Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best Nail Salon in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate their favorite Nail Salon. Just click on the link below and find the “Nail Salon” category under the “Services/Business” section.

Click here to nominate a Nail Salon.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best Hotel in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate their favorite Hotel. Just click on the link below and find the “Hotel” category under the “Services/Business” section.

Click here to nominate a Hotel.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best Italian food in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate their favorite Italian restaurant. Just click on the link below and find the “Italian” category under the “food” section.

Click here to nominate an Italian restaurant.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best fries in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate their favorite place. Just click on the link below and find the “fries” category under the “food” section.

Click here to nominate fries.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best beer selection in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate their favorite place with the best beer selection. Just click on the link below and find the “beer selection” category under the “drinks” section.

Click here to nominate a place with the best beer selection.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best farmers’ market in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate their favorite farmers’ market. Just click on the link below and find the “farmers’ market” category under the “things to do” section.

Click here to nominate a farmers’ market.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best Beauty Salon in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate their favorite Beauty Salon. Just click on the link below and find the “Beauty Salon” category under the “Services/Business” section.

Click here to nominate a Beauty Salon.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best Hair Salon in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate their favorite Hair Salon. Just click on the link below and find the “Hair Salon” category under the “Services/Business” section.

Click here to nominate a Hair Salon.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best brunch place in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate their favorite brunch place. Just click on the link below and find the “brunch” category under the “food” section.

Click here to nominate a brunch place.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best BBQ place in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate their favorite barbecue place. Just click on the link below and find the “BBQ” category under the “food” section.

Click here to nominate a BBQ place.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best bagel place in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate their favorite bagel place. Just click on the link below and find the “bagel” category under the “food” section.

Click here to nominate a bagel place.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best live music bar in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate their favorite live music bar. Just click on the link below and find the “live music bar” category under the “drinks” section.

Click here to nominate a live music bar.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best Irish pub in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate their favorite Irish pub. Just click on the link below and find the “Irish pub” category under the “drinks” section.

Click here to nominate an Irish pub.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Local 4 Lifestyle Editor Jon Jordan breaks down the viral crazes everyone is talking about and why they are gaining so much attention online.

Watch the video above to see more.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best karaoke bar in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate their favorite karaoke bar. Just click on the link below and find the “karaoke bar” category under the “things to do” section.

Click here to nominate a karaoke bar.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best concert venue in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate their favorite concert venue. Just click on the link below and find the “concert venue” category under the “things to do” section.

Click here to nominate a concert venue.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best Tattoo Parlor in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate their favorite Tattoo Parlor. Just click on the link below and find the “Tattoo Parlor” category under the “Services/Business” section.

Click here to nominate a Tattoo Parlor.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best steakhouse in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate their favorite steakhouse. Just click on the link below and find the “steakhouse” category under the “food” section.

Click here to nominate a steakhouse.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

You’ll notice the sun looks a bit filtered or milky as high, thin clouds start moving in ahead of our next system. We’ll still see plenty of sun throughout the day and UV levels will be in the Very High range, so you may want to keep the sunscreen handy.

Those additional clouds should make for a beautiful sunset tonight - official sunset time for Detroit is at 8:58 p.m.

Skies will stay partly cloudy overnight with temperatures falling only to near 60° in most neighborhoods.

This leads to a warm Wednesday with highs back in the 80s.

A weak cold front will move through the region, bringing the chance for later-day isolated showers and storms.

The rain chance will linger through the evening before we dry out and see decreasing clouds into Wednesday night.

This gives way to mostly sunny skies Thursday. Highs will be more seasonable, in the mid 70s, starting Thursday and continuing through the weekend.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best steakhouse in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 15, fans can nominate their favorite steakhouse. Just click on the link below and find the “steakhouse” category under the “food” section.

Click here to nominate a steakhouse.

After nominations close on June 15, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 20. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 23 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 21. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best food truck in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate their favorite food truck. Just click on the link below and find the “food truck” category under the “food” section.

Click here to nominate a food truck.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best coney dog in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate their favorite coney dog. Just click on the link below and find the “Coney Dog” category under the “food” section.

Click here to nominate a coney dog.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best breakfast place in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate their favorite breakfast place. Just click on the link below and find the “breakfast” category under the “food” section.

Click here to nominate a breakfast place.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best sports bar in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate their favorite sports bar. Just click on the link below and find the “sports bar” category under the “drinks” section.

Click here to nominate a sports bar.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best golf course in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate their favorite golf course. Just click on the link below and find the “golf course” category under the “things to do” section.

Click here to nominate a golf course.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best Barbershop in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate their favorite Barbershop. Just click on the link below and find the “Barbershop” category under the “Services/Business” section.

Click here to nominate a Barbershop.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best Photographer in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate their favorite Photographer. Just click on the link below and find the “Photographer” category under the “Services/Business” section.

Click here to nominate a Photographer.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best Coney Island in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate their favorite Coney Island. Just click on the link below and find the “Coney Island” category under the “food” section.

Click here to nominate a Coney Island.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best tacos in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate their favorite taco place. Just click on the link below and find the “tacos” category under the “food” section.

Click here to nominate a taco place.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best deli sandwich in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate their favorite deli. Just click on the link below and find the “sandwich/deli” category under the “food” section.

Click here to nominate a deli.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best donuts in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate their favorite donut place. Just click on the link below and find the “donuts” category under the “food” section.

Click here to nominate a donut place.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best cocktail bar in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate their favorite cocktail bar. Just click on the link below and find the “cocktail bar” category under the “drinks” section.

Click here to nominate a cocktail bar.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best cider mill in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate their favorite cider mill. Just click on the link below and find the “cider mill” category under the “things to do” section.

Click here to nominate a cider mill.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best Grocery Store in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate their favorite Grocery Store. Just click on the link below and find the “Grocery Store” category under the “Services/Business” section.

Click here to nominate a Grocery Store.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best chicken wings in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate their favorite chicken wing place. Just click on the link below and find the “wings” category under the “food” section.

Click here to nominate a chicken wings place.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Crews were spraying water to keep cooling the tank that overheated last week, prompting the evacuation of 50,000 people in the Orange County city of Garden Grove. Most returned home after a crack formed over the Memorial Day holiday weekend, relieving pressure inside.

The evacuation zone remained the same on Tuesday morning, said Orange County Fire Capt. Brian Yau.

Crews worked overnight to ensure two other nearby tanks were neutralized and would not be affected by the compromised tank, he said, adding that material from one of these two tanks was transferred to another that has a neutralizing agent.

“They are moving material over to ensure that all threats have been eliminated,” Yau said.

Those threats include the risk of a very small explosion and potential spill, officials said.

Exposure to methyl methacrylate — a highly flammable chemical used to make plastics — can cause serious respiratory problems, neurological problems and irritation to the skin, eyes and throat, according to the federal Environmental Protection Agency. The tank at the GKN Aerospace Transparency Systems plant contains 6,000 to 7,000 gallons (22,700 to 26,500 liters) of the chemical.

The interior cooled to 93 degrees F (33.9 degrees C), the county's fire division chief Craig Covey said Monday, down from 100 degrees (37.7 degrees C) a day earlier. The company said its technical specialists and the county fire authority have removed insulation from the tank to help cool it.

Health officials sought to reassure people who are returning to homes near the plant.

“There was no contamination. There were no fumes,” Orange County Health Director Regina Chinsio-Kwong said at Monday's news conference. “There was not a leak. So it should be, you should feel comfortable going home even if you’re across the street from that new zone line.”

The South Coast Air Quality Management District will monitor the air for several months and the EPA will be checking sewer and storm drains for spills, Orange County Supervisor Janet Nguyen said.

Relief among residents

Garden Grove Unified School District said last week it was shutting a dozen schools through what was supposed to be the last day of the school year on Wednesday but later said only three would remain closed Tuesday. It was unclear if they would reopen before the school year ends this week.

At a parking lot at a large park in Fountain Valley, just southwest of Garden Grove, people sought refuge in an ad hoc shelter there or pitched tents outside. Other people gathered in the park to enjoy Memorial Day.

Kim Yen, a retiree who was still evacuated from her home two blocks from the plant, welcomed news that the worst was not expected.

“I am happy and many of us are happy,” she said Monday.

She said she's ready to go back but wants to be sure it’s safe first. She's also been worrying about the emergency workers, who she called “our heroes.”

Environmental risks remain

As the tank heated up, the chemical converted from liquid to gas, ramping up the pressure and explosion risk, said Andrew Whelton, a Purdue University engineering professor who has studied environmental contamination. Some of the methyl methacrylate may already have hardened into a stable plastic similar to plexiglass, reducing the danger, he said.

The tank could eventually cool enough for crews to safely stabilize and drain the remaining material without triggering a spark or ignition, Whelton said.

However, he said there is still a risk of an explosion while the chemical remains hot and reactive. Temperatures need to fall closer to 60 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit (15.6 to 21.1 degrees C) before conditions are considered significantly safer, he said.

GKN is a British company that supplies aircraft manufacturers

GKN Aerospace Transparency Systems makes cockpit windows, canopies and windshields for military and commercial aircraft. It employs about 16,000 people across 32 manufacturing sites in 12 countries, according to the company website.

“We apologize for the ongoing disruption this incident is causing and our priority remains its safe resolution, so that residents can return to their homes as quickly as possible,” the company said.

GKN Aerospace agreed in 2025 to pay state regulators more than $900,000 to settle violations involving recordkeeping, permitting issues and nitrogen oxide emissions, according to a report on the South Coast Air Quality Management District website.

——

This story has been corrected to attribute a quote to TJ McGovern, interim fire chief of the Orange County Fire Authority, not to division chief Craig Covey.

___

Willingham reported from Boston. Contributing were Associated Press journalists Jamie Stengle in Dallas; Ethan Swope in Garden Grove, California; and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best Detroit-style pizza in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate their favorite Detroit-style pizza place. Just click on the link below and find the “Detroit-style pizza” category under the “food” section.

Click here to nominate a Detroit-style pizza place.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best Mexican food in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate their favorite Mexican restaurant. Just click on the link below and find the “Mexican” category under the “food” section.

Click here to nominate a Mexican restaurant.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best Chinese restaurant in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate their favorite Chinese restaurant. Just click on the link below and find the “Chinese” category under the “food” section.

Click here to nominate a Chinese restaurant.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best coffee place in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate their favorite coffee place. Just click on the link below and find the “coffee” category under the “drinks” section.

Click here to nominate a coffee place.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best brewery in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate their favorite brewery. Just click on the link below and find the “brewery” category under the “drinks” section.

Click here to nominate a brewery.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best haunted house in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate their favorite haunted house. Just click on the link below and find the “haunted house” category under the “things to do” section.

Click here to nominate a haunted house.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nicholas John Acker, 36, of Trenton, worked on the mail processing equipment at the United States Postal Service’s Detroit Network Distribution Center in Allen Park.

He was found stuck in a machine Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, and had reportedly been dead for hours before firefighters arrived.

According to the medical examiner’s report, Nick’s body was found wedged in between a guard rail and the conveyor belt of a sorting machine.

The official cause of death was listed as Mechanical Asphyxia, which occurs when a heavy object – in this case, the mail machine – compresses or crushes the body.

When Acker didn’t return from work, his fiancée, Stephanie Jaszcz, said she began to panic and went to the Allen Park facility and waited outside the gates watching emergency responders arrive, before she was notified of his death.

The OSHA investigation has been ongoing since his death, and is still not marked as closed. Currently, there are three violations and five citations listed on the inspection page for this case.

OSHA and the USPS currently have an informal settlement listed, bringing the fine amount to $26,481.

The citations listed on the inspection page include the following:

• On Nov. 8, 2025, employees were exposed to caught-in hazards while the conveyors were running or if a conveyer were to unexpectedly start-up due to USPS failing to conduct periodic inspections of the energy control procedure at least annually.
• On Jan. 28, 2026, USPS didn’t make sure maintenance employees working to repair equipment had adequate Lockout/Tagout training for group lockout when they were working on a conveyor belt.
• On Jan. 28, 2026, maintenance employees were exposed to caught-in and fall hazards when repairing a hotel conveyor belt without the use of a group lockout device.
• On Jan. 28, 2026, USPS didn’t make sure the proper procedures were used during shift changes to ensure the continuity of lockout protections -- this exposed employees to caught-in and fall hazards.
• On Jan. 28, 2026, and times thereafter, USPS didn’t ensure that energy control procedures were used when maintenance employees were repairing a hotel conveyor belt -- again, exposing them to caught-in and fall hazards.

A common theme in these citations is failure to provide adequate training and utilize Lockout/Tagout procedures. These procedures are meant to prevent death or serious injury by preventing the unexpected startup or release of stored energy in machines and equipment.

--> Previous coverage: Investigation into USPS facility in Allen Park

Here’s a deeper look at the OSHA citations issued in this case

Here is each citation exactly as OSHA has them posted on the inspection page:

Citation 01001: The employer did not conduct a periodic inspection of the energy control procedure at least annually to ensure that the procedure and the requirement of this standard were being followed: On or about November 8, 2025, the employer did not ensure periodic inspections of the energy control procedures for the Alpha conveyors were completed at least annually. Inspections of the energy control procedures needed to include an inspection of the energy control procedure and a review with each authorized employee, their responsibilities under the energy control procedure. Employees working on and near the Alpha conveyors, when performing mail search activities, were exposed to caught-in hazards while the conveyors were running or if a conveyer were to unexpectedly start-up.

Citation 01002: The employer did not provide training to authorized employee(s) on the recognition of applicable hazardous energy sources, the type and magnitude of the energy available in the workplace, and the methods and means necessary for energy isolation and control: On or about January 28, 2026, the employer did not ensure maintenance employees tasked with performing equipment repair work and oversight were provided with adequate authorized employee LOTO training covering the requirements of group lockout. Employees and supervisors were not fully trained on the specific methods and means to control energy sources while they performed and over saw work on hotel conveyor belt #40 in the facility.

Citation 01004A: Each authorized employee did not affix a personal lockout or tagout device to the group lockout device before working on the machine or equipment: On or about January 28, 2026, and at times thereafter, the employer did not ensure that when maintenance tasks were performed by multiple employees, each authorized employee affixed a personal lockout device to the energy isolation device device before working on the equipment. Maintenance employees were exposed to caught-in and fall hazards when performing repair work on hotel conveyor belt 40 without the use of a group lockout device.

Citation 01004B: During shift or personnel changes, specific procedures were not utilized to ensure the continuity of lockout or tagout protection, including provision for the orderly transfer of lockout or tagout device protection between off-going and oncoming employees, to minimize exposure to hazards from the unexpected energization or start-up of the machine or equipment, or the release of stored energy. On or about January 28, 2026 and at times thereafter, the employer did not ensure procedures were utilized during shift and personnel changes to ensure the continuity of lockout protections to minimize exposure to hazards from the unexpected energization or start up of equipment such as hotel conveyor belt 40 during work such as, but not limited to repairing the metal lacing on the belt, exposing employees to caught-in and fall hazards.

Citation 01004C: The established procedure for the application of energy control (the lockout or tagout procedures) did not cover the actions listed in and was not done in sequence as required by 29 CFR 1910.147(d)(1)-(6): On or about January 28, 2026 and at times thereafter, the employer did not ensure that the company’s energy control procedures were utilized to control hazardous mechanical movement of hotel conveyor belt 40, when maintenance employees conducted repair work such as, but not limited to repairing the metal lacing on the belt and replacing the belt or shortening the belt, exposing employees to caught-in and fall hazards.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best bowling alley in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate their favorite bowling alley. Just click on the link below and find the “bowling alley” category under the “things to do” section.

Click here to nominate a bowling alley.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

The American Civil Liberties Union announced the settlement in a federal lawsuit it filed last year on behalf of Suzanne Swierc against Ball State University President Geoffrey Mearns.

Swierc worked as director of health promotion and advocacy at Ball State's campus in Muncie, Indiana, before she was fired last September. Ball State cited Swierc's private Facebook post about Kirk as the sole reason for her termination, saying it caused “significant disruption” to the campus.

Swierc's firing violated her constitutional rights because she was “speaking as a private citizen on a matter of public concern,” said Stevie Pactor, an ACLU attorney in Indiana.

“The First Amendment does not allow government institutions to retaliate in those circumstances, and this settlement reflects that,” Pactor said in a statement.

Mearns defended firing Swierc in a statement sent Tuesday to campus leaders, which a Ball State spokesperson shared with The Associated Press.

Mearns said backlash over Swierc's post threatened to harm the school's student enrollment and fundraising. He said the settlement's “modest monetary payment” to Swierc was substantially less than fighting her lawsuit would have cost.

Kirk, founder of the conservative organization Turning Point USA, was killed by a gunman Sept. 10 on the campus of a Utah university. Before his death, Kirk was credited with galvanizing the conservative youth vote to help President Donald Trump win a second term.

Others fired for Kirk posts have won six-figure settlements

Swierc was among a wave of workers who lost their jobs in both the public and private sector after posting social media comments and memes about Kirk’s assassination. And she isn't the first to win a legal settlement in court.

Earlier this month, a Florida state agency agreed to pay $485,000 to settle a lawsuit by a former state biologist who was fired after she reposted a meme that claimed Kirk wouldn’t care about children being shot in school.

In January, Austin Peay State University in Tennessee reinstated a professor and paid him a $500,000 settlement after he sued over his firing for posting a 2023 news headline that read: “Charlie Kirk Says Gun Deaths ‘Unfortunately’ Worth it to Keep 2nd Amendment.”

Lawsuits by other fired workers are still pending.

Ball State says employee's post led to a flood of outrage

In her Facebook post, Swierc referred to Kirk's killing as a “tragedy.” But she also called it a “reflection of the violence, fear, and hatred he sowed.” She wrote: “If you think Charlie Kirk was a wonderful person, we can't be friends.”

Swierc's attorneys said her Facebook page's privacy settings walled off her posts from the general public, but someone took a screen shot of her comments on Kirk that was shared widely online.

Ball State's president said Swierc's post resulted in a flood of outraged phone calls and emails to the university. Some warned they would withhold donations and at least one parent said she planned to withdraw her children from the school. Some callers threatened violence, Mearns said.

“The reaction was extraordinarily damaging to our University’s reputation and image, and it was exceptionally disruptive to our mission and our people,” Mearns said in his statement.

___

Bynum reported from Savannah, Georgia.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best Book Store in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate their favorite Book Store. Just click on the link below and find the “Book Store” category under the “Services/Business” section.

Click here to nominate a Book Store.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best dog groomer in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate their favorite dog groomer. Just click on the link below and find the “Dog Groomer” category under the “Services/Business” section.

Click here to nominate a Dog Groomer.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best pizza place in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate their favorite pizza place. Just click on the link below and find the “pizza” category under the “food” section.

Click here to nominate a pizza place.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best ice cream in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 15, fans can nominate their favorite ice cream place. Just click on the link below and find the “ice cream” category under the “food” section.

Click here to nominate an ice cream place.

After nominations close on June 15, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 20. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 23 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 21. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best burger place in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 15, fans can nominate their favorite burger place. Just click on the link below and find the “burger” category under the “food” section.

Click here to nominate a burger place.

After nominations close on June 15, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 20. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 23 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 21. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

The 79-year-old president spent more than three hours at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for what the White House described as preventive medical and dental checkups. It was Trump's fourth publicly disclosed medical exam since he returned to office for a second term, and it comes as he tries to project strength ahead of midterm elections that will test his sway with voters.

In a social media post after the visit, Trump said that he had just finished his “6 month physical” and that “Everything checked out PERFECTLY.”

For decades, administrations have released selected results from presidential physicals, offering the public a glimpse at the commander-in-chief’s health. But the results are filtered through the White House and must be approved by the president, raising questions about what the public does and doesn't get to see.

Trump, a Republican, turns 80 next month and was the oldest person elected U.S. president. His immediate predecessor, President Joe Biden, a Democrat, was 82 when he left office, dropping out of the 2024 presidential race because of widespread concerns he was too old for the job.

A Washington Post/ABC News/Ipsos poll conducted in April found that less than half of U.S. adults think Trump has the mental sharpness or physical health to serve effectively as president.

“I think concern for the president’s physical health is probably at an all-time high, and I think advanced physical age is the No. 1 concern,” said Dr. Jeffrey Kuhlman, who served as a White House physician for more than a decade under Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

For a president of Trump’s age, a complete physical would be expected to include advanced heart testing, screening for common cancers and a cognitive assessment, along with basics like height, weight and blood pressure, Kuhlman said.

The White House has not disclosed what the visit entailed but expressed confidence in what it will show.

“President Trump is the sharpest and most accessible President in American history who is working nonstop to solve problems and deliver on his promises, and he remains in excellent health,” White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said in a statement.

No law requiring presidents to disclose their medical records

In the weeks leading up to his visit, Trump has been saying he feels as good as he did five decades ago — even as he jokes about his fondness for fast food and his minimal exercise regimen. Yet he’s also sensitive to perceptions about his age, noting that he takes extra caution descending the steps from Air Force One to avoid headlines about a stumble.

There is no law requiring presidents to publicize their health records, and the degree of transparency has varied by administration. Trump’s past reports have been criticized for offering scant detail and providing statistics that some medical experts eyed with skepticism.

At public appearances, Trump is often seen wearing makeup to conceal bruising on his hands, which the White House attributes to handshaking and regular aspirin use. He has sometimes appeared drowsy during meetings and closed his eyes for long stretches, though he denies having fallen asleep.

Trump often boasts of having “aced” cognitive tests while frequently deriding Biden, who faced questions about his mental acuity. Biden and his aides pushed back aggressively against doubts raised about his fitness for office.

Some of Trump’s previous physicals have included the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, used to screen for dementia and cognitive impairment. His physicians reported a score of 30 out of 30 for him at 2018 and 2025 checkups.

Yet critics have pointed to Trump’s meandering speeches and sometimes bellicose rhetoric as evidence of cognitive decline.

Last month, a statement from more than 30 neurologists, psychiatrists and other medical experts — who acknowledged they’ve never examined him — said Trump was mentally unfit to serve and warned of an “increasingly dangerous decline” in his behavior based on what they called “objectively observable signs of serious medical concern.″

“Any so-called medical professionals engaging in armchair diagnosis or false speculation for political purposes are clearly breaking the Hippocratic Oath they’ve sworn to,” Ingle said.

Just like any other patient, presidents get to choose what’s disclosed about their health, said Sara Rosenthal, a bioethicist at the University of Kentucky who studies presidential health. Questions about transparency have become more acute as America elects aging presidents like Trump and Biden, she said.

“I think we can expect very little disclosure about the true health status of any president unless they’re in perfect health,” said Rosenthal, who has suggested an independent medical organization to review and report on the health of the president and those in the line of succession.

'Nothing should be hidden'

Trump's first medical report in his second term was released last April. In July, he was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, a common condition in older adults that causes blood to pool in his veins. Photographs have shown the president with swollen feet, ankles and calves, described by the White House as a symptom of chronic venous insufficiency leading to “mild swelling” in his lower legs.

Following his last publicly disclosed exam, described as a routine follow-up last October, Trump’s physician issued a one-page summary saying the president was in “exceptional health” without divulging many specific results.

The frequency of Trump's medical checkups is not uncommon for someone his age, according to S. Jay Olshansky of the University of Illinois-Chicago, who has studied the health of past presidents. It's part of a strategy to catch problems while they’re still treatable, Olshansky said.

Olshansky says the public deserves to see more than White House medical summaries that “may be subject to editorial discretion.” Full, unredacted medical records should be made public, he said: “Nothing should be hidden.”

Among the first to cast an early ballot in the small city of Orangeburg was U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, the Democrat whose district Republicans are trying to reshape in their quest for a clean sweep of South Carolina's seven congressional seats. A defiant Clyburn insisted he would run for reelection, regardless of what the district looks like.

“I’m OK if it’s Trump plus 20,” Clyburn said while describing the potential Republican advantage in a reshaped district. “I would be running where I live.”

The political drama in South Carolina is part of a Republican strategy — propelled President Donald Trump — to redraw voting districts to the GOP's advantage in an attempt to hold on to a slim House majority in the midterm elections. Republicans have been moving quickly to try to leverage a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that weakened minority protections under the federal Voting Rights Act.

But the GOP suffered a setback Tuesday in Alabama, where a three-judge federal panel issued a preliminary injunction blocking the state from using a Republican-drawn congressional map that could help the GOP win an additional seat. The court said the Republican plan “intentionally discriminated based on race” by including only one Black-majority district and ordered the continued use of a court-imposed map that includes two districts with a significant proportion of Black residents.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, a Republican, vowed a quick appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court and predicted an eventual victory.

Democrats, who have suffered their own share of setbacks in the national redistricting battle, praised the turn of events in Alabama.

The “fight for justice is far from over in states across the country where politicians are enacting gerrymanders on top of gerrymanders to erase equal representation for communities of color,” said Marina Jenkins, executive director of the National Redistricting Foundation, a nonprofit affiliate of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee.

The national redistricting battle has spanned 10 months

Voting districts typically are redrawn after a census at the start of a decade. But Trump has urged Republican-led states to redistrict ahead of the November elections to try to rebuff political headwinds, which typically result in lost congressional seats for the president’s party in midterms.

Since Trump first urged Texas to redraw its voting districts last summer, Republicans also have enacted new House districts in Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Florida and Tennessee. Meanwhile, voters in California adopted new Democratic-drawn districts, and a court imposed a favorable map for Democrats in Utah. Democrats suffered a setback in Virginia, where the state Supreme Court invalidated a voter-approved redistricting plan that could have helped Democrats win additional seats.

Redistricting discussions are ongoing in Louisiana following an April high court ruling that struck down a majority-Black congressional district as an illegal partisan gerrymander. The Louisiana House could vote later this week on a new map that could eliminate a seat held by Democratic U.S. Rep. Cleo Fields and improve Republicans' chances of winning six out of the state's seven seats.

The Congressional Black Caucus on Tuesday called on major corporations across the U.S., including those that previously expressed support for voting rights and racial justice, to oppose redistricting efforts by Republican-led states that seek to eliminate majority-Black U.S. House districts. That comes after the caucus last week called for Black athletes to boycott public universities in states that are gerrymandering congressional maps to eliminate districts held by Black lawmakers.

Clyburn decries White House role in redistricting

More than 26,000 votes were cast in South Carolina by noon Tuesday on the first day of early voting for the June 9 primary after Democrats called for people against a proposed new map to turn out in force. In 2022, about 125,000 early votes were cast the entire two weeks.

The Republican-led House already has passed a plan that would reconfigure Clyburn's district, void the results of current congressional primaries and instead hold new U.S. House primaries in August.

Trump has lobbied for the plan, making at least two phone calls to Republican state Senate Majority Leader Shane Massey and also phoning in to a private meeting of Republican senators earlier this month. He also has maintained the pressure on social media.

Debate has stalled in the Senate, where Democrats are staunchly opposed and some GOP lawmakers have concerns that an aggressive redistricting could backfire by making some Republican-held seats susceptible to losses because of the addition of Democratic voters.

Clyburn noted that when state lawmakers last redrew congressional districts, after the 2020 census, they spent months holding meetings across the state to gather public suggestions. Although that map resulted in a 6-1 seat advantage for Republicans over Democrats, the process was orderly and fair, he said.

“When the map was challenged, the U.S. Supreme Court said, yes, this is constitutional,” Clyburn said. But now, “this White House says, to hell with the process, to hell with the Constitution, just do what we want done.”

___

Chandler reported from Montgomery, Alabama, and Lieb from Jefferson City, Missouri.

Trump’s endorsement of Paxton, who he called ‘a true MAGA Warrior,’ came late in the race and marked another effort by the president to punish Republican lawmakers he sees as insufficiently loyal.

The winner of the Republican nomination will run against Democratic state Rep. James Talarico in November..

Here is the Latest:

What we’re watching: the geographic split between Cornyn and Paxton

There wasn’t a clear geographic divide in the March 3 primary results. The tight margins in Houston, Dallas and their surrounding areas underscore how the battle lines cut across, rather than neatly between, Texas’ urban and suburban regions.

Cornyn — whom Paxton attacked as too aligned with D.C. Republicans and not loyal enough to Trump — led in the state’s largest counties, including those encompassing the metro areas of Dallas-Fort Worth, San Antonio, Austin and Houston. But Paxton remained competitive, trailing by roughly 1,900 votes in Harris County, home to Houston, and 4,100 votes in Bexar County, home to San Antonio. Tonight’s runoff could be decided by who builds a stronger geographic base, particularly in the Houston area, where Rep. Wesley Hunt, who finished third, outperformed his state average.

A GOP voter who backed Cornyn leans toward supporting Democrat Talarico

Dallas-area contractor Raymond Schramm said Tuesday that he’s concerned about healthcare and Republican-authored cuts in subsidies for Affordable Care Act coverage, and he has misgivings about how the war with Iran has been conducted.

He voted for President Donald Trump but thinks the Senate needs someone who will “have a little bit of a difference.” He likes Talarico because he seems kind.

“I like him. He’s a nice guy. He speaks well,” he said. “I don’t believe in the party system.”

Cornyn says Trump’s attacks on him are misplaced

“My situation is a little different than Massie’s or Cassidy’s,” said Cornyn, referencing two other Republican incumbents who were more critical of Trump and recently lost their primaries under pressure from the president and candidates he backed.

In his case, Cornyn said on Fox News Radio’s The Brian Kilmeade Show, Trump is “frustrated I think with the Senate as a whole.”

There are “grifters,” the senator continued, who are “claiming I am opposed to the president’s agenda and I think that’s caused some confusion with the president himself, but I’ve been supportive.”

‘We might as well start term limits now’ for Cornyn, one Dallas-area voter says

Legal assistant Calise Perry considers herself “100%” Republican and voted Tuesday for challenger Ken Paxton over incumbent Cornyn in Texas’ GOP runoff.

The 65-year-old Garland resident said Paxton, the Texas attorney general, is a fighter, “and that’s what we need right now.” The runoff came a week after President Donald Trump endorsed Paxton.

“Cornyn’s been in way too long, and it’s time for him to retire,” she said. “He’s been in office a long time and really hasn’t done much, as far as I can see.”

Afternoon highs will climb well into the 80s, providing a taste of summer before the calendar even turns to June.

Combined with plenty of sunshine, it will be ideal weather for outdoor activities, although make sure to apply sunscreen as the UV Index will be very high.

The overall weather pattern remains very dry with limited opportunities for rainfall across the region for the foreseeable future. The only notable chance for precipitation arrives late Wednesday, when a cold front could trigger a few scattered showers or non-severe thunderstorms. Rain coverage is expected to be limited, and many communities may remain completely dry so make sure you have the sprinklers out and ready.

Following the brief midweek shower chance, temperatures will trend closer to seasonal averages. Highs are expected to settle back into the mid to upper 70s beginning Thursday and continuing through the upcoming weekend. Great conditions on tap for the Detroit Grand Prix!

Forecast Highlights

• Today: Mostly sunny. Highs in the low to mid-80s.
• Wednesday: Warm and summer-like with highs in the 80s. Slight chance of late-day showers or thunderstorms.
• Thursday through Weekend: Dry and seasonable with highs mainly in the 70s.

The proposal from parents' group Protect Girls Sports in Maine was slated to go before voters in November. It would have asked voters if they wanted to require public schools to restrict access to bathrooms and sports based on the gender denoted on a child's birth certificate.

Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, who is running for governor as a Democrat, said Tuesday her staff found that more than 12,000 signatures on the petition for the referendum were invalid. That leaves the petition drive a few hundred short of the 67,682 required for the initiative to make the ballot, Bellows said.

Bellows' decision is a setback for the nationwide movement to limit or ban transgender students in sports. Maine emerged as a battleground for the issue last year following a public disagreement between Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, who is in her final year of office due to term limits, and President Donald Trump.

“We take the integrity of the petitions just as seriously as we take the security of voting. It's really important that anyone seeking to place a initiative on the ballot follow the law,” Bellows said.

The petitioners have 10 days to appeal Bellows' decision. Representatives for Protect Girls Sports in Maine did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday, but indicated last week that they would keep pushing for the initiative to appear on the ballot. The group will also have the ability to try to get the initiative on a future ballot, Bellows said.

The secretary of state's office released a recommended decision about the initiative last week that said the petition “does not meet the constitution threshold” of valid signatures. Leyland Streiff, principal officer of Protect Girls Sports in Maine, said in a statement that the group was “continuing our defense of the Protect Girls Sports ballot measure.”

At least 19 states have laws banning transgender girls and women from using girls’ and women’s bathrooms at public school, and in some cases, other government facilities, private schools or public places. Enforcement of one of the laws – in Montana – has been put on hold by a court.

At least 30 states have laws or other statewide policies that seek to keep transgender girls and women from competing in girls and women’s sports. Courts have blocked enforcement of some of the laws.

None of the laws on bathrooms or sports restrictions came about through ballot measures. Two other Democratic-controlled states – Colorado and Washington – have sports-related laws on the ballot for November.

The restrictions on both fronts have been adopted in the past five years, and have been championed by Trump. Since his return to office last year, he has terminated agreements with school districts to protect transgender students and signed an executive order to limit sports participation by transgender athletes.

Opponents of the Maine ballot initiative said Tuesday they agreed with Bellows' decision. The petitioners “failed to follow the rules,” said David Farmer, campaign manager for the Campaign for Free and Fair Schools, which opposed the question.

___

Mulvihill reported from Haddonfield, New Jersey.

In Washington, the president is scheduled for a medical checkup. The redistricting war also continues as the Congressional Black Caucus is urging corporate America to get involved to save voting rights, ending a collective retreat during Trump’s second presidency. In Texas, the Trump-backed, scandal-plagued Ken Paxton is favored over Sen. John Cornyn in Tuesday's GOP primary runoff election.

The Latest:

Trump says everything checked out ‘PERFECTLY’ at his medical exam

The president made the comment after spending more than three hours at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for what the White House described as annual preventive medical and dental checkups.

Trump called it a “6 month physical” and thanked the medical center’s doctors and staff. He returned to the White House shortly after.

The White House did not immediately release results from his physical. It was Trump’s fourth publicly disclosed medical exam since he returned to office for a second term.

Top Rubio aide moves to White House

One of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s top aides is moving to the White House to serve in a position he has held informally since Rubio became Trump’s national security adviser last year.

U.S. officials said Tuesday that Mike Needham would leave his post as director of policy planning at the State Department to work full-time at the White House as a deputy national security adviser.

Needham, a veteran of the conservative Heritage Foundation who served as Rubio’s chief of staff at the beginning of Trump’s second term before moving to the policy planning position, had already been spending large amounts of time at the White House with Rubio.

Dan Holler, Rubio’s current chief of staff, will take over the policy planning post at the State Department, officials said.

Rubio set to testify in Congress on June 2

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is scheduled to testify before Senate and House committees on June 2 as the conflict in Iran remains a top concern for lawmakers.

Although the hearings are officially focused on the State Department’s budget, lawmakers are expected to press Rubio on a broad range of issues tied to the war.

News over the weekend of a potential deal to end the conflict drew mixed reactions from Republicans in Congress, with some — including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz — urging Trump not to ease pressure on Iran. Cruz sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, before which Rubio is scheduled to testify.

Rubio told reporters Tuesday that negotiations over extending the ceasefire and reopening the Strait of Hormuz could take several more days.

Jeffries implores Supreme Court to ‘do the right thing’ after Alabama ruling

The House Democratic leader said his party “will continue to fight the corrupt Republican scheme to racially gerrymander congressional maps in order to rig the midterms.”

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York issued the statement after a federal court blocked Alabama’s plan to use a Republican-backed congressional map that the three-judge panel said “intentionally discriminated based on race” by including only one Black-majority district.

Alabama is expected to swiftly appeal to the Supreme Court.

More clashes outside an immigration detention center in New Jersey

Several dozen people were demonstrating Tuesday outside the Delaney Hall Detention Facility in Newark, where advocates say some detainees have been on a hunger strike to protest conditions since last week. The Homeland Security department denied any hunger strike, abuse or poor conditions inside the center.

Protesters, including a woman draped in a Mexican flag, kneeled and chanted “ICE out” in front of a line of federal officers who stood alongside an armored vehicle. At one point, an officer appeared to tackle a protester as he and other officers started walking slowly toward the crowd, attempting to have it move back.

It was a tamer scene than what U.S. Sen. Andy Kim said he experienced on Monday, saying he was pepper-sprayed as he and Gov. Mikie Sherrill led a delegation of Democratic officials seeking to meet with detainees.

Homeland Security rejects Democrats’ protest outside detention center as ‘political stunt’

“Instead of engaging with me and others about the poor conditions, ICE sent in an armored vehicle and a line of armed agents that only poured gasoline on the fire,” Kim posted on social media after Monday’s clashes. “Civilians were tackled and restrained, and agents fired pepper balls and spray into the crowd.”

Federal officials denied entry to the newly elected governor, who joined the first-term senator in demanding that Delaney Hall be shut down. “In New Jersey, we believe in the rule of law and that everyone deserves to be treated with basic dignity,” Sherrill’s statement said.

“This is nothing more than a political stunt by New Jersey sanctuary politicians for fundraising clicks,” Acting Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement.

Alabama will appeal voter discrimination ruling to US Supreme Court

The federal judges’ ruling says Republicans “intentionally discriminated based on race” by redrawing the state’s House map to remove a Black-majority district.

“Ultimately, we cannot see our way clear to requiring Alabamians to cast their votes in the 2026 elections under a districting plan tainted by intentional race-based discrimination,” the judges wrote.

Attorney General Steve Marshall, a Republican, described the GOP-drawn map as “blandly unobjectionable” and said Alabama will immediately appeal.

“Know this — in my mind, it is not a matter of whether we win this case, only when,” Marshall said.

Republicans in several Southern states, including Alabama, have sought to reshape voting districts with large minority populations that have elected Democrats following the Supreme Court’s ruling that struck down a Black-majority district in Louisiana and weakened the federal Voting Rights Act.

Rubio says Iran deal talks will take several more days

Secretary of State Marco Rubio says talks with Iran on extending a ceasefire and re-opening the Strait of Hormuz will take several more days.

Speaking to reporters before leaving India on Tuesday after the U.S. launched new strikes against Iran in the south despite the ceasefire, Rubio said there is “a lot of talking back and forth going on about specific language in the initial document.”

“So, it’ll take a few days,” he said. He added that Trump would not accept a bad deal and said the critical point at the moment is reopening the Strait of Hormuz without Iran being allowed to charge a toll for ships to pass through the crucial waterway.

“The straits need to be open, unimpeded, without tolls,” he said.

FCC’s sole Democrat warns media companies against yielding to Trump

Anna Gomez wakes up every morning and checks her phone to see if Trump has fired her yet.

The sole Democrat on the Federal Communications Commission is urging urge media companies fight back against efforts to silence free speech. In an extraordinary four-page letter to Josh D’Amaro, the CEO of Disney, which is the parent company to ABC, Gomez described the FCC’s “sustained, coordinated campaign of censorship and control” against the company under Chairman Brendan Carr, a Trump ally.

She noted probes touching on diversity practices, ABC’s moderation of a 2024 presidential debate, guest bookings on “The View” and calls for late-night host Jimmy Kimmel to be fired. She said the FCC’s move for early reviews of ABC’s local broadcast licenses is “the most egregious assault on the First Amendment this FCC has taken to date.”

▶ Read more from her Q&A with the AP

Iranian World Cup team will play in US but sleep in Mexico

The Iranians will return each night to a base in Tijuana, Mexico, after their U.S. group stage matches, President Claudia Sheinbaum has confirmed.

Sheinbaum said at a news conference Monday that she was told by a FIFA representative that the U.S. was reluctant to have the Iranian soccer team spend time in the U.S. outside the stadiums while the war launched by the U.S. and Israel continues.

“The United States doesn’t want the Iranian national team to stay overnight in the United States,” Sheinbaum said. A FIFA representative then asked, “Can they stay overnight in Mexico?” “And we said, ‘Yes, no problem. We have no issue with that’,” she said.

A U.S. State Department statement Monday said Trump made it clear the Iranian team is welcome to participate. The statement did not address where the team might stay, or Sheinbaum’s comments.

Lebanon hopes for an agreement that sees Israeli withdrawal

Israel’s military clashed with Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants Tuesday along the strategic Litani River in Lebanon as Israeli troops tried to push farther north, just three days before Lebanese and Israeli military delegations are set to meet for direct talks in Washington.

A previously reached ceasefire appears more nominal by the day, complicating efforts at a broader peace in the Iran war, as Tehran wants an end to the fighting to include Lebanon. Israel says it will not withdraw until Hezbollah no longer poses a threat to residents of its northern towns. Hezbollah has vowed to continue fighting until Israel stops its daily airstrikes and withdraws its troops from Lebanon.

▶ Read more:

Trump turns 80 next month as more Americans express concerns about his age

A Washington Post/ABC News/Ipsos poll in April found that less than half of U.S. adults think Trump has the mental sharpness or physical health to serve effectively.

“I think concern for the president’s physical health is probably at an all-time high, and I think advanced physical age is the No. 1 concern,” said Dr. Jeffrey Kuhlman, who served as a White House physician under Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

Kuhlman said a complete physical would include advanced heart testing, screening for common cancers and a cognitive assessment. The White House has not disclosed what Trump’s checkups will entail.

“President Trump is the sharpest and most accessible President in American history who is working nonstop to solve problems and deliver on his promises, and he remains in excellent health,” White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said in a statement.

US consumer confidence is dented as gas prices remain high

U.S. consumer confidence declined slightly as gas prices remained at or above a national average of $4.50 a gallon in May and inflation remained elevated, a sharp contrast to soaring stock prices that have neared record levels.

The Conference Board’s consumer confidence index slipped 0.7 points to 93.1 in May, the first decline after three months of gains.

The index follows a separate gauge of consumer sentiment compiled by the University of Michigan, which fell to a record low this month. Spikes in gas prices as well as higher food costs have worsened inflation, which has outpaced the growth in average paychecks in recent months, reducing most Americans’ purchasing power. Polls show Americans have soured on Trump’s economic policies, which could harm Republicans in this year’s elections.

Iran denounces US strikes as a sign of bad faith, with impact on peace talks unclear

Iran on Tuesday denounced U.S. strikes a day earlier as a sign of “bad faith and unreliability” as negotiations continue toward a possible deal to end the war.

The U.S. military said it acted with restraint in defensively targeting missile launch sites and boats placing mines. Iran’s foreign ministry called the strikes a ceasefire violation and warned that “The Islamic Republic of Iran will leave no act of aggression unanswered.”

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard on Tuesday said it had shot down and deterred drones and a fighter jet that entered its airspace, according to Iran’s official Mizan news agency, which did not say when this happened.

Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf went to Qatar as part of the talks. The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations Center said an explosion was reported Tuesday morning aboard a tanker in the Gulf of Oman. No one was injured and there was no immediate information on the cause.

Federal court blocks Alabama’s plan for new US House map

The new congressional map would give Republicans an advantage in a key House race this November. But the preliminary injunction issued by a three-judge panel requires the state, at least for now, to instead use the same court-ordered districts under which congressional representatives were elected in 2024.

Lawyers representing Black voters argued that Alabama’s map intentionally discriminates against Black voters and that trying to change lines in the middle of an election year creates chaos.

The state could appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. Republicans want to use a new map that will give the GOP a chance to reclaim the seat now held by Democratic Rep. Shomari Figures.

US stocks rise, oil falls after Trump said Iran talks are ‘proceeding nicely’

The price for a barrel of U.S crude oil fell 3.8% to $92.99 on Tuesday after resuming trading following the Memorial Day holiday, and U.S. stocks were catching up to others around the world that climbed after Trump said Iran talks were “proceeding nicely.”

The S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average and Nasdaq composite all rose Tuesday to near their all-time highs even though fighting continued in the Mideast and the U.S. military said it struck Iranian missile launch sites and boats placing mines on Monday. Markets have rallied in the past on hopes for a coming end to the war with Iran, only to see the conflict drag on, causing painful inflation around the world.

Congressional Black Caucus presses US corporations to oppose Republican redistricting push

The Congressional Black Caucus is calling on major U.S. corporations to oppose Republican-led redistricting efforts that seek to eliminate majority-Black U.S. House districts.

Their letter sent Tuesday urges more than 250 companies to condemn “coordinated efforts to silence Black voices at the ballot box.” Some had cosigned their own message to Congress five years ago urging lawmakers to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, a Democratic proposal to restore and update the Voting Rights Act.

That 2021 coalition, Business for Voting Rights, included Apple, Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Tesla, Salesforce, Target, PayPal, Intel and Starbucks.

“Corporations that have profited from Black consumers, relied on Black workers, and amassed wealth in part from Black communities cannot look away while Black political power is dismantled in plain sight,” the caucus chair, Rep. Yvette Clarke, said in an interview.

Trump arrives at Walter Reed military hospital for his latest physical

The White House said Trump would participate in a greeting with service members and hospital staff before he spends hours being examined by a team of doctors.

It is the Republican president’s fourth publicly disclosed medical exam since he returned to office in January 2025, and it comes as the nearly 80-year-old Trump tries to project strength going into November elections that will test his sway with voters.

The White House says the visit is an annual preventive medical and dental checkup. Trump was last at Walter Reed in October and also had a physical there in April 2025.

Last July, the White House said he’d been diagnosed with a condition common in older adults that causes blood to pool in his veins, causing the swollen ankles seen in some photos of Trump.

The White House also has blamed handshaking for visible bruising on Trump’s hands.

Presidents aren’t required to disclose health information

There’s no law requiring these disclosures and the degree of transparency varies.

Presidents for decades have released medical test results to try to reassure the public that they are up to the high-pressure job.

But the president signs off on what is released, which raises questions about what isn’t being shared.

Trump’s past medical reports have been criticized for offering scant detail and including statistics that some medical experts eyed with skepticism.

It will be several hours before the White House releases any information about Tuesday’s exam.

▶ Read more

Trump suspended the refugee program on his first day in office and, since then, has turned it into a vehicle to allow Afrikaners — a group of white South Africans descended mainly from Dutch settlers — into the U.S. Advocates say the decision to focus a decades-old program on one group has left people around the world fleeing war and strife stranded and with few options.

The administration says Afrikaners are subject to persecution in their home country, a charge the government in South Africa denies.

In the announcement Tuesday on the Federal Register, President Donald Trump said that because of “an unforeseen emergency refugee situation” he was raising the refugee cap. He blamed the South African government for “recent increases in the incitement of racially motivated violence" but gave no specific information.

“I hereby determine that the admission to the United States of Afrikaners from South Africa in response to this emergency is justified by the grave humanitarian concerns and is otherwise in the national interest,” Trump said in the announcement.

The administration indicated last year that it would admit up to 7,500, mostly Afrikaners, during the fiscal year stretching from October 2025 through September 2026, but last week, in a notice to Congress informing it of the increase, the administration said that “unforeseen developments in South Africa created an emergency refugee situation.” The change raises the limit to 17,500.

The State Department has already admitted more than 6,000 people through the refugee program since the beginning of the fiscal year in October, according to official data. All of those were from South Africa except for three people from Afghanistan.

Presidents set the cap on how many refugees the U.S. will admit each year, and historically, they’ve allocated those numbers across various geographic regions while factoring in wars or conflicts that spark humanitarian needs around the globe.

The refugee program, administered by the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security, is distinct from asylum. People hoping to come through the refugee program must be living abroad and undergo vetting and other checks before being admitted to the U.S., whereas those seeking asylum are already on U.S. soil.

During his first administration, Trump slashed the number of refugees he admitted every year. Then the Biden administration built the system back up, setting a goal of admitting 125,000 refugees in his last year in office.

Groups that have for decades helped resettle refugees in the U.S. have sued to allow people who were in the refugee application process but are now stranded to be allowed to come to the U.S.

“For nearly half a century, the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program embodied a simple but powerful, bipartisan idea: that the United States would offer safety to the world’s most vulnerable refugees,” said Beth Oppenheim, President & CEO of HIAS, in a statement. “This administration is now dismantling that legacy in plain sight."

Related: An ‘explosion-proof bag’ failed on Mackinac Island. Here’s the e-bike battery safety rules that actually work

According to authorities, it happened just after 2 a.m., May 26, at a home on Ravenwood Avenue, near the intersection of Miller Avenue and Maple Road.

While the fire was contained to the garage, heavy smoke and carbon monoxide spread throughout the home.

Firefighters found two cats inside the home, including one that required oxygen at the scene. Both cats were transported to an emergency veterinary hospital on Jackson Avenue for treatment.

The resident was not home at the time of the fire but was alerted by security cameras.

Fire crews said the e-bike was not charging at the time of the fire.

E-bike safety: What riders need to know

• E-bikes and e-scooters typically run on lithium-ion batteries, which can overheat, catch fire or even explode if damaged, defective or misused. Fires fueled by these batteries burn extremely hot and release toxic gases.
• Experts recommend only purchasing and using devices, batteries and chargers listed by a nationally recognized testing laboratory. Riders should always follow the manufacturer’s instructions and use only the original or compatible charger and battery.
• When it comes to charging and storage, riders should avoid charging past full and charge devices one at a time to prevent circuit overload. Batteries should be kept at room temperature.
• Batteries should also be kept away from direct sunlight, hot vehicles, liquids and children, and should be stored away from exit doors and flammable materials.
• Repairs should only be performed by a qualified professional. Lithium-ion batteries should never be thrown in the trash -- they should be recycled or disposed of according to local waste guidelines.
• Riders should stop using a battery immediately if it shows any warning signs, including unusual odor, color change, excessive heat, physical deformation, leaking, smoking or an inability to hold a charge.
• If a fire breaks out, leave the area immediately, do not attempt to fight the fire and call 911.

More e-bike safety tips can be found on the official National Fire Protection Association website.

Top-ranked Sabalenka looked light on her feet on Court Philippe-Chatrier, despite wearing two thick necklaces in a 6-4, 6-2 win against Jessica Bouzas Maneiro.

“Diamonds, I don’t really feel the heaviness, but I can imagine how it looks from the outside,” said Sabalenka, the tournament runner-up last year to Coco Gauff. “So I feel pretty comfortable. For me, it’s important to look good.”

The four-time major winner was initially going to wear three necklaces but said she thought that might be too much.

“It probably sounds a bit crazy, but when I feel good about what I’m wearing, how I look on court, I tend to perform much better,” she said. "I like to bring a little bit of a fashion on the tennis court. I know the dress that I will wear on the Grand Slam, and I just try to come up with something to match the outfit."

Sabalenka said she wasn't worried over her jewelry away from Roland Garros.

“I have my fiancé. He’s kind of like my security,” she said, smiling. “My physio does jujitsu, so I feel pretty secure walking around. If I go somewhere, I don’t go alone.”

Gauff began her title defense with a 6-4, 6-0 victory over fellow American Taylor Townsend, while four-time major winner Naomi Osaka beat Laura Siegemund 6-3, 7-6 (3) on Court Suzanne-Lenglen.

The fashion-conscious Osaka again caught the eye with a sequined gold playing dress.

Frenchwoman Lois Boisson, who made a surprise run to the semifinals last year when she was ranked 361st, lost 6-2, 6-2 to the 22nd-seeded Anna Kalinskaya.

Medvedev loses early again

For a third consecutive day, the temperature in Paris was forecast to rise to at least 32 degrees Celsius (90 Fahrenheit).

The unusually hot conditions made the courts faster than usual.

Daniil Medvedev usually thrives in such conditions but he struggled in a five-set loss to 97th-ranked Australian opponent Adam Walton.

Walton, who received a wild card invitation from tournament organizers, beat Medvedev 6-2, 1-6, 6-1, 1-6, 6-4. It was Medvedev's second straight first round exit here and third in four years.

“I know why I don’t really play my best in Roland Garros, but if I say it, it’s (making) excuses,” he said. “So I keep it to myself.”

Stefanos Tsitsipas, the 2021 runner-up to Novak Djokovic, was leading 6-2, 3-0 against Alexandre Muller when his French opponent retired. Muller injured his right calf, three months after injuring his left calf.

Alexander Blockx withdrew from the tournament with a right ankle sprain, making Alex de Minaur — his scheduled second round opponent — the first player into the third round.

Later, top-ranked Jannik Sinner looks to extend his 29-match winning streak when he opens against French wild card Clement Tabur in the night session.

Rising star

French teenager Moïse Kouamé made the perfect start to his French Open career with a 7-6 (4), 6-2, 6-1 win over Marin Cilic.

The 17-year-old Kouamé won one day after 39-year-old Frenchman Gael Monfils made his last appearance at Roland Garros.

The teenager raised his arms in triumph after defeating the 37-year-old Cilic, who won the 2014 U.S. Open, finished runner-up at two other majors, and reached the French Open semifinals in 2022.

The ATP Tour said No. 318-ranked Kouamé became the first man born in 2008 or later to win a Grand Slam match.

In March, he became the youngest winner in Miami Masters history when he beat Zachary Svajda in the first round — earning a congratulatory message from Djokovic.

___

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

A temperature of 35.1 Celsius (95.2 Fahrenheit) was recorded at London's Kew Gardens, Britain's Met Office weather service said, breaking the 34.8 C (94.6 F) record set a day earlier at Kew. The provisional readings smashed the long-standing record of 32.8 C (91.4 F) set in 1922 and matched in 1944.

London also recorded a rare “tropical night,” defined as one in which the temperature does not fall below 20 C (68 F).

Records also fell in France, where temperatures reached 36 C (97 F) on Monday in the country's southwest and widely remained above 20 C at night.

The national weather service, Météo-France, said a “heat dome,” with heat held in place by a high-pressure weather front, was producing temperatures more than 10 degrees Celsius above what is usual for this time of year.

Unpredictable and extreme weather is becoming more frequent as Earth warms. Experts say unprecedented and deadly weather extremes that sometimes strike at abnormal times and in unusual places are putting more people in danger.

“We know beyond a shadow of a doubt that heat wave events such as this have been made more likely and more severe due to climate change arising from our emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases,” said Peter Thorne, director of the ICARUS Climate Research Centre, at Maynooth University, in Ireland. “But, nevertheless, many of the records being set, particularly in the U.K. and France, are mind-bogglingly crazy.”

After a U.K. long weekend that sent people flocking to beaches, pools and shady parks, London commuters sweltered on Tuesday in subway carriages without air conditioning. Trains to and from the busy Waterloo station were disrupted by a report of smoke on the tracks.

In Scotland, firefighters worked through the night to douse a grass fire that sent smoke billowing from Arthur’s Seat, the rocky hill that looms over Edinburgh.

The U.K. Health Security Agency issued an amber health alert for large parts of the country through Thursday, warning of a potential health risk, particularly among older people, at the hottest times of the day. The U.K. is used to moderate temperatures, and many homes, schools and businesses do not have air conditioning.

At least four teenagers died in apparent drownings in U.K. lakes and reservoirs, and a 60-year-old man died in the sea in southwest England, authorities said.

French government spokesperson Maud Bregeon said there have been reports of at least seven deaths potentially related to high temperatures, including five drownings and two deaths in sports competitions.

The early heat wave has struck before the annual summer window when lifeguards watch over bathers at popular beaches, increasing risks.

On France’s Atlantic seaboard, where magnificent beaches have powerful riptides, officials reported a rash of emergencies in the surf, with two drowning deaths on Sunday at popular resorts in the Gironde region in the southwest.

The top regional administrator, Sophie Brocas, urged beachgoers “to exercise the utmost caution.”

The unseasonable heat extended to Spain, where weather service spokesperson Rubén del Campo said: “We find ourselves with temperatures we normally see in the middle of the summer now in the month of May.”

He said Seville hit 38 C (100 F) over the weekend, while large parts of the Iberian Peninsula saw temperatures 5 to 10 degrees Celsius higher than normal.

And in Rome, temperatures were expected to reach 32 degrees C (89.6 F) on Tuesday.

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Associated Press writers John Leicester in Paris and Joseph Wilson in Barcelona, Spain, contributed to this report.

Sisters Savannah Allen, 8, and Syiana Allen, 15, both died from their injuries sustained in the crash, which prosecutors said was caused by Khalid’s reckless driving at high speeds in the area of Gratiot Avenue and August Street. The victims’ grandmother, who police say was driving the vehicle that was struck by Khalid, was also critically injured during the accident and died weeks later from her injuries, the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office confirmed.

Khalid was found guilty on May 15 of three counts of reckless driving causing death, which carries a maximum sentence of 15 years, and one count of drag racing, according to court records. The jury found Khalid not guilty of the second-degree murder charges issued by prosecutors in the case.

The defendant is expected to appear before Third Circuit Court Judge Regina D. Thomas for his sentencing on June 8, 2026.

The U.S. military characterized Monday's strikes in southern Iran as defensive, saying targets included missile launch sites and minelaying boats, and said the U.S. acted with “restraint" in light of the weekslong ceasefire.

Iran's foreign ministry called the strikes a ceasefire violation and warned that Washington would bear responsibility for “all consequences,” without elaborating.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran will leave no act of aggression unanswered,” it added in a statement.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said Tuesday that it shot down at least one drone and deterred another drone and a fighter jet that entered its airspace, according to Iran’s official Mizan news agency. It didn't specify when the incidents occurred.

Iran's supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, used a statement about Islam's annual Hajj pilgrimage to herald his country's confrontation with the U.S. and Israel, declaring that other Mideast nations “will no longer serve as a shield” for U.S. military bases. Iran has previously complained about U.S. military facilities in the region and targeted them.

It was not immediately clear what the developments would mean for negotiations.

Iranian state TV reported Tuesday that Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi left Qatar, where talks had been taking place. The report did not elaborate or point to any next steps. In Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio projected that talks on extending the ceasefire and reopening the crucial Strait of Hormuz will “take a few days."

Iranians get back online, to some extent

Meanwhile, Iranian authorities eased a monthslong internet shutdown that they cast as a wartime necessity, but that has cost the country's economy an estimated $30 million to $40 million a day. Internet users reported that access was gradually being restored, at least in some places. State media reported that fixed broadband service was partially restored. Mobile internet wasn't yet working.

Iran has long enforced filters and policed content on platforms such as YouTube and Instagram. But before the war, Iranians could bypass restrictions with cheap virtual private networks, known as VPNs, and other easy workarounds.

Then authorities cut off internet access in January during massive anti-government demonstrations and maintained the restrictions after the U.S. and Israel attacked on Feb. 28.

The internet outage made it difficult for Iranians outside the country to maintain contact with loved ones, and the lack of connectivity devastated the country’s relatively vibrant online businesses, putting further pressure on an already battered economy.

An execution in Iran

In other developments, Iran hanged a man it convicted of spying for Israel, the latest of more than two dozen allegedly espionage- and security-related executions since the war intensified a crackdown on dissent.

The Iranian judiciary’s news outlet, Mizanonline, identified the man as Gholamreza Khani Shakarab, calling him “a ringleader” for operations for Israel’s intelligence agency, the Mossad, and accusing him of recruiting members inside and outside Iran to work against the nation’s security. He was involved in sports and traveled to neighboring countries, according to the news agency.

Activists and rights groups say Iran routinely holds closed-door trials in which defendants are unable to challenge accusations and often are forced to confess.

The official judiciary agency said the country’s Supreme Court had upheld Shakarab's death sentence.

Global food official concerned about strait closure

The U.S. strikes were the latest flare-up in the fragile ceasefire that began April 7 and has largely held.

Negotiations center in part on the Strait of Hormuz, the crucial waterway off southern Iran through which a fifth of the world's crude oil and natural gas passed before the war began. Once the fighting started, Tehran retaliated by effectively closing the strait, stranding hundreds of ships, shocking the global economy, disrupting energy markets and squeezing fertilizer supplies worldwide.

The full effect of the fertilizer crunch might not become clear until harvests that are months away. U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization Director-General Qu Dongyu, warned Tuesday at an event in Rome that “the decisions we make now will determine whether this remains a manageable shock or evolves into a deeper global food security crisis in 2026 and 2027 and beyond."

The strait has become a powerful lever for Tehran in talks, joining the long-running issue of Iran's nuclear program and its highly enriched uranium. Iran wants the U.S. to lift its military blockade of Iranian ports that began on April 17.

In the nearby Gulf of Oman, an explosion was reported Tuesday aboard a tanker, according to the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations Center. No one was injured, and there was no immediate information on the cause.

Inspired by Gisèle Pelicot ’s decision to make her harrowing drug and rape trial public, the parents of the children agreed to open the proceedings. In France, trials involving minors are usually held behind closed doors.

According to their lawyers, some parents said they were following the example of Pelicot and her motto that “shame must change sides” to abusers, not victims.

The Paris case emerged in April 2025 after several children told their parents they allegedly had been sexually abused at a nursery school.

The defendant, 36, who has not been publicly identified, is accused of assaulting children while supervising them in bathrooms, during lunch breaks and in after-school care between August 2024 and April 2025. He has denied any sexual abuse against children.

The children were between 3 and 5 years old at the time. They do not have to attend the trial. A judge has read their testimonies to investigators.

The defendant is also accused of sexually harassing two co-workers and sexually assaulting one of them. He faces up to 10 years in prison. His lawyer would not speak with The Associated Press before the trial.

Barka Zerouali, co-founder of parents' group MeToo Ecole, or MeToo School, said at a protest outside the courthouse that “there needs to be a national wake-up call at some point." Protesters carried a banner reading: “Because no child should be afraid to go to school.”

Families said the trauma of the alleged assaults was compounded by what they described as a struggle to be taken seriously by authorities. An initial warning raised by a mother months earlier was apparently ignored by the school.

Rebecca Royer, a lawyer representing several families, said that “what we are expecting is a real turning point in child protection, meaning we expect the government and municipalities to implement real measures to protect children, but also to provide real resources."

Similar cases in Paris and across France have drawn media attention in recent months.

Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau last week said investigations were underway involving 84 nursery schools, about 20 elementary schools and about 10 daycare centers in the capital.

Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire said 78 school and after-school staff members have been suspended in the city since the beginning of 2026, including 31 over suspicions of sexual violence.

While teachers in France are employed by the government in state-run schools, school assistants and after-school activity leaders are hired by city authorities.

Grégoire, elected in March, has made combating child abuse an “absolute priority” and unveiled a 20 million euro ($22 million) plan to address what he described as “major dysfunction” in the city’s school supervision system. He pledged to immediately suspend any school employee suspected of abusing children.

Before being elected, Grégoire publicly revealed that he had been sexually abused as a child while attending elementary school between the ages of 9 and 10.

Child abuse became a major issue in the mayoral campaign after a series of allegations involving public schools emerged earlier this year.

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Associated Press journalists Nicolas Garriga and Masha Macpherson contributed to this report.

Trump's endorsement of state Attorney General Ken Paxton over four-term Sen. John Cornyn gives the challenger a late boost and puts Cornyn at risk of becoming the first Republican senator in Texas history to seek the party's nod and lose.

That's despite Cornyn's campaign and allied groups spending roughly $90 million in advertising since last year, the vast majority of it attacking Paxton.

It's the latest GOP contest where Trump has sought to punish a Republican he sees as insufficiently loyal. This month, he has successfully backed challengers to incumbents in Louisiana, Kentucky and Indiana, a sign of his enduring influence among primary voters.

Paxton's campaign and a pro-Paxton super PAC began airing ads promoting the endorsement within 24 hours of Trump's announcement. Cornyn acknowledged Trump's move would have an impact but said he wasn't giving up.

“I know who gets to choose our senators, and it’s the people of Texas,” he said hours after the endorsement.

The winner will run in November against Democratic state Rep. James Talarico.

Tuesday's runoffs also will decide Democratic U.S. House nominees for districts in Dallas and Houston that overwhelmingly support Democrats, and a San Antonio-area seat the party hopes to flip.

The primary has been long, bitter and costly

Cornyn led Paxton in the March primary but failed to win a majority in the three-way contest that also included U.S. Rep. Wesley Hunt, who finished a distant third.

That was after Cornyn's campaign and allied groups waged a monthslong ad campaign, mostly attacking Paxton over ethical and personal questions. The two-term attorney general was acquitted in a 2023 impeachment trial when allegations of extramarital affairs surfaced. Last year, Paxton’s wife filed for divorce, citing “biblical grounds.”

The alliance of pro-Cornyn groups has continued its attack, outspending Paxton's campaign and two allied super PACs $16.5 million to $5.9 million since March 3, according to the ad-tracking firm AdImpact.

Trump promised to endorse immediately after the primary, asking the unchosen candidate to withdraw. But he didn't act until after early voting began on May 18.

“Ken Paxton has gone through a lot, in many cases, very unfairly, but he is a Fighter, and knows how to win,” Trump wrote in a social media post endorsing him. “Our Country needs Fighters, and also Loyalty to the Cause of Greatness.”

Pro-Cornyn groups lately have been airing ads criticizing the attorney general's office’s handling of a Waco sexual abuse case. The senator also argues that Paxton's “baggage” would be a liability in the general election against Talarico. Pro-Paxton groups had seized on Cornyn’s awkward relationship with Trump.

Trump snubs Cornyn amid retribution campaign

The negative tenor could diminish turnout in an election already complicated by coming the day after Memorial Day, Texas Republican strategist Tyler Norris said. About 2 million of Texas’ 18.7 million voters participated in the GOP primary.

The dynamic could favor Paxton, whose support draws from more of the most loyal Trump base in Texas, said Norris, who isn't affiliated with either campaign.

“The defining battle lines are based around hyper-negative messaging, which dampens turnout to begin with,” he said. “So who is going to show up is the hardest of the hard core.”

Trump, in his endorsement, also poked at Cornyn, as he has done with other Republicans who are not in lockstep with the president.

He blasted Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana as “a Disloyal Disaster” on May 16, before Cassidy lost a GOP primary for the office he has held since 2015. The two-term senator had voted to convict Trump after his 2021 impeachment trial over the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Last week, Trump celebrated as Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, a critic of the Trump administration's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files, lost his primary to Ed Gallrein, who Trump backed. The president called Massie “the worst congressman in the history of our country.”

In endorsing Paxton, Trump said Cornyn “was not supportive of me when times were tough” and that “John was very late in backing me.”

Cornyn suggested in 2023 that Trump could not win the presidency again in 2024 and that his “time has passed him by.” He also was an early critic of Trump’s plan for a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico — a project he now supports.

Cornyn said Tuesday on Fox News Radio's “The Brian Kilmeade Show” that the president's ire was misplaced. There are “grifters," he said, "claiming that I am opposed to the president's agenda, and I think that’s caused some confusion with the president himself. But I’ve been supportive.”

Senate GOP leaders backed Cornyn, saying he would be stronger in the general election. Some GOP strategists have argued that a Paxton nomination would cost millions of dollars more to promote in the fall, when money could be spent defending Republican seats in more competitive states. Democrats need to gain a net of four seats to take the majority.

Democrats also will choose US House nominees

Newly elected Rep. Christian Menefee and veteran Rep. Al Green are vying for the party nod in Texas' 18th District, which the Republican-led Texas Legislature redrew last year to help the GOP. The new map led to a contest between incumbents and marks the end of a dizzying series of elections in the Houston area. Menefee was elected in a special runoff in January to the seat that had been held by the late Rep. Sylvester Turner, who died in March 2025.

Menefee finished narrowly ahead of Green in the March 3 primary but didn't win a majority to avoid the runoff.

Former Rep. Colin Allred and U.S. Rep. Julie Johnson are competing in the Dallas-area 33rd District. Johnson was elected to the seat in 2024, the year Allred lost his U.S. Senate challenge to Republican Sen. Ted Cruz. Allred was running for Senate again this cycle but dropped his bid and instead is looking to return to the House.

Near San Antonio, Democratic leaders are trying to prevent Maureen Galindo, who has expressed antisemitic views, from winning the party's runoff with Johnny Garcia. While Texas lawmakers redrew the 35th District to help Republicans, Democrats view it as within reach and don't want Galindo's past comments to impede them.

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Bedayn reported from Austin, Texas.

A three-judge panel in the state’s long-running redistricting case issued a preliminary injunction that prevents the state from switching maps, ruling that the Republican-backed plan “intentionally discriminated based on race” by including only one Black-majority district. The judges instead required Alabama to continue using a court-ordered map in place for the 2024 elections that includes two districts where Black residents compose a majority or close to it.

“Ultimately, we cannot see our way clear to requiring Alabamians to cast their votes in the 2026 elections under a districting plan tainted by intentional race-based discrimination,” the judges wrote.

The ruling is a setback for Republicans, who want to use a map for the November midterms that would give the GOP a chance to reclaim the seat now held by Democratic U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall, a Republican, said the state will immediately appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. He contended the judges had no basis for their decision to block what he described as a “blandly unobjectionable congressional map.”

“Know this — in my mind, it is not a matter of whether we win this case, only when,” Marshall said.

Figures said he is pleased with the ruling, adding: “This is a significant step in the right direction, but there is still a long way to go before this fight is settled.”

The court order is the latest development in the twisting legal and political saga following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down a Black-majority district in Louisiana and weakened the federal Voting Rights Act. That ruling has led Republicans in several Southern states, including Alabama, to take steps to reshape voting districts with large minority populations that have elected Democrats.

The redistricting frenzy is part of a broader push by President Donald Trump to try to hold on to Republicans’ slim House majority in the November elections.

Alabama court fight stretches back several years

The three-judge panel in 2023 ruled that a map drawn by Republican state lawmakers intentionally diluted the voting power of Black citizens. The court said the state, which is about 27% Black, should have two districts where Black voters are the majority or close to it. The court-selected map was used in 2024.

After the Supreme Court's recent ruling in the Louisiana case, Alabama officials moved to implement the 2023 state-drawn map. The Supreme Court’s conservative majority agreed to lift the injunction that had blocked the map's use and sent the case back to the three-judge panel for reconsideration in light of the Louisiana ruling.

In the meantime, voters cast ballots in Alabama's May 11 primaries, and Republican Gov. Kay Ivey set new special primaries for Aug. 11 in four congressional districts affected by the map switch.

Upon further review, the judicial panel said there was “undisputed evidence” of intentional racial discrimination. It said the special congressional primaries should instead proceed under the previous court-approved districts.

The decision to temporarily block the map switch came after a seven-hour hearing Friday in which judges sharply questioned state lawyers about the timeline and the impact of the Louisiana ruling.

Using the same districts that had been in place for the previous election would prevent “an expensive, aggressive, and perhaps logistically impossible voter reassignment effort,” the judges wrote.

“Candidate and voter confusion is troublesome and warrants significant consideration, but we do not see that a preliminary injunction will worsen it. To the contrary, we expect a preliminary injunction to lessen it,” the judges said.

Deuel Ross, director of litigation for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, said the court ruling “again vindicated the constitutional rights of voters in the Black Belt, and our clients look forward to voting under a fair map this fall.”

Redistricting changes affect primaries in several states

Other states also have considered adjustments to their primary elections to allow time for congressional redistricting after the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision affecting the Voting Rights Act. Louisiana’s congressional primaries, scheduled for May 16, were postponed until later this summer by Republican Gov. Jeff Landry so that state lawmakers could consider a new U.S. House map that would eliminate a majority-Black district.

In South Carolina, the Republican-led legislature is considering a plan that could throw out the votes from its June 9 congressional primary and instead hold a new primary in August under revised districts that could improve Republicans’ chances of winning an additional seat.

Tennessee also moved quickly to enact new U.S. House districts after the Supreme Court’s ruling, carving up a Black-majority district based in Memphis that had elected the state’s only Democratic representative. The new map gives Republicans a chance to sweep all nine of the state’s seats. As part of the plan, Tennessee temporarily reopened the candidate qualifying period for its August congressional primaries, allowing new candidates to enter the race and existing ones to either switch districts or drop out.

Since Trump first urged Texas to redraw its U.S. House districts last summer, about a half-dozen Republican-led states have enacted new voting districts, though some still face legal challenges. Democrats countered with new districts in California and also expect to gain a seat from new court-imposed districts in Utah.

A U.S.-brokered ceasefire in thee Israel-Hezbollah conflict appeared more nominal by the day, complicating efforts at a broader peace in the Iran war as Tehran wants an agreement to include end to the fighting in Lebanon.

The Litani River has been a de facto boundary in Lebanon, with large areas to the south under Israeli military control despite the ceasefire that's been in place for over a month.

An Israeli strike kills 12, including several relatives

The latest strikes and clashes came after Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had authorized more intensive strikes targeting Hezbollah across Lebanon.

Meanwhile, an Israeli security official said the military had called up an additional battalion to Lebanon, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

Israel's military said it struck more than 100 Hezbollah sites across southern Lebanon and the eastern Bekaa Valley area overnight, adding that it targeted storage facilities, command centers and observation points used to attack Israeli troops and residents in northern Israel.

One strike hit the eastern village of Mashghara, killing 12 people, including several members of a family, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said.

Israel in recent days has intensified strikes in the city and province of Nabatiyeh, just north of the river. On Tuesday it warned city residents to leave.

Hezbollah, meanwhile, said it launched several rocket, artillery and exploding drone attacks on Israeli troops and vehicles mobilizing along the river toward the Nabatiyeh villages of Yohmor al-Shaqif and Zawtar al-Sharqieh. Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV said the militant group repelled attacks along the river banks.

Beirut, the Lebanese capital, has been spared from strikes since the start of the ceasefire, but Israel's latest moves have caused fear.

“By just saying a few words on TV, (Netanyahu) causes everyone to panic and flee their homes,” said Tony Aboud in Beirut’s bustling Hamra district. “I don’t know what’s going to happen and how long we can live like this.”

Lebanon hopes for an agreement that will see Israeli withdrawal

The Lebanese government, which came to power on a platform of reform and disarming Hezbollah and other armed groups, hopes that the direct talks with Israel — which Hezbollah opposes — will lead to a permanent ceasefire and withdrawal of Israeli troops.

Israel says it will not withdraw until Hezbollah no longer poses a threat to residents of its northern towns. Hezbollah has vowed to continue fighting until Israel stops its daily airstrikes and withdraws its troops from Lebanon.

In recent weeks, Hezbollah has boasted that it is using new fiber-optic drones that Israeli troops have struggled to intercept, hitting both Israeli forces and northern Israeli villages.

Israel has told people there not to gather in large numbers.

“What this requires of us now is to increase the blows, to increase the intensity. We will smite them hip and thigh,” Netanyahu said Monday.

Over 1 million people in Lebanon have been displaced in the war, sparked when Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel on March 2 in solidarity with Iran, two days after the Iran war began.

At least 3,185 people have been killed in Israeli strikes since the start of the war, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry, with over 9,600 wounded.

According to Netanyahu’s office, 23 Israeli soldiers and a defense contractor have been killed in or near southern Lebanon, and two civilians have been killed in northern Israel, the vast majority by drones.

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Associated Press writers Sam Mednick and Melanie Lidman in Tel Aviv, Israel, and senior video producer Malak Harb in Beirut contributed to this report.

In a letter sent to more than 250 companies, members of the Black Caucus urge them to condemn the redistricting efforts, which the lawmakers describe as “coordinated efforts to silence Black voices at the ballot box.” Some of the companies had co-signed their own message to Congress five years ago urging lawmakers to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, a Democratic proposal to restore and update the Voting Rights Act.

That 2021 coalition, Business for Voting Rights, was backed by many of the country’s most valuable and influential companies, including Apple, Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Tesla, Salesforce, Target, PayPal, Intel and Starbucks.

Tuesday's letter is the latest effort by the Congressional Black Caucus and its allies to gather support for preventing more Republican-led states from redrawing their legislative maps in ways that would dilute Black political representation. Several states have moved to eliminate congressional districts represented by Black Democratic lawmakers after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last month that severely weakened a key provision of the Voting Rights Act.

“Corporations that have profited from Black consumers, relied on Black workers, and amassed wealth in part from Black communities cannot look away while Black political power is dismantled in plain sight,” Rep. Yvette Clarke, chair of the Black Caucus, said in an interview.

Clarke described the letter as “putting corporate America on notice,” but she said the caucus was not seeking an adversarial relationship with corporations. Among those receiving Tuesday's letter were companies based overseas that have a significant presence in the U.S.

The caucus last week called for Black athletes to boycott public universities in states that are gerrymandering their congressional maps to eliminate districts held by Black lawmakers. The 59-member Congressional Black Caucus consists entirely of Democrats, including more than a third from Southern states.

Some lawmakers have said mass protests and federal legislation might be necessary to undo the efforts underway in Republican-led states. Any new federal voting rights law would almost certainly require Democrats to secure majorities in both chambers of Congress and win the presidency.

It is unclear how companies will respond to the demands. The Associated Press reached out for comment to dozens of companies that were sent a letter by the caucus, but has not recieved a response.

“Many companies that previously issued statements after the murder of George Floyd, pledged billions toward racial equity initiatives, and spoke forcefully in defense of democracy following January 6 now face a defining test of whether those commitments were rooted in principle or convenience,” the caucus' letter states.

It also represents the latest instance of the caucus expressing frustrations with corporate America. A 2024 Black Caucus report noted that lawmakers were “troubled that some corporations that made pledges in 2020 have taken several steps in the opposite direction,” such as rolling back or failing to follow through on pledges to diversify their workforces.

“We understand who the occupant in the White House is and the reality of Republicans being in charge,” Democratic Rep. Steven Horsford of Nevada said of the caucus’ message. “But what corporate America also understands is that there will be a shift at some point.”

The letter calls on companies to publicly condemn the redistricting plans, meet with Black Caucus members to discuss corporate America's role in protecting voting rights and disclose their political donations to Republican politicians in states that are redistricting their congressional maps.

President Donald Trump last year kicked off the unusual mid-decade round of congressional redistricting when he pushed Texas lawmakers to redraw their maps in a way that would add Republican seats. Democratic-led California responded, but it has been mostly Republican states redrawing their lines since as the party tries to maintain its majority in the U.S. House during this year's midterm elections.

The effort was supercharged by the Supreme Court decision, which allowed even more Republican states to redraw congressional maps that previously had protected minority communities.

Horsford, who chaired the Black Caucus during President Joe Biden's Democratic administration, said the caucus is demanding that companies “stand on the side of democracy, fairness and equal representation.”

“This is about power, who holds it and what it’s used for," he said. "And when you’re diluting Black economic and political power, we need to know where these companies stand in this moment, and what side of history they’re on.”

In a written statement, Oceanwide Expeditions said the extra work is being carried out on the advice of the GGD local health authority in the port city of Rotterdam, where the vessel returned early last week. It's home port is in nearby Vlissingen in the southern Netherlands.

“Based on their inspection findings, GGD has advised additional cleaning,” the cruise company said. “Following completion of this work, GGD will conduct a final inspection before the vessel can depart from Rotterdam.”

It did not elaborate on why extra cleaning was required and the health authority did not immediately have a comment on the reason it asked for the additional measures.

Yvonne van Duijnhoven, the director of public health in Rotterdam, said when the Hondius arrived in the city's sprawling port eight days ago that it would likely take three days to clean and disinfect the vessel.

In a message posted Sunday on X, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said so far, 12 hantavirus cases and three deaths have been reported to the organization, with no deaths reported since May 2.

“All passengers and crew remain in quarantine and under close monitoring to ensure they receive care if needed. The situation is stable for now. We continue to remain vigilant and in close contact with all relevant governments,” he added.

Hantaviruses usually spread when people inhale contaminated residue of rodent droppings. But the hantavirus that has caused the current outbreak, called the Andes virus, may be able to spread between people in rare cases. The risk to the general public from the cruise ship outbreak is low, according to public health officials.

Oceanwide Expeditions had previously said it didn't foresee any changes to the Hondius' operations. The ship had an Arctic cruise setting sail from Keflavik, Iceland, on May 29. But in Tuesday's statement, the company said that “all voyages from 13 June onwards will proceed as scheduled. No further disruption to the sailing schedule of m/v Hondius is expected.”

Keller, Vice President of Matrix Basement Finishing, walked Live in the D’s April Morton through a completed Northville home renovation that includes a home theater, a gym, a bar, a children’s playroom, and a powder room - all tucked beneath one family’s main floor.

“Health and wellness is big with a lot of our clients,” Keller said, gesturing toward a mirrored workout space just steps from the powder room vanity. The layout, he explained, is intentional - guests can freshen up, kids can disappear into their own room, and parents can claim the bar or the theater depending on the mood.

The theater is the crown jewel. Stadium-style reclining chairs face a large screen flanked by in-wall speakers and a subwoofer. A mini fridge means no trips upstairs. The room is built for immersion.

“Who wouldn’t want to be here on a Friday or Saturday night with the family watching a movie?” Keller said. The room features “extra soundproofing, so it’s really quiet,” he added - a detail that matters when the kids have their own movie running two rooms away.

The finished basement feels nothing like one. Accent lighting, tile work, sconce fixtures, and an open-concept layout connecting the lounge to the bar give the space a polish typically reserved for above-ground living areas. “You don’t feel like you’re in a basement when you’re down here,” Keller said.

A project of this scope is not a weekend flip. “It can be several months - anywhere from 12 to 16 weeks from planning phase all the way to the end,” Keller said. The company handles permitting and coordinates licensed trades throughout. “We take care of all your inspections. All of our licensed electricians and plumbers and HVAC guys come in here,” he said.

Not every client needs a home cinema. Matrix works across the full range of scope and budget. “It doesn’t have to be this extravagant, but we can do this type of work or we can do something simple for your family as well,” Keller said.

To watch the video of the tour, click the video above.

Free in-home design consultations are available at matrixbasements.com.

The S&P 500 rose 0.4% after trading resumed following Monday’s holiday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 111 points, or 0.2%, as of noon Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.8% higher. All three indexes are near all-time highs.

The indexes pared gains from earlier in the morning as fighting continued in the region, and the U.S. military said it carried out “self-defense” strikes in southern Iran, including on missile launch sites and boats placing mines. Markets have rallied in the past on hopes for a coming end to the war with Iran, only to see the conflict drag on.

The price for a barrel of Brent crude, the international standard, rose 4.1% to $100.10, but that reclaimed only some of its 7.1% plunge from Monday. The price for a barrel of U.S crude oil, meanwhile, fell 2.8% to $93.88.

Oil prices have been at the center of the action for financial markets since the United States and Israel attacked Iran in late February. The ensuing war has closed the Strait of Hormuz to most oil tankers, keeping crude pent up in the Persian Gulf instead of flowing to customers worldwide. That in turn has driven up oil’s price and sent a wave of painful inflation around the world.

Hopes for a deal to improve the flow of oil helped lift stocks of companies with big fuel bills. United Airlines rose 5.4%, and cruise operator Carnival steamed 3.2% higher.

The lower oil prices also helped pull yields down in the U.S. bond market, which eased the pressure on Wall Street. The yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 4.50% from 4.56% late Friday.

It’s a respite following recent gains for yields in bond markets worldwide, which threatened to slow economies and undercut prices for stocks and all kinds of other investments. High yields have already forced the average long-term U.S. mortgage rate to its most expensive level since last summer, and they could curtail companies’ borrowing to build the artificial-intelligence data centers that have supported the U.S. economy’s growth recently.

Big technology stocks also continued their big runs. Micron Technology leaped 16.5% to top $870 and was the strongest force lifting the S&P 500 after analysts at UBS led by Timothy Arcuri raised their 12-month price target for the stock to $1,625 from $535. They're forecasting continued strength in demand for computer memory, and Micron's stock has already tripled so far this year.

That helped offset a drop of 11.6% for AutoZone, which reported slightly weaker revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected, though its profit topped expectations. CEO Phil Daniele said performance for the retailer’s stores in Brazil and Mexico was below its plan.

Most big U.S. companies have been reporting both profit and revenue for the start of 2026 above what analysts expected. The strong performances have helped vault U.S. stocks to records, even with all the uncertainty around oil prices and the war with Iran.

U.S. households have been feeling discouraged about the economy because of accelerating inflation, and a report on Tuesday said consumer confidence edged downward in May, though the number was not as bad as economists expected. It followed a report on Friday that said sentiment among U.S. consumers hit its lowest level on record.

In stock markets abroad, indexes were mixed. South Korea’s Kospi jumped 2.5% as it caught up with other markets following its closure on Monday for a holiday.

London’s FTSE 100 added 0.2% even though British petroleum giant BP fell 4% there. BP ousted its chairman over what it called serious concerns related to “important governance standards, oversight and conduct.”

Japan’s Nikkei 225 slipped 0.2% from its all-time high set the day before.

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AP Business Writer Elaine Kurtenbach contributed to this report.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best wine bar in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate one wine bar per day. Just click on the link below and find the “wine bar” category under the “drinks” section.

Click here to nominate a wine bar.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

The Conference Board’s consumer confidence index slipped 0.7 points to 93.1 in May, the first decline after three months of gains. The measure hasn't fallen as much this year as other gauges of consumer attitudes, but it has been stuck at a low level since the pandemic. Before COVID-19, it regularly reached 130.

A separate gauge of consumer sentiment released last week by the University of Michigan fell to a record low this month. Soaring gas and food costs have worsened inflation that is outpacing the average growth in paychecks, reducing most Americans’ purchasing power. Americans have soured on President Trump’s economic policies, polls show, potentially creating problems for Republicans heading into the midterm elections.

Consumer sentiment is mostly gloomy even as the economy is still growing and the unemployment rate has stayed low. Some economists argue that the gap reflects inequality in a “K-shaped” economy, with higher-income Americans benefitting from rising stock prices and still spending while lower-income households struggle.

Tuesday's consumer confidence survey showed that confidence grew among households with incomes at or above $100,000, while it fell for most others.

“The prospect of higher prices and faster inflation continues to loom over confidence readings with many households taking a more cautious approach to purchases this year,” Ben Ayers, Nationwide senior economist, said.

There were some positive signs, Ayers noted: Americans' expectations for growth six months in the future improved, potentially a sign they expect the Iran war to be over by then.

Still, Americans' outlook on the job market worsened slightly. The proportion of respondents who said jobs are “plentiful” dropped to 25.5%, the lowest in three years. At the same time, just 18.6% said jobs were “hard to get,” the smallest percentage since October. The findings reflect the “low-hire, low-fire” job market that has made it harder for those out of work to obtain new jobs.

Gas prices have soared to a nationwide average of $4.49 a gallon from $2.98 just before the war began at the end of February, and have been at or above $4.50 a gallon for nearly all of May.

This month, the Conference Board added special questions to its survey, which found rising prices have caused most Americans to change their spending habits. Two-thirds of respondents said they are cutting back spending in response to the increases, with most of those reducing overall purchases and delaying more expensive acquisitions.

Many consumers are also planning to economize on clothes, shoes, hobby items, and toys and games, the survey found.

Inflation jumped to 3.8% in April, the highest in three years and far above the Federal Reserve's 2% target. In addition to more expensive gas, grocery prices have also started rising more quickly, likely driven by higher shipping costs. Beef prices have also risen sharply, as drought and other factors have reduced cattle herds.

The higher prices are reducing Americans' average inflation-adjusted incomes. Average hourly earnings, adjusted for price changes, shrank in April from a year earlier for the first time in three years.

Other data also suggests consumers have grown more cautious amid rising prices. Adjusted for inflation, retail sales actually declined in April, after a solid increase in March.

And the University of Michigan's consumer sentiment index fell to a record-low 44.8 in May, its third straight decline, as a majority of respondents said rising prices were hurting their personal finances.

The departure was abrupt and unexpected, with Albert Manifold having been appointed to the position late last year.

“Albert has helped bring a welcome focus and pace to BP’s transformation," Amanda Blanc, senior independent director, said in a statement Tuesday. "However, the board has been surprised and disappointed to learn of governance oversight and conduct issues it deems unacceptable and has taken decisive action.”

BP's board named Ian Tyler as interim chair, effective immediately.

BP, based in London, is a “supermajor,” one of the five largest oil production and exploration companies in the world when measured by revenue and profit.

Manifold, who had been the top executive at Dublin-based global building materials company CRH for 10 years, became the chair at BP in October. BP was looking for someone to revamp the oil giant and went with an industry outsider in Manifold, who had made major strategic changes at CRH.

After a new focus on renewable energy at BP in 2020, by 2025 the company was seeking a return to its roots. BP's hard reset was criticized by environmentalists, as well as some shareholders.

CEO Murray Auchincloss said last year that optimism over opportunities in renewable energy was misplaced, with the company moving “too far and too fast.”

Changes in leadership at BP in recent years has been tumultuous.

CEO Bernard Looney resigned in late 2023 after BP determined that he had misled the company over his past relationships with colleagues.

Auchincloss stepped down in December, and the company named Meg O'Neill as his successor.

Manifold’s was challenged almost immediately when shareholders defeated company resolutions this spring that would have allowed BP to reduce climate reporting requirements and move its annual meetings fully online. Some 18% of shareholders voted against Manifold’s election as chairman, a high level of opposition for an appointment that is generally rubber stamped by investors.

Legal & General, one of Britain’s largest insurers and investment companies, said at the time that Manifold was responsible for resolutions that would have had “a negative impact on shareholders’ insight into how the company is addressing financially material long-term risks, and seizing long-term value creation opportunities, associated with the energy transition,” the Times of London reported on April 23.

Glass Lewis, an influential shareholder advisor, urged investors to vote against Manifold’s election. It held that BP took “unprecedented action” by refusing to consider a resolution from a group of climate activists and pension funds hoping to force the board to create an alternative strategy should demand for fossil fuels decline, the Times reported.

Like other big oil companies, BP has struggled with falling demand in recent years.

BP’s 2025 earnings fell 16% from a year earlier to $7.49 billion as the price of Brent crude, a benchmark for international oil prices, dropped 16.9%. The company’s preferred measure of earnings is underlying replacement cost profit, which adjusts for one-time items and fluctuations in the market value of inventories. Net income plunged 86% to $55 million.

Last year there were media reports that British oil giant Shell was in talks to buy rival BP. Shell denied the reports at the time.

The search for a new chair is underway, BP said Tuesday.

Shares of BP Plc slid nearly 5% in midday trading on the NYSE.

____________

Danica Kirka in London contributed to this report.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best Dance Studio in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate one Dance Studio per day. Just click on the link below and find the “Dance Studio” category under the “Services/Business” section.

Click here to nominate a Dance Studio.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

It appeared that the minibus drove through the closed crossing barrier, officials said. A security camera showed the bus, carrying nine people, was moving when the train hit it. The collision happened during morning rush hour near Buggenhout town, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) northwest of the capital, Brussels.

The bus driver and an escort were killed along with two children aged 12 and 15, said Lisa De Wilde, spokesperson for the East Flanders public prosecutor’s office. She said the injured children were hospitalized in serious condition.

De Wilde told journalists the cause of the crash hadn't been established.

“What we do know is that the barrier was closed and the red light was on,” she said.

Federal Police spokesperson An Berger said the minibus driver appeared to have plowed through the barrier. Infrabel said the crossing was working correctly.

The train had been traveling at an estimated 120 kph (75 mph) as it approached the crossing and had “no time to brake," said Frédéric Sacré, a spokesperson for Belgian rail operator Infrabel.

“The impact was extremely violent,” Sacré told the RTBF public broadcaster.

An Associated Press journalist at the scene said the bus was toppled on its side with its front section crushed. The train was relatively unscathed.

It was believed about 100 passengers were aboard the train and that none were hurt. Rail traffic in the area was halted. Local officials stood for a minute's silence after a news conference.

In a post on social media, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever said he was “deeply moved by the horrific accident in Buggenhout. My thoughts go out to the affected families.”

Children played basketball and rode bicycles at a school not far from the scene.

——

Cook reported from Brussels. Mike Corder contributed to this report from The Hague, Netherlands.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best Law Firm in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate one Law Firm per day. Just click on the link below and find the “Law Firm” category under the “Services/Business” section.

Click here to nominate a Law Firm.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best Real Estate Agent in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate one Real Estate Agent per day. Just click on the link below and find the “Real Estate Agent” category under the “Services/Business” section.

Click here to nominate a Real Estate Agent.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best soup and salad in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate one soup and salad place per day. Just click on the link below and find the “soup/salad” category under the “food” section.

Click here to nominate a soup and salad place.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best soul food in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate one soul food restaurant per day. Just click on the link below and find the “soul food” category under the “food” section.

Click here to nominate a soul food restaurant.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best Polish food in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate one Polish restaurant per day. Just click on the link below and find the “Polish” category under the “food” section.

Click here to nominate a Polish restaurant.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best Middle Eastern food in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate one Middle Eastern restaurant per day. Just click on the link below and find the “Middle Eastern” category under the “food” section.

Click here to nominate a Middle Eastern restaurant.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best gyros in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate one gyro place per day. Just click on the link below and find the “gyros” category under the “food” section.

Click here to nominate a gyro place.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best fine dining restaurant in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate one fine dining restaurant per day. Just click on the link below and find the “fine dining” category under the “food” section.

Click here to nominate a fine dining restaurant.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Now, the conversation has flipped. After pouring billions of dollars into laptops, tablets and learning apps, many schools are facing a digital reckoning. Classrooms have become saturated with screens, and a growing number of parents, teachers and school districts are saying it is time to scale back.

“The Chromebook is just a world of distraction,” says Soffer, who teaches sixth-grade English and history. She favors pen-and-paper assignments but is required to use laptops and online apps for certain activities. “Every day, I’m battling, ’Who would you rather listen to, Ms. Soffer or Minecraft?'”

The Los Angeles Unified School District, where Soffer teaches, recently became the first major school district to say it will stop giving devices to its youngest students. It is part of a new screen time policy taking effect in the fall across the country’s second-largest school system.

A sweeping resolution passed last month by the Los Angeles school board requires the district to eliminate devices until second grade; set daily and weekly screen limits for all higher grades; block YouTube on school devices; and ban the use of devices at lunch and recess in elementary and middle school. The district will also audit its education technology contracts, which the teachers union says amount to $1.6 billion.

The Los Angeles crackdown is adding momentum to calls for reform emerging around the country. In many cases, parents lobbied a few years ago for school cellphone bans, which have now become the norm. Realizing phones weren’t the only classroom distraction, they pivoted to a new target: school-issued devices.

The campaign for change is becoming a public policy issue. At least 14 states have proposed laws to limit screen time in schools, according to Ballotpedia. The federal government issued an advisory last week warning that excessive screen use among youth is becoming a growing public health concern.

Parents say school-issued devices undermine screen limits at home

In Los Angeles, concerned parents last year formed a group, Schools Beyond Screens, and pressured the district by speaking out at school board meetings, on social media and in private talks with administrators. Many are frustrated by trying to curb screen time at home, only to have screens mandated by school.

As a mother of three, Katie Pace does everything in her power to limit screens. There is one family iPad and one television at home, no screen time during the week and no screens allowed in bedrooms. Her eighth grade daughter, Clementine, does not have a phone.

But as soon as Clementine gets on the Wi-Fi-enabled school bus, her day takes a turn for the digital.

For the 30-minute ride to school, Clementine watches YouTube videos on her school Chromebook.

In Spanish class, assignments are on the app Duolingo, but many students use Google Translate for answers, Clementine said. Often, kids are playing games on their phones, which are supposed to be locked away. In algebra, Clementine writes with her finger on a touch screen to solve equations. In history, quizzes, tests and writing assignments are on the computer.

Almost all homework is online. Until recently, Clementine would come home and read a book, her mother said, but not anymore. On her daughter’s device history, Pace sees she spends hours a day streaming music, making Spotify playlists, and watching makeup tutorials and cat videos on YouTube.

“It makes me furious,” said Pace, a member of Schools Beyond Screens. “My daughter went to middle school and was sent home with a screen addiction in her backpack.”

The pandemic supercharged student access to devices

A push to put a device in every child’s hand and close the “digital divide” started over a decade ago, but it accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Overnight, education shifted online in March 2020. Schools raced to get kids the devices needed to connect to school. When the 2021-2022 school year started, 96% of U.S. public schools reported they had given digital devices to students who needed them, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

Many schools switched funding away from textbooks, workbooks and paper printouts to digital alternatives. Educational technology, or “edtech,” exploded into a multibillion-dollar industry.

“During the pandemic, getting kids devices was a lifeline. Now, it’s time that we reset,” said Nick Melvoin, the LAUSD school board member who drafted the new resolution.

Melvoin estimates that few Los Angeles classrooms are using screens effectively in ways that benefit learning. Too often, he said, teachers are replacing instruction with online apps and using screens “as a crutch.”

Some schools are introducing new limits

The challenge, educators say, is that technology has become so entwined with learning, especially for older students, that unplugging from screens at school is complicated.

In the affluent Philadelphia suburb of Lower Merion, parents launched a petition campaign for the right to opt their children out of digital devices during school, citing questions about edtech’s benefits. The district has said that opting out is not possible.

“If there’s really no evidence that it helps, and in fact there’s evidence that it’s harmful, what are we doing? Test scores are at their lowest point,” said Alex Bird Becker, one of the founders of the group PA Unplugged.

Other schools are finding that it makes financial sense to stop sending a device home with every child.

Fresno Unified School District, the third-largest in California, is spending $4 million a year to repair and replace laptops. Partly to cut costs, the district has told its 40,000 elementary school students to return their take-home laptops and it will shift computer access to in-class only in the fall, spokesperson A.J. Kato said.

The Simi Valley Unified School District, near Los Angeles, stopped sending devices home for its younger students this year, partly because of costly repairs but also because they were being used for “inappropriate Google searches” and video games, according to a memo to parents. The district now stores the devices in carts at school.

A group of parents in Arlington, Virginia, gathered on a recent Saturday night to share their children’s struggles with screen addictions and other side effects of school-issued devices.

“None of us are Luddites. I know that technology adds value, but I also don’t want my son on YouTube all the time,” said LuAnn Oliver, who hosted the group in her living room. Her sixth grade son struggles to keep track of online assignments and resist the temptation the iPad offers for video games. “We get reports on websites he’s visited. He’s visiting a game site in nearly every class.”

The Arlington Public Schools district has stopped giving iPads out before first grade and is setting new limits in elementary school, but students in 6th to 12th grades will still be required to have school-issued devices.

Another mother, Jenny Sullivan, said she has noticed her fourth grade son capitalizing random letters and not getting corrected because there is so little work on paper. She also worries about social implications: Her sixth grader doesn’t want to go to the after-school program because everyone is on their iPad. “I’d rather be home,” he tells his mother.

After a three-hour gathering, the parents made a plan to approach the school in the fall with a unified request to “opt out of technology and opt in to textbooks and paper.”

“Ten years from now,” said one of the mothers, Kristina Jackson, “I can’t imagine us looking back with any other reaction than: How could we have been so naive that we just handed these devices to our kids.”

___

Associated Press writer Sharon Lurye contributed to this report from Philadelphia.

___

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

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best Cannabis Dispensary in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate one Cannabis Dispensary per day. Just click on the link below and find the “Cannabis Dispensary” category under the “Services/Business” section.

Click here to nominate a Cannabis Dispensary.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best HVAC Company in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate one HVAC Company per day. Just click on the link below and find the “HVAC Company” category under the “Services/Business” section.

Click here to nominate a HVAC Company.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best Boutique Clothing Store in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate one Boutique Clothing Store per day. Just click on the link below and find the “Boutique Clothing Store” category under the “Services/Business” section.

Click here to nominate a Boutique Clothing Store.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best Gourmet Market in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate one Gourmet Market per day. Just click on the link below and find the “Gourmet Market” category under the “Services/Business” section.

Click here to nominate a Gourmet Market.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best Thai food in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate one Thai restaurant per day. Just click on the link below and find the “Thai” category under the “food” section.

Click here to nominate a Thai restaurant.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best shawarma in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate one shawarma place per day. Just click on the link below and find the “shawarma” category under the “food” section.

Click here to nominate a shawarma place.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best pho in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate one pho restaurant per day. Just click on the link below and find the “pho” category under the “food” section.

Click here to nominate a pho restaurant.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best fried chicken in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate one fried chicken place per day. Just click on the link below and find the “fried chicken” category under the “food” section.

Click here to nominate a fried chicken place.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best sports venue in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate one sports venue per day. Just click on the link below and find the “sports venue” category under the “things to do” section.

Click here to nominate a sports venue.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

The justices rebuffed an appeal from the league, which wanted the case handled through its arbitration process rather than open court in New York. Justice Brett Kavanaugh dissented from the decision not to hear the case.

Flores, who's Black, sued the league and three teams in February 2022, alleging the league was “rife with racism” regarding its hiring practices when it comes to Black coaches. He was later joined in the lawsuit by fellow Black coaches Steve Wilks and Ray Horton.

Flores, who was fired by the Dolphins shortly before the suit was filed, is now the Minnesota Vikings' defensive coordinator.

The NFL has argued Flores should go through arbitration rather than the legal system, but lower courts have sided with the plaintiffs. The league said it respected the Supreme Court decision, which allows lower-court rulings to stay in place, but is "fully prepared to defend ourselves as this matter proceeds.”

David Gottlieb and Douglas Wigdor, attorneys for the plaintiffs, said they were pleased with the decision. “The NFL must now accept that its commissioner cannot be the arbitrator over discrimination claims against the league and its teams. We look forward to litigating these claims in court,” they said in a statement.

Flores was fired after posting a 24-25 record over three years without a playoff appearance. The Dolphins did have back-to-back winning seasons before Flores was dismissed.

Flores sued the NFL as well as the Denver Broncos, the New York Giants and the Houston Texans. He interviewed with the Broncos in 2019 and the Giants and Texans in 2022.

Wilks, who was fired as the New York Jets' defensive coordinator in December, joined the lawsuit by claiming the Arizona Cardinals in 2018 hired him as a “bridge coach” — promoting him to interim coach after they fired another coach but then passing over him for the full-time role. He said the Cardinals didn’t provide him with a realistic chance to succeed.

Horton, who last coached in the NFL in 2019, alleged the Tennessee Titans didn’t offer him a genuine interview for the head coaching position in 2016.

___

Associated Press writer Michael R. Sisak in New York contributed to this story.

___

Follow the AP's coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court at https://apnews.com/hub/us-supreme-court and the NFL at https://apnews.com/hub/nfl.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best Florist in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate one Florist per day. Just click on the link below and find the “Florist” category under the “Services/Business” section.

Click here to nominate a Florist.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best Children’s Clothing Store in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate one Children’s Clothing Store per day. Just click on the link below and find the “Children’s Clothing Store” category under the “Services/Business” section.

Click here to nominate a Children’s Clothing Store.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best auto dealership in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate one auto dealership per day. Just click on the link below and find the “Auto Dealership” category under the “Services/Business” section.

Click here to nominate an Auto Dealership.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best Indian food in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate one Indian restaurant per day. Just click on the link below and find the “Indian” category under the “food” section.

Click here to nominate an Indian restaurant.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best bakery in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate one bakery per day. Just click on the link below and find the “bakery” category under the “food” section.

Click here to nominate a bakery.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.

Nominations for this year’s Vote 4 The Best are open, and we’re looking for the best distillery in Metro Detroit.

From now until June 14, fans can nominate one distillery per day. Just click on the link below and find the “distillery” category under the “drinks” section.

Click here to nominate a distillery.

After nominations close on June 14, we’ll announce the finalists for each category on June 19. We’ve got dozens of categories for food, drinks, things to do, services, and businesses.

Finalist voting will open June 22 (during the Ford Fireworks on Local 4) and end July 20. You’ll be able to vote for each category once per day.

Thanks to our Vote 4 The Best sponsor, Wallside Windows!

Have a question? Email us at clickondetroit@wdiv.com, and we’ll get you an answer.