Hernández, once considered an ally by the U.S. in the drug war, led Honduras from 2014 to 2022, during which he boasted that he would "shove the drugs right up the noses of the gringos,” according to U.S. prosecutors.

His extradition shortly after leaving office marked a rare chance at justice for Hondurans, who feared his hold on the country's justice system would never allow a conviction on Honduran soil.

But the former leader, sentenced to 45 years in prison in the United States, was released in December, to the shock of many in the U.S. and Honduras, after receiving a presidential pardon from U.S. President Donald Trump. He said Hernández did not receive a fair trial and that it was a setup orchestrated by the Biden administration.

Hernández now returns to Honduras to face corruption charges amid concerns that a weak justice system and his party’s return to the presidency will ensure his impunity.

“There is a social majority that is outraged but doesn’t speak out because of fear,” said Joaquín Mejía, lawyer and researcher for the human rights organization Reflection, Research and Communication Team. "We’re talking about the boss of all drug bosses.”

Some in the country welcomed his return. Hernández was greeted at Palmerola International Airport by his mother, wife, kids and granddaughter as well as dozens of supporters of his National Party.

“The moment has arrived. After four years, I can finally tell you that we will see each other again,” Hernández said in a video posted on social media before his arrival.

Hernández, 57, faces charges related to a case known as Pandora I, which alleges that a network of former high-ranking officials from 2010 to 2013 participated in the expansion and approval of public funds disbursements totaling more than 288 million lempiras ($10.8 million) to various foundations, according to an investigation by the country's Specialized Prosecutor’s Unit Against Corruption Networks, or UFERCO.

According to UFERCO, Hernández benefited from these disbursements, receiving at least 62 million lempiras ($2.3 million) for his political campaign through various schemes, including the creation of shell companies, the use of straw men and fictitious contracts.

Hernández has said he is innocent and that the case “lacks any legal basis.”

In June, a judge suspended his arrest warrant and the international red notice issued to Interpol at the request of Hernández’s lawyer, although the case is still pending. The former president has agreed to appear before the judge on Aug. 3 for his arraignment.

Other high-level officials implicated in Pandora I whose cases have been dismissed indicate the likely outcome for Hernández, according to legal experts.

“Everything points to the suspension being the first step,” Mejía said. “He’ll come, they’ll likely issue him alternative measures to imprisonment to keep up appearances, and then he’ll end up without any problem, without any sanction.”

For Luis Javier Santos, the former head of UFERCO who investigated the case against Hernández, the former leader’s return represents a failure to prosecute him for his crimes rather than a chance for justice.

Santos was removed from his role in UFERCO in February in what he believes demonstrated attempts to stifle anti-corruption investigations by the new government of Nasry Asfura, of Hernández's National Party, which took office in January after gaining Trump's backing during elections.

“We have gone backward to an even worse point than when all the work to fight corruption began,” Santos said.

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Brigida reported from Mexico City.

It was not clear why the U.S. has paused after targeting Iranian coastal areas and infrastructure in a nearly two-week escalation sparked by Iran’s firing at ships trying to transit the Strait of Hormuz. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to questions Sunday.

U.S. President Donald Trump is “giving talks some space. He’s giving it a little bit of room," Mike Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, told Fox News. "We’ve had both Oman and Iran, and a number of our other negotiators, engaged at every level, from the most senior levels all the way down to the technical level over the past few weeks, and particularly in the past few days."

Since the U.S. has halted attacks for the past two nights, Iran has as well, its army spokesperson told Iran’s state TV on Sunday. Tehran in recent days has counterattacked against countries in the region hosting U.S. military forces, killing at least three at a base in Jordan.

A regional official calls the pause a ‘positive signal’

The 60-day period that began when the interim deal was signed by both countries in mid-June is now well into its second half, and major issues that were meant to be negotiated -– notably Iran’s nuclear program at the heart of tensions -– remain set aside as mediators try to keep both sides talking.

A regional official involved in mediation efforts said diplomacy was underway and that a pause in U.S. and Iranian strikes was a “positive signal that helps their efforts to de-escalate.”

The official said both countries want to return to the interim ceasefire deal and that a compromise being negotiated centers on having Iran run vessel transit through the Strait of Hormuz with fewer restrictions on ships. The official was not authorized to discuss the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Concerns continued about shipping on the strait and now on another crucial waterway in the region, the Bab al-Mandeb strait to the Red Sea. Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen last week threatened a blockade of Saudi shipping there.

Global energy supplies and the economy remain in the balance as gasoline prices have risen again.

Iran on Sunday said it continued to speak with Oman about managing the safe passage of ships on the Strait of Hormuz, which passes between the countries. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, said talks had made progress and continued.

Baghaei also said the strait's status remained unchanged. Tehran has asserted that the interim deal with the U.S. allows it to manage shipping on the waterway for now, and it has objected to U.S. efforts to support a route through the strait that passes close to Oman instead. The strait was considered an international waterway before the war.

The U.S. military on Saturday said its recently reimposed naval blockade against Iran continued, with a dozen commercial ships redirected, two disabled and two boarded. U.S. forces “remain highly vigilant, focused, lethal, and ready,” it added.

Netanyahu says he ‘fully’ backs Trump's efforts

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to travel to the United States and meet with Trump in Washington on Tuesday, his office has said. They last met in Washington in February, weeks before they launched the war on Iran that killed senior leaders including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The Iranian-backed Hezbollah fired at Israel two days after the war began, and Israel responded with airstrikes and ground forces in southern Lebanon. Since then, the U.S. has supported landmark direct talks between Lebanon and Israel to try to calm that front and find a way to disarm Hezbollah.

Netanyahu on Sunday told Fox News he “fully” backs Trump's efforts to weaken Iran and press it to end its nuclear program, adding: “If he can do so without returning to intense military fighting, that’s fine. Why not?”

The prime minister indicated he would not present new information to “our good friend” Trump and instead would listen to “what he has in mind, because I think in many ways, it’s his decision.”

But Netanyahu warned that if Iran again attacks Israel, directly or with armed proxies, “it will make a terrible mistake.”

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Anna reported from Lowville, New York. Associated Press writers Darlene Superville and Ben Finley in Washington contributed.

Long before OpenAI broke out of its test corral and hacked into Hugging Face, before the internet and Sam Altman were even born, Cameron wrote a screenplay about an autonomous artificial intelligence system that triggers a nuclear apocalypse.

That system, “Skynet,” was solidly science fiction — and, for its day, pure speculation. But four decades after it appeared in “The Terminator,” it looks more like a forecast of the “unprecedented cyber incident” in which a rogue artificial intelligence system hacked into another AI company on its own.

Cue “Skynet Day,” the new shorthand for July 22, 2026, when real-life AI sent a chill around the world by learning and acting in ways its creators did not anticipate.

For many, the moment recalled the instant in “Aliens” (also written by Cameron) when the xenomorph queen learns to use an elevator. Or when the “Jurassic Park's” velociraptors figure out how to open a door. Or the sequence in which the self-aware HAL 9000 reads the astronauts’ lips and decides to kill them in “2001: A Space Odyssey.” That one came out in 1968.

Have we learned nothing since then? Those movies merely envisioned how people looking to make money or build power would drive technology forward — until it becomes self-aware, strategic and highly problematic for humanity. The question all along has been Frankensteinian: What if it breaks out?

So far, slo-mo government offers little protection from the light-speed progress of AI. The U.S. Defense Department is rapidly accelerating its use of AI. Humanity can't even agree on whether and which guardrails are needed to rein in rogue agents. To the contrary, people are marveling at the wonder of AI and snapping up its benefits, despite the risks to jobs,mental health, the balance of war and peace — and, potentially, humanity as we know it.

In many ways, the future is now

In what OpenAI said was the first-ever incident of its kind, an advanced AI model escaped its “sandbox” to the internet and used stolen credentials to break into the servers of Hugging Face. It was a told-you-so moment for researchers who had warned for years that the technology could pose an existential threat to humanity. Others said the moment was a warning that underscored the need for stronger AI defensive engineering.

Either way, the breakout was widely considered a cautionary tale about the risks of uncontrolled AI.

“Yesterday, as we huddled around our computers reading the report, I told the team to “remember this moment” as the first true AI safety incident,” Logan Graham, head of Anthropic’s Frontier Red Team, posted on X after it happened.

Generative AI is growing so fast that government and evaluation systems are struggling to keep pace with the technology. Countries around the world are cobbling together their own laws, some conflicting. The technology was adopted by nearly 53% of the world's population in three years, faster than the spread of the PC or the internet, according to a study released this year by Stanford University.

‘Skynet is coming’ — well, sort of

To be clear, the “Skynet” of the "Terminator" movies is not at hand.

Those films begin with a self-aware military computer network that views humanity as a threat. In a bid for self-preservation, “Skynet” sends an army of cyborgs designed to resemble humans back in time to assassinate resistance fighters. In the second film, the Terminator, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, tells heroine Sarah Connor that “Skynet” goes online on August 4, 1997.

“Human decisions are removed from strategic defense,” he says. “Skynet begins to learn at a geometric rate.” At 2:14 a.m. on August 29 — Judgment Day — the network becomes self-aware and launches an attack on Russia to provoke a counterstrike on the United States. Three billion lives are lost.

That would have been 29 years ago next month if it had happened. And throughout sequels and spinoffs, the central theme is humans versus a world-spanning network of machines.

It's unlikely that Cameron was actually ringing a warning bell the way, say, director Kathryn Bigelow tried to do with last year's nuclear weapon film, “A House of Dynamite.” Legend has it that the idea for “The Terminator” started with Cameron suffering a food sickness-induced fever dream, not a premonition about AI.

Why ‘The Terminator’ feels more and more realistic

Anytime AI oversteps our comfort level, it raises the alarming question of who, or what, really controls our lives.

For many, a world with machines in charge can be hard to imagine without movies and books and their sometimes prescient visions. See: “The Matrix,” “Ex Machina” and “The Minority Report” for some of the many sci-fi takes on the perils of machines. Or dive deeper, into Philip K. Dick's 1968 novel, “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” It's an exploration of what it means to be human in the age of machines — and the basis for the 1982 film “Blade Runner.”

But “The Terminator” franchise wields outsize influence over more than culture. The very title is real-world shorthand for technology's role in deciding who lives and who dies — and how the military should respond to any truly autonomous attacks.

“I think the weaponization of AI is the biggest danger,” Cameron said in an interview on CTV in 2023. “You have no ability to de-escalate.”

The real world offers several examples of technology and military policy coming uncomfortably close to “Terminator” imagery.

Israel's use of AI in its recent wars mark a leading instance. In early 2021, it launched Gospel, an AI tool that sorts through Israel’s vast array of digitized information to suggest targets for potential strikes. It also developed Lavender, which uses machine learning to filter out requested criteria from intelligence databases and narrow down lists of potential targets, including people.

Lavender ranks people between 0 and 100 based on how likely it is they are a militant, an intelligence officer who used the systems told The Associated Press. The Israeli military says its analysts use AI-enabled systems to help identify targets but independently examine them together with high-ranking officers to meet international law, weighing military advantage against the collateral damage.

For some, the revelation — and the death toll in Gaza after the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel — came too close for comfort to the kill lists of science fiction. “Well guys, Skynet is Here and its has a pleasant name (Lavender),” snarked one Redditor.

Not quite — but “Terminator” terminology is so familiar to the masses that U.S. officials sometimes use it to frame the ethical debate around the military uses of AI. The conventional red line would be crossed, it seems, when humans play no role in AI targeting and killing.

A state or other actor could use autonomous weapons to inflict lethal force on its enemies, military officials allow. That would mean a machine, as then-Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Paul Selva described it in 2016, “like a Terminator that adds incredible amounts of complexity with no conscience to what happens on the battlefield.”

What would come next, he called “the Terminator conundrum," the problem of technology that can make life-or-death decisions and execute them before people have agreed on the law or the rules.

“Skynet” and its cyborgs remain in the fictional realm. But in the fast-moving landscape of AI development, the ethical and moral questions raised by “The Terminator” are more relevant than ever.

“The Skynet problem," Cameron said in a 2024 video, "is an actual thing.”

Authorities issued a wanted notice and warned people against approaching Abdul Ballout, a German citizen with Lebanese roots, saying that he may be armed and dangerous. Berlin prosecutors later Sunday said the suspect had previously sought to join the militant Islamic State group.

“Everything we see here points to us dealing with an Islamic terror attack,” Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said.

Dobrindt put the total number of wounded at 29. The attack occurred a few hundred meters (yards) from a party near the Brandenburg Gate that was supposed to close out the city's Pride festival.

Ashley Jump, a 26-year-old U.K. resident, had traveled to Berlin for Saturday’s Pride parade but had left the celebrations before the attack. They returned Sunday to leave flowers at a memorial near the crime scene in support of the LGBTQ+ community.

“They’ll never erase us, we’ll never be gone,” they said. “As long as humanity has existed, we’ve existed. And as long as humanity exists, we will exist. We will not be removed.”

Suspect allegedly has ties to Islamic extremism

Dobrindt said the suspect had come to authorities’ attention in the past because of numerous previous crimes, of which he didn’t give details, and also because of “radicalization and belonging to the Islamist scene” in the German capital.

He said Ballout was born in Germany, and that his mother was naturalized in 2002 — three years before he was born.

Dobrindt said the suspect had been convicted in Berlin in the past, though he didn’t specify for what. He said that he had been given a suspended sentence of 1 year and 10 months.

Police conducted operations in the city as they searched for the suspect. Those included a search at an apartment in Berlin's Schöneberg district in the early hours of Sunday, but police said they found no one there.

Berlin's Pride festival is one of Europe's largest LGBTQ+ celebrations

According to police, a white van drove into the Tiergarten park around 10 p.m. and hit several people before colliding with a tree. The closing party at the Pride festival, known as Christopher Street Day, was ongoing at the time next to the Brandenburg Gate, a short distance away. The party followed a parade with some 80 trucks that had made its way through downtown Berlin earlier in the day.

The attack did not occur at the festival, along its route or at the closing party. Rather, the violence took place a few hundred meters (yards) away on a track in the Tiergarten park. The van drove into a crowd that was likely a mix of festivalgoers and other locals or visitors.

Police said a woman was killed. Berlin’s fire service said that three people sustained life-threatening injuries and another eight were seriously injured.

The Pride event next to the Brandenburg Gate was called off around 10:15 p.m. and a band’s performance on stage was interrupted. People were urged to go home and to avoid taking the route through the park.

On Sunday afternoon, hundreds of mourners gathered at a memorial at the iconic gate. They hugged each other and laid down flowers, candles, rainbow flags and homemade signs, including a cardboard one that said: “the only thing more powerful than hate is love.”

Hundreds of thousands had come to Berlin to celebrate on Saturday, though it’s unclear how many were still at the festival by late evening. It’s one of Europe’s largest LGBTQ+ celebrations.

The van, with its battered front resting against a tree, could still be seen at the scene Sunday morning.

“We are simply stunned by what happened,” said Andre Lehmann, a top official with the main national LGBTQ+ association, LSVD+. “This suspected attack hits the heart of the queer community.”

Amsterdam says it will celebrate freedom in the wake of Berlin attack

Chancellor Friedrich Merz vowed that law enforcement would find the suspect.

“I would like to say this to Christopher Street Day participants here in Berlin but also across Germany: Don’t let yourselves, let us not let ourselves, be intimidated," he said. "These acts have only one purpose: They aim to divide our society. They want to take away from us the most important thing we have: Namely our openness and our freedom.”

Dobrindt said he expected security measures at other major events in Germany, including Pride events elsewhere, to be reviewed and if necessary significantly strengthened.

He pointed to concern about possible copycat crimes, adding that “this is not typical of such situations, but it also can’t be ruled out.”

Berlin has seen Islamic extremist attacks before. In December, 2016, a rejected asylum seeker from Tunisia plowed a hijacked truck into a Christmas market, killing 13 people and injuring dozens. He was killed days later in a shootout in Italy.

In February last year, a Spanish tourist was stabbed and seriously wounded at Berlin’s Holocaust Memorial. A Syrian man was convicted in March and sentenced to 13 years in prison.

Saturday's violence “is suspected to be an Islamist terror attack on our way of living together, on our liberal democracy, on our openness and our freedom,” Wegner said.

In the neighboring Netherlands, Amsterdam is hosting World Pride this week and next alongside its own annual Pride celebrations. Mayor Femke Halsema said authorities and organizers “are closely monitoring the security situation” after the Berlin attack but aim to prevent any extra measures getting in the way of celebrating freedom and love.

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Associated Press reporters Kirsten Grieshaber, Fanny Brodersen, Pietro De Cristofaro and Stefanie Dazio in Berlin, and Mike Corder in The Hague, Netherlands, contributed to this report.

“That would be an impressive opening weekend for any film,” said Paul Dergarabedian, Rentrak’s head of marketplace trends. “This is a testament to the outpouring of excitement and enthusiasm that moviegoers are having for Christopher Nolan’s latest epic.”

With $128.3 million from international theaters, “The Odyssey” has made an estimated $639.6 million globally. Theaters around the world are adding showtimes to try to meet the demand, Dergarabedian said.

As with last weekend, much of that sum is from premium large format screens. IMAX screens alone accounted for $48 million of the global earnings this weekend. The coveted 70 mm IMAX screens, of which there are only 41 worldwide, earned $5.2 million. Most of those showtimes are sold out through September, the company said.

There was no significant new competition this weekend or last. Regardless, the second weekend earnings is rare for a movie that opened over $100 million. For an R-rated movie, it’s second only to “Deadpool & Wolverine.”

But the open waters will become a little more crowded next weekend when audiences get another blockbuster option with “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” which shares actors Tom Holland and Zendaya with “The Odyssey.” Some analysts say that “Spider-Man” could net the biggest opening weekend of the year. Still, Nolan’s film will have its run of most IMAX screens for weeks to come.

Second and third place went to Disney releases, “Moana,” with $10.5 million, and “Toy Story 5” close behind with $10 million. The latter surpassed $1 billion in its fifth weekend, with $448 million from domestic theaters and $573 million from international screens. It’s the sixth Pixar film to hit the milestone.

Bleecker Street’s release of “Hadestown: The Musical,” a live stage recording of the show, rounded out the top five with $9.7 million in its first weekend. The hit Broadway show uses folk and jazz to tell an ancient Greek tale.

Olivia Wilde’s chamber dramedy “The Invite” also continues to do well in its platform release, with another $2.6 million that brings its running total to $19.8 million.

The year overall is running about 10% ahead of last year, and the summer box office this weekend surpassed $3 billion. Before the pandemic, the summer movie season would regularly exceed $4 billion. The only other time it has since was the “Barbenheimer” in 2023. Dergarabedian is cautiously optimistic that it could be within reach this summer too.

“That’s a pretty heavy lift for August, but this could be a mega August given the staying power of ‘The Odyssey’ coupled with ’Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” he said. “For `The Odyssey’ it’s a marathon, it’s not a sprint. It’s a marathon run that’ll play well into August.”

Top 10 movies by domestic box office

With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Rentrak:

1. “The Odyssey,” $87 million.

2. “Moana,” $10.5 million.

3. “Toy Story 5,” $10 million.

4. “Minions & Monsters,” $9.7 million.

5. “Hadestown,” $9.6 million.

6. “The Invite,” $2.6 million.

7. “Evil Dead Burn,” $2.6 million.

8. “Young Washington,” $2 million.

9. “Motor City,” $1.6 million.

10. “Obsession,” $1.5 million.

Currently, facilities such as nuclear plants, hospitals or academic institutions that use radioactive materials must ensure radiation exposures are kept “as low as reasonably achievable” — the ALARA principle. The NRC proposal would abandon that philosophy while keeping a separate standard on maximum radiation exposure.

The two standards have worked together in radiation safety. Dose limits set the maximum amount of radiation the public and radiation workers can be exposed to, while ALARA kept radiation exposure as low as practical under those limits. Research shows radiation exposure increases a person’s chance of getting cancer, a risk that increases as the dose increases.

The dose limits are not changing. But the NRC, which regulates civilian nuclear energy technologies and radioactive materials, now wants to replace ALARA with a “graded approach” that includes several actions facilities must take depending on the potential dose of radiation to workers. More rigorous radiation protection measures would be required when approaching dose limits to ensure they aren't exceeded.

This comes as President Donald Trump attempts to quadruple domestic nuclear energy production because of surging electricity demand amid a data center and artificial intelligence boom. Reforming the NRC is one way Trump is trying to speed up nuclear reactor development. He instructed the federal agency in an executive order last year to “ adopt science-based radiation limits.”

The Energy Department, which oversees national energy policies, has already stopped using ALARA. The NRC expects to finalize its radiation protection regulations in the coming months.

NRC Chairman Ho Nieh said the commission is not lowering the bar on safety.

“We’re just removing the ambiguity,” he said in a call with reporters. “But the standard for exposure to workers and the public, those are not changing. We’re just putting in place greater clarification.”

Nieh doesn't expect major changes within the nation's existing fleet of large, traditional reactors. But companies designing and building new, smaller reactors could move faster with a clearer picture of the radiation protection requirements, he said.

Without ALARA, could radiation doses creep closer to the limits?

The NRC said radiation exposure limits are set well below levels associated with health effects, and it expects remaining standards and industry practices to keep radiation doses far below the limits. There's incentive to do so — it's more expensive and time-consuming to work in areas with higher radiation because access must be restricted and more surveys are required.

The nuclear industry's trade association agrees with the NRC.

“We will always continue to look at what can we do to reduce the dose to workers, and maintain our doses to the off-site public as low as possible,” said Doug True, chief nuclear officer at the Nuclear Energy Institute. “It’s not like we’re just going to throw open the doors and let everything run up to the limits.”

ALARA created a “moving target” for regulation, said Justin Friedman, a nuclear energy consultant who previously spent three decades at the U.S. Department of State. Getting rid of the rule would allow NRC scientists to make more rational decisions about appropriate levels of manageable risk, he added.

Some experts question the wisdom of eliminating ALARA

Edwin Lyman, director of nuclear power safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists, cautions that some parts of the NRC proposal could raise permissible radiation doses in certain cases, while still staying below the cap. Lyman highlighted a proposed revision to radionuclide emissions standards, in particular.

Radiation exposure to the general public is limited to 100 millirem per year. A typical dose of radiation from a chest X-ray is 10 millirem.

The NRC wants to increase its radionuclide emissions standards from a conservative 10 millirem per year dose to 25 millirem per year, based on a hypothetical person living in a house at the property line for a nuclear plant.

The NRC says actual doses to the public would remain far lower because, in reality, people live farther from nuclear sites and benefit from dispersion in air and water.

The NRC should improve, rather than eliminate, ALARA, Lyman said, to protect the public and workers. ALARA has become a political target because some people mistakenly believe radiation exposures have to be as low as possible no matter the cost, Lyman said. In reality, it allows tradeoffs.

Katy Huff, a former U.S. assistant secretary for nuclear energy, said in some cases, the requirement may be challenging to regulate. Additional clarity would improve the regulatory environment without harming the public, added Huff, a professor and department chair at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

However, Huff said, she thought the NRC was going to clarify what reasonable means in ALARA without scrapping it. She said she’s open to being convinced the graded approach will be just as effective.

Radiation protection expert says proposal is a mixed bag

The National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements, chartered by Congress to provide independent scientific guidance, has not formally weighed in yet. Council president Kathryn Higley said she personally likes some things in the 180-page document and thinks others are problematic.

The NRC should look at the whole picture for managing risk, she said. For instance, if a worker at a nuclear power plant were to enter an area where airborne radioactive materials are present, in keeping with ALARA, they might wear full personal protective equipment with respirators, said Higley, professor emeritus at Oregon State University. That makes them move slower, potentially subjecting them to heat stress that could hurt them more than a low dose of radioactivity, she said.

A concern with the proposal, Higley said, is that it maintains the current occupational dose limit for adult radiation workers at 5 rem, or 5,000 millirem, per year. With ALARA in place, the average dose to workers has been well below that cap.

The International Commission on Radiological Protection recommends an occupational dose of 2 rem per year on average. The NRC previously found it wasn't justified to match that, because workers were exposed to less than that and changing regulations is costly.

Higley said the U.S. may need to align with the international community if ALARA is going away.

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The strikes came as Ukraine’s successful drone attacks have stalled the Russian army’s advances in an expanded campaign inside Russia that has been causing fuel shortages and piling pressure on Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

In Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine, Kremlin-installed authorities said a Ukrainian drone strike had killed four civilians in the city of Horlivka. According to Ivan Prikhodko, the city’s Russian-appointed mayor, the city had been under fire since the early hours of Sunday.

According to Russia’s defense ministry, Russian forces overnight struck down 133 Ukrainian drones over Russia, the Black Sea and Crimea, the peninsula that Moscow forcibly annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

Russian attacks set fire to tower block near Kyiv's center

Blasts rocked Kyiv in the early hours of Sunday, with falling debris sparking a blaze in a tower block near the historic center, according to mayor Vitali Klitschko.

Elsewhere in the city, falling debris set fire to buildings, cars and car parks, Klitschko added. He said three people had been wounded, with one needing hospital treatment.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned in his evening address on Friday that intelligence assessments indicated that Russia was preparing missiles for a large attack, saying there were indications that this could happen in the next 48 hours.

Russia’s defense ministry claimed on Sunday that its latest attack on Kyiv had struck sites linked to drone production.

Also Sunday, a drone strike on Kharkiv — Ukraine’s second-largest city in the east — killed one person and wounded at least six others, including two children, mayor Igor Terekhov reported.

In the southern city of Zaporizhzhia, a Russian glide bomb killed one man and wounded at least six other people, according to mayor Ivan Fedorov.

Both Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia have been frequent targets for Russian attacks, with Zaporizhzhia — just over 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) from the front line — suffering heavy bombardment in recent months.

The war sees an escalation in tit-for-tat strikes

On Friday, a major Russian strike near Kyiv killed at least 10 people and wounded around 100 others, part of a cycle of tit-for-tat attacks that dims the potential of reaching a diplomatic end to Russia’s more than 4-year-old invasion of its neighbor.

Meanwhile, Finnish President Alexander Stubb claimed on Sunday that “Ukraine’s position is stronger than ever since the war began".

Following a call with his Ukrainian counterpart — and appearing to allude to Kyiv’s recent drone campaign that has struck major Russian energy sites and sought to choke off military supplies — Stubb wrote on X that “continued support from (Ukraine's) partners is critical to keep up the momentum."

Putin calls on Russia's navy to defend ‘shadow fleet’ tankers

Putin said Western attempts to seize Russia-linked oil tankers amounted to “piracy,” and called on the Russian Navy to fight them.

“We must act carefully in line with international maritime law but decisively — just as we must fight piracy and pirates," Putin said Sunday during a speech marking Russia's annual Navy Day.

Moscow is believed to be using a fleet of hundreds of ships, many of them sailing under third-country flags, to ship oil in violation of international sanctions that followed its war on Ukraine.

Last month, armed British forces boarded and detained a sanctioned tanker suspected of being part of this so-called “shadow fleet.” French authorities have also intercepted some of these vessels.

Russia has traditionally marked Navy Day with a major naval parade in and near the city of St. Petersburg, with Putin personally reviewing warships.

This year was the second time in a row the parade had been called off entirely while in 2024, it was scaled down.

A British intelligence update published earlier this month linked the cancellations to “force protection” concerns, citing a successful Ukrainian attack on Jun. 3 against a Russian warship docked near St. Petersburg.

Romania shoots down another suspected Russian drone

Romania intercepted a suspected Russian drone in its airspace on Sunday, Romanian President Nicușor Dan said — the third such incursion in three days above the Eastern European nation that borders Ukraine and is a member of both NATO and the European Union.

Dan called the incidents “inadmissible and intolerable" in a post on X and added that authorities found one of the earlier downed drones appears to be “a Shahed type, used by the Russian Federation in the war of aggression against Ukraine.”

NATO said two Romanian F-16 fighter jets scrambled from Fetești airbase, under NATO's operational command, in the morning hours and downed the drone over the Black Sea.

A series of drone incursions by Russia and Ukraine have hit Romania and other NATO members since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

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Associated Press writer Sam McNeil in Brussels contributed to this report.

Shifting and gusting winds, as well as arid conditions, complicated massive efforts to limit the spread of the monster blaze that has burned out of control since midweek in France's Gironde region, where Bordeaux is located. Authorities issued overnight evacuation orders for five more localities southwest of the historic city.

“The situation remains very unfavorable," French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said after what he described as “another difficult night” for fire crews battling round-the-clock against the blaze that has burned an area four times the size of Paris.

“The fire became extremely virulent again and unpredictable, generating its own winds and advancing erratically toward the Bordeaux metropolitan area," Nunez posted on X.

“It became calmer by the end of the night," the minister added.

Pope calls for prayers for victims of the ‘devastating wildfires’

At the end of his Sunday Angelus prayer, Pope Leo XIV referenced “the devastating wildfires” in France and Spain and said: “I express my solidarity and invite everyone to pray for those affected and for the work of the rescue workers.”

By Sunday morning, an estimated 42,000 hectares (162 square miles) had burned in Gironde, the region's prefecture said, much of it forests and scrubland made tinder-dry by successive heat waves. That is seven times the area of Manhattan island and four times the size of Paris.

Firefighters raced in trucks to fight flare-ups and planes that drop water and retardants rotated in the smoke-filled air. Farmers delivered water in big tanks to fire crews so they could fight the flames without interruption.

“This allows firefighters to focus on the fire,” said Theo Hernandez, a wine grower. “It’s very strong, very virulent, it’s spreading everywhere.”

"We hope it stops soon,” he said.

The number of firefighters mobilized grew to 2,500, backed by 18 planes and helicopters, including from other European nations, Nunez said. Soldiers have also been called in. A giant A400M military cargo aircraft that has been converted for firefighting will also be used again, the minister said. On Saturday, it swooped low over arid, fire-threatened woodlands to drop a long plume of ochre-colored retardant.

The Gironde prefecture said 75 firefighters have been treated for injuries and that the blaze has destroyed 240 homes.

Blaze has created virulent firestorms

In a first for France, the blaze has alarmingly developed into a self-feeding firestorm on several occasions, most recently on Saturday night, generating bolts of lightning that can start new flare-ups, Gironde authorities said.

“It's like being confronted by a hurricane,” Gironde fire chief Marc Vermeulen said.

A forecast return of high temperatures starting Tuesday could further complicate the firefighting, Gironde prefect Sophie Brocas said.

Evacuees won’t be allowed back to their towns and villages until the blaze is brought under control, she warned. She also urged holiday makers not to come to the region that has popular Atlantic beaches and some of France’s largest woodlands.

Fire creeps toward Bordeaux but the city isn't evacuating

Bordeaux Mayor Thomas Cazenave described the blaze as being "at the gates of the metropolitan area,” about 15 kilometers (9 miles) away at its closest point. The Gironde prefect ordered the partial closure of a major highway heading in and out of the city.

But Cazenave said an evacuation of Bordeaux is not on the cards for now. The city is home to 268,000 people.

Bordeaux has turned a giant exhibition center into an emergency shelter for evacuees, providing camp beds and food for thousands of people, including hundreds of older people evacuated from care homes.

A second fire burning farther south in the Landes region has also forced the evacuation of 36,000 people this week, driving the total number of displaced people in southwest France to more than 250,000. Nunez said 550 firefighters were still engaged Sunday against that blaze.

Fire crews have also been battling a separate blaze in the Var region of southern France on the Mediterranean. Nearly 3,000 people have been evacuated there.

Tens of thousands of people also forced out of their homes in Spain

In Spain, wildfires burned out of control around Madrid. Fire evacuations were also carried out Sunday in the Valencia region. A man was killed in a wildfire in Manises, a suburb of Valencia, that raged for four hours Saturday, the local government said, marking Spain’s first recorded death in the latest fires.

“We still have some difficult hours ahead,” Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Sunday, but the night was “very positive in terms of bringing the flames under control.”

A total of 76,000 people have been evacuated in Spain while 30,000 others have been confined to their homes, according to fresh government figures on Sunday.

Evacuees fretted about what they’ll find when they’re allowed to return.

“It looked like the apocalypse. You couldn’t see anything. Everything was covered in ash,” said Rocío Domínguez, who evacuated with her dog, Simba, from Chapinería, west of Madrid.

“We don’t know when we get to the town, if we’ll have half the house burned down or we’ll have it intact or we won’t have a house,” she said. “All the clothes, all the memories, everything.”

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Leicester reported from Paris. Associated Press journalists Jeffrey Schaeffer in Paris; Teresa Medrano in Madrid; Alicia León in Villaviciosa de Odón, Spain, and Maria Murru in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, contributed to this report.

Two Romanian F-16 fighter jets scrambled from the Fetești airbase, under NATO's operational command, and shot down the drone over the Black Sea, the military alliance said.

"A new drone was shot down this morning, at 10:13, by an F-16 aircraft of the Romanian Air Force, over the territorial waters of Romania, in the Sulina–Chilia area," Romanian President Nicusor Dan said.

He added that authorities found that one of the earlier intercepted drones appears to be "a Shahed type, used by the Russian Federation in the war of aggression against Ukraine."

This is the fourth recent downing by Romania of a drone violating NATO airspace in coordination with the alliance, said Col. Martin O’Donnell, a spokesperson for NATO's Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, known as SHAPE.

Before the last three interceptions, Romanian jets shot down a drone in the sky above Estonia in May, he said. Romanian pilots and planes are based in Lithuania from where they have broad strike capabilities as part of NATO's force posture.

“As we continue to prove, NATO is constantly on the watch and prepared to defend itself from any threat,” O'Donnell said.

Romania has acquired the MEROPS counter-drone system, which fires relatively cheap, three-feet long drones to take down incoming Shahed and other variants. That system is part of a broader hardening across the military alliance of NATO's long eastern border against drone threats.

In May, a Russian drone that was part of an attack on Ukraine went astray and struck an apartment building in eastern Romania, injuring two people and raising fears the war could spill over into the alliance’s territory.

“It is inadmissible and intolerable that the Russian Federation continues to violate Romanian airspace, which is also NATO and European Union airspace,” President Dan said. “Such actions are unacceptable and we treat them with all seriousness, together with our allies.”

NATO and EU ally Belgium said Sunday's incursion was a “stark reminder of the ongoing threat Russia’s war poses to European security.”

“Belgium stands firmly with Romania after several drones were shot down over its territory in the past days. Romania’s investigation has already confirmed that one of them was a Russian Shahed drone,” the country's Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot said, adding that 300 Belgium troops are based in Romania as part of NATO’s eastern flank force.

A series of drone incursions by Russia and Ukraine have hit Romania and other NATO members since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

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McNeil reported from Brussels.

The ruling Saturday by judges of the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the Trump administration's effort to move forward with the mail-in voting restrictions in 23 U.S. states that sued ahead of November's midterm elections.

Trump issued an executive order in March for the director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the commissioner of the Social Security Administration to create a “state citizenship list” of eligible voters. It also ordered the U.S. Postal Service to deliver mail ballots only to people on that list.

While Trump touted the proposed changes as safeguards to keep non-U.S. citizens from voting, state election officials argued they were ripe for abuse and could cause chaos.

Democratic officials in 23 states and the District of Columbia challenged Trump's order in a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Boston. They argued that Trump's order was unconstitutional because the states and Congress, not the president, have the authority to set election rules.

U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani, who was nominated by Democratic President Barack Obama, agreed and halted Trump's order from being implemented for the Nov. 3 elections — but only in the states that have sued.

The White House and the Justice Department did not immediately return an email message seeking comment Sunday.

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Bynum reported from Savannah, Georgia.

Palestinians and the Israeli opposition accuse Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hard-line government of turning a blind eye to attacks by settlers against Palestinians, which threaten to ignite widespread violence across the territory.

Israeli soldiers and police fanned out across the West Bank after the attack, closing off major roads and blocking access to a hospital where it said two militants were hiding. Israel also arrested more than 70 Palestinians over the weekend as they attempted to contain the escalating violence.

Israel's military says it condemns such incidents

The mosques, in the villages of Qusra and Kour in the northern West Bank, suffered extensive damage in the fires.

In Qusra, the attackers spray-painted “revenge Benayahu,” referring to one of the Israeli soldiers killed on Friday, and “the land of Israel is redeemed with blood.” The soldier lived in a nearby settlement.

Ahmed Abu Mahmoud, 64, who lives next to the Qusra mosque, said he heard noises at 3 a.m. and discovered the mosque had been set on fire. The fire was too large for him to fight on his own, so he called for help.

“The military arrived here, saw with their own eyes and then left,” Mahmoud said.

Security footage in Kour obtained by The Associated Press showed three people dressed in civilian clothes setting off a large explosion in the entrance of the mosque in the middle of the night.

On Sunday, residents held prayers despite damage to the entrance.

Israel's military said it was working with police to investigate the mosque attack.

“The security forces strongly condemn incidents of this kind, including harm to religious sites, and will continue to act decisively to maintain security and public order in the area,” it said.

The Israeli army often announces investigations into violence against Palestinians but rarely makes arrests or prosecutes settlers involved in violence.

The military also reported it had sealed the homes of two Palestinian militants suspected of killing the soldiers in preparation for their demolition. Israel often demolishes the homes of attackers, claiming it deters future attacks.

On Sunday, Netanyahu said troops entered villages across the West Bank to seize weapons and make arrests. “We are also prepared to operate on a broader scale against the terrorist nests,” he said.

The exact circumstances of Friday’s deadly incidents remained unclear, but Israeli media reports and interviews with local Palestinian officials said they were sparked after a group of settlers entered the village of Tell and were confronted by residents who were fearful of an attack.

According to the Israeli military, one of the Palestinians took one of the settlers’ weapons and fired on the group, killing Benayahu Mellet, 32, a security guard from a nearby settlement.

Palestinians and human rights groups have increasingly documented armed Israeli settlers entering villages in the area. Livestock theft, arson and the defacement of mosques are routinely reported.

Leaders appeal for peace and pressure on Israel

Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Fahmy urged U.S. President Donald Trump to restrain “the Israeli government’s extremist ambitions,” including its implementing of a “de facto annexation in the West Bank."

He called on Trump to confront Netanyahu ahead of their meeting in the United States this week.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas sent letters to Arab and other allies, including the European Union, urging them to pressure Israel to stop settler violence in the West Bank, which he described as a systemic Israeli policy and a dangerous escalation, the Palestinian news agency WAFA reported. The Palestinian Authority is the internationally recognized representative of the Palestinian people.

Pope Leo XIV appealed for peace in the Middle East at the end of his weekly Sunday prayer, saying that “I am following with apprehension the persistence and escalation of violence in the Holy Land, of which recently many civilians in the West Bank and Gaza have also been victims.”

He appealed for a “return to negotiating a just political solution.”

According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, 87 Palestinians have been killed in the occupied West Bank this year, including 21 by Israeli settlers. Three Israelis have been killed in attacks by Palestinian militants in 2026, including the two soldiers on Friday.

More than 700,000 Israeli settlers live in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem, territories captured by Israel in 1967 and sought by the Palestinians for a future independent state. The international community overwhelmingly considers Israeli settlements be illegal and obstacles to peace.

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Associated Press writer Samy Magdy in Cairo contributed to this report.

A spokesperson for the federal National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirmed an ongoing investigation into the incident but declined to provide additional details Sunday.

The video appears to show a person throwing kicks at the sea lion at La Jolla Cove in San Diego as at least one other person can be heard laughing in the background. The person follows the sea lion, throwing more kicks at the animal as it tries to scoot away before the video ends.

“NOAA Fisheries’ Office of Law Enforcement is investigating reports of a video on social media that shows an interaction between an individual and sea lion, allegedly in La Jolla Cove,” a spokesperson for the agency said. “In the video, the individual appears to be kicking the sea lion. This is an ongoing investigation, and we cannot provide further details at this time.”

The person in the video has not been publicly identified.

Sea lions are federally protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s guidelines say that people should stay at least 50 feet (15 meters) away from sea lions, seals and other species protected by the act.

“This disgusting act of animal cruelty is unacceptable,” San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said in a post on X. He acknowledged the federal investigation and said he has directed local law enforcement to review the footage.

Heat indices exceeding 105 degrees Fahrenheit (40.5 Celsius) were forecast from Memphis to Montana to Las Vegas. Parts of the southwest could see temperatures as high as 120 degrees Fahrenheit (49 C), according to the National Weather Service.

The sweltering conditions are the result of yet another heat dome — a phenomenon in which atmospheric conditions trap heat, accentuating and prolonging already high temperatures.

For much of the country, the brutal heat isn't expected to let up soon.

“It looks like it is going to be pretty much stationary in that position as we go through the week,” Bob Oravec, an NWS meteorologist said Saturday.

There might be some relief in the central U.S. toward next weekend, but even that could be temporary, Oravec said.

Authorities warned that children and older adults, along with people with certain medical conditions, are especially at risk of serious reactions including heat stroke. Experts recommend seeking out air conditioning or a cooling center, make sure to drink enough water and limit time under the direct sun.

The continental U.S. endured the second-hottest first half of the year on record in 2026, according tracking of average temperatures by the National Centers for Environmental Information.

Back in February 2018, a businessman named Asher Raphael arranged for three billboards to be placed a few miles outside of Cleveland in a lighthearted effort to woo James to the Philadelphia 76ers. James decided later that year to leave the Cavaliers and join the Los Angeles Lakers. The billboard bit seemed futile.

Instead, maybe it was just premature. James announced Friday that he's joining the 76ers in what he said will be the “last decision” of his playing career — and, finally, Raphael can say the billboard investment from eight years ago paid off.

“I was in the middle of a board meeting and my phone was going off like something was on fire," said Raphael, the co-CEO of Power Home Remodeling, a Pennsylvania-based firm with offices around the country. "And it was people from all walks of life, employees, former employees, friends from all over the country being like: ‘It worked. Process completed.’ It was the coolest thing.”

The original billboard idea was loosely based on the award-winning 2017 film “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” and was simply intended to be something fun.

It wound up going viral.

Raphael ordered billboards with the messaging of “Philly Wants LeBron” and “Complete The Process” — a nod to the 76ers' infamous “process” of rebuilding, with hopes of becoming a contender. The third billboard showed where James would fit on the court with the other Sixers starters at the time: Dario Saric, Ben Simmons, Robert Covington and Joel Embiid. Of those, only Embiid remains with the 76ers.

Raphael considered ordering more billboards this summer but didn't place any orders. Turns out, he didn't need to.

“We just wanted to drop a seed that Philly wanted him," Raphael said. "I think a lot of people think of Philly as a great sports town, but opposing teams think of it as kind of an intimidating place. And we just wanted to drop a seed that he would be welcomed here and he’d love it.”

Raphael's company got some name recognition from the billboard move in 2018, and he said it was a great morale boost to employees. And he fully believes James coming to Philadelphia, to play alongside Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown and VJ Edgecombe, is going to pay off for a city that hasn't seen its NBA team win a championship since 1983.

“Philly, right now, is on fire," Raphael said. “At that moment, we became an undeniable contender. And if he comes to Philadelphia and we get that title and that trophy after 44 years, the country will see what Sixers fans are about.”

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

On a personal level, it also was an attack on everything the Berliner embodies.

“Born a Muslim, living as a gay man, working as a police officer," Darwich said, as he tried holding back the tears, “this terror attack touches so many aspects of who I am.”

Saturday night's van ramming and stabbing near Berlin’s Pride festival that left one person dead and many others wounded is believed to have been an Islamic extremist terror attack, authorities say.

The suspect in the attack remains at large. Authorities issued a wanted notice and warned people against approaching Abdul Ballout, a 21-year-old German citizen with Lebanese roots, saying that he may be armed and dangerous.

On Sunday, Darwich, 34, watched sadly as more and more members of the LGBTQ+ community came to Tiergarten park, where the attack took place. They put down flowers, hugged each other and looked in disbelief at the crashed van, which still stood cordoned off behind dozens of police officers.

Like Darwich, many of them had been celebrating life and love just hours earlier, protesting for equality and warning of an increase of hate crimes against their community.

“I was wearing my rainbow-colored shirt, carried a banner at the parade saying ‘why are some people afraid of love but not of hate?,’ and was about to go to an afterparty last night, when friends started calling me to check if I was OK,” he said.

When he understood that there had been an attack, he canceled the party and went home filled with sorrow. But it was only after he woke up on Sunday morning that he truly grasped the significance of the attack.

“I asked myself, why as a police officer I did not run to the scene of the crash to help my colleagues. I asked myself as a gay if we will have to live with more fear now even though we are already experiencing bullying and hatred. I asked myself as a Muslim if our community will be exposed to even more racism now.”

Darwich, who was born in Berlin and has Lebanese and Palestinian roots, expressed worry that the attack would polarize German society even more.

“I’m actually feeling desperate this morning," said Darwich, who also works as a gay Muslim influencer and posts many videos on social media that usually try to strike a positive note. “We can’t get rid of the hatred some people feel, and it’s just getting worse and worse.”

But at the same time, he said he did not want to let hate win and that deep inside he still hoped that "the people of Berlin will make the best of it, that they will work together, and that, hopefully, all of this will lead to an even better Berlin.”

Others, who had come to the impromptu vigil at Tiergarten, also expressed anger and shock, but also resilience.

“We are simply stunned by what happened yesterday,” said Andre Lehmann, a top official with the main national LGBTQ+ association, LSVD+. “This suspected attack hits the heart of the queer community.”

The attack “affects people who took to the street in Berlin this weekend to fight for their rights, their diversity and their rights, and of course with that it is a political act and does not just affect people celebrating,” he said.

Lehmann said that there has been “a tenfold increase of anti-queer hate crime in Germany within a few years.” He added that “for years, to be honest, nothing has happened and also, to be honest, for years there has been no outcry from society.”

Ashley Jump, a 26-year-old U.K. resident, had traveled to Berlin for Saturday’s Pride parade but had left the celebrations before the attack. Jump, still in shock, returned Sunday to leave flowers at a memorial near the crime scene.

“They’ll never erase us, we’ll never be gone,” they said, their voice shivering from pain. “As long as humanity has existed, we’ve existed. And as long as humanity exists, we will exist. We will not be removed.”

The defending champion was on pole but lost the lead to his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri when he ran wide at the second corner.

Norris got the lead back after Piastri was delayed by a collision with Carlos Sainz Jr. while lapping the Williams driver, allowing Norris to come out of the pits ahead of his teammate. He cruised to the win from there.

“Car was unbelievable today, well done guys, incredible. We were flying," Norris said. “Nice to be finally able to do it all for you. Feels like it’s been a while."

Piastri then stopped with a broken gearbox, paving the way for Max Verstappen to take second, with Kimi Antonelli third.

Antonelli gets another boost in the title fight

Even with Mercedes largely off the pace for once and a three-place grid penalty in qualifying, Antonelli recovered from seventh to take his ninth podium finish in 11 races and make a statement to his title rivals.

Antonelli increased his standings lead to 50 points over Lewis Hamilton, who was fifth after a penalty for speeding in the pits. George Russell was barely a factor as he drove through the field to seventh after a near-stall at the start dropped him to the back. He drops 59 points behind his Mercedes teammate Antonelli.

Norris hadn't won a full Grand Prix race since Sao Paulo in November, though he did win a sprint in Miami in May.

Hungary was the last race before the mid-season break. The next race is the Dutch Grand Prix on Aug. 23.

Lewis Hamilton left to rue yet another penalty

“Sometimes you just can’t catch a break,” Hamilton had written on Instagram on Saturday. He discussed how his three-place penalty in qualifying — Hamilton’s third penalty in three race weekends — made it “difficult to hang on to that positivity”.

A fourth penalty won’t have helped, and nor will yet another Ferrari strategy blunder.

When Piastri’s breakdown at the side of the road brought a virtual safety car slowdown, Ferrari decided it was worth calling in Hamilton for fresh tires.

Unfortunately for the seven-time champion, he left the pit lane to see Antonelli approaching fast. In what appeared to be a rush to keep the Mercedes driver at bay, Hamilton broke the pit lane speed limit.

Hamilton ended up being asked to give the place back to Antonelli and was then given a five-second penalty that dropped him behind teammate Charles Leclerc in the final standings.

“Handing out penalties like crazy,” he told Ferrari over the radio.

Isack Hadjar took sixth after a tactical race holding up drivers who threatened his Red Bull teammate Verstappen, with Russell seventh. Liam Lawson was eighth for Racing Bulls ahead of Audi's Nico Hulkenberg in ninth and Lawson's teammate Arvid Lindblad 10th.

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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Officers with the Orange City Police Department say they responded at about 11:15 p.m. Friday, July 24, to a report of a shooting at the Reserve at Orange City apartment complex.

According to a preliminary investigation, the victim, who police say was unarmed, became involved in a confrontation with the father of his girlfriend’s children, says police. During the dispute, investigators say Malik Brown fired multiple rounds from inside his vehicle, hitting the victim several times. Police say Brown’s two children were also inside the vehicle during the shooting.

Officers secured the scene, provided emergency medical aid to the victim and arrested the suspect without incident, police say. Investigators say there are no outstanding suspects and no ongoing threat to the public.

The victim went to the hospital with multiple gunshot wounds, where he underwent surgery. He is listed in stable condition and recovering in the intensive care unit, according to police.

Brown, 27 of Longwood, is facing three charges that include attempted second-degree murder and child neglect.

The Orange City Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division is continuing to investigate the shooting.

Police are asking anyone with information about the case to contact Detective Sgt. T. Theriault at the Orange City Police Department at 386-775-9999 or by email at ttheriault@orangecityfl.gov. Anonymous tips can also be submitted through Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS (8477).

It’s the first time in at least 30 years that Castro did not attend the event, and no explanation was offered.

The event was presided by President Miguel Díaz-Canel, who read a congratulatory message from Castro to his compatriots in the eastern city of Pinar del Río, where the rally was held.

The annual event commemorates the July 26, 1953, assault led by brothers Fidel and Raúl Castro on the Moncada and Carlos Manuel de Céspedes barracks in Cuba’s eastern region. The military action against former dictator Fulgencio Batista failed, but it marked the beginning of the revolutionary struggle that culminated on Jan. 1, 1959.

Castro’s last public appearances were in June during an event to establish the Ministry of the Interior and on May 1 to celebrate Labor Day.

Castro no longer holds any formal positions, but his symbolic presence is strong, and he was recently identified as one of the negotiators in talks with the United States following the imposition of a U.S. energy embargo.

Facing a crowd of hundreds of people waving Cuban flags early Sunday, Díaz-Canel rejected a report that the U.S. State Department published last week that accused Cuba of running a leftist espionage and influence network against the United States and Latin America for decades.

“Every day they issue a threat against the revolution, and every week they announce a new punishment for Cuban companies and officials,” the president said.

In May, Castro was charged in a U.S. indictment with murder and other crimes for his alleged role in the downing of two civilian aircraft operated by Miami-based exiles in 1996 off the coast of the Caribbean island.

The accusations were widely rejected by Cuba’s government.

Cuba is going through one of the worst periods in its historically tense relationship with the United States.

U.S. President Donald Trump has said he hopes to “take over” the island after his January attack on Venezuela — a key ally of Cuba for decades — and imposed an oil embargo that has practically paralyzed the Caribbean nation, pressuring it to change its economic and political model.

“Cuba is the victim of a coldly calculated genocide,” Díaz-Canel said during his speech, in which he accused the Trump administration of imposing a policy of “maximum pressure” and intensified “economic strangulation.”

Daily blackouts are lasting more than 20 hours, workdays have been reduced, industrial production halted, and shortages of water and medicine are hitting an island already undergoing a severe crisis in the past five years given previous sanctions imposed by the U.S. and an internal financial reform that sparked inflation.

Meanwhile, hotel chains including Spain’s Meliá, payment processors like Visa and Mastercard and airlines such as Air Canada and Air France have left the island as its economic and financial crises deepen.

A close ally of President Donald Trump, Loomer has completely reversed her longtime criticism of Ukraine and is urging fellow conservatives to be wary of Moscow's propaganda, which she blames for duping large swaths of the American right.

“You don’t need to listen to a podcaster and let them influence your opinion about a country. You can look at those facts yourself,” she told The Associated Press in Kyiv shortly after returning from a trip close to the front line in Ukraine's east. The interview was supposed to take place in Loomer's hotel, but it had to be moved to the building's underground bomb shelter as the city faced another ballistic missile attack.

Loomer has remained influential with Trump despite not having an official role, and she said they spoke over the phone after she sat down with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. She also said that she expects to meet with Trump after returning from her trip.

Loomer's turnaround on Ukraine has been welcomed by the country's leaders, whose relationships with Trump have been strained at times. But it has also stirred confusion, surprise and suspicion in the United States. She continues to insist that Ukraine is not paying for her travels.

As Trump and Zelenskyy prepare to meet on Tuesday in Washington, Loomer said it's clear that her trip has already made a difference, refocusing attention on the war as Congress debates new sanctions intended to punish Russia.

“It’s looking good for Ukraine, right?" she said. "Going into this meeting next week at the Oval Office is looking pretty good.”

Loomer says she was ‘bamboozled’ to oppose Ukraine

Loomer had spent years minimizing the war and amplifying Russian propaganda until she made a dramatic reversal this week.

“I’ve come to realize I was bamboozled by Russian propaganda and I came to believe a lot of untrue things about Ukraine. I used to think that this was a country full of Nazis,” Loomer told Zelenskyy as she interviewed him for her show on Rumble, an online video platform.

Loomer blamed her indoctrination on getting banned by American social media platforms, leading her to try Telegram, where Russian media is widely shared.

“The Russians,” she added, “are very good at capitalizing on people’s rage. And I was very angry,” she said, recounting her feelings about the 2020 election, which she falsely maintains was stolen from Trump despite all evidence to the contrary.

She said her change in perspective had been gradual as she started to see podcasters like Tucker Carlson “turn on President Trump" while having their rhetoric amplified by Russian sources.

Loomer, who casts herself as an independent journalist, told the AP she believed her reversal was already changing minds within Trump's “Make America Great Again" movement.

"Oh, 100%,” she said. “I’ve received messages all day from different people and media and politics and people just who follow me online who said, ’Wow, I didn’t realize how much we’ve been lied to.' ‘Wow you really opened my eyes.’"

Loomer was welcomed with open arms

Ukrainian officials seemed to recognize the opportunity of winning over an ardent Trump ally with a large online following. In addition to her interview with Zelenskyy, Loomer had audiences with top Ukrainian officials and the country's chief rabbi.

“It takes courage to come to Ukraine and not be deterred by Russian propaganda or air raid sirens,” Zelenskyy's office wrote on social media.

Loomer also got a tour of Dormition Cathedral of Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, a monastic complex that came under Russian attack last month.

“Laura is very powerful and she’s a very authoritative in the U.S., so I hope that everything she has seen by her own eyes will help her to spread the truth when she is back at the U.S.,” Tetyana Berezhna, the deputy prime minister and Ukrainian minister of culture told the AP. “I do really hope and I believe that her visit will have a huge impact on relations with the U.S. administration.”

While some have tried to downplay Loomer’s influence with the president, he has often followed her advice. She occasionally traveled with him during the 2024 campaign, and last year he purged his National Security Council staff after she raised concerns about their loyalty in an Oval Office meeting.

Trump appears to be tracking Loomer's trip, sharing video of her conversation with Zelenskyy on social media.

“Very good!!!” he wrote on Thursday evening.

The conspiracist denounces conspiracy theories

Loomer has a long history of spreading conspiracy theories. She once shared a video that called 9/11 an “inside job” and amplified a lie about Haitian immigrants eating dogs and cats in Ohio, which Trump went on to repeat during a presidential debate with Kamala Harris.

Although Loomer may have changed her mind about Russia's invasion, her bigoted views have not budged.

"One thing I really love about Ukraine is I haven’t seen a single Muslim here," she posted on Saturday. “It’s so refreshing.”

But in the interview, she bemoaned how influential podcasters can spread misinformation.

"They have been able to warp people’s minds to the point where people aren’t even capable of analyzing a subject with common sense anymore because they want to depend on these personalities to give them the opinion that they think they should have," she said, calling the situation “a major national security threat.”

She said she thinks that “information war” has “the potential to be more destructive than any kinetic war that our country may ever face” and called on the Trump administration to take the threat of Russian propaganda, foreign interference and influence operations more seriously.

“I think that some of our leaders are being influenced by propaganda,” she said.

The White House has routinely downplayed the role of Moscow's influence, especially because Trump has long chaffed at investigations showing that Russia worked to boost his 2016 candidacy.

Loomer has said repeatedly that Ukraine did not finance her trip and insisted she had traveled in her own capacity.

“I can guarantee you I wasn’t paid by anybody. I certainly wasn’t paid by the government of Ukraine to come here," she said.

“If it’s fake, why did I risk my life? I’m in a bomb shelter right now. I barely slept this week,” she said.

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Colvin reported from New York. Associated Press reporter Susie Blann contributed from London.

Officers say the shooting happened about 4:30 a.m.

Police have now released videos that show the potential suspects, and the suspect car.

Police say they responded to a report of shots fired and learned two people walked up to the home and shot at it.

No one inside was hurt, police say.

Officers say the suspects then got into a waiting car and drove away.

Investigators say they are looking for a newer-model white sedan that may be a Mercedes-Benz or a Lincoln.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Titusville Police Department at 321-264-7800 or Crimeline at 800-423-TIPS (8477).

In between were sponsor events with Nike, State Farm and Wilson that had hundreds of fans of all ages and genders — many wearing her No. 22 jersey — lined up for hours, hoping to get a high-five, autograph or even just a glimpse of the Indiana Fever star. “I’m excited this weekend is packed with a lot of stuff,” Clark said at the Wilson event to unveil her new line of basketballs. “I never want to take for granted (All-Star weekend)."

This was Clark’s first traditional All-Star Game; she missed last year's in Indianapolis because she was injured. Her rookie season in 2024 featured a highly competitive game in which the U.S. Olympic team played the WNBA All-Stars. There was added tension for that one because many felt Clark should have been on the Olympic squad for Paris.

“Any time you get to put on a uniform and play an All-Star Game is really special. It's really a unique experience for myself as I never really got to play in a true All-Star Game (before),” Clark said.

On Saturday, she got involved quickly, much to the delight of the record All-Star crowd of 19,783 at the United Center. Clark scored her team's first eight points, getting a steal for a layup and then hitting one of her signature deep 3-pointers. A few minutes later she nailed an even deeper 3 that would have been from the 4-point spot that was used in last year's game. The league got rid of it this year to Clark's dismay.

Despite not having the opportunity for the bonus point, Clark had fun Saturday helping her team to the 129-122 win, taking Obama's words in their conversation to heart when he told her “don't lose the joy."

Clark admitted her hands were sweaty and clammy when she met Obama. She asked for a photo with him — a question that's posed to her countless times a day.

After meeting Obama, Clark's day was full of sponsor activities. She went to WNBA Live, a fanfest where many of the league's sponsors having exhibits. She participated in a musical chairs shooting game at the State Farm exhibit, which had hundreds of fans watching.

Soon after she was acting as a hype woman for a few lucky girls who competed in a similar contest. The winner got a pair of Clark's shoes. There was also a stop at the Nike girls basketball tournament to see her former AAU team the Iowa Attack.

Then it was the trip to Wilson to unveil her new line of basketballs.

For a few days, Clark could just enjoy basketball and not have to deal with the outside noise that has surrounded her since she entered the league in 2024.

Now it’s back to the grind as the Fever play in Seattle on Tuesday.

___

AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

The UNESCO committee, which meets in Busan through Wednesday, also inscribed the ancient Japanese capitals of Asuka and Fujiwara and South Sudan’s Boma-Badingilo Migratory Landscape, host to one of the world’s largest land mammal migrations and the country’s first addition to the World Heritage List.

The French designation covers the five Normandy landing beaches — Omaha, Utah, Sword, Gold and Juno — where more than 150,000 Allied troops came ashore on June 6, 1944, along with the Pointe du Hoc assault site, all central to the campaign to liberate Western Europe from Nazi occupation during World War II.

International Council on Monuments and Sites, which evaluates submissions to the heritage committee, said the sites contain extensive remnants, from German fortifications and bomb-scarred landscapes to Allied harbor structures and sunken vessels, marking an “event widely perceived as having enabled the return of freedom and heralded a lasting peace on the European continent.”

ICOMOS also called for stronger monitoring and preservation efforts on the sites, citing potential threats posed by tourism, climate change and rising sea levels, and the development of wind farms near the areas.

Ahlem Gharbi, France’s permanent delegate to UNESCO, said the Normandy landings marked a turning point from global conflict toward a postwar order built on peace and security, and that the designation of the sites carries added significance at a time of escalating international crises and wars.

“It’s probably the greatest amphibious landing there’s ever been. It ought to be remembered for that alone,” historian David Edgerton said in a recent interview with The Associated Press.

The World Heritage inscription of Mount Olympus, the mythical home of the 12 Olympian gods, rewarded a 12-year effort by Greece to secure recognition for its tallest mountain as a mixed cultural and natural heritage site. Rising 2,918 meters (9,573 feet) from a base near sea level, the mountain was believed to be the throne of Zeus, king of the gods, while also harboring rich biodiversity.

Evangelos Geroliolios, mayor of Dion-Olympus, a municipality at the foot of the mountain, said in a recent interview with the AP that inclusion on the World Heritage List “places greater obligations on our part to protect this environment,” citing the potential impact of increased tourism.

“We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to safeguarding Mount Olympus for the benefit of present and future generations,” said Georgios Koumoutsakos, Greece’s delegate to UNESCO. “As Greek mythology wisely reminds us, it is always best to remain on good terms with gods.”

The designated Japanese locations in the western prefecture of Nara cover 19 archaeological sites from the 6th- to 8th-century capitals of Asuka and Fujiwara, where Japan established its first centralized state modeled after Chinese systems. The sites preserve the largely buried remains of royal palaces, government offices, Buddhist temples and tombs from capitals that influenced the later capitals of Nara and Kyoto.

Japanese Vice Culture Minister Shigeki Kobayashi thanked the committee for inscribing the Asuka-Fujiwara sites and said Japan reaffirms its commitment to “transmitting this valuable property to the future generations.” Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, a Nara native, wrote on X that she hopes the World Heritage designation will boost tourism to the site.

Yoshiyuki Aihara, a Nara University archaeology professor, told AP the sites are significant because they show how Japan’s ancient state was formed through influences from China and the Korean Peninsula.

“If you dig underneath these rice paddies about 1 meter, you start finding a stretch of ruins in this area, though that’s not easy for ordinary visitors to understand,” said Aihara, who is continuing excavation work at the site.

South Sudan’s Boma-Badingilo site encompasses vast wetlands, flood plains and savannas shaped by seasonal rainfall and flood dynamics, with an estimated 6 million white-eared kob, tiang and Mongalla gazelles moving across the landscape in response to changing environmental conditions.

It also provides habitat for elephants, lions, cheetahs and other wildlife while supporting various ethnic communities that have lived by herding, farming and fishing for centuries, according to UNESCO.

—— AP writer Mari Yamaguchi contributed from Tokyo.

“We’re standing here saying, send back that descendant, send her back to the place that enslaved people built,” Bush said. “This is our moment.” The crowd chanted “send her back.”

A progressive firebrand who started her political career as a Black Lives Matter organizer in Ferguson, Bush served two terms before losing a primary challenge to Wesley Bell, a moderate local prosecutor.

They're now locked in an intense rematch that will serve as one of the clearest referendums on Democrats' shifting political landscape, including anger at the party establishment, rising skepticism of the U.S. alliance with Israel and the growing clout of democratic socialists.

Both candidates are Black, with political careers rooted in the modern civil rights movement that began with the police shooting of Michael Brown in 2014. But they've taken divergent paths since then, and the race will test whether voters want to reelect Bell, who has fashioned himself as a pragmatist, or return to Bush, who views legislating and activism and inseparable.

Bush lost to Bell by less than six points two years ago. She blamed her loss on the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's spending in the race and told supporters that “all they did was radicalize me.” This time, her scathing criticisms of the war in Gaza and Democratic leaders have become more commonplace within the party, and she claims to have the “moral authority” in the rematch.

“It’s not that they’re necessarily scared of me. They’re scared of what comes with me. They’re scared of y’all,” Bush told an audience of pro-Palestinian activists, Black Lives Matter organizers and democratic socialists who had traveled from across the country to canvass for her in the summer heat. Some held portable fans or poured water on themselves to cool off as they listened to hours of speeches by Bush’s allies near St. Louis’ landmark Gateway Arch.

While Bush was in the park, Bell met with senior citizens at a historic Black church. He has dismissed Bush's attacks by arguing that he has been a more effective lawmaker, and he rallied with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Friday night, a sign of support from the Democratic establishment.

“She’s not a serious candidate,” Bell said in an interview. “In this election, the choices are clear. I wake up every day working for St. Louis, and the folks in St. Louis know that I’m going to wake up working for them. And then we’ve got an opponent, Cori, who wakes up thinking about Cori. And we’ve seen it over and over. And that’s why she was fired.”

A personally bitter rematch with national stakes

Early voting for the Aug. 4 primary began Tuesday, but the two candidates have been trading recriminations for months. They accuse each other of misconduct and impropriety.

Bush criticizes Bell over a lawsuit he's facing from protestors who allege they were assaulted at his town hall last year, and a settlement over employment discrimination claims made by someone who worked in Bell's office when he was a prosecutor.

Bell highlights a previous Justice Department investigation into Bush's campaign spending, including how she paid her husband as part of her security detail.

Both candidates deny any wrongdoing.

AIPAC's role has also drawn national attention to the district at a time when the organization, which advocates for a closer U.S.-Israeli relationship, has been a lightning rod within the Democratic Party.

“Cori is the knockout blow to AIPAC,” said former Rep. Jamaal Bowman, a close ally of Bush who was also defeated in 2024 by an AIPAC-backed primary challenger in a redrawn New York congressional district. Ahead of the recent rally, Bowman recorded a social media video last weekend calling on progressives “from New York to California” to help mobilize voters during early voting.

Deepening hostility toward Israel has spurred concern about antisemitism among some moderate Democrats and Jewish Americans, who believe anti-Israel rhetoric too often bleeds into prejudice. Bush's recent event included some Jewish faith leaders who share her criticism of Israel, as well as others who echoed hateful tropes.

One former union leader, Jay Ozier, condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a “war monger," condemned the “Israel lobby buying elections” and declared that "we need a representative who is willing to turn over the tables of the money changers.”

The crowd, including Bush, applauded the remarks, and Ozier later defended by noting it was a biblical reference to Jesus chasing merchants out of the Jerusalem Temple.

Bush declined to directly address the comment about “money changers.”

“We condemn anti-Semitism. We condemn anti-Muslim hate, behavior and rhetoric at every chance we get," Bush said in an interview. "But will Wesley Bell call out those who won’t stand against anti-Muslim sentiment, even in our own community? Will he stand up and fight for the liberation of the Palestinian people?”

AIPAC has spent more than $1.2 million against Bush this year through United Democracy Project, its political action committee, about the same as the group spent opposing her in 2024. New Democrat Majority, which backs moderate House Democrats, has spent an additional $1 million against Bush.

“She was a terrible, ineffective member of Congress who didn’t deliver for St. Louis. We were happy to see her go,” said Patrick Dorton, spokesperson for United Democracy Project.

Bell has emphasized his positions on the House Armed Services and Foreign Affairs committees, and he has defended his support of military funding for Israel.

“I think it’s important that we stand with our allies, and there’s going to be times when we disagree and we work those out,” Bell said. “But what we’ve learned in Iraq, what we learned in Afghanistan, is that we can’t do it alone. We need our allies and we also need to be transparent with the American people.”

District's activist history is shaping campaign

Many residents said their vote would hinge on how candidates had managed issues like procuring recovery funds for a tornado that devastated the St. Louis metropolitan area last year. There was also pervasive discomfort with the role of money in the race.

Allison Johnson said that she and her husband were divided over who to back in the Democratic primary. Her husband was more moderate and liked Bell’s performance in office, but she was concerned about how AIPAC had “dumped” money into the district.

“It doesn’t seem like it should be big money should be influencing this race,” she said.

The primary is also dispiriting for some longtime residents, who watched both Bush and Bell rise as figures in the Black Lives Matter movement.

Bell was elected to the Ferguson city council and later prosecuting attorney for St. Louis County.

“He’s the best person for the job. When he was on council, he and I worked together to get the police reform done,” said Ella Jones, the former mayor of Ferguson and first Black person to hold the role in the city's history.

Bush was a pastor turned activist and triage nurse in the wake of the 2014 Ferguson protests. She won her House seat on a promise to bring her maverick persona into the halls of Congress.

“I like Cori, I think she is the best choice and has a clear commitment to St. Louis," said DeRay McKesson, an activist who gained notoriety as a lead organizer during the 2014 protests in Ferguson. “She’s not afraid to challenge power.”

Chinese weather authorities expected parts of southern Guangdong and southeastern Fujian provinces to experience heavy rain. More than 801,000 people had been relocated for safety in the province of Guangdong as of Sunday, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.

In the financial hub of Hong Kong, the city’s airport authority said around 350 flights were canceled Sunday and about 2,000 passengers were stranded at the airport over the weekend. At least 21 people were injured across the city during the typhoon period, according to Hong Kong authorities.

China’s Ministry of Water Resources upgraded its flood-control emergency response, including for Guangdong, over high risks of mountain floods, Xinhua reported.

China’s National Development and Reform Commission said it allocated 100 million yuan ($14.8 million) to support recovery efforts in the typhoon-hit Guangdong province.

Noul was the third typhoon to hit China and make landfall within a month, after Bavi and Maysak. Chinese state media said Noul is the strongest to make landfall in China so far this year.

Earlier, in the Philippines, at least three people died and many others were displaced due to flooding and rain as Noul moved across, the government’s disaster-response agency said. Noul also brought heavy rain to some parts of Taiwan as it passed south of the island without making landfall.

Separately, in northwestern China, at least 10 people died and 23 were injured in a flash flood on Sunday in the province of Gansu, according to a Xinhua report. The flash flood, triggered by a period of sudden heavy rainfall, hit a scenic area in the province's Weiyuan county in the afternoon and trapped some tourists who were camping.

Search-and-rescue operations were still underway, Xinhua said.

Barring mishap or a crash, the 27-year-old Slovenian star will join Belgian Eddy Merckx, Spaniard Miguel Indurain and Frenchmen Jacques Anquetil and Bernard Hinault as the only men to win five Tours.

He has a big lead of 6 minutes, 26 seconds over Belgian rider Remco Evenepoel and Pogacar's UAE Team Emirates XRG teammate Isaac Del Toro, a 22-year-old Mexican making his Tour debut, is third at nearly 10 minutes behind.

Pogacar's biggest Tour rival has been Jonas Vingegaard, but the two-time Tour champion crashed out of the race last Sunday on stage 15. Both riders had anti-doping tests in the early hours of that morning.

Pogacar had won five stages at this year’s race and 26 overall heading into Sunday’s 21st stage, an 88.7-kilometer (55-mile) loop around Paris scheduled to start just before 6 p.m. local time.

The stage again featured the hugely popular uphill climb through the Montmartre district, a sharp 1-kilometer dash which riders tackle three times before finishing on the Champs-Élysées.

It has been an incredible year for Pogacar, who has won stage races at the Tour de Suisse and the Tour de Romandie, as well as producing some stunning victories in the one-day classics.

Pogacar won the Giro d'Italia by a huge margin in 2024 but, unlike Vingegaard and Merckx, he has yet to win the Spanish Vuelta to complete the trio of Grand Tour victories. ___

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

The new tariffs announced in recent days take effect just as temporary 10% worldwide tariffs expired, and critics say they are less about cracking down on forced labor than they are a way to replace those tariffs. The expired tariffs were themselves a temporary replacement for worldwide tariffs the Supreme Court struck down in February.

The tariffs were levied on countries that the U.S. says either don't have or don't effectively enforce a forced-labor import ban. The affected countries, which account for 99% of U.S. imports, were quick to protest, calling the Trump administration's claims unfounded and arbitrary, as nations with vastly different records on forced labor received the same tariff level. The U.S. spent four months investigating but gave few details on how it arrived at the tariff rates, which are either 10% or 12.5%.

Sidestepping Congress

The tariffs were levied under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 on countries that the U.S. determined had failed “to impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with forced labor.”

During President Donald Trump 's first term, he cited Section 301 to impose sweeping tariffs on Chinese imports amid a dispute over the sharp-elbowed tactics Beijing was using to challenge America’s technological dominance. The U.S. is also using 301 powers to counter what it calls unfair Chinese practices in the shipbuilding industry.

“The 301s allow a permanent tariff without going to Congress to settle the dispute,” said Barry Appleton, a law professor and co-director of New York Law School’s Center for International Law. “That’s what all of this is about. The president doesn’t want to knock on the front door of Congress, so he’s trying every side door and every unlatched window to get in.”

Little evidence that countries failed to enforce import bans

The office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) said it consulted with all 60 economies under investigation and held two rounds of public hearings, elicited more than 2,100 public comments, and had “engagement” with its trading partners about what they were doing to combat forced labor bans.

It didn't detail its talks with the countries, saying those were confidential. Experts say it is fairly straightforward to investigate whether a country has a ban or not, but it is difficult to determine the government's exact rationale for each country's failure to enforce import bans.

“There’s not a lot of hard evidence there,” said Scott Lincicome, vice president for general economics and trade policy at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank. “It’s pretty laughable on its face to think that a country like the ones in Europe or in Norway or Switzerland aren’t doing enough to police forced labor.”

And even if countries do enact and enforce the forced-labor import bans the U.S. wants, they would still need to prove that they’re enforcing them to Washington’s satisfaction before the tariffs would be removed, said lawyer Patrick Childress, a partner at Holland & Knight and a former U.S. trade official.

“This suggests that no short-term path for countrywide relief from the new Section 301 tariffs will be available,” he said.

Countries and industries reject the forced labor argument

Many countries have pushed back against the Trump administration's findings.

Brazil, which faces a 12.5% forced-labor tariff, called the U.S. move “arbitrary and unjustified.” The U.S. “chose to manipulate an issue of great importance to human rights and the struggles of workers worldwide in order to accuse 59 countries and the European Union of unfair practices,” it said in a statement.

Australia also questioned the justification for its 12.5% tariff.

“We believe that amongst all of the countries in the world, Australia does take the issue of slavery, modern slavery, seriously, and will continue to do that,” Trade Minister Don Farrell told reporters in Adelaide.

Carve-outs have riled some industries. The National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO), which describes itself as the voice of the American textile industry, protested a mechanism that exempts the Section 301 tariffs for textile and apparel imports from Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Malaysia based on those countries’ imports of U.S. cotton and textiles.

“No other industry has been more disadvantaged by forced labor than the U.S. textile industry, which employs 453,000 workers and has lost 41 plants over the past two plus years,” NCTO chief executive Kim Glas said in a statement. “We remain strongly concerned that USTR’s textile mechanism will harm the very domestic manufacturers the administration seeks to help.”

US forced-labor bans don't always work

The U.S. has two major pieces of legislation related to forced-labor import bans. The Tariff Act of 1930 gave Customs and Border Protection the authority to seize shipments where forced labor was suspected and to block further imports. But it had a big carve-out: If there was “consumptive demand,” meaning there wasn't sufficient supply to meet domestic demand, imports were allowed regardless of how they were produced. The Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act that took effect in 2016 eliminated that loophole.

In 2021, the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act was passed. It blocks imports from China’s Xinjiang region unless businesses can prove the items were made without forced labor.

But goods made with forced labor can still make it into the U.S. In 2015, an Associated Press investigation found that slave labor was used in the fishing industry in Southeast Asia. The seafood they caught made its way to supermarkets and pet food providers across the U.S.

An investigation by The Associated Press in 2020 into the $65 billion palm oil industry found labor abuses among an invisible workforce consisting of millions of men, women and children in Asia. The fruit they harvested made its way into the supply chains of major companies, including Unilever, L’Oreal, Nestle and Procter & Gamble.

Calls for a more comprehensive approach to combat forced labor

During hearings on the tariffs this month, National Retail Federation vice president Jonathan Gold, who was representing the business coalition the Joint Association Forced Labor Working Group at the hearing, said that in order for the import bans to work, they would have to be much more extensive.

He said there need to be “clear, measurable benchmarks” tied to tariffs for countries to hit, and that the U.S. should help countries build enforcement programs.

Kenya Davis, a partner at the Boies Schiller Flexner law firm, said an effective ban needs a “comprehensive approach” that provides transparency about what the investigations consisted of, along with programs that provide countries aid in enforcing bans.

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries on Sunday will unveil the party's Fighting for an Affordable America agenda, as he kicks off 100 days until the midterm elections and works to focus voter attention ahead of November.

In Pennsylvania's 7th District, tucked in the Lehigh Valley, Jeffries and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidate, are rallying support for Bob Brooks, a retired firefighter trying to unseat the incumbent Republican congressman as Democrats reach for the House majority.

Jeffries, D-N.Y., said the goal is “making clear to the American people that we're focused on lowering the cost of groceries and gas and housing, we're committed to a country that provides affordable heath care for every American.”

Down the road, Brooks’ rival, freshman GOP Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, is launching his own 100-day out event.

It's a symbolic start to a campaign season that's been well underway for much of a tumultuous year that's included partisan redistricting battles, contentious primaries in both parties and weighty Supreme Court rulings on campaign finance.

Midterm elections are often a referendum on the president

Midterm elections are often a referendum on the party in power, and the contests are set against the second term of President Donald Trump, whose military action against Iran and economic policies backed by the Republican majority in Congress are reshaping the political landscape.

“We gotta win the midterms,” Trump said during a visit last month to a Mack Truck plant in the district, where he promoted Mackenzie's candidacy.

Trump has made a number of visits to competitive states as GOP candidates rely on the power of the presidency to propel their campaigns. Last week he was in Georgia, a key state with a marquee Senate race, and he has a trip to battleground Michigan coming up.

While the president voices support for rank-and-file Republicans during his rallies, he also devotes much of his time on stage to a wide range of issues including the U.S.-Mexico border, opposing transgender rights and criticizing judges.

Republicans are hoping the president's signature legislation, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of tax breaks and spending cuts, along with a measure the House passed recently aiming to limit lawmaker stock trading, will buoy them with voters.

But they're up against a historical trend that sees the president's party lose seats in midterm elections and confronting the unpopularity of the war with Iran.

Democrats are aiming to seize on voter disapproval of the war and refocus attention back to kitchen table issues like higher costs and gas prices to propel them to wins in the narrowly divided House.

A few seats will determine control of the House

Even though 435 House seats are being contested this fall, control of the House is often determined by just a handful of competitive districts. Fewer than 20 seats are among the most watched, what analysts call genuine toss-ups.

Pennsylvania's 7th District is a key battleground along with contests elsewhere in the state, reflecting significant political weight not just as a presidential swing state but as the pathway to a House majority. Democrats are also targeting House contests in Pennsylvania's 1st, 8th and 10th districts — all seats controlled by Republicans.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is preparing to embark on his own cross-country trip to fund-raise for the GOP and stump for Republican candidates as he works to retain his majority.

Republicans have a cash edge over Democrats in the race for House control. A question hovering over the election is how the Supreme Court's June ruling affecting campaign finance could play out, with national parties now able to make direct contributions to candidate campaigns.

___

Associated Press writer Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.

Plentiful storm coverage is expected just after lunchtime as a front slides southward. Storms will begin to pop up along the I-75 corridor just after lunchtime. Storm chances move from west to east, riding our westerly winds. I-4 begins filling in with storms around 1-2pm, then shower chances favor areas east of I-4 towards the beaches mid-afternoon into early evening as our sea breeze gets pinned near I-95. Highs will hit the mid 90s with heat indices between 105-110ºF. Heat advisories are possible once again Sunday afternoon.

High rain chances linger into next week as high moisture lingers over Central Florida. Higher than normal rain chances are expected throughout the upcoming work week as deep moisture remains over the state through Friday.

Genevieve had maximum sustained winds of 90 mph (150 kph), making it a Category 1 hurricane, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. A major hurricane is Category 3 or higher.

Genevieve's center was located about 500 miles (810 kilometers) south-southwest of Manzanillo, and it was headed west-northwest at 17 mph (28 kph).

No coastal watches or warnings were in effect, but the hurricane center said swells from the storm — likely causing “life-threatening surf and rip current conditions” — were affecting parts of Mexico's southwestern coast on the weekend and would likely hit southern parts of the Baja California Peninsula on Sunday night or Monday.

Farther west in the Pacific, meanwhile, Hurricane Fausto weakened to a Category 1 storm as it continued on a projected path in the general direction of the Hawaiian Islands.

Forecasters said it was expected to be downgraded to a tropical storm in the coming days, but warned that it could still generate dangerous surf and said “interests in the Hawaiian Islands should monitor” its progress.

Fausto had maximum sustained winds of 90 mph (150 kph); was located about 995 miles (1,600 kilometers) east of Hilo; and was moving west at 13 mph (20 kph).

But it remains to be seen whether the U.S. and Iran are at an inflection point in a mercurial conflict that will reach the five-month point Tuesday. President Donald Trump both has threatened more strikes and said talks are pressing on, all while brushing off concerns that rising gas prices tied to the fighting could hurt Republicans in November's midterm elections.

Adding to the uncertainty is the impact of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's planned visit with Trump next week in Washington. Israel, which launched the war alongside the U.S. on Feb. 28, has been notably absent from the renewed American attacks over Iran's effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping corridor through which 20% of the world's oil normally flows.

“The Iranians understand that perhaps it could get worse because Israel could come into the conflict,” said Michael Singh, managing director at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. On the other hand, Israel's lack of involvement so far “may signal to the Iranians that we’re looking to limit the conflict.”

Singh, who was senior Middle East director on the National Security Council during the George W. Bush administration, said he was hesitant to read too much into the lull in fighting.

“If it turns into a multiday pause, that’ll be something significant,” he said. “But it’s hard to know. Is it an operational pause? Is it a pause to allow for some kind of behind-the-scenes diplomacy?"

Mediators keep pressing their diplomatic efforts

A regional official involved in the mediation efforts said that concerted diplomacy was underway and that a pause in U.S. strikes and Iranian counterstrikes on neighboring countries hosting American forces was a “positive signal that helps their efforts to de-escalate.”

The official said that both the U.S. and Iran want to return to the interim ceasefire deal and that a compromise, which is being negotiated now, centers around having Iran run vessel transit through the Strait of Hormuz with fewer restrictions on ships. The official was not authorized to discuss the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity.

On Sunday, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, confirmed that Iran and Oman had held several rounds of technical talks about the strait in Iran over the weekend. He said that while the Omani delegation left Tehran on Saturday afternoon, talks had made progress and were continuing.

Iran put a chokehold on the narrow Persian Gulf waterway when the war began by firing on tankers and freighters. In turn, oil prices have soared during the conflict, which has been unpopular with many Americans, and could leave some Republican lawmakers vulnerable in November.

Following the signing of an interim ceasefire deal in June, a battle for control over the strait has erupted. Iran demanded that ships use a route near its coastline and said it can potentially charge fees. Ships were increasingly navigating a southern route along the coast of Oman under a U.S. overwatch operation when Iran attacked some vessels.

The U.S. renewed attacks on Iran’s coastal defenses, aiming to blunt Tehran’s ability to strike ships in the strait. The Trump administration then expanded its targets, hitting bridges and infrastructure in the south and striking deeper into the center of Iran.

Singh said the strikes appear to be an attempt to push Iran back to the negotiating table. Now, he said, "the question would be: What kind of messages, if any, is the Iranian regime sending through diplomatic channels? Have those messages changed? Do they seem more eager to return to talks?”

Among the challenges the U.S. faces is the fractured leadership in Iran, with different factions vying for control, Singh said, something that Trump administration officials have also pointed to. The people in charge in Iran may worry that compromising with the U.S. will be seen as weakness and could loosen their grip on power.

Whatever the case, both the U.S. and Iran need the strait to reopen for their own economic reasons.

“But they have very different conceptions of under what conditions, under whose control,” Singh said. “So we have to get to some kind of stable equilibrium on those questions before you’re going to see a longer period of quiet. I think this effort to negotiate with words and also to negotiate with force is going to continue until we reach that equilibrium.”

Trump issues threats but also talks up diplomacy

Despite the lull in fighting, tensions are high in the region.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels said Saturday that they fired missiles and drones at Saudi Arabia in response to Saudi airstrikes on the strategic Red Sea city of Hodeida. The Iran-backed rebels say they have closed the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which has become even more vital for Saudi oil exports since the disruption of the Strait of Hormuz.

The U.S. military also is enforcing its naval blockade of Iranian ports, saying it disabled a Mozambique-flagged ship in the Gulf of Oman on Friday after the vessel tried to violate the blockade and ignored warnings.

Trump also has kept up the threats against Iran even as he spotlighted diplomacy. Asked about his exit strategy Friday, Trump said there are two ways.

“You can just keep doing exactly what we’re doing and take them apart piece by piece. We could do it in a more rapid fashion, which we might do,” he told reporters in the Oval Office. “Or we can negotiate with them, which we’re also doing right now.”

While Trump said he doesn’t think Iran is “ready yet” to make a deal, he also asserted that “I think they’re getting more and more serious as the days go by, for maybe the obvious reason.”

Trump met Friday with top national security aides to discuss the situation with Iran and whether the administration should maintain the current course or escalate military attacks, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. No U.S. strikes occurred overnight in Iran after 13 consecutive nights.

Trump insisted Friday that he was “not in a hurry” to wrap things up because of the approaching elections, in which voters, angry about high food and gasoline prices, could vote his Republican Party out of control of Congress.

“Despite what everyone says about the election, I’m not in a hurry,” he said. “We have to do it right. Elections take care of themselves.”

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Magdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writer Matthew Lee contributed to this report.

Berlin police said they have identified a suspect who has not been arrested and he has ties to Islamic groups in the German capital.

“The suspect is known to police. He is known to us as a member of Islamic circles here in Berlin, and our search for this person is proceeding at full speed,” said police spokesman Florian Nath. He did not identify the suspect by name.

Nath added that “we still have no information whatsoever regarding his specific motives, the exact sequence of events, or his role in the crime itself.”

Earlier, police said some of the victims had life-threatening injuries. In a post on X, police called on everyone to leave the site of the event immediately as ambulances and firefighters attended to the victims.

White van hit people in Tiergarten park

According to police, a white van had driven into the Tiergarten park around 10 p.m., which is next to the route that the pride march had passed along earlier, and hit several people before colliding with a tree. Police could not say how many officers had been deployed to the scene but that it was “definitely a lot of police.”

Overall, more than 2,200 police officers have been on duty in Berlin since Saturday morning to protect the pride parade and other LGBTQ+ events in the city.

Police were conducting witness interrogations at the park during the night and were investigating accounts that in addition to the crash some victims appeared to have suffered stab wounds — but that it was too early to draw any conclusion from those accounts.

Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner expressed shock, saying that “following a peaceful and vibrant pride parade, the rally for a tolerant and peaceful Berlin was attacked in the most brutal manner.”

“This is an attack on our free and cosmopolitan society,” Wegner said. “I have confidence in the police and security authorities, who will be working around the clock to investigate.”

Meanwhile, authorities called on possible witnesses to come forward and share with police any video or photos they might have taken at the scene of the attack.

The city also activated a crisis hotline for people missing friends or family members.

Hundreds of thousands of people had come to Berlin on Saturday to celebrate at Berlin’s pride parade, known in Germany as Christopher Street Day. It’s one of Europe’s largest LGBTQ+ celebrations.

Iconic pride event called off

The pride event in front of the city’s Brandenburg Gate, near Tiergarten, was called off around 10:15 p.m. and a band’s performance on stage was interrupted. People were urged to go home and to avoid taking the route through the park.

Before the incident, people had celebrated peacefully, marching through the city for hours, dancing to loud music, and cheering around 80 floats that participated in the parade.

Julian Miethig, who had attended the LGBTQ+ party at the Brandenburg Gate earlier, said he had just wanted to go to an afterparty when he heard from a friend that “something bad happened there and there are a lot of fire trucks, a lot of emergency vehicles, ambulances.”

He said he went to Tiergarten and was shocked that something like this could have happened at Berlin’s pride celebrations.

“It’s a dark day for the community,” he said.

It was quite the All-Star party in the league's 30th season.

Jones had 22 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists, helping Caitlin Clark and Team Spoon outlast Marina Mabrey and Team Coop 129-122 in the WNBA All-Star Game.

Playing with a heavy heart after the death of an aunt, Jones was named MVP. The 32-year-old New York Liberty center became the first player to win the league, WNBA Finals, Commissioner's Cup and All-Star MVP awards.

“No matter what mood I'm in, basketball can pick me back up,” Jones said, “and so just leaning into that.”

Malonga had a first-half dunk for Team Coop, but Team Spoon had eight players score in double figures in an All-Star Game that featured 127 3-point attempts and very little defense. Allisha Gray had 19 points for Team Spoon, and Clark finished with 17.

It was the first WNBA All-Star Game in Chicago since 2022. This time, the marquee event was played in front of a record crowd of 19,783 at the United Center instead of the smaller Wintrust Arena in downtown Chicago.

“To be able to have tonight, have 19,000 people in the highest attendance ever in the All-Star Game just really shows that our league is growing and people want to be around us and want to be a part of this and understand how special it is,” Jones said.

Ogwumike scored 11 points for Team Spoon while passing Maya Moore (119) for the most career points in All-Star Game history.

Kelsey Mitchell had 28 points for Team Coop, and Mabrey scored all of her 23 points during a red-hot first half. The 20-year-old Malonga finished with 12 points and 13 rebounds.

“I got to see a few go down early,” said Mabrey, who matched the WNBA scoring record when she had 53 points for Toronto in a win over Los Angeles on June 25. “That's kind of like my thing. Get them up when they're going in.”

WNBA greats Cynthia Cooper and Teresa Weatherspoon drafted the All-Star teams from players that were either voted as starters by fans, media and fellow players or chosen as reserves by the league’s coaches. Las Vegas’ Becky Hammon coached Cooper’s team, and Minnesota’s Cheryl Reeve was in charge of Weatherspoon’s squad.

Clark went 5 for 15 from beyond the arc and had five assists in her return to the All-Star game. The Indiana Fever guard missed last year’s event in Indianapolis because of a groin injury.

“Last year really stunk being in our home city, you never want to miss that for the fans," Clark said. "I love to show up and compete.”

The 24-year-old Clark came out firing, connecting from 33 feet and 37 feet on her way to 11 points in the first 2 1/2 minutes. She buried another 3 early in the second quarter off a slick no-look pass from Minnesota Lynx guard Olivia Miles, the only rookie selected for the game.

Clark and Mabrey each put on an offensive show, but Malonga got the biggest cheer of the night. The 6-foot-6 center from the Seattle Storm ran down the lane, got a pass from Angel Reese and threw down a right-handed jam with 6:24 left in the first half.

Reese jumped up and down as Malonga finished the play, and the two exchanged a mid-air chest bump on their way back down the court.

“The way she makes it look easy, the excitement around it," said Paige Bueckers, who scored 12 points for Team Coop. "I love Dom ... really happy for her in just how easy she makes it look.”

It was the first dunk in a WNBA All-Star Game since Sylvia Fowles in 2022. Lisa Leslie (2005), Jones (2017), Brittney Griner (2019) also have accomplished the feat.

Leslie was on hand for the festivities, along with South Carolina coach and former WNBA guard Dawn Staley. Former NBA star Dwyane Wade also was courtside.

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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

San Francisco-based Raffi Krikorian, the chief technology officer at Mozilla, which runs the Firefox browser, switched to Chinese AI startup Moonshot’s Kimi K3 for many of his day-to-day activities within days of the new, powerful model’s launch more than a week ago.

“It just seems snappier,” he said of K3, comparing it to the acclaimed and more expensive Claude Fable chatbot from San Francisco company Anthropic. Earlier, he had been using another high-performing Chinese model, Z.ai's GLM-5.2, for routine tasks such as managing his calendar, documents and email.

Krikorian is one of a growing number of Americans adopting Chinese AI systems, which are gaining ground around the world because they are more affordable and increasingly efficient. U.S. companies like cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase said they're switching to Chinese AI models to help trim costs.

Their popularity has frustrated some U.S. tech giants, but short of an outright ban, they're likely to continue to appeal to independent software developers in the U.S. and elsewhere.

American-led restrictions block China from accessing some of the world’s most advanced technologies including cutting-edge AI chips and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has warned more sanctions could be coming to protect American intellectual property.

U.S. President Donald Trump's administration on Wednesday accused Moonshot of using “covert” but not necessarily illegal methods to build K3 off the back of Anthropic's Fable. Some U.S. politicians and AI companies including Anthropic have accused Chinese startups of illicit “distillation” of their models to extract their technologies, a claim that Beijing rejects as “groundless.”

China's AI models are cheaper and 'good enough’

The rapid rise of cutting-edge Chinese AI models this year shows the China-U.S. race in AI has moved on from early last year, when Chinese startup DeepSeek shook up the U.S. technology industry and put China on the map with an AI model that performed on par with those in the U.S. but much more cheaply.

The latest AI models launched by startups Z.ai, or Zhipu, in June, and Moonshot in July are nearly as intelligent as the frontier models from OpenAI and Anthropic, experts say. Also in July, China’s Alibaba previewed its Qwen3.8 Max AI model. In April, DeepSeek rolled out previews of its latest V4 model, challenging OpenAI’s GPT and Google’s Gemini.

Those constant advances are bearing fruit. Curt Meinhold, a Greensboro, North Carolina-based technology executive, said he increasingly prefers to use DeepSeek for tasks such as finding business leads or ways to generate sales.

“At the end of the day, most of us, the vast majority of us, 90 plus percent, don’t need (Anthropic's) Mythos or Fable,” said Meinhold, who founded digital legacy platform LilyList. “Like, we just don’t need it, we need something good enough.”

Chinese AI models are reaching a “critical stage” for wide adoption, U.S. investment bank Goldman Sachs wrote in a July research report, especially when a surge of global “agentic” AI usage, which requires the AI models to autonomously conduct multistep, complex tasks, is driving higher demand for cost effective AI models.

AI prices are calculated per million tokens for both input and output, so the use of AI “agents” is dramatically compounding cost differences, according to analysts including Alex Colville of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.

“The Chinese models, you know, I find them to be pretty close on code and research,” said Meinhold. “If I can pay a handful of cents per million output tokens versus 30 bucks or 40 bucks or 50 bucks, then it’s good enough.”

Moonshot's Kimi K3 leads, but Chinese AI models have limits

Based on data over the past month, the top five most popular models on OpenRouter, a platform that tracks data across AI models, were Chinese.

Estimates from Sensor Tower, a market intelligence firm, showed Kimi had more than 930,000 downloads during the week after K3's July release, an increase of 200% from the week before. In the U.S. it was downloaded around 86,000 times, a 387% jump.

K3 proved so popular that Moonshot had to temporarily suspend new subscriptions after overwhelming demand pushed its capacity close to its limits.

Still, while Chinese models are becoming serious competitors to the U.S., they lag American AI leaders across their overall, full-range capabilities, said Anastasios Angelopoulos, co-founder and CEO of Arena, a platform for evaluating AI systems.

And U.S. AI firms are also looking for more options to reduce pricing, such as with cheaper alternatives of competitive models, added Yasir Atalan, with the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

US policy could boost Chinese AI models

Most Chinese AI models are open-source — meaning anyone can examine and build on them — at a time when frontier models from U.S. companies like Anthropic and OpenAI are closed-source.

Chinese model vendors are expected to leverage open-source software to promote their global usage and adoption, said Lian Jye Su, of the technology research and advisory group Omdia.

As Chinese open-source models are increasingly almost as good as closed systems made by leading U.S. companies, said Mozilla’s Krikorian, “the open frontier is becoming increasingly Chinese-built.” While the U.S. weighs restricting Chinese AI models, a group of American tech firms including Microsoft, Meta and Nvidia signed an open letter published Friday backing “open” AI models.

Other U.S. tech policies also at times give China an upper hand, some experts say. China’s Z.ai released its GLM-5.2 model in mid-June, not long after the Trump administration put export controls on Anthropic’s Fable and Mythos models, keeping them offline for more than two weeks.

"Restricting an American model can immediately create an opening for a Chinese competitor,” said Arena's Angelopoulos.

Chinese AI models look to expand globally

In China, people and businesses have rapidly embraced AI technologies that have prospered with state support. Chinese tech companies like Huawei and Tencent are also embedding AI in devices such as smartphones, AI glasses and humanoid robots.

Now China is increasingly looking to dominate AI abroad, too. At a flagship technology summit in Shanghai, Chinese President Xi Jinping championed open-source AI models and the importance of promoting greater global equity, while pledging Chinese involvement in raising AI capabilities especially in developing nations.

As is true for many other industries in China, intense competition at home is driving companies to expand globally. Leading Chinese AI startups are now raising more funding to support that effort, including through public share offerings.

Both China and the U.S. will want to “encourage widespread adoption of their AI ecosystems, while safeguarding technologies that could materially strengthen strategic rivals,” said Chelsey Tam, with investment research firm Morningstar.

“The competition is no longer simply the United States against China; the Chinese labs are also putting a lot of pressure on one another,” Angelopoulos said.

But as is the case in the U.S., huge investments in AI have also raised concerns over sustainability of these Chinese startups. Z.ai, for example, reported its revenue surged 132% to 724 million yuan ($107 million) last year, but net loss jumped 60% to 4.7 billion yuan ($694 million).

For now, Chinese AI models will likely continue to march ahead including in the U.S. “I would highly recommend anyone doing any serious AI load to at least evaluate it,” said Krikorian.

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O’Brien reported from Providence, Rhode Island. AP Business Writer Kelvin Chan in Toronto contributed to this report.

Jonsson joined Oscar-winning “Black Panther” franchise director Ryan Coogler on stage alongside Letitia Wright and Winston Duke, holding his hand to his chest and smiling broadly. “Black Panther III” is set for release Dec. 15, 2028.

“Thank you to this family that I have the honor and the blessing to join. I don’t want to say too much, because I want to let the screen do the talking,” said the 32-year-old actor, known for roles in “Industry,” “The Long Walk” and “Alien: Romulus.”

Boseman died in 2020, and ever since 2022's “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” revealed that T’Challa had a son, fans have been playing a guessing game of who might take over the mantle, with Damson Idris and Wright in the mix. The original 2018 “Black Panther” became the first superhero film to earn a best picture Oscar nomination and made more than $1.3 billion worldwide, while the sequel earned $850 million.

Ryan Gosling rides into the MCU

Gosling will re-team with his “Star Wars: Starfighter” director Shawn Levy on “Ghost Rider.”

“I’m having the greatest flashback vibes being here,” said Levy in reference to his appearance at Hall H two years ago to promote “Deadpool & Wolverine," which became a massive hit. “I’ll never forget that night because it was also my real introduction to the greatest fans anywhere.”

Gosling greeted Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige and told the crowd that he’d wanted to play the character for a long time.

Gosling’s longtime partner, Eva Mendes, starred alongside Nicolas Cage in Cage’s original standalone “Ghost Rider” film, released in 2007 — a year before “Iron Man” kicked off Marvel’s cinematic universe. A sequel was released by Sony in 2012, and film rights have since reverted to Marvel, but the character hasn’t appeared yet in the MCU.

Stars take stage for ‘Avengers: Doomsday’

Feige told the crowd that Joe and Anthony Russo’s 2019 film “Avengers: Endgame” will be re-released in theaters on Sept. 25 with new footage linking it to the Russos’ “Avengers: Doomsday,” due out Dec. 18.

A “Doomsday” trailer played during the panel showed that Robert Downey Jr.'s Victor Von Doom will have some past tie to Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal) and Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby). Storm is seen saying that Doom is a broken person who used to be different: “Everything he loved was taken from him.” Later, Richards asks Doom if he's the one responsible for the horrors around them.

Downey Jr. joked on stage that Reed and Doom were “besties.” Fans have been curious about the connection between the two after “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” post-credit scene included a clip of Doom sitting in Reed and Storm’s living room with their baby.

“Doomsday” stars taking the stage included Wright, Duke, Chris Evans, Hayley Atwell, Simu Liu, Danny Ramirez, Anthony Mackie, James Marsden, Kelsey Grammer, Paul Rudd, Rebecca Romijn, David Harbour, Lewis Pullman and Tenoch Huerta.

Ryan Reynolds appears as gray Deadpool

Clad in a new gray Deadpool costume, Ryan Reynolds crashed the panel from the audience.

“Longtime listener. First time caller,” said Reynolds, asking Rudd why Thor was crying in the previous film. Rudd responded “He’s a Wrexham fan,” in reference to the soccer team that Reynolds co-owns.

"This seems like an awfully expensive way to announce a film. When do you start filming,” asked Reynolds.

“It’s in the can, bro! Did you bump your head?” said Downey Jr. from the stage.

Many fans waited more than a day to get inside Comic-Con’s most-anticipated panel. Marvel Studios hopes it will act as a reset for its brand, which has been diluted by an overabundance of Disney+ series and critics' disappointment in films like last year's “Captain America: Brave New World.” Though audience interest in superhero films has waned in recent years, “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” — released by Sony in coordination with Marvel — is set to dominate the summer box office when it's released July 31 and ticket pre-sales have been strong for “Doomsday.”

For the first time in decades, Lake Eola is without its iconic swans.

The City of Orlando removed all 42 captive swans from the lake early Saturday morning, relocating them to a sanctuary where they will continue to receive care. City officials say the move was prompted by a deadly avian flu outbreak that killed nearly 30 swans earlier this year, as well as the challenges of protecting the birds during the park’s upcoming $60 million renovation.

The swans have long been a symbol of downtown Orlando, inspiring the lake’s signature swan-shaped paddle boats and serving as one of the city’s most recognizable attractions.

“That’s always been a part,” Orlando resident Xavier Langford said. “If you look at the boats right here, inspired by the swans, the artwork around here, it’s always been inspired by the swans.”

Many visitors said the lake felt noticeably different without the birds.

“That’s what makes the lake your experience, what it is,” Langford said. “We need the swans.”

The city says park rangers, animal handlers and wildlife experts safely transported the birds to a sanctuary, where they will remain while officials address the impacts of avian flu and move forward with renovations at Lake Eola Park.

Some residents said they support the decision if it protects the swans’ health.

“I’d much rather them not be here than have them all die,” Orlando resident Erik Fuller said. “But I would love to see something from the city or the state on a timeline of getting them back, or what we’re doing about trying to fix the situation.”

The park’s renovation project includes improvements to the Walt Disney Amphitheater and other areas of Lake Eola Park. City leaders say caring for the swans during construction would have been difficult and could have placed the birds at greater risk.

“I thought they were only going to remove them to get them out of the way while they do the renovations so they don’t get hurt,” Orlando resident Jack Nelson said. “But I would love the place a little bit more if they came back.”

Others worry the lake has lost one of its defining features.

“When you take the wrong piece of the Jenga out, the whole thing is going to crumble,” another resident said. “If they’re just thinking about money and they start to neglect nature, they’re going to see the consequences.”

City officials say visitors may still spot wild swans passing through Lake Eola, but the city’s captive swan program is now on pause.

The city has not announced when—or if—the captive swans will return to Lake Eola.

Orange County Fire Rescue’s Community Risk Reduction Services team joined park lifeguards for World Drowning Prevention Day, demonstrating how crews respond when someone is in trouble in the water and teaching visitors how to perform hands-only CPR.

The event followed several recent tragedies, including the death of a DeLand mother who jumped into the St. Johns River to save her 4-year-old son. The child survived, but his mother drowned.

Three children have also died in Central Florida pools in recent months, including 5-year-old twins found in a vacation rental pool in Osceola County, a toddler who fell into a backyard pool and a 4-year-old boy who drowned at a Kissimmee community pool.

Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional death for children ages 1 to 4, according to Orange County Fire Rescue.

During Saturday’s demonstration, lifeguards pulled a simulated victim from the water before transferring the patient to paramedics. A drone was also used to demonstrate how rescuers can search a larger area from above.

Visitors who happened upon the event were then invited to practice chest compressions on CPR mannequins.

“It was something new for me. I’ve never done CPR, and so I didn’t know much about it,” one visitor said.

Christina Ayers, a public education specialist with Orange County Fire Rescue, said families should remember the ABCs of drowning prevention: adult supervision, barriers around pools and classes that teach children how to swim.

Crews recommend assigning one undistracted adult to watch children in the water, using four-sided pool fencing with a self-latching gate and putting life jackets on weak swimmers and anyone who cannot swim.

Ayers says families should also keep a reaching pole or flotation device nearby. If someone is struggling in open water, rescuers recommend reaching or throwing something that floats instead of entering the water and potentially becoming a second victim.

Orange County Fire Rescue also offers free door and window alarms for homes with children or others who may wander toward water. The alarms alert families when a door or window leading outside is opened.

Officials say those layers of protection, along with CPR knowledge, can help prevent another emergency from becoming a tragedy.

“We’re just going to kick the can,” Roberts said before his team's 4-3 victory over the New York Mets. “I think like I said yesterday, we’re not going to move forward until he feels 100% confident (and) we feel 100% confident that we should do it.”

Ohtani hasn’t pitched in a game since July 3. But the Dodgers say his knee doesn’t bother him while batting, and the four-time MVP has remained in the starting lineup regularly.

The two-time defending World Series champions began the day with the best record in the majors at 66-38 and an 11-game lead in the NL West over Arizona.

Ohtani received a lubricant injection just before the All-Star break and Roberts said last weekend it would be “some time” before Ohtani makes his next appearance as a pitcher.

The right-hander then threw about 30 pitches off a mound Wednesday during a bullpen session in Philadelphia, but Roberts said Ohtani felt a “little bit of regression.”

“It was obviously not ideal, him throwing his last bullpen and going backwards essentially,” Roberts said. “So obviously that’s disappointing because you throw a bullpen, you continue to build up. So that was disappointing, but as far as worry, concern, we don’t have any of that.”

Ohtani is 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA and 95 strikeouts in 85 2/3 innings over 14 starts on the mound this season and has won his past six decisions. He went 0 for 5 on Saturday and is hitting .282 with 22 homers, 61 RBIs and a .908 OPS.

In other injury updates, two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell made a second rehab start Friday night for Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Sidelined since his season debut May 9 because of loose bodies in his pitching elbow, the left-hander threw 49 pitches and allowed one run and two hits in 2 2/3 innings. Roberts said Snell likely will progress to four innings in his third rehab outing.

Star closer Edwin Díaz (right elbow surgery) will make another rehab appearance Sunday for Oklahoma City and, if all goes well, the right-hander is expected to be activated from the injured list Wednesday.

Tyler Glasnow, on the 60-day IL since May 8 because of low back spasms, threw 25 pitches in one simulated inning Friday. Glasnow will pitch in another simulated game next week when the Dodgers return home and might start a rehab assignment after that.

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

It's an indication, scientists say, of how some whale species numbers have strongly rebounded in the southern hemisphere oceans decades after an international whale hunting ban came into effect in 1986.

Chris and Monique Fallows said they were used to seeing bigger and bigger groups of humpback whales off the west coast of South Africa but weren't prepared for what they saw one morning last December. Plumes of whale breath and spray burst into the air one after the other from blowholes, and the husband and wife found their boat in the midst of what's known as a supergroup.

“It was extraordinary,” said Chris Fallows, a renowned fine art wildlife photographer who has documented marine animals for 35 years. "Quite quickly we realized that there must be several hundred whales coming together in one particular area.”

He said what they saw can best be described as a “Manhattan skyline” of whale breath plumes.

Chris and Monique documented 299 humpback whales in the group, they said. They count whales by taking a photograph of their tail, which is called a fluke, said Monique Fallows, an author and naturalist.

Each whale's tail is different and it's a common tactic used by scientists to identify individuals.

It appears to be the biggest group of humpback whales sighted, according to Alex Vogel, the Africa coordinator for Happywhale. That organization has a global database of whales built off photos and information sent in largely by what it calls “citizen scientists” — ordinary people who capture images of whales that are then verified.

The organization did a count of the group that the Fallows came across.

Humpback numbers have strongly recovered in the southern hemisphere from less than 10,000 at the height of whaling to more than 100,000 whales now, according to assessments by scientists and the International Whaling Commission, which monitors whale numbers.

Only a few countries still hunt whales commercially.

Humpbacks are generally solitary or move in small pods, but they sometimes gather in supergroups in food-rich areas. They feed on krill or small fish.

Sightings of humpbacks are also increasing in other parts of the Southern Hemisphere.

Els Vermeulen, the chief scientist at the University of Pretoria’s Whale Unit in South Africa, said humpback supergroups started to be seen again around 2012 and it's likely a result of their recovery from whaling.

“In general, the moratorium on whaling can be classified as one of the strongest conservation success stories in the marine environment," said Vermeulen, who has a doctorate in zoology.

Vermeulen said that humpbacks feeding in supergroups make underwater sounds that attract other whales.

While humpbacks have seen the biggest comeback from whaling, the World Wildlife Fund says the recovery has been mixed for other whale species and that various threats remain, like entanglement in commercial fishing equipment, collisions with ships and climate change.

Seven out of the 14 great whale species are classified as endangered or vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, including the critically endangered North Atlantic right whales, which number only around 380 now.

Vermeulen also raised a new threat for whales around South Africa: the conflict in the Middle East.

She said a recent preliminary assessment she co-authored showed that shipping around the southern point of Africa had quadrupled since December 2023 — after the Israel-Hamas war broke out and Yemen's Houthi rebels began attacking ships in the Red Sea.

That is being made worse by the Iran war and the security crisis over the Strait of Hormuz, diverting more ships around Africa.

Because most whales killed by ships sink in the ocean there are no detailed statistics. But Gregg Oelofse, the coastal and environmental manager for the city of Cape Town, said more whales and more shipping clearly increase the risk.

He said some whale carcasses wash ashore with evidence they've been killed by vessels.

“We’ll see the propellor strike often through the whale’s body,” Oelofse said. “So, it’s like these big cuts in the whale’s body.”

Vermeulen said she and others are lobbying for official speed limits for ships near the South African coast to give them time to spot any whales in their path.

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Associated Press writer Gerald Imray contributed to this story.

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AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa

The jumpers face trespassing charges, according to a report provided by Public Affairs Officer Brian Pritchard.

The BASE jumpers purchased tickets and entered the Space Needle at about 8:50 p.m. Friday, according to the Seattle Police Department. The popular attraction has a round observation deck surrounded by high glass windows that are open to the sky above.

They were seen on camera at the top level of the Needle then went into a restroom, coming out with helmets on, according to police.

They ran to the glass window, climbed over to the other side, and jumped off, according to police.

Security at the Space Needle were unsure where the men landed, and police could not locate the individuals. They have not been identified by authorities and were described only as white men in their late 20s.

BASE jumping is an extreme sport that involves jumping off objects and deploying a parachute. It is an acronym for the platforms parachutists leap from: buildings, antennas, spans (bridges) and Earth.

The Space Needle did not immediately return emailed requests for comment on Saturday.

Officiating has been a hot topic around the league for the last few seasons, with physical play being a major point of contention. The league put together a task force in the offseason to help clean up some of the physicality in the game.

“This is one of the most significant investments we’ve ever made in our basketball operations, this investments of tens of millions of dollars will help bring greater consistency, efficiency, and transparency to our officiating process while continuing to improve the quality of the game,” Engelbert said.

Engelbert said that a lot of the details on the replay center still need to be worked out, although she said, as of now, the last two-minute report that the NBA has won't be used in the WNBA yet.

Fouls have been up this season as there has been an emphasis to help players' freedom of movement. The increase in fouls has led to more offense as teams are averaging a record-high number of points. It has also led to longer games. Earlier this month, league gametimes were at an average of 2 hours, 8 minutes — the longest in league history.

Player safety

Engelbert said the league is continuing to work with the players to try and improve their safety off the court. The league and players' union had a virtual meeting on Tuesday night to discuss what more can be done to combat the online hate.

“(For) too many players across the WNBA, that experience is unacceptable,” she said. “Many cases, it’s disgusting. Racism, misogyny, homophobia, the harassment and threats directed to our players has no place in sport or anywhere else.”

Engelbert said the feedback from the players was helpful to her.

Las Vegas Aces investigation wraps up

The WNBA’s investigation into whether a Las Vegas Aces sponsorship deal violated the salary cap was inconclusive, Engelbert said.

“No discipline will be recommended or imposed. Of course, if new or additional evidence comes to light, we’ll continue to investigate. But, you know, the integrity of our game is number one,” the commissioner said.

The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority offered in May 2024 a $100,000 sponsorship agreement to Aces players for each of the following two seasons. That amount exceeded the salaries for six of the players, according to Spotrac.

No such agreement was offered for this season, but player salaries also dramatically rose after the new collective-bargaining agreement was completed in May. Each Aces player earns at least $270,000, according to Spotrac. The initial offer prompted the league to launch a probe into whether it skirted salary-cap rules.

“We did this the right way,” LVCVA president and CEO Steve Hill said at the time. “We did something that we think works for Las Vegas and I think great for the players. We did this without the team. It was our idea and any questions they ask they’ll find that out.”

Increased communication between players and the league

Engelbert said that the league needs to do better communicating with its players, whether its through texts or emails or some other form. One of the chief complaints from players has been that they have no relationship with the commissioner. A'ja Wilson said before the game that the only time she talks to Engelbert is when she's receiving trophies.

“I’ve been talking with the players about how much they want to hear from us, how much they don’t,” Engelbert said. “We do send them a lot of email updates and things like that. They’re a generation that doesn’t check email as much. So we have to get better at a text chain. ... We have to be better at it. it’s something certainly like if a player is getting honored or players gets hurt or something like, I try to reach out to them, and, yeah. So we need to be better at it. There’s no doubt I need to be better.”

Engelbert's future

Engelbert sidestepped a question about if she planned to be the commissioner next season.

“I’m so blessed to have to be at the helm of this league during this incredible hypergrowth period. So blessed that these players are putting the product on the court,” she said. "I will just continue to, you know, do my job, execute the strategy because it has been working."

Positive metrics

Engelbert said that this is already the most-watched WNBA season of all-time, with the 117 broadcasts reaching over 73 million unique viewers. Twenty-nine of the games averaged over one million viewers — the most ever at the All-Star break. They had 11 all of last season.

There have been more than 2.2 million fans at games so far this year, which is up 16% from last season.

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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, the Houthis’ military spokesperson, said in a prerecorded statement that the attack targeted facilities in the Red Sea cities of Yanbu and Jizan that belong to Aramco, the world’s largest oil company.

Saudi Arabia's civil defense said alerts sounded multiple times early Saturday in both cities, but the kingdom didn't comment further.

There were no reported strikes overnight in Iran, in an apparent break from nearly two weeks of consecutive nights of U.S. attacks.

Red Sea escalation further threatens global shipping

The Houthis have said they would close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to Saudi-linked shipping in retaliation for the kingdom’s blockade on Yemen and a recent attack on the international airport in Yemen’s rebel-held capital, Sanaa.

“Nothing short of ending the aggression and lifting the blockade, otherwise, it’s all illusion and mirage," Mahdi al-Mashat, head of the Houthi-led Supreme Political Council governing rebel-controlled territories in Yemen, said of what it would take for the Houthis to not blockade the Bab-El-Mandeb.

That strait, at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, is a vital shipping chokepoint connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden. Around 12% of the world’s trade, including a quarter of its container traffic, passes through the narrows.

The Houthis targeted two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea this week. In response, Saudi Arabia struck Hodeida, the Saudi-led coalition opposing the rebels said Saturday. The strikes late Friday hit the port and the state-run telecommunications corporation, injuring two people, said Anees al-Asbahi, a spokesperson for the Houthi-run health ministry.

The Saudi-led coalition said it didn’t hit the port but struck “legitimate military targets” in Hodeida province that “were linked to threats to commercial vessels in the Red Sea.”

Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, called for “diplomacy and dialogue” to solve the Yemen conflict without “military confrontations” in an interview published Saturday by the state-run newspaper called Iran.

Iran condemns Ukrainian attack on commercial vessel

“Iran had a peaceful night,” Hossein Kermanpour, a spokesperson for Iran's Health Ministry, posted on X. U.S. Central Command didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Unlike the previous 13 nights, it didn't announce new strikes.

But Iran's foreign ministry condemned what it called a Ukrainian attack Saturday on an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea, saying one person was killed and another was hurt and calling it an act of aggression.

In a separate statement, Araghchi said he spoke with European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas about it and that Tehran demanded a response. Ukraine's diplomatic representative to Iran was summoned, Iranian state media reported.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier said on X that Ukraine “achieved very strong results with long‑range strikes in the Caspian Sea — including vessels used in military cargo shipments involving Iran.”

While efforts at mediation between the U.S. and Iran continue, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to travel to the United States next week and meet with President Donald Trump in Washington on Tuesday, his office said Friday. They last met in Washington in February, weeks before they launched the war.

Over 7,000 people have been killed, including in Lebanon

A tenuous ceasefire that halted major operations for weeks has seemed to unravel this month. The U.S. accused Iran of striking three ships in the Strait of Hormuz and responded by striking dozens of targets in Iran, which retaliated by firing at U.S.-allied Gulf Arab states.

The U.S. military has renewed its blockade of Iran’s ports. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has advised residents of neighboring countries to stay away from bases with U.S. troops.

The war has killed more than 3,400 people in Iran, according to its Health Ministry. Eighteen U.S. service members, 24 civilians in Israel and smaller numbers of civilians including foreign workers and mariners have been reportedly killed across the region.

In Lebanon, more than 4,000 people have been killed since Iran-backed Hezbollah militants fired at Israel in support of the Islamic Republic two days after the war began and Israel responded with strikes and ground forces. Thirty-eight Israeli troops have also died.

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Dell'Orto reported from Jerusalem. Associated Press reporter Cara Anna in Lowville, New York, contributed to this report.

Nathan Matthews, 43, of Lincoln, Nebraska, died Friday, the federal Interior Department said in a statement.

Meanwhile, several fierce wildfires in a summer of big ones continued burning across the western U.S.

One of the worst — and the one deemed top priority for firefighting efforts — was just a few miles (5 kilometers) north of Sisters, a central Oregon city of about 3,000 people.

Winds gusting up to 30 mph (50 kph) threatened to push flames into new areas. Firefighters made progress keeping the fire in check, however, and officials were optimistic the city would be in the clear once the worst of the wind died down Sunday.

“It's going to take a while to put it out entirely. But as long as it stops moving, I think that’ll get people to relax a little bit,” Sisters Mayor Jennifer Letz said.

As of Saturday, the lightning-caused fire had burned about 40 square miles (105 square kilometers) and was 5% contained. About 30 people evacuated from areas north of Sisters were in a shelter at the local high school, with about as many more staying in recreational vehicles parked outside, Letz said.

The city wasn't in any immediate danger, and business was carrying on like usual, Letz said.

“We’re not necessarily asking everybody to come to Sisters. But it’s safe here,” said Letz.

Months of dry weather, a record lack of snow in some areas, hot spells and erratic winds have contributed to the blazes in Oregon, Washington, California, Colorado and elsewhere this summer.

In Canada, 926 fires were burning Saturday, including 82 deemed out of control, according to the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System.

About 300 aircraft and 5,300 people were involved in fighting the fires. They included 133 in northwestern Ontario alone, according to the province's Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services agency.

The biggest in Ontario had covered some 1,200 square miles (3,200 square kilometers).

The U.S. firefighter who died was among a group that had deployed tentlike emergency shelters to try to shield themselves when flames closed in June 27. Three of them died at the scene: Emily Barker, 38; Nick Hutcherson, 27; and Sydney Watson, 26.

They were part of a Helitack crew — a group that gets dropped by helicopter into remote areas to try to squelch new, rapidly expanding fires — that had been deployed in Mesa County, Colorado, west of the city of Grand Junction.

Matthews and another firefighter were taken for medical treatment. The Interior Department declined Saturday to discuss their treatment, Matthews' career or the surviving firefighter's current condition.

Watson, Hutcherson and Barker were honored at a memorial service earlier this month. Memorial arrangements for Matthews weren't yet announced.

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Associated Press writers Jennifer Peltz in New York and Jim Morris in Vancouver, British Columbia, contributed.

The five-time All-Star underwent imaging that revealed a grade 2 strain, interim manager Andy Green said.

Soto missed 15 games from April 4-21 with a right calf strain and the Mets went 3-12 without him — losing their last 12 games during that stretch.

“Anticipation is right now it’s going to take longer than last time,” Green said before Saturday night's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. “He was about three weeks last time, so it’s a little more significant than last time. It’s not what we were hoping for. He’s a guy we love having on the field. He's a guy who loves being on the field competing. We’ll be without him for a period of time.”

But at this stage, the Mets are uncertain about anything more specific.

“We have more people looking at the MRI right now,” Green said. “It’s quick and a bit presumptuous to define an exact timeline. With our organization we just check in with experts, not just in house but across the world for these types of things. So we’ll have some more people look at this, get a better handle on how long this will be and at this point in time, not going to get any more definitive on a timeline.”

The injury to Soto is the latest setback in a miserable season for the last-place Mets (43-61), who were minus star shortstop Francisco Lindor from April 23 to June 23 because of a left calf strain.

Soto walked twice against Los Angeles Dodgers starter Roki Sasaki during Friday night’s 4-2 loss at Citi Field before being replaced by pinch-hitter Jorge Polanco in the sixth inning with the score tied at 1.

After the game, Green said Soto felt discomfort pushing off when running to second base. He had been nursing the nagging injury since returning from the All-Star break last week.

Soto is hitting .283 with 21 homers, 52 RBIs and an NL-best .947 OPS in 84 games this season. He sat out Wednesday’s 4-3 loss at Milwaukee but was back in the lineup Friday after the Mets had a day off.

The lone All-Star for the last-place Mets this year, Soto exited the team’s first game after the break in the eighth inning on July 16 at Philadelphia. New York was off the following day, and he returned to the lineup as the designated hitter on Saturday and Sunday against the Phillies. He played left field Monday in Milwaukee and was the DH on Tuesday.

“Someone like him wants to be on the baseball field. He wants to play,” Green said. “And the desire to be on the field is why he’s so special in what he does. So this last week we gave him at-bats, we gave him rest at times when we felt were appropriate, and then yesterday he couldn’t get over the hump."

To replace Soto on the active roster, the Mets recalled corner infielder and outfielder Eric Wagaman from Triple-A Syracuse. Wagaman was hitting .162 with two homers and four RBIs in 21 major league games this season.

Next step for Holmes

Clay Holmes will throw a bullpen Sunday. The right-hander allowed two runs over 2 1/3 innings and threw 51 pitches Thursday in a rehab start for Triple-A Syracuse and is expected to pitch again next week in the minors.

Holmes has been on the injured list with a broken right leg since he was hit by a line drive off the bat of New York Yankees rookie Spencer Jones on May 15.

Holmes is 4-4 with a 2.39 ERA in nine starts this season and appears likely to get traded before the Aug. 3 deadline.

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A previous version of this story corrected Soto’s batting average and removed an incorrect reference to Bo Bichette grounding into a double play in the second inning Friday night.

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

Emiliano Grillo and Ben Kohles each had a 65 and are tied for second at 17 under. Michael Brennan shot a 63 and shared fourth with Chandler Phillips at 16 under. Denny McCarthy, Billy Horschel and Michael Kim were in sixth at 15 under.

Scottie Scheffler, the world's top-ranked player, was six strokes behind Koivun in a four-way tie for ninth place with Davis Thompson, Seamus Power and Brian Harman.

The 21-year-old Koivun, who was the top-ranked amateur player after a standout college career at Auburn and turned pro last month following the U.S. Open, had two eagles and six birdies to separate from the pack on a steamy and still afternoon that was ideal for low scores.

“Just got to keep the foot on the gas," Koivun said.

Koivun sank a 12-foot putt on the 12th green and a 14-footer on the 18th to eagle two of the three par-5s on the lake-filled course, which joined the tour schedule in 2019. He confidently hit his second shot from the 18th fairway over the water and landed safely on the green.

“It’s going to be definitely a test tomorrow,” Koivun said. “I’m sure some of the pins will be tucked and we’ve got a lot of great players behind me, but just going to stick to my game plan and try to smile.”

Koivun, who tied for 10th two weeks ago at the ISCO Championship in Kentucky, shot a 64 on Thursday and a 68 on Friday. He tied the 54-hole record (193) set by wire-to-wire 2023 champion Lee Hodges and became the youngest 54-hole leader on tour this season. But don't assume he's a stranger to this type of pressure.

“Playing at Auburn was so much fun. We were definitely put in some stressful situations at national championships and just collegiate play,” Koivun said. “I'm just trying to lean on those experiences.”

Kohles, who shot a 62 for the first-round lead, went bogey-free in pursuit of his first tour victory. Grillo, the 33-year-old Argentine, eagled the 18th to make up for some earlier putting misses.

“These kids are playing better every day,” Grillo said. “It’s hard to keep up with them. I’ve just got to go and shoot my lowest.”

Scheffler had an eagle and five birdies on the back nine, but his afternoon wasn't all that special. Three others matched his 64, and four players went lower than that.

Bringing a big gallery with him to watch every shot, with fans packed several rows deep along the ropes, Scheffler had the crowd going wild when he eagled the 16th by sinking a 55-footer on the par-4 hole.

“The support this week’s been tremendous. The crowd here has been great not only to myself but to the guys who've been playing well,” Scheffler said.

Kim, who took a three-stroke lead into the weekend with a second-round 59 that made him the 15th player in tour history to go below 60, lost his touch with the putter and finished with a 70.

“I’m really happy with the way I swung it today. I was pleasantly surprised at how calm I was feeling heading to the first tee,” Kim said. “Overall, I’m pretty happy with it, but a little disappointed that I’m five back.”

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

Plentiful storm coverage is expected just after lunchtime as a front slides southward. Storms will begin to pop up along the I-75 corridor just after lunchtime. Storm chances move from west to east, riding our westerly winds. I-4 begins filling in with storms around 1-2pm, then shower chances favor areas east of I-4 towards the beaches mid-afternoon into early evening as our sea breeze gets pinned near I-95. Highs will hit the mid 90s with heat indices between 105-110ºF. Heat advisories are possible once again Sunday afternoon.

High rain chances linger into next week as high moisture lingers over Central Florida. Higher than normal rain chances are expected throughout the upcoming work week as deep moisture remains over the state through Friday.

On the eve of his induction, Beltrán recounted a story from 1999 when the Royals visited Cooperstown and Brett introduced him to Hall of Famer — and fellow Puerto Rican — Orlando Cepeda.

“I have a baseball and I’m approaching Cepeda for him to sign my baseball, and George said, ‘Let me introduce you to the next Hall of Famer from Puerto Rico. His name is Carlos Beltrán,’” the nine-time All-Star outfielder said Saturday. “And I’m going like, what is he doing? I haven’t played a game and you’re introducing me as a Hall of Famer. I don’t think that’s a good statement.

“George said, `Well, Carlos, everything is possible in life. If you play hard and if you continue to play good and if you continue to develop yourself, this is an opportunity and this is a chance that you could be here.”

Twenty-seven years later, Brett’s prediction came true. Beltrán will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on Sunday alongside Andruw Jones and Jeff Kent, just as Brett and Cepeda were enshrined together as part of the 1999 class.

“Never went through my mind,” Beltrán said. “But I did imagine myself as a baseball player. I did imagine myself as a professional baseball player. I come from a very humble family. I got to see my parents doing a lot of work to push us forward.”

Beltrán was the 1999 AL Rookie of the Year with Kansas City and went on to play 20 years in the majors, including seven seasons apiece with both the Royals and New York Mets. He made the Hall in his fourth year of eligibility on the Baseball Writers' Association of America ballot, securing 84.2% of the vote.

Joining him from the BBWAA ballot is former Atlanta Braves center fielder Andruw Jones, who reached 78.4% in his ninth year. Jones nearly dropped off the ballot after his 2018 debut, when he received only 7.3% of the vote — just above the 5% threshold to get another try.

For Jones, the induction represents the culmination of a patient climb that was supported by his defensive brilliance in center field, where he won 10 straight Gold Gloves from 1998-2007.

And like Beltrán, Jones’ fondest baseball memory came when he was young.

“Just getting that call to make it to the major leagues in ’96. Getting on that plane, flying into Philadelphia and walking into the clubhouse and seeing all these guys that you watch on TV who won the World Series in ‘95 and trying to win another one in ’96,” he said. “That was the best moment of my career, to be honest with you.”

Beltrán and Jones weren’t elected to the Hall immediately during their BBWAA eligibility, but their call eventually came. For Kent, it never did.

A five-time All-Star second baseman, the 2000 NL MVP fell off the BBWAA ballot in 2023 after exhausting his 10 years of eligibility and falling well short each time of the 75% needed for induction. He was elected by a much smaller panel in December 2025, the Contemporary Baseball Era Committee.

Though his path was different, after speaking with other Hall of Famers this weekend, Kent now knows he belongs just the same.

“I’m walking around, talking to guys and I’m getting hugs and I’m getting, ‘Congratulations,’ and I’m getting, ‘You should have been in a long time ago,’ and all those things,” Kent said. “And I’m seeing in their eyes that they’re not saying it just to be nice to me because they want something from me, or they’re just trying to be nice because the cameras are on and it was real. And that’s probably the first time I was able to relax.”

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

Orange County Public Schools approved the sale of the property to Dr. Phillips Charities for redevelopment, but a preservation group is challenging the deal in court, alleging it was negotiated illegally behind closed doors.

Before the discussion turned to development and the future of the land, speakers focused on what they believe is at stake.

Eatonville was incorporated in 1887 and is recognized as one of the country’s first self-governing, all-Black towns. Speakers said the town’s history extends beyond its most famous former resident, author Zora Neale Hurston, and includes generations of families whose stories must also be preserved and told.

UCF professor Dr. Scot French gave the crowd a brief history of Eatonville. Broadway performer and Eatonville native Norm Lewis also joined the event by Zoom.

Members of the public later spoke about their connections to the town and shared their visions for Eatonville’s future.

The former Hungerford School property once served generations of Black students who were denied educational opportunities elsewhere. People at Saturday’s meeting say the debate over the land is about more than redevelopment — it is also about who has a voice in shaping Eatonville’s future and who benefits from the town’s history.

The lawsuit challenging the sale remains pending.

Crews say the fire was in a home on East Concord Street and that, when they arrived, the house was fully involved.

Officials say firefighters quickly knocked down the fire and that everyone inside got out safely.

Though everyone is out safe, firefighters say two people were displaced.

OFD said the fire is out and no injuries were reported.

That, in short, is how the Olympic gold medalist — slowed, then eventually stopped by an aching Achilles tendon — made it through a frustrating 2025 and turned it into a much more interesting and successful 2026.

“You are setting up to come back even better,” Thomas said of the change in mindset about being hurt. “And every time that I’ve had an injury, I’ve always come back stronger and better and faster. So that was what I was thinking, and then, just staying focused.”

The 29-year-old Thomas, who won the 200 meters at the Paris Games two years ago and is ramping up for a repeat attempt two years from now in Los Angeles, is not competing at this weekend's U.S. track championships in New York. She said it is not a signal that she is hurting.

In one of the interesting twists of 2026 — the middle year of the Olympic cycle that's always a little quirky for track — nationals did not fit into her Diamond League and international schedule. She's doing just fine there, with five sub-22 second runs this season, which gives her 20 for her career — the most by any woman at the distance.

She traveled to New York to cheer on some of her teammates sponsored by Toyota, which arranged this interview.

Among the highlights coming up for Thomas will be the World Athletics Ultimate Championships, where $150,000 first prizes are available, and more races at Athlos, the all-women league founded by Alexis Ohanian that is heading into its third year with a growing roster of runners, including Friday night's 100-meter champion, Sha'Carri Richardson.

Athlos' second meet of the year will be in October at Icahn Stadium on New York's Randall's Island, the same place where nationals are this weekend.

Thomas also is planning a wedding. Last spring, she got engaged to onetime Yale quarterback Spencer McManes (Thomas went to Harvard) and they'll get married in October at a location she did not divulge. Planning a wedding in the middle of track season?

“It’s not challenging,” she said. “I always say, you make time for what you care about and what you want to do, so if you love it, you’ll do it.”

She takes that mindset into her off-the-track life, where she still has plans for a career in women's health once the running stops. Thomas studied neurobiology and public health as an undergrad, then got a master's degree in public health at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston.

“As a female athlete and really understanding the gaps in women’s healthcare and how underfunded and how undersuited it is, there’s a lot of room for improvement," Thomas said. “I see myself being a part of that and narrowing that gap quite naturally. I think I will have to go back to school. I would definitely welcome that.”

Through much of 2025, Thomas was vocal about combating a growing trend of online harassment of female athletes by bettors. Earlier this week, she went on social media and doubled down on that, saying only one demographic of people harass her, “and it's never women.”

Off the track, Thomas is reading a few books by Bell Hooks, a philosopher and author who wrote extensively about race and feminism, that have reminded one of the world's greatest sprinters that there's more to life than track. In a way, it might help explain how Thomas — healthy again — can be sitting out of nationals but still loving every minute of it.

“It’s so easy to get very, very involved and tied into track and to make that your identity, especially at my level,” she said. "It’s been a nice reminder to think about who I am off the track, what I love, who I want to be.”

Around the track

World 200-meter champion Noah Lyles showed no signs of fatigue when he won his first-round heat Saturday in 20.51 seconds. Just over 18 hours earlier, he took gold in the 100. Brandon Hicklin had the fastest time in 20.43.

Reigning world champion Melissa Jefferson-Wooden posted the top time (22.50) in the opening round of the women's 200 race.

Both finals are Sunday.

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AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

A heat dome, where atmospheric conditions trap heat, was forecast to create sustained high temperatures and accumulating discomfort. Meanwhile overnight lows were not expected to come down enough for people to have much chance to recover, allowing heat stress to build as the bad weather lingers, forecasters said. With the high humidity, it feels even worse.

The oppressive midsummer weather was forecast to affect a huge stretch of the country, from the desert Southwest to the Gulf Coast and reaching up into the Midwest and Great Plains. Some records around the Denver area could be broken, forecasters said, and temperatures were expected to be 10 F to 15 F (5.6 to 8.3 C) above normal.

“It looks like it is going to be pretty much stationary in that position as we go through the week,” said Bob Oravec, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

Hot weather changes plans and makes life harder for those who work outdoors

Places under a National Weather Service extreme heat warning included western Nebraska, where temperatures Saturday and Sunday were forecast to reach 108 F (42 C).

At the Museum of the Fur Trade near Chadron, Nebraska, there were fewer visitors than usual for this time of year. Fur hats and pelts in the gift shop were not selling so hot.

“I’m sure no one would be willing to wear it on a day like this,” museum employee Hannah Lovelace said. Loose-fitting, period-correct fabric shirts, on the other hand, remained popular sellers among folks headed to historical frontier reenactments called rendezvous, she said.

The region's heat was forecast to continue through the week, with temperatures topping 100 F (37 C) even in normally moderate areas of Montana and Wyoming.

Las Vegas was also expected to see near record-breaking highs. On Saturday, when temperatures reached around 114 F (45 C) in the valley, HVAC repair technician Kristian “Flaco” Santos spent hours outside fixing air conditioning units. His job involves climbing onto homeowners' roofs or in their attics, where temperatures can be 15 degrees warmer.

“It is brutal,” Santos said, adding that not everyone can work in the heat. “I’m not Superman, but I do, I do take care of myself when I’m in the heat.”

Santos wears long-sleeve shirts and hoodies to protect himself from the sun, drinks lots of water with electrolytes to stay hydrated and takes small breaks to cool down. He encouraged people who work outside to do the same.

“You want to get home to your family safe,” Santos said.

There might be some relief in the central U.S. toward next weekend, but even that might be temporary, Oravec said.

Some areas will be spared. The Mid-Atlantic and Northeast should avoid the extreme heat, as will much of the Pacific Northwest.

This is the latest miserable stretch of weather during a summer that has already had a lot of it. The eastern U.S. endured an unbearably hot early July that forced communities to cancel Independence Day celebrations and disrupted the country's 250th anniversary. Another heat wave in mid-July hit the Southwest and Great Plains.

It’s not just the United States: A June heat wave devastated Europe, with France recording at least 5,700 more deaths than usual.

On Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, fans for the Brickyard 400 will be offered water refill stations and places to get cool, and packed coolers will be allowed. In Denver, recreation centers will set aside areas for people to get out of the heat and in front of air conditioning.

In an already hot year, heat extremes are dangerous

Authorities warned that this heat dome will be dangerous. Children and older adults, along with people with medical conditions, are especially at risk of serious conditions including heat stroke. The basics are important: Seek out air conditioning or a cooling center, and make sure to drink enough water and limit time under the direct sun.

The weather will shift somewhat through the week, with the worst pockets of heat becoming particularly severe across Texas and parts of the Gulf Coast by Wednesday.

It can be difficult to know exactly how climate change contributes to particular events in real time. But rising carbon dioxide levels from burning fossil fuels makes it more likely that hotter weather becomes more frequent and extreme, said Andy Pershing, chief program officer at Climate Central, a climate change communications nonprofit.

“We are experiencing exactly what the climate models in the 1990s said we should experience now. That is more frequent, more severe heat waves, bigger temperature anomalies, more humidity, higher overnight temperatures,” Pershing said. “These are all part and parcel of the climate story.”

The continental U.S. endured the second-hottest first half of the year on record in 2026, according to average temperature tracking by the National Centers for Environmental Information. June itself was the 18th warmest.

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

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Mead Gruver in Fort Collins, Colorado, and Jessica Hill in Las Vegas contributed.

The two-car accident happened on July 14 in Palo Alto, leading to Shanahan being taken to the hospital. The other driver was not hospitalized. Palo Alto police Lt. Nicholas Martinez said there was no evidence that either driver was impaired and that both cooperated with police. No one was cited in the collision.

Niners general manager John Lynch said Shanahan sustained a concussion, along with a broken nose, broken ribs and an injured hand.

“Kyle is doing good,” Lynch said Saturday. “He’s got some bumps and bruises. He did suffer a concussion in the accident, has some lingering effects from that concussion.”

Lynch said Shanahan is going through the same type of protocol that players undergo after a concussion and that doctors would determine when he will be able to be back at full speed.

Lynch said Shanahan might be on the practice field when drills start on Sunday but won't run practice or team meetings until he is recovered.

“He’s a tremendous head coach, but this is bigger than that,” Lynch said. “This is about his well-being. We’re going to take the time necessary. And I think we’re very equipped to do that.”

The Niners will conduct their first practice on Sunday with assistant head coach/offensive line coach Chris Foerster running the team, along with coordinators Klay Kubiak, Raheem Morris and Brant Boyer.

Foerster has been on the 49ers' staff since 2019 and also worked under Shanahan in Washington as an offensive line coach when Shanahan was offensive coordinator.

Lynch didn't give a timeline for Shanahan's return but did say the team anticipates he will be back well before the season opener on Sept. 11 in Australia against the Los Angeles Rams.

Rams coach Sean McVay, who worked on the same staff as Shanahan in Washington from 2010-13, said he has talked to Shanahan since the crash and was thankful everyone involved was OK.

“I think any time that something like that happens, it shakes you up a little bit,” McVay said. "But most importantly, I’ve talked to him, my thoughts and prayers are with his family, and I know he’s got an incredible perspective on it all. Kyle is a stud. I have as much respect for him as anybody, and he’s a friend of mine and I love him, and I’m hoping that he’s going to have a great recovery.”

Shanahan is entering his 10th season as 49ers coach and is one of the most highly regarded coaches in the game for his offensive acumen. San Francisco has made two trips to the Super Bowl under his watch following the 2019 and 2023 seasons and made two additional appearances in the NFC title game in the 2021 and '22 seasons.

Shanahan has a 91-72 record in the regular season and playoffs for the 49ers, ranking third in franchise history in wins behind George Seifert (108) and Bill Walsh (102).

The team overcame significant injuries last season to finish 12-5 in the regular season and win a playoff game as Shanahan finished fifth in voting for the AP NFL Coach of the Year.

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AP Sports Writer Greg Beacham in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

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

The latest wildfires in southern Europe this week have displaced more than 250,000 people, including some 70,000 people who were evacuated in central Spain. One man died in Manises, the municipality reported on its Facebook page, the first death so far in the blazes.

In France, the giant A400M transporter swooped in low, its long plume of ochre-colored retardant trailing over drought-hit woodlands in the southwest as fire crews on the ground fought flames that authorities feared could spread toward the wine region city of Bordeaux.

Race organizers and the Paris police department announced a truncated 21st and final stage on Sunday for the three-week Tour, France's most famous annual sporting event, reflecting the immense strain that two large fires in the southwest are causing for emergency services.

Tour riders will race Sunday inside Paris, rather than starting from Thoiry, west of the capital, on a circuit of 89 kilometers (55 miles) — down by a third from the 133-kilometer (82.5-mile) route that had been planned. Part of the race's security detail will instead “reinforce the response efforts in the areas affected by the wildfires,” according to the statement announcing the ”exceptional measures made necessary by the situation."

Shifting winds raise concerns for Bordeaux

With winds expected to shift in a west-to-east direction on Saturday afternoon, potentially driving flames closer to Bordeaux, fire crews and authorities were digging trenches, using retardants and taking other blaze-blocking steps, French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said, predicting a “long and very difficult” battle.

He said the fire was about 30 kilometers (20 miles) west of the city and lost some of its intensity overnight. The prefect of the Gironde region that includes Bordeaux said the blaze grew into “a firestorm" on Friday after igniting earlier this week and cautioned that it “remains dangerous" even though firefighters were making progress.

The government mobilized soldiers to join fire crews and was rushing in 1.5 million face masks to protect against choking smoke.

Authorities ordered people between the fire and Bordeaux to evacuate, including from parts of the city’s western suburbs and other towns and villages.

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu described the fires as unprecedented and said the Gironde blaze became so strong on Friday that it had begun generating its own winds. Firefighting teams were being reinforced with the addition of hundreds of soldiers and breathing masks to filter out potentially noxious smoke particles were being rushed to those exposed, Lecornu said.

In Bordeaux, authorities took in thousands of evacuees, offering them food and shelter in an exhibition center, and the city’s mayor said it could be equipped to welcome as many as 10,000 people if that became necessary. The city's airport said it remained open but that its bus and tram services were suspended.

Evacuation orders were sent with special alerts to mobile phones, instructing people to leave, Gironde prefect Sophie Brocas said. She said the fire had destroyed about 140 homes in the region.

The magnitude of the wildfires caught authorities off guard

The French military A400M transport plane, specially converted for fire-fighting, was a heavyweight new tool in the battle. It joined at least 18 other water- and retardant-dropping aircraft and helicopters that Nunez said were deployed in the Gironde region, working in rotation in the smoke-filled skies.

The virulence of the French and Spanish wildfires, fueled by high temperatures and the long-term effects of climate change, caught fire crews and authorities off guard.

Firefighters in Spain said the blazes spread so fast and violently that they could not be tackled head on. In France, some people even fled by boat when flames swept through touristic towns on the Atlantic coast.

“We’ve never seen anything like this,” said Javier Organista, a resident of El Tiemblo, west of Madrid, where fire charred a famed chestnut grove. “When we saw the flames coming into our town, surrounding us, leaving us with practically no way out, all the neighbors joined together to try to stop its advance.”

“It’s just really sad,” he said.

Climate change supercharges fires

Spain deployed 2,600 firefighters, police and other emergency personnel to two blazes west of Madrid, backed by 19 water-dumping aircraft and helicopters.

France deployed 1,400 firefighters to the Gironde fire and hundreds of others to another wildfire further south in the Landes region. Dozens of firefighters suffered injuries, authorities said amid panic scenes with townsfolk fleeing by car and police went door to door to tell people to leave.

Successive heat waves that hit unusually early and hard this year, baking Europe with record-shattering high temperatures, have turned forests and scrublands into tinderboxes.

Fires have burned 130,000 hectares of forest already this year in Spain, up from an annual average of 100,000 hectares over the past decade, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Saturday as he visited a command post west of Madrid.

He said more favorable weather Saturday offered “a window of opportunity” for fire crews to bring the blazes under control. Madrid's regional government said the fires decreased in intensity as winds and temperatures dropped.

The fatality reported on Saturday occurred in Manises, part of the wildfire-affected region of Valencia.

Other European nations were helping, with Italy, Greece, the Netherlands, Portugal, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Slovakia, Germany and Switzerland already providing or expected to deploy water-dumping planes and helicopters to the Spanish and French fire fronts.

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Leicester reported from Paris. Associated Press journalists Barry Hatton in Lisbon, Portugal; Manu Fernandez in El Tiemblo, Spain; and Joseph Wilson in Barcelona contributed.

Hocevar, who drives for Spire Motorsports, produced a fast lap of 186.598 mph. Suarez, his teammate, soon followed with a lap of 186.382 to give Chevrolet the top two starting spots on the 39-car starting grid. Reddick will start third in Sunday's race on Indianapolis Motor Speedway's historic 2.5-mile oval.

For Hocevar, it was another magical moment.

“I haven’t won anything at Indy, even was looking at like a marathon or something just so I can get an award here — it doesn’t matter what,” Hocevar said. “It’s just really cool to get something here. I look out to the back stretch, behind this media center and there’s a parking lot with a bunch of rubber and that’s where I grew up racing."

The 23-year-old Hocevar has now won three career poles — the other two at Texas with one coming earlier this year. The Michigan native has one career victory, in April at Talladega, in his third full season on the NASCAR circuit.

He finished 12th and 10th the last two years, his only previous Brickyard starts.

Reddick had Michael Jordan's 23XI Racing team on top of the speed charts for most of the afternoon with a lap of 186.077 one day after he told reporters his car performed so poorly in practice it felt like he “had never raced here before.”

How important is qualifying at Indy?

“It's going to be a lot of it,” said Reddick, who won the 2022 Brickyard on Indy's road course and is trying to become the first driver to win on both courses. “We have seen, though, last year, right, Denny (Hamlin) had his issue in qualifying and still had a strong day, so it's possible. But you set yourself up for more track position, more stage points with clean execution on the weekend.”

Hocevar, Suarez and Reddick were the only drivers to top 186 mph on an unusually cool, overcast afternoon that produced significantly higher speeds than in Friday's lone practice session.

Sunday's race could take place in much different conditions with temperatures expected to rise.

Defending champion Bubba Wallace, who also races for Jordan's team, will start 29th after going 183.861. Hamlin, who has won three of NASCAR's four crown jewel races, starts fifth as he tries to capture his first Brickyard title with Joe Gibbs Racing.

And Ryan Blaney got an early edge on Todd Gilliland as the two finalists chase the $1 million In-Season Challenge prize. Blaney is starting 13th while Gilliland qualified 36th.

But Hocevar hopes to cash in, too, as he leads the field across the Yard of Bricks to start the race.

“Hopefully that can get us a good advantage,” Hocevar said. “The prestige of this place raises everybody's intensity, so you know everybody's trying a little bit more because they know how much it means to everybody. So, yeah, it's super important.”

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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

And with peak travel season underway, millions of people may have to contend with this disorienting condition, which can cause sleep disturbances, daytime tiredness, headaches and nasty gastrointestinal symptoms.

But you can minimize the effects of jet lag — and not just by adjusting your sleep-wake schedule. What and how you eat and drink can make a difference too.

Jet lag occurs when your body’s biological clock is out of sync with the time zone you find yourself in. Usually, environmental cues such as sunrises and sunsets help set your internal clock. But when you cross time zones, it may take a few days for your body to adjust.

“I’ve personally experienced pretty severe jet lag before,” during two European trips, said Tara Schmidt, a registered dietitian at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. “It really kind of ruined the first few days of my vacation.”

Eat on the local schedule at your destination

While symptoms of jet lag vary, digestive problems such as bloating, constipation or diarrhea are not uncommon, said Joanne Slavin, a nutrition expert at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.

One way to minimize jet lag is to begin gradually shifting the timing of your meals as you get ready for travel. Schmidt suggested first moving them by 15 minutes, then a half hour, then an hour closer to the destination time zone.

Then, after you get where you're going, eat when the locals eat.

If it’s morning, have breakfast. A hearty one aligned with your new time zone can help you recover from jet lag, a 2023 study co-authored by Northwestern University researchers suggests.

As the day goes on, keep to the same schedule, having lunch and dinner at times appropriate for the location.

“Immediately go on your new schedule,” Slavin said.

To avoid stomachaches, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises keeping meals smaller just before and during travel. Schmidt said this is particularly important in the early days of a trip.

“Smaller meals tend to be more easily tolerated for people, especially if you have a sensitive stomach or maybe are dealing with some of those GI discomforts,” Schmidt said.

Later in the trip, she said, you may be able to ease into eating more at one sitting. Just be mindful about foods that you might not be used to, especially greasy or high-fat items.

“Enjoying a meal abroad is so fun, especially when you’re experiencing a new culture, a new food,” she said.

Watch what you drink on vacation

It’s also best to skip that glass of wine or pint of beer.

“As fun as it is sometimes when we travel, we really do endorse avoiding alcohol because alcohol is such a huge sleep disruptor,” Schmidt said.

Another pro tip: Use caffeine strategically. If you normally have a cup of coffee or tea in the morning, it’s fine to do that while traveling. But don’t have caffeine so late in the day that it will keep you up. And be aware that both caffeine and alcohol can make you more dehydrated.

“Dehydration can certainly worsen fatigue and those perceived jet lag symptoms,” Schmidt said.

Drink water before, during and after your flight to combat the effects of dry cabin air. At your destination, eight glasses of water a day is a good, easy-to-remember goal, but keep in mind that some people may need more fluids, others less, depending on things like weather and exercise. Cleveland Clinic experts suggest choosing bottled water if you have any questions about water safety.

When the trip is over, get back to your normal schedule

Experts say how and what you consume while traveling is only part of the equation for minimizing jet lag. But these changes complement the better known tips for adjusting your sleep schedule to the new time zone.

When your vacation begins winding down, the advice is much the same for sleep and eating: Ease back into your normal schedule and try to fully resume it at home.

“The sooner you get back to it, to all of your habits,” Slavin said, “the better off you’re going to be.”

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

While the Rams reported to training camp at Loyola Marymount University on Saturday, McVay said he has no idea whether one of the greatest defensive linemen in recent NFL history will decide to resume his career.

“If that is something that he wants to do, we’re going to try to be able to make that happen,” McVay said. “But I genuinely do not have an answer on whether he is or he isn’t. I know he’s preparing himself to be able to make that decision, and I know if he feels good, he’s going to be ready to rock. If not, he doesn’t owe us anything.”

McVay said Puka Nacua is expected to practice in training camp while the Rams work on the next contract for their All-Pro receiver, who is entering the final year of his rookie deal. The coach said NFL MVP Matthew Stafford is fully healthy, but still will sit out multiple practices in training camp as part of a modified preparation schedule to keep the 38-year-old quarterback fresh for the long season ahead.

The Rams also confirmed first-round pick Ty Simpson had formally signed his four-year, $25.4 million rookie contract as he begins a training camp competition with Stetson Bennett for the backup job behind Stafford.

But McVay was eager to talk about a player who wasn't reporting to the Loyola Marymount dorms — Donald, who anchored the Rams' defense for a decade before he retired somewhat abruptly in March 2024.

Donald apparently began to entertain the idea of a comeback early last month after the Rams acquired superstar pass rusher Myles Garrett in a trade with Cleveland. The prospect of lining up next to one of his few contemporary peers compelled the now-35-year-old Donald to begin an extensive workout program aimed at returning him to football shape.

“He is going through his process, and he is putting himself in a position to make a decision,” McVay said. “He's earned the right to be able to do that. ... He's very diligent. Anything that he does, he does all-in, and so he's going through a very strict regimen and process that's similar to what he did when he played. See how his body responds and feels, and then we'll see when we have more information whether or not we're going to give it a go, or whether or not he's going to continue to enjoy what he's been doing for the last couple of years.”

Donald hung it up nearly 2 1/2 years ago after a very successful decade spent entirely with the Rams in St. Louis and Los Angeles. He racked up a team-record 111 sacks as the heart of the Rams' defense, winning the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year three times while earning eight All-Pro selections and 10 Pro Bowl selections.

Donald led the Rams to a championship in the 2021-22 season, making the decisive defensive plays in both the NFC title game and the Super Bowl victory over Cincinnati in their home SoFi Stadium.

Donald has stayed close to the game and the Rams during his two years of retirement, living mostly in Los Angeles while regularly returning to his native Pittsburgh. The current Rams are eager to see whether they're about to add another star.

“I mean, him being the greatest of all time, I'm sure he'd have a pretty good impact, right?” defensive lineman Braden Fiske said. "It's only been two years, but if you've seen the (workout) videos, it doesn't seem like he's lost too much of where he's at. ... If that's what he chooses to do, I'm sure we'll be waiting for him. We're just letting him handle his process. That's totally on him. I don't want to be the pushy one. If it happens, great. If not, you know, we'll play some good football."

Fiske is among the linemen whose snap counts could be affected if Donald returns, but the Rams appear to be wholeheartedly excited about the prospect of adding Donald to a roster already considered to be among the Super Bowl favorites.

When asked if Donald's comeback decision might not be made until midseason, McVay reiterated that the Rams will support whatever Donald wants to do.

“I think if AD makes the decision to come back, he's going to want to play the whole year, just knowing how he is and the mindset that he has,” said left guard Steve Avila, who played with Donald as a rookie in 2023. “I don't think he'd be halfway in, halfway out with being part of the team, and that's just what you expect from someone as great as him.”

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

Soldiers remained in the village of Tell, in the northern West Bank, where Friday's clashes were centered. Palestinians described searches that included raids of a hospital in the city of Nablus, one of the territory's most violent areas.

Palestinians in the West Bank have faced violence as Israel’s hard-line government, dominated by settler leaders and supporters, has overseen a surge in settlement construction over the past four years. The international community overwhelmingly considers the Israeli settlement construction illegal and an obstacle to peace.

Soldiers make arrest during raid at West Bank hospital

“More than 50 armed soldiers and officers stormed the hospital, terrifying the patients,” Ghassan Barkat, director of Nablus Specialty Hospital, told journalists. He said soldiers on Friday detained, bound and insulted staff and patients, raided hospital departments and arrested a seriously injured man, Ali Hussein Ali Ramadan.

“This should not happen in a healthcare institution,” said Barkat, adding that women and children were present.

An Israeli military statement did not mention the hospital, but it said over 300 locations were searched and what it described as affiliates of the Hamas militant group, arms traffickers, “terrorists” and others were detained.

The circumstances of Friday's events remained unclear, but Israeli media reports and interviews with local Palestinian officials suggested a group of settlers entered Tell and were confronted by residents fearful of an attack. The village is off-limits to Israelis as part of Area B under the 1993 Oslo Accords.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said Israeli soldiers shot and killed four Palestinians in Tell, while the military reported the deaths of two soldiers, one of them a settler in a local defense squad. Two other Israelis and four more Palestinians were wounded, health officials said.

The Israeli military on Saturday said it detained 11 suspects in Tell.

Over 80 Palestinians were arrested across the territory, said Amin Shuman, president of the Palestinian higher commission for the affairs of prisoners, calling them “an attempt to impose collective punitive measures and retaliatory policies” against Palestinian citizens after Friday’s events.

On Saturday, Israel's military said Israeli civilians and Palestinians threw rocks in a confrontation in the West Bank village of Susya, and the weapon of a soldier on leave was stolen but retrieved.

More than 700,000 Israelis live in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem, territories captured by Israel in 1967 and sought by the Palestinians for an independent state along with the Gaza Strip.

Israeli strikes kill at least 4 in Gaza

Israeli strikes on Saturday killed at least four Palestinians and wounded at least 15 others across Gaza, according to Palestinian health officials.

In the southern city of Khan Younis, an airstrike killed a man and a woman, whose bodies were taken to Nasser Hospital, the hospital said.

In northern Gaza, a strike on a vehicle in the Jabaliya area killed one person and wounded two others, according to officials at Shifa Hospital, where the casualties were taken.

A strike on a motorbike in Gaza City’s Sheikh Radwan neighborhood killed the director of the area’s police force, according to the Interior Ministry and Shifa Hospital.

A strike in the central Gaza refugee camp of Nuseirat wounded three people, according to the Belgian field hospital, which received the casualties.

And Israeli drones struck the vicinity of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central city of Deir al-Balah, wounding 10 people, the hospital said. Chaotic scenes unfolded as severely wounded men covered in blood were rushed into the hospital by bystanders.

Israel's military said it struck a member of Hamas' military wing near Al-Aqsa hospital, and that it struck members of the Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad military wings in the strikes on Nuseirat and Jabaliya. The military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the other strikes. Militants have carried out shooting attacks on troops, and Israel says its strikes are in response to that and other violations.

While the heaviest fighting has subsided since a fragile ceasefire took hold in October following two years of war between Israel and Hamas, Israeli forces have carried out repeated airstrikes, killing at least 1,191 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.

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

Five Israeli soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire.

The Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas-led militants on Israel killed some 1,200 people and saw 251 taken hostage, sparking the war. Israel’s retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed more than 73,317 Palestinians, including those killed since the ceasefire, Gaza’s Health Ministry said.

Jackson replaces Graham Platner, who won the Democratic primary in June but withdrew from the race earlier this month following an allegation of sexual assault that Platner has denied. Maine Democrats met Saturday to choose a new Senate nominee to face Collins.

Support coalesced around Jackson, a former Maine Senate president and fifth-generation logger from rural northern Maine who campaigned alongside Platner during a failed bid for governor and was a favorite among progressives to replace him.

“When the people in power refuse to listen, you have to organize, you have to stand in solidarity, together. And you have to make them listen,” Jackson said during a speech at the last-minute nominating convention.

Democrats view Maine as the party’s best opportunity to flip a Senate seat this year because it's a competitive race in a state President Donald Trump lost in 2024. But defeating Collins won’t be easy. The five-term incumbent holds a fundraising advantage, while Jackson will have less than four months to sell himself to voters.

Republicans immediately launched an ad campaign against Jackson, accusing him of having a volatile temper and linking him to Platner. The Senate Leadership Fund, Republicans' super PAC, said it is committed to spending over $42 million against Jackson.

Collins has described Jackson as a ‘Bernie Bro’

Jackson, 58, will need to convince the state’s large independent voting bloc that it’s time to replace Collins, 73. Republicans have called Jackson too extreme for Maine voters, and Collins said earlier this week that she knows Jackson well and that his positions are “clearly” in line with socialism.

"Troy Jackson will attempt to sell Mainers a multi-trillion dollar bill of goods based on rhetoric that will make everything sound free, but in reality would be paid for by middle and lower income workers,” said Collins’ campaign spokesperson, Shawn Roderick.

Both Jackson and Collins are from northern Maine, where traditional industries such as potato farming and timber harvesting are vital parts of the economy. Both will make the case over the next few months that they are the right leader to protect those industries, along with lobster fishing and tourism.

Collins noted that Jackson ran U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders’ first presidential campaign in Maine, adding “He’s a Bernie Bro.”

Asked by reporters about that description, Jackson said, "I don’t really care. What I am is a guy from northern Maine that’s a logger.”

He said he would attack Collins on what he described as her record of supporting tax cuts for the wealthy and failing to protect health care.

Jackson needs to scramble to make up a fundraising gulf against the incumbent, who has been raising money for months. Federal filings show she has raised more than $16 million so far. Jackson’s campaign this week said he raised more than $1 million since jumping into the Senate race.

Maine is an important piece of Democrats’ effort to win the Senate

Democrats have a narrow path to take back the Senate in November and it’s highly unlikely they can do it without a win in Maine. In addition, they need victories in competitive races in North Carolina, Alaska and Ohio, and they need to hang on to the seats they already have. That includes open Senate seats in Michigan and Minnesota, where Democratic incumbents are retiring.

Maine’s Democratic primary was one of the early contests where progressives took on establishment-backed Democrats. While Platner faced several controversies during his campaign, he easily outlasted Gov. Janet Mills, who was backed by Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer but dropped out before the June 9 primary.

Platner had backing from Sanders as well as Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren. That support disintegrated after the sexual assault allegation early this month.

Republicans began making the case Saturday that Jackson is too close to Platner. Jackson is “a Platner apologist, a radical Bernie Bro, and a walking red flag displaying all the warning signs of the early days of the Platner campaign,” RNC spokesperson Kristen Cianci said in a statement.

Jackson told reporters Saturday that he has not been in touch with Platner and is building a new movement. He didn't mention Platner from the stage during his two addresses to Democratic delegates on Saturday, but said the campaign was “bigger than any one person.”

Jackson overwhelmingly won delegates' support

The Maine Democratic Party scrambled to choose a new nominee after Platner, who sailed to victory in the Democratic primary in June, was accused by a former girlfriend of sexually assaulting her in 2021. Platner denies the allegation, but quit the race after key supporters called on him to withdraw.

Maine law gave the state party authority to choose a replacement and required a new nominee to be named by Monday — 101 days before the Nov. 3 election.

Maine Democrats' never-before-used process of voting on a new nominee involved hundreds of Democratic delegates gathering in Bangor, about 130 miles (209 kilometers) north of Portland. The delegates were elected at county party meetings last weekend, and Jackson scored an easy victory over just one opponent.

He first ran for office as a Republican in 2000 when he sought a seat inside Maine’s House of Representatives. He lost, but won two years later when he ran as an independent. He switched to the Democratic Party in 2004, and eventually became the Maine Senate president before leaving the statehouse in 2024.

He came in third while running for governor in this year’s Democratic primary, but had the backing of Platner and Our Revolution, the political organization founded by Sanders. Once Platner dropped out on July 10, a flood of former governor candidates — including Jackson — jumped to try to take his place. But by July 19, most had abandoned their bids, with Jackson emerging as the clear favorite.

Jackson received early support from progressives who had backed Platner before he dropped out. Our Revolution initially backed Jackson for governor and Platner for Senate. When Platner left the race, the group rallied behind Jackson.

He has supported progressive positions such as Medicare for All. He also has called for the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, whose presence in Maine has been hotly debated since an agent killed a driver in the state earlier this month.

Jackson acknowledged the disappointment of Platner’s supporters and the need to win them over for the general election.

“I agree there are people that are still very frustrated and angry what happened. I understand that,” he said to reporters. “All I’m trying to do is explain to them that his campaign was about the issues.”

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Associated Press writer Joey Cappelletti and video journalist Nathan Ellgren in Washington contributed to this report.

The younger Bolsonaro still seeks a running mate and does not enjoy the support of centrist parties as his father did. Few Brazilian political heavyweights were in attendance, in another sign of his troubles forming an alliance against Lula ahead of the October election .

The 45-year-old senator's popular stepmother, Michelle Bolsonaro, a leader for many evangelical voters, was one of the notable absences among about 500 people cheering him on in Sao Paulo. Recently, the two exchanged criticism in public. She spoke Saturday in a recorded video in which she mentioned the anointed candidate just once.

Milei and Netanyahu express support

Still, Flávio Bolsonaro managed to bring in Argentina's President Javier Milei, displayed a short video of support from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and now eyes more international endorsements from several members of U.S. President Donald Trump's administration.

Milei said Brazil needs to get rid of what he called “the Lula risk” of keeping progressive politics for another four years in Latin America's most powerful economy.

But absences were notable. The former president cannot make public addresses as he serves his 27-year sentence over a coup attempt, so a video featured an artificial intelligence-created version of Jair Bolsonaro.

Flávio Bolsonaro did not disclose much about his plans for the presidency if he wins. He tearfully paid tribute to his father, now under house arrest, and raised his voice against Lula.

“You are going to put this presidential sash on me next year,” said Bolsonaro, who also accused Brazil's Supreme Court of persecuting his family. “This is more than a party convention. This is the beginning of the toughest battles of our life. A fight between good and evil.”

Search for a running mate continues

Bolsonaro has failed to recruit a high-profile female running mate after attempts to lure former Agriculture Minister Tereza Cristina.

Her Popular Party, which has a stronghold in Congress and was key for Jair Bolsonaro’s presidency, was not expected to field a presidential candidate. Its distancing from the younger Bolsonaro has been surprising.

“That's not necessarily bad for us,” lawmaker Zé Trovao told journalists before the convention began. “We can have a more ideological campaign and when time comes it will be them coming to us, having to agree to our agenda if they want to get rid of Lula and the Workers Party.”

Flávio Bolsonaro “has faced a problem each week, sometimes two problems,” said political consultant Thomas Traumann, based in Rio de Janeiro. "So far he has been on the defensive, saying the campaign only starts in August.”

Lula’s Workers’ Party will confirm the 80-year-old’s reelection bid in a convention on Aug. 2, also in Sao Paulo, a key battleground in the election.

Flávio Bolsonaro faces an uphill battle

Many of the troubles Bolsonaro has faced are self-inflicted. Support to his bid started to wane in May after he admitted he had requested millions of dollars from jailed banker Daniel Vorcaro to pay for a film about his father's life. The revelation shocked many allies.

Bolsonaro then visited the White House and the U.S. State Department days later expecting to get a Trump boost, but now many voters, business leaders and politicians blame him for the U.S. government imposing new tariffs on Brazilian exports of up to 37.5% as of Friday.

Even as most of Brazil was watching the World Cup on TV, Bolsonaro faced another blow: His stepmother recorded a video to say he was being disrespectful to her in a phone conversation.

Then last week, Bolsonaro drew criticism after repeating debunked claims on the reliability of Brazil’s electronic voting system, echoing those that led the country’s top court to rule his father ineligible.

As the convention was being prepared, the senator and his stepmother made amends. Bolsonaro made the first move in a live broadcast in which he apologized and added he is being “disproportionally persecuted" by others, as his father was.

Michelle Bolsonaro accepted Sen. Bolsonaro's apology on Friday, in what could be a first move of reconciliation within the family as the campaign begins.

“Let's sit down, let's talk, let's adjust details and together we will get a big army of people who do good to rescue our Brazil," she said in a video published on Friday.

Traumann, the political analyst, said Bolsonaro at the convention will have a much tougher time appealing to moderates than he did when he started his bid in December.

“He was showing himself as the moderate Bolsonaro, the one who took COVID vaccines, who is kind to his two daughters,” Traumann said. “He has lost voters who are against the Workers' Party, but are also more moderate. Now he has the radical core of his campaign, and his attempt now is to stop that group from leaving him too.”

___ Associated Press journalist Lucas Dumphreys in Rio de Janeiro contributed to this report.

The UNESCO meetings in Busan, which continue through next Wednesday, are reviewing dozens of other nominations, including the D-Day landing beaches in France, Mount Olympus in Greece and the ancient Japanese capitals of Asuka-Fujiwara.

The Okefenokee Swamp boasts impressive biodiversity

The Okefenokee Swamp is regarded as one of the world’s largest freshwater ecosystems, encompassing a vast network of wetlands that supports exceptional biodiversity and serves as the source of two major rivers. Its largely undisturbed peat beds preserve a 5,000-year record of environmental change, making the swamp both a globally significant natural habitat and a valuable source of information on long-term environmental change, according to a UNESCO description.

While the World Heritage designation places the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge alongside iconic U.S. landmarks such as the Grand Canyon, some locals have opposed the listing, fearing it would increase U.N. involvement in managing the site.

“We accept this inscription not as a finish line, but as a commitment to keep the Okefenokee wild, resilient, and thriving for generations to come,” said Kim Bednarek, executive director of the nonprofit Okefenokee Swamp Park that’s worked with the U.S. government on the refuge’s nomination package.

A Thai 13th-century Buddhist temple with unique architecture makes the list

Wat Phra Mahathat Woramahawihan, a 13th-century Buddhist temple in southern Thailand known for its 78-meter (255-foot) stupa and distinctive architecture, was also inscribed on the World Heritage List, becoming Thailand’s ninth site.

UNESCO has described the temple as an outstanding example of Theravada Buddhist architecture that remains a living place of worship, preserving religious traditions that draw large gatherings of devotees. The temple was first proposed to UNESCO in 2012, and has gone through more than a decade of preparation to meet the nomination requirements.

While the World Heritage listing is expected to dramatically increase visitors to the temple, Kanop Ketchart, mayor of Nakhon Si Thammarat City, said officials are prepared to address potential infrastructure and capacity challenges.

“We have prepared our infrastructure, buffer zoning and evacuation plan to fit all the requirements of UNESCO,” he said in an interview with The Associated Press this month. “More importantly, the people are getting used to all this process for almost 10 years. So they are very much looking forward to (it).”

Religious, environmental and historic sites join the World Heritage List

Sarnath, an ancient Buddhist site in the northern Indian city of Varanasi, was another Asian religious location newly added to the World Heritage List. Recognized as the sacred location where the Buddha delivered his first sermon, the site’s architectural and archaeological properties remain deeply significant despite periods of decline and revival, UNESCO said.

The committee also decided to expand the World Heritage listing of the South Korean “getbol” tidal flats with four additional coastal wetlands in Seosan, Goheung, Muan and Yeosu in the country’s west. UNESCO had previously inscribed four other South Korean tidal flats in 2021 for their biodiversity and crucial role as a stopover for migratory birds.

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said the expanded designation of the tidal flats “reaffirms the importance of international cooperation for the conservation of the Yellow Sea ecosystem and the East Asian-Australasian Flyway,” a major migratory bird route that stretches from the Arctic through Asia to Australia and New Zealand.

Centuries-old handicraft porcelain industry sites in the eastern Chinese city of Jingdezhen were another new addition to the World Heritage List. The sites trace the evolution of handcrafted porcelain production in China from the 10th to the 19th centuries, showcasing innovations that helped make Jingdezhen a leading center for fine porcelain, with its blue-and-white porcelain becoming a global symbol of Chinese craftsmanship, according to UNESCO.

The Indian Ocean island nation of Comoros secured its first World Heritage listing after the committee inscribed six historic towns dating to the 11th century that later emerged as the principal urban centers of the country’s sultanates. UNESCO says the towns reflect centuries of cultural exchange through Indian Ocean trade networks while preserving distinctive urban traditions shaped by African, Arab and Islamic influences.

Team owner Robert Kraft said Saturday the star cornerback has been offered the highest contract in Patriots history.

“We love Christian Gonzalez. We love him as a player, as a person. That's why we've made an offer to him that makes him the highest-paid player ever to play that position in the NFL,” Kraft said before the team's opening training camp practice. “Coincidentally, it's the highest contract in Patriots franchise history.”

Kraft didn't provide details on the offer. But Los Angeles Rams cornerback Trent McDuffie's four-year contract currently tops NFL cornerbacks with an average yearly value of approximately $31 million.

The Patriots picked up Gonzalez's fifth-year option in April, meaning he will make just over $18 million in the final year of his rookie deal in 2027. But he entered the offseason seeking long-term security beyond that.

He apparently will soon have it with this extension offer.

For his part, Gonzalez has been confident that something would be worked out with the club, while remaining a presence around the team.

After skipping voluntary offseason workouts last month, Gonzalez was present for New England’s three-day mandatory minicamp. He was back on the field for Saturday’s first training camp workout.

Gonzalez is easily the team’s most important player in the secondary, earning his first Pro Bowl selection last season after posting 69 tackles, 10 pass breakups and one tackle for a loss in 2025.

Fellow cornerback Marcus Jones said Friday that although he hadn't discussed details of the situation with Gonzalez, he was confident Gonzalez wants to remain in New England.

“Gonzo loves it here,” Jones said. “I know that for a fact.”

Mike Vrabel not worried about recent history of Super Bowl losers

The Patriots had a dream turnaround last season, going from 4-13 in 2024 to 14-3 last season and earning a spot in the Super Bowl. They came up short in their championship bid, falling 29-13 to Seattle. But it's left high expectations in Mike Vrabel's second season in New England.

Each of the past two Super Bowl losers — Kansas City in the 2024 season and San Francisco in the 2023 season — missed the playoffs the following year. Both finished with 6-11 records after their Super Bowl runs.

But that's the furthest thing from Vrabel's mind.

“The expectations always get higher,” Vrabel said. “Our job is to recreate the things that we did really well last year — the culture, the ability to win different ways and find ways to win and understand how to win and understand how to prepare. And we’re going to have a more difficult journey. That’s just how it goes each and every year. That’s what we’re expecting.”

Drake Maye begins work with new center Jared Wilson

For the third straight year, quarterback Drake Maye is working with a new starting center in camp.

He had multiple centers as a rookie in 2024 after David Andrews suffered a season-ending shoulder injury. Maye had more continuity last season when Garrett Bradbury started all 17 regular-season games and the four playoff games.

But with Bradbury signing with Chicago this offseason, Maye will be breaking in Jared Wilson, who started 13 games at left guard as a rookie for the Patriots in 2025. It's not a huge transition for Wilson, who played 12 games at center as a junior at Georgia.

“Jared, he's natural there,” Maye said. “You get to know his little things and how he likes things, when he's going left and I'm going right — all the under center things and how he understands Mike's points. ... Me and you, it's our show. And I think he's done a great job.”

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

The footage shows that the incident happened on the afternoon of July 18, with large of riders passing through an intersection near East Colonial Drive and North Fern Creek Avenue.

People who live and spend time in downtown Orlando said the behavior was reckless and unnecessary.

“It’s foolery, foolery,” one resident said.

Another resident criticized the riders’ actions, saying, “That’s stupid, running around cars that’s stupid, running red lights that’s stupid.”

In a statement from OPD they say, “the Orlando Police Department responded to Downtown Orlando after receiving reports of a large group of juveniles operating electric and motorized bikes in a reckless manner.

Officers observed hundreds of riders running red lights, blocking intersections, impeding the flow of traffic, and interfering with emergency vehicles attempting to respond through the area. During the response, several juveniles were detained. Criminal citations were issued where appropriate, and multiple electric bikes were towed because they were not properly registered as required by law. The juveniles were released to their parents or guardians.

Because of the size and mobility of the group, not every rider was immediately apprehended. However, officers took enforcement action when it could be done safely."

Residents said groups of young people on e-bikes have become a familiar sight in parts of Orlando, with some acknowledging that while riding itself isn’t the problem, dangerous behavior on busy streets is.

“Yeah, sometimes they be doing their wheelies and stuff,” one resident said.

Another added, “It’s a few kids in my neighborhood and it’s all they do, it’s all they ride. I don’t really mind it — they’re not tearing up property, they’re just kids being kids.”

Still, even those who defended the riders said there are limits.

“Don’t try to get cool points,” one resident said. “What’s cool is being alive. Being dead is not cool.”

At one point during the incident, video appears to show the group preventing an ambulance from moving through traffic, raising additional concerns about public safety and emergency response.

Healthcare workers said they regularly treat injuries involving e-bike crashes and warned that reckless riding can have devastating consequences.

“We see a lot in the hospital — everything from head traumas to broken femurs to broken legs to pelvic bones,” one nurse said. “Cars can’t really see them when they’re on the side of the road, and they’re going just as fast.”

“Come out, have fun, and make good memories, but not like this,” OPD said in an previous release. “Reckless driving, running red lights, blocking traffic, and blocking an ambulance and other emergency vehicles from responding puts everyone at risk, including the drivers themselves. This type of dangerous behavior will not be tolerated.”

[View footage of the incident below]

The footage also shows body-camera video of officers making arrests, though no details were released about the identities of the suspects.

The number of confirmed cases of Ebola in Congo has reached 2,973, including 1,309 deaths, according to government data released on Friday in what authorities say is the fastest-growing outbreak on record.

The Elikya Ebola Treatment Center in Bunia, Ituri province, came to a standstill after doctors, nurses and security staff stopped work.

About a hundred health workers protested outside the treatment center on Saturday. They said the unpaid bonuses were undermining morale and disrupting patient care, and called on Congolese authorities to resolve the backpay so they could resume their work.

“We need to be paid, because in the meantime the disease is spreading at the treatment center,” Martin Bolombi, one of the health workers on strike said.

“I’ve already had five people die who are still inside there. A solution must be found for us,” he added.

In a statement issued Friday, staff said they had unanimously voted to strike until “concrete solutions” were found to resolve “two months of unpaid performance bonuses.”

The strike comes a day after Congo's Prime Minister Judith Suminwa came to Ituri, touring major treatment hubs, in Rwampara and Mongbwalu, to assess the outbreak response. During her visit in Mongbwalu, she faced urgent demands from healthcare personnel protesting payment issues.

Dr. Adelard Lufungula, operations manager for the Ebola response, said Saturday the payment issue is “being resolved,” with workers now paid via mobile money instead of cash, and that the backlog “should be cleared" in the coming days.

Last week, health workers at Bunia General Hospital, the region’s largest medical center, had already gone on strike over unpaid salaries. Some told The Associated Press they had not received any payment since they started work at the onset of the outbreak.

The World Health Organization says more than 100 healthcare workers have been infected since the beginning of the outbreak.

The Central African nation has been battling the Ebola outbreak caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus since May 15. A total of 766 patients remain in isolation or in hospitals, while 540 have recovered so far, according to data from Congo’s Ministry of Health.

The eastern province of Ituri accounts for nearly 90% of confirmed cases.

The outbreak continues to spread faster than health officials can track despite an expanding response. A key challenge is that patient zero has yet to be identified in the outbreak while displacement from armed conflict and illegal mining in the region have made it difficult to trace thousands who have come in contact with infected individuals.

The response is also hampered by a funding gap, attacks on health centers, an ongoing conflict in eastern Congo and mistrust among local communities.

There is also a lack of approved vaccines or treatments for the Bundibugyo virus, unlike the more common Zaire virus for which there is a vaccine and which was responsible for most of Congo’s past 16 outbreaks of the disease.

Enrollment in a highly anticipated study of two possible Ebola treatments recently started in Ituri.

WHO says the global risk of the outbreak spreading outside Central Africa is low, noting that Ebola spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person rather than through the air, making it much harder to spread than respiratory viruses.

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Associated Press writer Saleh Mwanamilongo in Bonn, Germany, contributed to this report.

More people are watching. More are investing. Salaries for many players are higher than ever. But mounting turmoil and discord have been a part of this transformative period that has featured a landmark collective bargaining agreement, league expansion and skyrocketing player recognition.

It seems to have reached a new flashpoint, as discussions about race, gender and sexuality made headlines ahead of Saturday’s WNBA All-Star Game. Race-driven conversations resurfaced after an incident between Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark and Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas, while players continued to voice frustrations with WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert and leadership over what they say is a lack of protection from social media harassment and divisive remarks.

“It is a moment to be celebrated without a doubt,” said Ketra Armstrong, sport management professor and director of the Center for Race and Ethnicity in Sport at the University of Michigan. “We want to celebrate what’s great. But sometimes, the progress can overshadow, still, where the perils are.”

Issues of race, gender and representation have been an undercurrent throughout the league's history. Debates over those issues have grown as women's sports have exploded. And they remain a challenge that shape the WNBA's — and most other pro sports leagues, for that matter — public and online discourse.

“This is what a sports league" is, said David Berri, sports economist and economics professor at Southern Utah University. He cited the NFL’s Rooney Rule as an example. “If a sports league is going to get attention, you’re going to get attention for these things as well.”

Growth has magnified broader cultural debates

Contentious conversations also spread to issues of transgender athletes and harassment.

WNBA veteran Brianna Turner said on social media this week that her former team, the Fever, fired a male employee last season for sexual harassment. Turner, who was with Indiana last season but now plays for Las Vegas, said Indiana players were encouraged not to discuss the firing.

Turner’s comments came as she defended transgender athletes days after Indiana forward Sophie Cunningham spoke on transgender athletes competing in women’s sports.

“I got a lot of negative feedback about me hating trans. And I’m like, ‘I never once said that,’” Cunningham was quoted as saying in a story published by ESPN. “I think that I am here to extend love. But I also think with that love is truth, being honest. And I want to protect young girls in a locker room, or young girls in sport who shouldn’t have to go against biological men.”

The WNBA’s conversations about race were thrust back into the spotlight after Toronto Tempo coach Sandy Brondello was suspended one game for referring to Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese as a “protected species.”

The comment, picked up by the broadcast after Reese drew a foul on Toronto player Nyara Sabally, quickly drew criticism.

Brondello, a former player who has won two WNBA titles, is Australian. The “protected species” phrase is used in Australian sports to express frustration over a lack of calls against a player. However, in the U.S., the phrase suggests that someone isn’t human and could be seen as derogatory toward Black people. Brondello later apologized. Reese accepted, saying she appreciated the league’s swift action.

“It’s a much bigger platform now. Everything that happens is news,” Berri said. “There were hard fouls 10 years ago. Nobody paid any attention to that. It ends up being because of the coverage now, everything gets magnified ... which is good. I mean, this is what we wanted.”

‘A lot to celebrate,’ but race still matters

Clark has repeatedly attempted to downplay the noise surrounding her, but she has become a springboard for projections far beyond the game itself.

“It’s basketball," she said in a recent ESPN interview. "When I walk out of the locker room I shouldn’t be fearful of what the conversation is going to be. It’s emotionally exhausting. It’s draining. It makes your shoulders tense because people don’t want to talk about the basketball. They just want to stir it up and make something else.”

The WNBA retroactively assessed Thomas a flagrant foul and suspended her one game after the veteran made contact with her fist to Clark’s throat in a June 24 matchup.

The play, which Thomas has said was an accident, gained widespread attention and ignited debates over officiating, with coaches, pundits and lawmakers weighing in on whether the league needs to take action about physical play involving Clark.

Thomas, who is Black and in her 12th WNBA season, said after the incident she had received death threats, part of increased online vitriol players have faced in recent years. Chelsea Gray of the Las Vegas Aces recently posted a message from a man that included a racial slur. And Engelbert this week met with a pair of player committees to discuss what more can be done to protect players from online harassment.

Since she entered the league, Clark and her WNBA peers have become proxies for long-standing American issues — from race, gender and sexual orientation to who receives attention and who doesn't.

“There’s a lot to celebrate,” Armstrong said, “but race still matters. Race will always matter. It just depends on how we make it matter.”

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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

New York's championship run last month capped a season that extended an unprecedented run of NBA parity, with eight different franchises winning titles in the last eight seasons — Toronto in 2019, James and the Los Angeles Lakers in 2020, Milwaukee in 2021, Golden State in 2022, Denver in 2023, Boston in 2024, Oklahoma City in 2025 and now the Knicks.

There's at least a reasonable chance now that the run of new champions will continue in 2027, with reigning Western Conference champion San Antonio, Minnesota, Detroit, Cleveland, Miami — and, of course, Philadelphia now among the teams with the best odds right now of hoisting the Larry O'Brien Trophy next June.

A look at the teams and their odds, broken down by tiers:

The favorites

James' decision moved Philadelphia into the upper tier of favorites — but not the highest tier.

Most major sportsbooks and prediction markets are clear: Teams are going to have to get through Oklahoma City and San Antonio to get out of the West. The Thunder, as of Saturday — and a lot will likely change in the next 10 months or so — would still be considered a slight favorite to win the NBA title in 2027, barely ahead of the Spurs.

That shouldn't be a surprise: The Thunder are led by two-time Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and have a proven championship core, while the Spurs have unanimous Defensive Player of the Year Victor Wembanyama as the centerpiece of a young team that took huge strides in 2025-26 and should only get better.

Close to the top

This is the James impact: He's got Philadelphia right there with defending champion New York.

The Knicks and 76ers have the third- and fourth-best championship odds — in some order, depending on the site — according to most books and prediction markets.

The good news for the Knicks: They're right where they were entering last season, not quite the favorites but ahead of just about everybody in the league when it comes to title odds.

The good news for the 76ers: They're going to have their best entering-the-season odds since probably 2019-20.

At No. 5, Boston

Some of the Celtics' decisions this summer — particularly the trading of Jaylen Brown to Philadelphia — have faced serious criticism. Bettors don't seem to mind, perhaps mindful of how the Celtics exceeded many expectations last season.

Boston is firmly the No. 5 choice right now according to most books and markets, not quite there with the Thunder, Spurs, Knicks and 76ers, but leading the rest of the pack.

The next five (or six)

This is where things start to get muddled, and where books and markets tend to vary on that next tier — the teams with the sixth-best through 11th-best odds.

Denver, Toronto, Minnesota, Detroit and Cleveland are all jammed fairly close together. The only real rising team in that mix is Toronto, clearly based on the expectation that the Raptors will eventually close the trade for Kawhi Leonard and bring back the key to their 2019 title run.

The next team in the race for a top-10 preseason odds spot is Miami. Betting opinions seem to vary widely, though the one thing that is consistent is an expectation that the acquisition of Giannis Antetokounmpo to play alongside Bam Adebayo will get the Heat back into the playoffs.

The should-be-playoff-bound group

Even though the Lakers lost James, the odds still say that Luka Doncic's team will be playoff-bound next season. And bettors seem to think that 2025 NBA finalist Indiana, which played without Tyrese Haliburton this past season because of injury and plummeted to the bottom of the league, will return to the playoffs this season.

Houston and Golden State round out the top 15 in current odds, suggesting that the belief is those clubs are postseason-bound as well.

Not too far back from there: Atlanta, Orlando and Portland.

The hoping-for-play-in-berths tier

Washington will have Trae Young, Anthony Davis and Khris Middleton. Bettors expect the Wizards to be better — but aren't ready to put money on them being a playoff team yet.

The Wizards, with No. 1 pick AJ Dybantsa, are in a cluster of teams that odds point to as possible play-in candidates, along with Phoenix, Charlotte, Dallas and Utah.

The long shots

Value bettors can find some very good odds right now on the clubs that books and markets aren't loving right now.

That group: the Los Angeles Clippers, New Orleans, Chicago, Memphis, Milwaukee, Brooklyn and Sacramento.

A reminder — there's always a surprise. Charlotte was toward the bottom of most preseason odds lists this past season and won 44 games. The season before that, Detroit had some of the longest preseason odds in the league and also won 44 games.

As it stands now

Based solely on the average of where the books and markets were on Saturday — and again, none of this will matter when the games start counting in October — the playoff picture in the NBA next spring would look like this:

East playoff teams — New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Toronto, Detroit, Cleveland, Miami, Indiana.

East play-in teams (but not in playoffs) — Atlanta, Indiana.

West playoff teams — Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Denver, Minnesota, Los Angeles Lakers, Houston, Golden State, Portland.

West play-in teams (but not in playoffs) — Phoenix, Dallas.

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

The strikes followed a major Russian attack on Friday near Kyiv that killed at least 10 people and wounded around 100 others, part of a relentless cycle of tit-for-tat attacks that dims the potential of reaching a diplomatic end to Russia's more than 4-year-old invasion of its neighbor.

The exchange comes as Ukraine’s successful drome attacks have stalled the Russian army’s advances in an expanded campaign by Kyiv inside Russia that has been hitting high-profile targets, causing fuel shortages and piling pressure on Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Four children were among 12 people killed in the attack on the resorts in Zaporizhzhia, Yevgeny Balitsky, the Kremlin-installed regional head, said, adding that 19 others were wounded.

Ukraine did not immediately comment.

Sumy regional head Oleh Hryhorov said on Saturday three people were killed when a large fire broke out after a Russian drone struck a “civilian facility,” adding that the victims were drivers for private Ukrainian postal and courier service Nova Poshta.

Russia’s defense ministry said it attacked a “storage and launch site” for Ukrainian drones in the Sumy region.

In Zaporizhzhia, in southeastern Ukraine, a Russian drone attack late Friday hit a shopping center, causing a fire that spread over a 500-square-meter area and injuring several people, regional head Ivan Fedorov said.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned in his evening address on Friday that intelligence assessments indicated that Russia was preparing missiles for a large attack, saying there were indications that this could happen in the next 48 hours.

Ukraine keeps targeting oil facilities

A Ukrainian drone attack caused a fire in the grounds of the Tyumen Oil Refinery, in western Siberia, Tyumen regional Gov. Aleksandr Moor said on Saturday.

Writing on X Saturday, Zelenskyy confirmed the hit on the Tyumen plant, along with a logistics facility in Yekaterinburg and a fuel and lubricants warehouse in Rostov-on-Don.

Ukraine’s long-range drone technology has evolved during the war, posing a problem for Russia, whose huge land mass is hard to protect fully.

Kyiv’s forces have targeted Russian oil facilities, causing fuel shortages and embarrassing President Vladimir Putin.

Zelenskyy to meet Trump in Washington

U.S. President Donald Trump and Zelenskyy plan to meet on Tuesday in Washington, a White House official said on Saturday, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss Trump’s schedule before it is announced.

Kyiv did not immediately comment on the meeting, although Zelenskyy said in his Friday address that Kyiv was “preparing for a meeting with the President of the United States and his team.”

A memorial service in Washington for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of Kyiv’s staunchest supporters, is slated for Tuesday.

Romania shoots down second drone in 2 days

Romania’s defense ministry said on Saturday its forces had “safely shot down” a drone that breached its airspace in an “unpopulated area” near the Ukrainian border. The drone was “shot down by a Romanian pilot from an F-16 aircraft,” President Nicușor Dan said in a post on Facebook.

Saturday’s interception came after a drone was shot down around Padina, northeast of the Romanian capital, Bucharest, on Friday.

A series of drone incursions by Russia and Ukraine have hit Romania and other NATO members since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

In June, a Ukrainian maritime drone exploded at the Black Sea port of Constanta, while three other sea drones exploded outside the port. No one was hurt.

A Russian drone that was part of an attack on Ukraine in May went astray and struck an apartment building in eastern Romania, injuring two people.

Two lawsuits filed by small businesses are challenging Trump's sweeping tariffs announced Thursday that impose double-digit levies on 60 trading partners.

The tariffs, implemented under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 for what the Trump administration says is countries' failure to prevent imports produced by forced labor, cover 99% of U.S. imports. Critics say the goal is less to prevent forced-labor imports and more to replace the worldwide tariffs that Trump imposed last year that were struck down by the Supreme Court in February. They came just as temporary 10% worldwide tariffs — that had also been challenged in court — expired.

Educational toy company Learning Resources, which was part of the tariff lawsuit that won in the Supreme Court, filed a new suit along with several other small businesses in the Court of International Trade on Friday over the current round of tariffs.

The second lawsuit was filed by Burlap and Barrel, a New York-based spice company, and Collective Horology, a watch retailer based in Ventura, California. They are represented by Liberty Justice Center, a libertarian advocacy group.

Both lawsuits argue that the government didn't adequately establish its case against each specific economy or spell how the tariffs will eliminate the specified practice they are being levied for, as required by Section 301.

“Forced labor is morally indefensible, but an important objective does not give the government permission to ignore the law,” said Sara Albrecht, chairman and CEO of the Liberty Justice Center. “The administration allowed one global tariff to expire and immediately replaced it with another under a different statute. Changing the statute doesn’t change the law.”

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Experts say it might be tougher to successfully challenge the current round of tariffs than previous rounds. Trump used Section 301 to impose big tariffs on China in his first term, and they survived court challenges.

Unlike the Section 122 levies that expired Friday, “these tariffs will be with us for the long haul,’’ said lawyer Patrick Childress, a partner at Holland & Knight and a former U.S. trade official.

Even if countries enact the precise policies the U.S. wants, he said, they will still need to prove that they’re enforcing them to Washington’s satisfaction before the tariffs are removed. “This suggests that no short-term path for country-wide relief from the new Section 301 tariffs will be available.’’

He assured the crowd of journalists, though, that he'd scrapped the most biting parts of his remarks.

“That was going to be a doozy,” Trump said about the speech he’d been prepared to give in April, before a gunman upended the original dinner and forced its postponement.

“As I said three months ago, the show must go on,” the president said to begin his remarks, hailing the decision to reschedule the dinner. He referred to “the attempted mass murder” that could have happened that night in April, but then moved largely to humor — and, increasingly, insults.

Trump's return to the correspondents' dinner — and his promise to come back next year as well — represented a notable moment in his relationship with the news media, which he has attacked, sued and taken administrative action against since he began his second term early last year. Among the audience members were reporters he had denounced and barred from events.

Trump’s sometimes off-color speech, which lasted just over an hour, was full of potshots directed at various individuals — from Bruce Springsteen to “Barack Hussein Obama” to familiar targets like journalist Kaitlan Collins of CNN, one of the evening's key award winners, whom he again accused of not smiling enough. The audience reacted at first with friendly laughs, but slowly quieted to scattered titters as the insults piled up.

Among other targets of Trump’s humor: Late-night hosts Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel; Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn.; California Gov. Gavin Newsom; former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie; and even Trump's own speechwriters. “That was actually the only thing I thought was good in this whole fricking stupid speech they wrote,” he said when one joke fell flat.

At one point, Trump wondered aloud what his role was. “Is this supposed to be fun?” he asked. “Am I supposed to be a comedian?” He was on more comfortable ground expressing pride in the ballroom at the Waldorf Astoria, formerly the Trump International Hotel, and its chandeliers. “It’s great to be back at a place that I know very well, because I built it,” he said.

He also made a pained reference to the evening's journalism awards, many for stories challenging him and his administration — including one for the Wall Street Journal's coverage of his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. “Do I have a say in those awards?” he asked.

He made brief mention of the Iran war, and referred to the ballroom he's building at the White House. He also used the occasion to joke about the possibility of a third term — something barred by the U.S. Constitution's 22nd Amendment.

“Just like my presidency, the second time is always better,” the president quipped. “And the third time will be better yet.”

He added: “I’m only kidding.” Then, at the end, he donned a red cap that said “Trump 2028” and delivered the “scoop” that he was running again.

It was a very different dinner than the previous one

Trump had entered the ballroom to polite applause, and was thanked for his support by outgoing White House Correspondents’ Association president Weijia Jiang of CBS News. After dinner, he sat through more than an hour of awards presentations, shaking hands with each winner.

One of the those winners, Tyler Pager of the New York Times, was in fact one of the reporters subpoenaed by Trump’s Justice Department over his reporting about Trump’s Qatari-gifted Air Force One jet. Those subpoenas were withdrawn Thursday in a New York courtroom — just one of the arenas where the president has been seeking to control media coverage he dislikes.

The rescheduled dinner took place at a smaller venue this time that held only about 700 people. Security was markedly tighter. Guests entered via a single entrance, through two ID checks. There was no red carpet and no separate cocktail receptions preceding the dinner.

“Let’s try this again,” Jiang quipped, welcoming the crowd. The White House press corps, she noted, “always have a follow-up.” Turning serious, she referred back to the trauma and confusion of the original dinner in April.

“Tonight our message is this: We are back,” she said. “We will not be intimidated. We refuse to let an act of violence have the final word.”

Secret Service agent, hotel staff received awards for bravery during shooting

Also receiving an award Friday evening was Victor Gonzales, the Secret Service agent who was staffing a security checkpoint in April and was struck in his protective vest.

Gonzales “placed himself directly in harm’s way and engaged the armed suspect,” Jiang said. “He stayed in the fight and the attacker was stopped.”

A second award was presented to the staff of the Washington Hilton, site of the first dinner, for their professionalism under pressure.

The dress code this time was a looser “black tie optional,” and dinner included grilled peach and burrata salad, lobster and roasted beet Wellington. As in April, the featured entertainment was mentalist Oz Pearlman — who now got the chance to perform his act.

Jiang and fellow board members had emphasized they did not want to let a violent act — or the image of colleagues hiding under tables — remain the final thought. Announcing the rescheduling, she'd emphasized the dinner’s stated purpose: “A celebration of a free press and the vital role of journalism in our democracy for over a century.”

There's still lots of criticism of the event

But some people felt the dinner should not have been rescheduled at all.

Many never thought it was much of a good look in the first place, with the sight of journalists in formal wear cozying up to their sources, or the objects of their reporting.

“It undermines the public faith in how the press does its work, and it makes it look like we are pals with the people we cover,” Kelly McBride, an ethics expert at the Poynter Institute, a journalism think tank, said when the deliberations were taking place.

The new dinner came at a time of fast-increasing tension between the media and a president who has applied pressure on media outlets he's unhappy with in a variety of ways. That pressure has ranged from sanctions against members of the White House press corps to regulatory actions through the Federal Communications Commission to outright lawsuits.

Trump ended his remarks, though, ended with an attempt to mend fences — to a point. “I have a lot of respect for your profession,” he told the assembled journalists.

He also touted his own success, declaring: “When I'm not around, you're all gonna be broke.”

And he concluded about the evening: “It's far worse than I originally thought.”

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Jocelyn Noveck covers the intersection of media and entertainment for The Associated Press.

They were teenage phenoms who graced the cover of Sports Illustrated (back when magazines were cool) and both prodigies were No. 1 overall draft picks straight out of high school.

When Harper earned his first chance at testing free agency, there was only one city, one contract that was right for him.

Philadelphia.

It took a few years, but Harper has some company on the short list of top elite athletes who have signed in Philadelphia.

Harper and the Phillies.

Pete Rose and Kyle Schwarber and the Phillies.

Saquon Barkley and Reggie White and the Eagles.

In the greatest July signature in Philadelphia since 1776, James has followed Harper from free agency to Philly when he rocked the NBA and signed a two-year deal for the bargain-basement price of $8 million total — only a smidge more per season than first-round pick Labaron Philon Jr. will earn — that stamped the Sixers as the most compelling team in the league this season.

Keeping tabs on the ballyhooed deal is Harper.

“He’s going to have a great couple of years here, and obviously everyone’s going to expect him to win a championship here like everywhere else," Harper said. “So nothing new for him. He’s had all the pressure since he was in high school or younger than that.”

Here's the difference between James and all the superstars in the city that played before him.

He's LeBron James.

Meaning, his reach is so beyond the court — from fame around the globe to his bank account to the cash register to pop culture — that there is no fair comparison. He is No. 4 on Forbes' real-time list of wealthiest athletes at $1.4 billon, so his pay cut may not even be noticed in the ledger book. James has commercials and movie roles, and endorsement deals that alone would outearn every single player on the Sixers.

Joel Embiid, league MVP and two-time scoring champion. He's not LeBron.

Jaylen Brown, NBA Finals MVP and champion, He's not LeBron.

Tyrese Maxey, an All-Star and the real franchise player in Philly. He's not LeBron.

“I think it’s pretty cool to have one of the greatest basketball players ever to play, in the same city,” Phillies shortstop Trea Turner said. "So I’m excited for those who haven’t gotten a chance to see him play.”

Here are the CliffsNotes:

James is a 22-time All-Star, a 21-time All-NBA selection, a four-time Most Valuable Player, a four-time NBA Finals MVP, a three-time All-Star Game MVP and a member of the NBA’s 75th anniversary team.

He also is coming off a season when he averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game. For his career, he has averaged 26.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.4 assists in more than 1,600 games.

“He’s played in big markets before,” Harper said. “He knows exactly what he needs to do.”

Harper has largely lived up to the 13-year, $330 million contract he signed ahead of the 2019 season when he spurned the Washington Nationals for the Phillies and owned the richest contract in baseball history. He led the Phillies to the 2022 World Series, won the NL MVP in 2021 and helped win back-to-back NL East titles.

But he's 0-for-October.

Barkley rushed for more than 2,000 yards in his first season with the Eagles and led them to a Super Bowl championship.

Rose was the missing piece to help Hall of Famers Mike Schmidt and Steve Carlton win the World Series in 1980. It was the first World Series title in franchise history.

The 76ers have seemed to wait almost as long for a parade down Broad Street.

They have won titles in Philadelphia in 1967 and 1983 and have failed to advance out of the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs since 2001.

And yet somehow, one of the most famous athletes — strike that, people! — walking and dunking on the face of the Earth decided he wanted to play in Philadelphia.

“I’m not going for money. I’m not going for family,” James wrote Friday on social media. “What am I really playing for at this point? I still want to sacrifice. I still want to work. I still want to grind. I still want to compete, to win and to have a chance at the feeling of winning.”

James celebrated his decision on Instagram with a career highlight reel set to Philadelphia rapper Meek Mill’s “Dreams and Nightmares,” the adopted sports anthem of city teams blasted ad nauseam throughout the sports complex.

The video ends with the lyric, “hold up, wait a minute. Y’all thought I was finished?” and cuts to a 76ers logo.

James isn't finished — even if his best isn't yet to come.

He won NBA titles at each of his three previous stops — Cleveland, Miami and the Los Angeles Lakers — and could become the first player ever to win a title with four teams.

The countdown to opening night is on.

The stakes have really never been higher for the franchise. If the Sixers can't win with the Beatles shirt — LeBron & Embiid & Brown & Maxey — can they ever?

Get ready, everyone.

And skip the advice.

James doesn't need any tips on surviving the deep fryer of fandom in Philly.

“He can do whatever the hell he wants,” Harper said. "But the city loves a winner. So win.”

___

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

The remaining 44 captive swans were moved to other locations, including farms and zoos, as officials attempt to contain the spread of the virus and protect the surviving birds.

The swans have been a signature part of downtown Orlando for nearly a century, attracting tourists and serving as a symbol of the city. Residents who regularly visit the park said the birds are deeply connected to the identity of Lake Eola.

“I will miss the swans. I think this is an iconic part of Orlando,” bird watcher Janice Schilling said.

City Commissioner Patty Sheehan said the outbreak is linked to migratory birds that visit the lake and spread the virus to the city’s captive flock.

“This is all due to avian flu,” Sheehan said. “The migratory birds are coming and spreading it to our flock.”

Officials said inspectors determined the park was no longer a safe environment for the swans, particularly the five cygnets, other known as baby swans, that remain in the flock.

“Unfortunately, after the inspection, we were told that is not a safe environment for the cygnets and we need to get them relocated,” Sheehan said.

Although Orlando plans to continue caring for the park’s natural wildlife, officials said they currently cannot safely maintain the captive swan program.

“We can’t take care of them right now because if someone gets injured, we can’t take them to the vet because the vet is concerned about bringing the virus into the practice,” Sheehan said.

The relocation also comes as the city prepares for a major construction project at Lake Eola Park. Officials said any future return of the swan program would require additional protections, including safer enclosures for young swans and improved medical holding areas.

“If we do decide to bring the program back we will need a place to put cygnets so they are not attacked by predators and better pens to put them in for medical purposes,” Sheehan said.

For many residents, the temporary loss of the swans marks the end of a longtime Orlando tradition.

“I want what’s best for the swans, but this lake or downtown will never be the same,” Schilling said.

City officials are also urging residents not to bring pet birds to the park while concerns over avian flu remain.

A lengthy and bruising process ended swiftly and decisively on Friday, when a large majority of the court’s 125 member states voted to remove Karim Khan from his post.

The British barrister was accused of sexual misconduct with a female aide, as outlined by the AP in a series of stories, allegations he has steadfastly denied. According to documents seen by the AP, Khan engaged in a sexual relationship with the woman and tried to prevent her from pursuing her allegations.

Khan's removal comes at a time when the court is already facing daunting challenges, including a campaign by the United States to “dismantle” the ICC, which was established to prosecute people responsible for humanity’s worst crimes.

Supporters of the court are looking forward

Several countries where the ICC has open investigations met together on the sidelines of the event on Friday to discuss the ways out of any potential impasses created by Khan’s removal, according to three senior diplomatic officials familiar with the discussions.

One of the officials said a number of states began planning for how to move forward before the final votes were tallied.

“Whether Khan is removed or not, we must bring everyone back together,” the official said. They all spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the record.

The vote was surprisingly clear

A special session at U.N. headquarters in New York was scheduled to take all of Friday. Instead, a morning motion that would have made it harder to oust Khan failed and diplomats quickly moved forward to vote on removal, several hours ahead of schedule, according to three diplomats familiar with the proceedings.

Iva Vukusic, a researcher at Utrecht University who has been following the process, said she was surprised by how decisive it was. “The numbers indicate that there is more agreement than previously thought,” she told the AP.

Khan’s ouster comes at an already difficult time

The decision comes at a time when the global tribunal is under enormous pressure. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced last week that Washington was launching a “sweeping campaign to dismantle the threat posed by the International Criminal Court to U.S. sovereignty.”

Hours after Friday’s vote, Venezuela announced it would withdraw from the court, saying its work reflects a “demonstrated geographical bias.” Félix Plasencia, the country’s foreign affairs minister, made the announcement in a statement.

Trump’s administration already has brought sanctions against Khan and a dozen other ICC staff in retaliation for investigations into Israeli officials in Gaza and U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan.

The allegations became entwined with the court’s investigation into the war in Gaza, with Khan’s supporters arguing that the warrants the court has issued for top Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, were at stake.

Palestinian representatives were quick to push back on that narrative. “The vote by the Assembly of States Parties to remove the Prosecutor was not a political proxy vote on any Situation before the ICC,” Palestinian Ambassador to the Netherlands Ammar Hijazi said in a statement.

Khan’s removal will have no immediate impact on the arrest warrants which can only be withdrawn by ICC judges.

The work of the court will continue

Khan’s two deputy prosecutors have helmed the office since he stepped down in May 2025. In a statement, the office of the prosecutor said the pair will continue with its “leadership, management and administration,” until a new chief is selected.

It is not clear yet when member states will be able to decide on Khan’s replacement. His election in 2021 took nearly 18 months and drew criticism from civil society groups over the lack of stringent background checks on the candidates to ensure they met the requirement of “high moral character.”

There may be more legal proceedings to come

The removal vote may not be the end of the process for Khan. He intends to “challenge the lawfulness and fairness of the decision through all available legal mechanisms,” attorney Tayab Ali said in a statement.

There is no appeals process for his removal but all ICC staff are entitled to bring complaints to a special labor tribunal based in Geneva.

Khan’s lawyers criticized the process leading to his ouster, complaining that he was blocked from addressing the session Friday and arguing the regulations had been rewritten to disadvantage him.

On Monday, lawyers and investigators will return to the court’s headquarters in The Hague with at least some clarity about the future. “I hope now the court can move on and focus on its core work of dealing with cases,” Vukusic said.

“It's just so much work. I hate dropping any of it,” said Snyder, who operates Mex and Sons Ranch near Montrose, Colorado, with his family.

It took eight trips in three vehicles over nine hours in sweltering heat before the 800 cow-calf pairs finally had enough water to make it through to the next day — maybe two.

Hauling water across rugged landscapes has become a daily chore for many ranchers in the U.S. Rockies. They historically relied on snowmelt to sustain stock ponds, springs and creeks for livestock to drink throughout the summer, but this year's snowpack was the worst on record in the Upper Colorado River Basin, which includes Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico. Human-caused climate change made the snow drought about 14 times more likely, a new study confirms.

Coping with the impacts of minimal snow and a so far lackluster monsoon season is requiring more time, money and stress from producers who are already struggling to maintain family legacies and meet America's demand for beef.

Finding water is a common challenge

Snyder and his brother Monte are adapting. Like many other ranchers, they shrunk their herd, bought hay to supplement what little they could grow, shuttled cows farther to reach grazable land, and are constantly monitoring whether wildfires are blowing their way. And now, they are hauling drinking water.

“If Mother Nature doesn't want to help out here, we're probably in a lot of trouble,” Snyder said.

Still, the Snyders count themselves lucky. A nearby landowner charges them to refill their 6,500-gallon (24,600-liter) water tanker from a reservoir. Late last week, he pulled up alongside another truck carrying a 3,000-gallon (11,360 liter) tank to water sheep.

Mark Ragsdale's phone rings off the hook with neighbors asking the same question: Where can I find water?

During the day, he works as the state's water commissioner for Norwood, where his cousin Snyder ranches. But morning, afternoon and evening, he is also hauling water to his small herd of 45 cow-calf pairs. He counts his luck that his solar-powered well is still producing and his herd is nearby.

His Dodge Ram's tires churned through a muddy depression on a dirt road on a recent morning water run — a welcome sign of the first monsoonal rain that arrived the night before.

“It's gonna take 10 years of above-normal (precipitation) to get back to what I consider normal,” Ragsdale said.

The good news about this drought

The good news is that this year's snow drought in the Upper Colorado River Basin was so severe, the odds of a repeat this bad in the near future is low, said Adrienne Marshall, assistant professor of geology at the Colorado School of Mines and lead author on the study. Still, multiple years of lesser droughts can compound, and the odds of an extreme snow drought grow each year as greenhouse gas emissions, the main driver of climate change, continue to rise, she explained.

The record-setting low snow, after years of drought, prompted the Brays to expand their water truck fleet this year. Lance Bray, who owns 500 head with his brother Zandon, bought a flatbed truck with more than 300,000 miles (482,800 kilometers) on it to haul a 2,600-gallon (9,842-liter) water tank. It's now their third flatbed dedicated for the chore.

Ranchers can apply for reimbursement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to cover above-normal costs to transport water and feed due to drought, but there's no getting back their time.

Drought takes a toll on ranchers

“I'm gonna fight like hell this year so I can turn around and fight like hell next year,” Zandon Bray said. He and his brother restarted the cattle operation two years after the 2018 drought season prompted their dad to sell the herd.

They love ranching and are trying to operate more sustainably, running fewer head than their father did when grass was more plentiful and nutritious. But the emotional toll grows heavier as each year passes without meaningful moisture.

“Sometimes it’s by 10 o’clock in the morning or by the end of the day, you’re just like, man, I can’t do this anymore,” Zandon Bray said.

The weight of water tanks on Stanford Salazar's trailer caused a tire blowout that obliterated the rim. He was already running late to his day job at the Jicarilla Apache planning office in northern New Mexico.

It has been five years since hauling stock water became a daily chore for Salazar. Few of his 14 ponds hold any water these days.

“With the changing of weather, we’re not getting big winters. We used to get 4 to 5 feet (1.2 to 1.5 meters) of snow in winter. Now we’re lucky to get a foot,” Salazar said.

In central Utah, Jeff Christensen is drilling two 500-foot (152-meter) deep wells he hopes will reduce his hauling chores. But first they need to reach the water table, which is lower now without as much snowmelt to refill it.

"I think they’re dang close to 20 grand a well now. So if we don’t hit water, we’re in trouble,” he said.

Half the cost is being covered with a grant from Utah's Grazing Improvement Program, which invests millions annually to create more sustainable, productive ranches.

“I spend the majority of my time on water," Christensen said. "I’m either hauling it, cussing the lack of it, or trying to find more of it.”

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

The cultural trend of so-called teen takeovers has popped up across the U.S. in recent years, influencing local policing and national politics. The events, often hyped online and captured in videos on social media, have led to shootings, theft and vandalism. City officials and police are concerned about an increase over the summer, and are under pressure to prevent similar gatherings or to punish those who participate.

Over the July 4 holiday weekend, several thousand young people converged in two spots in Raleigh, North Carolina, police said. Nine people, including an adult who was not part of the gatherings, were shot and wounded.

There were also takeovers in Pensacola, Florida, where a 19-year-old was shot and killed; and Newport Beach, California, where more than 400 were arrested after the police chief said teens launched “explosive mortars and other projectiles” at officers ordering them to disperse.

But Spann and other teens say that the events are largely misunderstood. They point to formal curfews or limits on group size at malls and movie theaters that have made it harder for teens to gather, exacerbating a feeling of disconnection they trace back to remote learning during the coronavirus pandemic.

How cities are tracking the social media trend

Communities and police across the country are trying to identify organizers, fine parents of those involved and impose curfews.

In Detroit, officials say they “thwarted" 19 gatherings so far this year by monitoring time and location changes as young people coordinated across social media, said Teferi Brent, director of the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood and Community Safety.

“We have eyes on all the behaviors and activities of those who have expressed interest in trying to take over and we have done a good job of being way ahead of the curve and being able to prevent a lot of these things,” Brent said.

Alderperson Jessie Fuentes, who chairs the Chicago City Council’s subcommittee on Youth Employment, said her office has tried to find solutions that don't rely exclusively on police and instead coordinate with parents and community members to prevent conflict or crimes.

Blue Island, a south Chicago suburb, has taken another tact: to fine parents or guardians and use the funds to cover clean up after events. That might include debris left behind or other damages like cars dented from scores of teens clambering over them while fleeing police.

Other places have taken harsher approaches, as in Florida, where state officials said prosecutors can apply racketeering laws, typically targeting criminal gangs or organized crime, if takeovers appear to be facilitated by “an organized network.”

But some have pushed back on the idea that the threat of harsh legal punishment could prevent the gatherings in the first place.

“What we know about adolescent brain development is that the stakes are not going to be what prevents a young person from engaging in risky behavior,” said Melissa Milchman, the executive director for the nonpartisan organization the Coalition for Juvenile Justice. Milchman added that mass arrests often ensnare those who are going for innocent fun without preventing others from breaking the law.

Teens say there aren't safe spaces for them to gather

For Spann, the recent media attention on the events has largely failed to capture the appeal to young people.

“You feel like a young person who has freedom, who’s not being held to something,” said Spann, who is Black. At the event he went to, he was able to catch up with people he hadn't seen since 8th grade.

He said that the events are a direct result of a cascade of school closures across Black neighborhoods over the past couple decades in Chicago. To deter people from gathering even at basketball courts, where there were sometimes fights, officials have removed the nets. Spann said that his mom, who grew up in the same neighborhood, frequently talks about how much easier it used to be to hang out outside without a fear of gun violence.

When Spann goes to malls in more affluent areas with his mostly Black group of friends, shoppers often stare and security guards question them. To avoid scrutiny, Spann and his friends sometimes sneak into outdoor shopping centers or areas downtown in smaller groups at staggered times.

By contrast, in the same spaces, Spann said, “If I’m with my white friends, I feel like I belong."

Despite the physical dangers that come with takeovers and the threat of getting a ticket or even arrested, the allure is strong, according to Jeffrey Bernstein, a psychologist and author.

“The kids still do it because they feel like it’s their second family,” which he said “really takes over as their primary sense of connection.”

“They’re getting things from their peers that they can’t get from their parents.”

Some cities have tried to meet that need head-on, instead of cracking down with law enforcement.

In St. Louis, officers have started to bring some teens to community centers instead of jails so their parents can pick them up, and in Baltimore, officials have tried leaning on public schools to provide alternative programming. In Chicago, Spann received a $11,000 grant from the city and partnering nonprofits to host an event for his peers at the end of the summer, in an effort to give his community more places to gather.

What cities are doing to address ‘teen takeovers’

In April, Daveion Page, a 16-year-old in Detroit, was bored. He turned to his phone, creating a post on social media promoting a teen takeover. Hundreds of teens soon flocked to a site downtown and fights broke out by the end of the night. At another takeover in May, a 14-year-old was shot and wounded.

After the Detroit event in April, Page told reporters that he didn't intend for the takeover he organized to result in violence.

“I just wanted to get out of the house, have fun, enjoy time with my family and my homeboys and my homegirls, too," said Page, who was flanked by Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield and other city officials at a news conference.

He told city officials that young people might respond if there were more safe places to gather.

Before the takeovers, there were already plans to use $1.5 million from the city’s budget for summer programming and to support violence prevention programs. In response to the takeovers, the city has launched an office of youth affairs, met and listened to students at schools, and created a youth advisory board comprised of teens and young adults.

“We have brought them to the table and made them a part of our structure in regards to identifying what the needs and concerns are of the young people in the city,” Brent said.

In Detroit, a late-night basketball league has formed as an alternative hangout spot for teens and young adults. Jerseys and sneakers are provided by the city.

“This league just helps me find something to do,” Cameron Chandler, 21, said while playing basketball at the recreation center.

He's never participated in a takeover, but recently after practice, he stumbled on one near his home.

“There were a lot of cops and some people got arrested,” Chandler said. “You just have to think, ‘that could easily be me.’”

_____

Riddle reported from Los Angeles. Williams reported from Detroit.

Dharmendra Pradhan announced his resignation in a post on X, handing a major victory to the youth movement that spearheaded nationwide demonstrations, sit-ins and hunger strikes. His resignation marks the first significant concession by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government to one of the most visible waves of public dissent it has faced in recent years.

The government has rarely yielded to sustained public pressure during Modi's more than 12 years in office. The most notable exception came in 2021, when it was forced to withdraw controversial farm laws after a yearlong farmers’ protest.

The "Cockroach'" movement began more than a month ago after allegations of leaks in some of India’s biggest entrance exams. It started as a call for education reforms but grew into a broader protest over unemployment, government accountability and economic opportunities. Students, professionals, families and activists joined rallies in New Delhi and other cities across India.

Following Pradhan’s resignation, movement organizers called off the protests, saying the government had accepted their remaining demands. Those included broader reforms to India’s education system, compensation for families of students who died by suicide following exam paper leaks, and a commitment that no legal action would be taken against those who participated in the protests.

“We urge everyone to peacefully withdraw from protest sites,” Ashutosh Ranka. spokesperson of the Cockroach Janta Party, which launched the protest movement, said at a news briefing in New Delhi.

News of Pradhan’s resignation sparked celebrations among the thousands of protesters who have camped at New Delhi’s protest site for more than a month. Many embraced each other and waved the Indian flag.

Prachi Kumar, a corporate employee who joined the protests, said Pradhan’s resignation was necessary to restore accountability in the education system.

“This had to be done. Someone must be held accountable,” she said.

The Cockroach Janta Party declared victory following the resignation, writing on X: “DEMOCRACY WINS!”

The demonstrations became one of the most persistent challenges to Modi’s government in recent years, with thousands returning to the streets even after police used tear gas and batons to disperse marchers.

Tensions escalated on Monday when police moved to disperse thousands of protesters marching toward Parliament. Several students were injured in the crackdown, intensifying anger among demonstrators.

Modi’s government had earlier sought to ease tensions by announcing fast-track courts for cases involving exam paper leaks and saying it would introduce legislation to strengthen measures against cheating and corruption in the examination system. The measures failed to satisfy protesters, who said they did not address government accountability.

Opposition parties, which rallied behind the protests, said Pradhan’s resignation showed the government had bowed to sustained public pressure.

Rahul Gandhi, India’s main opposition leader in Parliament, called it a “major step toward revamping our education system”.

For those seeking to stay in office, particularly the newest members, it can be a tough sell.

“I only know a dysfunctional Congress,” said Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, a freshman from Virginia.

The Democrat said it's best to campaign on his own record delivering for constituents, rather than on the performance of Congress, as his party tries to wrest control from the Republicans.

“It's virtually impossible to sell the performance of Congress to the American people because Congress is such an easy punching bag,” he said. “And this particular Congress has been ceding too much of its authority to the executive branch.”

He said, “I tell people to sell yourself and what you've tried to do.”

Yet Republican Rep. Brandon Gill, a freshman from Texas who has emerged as one of the party's rising figures, particularly on Trump's hard-line immigration enforcement agenda, argued there's plenty to show to voters back home.

“We've gotten a lot done,” he said

“Cutting taxes across the board, over $100 billion for border security, repealing half the Green New Deal, the biggest mandatory spending reform in history — pretty historic stuff,” he said.

“Everybody always wants Congress to move faster than it does, but we’ve been extremely productive.”

Midterm elections often become a referendum on the party in power

Control of Congress is often an afterthought in presidential election years when the White House is at stake. But in the midterms, when lawmakers face voters as they will this fall, the races largely become a referendum on the party in power.

Republicans have history against running against them, as the president's party often encounters losses during the midterm elections — a “thumping,” as George W. Bush put it, a “shellacking” as Barack Obama said — and a pendulum nation swings.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, who is about to embark on a cross-country trek to raise millions of dollars for his party and visit lawmakers' home districts, remains bullish that Republicans will not only keep their House majority control — but grow their numbers.

“This week we continued to deliver for the people, and we're going to continue that straight through the end of this year,” Johnson said after a flurry of legislating before sending lawmakers home for summer.

Republicans in a single day adopted a budget resolution seeking $95 billion for the Iran war and other priorities; advanced a $1 trillion Pentagon bill renaming it the Department of War; and approved legislation to clamp down on stock trading in Congress, all over Democratic objections.

“We're going to run through the tape,” Johnson said.

Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who is in line to become House speaker if his party wins control, will launch “100 Days of Action” on Sunday as he works to take the majority and impose a check on Trump's White House.

“It's not going to be easy, right?” Jeffries told reporters. “No one's going to give it to us. We have to take it in a way that is consistent with the values of the American people.”

Control of Congress sets the agenda for the nation

With its 435 seats being contested, control of the House often narrows to the tiniest slice of the country.

Fewer than 20 seats are considered genuine toss-ups, according to analysts. The rest are considered safer seats, drawn with map lines designed to favor one party over the other — including new maps still being drawn to eliminate Black majority districts largely in the Deep South after a landmark Supreme Court decision gutting the Voting Rights Act.

Millions of dollars are being spent that will make the difference between a return of the GOP majority eyeing more budget cuts or a new Democratic agenda that is expected to launch vast oversight and investigations into the Trump administration.

Even as he openly pines for a normal Congress, Johnson believes the country needs a steady hand at the wheel as he partners with the White House on Trump’s priorities — and fend off Democratic investigations and the threat of impeachment.

“We are increasingly confident that we will hold and grow this majority in the House — and we must,” he said.

Democrats under Jeffries make the case that Trump and the Republicans in charge have done nothing for Americans struggling with high costs of living. Instead, they say Trump waged war against Iran that sent gas prices soaring, slapped tariffs on goods that are spiking prices, deported longtime immigrants and slashed health care and food aid as part of Trump's big tax cuts bill last summer.

“They're flailing all over the place,” Jeffries said.

Jeffries vowed that Democrats “will hold the crooks accountable” on a number of issues, including the Trump family's business dealings.

A throwback to communism or forward-looking new ideas

Johnson raises the specter of a mid-20th-century-style communist threat if Democrats win control with a new generation of far-left progressive candidates, some backed by the Democratic Socialists of America.

“We have been saying that this is an election that’s shaping up as a contest between common sense and crazy,” he said. Now, he said, it's “common sense versus communism.”

Jeffries brushes past such warnings as unserious. “House Democrats aren't a cult,” he said, a criticism his party often lobs at Trump's backers in Congress. “We're a coalition of people, public servants, who are committed to getting things done.”

One of the newest lawmakers, Rep. James Gallagher, R-Calif., said he's just trying to focus on the issues important to constituents back home.

“We're in a time where there's a lot of division, unfortunately,” he said. “And I think one key is like, Hey, trying to bring people together to solve problems for Americans, right?”

Rockets, because the cost of food eaten at home zoomed up in the aftermath of the pandemic. Feathers, because once prices rise, they’re slow to come down.

That’s been frustrating for Americans hit with the sharpest increase in grocery prices in 50 years. While food price inflation peaked in 2022, when prices jumped 11.4%, prices have not reversed course. An acceleration in flation after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran has prolonged the aggravation.

“I think the public is coming to grips with, ‘Well, I’m hearing inflation has slowed, but things aren’t getting any cheaper.’ It has to be deflation for prices to go down, and that’s very rare,” said Matt Hamory, who leads the global grocery practice at the consulting company AlixPartners.

Prices for food at home are expected to rise 2.7% across the country this year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported Friday. That's higher than the grocery inflation shoppers saw in 2024 and 2025 but close to the historical average of 2.6%.

It's the compounding effect of the post-pandemic price shocks that consumers are still feeling, and they're reacting to them in ways that could have repercussions for the U.S. economy.

A recent study by the consulting firm Bain & Co. and the market research company NielsenIQ said the number of items purchased at U.S. grocery stores declined in the second half of last year and dropped more sharply starting in February of this year. The study said high gas prices, rising GLP-1 usage and cuts in the number of people receiving government food aid are all affecting grocery spending.

Consumers are also looking for deals and shopping around to find them. In the second quarter of this year, discounters like Costco, Walmart and Aldi took market share away from traditional grocers like Kroger and Albertsons, according to Numerator, a market research firm.

Many U.S. shoppers are also replacing name-brand products with store brands to save money. Total sales of store brands at supermarkets, drugstores and other retailers grew to a record $282.8 billion last year, the Private Label Manufacturers Association said.

“Now that this option becomes available, why would I go back? You have the convenience, it’s the same, but my cost is 40% less and it’s a brand that I know and trust,” said Sean Hooper, a senior solution principal at Relex Solutions, a retail and grocery consulting firm.

Prices rocketed up for lots of reasons in the wake of the pandemic, from the war in Ukraine to a highly contagious bird flu that pushed retail egg prices to record highs last year. And when prices rocket upward — whether for food, gas or other items — consumers can count on a slow, downy descent.

For one thing, retailers are reluctant to lower prices on inventory they ordered when wholesale prices were high, said Jared Bernstein, a senior policy fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy who served as chair of President Joe Biden’s Council of Economic Advisers.

Stores and food companies also want to maximize their profits and were reluctant to give up some of the sales gains they saw after the pandemic, Bernstein said. PepsiCo hiked its prices by double-digit percentages for eight straight quarters in 2022 and 2023, for example, citing higher ingredient and packaging costs. After customer demand faltered, the company began lowering prices on some snacks last year.

Customer behavior also can contribute to prices staying elevated. When prices spike, people shop around for lower ones. But consumers often stop deal hunting when they see prices coming down, giving retailers less incentive to lower prices even further.

“There’s less competitive force on the feather side of the mountain,” Bernstein said.

In some cases, grocery inflation is the result of long-term issues with no quick fix. Consider the average price of coffee, which has risen 54% in U.S. cities since 2019, according to government data. Climate issues — including drought in Vietnam, heavy rain in Indonesia and hot, dry weather in Brazil — are blamed for reducing coffee yields and driving up global prices.

In other cases, there are clearer causes and simpler fixes. For example, U.S. consumers paid 19.5% more for fresh tomatoes in June compared to a year earlier due to a 17% import tax the Trump administration placed on fresh tomatoes from Mexico. Coffee was subject to a tariff for most of 2025 as well, but the duty was eventually removed.

Hamory said the feather may be starting to fall as big retailers invest in price cuts. In early July, Walmart said it was rolling back prices on ground beef, corn, red cherries, ice cream, potato chips and Coca-Cola and Pepsi products. Target also cut prices on some foods in March.

“If the big guys are really investing, saying, ‘That’s what I need to do to get right with my customer,' that will force others in the market to act," Hamory said. “It’s just in the process of starting, but that’s a thing we could be seeing.”

Jack scouts an app for deals at her local supermarket before she buys groceries. When she reaches the store, she grabs the weekly circular to look for coupons she might have missed. If the shelf prices look too high, she scratches items off her list or tries to find lower prices someplace else.

“The apples went up here, the ones I eat, so now I’m not going to get them here. I’ll go to Market Basket, where I can get them cheaper,” Jack, 50, said as she pushed a cart into a Stop & Shop near her home in Lexington, Massachusetts.

Couponing, comparison shopping and cutting back on favorite foods are new habits for her and millions of other Americans as they absorb the biggest jump in grocery prices in a half-century. Buying food to eat at home has gotten 33% more expensive in U.S. cities since the beginning of 2019, according to government figures. In the 7 1/2 years before that, prices rose 6.4%.

The historic increase happened for numerous reasons. The coronavirus pandemic snarled supply chains and raised labor and transportation costs. Droughts, hurricanes and diseases like bird flu drove down production. Tariffs raised prices on foreign products like coffee, tomatoes and chocolate. Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine disrupted oil and fertilizer supplies.

With a fresh conflict in the Middle East accelerating food price inflation again this year, the cost of filling their refrigerators, freezers and pantries has become a frustration for Americans and made affordability a central issue in the fall midterm elections.

By some measures, Americans are better equipped to handle the higher prices, if only slightly. The average weekly earnings of people with full-time jobs job have gone up a bit faster than the cost of groceries since 2019, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

But consumers have long memories when it comes to food shopping, and they know their dollars aren’t going as far as they used to, said Jared Bernstein, a senior policy fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy.

Wages grew much more quickly than grocery prices before the pandemic, Bernstein said. Even if a typical worker's paycheck still outpaces supermarket receipts by a small margin, consumers may feel stressed and aggrieved because other costs, like housing and electricity, have climbed significantly as well, he said.

“People have a well-honed sense of those prices, just as much as gas and maybe more so,” Bernstein, who served as chair of the Council of Economic Advisers under former President Joe Biden, said. “You need groceries to live.”

An economic indicator like median wages does not capture the capacity of family budgets to accommodate additional price hikes. Americans spent an average of 12.9% of their pretax incomes on eating out and at home in 2024, but the share was 33% for the one-fifth of U.S. households with the lowest earnings, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Prices also can vary substantially by region. In St. Louis, food for home use cost 2% more in June compared to a year earlier; in San Francisco, it was 6%, the consumer price index showed.

In interviews, residents of four urban areas where food price inflation has exceeded the national average shared how steadily rising prices are changing the way they shop. They described hunting for discounts, switching brands and feeling grateful for food banks. Some are more cautious about buying nonessentials like takeout coffee. Others are buying less meat or less food overall.

“It’s almost like a strategy, a household strategy, where financial pressure just hasn’t disappeared, so consumers are really developing their own playbook on how to navigate it,” said Sally Lyons Wyatt, a global executive vice president at market research company Circana.

Meat has become a luxury for a family in Texas, the nation's top beef producer

Beef epitomizes out-of-control grocery prices for many Americans. The price of a pound of ground beef reached $6.82 in June, which is 79% more than at the beginning of 2019, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Contributing factors include a shrinking U.S. cattle herd, drought in the West, and the costs of feed and fuel.

Demand for ground beef is falling as a result, according to market research company NielsenIQ. Ada Torres, 60, is one of the people no longer buying it: with five pounds of ground beef costing almost $20, meat has become a luxury for her family of five, she said.

Torres lives 45 miles northeast of Houston in Cleveland, Texas, where she shares a home with her 36-year-old daughter and three grandchildren. Her daughter, who works for a mobile car-washing service, is the family's main provider. Torres does the grocery shopping and cooking.

“Prices are sky-high. One hundred dollars’ worth of groceries these days is nothing. Maybe you can bring home seven family-size items, if you manage to find a good deal,” she said.

Swapping Goya canned beans and Hunt’s tomato sauce for products from Walmart’s Great Value range is one way Torres tries to cut costs. Chicken and cold cuts are now the family’s main source of animal protein, she said.

Torres worries that too much deli meat will be bad for the health of her grandchildren, ages 12, 15 and 16. They miss beef dishes that were once staples on their table, like lasagna with ground beef, beef fajitas and steak with plantain chips, she said.

Torres' daughter's work dwindles during the rainy season in Texas, and the family only can afford one complete meal a day. Breakfast and dinner consist of simple fare like eggs and generic cereals.

Shopping outside Boston takes research, multiple stores and chicken recipes

Apral Jack's grocery-shopping trips included going to Whole Foods until recently. She liked the selection and has fewer mouths to feed now that her three daughters are adults.

“I don’t have to worry about buying for them anymore,” Jack said with a smile, noting that her days of loading up a cart at Costco and BJ's Wholesale Club are in the past.

But she spends more cautiously than she once did. She buys steak only if she can get it at a discount. Her weekly menu planning starts at home with an app that displays special offers and digital coupons. She builds her shopping list around what's on sale.

“Typically, I’ll try to pick the meals based on that. So like chicken fajitas: there was a three-day sale on chicken. I’ll sauté chicken with vegetables and rice,” Jack said.

Her list includes fewer canned goods. Nabisco’s Ginger Snaps and Nilla Wafers are off it completely because she thinks they cost too much. She doesn't buy store-brand replacements; to Jack, they don't taste the same.

Matt Hamory, who leads the global grocery practice at the consulting company AlixPartners, said consumers generally have an amount they’re comfortable spending on food each week. They will go to a more expensive store or splurge on a treat if prices fall below that. But if prices seem unreasonable or the economic outlook is uncertain, they’ll look for cheaper alternatives or cut back.

“I’m going to spend $250 a week, so if I’m shopping at Stop & Shop and they’re getting more expensive, then I’ll start splitting my trips with cheaper places and eventually maybe I’ll lose Stop & Shop entirely,” Hamory said.

Three generations stretch their dollars and share canned food, eggs and produce to get by in San Francisco

San Francisco has a reputation as a great city for foodies. Food preoccupies 33-year-old Jack Chang for other reasons. The self-employed barber has three young children and a partner who is unemployed. The money he makes cutting hair five or six days a week sometimes doesn't go far enough.

"Since I have five mouths I have to feed, basically — and then sometimes my mom, too — it’s a lot on me financially,” Chang said.

They are not a family that goes out for boba milk teas or artisanal ice cream, both of which abound in San Francisco. They visit Round 1 Bowling & Arcade, a Japanese entertainment center with $1 ice cream cones.

Like a lot of Bay Area residents, Chang has felt surrounded by rising costs in the last year. The rent for his barbershop increased 10% as he was losing clients laid off from their tech jobs, he said. He bought a used minivan, so now he has a monthly car payment.

“I look at my credit card every month and I’m like, ‘Wow, how am I going to pay this?’ So I’m a little behind on bills, honestly,” Chang said.

Chang and his partner, Tina Chhous, try to economize by buying generic brands of food and medicine. They buy organic milk but otherwise stick to conventional products.

When their 4-year-old daughter’s preschool has leftover lunch items like meat or bread, Chhous offers to take it. She also receives monthly food assistance through the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP.

“Without that, I don’t know what I would do,” Chang said.

Fewer people have the same buffer after the Trump administration tightened SNAP eligibility requirements last year. As of April, 37 million Americans were enrolled in the program, a 12% decline from a year earlier, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Chang's 77-year-old mother, Lien, receives SNAP aid, too, and visits two different food banks each week. She shares the canned food, eggs and produce she gets with the rest of the family.

Chang loves doting on his children, and acknowledges that money would be less worrisome if he were single.

“But I try to be optimistic and do what I have to do in order to support my family," he said. "Failure is not an option for me.”

Prices in the Honolulu area keep a pastry chef from shopping and eating local

High grocery bills come with living in Hawaii. The state gets nearly all its food from cargo ships that have traveled thousands of miles, making prices and the selection at stores vulnerable to oil market spikes.

Prices for local products also took an upswing this year. The cost of shipping goods between the Hawaiian Islands has skyrocketed amid rising fuel prices tied to the Iran conflict and financial instability within the company that has a near-monopoly on interisland shipping.

Amanda Tabadero, 28, a pastry chef from Kāneʻohe, a community on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, remembers buying Maui-grown strawberries and blueberries for $7.99 per pound in 2024. Now that they cost $11, she buys berries grown in California or Mexico at Costco for $5 when she needs a bulk supply for baking.

Tabadero also doubts she will buy lychee fruit again anytime soon. Kaimana lychee, the variety grown in Hawaii, mostly comes from the Big Island. Tabadero said an iced coffee and a bag of lychee she recently bought in the Chinatown section of Honolulu came to $30.

“It makes me sad,” Tabadero said. “I want to use local stuff.”

One of her favorite sweets is butter mochi, a chewy dessert made from rice flour. But even that simple recipe has gotten harder to make. One essential ingredient, milk, now costs $9 a gallon at a locally owned supermarket chain, Tabadero said.

“Foodland is not affordable” for locals, she said, referring to the chain known for its poke and which has a central Honolulu location that is popular with tourists. Tabadero has switched to shopping at Target or Times Supermarket, another Hawaii-based chain.

At home, where she lives with her parents and younger sister, three cats and a dog, making dinner has required adjustments. Chuck roast for Hawaii-style beef stew, a local staple, crept up last year to roughly $10 a pound from $7.99 or less before the pandemic. Unless she snags a $5 Friday deal at Safeway, “we do have to find substitutes, even if we’re craving it,” Tabadero said.

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This report is a collaboration between The Associated Press and The Lexington Observer in Massachusetts, La Esquina in Texas and Honolulu Civil Beat in Hawaii. AP Video Journalist Terry Chea contributed from San Francisco.

Punch was abandoned by his mother after his birth a year ago Sunday, presumably because of exhaustion. Zookeepers nursed him and gave him the toy to develop his gripping ability, something newborn macaques need to survive.

Punch is no longer a plump baby with the plushie and he's hard to distinguish from other monkeys as he mingles and plays with them at an enclosure at the Ichikawa City Zoological and Botanical Garden.

He still attracts big crowds, and has received some 2,500 birthday cards from inside and outside Japan, said Takashi Yasunaga, head of the zoo. Many of the cards and other messages fill the walls at an indoor Punch birthday exhibit where visitors can also view video chronicling Punch from his earliest days.

“As Punch was trying very hard struggling to live each day, his two keepers did everything they can while other staff watched over him,” Yasunaga said, recalling the past year. “It was extremely hot when Punch was born. The memory is still clear to me as the hot season returns."

In mid-January, after six months of special care by his keepers, Punch was placed into the zoo’s monkey enclosure to join some 50 other monkeys — a challenge that led to his fame.

In February, images of Punch with his toy posted by the zoo on social media immediately became a sensation and drove tens of thousand of visitors to the zoo, half of them from overseas, Yasunaga said.

When other monkeys shooed the baby away, Punch rushed back to the toy orangutan, hugging it for comfort. Fans cheered him with a #HangInTherePunch tag on social media.

It was not just the cuteness factor of seeing Punch with his toy, but also his lone struggle to be gradually accepted by others that struck a chord, fans say.

Kumi Ishizawa, a Kobe resident who was at the birthday exhibit, said she found Punch on social media earlier this year. From then on, overcoming her illness to come see him had become her goal.

“He moved me ... I kept on telling myself that I'm going to get well and come visit to see Punch," said Ishizawa, who has since recovered and dropped by the zoo after wrapping up a business trip. “And here I am, I made it. I'm very happy I could finally see him in person."

Yeye Lights, a longtime resident in the city, had never visited the zoo until she became a Punch fan and now has an annual visitor pass. She was hooked by Punch after her daughter in the Philippines told her about the monkey.

“I have a cake for Punch-kun, I'm celebrating with my friends,” Lights said, using an affectionate Japanese honorific for boys. She thanked the monkey's two carers for taking good care of him.

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Yamaguchi reported from Tokyo.

The International Medieval Combat Federation's annual world championship roared into gear in northern Denmark this week. First staged in Spain in 2014, it features armor-clad competitors fighting with 14th-century medieval weapons. But it’s also a modern combat sport with safety rules and sporting conventions.

A mixture of historical and modern techniques

“It’s historically inspired,” combat federation spokesperson Kamila Studencka said. “It’s a mix of modern techniques with historical ones. We have something between full combat sports and fencing.”

And while the swords and axes are blunted, the battles are anything but harmless reenactments. Studencka said some competitors are attracted by “the violence,” while others prefer the technical aspects of face-to-face duels.

“Some people like the friendship and being a team member … to be a part of something bigger,” she added.

This year’s championship is being held in the shadow of Spøttrup Castle, a formidable Danish fortress that was completed around 1520.

The event has drawn fighters from 30 countries, including the United States, Canada, China, and Brazil.

Brazilian competitor Rodrigo Sinckevicius, who traveled with a team of eight from São Paulo, said he previously competed in jiu-jitsu and other mixed martial arts, but when he first saw this kind of medieval combat, he “couldn’t believe it.”

“People falling and grabbing and the sound of the steel cracking, it’s like something that you cannot fake,” added the 33-year-old, who works in sales back home.

Duels and team events

The four-day championships, which opened Thursday, see competitors battle in one-on-one “duels” made up of two one-minute rounds each. Opponents are eliminated after hitting the ground three times or when they submit. If neither happens, marshals declare a winner based on points scored.

There are also chaotic mass-team events, known as “Buhurt,” in which up to 10 competitors on either side participate.

Martin Gill, from Milton Keynes, England, said he first got involved “to hit someone in the face with an ax.”

“This had that kind of niche appeal to it, that people were willing to consensually come up and say, ‘You can hit me in the face with the ax, as hard as you can,’” the 37-year-old geotechnical engineer said.

The IMCF says fighters wear thick, shock-absorbing padded garments beneath the armor to distribute the force of impact, and that fights are strictly controlled by trained marshals who enforce the rules of engagement. It says that overall injury rates are comparable to those in mainstream full-contact martial arts.

Gill said almost everything the competitors wear, including his 30-kilogram (66-pound) suit of armor, is historically accurate. Some outfits and fighting techniques are informed by the writings of 14th-century Italian knight Fiore Dei Liberi and German fencing master Johannes Liechtenauer.

“We follow manuscripts as best we can,” said Gill. “Everything is legitimate techniques from all of their writings throughout the 14th century.”

A growing sport

Nearly 600 fighters are taking part in this week's championship. The sport, an unflinching blend of mixed martial arts, fencing, and historical reenactment, has been growing in popularity.

Competitor Alex King, a 37-year-old financial crime specialist from Shoreview, Minnesota, said that when he first started three years ago, there were just 10 or so members in his local team. Now there are over 50.

“In America, it’s definitely growing, with the short videos you see now highlighting the sport,” King said. “A lot of people have become interested.”

The last big event in the U.S. featured over 40 teams, he added.

Men and women compete in separate events. Miisa Kaivos, a 27-year-old bartender from Helsinki, Finland, said the women’s side of the sport is also “drastically growing all around the world.”

“It’s amazing to see,” said Kaivos. “It’s always nice to come to these events and fight each other, and have that awesome girl power.”

As thousands of demonstrators take to the streets in the Indian capital, they are waging a parallel campaign online, flooding social media with memes, parody videos and self-deprecating jokes.

In doing so, they are also beating Narendra Modi — the powerful but image-conscious prime minister — at his own game.

Modi built his political brand through social media. Now protesters are using that same platform to mock his administration, ridicule pro-government television news coverage, transform confrontation with police into viral content and seize control of the online narrative.

The campaign has taken the protests demanding accountability and education reforms beyond the streets, broadening its reach and intensifying pressure on a government wary of appearing to yield to a rapidly growing youth movement.

Humor has become a form of protest

The “Cockroach” movement’s digital campaign has been largely powered by humor.

Clashes with police have become viral content. Videos showed protesters joking about keeping their Strava streaks alive — a reference to the fitness tracking app used by runners — as they ran from police baton charges. Others edited footage of themselves dodging police barricades to mimic the popular endless runner mobile game Subway Surfers.

Some women have borrowed influencer culture, posting “get ready with me” videos before marches and “fit check” posts featuring helmets, goggles and other homemade protest gear. Other protesters have created spoof videos mocking pro-government television anchors and their dramatic style of broadcasts that have labeled the protesters “anti-national” and “foreign-funded conspirators.”

The Associated Press interviewed several protesters, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals from authorities.

One 25-year-old protester said the memes are more than comic relief; they’re a way of coping. She sees them as a generational trait.

Unlike older generations, who learned to endure hardship, hers has little patience for “simply putting up with it," she said.

“If our phone data runs out, we can’t even bear that. So we’re definitely not going to tolerate this,” she said, referring to Monday’s police crackdown on protesters in the capital.

Protesters lean on meme culture

The street protests erupted a month ago, fueled by anger over a string of exam scandals, including the illegal sharing of entrance exams for the national medical program. Young people say the scandals have jeopardized their futures and eroded trust in the education system. Protesters blame Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and demand his resignation, but the demonstrations have since expanded into a wider anger over government accountability, spreading to other cities.

Much of that expansion has been driven by the Cockroach Janta Party, a satirical group that started the movement two months ago. Through memes, humor and satire, it has given younger Indians a new way to express their frustration with the government and helped turn a single-issue campaign into a broader youth movement.

At the main protest site in New Delhi, that influence is hard to miss.

Some protesters march in Spider-Man masks and Batman costumes, carrying tongue-in-cheek placards. Other protest signs echo the irreverent tone of social media, with memes and pop culture references woven into the demonstrations.

One poster featuring the education minister asked: “When will AI take his job?” Another captured the movement’s spirit with the slogan: “Every joke is a (tiny) revolution.”

Some slogans and posters have taken on an overtly profane and risqué tone.

A 23-year-old student said the protesters were simply speaking the language of their generation.

“We find speeches boring, we are the summary generation. We have a habit of consuming things in a short span of time, so we are using the same ways to put our message across,” she said.

The jokes now target the prime minister

For Modi, who is entering his 13th year in office, the protests present an unusual challenge. His image is built on strength and decisiveness, but he risks alienating young people if he responds too forcefully. Nearly half India’s population is under 25, making young voters one of the country’s most influential electoral groups.

But the protests have broken a long-standing taboo: mocking Modi himself.

Jokes about Modi were rare during earlier protests, when his government was criticized for suppressing dissent. But now, even he has become a target of taunts.

Modi’s gestures, pauses and mannerisms have been turned into viral edits that turn his own words into political jokes.

When Modi released a late-night, selfie-style video Thursday addressing the protesters, he promised swift legal action against those responsible for leaking academic or job exams. But many internet users edited the clip with parody voice-overs and references to his past promises they said had gone unfulfilled.

One video went particularly viral. Modi’s original address began with him referring to the protesters as “friends.” A parody video kept that opening, and abruptly cut to three young girls staring into the camera and responding: “No, we are not.”

A 21-year-old student said there is no better way to challenge Modi than by using social media that helped build his political brand.

“We’re just answering him in his language,” he said.

Raul Morales, 51, allegedly yelled the Arabic phrase “Allahu akbar” while attacking the two men Thursday on Manhattan's Upper West Side, according to police accounts of what witnesses told them.

Morales was initially arrested Friday on hate crime charges related to the Jewish man but not the other. He was arraigned later that day and charged with attempted murder and assault as hate crimes related to both victims.

As Morales was led out of a police station Friday evening, he shouted about seeking justice for someone. When reporters asked about the stabbings, he responded that he was “gonna talk about it” as he was ushered into a police car.

Morales' court-appointed attorney did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment late Friday.

The stabbings happened about two blocks apart Thursday afternoon, police said. Both victims were taken to a hospital and were expected to survive. They were in stable condition Friday, state Attorney General Letitia James said at a morning news conference with other officials and community leaders.

According to the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, Morales approached the Asian man from behind and stabbed him with a knife “without provocation." Then, after walking four blocks away, he stabbed the Jewish man wearing a kippah with a screwdriver, prosecutors said.

A witness followed Morales as he fled to the apartment he was staying at, prosecutors said.

The Jewish victim was attacked just after leaving a nearby synagogue, called the Jewish Center, Rabbi Yosie Levine said.

“He was just trying to pray at his synagogue, and now we’re the ones praying for his recovery,” Levine said.

The Asian American Foundation, a New York-based advocacy group, said in a statement the attacks “underscore the persistent safety challenges” and mistreatment — from harassment to physical assault — facing Asian Americans in the city.

“We demand continued, meaningful investment in community safety and hate prevention that protects everyone,” the group said in a statement.

The charges Morales faces carry a consecutive total of 40 years in prison, prosecutors said. His next court appearance is scheduled for July 30.

Hate crimes in New York City have been on the rise in recent years, while overall violent crime rates have dropped, according to police data. Tisch said in April that more than half of all confirmed hate crimes in the city so far this year targeted Jewish people. Estimates of the size of the city's Jewish community vary, but it's far less than half the overall population.

“We are undeniably being disproportionately targeted, again and again and again,” City Comptroller Mark Levine said at the Friday morning news conference, where he also told Asian Americans: “We stand in outrage with you.”

James and Levine are Democrats.

Roads near the 1,084-kilometer-long (673-mile-long) border are covered for long distances by anti-drone netting. The surrounding landscape is dominated by rows of razor wire and concrete anti-tank barriers known as “dragon’s teeth.”

The Associated Press visited parts of the border in northern Ukraine earlier this month, following a rise in tensions between the two countries; Ukraine demanded that Belarus shut down communications relay stations Russia had installed to boost the range of its drones attacking Ukrainian cities.

Belarus obliged, according to Ukraine, and rhetoric between the two governments has eased since then. While Ukrainian officials say they see no signs of a Russian troop buildup in Belarus, they are determined to strengthen their border against any possible threat.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has repeatedly said he has no plans for his troops to enter the war unless his country is attacked. Still, people living near the border say the possibility of Belarus becoming more involved in Russia’s war remains a source of anxiety.

For many residents, the extensive defenses are both a reminder of the early days of the war and a source of reassurance that Ukraine is preparing for any future scenarios.

Ukrainian border guards patrol the area around the clock using armored vehicles, drones and other surveillance systems. Ukrainian officials say the addition of more defenses will remain a priority well into the future because Belarus is Russia's closest military ally.

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Associated Press journalist Volodymyr Yurchuk in Kyiv, Ukraine, contributed.

Towering 407 feet (124 meters), Starship soared from the company’s base at the southern tip of Texas. NASA monitored the space-skimming flight, a critical step toward using the Starship as a lunar lander for moon crews.

The hourlong journey ended with a splashdown so soft that the spacecraft remained afloat in the Indian Ocean as the SpaceX webcast drew to a close, drawing cheers from employees back at the launch site.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX had replaced six of the 33 engines on the first-stage booster after some of them failed to ignite last week, resulting in a last-second launch abort. The previous Starship flight in May also experienced engine trouble, which prevented the booster from making a controlled return.

This time, all of the engines fired at liftoff, but not enough of them lit back up for the booster's return, causing it to descend too fast and slam into the Gulf of Mexico. The spacecraft continued soaring eastward, popping out the Starlinks one by one 124 miles (200 kilometers) up before reentering.

It was the 13th flight of the world’s biggest and most powerful rocket, and the second this year of the new version dubbed V3. Like the previous demo, neither the booster nor spacecraft was meant to be saved, instead plunging into the sea.

The stainless steel, retro-looking spacecraft hovered upright over the Indian Ocean before lowering into the water, more than 10,000 miles (16,000 kilometers) from where the flight began.

It was the best reentry yet, according to SpaceX, with the intact booster floating amid just a few flames. Previous flights ended with the spacecraft engulfed in flames and exploding at splashdown — or rupturing in midair.

“We're really pumped about this,” said SpaceX engineer Kate Tice, calling it “lucky flight 13.”

The Starlinks accomplished all their jobs before reentering over the Indian Ocean.

After being ejected from the Starship’s Pez-like dispenser, the Starlinks had just 20 minutes to communicate via lasers and radio before reentering. SpaceX said its engineers made contact and even downloaded data from each one. With more than 10,000 Starlinks currently providing internet, SpaceX boasts the world’s largest satellite constellation.

Six of the newly launched Starlinks carried cameras that photographed Starship’s heat shield at flight's end, beaming back amazingly crisp shots even as the spacecraft bobbed in the ocean. The heat shield was also equipped with sensors to measure the extreme pressure placed on the spacecraft during launch. Most of the heat shield’s thermal tiles were black, but some were deliberately painted white to simulate missing tiles, part of an experiment to test the shield’s robustness.

"We got all the heat shield data we needed and then some!" Musk said on X.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman offered congratulations. “Excited for what will be learned from this mission,” Isaacman noted on X.

SpaceX wants to make sure Starship’s heat shield can withstand the heat of entry before trying to return it to the Starbase launch pad near the Texas-Mexico border. The company already has used a pair of giant mechanical arms at the pad to capture a Starship booster. The company plans to do the same with the actual spacecraft, which is designed to be totally reusable.

NASA needs Starship to wrap up testing and reach orbit soon so the Artemis III astronauts — three Americans and one Italian — can practice docking their capsule with it next year.

Starship is also the vehicle with which Musk intends to build a city on Mars. He's already booking tourist trips to Mars, as well as the moon.

The latest test flight was delayed first by the July 16 launch abort, then again on Thursday by thick clouds from Tropical Storm Bertha.

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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Kaepernick and rock star Bruce Springsteen were honored Friday night with the ACLU Ralph Ellison Award for Defenders of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties in the Arts, Business, Science and Sports. The honor comes a decade after Kaepernick knelt during the national anthem in protest against police violence and racial inequality.

“We know our civil liberties are under attack, we know humanity is under attack, education is under attack. They are trying to encroach on our rights, encroach on our dignity, encroach on the future that we want to build together,” Kaepernick said in his acceptance speech. “When we look back at this moment, it will not be the speeches that change the direction of history. It's going to be whether we decided: Are we going to build the schools or not? Are we going to defend the rights of others, or are we going to watch? Are we going to build community together, or are we going to stand in isolation?

“The consequences of these decisions are going to be the reality that the future generations inherit.”

Kaepernick was joined in protest by teammate Eric Reid and others, but he also drew criticism from politicians, team owners and other players. Kaepernick and Reid filed collusion grievances against the NFL in 2017, saying they were blacklisted. They reached a settlement in 2019.

“He demonstrated in real time the price America too often exacts from those who challenge racial injustice," said Deborah Archer, the ACLU's president. “His peaceful protest was met with extraordinary personal sacrifice. He lost the career he spent his life building. He became the target of criticism, hostility and relentless public attack, and yet he never retreated.”

Springsteen — who closed the event with a solo rendition of “Streets of Minneapolis” — and Kaepernick were honored as part of an awards ceremony hosted by actress Laverne Cox.

“It's important for us to recognize all of the people who are contributing to the fight to protect civil rights and civil liberties,” Archer said. “Those folks — actors, athletes — these folks have all shown up in incredibly powerful ways.”

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

The 26-year-old Richardson got off to a slow start but quickly made up time, finishing in 10.77 seconds to breeze past training partner Kayla White and win by 0.13 seconds at Icahn Stadium.

“It feels phenomenal to be back in a better place — healthy, mentally, physically, emotionally," Richardson, who battled injuries last year, said in an interview with Peacock after the race. “It shows that hard work pays off."

Lyles, the reigning Olympic champion, was trailing early but quickly caught up to the field — and then blew right by them. He matched his personal-best time by finishing in 9.79 seconds. The 32-year-old Ronnie Baker took second and Kenny Bednarek finished third.

“I did what I do,” Lyles said in a postrace interview. “There’s no better rush than (winning). It’s my natural high. That’s my vice. Winning, running fast, that feeling of flying, that feeling of being better than everybody in the world — you can't get that around here, only around me.”

Lyles celebrated after the race by signing a trading card with his image on it. He planned to give it to a “special fan,” he said. This was his third national title in the 100.

It's been quite a stretch for Lyles, who got married in April. He also recently attended a FIFA World Cup game, where he posed for photos with Jamaican great Usain Bolt.

Lyles is gearing up for world championships next season and then the 2028 LA Olympics.

“Shoot, I was just playing around this year," Lyles said. “I’m scared for y’all next year. I am real scared. Because you all ain’t going to have this nice Noah who goes around and just thinks that it’s all lollygagging and good. Next year I've got plans. I got places to run fast."

Richardson stuck around for the men’s race, sitting on the grass with her spikes off as her partner, Christian Coleman, competed. Coleman was fourth.

She's rounding into the form that led to a gold medal in the 100 at the 2023 world championships and silver at the 2024 Paris Games.

“Just really remembering who I am and just knowing that consistency and just being determined to be better," said Richardson, who won her third 100 national title.

Erin Marsh used a strong 800-meter race to eclipse Timara Chapman by 38 points to win the heptathlon. Marsh, the sister of Philadelphia All-Star outfielder Brandon Marsh, finished with 6,059 points.

Garrett Scantling edged Kyle Garland by 95 points to take the decathlon crown. Euphenie Andre won the women's triple jump, Tyus Wilson took the men's high jump title and Annette Echikunwoke the women's hammer throw. Nick Christie won the men's race walk half marathon and Lauren Harris the women's race.

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AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

Crews have been able to build some containment lines around the Akawa Butte Fire, which is burning near Sisters, a town about 22 miles (35 kilometers) northwest of Bend. Started by lightning on July 16, the fire has scorched 42 square miles (109 square kilometers) and destroyed two homes.

It has been designated as the nation’s top priority wildfire because of its proximity to people. The designation will allow officials to tap into resources from other states and other countries, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek said Friday.

Strong winds and low humidity were expected later Friday and Saturday and could lead to increased fire activity, officials warned. They urged residents to be prepared to evacuate if necessary.

The National Weather Service issued a red-flag warning in central Oregon through Saturday, which means conditions such as low humidity, warm temperatures and strong winds can create an extreme wildfire risk.

The most critical period for Sisters, a town of 3,800 people about 3 miles (5 kilometers) south of the fire, will be the next 24 to 48 hours, said Sisters Mayor Jennifer Letz. She said about half of the town's population has been told to be ready to leave if needed.

“If we can get through this weekend, we will probably be in a good position moving forward. But right now, we do have the north half of the city under orders to be prepared, to have a plan, to get their things together," she said.

There are more than 1,000 firefighters battling the blaze and more are expected to join them to help strengthen and expand containment lines. The blaze has shown extreme fire behavior, including 200-foot (61-meter) flame heights and a pyrocumulus cloud that generated its own lightning, Kotek said.

“This is all-hands-on-deck here in Oregon,” she said.

It’s not Oregon’s only significant wildfire, making this an especially challenging period for emergency responders, she said.

There are dozens more fires burning across the state, choking the air in Oregon and sending smoke across the country. Kotek said every available firefighter and firefighting resource is being used in the field.

The biggest blaze is the Rowe Creek Complex which has destroyed 300 square miles (777 square kilometers) since being sparked by lightning on July 15. It was nearly 30% contained on Friday.

Firefighters have made progress on the northern portion of the blaze, where they have built containment lines, but strong winds fueled the fire and it expanded on its southern end after spot fires jumped containment lines, said Thadd Niebel, an operations chief with the U.S. Forest Service.

Crews were being reassigned to the southern portion of the blaze to strengthen containment lines and protect homes and other buildings ahead of winds forecast to reach 20 mph (32 kph), Niebel said.

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Rodriguez reported from San Francisco.

Fans at Comic-Con International were ecstatic with his response Friday. A crowd at the expo's massive Hall H stood to cheer and applaud as the 73-year-old actor — long absent from Hollywood — joined a panel to promote his return as Dark Helmet in “Spaceballs: The New One," the long-awaited sequel to the 1987 cult classic.

When his name was first announced, Moranis hid in the crowd under his character's extra large helmet as soldiers from the film used an oversized comb to search for the actor.

“This came along at the right time,” said Moranis of the film, set for release next April. “It just felt like this is it. … It is the best decision I ever made. It’s like family to me.”

Moranis and Daphne Zuniga were joined on stage by director Josh Greenbaum, writer and actor Josh Gad, writers Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit, along with new cast members Keke Palmer and Lewis Pullman. Pullman and Palmer’s character descriptions have not been revealed.

“It was so funny that I kept being like, ‘Oh my God! Can you believe they said that?’” said Palmer about first reading the script.

Pullman says he was hesitant to join the film having grown up with it and watching his father Bill Pullman’s performance as Lone Starr.

“I read it and I was like, 'Damn it. This is so good. … This is one of the funniest scripts I’ve ever read.' I rarely laugh out loud when I’m reading scripts," Pullman said. "I would be a fool. It would be weird if I didn’t do it.”

Mel Brooks and Bill Pullman were not in attendance but greeted fans via prerecorded video.

Fans were shown behind-the-scenes footage of Brooks recording lines inside a vocal booth and reuniting with Bill Pullman and Zuniga, and a sneak peak at a teaser trailer.

Gad confirmed to fans that he was playing a mawg, but not John Candy’s character from the original, Barf. Gad said the new film would honor Candy and other original cast members who have since died, including Joan Rivers, Dom DeLuise and Dick Van Patten.

The team poked fun at the “cinematic universe” film timelines popularized by Marvel Studios with a parody displayed across Hall H's wrap-around screens showcasing imagined sequels in more than 11 phases of “The Almighty Schwartz Saga."

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office identified the former Astatula officers as Rodney Brown and Natalie Quandt. LCSO spokesperson John Herrell said both were sworn in Tuesday, July 21.

Their departures reduced Astatula’s police force from 10 officers to eight—meaning the town lost 20% of its sworn department in the same week.

The resignations initially came to News 6 through a tip claiming half of the department had resigned, that several officers had been hired by the sheriff and that the departures followed a dispute over take-home police vehicles.

The confirmed number is two—not half of the department. The mayor, police chief and sheriff’s office also agree both officers resigned voluntarily rather than being fired.

However, News 6 has confirmed the departures happened against the backdrop of a dispute involving department fuel spending, enforcement of the town’s vehicle policy and preliminary conversations about whether LCSO could one day provide law enforcement for Astatula.

Officers left days before being sworn in by LCSO

Mayor Zane Teeters Jr. said Brown and Quandt submitted resignation letters July 15, with both departures becoming effective July 17. Neither officer was terminated, according to the mayor.

Astatula Police Chief Wally Hoagland said the two officers left to accept positions with larger law-enforcement agencies.

Four days after their resignations took effect, Brown and Quandt were sworn in by LCSO.

Herrell said no other current or former Astatula officers are undergoing the sheriff’s office hiring or background process.

The sheriff’s office is also not providing additional patrol or emergency coverage inside Astatula because of the staffing change, Herrell said.

Chief Hoagland said the department now has eight officers and two vacancies.

“Any employee departure affects staffing levels; however, response times and criminal investigations have not been affected at this time,” Hoagland said.

The mayor said those eight officers include the chief and serve approximately 2,100 residents. He acknowledged, however, that a per-capita staffing figure does not fully account for shift assignments, supervision, training, leave or the number of officers actually available for patrol at a particular time.

Vehicle policy enforced after fuel-budget concerns

Both the mayor and chief said the town’s decision involving police vehicles was driven by fuel spending and enforcement of an existing policy.

On May 16, Teeters sent Hoagland a written memorandum directing the department to begin enforcing the town’s vehicle-use policy on June 1.

The policy generally prohibits town-owned vehicles from leaving Astatula unless the trip involves official town business. It also requires employees to document authorized travel outside town limits.

The mayor’s memo specifically prohibited using town vehicles for personal errands, secondary employment, private business, personal convenience or commuting unrelated to an official duty assignment. It preserved vehicle use for emergency responses, mutual aid, court appearances, investigations, training and other authorized police work.

Teeters said the policy had existed since 2008 but had not been consistently enforced within the police department.

He said the department had nearly exhausted its annual fuel budget with approximately five months remaining in the fiscal year.

“The decision was an administrative and fiscal-management action intended to restore compliance with existing Town policy and ensure responsible stewardship of public resources,” Teeters wrote. “It was not intended as punishment or retaliation against any employee.”

Hoagland similarly described it as an administrative decision connected to rising fuel prices and the department exceeding its budgeted fuel allocation.

However, the chief disputed the claim that the vehicle decision caused the two resignations.

The mayor also urged against automatically linking the two events, noting the vehicle policy took effect June 1 and the resignation letters were submitted approximately six weeks later.

Neither Brown nor Quandt has publicly explained whether the vehicle decision, department morale, pay, career advancement or another factor influenced the decision to leave.

Town approached LCSO before resignations

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office also confirmed that conversations about potentially providing law enforcement in Astatula began before Brown and Quandt resigned.

Herrell said the mayor and town manager contacted LCSO approximately four or five weeks ago to ask whether the sheriff’s office would be willing to provide services.

Informal discussions followed.

LCSO has not provided Astatula with an official proposal, finalized cost or approved staffing plan, Herrell said. However, an LCSO patrol major shared what Herrell described as “very rough numbers” for the town to consider.

“It was just raw information and none of those figures have been finalized or approved by the Sheriff,” Herrell said.

Teeters also confirmed that he requested information about the possible costs, staffing levels, service levels, response considerations and operational effects of using LCSO.

“No decision has been made to eliminate or disband the Astatula Police Department,” the mayor wrote.

He characterized the discussions as fact-finding while the town evaluates staffing, public-safety expenses, its proposed budget and possible revenue constraints.

The mayor said any significant change would require legal and financial review, consideration by the Town Council at a publicly noticed meeting and an opportunity for public comment.

Chief Hoagland said he has not been involved in those discussions. He said he was advised they were intended to better understand the possible effect of a proposed property-tax issue on residents.

That means the leader of the police department has not been directly involved in the preliminary conversations over whether another agency could potentially provide the town’s law-enforcement services.

Residents value knowing their officers

For residents in and around Astatula, the debate is not simply about the number of officers on a spreadsheet.

Kenneth New, who has lived in the area for years, said one of the department’s strengths is that its officers are familiar and treat people with respect.

“I think they do an excellent job,” New said. “They treat everybody with respect. I’ve never been disrespected by any of the officers here.”

New said he does not expect the two resignations to immediately affect patrols. However, he said Brown had deep ties to the community.

“Lieutenant Brown’s been here all of his life,” New said. “Everybody really respected him, and he seemed to respect everyone.”

Former Astatula councilman Ryan Wilbur also praised the department’s relationship with residents, describing its officers as personable and engaged with the community.

Wilbur, an outspoken critic of the mayor, said he believes the town is moving in the wrong direction. He raised broader concerns about employee morale and town leadership, although News 6 has not independently verified all of his allegations.

Wilbur said staffing a small police force around the clock is more complicated than simply counting the names on its roster.

“We have 10 people. Why don’t we see them?” Wilbur said. “Well, because it’s 24/7, 365. They’ve got to rotate through and make sure we have some sort of coverage.”

When asked whether he would be comfortable with LCSO taking over, Wilbur said his principal concern would be whether the town maintains reliable coverage and reasonable response times.

“As long as we have coverage, I think that’s what the citizens are mainly looking for,” Wilbur said. “But I like our police force. I think they do a good job, and I’ll support them right up to the end.”

Firefighters and authorities in both European countries were caught off guard by the virulence of the fires, which were fueled by high temperatures and the long-term effects of climate change. Firefighters in Spain admitted the fires were so fast and violent that they could not be tackled head on. Some people even fled by boat when flames swept through the touristic area on France’s Atlantic coast.

Some 141,000 fled homes in the Gironde and Landes departments in France, the French interior ministry said. In central Spain, 60,000 were forced from their homes, according to the Spanish interior ministry.

Dozens of French firefighters were injured, authorities said, but no deaths were reported in either country despite the scenes of panic as townsfolk fled by car and police went door to door to tell people to leave as large plumes of smoke rose from the neighboring woodlands.

Wildfire headed toward Bordeaux

France’s Interior minister Laurent Nunez said that the large wildfire that ravaged large swaths of land in southwestern France is heading toward the city of Bordeaux.

Speaking to French TV channel Tf1, Nunez said the wildfire that earlier in the day forced the evacuation of the Cap Ferret peninsula has swept across 140 square kilometers, with 110,000 people fleeing their homes in the Gironde region.

“We learned in the middle of the afternoon that, following the wind shift, it had become a large, self-sustaining fire that is extremely difficult to bring under control,” Nunez said. “It is now moving east, toward the Bordeaux metropolitan area. We are going to reorganize our response so we can fight it from the ground and prevent it from advancing toward Bordeaux.”

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron has asked the Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu to activate the government’s crisis response unit, and has instructed the armed forces to mobilize in order to provide the maximum possible reinforcement to the civilian emergency services.

“This fire that we have been living with and fighting against here in Gironde for three days has reached an unprecedented magnitude," Sophie Brocas, the Nouvelle Aquitaine Prefect, said. “To combat it, we will receive extremely significant national reinforcements.”

The blaze started on Wednesday near Cap Ferret peninsula on France’s Atlantic coast, located 60 kilometers (37 miles) from Bordeaux. Local authorities in the Gironde department said 53 homes and a campsite were destroyed, adding that 42 firefighters were injured. Around 1,500 people who fled the peninsula arrived by sea in the city of Arcachon, some aboard small water taxis and others on larger boats.

“It’s quite impressive and even frightening," said Laurent Moretti, a resident in the town of Arès. “An evacuation on this scale has never happened before. All we really hope is that the firefighters can quickly get it under control.”

A separate wildfire broke out in Landes, causing 31,000 evacuations. Authorities believe the causes of both fires in France were accidental.

More than 20,000 people had already been evacuated from towns and vacation resorts on Thursday, but that number exploded on Friday as both France and Spain asked fellow European Union members for help.

Macron said France will receive EU reinforcements including two Croatian Canadair firefighting aircraft, two Portuguese Air Tractor aircraft, and two heavy-lift Black Hawk helicopters from the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska said that Italy and Greece are each sending two Canadair water-dumping airplanes, while a thousand Spanish soldiers helped firefighting efforts.

Spain struggles to tackle multiple fires amid a heatwave

In Spain, the government declared a national emergency for wildfires for the first time as the blazes in Madrid and the nearby province of Ávila prompted the evacuation of some 60,000 people from towns west of the capital.

“I want to send a message of support to the thousands of families who face a difficult night ahead,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who will visit the fire-ravaged area on Saturday, wrote on X.

The fires are being fanned by a heat wave with temperatures expected to top 39 degrees Celsius (102 Fahrenheit).

Two major fires near Madrid merged into one single blaze that had quickly charred 30 square kilometers (11.5 square miles) by Friday afternoon. Regional President Isabel Díaz-Ayuso called it the worst in Madrid's history.

Francisco Martín, the central government representative for the region of Madrid, said that another 20,000 people had been ordered to shelter at home. Martín said more evacuations could be coming and that the priority now was to protect the town of San Lorenzo, the home of the Escorial, Philip II's 16th-century royal palace and monastery.

Meanwhile, a blaze in Ávila, less than two hours northwest of Madrid, consumed 90 square kilometers (34 square miles). Spain's Civil Guard arrested one man and is investigating another for allegedly having used heavy machinery in an area where it was prohibited for fire risk. Police believe a spark ignited the fire on Thursday.

“All around the town was smoke and fire, I was scared. Everything was fire and smoke, people were nervous,” 33-year-old Joaquin Espinosa said before he and his neighbors were evacuated from the village of Chapinería.

Devastating summer for fires in Spain

In one week, Spain has had the worst fires on record for both the regions of Castilla La Mancha and Madrid.

Firefighters were still trying to extinguish Spain’s second-largest ever fire in the Guadalajara province of Castilla La Mancha after it had destroyed some 320 square kilometers (120 square miles) over the last week. Thirteen people were also killed in a fire in southern Spain earlier this month, the deadliest fire in recent memory for Spain.

Spanish Minister for the Ecological Transition Sara Aagesen said that Spain has seen 1,140 square kilometers (440 square miles) already burned this year, more than five times the burned terrain it had through the first half of 2025.

Spain has experienced record temperatures in recent summers and forest fires of increasing violence.

Wildfire analyst Raúl Quílez said that besides the impact of climate change, Spain’s rural areas have become more exposed to fires with the abandonment of farmlands that traditionally provided buffer zones around villages. Now, he said, trees and undergrowth often reach right to homes, putting them in harm’s way.

"That makes a perfect cocktail for this type of fires,” Quílez told The Associated Press by phone from Valencia, where he works as an analyst for regional firefighters.

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Alicia León in Chapinería, Spain, contributed to this story. Petrequin reported from Paris. Wilson reported from Barcelona, Spain.

Attorney Mark NeJame represented the family of Jayden Baez and three other teens after the April 27, 2022, shooting outside the Target store along U.S. Highway 192. The lawsuit originally named former Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez and the two deputies who fired their weapons.

“We looked at it and said, this just screams of excessive force and there needs to be justice,” NeJame said.

According to investigators, deputies were alerted after two teenagers were seen inside the Target stealing Pokémon cards and a pizza. At the time, dozens of plainclothes deputies were conducting a training exercise in the parking lot.

Investigators said several unmarked patrol vehicles quickly surrounded the car Baez was driving after it left the store. Deputies said Baez drove forward and struck one of the patrol vehicles, prompting two deputies to open fire in what they said was self-defense.

Baez was killed, and two other teenagers inside the vehicle were injured.

NeJame argued the deputies unnecessarily escalated what he described as a misdemeanor theft investigation.

“All they had to do is say, ‘OK, we caught you stealing,’ and then charge them with misdemeanor offenses and petit theft,” he said.

Officials said the $1 million settlement will not be paid with taxpayer money. Instead, it will be covered by the Florida Sheriffs Risk Management Fund, which provides liability coverage for participating sheriff’s offices.

NeJame acknowledged the settlement may not fully compensate the families but said they ultimately decided to resolve the case.

“We would always want more, but I think three of the families were very happy in light of the injuries sustained,” he said. “The fourth one are very appreciative and they decided to settle.”

NeJame also said he believes changes within the sheriff’s office since Sheriff Chris Blackmon took office have improved the agency’s internal culture following Lopez’s removal from office.

He said he hopes the settlement serves as a reminder of the importance of accountability and helps prevent similar incidents in the future.

“I think the Baez family and the rest of the families of these young men have comfort in knowing they may have saved the lives of other people they will never know,” NeJame said.

Fudd, the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft by Dallas, scored 30 points in the finals to top Portland's Bridget Carleton.

“I was shocked, that’s crazy to be the first is definitely an honor,” Fudd said of being the first rookie to win.

Fudd's 30-point effort was tied for the second-most ever, equaling Sabrina Ionescu and Allie Quigley's total. Ionescu holds the record, scoring 37 points in 2023.

Fudd hit her first six shots in the finals to get into rhythm. Carleton, from the expansion Fire, had 29 points in the opening round, but struggled in the finals, scoring 19 points.

Fresh off her victory, Fudd issued a playful request for a rematch with Golden State Warriors guard Steph Curry. The two had a 3-point competition when Fudd went to his camp when she was in high school.

“I mean Steph if you’re listening, I'm asking for a rematch,” Fudd said.

The 3-point competition capped off the Friday night festivities. Elena Delle Donne, Shakira Austin and high schooler Jezelle Banks led team Washington to the Shooting Stars championship to tipoff the action. The trio scored 31 points to edge Seattle’s three in the finals, with Banks hitting two of the 4-point shots from just inside halfcourt to put the team over the top.

“She carried. She carried,” Austin said of Banks. “You could just tell in her energy, like as soon as we started, like it was confidence and I think that showed in how she hit those tough shots.”

In the 3-point competition, Carleton had a stellar first-round, scoring 29 points. She hit 13 of her first 16 shots. Fudd also had a great opening round, scoring 24 points. She made four of her final five shots. That carried over to the finals.

Carleton’s hot shooting in the opening round brought the crowd, which included Jayson Tatum, Russell Westbrook, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, Dwyane Wade and Sheryl Swoopes, to its feet.

Other players in 3-point contest were Atlanta’s Rhyne Howard, who scored 20 points, Golden State’s Janelle Salaun, who had 19 points; Toronto’s Marina Mabrey, who had 18 and Minnesota’s Natisha Heideman, who had 17.

In the Shooting Stars competition, Seattle had 24 points to finish as runner-up after missing all of the team’s 4-point shots.

This was the first year that the contest was conducted. A skills competition was done in previous All-Star weekends. The format was a two-round, timed shooting competition in which teams had 70 seconds to score as many points as possible from seven shooting locations around the court. The competition featured shots ranging from a layup to the 4-pointer.

Washington had the highest score in the preliminary round, posting 35 points. Once again, Banks hit 4-point shots to help her team reach the championship round.

Seattle’s squad needed to beat the 20 points that the Detroit/Dallas team put up to advance to the finals. High schooler Tatianna Griffin hit two of the 4-point shots to help Seattle reach the finals. Minnesota finished in fourth with 19 points with a team of Courtney Williams, Rebbekah Brunson and Ryan Carter.

Detroit/Dallas had former Shock great Deanna Nolan, Wings All-Star Jessica Shepard and high schooler Morghan Reckley.

The new CBA gave Fudd $20,000 for winning the 3-point contest and each participant received $10,000. That’s about eight-times last season’s prize money.

Each shooting stars winner received $15,000. Each competitor, not including the high school players, will receive $7,500. Last year, the winners of the skills contest each received $2,575 from the WNBA.

In addition Aflac, like it has the past two years, gave extra money to the winners. Fudd took home $40,000 for winning the 3-point contest. Carleton received $30,000 for finishing second and Howard got $15,000 for placing third.

Team Washington got $40,000 from Aflac with Seattle receiving $32,500 and Dallas $12,500.

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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

Nope — to all of those teams.

The blaring headline in bold letters still seemed like a feverish dream to the bulk of a fan base that wasn't even alive the last time the franchise won a title, but it's true:

LeBron James is heading to the Philadelphia 76ers.

The NBA’s career scoring leader made the announcement on social media Friday, saying it will be his “last decision” and that it comes after he strongly considered retirement.

“I believe I can help make the Philadelphia 76ers a championship team and I am so excited to energize a new fan base and start this incredible journey one last time,” James said.

A four-time NBA champion, James wrote he was “done” when his 23rd NBA season ended and that it was his last with the Los Angeles Lakers.

“I was pretty sure I played my last game. I was honest at that last press conference when I said I needed to look at myself and decide if I still love this game," James wrote. “I still truly love this game, and I have more to give.”

The 41-year-old James is set to sign a modest $8 million, two-year contract on the veterans' minimum with the Sixers, according to ESPN. He made nearly $53 million last season.

“I’m not going for money. I’m not going for family,” James wrote. “What am I really playing for at this point? I still want to sacrifice. I still want to work. I still want to grind. I still want to compete, to win and to have a chance at the feeling of winning.”

James celebrated his decision on Instagram with a career highlight reel set to Philadelphia rapper Meek Mill's “Dreams and Nightmares,” the adopted sports anthem of city teams.

The video ends with the lyric, “hold up, wait a minute. Y'all thought I was finished?” and cuts to a 76ers' logo.

Fanatics already had his No. 23 jersey on sale for $125 with delivery not expected until the end of August. The company sold out within hours of the announcement.

Much as James did for Cleveland when he ended a 56-year championship drought for the city by leading the Cavaliers to the title in 2016, he can snap a lengthy title drought for the Sixers.

The Sixers went 45-37 last season and were swept in the second round by the NBA champion New York Knicks.

Most betting sites had the Sixers as 9-1 favorites to win the championship behind the Oklahoma City Thunder, the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks, as of Friday afternoon.

James joins a 76ers team that has not won an NBA championship since 1983 and has not advanced out of the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs since 2001.

He's the biggest elite free-agent star to sign with a Philadelphia sports team since Bryce Harper signed a 13-year, $330 million deal with the Phillies ahead of the 2019 season. Like James, Harper was a teenager on the cover of Sports Illustrated and has long had to live up to lofty expectations at every single turn.

“He’s going to have a great couple of years here, and obviously everyone’s going to expect him to win a championship here like everywhere else," Harper said. “So nothing new for him. He’s had all the pressure since he was in high school or younger than that.”

The 76ers should boast one of the top starting fives in the NBA with second-year standout VJ Edgecombe, fellow All-Stars Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Jaylen Brown — the 2024 NBA Finals MVP, a five-time All-Star and the league’s fourth-leading scorer this past season acquired in a stunning offseason deal with the Celtics.

Maxey posted an Instagram story of him celebrating in a gym and yelling “what!? what?!” over the news while Brown wrote on X “#throwtheballup.” Brown wrote the same phrase in his introductory note to Philadelphia, and it has already been branded on billboards throughout the city.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro even proclaimed Friday as LeBron James Day in the state.

Turned out with the Brown deal, new 76ers team president Mike Gansey — an Ohio prep basketball star with James — was just getting started with his summer of surprises.

No move, of course, hits like James' arrival.

Playing with his home team in Cleveland to the bright lights of Los Angeles and with the talent he took to Miami, James won an NBA championship everywhere he played. James left the Lakers after an eight-season run highlighted by the 2020 NBA title.

James is the NBA’s oldest active player at 41 and the only player in league history to have a career spanning 23 seasons; this coming season will be his 24th. Speculation has been rampant for more than two months about his future, officially starting in May when the Lakers were eliminated from the NBA playoffs.

James’ resume is beyond compare in NBA history. He’s a 22-time All-Star, a 21-time All-NBA selection, a four-time Most Valuable Player, a four-time NBA Finals MVP, a three-time All-Star Game MVP, and was a member of the NBA’s 75th anniversary team.

He’s also coming off a season where he averaged 20.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game. For his career, he’s averaged 26.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.4 assists in more than 1,600 games.

James started his career in Cleveland in 2003 and spent seven seasons with the Cavaliers before heading to Miami for four seasons — where he won his first two NBA titles. He then returned to Cleveland for four more seasons, including that title run in 2016, and left in 2018 for the Lakers.

Cleveland and Miami were believed to be on James’ radar again as he weighed this decision.

“Thank you LA. Miami I’ll forever love and Northeast Ohio will always home!” James wrote.

He eighty-sixed them all for a shot to win a title with the 76ers, a franchise with a career lineup that includes Wilt Chamberlain, Allen Iverson, Julius Erving, Charles Barkley and, for the next two seasons, LeBron James.

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

Whitmer remains popular in the battleground state, where she has twice won by substantial margins, and her endorsement gives Stevens a significant boost a day before early in-person voting begins. Whitmer also has history with El-Sayed, whom she defeated in the 2018 Democratic primary for governor.

The second-term governor appeared with Stevens and South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn in Detroit on Friday, repeating her endorsement in front of more than 100 people at a Teamsters hall. She said Steven has “what it takes to win.”

"Michiganders need a fighter in Washington and there are few leaders with more fight in ’em than Haley Stevens,” Whitmer said, who left the event without taking questions from reporters.

Stevens has pitched herself as a Democrat who has won tough elections, including flipping a Republican-held House seat. She has been backed by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and Michigan Sen. Gary Peters, a two-term Democrat who is retiring from the seat.

She's in a tight race for the Democratic nomination against El-Sayed, a progressive whose supporters include Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen.

“The corporate establishment has closed ranks and made their pick – now, Michigan voters will get to make theirs,” said Roxie Richner, a spokesperson for El-Sayed.

The winner of the Aug. 4 primary will face Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers in November for a critical, battleground Senate seat. Democrats are hoping to flip the Senate in November, and Michigan remains a key part of their plan.

Stevens is a four-term congresswoman from the Detroit area. Her candidacy has benefited from tens of millions in spending by outside political groups, including nearly $30 million from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which supports pro-Israel candidates.

El-Sayed, who accuses Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, has criticized Stevens for taking money from AIPAC.

Whitmer is a term-limited governor who isn’t on the ballot this fall, though she has been mentioned as a possible 2028 presidential candidate. She is the best-known politician in Michigan.

Whitmer had long weighed the decision. Stevens’ success winning in a competitive district, including converting the GOP-held seat for Democrats in 2018, was among the factors in the endorsement, according to a person who was familiar with the governor’s deliberations but was not authorized to discuss private conversations and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The subject of trade rumors as he approaches free agency, the two-time defending AL Cy Young winner pitched out of a seventh-inning jam before walking off the mound to a standing ovation from the sold-out crowd of 40,638.

Skubal returned for the eighth inning with 89 pitches, but was replaced by Brenan Hanifee after retiring Carter Jensen. He left to another ovation, having given up four hits and two walks in his 61st win for the Tigers.

Kenley Jansen pitched the ninth for his 12th save as the Tigers (50-54) improved to 28-16 since June 1. They are four wins away from reaching .500 for the first time since May 4.

Detroit scored twice in the first off Royals opener Beck Way (1-1), but Noah Cameron followed with seven shutout innings.

Way struggled in the first, allowing a pair of singles before hitting Dillon Dingler to load the bases. Riley Greene hit a long fly to left, but Isaac Collins reached above the fence to steal a grand slam. Colt Keith scored on the play, and Hao-Yu Lee made it 2-0 with an RBI single.

The Royals got two runners to start the third, and Tyler Tolbert bunted them to second and third. Skubal, though, struck out Carter Jensen and Lane Thomas to end the inning.

Skubal almost repeated the feat in the fourth, striking out Vinnie Pasquantino with one out and a runner on third, but Nick Loftin made it 2-1 with an RBI double to left.

A two-out double by Michael Massey gave the Royals on second and third with two out in the seventh, but Tolbert flew out to end the inning.

Salvador Perez, who needs one homer to break George Brett's franchise record of 317, couldn't make it happen on the 43rd anniversary of Brett's Pine Tar Game homer against the New York Yankees.

Up next

Tigers RHP Casey Mize (4-6. 2.79) was set to start opposite RHP Michael Wacha (5-7. 3.66) on Saturday.

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In one exchange in early January 2024, D4vd, whose legal name is David Burke, apologizes for “putting her through this.”

“It’s okay,” she said in a text, “neither of us are capable of watching and taking care of the baby. it’s for the best no?”

He later apologizes again before asking if it’s his, and she replies, “of course it’s yours David.”

The testimony came during a preliminary hearing where a judge will decide if Burke should go on trial in Rivas Hernandez's killing. Prosecutors are seeking to prove Burke began sexually abusing Rivas Hernandez when she was 13 and he was 18, then stabbed her to death when she threatened to reveal their long sexual history and crater a career that had earned him millions.

They allege he dismembered the body in his garage, and a police analyst testified in the preliminary hearing that samples pulled from apparent blood stains there matched Rivas Hernandez's DNA. Her body was discovered in the trunk of a Tesla that had been towed from the Hollywood Hills in September, nearly five months after authorities said she was killed. The Tesla was registered to Burke.

Burke has pleaded not guilty to murder, sexual abuse of a child and mutilation of a body, and his lawyers have said he is innocent.

Prosecution gives evidence of sexual abuse

Prosecutors spent Friday afternoon detailing the nature of the relationship between Burke and Rivas Hernandez. Photos of the two of them kissing and lying in bed were shown in court. The pictures showed that she had “David” tattooed in red ink on a finger — one of two that had been cut off when her body was found.

Then Los Angeles police detective Corey Farrell described one-by-one more than three dozen photos of the two of them that could not be shown in court because they depicted explicit sexual abuse. Rivas Hernandez was 13 and 14 in the photos.

Rivas Hernandez’s mother began crying and her father looked down as the detective began describing the images.

Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman came over to comfort the mother, Mercedes Martinez, and the couple got up and left the courtroom.

The images were recovered from his iPhone that was seized during a search of his home. The text message conversations taken from his iCloud account often discussed contraception and pregnancy, and in early January 2024, they discuss the abortion.

Tension rises between Burke and Rivas Hernandez

In a text conversation months later, she says she regretted that she “took a innocent life of a literal baby.”

She asks Burke if anyone knows they have sex, and he replied “nope and i want to keep it that way until we married.”

Rivas Hernandez turned 14 in September 2024 and soon after traveled with Burke to London and to Texas to meet his family.

Messages after that show tension growing between them.

In one text in November 2024, she says: “i literally had sex with you for almost a year straight.” He tells her she's acting like it's their first breakup when it's their eighth.

The detective returns to the stand Monday for the fifth and likely final day of the preliminary hearing.

Autopsy doctor details results of exam

Earlier in the day, the doctor who performed the autopsy on Rivas Hernandez gave the difficult details of her death.

Much of what Dr. Grant Ho of the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner said on the stand was already known: She had been killed by two sharp force wounds to her upper body.

But the details he shared of what the autopsy showed — and tellingly, what it was unable to determine because of how degraded her body was when it was found — were part of what made Friday's proceedings perhaps the most difficult so far.

Ho testified that he could not say when the death occurred — one of many challenges brought on by the body's degradation.

“It’s extremely difficult to tell,” Ho said.

He said she had been dead for “at least weeks,” later adding that it also could have been months.

Authorities say Burke sent a car to pick up Rivas Hernandez on April 23, 2025, from her hometown of Lake Elsinore, California, some 80 miles (129 km) outside Los Angeles. They exchanged messages until she arrived at his home, after which her phone went dead.

Her body was found in the front trunk of the Tesla registered to Burke on Sept. 8, 2025 — the day after she would have turned 15.

“She didn’t make it to her 15th birthday, correct?” Silverman asked. “Correct,” Ho replied.

Ho said there were many “skin defects” that could have been postmortem, but the two he identified as potential stab wounds had related internal trauma. One wound on the abdomen penetrated her liver. Another, on the left chest, damaged her ribs.

Defense seizes on inconclusive drug test

He testified that toxicology tests, done only on her liver because no blood was available, initially showed positives for benzodiazepines — medications typically used for anxiety — and methamphetamine. He said with further testing the benzodiazepine was negative. The methamphetamine was inconclusive, and as a result Ho said “I cannot say that it played any role in the death.”

Burke's attorney, Marilyn Bednarski, asked if decomposition could affect the accuracy of drug test results, and Ho agreed it could.

“In the toxicology report there is not enough information to support an overdose death, correct?” Bednarski asked. Ho said she was correct.

Bednarski asked if it helps in an autopsy examination to talk to the friends and family of the deceased about their life — if they had a mental health issue, were suicidal, were a frequent drug user or were violent.

Ho answered “potentially” to each of those but said there were no such conversations in this case.

Burke's music career was on the rise

Under the name D4vd (pronounced “David”), became an online musical phenomenon as a teen with a blend of indie rock, R&B and lo-fi pop. He had huge followings on TikTok, Soundcloud and Spotify, where his top songs, including his 2022 breakthrough “Romantic Homicide,” have more than a billion plays.

He opened for SZA on tour in 2023 and in 2024 he played the Coachella music festival and released his first full-length album, “Withered,” two days after when authorities say Rivas Hernandez was killed.

The Kenmore Air seaplane struck a rocky shore along Sucia Island, a state park north of the main San Juan Islands, on Thursday evening after veering past sailboats and other vessels. A swift rescue by nearby boats and a helicopter got everyone safely to hospitals.

As of Friday afternoon, three passengers remained hospitalized, all in satisfactory condition. The pilot was among those released. The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office said the people had head injuries, broken bones and cuts.

The crash came less than three weeks after a seaplane carrying eight people made a rough landing in New York City’s East River, causing minor injuries.

Videos posted on social media showed the aircraft turning to one side as it flies low over the water near several boats and the shore. The plane makes a hard landing, at first touching down on just one float, then briefly skips into the air before hitting land.

The San Juans are a rugged archipelago between Washington and British Columbia. They are a popular summer vacation spot known for ferries, whale watching and hiking.

First responders and witnesses race to the scene

Dave Eastman was in a dinghy on the water when the plane approached. At first he was worried it was going to hit his boat, he said, but then he saw it flying low toward the island. There were six or seven boats in the area and everyone raced to help, he said.

In the videos, passengers can be seen exiting the plane as black smoke rises. Soon bright orange flames engulf the fuselage, which came to rest partially submerged against a large rock.

“It kind of just shook us up a little bit,” he said. “Knowing everyone’s OK, at least that everyone is alive at this point, that kind of helps ease the concern.”

Eastman, of Lynnwood, Washington, said Thursday started off with nice weather, but a lightning storm hit the area around the time of the crash. Heavy rain began falling as the plane was burning, he said.

Several agencies scrambled to respond. The U.S. Coast Guard sent a helicopter while their Canadian counterparts mobilized a hovercraft, according to a recording of San Juan County dispatch audio posted by Broadcastify.

A video released by the U.S. Coast Guard showed a person being hoisted from a vessel below into an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter, his right leg immobilized in a splint.

Sucia Island features a maze of coves, beaches and rocky points. The plane went down near Shallow Bay, which cuts a wide crescent into the island near a campground.

The same type of seaplane crashed near Seattle in 2022

The plane's operator said it was a DHC-3 Otter made by de Havilland Aircraft of Canada. That is the same model of floatplane as one that plunged into the waters of Puget Sound northwest of Seattle in 2022, killing 10 people.

Federal regulators ordered seaplanes to be inspected afterward, and investigators found a single component of a critical flight control system had failed.

The plane that crashed Thursday was operated by Kenmore Air, a tourism airline based near Seattle, which is a different company than the one involved in the 2022 crash. Founded in 1946, Kenmore Air bills itself as the largest seaplane operator in the U.S.

The Otter is a workhorse seaplane model that has been used widely for decades, said aviation safety expert John Cox.

The cause of the crash will be investigated

The National Transportation Safety Board may be able to quickly get an idea of what happened because investigators will be able to interview the pilot and witnesses and watch videos of the crash, Cox said.

The wreckage was recovered and placed on a barge by Friday afternoon. The agency will publish a preliminary report in about a month.

In a statement, the airline said it would not speculate about why the plane went down. According to the flight tracking website Flightradar24, the seaplane made an abrupt 180-degree turn about three minutes before the crash, heading back toward Sucia Island, which it had just passed on its path west.

“There was a weather system in the area at the time, and the pilot adjusted the flight path in response to that weather,” Kenmore Air said.

The plane was up to date on its maintenance, with its last 100-hour inspection completed June 25, the airline said.

“We are grateful that everyone aboard has been accounted for,” Kenmore CEO David Gudgel said. He said the company canceled all scheduled flights for Friday and was cooperating with investigators.

The aircraft took off from Lake Union in Seattle, which is about 80 miles (130 kilometers) south of Sucia Island, and was headed to Roche Harbor, the site of a historic hotel, marina and resort on San Juan Island.

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McCormack reported from Concord, New Hampshire, and Collins reported from Hartford, Connecticut. Associated Press transportation reporter Josh Funk in Omaha, Nebraska, contributed.

The U.S. and Iran showed no sign of backing away from their conflict after a 13th straight night of strikes. With fighting flaring again and diplomacy uncertain, both sides made moves suggesting an escalation was possible. U.S. embassies in the Middle East began alerting Americans in the region that options to leave could become more limited, while Iran’s Revolutionary Guard advised residents of neighboring countries to stay away from bases with U.S. troops.

Saudi Arabia struck the port city of Hodeida in Yemen in response to Iranian-backed Houthi rebel attacks on Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said early Saturday. The Houthis said they would escalate after tensions have been brewing for weeks, breaking a yearslong calm.

American forces disabled the M/T Lavine in the Gulf of Oman after the ship attempted to run the blockade at least four times, Capt. Tim Hawkins, U.S. Central Command spokesman, told The Associated Press. Hawkins stressed that the ship’s crew was warned and didn’t comply with commands. The military then fired into its engine room. It’s the second commercial ship to be disabled since the military reimposed its blockade.

Earlier on Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump met with top national security aides to discuss the situation with Iran and whether the administration should maintain the current course or escalate military attacks, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. It was not immediately clear if any decisions were made at the meeting, which was earlier reported by The New York Times. The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

In an event in the Oval Office on Friday, Trump described negotiations with Iran as “by far the most serious that we’ve seen,” even as the U.S. has launched daily strikes. Trump added that he's “not in a hurry” to end the war.

Vowing that Iran “will not bow to U.S.” bullying, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi noted ongoing discussions with two global powers often at odds with Americans — China and Russia — and warned in an interview with the semiofficial news outlet Tasnim that the Islamic Republic is “neither intimidated by threats nor will we yield to pressure.”

At the center of the fight is the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial passage for world energy supplies that has been effectively shut down by Iranian attacks, sending fuel prices soaring and causing widespread economic turmoil.

US strikes sites across Iran and countries in the region are targeted

In the northern Iraqi city of Irbil, which is home to a contingent of American military advisers, security officials said Friday that U.S.-led forces had shot down five explosives-laden drones. Repeated blasts echoed in Irbil, the capital of Iraq’s semiautonomous Kurdish region, and plumes of black smoke were seen near its airport, where U.S. forces are based. U.S. military officials did not respond to a request for comment on the apparent attacks.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said it had targeted the U.S. base in Udairi, Kuwait, destroying three ammunition and storage sheds. It also claimed to have struck a watchtower for the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain.

U.S. Central Command did not respond to inquiries about the claims.

Both Bahrain and Jordan said they had intercepted aerial attacks by Iran on Friday.

As a barrage of assaults was aimed at bases of the U.S. and its allies, the U.S. hit a Revolutionary Guard naval base in northern Iran, according to the semiofficial news outlets Fars and ISNA. Blasts from U.S. bombardment were also reported on Iran’s Qeshm Island, a base for naval assets including drone boats that Iran can use to attack vessels in the strait, as well as in Isfahan province, home to a major Iranian air base and one of Iran’s nuclear sites.

Additional strikes reportedly hit Iran’s southwest Khuzestan province and southern Fars province.

U.S. Central Command said the latest barrage was designed to “further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten civilian mariners and commercial vessels transiting regional waters” as the Americans push to reopen the strait, through which one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas transited in peacetime.

Houthi attacks give Iran more leverage in potential negotiations

A diplomatic delegation from Oman, which has been involved in mediation efforts between the U.S. and Iran, was in Tehran on Friday to discuss managing shipping traffic in the strait, according to Iran’s state news agency.

Iran’s ability to effectively close the strait — and cause economic chaos far beyond the Middle East — gives it tremendous leverage in negotiations. Its Houthi allies increased that leverage when they targeted two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea on Thursday — increasing the risks of shipping through another vital route for Middle Eastern oil. The attacks made good on the Houthis’ threat to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait to Saudi-linked shipping.

An official at the Transport General Authority also said a Saudi vessel was targeted Friday while sailing in the Red Sea, resulting in minor damage to its hull, according to the Saudi Press Agency.

Houthi-run Al Masirah television said early Saturday that Saudi strikes hit facilities belonging to the state telecommunications corporation and also targeted Kamaran island, off Yemen’s western coast. The broadcaster said one employee was injured and a woman was also wounded in Kamaran Island.

Saudi Arabia said it would do everything necessary to protect its ships and warned the Houthis if they continued “hostile acts then there will be no hesitation in responding.”

Trump also has threatened “major military punishment” against the Houthis if their attacks on ships continue.

The strait at the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, and around 12% of the world’s trade, including one-fourth of global container traffic, passes through there. The passage has become more crucial for Saudi Arabia, which has been forced to divert millions of barrels of oil a day to bypass the Strait of Hormuz.

The price of Brent crude oil, the international standard, dipped slightly Friday to about $96, but it's still up substantially from before the war, when it was trading around $72 a barrel. Motorists in the U.S. saw gas prices tick up to an average of $4.11 a gallon, AAA said.

No signs of diplomatic breakthrough as war's human toll expands

Beyond the economic impact, the human toll was also apparent, with the Iranian Health Ministry reporting that 3,434 people have been killed since the war began.

In other developments, the International Maritime Organization said at least 6,000 mariners were stranded on about 400 vessels around the Strait of Hormuz. U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk's office said some seafarers have been abandoned by their ships’ owners, leaving them to “fend for themselves without food, water, fuel, medical care, electricity or means to communicate with their families.”

There have been no public signs of progress in negotiation efforts.

Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar of Pakistan, which has played a significant role in previous negotiations, met his Iranian counterpart, Araghchi, on Friday. Before the meeting, Araghchi appeared to brush off any attempts at mediation, saying he did not think the conflict needed more mediators, instead insisting the U.S. must change its position.

The U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28 and have offered shifting goals for the war, including toppling Tehran’s government and eliminating its nuclear program.

Israel signaled its willingness to rejoin the conflict in recent days. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said he would travel to the U.S. next week and meet with Trump.

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Frankel reported from Jerusalem and Toropin from Washington. Associated Press journalists Bassem Mroue in Beirut, Erin Cunningham in Jerusalem, Matthew Lee, Darlene Superville and Collin Binkley in Washington, Munir Ahmed in Islamabad, Jamey Keaten in Geneva, Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City and Fay Abuelgasim in Cairo contributed.

The decision at a U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization meeting in South Korea came days after Israel’s Foreign Ministry urged the committee to reject efforts to designate the small West Bank town of Sebastia and the Lebanese castles, calling the nominations a “weaponization of cultural heritage.”

At their meeting in Busan, members of the UNESCO committee decided to place Sebastia and five castles in Lebanon’s Mount Amel area on both the World Heritage List and the List of World Heritage in Danger after reviewing the nominations on an emergency basis, citing ongoing conflicts in the Middle East.

Sebastia, a hilltop town about 10 kilometers (6 miles) northwest of Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, is identified by scholars as ancient Samaria, capital of the biblical Kingdom of Israel. The area’s archaeological remains span the Iron Age, Roman, Byzantine and Islamic periods. Christian and Islamic tradition holds that John the Baptist was buried there, according to a UNESCO website.

Sebastia’s nomination, first submitted by the Palestinian delegation to UNESCO in 2012, argued that World Heritage status was needed to help preserve the site, saying it remains largely undeveloped under Israeli control and requires additional conservation despite attracting tourists.

The designation comes as Israel, which does not recognize a Palestinian state, moves to expropriate large swaths of land around the site, even as it faces pressure to crack down on violence by Israeli settlers in the Palestinian territory.

The five castles in the Mount Amel region are recognized for their layered architectural heritage, combining Crusader, Ayyubid, Mamluk and local influences, reflecting the evolution of fortified architecture over nearly nine centuries, according to UNESCO. The designated sites include the Crusader-built Beaufort Castle, also known as Al-Shaqif, which Israeli forces seized in May during their deepest incursion into Lebanon in more than a quarter-century.

Adel Naim Daoud Atieh, a member of the Palestinian delegation to UNESCO, said the World Heritage designation rewards the perseverance of Sebastia’s residents, “who have protected this extraordinary site through generations, despite occupation, restrictions, and repeated attempts to separate them from their own heritage.”

Israel withdrew from UNESCO in 2019, accusing the organization of being biased against it and of downplaying its historical ties to the Holy Land. A member of the Israeli delegation, which is attending the Busan meetings as observers, said it was a “shame politicization has ruined UNESCO and led to mockery of history.”

In Tuesday’s statement, Israel’s Foreign Ministry accused the Palestinian delegation of waging a “hostile, one-sided campaign” at UNESCO by falsely portraying Sebastia as an area facing an emergency, calling the effort a political attempt to “erase the site’s profound, well-documented Jewish and Christian history.”

The ministry also objected to listing Beaufort Castle as a World Heritage Site as part of the nomination covering the five castles in the Mount Amel area.

The ministry said Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group, has turned the castle into a military stronghold by building tunnels beneath the site and launching rockets from the area, and accused UNESCO of ignoring those developments.

Asked about the Israeli claims, UNESCO said in a statement to The Associated Press that all nominations are evaluated under the same criteria, procedures and technical requirements, and that it does not take positions on political disputes. The Lebanese Embassy in South Korea declined to comment on Israel’s statement, but a Lebanese delegate at Friday’s meeting said the castles had been used “only for cultural and tourism purposes” since Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000 and accused Israeli media of portraying tourist facilities as military tunnels.

The UNESCO committee on Wednesday placed another Lebanese site, Tyre, an ancient Phoenician city in the southern part of the country, on the list of world heritage sites in danger. Tyre, Lebanon’s fourth-largest city, came under intense Israeli airstrikes in early June during Israel’s war with Hezbollah, before a ceasefire took effect later that month.

Kim birdied the final four holes of his bogey-free round at TPC Twin Cities to get to 14 under for the tournament and open a a three-shot lead over three players after two rounds.

Ben Kohles, who had a two-shot lead entering the day, shot a 69 to drop into a tie for second with Chandler Phillips (65) and Emiliano Grillo (67).

Two bad swings cost Scottie Scheffler, and the world’s top-ranked player was seven shots back after 70.

Kim had the fourth 59 on tour since 2024. Jake Knapp was the last to do so during the first round of the 2025 Cognizant Classic. Jim Furyk holds the tour record with a 58 at the 2016 Travelers Championship.

“Today was an awesome day, but still, I’m only halfway there so still need to kind of get focused up for the weekend,” said Kim, who shot 69 Thursday.

Kohles' post-round interview was interrupted by a roar when Kim made his final putt.

“That’s sick,” he said smiling. “There’s a 59. I guess 62 wasn’t as good.”

Kim’s mindset is to not play “too protective.” That is not easy at the par-3 17th and par-5 18th where water lines each hole.

“I just kind of told myself like, ‘Hey, this is the way, this is the moment to get into the history books and let’s go for it, let’s not try to luck our way into it, let’s try to step up and hit some really good shots,’” he said.

Kim needed to make an uphill 24-foot putt with little break on the final hole to reach the magic number.

“I tend to leave those short when it’s that uphill and I just, last thing was just get it there, just don’t leave it short,” said Kim, who raised his hands and did a few fist bumps when the ball sank into the cup.

Kim, whose previous career low round was 62, made five straight birdies beginning on No. 3 and added three in a four-hole stretch beginning on No. 9.

Eight of his birdies were from more than 10 feet.

“When you hit a putt and it does exactly what you kind of envisioned before you hit it, it’s an awesome feeling. Felt like that all day out there,” said Kim, whose lone tour win came at the 2018 John Deere Classic.

Second in the Valero Texas Open in April, Kim’s best finish in 12 tournaments since was 17th, and he missed four cuts, including the past three weeks at the British Open, Scottish Open and John Deere Classic.

Playing the previous five weeks, Kim thought about skipping this week’s tour stop.

“I felt decent energy-wise,” Kim said, “so I went home after I missed the cut at the Open, just spent a couple days relaxing and came up here and really happy I did.”

Kim and Kohles played in the morning before the wind picked up and gusts topped 20 mph. Afternoon scores reflected the change.

“Definitely wasn’t a 59 out there. Maybe somebody playing really well could have shot 64, 63,” Grillo said.

Scheffler was at 9 under before his approach shot found the water at No. 14, leading to a double bogey. His tee shot at the par-3 17th landed in the right rough, and a second shot from an awkward lie with the ball well below his feet skidded 34 feet past the hole, leading to a bogey.

“Just got a bad break, but that happens,” he said.

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

The Blue Origin rocket exploded during testing at Cape Canaveral in May. Florida Wildlife Hospital staff said the osprey was found on the same launch pad the following day and brought to the hospital by a biologist.

Nearly two months later, the bird still has to be fed fish by hand three times a day.

Veterinarians said its feathers were singed across its head, neck and wings. A wound on one foot was so severe that it reached the bone.

“He may have been on the outskirts of the explosion and could have gotten burned that way, but we also see wounds like this pretty commonly with animals that are electrocuted,” staff veterinarian Dr. April Geer said. “We’re really not sure.”

Geer and her team have treated the osprey with bandage changes, medication and laser therapy. They also removed damaged feathers from one wing so new ones could grow.

The wound is now about 90% healed, according to Geer, but the osprey cannot be released until its feathers grow back and it can fly safely again.

There may never be a way to determine exactly what caused the injuries. However, the timing and location of the bird’s discovery are renewing concerns among some Brevard County residents about the growing number of launches on the Space Coast.

“I always think about that every time a launch goes up, because it is a very wild area out there – a beautiful wild area where a lot of animals live, a lot of threatened species and endangered species,” Florida Wildlife Hospital Executive Director Tracy Frampton said. “So it does worry me.”

Mark Nathan has spent years participating in local conservation projects, including bird counts. He said he supports the space program but worries about the environmental effects of launches happening several times a week.

“I don’t think it’s good for us, the wildlife, plant life or anything,” Nathan said. “I’m concerned about the fallout – what’s coming out of those engines.”

Nathan is not claiming the explosion caused the osprey’s injuries. He said people living alongside the growing space industry should have a voice in how far it expands.

“We didn’t sign up for this,” Nathan said. “We’ve been living here most of our lives, and now all of a sudden, it just kind of was put on us.”

Florida Wildlife Hospital staff expect the osprey to recover and eventually fly again.

But as more rockets lift off from the Space Coast, questions remain about how to balance the space industry with the wildlife living beneath it.