reported deaths. “We are incredibly grateful for the safety of our residents and the quick action of emergency personnel,” she said in a statement.

Strong storms delayed or halted flights at airports in some cities, including Chicago, Philadelphia and New York on Thursday. Parts of the Northeast and mid-Atlantic also strained under high heat and humidity.

The tornadoes came after severe storms swept through the Midwest Wednesday, knocking out power, damaging buildings and canceling flights.

In Des Moines, Iowa, a 54-year-old man died at a homeless encampment in a park Wednesday after being hit by a tree that “broke apart and fell during strong storms,” police said in a statement. There were no immediate reports of other deaths or injuries from the storms.

Tree limb breaks through roof

Tornado warnings were also in place in Chicago and in parts of Indiana and Michigan Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. In Chicago, a series finale between the White Sox and the Atlanta Braves was postponed due to rain.

Jennifer Hall was in her garage in Elkhart, Indiana, as the winds and rain picked up Thursday evening. Suddenly, she said, she heard a loud crash and discovered a tree limb had gone through the roof of her rental home. She used buckets to catch the rain coming in from the hole.

“I’m just nervous because it’s just been one thing after another,” said Hall, explaining she just had surgery and her husband is out of town.

A home vanishes before residents' eyes

Shane Tipton stepped out of his truck in Unionville, Missouri, Wednesday afternoon to find a twister bearing down, said his daughter, Kylie Rouse. He rushed to get his 87-year-old dad out of his mobile home.

They made it back to the truck, drove just far enough away and watched as the tornado obliterated the home. Shattered cabinets, furniture and appliances littered the ground. Clothes hung in trees. They believe they lost one of their hunting dogs, who has been missing since it struck.

“Everything's destroyed,” Rouse told The Associated Press in a phone interview Thursday. “It was scattered clear for miles. If my grandpa would have been in there, there's no way that he would be alive.”

Storm damages animal shelter in Illinois

Residents of Springfield, Illinois, believe a tornado touched down in their area late Wednesday. Two buildings at the Animal Protective League shelter in Springfield were heavily damaged, but none of the nearly 150 cats and 28 dogs housed there were injured, said Deana Corbin, the group's executive director.

“It pretty much wiped out our shelter facility, took the roofs off both of our buildings,” Corbin said. “It’s a miracle. We were so blessed to not have any injuries of either people or animals.”

The community pitched in to take in all the cats and dogs temporarily, including a local animal control center, veterinarians and residents, she said.

Damage also was reported at Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport in Springfield.

Weather service meteorologist Frank Pereira said the system that produced the storms, including high winds and hail, was moving eastward Thursday, fueled by cool air from Canada clashing with warm, humid air from the South.

Record high temperatures expected along East Coast

Potentially dangerous heat and high humidity arrived Thursday and was expected to continue Friday for a swath of the East Coast from the mid-Atlantic to the Northeast, where daily high record temperatures could be broken in numerous places, the weather service said. Temperatures in the mid-90s Fahrenheit (mid-30s Celsius) were expected, but with the humidity it could feel like 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) or more, the service said.

Philadelphia declared a heat health emergency for Thursday and Friday, activating cooling centers, home visits by field teams, outreach to people experiencing homelessness and other services. New York City officials were also urging residents to take precautions, including drinking plenty of water and finding a cool place to stay if they do not have air conditioning.

Severe weather wreaks havoc on air travel and power

At various points Wednesday and Thursday, ground stops were issued at Chicago's O’Hare International and Midway International airports, and at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.

The Pittsburgh International Airport experienced a temporary power outage after a storm produced an “extraordinary” power surge, the airport said.

More than 1,000 flights going into and out of Chicago had been delayed or canceled, according to FlightAware, a flight tracking website.

Commonwealth Edison Company, which provides electric service across northern Illinois, said the storms had downed poles and wires. On X, it wrote that it expected “80% restoration” by late Saturday.

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Associated Press reporters Hannah Fingerhut in Des Moines, Iowa, and Gene Johnson in Seattle contributed.

"It was instinctual. No one taught me how to do it," she said of songwriting through a raspy voice she attributed to screaming along to the night's performances and Wednesday night's historic NBA game between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs.

She told the room about her family uprooting their lives to move her from Pennsylvania to Nashville, Tennessee, as a tween.

“I will never be able to express my gratitude,” the singer-songwriter said while holding back tears — crediting their sacrifice for her career.

She offered young songwriters advice: “You really have to prioritize what you love, down to your very core. Because you'll need that."

Steven Spielberg introduced Swift with a surprise speech about the power of songwriting. “There is something undeniable about how songs imprint on our souls,” he said, before changing his focus to Swift. “Somehow Taylor knows us all too well.”

Swift started her speech by acknowledging Spielberg. “Because of examples like Steven's, I trusted my imagination," she said.

The Gen Z singer Sombr launched Swift's segment by performing “Cardigan” and “Dear John" in front of her.

Swift has brought new eyes to this year’s ceremony and undeniably shaped contemporary pop music trends with her songwriting. Swift is the youngest woman inducted, but Stevie Wonder, who started his recording career at 13, was the youngest ever inducted, it was announced on stage.

It was a notable moment in an evening full of them, where Swift, Kiss’ Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, Christopher “Tricky” Stewart, Alanis Morissette, Kenny Loggins and more were honored.

A night of celebrating songwriters

Tamar Braxton opened the gala at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City with a spirted tribute to a new inductee — the game-changing R&B songwriter, producer and rapper Christopher “Tricky” Stewart — with one of the biggest songs he's known for: Beyoncé's “Single Ladies.”

He's also responsible for singer-songwriter Rihanna’s “Umbrella,” Mariah Carey's “Touch My Body” and Justin Bieber's “Baby.”

Dallas Austin, a songwriter and producer known for work with Boyz ll Men and Madonna, introduced Stewart. “Think about that catalog,” he said, listing off those zeitgeist-shifting records. “Those are cultural moments."

Stewart thanked God, his family, artists he's worked with and mentors — giving a special shout out to Grammy award-winning music producer Antonio “L.A.” Reid and the iconic singer-songwriter Babyface. “I wanted to be like L.A. and Baby,” he reflected.

Kiss founders Simmons and Stanley — two and a half years after the band’s farewell — were also recognized for their glam rock classics “Rock and Roll All Nite” and “I Love It Loud.” The Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan covered the former, a fittingly fiery introduction for the band. He was joined by Goo Goo Dolls’ frontman John Rzeznik for the latter.

Simmons wasn't present; Stanley said that he had a family emergency.

“Songs are the messenger,” he said — the foundation of “every show.”

Soft rock legend Kenny Loggins (“Footloose,” “Danny’s Song”) and the alt-rock icon Morissette were also inducted.

For the latter, Brandi Carlile performed “Uninvited” alongside SistaStrings, before introducing Morissette.

“Writing to me is not a hobby,” Morissette said, it’s critical. “It’s write or die.” Then she performed “Mary Jane” and "You Oughta Know" from her 1995 album “Jagged Little Pill.”

For Loggins, Gavin DeGraw performed “Danny’s Song,” before Loggins told the story behind the tune in his acceptance speech.

Acknowledging writers and their hits

Taylor Dayne and Madison Cunningham performed Tina Turner classics written by Terry Britten and Graham Lyle in honor of their induction; John Fogerty was honored with the Johnny Mercer Award.

“I got my songs back!” Fogerty said, ending a nearly 30-minute speech, referencing the fact that he won the rights back to his catalog at age 80. Then he ran through a medley of his hits: “Proud Mary,” “Fortunate Son,” and “Have You Ever Seen the Rain” among them.

The songwriter Walter Afanasieff (Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You”) was also recognized, a segment that began with an introduction by actor Jeremy Renner and included a monster medley of his biggest songs by R&B singer Sheléa, kicking off with his Christmas classic six months early.

“I wanted to be The Beatles,” he said of falling in love with songwriting in his speech. “Sixty years later, I got to produce Paul McCartney.”

An established tradition

British singer-songwriter RAYE received the prestigious Hal David Starlight Award. She ended her speech by stating that songwriters deserve a cut of master royalties.

Last year's inductees included George Clinton, The Doobie Brothers, Ashley Gorley, Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, The Beach Boys’ Mike Love and Tony Macaulay.

The Songwriters Hall of Fame was established in 1969 to honor those creating popular music. A songwriter with a notable catalog of songs qualifies for induction 20 years after the first commercial release of a song.

Some already in the hall include Gloria Estefan, Carole King, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora, Elton John and Bernie Taupin, Brian Wilson, James Taylor, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Lionel Richie, Bill Withers, Neil Diamond and Phil Collins.

After a lackluster first half in which both teams were jeered as they left the field, the Czech Republic took the lead in the 59th minute on a header by captain Ladislav Krejci after a long throw-in into the penalty area.

South Korea equalized in the 67th, when Hwang scored after faking a shot with a nifty move to clear two Czech players. The midfielder who plays for Dutch club Feyenoord then made the cross from the right flank for Oh Hyeon-gyu's decisive strike in the 80th in a match played in front of hundreds of empty seats at Guadalajara Stadium.

The South Korean squad celebrated with its fans behind one of the goals after the final whistle. Players later posed for a photo with the fans behind them.

“It was our first game and a very difficult one,” South Korea coach Hong Myung-bo said. “The win itself makes me happy, but what’s even more positive is that our boys won by not giving up. I knew that we were more than capable of winning, so at 1-1, I told the boys to keep playing the way we’ve been playing.”

It was South Korea's first opening World Cup win since it beat Greece in 2010 in South Africa. South Korea beat European opponent in the tournament for a third straight time, following wins over Portugal in 2022 and Germany in 2018.

Let by star forward Son Heung-min, South Korea controlled possession and outshot the Czechs, who were making their first World Cup appearance since 2006. The Koreans, ranked 25th by FIFA, had most of the significant scoring chances against the 38th-ranked Czechs but failed to capitalize early.

Son was looking to become South Korea’s top goal scorer at the World Cup and the Asian player with the most goals in the tournament. The 33-year-old former Tottenham star, who now plays for Los Angeles FC of Major League Soccer, entered Thursday having scored three goals over three prior World Cups.

Appearing in his fourth World Cup, Son had a couple of good opportunities to add to his tally but missed wide in the first half and had a close-range shot saved in the second.

The Czechs thought they had retaken the lead with another set piece in the 77th, but Tomas Soucek was ruled offside on his header.

Czech Republic coach Miroslav Koubek said “probably the better team won.” But he said his team could have had a better outcome if it weren’t for “some mistakes.”

“We played very well, it could have been a draw and we could have won as well,” Koubek said.

The announced attendance was 44,985 at the 45,664-capacity Guadalajara Stadium, a crowd that included FIFA President Gianni Infantino. Sections in the middle of the stands had many unoccupied seats and there were other empty seats scattered across the stadium.

South Korea is making its 11th straight World Cup appearance and 12th overall, the most of any Asian country. Its best result was a fourth-place finish at the tournament it co-hosted with Japan in 2002. Since then, the South Koreans have never gone beyond the round of 16.

In the other Group A match on Thursday, co-host Mexico defeated South Africa 2-0 in the tournament opener in Mexico City.

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AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

She died Thursday evening at a Bangkok hospital where she had been cared for since falling unconscious due to illness three years ago, according to the statement issued Friday.

“This loss is not merely bad news announced to the people, but an immeasurable grief in the hearts of the entire nation,” Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said in a televised speech. He said the princess was “a pride of Thailand,” and that “her commitment to building a society of kindness, justice, and equality, will forever remain as a moral legacy for the nation, a guiding light for generations of Thais.”

A small group of mourners gathered in an atrium at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, where the princess had been treated. Most held framed or laminated photos of her throughout the years.

Pattamaporn Kaewkityakorn said she had arrived Thursday and spent the night there to show her support for the princess, unaware that the announcement of her passing would come the following morning.

“I know she was sick, but I wished there were a miracle,” she said, her voice trembling. “I was saddened and shocked.”

Bajrakitiyabha was active in justice reform efforts and best known for her Kamlangjai, or “Inspire,” project to help rehabilitate incarcerated Thai women ahead of their release.

Bajrakitiyabha was hospitalized in December 2022 after falling unconscious while training dogs for an army exhibition. The palace said she had a mycoplasma infection, a bacterial infection usually associated with pneumonia.

Her father's New Year’s greeting card for 2023 showed King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida garbed in somber black, which many Thais saw as confirmation of the gravity of her condition.

The princess was born on Dec. 7, 1978, to Vajiralongkorn, who was the crown prince at the time, and his then-wife, Princess Soamsawali. Vajiralongkorn has seven children by three of his four successive wives. Bajrakitiyabha was also known by the royal name Bajrakitiyabha Narendira Debyavati, used in formal state settings.

Prince Dipangkorn Rasmijoti, the youngest of the king’s children, is the presumptive heir because sons take precedence in Thailand's line of succession. But Bajrakitiyabha's experience in public service raised speculation she was set to hold an important role in any future succession, perhaps as regent to a youthful monarch.

Bajrakitiyabha studied law at Thammasat University then went to Cornell University in New York state, where she earned a master’s degree in law in 2002. She earned a doctorate at Cornell in 2005 with a dissertation concerning the protection of the rights of the accused. Scholarships to Cornell Law School and a program for the exchange of legal scholars between Thailand and Cornell were later established in her name.

After working briefly at the Thai Mission to the U.N. in New York City, she returned home and worked as a public prosecutor. She renewed her diplomatic career with an appointment as Thailand’s ambassador to Austria from 2012 to 2014 before returning to her homeland to concentrate on criminal justice issues. In 2017 she was appointed a goodwill ambassador for the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime.

In addition to working for the rehabilitation of female convicts, she was involved in other projects including a campaign to enhance the living conditions of women prisoners and promoting efforts to stem violence against women as an honorary U.N. goodwill ambassador for women. Her efforts led to the U.N. General Assembly adopting the “Bangkok Rules” on care and conditions for female prisoners.

“Society cannot grow if there is instability and injustice,” Bajrakitiyabha said in a 2013 interview with The Associated Press.

“Without the rule of law, without a good justice system, it’s always chaos,” she said. “I think the rule of law is a very important pillar to development, to economic growth, and of course to human rights.”

Bajrakitiyabha is survived by her parents and siblings.

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Associated Press journalist Anton L. Delgado contributed to this report.

And they had spent the first four games of the Stanley Cup Final being outplayed in critical second-period sequences.

On Thursday night, it all came together, aligning to bring the Hurricanes within a victory of winning the Cup.

Svechnikov scored twice and Aho added a second-period goal in a breakout offensive game for both, helping the Hurricanes beat the Vegas Golden Knights 4-2 for a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series.

“I liked our effort for sure, and I hope we're getting better,” coach Rod Brind'Amour said. “I think there's certain areas of our game that are starting to look a lot like we need it to look. But I do think there's still another level that we're going to need to get to find that next one.”

Captain Jordan Staal found the net again for the fifth straight game in this series after Vegas had taken a 1-0 first-period lead, while Brandon Bussi finished with 23 saves in his second career postseason start.

Game 6 is Sunday night in Las Vegas, with the Hurricanes playing for the chance to hoist the Stanley Cup for the first time since Brind’Amour captained them to the title in 2006.

Aho's goal in the second period marked his first of the series, coming when Sean Walker found him cutting to the left side after Jordan Martinook — swapped with Seth Jarvis to work alongside Aho and Svechnikov on the top line — won a puck battle behind the net on the forecheck.

Then there was Svechnikov, who entered Thursday with four postseason goals before striking twice on the power play. On the first, he whipped the puck past Carter Hart on the right side for a 2-1 lead in the second period. On the second, he had a short putaway at the post off a sharp feed from Nikolaj Ehlers for a 4-1 lead, one of three assist for Ehlers on the night that included him having two delay-of-game penalties for putting a puck over the glass.

Before those second-period scores, Vegas had outscored Carolina 9-1 in the second period during the series.

And unlike most multi-goal leads in what has been a wild and thrilling series, this one held up with Bussi doing enough to stave off Vegas' late push to climb back in it.

“It required everything we have,” Staal said on the ESPN broadcast.

Pavel Dorofeyev scored twice for Vegas, finding the net for the first time since Game 1 of the Western Conference Final sweep of Presidents’ Trophy winner Colorado.

“I thought we were still doing some good things,” Vegas’ Jack Eichel said. “We had chances.”

Hart entered this one as the first goaltender in Stanley Cup Final history to give up at least four goals in each of the first four games, then did it again to continue a difficult series while finishing with 20 saves.

Asked if he considered swapping to backup Adin Hill, coach John Tortorella responded: “That could be the stupidest question I've heard.”

Vegas had twice before been in a 2-2 series in these playoffs, in the first round against Utah and the second round against Anaheim. Both times, the Golden Knights won Game 5 and closed out the series in Game 6.

This time, they’ll have to win on home ice to force the series back to Carolina for a Game 7 on Wednesday night. And they'll have to take two in a row against a Hurricanes team that hasn't suffered consecutive losses since mid-January.

Not that Tortorella was fazed.

“We'll be back here,” he said confidently, saying he would leave his clothes behind at the team's hotel in expectation of returning to North Carolina.

Vegas played much of the night without center William Karlsson, who was being checked out on the bench for an apparent upper-body injury. Karlsson skated to the tunnel midway through the second period and didn’t return. Tortorella said the center was “not going to be with us, probably" in the coming games.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

With Karlsson knocked out of Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final because of injury, the Golden Knights took four penalties that turned into two power-play goals against. Carter Hart allowed four goals for a fifth consecutive game in the series, and now his team is on the brink of elimination after losing 4-2 to Carolina on Thursday night.

“When we lose Bill, it kind of screws things up," coach John Tortorella said. “We lost momentum when we went back to back in penalties. It was about the same time that we lost Bill. We’ve got to find a way.”

Karlsson appeared to injure his left arm or shoulder after getting knocked into the boards by Hurricanes defenseman Sean Walker a little over eight minutes into the second period. He got medical attention on the bench briefly, skated off and never returned and Tortorella foreshadowed that being the end of Karlsson's series.

“He’s not going to be with us, probably,” Tortorella said. "We’ve got to find a way to fill that void, not with just one guy but as a team.”

Karlsson making his playoff debut at the start of the second round changed everything for Vegas, shifting Mitch Marner to the wing and providing the kind of strong, reliable center depth needed to win this time of year. Karlsson had nine points in 14 games after missing the previous six months because of an undisclosed injury.

But the void left by Karlsson’s departure was all too clear, especially on the penalty kill. Carolina’s Andrei Svechnikov scored the first of his two power-play goals less than four minutes after Karlsson left, then added another in the third.

“He’s an important piece to us: up the middle of the ice, a penalty killer, power play guy," Tortorella said. “He’s a winner."

Fourth-liner Nick Dowd called Karlsson one of the team's best players. Defenseman Brayden McNabb, who along with Karlsson and Shea Theodore are the only players who have been around for Vegas’ entire nine-year existence, said Karlsson was a big leader in the locker room.

Karlsson is also nearly impossible to replace.

“He means so much," fellow center Jack Eichel said. "He’s a world class player. He plays in all situations. He’s extremely reliable in our own zone, and he creates a lot of offense. ... It's tough. You lose someone like Karl who’s so valuable to our team and playing so well. But it just means everyone else has to step up.”

Tortorella expects that to happen, promising there will be a Game 7 in Raleigh on Wednesday night.

“We’ll be back here. We’re just going to do it in a different order," Tortorella said. "I’m going to leave my clothes here, that’s for sure. They’ll be in the hotel.”

To do that, they'll have to win Game 6 back home in Las Vegas on Sunday. Hart is expected to be in net again despite a save percentage of .856 in the final.

Asked if he considered going to backup Adin Hill — who backstopped Vegas to the Cup in 2023 — in the third period, Tortorella scoffed and said, "That could be the stupidest question I’ve heard.”

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

The board voted Thursday to seek a stay of U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper's May 29 ruling that said Trump's name was illegally added to the Kennedy Center, according to a person familiar with the move who requested anonymity to discuss a private meeting. The formal request was filed late Thursday.

Cooper ruled that only Congress could institute a change to the Kennedy Center's name and ordered references to Trump be removed by Friday. He also blocked the administration from closing the cultural and arts venue for major renovations that had been planned to start in July and last for two years.

The board move marks a shift from a June 4 memo to staff from the Kennedy Center’s Office of General Counsel saying email signatures, letterhead and other documents must reflect the name as “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts” or “Kennedy Center.”

The Kennedy Center's website has dropped the president's name. And an email earlier this week sent to members offering ticket packages for the June 28 Mark Twain Award for American Humor ceremony came from the Kennedy Center without including Trump's name.

“The Trump administration’s 11th hour gambit after waiting nearly two weeks evinces desperation," Norm Eisen, a board member at Democracy Defenders Action, and Nathaniel Zelinsky, senior counsel at the Washington Litigation Group, said in a statement. "That is what they should be feeling because they don’t have a legal leg to stand on. We will be vigorously contesting this latest ploy as we have throughout the case on behalf of Congresswoman Beatty and the American people.”

They represent Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, an ex-officio member of the Kennedy Center's board who filed the lawsuit seeking to remove Trump's name from the institution.

After ignoring the Kennedy Center for much of his first term, Trump has wielded tremendous influence over the venue during his return to office. Just a month into his second term, he ousted the center’s previous leadership and replaced it with a hand-picked board of trustees that named him chairman. He brought in Richard Grenell to serve as president, a position he held until March when Matt Floca assumed the role.

The center’s lineup has included more Trump-friendly programming, serving as the venue for events such as the premiere of first lady Melania Trump’s documentary, “Melania.”

The board also announced it had renamed the facility the Trump Kennedy Center, a change scholars and lawmakers say must be initiated by Congress, and physically added the president’s name to the building’s facade.

The fallout from the arts community was swift and intense. Actor Issa Rae, musician Bela Fleck and author Louise Penny were among the numerous artists who withdrew from appearances, while consultants such as musician Ben Folds and singer Renée Fleming resigned. Earlier this month, the executive director of the National Symphony Orchestra, Jean Davidson, left to head the Los Angeles-based Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.

In addition to voting on the stay on Thursday, the board backed a resolution recognizing Trump's “commitment to uphold this cherished American institution.”

But even then, there were signs of strain in their relationship — tensions that could be on full display during next week’s G7 summit in France.

Back in 2017, Trump was a brash businessman just elected to America's most powerful office, and Macron was an upstart politician who had won his race in a landslide. At a NATO summit in Brussels, they clinched hands far longer than most people do when they meet for the first time. Neither seemed to want to be the first to break a grip so tight that it exposed white knuckles.

Nevertheless, a friendship was born. And early on, Macron seemed to be the one European leader with a knack for managing his mercurial, three-decades-older counterpart.

Macron invited the Republican president to join him for Bastille Day celebrations in July 2017, including an Eiffel Tower dinner date with their wives. Trump reciprocated by making Macron the guest of honor the following year at his first White House state dinner, the highest diplomatic honor the United States can extend to an ally.

But by the end of Trump's first term, the bromance had faded. And in his second term, the leaders now openly trade barbs, disagreeing over tariffs, Ukraine and the Iran war. That dynamic will be scrutinized next week when Trump and the leaders of Britain, Canada, Germany, Italy and Japan join Macron in the French lakeside resort of Evian-les-Bains for the G7 summit.

Trump's long-simmering frustrations with US allies could be on display

There could be awkward moments between Trump and Macron, as well as among Trump and the other G7 leaders he's criticized for not joining him in Iran.

“But I also think European leaders are quite professionals when it comes to politics, and in some ways diplomacy at this point, and will maybe see it as an opportunity as well,” Max Bergmann, director of the Europe, Russia, and Eurasia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said in an interview.

Kurt Volker, a former U.S. ambassador to NATO, said the Trump-Macron relationship has been further complicated by the Iran war and Trump's complaints “that Europeans weren't helping, when they hadn't been consulted, and their interests are very much affected by this.”

“I think that was a negative for Macron,” Volker said.

Trump joined Israel in a war against Iran over its nuclear program back in February without consulting other U.S. allies. He then complained publicly when European countries spurned his requests for their help.

Waning support for Ukraine in its war against Russia from the Trump administration “has really irritated the French,” Volker said. “They feel this is important and we're not paying attention to it.” Macron invited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to join the leaders’ discussions on Tuesday.

Macron is the G7 member who has dealt with Trump the longest

In Trump's first term, Macron appeared confident that he could persuade and influence the U.S. leader, but the relationship increasingly has come to be defined by their disagreements.

Macron now says he is “careful” about Trump's statements, suggesting he no longer takes them at face value. Their relationship remains cordial as each calls the other “my friend.” But the relationship has also experienced some ups and downs.

As president-elect, Trump attended the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris in late 2024 at Macron's invitation. After Trump began his second term in 2025, Macron was an early Oval Office visitor. The president wrote on social media that he was “delighted” to welcome Macron back to the White House and said the relationship with France has been “very special.”

But at one point during the meeting, the French president publicly corrected Trump after he wrongly suggested that Europe would recover the money it had provided to support Ukraine. With a smile, Macron touched Trump's forearm and replied, “We provided real money.”

Macron also condemned as “brutal and unfounded” new tariffs that Trump slapped on steel, aluminum and a broader range of European imports in early 2025.

But there have also been some lighter moments mixed with the tensions.

A documentary aired last year on French television showed Macron telling Trump during a phone call that Zelenskyy had agreed to a U.S.-backed ceasefire proposal. Trump replied, “You’re the greatest.”

Macron has often said he can reach Trump directly whenever he needs to — and proved his point during last year’s U.N. General Assembly session in New York. After police officers blocked the French leader from crossing a street because traffic had been halted for Trump’s motorcade, Macron whipped out his cellphone and dialed the U.S. president.

“How are you?” Macron said. “Guess what? I’m waiting in the street because everything is frozen for you!”

‘This is not a show,’ Macron has said about Trump's NATO ambiguity

Macron has argued that Trump’s “America first” policies bolstered his case for a stronger European defense capability that would lessen reliance on the United States.

In April of this year, as Trump sent mixed signals about Washington's commitment to NATO after the start of the war in Iran, Macron delivered some of his sharpest criticism of the U.S. president.

“There is too much talk, and it's going in all directions,” Macron said. “We all need stability, calm and a return to peace. This is not a show.”

“You have to be serious, and when you want to be serious, you don't say the opposite every day of what you said the day before,” he said.

Trump, while mimicking a French accent, recently has taken to reenacting a conversation he says he had with Macron over drug prices and tariffs. Trump also poked Macron by telling a private luncheon in April that his wife, Brigitte Macron, treats her husband badly. The comments were in a video the White House had posted on its YouTube channel before blocking access.

Macron didn't see any humor in Trump's comments. “The remarks I heard were neither elegant nor appropriate,” he said. “They do not deserve a response.”

Still, Macron has tried to accommodate Trump's schedule to ensure his presence at the summit in Evian-les-Bains, knowing that he has a record of leaving such gatherings early.

Macron originally had set Sunday, which is Trump's 80th birthday, as the opening day of the summit, but he pushed the start back a day because Trump is celebrating the occasion with a UFC show staged on the White House grounds.

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Corbet reported from Paris.

The World Cup returns to the U.S. on Friday for the first time in 32 years after Trump threw himself into winning the bid to co-host the soccer tourney during his first term. He’ll be feted Sunday, his 80th birthday, during a UFC fight night that’s expected to draw thousands to the White House grounds. Hours after the final bout, he’s scheduled to jet off to the G7 summit in the French Alps for talks with several world leaders he’s been beefing with over war and tariffs.

But Trump set expectations even higher for the coming days when he announced Thursday that the U.S. and Iran could come to terms this weekend on an agreement that would set the pathway to end the three-month-old war that's been broadly unpopular with Americans and has rattled global oil markets. He said he plans to dispatch Vice President JD Vance to the signing of the agreement.

Trump has said on several occasions in recent weeks that he's on the cusp of a deal without anything coming to fruition. A spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry told state television following Trump's comments that mediators were active but nothing had been finalized to end the conflict.

Still, Trump is claiming this time might be different.

The breakthrough comes after he threatened to escalate the conflict with more intense bombardment of Iran and by seizing control of Iran’s oil industry, including capturing Iran's vital Kharg Island oil facility. The president's threats followed back-and-forth strikes this week that had rendered a temporary ceasefire agreed to in early April all but meaningless.

“They’ve taken a pounding like very few people could take," Trump said in an Oval Office exchange with reporters as he explained why he was confident that, this time, a deal would come through. "And they want to make the deal a lot more than I do.”

Trump offered scant details about the settlement he says is taking shape, but told reporters that he believed the Iranian supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who is believed to have been wounded on the first day of the war and has not been seen in public since, is ready to sign off on the deal.

Trump is billing the deal as “very strong," though he says it remains “a little conceptual," and says it would ensure Iran is blocked from ever developing a nuclear weapon.

Trump's heightened threats are aimed at creating an off-ramp

With the conflict intensifying over the past week, Trump’s threat to escalate U.S. military action seemed in part aimed at demonstrating to the hawkish flank of his political base that he was willing to play “hardball” with the Iranians if they didn't come to a deal soon, said Ali Vaez, Iran director at the International Crisis Group.

Trump in March warned he would target Iran’s infrastructure and put American troops on Kharg Island before he ultimately backed down, and the two countries agreed to the temporary ceasefire.

Almost immediately after raising the idea again on social media Thursday, Trump appeared to back away. He called into a morning show on Fox News Channel and questioned whether Americans had the “stomach" for an option that would require putting U.S. troops in harm's way.

Hours later, Trump announced he had decided to cancel orders for “very hard” strikes on Iran and said a deal was close.

Vaez said even as Trump was posting on social media Thursday about escalating strikes, mediators from Pakistan, Turkey and Qatar had been making progress in their talks with Iran.

At the same time, Iran also may have reset the equation for Trump with its decision last weekend to attack Israel directly for the first time since the ceasefire after Israeli forces carried out military strikes on Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.

With the move, Iran signaled that Israel could no longer bomb Lebanon without facing a meaningful reaction and in the process also raised the cost for the U.S. to follow through on its commitment to help safeguard Israel.

“It really does appear to me that Trump wants to bring this to an end, but his real challenge is that he’s looking for a victory lap and an exit ramp and those two things are not necessarily compatible,” Vaez said.

Trump expresses frustration with war narrative

Trump has been boasting since the early weeks of the conflict that he'd already won the war — much of the Islamic Republic's leadership has been killed in the bombings and the Iranian navy and air force have been severely degraded.

But Iran continues to effectively keep the Strait of Hormuz closed, choking a waterway through which about 20% of the world's oil supply passed before the war, and has yet to agree to restart negotiations with the U.S. over its concerns about Iran's nuclear program, the main reason Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave to justify launching the war.

But the real problem, Trump grumbled Thursday, was largely a public relations issue.

"They could wave the white flag of surrender. They could say: ‘We surrender, we surrender, we’re finished, we’ve had it. The United States is the greatest power, praise be to Allah,’" Trump said on Fox News. “They could say it loud and clear. And the fake news would say it was a great victory for Iran.”

Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, a former chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said Trump has grown impatient with Iran and the renewed strikes and threats on Kharg Island and Iran's energy sector were intended to get the negotiations back to the “right place.”

Polls show that the conflict is largely unpopular with Americans. McCaul said he believes the Iranians want to “try to drag this out as long as they can,” closer to the midterm elections in November, because they see that as being to their benefit.

War will be high on agenda at next week's G7

Deal or no deal, the war will loom large during next week's talks at the Group of Seven summit in bucolic Évian-les-Bains, France.

Trump has frequently criticized some of the group leaders — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz — for resisting his calls to aid the U.S. and Israeli war effort.

The four leaders have also angered Trump by criticizing how he's gone about executing the war and his lack of consultation with allies before jumping into a conflict that's hurt the global economy as oil prices have surged.

But Trump said he is optimistic he could have an agreement before his talks with leaders in France.

“The strait will officially open as soon as we sign, which could be soon, very soon — maybe over the weekend in Europe,” Trump said.

Defense attorneys for Tyler Robinson have accused prosecutors of going on a “media tour” to discuss expert reports about the bullet. The defense claims those statements violated restrictions imposed by Judge Tony Graf against speaking about the case outside of court.

But prosecutors said they had a right to correct misinformation from Robinson's attorneys about an inconclusive, preliminary finding by ballistics experts, who could not immediately match the bullet fragments with a gun allegedly used by Robinson. Details about the preliminary finding spurred stories speculating about Robinson’s possible exoneration.

“The rules expressly allow lawyers to set the record straight,” Deputy Utah County Attorney Christopher Ballard wrote.

Robinson’s lawyers have tried to guard against media coverage that they say sometimes misrepresents their client, as his case has drawn tremendous public attention. The 23-year-old from southwestern Utah is charged with aggravated murder in the Sept. 10 assassination of Kirk, cofounder of the conservative Turning Point USA organization, on the Utah Valley University campus.

Prosecutors intend to seek the death penalty if Robinson is convicted. He has not yet entered a plea.

Robinson’s attorneys did not specify what sanctions should be levied against prosecutors if Graf agrees they violated his orders and holds them in contempt. But in court filings, the defense team pointed to another criminal case where prosecutors were accused of contempt and said one potential remedy was to bar the state from seeking the death penalty.

While the judge in that earlier case disagreed that an order barring the death penalty was merited, Robinson’s attorneys noted that, “the court did not conclude that such a remedy was beyond its authority where the facts support it.”

Graf has said he will issue his decision about the contempt allegation at a later date.

A key hearing in the case is scheduled for next month, when prosecutors must show they have enough evidence to warrant a trial. That would mark the most significant presentation of evidence to date in the case that has so far focused on matters of media access.

Robinson’s attorneys have asked Graf to halt the proceedings while they appeal a June 1 order in which the judge declined to bar cameras from the courtroom.

Constantino, a political newcomer and candidate in the June 23 Republican primary to succeed Rep. Elise Stefanik, boasts a giant “Vote for Trump” sign atop his successful sticker business in the city of Amsterdam. He recorded a hip-hop album titled “Thank you President Trump." He even gifted Trump a big bronze statue of Trump himself last year at his West Palm Beach golf course.

Constantino's antics have not earned him fans among local party officials, who overwhelmingly support his opponent, state Assembly Member Robert Smullen, in the 21st Congressional District race. But Constantino has won over one powerful Republican who still has the power to sway primaries: Trump.

“Anthony is strongly supported by many of the most Highly Respected MAGA Warriors in our Movement, including Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Roger Stone!” Trump wrote in an endorsement of Constantino.

The president added: “The sign is still there!”

Constantino's battle against Smullen, a former U.S. Marine Corps colonel, is shaping up to be another test of Trump's pull at the ballot box, pitting the brash MAGA disciple against a more traditional conservative in the solid-red district.

Constantino has relentlessly attacked Smullen, calling him a “Trump hater” and giving him a derisive nickname out of the Trump playbook — “Slimebob.” He also doesn't miss a chance to feud with the state's Republican leadership.

“The New York GOP is a failing establishment, it’s a losing establishment,” Constantino said in an interview. “They reject outsiders. This happened with Donald Trump. The Republican Party tried to keep Donald Trump out, as well, because they knew he was going to reform things.”

Smullen has cast himself as the adult in the room, stressing his experience in the state Legislature, his military service, and his own ties to Trump.

“I think I directly represent the vast majority of the people in this district, their values, what they think about issues,” he said.

The district is 'not your country club Republican party’

The largely rural district sprawls across most of New York’s northern tip and includes the Adirondack Mountains, the U.S. Army's Fort Drum, dairy farms and dozens of small cities, towns and villages.

It's solid GOP territory — Stefanik won her last race by 24 points — with registered Republicans outnumbering Democrats 215,000 to 134,000. Voters there skew older and white, with many prison guards, police officers, farmers and devoutly religious people, according to Jack McGuire, an associate professor of politics at the State University of New York at Potsdam.

“It’s not your country club Republican party,” he said.

Stefanik shocked the New York political world when she announced late last year that she was suspending her campaign for governor and would not seek reelection to the House.

Her decision came after she didn't get full-throated support from Trump in the governor's race, and it followed an episode where Trump withdrew her nomination to be his ambassador to the United Nations over concerns about Republicans' threadbare majority in the House.

Local Republicans first began angling for the seat after she was tapped to head to the United Nations, only to begin circling again when she launched her run for governor.

A clash of candidates and styles

Smullen, who represents parts of the district in the state Assembly, is running a traditional campaign, chatting up voters at volunteer firehouses and community events.

He highlights a 24-year military career that included three tours of Afghanistan and combat experience, along with his more than seven years in the state Legislature. His 2018 appointment by Trump to serve in the White House Fellows program, along with attending both of Trump's inaugurations, was a go-to line when Constantino moved to cast himself as the Trump candidate during a recent debate.

“The idea that I have never been a supporter of President Donald Trump is a lie, it really is,” Smullen said during the debate. “And what's happening here is that if you say it long enough and if you say it hard enough then it's going to be true. But it's not true.”

Local GOP officials and committees are backing Smullen, as is the chair of the state Republicans. He also has the support of the state Conservative Party, which guarantees him a line in the general election even if he loses the GOP primary.

Matt Capano, who owns a hardware store in Gloversville, a small city in the district, said he knew Smullen as his local state lawmaker and had to “give him a lot of credit” because of his experience.

Constantino — who found success with his company Sticker Mule — is more of a showman. His style has forced his buttoned-up opponent to let loose. Smullen's campaign launched an anti-Constantino website that excoriates him for, among many other things, his past registration as a Democrat.

“I am the conservative Republican in this race,” Smullen said at the debate.

Constantino responded that he registered as a Democrat to vote for a childhood friend who was running for political office while calling himself a “lifelong conservative."

It didn't take long for him to steer the conversation back toward the president.

“I've always had his back through the whole thing,” he said of Trump. “In fact, in 2020, when he nicely exited the White House and a terrible person named Joe Biden entered, I went and I supported the president quietly by buying a Mar-a-Lago membership."

Last month, Uthmeier shared a notice that he sent to the HOA, identified as Tradition Community Association, Inc., in Port St. Lucie.

In the initial notice, Uthmeier said the HOA had unanimously resolved that “no person shall carry or possess any firearm or other weapon, whether opened or concealed, on any Common Area owned or maintained by the Association.”

Furthermore, Uthmeier explained that the new rule applies to everyone — owners and guests alike — when they’re in common areas like the town hall, splash pad, or dog park.

However, the attorney general also claimed that this violates Florida state statutes, which provide that employers discriminate against employees or expel customers for exercising their Second Amendment rights.

“This is not New York or California,” he wrote. “In Florida, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”

Per the notice, Uthmeier argued that residents and guests are considered “invitees” under that law, meaning the HOA isn’t legally allowed to expel them simply for bearing arms.

[RELATED: Florida AG announces he’s targeting OpenAI]

As such, he demanded that the HOA certify to him in writing that the rule would no longer be enforced. Otherwise, Uthmeier said, his office would take “appropriate action to enforce the law.”

On Thursday, though, Uthmeier announced that the HOA had agreed to finally repeal the firearms ban.

“Those who choose to conceal carry for lawful, defensive purposes are protected by Florida law, and we will use this office to defend those protections,” he wrote.

Last night, Tradition Community Association did the right thing and permanently repealed its blanket firearms ban.

Those who choose to conceal carry for lawful, defensive purposes are protected by Florida law, and we will use this office to defend those protections. https://t.co/VOiSWhjz5m pic.twitter.com/LzPmbovtx1

— Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) June 11, 2026

As part of Operation Bad Habits, detectives posed online as children, ranging in age from 7 to 15 years old, or as parents offering to traffic their children to suspects, according to Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods.

“These predators simply found us. They found our profiles. They solicited us. The only thing that we did is we joined whatever application, whatever website,” Woods said.

[RELATED: News 6 asks state leaders about wrongful arrest investigation]

Woods said the suspects included fathers, teachers, coaches and even a high school student.

One suspect, Ashay Shakes, 31, identified himself as a second-grade teacher at Fessenden Elementary School in Marion County. He is in the country on a work visa from Jamaica.

According to Marion County Public Schools, Shakes started with the school district last August and was notified in February that his contract was not renewed. His last day with the district was May 29.

Another suspect, Wyatt Bernstein, was identified as a Pop Warner football coach.

Woods also pointed to another suspect, Matthew White, who had been arrested in April in Stuart during a child sex predator sting. Woods says he was out on bond when he traveled to Marion County to meet what he thought was a 14-year-old girl.

“We have broken systems throughout this United States, and sometimes our judicial system fails us,” Woods said.

Another suspect, Matthew Szilagyi, is accused of agreeing to meet with what he thought was a 14-year-old girl. The location of the meeting? The Marion County Jail.

“At least he saved me some money. I didn’t have to use all that gas to take him," Woods said.

Woods was joined by a lineup of state officials, including Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Glass, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, Florida Highway Patrol Colonel Howze, Ocala Police Chief Mike Balken, and representatives from Florida’s Fifth District Office of the State Attorney.

Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark said the notice came shortly before the start of the league's executive board meeting to discuss its options in the Sorsby situation.

The temporary injunction issued Monday by a Texas district court prevents the NCAA from enforcing its permanent ban of Sorsby, a decision that sent shock waves across college sports. The transfer QB had been ruled ineligible after he acknowledged years of gambling that included at least 40 bets on his own team while he was a freshman at Indiana. Texas Tech said he has completed a month-long inpatient treatment program and will continue to receive treatment and support while being monitored.

What was the AG's warning to the Big 12?

The letter from the Texas AG's office was addressed to Yormark and Kansas Chancellor Douglas Girod, the chairman of the Big 12 board of directors. It specifically references a conference bylaw that, with a supermajority vote, could result in sanctioning a school that has "engaged in any action or a course of conduct materially adverse to the best interests of the conference taken as a whole.”

The AG's office said any sanctions against Texas Tech for “acting consistent" with the district court injunction “would be a per se violation of federal and state antitrust laws — a naked horizontal agreement among competitors to disadvantage Texas Tech by cutting off access to the resources it needs to compete.”

Beyond any antitrust exposure, the letter said, the Big 12 would also face liability for “breach of contract and tortious interference" for any sanction that results in the alteration of Texas Tech's scheduled games.

The letter was signed by Thomas York, chief of the antitrust division, and Kimberly Gdula, chief of the litigation division. The attorney general, Ken Paxton, is the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate race in Texas this fall.

Yormark said the conference is taking time with its legal counsel to understand the concerns of the state.

Jeffrey Kessler, the attorney who represents Sorsby in his case against the NCAA, sent a separate and similar letter Thursday to the Big 12, according to multiple reports. That letter reportedly referenced the same Big 12 bylaw and warned the league that it is bound by the court's ruling this week.

The NCAA has said it will appeal to the Court of Appeals for the Seventh District of Texas, seeking an accelerated decision to overturn the injunction and again make Sorsby ineligible.

Big 12 is still considering all options

Since NCAA rules call for a permanent loss of eligibility for any player who wagered on his own team, the judge’s decision brought sharp criticism from college sports leadership, including in Texas Tech’s own league. The executive board met as planned Thursday in preparation for a meeting Monday of the Big 12's full board of directors, which is made up of presidents and chancellors from the league's 16 schools.

“We had a good and informative discussion. Sentiment among the executive board was no different from what we heard from the ADs earlier this week,” Yormark said. "Our discussion with the full board will determine our course of action, and all options remain on the table.”

Big 12 athletic directors in a conference call Tuesday expressed strong opposition to Sorsby playing for the Red Raiders in what will be his final college season. Some of those ADs even suggested maybe not playing Texas Tech if he does.

Sorsby transferred to Texas Tech in January for a reported multimillion-dollar deal after playing the past two seasons at Cincinnati, another Big 12 school. The 22-year-old Texas native first spent two seasons at Indiana.

The warning from a big booster

The threat of legal action came one day after Texas Tech billionaire booster and regents chair Cody Campbell mentioned that possibility during a podcast appearance with Dan Dakich. Campbell was addressing reports of schools talking about boycotting the Red Raiders.

“I love when the Big Ten or the K-State AD comes out and says we’ve all gotten together and we’ve talked about how we’re not going to play Tech, because guess what? That’s collusion,” Campbell said. “That’s an antitrust violation. So have fun with that one, guys. You can’t do that.”

Campbell, a former offensive lineman at the school, has been a key figure in helping Texas Tech land top players over the past two years.

The Red Raiders, with one of college football's most expensive rosters, won their first Big 12 title last season, setting a school record with 12 wins and making the 12-team College Football Playoff. Sorsby was brought in to be the starting QB after hometown favorite Behren Morton exhausted his eligibility.

A message from Texas Tech leadership

The school posted a 21-minute video message Thursday night to Red Raiders fans that included school president Lawrence Schovanec, athletic director Kirby Hocutt and coach Joey McGuire talking about how the university is addressing the situation.

“I believe that every person at this table is looking at the student first. And that student is a football player. And that student is where he, I think, feels the safest and also feels to where he can deal with this the most is in this building at Texas Tech,” McGuire said. “And I think that’s where he should be and I’m glad he’s back. I know his teammates are glad he's back.”

Hocutt spoke about the NCAA twice denying Texas Tech's petition to have Sorsby reinstated. The AD also reiterated that the school wasn't a party in the quarterback's separate legal case and didn't pay any of his legal fees.

___

AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts downplayed the significance of the injury.

Roberts said the move was precautionary because the Dodgers did not want to risk Ohtani being injured further.

Roberts also said he is optimistic that Ohtani will be ready to play Friday night when the Dodgers meet the White Sox in Chicago to open a three-game series between division leaders.

“We tried to be smart about it and get him out of the game,” Roberts said. “He told the trainer that he felt a little something behind his knee and I just didn’t see any sense in risking it.”

The reigning NL MVP hit his 13th homer of the season, a solo shot, in the third inning. He also had a single and walked twice, reaching base in all four of his plate appearances.

Ohtani was not made available to the media following the game. He is hitting .305 with 40 RBIs. As a pitcher, he is 6-2 with a 1.06 ERA and 73 strikeouts in 67 2/3 innings.

Starting pitcher Justin Wrobleski left the game in the fifth inning with a left hamstring contusion. The left-hander was hit by a line drive off the bat of Bryan Reynolds. The ball ricocheted off Wrobleski to first baseman Freddie Freeman. Wrobleski collided with Reynolds while taking Freeman’s toss at first base.

“I’ll get some treatment on it and I’ll be fine,” Wrobleski said. “I don’t think it’s a big deal. Just a little frustrating.” ___

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

The justices decided not to lift an injunction blocking Alabama from carrying out what would have been the nation’s ninth execution by nitrogen gas, rejecting a last-minute legal battle by the state as it sought to carry out the sentence in the evening. A spokesperson for the Alabama Department of Corrections said the execution was off for the evening and the state would not try another method.

The high court voted 6-3 and did not explain its reasoning. Three of the conservative justices — Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, and Neil Gorsuch — said they would grant Alabama’s request to lift the injunction and let the execution go forward.

In a statement the legal team for Lee, 49, hailed the decision and noted that his jury had voted for a sentence of life, which a judge overruled.

“His jury voted for life. Two courts ruled the method unconstitutional. Today, the Constitution prevailed,” the statement said. “Now Governor Ivey can finish what the jury started: restore the jury’s verdict of life without parole.”

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall promised the families of the victims that authorities will continue to seek justice, saying in a statement: “The State is prepared to do whatever is necessary to see Mr. Lee’s lawful sentence carried out.”

“Tonight’s ruling is a miscarriage of justice, not for us, but for Jimmy Ellis and Elaine Thompson, who Jeffery Lee brutally and senselessly murdered and left on the floor of their place of business,” Marshall said. Tonight I am also keeping their families in mind, many of whom were prepared to witness the final act of justice be served.”

Prison officials said Lee did not request a final meal Thursday but had potato chips, Skittles, water and a Sprite in the hours ahead of his possible execution.

The ruling was at least a temporary, rare victory for opponents of capital punishment in a state that has had one of the busiest death chambers in the country. And it capped an extraordinary legal back-and-forth over the humaneness of nitrogen gas as an execution method.

Legal challenge wended its way through the courts

Lee filed a lawsuit challenging Alabama’s protocol as a violation of the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment, and U.S. District Judge Emily Marks ruled the method constitutional in May.

But a three-judge panel from the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed her decision Monday, saying the three minutes it could take for an inmate to lose awareness is an “intolerable” time frame “given the suffering that would likely take place under Alabama’s nitrogen hypoxia protocol.”

Marks reevaluated the case and ruled again Tuesday saying Lee had shown “that the protocol constitutes cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the Eighth Amendment.” The state appealed to the Supreme Court.

“If that ruling stands, it would be unprecedented in American history. Not only does it portend the first-ever permanent ban on a legislatively enacted method, but it would expand the concept of cruelty well beyond the bounds of the Eighth Amendment,” lawyers with the Alabama Attorney General’s Office wrote.

Lee’s lawyers asked the high court to keep the execution on hold, saying in a response that Alabama was asking it to intervene at the eleventh hour “to allow an execution that has been found unconstitutional to proceed.”

The decision blocks Lee's execution in the immediate future, but it is unclear how long the reprieve will last. The state maintains that nitrogen is constitutional, and the lower-court order blocks only that method and other means of execution such as lethal injection and the electric chair, both of which are authorized in Alabama.

Nitrogen executions introduced in the state 2 years ago

Alabama began using nitrogen gas to carry out some executions in 2024. The method involves strapping a respirator to a person’s face and replacing breathable air with pure nitrogen gas, causing death from lack of oxygen.

Nitrogen has been used in eight executions in the United States — seven times in Alabama and once in Louisiana. Lee was scheduled to be the ninth.

During the previous Alabama nitrogen executions, the inmates shook, pulled at the restraints and exhibited labored breathing. During the state’s last execution by nitrogen gas, 30 minutes elapsed between Anthony Boyd exhibiting signs of being impacted by the gas and state officials closing the curtain to the viewing room to signal the execution was complete.

The state has maintained that the method is constitutional and causes no more suffering than other execution methods.

Lee, who is currently housed at William C. Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, was convicted of two counts of capital murder for killing Ellis and Thompson while robbing a pawnshop on Dec. 12, 1998.

Prosecutors said Lee entered Jimmy’s Pawnshop with a sawed-off shotgun and shot Ellis, the owner, and Thompson, an employee.

Alabama no longer allows judicial overrides in capital cases

A jury voted 7-5 to give Lee a sentence of life imprisonment. However a judge overrode that and sentenced him to death.

Alabama ended the practice of judicial override in 2017 and no longer allows a judge to disregard a jury’s sentencing decision in death penalty cases.

Bestselling author John Grisham called on Gov. Kay Ivey to honor the jury's decision and commute Lee's sentence to life without parole.

“The practice of a judge overriding a jury was declared unconstitutional and so indefensible that Alabama itself abolished it in 2017,” Grisham said in a statement. “Jeffery Lee’s jury made its decision, the Alabama Legislature later agreed that juries, not judges, should decide life or death sentences.”

Ivey, for her part, said Thursday night: “While I am disappointed the Supreme Court did not allow the state to proceed with Lee’s chosen method of execution, I remain committed to ensuring that justice is ultimately served for his victims.”

Two-year-old Tiana and 11-month-old Jaliyah were shot and killed Friday inside their home at the Palmetto at Lakeside Apartments on Rio Grande Avenue. Police said the girls’ father, 33-year-old Bryant Watts, shot them.

Their uncle, Leroy Jackson III, hosted the vigil as dozens of people came out to support the family. Jackson said the girls had a way of brightening the day of anyone around them.

“You could really be having a bad day...ever had one of those days and it’s really bad and the kids just come up to you and say, “Hey!” and you like oh my goodness, right? They really were...brightened up your day,“ said Jackson.

Jaliyah would have turned 1 on June 22.

In the days since the shooting, additional details have emerged about Watts’ criminal history. Thursday also marked one week since Watts was scheduled for a pretrial motion hearing connected to a domestic violence incident involving his girlfriend in November 2025.

During the vigil, people embraced, prayed and cried as they stood near photos of Tiana and Jaliyah. Children’s toys, including Bluey and Mickey Mouse characters, were placed near the pictures, and several people brought flowers to pay their respects.

One message repeated throughout the evening was a reminder to cherish loved ones.

“When you’re with your kids and you’re with your family and you’re with everyone hug them as close as you can because ya never know...you never know,” said Jackson.

Jackson said despite the tragedy, faith is helping carry the family through.

“Even in the midst of this, God is good,“ he said.

Jurors found Alvin Campbell, 45, guilty of 21 out of 22 counts for sex assaults from 2017 to 2019, the Suffolk County district attorney's office said. He was found guilty of charges including aggravated rape, kidnapping and photographing an unsuspecting nude person.

The jury was deadlocked on one of the rape charges.

“We will determine our action, if any, at a future date on that charge,” the district attorney's office said in a statement.

Campbell faces up to life in prison for aggravated rape when he is sentenced on June 29.

Campbell posed as a rideshare driver to target women outside bars or other locations, prosecutors said.

His younger sister became the first woman of color to win statewide office in Massachusetts when she was sworn in as attorney general in 2023. A spokesperson for the attorney general's office didn't immediately return an email from The Associated Press late Thursday seeking comment on the verdict.

Andrea Campbell has spoken previously about her family's troubled history in the criminal justice system, including her brother's rape charges.

“One thing I do frequently is share my story because I think there are so many who carry their story with a sense of shame and don’t want to talk about it, including the criminal aspects of my family,” she said in a previous interview with the AP. “But there is no shame in one sharing their story. There is power in it.”

The attorney general is the chief lawyer and law enforcement officer in the state.

After the verdict, Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden told reporters he hadn't spoken with the attorney general.

Alvin Campbell “deceivingly and calculatedly” preyed upon women in their most vulnerable moments, Hayden said. “I can't imagine what that horror must have been like for them.”

Campbell's defense attorney didn't immediately respond to a phone message and email from the AP.

Hayden expressed gratitude to the women who testified: “We’re happy that we were able to secure justice and accountability for them and so we thank them.”

That was the message from Florida Representative Debra Tendrich as she responded to two recent cases in Central Florida.

In Orange County, authorities say Bryant Watts, a convicted felon, shot and killed his two young daughters, Tiana and Jaliyajh, before killing himself at their apartment last week. The killings happened one day after Watts was in court on charges accusing him of beating his girlfriend.

Investigators say after an alleged attack last November, the girlfriend left with little Jaliyah.

Tendrich said these cases show violence can reach children in places that should be safe.

A child’s safest place should be their home, but we’re seeing in these cases that’s not the case, Tendrich said.

Tendrich also pointed to the death of 3-year-old Paisley Brown in Marion County. Detectives say the child was beaten to death in February inside her home. The mother’s boyfriend, Jeroen Coombs, is charged with murder after investigators say he admitted tying down and punching the child. Paisley’s mother, Jennifer Kendrick, faces a charge of child neglect.

Tendrich, a domestic violence survivor, said leaving an abusive situation can be especially difficult when children and finances are involved. Her new proposal, House Bill 277, would increase the amount of financial help available to victims who need to relocate.

A lot of times, victims will stay is because of children, because the cost of leaving, Tendrich said. This bill actually increases the victim relocation allowance.

The bill also strengthens penalties for repeat offenders, expands electronic monitoring, and allows judges to order abuse suspects to stay away from a victim’s pets.

That provision is significant for Harbor House of Central Florida, which operates the Paws for Peace kennel program so survivors can bring cats and dogs with them when they seek safety.

The organization’s CEO said the group is especially encouraged by language that recognizes threats or harm to family pets as a factor in protective injunction cases. The CEO noted abusers often use pets as a means of control and many survivors delay leaving because they fear for their animals’ safety.

If passed and signed, HB 277 would take effect statewide July 1.

READ THE FULL BILL HERE- House Bill 277 (2026) - The Florida Senate

And for those in need of domestic violence help, Harbor House of Central Florida can be reached via its 24-hour Crisis Hotline Number, (407)-886-2856.

The event, held at Spirit of Joy Church in Orlando, featured “Baquiné Para Los Ángeles, Pulse 10,” a traditional Afro-Puerto Rican ceremony that organizers said was intended to bring comfort and healing ahead of Friday.

The ceremony included traditional music, dancing and cultural practices rooted in Puerto Rican and Caribbean traditions.

Nancy Rosado, one of the organizers, said the event was designed to connect families with a tradition that many may not have previously experienced in Central Florida.

“This is the first time they will be exposed to something that is theirs, but here,” Rosado said. “Here not being Puerto Rico. Here not meaning the Caribbean.”

Rosado explained that a baquiné is traditionally held following the death of a child and focuses on celebrating the innocence of the deceased rather than solely mourning the loss.

“Whenever a child died, it wasn’t mourned,” Rosado said. “Of course you feel the pain and all that, but it was celebrated because it was perceived as an innocent soul and was automatically going to heaven.”

Organizers said they hoped the ceremony would provide families with a sense of peace as they prepare for the emotions that often accompany the anniversary of the June 12, 2016, attack.

“We are hoping that this is a good intervention to kind of interrupt those feelings a little bit and move them to a better frame of mind so tomorrow is not as painful,” Rosado said.

Also speaking during the event was former Arizona congresswoman Gabby Giffords, who survived an assassination attempt in 2011 that left six people dead.

“I’ve known the darkest of days. Days of pain and uncertain recovery,” Giffords told attendees.

Giffords spoke about her recovery journey and her continued advocacy for gun violence prevention.

“I put one foot in front of the other. I found one word and then I found another,” she said.

Calling the nation to action, Giffords said, “America needs all of us to speak out, even when you have to fight to find the words. I’m also in the second fight — the fight to stop gun violence.”

Organizers said they hope everyone who attended left feeling more prepared for Friday’s remembrance events and the emotions that come with marking a decade since the tragedy that changed Orlando forever.

In an arrest warrant affidavit, deputies said the traffic stop happened back in April along Interstate 95, shortly before 3 a.m.

“During the stop, a controlled substance was located within the vehicle and in the driver’s purse,” the affidavit reads. “After advising the driver of their Miranda Rights and beginning a post-Miranda interview, the defendant arrived on scene.”

The defendant — later identified as Derek Schaufus, 30 — came up to the stop and was identified by the driver as her attorney, deputies explained. They also said that the driver refused to speak with the responding deputy any longer, instead referring him to “her lawyer.”

In fact, Schaufus had shown up wearing a full suit and tie, asking about legal procedures, the existence of probable cause, and even trying to negotiate a deal for the driver, the affidavit reveals.

Per investigators, Schaufus claimed to be bar certified and licensed to practice in both Florida and Georgia, but when asked for proof, he said he didn’t have any documentation with him.

A check of the vehicle’s information confirmed Schaufus was not, in fact, an attorney, though it did show he had been arrested last year on a charge of DUI, according to the sheriff’s office.

“(I) asked the driver how she knew (Schaufus), and she advised it was through a friend,” the affidavit continues. “She had spoken with him in the past, and he had told her he was a lawyer. She felt she needed a lawyer during the traffic stop, so she called him to contract his services.”

As a result of the incident, Schaufus was arrested this month and now faces charges of obstruction by a disguised person and practicing law without a license.

Meanwhile, body-camera footage of the traffic stop has been obtained by News 6 and can be found at the top of this story.

Trump announced the nomination on social media amid pressure from Congress to name a permanent replacement for Tulsi Gabbard, who announced her resignation last month. Trump faced intense pushback over his decision to name Bill Pulte, head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, as acting director. The job oversees the coordination of 18 intelligence agencies.

The resulting uproar led to a standoff in Congress after Democrats said they would refuse to renew foreign intelligence powers unless Trump pulled Pulte’s nomination and named a permanent nominee.

“Few people anywhere in the Legal Community are respected at the level of Jay,” Trump wrote. “I encourage the United States Senate to confirm Jay as soon as possible.”

Speaking later Thursday in the Oval Office, Trump said he still plans to keep Pulte in the role “for a little while” after earlier saying he wants Pulte to downsize the office. He called Clayton an “incredible talent” and said, “Nobody has better credentials.”

As the U.S. attorney in Manhattan, Clayton oversees the most prestigious of the Justice Department’s prosecution offices, with a vast portfolio ranging from terrorism and espionage cases to security fraud and public corruption.

He took over from interim U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon, who resigned in February after refusing to carry out orders from the Justice Department to drop corruption charges against Mayor Eric Adams. The case was eventually dropped after prosecutors from Washington submitted a request to a judge.

Republicans hope to move quickly on nomination

The Senate Intelligence Committee plans to hold a confirmation hearing for Clayton on Wednesday, according to a person who requested anonymity to discuss it ahead of an official notice.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., told reporters that the Senate hopes to receive Clayton’s nomination paperwork from the White House as soon as Thursday. “We will move quickly,” he said.

Democrats are holding up the renewal of a key surveillance law, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, in protest of Trump’s decision to temporarily tap Pulte. They say they won’t support an extension of the law, which expires at midnight Friday, until Trump withdraws Pulte’s appointment.

Trump previously said Pulte would take over on June 19. It is unclear whether the Senate could move quickly enough to confirm Clayton before that date.

“I don’t know what realistic is, but we’re gonna probe the limits of it,” Thune said.

Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said that he has “known and respected” Clayton for decades and that if Trump had named him as the DNI nominee last week, “lots of pain might have been avoided.”

“His intelligence, temperament and deep commitment to public service will make him a terrific DNI,” Himes said.

Asked about Clayton’s nomination, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said, “Pulte has to go.”

“He cannot be in the DNI role,” Schumer said. “It’s too important.”

Trump's pick has led SDNY during a tumultuous period

Clayton navigated his way through a 14-month tenure in the Southern District of New York without clashing with the federal judges in the busiest court in the nation, unlike his counterparts in upstate New York and New Jersey. After his interim term expired after 120 days, the judges of the Southern District appointed him as U.S. attorney.

Clayton was sworn in April 2025 on the same day three prosecutors resigned, saying they felt pressured to admit wrongdoing or regret about prosecuting the case against Adams.

Then, weeks later, the office had to withstand controversy over the Trump administration’s firing of one of its most respected and successful prosecutors, Maurene Comey. She claims she was fired because of Trump’s dislike of her father, former FBI Director James Comey.

Under Clayton, the Manhattan U.S. Attorney’s Office facilitated the unsealing of thousands of pages of court records from the prosecutions of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell — documents that were made public as part of the Justice Department’s release of records related to the late sex offender and his longtime confidant.

Clayton filed documents with the court explaining the process the government followed in releasing the materials.

Clayton has also overseen the prosecution of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and Maduro’s wife, Cilia Flores, on drug trafficking charges.

Clayton has overseen cases involving national security threats

Several recent terrorism cases brought by Clayton’s office touch on the global threats and influences that he’ll be navigating if confirmed as director of national intelligence.

They include the May arrest of Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, an Iraqi and Iranian citizen accused of plotting 20 attacks in Europe and Canada and planning to attack a Manhattan synagogue and Jewish centers in Los Angeles and Scottsdale, Arizona, in retaliation for the U.S. war on Iran.

“There are foreign nations and terrorist organizations that see our success as a threat. A threat that they want eliminated,” Clayton said at a recent press briefing. “That is a stark truth.”

“And don’t take my word for it,” he added. “Take their words and their actions. When your enemies tell you something, and when they act, you should know that they mean it.”

The first Trump administration tried in June 2020 to install Clayton, then the chairman of the SEC, as U.S. attorney in Manhattan, but backed down and instead allowed Deputy U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss to serve in the post. The reversal came after then-U. S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman agreed to step down, following assurances that probes into Trump allies would not be disrupted and that Strauss could lead the office.

At the time, the office was looking into dealings by Rudy Giuliani, who was serving as Trump’s personal attorney, and was also investigating the actions of a state-owned Turkish bank.

___

Neumeister and Sisak reported from New York. Associated Press writers Eric Tucker, Mary Clare Jalonick and Seung Min Kim in Washington contributed to this report.

No World Cup match has had that many players ejected since a 2006 game between Portugal and the Netherlands, when four players received red cards — a World Cup record.

The last World Cup in Qatar in 2022 had only four red cards in the entire tournament.

On Thursday at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, Sphephelo Sithole and Themba Zwane were sent off for South Africa while César Montes was shown a red card for the tournament co-host.

It’s the first time three players have been sent off in the opening match of a World Cup – and all three were straight red cards, meaning none of the ejected players were given two yellows.

Mexico won the match 2-0.

Sithole was red-carded after taking down Mexico’s Brian Gutierrez on the edge of the box at the start of the second half.

Things got worse for South Africa when Zwane was sent off following a video review for striking Roberto Alvarado in the face in the 84th minute. Finally, in stoppage time, Montes saw red for bringing down Khuliso Mudau.

The red cards mean the three players will be suspended for at least one more match. South Africa’s next match is against the Czech Republic and Mexico next faces South Korea in Guadalajara.

The match between Portugal and the Netherlands at the 2006 World Cup in Germany stands out with its four red cards – two for each team. That game in Nuremberg also had 16 yellow cards.

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AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

Italian prosecutors are investigating Montgomery, Alabama-based Caddell Construction, a major builder of U.S. diplomatic missions. Two of its managers in Italy were arrested this month on suspicion of labor exploitation, one while boarding a flight to leave the country and another planning to flee, prosecutors said.

The investigation is led by prosecutor Paolo Storari, who also has spearheaded probes into sweatshops supplying luxury brands. So far only Caddell has been named as a target, not any of its subcontractors.

The consulate probe was launched about six months ago and involves some 70 workers, mostly from India. Prosecutors allege Caddell illegally deducted room and board from wages and forced them to work 10-hour days, six days a week. Some were paid as little as 500 euros (less than $580) monthly after room and board were deducted, prosecutors said. Minimum wage for construction workers in Milan starts at 13.39 euros (over $15) an hour, according to the Cassa Edile benefits fund.

Caddell and the U.S. State Department said they are investigating the allegations and cooperating with Italian authorities.

The consulate project is part of a construction boom in Milan over the past two decades that has modernized the skyline and raised the international profile of Italy’s fashion and finance capital.

Workers describe unpaid wages and threats

The AP spoke to four workers from Kenya and one from India at a trade union center where officials were organizing assistance, including legal help and housing. The workers provided documentation and spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation and to protect the ongoing investigation.

The Kenyan workers said they had been hired by Caddell after working on a multi-million-dollar extension of the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi.

Two showed employment letters on Caddell stationery signed by a company representative promising annual salaries topping 25,000 euros (nearly $29,000).

They said they were not paid anything close to that and were threatened by human resources personnel at the job site after they questioned management.

“When you go to the office to ask any question, you are being told, ‘Either you work or you will be returned to your country. That’s the amount you are supposed to be paid,’’’ one Kenyan electrician said. He added that he was paid just 800 euros ($925) a month after being promised 2,300 euros ($2,660).

Another Kenyan electrician said he was threatened with defamation after presenting an AI summary of Italian labor law and was told the 25,000 euros in the employment letter was “for visa purposes,” not a promise of payment.

US government and Caddell say they are investigating

The State Department said it is investigating the allegations made by prosecutors and that U.S. law enforcement is working with Italian authorities.

“The U.S. government does not tolerate labor exploitation,” the department said in a statement.

Caddell said it was “fully cooperating” with Italian authorities and conducting its own “comprehensive inquiry into this matter to ensure all our global subcontractors and consultancies are in compliance with all labor standards and legal requirements.”

“Caddell is committed (to) treating and paying workers fairly. We will continue to work with authorities in good faith to ensure the welfare of those who work on this important project,” the company said in a statement.

More than a decade ago, Caddell paid millions to the U.S. government to settle allegations it made false claims to gain access to government incentives. Caddell did not reply to a request for comment on that case.

Fired workers seek help

All five of the workers who spoke to the AP, ranging in age from their late 20s to early 50s, said they were fired without cause this year. One of them said he returned from visiting family in Kenya to find that he no longer had a job or place to stay.

Four of the workers were trained electricians, including the Indian worker whose resume showed he had more than a decade of experience working for other companies in Persian Gulf countries.

The Indian worker said he was promised a monthly salary of 2,500 euros (nearly $3,000). Instead, he had a pay slip showing his actual pay amounted to around 500 euros (less than $580) per month. It listed an hourly wage of 1.55 euros ($1.80).

The Kenyans said they reached out to authorities after learning of the investigation.

“I believe in justice,” one said. “Also the workers there should not be afraid. They should come and speak up.”

Two said they are currently sleeping in parks, while one is staying with a friend. One said he had been offered a job at a Caddell site in another country but declined after his treatment in Milan.

Caddell is a major diplomatic contractor

Caddell became a leader in building U.S. diplomatic missions when the State Department launched a major security upgrade after the 1998 bombings of U.S. Embassies in Tanzania and Kenya killed more than 250 people.

“Very few contractors can meet the strict requirements to even bid on secure work necessary for diplomatic facility projects,” Caddell said on its website marking its 40th anniversary in 2023. At that point, the firm counted 39 projects in its embassy portfolio valued at $7.4 billion. It has added four projects since then.

The Milan consulate campus is being built on a 10-acre (40,000-square meter) site at a former shooting range. The current U.S. Consulate is in a high-rise building designed by acclaimed Italian architect Gio Ponti.

Plans for the campus called for about 500 “locally employed workers,” according to the U.S. State Department. The project includes restoration of a century-old building, along with a five-story consulate building, restored gardens, a reflecting pool and a large outdoor gathering area.

Work is continuing under court supervision. Workers no longer have their room and board deducted. They are limited to 45 hours and guaranteed two days off a week.

Pay records appear to bolster allegations

The pay stubs presented by the workers listed apparent charges of 510 euros (around $590) a month for housing and more than 300 euros (around $350) monthly for food. But those deductions only account for a portion of the difference between the promised wages and actual pay.

Unions intend to seek damages for the workers to recover at least what they earned “through hard work and commitment,” said Laura Malguzzi, a labor representative at the Fillea Cgil union federation representing construction workers.

Malguzzi said she was surprised that the pay stubs presented by the workers appeared to document the alleged exploitation. Union experts are still studying the documents, which do not conform to Italian standards, and could not verify their origins.

“They probably had in their minds the absolute certainty that they were untouchable,’’ Malguzzi said.

The Kenyan workers said they begrudgingly accepted a $200 monthly salary in Nairobi, where unemployment is rampant. But they expected better from a U.S. company operating in Europe.

“They can just hire you, and you just go running,” one worker said of the company. “Because you are poor you have nothing. And you have nothing you can do.”

The 7.8 magnitude offshore quake, one of the strongest to hit the Philippine archipelago in a half century, struck Monday off the southern province of Sarangani and has left at least 47 people dead and injured 688 with 31 still missing.

More than 45,000 people remained displaced, about half in emergency shelters, after the quake damaged more than 12,600 houses in farming towns and cities. Many were still too traumatized to return home due to aftershocks, provincial officials said.

Sarangani reported 20 dead from the quake, the highest toll from the affected provinces, mostly due to a landslide that buried houses in the coastal town of Glan, according to the government's Office of Civil Defense, which deals with major disasters.

Glan Mayor Victor James Yap said power has not been restored to his province and 10 of 31 villages in his town of more than 100,000 people remained inaccessible mostly due to landslides. He asked the government to immediately deploy air force helicopters to deliver food and other aid to the stricken areas.

“We need food and water but it’s difficult to transport them to some of our villages which remain isolated,” Yap told DZMM radio network. “Choppers are needed to transport food because people there are already very hungry.”

A key access road to the town has been reopened and will allow the delivery of fuel as early as Thursday, but the town remained without power and cellphone services were still spotty, according to Yap.

The Office of Civil Defense said more than 26 million pesos ($426,000) worth of food packs, cash and other aid have been provided so far and 180 government and military planes, helicopters, ships and trucks have been deployed to respond to the disaster.

About 3,400 government and military personnel were involved in search efforts for the missing, debris-clearing in roads, damage assessment and other disaster-mitigation work, it said.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday visited the hard-hit city of General Santos city, where he inspected damaged hospitals and schools and discussed recovery efforts. He ordered the release of 100 million pesos ($1.6 million) for the repair of the partly collapsed city hall and 50,000 pesos ($820) for the families of each of the victims who died in the quake.

Most of the deaths from the quake were caused by falling debris from collapsed buildings and landslides in Sarangani, the coastal city of General Santos, and the outlying provinces of South Cotabato and Davao Occidental.

Two swimmers drowned and one remained missing off General Santos after being swept out to sea shortly after the quake hit. Waves of up to 1.4 meters (4.6 feet) above tide level were measured in the country’s south and smaller waves washed ashore in Indonesia and Palau and as far away as southern Japan.

The earthquake was one of the strongest to hit the country since an 8.1 magnitude quake and tsunami on Aug. 17, 1976, that killed about 8,000 people.

The Philippines is often hit by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of seismic faults around the ocean.

___

Associated Press journalist Jim Gomez contributed to this report from Manila, Philippines.

Canadian journalist Lyse Doucet won the Women’s Prize for Nonfiction with “The Finest Hotel in Kabul: A People’s History of Afghanistan.”

Both prizes come with a 30,000 pound ($40,000) purse and are open to female English-language writers from any country.

Evans wrote fiction for two decades before writing “The Correspondent" during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it was released quietly in 2025. A story told through years’ worth of letters from retired lawyer Sybil Van Antwerp to friends, family and famous writers, it gradually climbed bestseller lists and became a book club favorite. A film adaptation starring Jane Fonda is in the works.

Former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who chaired the fiction judging panel, said the novel “captured our hearts” by “elevating an ordinary life in the most heartfelt of ways.”

Evans said she “developed a very thick skin for rejection and failure” during the years of writing without getting published.

“Why did I keep going? I didn’t know how not to, I guess,” she told The Associated Press.

“I was writing the book that I wanted to read,” she added. “I guess the book that I was wanting to read was the book a lot of people were wanting to read.”

She said “The Correspondent” is in part a cry against the loss of handwritten letters — “the real tale of history” — in our digital age.

“If you want to know what happened somewhere, you need to read somebody saying to their mom, ‘This is what happened to me today,'" she said. "And so I feel a grief about that. There’s something I probably was reaching for when I was writing the book, which was the preservation of the memory of that.”

Doucet, the BBC’s chief international correspondent, profiles staff and guests of Kabul’s once-glamorous Inter-Continental Hotel — scarred but still standing — to provide a microcosm of Afghanistan’s turbulent recent history.

Labour Party politician Thangam Debbonaire, head of the nonfiction jury, called it “a perfect work of narrative non-fiction” that is “informed by decades of excellent reporting.”

Doucet, who has been visiting Afghanistan as a journalist since the 1980s, said she wrote the book to provide a fuller picture than the “snapshot” of news coverage allows.

“My experience from decades of covering countries and people in the hardest of times is that people still have to get up every day and find an everyday courage to get through the day,” she said. "And even in the darkest of places … people find humor to bring light, they try to live with hope to bring some kind of relief and they try to live with humanity.”

Previous winners of the fiction prize, founded in 1996, include Zadie Smith, Tayari Jones and Barbara Kingsolver.

The sister prize for nonfiction was founded in 2024 to help redress a gender imbalance in publishing. In 2022, only 26.5% of nonfiction books reviewed in Britain’s newspapers were by women, and male writers dominated established nonfiction writing prizes.

Last year’s nonfiction winner was British physician Rachel Clarke’s account of an organ transplant, “The Story of a Heart.”

The 33-year-old Endo posted his decision on his X account in Japanese three days before his team's Group F opener against the Netherlands. The Japan team has been training in Nashville, Tennessee.

“Since getting injured and up till this point, I’ve done everything I could and I have no regret,” said Endo, who underwent surgery on his left foot in February. He came off at halftime on his return in Japan’s 1-0 warmup match victory against Iceland on May 31 in Tokyo.

“With this campaign, I will be retiring from the national team. So from here on, I’ll be cheering for the Japan national team as one of the fans."

National team director Masakuni Yamamoto said Ajax defender Ko Itakura has been named the new captain, while Borussia Monchengladbach forward Shuto Machino has been called up as a replacement for Endo.

___

AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

In a new blow to the Kremlin's narrative that Moscow is winning the 4-year-old war in Ukraine, Kyiv's forces have targeted supplies to Crimea, triggering the worst fuel crisis on the Black Sea peninsula since it was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014.

The persistent attacks reflect the growing intensity and efficiency of Ukraine’s drone strikes and have caught Russia off-guard and struggling for a response.

As the country marks the Russia Day national holiday on Friday, signaling the start of summer vacations, the gas shortages are threatening to cause further disruptions to the tourism-dependent region with its beaches and resorts.

In a rare public acknowledgment, the Kremlin has recognized the scope of the problem and promised to address the issue quickly.

Ukraine's successes have highlighted its ability to inflict painful damage to Russia and change the course of the conflict while Moscow’s advances recently have ground to a near halt. On Thursday, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine reached its 1,569th day, surpassing the duration of World War I.

Crimea’s importance to Russia

Crimea has been a jewel in Russia’s imperial crown since it was seized from Turkic-speaking Tatars in the 18th century after Moscow defeated the Ottoman Empire.

Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev transferred Crimea from Russia to Ukraine in 1954 when both republics were part of the USSR. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, the diamond-shaped peninsula became part of newly independent Ukraine.

Russia kept a naval base in Sevastopol, and when a Moscow-friendly Ukrainian president was ousted by a popular uprising in February 2014, Russian President Vladimir Putin sent in troops to overtake Crimea. Weeks later, Moscow annexed the peninsula following a referendum that most of the world refuses to recognize.

Soon afterward, a Moscow-backed separatist insurgency erupted in eastern Ukraine, and fighting there raged with varying intensity until the February 2022 invasion. Russian troops concentrated in Crimea quickly seized large parts of southern Ukraine early in the war and secured the land route to the peninsula.

Since early in the war, Ukraine has fired missiles and drones to try to dislodge Moscow’s hold on the territory. The Ukrainian military sank several Russian warships in the Black Sea and at their Crimean bases, crippling Moscow’s naval capability and forcing it to redeploy its fleet to Novorossiysk.

Ukraine also methodically targeted munitions depots, airfields and Putin’s prized asset, the Kerch Bridge linking Crimea to Russia. The span was struck by a truck bomb in October 2022 that killed five people, blew up two sections of the bridge and required months of repairs. More attacks on the bridge followed in 2023 and 2025.

Ukraine's attacks on the land corridor to Crimea

Sine the Kerch Bridge attacks, Russia has channeled most fuel and other supplies along the highway and railroad via the occupied territories along the Sea of Azov coast. Those shipments were interrupted last month, when Ukrainian drones hit fuel trucks on the highway that Moscow once deemed to be safe, leaving behind dozens of burning vehicles.

Other relentless Ukrainian strikes hit refineries, oil depots and pipelines deep inside Russia, hurting its oil exports and causing domestic fuel shortages.

The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War noted the synergy between the longer-range attacks and those disrupting supplies to Crimea and other occupied regions.

“The long-range strike campaign is therefore reducing Russia’s production capacity, while the midrange strike campaign is hurting Russia’s ability to transport the gasoline Russia is still able to produce,” it said in an analysis.

Making maters worse, Ukrainian drones this week repeatedly hit the Chonhar Bridge, which links mainland Ukraine and Crimea over a shallow strait. Authorities deployed pontoon bridges.

The Ukrainian military said it struck the bridge to disrupt movement of troops, ammunition and fuel from Crimea.

Queues and gas rationing

It's not immediately clear how the fuel disruptions will affect Russian military operations, but residents of Crimea and other occupied territories are keenly feeling the blow.

The peninsula has had periodic fuel shortages from Ukrainian strikes before, but this crisis is the worst since its 2014 annexation.

At the end of May, authorities restricted the sale of gasoline to 20 liters (5 1/3 gallons) per vehicle owner per week using prepaid coupons. Those were snapped up immediately following their release on an official messaging app channel, and motorists lined up for hours, waiting to refuel.

Social networks have been abuzz with requests and advice on where to find fuel, and authorities launched a hotline for tourists who have found themselves trapped.

While fuel shipments over the Kerch Bridge long has been suspended for security reasons since the Ukrainian attacks, fuel also has been carried by ferries. Those shipments are expected to increase.

Some motorists bring their own gas over the bridge from the mainland, but they are restricted to carrying 100 liters (about 26 1/2 gallons) per vehicle. Some speculators are selling gas at double the market price.

Crimea attracted nearly 7 million tourists last year, and it had hoped to top that number this year. The business daily Kommersant reported that nearly 80% of hotel bookings were canceled in late May and early June.

Some hotels offered gasoline as a bonus for new bookings, offers that were quickly snapped up.

Some travelers were unsettled by a Ukrainian drone attack earlier this week on a passenger train traveling from Moscow to Crimea, injuring its driver and killing his assistant. That led to a brief suspension of service, with passengers taken by buses.

An earlier attack on a commuter train in Crimea killed one person and injured three others, forcing authorities to shift schedules to limit service during daytime hours.

Kremlin pledges action

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov acknowledged the Crimean fuel shortages earlier this week and promised that “measures were being taken” to deal with them.

The Russian Defense Ministry has been silent about the Ukrainian attacks on the land corridor, while some war bloggers have harshly criticized the military for failing to anticipate the strikes and its slow response.

Some suggested military escorts for fuel trucks while others urged stepping up strikes on Ukrainian bridges, fuel storage sites and other infrastructure.

Amid the fuel crisis and the finger-pointing, Ukraine dealt another symbolic blow to Russia, striking a historic Sevastopol building that houses a huge panoramic painting that depicts the defense of the city during the 19th century Crimean War. The painting was effectively destroyed by fire during the attack, according to Mikhail Razvozhayev,, the Kremlin-appointed head of Crimea's largest city.

Given Putin’s focus on Crimea, military blogger Valery Shiryayev said, the attack would certainly anger the Russian leader.

“It’s hard to find another work of art, another part of national heritage, whose destruction would be as painful for Putin,” he said.

Ruggs, a former first-round draft pick and Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver, drove his sports car at speeds up to 156 mph (251 kph) in the city on Nov. 2, 2021, slamming into a vehicle that killed driver Tina Tintor and her dog, Max. Tintor was 23.

Prosecutors at the time said his blood-alcohol level taken within the required two hours after the crash was 0.16%, which is twice the legal limit for drivers in Nevada. Before the crash, he was at TopGolf, a sports entertainment venue in Las Vegas, according to prosecutors.

Ruggs pleaded guilty in May 2023 to felony DUI causing death and misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter. He was sentenced in August 2023 to a three- to 10-year prison sentence. The earliest he was eligible for parole was August 2026.

Ruggs will go before the parole board again three months before Aug. 24, 2027, his mandatory parole release date, according to Kathi Baker, executive director of the Nevada Board of Parole Commissioners.

“Mr. Ruggs, and our office, continue to feel the grief and loss suffered by Ms. Tintor’s family,” Ruggs’ attorneys David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld said in a Thursday statement, adding that they were disappointed by the parole board’s decision to deny parole.

The attorneys said there is “overwhelming evidence” of Ruggs’ accepting responsibility for his conduct and engaging in community outreach efforts related to DUI prevention, including completing educational programs while in custody.

Tintor's family could not be reached for comment.

During the May parole hearing, Ruggs said he took full responsibility for the actions that led to Tintor and her dog's death.

“Not a minute goes by where I don't think of the pain I caused her family, her friends and the Las Vegas community,” he said during the hearing, of which the AP obtained a copy.

He said he used his time in custody to educate young people and others about decision-making and the dangers of drinking and driving. He also said he met with Tintor's family to apologize.

“I know I can never alleviate the pain that I caused, but if released I plan to continue to do my work to educate young people on the dangers of reckless behavior and hopefully avoid future tragedies,” he said.

___

This story has been updated to correct the day that Henry Ruggs' parole was denied. It was on Thursday, not Friday.

Division of Elections Director Carol Beecher in a letter to challenger Dan Sullivan said her office had received two complaints regarding his eligibility and determined “that the preponderance of evidence does not support your eligibility for the office of United States Senator.”

She gave him a Thursday deadline to submit “any additional information and evidence" in response.

Sullivan, the challenger, did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment about the letter from Beecher, a registered Republican who in the past has donated to Republican groups and campaigns. Her letter, dated Wednesday and published by the Anchorage Daily News, did not specify the evidence it found to potentially remove him from the primary ballot, and her office did not respond to requests for comment.

Sullivan's candidacy has caused a stir in one of the most prominent U.S. Senate races in the country. It's a seat Democrats have targeted as they try to regain the majority in the chamber in this year's midterm elections.

Sen. Sullivan has accused his namesake challenger of working with Democrats to try to trick voters and boost the chances of his top opponent, former Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola, a claim both deny. The challenger, who lives in the small fishing community of Petersburg south of Juneau, told The Associated Press earlier this week that the decision to run was “my choice." He said he had no contact with the Peltola campaign — “zero, none, zilch.”

This week, the challenger also pushed back in response to Republican Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom's announcement that she was opening an investigation into his candidacy.

“The law forbids your office from denying me access to the ballot just because Senator Sullivan and the NRSC would prefer I not be allowed to run,” he wrote, referring to the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

He called the investigation “an unprecedented affront to my rights as a candidate and the rights of Alaska voters to select their own representation in the U.S. Senate.”

It was not immediately clear whether he had retained an attorney to help him remain on the ballot.

Some attorneys also have raised questions about Dahlstrom's investigation, which among other things demanded that Sullivan explain his party affiliation, how long he had been going by the name Dan Sullivan, his affiliation with a consultant and any interactions he might have had with other candidates in the race or the Democratic Party.

Dahlstrom, who oversees elections, said in her letter to the challenger that the investigation pertained to “credible allegations” that he did not declare his candidacy “with a good faith purpose to seek office but rather with a purpose to confuse voters and have them mistakenly vote for you rather than the incumbent with the same name and same political party affiliation.”

The questions are in line with claims outlined in a letter to her and Beecher earlier this month from an attorney with the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

The ACLU of Alaska, in a statement, said it is “unaware of any other instance where the Lieutenant Governor has investigated a specific candidate for reasons other than determining whether a candidate meets federal, state and local eligibility requirements.” The group said it was monitoring the situation.

Jahna Lindemuth, who was an Alaska attorney general under an independent governor, said investigating why someone would run for office “starts infringing on free speech concerns and other protections under the Constitution.” She said Dahlstrom could label the senator as the incumbent on the ballot if she were concerned about voter confusion.

The Constitution requires senators to be at least 30 years old, a U.S. citizen for at least nine years and live in the state they've chosen to represent at the time of election. Sullivan, who will turn 69 this weekend, told the AP he moved to Alaska in 1980 and worked for the U.S. Forest Service before switching careers and becoming a teacher. He's now retired.

The declaration that the elections division requires candidates to fill out asks for their name, the party affiliation they want on the ballot, their address and how they want their name to appear. In signing the declaration, candidates are asked to affirm they meet citizenship, age and residency requirements.

The division previously certified challenger Sullivan's candidacy, noting him on the candidate list as Dan J. Sullivan. The senator is listed as Dan S. Sullivan and as the incumbent.

At least one group running ads in support of the senator, One Nation, has begun referring to him as Sen. Dan S. Sullivan.

On Thursday, McGrady is giving other under-the-radar hoop talents the chance to showcase their skills with his Ones Basketball League. Relaunched this spring, the OBL features one-on-one basketball competitions with a twist. Players are part of teams representing eight different cities, including Chicago, Miami, New York, and Orlando. Vince Carter, Muggsy Bogues, and Jaylen Brown are some of the league’s high-profile team owners. The eight teams battle in knockout events for a cash prize at the end of the season.

On Friday, June 12, the OBL’s “Standing 6″ competition takes the courts at Oak Ridge High School in Orlando. Six teams will play. Only four will advance. Doors open at 6 pm.

McGrady visited News 6 to discuss the Ones Basketball League, what he calls his “brainchild,” with Sports Director Jamie Seh. He says playing one-on-one was not only a large part of his childhood, but also his pro career.

The latest break happened near Las Flores Way, where Orlando Utilities Commission crews returned to repair a damaged water line. Homeowner Scott Feranac said the repeated disruptions have become frustrating for residents.

“It’s becoming a nuisance, not just for me, but for my neighbors,” Feranac said.

According to Orlando Utilities Commission officials, subcontractors installing fiber-optic cables for AT&T struck the water line twice during construction work in May.

OUC said crews repaired the initial break but did not detect a second leak because it was a pinhole-sized opening that was too small to identify at the time. Officials said the leak worsened over the following two weeks, eventually causing the latest water main break.

Feranac said he is frustrated by the recurring repairs, which have required crews to repeatedly dig up his yard.

“I have to get a good laugh out of it, but what’s frustrating is all the cleanup that’s going to have to occur,” he said.

OUC crews worked to restore service and repair the damaged line.

AT&T previously apologized to residents following the first water line damage in May. After News 6 shared OUC’s findings that a pinhole leak had worsened since the initial repair, AT&T issued an updated statement apologizing again for the damage caused by the water line break.

Feranac said he hopes the company will take responsibility for restoring affected properties and improving communication with residents.

“Hopefully they can re-beautify my yard, at the very least,” he said. “I just don’t think the transparency has been there from the start of these projects.”

In a statement released before a scheduled Friday ribbon-cutting ceremony at the bridge, the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority said that “Canada and the United States have agreed to delay the opening of the bridge, taking the necessary time to resolve any outstanding issues.” It didn't elaborate on what those issues are or how long the delay would last.

The 1.5-mile-long (2.4-kilometer-long) Gordie Howe International Bridge spans the Detroit River and connects the Motor City with Windsor, Ontario. The bridge is jointly owned by Canada and Michigan and was expected to open to traffic later this month.

But the opening had been thrown into question after Trump in February demanded in a social media post that Canada turn over at least half of the bridge’s ownership to the U.S. federal government and agree to other unspecified demands in one of the Republican president's many salvos over cross-border trade issues.

Michigan officials and the White House had been in contact for months about the bridge following Trump's post, with the understanding that the opening would move forward Friday. Invitations for the bridge’s opening went out this week following a conversation between Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles.

“This project is a powerful example of bipartisan and international cooperation, and the governor looks forward to attending the ribbon-cutting ceremony when it happens,” a statement from Whitmer spokesperson Bobby Leddy said.

New bridge a “long-term play”

Internal disagreements within the Trump administration threw those plans into question, as Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick pushed back on the opening, according to two people with knowledge of the matter who insisted on anonymity to discuss the private talks.

The White House did not immediately return a request for comment Thursday.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday evening, “At the request of the United States we agreed to delay the opening and take the necessary time to resolve outstanding issues.”

He added, "There are some things that have been raised, a series of technical aspects, which we will work through with the United States.”

Even with the delay, officials remained optimistic that the bridge — a roughly $4.4 billion project — is still expected to open.

“We need to keep this very much in perspective,” said Sandy Baruah, president of the Detroit Regional Chamber and former U.S. assistant secretary of commerce. “Our organization, the state of Michigan and others have been working on this bridge for 20 years. If it opens July 1, Aug. 1 or Sept. 1, I’m not going to get overly agitated about it. This is a long-term play.”

Named after the late Canadian Hockey great Gordie Howe, who spent 25 seasons leading the Detroit Red Wings, the bridge is expected to be another vital economic artery between Canada and the United States.

The construction project was negotiated by Rick Snyder, the former Republican governor of Michigan, and paid for by Canada to help ease congestion at the existing Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit-Windsor tunnel. Work has been underway since 2018.

U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin, a Michigan Democrat, said she’s taking people at their word that the holdup is “a minor hiccup.”

“This is probably the most bipartisan issue in the state of Michigan, so it’s ridiculous that we can’t just seal the deal,” Slotkin said.

Commerce and border crossings

Detroit and Windsor have been neighborly for generations, with residents in both countries frequently crossing the shared river border for entertainment and shopping. Windsor's population in 2021 was about 230,000. Like Detroit, the Canadian city's economy has a strong focus on manufacturing and the auto industry.

Commercial trade between the two cities primarily has been across the nearly century-old and privately-owned Ambassador Bridge, which is closer to downtown Detroit than the Gordie Howe Bridge.

The Ambassador Bridge had been the busiest commercial border crossing between the United States and Canada until last year, when truck traffic along the Blue Water Bridge connecting Port Huron, Michigan, to Sarnia, Ontario, surpassed the Ambassador Bridge's numbers, according to the Bridge and Tunnel Operators Association.

In 2025, about 2.1 million trucks crossed the Blue Water Bridge compared to just over 1.8 million that used the Ambassador Bridge. About 3.5 million passenger vehicles used the Ambassador Bridge last year, while 1.6 million crossed via the Blue Water Bridge.

Combined, more than 9.2 million vehicles crossed the border on those two bridges in 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

More than 3.7 million cars and SUVs also traveled between the United States and Canada last year via the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel.

Both bridges and the tunnel are working at full capacity, and the new bridge will help improve the efficiency of commercial and personal traffic between the two countries, Baruah said.

“This is what government is supposed to do, make it easier for business to conduct commerce,” he said.

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Cappelletti reported from Washington.

In all, 162 bills have already been approved by the governor as of Thursday, June 11, with many of these new laws set to take effect later this year.

You can find the full list below. Be sure to check back, as News 6 will update this list as more laws are signed.

HB 1D — Redistricting

House Bill 1D redistricts the state’s congressional districts using 2020 Census data.

Signed, Sealed, and Delivered. pic.twitter.com/mKFQdQ2Xbo

— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) May 4, 2026

DATE OF EFFECT: May 4

SB 14 — Bus Crash Victim

Senate Bill 14 appropriates $4.1 million to compensate Jose Correa, who was critically injured after being struck by a Miami-Dade County bus while crossing the street in 2021.

DATE OF EFFECT: June 10

HB 35 — Traffic Offenders

House Bill 35 revises the term “habitual traffic offender” to add the offense of driving without a valid license.

This crime will be added to the list of offenses for which a certain number of convictions in a five-year period requires the state to designate the person as a habitual traffic offender.

Once a person is designated as a habitual traffic offender, he/she can generally be prosecuted for a third-degree felony for driving a motor vehicle thereafter.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 52 — Security Services

Senate Bill 52 refers to a state statute that regulates private investigative and security services.

More specifically, the law expresses that this statute doesn’t apply to volunteers who provide armed security services at churches, mosques, synagogues or other places of worship.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 89 — Veterinary Prescriptions

House Bill 89 requires licensed veterinarians to clearly inform clients of their right to receive a written prescription for medication that can be filled at the pharmacy of a client’s choice.

The law also mandates that if the veterinary clinic is able to fill the prescription, the vet should disclose that option to the client, as well.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 91 — Candidate Qualification

House Bill 91 requires that someone who wants to run for office must affirm that he/she hasn’t changed his/her name in the year prior to qualification, with few exceptions.

DATE OF EFFECT: April 1

SB 118 — R.V. Park Assessments

Senate Bill 118 revises how special assessments may be levied against R.V. parks.

The bill does this by prohibiting local governments from levying special assessments against areas over 400 square feet for each R.V. parking space or campsite.

DATE OF EFFECT: April 21

SB 124 — Florida Virtual Schools

Senate Bill 124 amends state statutes regarding the Florida Virtual School, which was founded in 1997 to provide students in the state with tech-based educational opportunities.

More specifically, the law makes several technical changes, such as including all full-time and part-time FLVS students for the purposes of full-time equivalent student calculations.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 131 — Estate Curators

House Bill 131 amends the state’s Probation Code, which outlines how estates may be administrated.

More specifically, the law modifies provisions like curator bond requirements and when courts may appoint curators.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 167 — Phosphate Mining

House Bill 167 establishes a defense from strict liability in lawsuits related to environmental pollution brought under the WQAA.

More specifically, the defense kicks in if the lawsuit is related to pollution caused by a former phosphate mine and certain requirements are met.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 178 — School Athletics

House Bill 178 requires that head coaches of sports teams be allowed to use personal funds to support the welfare of students under the FHSAA.

Under this law, coaches may provide help in the form of food, transportation and recovery services.

That said, coaches are limited to using $15,000 in personal funds per athletic team per year.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 182 — Teacher Mentors

Senate Bill 182 establishes the School Teacher Training and Mentoring Program, aimed at improving teacher effectiveness in public schools.

Under this program, qualified teachers can be placed as mentors in schools that have a “D” or “F” grade, thereby improving the performance of these schools.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 192 — Patient Funds

Senate Bill 192 deletes the $1,500 cap on advances a chiropractic physician may collect for examination or treatment.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 212 — Sex Offenders

Senate Bill 212 amends state statutes regarding sexual offenders and predators in the state.

Under this law, those convicted of certain sex offenses against children 16 years of age or younger may not live within 1,000 feet of a public swimming pool.

[BELOW: Florida attorney general unveils Sanford ‘house of horrors’]

Current law already prohibits these sorts of sex offenders from living near schools, childcare facilities, parks and playgrounds, though this bill cracks down even harder via the following rules:

• Contacting Children: Such offenders may be arrested without a warrant if they knowingly contact a minor at any park, playground or public swimming pool.
• School Grounds: Such offenders may be arrested without a warrant if they’re purposefully present in any pre-K-12 school while the school is still in operation, with few exceptions.
• Prowling Offenders: The bill increases the restricted distance for loitering and prowling by such sex offenders from 300 feet to 500 feet of places where children congregate.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 245 — Child Pornography

House Bill 245 replaces the term “child pornography” with “child sexual abuse material” under state law.

This shift does not change any other elements of the law, including offenses related to child pornography.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 246 — Specialty Plates

Senate Bill 246 grants permission for five new specialty license plates, which are as follows:

• Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)
• Miami Northwestern Alumni Association
• Outsider
• St. Petersburg College
• First Responders Resiliency

The bill also revises certain requirements for the existing “Florida Wildflower” and “Fraternal Order of Police” plates.

DATE OF EFFECT: Oct. 1

HB 249 — State Flagship

House Bill 249 redesignates the official state flagship.

More specifically, the law replaces the current state flagship (the schooner Western Union) with the S.S. American Victory.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

[BELOW: New Florida bill could change meaning of ‘criminal gang member’]

HB 271 — Bail Bonds

House Bill 271 subjects foreign and alien bail bond insurers doing business in Florida to the same reporting requirements as domestic bail bond insurers.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 277 — Domestic Violence

House Bill 277 enhances domestic violence penalties if the suspect has already been convicted of that crime in the past.

The bill also increases the funding amount for relocation assistance claims for victims of domestic violence from $1,500 to $2,500 for a single claim (lifetime maximum bumped from $3,000 to $5,000).

Furthermore, the bill adds threatening to kill/injure a family pet and the existence of a military protective order to the list of factors that judges can consider when determining whether to grant a domestic violence injunction.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 288 — Electric Cooperatives

Senate Bill 288 revises a state statute that prohibits certain bylaws, tariffs and policies from being used by rural electric cooperatives.

Under this law, the statute is limited to only those cooperatives that sell electricity at retail.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 290 — FDACS

Senate Bill 290 makes a number of changes to state law related to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS).

Some of these changes include a prohibition on local governments from banning gas-powered landscape equipment, and criminal penalties for those receiving unauthorized help on a CDL exam.

You can read a list of more changes here.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 296 — Domestic Violence

Senate Bill 296 requires the Division of Telecommunications to investigate the feasibility of a domestic and dating violence 911 alert system.

The results of the study must be reported to the Senate President and House Speaker by Jan. 31, 2027.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 302 — Coastal Resiliency

Senate Bill 302 prohibits any dredging or filling of submerged lands at the Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve, with some exceptions provided for public safety and environmental protection.

This law is also expected to streamline the permitting process for nature-based methods aimed at improving coastal resiliency, helping to accelerate restoration timelines.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 327 — Uterine Fibroid Research

House Bill 327 requires healthcare providers to submit identified information to the FDOH for inclusion in the Uterine Fibroid Research Database.

Furthermore, uterine fibroids are added to the list of diseases of public health significance, which requires providers to submit identified uterine fibroid data to the FDOH for epidemiological research.

DATE OF EFFECT: Same as HB 1515

SB 340 — Human Trafficking

Senate Bill 340 requires graduates of professional and practical nursing programs to complete a two-hour course on human trafficking to be eligible to sit for the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX).

The NCLEX is a prerequisite for full licensure. Furthermore, this requirement applies to students who apply to take the NCLEX on or after July 1, 2027.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 355 — Patient Protection

House Bill 355 requires the AHCA to establish minimum standards for pediatric patient care in hospital emergency departments.

Furthermore, the bill requires all hospitals with emergency departments to develop and implement policies and procedures for pediatric patient care in the department.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 386 — Farm Equipment

Senate Bill 386 sets up a process for consumers and manufacturers to remedy defective farm equipment.

If farm equipment is defective, this law lets buyers report the defect to the manufacturer during the warranty period or the one-year period after the original delivery date of the farm equipment.

The law also requires the manufacturer to either replace or refund any defective farm equipment.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 399 — Development Regulations

House Bill 399 requires application fees for development permits to be reasonably related to the costs associated with processing the application and prohibits fees based on a percentage of project costs.

The legislation also mandates that each local government’s land development regulations must include factors for assessing compatibility of residential uses.

DATE OF EFFECT: March 27

SB 422 — Airport Broadcasts

Senate Bill 422 prohibits airports from using information derived from automatic dependent surveillance broadcast (ADS-B) systems emitted from certain aircraft as a means of collecting fees from owners.

This rule is limited to aircraft with a gross weight of 12,499 pounds or less operating under FAA rules and applies under the following two scenarios:

• The operation for which a fee would be assessed is a departure or a landing, including touch-and-go landings
• The fee would be assessed based on an aircraft entering into the airspace of the airport where the fee is assessed

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 425 — Historic Cemeteries

House Bill 425 provides that if a recorded historic African-American cemetery sells excess vacant land to fund the cemetery’s long-term upkeep, the local government must administratively approve an application to rezone the excess land to allow for development consistent with adjacent land uses.

Furthermore, the law lets local governments use reasonable discretion to determine the new zoning, provided that it’s consistent with the surrounding area.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 428 — Drowning Prevention

Senate Bill 428 amends the Swimming Lesson Voucher Program, raising the age limit to include children between 1 and 7 years of age.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 441 — Conservation Lands

House Bill 441 requires that when a water management district considers selling conservation lands, the governing board publish the following information at least 30 days before meeting:

• The district-owned parcels of land for sale or proposed for exchange
• The privately owned parcels proposed for exchange
• The portions of those parcels that will be preserved in a permanent conservation easement
• A statement from the district explaining why those lands are no longer needed for conservation purposes

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 445 — Dangerous Crimes

House Bill 445 adds certain offenses dealing with child exploitation and certain kinds of computer porn to the list of dangerous crimes under Florida law.

This means that someone arrested for one of these offenses can’t be given nonmonetary pretrial release at a first appearance hearing.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 453 — High School Diplomas

House Bill 453 allows student with disabilities to substitute one school year of participation in the Special Olympics for the P.E. requirement for a standard high school diploma.

Furthermore, the law specifies that two years of marching band satisfies both the one-credit requirement in P.E. and the one-credit requirement in performing arts.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 474 — Military Affairs

Senate Bill 474 revises laws relating to military service leave for public employees.

For example, the law expands eligibility for certain leave protections to include public officials who are also members of the U.S. Coast Guard or Florida State Guard.

SB 474 also expands the eligibility requirements for financial assistance from the Soldiers and Airmen Assistance Program.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 484 — Data Centers

Senate Bill 484 prohibits utilities from passing data center costs — including electricity costs — onto residential and small business customers.

Furthermore, the law prohibits utilities from serving data centers controlled by foreign countries of concern, and it allows local communities to set stricter standards on such centers.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 488 — Transportation

Senate Bill 488 amends various provisions related to topics like motor vehicle registration, licensing and tax-related requirements. These new rules include the following:

• Creates penalties for counterfeiting or illegally altering fuel tax licenses and the related permits
• Revises penalties and interest calculations for delinquent tax payments
• Provides penalties for specific offenses related to the misuse of motor fuel-tax related documents and establishes detailed requirements for recordkeeping by motor carriers
• Increases the amount of estimated damage resulting from a crash that is required to be reported to law enforcement from $500 to $2,000

DATE OF EFFECT: Oct. 1

SB 490 — Public Records (FLHSMV)

Senate Bill 490 expands a public records exemption for email addresses collected by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

This expansion includes email addresses that are used to provide customers with general notifications.

DATE OF EFFECT: Oct. 1

HB 491 — Faith-Based Content (BIPs)

House Bill 491 allows Batterers’ Intervention Programs (BIPs) to offer supplemental faith-based activities as a voluntary service to participants referred to a BIP by court order or by consent for acts of domestic violence.

That said, the law also preserves current rules, which require all mandatory BIP curricula to be based on a psychoeducational or cognitive behavioral therapy intervention model.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 504 — Body Cameras

Senate Bill 504 requires governmental agencies that allow code inspectors to wear body cameras to set up policies addressing proper use and storage of these cameras, as well as the recorded data.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 506 — Public Records (Body Cameras)

Senate Bill 506 creates a public records exemption for code inspectors’ body camera recordings if the footage is recorded:

• Inside a private residence
• Inside a facility that offers health care, mental health care, or social services
• In a place that a reasonable person would expect to be private

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 538 — Extracurricular Activities

House Bill 538 revises student eligibility and participation requirements for extracurricular activities, including athletics.

The bill accomplishes this by defining key terms and establishing an “eligible student” framework for home education, charter, private, Florida Virtual School, alternative and traditional public-school students.

Under this bill, public schools are also allowed to assess an activity fee on homeschool students who wish to participate in interscholastic or intrascholastic extracurricular activities at the public school.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 559 — Animal Welfare

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

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

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

DATE OF EFFECT: Oct. 1

HB 561 — Educator Preparation

House Bill 561 makes it easier for teachers whose licenses expired to get back into the classroom, but without having to retake subject area exams that have already been passed.

The bill also gives these educators a temporary license so that they can work and earn the classes or training hours they need, and it sets up free training to help them renew or fix their license.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 569 — Forensic Client Services

House Bill 569 allows the Agency for Persons with Disabilities to house non-forensic clients and forensic clients within the same wards in secure APD facilities.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 572 — Public Ethics

Senate Bill 572 revises the term “relative” in the Code of Ethics for Public Officers and Employees to include foster parents and foster children.

DATE OF EFFECT: April 1

SB 578 — Alzheimer’s Awareness

Senate Bill 578 requires the DOEA to contract for the development of a statewide Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Initiative.

The initiative must provide Florida residents affected by Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias with greater support and access to helpful information.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 584 — Commercial Driving Schools

Senate Bill 584 allows for county tax collectors to enforce statutory provisions related to commercial driving schools.

More specifically, the law allows these agencies to enter into agreements with the DHSMV to better crack down on fraudulent or deceitful business practices by these sorts of schools.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 589 — Sewage Treatment

House Bill 589 refers to owners and builders of single-family homes that need to have an onsite sewage treatment and disposal system (OSTDS).

Under this law, local governments may no longer require these people to receive a construction permit for the OSTDS before issuing a building or plumbing permit, so long as there’s proof that the OSTDS permit has been applied for.

DATE OF EFFECT: May 6

SB 590 — Statute of Limitations

Senate Bill 590 extends the window to prosecute someone who willfully fails to make a required report of suspected child abuse, abandonment, neglect or sexual abuse.

This is done by pausing the statute of limitations until a law enforcement agency becomes aware of the reporting violation.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 598 — Funeral Services

Senate Bill 598 makes several revisions to a state statute that regulates funeral and cemetery services.

For example, the law prohibits licensees from contracting to become the sole provider of funeral services for any firm that provides medical or end-of-life care to the public.

Furthermore, SB 598 allows licensees to dispose of human remains that have been in their lawful possession for at least 90 days if the legally authorized person of the decedent fails to direct the disposition.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 628 — Trump Highway

Senate Bill 628 renames over a dozen roadways across the state.

The bill also designates the Tallahassee airport at 3300 Capital Circle SW as the “Bobby Bowden-Tallahassee International Airport.”

Furthermore, SB 628 designates 124 miles of SR-80 stretching from SR-A1A in Palm Beach County to US-41 in Lee County as the “President Donald J. Trump Highway.”

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 656 — Crimes Against Children

Senate Bill 656 renames the “Online Sting Operations Grant Program” to the “Internet Crimes Against Children Grant Program.”

Under this program, grants may be awarded to local law enforcement agencies to help them combat online child exploitation and to target those preying on children online.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 679 — Trademark Registration

House Bill 679 mandate that the Florida Department of State use the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s schedule of classes of goods and services as the state’s classification for trademark purposes, rather than the general classes for trademarks for goods and services set in statute.

Furthermore, the bill requires that agency to set up a website where applicants can apply for a trademark or renew a trademark and provides that the website must safeguard the applicant’s information to ensure data integrity.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 686 — Agricultural Enclaves

Senate Bill 686 deals with agricultural enclaves: pockets of agricultural land that are mainly surrounded by development.

Under this bill, enclave owners may submit development plans for single-family housing.

Local governments won’t be allowed to enact regulation for one of these enclaves that is more burdensome than for other types of applications for comparable uses, either.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1 (Provisions expire Jan. 1, 2028)

HB 697 — Drug Prices

House Bill 697 makes it unlawful for a PBM to force a pharmacy to take a loss when dispensing a drug or to reimburse a nonaffiliated pharmacy less than an affiliated pharmacy.

Furthermore, the law requires PBMs to allow in-network pharmacies to submit consolidated appeals comprised of multiple adjudicated claims featuring identical drugs, day supplies, and dates of service.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 753 — School Counselors

House Bill 753 exempts prospective school counselors from certain professional preparation and educational competence requirements otherwise imposed on classroom teachers by state law.

However, the bill clarifies that individual school districts may still require these requirements as a condition of employment for school counselors.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 757 — School Safety

House Bill 757 expands the state’s Guardian program to include public colleges and universities throughout Florida.

The law also prohibits anyone from discharging a weapon within 1,000 feet of a school during school hours or during a sanctioned school activity. This crime is punishable as a second-degree felony.

DATE OF EFFECT: May 15

[RELATED: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs new school safety law]

SB 772 — Eyewear Insurance

Senate Bill 772 expands Florida’s limited-license portable electronics insurance agent license to also cover eyewear insurance, including smart glasses and non-electronic eyewear.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 800 — Engineering Violations

Senate Bill 800 provides an escalating fine schedule for subsequent violations of engaging in the unlicensed practice of engineering. These fees are as follows:

• $10,000 for a second violation
• $15,000 for a third violation
• $20,000 for a fourth violation
• $25,000 for a fifth and subsequent violation

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 803 — Building Permits

House Bill 803 limits local government regulation of glazing requirements on commercial buildings, and provides for lower fees when a private provider is retained for commercial construction projects.

The law also mandates that certain building permits expire after one year after issuance or on the effective date of the next edition of the Florida Building Code — whichever is later.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 809 — Temporary Certificates

House Bill 809 allows health care practitioners who hold temporary certificates for practice in an “area of critical need” to continue providing primary care services in that area even if it loses that designation.

DATE OF EFFECT: May 22

SB 816 — Diabetes Research

Senate Bill 816 codifies the University of Florida Diabetes Institute as a statewide resource for diabetes research, prevention, treatment and education.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 824 — School Property

Senate Bill 824 requires each school district to submit an annual inventory of unimproved real property owned as of June 30 each year.

This information will be compiled into a report for state leaders, along with possible recommendations for how to best use the land.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 844 — Sickle Cell Disease

Senate Bill 844 requires that the standard continuing education course on prescribing controlled substances include information regarding the treatment of pain for patients with sickle cell disease.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 848 — Stormwater Treatment

Senate Bill 848 allows ERP applicants to use compensating stormwater treatment as a mitigation measure when existing ambient water quality prevents compliance with water quality standards.

Furthermore, ERP applicants for regional stormwater managements systems must provide documentation of adequate financial responsibility, along with a graphic depicting the drainage area served by the system.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 851 — Autism Learning

House Bill 851 requires each school district to provide at least one annual autism-specific professional learning opportunity for instructional personnel and school-based administrators.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 867 — Dry Needling

House Bill 867 allows occupational therapists to perform dry needling, and establishes minimum experience, education, and training requirements to do so.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 883 — Insurance Companies

House Bill 883 allows protected cell captive insurance companies to operate and be domiciled in Florida, thus creating a regulatory framework for such companies.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 895 — Trustee Settlement

House Bill 895 establishes a summary procedure for trustee liability and claims discharge under the Florida Trust Code.

This applies to non-adversarial irrevocable trust administrations where the trustee has substantially complied with certain trustee duties, negating the need for judicial process to achieve such discharge.

DATE OF EFFECT: April 29

HB 905 — Foreign Influence

House Bill 905 aims to limit influence in the state from “foreign countries of concern,” including places like Iran, North Korea, Cuba, China and Russia.

The law accomplishes this by prohibiting charities from accepting contributions from these countries, restricting preplanned adoption/surrogacy agreements with citizens of these nations, and setting up harsher penalties for crimes committed to benefit such groups.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 913 — Inmate Services

House Bill 913 requires money in the Contractor-Operated Institutions Welfare Trust Fund to be used exclusively for programs to help inmates reintegrate back into society, as well as environmental/health upgrades in contractor-operated institutions.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 915 — Disabilities Program

House Bill 915 codifies the Working People with Disabilities Program, which was created by the Legislature in 2019-2020.

More specifically, the program allows adults with developmental disabilities — who are employed, and enrolled in a Medicaid home and community-based services waiver — to have increased income and asset limits while enrolled in Medicaid.

DATE OF EFFECT: May 21

HB 919 — Donald Trump Airport

House Bill 919 preempts to the state the ability to name major commercial service airports.

More specifically, the law renames the Palm Beach International Airport as the “President Donald J. Trump International Airport.”

All other major airports, including the Orlando International Airport, may keep their current names for now.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

[BELOW: New Florida law could let lawmakers rename Orlando airport]

HB 925 — Court Clerks

House Bill 925 increases funding to the Clerks of the Court.

However, the law doesn’t raise any existing service charges or fees, or create any new service charges or fees that the Clerks may assess.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 927 — Local Land Planning

House Bill 927 requires certain local governments to create a registry of qualified contractors to conduct pre-application reviews of plans, permits or plats submitted in line with local land development rules.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 929 — Chickee Regulation

House Bill 929 prohibits local governments from enacting an ordinance that prevents a member of the Miccosukee or Seminole tribes from constructing a chickee under certain conditions.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 961 — Electronic Signatures

House Bill 961 requires that insurance companies implement secure control processes and procedures for electronic signatures that are acceptable to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 984 — Firefighter Benefits

Senate Bill 984 expands the eligibility for disability and death benefits available to firefighters after a cancer diagnosis.

Current law provides a $25,000 one-time payout as a disability benefit resulting from an initial diagnosis.

However, the bill would make that available to a former firefighter regardless of whether he/she elects to continue coverage in an employer-sponsored health plan or group health insurance trust fund.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 991 — Elections

House Bill 991 makes several revisions to the Florida Election Code, including:

• Driver’s License: Requires the state to include a person’s legal status on any new, replacement or renewal driver’s licenses and ID cards
• Voter Oath: Voter registration applicants must affirm that they are U.S. citizens and may face criminal penalties for perjury if that is not the case
• Forms of ID: Debit/credit cards, student IDs, retirement center IDs, neighborhood association IDs, and public assistance IDs are no longer acceptable forms of identification for voters
• Campaign Contributions: Political parties and candidates may not willfully accept a contribution from a foreign national in connection with any election held in the state.
• Federal Courts: Requires the state to provide voter registration lists to federal courts to aid in their jury selection process, and requires those courts to provide the state with information about voters being ineligible due to convictions, death, or being a non-U.S. citizen
• Statute of Limitations: Creates a five-year statute of limitations for the prosecution of a felony under the Election Code
• New Penalties: Provides new fines and penalties for those who violate the law of involvement of foreign nationals in state elections
• Early Voting: Election supervisors must use local time when uploading the results of all early voting and vote-by-mail ballots by 7 p.m. the day before the election

DATE OF EFFECT: Jan. 1, 2027

SB 1004 — Pet Sales

Senate Bill 1004 implements several new consumer protections related to the sales of cats and dogs in Florida.

The new provisions include the following:

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

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 1022 — Children’s Initiatives

Senate Bill 1022 provides for the creation of the Bay County 32401 Children’s Initiative in Bay County, and the Pompano RYZE Children’s Initiative in Broward County.

These sorts of initiatives are community-based service networks located in disadvantaged areas of the state to improve education, economic and health outcomes for local residents.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 1030 — Recovery Residences

Senate Bill 1030 changes rules for licensing of substance-abuse treatment providers, which is regulated by the DCF.

Under this law, already-licensed providers with a clean record over the prior year may add new services without being forced to take clients during a “probationary” license period just to prove they can operate.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 1092 — Podiatric Medicine

Senate Bill 1092 limits the existing controlled substance prescribing continuing education requirement for all podiatric physicians to only those registered with the DEA and allowed to prescribe such substances.

This means podiatric physicians who don’t prescribe controlled substances will be exempt.

DATE OF EFFECT: June 11

HB 1031 — Callback Queues

House Bill 1031 sets up a pilot program to implement callback queues at two state agencies: the Department of Commerce, and the Department of Children and Families.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 1069 — Background Screenings

House Bill 1069 makes several changes to background screenings in the state, including:

• Prohibits a person from acting as an athletic coach if he/she doesn’t pass specified background screening qualifications
• Specifies that volunteers required to undergo such background screenings are limited to volunteer coach, assistance coach, manager, or referee for a youth athletic team
• Prohibits a person from denying or failing to acknowledge arrests covered by expunged or sealed criminal records if he/she is screened through the Clearinghouse by a qualified entity

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 1073 — School Board Bill of Rights

House Bill 1073 establishes a District School Board Members’ Bill of Rights, which does the following:

• Provides members with access to school district documents necessary to fulfill the duties required under the State Constitution and Florida
• Allows members to consult with the district’s CFO on budget information
• Lets members request documents or information from school staff, subject to legal restrictions and administrative approval
• Grants members the ability to publicly comment on district school board business, except for student/employee disciplinary matters or other issues prohibited by law

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 1074 — Penny Extinction

Senate Bill 1074 lets vendors round cash transactions to the nearest nickel if the penny is no longer available. The businesses are expected to round transactions as follows:

• If the final digit ends in 1 or 2 cents? Round to 0 cents.
• If the final digit ends in 3, 4, 6, or 7 cents? Round to 5 cents.
• If the final digit ends in 8 or 9 cents? Round to 10 cents.

However, this doesn’t apply to noncash transactions, such as gift cards, credit cards or checks.

DATE OF EFFECT: May 11

HB 1085 — Cyber Security

House Bill 1085 creates the Local Government Cybersecurity Protection Program within the University of South Florida, to be administered by Cyber Florida.

The program must help eligible local governments with developing cybersecurity risk management programs to defend against cybersecurity threats.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 1175 — Office Surgery Suites

House Bill 1175 requires new safety design standards for office surgical suites.

More specifically, the law dictates that such standards allow up to six patients on an outpatient basis.

This is in lieu of the current limit of four patients who, due to treatment, illness or injury, are unable to act in self-preservation during an emergency.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 1093 — Vertiports

House Bill 1093 includes vertiports and charging systems as qualifying projects for funding under public-private partnerships between state and private entities.

In addition, the law allows the FDOT to fund all of the project costs of a public vertiport if federal funds aren’t available.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 1103 — Vessel Restrictions (I)

House Bill 1103 allows local governments to administer provisions of law concerning vessels at risk of becoming derelict and long-term anchoring permits.

Furthermore, the law lets cities and counties regulate vessel speed and operation within 300 feet of a confluence of water bodies presenting a blind corner (up to 1,000 feet) if the extended area is necessary to ensure safe navigation and visibility for approaching vessels.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 1113 — Vessel Restrictions (II)

House Bill 1103 allows local governments to authorize a code enforcement officer to administer the provision of law concerning vessels at risk of becoming derelict on state waters.

This can be done by way of local ordinances.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 1121 — Disability Services

House Bill 1121 revises aging and disability services provided by the Department of Elder Affairs.

More specifically, the law adds food and nutritional supplements as allowable uses of subsidy payments under the Home Care for the Elderly Program.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 1134 — DEI Policy Ban

Senate Bill 1134 prohibits local governments from funding, promoting, or enacting any DEI policies, initiatives, and programs.

DATE OF EFFECT: Jan. 1, 2027

HB 1137 — Alcoholic Beverage Taxes

House Bill 1137 allows alcoholic beverage distributors to take a deduction from alcoholic beverage excise taxes for standard product losses, including breakage, spoilage, evaporation, and expiration.

DATE OF EFFECT: April 21

HB 1153 — Juvenile Justice

House Bill 1153 includes “juvenile detention officers” and “juvenile probation officers” in multiple state statutes related to correctional officers.

This allows such positions to be eligible for a Medal of Heroism or Valor, as well as subjects a person to first-degree aggravated manslaughter if he/she causes such an officer to die through culpable negligence.

DATE OF EFFECT: March 30

HB 1159 — Sexual Offenses

House Bill 1159 sets up harsher penalties for various sexual offenses. These changes include:

• CSAM: Replacing the term “child pornography” with “child sexual abuse material” in Florida statutes
• Harsher Penalties: Increases penalties for use of a child in a sexual performance; possession and transmission of child porn; creation of generated child porn; possession of a child-like doll; and certain sex acts involving animals
• Mandatory Sentencing: Adults must receive a mandatory minimum sentence for certain offenses related to using children in sexual performances and transmitting child porn
• Repeat Offenders: Raises mandatory minimum sentences for certain repeat sex offenders
• Life Felony: Creates a life felony for aggravated use of a child under 12 years old in a sexual performance
• Generated Child Porn: Creates a second-degree felony for transmitting generated child pornography
• No Pets: Prohibits anyone convicted of certain sex offenses involving animals from owning or working with animals for at least five years

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 1201 — Student Health

House Bill 1201 updates statutory provisions regarding the care of students with epilepsy or seizure disorders and expands the definition of schools to include charter schools.

The law also requires schools to display a poster identifying the basic steps of responding to someone having a seizure.

Lastly, the law requires the FDOH to include required education and training for schools in its epilepsy education program.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 1217 — Greenhouse Gases

House Bill 1217 prohibits the state and local governments from adopting or enforcing net-zero greenhouse gas emissions policies, including carbon taxes.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 1219 — Spoil Island

House Bill 1219 designates a mangrove island within Jupiter Sound as the “Andrew ‘Red’ Harris Spoil Island.”

The island will be named for Andrew “Red” Harris, a native of Jupiter who started his own insurance brokerage agency in 2011 and was killed in a boating accident roughly three years later.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 1246 — Nursing Education Fund

Senate Bill 1246 expands the scope of the Linking Industry to Nursing Education Fund to address workforce shortages in health science education programs, in addition to nursing education programs.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 1279 — Teacher Funding

House Bill 1279 lets school districts provide immediate pay incentives to high-performing teachers who choose to teach in lower-performing schools, even without collective bargaining.

The law also allows bonuses for districts and teachers who offer Florida Advanced Courses (FACTs), in line with bonuses offered for other advanced courses like AP, AICE and IB.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 1296 — Union Crackdown

Senate Bill 1296 provides for the decertification of partisan school unions, fast-tracking salary increases that some unions have stalled.

The law requires at least 50% participation in union certification elections, meaning that unions can no longer be recertified through elections with just a handful of voters.

Furthermore, SB 1296 increases penalties for illegal strikes, raising the maximum fine from $20,000 per day to $40,000 per day for such organizations.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 1337 — Estate Authority

House Bill 1337 amends several provisions of Florida law to reduce the necessity for court involvement or formal proceedings in the distribution of a decedent.

More specifically, this bill does the following:

• Gives a personal representative more authority with respect to a decedent’s safe deposit box
• Expressly allows a personal representative to institute a proceeding to enforce his/her authority as personal representative
• Increases the amounts of what Florida law considers “small estates,” such that procedures other than formal probate proceedings may be instituted to dispose of the subject property under certain conditions

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 1404 — Memory Care

Senate Bill 1404 creates a new assisted living facility specialty license type for “memory care services.”

DATE OF EFFECT: May 22

HB 1407 — Civil Actions

House Bill 1407 sets clear time limits for people who claim to have been illegally discriminated against at work to file a lawsuit after they complain to the state.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 1417 — Department of Environmental Protection

House Bill 1417 repeals the Environmental Regulation Commission, which is expected to streamline rulemaking for environmental protection.

This law also requires erosion and sediment control plans for the construction of solar facilities to include stormwater best management practices.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 1434 — Infill Redevelopment

Senate Bill 1434 preempts certain local land development regulations and oversight for “qualifying parcels” to promote infill redevelopment in urban areas.

These parcels are plots of land that span at least 5 acres and are located next to other parcels zoned for residential uses in certain counties. They must also be environmentally impacted.

Under this law, local governments must allow a qualifying parcel to be developed with residential uses up to either the average density of all applicable zoning districts in the same jurisdiction, or 25 dwelling units per acre — whichever is lower.

DATE OF EFFECT: May 21

HB 1443 — Parkinson’s Disease Registry

House Bill 1443 requires the Florida Institute for Parkinson’s Disease at USF to set up a statewide Parkinson’s disease registry.

Under this legislation, physicians who diagnose a patient with Parkinson’s disease must report nationally recognized performance measures to the registry beginning on Jan. 1, 2027.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

[BELOW: Here’s what to know about Florida’s ‘license plate’ law]

HB 1445 — Public Records (Parkinson’s Disease Registry)

House Bill 1445 creates a public record exemption for patient-identifying information held in the Parkinson’s disease registry set up by HB 1443.

The exemption will be repealed on Oct. 2, 2031, unless reenacted by lawmakers.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 1471 — Terrorist Organizations

House Bill 1471 makes several changes to state law regarding terrorist organizations. Many of those revisions are as follows:

• Terrorist Designations: Creates a process by which the state may designate groups as domestic or foreign terrorist organization if certain conditions are met
• Religious Laws: Courts and tribunals are prohibited from enforcing religious or foreign laws against someone if such application would violate his/her constitutional rights
• Private Schools: Prohibits private schools participating in state scholarship programs from being owned or funded by terrorist groups, terrorist supporters, or criminal gangs
• State Universities: Prevents institutions in the Florida College System from using state funds to support programs that advocate for terrorist organizations
• Visa Students: Public colleges must report information about the current status of students who are attending on a visa if they promote terrorist organizations
• Student Expulsions: If a student promotes a terrorist organization while enrolled at a public university, the student must be immediately expelled and assessed an out-of-state fee

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 1473 — Public Records (Terrorism)

House Bill 1473 creates a public record exemption tied to HB 1471 for certain information that would require Florida’s Chief of Domestic Security to provide to the governor and cabinet in certain situations.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 1509 — Veterinarian Licensure

House Bill 1509 revises requirements for veterinarian licensure by endorsement.

More specifically, the law removes the requirement that such applicants have held a valid, active out-of-state license for the three years immediately preceding their application.

Instead, such an applicant’s valid, active out-of-state license be “in good standing.”

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 1602 — Veteran Housing

Senate Bill 1602 creates the “Homes for Veterans Property Management Incentive Pilot Program.”

The pilot program provides that landlords may apply to receive funding from a trust fund to hold a vacant dwelling for a veteran for up to 45 days, and to cover property loss at the dwelling caused by the veteran that may extend beyond the deposit of up to $2,000.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 1614 — Florida Building Code

Senate Bill 1614 removes a current provision of law that allows a local government to use excess funds from enforcing the Florida Building Code to build a structure that houses a local government’s code enforcement agency.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

SB 1668 — NICA Revisions

Senate Bill 1668 revises provisions relating to the Florida Birth-Related Neurological Injury Compensation Association (NICA).

For example, the law prohibits the board of directors from adding new benefits if NICA is incurring cash flow deficits.

DATE OF EFFECT: June 11

HB 4001 — Jefferson County

House Bill 4001 limits the compensation of healthcare providers for medical services to inmates housed in a Jefferson County detention center to 110% of the Medicare allowable rate if the provider doesn’t have a contract with the county.

DATE OF EFFECT: June 8

HB 4005 — Naples Airport Authority

House Bill 4005 revises the method of selection for the Naples Airport Authority board from a body appointed by the city to one elected by the residents of Collier County.

DATE OF EFFECT: April 6

HB 4007 — Martin County

House Bill 4007 requires Martin County to set up a process for the distribution of funds from the County Health Care Fund to be disbursed between all licensed hospitals in the county.

DATE OF EFFECT: June 10

HB 4011 — St. Lucie County

House Bill 4011 expands the boundaries of the St. Lucie County Mosquito Control District by around 95,000 acres.

DATE OF EFFECT: Pending approval by voters in the areas proposed to be added to the county

HB 4013 — Lee County

House Bill 4013 merges the Fort Myers Beach Fire Control District into the Iona-McGregor Fire Protection and Rescue District.

DATE OF EFFECT: Pending approval by voters in both districts during the 2026 general election

HB 4017 — Nassau County

House Bill 4017 dissolves the Nassau County Recreation and Water Conservation District, whose assets will instead be transferred to the county board of commissioners.

DATE OF EFFECT: June 8

HB 4019 — Lake County

House Bill 4019 limits the compensation of healthcare providers for medical services to inmates housed in a Lake County detention center to 110% of the Medicare allowable rate if the provider doesn’t have a contract with the county.

DATE OF EFFECT: April 14

HB 4027 — Hillsborough County Schools

House Bill 4027 provides that the superintendent of Hillsborough County schools will be a partisan office elected for four-year terms beginning in 2028.

This law is subject to approval by Hillsborough County voters in the general election on Nov. 3.

DATE OF EFFECT: June 8

HB 4029 — Hillsborough County Charter

House Bill 4029 increases the size of the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners from seven members to nine members beginning with the 2028 general election.

Under this bill, that number increases further to 11 members if the county’s population grows past 2.5 million residents.

The law is subject to approval by Hillsborough County voters in the general election on Nov. 3.

DATE OF EFFECT: June 8

HB 4033 — Family Day Care

House Bill 4033 revises the terms “family day care home” in Palm Beach County.

More specifically, the law says that the number of children who receive services at a family day care may not exceed the number of children allowed to receive services in such settings as provided by general law.

DATE OF EFFECT: June 10

HB 4035 — Palm Beach County

House Bill 4035 revises the Palm Beach County Construction Industry Licensing Board’s process for issuing certificates of competency.

The law does this by requiring applicants to pass the required exam before their application is reviewed by the board.

DATE OF EFFECT: June 10

HB 4037 — Pasco County

House Bill 4037 revises term limits for board members on the Pasco County Mosquito Control District from two terms to three terms, starting with the 2026 general election.

DATE OF EFFECT: April 23

HB 4041 — Indian River County

House Bill 4041 limits the compensation of healthcare providers for medical services to inmates housed in an Indian River County detention center to 110% of the Medicare allowable rate if the provider doesn’t have a contract with the county.

DATE OF EFFECT: April 14

HB 4043 — Citrus County

House Bill 4043 dissolves the Citrus County Hospital Board as of Oct. 1, with all assets instead going to the Citrus County Board of County Commissioners to distribute according to the dissolution plan.

DATE OF EFFECT: June 10

HB 4045 — Jacksonville Aviation Authority

House Bill 4045 gives the Jacksonville Aviation Authority responsibility for the economic development of Cecil Airport.

DATE OF EFFECT: June 8

HB 4047 — Lee County

House Bill 4047 increases the number of board members appointed to the Lee County Tourist Development Council from nine to 11 by adding an additional elected official and a member representing the tourism industry.

DATE OF EFFECT: June 8

HB 4049 — Duval County Schools

House Bill 4049 allows the Duval County School Board to employ a general counsel who is independent of the Office of General Counsel of the city of Jacksonville.

DATE OF EFFECT: June 8

HB 4051 — Pace Fire Rescue District

House Bill 4051 revises the maximum non-ad valorem assessment rates that the Pace Fire Rescue District may impose.

Furthermore, the bill creates an exemption for churches and other religious institutions that are already exempt from ad valorem taxation.

DATE OF EFFECT: June 10

HB 4053 — Santa Rosa Fire Protection District

House Bill 4053 revises the maximum non-ad valorem assessment rates that the Avalon Beach-Mulat Fire Protection District may impose.

Furthermore, the law creates an exemption for churches and other religious institutions that are already exempt from ad valorem taxation.

DATE OF EFFECT: June 10

HB 4055 — Lake Wales

House Bill 4055 provides an exception to the Beverage Law, allowing licensed vendors in the Lake Wales Arts, Culture, and Entertainment District to sell alcoholic beverages for off-premises consumption within the district.

DATE OF EFFECT: June 10

HB 4057 — DeFuniak Springs

House Bill 4057 grants over 7 acres from the state to the city of DeFuniak Springs in Walton County, which must be used for recreational, governmental, public safety, and community purposes.

DATE OF EFFECT: June 10

HB 4059 — Polk County

House Bill 4059 limits the compensation of healthcare providers for medical services to inmates housed in a Polk County detention center to 110% of the Medicare allowable rate if the provider doesn’t have a contract with the county.

DATE OF EFFECT: April 14

HB 4063 — West Palm Beach Police

House Bill 4063 revises provisions of the West Palm Beach Police Pension Fund to reflect an agreement between the Florida State Lodge, Fraternal Order of Police, and the city of West Palm Beach.

More specifically, the law revises benefit accrual rates, procedures for reviewing denials of benefits, and procedures for purchasing service credits to reflect changes in federal law.

DATE OF EFFECT: June 8

HB 4065 — West Palm Beach Firefighters

House Bill 4065 revises provisions of the West Palm Beach Firefighters Pension Fund to reflect an agreement between the West Palm Beach Association of Fire Fighters and the city of West Palm Beach.

One of these changes increases the normal retirement benefit calculation by 0.2%, effective starting Oct. 1.

DATE OF EFFECT: June 8

HB 4067 — Plantation

House Bill 4067 transitions the Plantation Acres Improvement District from an independent special district to a dependent district of the city of Plantation.

DATE OF EFFECT: Upon approval by voters in the district

HB 4071 — Palm Beach First Responders

House Bill 4071 provides that a municipal service taxing unit in Palm Beach County whose primary purpose is the provision of fire rescue and EMS may continue to provide services to real property in the county annexed after Jan. 1, 2027, for six years.

DATE OF EFFECT: June 10

HB 4081 — Franklin County

House Bill 4081 expands the boundaries of the Eastpoint Water and Sewer District to include parts of Eastpoint, an unincorporated area of Franklin County. This includes all of St. George Island.

DATE OF EFFECT: Upon approval by voters of the proposed annexation area in the general election on Nov. 3

HB 4085 — Okeechobee County

House Bill 4085 grants over 400 acres of state lands to the Okeechobee Utility Authority. These lands are the site of a wastewater treatment plant operated by the authority.

DATE OF EFFECT: July 1

HB 4087 — Highlands County Hospital District

House Bill 4087 allows the Highland County Hospital District to commence an evaluation of leasing, selling, or entering a management agreement concerning the hospital owned by the district.

DATE OF EFFECT: June 10

HB 4089 — Trenton

House Bill 4089 grants a parcel of state land — including the Trenton Train Depot property — to the city of Trenton in Gilchrist County, which must be used for public purposes.

DATE OF EFFECT: June 8

HB 4093 — Indian River County (I)

House Bill 4093 reduces the size of the Fellsmere Water Control District from 34,441 acres to just over 14,000 acres.

The law also makes the remaining district a dependent district of the county.

DATE OF EFFECT: Oct. 1

HB 4095 — Indian River County (II)

House Bill 4095 creates the Headwaters Water Control District, an independent special district in Indian River County tasked with providing water control services.

DATE OF EFFECT: Oct. 1

HB 6507 — Neglect Victim

House Bill 6507 appropriates $3.8 million to compensate L.E., a young Florida girl who suffered several injuries at the hands of her parents due to neglect by the DCF.

DATE OF EFFECT: June 8

HB 6509 — Tractor Crash Victim

House Bill 6509 appropriates $2.2 million to the estate of Mark LaGatta, a man who was critically injured after a crash with a tractor in 2020.

DATE OF EFFECT: June 8

HB 6517 — Bus Crash Victim

House Bill 6517 seeks to appropriate $2.3 million to compensate Heriberto Sanchez-Mayen, who was left severely injured after an encounter with a police officer in 2023.

DATE OF EFFECT: June 8

SB 7000 — Public Records (Emergency Shelters)

Senate Bill 7000 continues a public records exemption for addresses and telephone numbers of those who provide public emergency shelter during a storm or catastrophic event.

DATE OF EFFECT: April 23

SB 7002 — Public Records (Military)

Senate Bill 7002 keeps in place a public records exemption related to records held by the Department of Military Affairs.

These records include those stored in a U.S. Department of Defense system, that are transmitted using a DoD network, and that pertain to the DoD pursuant to federal statute.

DATE OF EFFECT: June 10

SB 7006 — Public Records (Florida PSC)

Senate Bill 7006 continues a public records exemption for for portions of hearings conducted by the Florida Public Service Commission.

More specifically, this exemption extends to proprietary confidential business information that is already exempt under state law.

DATE OF EFFECT: April 1

SB 7008 — Public Records (FGCC)

Senate Bill 7008 keeps in place a public records exemption for portions of a meeting conducted by the Florida Gaming Commission wherein confidential information is discussed.

DATE OF EFFECT: June 10

HB 7011 — Public Records (Aquaculture)

House Bill 7011 continues a public records exemption for certain aquaculture records held by the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

That exemption refers to the following:

• Shellfish receiving and production records generated by licensed shellfish processing facilities
• Audit records and supporting documentation required for submerged land leases
• Aquaculture production records and receipts generated by certified aquaculture facilities

DATE OF EFFECT: March 27

SB 7012 — Public Records (DHSMV)

Senate Bill 7012 keeps in place a public records exemption for information held by the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

Such information must be a result of an investigation or examination of suspected violations of certain state statutes, such as those relating to motor vehicle titles, registrations, or driver’s licenses.

DATE OF EFFECT: June 10

SB 7016 — Public Records (Loan Programs)

Senate Bill 7016 continues a public records exemption for certain details held by an economic development agency pursuant to the administration of a state/federally funded small business loan program.

More specifically, the exemption protects tax returns, financial information and credit information.

DATE OF EFFECT: April 1

SB 7022 — Public Records (Exam Instruments)

Senate Bill 7022 expands the public records exemption for examination and assessment instruments.

It does so by adding public schools, district school boards, university boards of trustees, the State Board of Education, and the Board of Governors as additional records custodians.

The law also extends the existing public records exemption through 2031.

DATE OF EFFECT: May 11

SB 7026 — Public Records (Trade Secrets)

Senate Bill 7026 continues a public records exemption for trade secrets held by an agency, which are kept confidential.

DATE OF EFFECT: April 23

Attorneys for former Republican gubernatorial candidate Duke Rodriguez and other plaintiffs had questioned the process used by Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s administration to eliminate an income cap and co-pays for childcare assistance before the Legislature had a chance to weigh in or approve funding.

Attorneys representing Lujan Grisham and the state’s childcare agency argued that lawmakers have since authorized and funded the program’s expansion, rendering the legal challenge moot.

District Judge Elaine Lujan agreed, tossing the lawsuit and allowing the state to continue footing the daycare bill for families regardless of income. She also found that Rodriguez and his co-plaintiffs lacked standing to bring the lawsuit.

Rodriquez's attorneys indicated they will appeal the judge's decision.

"Just because (Lujan Grisham) thinks she has a great idea doesn’t mean she gets to write the law and enforce the law,” plaintiffs attorney Jacob Candelaria said after Thursday’s hearing.

Thursday’s ruling prevented a financial headache for many childcare businesses and for families who have rebalanced household budgets around free childcare.

Lujan Grisham applauded the ruling.

“Today, Second Judicial District Judge Elaine Lujan dismissed a frivolous challenge to New Mexico’s universal child care program. This program is lawful, and it will continue to serve New Mexico families,” she said in a statement on Facebook. “New Mexicans deserved better than a lawsuit that put them through weeks of unnecessary anxiety over a program they count on. The judge’s ruling makes it clear: New Mexicans can plan their families, finances and careers with the confidence that universal child care is here to stay.”

The challenge came as New Mexico looks to cement its place as the first U.S. state to cover daycare bills for all families regardless of income, provided parents or legal guardians are working, in school or qualify for an exemption. The stakes extend nationwide as policymakers from New York to California look for models to reduce costs for families and expand public investment in childcare.

During the hearing, Candelaria told the judge that the governor's move to establish the program without the Legislature weighing in was "a fundamental perversion of the separation of powers” and that New Mexicans' constitutional interests needed to be protected.

Holly Agajanian, the governor's chief general counsel, suggested that the plaintiffs were asking the court to referee a policy disagreement on the merits of universal child care.

“We are not in a constitutional crisis,” Agajanian said.

Lujan Grisham signed legislation in February enshrining the program into law, provided state finances remain healthy.

New Mexico’s program, which is financed in large part with revenue from oil and gas production in the state, was among the nation's most generous before November’s expansion, waiving costs for families making up to 400% of the federal poverty rate or roughly $132,000 per year for a family of four.

Legislative analysts have raised questions about the sustainability of New Mexico's expanded program, noting earlier this year that the state’s Early Childhood Education and Care Department started overspending just weeks into the November launch.

This week, the state agency proposed new regulations aimed at shoring up the program’s sustainability. Potential guardrails include copayments for higher-income families in the event of a significant drop in oil prices or enrollment in free childcare surging beyond state projections.

But of these, the bulk are set to take effect on July 1.

In all, there are 93 laws that will kick off next month, though there may still be more to come as June progresses, with several bills still heading to DeSantis’ desk for approval.

[RELATED: Could Florida ELIMINATE property taxes?! Here’s what we know]

In the meantime, you can find the full list of laws taking effect in July below. The list has been updated as of Thursday, June 11.

HB 35 — Traffic Offenders

House Bill 35 revises the term “habitual traffic offender” to add the offense of driving without a valid license.

This crime will be added to the list of offenses for which a certain number of convictions in a five-year period requires the state to designate the person as a habitual traffic offender.

Once a person is designated as a habitual traffic offender, he/she can generally be prosecuted for a third-degree felony for driving a motor vehicle thereafter.

SB 52 — Security Services

Senate Bill 52 refers to a state statute that regulates private investigative and security services.

More specifically, the law expresses that this statute doesn’t apply to volunteers who provide armed security services at churches, mosques, synagogues or other places of worship.

HB 89 — Veterinary Prescriptions

House Bill 89 requires licensed veterinarians to clearly inform clients of their right to receive a written prescription for medication that can be filled at the pharmacy of a client’s choice.

The law also mandates that if the veterinary clinic is able to fill the prescription, the vet should disclose that option to the client, as well.

SB 124 — Florida Virtual Schools

Senate Bill 124 amends state statutes regarding the Florida Virtual School, which was founded in 1997 to provide students in the state with tech-based educational opportunities.

More specifically, the law makes several technical changes, such as including all full-time and part-time FLVS students for the purposes of full-time equivalent student calculations.

HB 131 — Estate Curators

House Bill 131 amends the state’s Probation Code, which outlines how estates may be administrated.

More specifically, the law modifies provisions like curator bond requirements and when courts may appoint curators.

HB 167 — Phosphate Mining

House Bill 167 establishes a defense from strict liability in lawsuits related to environmental pollution brought under the WQAA.

More specifically, the defense kicks in if the lawsuit is related to pollution caused by a former phosphate mine and certain requirements are met.

HB 178 — School Athletics

House Bill 178 requires that head coaches of sports teams be allowed to use personal funds to support the welfare of students under the FHSAA.

Under this law, coaches may provide help in the form of food, transportation and recovery services.

That said, coaches are limited to using $15,000 in personal funds per athletic team per year.

SB 182 — Teacher Mentors

Senate Bill 182 establishes the School Teacher Training and Mentoring Program, aimed at improving teacher effectiveness in public schools.

Under this program, qualified teachers can be placed as mentors in schools that have a “D” or “F” grade, thereby improving the performance of these schools.

SB 192 — Patient Funds

Senate Bill 192 deletes the $1,500 cap on advances a chiropractic physician may collect for examination or treatment.

SB 212 — Sex Offenders

Senate Bill 212 amends state statutes regarding sexual offenders and predators in the state.

Under this law, those convicted of certain sex offenses against children 16 years of age or younger may not live within 1,000 feet of a public swimming pool.

Current law already prohibits these sorts of sex offenders from living near schools, childcare facilities, parks and playgrounds, though this bill cracks down even harder via the following rules:

• Contacting Children: Such offenders may be arrested without a warrant if they knowingly contact a minor at any park, playground or public swimming pool.
• School Grounds: Such offenders may be arrested without a warrant if they’re purposefully present in any pre-K-12 school while the school is still in operation, with few exceptions.
• Prowling Offenders: The bill increases the restricted distance for loitering and prowling by such sex offenders from 300 feet to 500 feet of places where children congregate.

HB 245 — Child Pornography

House Bill 245 replaces the term “child pornography” with “child sexual abuse material” under state law.

This shift does not change any other elements of the law, including offenses related to child pornography.

HB 249 — State Flagship

House Bill 249 redesignates the official state flagship.

More specifically, the law replaces the current state flagship (the schooner Western Union) with the S.S. American Victory.

HB 271 — Bail Bonds

House Bill 271 subjects foreign and alien bail bond insurers doing business in Florida to the same reporting requirements as domestic bail bond insurers.

HB 277 — Domestic Violence

House Bill 277 enhances domestic violence penalties if the suspect has already been convicted of that crime in the past.

The bill also increases the funding amount for relocation assistance claims for victims of domestic violence from $1,500 to $2,500 for a single claim (lifetime maximum bumped from $3,000 to $5,000).

Furthermore, the bill adds threatening to kill/injure a family pet and the existence of a military protective order to the list of factors that judges can consider when determining whether to grant a domestic violence injunction.

SB 288 — Electric Cooperatives

Senate Bill 288 revises a state statute that prohibits certain bylaws, tariffs and policies from being used by rural electric cooperatives.

Under this law, the statute is limited to only those cooperatives that sell electricity at retail.

SB 290 — FDACS

Senate Bill 290 makes a number of changes to state law related to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS).

Some of these changes include a prohibition on local governments from banning gas-powered landscape equipment, and criminal penalties for those receiving unauthorized help on a CDL exam.

You can read a list of more changes here.

SB 296 — Domestic Violence

Senate Bill 296 requires the Division of Telecommunications to investigate the feasibility of a domestic and dating violence 911 alert system.

The results of the study must be reported to the Senate President and House Speaker by Jan. 31, 2027.

SB 302 — Coastal Resiliency

Senate Bill 302 prohibits any dredging or filling of submerged lands at the Terra Ceia Aquatic Preserve, with some exceptions provided for public safety and environmental protection.

This law is also expected to streamline the permitting process for nature-based methods aimed at improving coastal resiliency, helping to accelerate restoration timelines.

SB 340 — Human Trafficking

Senate Bill 340 requires graduates of professional and practical nursing programs to complete a two-hour course on human trafficking to be eligible to sit for the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX).

The NCLEX is a prerequisite for full licensure. Furthermore, this requirement applies to students who apply to take the NCLEX on or after July 1, 2027.

HB 355 — Patient Protection

House Bill 355 requires the AHCA to establish minimum standards for pediatric patient care in hospital emergency departments.

Furthermore, the bill requires all hospitals with emergency departments to develop and implement policies and procedures for pediatric patient care in the department.

SB 386 — Farm Equipment

Senate Bill 386 sets up a process for consumers and manufacturers to remedy defective farm equipment.

If farm equipment is defective, this law lets buyers report the defect to the manufacturer during the warranty period or the one-year period after the original delivery date of the farm equipment.

The law also requires the manufacturer to either replace or refund any defective farm equipment.

SB 422 — Airport Broadcasts

Senate Bill 422 prohibits airports from using information derived from automatic dependent surveillance broadcast (ADS-B) systems emitted from certain aircraft as a means of collecting fees from owners.

This rule is limited to aircraft with a gross weight of 12,499 pounds or less operating under FAA rules and applies under the following two scenarios:

• The operation for which a fee would be assessed is a departure or a landing, including touch-and-go landings
• The fee would be assessed based on an aircraft entering into the airspace of the airport where the fee is assessed

HB 425 — Historic Cemeteries

House Bill 425 provides that if a recorded historic African-American cemetery sells excess vacant land to fund the cemetery’s long-term upkeep, the local government must administratively approve an application to rezone the excess land to allow for development consistent with adjacent land uses.

Furthermore, the law lets local governments use reasonable discretion to determine the new zoning, provided that it’s consistent with the surrounding area.

SB 428 — Drowning Prevention

Senate Bill 428 amends the Swimming Lesson Voucher Program, raising the age limit to include children between 1 and 7 years of age.

HB 441 — Conservation Lands

House Bill 441 requires that when a water management district considers selling conservation lands, the governing board publish the following information at least 30 days before meeting:

• The district-owned parcels of land for sale or proposed for exchange
• The privately owned parcels proposed for exchange
• The portions of those parcels that will be preserved in a permanent conservation easement
• A statement from the district explaining why those lands are no longer needed for conservation purposes

HB 445 — Dangerous Crimes

House Bill 445 adds certain offenses dealing with child exploitation and certain kinds of computer porn to the list of dangerous crimes under Florida law.

This means that someone arrested for one of these offenses can’t be given nonmonetary pretrial release at a first appearance hearing.

HB 453 — High School Diplomas

House Bill 453 allows student with disabilities to substitute one school year of participation in the Special Olympics for the P.E. requirement for a standard high school diploma.

Furthermore, the law specifies that two years of marching band satisfies both the one-credit requirement in P.E. and the one-credit requirement in performing arts.

SB 474 — Military Affairs

Senate Bill 474 revises laws relating to military service leave for public employees.

For example, the law expands eligibility for certain leave protections to include public officials who are also members of the U.S. Coast Guard or Florida State Guard.

SB 474 also expands the eligibility requirements for financial assistance from the Soldiers and Airmen Assistance Program.

SB 484 — Data Centers

Senate Bill 484 prohibits utilities from passing data center costs — including electricity costs — onto residential and small business customers.

Furthermore, the law prohibits utilities from serving data centers controlled by foreign countries of concern, and it allows local communities to set stricter standards on such centers.

HB 491 — Faith-Based Content (BIPs)

House Bill 491 allows Batterers’ Intervention Programs (BIPs) to offer supplemental faith-based activities as a voluntary service to participants referred to a BIP by court order or by consent for acts of domestic violence.

That said, the law also preserves current rules, which require all mandatory BIP curricula to be based on a psychoeducational or cognitive behavioral therapy intervention model.

SB 504 — Body Cameras

Senate Bill 504 requires governmental agencies that allow code inspectors to wear body cameras to set up policies addressing proper use and storage of these cameras, as well as the recorded data.

SB 506 — Public Records (Body Cameras)

Senate Bill 506 creates a public records exemption for code inspectors’ body camera recordings if the footage is recorded:

• Inside a private residence
• Inside a facility that offers health care, mental health care, or social services
• In a place that a reasonable person would expect to be private

HB 538 — Extracurricular Activities

House Bill 538 revises student eligibility and participation requirements for extracurricular activities, including athletics. It makes a variety of changes, including:

• Allowing districts to use funds raised through high school booster clubs for activities to pay the coaches of those activities
• Authorizing districts to classify athletic coaches and activity sponsors of extracurricular activities as administrative personnel and thusly negotiate salary compensation
• Permitting students who wish to participate in a sport that their current school doesn’t offer to participate in that sport through another school in the same district

HB 561 — Educator Preparation

House Bill 561 makes it easier for teachers whose licenses expired to get back into the classroom, but without having to retake subject area exams that have already been passed.

The bill also gives these educators a temporary license so that they can work and earn the classes or training hours they need, and it sets up free training to help them renew or fix their license.

HB 569 — Forensic Client Services

House Bill 569 allows the Agency for Persons with Disabilities to house non-forensic clients and forensic clients within the same wards in secure APD facilities.

SB 578 — Alzheimer’s Awareness

Senate Bill 578 requires the DOEA to contract for the development of a statewide Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Initiative.

The initiative must provide Florida residents affected by Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias with greater support and access to helpful information.

SB 584 — Commercial Driving Schools

Senate Bill 584 allows for county tax collectors to enforce statutory provisions related to commercial driving schools.

More specifically, the law allows these agencies to enter into agreements with the DHSMV to better crack down on fraudulent or deceitful business practices by these sorts of schools.

SB 590 — Statute of Limitations

Senate Bill 590 extends the window to prosecute someone who willfully fails to make a required report of suspected child abuse, abandonment, neglect or sexual abuse.

This is done by pausing the statute of limitations until a law enforcement agency becomes aware of the reporting violation.

SB 598 — Funeral Services

Senate Bill 598 makes several revisions to a state statute that regulates funeral and cemetery services.

For example, the law prohibits licensees from contracting to become the sole provider of funeral services for any firm that provides medical or end-of-life care to the public.

Furthermore, SB 598 allows licensees to dispose of human remains that have been in their lawful possession for at least 90 days if the legally authorized person of the decedent fails to direct the disposition.

SB 628 — Trump Highway

Senate Bill 628 renames over a dozen roadways across the state.

The bill also designates the Tallahassee airport at 3300 Capital Circle SW as the “Bobby Bowden-Tallahassee International Airport.”

Furthermore, SB 628 designates 124 miles of SR-80 stretching from SR-A1A in Palm Beach County to US-41 in Lee County as the “President Donald J. Trump Highway.”

SB 656 — Crimes Against Children

Senate Bill 656 renames the “Online Sting Operations Grant Program” to the “Internet Crimes Against Children Grant Program.”

Under this program, grants may be awarded to local law enforcement agencies to help them combat online child exploitation and to target those preying on children online.

HB 679 — Trademark Registration

House Bill 679 mandate that the Florida Department of State use the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s schedule of classes of goods and services as the state’s classification for trademark purposes, rather than the general classes for trademarks for goods and services set in statute.

Furthermore, the bill requires that agency to set up a website where applicants can apply for a trademark or renew a trademark and provides that the website must safeguard the applicant’s information to ensure data integrity.

SB 686 — Agricultural Enclaves

Senate Bill 686 deals with agricultural enclaves: pockets of agricultural land that are mainly surrounded by development.

Under this bill, enclave owners may submit development plans for single-family housing.

Local governments won’t be allowed to enact regulation for one of these enclaves that is more burdensome than for other types of applications for comparable uses, either.

HB 697 — Drug Prices

House Bill 697 makes it unlawful for a PBM to force a pharmacy to take a loss when dispensing a drug or to reimburse a nonaffiliated pharmacy less than an affiliated pharmacy.

Furthermore, the law requires PBMs to allow in-network pharmacies to submit consolidated appeals comprised of multiple adjudicated claims featuring identical drugs, day supplies, and dates of service.

HB 753 — School Counselors

House Bill 753 exempts prospective school counselors from certain professional preparation and educational competence requirements otherwise imposed on classroom teachers by state law.

However, the bill clarifies that individual school districts may still require these requirements as a condition of employment for school counselors.

SB 772 — Eyewear Insurance

Senate Bill 772 expands Florida’s limited-license portable electronics insurance agent license to also cover eyewear insurance, including smart glasses and non-electronic eyewear.

SB 800 — Engineering Violations

Senate Bill 800 provides an escalating fine schedule for subsequent violations of engaging in the unlicensed practice of engineering. These fees are as follows:

• $10,000 for a second violation
• $15,000 for a third violation
• $20,000 for a fourth violation
• $25,000 for a fifth and subsequent violation

HB 803 — Building Permits

House Bill 803 limits local government regulation of glazing requirements on commercial buildings, and provides for lower fees when a private provider is retained for commercial construction projects.

The law also mandates that certain building permits expire after one year after issuance or on the effective date of the next edition of the Florida Building Code — whichever is later.

SB 816 — Diabetes Research

Senate Bill 816 codifies the University of Florida Diabetes Institute as a statewide resource for diabetes research, prevention, treatment and education.

SB 824 — School Property

Senate Bill 824 requires each school district to submit an annual inventory of unimproved real property owned as of June 30 each year.

This information will be compiled into a report for state leaders, along with possible recommendations for how to best use the land.

SB 844 — Sickle Cell Disease

Senate Bill 844 requires that the standard continuing education course on prescribing controlled substances include information regarding the treatment of pain for patients with sickle cell disease.

SB 848 — Stormwater Treatment

Senate Bill 848 allows ERP applicants to use compensating stormwater treatment as a mitigation measure when existing ambient water quality prevents compliance with water quality standards.

Furthermore, ERP applicants for regional stormwater managements systems must provide documentation of adequate financial responsibility, along with a graphic depicting the drainage area served by the system.

HB 851 — Autism Learning

House Bill 851 requires each school district to provide at least one annual autism-specific professional learning opportunity for instructional personnel and school-based administrators.

HB 867 — Dry Needling

House Bill 867 allows occupational therapists to perform dry needling, and establishes minimum experience, education, and training requirements to do so.

HB 883 — Insurance Companies

House Bill 883 allows protected cell captive insurance companies to operate and be domiciled in Florida, thus creating a regulatory framework for such companies.

HB 905 — Foreign Influence

House Bill 905 aims to limit influence in the state from “foreign countries of concern,” including places like Iran, North Korea, Cuba, China and Russia.

The law accomplishes this by prohibiting charities from accepting contributions from these countries, restricting preplanned adoption/surrogacy agreements with citizens of these nations, and setting up harsher penalties for crimes committed to benefit such groups.

HB 913 — Inmate Services

House Bill 913 requires money in the Contractor-Operated Institutions Welfare Trust Fund to be used exclusively for programs to help inmates reintegrate back into society, as well as environmental/health upgrades in contractor-operated institutions.

HB 919 — Donald Trump Airport

House Bill 919 preempts to the state the ability to name major commercial service airports.

More specifically, the law renames the Palm Beach International Airport as the “President Donald J. Trump International Airport.”

All other major airports, including the Orlando International Airport, may keep their current names for now.

HB 925 — Court Clerks

House Bill 925 increases funding to the Clerks of the Court.

However, the law doesn’t raise any existing service charges or fees, or create any new service charges or fees that the Clerks may assess.

HB 927 — Local Land Planning

House Bill 927 requires certain local governments to create a registry of qualified contractors to conduct pre-application reviews of plans, permits or plats submitted in line with local land development rules.

HB 929 — Chickee Regulation

House Bill 929 prohibits local governments from enacting an ordinance that prevents a member of the Miccosukee or Seminole tribes from constructing a chickee under certain conditions.

HB 961 — Electronic Signatures

House Bill 961 requires that insurance companies implement secure control processes and procedures for electronic signatures that are acceptable to the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.

SB 984 — Firefighter Benefits

Senate Bill 984 expands the eligibility for disability and death benefits available to firefighters after a cancer diagnosis.

Current law provides a $25,000 one-time payout as a disability benefit resulting from an initial diagnosis.

However, the bill would make that available to a former firefighter regardless of whether he/she elects to continue coverage in an employer-sponsored health plan or group health insurance trust fund.

SB 1004 — Pet Sales

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

The new provisions include the following:

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

SB 1022 — Children’s Initiatives

Senate Bill 1022 provides for the creation of the Bay County 32401 Children’s Initiative in Bay County, and the Pompano RYZE Children’s Initiative in Broward County.

These sorts of initiatives are community-based service networks located in disadvantaged areas of the state to improve education, economic and health outcomes for local residents.

SB 1030 — Recovery Residences

Senate Bill 1030 changes rules for licensing of substance-abuse treatment providers, which is regulated by the DCF.

Under this law, already-licensed providers with a clean record over the prior year may add new services without being forced to take clients during a “probationary” license period just to prove they can operate.

HB 1031 — Callback Queues

House Bill 1031 sets up a pilot program to implement callback queues at two state agencies: the Department of Commerce, and the Department of Children and Families.

HB 1069 — Background Screenings

House Bill 1069 makes several changes to background screenings in the state, including:

• Prohibits a person from acting as an athletic coach if he/she doesn’t pass specified background screening qualifications
• Specifies that volunteers required to undergo such background screenings are limited to volunteer coach, assistance coach, manager, or referee for a youth athletic team
• Prohibits a person from denying or failing to acknowledge arrests covered by expunged or sealed criminal records if he/she is screened through the Clearinghouse by a qualified entity

HB 1073 — School Board Bill of Rights

House Bill 1073 establishes a District School Board Members’ Bill of Rights, which does the following:

• Provides members with access to school district documents necessary to fulfill the duties required under the State Constitution and Florida
• Allows members to consult with the district’s CFO on budget information
• Lets members request documents or information from school staff, subject to legal restrictions and administrative approval
• Grants members the ability to publicly comment on district school board business, except for student/employee disciplinary matters or other issues prohibited by law

HB 1085 — Cyber Security

House Bill 1085 creates the Local Government Cybersecurity Protection Program within the University of South Florida, to be administered by Cyber Florida.

The program must help eligible local governments with developing cybersecurity risk management programs to defend against cybersecurity threats.

HB 1093 — Vertiports

House Bill 1093 includes vertiports and charging systems as qualifying projects for funding under public-private partnerships between state and private entities.

In addition, the law allows the FDOT to fund all of the project costs of a public vertiport if federal funds aren’t available.

HB 1103 — Vessel Restrictions

House Bill 1103 allows local governments to administer provisions of law concerning vessels at risk of becoming derelict and long-term anchoring permits.

Furthermore, the law lets cities and counties regulate vessel speed and operation within 300 feet of a confluence of water bodies presenting a blind corner (up to 1,000 feet) if the extended area is necessary to ensure safe navigation and visibility for approaching vessels.

HB 1113 — Vessel Restrictions

House Bill 1103 allows local governments to authorize a code enforcement officer to administer the provision of law concerning vessels at risk of becoming derelict on state waters.

This can be done by way of local ordinances.

HB 1121 — Disability Services

House Bill 1121 revises aging and disability services provided by the Department of Elder Affairs.

More specifically, the law adds food and nutritional supplements as allowable uses of subsidy payments under the Home Care for the Elderly Program.

HB 1159 — Sexual Offenses

House Bill 1159 sets up harsher penalties for various sexual offenses. These changes include:

• CSAM: Replacing the term “child pornography” with “child sexual abuse material” in Florida statutes
• Harsher Penalties: Increases penalties for use of a child in a sexual performance; possession and transmission of child porn; creation of generated child porn; possession of a child-like doll; and certain sex acts involving animals
• Mandatory Sentencing: Adults must receive a mandatory minimum sentence for certain offenses related to using children in sexual performances and transmitting child porn
• Repeat Offenders: Raises mandatory minimum sentences for certain repeat sex offenders
• Life Felony: Creates a life felony for aggravated use of a child under 12 years old in a sexual performance
• Generated Child Porn: Creates a second-degree felony for transmitting generated child pornography
• No Pets: Prohibits anyone convicted of certain sex offenses involving animals from owning or working with animals for at least five years

HB 1175 — Office Surgery Suites

House Bill 1175 requires new safety design standards for office surgical suites.

More specifically, the law dictates that such standards allow up to six patients on an outpatient basis.

This is in lieu of the current limit of four patients who, due to treatment, illness or injury, are unable to act in self-preservation during an emergency.

HB 1201 — Student Health

House Bill 1201 updates statutory provisions regarding the care of students with epilepsy or seizure disorders and expands the definition of schools to include charter schools.

The law also requires schools to display a poster identifying the basic steps of responding to someone having a seizure.

Lastly, the law requires the FDOH to include required education and training for schools in its epilepsy education program.

HB 1217 — Greenhouse Gases

House Bill 1217 prohibits the state and local governments from adopting or enforcing net-zero greenhouse gas emissions policies, including carbon taxes.

HB 1219 — Spoil Island

House Bill 1219 designates a mangrove island within Jupiter Sound as the “Andrew ‘Red’ Harris Spoil Island.”

The island will be named for Andrew “Red” Harris, a native of Jupiter who started his own insurance brokerage agency in 2011 and was killed in a boating accident roughly three years later.

SB 1246 — Nursing Education Fund

Senate Bill 1246 expands the scope of the Linking Industry to Nursing Education Fund to address workforce shortages in health science education programs, in addition to nursing education programs.

HB 1279 — Teacher Funding

House Bill 1279 lets school districts provide immediate pay incentives to high-performing teachers who choose to teach in lower-performing schools, even without collective bargaining.

The law also allows bonuses for districts and teachers who offer Florida Advanced Courses (FACTs), in line with bonuses offered for other advanced courses like AP, AICE and IB.

SB 1296 — Union Crackdown

Senate Bill 1296 provides for the decertification of partisan school unions, fast-tracking salary increases that some unions have stalled.

The law requires at least 50% participation in union certification elections, meaning that unions can no longer be recertified through elections with just a handful of voters.

Furthermore, SB 1296 increases penalties for illegal strikes, raising the maximum fine from $20,000 per day to $40,000 per day for such organizations.

HB 1337 — Estate Authority

House Bill 1337 amends several provisions of Florida law to reduce the necessity for court involvement or formal proceedings in the distribution of a decedent.

More specifically, this bill does the following:

• Gives a personal representative more authority with respect to a decedent’s safe deposit box
• Expressly allows a personal representative to institute a proceeding to enforce his/her authority as personal representative
• Increases the amounts of what Florida law considers “small estates,” such that procedures other than formal probate proceedings may be instituted to dispose of the subject property under certain conditions

HB 1407 — Civil Actions

House Bill 1407 sets clear time limits for people who claim to have been illegally discriminated against at work to file a lawsuit after they complain to the state.

HB 1417 — Department of Environmental Protection

House Bill 1417 repeals the Environmental Regulation Commission, which is expected to streamline rulemaking for environmental protection.

This law also requires erosion and sediment control plans for the construction of solar facilities to include stormwater best management practices.

HB 1443 — Parkinson’s Disease Registry

House Bill 1443 requires the Florida Institute for Parkinson’s Disease at USF to set up a statewide Parkinson’s disease registry.

Under this legislation, physicians who diagnose a patient with Parkinson’s disease must report nationally recognized performance measures to the registry beginning on Jan. 1, 2027.

HB 1445 — Public Records (Parkinson’s Disease Registry)

House Bill 1445 creates a public record exemption for patient-identifying information held in the Parkinson’s disease registry set up by HB 1443.

The exemption will be repealed on Oct. 2, 2031, unless reenacted by lawmakers.

HB 1471 — Terrorist Organizations

House Bill 1471 makes several changes to state law regarding terrorist organizations. Many of those revisions are as follows:

• Terrorist Designations: Creates a process by which the state may designate groups as domestic or foreign terrorist organization if certain conditions are met
• Religious Laws: Courts and tribunals are prohibited from enforcing religious or foreign laws against someone if such application would violate his/her constitutional rights
• Private Schools: Prohibits private schools participating in state scholarship programs from being owned or funded by terrorist groups, terrorist supporters, or criminal gangs
• State Universities: Prevents institutions in the Florida College System from using state funds to support programs that advocate for terrorist organizations
• Visa Students: Public colleges must report information about the current status of students who are attending on a visa if they promote terrorist organizations
• Student Expulsions: If a student promotes a terrorist organization while enrolled at a public university, the student must be immediately expelled and assessed an out-of-state fee

HB 1473 — Public Records (Terrorism)

House Bill 1473 creates a public record exemption tied to HB 1471 for certain information that would require Florida’s Chief of Domestic Security to provide to the governor and cabinet in certain situations.

HB 1509 — Veterinarian Licensure

House Bill 1509 revises requirements for veterinarian licensure by endorsement.

More specifically, the law removes the requirement that such applicants have held a valid, active out-of-state license for the three years immediately preceding their application.

Instead, such an applicant’s valid, active out-of-state license be “in good standing.”

SB 1602 — Veteran Housing

Senate Bill 1602 creates the “Homes for Veterans Property Management Incentive Pilot Program.”

The pilot program provides that landlords may apply to receive funding from a trust fund to hold a vacant dwelling for a veteran for up to 45 days, and to cover property loss at the dwelling caused by the veteran that may extend beyond the deposit of up to $2,000.

SB 1614 — Florida Building Code

Senate Bill 1614 removes a current provision of law that allows a local government to use excess funds from enforcing the Florida Building Code to build a structure that houses a local government’s code enforcement agency.

HB 4085 — Okeechobee County

House Bill 4085 grants over 400 acres of state lands to the Okeechobee Utility Authority. These lands are the site of a wastewater treatment plant operated by the authority.

The league announced the news Thursday prior to Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final.

Kucherov led all players with 1.71 points a game on 44 goals and 86 assists. With 130 points, he ranked second to only Edmonton’s Connor McDavid, who had 138.

McDavid was a close second by 10 points in voting by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association. Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon was third and San Jose’s Macklin Celebrini fourth.

Kucherov had 42 more points than his next-closest teammate, Jake Guentzel. He was third in Hart Trophy voting a year ago and second in 2023-24.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL

Mexico's players understood the intense pressure and high expectations they were facing on Thursday in the opening match of the first 48-team World Cup tournament. But they embraced their role and got off to a winning start by beating South Africa 2-0 in a match that also produced three red cards.

“I made an effort to explain to them what a World Cup and an opening match on home soil meant, but they are young and had to experience it for themselves," said Mexico coach Javier Aguirre, who played for his team the last time Mexico hosted the tournament in 1986. "I can no longer talk about having played in a home World Cup, because they already know what it’s like.”

Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez scored the goals for Mexico, which is co-hosting the 2026 tournament with Canada and the United States.

The Mexicans rebounded from the massive disappointment of being eliminated after the group stage four years ago in Qatar. That followed seven straight trips to the round the 16 — an achievement that became more of a curse for failing to reach the quarterfinals.

But there is hope this year. Mexico has reached the quarterfinals twice in its history, and both times it was the host country — in 1970 and 1986. Aguirre was on that team in 1986.

In front of a capacity crowd of 80,824, Mexico got working fast and took the lead in the ninth minute when Quiñones scored. Jiménez added the second goal on a header in 66th — his 46th for Mexico but first in three World Cup tournaments.

“We didn’t play well in the first half, but we could have gone into the break leading 3–0 and no one would have complained — we were far superior,” Aguirre said. “In the second half, it felt like we relaxed a bit, but starting with a win is good, and we can certainly improve.”

With his goal, Jiménez moved into a tie with Jared Borgetti for second place in scoring for Mexico's national team. He is six goals shy of leader Javier “Chicharito” Hernández.

Jiménez wears a protective headguard because he was seriously injured in November 2020 while playing for Wolverhampton Wanderers in a Premier League match against Arsenal. He fractured his skull and had to have surgery. He was out for eight months and returned in July 2021.

South Africa players Sphephelo Sithole and Themba Zwane were both given red cards, forcing the team to finish the match with only nine players. Mexico defender César Montes was then given a red card in injury time.

It was the first time there were three red cards given in the opening match of a World Cup tournament. And it’s the most in a World Cup game since four were handed out when Portugal played the Netherlands at the 2006 tournament in Germany.

“This level is much higher than whatever level we played before. We played a good team, and we played a good game. I saw a desperate Mexico,” South Africa coach Hugo Broos said. “We must improve in the next days. We’ll get over the disappointment.”

Quiñones, a 29-year-old forward who was born in Colombia, was the top scorer in the Saudi league this season. He was one of six starting players who made their World Cup debut for El Tri.

Mexico now has three points in Group A and will next play South Korea next Thursday in Guadalajara. South Africa will play the Czech Republic on the same day in Atlanta.

“It would be important (to win the group), but right now the only thing we’re thinking about is the match against Korea — being better than them and trying to win,” Aguirre said. “We’re going to take it step by step and see what the future holds.”

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AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

Shakira performed “Dai Dai,” the tournament's official song, with Burna Boy. The Colombian star had a hit with “Waka Waka (This Time For Africa)” from the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and now seeks to score again.

A good World Cup song, Shakira earlier told The Associated Press, “needs to definitely have rhythm. It has to be rhythmic. It has to make people want to dance. And it has to be an anthem as well. It has to make people want to sing along in unison, sing out loud at the top of their lungs.”

Shakira has performed at previous World Cups, too: 2006 in Germany, 2010 in South Africa, and 2014 in Brazil.

In addition, she will perform at the first halftime show of a World Cup final on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey with Madonna and BTS. Mexico, the United States and Canada are co-hosting the 48-team tournament.

A welcome for all

Lila Downs welcomed fans and players in Spanish, English, and the indigenous languages Mixtec and Nahuatl.

“People of the world, welcome to Mexico,” said Downs, who wore a white indigenous huipil with a lilac edge. “Mexico welcomes you with smiles from our heart, we are a nation of diversity, heritage and pride in ancestral lands where movement and ritual spirit endure.”

Downs, who is a singer-songwriter, was born in Tlaxiaco, Oaxaca. Her mother is Mixtec, and her father was American of Scottish descent. But her heart is green, white and red when it comes to the ball.

“It’s a great honor for me to represent my beautiful and diverse country,” Downs said in an interview with The AP. “Of course I’m going to root for Mexico’s team, Viva Mexico!”

Maná thrills fans

Maná electrified the stadium with “Oye Mi Amor” surrounded by pre-Hispanic dancers who moved their head plumes to the rhythm of rock while tens of thousands of fans chanted.

The band, founded in 1986, has sold more than 40 million records.

Shortly before their performance, they announced that they will be touring in Latin America, including stops in Bogotá, Lima, Santiago, Buenos Aires, and Mexico City.

From Iztapalapa to the World Cup

The Mexican cumbia group Los Ángeles Azules performed “Por Ella” with Belinda, one of the most danceable songs of FIFA's official World Cup album.

The band, founded in the mid-70s by the Mejía Avante brothers, is originally from the district of Iztapalapa, a working-class area of Mexico City, so their battle cry is “From Iztapalapa to the world!”

J Balvin had a dynamic performance — he started driving a cardboard car with “Que Calor” and then he was accompanied by Ryan Castro for “Una A La Vez” before ending with “I Like It,” a hit he originally released with Cardi B and Bad Bunny.

The Colombian star has experience on world stages. In 2020, he participated in the Super Bowl halftime as a guest of Shakira and Jennifer Lopez.

Danny Ocean performed “Partidazo” — his collaboration for the FIFA album. Ocean was surrounded by dancers wearing a modern take on the traditional dresses of the Mexican state of Jalisco, modified to have hoodies on top.

Two Labubus could be seen wearing soccer jerseys after the presentation of Los Ángeles Azules and Belinda. One brown Labubu wore a jersey with the number 10 and the legend “The Monsters” and the other wore a shirt with the logo of the 2026 World Cup.

Hollywood power at the ceremony

Actress and producer Salma Hayek, a big soccer fan, gave a brief welcome speech during the first protocol parade of a World Cup in which the 48 flags of the participating countries could be seen.

“Mexicans are very honored that this is where the first match of this wonderful soccer tradition that unites us all begins,” Hayek, who is originally from the Mexican state of Veracruz, said in Spanish. “Long live Mexico and long live soccer!”

Hayek has been appointed an ambassador for the 2026 World Cup.

Opera and K-pop united

Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli and South Korean star EJAE performed “DNA,” the tournament's official anthem, with French DJ and producer David Guetta at the flag parade.

Bocelli has just performed for more than 130,000 fans in April at Mexico City’s Zócalo. EJAE is famous for being the voice of the character Rumi in the film “KPop Demon Hunters” and for being one of the composers of the Oscar-winning song “Golden” from the animated film.

South Africa and Mexico national anthems

Tyla and Alejandro Fernandez were the designated performers for the national anthems of South Africa and Mexico, respectively, before kickoff.

In 2024, Tyla won the first Grammy for best African music performance and, in doing so, became the youngest African artist to win a Grammy.

Fernández’s life has been dedicated to regional Mexican music. The so-called “Potrillo” is the son of the late star Vicente Fernandez. On FIFA's album” Fernández performs “Mi México Lindo."

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Associated Press writers Maria Sherman and Mallika Sen contributed to this report from New York

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AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

Trump had threatened major strikes on Iran and to seize control of its oil and gas industries as escalating attacks between the countries pushed the Middle East closer to full-scale war.

The threats to seize Iran’s Kharg Island oil terminal came after the U.S and Iran traded strikes for a second straight day, pushing the Middle East closer to the resumption of a full-scale war. It was the third time this week that back-and-forth strikes have rattled the Middle East.

Here's the latest:

Trump touts Burt Jones, one of his 2020 alternate electors, for Georgia governor

President Donald Trump offered a last-minute boost for Georgia Lt. Gov. Burt Jones’ bid for the GOP nomination for governor.

Trump spoke for about 10 minutes during a tele-rally with Jones’ supporters Thursday evening, much of it filled with recitations of his false claims of widespread voter fraud in U.S. elections.

Jones faces billionaire businessman Rick Jackson in a Tuesday runoff.

The president alluded to Jones being one of his alternate electors in the effort to overturn Trump’s 2020 election defeat in Georgia and nationally.

He said U.S. there are a “lot of rigged” results because of “corrupt” elections, and he said Jones was “fantastic when it came to election fraud.”

Jones, for his part, did not tout his role in the 2020 election fallout, though he praised Trump as “the greatest president this country has ever had.”

The runoff winner faces Democratic nominee Keisha Lance Bottoms in November.

Trump says US representatives made a ‘great deal’ with Iran

During a telephone rally on Thursday for Rep. Barry Moore, his chosen candidate in Tuesday’s Senate runoff in Alabama, Trump talked about Iran, about which he said U.S. representatives had “made a great deal.”

“Today we settled up with Iran,” Trump said. “People will start coming home very soon. ... We got everything we wanted.”

That mirrored some of Trump’s comments earlier Thursday during an Oval Office event, when he said a “great settlement.” Iran has not yet confirmed that it’s agreed to settlement terms with the U.S.

Trump started the day by again threatening to hit Iran “very hard” with new strikes, hours later returning to to social media to say he canceled escalation plans due to progress in the talks.

Trump has claimed multiple times recently that the warring parties have been on a cusp of a deal without anything coming to fruition.

Trump calls on Alabama voters to back ‘terrific guy’ Rep. Barry Moore in Senate runoff

The president made those remarks during a telephone rally on Thursday afternoon.

Moore, a three-term congressman, is a member of the House’s conservative Freedom Caucus. He advanced to a runoff for the Republican nomination last month, set to face off with former Navy SEAL Jared Hudson on Tuesday.

Trump’s initial endorsement gave Moore a boost in a crowded GOP field. As he has with other candidates this primary season, Trump went on to talk about how his own electoral success in Alabama.

Of outgoing Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who is running for governor, Trump said he was “a little disappointed he left the Senate, but you can have a replacement that’s going to be phenomenal.”

Trump again threatens federal takeover of DC

The president’s comments came in response to a question about the possibility of Janeese Lewis George winning the District of Columbia’s mayoral primary next week.

“I wouldn’t like it,” Trump said. “And maybe we’d take back Washington, run it on the federal basis. We won’t put up with it. We’re not going to lose our businesses.”

George is one of the front-runners vying to replace Mayor Muriel Bowser and identifies as a democratic socialist.

Trump has claimed the US has essentially reached a deal with Iran before, so why is this different?

“Because they’ve taken a pounding,” Trump explained Thursday when asked why he was confident.

But his answer was vague as he described it as a “very strong memorandum of understanding,” that he described as “a little conceptual.”

He said of Iran, “They want to make the deal a lot more than I do.”

Trump believes Iran Supreme Leader has signed off on emerging deal

“I understand the answer is yes” Trump said when asked if Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei has agreed to the deal.

Khamenei was wounded in the opening salvos of the U.S. and Israeli bombardment of Iran and has been in hiding since.

Iran has not yet confirmed that it’s agreed to terms with the U.S. on a settlement to end the war

Trump says Pulte will continue to be acting director of national intelligence

Trump is insisting that Pulte will stay in the temporary role despite the president’s announcement earlier Thursday that he’s chosen Clayton as the permanent nominee.

“He’s only there for a little while,” Trump said of Pulte. Pressed on Pulte’s lack of national security credentials, the president responded “but he’s intelligent, unlike a lot of other people.”

Trump was also vague on whether he’ll take any executive actions to address the potential lapse in surveillance authorities after midnight Friday.

“Congress wants me to do it, and let’s see what happens,” he said.

Trump opens up more protected ocean areas to fishing

Trump opened three marine protected areas in the Pacific Ocean to commercial fishing with a proclamation Thursday that he said will boost the U.S. seafood industry.

Trump has targeted marine protections created in the era of Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush that he said stifle the country’s ability to compete in the global seafood marketplace. He moved to reestablish fishing in Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument off New England in February.

Thursday’s move focused on portions of Mariana Trench Marine National Monument, Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument and Rose Atoll Marine National Monument. The monuments are protected zones in remote areas of the Pacific.

Environmental groups have criticized Trump’s moves to allow fishing in protected zones, which they said provide vital habitat for rare sea life.

US stocks jump and oil prices ease

U.S. stocks have rallied to their best day in two months and oil prices have fallen after Trump said he had called off new military strikes on Iran.

Trump’s comments raised hopes Thursday for a potential deal to get the global flow of oil going again.

The S&P 500 jumped 1.8%, coming off a back-to-back drop that had yanked it back to where it was in early May.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average leaped 1.9%, and the Nasdaq composite rallied 2.5%. Strong gains for chip stocks helped offset a slide for Oracle. Treasury yields eased sharply in the bond market.

Rubio says UFC fights are a great uniter for a polarized America as White House prepares for cage match

“There are only a handful of things that bring people together in one place at one time, united by their interest in one thing. We need more of those,” Rubio said.

He lauded the popularity of the Ultimate Fighting Championship and the diversity of fight audiences as he signed a sports diplomacy agreement with UFC president Dana White.

He said the White House event on Sunday could have been a concert or a “Shakespeare in the Park” production, “but this one will have people watching probably … a billion people over the world will be watching America celebrate its 250th birthday with the White House in the background.”

National Mall vandalism investigated

The U.S. Park Police is investigating after someone marked the numbers “86 47” on the grass of the lawn west of the Washington Monument.

“The cause of the discoloration has not yet been determined. Grass samples have been collected for testing,” Park Police said in an email.

The same numbers got attention after former FBI Director James Comey was indicted in April over a photograph he posted on social media of seashells arranged to say “86 47.” The Justice Department contends the numbers amounted to a threat against Trump, the 47th president. Comey has said he assumed the numbers reflected a political message, not a call to violence.

According to Merriam-Webster, 86 is slang meaning “to throw out,” “to get rid of” or “to refuse service to.”

“The deranged vandalism on our National Mall will not be tolerated,” the Department of Interior said in an email. “Any threat against the President is taken very seriously by the Department.”

Trump claims he’s close to making a deal with Iran aimed at winding down conflict

“We just made a great settlement of the war with Iran,” Trump said at the start of an Oval Office event. “And we’re going to be, subject to finalization of documents, which should get done over the next few days, probably have a signing, maybe in Europe.”

Trump started the day by again threatening to hit Iran “very hard” with new strikes. Hours later, he returned to social media to say that he decided to cancel plans to escalate the fighting because progress had been made in the talks with Iran and suggested anew that a deal is within view.

But Trump on multiple occasions over the last several weeks has claimed that the warring parties have been on a cusp of a deal without anything coming to fruition.

Taiwan’s opposition leader met US lawmakers

The leader of Taiwan’s opposition party met five U.S. lawmakers at a time when Washington is seeking to stabilize ties with Beijing despite their differences over the self-governed island, including U.S. arms sales to Taiwan.

Cheng Li-wun, chairperson of Taiwan’s Kuomintang Party, is on a two-week trip to the U.S. to promote her party’s approach to peace in the Taiwan Strait through dialogue and to explain its stance on Taiwan’s defense budget and purchase of U.S. weapons. Her party opposes the formal independence of Taiwan.

Taiwan’s media reported that Cheng on Wednesday met with Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., Rep. John Rose, R-Tenn., Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tenn., Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., and Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla. Mast chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Fleischmann’s office confirmed the meeting.

Thune says Senate could move ‘fairly quickly’ to confirm Clayton

“I don’t know what realistic is, but we’re gonna probe the limits of it,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said after Trump announced on social media that he would nominate Jay Clayton for director of national intelligence.

Democrats are holding up the renewal of a key surveillance law, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, in protest of Trump’s temporary pick for the job, federal housing regulator Bill Pulte. The law expires Friday at midnight.

Trump has previously said that Pulte will take over from the outgoing director, Tulsi Gabbard, on June 19. It is unclear whether the Senate could move quickly enough to confirm Clayton before that date.

Rubio signs sports diplomacy agreement with UFC ahead of cage fight at the White House

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has signed a cooperation agreement with the president of the Ultimate Fight Championship that will pair the two institutions in providing fight training, health and diet regimes and promote teamwork and leadership for youths around the world.

Rubio signed the agreement with UFC chief Dana White at the State Department on Thursday, just three days before the UFC will stage a cage match at the White House. Sunday’s match will be held in conjunction with Trump’s 80th birthday and the celebration of America’s 250th independence anniversary.

The partnership will be part of a broader sports diplomacy initiative that has been operating for decades. It has involved golf, tennis, figure skating, American football, soccer and other athletes. Under the program, program, UFC athletes and coaches will serve as U.S. sports ambassadors, leading training clinics for young international athletes.

Trump picks Jay Clayton, ex-SEC head and current US attorney, as director of national intelligence

Trump says he plans to nominate Jay Clayton, the former head of the Securities and Exchange Commission and current U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, as director of national intelligence.

Trump announced the nomination on social media on Thursday amid pressure from Congress to name Tulsi Gabbard’s permanent replacement. Trump faced intense pushback over his decision to name Bill Pulte, head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, as acting director after Gabbard announced last month that she was stepping down because of her husband’s cancer diagnosis.

The situation led to a standoff in Congress as Democrats said they would refuse to renew a foreign intelligence powers unless Trump pulled Pulte’s nomination and named a permanent nominee.

“Few people anywhere in the Legal Community are respected at the level of Jay,” Trump wrote. “I encourage the United States Senate to confirm Jay as soon as possible.”

Pentagon ends lockdown over ‘air quality’ issue

The Pentagon has stood down from a lockdown over what officials described as an “air quality issue.”

“Subsequent testing confirmed no hazard exists, and normal operations have resumed,” the Pentagon’s top spokesman, Sean Parnell, said in a social media post.

The lockdown lasted for about two hours and prompted a response from hazmat teams of the Pentagon’s internal police force as well as the team from nearby Arlington, Virginia.

Trump calls off threatened strikes against Iran after indicating progress in talks

Trump says he’s called off new military strikes on Iran hours after threatening to escalate the 3-month-old war.

The president said in a social media post Thursday that he made the move “based on the fact that discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran have been brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved.”

Trump also suggested that progress has been made in talks to extend the fragile ceasefire, writing that “discussions and final points have been, in both concept and great detail,” approved by United States, Israel, and other regional allies. He did not offer details.

Trump on multiple occasions over the last several weeks has claimed that the warring parties have been on a cusp of a deal without anything coming to fruition.

Targeting Iran’s Kharg Island carries major risks

Kharg Island has emerged as a focus of the war launched by the United States and Israel. The Persian Gulf island is home to a terminal through which Iran exports most of its oil.

Strikes on oil infrastructure on Kharg — or a ground invasion — would severely curb Iran’s oil exports, a key source of revenue for the Islamic Republic.

An assault would also mark a major escalation that could provoke even heavier retaliatory attacks on Gulf infrastructure. That would further drive up oil prices that already threaten the world economy.

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A look at the scene on the White House South Lawn for Sunday’s UFC event

It looks from afar more UFO than UFC.

Maybe it’s the kind of contraption that has carried space aliens to the White House to force a meeting with America’s leader.

But come closer and you’ll see the contours of the eight-sided cage, 30 feet in diameter and shaped like the MMA league’s signature Octagon.

Overhead looms The Claw, a four-sided mass that arcs more than 90 feet into the air and features lights, speakers, thick snakes of wiring and four large screens so fans not seated right next to the Octagon can follow the fighting in the cage below.

And surrounding all that are risers filled with gray folding chairs forming a temporary arena expected to seat 4,000-plus for the seven UFC fights being staged on Sunday to celebrate the 80th birthday of President Donald Trump and the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence’s signing.

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Iran’s parliamentary speaker responds

Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf warned in a social media post Thursday that “wrong strategies and impulsive decisions” would wreak havoc on energy markets and “create an endless quagmire that you will be stuck in for years.”

Iran’s monthslong stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz has disrupted global energy supplies, driven up fuel prices and made food and other basics more expensive well beyond the region.

Hazardous materials units respond to the Pentagon

The Pentagon Force Protection Agency’s hazardous materials team was responding to an unknown issue and parts of the Pentagon were under a shelter-in-place order while officials investigate.

“The Pentagon has sophisticated systems to ensure the safety of the building and its occupants. Those systems have detected an air quality issue necessitating precautionary measures until we determine its significance,” Chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said Thursday. “The Department is executing standard protection protocols, including a shelter-in-place order for the affected area.”

The Arlington County Fire Department also sent units, including its hazardous materials team, according to a posting on its X account. Questions to the media office were referred to the Pentagon.

Iranian student says hope dwindles as attacks escalate

A 25-year-old student in northern Iran says Iranians are fearing “chaos” amid the war with the U.S. and Israel and multiplying crises at home.

The student, who lives in the city of Babol, said many Iranians are struggling to afford groceries in the face of mass job losses and triple-digit food inflation. He spoke on the condition of anonymity out of security fears.

“Everything is going wrong and there is no hope among the people,” the student added.

The student first spoke to The Associated Press before the war when he participated in widespread anti-government protests. He now says his chief concern is that Iran “maintain territorial integrity and deterrence” in the face of attacks by the U.S. and Israel.

— Amir-Hussein Radjy

Tensions persist over Iran’s nuclear program and the Strait of Hormuz

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a social media post that the U.S. would extract funds from frozen Iranian accounts to offset the costs of damage to American allies as well as any tolls Iran imposes on ships seeking passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

Beyond the deadlock over the strait, the two sides also remain at odds over Iran’s nuclear program. Tehran insists its nuclear efforts are peaceful. The U.S. and Israel fear Tehran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium could be used to build an atomic weapon. That was a main reason they cited for going to war Feb. 28.

Trump doesn’t back down on Bill Pulte

After bipartisan pushback to Pulte’s temporary appointment as director of national intelligence, Trump said last week that he would not permanently nominate him to the position. But Democrats, and some Republicans, want his appointment pulled immediately and for Trump to nominate a replacement that can be confirmed by the Senate.

On Tuesday, though, Trump announced that Pulte would not only take over as acting director — he’d also start earlier than expected, on June 19.

One of several possible replacements could be Pete Hoekstra, Trump’s ambassador to Canada and a former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. The White House has reached out to Hoekstra about the job and conversations are ongoing, according to a person familiar with the outreach who requested anonymity to discuss the private conversations.

— Mary Clare Jalonick, Lisa Mascaro and Seung Min Kim

GOP leaders lobbied the White House, to no avail

Congressional Republicans have lobbied Trump all week to quickly nominate a permanent replacement for director of national intelligence. But he said he needs more time to do so.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Republican leaders have “made our views known” to the White House.

Trump has said he’s interviewing five candidates for his pick to lead the agency permanently, after the resignation of Tulsi Gabbard.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said the president has made it very clear that Pulte will serve a “very short term — a sort of renovation role” to help the Office of the Director of National Intelligence be “renovated and downsized.”

But Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee led by Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut said in a letter to the president that Pulte is a “uniquely poor choice” to serve even in the acting capacity.

House vote to extend FISA spy tool fails and it could lapse as Friday deadline looms

A rare lapse in a law that allows the United States to gather intelligence abroad appears likely after the House failed Thursday to temporarily extend the program, in a protest of President Trump ’s refusal to name a permanent head of the nation’s intelligence agencies.

Trump has doubled down on his temporary pick for director of national intelligence, federal housing finance regulator Bill Pulte, even though Pulte has little experience for the job. Democrats say they won’t support the renewal of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, known as FISA, unless the Republican president withdraws Pulte’s appointment and nominates a permanent replacement.

The House vote collapsed in bipartisan fashion, with some Republicans and nearly all Democrats rejecting the temporary measure. The Senate may try its own vote later Thursday, but hopes are dimming to prevent what could be an unprecedented lapse in the surveillance tool. The law expires Friday at midnight.

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He has to take turns.

Committed to staging a legitimate competition for their starting quarterback position, at least during this less-urgent part of the offseason, the Vikings have divided the time in drills with the first team between Murray and incumbent J.J. McCarthy. That's the way they'll start training camp next month, too.

“You’ve got to put it together in a way that challenges those guys and see who responds, see who handles adversity well, and ultimately see who elevates the offense,” coach Kevin O'Connell said after the last practice of minicamp on Thursday. “It’s an open competition, and I want to see these guys in very unique and in many ways difficult circumstances elevate themselves and their games to help the Minnesota Vikings.”

There's no deadline for the decision, O'Connell said, though for the Vikings to be at their best for the Sept. 13 regular-season opener against the Green Bay Packers they'll likely declare their starter at least a couple of weeks in advance of that. The frequency and quality of repetitions during open-to-the-public practices in training camp will undoubtedly stoke the embers of speculation that fuel the popularity of this sport, but the coaching staff has a plan for putting both quarterbacks in as many meaningful situations as they can once the pads come on in camp.

“I wouldn’t read much into who gets what on which days,” O'Connell said, well aware of the intense scrutiny on this team's quarterback depth chart for a third straight year since McCarthy was drafted 10th overall in 2024. “I know me saying that was the waste of the time that it took to say it, but we’re going to put together a way where we can put them in the different aspects of situational football that they need to get.”

Murray, the first overall pick in the 2019 draft who was cut by the Arizona Cardinals and signed with the Vikings for the veteran minimum salary for this year so he can try to cash in as a free agent for 2027, has been the presumptive favorite for the job even if he’s newer to the system.

“Now having to split reps, me already being behind, not getting the amount of reps you would typically want a guy to get learning an offense, that’s probably the toughest part,” Murray said this week.

Offensive coordinator Wes Phillips said McCarthy's offseason has “been a continuous upward arrow or him.” From O'Connell to wide receiver Justin Jefferson, all of the Vikings who've been publicly asked about McCarthy's progress from his mostly rough 2025 debut have remarked about sharpened skills and fundamentals. But at some point if Murray becomes the team's long-term choice, McCarthy might well find himself playing elsewhere.

“I think I’ve made it very clear I wanted to be here, before I got here. I love this organization. I love the coaching staff. I absolutely love these players to death," McCarthy said. "This is where I want to be. I feel like I can thrive in this system.”

The Vikings clearly still believe that to some degree, at least if patience were not part of the equation.

“It’s probably going to end up being a difficult decision,” O'Connell said, “just based on where I know those guys are going to go.”

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

Only a handful of prominent players in the past few decades have faced this confluence of talent and timing. They include a selection of generational greats: Zinedine Zidane for France in 1998, Michael Ballack for Germany in 2006, Neymar for Brazil in 2014.

Pulisic's U.S. teammates recognize the extraordinary burden he is carrying while the Americans prepare for their World Cup opener Friday night against Paraguay. From the field to the back row of the stands, everyone is looking to Pulisic for leadership and goals, hoping his full decade of international success with club and country will propel a middling soccer nation to new heights on home soil.

“I can't even imagine the weight that's on his shoulders,” teammate Tyler Adams said. “From such a young age, he was the hope of American soccer.”

Pulisic does not shy from the spotlight that will glare more brightly than ever in the next few weeks. In fact, he repeated Thursday that this challenge is “what I've always wanted.”

Now 27 years old, Pulisic has enough achievement and enough faith in his teammates to focus on how far the Americans can go, not how far they might fall.

“I don’t feel a difference in weight,” Pulisic said at the U.S. training base in Orange County. “I’m not sure. Maybe less. I just feel like there’s so many good players around me. I genuinely don’t feel like I have to do anything on my own. I’m going to give it the best I can. I want to help the team, and they expect a lot out of me, but with the guys I have around me, it makes it a lot easier for me.”

Pulisic was already the center of the U.S. hopes and aspirations when this World Cup was awarded to North America eight years ago, and his status hasn't changed. A nation that had struggled to produce elite players finally created a star in this slick, creative midfielder from Hershey, Pennsylvania, who has gone on to a decade of European club success.

National team progress has been more difficult to come by during Pulisic's first decade, but he is still considered the most consistently dynamic player in the American program — despite his 18-month goal drought in a U.S. shirt that only ended May 31.

“Of course he needs to be an important player for us in the competition,” said coach Mauricio Pochettino, who took over the U.S. team in late 2024. “(But) I think what we’ve learned after a year and a half is that the badge of the national team and the culture with this country is more important than any name, any player or any coach. That is a principal thing that we (believe), and from there, if you have talent and quality, you can perform on that platform.”

Adams, the 27-year-old Bournemouth midfielder, has been right alongside Pulisic for most of this ride.

He watched in awe as the 17-year-old Pulisic made his senior U.S. debut in late 2016. Those Americans failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, but Pulisic quickly became a vital component of the group.

“(Pulisic was) the best player on the field at 17 years old, and the person that they rely on, (and) it’s been since then that they’ve relied on him,” Adams said. “Now, we have weapons around him to kind of relieve that, but he’s a star. Not just for the U.S. national team, but in world football. He’s that good. We rely on him in big moments, but that being said, I hope he doesn’t feel the pressure to carry it all. Just to be himself and grow into each game.”

Pulisic became known across the world when he moved from Dortmund to Chelsea in 2019. He was part of the Blues’ Champions League winners in 2021, becoming only the second American to claim the ultimate club trophy, before moving in 2023 to AC Milan, where he remains a vital player for another major club.

Pulisic finally made his World Cup debut four years ago in Qatar, contributing a big goal and an assist — but the U.S. scored just three goals in its four games before going home in the knockout round.

“It feels similar, but with a bit of that comfort of being in America,” Pulisic said of his World Cup return. “It feels great having the people you love around you. It makes it that much more special.”

Pochettino has strived to build an aggressive, attacking team around Pulisic’s talents, thereby minimizing its reliance on its best player. Prolific Europe-based strikers Folarin Balogun and Ricardo Pepi will make their World Cup debuts this month for the U.S., hopefully spreading out the scoring responsibility.

But with his past World Cup experience in mind, Pulisic knows the Americans must step up quickly at home — and their opening matchup against a solid Paraguay team will put him right in the spotlight again.

“It has that big-game feel, for sure,” Pulisic said. “But in some ways, I feel a little bit more relaxed because I've been there before. We've played in a match like this. I think the experience has calmed me down a little bit.”

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AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/fifa-world-cup

The Minneapolis-area attacks last summer by Vance Boelter, 58, sparked the largest police search in state history and reverberated across the country, with elected officials fearing that escalating threats and polarization could lead to more violence. Boelter pleaded guilty so that federal prosecutors would not seek the death penalty; instead, he agreed to serve two consecutive life sentences, plus 40 years.

Boelter, disguised in a tactical uniform and realistic mask, parked his police-style SUV with emergency flashing lights in the driveway of House Speaker Melissa Hortman's home at around 3:30 a.m. on June 14, 2025. He rang the doorbell, shouting: “Police, welfare check,” according to a plea agreement made public Thursday. Mark Hortman, her husband, answered the door.

Mark Hortman told Boelter that his wife was also in the home, and Boelter said he'd need to see her before he could leave, according to the plea agreement. When Mark Hortman asked, Boelter gave him a fake name and badge number and, when Hortman followed up for his jurisdiction, Boelter hesitated before naming a different Minneapolis suburb, the agreement states. Boelter then immediately took out his gun to shoot Hortman multiple times, according to the agreement.

Boelter then “rushed forward through the front door into the home” and shot Melissa Hortman repeatedly “as she attempted to flee upstairs,” according to the plea agreement. Both Melissa and Mark Hortman were killed.

Boelter had already been to the home of state Sen. John Hoffman that night, shooting and critically injuring him and his wife, Yvette, while their daughter was nearby.

There were brief sobs from the courtroom gallery Thursday where family members of the Hortmans sat alongside John and Yvette Hoffman as the attacks were described in detail. Again and again Boelter simply said “yes,” as his attorney questioned him about his actions, including whether he pressed a pistol to Melissa Hortman’s head and fired.

U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen told reporters after the hearing that the death penalty was only taken off the table after Boelter agreed to the longest possible prison sentence for the six federal charges.

“Political violence is a scourge plaguing America,” Rosen said. “Those that would commit political violence at any level should take heed: the Justice Department will seek and obtain the longest prison terms available for your crimes.”

A statement posted on John Hoffman's Facebook page said there is no justice for the Hortmans, and “there is not justice when our family and our state will never truly heal. While the legal process may provide accountability, true healing requires something more from all of us."

The statement called on Minnesotans and Americans to “treat people with respect, to stop de-humanizing each other, and to stop dividing our country with hate and rhetoric.”

Boelter also faces state charges, including two counts of murder and four counts of attempted murder as well as charges of impersonating a police officer and animal cruelty. The Hortman family’s golden retriever was gravely injured in the shootings and had to be euthanized. The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said Thursday that the federal plea agreement does not affect the state's case, which had been on hold pending the resolution of the federal case.

Boelter also stopped outside the homes of two other lawmakers in the Minneapolis suburbs that night. At one, he knocked but no one answered. At the other, he was apparently frightened away when a police officer, believing he was a fellow officer, approached him as he sat in his vehicle.

Boelter, wearing his orange jail sweatshirt and sweatpants as he sat in the courtroom between two of his attorneys, listened closely as U.S. District Judge John Tunheim talked through each of the six charges and their maximum sentences. Tunheim accepted the guilty pleas and said he would set a date soon for sentencing.

Boelter was captured near his home in rural Green Isle, about an hour's drive from Minneapolis, the day after the shootings, which prosecutors have said were politically motivated but which remain in many ways unexplained.

“Dad went to war last night,” Boelter messaged his family that morning. “Words are not going to explain how sorry I am.”

Boelter, an evangelical Christian with politically conservative views who had traveled to Congo as a preacher and missionary, spent much of his life in the food service industry. He had been struggling to earn a living before the shootings, after the failure of a security company he'd founded.

John Hoffman said in a lawsuit filed against Boelter in April that his left arm and hand likely would never fully recover and that he also had permanent injuries to his digestive and urinary systems.

Yvette Hoffman was left with permanent physical weakness, the lawsuit said, while their adult daughter, Hope Hoffman, who was there and called 911 but was not shot, suffered severe psychological trauma.

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Fingerhut reported from Des Moines, Iowa.

Organ, brass and choral singing thundered inside a modern Orlando shrine during the service, a centerpiece of the spring assembly of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Just before the liturgy, bishops and other worshippers knelt before relics of the 17th century St. Mary Margaret Alacoque, a French nun whose reports of visions of Jesus led to the modern devotion of the Sacred Heart as embodying the core of Christ’s suffering love. Since then, the devotion has spread worldwide, with many Catholic schools and churches bearing the Sacred Heart name and many homes and businesses displaying images of it.

The service celebrated the nation’s history, alluding to the Declaration of Independence’s proclamation of rights to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” It also included prayers acknowledging national failures, including its “original sins of slavery and racism.” It's necessary to acknowledge the good with the bad, said Oklahoma City Archbishop Paul Coakley, president of the bishops conference.

“To consecrate ourselves to the Sacred Heart is ultimately to accept Jesus’ invitation to remain in his love and to allow that love to shape every aspect of our lives, public and private,” he said. “If we are honest, we must acknowledge that neither our nation nor the church has always reflected that love."

A Catholic history of Sacred Heart consecrations

It’s the first time such a service has been held in this country, although similar ones have taken place in several other countries since the 19th century. Such services, occasionally in conjunction with civil leaders, have taken on political and sometimes controversial overtones when it has been used in support of Catholic nationalistic movements.

Pope Leo XIII, the most recent namesake of the current pontiff, consecrated the entire world to the Sacred Heart in 1899.

Before the service, bishops heard devotional talks from some of their members, emphasizing Pope Francis’ final encyclical, or teaching document, in which he highlighted the Sacred Heart as an inspiration for service and justice.

The relics of St. Mary Margaret Alacoque were brought over from their permanent location in France and displayed in front of the church for the occasion. While scholars trace the roots of the Catholic devotion to the Sacred Heart to ancient times, her reports of visions are credited with fostering the modern images, prayers and piety surrounding it.

Thursday's service took place at the Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Universe. The strong afternoon Florida sun shone brightly even through the filters of stained-glass windows beside and above the worshippers.

Rows upon rows of bishops in their purple hats and white robes sat in front of the sanctuary, with other worshippers behind and beside them.

Small revisions made to US Catholic sex abuse policies

Earlier Thursday, in their twice-a-year gathering, the bishops approved minor revisions to their policies on responding to sexual abuse, adding some specifics about due process for accused priests while maintaining the ban on any priests from ministry who had been found to have abused children.

Some bishops called for a delay in adopting the revisions to the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People in order to gain broader feedback on it, but they were outvoted. The final vote for approval was 176-22.

The revisions began five years ago. It was first approved in 2002 at the peak of the Catholic clergy sex abuse crisis, when reports by the Boston Globe about abuse and coverup in the Archdiocese of Boston ignited an explosion of similar revelations nationwide and beyond. The charter has been revised periodically since then.

The centerpieces of that document remain — including the banishing of priests from ministry for any confirmed episode of sexual abuse.

The revisions are “trying to do two things at the same time,” said Bishop Barry Knestout, who chairs the committee that revised it.

“One is to retain and also reemphasize the commitment of bishops to address the issue of potential for abuse, safeguarding of our children and young people in a way that’s both transparent and accountable,” he said. The other is to “recognize due process and presumption of innocence” of the accused while a case is being investigated.

“We’re trying not to lose any of the commitment to victim survivors yet still recognize that there is in fairness a process that should be undertaken,” he said.

The advocacy group BishopAccountability.org issued a statement calling the approval a “missed opportunity,” saying a delay would have allowed wider input into the document and produced a better and more “trauma-informed” charter. It called for close scrutiny of the revisions at the diocese level.

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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Trump had doubled down on his choice of Bill Pulte for acting director of national intelligence, even though the federal housing finance regulator has little experience for the job. Democrats said they would not support the renewal of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, known as FISA, unless the Republican president withdrew Pulte's appointment and nominated a permanent replacement as director of national intelligence.

The House vote collapsed in bipartisan fashion, with 19 Republicans and nearly all Democrats rejecting the temporary measure, 198-218. The Senate tried to approve its own versions, but also failed, dimming the chances to prevent what could be rare lapse of spy powers. The law expires Friday at midnight.

After those votes, Trump announced he was tapping Jay Clayton, a U.S. attorney who previously served as chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, as his permanent pick as intelligence director. But the president’s move did not seem able to break the standoff over Pulte before the deadline.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, when asked about Clayton, said, “Pulte has to go.”

“He cannot be in the DNI role,” said Schumer, D-N.Y. “It’s too important.”

The impasse could soon result in limitations on what intelligence the U.S. government can collect abroad just as World Cup games begin in cities around the country and ahead of celebrations for the nation’s 250th anniversary. While the provision has expired briefly before, this would be the first lengthy lapse, at a time when the U.S. and Iran have been engaged in missile strikes that are testing a fragile ceasefire in the war.

A lapse would not automatically deprive the government’s authority to conduct surveillance, but could open the door to court challenges of the program. That could lead to stale intelligence, lawmakers said, including the type of information included in the president’s daily briefing.

“We have done everything we possibly can,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, who blamed Democrats for the breakdown and said he would not be recalling lawmakers back to Washington as they left for a weeklong recess. “It is detestable, it is dangerous, it is going to jeopardize the security of the American people.”

Democrats said Trump and the Republicans are the ones putting national security at risk by installing Pulte to the job. Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York said Pulte has “weaponized” his position in the federal government to go after Trump's critics.

Jeffries said it was a window into the White House's thinking that Trump “could put Bill Pulte forward and the country wouldn’t react adversely to it.” He said the president must ”come to the table and demonstrate leadership so we can reopen good faith negotiations about how best to extend surveillance authority.”

Trump has said he wants Pulte to begin downsizing intelligence agencies.

GOP leaders lobby the White House, to no avail

Congressional Republicans have lobbied Trump all week to quickly nominate a permanent replacement.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said Republican leaders had “made our views known” to the White House. But on Thursday he blamed Democrats for the FISA impasse. "This critical tool is set to go dark on Friday, and what the consequences of that will be, we cannot predict,” he said.

Thune praised Trump's choice of Clayton and said the Senate could move “fairly quickly” to confirm him.

Trump had said he was interviewing five candidates for intelligence director after the resignation of Tulsi Gabbard but he wouldn’t let Democrats “extort us” over the pick.

The president wants Pulte to serve in a "sort of renovation role,” Johnson said, to help the Office of the Director of National Intelligence be “renovated and downsized.”

But Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee, led by Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, said in a letter to the president that Pulte is a “uniquely poor choice” to serve even in the acting capacity.

Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers skeptical of Pulte have pointed to his lack of intelligence experience and his record at the Federal Housing Finance Agency. In that position, he has been linked with criminal referrals over allegations of mortgage fraud by public officials Trump sought to punish, including New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Democrat; Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif.; and Lisa Cook, a board member of the Federal Reserve.

Himes also welcomed Trump's pick of Clayton as a “terrific DNI,” saying had he been nominated earlier, “lots of pain might have been avoided.”

FISA will lapse at midnight Friday

Section 702 of FISA allows agencies such as the CIA, National Security Agency and FBI to collect communications from foreign targets overseas without a warrant.

While members of both parties who cite privacy issues have long wanted to limit the authority, there was broad bipartisan support to renew it, especially after Republicans and Democrats recently worked out a compromise bill.

Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, has worked with Republicans on the compromise legislation to renew the authority. But he called Pulte’s appointment to replace Gabbard “a live hand grenade” disrupting the process.

“Let me be clear -– while I am glad to see the president finally come to his senses, before the Senate can take up a FISA extension there needs to be a clear guarantee that Mr. Pulte will not serve as acting DNI,” Warner said in a statement.

Warner said either Gabbard must remain in place or the administration must designate her Senate-confirmed principal deputy, Aaron Lukas, as the acting head through any transition.

Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, have warned the administration to prepare “for a potential significant gap in foreign intelligence collection.”

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Associated Press reporters Joey Cappelletti, Kevin Freking and Eric Tucker contributed to this report.

European duo Nicole Broch Estrup of Denmark and Gemma Dryburgh of Scotland were the first team to post a 3-under 67 in the tough foursomes format. They were joined by Camille Boyd and Michelle Zhang, and Hira Naveed and Gurleen Kaur.

Juli Inkster, the 66-year-old Hall of Famer, played for the first time this year and teamed with her prodigy, Angel Yin, with a 69.

The alternate-shot format kept no team from being able to separate at Midland Country Club, and most teams stayed close going into the second round of fourballs.

“Legally Blonde” is the team name Korda and Cowan gave themselves in a week that is more about fun coming off a tough test at the Women's Open that Korda won for her second major of the year.

Boyd and Zhang went with the name “Baddies” and they were up to the task. The LPGA rookies had three birdies in their opening seven holes, survived some rocky moments and joined the top of a very crowded leaderboard.

Nine teams were a shot back at 68.

“Going into the event, we were both super excited,” Boyd said. “It’s a fun thing. The crowds were great, so I think we were just having good vibes out there and feeding off that energy for sure.”

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

Sanford police confirmed that two people were shot just blocks apart. One of them, 32-year-old Deion Fields, was killed. Since Sunday, News 6 has been working to learn more about a person of interest with a gun that police found in the area and what led to the violence.

What witnesses heard, what witnesses saw

The first 911 call came in at approximately 3:20 a.m. on June 7 near Historic Goldsboro Boulevard and Mangoustine Avenue. In the recordings, the fear and confusion of that night come through on the line to dispatch.

“It was like multiple gunshots,” one caller said, “and he was right here at the green store where we were.”

As dispatchers worked to gather information, witnesses said they had no answers about who fired the shots.

“Is the assailant still nearby?” a dispatcher asked.

“We don’t know who shot him. We don’t know where it came from,” the caller responded.

A second shooting, just blocks away

While officers were still responding to the first call, a second 911 call came in reporting another shooting just blocks away at Historic Goldsboro Boulevard and Pomegranate Avenue.

Witnesses at that second scene told dispatchers they saw a man and carrying a gun.

“He came up to me; he said he was gonna come closer, he said, um, ‘Yo.’ And he’s like, ‘Oh, somebody set me up,’” one witness recounted. “He was acting weird out there.”

Another witness described watching a black SUV jump a curb before the man inside got out armed.

“There was a black SUV that I guess he hit a curb and blew his tires out, and he got out with a gun,” the caller said. “I was just riding by and happened to see it all.”

Person of interest found; investigation ongoing

Investigators located a person of interest near the scene who was found with a firearm and was taken to a local hospital for mental health concerns. News 6 asked Sanford police for an update on that person and the broader investigation Thursday. Police say they hope to have an update to share soon.

At this time, police say it is unknown whether the two shootings are connected, but they believe the incidents are isolated and that there is no immediate danger to the public.

Sanford Police Chief Cecil Smith called on the community to help bring answers.

“Our investigators are still working diligently to understand what happened to cause one young man to lose his life and send another to the hospital,” Smith said. “We need our community to stand together with us and say that gun violence and crimes associated with it will not be tolerated. We believe there were witnesses who saw something. We encourage them to come forward and work with us to take these violent individuals off our streets.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Sanford Police Department or Crimeline at 800-423-8477 or visit www.crimeline.org. All calls to Crimeline remain anonymous.

Debbie Cohran, who lives about 500 feet (152 meters) from the aerospace facility in Garden Grove, wasn’t told to evacuate until several hours after the leak started, according to her complaint. Her suit said she experienced nausea and headaches for several days afterward.

Melanie Rose Burciaga of nearby Westminster had just given birth to her first child and had to leave the hospital when the evacuation orders came in, her lawyer said in a lawsuit.

And Juan Diego Orozco was part of a street repair crew working in Garden Grove on the day the overheating started. He said he suffered a headache and went to the hospital due to difficulty breathing and vomiting, his lawyer said.

More than 100 individuals — including some families with pets — as well as local businesses are suing GKN Aerospace, saying the U.K.-based company was negligent in maintaining a safe facility, especially since it’s located in a large population center.

Ten of the cases were filed as class actions in federal court, while 21 are in state court and cover one to 31 plaintiffs. The suits seek compensatory and punitive damages.

A spokesperson for GKN Aerospace told the AP in an email Thursday: “GKN respects the legal process and will respond to these lawsuits in due course.”

Adam Zimmerman, a professor at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law who is not involved in the litigation, said the federal cases will likely be consolidated and the state cases will likely be moved under one judge, to ensure they are handled efficiently. Some of those state lawsuits may be moved to federal court, he said.

Pressure on the company increased on Wednesday when FBI agents served a search warrant at the facility to collect documents and records related to the “storage, use, or disposal” of methyl methacrylate, the chemical inside the affected tank.

The Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday that it had joined the FBI to “search for and seize evidence of potential federal environmental crimes." The agency declined to provide more information, saying it doesn't comment on criminal investigations.

GKN Aerospace makes cockpit windows, canopies and windshields. The tank that overheated starting on May 21 contained 6,000 to 7,000 gallons (22,700 to 26,500 liters) of methyl methacrylate, which is highly flammable. The liquid is used in the manufacturing of plastics and coatings, such as Plexiglas.

Health officials said no contamination or fumes were released, and they plan to monitor the air for several months. Exposure to the chemical can cause serious respiratory problems, neurological issues and irritation to the skin, eyes and throat, according to the EPA.

Although the tank did not explode, tens of thousands of residents were evacuated from the area for three to five days until crews were able to stabilize the tank.

Blodgett said that the company was cooperating with federal authorities.

GKN Aerospace senior vice president Steve Carlin spoke at a community meeting Tuesday, saying he was sorry that the event occurred, and that it was especially unsettling because the company has a long history with the community.

Many of the lawsuits say the company had a duty to maintain the tank, cooling system, valves and monitoring systems to keep the community safe.

The complaints say the residents were forced to leave their homes and had to pay for hotels, food and other daily needs, which created a financial burden. They also said they experienced anxiety during the evacuation process and continue to be concerned about exposure to chemicals.

Businesses in the area also suffered. The emergency happened over Memorial Day weekend -– a time when many restaurants and food service companies bring in some of their best revenue of the year.

“Our data shows approximately 3,000 businesses were forced to shut down because of the evacuation, and at least another 3,000 businesses right outside the evacuation zone while not forced to close, but had their revenue dropped considerably because of the tank failure and evacuation,” said lawyer Richard McCune, who has filed a class-action lawsuit on behalf of Big Rob’s Pizzeria and Fruit Caboose Concessions.

Lawyers say the FBI investigation will help their legal cases.

“We trust that the search will uncover important information and materials related to this crisis,” said lawyer Sean Litteral, who represents Jonathan Sanchez, a father of two children, including an infant born just days before the incident.

Later, she repeated her assertion that former President Joe Biden’s administration is responsible for the parasite’s return to the U.S. six decades after it was eradicated. Democratic leaders say cuts to the nation’s agriculture agency under President Donald Trump are to blame.

Screwworms are on their way to becoming a billion-dollar international problem, but can be contained if ranchers are vigilant, watch their herds and other wildlife, and quickly treat any infestations, Rollins said. She pointed to the calf where screwworms were found six days earlier in a wound where its umbilical cord had been attached.

“He couldn’t be happier. He’s bouncing around the pasture," Rollins said.

Screwworms are flies that lay their eggs in the wounds of warm-blooded animals and feed on living flesh rather than dead tissues. Scientists say releasing sterile flies to mate with females is the most effective way to control the population, a strategy that has worked for decades. A warming planet is complicating efforts by giving screwworms, which thrive in hot, humid weather, more places to spread.

Billion-dollar response planned to fight screwworms

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is preparing an all-out assault on the screwworm, which had been contained in the narrow isthmus of Panama for decades.

No matter the cause, driving screwworms back south and keeping them out of the U.S. will be expensive. The USDA estimated it would spend over $1 billion on efforts to save cattle herds and other livestock.

About $750 million will go toward building and operating a plant capable of producing up to 300 million sterile flies a week. The technique has been used for decades, as female screwworms mate just once, and if they choose a sterile mate, their eggs don’t hatch, and the fly population dwindles.

The goal is to protect the U.S. cattle industry. Experts think the parasite shouldn't cause an immediate increase in near-record-high beef prices as long as it doesn't turn into an outbreak and large groups of cattle die. Screwworms don't affect food safety.

The parasite has already disrupted the Mexican beef industry. The U.S. closed its southern ports to Mexican livestock last summer.

Mexico has had more than 28,000 cases of screwworms since the flies returned two years ago, mostly confined to its southern states. The Mexican government stopped the importation of almost all live animals from the U.S. after screwworms were discovered here.

Scientists aren’t sure how screwworms emerged again

The U.S. had been almost entirely rid of screwworms for 60 years, with scientists in North and Central America eventually driving it down to the containment zone in Panama. But in 2023, the flies emerged and began heading back north.

Experts say screwworms are here to stay at least for this summer. Seven cases have already been detected in Texas and New Mexico. A 12-mile (20-kilometer) quarantine zone goes up around every place a case is found.

As they work toward a solution, scientists say they aren't sure exactly what led to screwworms leaving the area in Panama where they were boxed in.

“I don't have the answer to that one, and I don’t know if anyone does. It doesn’t help us to speculate,” said Jonathan Cammack, a professor of livestock entomology and parasitology at Oklahoma State University.

The key now is to ramp up the sterile fly program and get international cooperation to get the pests back down to Panama, he said.

Climate change is also helping drive the spread of screwworms, said Lee Haines, an associate research professor of biological sciences at the University of Notre Dame.

"The fly is a creature of warmth as its entire life cycle, from egg to adult, can complete in as little as three weeks under tropical conditions," Haines said.

Even Canada has temporarily stopped importing cattle, horses or other livestock from Texas. The parasites prefer humid areas where temperatures are at least 77 F (25 C), and those days are increasing further north.

Democrats question cuts; Republicans blame immigration

As Rollins moves quickly to implement a billion-dollar response to the screwworm outbreak, she has also blamed the Biden administration, noting that it was in office as the parasite began moving north again.

She said without showing any evidence the flies were with animals that followed immigrants north as well as hitching rides with cattle and other animals being sold by Mexican cartels outside of regular markets.

“People moving north to America, bringing their livestock with them, the Mexican cartels with the illicit cattle traffic, we knew it was coming,” Rollins told the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee on Wednesday.

Nearly a dozen Democratic U.S. senators sent a letter to Rollins this week questioning whether job losses at the USDA have hurt food inspections and livestock safety programs.

Nearly 20% of the counties in the U.S. that started 2025 with at least one employee from the federal Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service ended the year with none, the letter said.

Rollins said she has moved over 100 USDA employees into the screwworm response. She said it has been one of her top priorities since Trump picked her to lead the USDA.

But Democratic U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu of California said blaming Biden is shortsighted and again shows the Trump administration creates problems through reckless spending cuts.

“The life cycle of a screwworm is about 14 to 54 days, depending on temperature and humidity. The Trump administration has been in office for over 500 days,” Lieu said earlier this week. “This is on the Trump administration. They need to own up to it, and they need to apologize.”

Maybe it's the kind of contraption that has carried space aliens to the White House to force a meeting with America's leader.

But come closer and you'll see the contours of the eight-sided cage, 30 feet (9 meters) in diameter and shaped, with careful precision, like the MMA league's signature Octagon.

That is, a STOP! sign flipped on its edge, with wire-mesh sides and padded corners fitted with different sponsors' logos: Morgan & Morgan, Bud Light, Dodge Ram, Corona Extra and Polymarket, which identifies itself as the world’s largest prediction market.

Overhead looms The Claw, a four-sided mass that arcs more than 90 feet (27 meters) into the air and features lights, speakers, thick snakes of wiring and four large screens so fans not seated right next to the Octagon can follow the cage fighting below.

Think more of the four-sided, metal grabby thing that tries to grasp stuffed animals at a video arcade rather than what house cats have — hence the extraterrestrial vibes.

And surrounding all that are risers filled with gray folding chairs forming a temporary arena expected to seat 4,000-plus people for the seven UFC fights being staged on Sunday to celebrate the 80th birthday of President Donald Trump and the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence’s signing.

‘Quite attractive to a lot of people’

For non-UFC fans, all of this might be disorienting under any circumstances. But the temporary arena is covering nearly the entirety of the White House's South Lawn, where Marine One usually lands to ferry the president to out-of-town trips and gobs of kids scramble in the grass during the Easter Egg Roll every spring.

More than $60 million and tens of thousands of hours of labor have been poured into building the arena, according to a court filing from the National Park Service, which oversees the South Lawn and is contesting a lawsuit meant to block the event.

The White House says the UFC is covering the costs, though the filing states that seven agencies — including the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Aviation Administration — have “allocated significant resources and manpower.”

Fighters, their entourages and assorted support staffers are expected to take over the driveway and part of the West Wing when they're not fighting. But they'll enter the arena via curtained-off walkways with access to the Octagon.

They, as well as ordinary attendees of Sunday's spectacle, will have picturesque views of the White House's Executive Residence and its storied Truman Balcony on one side and the Washington Monument towering in the distance on the other. All of it will be accentuated by swirling spotlights, and perhaps even sweat and blood pouring off the fighters pummeling each other.

A packed pre-event schedule includes a press conference at the Lincoln Memorial with UFC chief Dana White and the fighters on Friday night.

There's also a ceremonial weigh-in for combatants on Saturday at the Ellipse, a park near the White House, where organizers expect 120,000-plus visitors to watch Sunday night's proceedings on large screens after winning free tickets in a lottery.

Stunt athlete Travis Pastrana is also set to do a potentially death-defying backflip on a dirt bike on the White House lawn as part of the preshow extravaganza.

Trump has called the Octagon and its Claw “quite attractive to a lot of people.” He's even suggested that maybe the temporary structure could become permanent, like the Eiffel Tower, which he notes was originally built as part of the 1889 World's Fair but then was never taken back down.

Only the president knows how serious that suggestion really is.

The fights will go on rain or shine — despite a lack of covering

Work on the arena began May 20 and has continued for weeks. During a walk-through for reporters on Thursday, construction noises — particularly sanding and hammering — could be heard. Giant cranes were carrying materials around overhead, though that was for the $400 million ballroom that Trump is building nearby, not the UFC fight.

The remaining grassy lawn around the arena, on the other sides of the White House, has been fitted with supplemental spotlights. But the grass that normally grows between the White House and the start of the risers for the arena is now gone, with nothing but dusty dirt that will need to be resodded when this is all over — unless the president really does decide to leave the arena up permanently.

There's also a large Freedom 250 logo standing between the White House and the arena. Nearby, crews removed the tables and yellow patio umbrellas from Trump’s refurbished Rose Garden and were power-washing that space, as well as the colonnade to the Oval Office, in preparation for the fights.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio signed a cooperation agreement with UFC that will see both institutions provide fight training and health and diet regimens, while promoting teamwork and leadership among youth around the world.

“We are so polarized,” Rubio said. “There are only a handful of things that bring people together in one place at one time, united by their interest in one thing. We need more of those.”

Later Thursday, crews began testing the sound system, unleashing a deep rumbling — and sometimes unsettling bass notes — throughout the West Wing. During a subsequent Oval Office event, the music from the lawn was loud enough that the 1970s hit "Boys are Back in Town” rollicked in the background as Trump spoke.

Sunday's event starts at 8 p.m. ET. As darkness falls, crews will illuminate The Claw in red, white and blue, and the mass of lights will offer projections that make it seem as though the entire structure has been enveloped in a twirling stars and stripes pattern.

The weather forecast calls for hot and muggy conditions with thunderstorms possible. The underside of The Claw's tower features an overhead cover that should keep the fighters reasonably dry should it rain — and Trump is also likely to watch from a protected, covered area.

But everyone else would almost certainly get wet.

White has vowed that even heavy lightning — when The Claw might make a conspicuous target for bolts — wouldn't stop the show.

“I don’t care if it snows," White said.

Our Friday will start off on the muggy but dry side with a mix of sun and clouds for the morning commute. This sunshine will allow temperatures to climb into the low 90s around lunchtime. That is when spotty thunderstorms will begin to develop across Central Florida along our sea breeze. The difference with Friday is a weaker, more southeast wind.

This means the sea breeze will not push as far inland before developing those afternoon storms. Coverage will favor areas along and near the I-4 corridor. Our weak westerly steering flow means storms will remain nearly stationary in the afternoon.

A similar scene will play out for your weekend as our sea breeze pattern continues to be the dominant factor over Central Florida’s forecast. Expect to start off your Saturday and Sunday on the dry side with a mix of sun and clouds and humid conditions.

Scattered thunderstorms will begin to develop along our sea breeze between I-4 and I-75 just after lunchtime and linger across Central Florida until Sunset. Highs will be in the low-mid 90s with “feels like” temperatures hovering around 100ºF.

• SpaceX’s IPO is expected to be one of the largest public offerings in history.
• Even investors who don’t buy IPO shares directly may gain exposure through retirement accounts.
• Financial experts caution that excitement surrounding SpaceX and other AI-related companies could be a sign of growing market speculation.

The long-awaited SpaceX initial public offering is set to begin trading on Friday, giving everyday investors their first opportunity to buy shares in Elon Musk’s rocket, satellite, and AI company.

But while many investors are eager to get a piece of the company behind Falcon rockets, Starship, Starlink satellites, and Grok, financial experts warn that enthusiasm can sometimes cloud good judgment.

The IPO could also have implications far beyond those who choose to buy shares directly, as recent changes by major stock indexes could allow SpaceX to quickly become part of some retirement portfolios and index funds. Translation: millions of Americans may soon own a stake in the company without ever placing a trade themselves.

We spoke with CBS News Business Analyst Jill Schlesinger about the hype surrounding the SpaceX IPO, what it could mean for retirement savers, and why investors should be careful not to let excitement override their long-term financial plans.

Here’s the full transcript of our interview:

WKMG-TV:

SpaceX goes public this week as Elon Musk sells off a piece of the company to the public. And shares will start trading on the Nasdaq exchange. CBS News Business Analyst Jill Schlesinger is here to break down what is likely to be the biggest initial public offering in history.

Jill, Friday is going to be busy. Investors are scrambling to get a piece of the SpaceX IPO. What’s your advice to them?

Jill Schlesinger:

Well, look like any risky venture we’re talking about a stock or crypto, maybe an investment in your friend or small business, the best way to protect yourself, but also to participate is to limit the amount you purchase to just a fraction of your overall investments, maybe 5% or less.

Let’s remember this is a company that’s currently operating at a loss. It’s a big bet on Elon Musk, and something could go wrong here. Let’s not make it too big of a wager in your own personal financial life.

WKMG-TV:

Now, Jill, this is something I found really interesting. What does this mean for the average person who has a 401 K?

Jill Schlesinger:

Well, even if you don’t want to buy shares through the IPO or you can’t, SpaceX may soon be available inside your retirement account.

Last month, the Nasdaq and the Russell Indexes announced that they were making rule and methodology changes which would allow SpaceX to be included in its indexes. Now, that is very strange because this can happen within weeks of the deal.

Well, in the past, when you have a newly public company, they’d have to wait a year before getting included in an index.

Now there is one holdout. If you’re somebody who uses Standard and Poor’s funds like the S&P 500 index, S&P said they are not changing their criteria. SpaceX will not be in an S&P fund until at least mid-2027.

WKMG-TV:

And Jill, what does this deal signal about the current market?

Jill Schlesinger:

Well, listen, if you look at SpaceX and you say, " =Wow", this is a company that’s targeting a valuation of $1.8 trillion and that is happening even though they’re unprofitable, it tells you that there are a lot of investors out there who were paying up for potential growth.

So, I mean, I’m just wondering if you look at this IPO, future deals for Anthropic and OpenAI, these are just massive deals without any precedent. So when I see that, I look at big risk-taking, loosening of listing and index standards, tons of enthusiasm for an innovation might be that everything’s fine, but it also could be a sign of an overheated market.

Now, in the past, we’ve seen overheated markets continue for months and sometimes years. But we also know they can end badly. So just be careful here. Stick to your game plan. Don’t get too excited on the way up so that you’re not too disappointed on the way down.

WKMG-TV:

Jill, great advice. Thank you so much.

You can see Jill regularly on CBS Mornings and the CBS Evening News. For more analysis, go to JillOnMoney.com.

“The World May Be Flat” is described as an intimate two-character drama exploring survival and everything that comes after.

Rather than recalling the tragedy itself, the show focuses on what happened afterwards: survivor’s guilt, grief, internalized shame, memory, and the increasing pressure to move on in a world that often expects silence.

“The World May Be Flat” is set in an Orlando apartment. The play follows Noah, a Pulse survivor struggling to process unresolved trauma a decade later, and Jagger, his younger partner, shaped by a different cultural and political reality.

The playwright behind the show says their goal is to get the message out that, as a community, we need to continue supporting the long-term mental health needs of survivors. They see the play as a call to community action in ways other memorialization efforts sometimes cannot.

“The World May Be Flat” will be at the Dr. Phillips Center because, in the days after Pulse, the Performing Arts Center became a major public gathering space for mourning and solidarity.

The show’s organizers say presenting the play there 10 years later places the production within the same civic landscape that shaped the city’s response to the tragedy.

“The World May Be Flat” will be inside Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater for one night only on June 14 at 8 p.m. Click here for ticket information.

Anna Kepner was violently raped by her younger stepbrother on a cruise ship last fall before she was likely placed in a chokehold and squeezed so hard her eardrums burst, an assistant U.S. attorney told a Miami federal judge in May.

Kepner, 18, was found dead on the Carnival Horizon in November, one day before the cruise ship returned to Miami.

[WATCH: Interview with Sonya Ziske and CBS News]

Sonya Ziske, speaking exclusively to CBS News, is demanding charges against Chris and Shauntel Kepner — the family members she says were responsible for supervising the teens on board the ship.

Her step-grandson, Timothy Hudson, 16, faces federal charges of first-degree murder and aggravated sexual abuse in the death of his stepsister, Anna Kepner. A federal judge has allowed Hudson to remain free while the case continues.

Ziske questions supervision, alcohol and missed medication

Ziske questioned whether alcohol, missed medication, and a lack of supervision played a role in the case. She said the teens were placed in a high-risk situation without proper oversight — calling it, in her words, “a recipe for disaster.”

“Number one, why were those kids in a room together?” Ziske said. “It’s been said that he was raised to think of her as a sister. They were not raised together.”

Ziske also defended Hudson’s account of events, saying his version of the story has remained consistent throughout the investigation.

“He truly does not remember,” she said. “He did not change from all the interviews that he has had. He has not changed what he has said at all. If there was any type of memory there, he wouldn’t be able to say the same exact thing.”

Kepners deny alcohol claim; attorney silent

The Kepners have denied providing alcohol to the teens. Their attorney did not respond to CBS News’ requests for comment.

The case remains active in federal court. The judge has not yet ruled on whether Hudson will be detained as proceedings continue.

Consumer prices rose 2.1% last month compared with April, the government statistics agency INDEC reported — a rate hailed by Economy Minister Luis Caputo as the lowest monthly level in eight months.

But annual inflation rose marginally to 33.2% this May because monthly inflation in May 2025 hit a seven-year low of 1.5%. Since then, prices have climbed and stayed high, squeezing households and fueling public frustration with Milei's government as it grapples with a series of corruption scandals and struggles to respond to a slump in economic activity across the labor-intensive sectors of retail and manufacturing.

Last month, communications networks saw the biggest price increases with 3.4% on higher phone and internet bills, followed by education costs. Food prices accelerated by 2.5%.

Milei praised Minister Caputo, nicknamed Toto, on social media, posting the INDEC report with the comment, "Let’s goooooo Toto!”

Milei and Caputo also celebrated the news that S&P Global, one of the major credit ratings agencies, had upgraded Argentina's sovereign credit rating late Wednesday to a stable B- from the CCC category, which is considered most at risk of defaulting, citing the government’s success in meeting debt repayments.

Although the upgrade leaves Argentina several notches below investment status, the vote of confidence advances Milei's goal of bringing the crisis-prone economy back to global capital markets six years after Argentina defaulted on its foreign debt for the ninth time.

Milei came to office in late 2023 vowing to eliminate Argentina's sky-high price increases and reverse its chronic fiscal deficits.

More than two years later, his sweeping deregulation and austerity measures have produced a rare budget surplus, charmed investors and slowed inflation — the annual rate, now at 33%, topped 200% when he took power.

But the inflation that makes the cost of living here in Buenos Aires comparable to that in European capitals outpaces real wages. Unemployment has ticked up as thousands of workers are laid off from national industries that can't keep up with a flood of cheap imports.

Corruption scandals of the kind Milei vowed to eradicate upon taking office have struck a nerve against the backdrop of his efforts to defund education, health care and social assistance.

Most recently, Milei's close aide and cabinet chief, Manuel Adorni, came under investigation for alleged illicit enrichment over lavish travel — including an all-cash trip to Aruba — and real estate purchases despite his meager public salary. On Wednesday, he admitted to hiding $500,000 in undeclared savings and cryptocurrency investments.

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

The S&P 500 jumped 1.8%, coming off a back-to-back drop that had yanked it back to where it was in early May. The Dow Jones Industrial Average leaped 929 points, or 1.9%, and the Nasdaq composite rallied 2.5%.

Stocks immediately veered higher in midday trading after Trump said on his social media network that “discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran have been brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved” and that the time and place of a signing will “be announced shortly.”

A deal to end the war with Iran could reopen the Strait of Hormuz and allow oil tankers to carry crude again from the Persian Gulf to customers worldwide. The price for a barrel of benchmark U.S. crude sank 2.6% to $87.71. Brent crude, the international standard, fell 2.9% to $90.38, though it’s still above its roughly $70 price from before the war.

Worries had been high because the United States and Iran launched attacks over the past several days threatening a more than monthlong tenuous ceasefire.

High oil prices caused by the Iran war have sent inflation painfully upward, and a report on Thursday showed that prices at the U.S. wholesale level increased by more in May than economists expected. The effect is worldwide, and the European Central Bank on Thursday became the first major central bank to raise interest rates in response.

Higher rates can keep a lid on inflation. But they also slow economies and undercut prices for all kinds of investments, including stocks and cryptocurrencies. They hit investments seen as the most expensive in particular, and some critics are calling the artificial-intelligence industry a bubble where investment inflated too far.

Big swings for AI stocks have been yanking the U.S. stock market up and down over the last week, as they went from roaring to records to suddenly turning lower. The big concern is whether such stocks shot too high, too fast because of AI mania, and their careening moves have sometimes reversed direction by the hour.

AI stocks had already been rolling back up their roller coaster early Thursday, before Trump made his announcement on Iran.

Marvell Technology climbed 11.1%. It’s coming off a manic stretch where it plunged 16.7%, soared 9.6% and then fell more than 5% for two straight days. Just before that, it had a one-day surge of 32.5% that was its best in history when Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang suggested it could be “the next trillion-dollar company.” It was worth a bit more than $190 billion at the time.

Companies involved in the making of chips, meanwhile, jumped to some of the market’s biggest gains. Lam Research leaped 12.7%, and KLA climbed 12.9%.

They helped offset an 8.5% drop for Oracle. It reported a stronger profit for the latest quarter than analysts expected, but it also said it expects to raise $40 billion in cash this fiscal year through borrowing and sales of its stock. That comes after it raised $48 billion last fiscal year to help pay for AI investments.

Other companies’ stocks have also been punished recently for announcing heavy spending on AI, as the question remains whether such investments will produce the profits and productivity that AI proponents are promising.

All told, the S&P 500 jumped 127.31 points to 7,394.30. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 929.97 to 50,848.75, and the Nasdaq composite rallied 640.16 to 25,809.66.

In the bond market, Treasury yields eased sharply as falling oil prices meant less upward pressure on inflation. The yield on the 10-year Treasury dropped to 4.45% from 4.55% late Wednesday, which is a significant move for the bond market.

A sustained drop in oil prices could allow the Federal Reserve to keep its main interest rate on hold this year, instead of hiking it as many traders suspected it may have to because of high inflation and a solid U.S. job market. Following Trump’s announcement, traders ratcheted back their bets for a possible increase to the federal funds rate this year, according to data from CME Group.

The Fed could even resume its cuts to interest rates under its new chair, Kevin Warsh, if inflation pressures subside enough. Trump appointed Warsh, and Trump has been loudly calling for lower interest rates.

Stocks of smaller companies can feel the biggest benefit from easier interest rates because many need to borrow money to grow, and the Russell 2000 index of the smallest U.S. stocks jumped a market-leading 3%.

In stock markets abroad, indexes rose modestly in Europe following a mixed finish in Asia.

London’s FTSE 100 rose 0.5%, and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 0.7% for two of the world’s bigger moves.

___

AP Business Writers Matt Ott and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed to this report.

Golf Digest cited multiple sources as saying Mickelson is no longer welcome at The Farms Golf Club in Rancho Santa Fe, California, where the six-time major champion has played and practiced for decades. The unwanted contact was said to have happened earlier this spring.

Mickelson, the chief recruiter in the launching of LIV Golf, has only played once this year because of a serious family health matter that has not been disclosed. He did not play the Masters and PGA Championship, and is no longer exempt for the U.S. Open.

Golf Digest said it verified the identity of The Farms employee and was withholding her name to protect her privacy. It said she declined to participate in the reporting of the story.

A spokesperson for Mickelson told Golf Digest, “Any misunderstanding has been cleared up. Phil continues to attend to a family health matter and is uncertain when he will be able to return to professional golf.”

Golf Digest cited sources in reporting Mickelson approached the woman in the clubhouse and made nonconsensual and inappropriate physical contact with her. The woman rejected his advances and reported it to her supervisors.

Officials at The Farms reviewed and investigated, Golf Digest reported, and then confronted Mickelson on the course. Mickelson, 55, was told to leave the premises.

The Farms said in a statement to Golf Digest, “Following a staff member report of member misconduct, the club provided immediate and ongoing support to the staff member, conducted a thorough independent investigation of the incident and took decisive action. This individual is no longer a member of The Farms Golf Club.”

“To protect the safety and privacy of our staff and member, we are unable to speak further on the matter.”

Golf Digest cited multiple sources in confirming the member was Mickelson.

The Farms, located about 10 miles from Torrey Pines, is a private club where several top players are members such as Annika Sorenstam and Xander Schauffele, both of whom have primary residences in Florida.

The development adds to what has become a dark chapter for Mickelson, who is married with three children and was once one of the most beloved public figures in golf for his bold and creative game, and for the time he spent after rounds signing autographs.

Mickelson was a relief defendant in an insider trading scheme in 2016 in which he was not criminally charged but agreed to repay nearly $1 million he made in a single trade. Noted gambler Billy Walters was involved in that case and sentenced to five years in prison.

Walters wrote an autobiography in 2023 in which he claims Mickelson has wagered more than $1 billion over the last 30 years, including one day in 2011 in which Mickelson was said to have placed 43 bets on Major League Baseball that resulted in $143,500 in losses.

Mickelson became the oldest major champion in golf history when he won the 2021 PGA Championship. A year later, he was a central figure in helping to launch Saudi-funded LIV Golf. He lost major sponsorships when he was quoted in early 2022 as calling the Saudis “scary mother (expletives)” and that he was only thinking of joining the league to gain leverage over the PGA Tour.

The Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia is ending its financial support of LIV after this year.

___

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

Healey told Starmer in a letter that the government’s Defense Investment Plan falls “well short of what is required at this dangerous time.”

Publication of the plan has been delayed amid reports of disagreement between the Defense Ministry and the Treasury.

Healey was followed out the door several hours later by Al Carns, a decorated war veteran who served as a prominent junior minister in the defense ministry. He said he could not defend “a level of investment I know to be inadequate to the task." Carns has been suggested as a possible contender in the anticipated contest to challenge Starmer’s leadership.

Starmer said in a letter to Healey that he was sorry to see him go, but insisted that the funding plan would provide “sustainable and fair” spending increases that would keep the U.K. safe.

Late Thursday the prime minister appointed Dan Jarvis, formerly the security minister, to the defense secretary post.

Critics say too little, too late

Starmer has pledged to boost U.K. defense spending to 2.5% of gross domestic product by 2027 and 3% by 2035. But many in the military say that isn't fast enough.

“You have been unable, and the Treasury has been unwilling, to commit the resources that the nation needs to defend the country at this time of rising threats,” Healey wrote in his resignation letter.

He said that the spending plan put forward by the Treasury, and presented to him on Monday, would see defense spending rise to just 2.68% in 2030, after hitting 2.6% next year.

Healey said that isn't enough with growing demands on defense and British military commitments, citing the Iran war, Russia's all-out invasion of Ukraine and threats from Moscow.

“I am now left with no other option than to submit my resignation,” he said.

Gen. Richard Barrons, who helped lead a defense review that underpins the investment plan, said the government is “actively going backwards” by refusing to fund its own review.

“It diminishes the U.K.’s standing within NATO, weakens our credibility with allies, and increases our vulnerability to the realities of 21st-century conflict,” he said. “Allies and adversaries alike will be paying attention.”

The government said that it was delivering “the largest sustained boost to defense spending since the Cold War.”

“This country is safer because of the decisions Keir Starmer has made and we will continue to act in our national interest,” it said in a statement.

Healey is considered a safe pair of hands

Healey has been U.K. defense secretary since the Labour Party government was elected in July 2024, and he's regarded as a capable and serious minister.

He has played a key role in bolstering international support for Ukraine and assembling a multinational coalition to help guarantee security if a ceasefire is reached. Healey also has helped spearhead a maritime security force that would help keep the Strait of Hormuz open to shipping if the Iran war ends.

The United Kingdom and other NATO member nations have faced pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to increase military spending. Trump has long questioned the value of the military alliance and complained that the United States provides security to European countries that don’t pull their weight.

The U.K. military is also seeking to reverse years of decline in the face of an increasingly assertive Russia, which fully invaded its neighbor Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, and increasingly tests the defenses of European nations with overt and covert activity.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, informed of Healey's resignation by The Associated Press during a news conference in Brussels, said that Healey is someone “I respect very much.”

“What we are seeing all over the alliance is countries increasing their defense investments, and of course it is not easy, because in the end there is always a trade-off with other expenses, which are also important,” Rutte said.

Healey’s resignation is likely to further stoke talk that Starmer’s days as prime minister are numbered. Already bruised by a series of missteps since Labour returned to power less than two years ago, Starmer has faced calls within his party’s ranks to stand down.

In a sign of his waning authority, Starmer appears to have been unable to bridge the gap between Healey’s department and Treasury chief Rachel Reeves over defense spending.

Olivia O’Sullivan, head of the U.K. in the World program at the Chatham House think tank, said the resignation “significantly undermines Starmer,” especially since the prime minister has had “a relatively assured track record on defense and foreign affairs.”

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham is widely expected to challenge Starmer for the leadership, if he returns to Parliament in a June 18 special election.

Justin Crump, a former British tank commander who heads security consultancy Sibylline, said that Healey's resignation “should not have been allowed to occur in a well-run government.”

“It just further underlines a lack of control here, a lack of clarity, a lack of resolution, a gap between words and delivery,” he said.

___

Mark Carlson in Brussels, and Pan Pylas and Brian Melley in London, contributed to this report.

Orlando’s Jacob Craft is competing in the USA Games for a second time. He won gold in volleyball in the 2022 Games in Orlando. He’s been playing the sport for roughly 10 years and he calls his volleyball team “family.”

Jacob, along with Special Olympics Florida CEO Meghan McLean, visited with News 6 Sports Director Jamie Seh, discussing the Games and the opportunity they present to change perceptions about Special Olympics athletes.

The Special Olympics USA Games begin Saturday, June 20, with the opening ceremonies. They conclude on June 26.

The gunman opened fire at the nightclub in south downtown Orlando just after 2 a.m., killing 49 people and injuring more than 50 others.

The timeline below includes details based on the Orlando Fire Department computer-aided dispatch record made available to the public.

Just before 2 a.m. The suspect parked a rented car in the parking lot of the neighboring car shop, Pro Tint & Detailing, and walked south toward the Pulse nightclub.

2:02 a.m. The suspect, armed with a Sig Sauer MCX semi-automatic .223-caliber rifle --military-style rifle-- and a Glock 17, 9 mm handgun, entered the Pulse nightclub and began shooting.

2:03 a.m. Fire Department dispatchers radioed an initial message for response to a gunshot wound and recommended an engine and a rescue. The lieutenant at OFD Station 5, located across the street from the car shop and Pulse, radioed OFD dispatch that he had heard active gunfire and had locked down the station.

2:05 a.m. OFD dispatchers upgraded the call to a first-alarm medical and dispatched two engines, two rescues, two districts, and a heavy rescue to stage at Gore Street and South Orange Avenue.

2:10 a.m. No more gunshots were heard being fired by the suspect until the final breach.

2:12 a.m. A Fire Department rescue that had just completed an unrelated patient drop-off at Orlando Regional Medical Center staged directly behind Station 5.

2:13 a.m. After Station 5 was cleared by an OPD officer, a Fire Department staffer implemented Simple Triage and Rapid Transport, or START, and mass casualty incident tagging protocols. They opened the bay door and began triaging and treating patients.

2:14 a.m. OFD personnel at the Gore Street and South Orange Avenue staging location initiated mass casualty incident (MCI) procedures. An OFD assistant chief was dispatched to the call.

2:16 a.m. District 1 established the OFD command post at East Kaley Street and South Orange Avenue, behind Station 5. First patient transported by OFD to ORMC.

2:20 a.m. After calling Fire Department dispatch to ask if any assistance was needed, Rural/Metro South called back and OFD dispatch asked for all available units to provide support.

2:22 a.m. Two patient triage and treatment areas were established: the primary one behind the Einstein Bros. Bagels store and the second near the unified command center behind Station 5. Staging was also moved to Lake Beauty Drive and South Orange Avenue, closer to the two triage and treatment areas.

2:26 a.m. The Fire Department requested mutual aid from Orange County Fire Rescue, which dispatched all available units and command staff.

2:33 a.m. Five rescues, two captains and a battalion chief from Orange County Fire Rescue arrived on scene. An Fire Rescue assistant chief went to the Orlando Fire Department command post and the battalion chief was assigned as the staging officer.

2:35 a.m. The suspect called 911 and told the call-taker that he “did the shooting in Orlando.” The call lasted 50 seconds.

2:48 a.m. During a conversation between the suspect and an Orlando Police Department Crisis Negotiation Team sergeant, the suspect advised he was wearing an explosive vest and claimed there was a vehicle in the parking lot with explosives inside. As a result, the unified command center was moved from behind Station 5 to south of Pulse, but the Fire Department command post remained behind Station 5.

2:56 a.m. The Fire Department dispatch notified the Office of Emergency Management director of the ongoing mass casualty incident.

3:25 a.m. After a report indicated that gunfire was heard in the lobby of Orlando Regional Medical Center, the hospital was locked down for approximately one hour and implemented its Code Silver active shooter plan.

3:28 a.m. Fire Department dispatch lifted the lockdown and transports resumed.

4:08 a.m. Fire Department Group 1, the Arson and Bomb Squad, was paged.

4:09 a.m. After the explosive ordnance disposal, or EOD, response was initiated and a group page was sent by OFD dispatch to the department’s Arson and Bomb Squad, members arrived and secured the exterior of the nightclub and began to address the suspect’s vehicle.

4:13 a.m. The Fire Department command post moved to its original location, behind Station 5, and staging was repositioned to a parking lot at the corner of Cook Avenue and Pennsylvania Street. The triage and treatment location was also relocated two blocks north on South Orange Avenue.

4:21 a.m. After calling and paging the on-duty deputy chief, Fire Department dispatch paged all of Group 2 -- the chief and the three deputy chiefs.

5:02 a.m. Orange County Sheriff’s Office Hazardous Device Team personnel detonated an explosive charge, partially breaching the west wall of the nightclub.

5:15 a.m. Orlando Police Department SWAT team officers exchanged gunfire with the suspect firing numerous rounds. OPD reported the suspect was down after the exchange of gunfire.

5:19 a.m. Fire Department dispatch radioed that a police officer was injured. The Fire Department attempted to respond to the injured officer, but before contact could be made, Orlando police transported the officer to ORMC in a police vehicle.

5:27 a.m. Fire Department command post moved farther north on South Orange Avenue.

6:09 a.m. Orlando Fire Department dispatch begins demobilizing units and instructs all units to report to the department command post for debriefing prior to departing the scene. 6:10 a.m. Williams was en route to the Pulse scene.

6:21 a.m. OFD assistant chief and two district chiefs met and transitioned incident command to District Chief.

11:15 a.m. The Orlando Police Department SWAT, Orange County Sheriff’s Office Hazardous Device Team and Federal Bureau of Investigation SWAT team officially determined the Pulse nightclub and the suspect’s vehicle were safe.

The Winter Haven theme park is hosting the FIFA World Cup 2026 Experience from June 11 through July 19, bringing soccer-themed, hands-on LEGO fun to families.

“The whole world is excited about the FIFA World Cup, of course, and we wanted to bring it to life in a way that only Legoland could, specifically for families and their children,” said Brittany Williams, spokesperson for Merlin Entertainments Florida.

One of the standout experiences puts kids head-to-head with a life-size LEGO minifigure goalie — with parents stepping in behind the giant figure while children try to score.

Families can even pose with a LEGO replica of the FIFA World Cup Trophy.

Soccer fans can also get up close to brick-built models of global icons — including Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior and Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Lego figurines range from over 17,000 pieces (Lionel Messi) to almost 31,000 pieces (Cristiano Ronaldo).

Ryan Wood, Lego Master Builder said, “Getting to be involved with any of the model builds is exciting for me and my team...I get excited about little things like the details. Messi’s arms on the Lego minifigure model have his tattoos. That’s a really cool thing that I think is authentic and really captures the accuracy of these real-life people.”

Even families who aren’t die-hard soccer fans will find something to enjoy. The Super Squad activity encourages teamwork as families work together to knock down LEGO towers — no soccer knowledge required.

“You really don’t have to know anything to kick a soccer ball around for the first time,” Williams said. “You can just come and play and enjoy.”

Guests can also design their own custom jersey and display it on the Heroes Wall throughout the day. The wall refreshes daily, giving each new group of visitors a chance to add their creations.

The FIFA World Cup Trophy and soccer ball are also available for purchase at the resort’s retail store.

The FIFA World Cup 2026 Experience is included with regular park admission.

More summer highlights

The FIFA celebration is just one piece of a packed summer at Legoland Florida. Peppa Pig Theme Park is running its own limited-time event — Pig Family Travel Adventure — where guests receive a passport and explore five themed countries, earning a commemorative pop badge upon completion.

On July 4, the resort will host Red Brick and Boom, a fireworks show over Lake Eloise set to music, celebrating America’s 250th birthday.

Following the FIFA experience, The LEGO Festival kicks off July 20 and runs through Aug. 16, featuring live music, live entertainment and creative builds inspired by adult music festivals — scaled down for kids.

The brand-new Galactic Coaster also makes its debut this summer. The indoor, space-themed family coaster uses RFID bracelet technology to let riders design their own spacecraft before launch.

For tickets and more information, click here.

The Justice Department highlighted cases against three Guatemalan nationals that they say underscore the dangers of improper vetting of sponsors in a program that seeks to unite kids with relatives or family friends after they enter the U.S. Officials said they are investigating numerous other so-called super-sponsors — those who gained custody of more than three unrelated children — to determine whether the sponsors took the kids in fraudulently.

“We will not accept half measures when it comes to securing the border, protecting American lives and saving children from exploitation,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told reporters.

Taking custody of multiple unrelated migrant children is not a crime. The sponsors may be caring and well-intentioned, but senior administration officials calling them out suggests that authorities harbor suspicion about them and may subject them to deeper scrutiny.

Under the Biden administration, officials tried to release children to eligible adult sponsors within 30 days, reuniting many families quickly. But the approach also yielded errors, with some children being released to adults who forced them to work illegally, or to people who provided clearly false identification and addresses.

Under Trump, the administration tightened rules aimed at preventing traffickers from illegally bringing children into the country and that has also led to a dramatic increase in federal custody times for kids. As of May, children are held in federal custody for an average of 206 days before they’re released, compared with an average of 37 days when Trump took office. At the same time, the number of total children in custody has steadily dropped.

Striking a balance to release children to vetted sponsors and shielding them from danger has proved a contentious partisan disagreement.

Democrats “want to claim that Republicans, because we’re enforcing the laws, it’s inhumane, somehow,” Blanche said after criticizing the vetting procedures under the Biden administration. "What’s inhumane about taking care of our kids?”

The cases announced Thursday include charges against a woman who, authorities say, was living in the U.S. illegally, schemed with others to smuggle kids across the border, then used fake identities to gain custody of them in exchange for money. Her attorney, Michael J. Goldberg, said “the only comment I can make is that the case will be tried in court and not in a press conference.”

In another case, a woman is accused of falsely claiming that she was siblings with a teen who had entered the U.S. illegally in her application to become the teen’s sponsor.

Critics of the Trump administration have raised concerns over wellness checks carried out by immigration officers at elementary schools, immigration officers showing up and detaining sponsors at reunification meetings with children, and newly required documentation that's created a “paperwork barrier” and led to a recent lawsuit.

Shaina Aber, executive director of the Acacia Center for Justice, which provides legal services for unaccompanied migrant children under contract with the government, said the administration has not acknowledged the harm it has caused to kids by “subjecting them to indefinite detention and eroding nearly every avenue for legal relief.”

Aber added: “If the administration is concerned with the well-being of unaccompanied children, the answer can’t be to take them away from loved ones, try to undermine their representation, and detain them in group facilities with well-documented risks of isolation, abuse, and mental health deterioration.”

Even sponsors willing to undergo the new vetting procedures have been forced to wait through unnecessary delays.

A Chicago father who is a U.S. citizen and had a valid birth certificate for his child was kept waiting for five months before the government could schedule a fingerprinting appointment. During the wait, his toddler daughter was sexually abused in federal custody, a lawsuit claimed. The government did not respond to repeated requests for comment on the case.

_____

Gonzalez reported from McAllen, Texas.

Work Location: GMG Headquarters (Detroit, MI)

Description

The Senior Director of Sales is responsible for driving multiplatform revenue growth, advancing digital transformation, and shaping enterprise sales strategy across Graham Media Group. This leader partners with executive leadership and local market teams to strengthen sales performance, expand digital and integrated advertising opportunities, and support long-term business growth.

The Senior Director develops and executes enterprise revenue strategies across digital, streaming, branded content, and advertising while fostering a high-performance, accountable sales culture. This role requires a strategic, data-driven leader who can identify growth opportunities, align local execution with enterprise priorities, and build scalable frameworks that drive consistent results across markets.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a comprehensive multiplatform revenue growth strategy aligned with enterprise business objectives and evolving market opportunities.
• Serve as a strategic advisor to station leadership, helping local markets identify, prioritize, and capitalize on revenue opportunities across digital, linear, streaming, sponsorship, branded content, and emerging media solutions.
• Lead enterprise sales transformation efforts that drive digital confidence, innovation adoption, and strategic selling capabilities across markets.
• Partner with station management teams to create scalable growth plans that balance local market needs with corporate priorities.
• Identify whitespace opportunities, emerging verticals, and new revenue streams to expand market share and accelerate long-term growth.
• Establish performance frameworks and KPIs to evaluate revenue effectiveness, sales productivity, pipeline health, and customer outcomes.
• Provide strategic oversight for digital sales initiatives, ensuring strong alignment between product capabilities and market demand.
• Drive enterprise understanding of advanced digital marketing solutions, including SEO, SEM, social, OTT/CTV, streaming, mobile, display, branded content, audience targeting, and performance marketing.
• Guide market leaders on integrated sales strategies that maximize customer value and revenue potential across platforms.
• Stay ahead of emerging digital trends, competitive shifts, technology innovations, and consumer behavior to continuously evolve go-to-market strategies.
• Champion a culture of consultative, strategic selling that grows the capabilities, confidence, and digital fluency of local sales organizations.
• Develop a high performing team of direct reports through clear expectations, accountability, and measurable outcomes.
• Serve as a trusted coach and subject matter expert to market sales leaders, elevating enterprise sales effectiveness.
• Understand skill gaps and work with appropriate internal teams and external partners to close through best-in-class sales methodology training.
• Lead advanced customer growth and retention strategies through performance reporting, cross-channel attribution insights, and conversion optimization recommendations.
• Partner with market teams on key client relationships, executive presentations, and strategic growth opportunities to improve retention and expand wallet share.
• Provide thought leadership around marketing effectiveness, customer ROI, and integrated campaign performance.
• Support high-value client retention efforts through strategic consultation and executive-level engagement.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree preferred; advanced business or marketing education is a plus.
• Minimum of 10 years of progressive sales leadership experience, including digital media, integrated advertising, agency leadership, or multiplatform revenue environments.
• Proven success leading enterprise or multi-market sales strategies with measurable revenue growth outcomes.
• Deep expertise across digital marketing solutions, including SEO, SEM, social media advertising, OTT/CTV, streaming, mobile, display, branded content, audience targeting, attribution, and performance marketing.
• Demonstrated ability to influence senior leaders, drive organizational change, and build alignment across geographically distributed teams.
• Strong executive presence with exceptional communication, presentation, and storytelling skills across in-person and virtual environments.
• Expertise in leveraging data, analytics, and technology platforms to inform strategic decision-making and sales performance optimization.
• Proficiency with Salesforce, Microsoft Office Suite, Google Marketing Platform, Google Ad Manager, Meta/Facebook Ads Manager, and related sales enablement technologies.
• Strong understanding of data-driven advertising technologies, attribution models, and conversion optimization strategies.
• Ability to thrive in a dynamic, evolving environment while balancing strategic priorities and executional excellence.
• Willingness and ability to travel regularly across Graham Media Group markets.

To apply, please submit your resume to: careers@grahammedia.com

Graham Media Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In addition to complying with the requirements of federal law, GMG will comply with applicable state and local laws prohibiting employment discrimination. Any offer of employment is conditional upon the successful completion of a pre-employment drug screening, investigative background check, employment/education verifications and reference checks.

Nicholas Alo was taken into custody after investigators say he met two girls, ages 13 and 15, at a popular teen hangout along the Daytona Beach Boardwalk, known locally as the “White Fence.” Authorities say Alo obtained the girls’ social media contact information before arranging to meet them in person.

“They get in the car with him and he drives them to Daytona One, he allows them to drive around in the parking lot, they go to a liquor store where he purchases a bottle of flavor vodka and they drink the vodka and go to a secluded area, a park in Ormond Beach,” Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said.

Deputies say that is where Alo had sex with both girls. The investigation was triggered after one of the victims told her father what had happened.

“One of the girls gets home and mentions something to her father about it and then that alerts us to the investigation and last night we’re able to go and take this Nick Alo into custody. He’s on probation for felony charges in Ormond Beach,” Chitwood said.

This is not Alo’s first brush with the law involving a minor. In 2020, he was charged with lewd and lascivious molestation and traveling to meet a minor.

“He was arrested when he was in the bedroom of a 12-year-old naked in a closet,” Chitwood said.

Those charges were ultimately pleaded down to a child abuse conviction, meaning Alo was never required to register as a sex offender. He did serve two years in prison.

Chitwood says the pattern of behavior is what concerns investigators most — and why they believe additional victims may exist.

“It’s a pattern. Hanging out at that ‘White Fence area.’ I didn’t know what that was — I sure do now. It’s where all of the teenagers hang. There he is imbedding himself there. The social media aspect of it. We have all of his devices so we’re going through those now,” Chitwood said.

The sheriff noted that deputies regularly patrol the Daytona Beach Boardwalk area and stressed there is nothing wrong with teens gathering there. However, he urged young people to be cautious about who they speak with and who they share their contact information with.

Alo is currently being held without bond at the Volusia County Jail. Anyone with information is asked to call (386) 323-3574.

It’s a single distribution center.

The 1 million-square-foot facility is expected to employ about 500 people. Company leaders said the site will house the top 50,000 best-selling items for the region — including toilet paper, paper towels and detergent — to help keep nearby fulfillment centers stocked.

“This is a fulfillment center for fulfillment centers,” said Ben Krzeminski, an Amazon representative. At the ribbon-cutting event, he described the operation as a hub that replenishes other sites with high-demand products.

Inside, the company showcased automated equipment designed to move and sort packages quickly. Amazon said robots can scan labels and direct packages through the system to speed processing.

Officials said the facility is built to handle high volume, processing millions of units each day. They also pointed to frequent warning beeps heard on the floor, saying the sounds are part of safety measures meant to increase awareness around moving equipment.

Amazon also announced plans for a second facility next door. An existing fulfillment center is already located across the street.

The group is called Save Our Voters From Misleading Ballot Language and the two officials are Thomas Campenni, former Mayor of Stuart, and Michael Davey, former Mayor of Key Biscayne.

They claim the ballot measure (HJR 1F), which seeks to increase the existing $50,000 tax exemption for homestead properties to $150,000 in 2027 and to $250,000 in 2028, would deceive voters.

“The ballot summary does not merely describe the Proposed Constitutional Amendment – it endorses it,” the lawsuit states. “The ballot summary … sets forth three political taglines – ‘ensuring funding for core services,’ ‘protecting small businesses,’ and ‘ensuring fairness for Florida residents’ – giving reasons why voters should vote for the proposal. But the purpose of a ballot summary is to explain what an amendment does, not to advocate for its adoption.”

But even if the court finds the ballot summary is misleading, that wouldn’t erase the measure from the ballot.

Under state law, Attorney General James Uthmeier would be required to amend the ballot summary if it is found to be defective.

Lawmakers passed the measure after it was drafted by DeSantis’ office. GOP leaders amended it to exempt taxes levied to fund schools, but city and county officials across the state have warned if voters approve it their budgets – and the services they provide to residents – will suffer.

DeSantis and supporters of the measure, though, have largely waved those critiques away, claiming local governments have overtaxed homeowners as property values have risen in recent years and now they need to rein in spending.

According to a House staff analysis the measure could cost local governments $8.4 billion per year, if it gets the necessary 60 percent support from voters to pass into law.

A spokeswoman for DeSantis didn’t immediately respond to an email Thursday.

The lawsuit claims several pieces of the ballot summary are misleading.

The phrase “ensuring funding for core services” is a misnomer, the lawsuit claims, because it drastically cuts property tax revenues. The proposed amendment would require cities and counties to spend property tax revenues on a list of “core services,” including public safety, but it also lowers the amount of money available for those services.

The lawsuit also takes issue with the phrase “protecting small businesses,” as there’s no provision that marks such business out for special treatment. There is a provision lowering the current 10 percent cap on annual assessment increases for non-homestead properties to 5 percent, but that applies to more than just small businesses.

“The Proposed Constitutional Amendment broadly limits future assessment increases on all categories of non-homesteaded property, and provides no protection to small businesses, or other non-homesteaded property, from the expected higher taxes resulting from increases in millages rates necessary to offset (at least partially) the loss of tax base caused by the amendment,” the lawsuit states.

Another misleading piece, according to the lawsuit, is it’s expressed intent to eventually eliminate all non-school homestead property taxes, something DeSantis has said is his goal. But although the measure directs the Legislature to set up a structure to allow local governments to phase out homestead property taxes, that’s short of a mandatory full elimination.

“The actual proposed constitutional language does not require the ‘full elimination,’” the lawsuit states. “Rather, it requires the Legislature to establish procedures through which local governments may choose to grant additional exemptions in the future ‘up to’ the full assessed valuation.”

Hello, friends. It’s Haley.

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to experience Paradise Nights, the new after-hours event at Discovery Cove, which offers a laid-back atmosphere reminiscent of the park’s daytime experience — with an elevated twist.

The event features a strong elemental theme woven throughout, from its curated beverage menu to its live entertainment. The headliner show includes four acts, each inspired by one of the classical elements: earth, air, water, and fire.

Guests can expect a feast for both the eyes and the palate. A Caribbean-inspired buffet anchors the dining experience, with a dessert plate rounding out the meal.

Paradise Nights is open to guests of all ages and offers a relaxed, uncrowded setting that may appeal especially to older adults looking for a more intimate theme park experience.

The event is roughly three hours, making it an easy addition to an evening without requiring a major time commitment

For a full guide and additional visuals, click here.

Walt Disney World

Saving sea turtles 🐢

Tucked behind EPCOT’s The Seas with Nemo & Friends attraction, a Disney aquarist and her team are nursing rescued sea turtles back to health.

We recently visited the turtle quarantine area. The program is part of a broader conservation mission at The Seas that largely happens out of public view.

Winter 2026 was one for the record books as we experienced some pretty cold days, so you can imagine how busy the rehab was earlier this year.

One of my favorite assignments this year so far was going behind-the-scenes at The Seas as it celebrated its 40th anniversary.

SeaWord Orlando

It’s electric 🐬

SeaWorld Orlando’s Electric Ocean is back and bigger than ever starting this weekend, with brand-new nighttime animal presentations, a drone spectacle, fireworks finale, cirque show, and a family-friendly DJ dance party — all included with park admission.

For a look at the full summer lineup, click here.

Legoland Florida

FIFA fever ⚽

Soccer fever has officially arrived in Central Florida.

In case you missed it, Legoland Florida’s FIFA World Cup 2026 Experience is underway, bringing brick-built versions of the sport’s biggest stars, experiences, and a replica of the iconic FIFA World Cup Trophy — all included with regular park admission.

Click here for more highlights.

This was an early edition of In the Loop: Theme Park Scoops. I’m off all next week, so I will circle back with you the following week.

As always, keep me in the loop through my email or reach out to me on X or Instagram.

- Haley

The woman, who may have been exposed to the virus while aboard the Dutch MV Hondius cruise liner in April, had gotten off the ship and then flown to San Francisco before traveling to the isolated British territory of Pitcairn Island through Tahiti, according to two U.S. officials and an internal government document obtained by The Associated Press.

The exact amount of the total evacuation payment is still being assessed because the operation is still underway. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a medical case covered by U.S. privacy laws.

The costly effort to pick up the woman has added to the expense of rapid evacuations for diplomats and private U.S. citizens from the Middle East since the start of the Iran war as well as preparations for possible evacuations from Ebola-stricken countries. All have stressed the State Department budget for unforeseen emergencies, known as the “K Fund,” and brought its balance to the lowest level in seven years.

State Department emergency budget strained by multiple evacuations

Another internal document said the State Department is looking at transferring as much as $50 million into that emergency fund from other accounts — $35 million from the budget for embassy security, construction and maintenance and an additional $15 million from an account that pays for broader diplomatic programming. No decision on the transfers has yet been made.

One of the officials said the State Department has another option, to ask Congress to replenish the fund. However, the official said the department is expected to be able to handle payments for both ongoing and “emerging contingency needs.”

The official would not say what the potential shortfall is but insisted that the department is “well positioned" to support diplomats, other U.S. government employees and private Americans who have been forced to leave the Middle East because of the Iran confict, as well as U.S. citizens who may need assistance due to developments such as the Ebola outbreak in Africa.

How the US is evacuating an American exposed to hantavirus from a remote island

The State Department declined to comment on the specifics of the woman’s case on Pitcairn Island but said that “when an American is at risk abroad and unable to access commercial transportation, the Department of State seeks to provide appropriate assistance to get them home to the United States or to another safe location.”

After the woman departed the cruise liner where the hantavirus outbreak occurred, the ship continued to other destinations in the South Atlantic, with some passengers falling ill and at least three dying. The unidentified American woman was stuck on Pitcairn, an island with only about 50 inhabitants, no airport and infrequent maritime options to depart.

Pitcairn is well-known as the island on which Fletcher Christian and other British mutineers from the HMS Bounty took refuge after the 1789 events that toppled Capt. William Bligh, which have entered into the public lexicon with books and films about the “Mutiny on the Bounty.” Their descendants make up most of the island's current population.

Complicating matters, British authorities had sought urgent American assistance in evacuating the woman from the island, which is their territory, according to the government document about the cost of the evacuation and the second U.S. official.

But initial attempts to send her to Tahiti, a French dependency, about 1,350 miles (2,160 kilometers) — or a 30-hour sea journey — from Pitcairn, were rejected by French Polynesian authorities. They did not want to allow her in because she had not disclosed her exposure when she transited the island on her way to Pitcairn.

The U.S. is transporting the woman, who was not symptomatic, from Pitcairn to Easter Island, another remote location in the Pacific about 1,400 miles (2,253 km) away, which is a territory of Chile and has direct flights to Santiago, so she can return to the United States for any necessary treatment.

All of those factors mean the process of getting her moved from Pitcairn to Easter Island took many weeks to arrange, the officials said.

The government document, which was confirmed as accurate by the two officials, said moving the woman from Pitcairn eventually was arranged via the “Titaina Explorer” trimaran yacht owned by a wealthy Frenchman, who uses it for personal exploration in the South Pacific. Pitcairn has no airport and only limited sea access.

The officials said the woman had no political or celebrity connections and they did not know exactly when she will return to the U.S. Maritime tracking sites show that the Titaina Explorer departed Pitcairn Island on June 5. The voyage to Easter Island can take up to 10 days depending on the speed of the boat and the weather.

This summer, Phase 1 of the “Connect Kissimmee” complete streets improvement project is set to begin, bringing a redesigned streetscape to downtown.

The project will focus on the corridor running from John Young Parkway to Vine Street along W. Emmett Street, Broadway and N. Main Street. The city’s goals include improving pedestrian, bicycle and transit connectivity; reducing vehicle speeds and cut-through traffic; and enhancing accessibility to businesses along the corridor.

Planned improvements include a new roundabout at the intersection of Ruby and Stewart Avenue, wider sidewalks, bike lanes and on-street parking.

One of the project’s most significant changes will be to Broadway Street. It is expected to be reduced from four lanes to two. Sidewalks along the corridor would also be extended, and a bike lane would be added. The city believes the changes are designed to improve the pedestrian experience while reducing vehicle speeds.

Kyle Summers, who lived in Kissimmee for 10 years and still visits the area regularly, sees value in improving pedestrian safety.

“I still try to come back at least once a week just to walk around and see how things are,” Summers said.

He acknowledged that crosswalks in the area are often ignored by drivers.

“There’s crosswalks and stuff, but not a lot of [drivers] listen to them. So, it’s very much you just got to walk across and hope that you know, someone hits the brakes,” Summers said.

Still, Summers expressed concern that the lane reduction could worsen traffic congestion in an already busy area.

“It’s already backed up traffic as is, considering the buses and the amount of dump trucks that come through here and just everything else,” Summers said.

Those who work in the downtown area hope the improvements will encourage more people to explore the district on foot.

“I think that it’ll be better for all the businesses,” Jose Medina, who works in the area, told News 6.

The city approved the two-phase, $16.3 million project last year. This week, officials began accepting construction bids.

Phase 1 carries an estimated cost of $9,316,579, with $6,582,000 in federal funding and $2,583,842 in local funding. It is estimated to be completed in 2028.

Phase 2 carries an estimated cost of $6,983,960, with $5,527,495 in federal funding and $467,760 in local funding. Phase 2 is estimated to be completed in 2029.

Fore more information on the project, click here.

The government of populist Prime Minister Janez Jansa also lifted a ban on imports from Jewish settlements and ended an embargo on the export and transit of military weapons and equipment to and from Israel, the official STA news agency reported.

Jansa's government took office earlier this month following a parliamentary election in March. Jansa has said he would seek to improve ties with Israel, in a contrast to the policies of his predecessor, Robert Golob.

Under Golob, Slovenia was one of the most vocal critics of Israel in the European Union. The small Alpine nation recognized a Palestinian state in 2024, before imposing the entry bans in 2025 on National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Netanyahu.

Ben-Gvir was banned also by France last month. He has sparked global outrage after promoting a video of himself taunting the activists from a flotilla to Gaza who were detained by Israeli police.

The new Slovenian government said in its statement that it was scrapping the punitive measures to open political communication, the official STA news agency reported. The Defense Ministry said that weapons trading is already sufficiently regulated by existing national defense laws and the EU arms export criteria, the same report said.

Political dialogue and quiet diplomacy will help “strengthen the role of the Republic of Slovenia in the efforts to achieve a lasting peace in the Middle East,” the government said. It cited “active cooperation” over “actions that limit and close off channels for direct communication.”

Last year, Slovenia linked the entry ban for Netanyahu to an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court.

Shortly after taking office, Jansa's government removed a Palestinian flag from the government building, also symbolically marking the policy shift. Slovenia's liberal president, Natasa Pirc Musar, then raised the flag on the presidency building.

Also this month, Israel announced that it would open an embassy in Slovenia. The country's embassy in Austrian capital Vienna has previously covered Israel's diplomatic interests in neighboring Slovenia.

Jansa is serving his fourth term in office. The political veteran is an admirer of U.S. President Donald Trump and was a close ally of former populist Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who was defeated in a landslide election in April.

The March 22 election was marred by allegations of foreign influence and corruption. The population of around 2 million in the Alpine nation are deeply divided between liberals and conservatives.

Claude Corps, named for the company’s popular AI chatbot, will hire and embed 1,000 fellows trained in the use of Claude at a wide range of organizations for a year. Anthropic President Daniela Amodei told The Associated Press the company hopes the program will expand and become a pillar of its strategy to help humankind realize the benefits of AI while also managing its risks.

Amodei said Claude Corps will be evaluated after its first year to see if it should continue and expand.

“We’re hoping it’s a good idea that can take root and that other people can build on and learn from, whether that’s public or private,” Amodei said in an interview at Anthropic headquarters in San Francisco. “But I think my hope is that we’ll learn, the people who do it will learn, and we’ll be able to come back and do it again next time even better.”

Anthropic's commitment includes paying the Claude Corps members and providing at least 400 host organizations with a $10,000 grant and free credits to use Claude.

Anthropic says it wants to balance profits and social impact

Philanthropy is built into the way Anthropic’s co-founders believe the company should be run, Amodei said. Amodei, her brother Dario, who is Anthropic’s CEO, and the company’s five other co-founders have already pledged that they will donate 80% of their wealth. They established Anthropic as a public benefit corporation, a designation that for-profit companies select to balance financial goals and social impact.

Anthropic, which is valued at $965 billion, is moving toward going public on Wall Street, announcing earlier this month it submitted a confidential filing for an initial public offering.

Amodei, interviewed before the SEC filing, said she could not comment about IPO plans but said the company’s values are very clear to anyone looking to invest in it.

“There’s decisions and choices that we might make that might feel in conflict with just the pure commercial interests of the business and we’re going to be really open about that,” she said. “I think we have been very well served by our inclination to just be very honest about who we are because people who like that really like us. And for people, if it’s not what they like, they don’t work with us. And I think that’s actually better for everyone.”

Anthropic has been outspoken about the risks inherent to the breakthrough technology. It warned last week that companies should coordinate a way to pause development of advanced AI systems if humans risk losing control of the self-improving technology. It collaborated with Pope Leo XIV as he developed his encyclical on AI and the need for increased regulation. And it found itself in a high-profile fight with President Donald Trump’s administration when Anthropic refused to allow the U.S. military unrestricted use of its AI technology.

Amodei said Anthropic is an “unusual” company because its business teams and research teams are run separately.

“Sometimes research says things like ‘AI is doing bad things’ and we really want to be open about what those things are,” she said. “Because I don’t think there’s a way for the broader community that is the world to adapt to these changes if we don’t understand the challenges.”

Bella DeVaan, director of the Charity Reform Initiative at the progressive research organization the Institute of Policy Studies, said she is skeptical that any AI company will willingly set aside enough of its profits to support all the people affected by the adoption of AI.

“The fox can't guard the henhouse,” said DeVaan, who has studied the donations of the ultra-rich. “They can’t be responsible for their own regulation or for their own definition of what their altruistic mandate is. That has to be determined by the public.”

Like Pope Leo outlined in his encyclical, DeVaan is calling for more stringent government regulation of AI companies. Without government intervention, she worries AI will create a permanent underclass of workers. She said governments also need to do their own research about the potential benefits and harms of AI rather than leaving it up to the AI companies.

Anthropic announced separately Wednesday that it will donate $200 million to support an economic framework to help workers displaced by AI. It will start with investment into studying the issues created by AI adoption.

“We can’t understand what the societal disruption might look like if we don’t study it, publish it and talk about it,” Amodei said.

Claude Corps aims to enlist AI-minded people early in their careers

To create Claude Corps, Anthropic partnered with CodePath, the San Francisco-based nonprofit created to help first-generation and low-income students enter the tech workforce through higher education courses and career support.

CodePath CEO Michael Ellison said he had long been thinking about redesigning AmeriCorps to account for AI adoption. The federal agency for volunteer service was gutted by Trump administration cuts last year.

“I think we need programs that are meeting folks where they are when you’re looking at the traditional late adopters — from nonprofits to governments, to schools,” Ellison said. “We’re putting humans into the organizations that serve the majority of Americans as a way to bring them along and bring our communities along.”

He said CodePath will manage the initiative, which will accept fellowship applications through July 17. Ellison said the fellowship will be available to a wide range of young people early in their careers.

“We are intentionally trying to be extremely accessible,” he said. “We’re not requiring that you have a certain degree. We want the initial group of fellows to be representative of a broad section of the population in this country.”

Jennifer Blatz, CEO and president of StriveTogether, a Cincinnati-based nonprofit network that helps prepare young people for better economic opportunities, said she was thrilled her organization was chosen to host two Claude Corps fellows.

Though her nonprofit already uses AI to analyze some of the data it gathers on the impact of its programs, she hopes that Claude Corps can help standardize its usage in her organization and throughout its network, which spans 27 states. Blatz said she wants both her network and the people it supports to understand “AI is a tool – not the whole strategy.”

“AI can help us work smarter, but trust building and community collaboration, that’s a deeply human part of the work,” she said. “And that’s not going away just because we use this tool.”

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Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP’s philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.

Building on her work helping foster children, Trump said the new federal guidance will give child welfare agencies the ability to act as a guardian for children in foster care for the purposes of opening an account.

The first lady, speaking at a news conference at the Treasury Department, said the move “gives foster children the same chance at asset ownership and long-term wealth as every other child.”

The accounts will be open for contributions on July 4. To qualify for an account, a child must also be a U.S. citizen born between Jan. 1, 2025, and Dec. 31, 2028.

The White House Council of Economic Advisers estimates that a Trump Account balance for a baby born in 2026 will be $5,800 by age 18 and $18,100 by age 28 if no other contributions are made.

The first lady said 23 governors, all Republicans, have pledged to allow state agencies to begin the process of enrolling children in the program. “I urge every governor and business leader to help fund these accounts," she said.

There are roughly 330,000 children in the U.S. foster care system, according to the National Council for Adoption. One in 5 of them is at risk of homelessness after aging out of foster care, and only half gain employment by the time they are 24, the National Foster Youth Institute says.

“Those outcomes are unsettling, but we refuse to accept them as inevitable,” Bessent told the news conference. “We are affirming that the American dream belongs to every child.”

A provision of President Donald Trump’s tax and spending legislation that he signed into law last summer created Trump Accounts. Under them, the Treasury Department gives $1,000 to babies so long as their parents open an account. That money is then invested in the stock market by private firms, and the children can access the money when they turn 18.

Employers and billionaires across the country have pledged to make matching Trump Account contributions for employee benefits. Among them are Michael and Susan Dell, who announced a $6.25 billion donation, and hedge fund founder Ray Dalio and his wife, Barbara, who pledged $75 million for kids under 10 in Connecticut, where the Dalios live.

These roles are independent reporters who embed themselves in their assigned communities around the Orlando DMA as exclusive News 6 Community Correspondents, where they report, shoot, and edit major news stories from their beats. 

Beachside: Brevard County

This independent journalist will report, shoot, and edit major stories about the things that matter most to Brevard County, embedding into these coastal communities on Florida’s actively growing Space Coast.

Close to Beachside: West Volusia County

This independent journalist will focus on the things that matter most to West Volusia County and DeLand, Deltona, and as many as 12 other distinct communities centered around the historic St Johns River.  Just 30 minutes from the beach and the hustle of Orlando’s city center, West Volusia County is big enough to matter, but small enough that your coverage can actually have a real impact.

In the Backyard of Theme Parks: Osceola County

This independent journalist will report, shoot, and edit major stories about the things that matter most to St Cloud, Poinciana, and the greater Osceola County area, a rapidly growing area south of Orlando.  To be clear, this is not a theme parks beat, but this reporter would live nearby, making it a great way to spend personal time.  Also, if you’re bilingual in Spanish, this is the beat for you!

The heart of Florida: Marion County

Sprawling live oaks, rolling hills, grand lakes, and breathtaking glimpses of old Florida bump right into the hustle and bustle of the Sunshine State’s rapid modernization! This journalist will report, shoot, and edit major stories about the things that matter most to Ocala, The Villages, and Marion County, living and working in communities in the heart of Florida’s horse country, and one of the fastest growing areas in the U.S., right along the I-75 corridor.

What kind of reporter are we looking for?

Graham Media Group, in Market #15 Orlando, Fla., is looking for an experienced reporter who is a fair, driven, and tech-savvy journalist who can work quickly and independently to cover a specific set of communities.

This role at WKMG News 6 is perfect for you if you excel at delivering fair, fact-based reporting, using compelling visuals and creative storytelling techniques you create and execute, which can hold people’s attention. 

You are an expert at developing trust rapidly with viewers and sources and can use those relationships to break high-impact local news stories first in the market.  You have a bit of a competitive edge, whether you’re covering breaking news first or asking the first question at every news conference.  And you can balance that competitive spirit with a strong team-first mentality in the newsroom that inspires the teammates around you.

Ultimately, you care deeply about standing up for what’s right, and you’re motivated by a call to serve, delivering relevant, hyper-local reporting that informs our audiences, helps keep them safe, holds others accountable, and improves our communities for the better.

POSITION OVERVIEW

As a News 6 Community Correspondent, you will embed yourself in an assigned geography and its associated county, where you will develop enterprise hard news stories that directly impact people in your area.

You work independently, reporting, shooting, and editing your own stories efficiently every day, with occasional options to partner with experienced photojournalists on certain stories.  You also get to work with a veteran broadcast journalist as your individual coach to help you master your reporter skillset, style, and storytelling craft.

You are comfortable with a rapidly changing workday, and you can quickly master new technologies, from cameras to content and editing software.  You know how to quickly deliver reports and storytelling on TV, vertical social media videos, and YouTube/digital formats.  You’re also game to try new equipment and techniques while still delivering quality high-impact local journalism.

It’s also important to have a strong on-camera presence/delivery that is clear, conversational, and commanding.  Your live experience ranges from successfully gathering relevant information first at breaking scenes to wall-to-wall live coverage, like the kind that accompanies hurricanes.  This live delivery helps you execute well on linear, digital, and streaming platforms.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Report, shoot, and edit your own stories efficiently, every day.
• Be the expert on the news that matters to your assigned geography or associated county.
• Pitch enterprise stories vetted in advance from your assigned beat.
• Produce digital articles, videos, vertical videos, and other visuals/graphics as needed that drive engagement with your stories.
• Report stories that are fair, balanced, and use process language often, when appropriate.
• Ask the right questions in interviews that capture key emotion or insights.
• Synthesize complex documents and break them down into conversational terms.
• Execute creative storytelling standups and teases that include movement and complement your reporting.
• Turn high-quality journalism despite daily deadline pressure.

KEY QUALIFICATIONS

• Several years of successful reporting in 2 television markets preferred; at least one of those was a medium market or a very active market with a high volume of news.
• A college degree in Journalism, Communications, or a related field is preferred.
• Proficiency in multiple newsroom producing and editing systems, social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, and verified internet search and research techniques and databases.
• Being bilingual in Spanish is preferred but not required.
• Work a flexible schedule including nights, weekends, and holidays, as news and business needs require.
• Have a valid driver’s license with a safety record acceptable to Graham Media Group.
• Create good solutions for problems or when something doesn’t go as planned.
• Partner productively with platform producers and newsroom leaders.
• Have experience partnering with a photojournalist.

Interested candidates should send their resume and links to their reporting work to WKMGCareers@wkmg.com.

WKMG-TV - Graham Media Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In addition to complying with the requirements of federal law, WKMG-TV/ GMG will comply with applicable state and local laws prohibiting employment discrimination.  Any offer of employment is conditional upon the successful completion of a pre-employment drug screening, investigative background check, employment/education verifications and reference checks.

The anticipation builds as the public address announcer begins to reveal the second starter, a 6-foot-7 forward from Indiana. When he finally reaches the player's name, the fans scream it right along with him.

“O! ... G! ... AN-UN-OBY!!!!”

Early Thursday morning, fans again chanted Anunoby's name, this time in a bar outside the arena as they celebrated one of the most memorable moments in New York Knicks history.

Anunoby's tip-in with 1.2 seconds remaining in Game 4 put the Knicks on the verge of a title and moved him into the discussion for NBA Finals MVP.

Anunoby is not the kind of player who usually wins awards, and he might be the least-known of the Knicks' starters. But his teammates understand Anunoby's value far exceeds his reputation.

“So regardless of what the outside world thinks of him, we know what we have in our locker room, and we have a superstar in that locker room,” guard Jalen Brunson said.

Anunoby is the only player on the Knicks' postseason roster who has won a ring, but he was injured and didn't play for Toronto in the 2019 NBA Finals. But there's no way New York would have a chance at its first championship since 1973 if he wasn't front and center now.

From scoring to stopping, Anunoby might to be asked to do more than any Knicks player. He not only finished with 33 points in Game 4 but also made the biggest defensive play of the game when he chased down De'Aaron Fox to block his shot with 11 seconds left and the Spurs leading 106-105.

Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns said that's what he expects from a player who seems to save his best for the biggest moments.

“Every time I talk to him, I say, I already know what OG Anunoby is going to do in the fourth quarter, and he did exactly what I thought he would do,” Towns said. “He gave us a chance to win, and that’s all you could ask for from the best two-way player in the NBA.”

The Knicks couldn't believe Anunoby was only voted to the All-Defensive second team, certain there aren't five better defenders in the NBA. It was those defensive skills that made him most attractive when the Knicks acquired him from the Raptors in 2023, giving up two of their most promising players on a developing team in RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley.

Anunoby was also known as a reliable 3-point shooter from the corners, and he made one as time expired to give the Raptors a victory over Boston in the 2020 playoffs. He hardly celebrated after the shot went through, just as he was one of the few people inside Madison Square Garden who appeared completely calm after his basket in Game 4.

“Just, the game wasn’t over,” Anunoby explained. “I looked up to see the time. If it would have been 0:00, I would have been more excited, but it was just 1.2 left. So just knowing, get a stop now, just stay with it, staying present, not getting too happy because the game is not over yet.”

Anunoby is averaging 23.8 points in the series, shooting 58% from the field and 55.6% from 3-point range. He finished 10 for 15 in Game 4, including 7 for 9 behind the arc.

When Anunoby limped off the court with a hamstring injury late in the Knicks' victory over Philadelphia in Game 2 of the second round, there was concern this run could be in jeopardy just as it was picking up steam. When Anunoby was hurt at the same time in the 2024 playoffs, the Knicks blew a 2-0 lead against Indiana and ultimately lost the series in Game 7, when Anunoby gamely tried to return after missing four games but it was clear he could hardly move and was yanked after five minutes.

This injury was not as bad. Helped by extended time off when the Knicks swept the 76ers, Anunoby was able to return in time for the start of the Eastern Conference finals.

Having him on the floor now — and soaring through the air in the final seconds of Game 4 — could be what it takes to end a 53-year title drought.

“OG, he’s been amazing since he’s got here,” fellow forward Josh Hart said. “This whole playoff run, he’s been amazing on both ends of the ball. He’s a winning player and he made a winning play.”

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This story has been corrected to show that Anunoby returned from injury at the start of the Eastern Conference finals, not semifinals.

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

Though her body has never been found, police believe Harmony Montgomery was killed in 2019, nearly two years before she was reported missing. Her father, Adam Montgomery, was sentenced to a minimum of 56 years in prison in 2024 after being convicted of second-degree murder, abuse of a corpse, falsifying evidence, witness tampering and assault.

The Supreme Court, however, reversed the most serious charge, agreeing with Montgomery that the lesser assault charge should have been prosecuted separately. It sent the second-degree murder charge back to the lower court while letting the other convictions stand.

In their unanimous ruling, justices said combining the cases jeopardized Montgomery’s right to a fair trial because jurors may have used the stronger evidence about the assault to conclude, based on weaker evidence, that he killed her months later.

“There was a significant risk that the jury would draw the impermissible inference that because the defendant assaulted the victim before by striking her in the head, he must be the one who fatally assaulted her in December by again striking her in the head,” the justices said.

The second-degree murder conviction accounts for 45 years of Montgomery’s 56-years-to-life sentence, which was imposed on top of an earlier 32 ½-year sentence he already was serving on unrelated gun charges.

The attorney general’s office said Thursday it will pursue a retrial on the second-degree murder charge.

“We remain confident in the facts of this case, the evidence presented, and the exceptional work of our prosecutors, investigators, and law enforcement partners,” said spokesperson Michael Garrity. “We will continue our efforts to seek justice for Harmony Montgomery and all those who knew and loved her.”

Montgomery's attorneys did not respond to emails seeking comment.

Last year, the state agreed to pay $2.25 million to Harmony Montgomery's mother to settle a lawsuit accusing social workers of ignoring signs that the girl was being abused by her father after he was awarded custody in early 2019. Crystal Sorey went to police in 2021, and in 2022 authorities announced that they believed Harmony was dead.

Adam Montgomery did not attend his trial in February 2022, and his lawyers called no defense witnesses. His attorneys acknowledged he was guilty of falsifying evidence and abusing a corpse, but they said he did not kill Harmony and instead suggested the girl actually died while alone with her stepmother, Kayla Montgomery.

Kayla Montgomery, who served an 18-month prison sentence for lying to a grand jury about where she was when Harmony was last seen, was the star witness for the prosecution. She testified that her husband killed Harmony on Dec. 7, 2019, while the family lived in their car. Montgomery was driving to a fast-food restaurant when he turned around and repeatedly punched Harmony in the face and head because he was angry that she was having bathroom accidents in the car, she said. He then hid the body in the trunk of a car, in a ceiling vent of a homeless shelter and in the walk-in freezer at his workplace before disposing of it in March 2020, she said.

Kayla Montgomery said she tried to stop her husband from hitting the girl but was scared of him and that he beat her as well as he grew paranoid that she would go to police.

A video shared online showed at least one egg tossed in the direction of the San Antonio Spurs superstar as he entered his hotel, flanked by security, following the team's game 4 loss to the Knicks.

It was not clear who threw the egg. The video showed taunting fans swarming the hotel, a few blocks south of Madison Square Garden.

A few seconds after the egg cracks on a street sign, Wembanyama turns around and confronts a person standing near the hotel's entrance, before continuing inside.

The Spurs did not immediately respond to a request seeking clarity on whether the object struck Wembanyama.

The confrontation followed a historic collapse by the Spurs, who now find themselves on the brink of elimination after blowing a 29-point lead to the Knicks. Wembanyama missed two key free throws in the game's final minutes.

The Knicks victory prompted scenes of bedlam and jubilation across New York City, as ecstatic fans packed the streets, set off fireworks, scaled lampposts and at times clashed with police.

According to the New York Police Department, 56 people were taken into custody for charges that ranged from assault to disorderly conduct.

“Once again, there were large crowds of people who engaged in incredibly reckless and dangerous behavior last night both during and after the game,” the police department said in a statement.

An NYPD spokesperson said they had nothing on file about the egg incident.

Experts said the El Nino, a natural warming cycle, should further heat a globe already warming from fossil fuel pollution and will likely turbocharge extreme weather across the planet. Meteorologists forecast it will rival — or exceed — a record El Nino that began in 1997 and helped trigger billions of dollars in damage from heat waves, floods, droughts, tornadoes and wildfires.

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration officially confirmed the existence of the El Nino, which is a warming of the Pacific near the equator that affects weather patterns across the globe. NOAA's announcement said there's a 63% chance that the El Nino will get so intense this late fall and early winter that it “would rank among the largest El Nino events in the historical record going back to 1950.”

The warm, deep waters of an El Nino affect weather patterns by bringing “a lot of extra heat to the surface, fueling a lot of extreme events for a lot of places around the world,” said Clark University climate scientist Abby Frazier.

She said, especially in the Pacific, “it can get dire very quickly.”

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres described El Nino as an “urgent climate warning.”

“El Nino conditions will pour fuel on the fire of a warming world,” Guterres said in a video message.

El Nino's impacts spawn winners and losers

The weather pattern's effects vary by region. El Nino often dampens — but doesn't eliminate — Atlantic hurricane season activity, but increases it in the Pacific. So while the U.S. East and Gulf coasts may get a break, Hawaii and other islands are more in danger, Frazier said.

The drought-stricken Middle East could benefit, climate scientists said. Other places are looking at more danger. Parts of western South America — where the first El Ninos were noticed decades ago — often get heavy rain and floods, along with an extra warm summer. India faces more intense heat waves, while drought, wildfires and heat threaten Australia.

Northeastern Africa is likely going to get weather whiplash from intense drought to dangerously heavy rains, said Columbia University climate scientist and El Nino expert Muhammad Azhar Ehsan.

In the U.S., El Ninos can cause more intense storms with heavier rainfall in the South, but they also tend to generally benefit the U.S. agriculture industry, said Jon Gottschalck, operational branch chief at NOAA's Climate Prediction Center.

Michael Ferrari, meteorologist and head of research at the investment research firm Moby, said conditions for grains and seed, especially soybeans, look favorable in 18 major growing states, but are more mixed when it comes to dairy and cattle.

The northern Rockies and Southwest — where there’s an “off the charts” snow drought — could get some strong summer rains, Gottschalck said. The biggest effect in the U.S. is often in the winter, when the south can get wetter and the Pacific Northwest warmer and drier.

But overall, temperatures raised by the weather pattern can dampen American economic growth, said Stanford climate economist Marshall Burke. Several climate scientists forecast that 2027 will be the hottest year on record because of lagging effects of this El Nino, which is expected to peak in the fall or winter.

“We have pretty clear evidence that the U.S. economy grows more slowly when temps are above normal,” Burke said.

Strong early signs

The weather extremes caused by an El Nino also depend on when it develops.

Usually El Ninos form in the summer, peak in the late fall or early winter, and peter out the next spring, scientists said.

However, Ehsan's team forecasts that this El Nino will peak a month or two earlier based on strong early signs from recent weeks. Princeton University climate scientist Gabriel Vecchi said large El Ninos like these also tend to last longer.

The early indications — including warmer water pushing toward the surface of the Pacific — have been so strong and noticeable that forecasters have all been predicting the same ultra strong El Nino, Vecchi said, adding that El Nino forecasts often are all over the place at this time of year.

Scientists predict stronger El Ninos as the world warms from the burning of coal, oil and gas, Frazier and others said. But she said it is too early to say if this El Nino is part of that.

Even before it officially formed, this El Nino has gotten nicknames ranging from “super” to “Godzilla.”

“Instead of scared, we can ask people to be prepared,” Columbia's Ehsan said

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The benchmark 30-year fixed rate mortgage rate rose to 6.52% from 6.48% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. Despite the increase, the average rate remains below 6.84%, where it was a year ago.

Borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, often sought by borrowers refinancing a home loan, also rose this week. That average rate climbed to 5.84% from 5.79% last week. A year ago, it was at 5.97%, Freddie Mac said.

When mortgage rates rise they can add hundreds of dollars a month in costs for borrowers, reducing their purchasing power.

Mortgage rates are influenced by several factors, from the Federal Reserve’s interest rate policy decisions to bond market investors’ expectations for the economy and inflation. They generally follow the trajectory of the 10-year Treasury yield, which lenders use as a guide to pricing home loans.

Rates have been mostly trending higher since the conflict between the U.S. and Iran began in late February, disrupting the flow of crude oil from the Persian Gulf to customers worldwide. That’s sent oil prices sharply higher, helping drive up inflation.

Expectations of higher oil prices as the war drags on have kept long-term bond yields elevated, causing mortgage rates to mostly trend higher.

The yield on the U.S. 10-year Treasury note was at 4.53% in midday trading Thursday on the bond market, up from 4.47% a week ago. It was just 3.97% in late February, before the war broke out.

As recently as late February, the average rate on a 30-year mortgage had slipped just under 6% for the first time since late 2022. It’s hasn’t fallen below that threshold since. Two weeks ago, it climbed to 6.53%, its highest level since August 28.

While average long-term mortgage rates remain lower than they were at this time last year, their mostly upward trajectory and uncertainty over how much higher they may go has kept many would-be homebuyers on the sideline.

Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes declined in the first three months of the year compared to a year earlier, extending a nationwide housing slump that dates back to 2022 when mortgage rates began to climb from pandemic-era lows. Sales were essentially flat in April, but accelerated in May to their fastest pace since December.

Still, sales of existing U.S. homes continue to hovering close to a 4-million annual pace, far short of the historic norm that is closer to 5.2-million.

The latest mortgage applications data suggest home shoppers who can afford to buy at current rates are not holding out for them to move lower.

After declining in recent weeks, mortgage applications, which include loans to buy a home or refinance an existing mortgage, jumped 10.8% last week from the previous week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. Applications for both home purchase and refinancing loans rebounded.

The increase in mortgage applications is an encouraging sign for the housing market heading into the second half of the year after a lackluster spring homebuying season.

“However, if inflation continues to outpace wage growth, eroding purchasing power alongside still-elevated mortgage rates, household budgets will come under increasing pressure, posing a meaningful drag on housing demand heading into the summer,” said Jiayi Xu, an economist at Realtor.com.

Each one of the 49 people killed, now known as the 49 angels, on June 12, 2016, left behind a legacy.

To honor their memories, News 6 journalists compiled stories learning about every victim through interviews, news articles and social media. All 49 articles can be found at ClickOrlando.com/Pulse49.

[WATCH: News 6 special on Pulse]

Before they were victims, the 49 were mothers, fathers, recent graduates, veterans, breast cancer survivors, dreamers, artists and so much more.

Those stories include 33-year-old Rodolfo Ayala-Ayala’s who was known as “Rody” by friends. Ayala served as the platelet supervisor at OneBlood, the center that collected blood donations for many Pulse shooting survivors.

“He was the sweetest, most genuine person. (He) cared for everyone and would do anything for you, and he’ll be sorely missed here,” Kelly Gollert, the director of manufacturing for OneBlood, said after his death.

Brenda Lee Marquez McCool, 49, was a mother to 11 children, beat cancer twice and often went dancing at the Pulse nightclub with her son. She was at the nightclub with her son, Isaiah Henderson, on June 12, 2016.

More than anything, Jason Benjamin Josaphat, 19, dreamed of traveling the world after he finished a degree in accounting.

“He would just look at you and laugh,” his mother, Myrlande Bébé, said. “He loves to smile. He was just fun.”

Two days after the shooting Luis S. Vielma’s co-workers and friends at Universal Studios Orlando raised their wands near the Hogwarts castle in the 22-year-old’s honor. He was studying to be a physical therapy assistant at Seminole State College.

Xavier Emmanuel Serrano Rosado, 35, was at home on stage. A video on YouTube viewed thousands of times shows Rosado gracefully gliding across the stage of Orlando’s Parliament House in a leather cape and top hat, to the delight of the audience.

In the five years since the shooting, the OnePulse Foundation was formed to honor the victims and assist the survivors, as well as their families through a variety or means.

The 49 Scholarship program works with the families and loved ones of those killed, to award scholarships to those who “embody love, hope, unity, courage and unconditional acceptance.”

The scholarships honor the victims’ legacies.

The healthcare scholarship was named in honor of Stanley Almodovar III, who was a devoted advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, and a nursing scholarship was named for Amanda Lizzette Alvear, who dreamed of becoming a nurse.

This week the U.S. Senate voted to make the former nightclub site a national memorial. The OnePulse Foundation has plans for a reflection area, memorial and museum in the SoDo area of Orlando.

To read about all 49 angels click here.

Orlando Deputy Chief Robert Anzueto was on the line.

“Mayor, I have to inform you that there’s been a shooting at the Pulse Nightclub,” Dyer recalled. “There’s multiple casualties, and it’s turned into a hostage situation. Your driver is on the way to pick you up, and the Mobile Command Center is being deployed south of the club on Orange Avenue.”

Ten years later, Dyer still remembers what he did next: he called his then-26-year-old son.

[WATCH: Orlando mayor reflects on Pulse tragedy]

“I don’t know whether he had ever been to Pulse or not,” Dyer said. “He was fortunately home in bed, so it freed me to do all the things that I needed to do.”

By the time Dyer arrived at the mobile command center, law enforcement agencies were converging from across Central Florida and beyond - Orlando police, multiple sheriffs’ offices, the FBI, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.

[WATCH: Items inside Pulse being preserved]

Asked whether he had ever received a call like that before, Dyer didn’t hesitate.

“Nothing comparative to that at all,” he said.

The weekend itself had already been marked by grief. The night before Pulse, singer Christina Grimmie was murdered at the Plaza Live. Days later came an alligator attack at Walt Disney World.

“We had three horrible events in the span of about four days,” Dyer said.

,

When Dyer arrived on scene, he didn’t fully know the scope of what was unfolding.

“No, I had no idea,” he said. “I didn’t really understand the whole magnitude until after the first press conference because we didn’t have a total on the people that had died that night, nor actually until sometime later, the number of people that were injured as well.”

Police were still pulling survivors out of the building - people trapped in rooms and bathrooms, including one where the shooter was also present. Then came another terrifying turn.

The shooter “indicated that he had explosives and that he was going to blow up the remaining hostages as well as himself,” Dyer said.

With texts coming from inside and information being independently verified, Dyer said leaders believed the threat.

OPD Chief John Mina ultimately made the decision to breach, first freeing survivors from one bathroom and then continuing toward the shooter. Even after the gunman was killed, Dyer said something beneath the body appeared, at first glance, like a possible device.

That fear shaped a critical decision: delay the first major press conference.

[WATCH: Promises for a permanent Pulse memorial]

“So that was about 5 o’clock (a.m.), and we delayed having a press conference until seven, 7:30 a.m. or somewhere in that time frame because we didn’t think we would instill confidence in people if we came out and had a press conference and the building blew up in the background,” Dyer said.

At the microphone, Dyer then tried to communicate what leaders knew, while the worst details were still coming into focus. At the initial briefing, Dyer said the goal was to reassure the public: that authorities had control, that the community was safe. But the death toll wasn’t yet confirmed.

He also wanted to define Orlando’s response.

“We weren’t going to be defined by the hate-filled act of this murder,” Dyer said. “We were going to be defined by a response… with love and compassion and unity.”

Then, as the first press conference ended, new information arrived.

“There are 50 people dead. That was 49 plus the shooter,” Dyer said.

Dyer says, announcing that 49 people had been killed remains one of the hardest moments of his public life.

“That was probably the toughest thing that I had to do in the entirety of the whole process,” Dyer said. “Just getting that in your mind that there are 49 people that have been killed on that spot and there were seasoned journalists there and they were in shock, I could tell on their faces when I described that.”

In those hours, Orlando wasn’t yet able to say who the victims were.

“Everybody was hoping their loved one was not one of the 49,” Dyer said.

Orlando Health waiting rooms were filled with hundreds of family members searching for information. Dyer said one lesser-known but essential step that morning was securing help from the White House to obtain a HIPAA waiver.

“So Orlando Health could tell the people that were there looking for their loved ones who the individuals were that they had and were treating,” he said.

At one point, the names of patients were read aloud.

“If your loved one was not on that list and was missing, you knew that he or she was probably on the other list - the bad list,” Dyer said.

The aftermath of Pulse brought a wave of global support: rainbow lights, messages from leaders and strangers alike, and a feeling in Orlando that something profound might change.

Ten years later, Dyer said he believes Orlando is better in some ways - but not as far along as he once hoped.

“We’re not in the place I hoped we would be,” he said. “There was a presidential election of consequence in that same year, and it kind of changed the mood of the country.”

A permanent memorial: progress after years of controversy

A decade later, one of the most visible reminders of the unfinished work is also one of the most important: Orlando still does not have a permanent memorial at the Pulse site.

The city has now taken over the process after the previous efforts led by the onePulse Foundation failed. The city purchased the Pulse property in 2023, as well as the doctor’s office behind it. Orlando has committed $7.5 million toward a permanent memorial, while Orange County has committed another $5 million. Dyer estimated total costs will be a little more than $12.5 million with additional private fundraising to create reserves and cover construction needs.

“When the onePulse Foundation failed, a number of the families came to us and said ‘you guys are the only ones that can get this done’ and convinced us to take that process over,” said Dyer. “But we have totally given it to the survivors and the families to dictate what it was going to look like. We had an advisory committee and I’m really pleased with what they’ve come up with and we are on target to be completed before I finish being mayor.”

“We have nothing to do with onePulse. OnePulse is done. We were never involved with onePulse. That was a separate organization. We tried to purchase the property at the very beginning and to run the process, but the Pomas wanted to do it themselves. They owned the property. We didn’t have the ability to simply take the property from them. So we let that run its course,” said Dyer.

“Unfortunately, what happened, in my opinion, is they got too grandiose and what they wanted to do it with having a museum as well as a memorial,” said Dyer. “If they had been focused simply on getting a memorial done, they probably could have got that done, but I’m really pleased with how we have done this in a transparent manner and involved the families and the survivors rather than the board that they had, quite honestly. So I think we’re in a pretty good place at this point.”

Asked about rumors of code violations at the nightclub, Dyer said investigations did not find anything that contributed to the tragedy.

“So we looked at that, the FBI did a separate investigation, and there are no public safety code violations that in any way hampered anything on that evening,” said Dyer. So there’s been a lot of rumors related to that, but there’s no substance to that."

As for any further investigations into onePulse, Dyer said he has moved on.

“Just as I moved on from the shooter, and he’s nothing to me, I moved on from that organization,” said Dyer. “If somebody wants to go after them, have at it, but we’re very focused on making sure that we continue to support the families and the survivors and get the memorial done.”

In the decade since, Dyer pointed to changes in how first responders train together, particularly joint operations between police and fire.

He also highlighted the growing acceptance of mental health support.

“Ten years ago, a lot of the police officers were still in that mode of, ‘I’m a big, strong police officer and I don’t need somebody to check in on my feelings,’” Dyer said. “There’s a lot more support for that now.”

He also acknowledged what doesn’t fade: the physical and emotional injuries survivors continue to carry.

“There are individuals who every single day since that night, they have lived with and thought about that,” he said. “That will be the case for the rest of their lives.”

For Dyer, one of the most vivid images from Orlando’s response isn’t from inside the command center - it’s from the community outside.

“Probably my most vivid memory was the lines of people wrapped around the building to give blood,” he said. “It gave purpose to a lot of people that wanted to do something and that was just heartwarming.”

The city’s public events marking the 10th anniversary included the CommUNITY Rainbow Run on Saturday, as well as a service at First United Methodist Church at 5:30 p.m. on June 12, along with private observances for families.

An art exhibit is also planned to open June 11 inside Orlando City Hall, featuring paint-by-number pieces begun by an artist and completed by families of the 49.

For Dyer, the memorial’s completion is deeply personal - and urgent.

“That’s the most important thing that I have left to do,” he said. “I want to make sure that it’s completed and that we have a place where the family members and anybody who wants to remember the 49 can go and pay their respects.”

We explored how the LGBTQ+ community and allies have worked together, evolved, and pushed forward in the years since Pulse. We began by creating space for reflection on the memories of Pulse and the lasting impact of June 12, 2016, discussing how the tragedy changed individuals, families, Orlando, and the community at large.

The conversation also included a mental health component, with mental health professionals recognizing the lasting effects of the community’s collective loss and discussing the ongoing journey toward healing.

Panelists will reflect on what has changed over the past decade while also looking toward hopes for the future. The discussion will center around cultural shifts, the political climate, allyship, advocacy, and the challenges still facing the LGBTQ+ community today.

Viewers were encouraged to participate in real time by asking questions, sharing comments, and engaging with the discussion throughout the evening.

I recently sat down with longtime law enforcement officer and trainer Steve Kelley of Decision Tactical to talk about how active shooter response has evolved from the days of the Columbine High School massacre in 1999 to the reality officers face today.

Kelley explained that Columbine was a major turning point for police agencies nationwide.

“I think it was April 20, 1999, the Columbine shooting,” Kelley said. “That one, for lack of a better term, spanked us as law enforcement.”

At the time, law enforcement tactics focused heavily on staging officers and building organized response teams before entering an active scene. But as incidents evolved, so did the understanding that time equals lives.

[WATCH: 10 years later, Pulse changed trauma care far beyond Orlando]

After tragedies like Columbine High School massacre and later the Pulse nightclub shooting, training shifted dramatically toward immediate action.

“Law enforcement decided we can’t afford to wait,” Kelley said. “We’re going to gunfire. I’m going.”

Today, officers are trained to move toward the threat as quickly as possible, even if they are alone.

“Most of us nowadays ride as individual officers, so I’m a team of one now,” Kelley explained. “I’m going to update headquarters on my location, but I’m on search and destroy.”

That aggressive response philosophy is now deeply embedded in modern policing and starts at the academy level.

[WATCH: Inside ORMC: The trauma surgeons who faced the Pulse mass shooting]

“It’s part of basic training nowadays,” Kelley said. “Then when they graduate and get to their agencies, we’re still training throughout the year to make sure they are highly proficient and skilled.”

The purpose behind the training is simple: reduce the threat as fast as possible and save lives.

Kelley said officers continually prepare for situations they hope never happen, knowing their actions in the first moments can directly impact survival for victims and fellow officers.

As Orlando approaches the 10-year mark since Pulse, Kelley said it is also important to recognize the law enforcement community that lived through those events and continues carrying those lessons forward today.

Their training never stops.

For some survivors, the scale of the medical response is measured in the amount of blood they received while fighting to stay alive.

“I was shot four times, and I received over 40 units of blood,” recalled Pulse survivor Jeff Xcentric one year after the shooting.

Forty units of blood represented donations from 40 people, highlighting the critical role blood products played in treating victims.

Survivor Ilka Reyes recalled the extent of her injuries as well.

“I was shot nine times, I received 11 units.”

In the hours after the Pulse shooting, thousands of people lined up to donate blood across Central Florida. However, blood that helped save lives that night was already available because donors had given before the attack occurred.

“It’s important to remember that it’s the donors who came in just a few days before the tragedy. Their blood was available at the hospital immediately when those patients were coming in,” said Susan Forbes, Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications and Public Relations of OneBlood.

Just three days before the shooting, OneBlood had issued a plea for more Type O blood donors. Then, the mass shooting created an unprecedented demand for blood products.

“We’re hit with the worst tragedy the nation had seen at the time. And the blood was saving these people’s lives. They were injured, they were shot, they needed blood, and the number one thing that the doctors were reaching for, was blood,” Forbes said.

As victims arrived at Orlando Regional Medical Center that night ten years ago, doctors and nurses used blood products at a pace they had never experienced before.

“We were making multiple trips over to ORMC when that happened. We made eight trips over there, they transfused over 440 units of blood in 24 hours. That’s not normal,” Forbes said.

Trauma surgeons with Orlando Health said the community responded quickly as news of the tragedy spread.

“I think it was over 27,000 people who ended up donating blood,” said Dr. Michael Cheatham.

According to OneBlood, more than 28,500 units of blood were collected in just a few days following the shooting.

“It was a huge donor surge that happened right after Pulse and thousands of people lined up at our donor centers,” Forbes said.

The support extended beyond blood donations. Community members looked for other ways to help victims, families and hospital workers as the city grieved.

“We had donations of food and people donated so many things. It was an unbelievable response,” said Dr. Joseph Ibrahim.

The two surgeons said the outpouring of support remains one of their strongest memories from that time.

“The community felt the pain of the victims and their families,” Cheatham said.

A decade later, those who witnessed the aftermath say the community’s response continues to stand out.

“I don’t think any community in the world has ever responded like that to a tragedy like this,” Cheatham said.

For survivors like Jeff Xcentric, the generosity of blood donors remains deeply personal.

“If it wasn’t for the donors and the people who had donated, I wouldn’t be here speaking to you right now.”

Orlando blood drive to honor Pulse remembrance

OneBlood, the City of Orlando, and Orange County are kicking off a community blood drive honoring the 10th year remembrance of Pulse today at Orlando City Hall.

The event will highlight the ongoing need for blood donations and recognize the lifesaving impact blood donors continue to have in Central Florida communities.

WHEN:

Monday, June 1

Blood drive: 12 - 5 p.m.

WHERE:

Orlando City Hall

400 S. Orange Ave. Orlando, FL 32801

OneBlood is also running its annual Pulse Remembrance Blood Drive from June 1 through June 12. Eligible donors can donate blood at select drives and donor centers and receive a Limited-edition Be The Pulse T-shirt and a OneBlood gift.

News 6 toured the undisclosed warehouse location on Tuesday, where crate after crate holds items from inside the nightclub, including a chandelier, the bar top, a door and the Pulse sign.

In December 2025, contractors carefully removed the remaining artifacts from Pulse as part of preparations to tear down the building.

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer says some of those pieces could eventually be displayed inside the permanent Pulse memorial’s planned visitor center, though space will be limited.

“Some of the items will be in the visitor’s center, but the visitor center is pretty small, so it’s not like it’s going to be a museum display or anything,” Dyer said. “But there will be the ability to tell the story in the visitor’s center, so there might be some items that are in there.”

In May, Orlando officials announced the design phase for the visitor center and the broader Pulse memorial is now 60% complete.

The warehouse storage follows a carefully planned packing process that began in December, when contractors loaded artifacts into custom-built crates and moved them off the site. City Facilities Division Manager Navid Erfan previously said the items were packed with “archival grade materials” to protect them.

The Pulse site had remained a powerful, largely unchanged place of mourning since June 12, 2016, when a gunman killed 49 people and wounded more than 50 others at the LGBTQ+ nightclub. The temporary memorial outside continued to draw visitors, many of whom describe being overwhelmed by the photos, tributes and personal reminders left behind.

The building was demolished in March 2026 to make way for the permanent memorial.

Jerria Ford-Jamieson said visiting the site remains emotional, especially knowing someone close to her nearly went to Pulse the night of the shooting.

“I just got so emotional,” Ford-Jamieson said. “Tears were rolling down.”

The city expects construction on the permanent memorial to begin this fall, with completion anticipated by the end of 2027.

On Monday, the City of Orlando will display prayer ribbons created by Massachusetts-based artist Jay Critchley in front of City Hall at 400 South Orange Avenue. The ribbons, which carry messages of support from around the world, will remain on display through Sunday.

While those ribbons went up, the Orlando City Council got an update on the memorial during a workshop.

Last month, the Pulse Advisory Board reviewed new renderings after the city announced it reached the 60 percent design phase. The visitor center is taking shape, featuring a timeline of how events unfolded the morning of June 12, 2016 — though the design has drawn some scrutiny.

During the workshop on the memorial Monday, the design team discussed the renderings and specific details about the memorial.

President of Borrelli + Partners, Jorge Borrelli, explained how concrete from the building, that was torn down in March, will be repurposed throughout the site to help people who visit feel connected to it, even though it’s no longer physically there.

“There were many of the family members that did not actually want the building demolished because their child had died there, and they felt like their soul was there. So in this way, we’re able to preserve that and keep the building in a holistic manner on the site,” Borrelli said.

The team also shared how personal items that belong to the angels, given to the city by family members, will also be safely on display at the memorial in capsules.

“[This] allows the visitor, particularly those that are still going through the grieving process, to commune with that in that space and reflect back out, looking and seeing the survivors beyond this tragic site,” Project Manager Dan-Michael Trbovich explained.

“In a very symbolic way, this is the area in which you can come to be surrounded by those angels.”

Art exhibition opens Thursday

A new exhibition, “Created in Community: Portraits of Pulse”, opens Thursday at the Terrace Gallery inside City Hall and runs through Aug. 23.

The collection features 49 collaborative portraits — one for each life taken — designed as paint-by-number works by local artist Jeff Sonksen and completed in 2017 by families, friends, and community members. Some portraits were intentionally left unfinished.

The collection was acquired by the Orange County Regional History Center in 2024 after traveling to Chicago.

Remembrance ceremony set for Friday

The Annual Pulse Remembrance Ceremony is set to take place on Friday at 5:30 p.m. at First United Methodist Church, 311 South Magnolia Avenue.

The evening includes musical performances from local cultural artists and the Orlando Gay Chorus, a special presentation by City of Orlando Poet Laureate Camara Gaither, and participation from the Angel Action Wings volunteer group.

The ceremony will close with a candlelight vigil and the reading of all 49 names.

“Ten years later, we continue to carry the memories of the 49 lives taken in our hearts,” Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said in a news release. “Orlando stands united in love, resilience and remembrance, and remains committed to honoring their legacy through continued unity and support.”

For a full schedule of events, click here.

The Labor Department reported Thursday that its producer price index — which captures inflation before it reaches consumers — jumped 6.5% from May 2025. It rose 1.1% from April, as it did the previous month. Wholesale gasoline prices surged by more than 23% from April to May, and nearly 70% from a year earlier.

Inflationary pressures, intensified by the energy shock caused by the Iran war, are frustrating Americans five months before midterm elections that will determine whether President Donald Trump's Republicans keep full control of Congress.

Gasoline prices have been falling in recent days, but the cost of a gallon of regular gasoline has been above $4 since March, according to motor club AAA. And the U.S. driving season, which pushes prices higher each year, has just begun.

Excluding volatile food and energy prices, so-called core wholesale prices rose 0.4% from April and 4.9% from May 2025.

The wholesale inflation numbers came out a day after the Labor Department reported that consumer prices rose 4.2% in May from a year earlier, most in three years. Gasoline prices were up nearly 41% from May 2025. Airfares were up almost 27%.

Inflation is running well ahead of the Federal Reserve's 2% target. The central bank is expected to leave its benchmark interest rate unchanged as its meeting next week. But financial markets expect the Fed could raise rates by the end of the year in an effort to curb price increases.

Wholesale prices can offer an early look at where consumer inflation might be headed. Economists also watch it because some of its components, notably health care and financial services, flow into the Fed's preferred inflation gauge — the personal consumption expenditures, or PCE, index.

Stephen Brown, chief North America economist at Capital Economics, wrote that the producer prices “that feed into the PCE price calculation rose by much more than we expected ... It supports our view that the Fed will hike interest rates toward the end of the year.’’

After the United States and Israel attacked Feb. 28, Iran shut the Strait of Hormuz, causing the biggest disruption in oil supplies in history. Energy prices rocketed. S&P Global Energy warned Thursday that U.S. crude oil inventories are drying up as the summer driving season approaches.

“The bottom line is that U.S. inventory levels remain above estimated minimum operating thresholds,'' said S&P Global Energy's Aaron Brady. “However, with continued disruption to Middle East flows, draws are likely to extend into the third quarter, even in the event of a near-term diplomatic resolution.'' More big, sustained drops in inventories ”would likely signal entry into a ‘danger zone’ for the U.S. refining system.”

Wright worked most recently in merchandising on Main Street USA and previously Tomorrowland, another area of the Magic Kingdom.

Wright was a Miami Heat fan and attended Florida International University, according to his Facebook page.

He wrote about “magical moments” he often had with guests while working at Magic Kingdom, including once he gifted a Disney magic band for a 90-year-old woman on her birthday.

“What I learned today was not to take the little things (for) granted but to be thankful all you have and share a magical moments with someone special,” Wright wrote on Facebook.

Wright went to the Pulse nightclub to celebrate his friend Cory James Connell’s 21st birthday. Both men were killed in the June 12, 2016 shooting.

“Jerry was a great guy to work with,” a former coworker said. “He was quiet but really wonderful with all the guests. He always had a smile on his face.”

Wright’s memorial page is filled with comments about his glowing personality.

“Jerry was the type of guy who always made you laugh and smile even when you were having a good or bad day,” Christina Osmon, of Apopka wrote.

Known as “Danny” to his friends, Wilson Leon was a native of Puerto Rico and lived in Kissimmee with his longtime partner, Jean Carlos Mendez Perez.

Wilson-Leon was a manager at an Altamonte Springs shoe store.

“He was a faithful friend, kind and hardworking,” Wilson Leon’s friend Wanda Ferrer told News 6.

Both Wilson Leon and Mendez Perez were killed at Pulse nightclub on June 12, 2016.

The couple’s relationship also began at the club where they bumped into each other again and hit it off. They initially met when Wilson Leon bought a bottle of Declaration by Cartier perfume from Mendez Perez. The couple was proof that opposites attract, which is why they loved each other so much, Ferrer remembered about the pair.

“Danny would take care of (Jean) a lot because he was like a little boy,” Ferrer said.

Longtime friend Daniel Gmys-Casiano said it wasn’t always easy for Wilson Leon, who was bullied growing up and often called homophobic slurs.

“He was the first person on this earth I came out to, and he always protected and loved his friends. His strength and character were always an inspiration to all of us,” Gmys-Casiano said.

After a joint memorial for the couple, Wilson Leon was buried in Puerto Rico and Mendez Perez was buried in Kissimmee.

A year after the couple’s deaths, Ferrer said she feels a huge emptiness, but feels Wilson Leon is looking out for her still.

“Danny was and will always be my best friend,” she said. “He will always live in my memories … he’s taking care of me from above.”

Born in Barceloneta, Puerto Rico, family was central to Velázquez’s life.

His sister Jessica Silva described him as “the best kid that a mother could have, the best brother and the best uncle that my kids could have.”

VVelázquez was celebrating a friend’s birthday when he was killed inside Pulse nightclub alongside his husband during the June 12, 2016, mass shooting.

Velázquez’s family told News 6 that he always made an entrance when he walked into a room, adding his smile was radiant.

On Dec. 8, nearly six months after the Pulse massacre, Velázquez’s family reopened his hair salon in Orlando, naming it D’Magazine by Juan P. His mother, sister and cousin run the business in his honor. One year after Velázquez was killed, Silva said the loss is still like an open wound.

“It hurts. It hurts not being able to give him a kiss. To ask him, ‘Do you like what I’m doing? Do you think this is right? Do you think I should put this table here over there?’ And not having him is difficult,” Silva said.

The Manati, Puerto Rico, native is remembered by family and friends as fun-loving and joyful.

Silva Menendez was one of the 49 people killed on June 12, 2016, after dancing the night away at Pulse nightclub on Latin night, celebrating his heritage.

Silva Menendez’s best friend, Peter O. Gonzalez Cruz, 22, was also killed.

“(They) became so inseparable until they went to heaven together,” SIlva-Menéndez’ sister Marynell Valentin recently wrote, in Spanish on Facebook, of two friends.

Valentine moved to Orlando a few months before the one-year anniversary of her brother’s death.

“Eleven months since your departure, and to know that I’ll be there today and you’re not going to pick me up, that disheartens me,” she said on Facebook in Spanish. “I miss you so much, but he’s still watching over me from heaven.”

Silva Menendez lived in Orlando for just a few years and had his sights set on higher goals. He was attending Ana G. Mendez University to work in healthcare and also worked at a local Speedway.

Almost a year later, his sister still commemorates his memory, posting each month on Facebook.

“Eight months without hearing you laugh, without seeing you dancing. Wow, how I miss you,” Valentin wrote earlier this year.

Silva Menendez also loved dogs. The American Kennel Club acknowledged his work as a St. Bernard fancier after the shooting.

A video on Youtube viewed thousands of times shows Rosado gracefully gliding across the stage of Orlando’s Parliament House in a leather cape and top hat, to the delight of the audience.

Rosado performed at bars and clubs across Florida, on the Norwegian Cruise Line and at theme parks including Walt Disney World, according to the Dobbs Funeral Home, and entertained with energy, laughter and a smile.

“A few years ago, my siblings gathered for a reunion at my home in Winter Park,” wrote Thor Falk, of Winter Park on Legacy.com. “For a variety of reasons, we were somewhat homebound, so I thought it would be a good idea to have something fun and different to do with my sisters. I arranged for a Xavier to come teach some stiff Norwegians how to salsa. Xavier could not have been more fun and charming. He left all of us with great memories we will carry forever. Rest in peace, dear, sweet soul. We will always remember you with fondness.”

Rosado, originally from Ponce, Puerto Rico, was also a father. He leaves behind a 5-year-old son.

Wilma Lozano, the mother of Rosado’s son, said Rosado loved spending time with his son swimming in the pool, watching movies, and playing video games, according to Dobbs.

“He was always energetic and always had a smile on his face that made you smile too,” Lozano said through a Facebook message. “And if I was down, he knew how to make me smile and get back up.”

Rosado was killed inside Pulse nightclub on June 12, 2016, along with 48 others.

He leaves to cherish his memory, parents Jesus Serrano and Cruz Rosado, both of Puerto Rico; son Kelvyn Emmanuel Serrano, of Orlando; partner Wilma Lozano, of Orlando; brothers Jesus Serrano and Carlos Serrano, both of Puerto Rico; sisters Brenda Serrano, of Wisconsin; and Glenda Serrano, of Philadelphia, according to Dobbs.

“I am in disbelief that my friend is gone,” wrote Rico of Orlando on Legacy.com. “Words cannot express to the family how much I feel for all of you. His life’s focus was built around his child. His personality was contagious and would light up the room. He’ll be missed by many. I am sorry.”

Rosado’s funeral was June 21, 2016, at Resurrection Catholic Church in Winter Garden.

“I writhed in bed for hours in my head wrapped in all of this,” a friend said. “Sleep was nearly impossible, and waking up to the news that Xavier E. Serrano has passed, it’s soul-crushing.”

“Her smile lit up the room and her laughter brought a smile to your heart,” her sister Natalie Canlan wrote on a GoFundMe page.

The online fundraiser was established to help raise funds for Rodriguez Solivan’s husband and her two young sons.

Rodriguez Solivan, known as Mary to her family and friends, was someone you wanted to be near. She had an infectious personality and warm to everyone that she came across.

“Mary was an amazing daughter and an extraordinary sister,” Canlan said.

Rodriguez Solivan was a devoted mother of two sons, Jariel and Sergio, and the wife to race car driver Juan Borges.

She moved from Ponce, Puerto Rico, to Kissimmee with her husband and children.

In one of the last photos of Rodriguez Solivan, her smile was brightly displayed across her face. Rodriguez Solivan went to Pulse nightclub on June 12, 2016, with her brother-in-law William Borges and friend Jonathan Camuy Vega.

Camuy Vega died trying to shield Rodriguez Solivan’s body from the gunfire. The 24-year-old “died like a hero,” Borges wrote on Facebook on June 12.

“The body of Jonathan was found protecting my sister-in-law,” Borges said.

Borges, the only survivor of the trio, was shot twice and recovered, but the impact his sister-in-law had on his life was lasting.

“I love you from here to the sky, where you are resting. I swear that my heart has a huge ladder tall enough to reach you,” Borges said in a Facebook post.

A native of Puerto Rico who lived in Kissimmee, he was killed alongside his longtime partner, Luis Daniel Wilson Leon at the Pulse nightclub shooting on June 12, 2016.“Jean was the opposite of Danny,” the couple’s friend, Wanda Ferrer, told News 6. “That’s why they loved each other so much.”

Mendez Perez worked at Perfumania in the Orlando Premium Outlets, where he met Wilson Leon, selling him a bottle of Declaration by Cartier, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

Ferrer said Perez was the best salesperson at the store.

Above all Mendez Perez was “a good friend with a very good sense of humor,” Ferrer said.

A GoFundMe for his funeral arrangements described Mendez Perez as a “man full of life and joy who loved his friends and family above all things.”

Family members describe him as dynamic, and a man who loved to play with his nieces and nephews. A friend called him her favorite artist on Facebook.

After a joint memorial for the couple, Wilson Leon was buried in Puerto Rico and Mendes Perez was buried in Kissimmee.

Some of them aren’t too enthusiastic.

“I think they’re all a waste of time,” said Shirley Prior on the choice of candidates in Makerfield, where a special election on June 18 has drawn interest from journalists around the world. That level of attention is all-but unheard of for a midterm by-election to fill one of the 650 seats in the House of Commons.

If Andy Burnham from the center-left Labour Party wins, there’s a strong chance he will replace embattled Prime Minister Keir Starmer as leader of both party and country. He's up against Reform UK, a hard-right party hoping to prove that this longtime Labour stronghold is fertile ground for its anti-immigration message, with potentially seismic consequences for British democracy.

This district has elected Labour lawmakers for 120 years, but Burnham is not a shoo-in. Reform, led by the veteran anti-immigration politician Nigel Farage, won 24 of the 25 council seats up for grabs in local elections in this area last month.

“I always voted Labour because my dad, my grandad, everybody voted Labour then,” Prior said. “I’ve never done that for a lot, a lot of years.”

Immigration is a top issue

The election is taking place amid heightened tensions over immigration. A stabbing in Belfast this week, for which a Sudanese man has been charged with attempted murder, triggered violent protests in Northern Ireland in which cars and houses torched.

In the constituency’s main town of Ashton-in-Makerfield, 200 miles (320 kilometers) northwest of London, some voters echo Reform claims that recent arrivals are straining housing and public services.

“Immigration’s too high, all the services are being put under pressure and Labour just keep inviting more and more people into the country and it’s the taxpayer who has to pay for them,” said retiree Phil Arrowsmith.

Annual net migration to the U.K. reached more than 900,000 in 2023, under the previous Conservative government, before falling to 171,000 last year.

That decline has done little to boost a Labour government that has floundered since winning election in July 2024.

Starmer has struggled to deliver promised economic growth, repair tattered public services and ease the cost of living, and been hamstrung by repeated missteps, including his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson, a scandal-tarnished friend of Jeffrey Epstein, as Britain’s ambassador to Washington.

A dismal performance in local elections last month sparked a clamor from Labour lawmakers for Starmer’s resignation. He has refused, but Cabinet minister Wes Streeting quit so he can run in a leadership contest that could come soon.

Burnham, the popular mayor of Greater Manchester, also harbors leadership ambitions, but needs a seat in Parliament if he wants to challenge Starmer. An opening emerged when Josh Simons, the Labour lawmaker for Makerfield, stepped down to trigger a special election.

Burnham said he understands that voters are “fed up” and calls the large Reform UK vote “a cry for real change” that Labour must heed.

The ‘King of the North’ eyes power in London

The Makerfield constituency is a capsule of British history, a collection of former coal-mining communities turned commuter suburbs. The slag heaps and slum housing in the area described by George Orwell in his 1937 book “The Road to Wigan Pier” have been replaced by suburbs of tidy modern houses amid Victorian workers’ cottages, interspersed with farmers’ fields.

Though far from the city center, it is part of Greater Manchester, and Burnham gets honks and thumbs’ ups from passing drivers as he walks down the street in his smart-casual uniform of dark jeans with a navy blue shirt and jacket.

The 56-year-old has been mayor of the region of 3 million people since 2017, a period that has seen central Manchester boom, with skyscrapers blooming on postindustrial sites. Many residents praise him for championing the city, and for taking a piecemeal public transport system under municipal control as the Bee Network.

For a decade and a half before that he was a lawmaker in Parliament, and a minister in Labour governments. He doesn’t emphasize that part of his CV, preferring the outsider status that has seen him nicknamed the King of the North.

“What we’ve built in Greater Manchester needs to go national,” Burnham told reporters during a campaign event this week. “I know what it is to turn places around.”

Many predict a close contest

The campaign is an odd mix of the local and the international. Some voters cite immigration as a top concern. Others mention struggling main street shops, potholes and petty crime.

Burnham’s main rival is Reform UK candidate Rob Kenyon, a 41-year-old plumber and local councilor who came second to Labour here in the 2024 national election. He says he’s an unpolished regular bloke, though opponents have criticized him over crude, sexist and anti-vaccine comments on social media.

Reform voters are also being targeted by Restore, an even more hardline anti-immigration party.

Michael Poultney, a retired teacher and Labour supporter, thinks the unpopularity of Starmer’s government means Burnham faces a stiff challenge.

“Without his personal vote, I think we would struggle,” he said. “Keir Starmer has done reasonably well on the international stage, but the government are yet to be in control of the economy.”

Burnham insists he is running for the people of Makerfield, not his own ambition, and is not taking victory for granted.

“I am making no assumptions beyond the 18th of June,” Burnham said.

But he stressed that “this is a change byelection.”

“I will take the fight for the changes I want to see in politics as far as I can take it,” he said.

The 25-year-old was known as “Drake Ortiz” to friends. He regularly posted workout selfies on social media, even sharing a photo from the weight bench the night before he was killed, on June 12, 2016, at Pulse nightclub.

“We will miss you at the gym here in Puerto Rico,” friend Wil Iglesisas wrote on Jimenez’s Facebook wall.

Ortiz was in Orlando visiting from Puerto Rico for a Selena Gomez concert at the Amway Center when he died.

“With the love of my life,” Ortiz said on a photo of himself and his favorite singer’s wax statue. He absolutely loved Gomez, his cousin, Tiffany Ortiz told the News York Times.

While performing two days after the mass shooting, Gomez dedicated “Transfiguration,” singing a cappella, to the 49 victims, reported NOLA.com.

Born in the Dominican Republic, Ortiz graduated from J. P. McCaskey High School in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, in 2010, a spokeswoman for the school district told the New York Times.

Ortiz was studying law at Universidad Del Este in Puerto Rico.

The young man who listed acting as his profession was killed exactly a month before what would have been his 26th birthday. 

“He was such a beautiful man,” Ivan Dominguez, his widower, told News 6. “He is missed by so many friends, family and co-workers.”

He was known for being “always happy,” his brother Nestor Ortiz said.

Ortiz Rivera worked at Sunglass Hut and Party City. He moved to Orlando from Puerto Rico in 2007 for a better life.

“It was my idea for him to move to Orlando and he lived with me the first few months,” Ortiz said.

But the two would later have a falling out and did not speak for five years. They rekindled their relationship four weeks before the Pulse massacre on June 12, 2016.

Ortiz Rivera preferred to go by his middle name, Ivan. It’s a name he liked so much, when his younger brother was born, he insisted his mother name him Ivan too.

“That’s why we have the same middle name,” Ortiz told News 6.

The name followed Ortiz Rivera as his partner was also named Ivan.

Like most people, Ortiz Rivera had pet peeves. “He hated when people spelled Eric, his first name, with a ‘K,’” Ortiz said.

The 36-year-old also joked that he would not live past 40 and made it clear to his family that he wanted to be cremated when he died, because “he was very claustrophobic and didn’t want to be confined to a box,” Ortiz said.

From a young age, Ortiz Rivera loved to paint.

“He was a creative person,” Ortiz said.

A creative person with a sense of humor, he loved to often use photo-editing software to place himself in locals around the world. In one photo he is in front of the Great Wall of China; in another, in front of the whitewashed walls of Santorini in the Greek Islands. “People actually thought he was there,” Ortiz said with a laugh. “He was always in a good mood.”