In Southern Lebanon, seven were killed in an Israeli strike, one of the deadliest since a shaky truce between Israel and Hezbollah went into effect on June 20.

Here’s a look at the latest developments in the Iran war and the wider Middle East. Full coverage can be found here.

A vessel is attacked in the Strait of Hormuz

A tanker owned by Abu Dhabi’s state-owned oil and gas company ADNOC was attacked while transiting through the Strait of Hormuz, Emirati state-run WAM news agency said Saturday.

The attack happened Friday evening, and there were no injuries, the agency reported. This is the third such attack on vessels operated by ADNOC in the critical waterway in the last week.

The UAE has previously accused Iran of the attacks but did not immediately comment on Friday’s incident.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said that a bulk carrier was struck by an unknown projectile that hit the hull on Friday. It was not immediately clear if it was the ADNOC vessel.

Shipping has been disrupted and the strait has been virtually closed since the Iran war started on Feb, 28. Before the war, which began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, about one-fifth of the world’s traded oil and natural gas passed through the waterway at the mouth of the Persian Gulf.

Israeli strike kills 7 in southern Lebanon

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said the strike early Saturday hit a home on the edge of Ansar village, killing seven people and wounding three others.

The death toll from the airstrike makes it one of the deadliest since the Lebanese government and Israel announced a “framework agreement” on June 26, laying out a plan for Israeli forces to withdraw from southern Lebanon in exchange for the disarmament of the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group.

Hezbollah refused direct talks and was not part of the agreement.

Israel said it truck Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon in response to actions taken by the group against Israeli soldiers operating in the security zone.

Houthis in Yemen attack Red Sea port, killing at least 1

Yemen's military said Saturday the Iranian-backed Houthis attacked a crucial Red Sea port under the control of the internationally recognized government, killing at least one security guard.

Col. Majed al-Nazili, the spokesman for the military, said in a statement that the Houthis fired six ballistic missiles Friday evening on the Mokha port, in a “new terrorist aggression that targeted a vital civilian facility.” He said the attack wounded eight people and left two marines missing.

The attack was the latest by the Houthis on government-held areas and on Saudi Arabia and part of an escalation, which threatens to plunge Yemen into a full-fledged conflict after a 2022 ceasefire stopped heavy fighting during the country’s civil war.

Takaichi mourned the victims of major devastation in Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Okinawa, as well as those who perished in overseas battlefronts, and thanked them for their sacrifice as the “foundation of Japan's peace and prosperity today.” She did not mention Japanese atrocities in Asia or apologize.

“Japan, since the end of the war, has consistently contributed to global peace and prosperity. We will never let the tragedy of the war be repeated," she said, adding that Japan can play a key role in addressing global challenges as “a dependable nation" in the region.

Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, another Cabinet minister and three executives from Takaichi's governing party showed up at the shrine earlier Saturday.

Visits by Japanese politicians to the Yasukuni Shrine, which also commemorates World War II war criminals, have been criticized by China and South Korea, who see the visits as a lack of remorse over Japan’s wartime atrocities.

China and South Korea react

China’s Foreign Ministry protested to Japan over the Yasukuni visits Saturday, saying that Japanese politicians’ true intentions were to “change the verdict on the war criminals, cover up Japan’s war crimes, distort the historical facts and pave the way for accelerating militarization.” It urged Japan to do “serious soul-searching” on history and make a clean break with militarism.

Tensions between Japan and China escalated in November when Takaichi said a Chinese attack on Taiwan could constitute “a survival-threatening situation” for Japan requiring the use of force. The comments enraged Beijing.

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, in a statement Saturday, said that his administration used “pragmatic diplomacy centered on national interests” and will broaden cooperation in shared interests to resolve common challenges. “Korea-Japan cooperation is now more important than ever."

“The new bilateral relationship we are building must warmly illuminate those who are still suffering from pain in the shadows of history,” he wrote.

Attention this week was on whether Takaichi, who has repeatedly said she would pray at the shrine on Aug. 15 despite the controversy, would keep her pledge and show up at Yasukuni.

Defense minister prays at Yasukuni

Koizumi has regularly visited the controversial shrine to mark Japan's anniversary of the end of the war on Aug. 15 and other occasions. But as a defense minister pushing to increase Japan’s military capability and weapons sales under Takaichi’s hawkish government, his visit Saturday is seen as more contentious.

The previous shrine visit by a defense minister was in 2024 by Minoru Kihara, the current chief secretary and top government spokesperson for Takaichi’s government.

Japan’s Defense Ministry prohibits group visits by service members of the Self-Defense Forces, on grounds of constitutional separation of religion and state. Koizumi said in October it is natural for anyone in any country to pay respect for those who sacrificed their lives for their nation.

Koizumi did not comment on the visit Saturday and walked past journalists at the shrine.

He is the son of popular former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who outraged China when he visited Yasukuni as a serving leader in 2006.

Takaichi makes offerings

Three executives from Takaichi’s governing Liberal Democratic Party also prayed together Saturday at the shrine and brought offerings in a rare joint visit on the prime minister’s behalf that is seen as a move to make up for Takaichi’s absence and appeal to her right-wing supporters.

Party secretary-general Shunichi Suzuki told reporters he prayed while keeping in mind the prime minister's thoughts for “the spirits of the war dead” and that he brought Takaichi’s cash offerings in her capacity as party leader.

For Takaichi, appealing to right-wing voters is key at a time when her support is seen as rapidly falling, presumably over delayed economic measures addressing rising prices as well as scandals that include alleged negative election campaign videos and unpopular revisions to Japan's imperial family succession rules.

Takaichi has not visited the shrine since taking office but has sent offerings twice for the shrine’s biannual festivals.

Emperor shows remorse, calls on history to be remembered

In contrast, Japanese emperors have not visited Yasukuni since its 1978 inclusion of 14 convicted war criminals as “martyrs,” and have expressed regrets over Japan’s wartime past, though in a nuanced way.

Emperor Naruhito, in his address Saturday at the Budokan hall, said his hope was that the ravages of war will never be repeated while “reflecting on our past and bearing in mind the feelings of deep remorse.” Seeking peace and the happiness of the people in the future, he said “it is my sincere hope that we shall continue to pass down the memories of the sufferings endured during and after the war.”

Pushback against remembering Japan's wartime history

Takaichi has repeatedly resisted acknowledging Japan's wartime aggression and atrocities, and denied that coercion was used against Korean laborers and women held as sex slaves for Japanese troops. She was previously part of a campaign to remove references to wartime sexual slavery, euphemistically known as “comfort women,” from school textbooks.

She has said she is from a postwar generation that bears no responsibility for Japan's past actions and that she has no intention to apologize.

The country has faced revisionist pushbacks since the 2010s under nationalistic former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who pushed to correct a “self-deprecating view” of Japan’s wartime history and regain national pride. Takaichi considers Abe a mentor.

Since 2013, Japanese prime ministers have stopped apologizing to Asian victims for wartime atrocities, under a precedent set by Abe. Last year, however, former Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba expressed “remorse” over the war and called it a mistake, though he fell short of mentioning Japan's aggression across Asia or apologizing.

___

Associated Press writers Hyung-jin Kim in Seoul, South Korea, and Kanis Leung in Hong Kong contributed to this report.

Home Depot reports its latest results on Tuesday, followed by Target and Lowes on Wednesday, and then Walmart on Thursday. The results will help give investors a more detailed picture of how businesses and consumers are handling stubbornly high inflation.

The rate of inflation remains solidly above 3%. The ongoing U.S. war with Iran prompted a surge in oil prices, which jolted gasoline prices. Higher prices on everything from gasoline to groceries and any goods that are shipped could prompt people to shift or cut spending.

Results from Home Depot and Lowes could provide more insight into the housing market and whether people are spending more or less on home improvements. Results and forecasts from retail giants Target and Walmart could provide more insight into how households are budgeting and spending.

Wall Street and economists will get more details about the Fed's interest rate policy when the central bank releases minutes from the July meeting on Wednesday.

The Fed once again held its interest rate steady in July amid worries about stubborn inflation, the jobs market and the direction of the economy. But three officials dissented in favor of higher rates during the meeting. Fed Chair Kevin Warsh described the policy discussion to reporters as a “good family fight.” Wall Street expects at least one rate hike before the end of 2026.

The event is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 10, from 5 to 7 p.m. at The Detroit Shop on Level 3 of Somerset Collection North, 2800 W. Big Beaver Road in Troy.

Tickets are required to participate in the autograph signing. The event is presented by The Detroit Shoppe in partnership with The Autograph Guy and Wilder Side of Sports.

Melton is in his second major league season and has established himself as a member of the Tigers’ starting rotation.

Through 13 starts in the 2026 season, Melton has posted a 7-1 record with a 1.46 ERA, 69 strikeouts and a 0.90 WHIP over 80 innings.

The Tigers selected Melton in the fourth round of the 2022 MLB draft out of San Diego State.

He made his major league debut in July 2025 and appeared three times for Detroit during its American League Division Series postseason run.

Melton entered the 2026 season as one of the Tigers’ young pitching prospects and has continued to establish himself as a starter.

Fans can purchase autograph tickets through Wilder Side of Sports.

Additional event information is available through Somerset Collection and The Detroit Shoppe.

Driver and Navarette were among the new cast members announced Friday night at Disney's D23 convention by Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, along with Driver's “Girls” castmate Christopher Abbott as Professor Charles Xavier and Maya Boyd as Storm. The film is slated for release in May 2028.

The announcements were the biggest news to emerge from Disney Entertainment's D23 presentation that also brought updates on its forthcoming “Star Wars” titles and a song-and-dance that went sideways from the stars of “Frozen 3.”

Driver's name was often rumored and often dismissed as an “X-Men” possibility. Many thought he'd be playing the antihero Magneto. The rest of the cast appeared on stage at the Honda Center arena in Anaheim, California, while Driver appeared on a big screen.

“Kevin and I had been talking for years about my joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and I think we finally found the perfect film,” Driver told the crowd of 12,000 via video. “So I’m very excited to be playing the role of Maaagneto!” he said before pausing, taking it back and saying, “even better, Nathaniel Millbury,” an alias for Mister Sinister.

Also on stage were previously announced cast members Samara Weaving, who is playing Emma Frost; Kit Connor, who is playing Scott “Cyclops” Summers; and Sadie Sink, whose role as Jean Grey was revealed by her appearance in this summer’s Marvel megahit “Spider-Man: Brand New Day.”

The castmates were as new to each other as they were to the fans.

“They’ve just met backstage for the very first time,” Feige said.

Navarette had also been heavily rumored to have a role after fast becoming one of Hollywood's most sought-after actors for her striking performance as a spellbound girlfriend in the indie horror hit “Obsessed” earlier this year.

The “X-Men” joining the MCU became possible with Disney's 2019 acquisition of Fox's film studio.

Director Jake Schreier is heading the reboot. and two writers from prestige TV — “Beef” creator Lee Sung Jin and “The Bear” co-showrunner Joanna Calo — are working on the script.

Gosling cosplays as Kade Auberon in 'Star Wars' presentation.

Ryan Gosling and director Shawn Levy headlined the “Star Wars” part of the night with a presentation on their film “Star Wars: Starfighter,” which is getting a May, 2027 release.

Gosling's appearance on stage was preceded by clips of him as a child cast member of “The Mickey Mouse Club.”

“I owe a lot to Disney," Gosling said. "Had they not looked far and wide and come to my hometown I would not be here today. Now, 30 years later, I'm back and it's changing my life again.”

Shawn Levy put on Gosling a leather jacket with his “Star Wars” character Kade Auberon's skull-and-bones symbol.

Gosling described Auberon as “a guy from the wrong side of the galaxy, whose fate is intertwined with the fastest starfighter ever built,” before showing clips from the film.

Disney announced earlier this summer at its San Diego Comic-Con presentation that Gosling will play the character Ghost Rider in the MCU, first in a “Black Panther” sequel, then in a “Ghost Rider” film that Levy will also direct. Both are set for release in 2028.

“Star Wars: Ahsoka” star Rosario Dawson also appeared to promote the Season 2 return of her Disney+ series, as did Hayden Christensen, who will return as a force-ghost version of her mentor Anakin Skywalker.

More Marvel with classic stars Downey, Evans, Atwell and Bettany

Marvel veterans also took the D23 stage as past and future “Avengers” stars Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr. and Hayley Atwell introduced a new trailer for “Avengers: Doomsday,” to be released Dec. 18.

The footage shows Downey, now playing Dr. Doom having shed his Iron Man suit, beating back Chris Hemsworth’s Thor and his hammer, and shows Evans, who is returning as Captain America, holding a baby. And it shows Ian McKellan as a long-haired, haggard, struggling version of Magneto.

Hugh Jackman appeared on the big screen to tell Feige he's willing to appear in “Doomsday” as Wolverine. Whether he'll be in the movie has led to heated fan speculation. His answer wasn't definitive, but most bets are now switching to yes.

Fans also got a glimpse of the soon-to-drop Disney+ series “Visionquest.” Paul Bettany, who returns to his Marvel role as Vision, and James Spader, who returns to playing Ultron, showed a trailer with oddly human and ordinary versions of their cybernetic characters. Bettany said it’s been a pleasure to play multiple versions of Vision, who has “rather inconveniently died several times.” But, he said, “I'm told in the Marvel Universe that no one is ever really dead.”

“Frozen 3” stars serenade fans, sort of

Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel sang an eerie new arrangement of “Frozen Heart” from their first film playing princess sisters Elsa and Anna as they introduced the forthcoming “Frozen 3.”

Or they tried to, anyway. The segment was plagued with malfunctioning audio, video, and a set of doors that failed to open.

They ad-libbed their way through it like pros.

“Should we go back and try it again?” Menzel asked at the song's end.

Bell described for the crowd everything that was supposed to happen and said, “You guys were gonna freak out.”

They found their way back to the script.

“Doesn't it kind of feel like the world of Frozen is a bit different?” Bell said. Menzel added, “Maybe a little bit more mysterious?”

“Yes, OK, we're back on track,” Bell said, to big laughs.

Their castmate Josh Gad followed with a rendition of “Oooh, Samantha,” a love song his snowman character Olaf will sing in “Frozen 3.”

The night's other big musical set pieces included songs and dance from the cast of “The Greatest Showman,” the stage musical adaptation of the 2017 Jackman film that is premiering on London's West End next year.

State-run National News Agency said the airstrike targeted a home on the edge of the village of Ansar and that paramedics were still searching through the rubble.

Israel and the Lebanese government announced a “framework agreement” on June 26, laying out a plan for Israeli forces to withdraw from southern Lebanon, in exchange for the disarmament of the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group. It also envisions steps toward an eventual peace agreement between the two countries — which technically remain in a state of war nearly 80 years after Israel’s establishment.

Hezbollah has refused direct talks and wasn’t party to the deal.

Intense Israeli airstrikes early Saturday also hit the strategic Ali Taher hill, which overlooks parts of the southern city of Nabatiyeh and main roads leading to it, NNA reported. Despite the truce, Israel’s military has continued its almost daily attacks on the area, which is north of the Litani River and has been a de facto boundary in Lebanon, with large areas to the south under Israeli military control.

Earlier this month, two Israeli soldiers were killed in an explosion in southern Lebanon, the first Israeli deaths since the shaky truce. Hezbollah did not comment on the blast.

Lebanon and Israel have held seven rounds of talks; the most recent took place in Rome earlier this month.

The Iran-backed Hezbollah has refused to disarm and accused the Lebanese government of making too many concessions without guaranteeing an Israeli withdrawal.

The latest Israel-Hezbollah war erupted on March 2, when Hezbollah fired rockets across the border two days after the U.S. and Israel launched their attacks on Iran. More than 4,000 people have been killed by Israeli strikes in Lebanon since then, including hundreds of civilians. About 40 soldiers and three civilians — including a military contractor — have been killed on the Israeli side.

Authorities issued a tsunami warning and urged coastal residents to move to higher ground, but later lifted the warning when Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency said monitoring showed no significant sea-level changes that would pose a threat to coastal communities.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake hit Indonesia's Flores region with a depth of 10 kilometers at 5:58 a.m. local time. Its epicenter was 68 km (42 miles) north-northwest of the city of Ende in East Nusa Tenggara province. The initial quake was followed by several aftershocks.

The head of the Maumere Search and Rescue Agency, Fathur Rahman, said rescuers have recovered at least 20 bodies in the three devastated regencies of Sikka, West Manggarai, and East Manggarai, including eight bodies that were pulled from a landslide in the village of Reok in Manggarai. Six people were rushed to nearby hospitals with severe injuries.

He said rescuers were still searching for two villagers believed to be buried under tons of mud that tumbled down from the surrounding hills in a landslide triggered by the quake.

East Nusa Tenggara Police Chief Rudi Darmoko said the earthquake caused severe damage and collapsed buildings. He said power outages in cities and villages have hampered the flow of information and complicated search and rescue efforts.

“We are continuing to collect reports of damage and casualties, but there are communication disruptions,” Darmoko said. He said that landslides in Ende regency triggered by the earthquake also cut off the Trans-Flores highway, a roughly 700-kilometer (435-mile) paved mountain road spanning Flores Island, from Labuan Bajo to Larantuka.

Footage on local television showed patients at several hospitals being evacuated from buildings as a precaution following the quake. Hospital staff moved equipment outdoors, including beds, IV stands and oxygen cylinders, and set up temporary treatment areas to adapt to emergency conditions.

The National Disaster Management Agency deployed a helicopter to assist with logistics and support emergency response operations, including possible evacuations if needed, the agency said in a statement.

The air support is considered crucial given East Nusa Tenggara’s geography, which consists of numerous islands and presents significant transportation and access challenges.

It said about 2,000 villagers in Nagekeo regency fled their homes to temporary shelters.

Quake felt on Flores island and other areas

The quake was felt across much of Flores island with initial reports indicating heavy damage.

Yohanna Embu, a resident of Sikka regency, said a number of buildings were damaged by the strong shaking and panicked people ran to higher ground.

“Many buildings here were damaged ... I saw that the waiting room at the port terminal in Maumere had collapsed,” she said.

Students at St. Peter Major Seminary in Sikka who were attending morning Mass fled in panic when the roof of an assembly hall collapsed, said the Rev. Guidelbertus Tanga, rector of the seminary, which is known locally as Ritapiret Seminary on the predominantly Catholic island of Flores.

“Our students and nuns ran out in panic beneath a collapsing roof,” Tanga said. “At least one priest suffered a broken leg after jumping from the second floor of a building during the quake.”

The quake also reportedly caused panic in Labuan Bajo, a gateway town to eastern Indonesia’s Komodo National Park, one of the country’s best-known attractions. Damage was also reported in Bima, a city in neighboring West Nusa Tenggara province, and in some parts of southern Sulawesi island.

Indonesian authorities initially issued a tsunami warning for parts of East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara, South Sulawesi and Southeast Sulawesi provinces, and urged residents to stay away from beaches and riverbanks. The agency located the shallow undersea quake near Flores island.

Indonesia prone to earthquakes

Indonesia, a vast archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, is prone to earthquakes and volcanic activity because of its location on the “Ring of Fire,” an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin.

A powerful earthquake caused a tsunami in 1992 that killed about 2,500 people on Flores, part of a group of islands in the eastern half of Indonesia.

In 2018, a magnitude 7.5 quake spawned a large localized tsunami that wiped out coastal areas, while liquefaction caused by the shaking turned entire neighborhoods into rivers of sludge in the eastern Indonesian city of Palu, on the Palu-Koro Fault. The disaster killed more than 4,400 people.

In 2010, a 10-foot (three-meter) wave struck the Mentawai Islands, off the western coast of Sumatra in Indonesia, just minutes after a massive offshore earthquake. More than 400 people were killed and hundreds of homes were destroyed.

In December 2004, a massive magnitude 9.1 earthquake off Sumatra in western Indonesia triggered a tsunami that killed 230,000 people in a dozen countries.

___

Associated Press writers Niniek Karmini and Edna Tarigan in Jakarta, Indonesia, contributed to this report.

The Israeli military, which over the past three years has displayed staggering military and intelligence capabilities from Beirut to Tehran, has yet to fully remove the settlers from the area of the village, about an hour's drive from Tel Aviv.

The United States, which provides billions of dollars in military aid to Israel, has issued a scathing rebuke, perhaps because one of the homeowners is a Palestinian American living in Ohio.

U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee referred to the settlers as “terrorists.” Israel's defense minister dismissed them as radical misfits — “boys on the hills.”

In reality, they are the tip of the spear for a much larger movement, supported by successive Israeli governments and supercharged under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, that is aimed at cementing Israeli rule over the territory and preventing the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Settlements built over decades now house over 500,000

Israel captured the West Bank, along with Gaza and east Jerusalem, in the 1967 Mideast war, territories the Palestinians want for a future state.

Since then, the Israeli government has built nearly 150 settlements that are home to well over 500,000 Jewish settlers. Many of the settlements resemble fully developed suburbs, with apartment blocks, shopping malls, parks and industrial zones.

Radical settlers have established hundreds of additional outposts without government authorization, while still enjoying protection from the Israeli military and often other public services.

Netanyahu's government, the most nationalist and religious in Israel's history, has boasted of establishing over 100 new settlements. On Thursday, as the army deployed in Qusra, members of his Cabinet celebrated the rebuilding of a settlement that had been dismantled in 2005 as part of the Gaza withdrawal.

Israel's current government and much of its political class view the West Bank as the biblical and historical homeland of the Jewish people and see the settlements as key to maintaining security.

Most of the international community views all settlements as illegal and an obstacle to peace.

Separate laws for settlers and Palestinians

The roughly 3 million Palestinians in the West Bank live under Israeli military rule, with the Palestinian Authority exercising limited autonomy in population centers. Israel's military operates in all parts of the territory, and Palestinians suspected of militancy can be held without charge for months or years under what's known as administrative detention.

The settlers are Israeli citizens, with law enforcement typically handled by Israeli police and civilian courts.

Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz said in 2024 that Israelis would no longer be subject to administrative detention, which has also been used against settlers accused of violence. On Friday, he announced plans to fully transfer law enforcement among settlers to the Israeli police.

The military's role “is to fight Palestinian terrorism” and “focus on protecting the borders and settlements against threats,” he said in a statement. “Not chase after boys on the hills.”

That would cement the status quo of what are already largely separate legal systems for Jews and Palestinians in the West Bank, which major human rights groups say amounts to apartheid, something Israel denies.

Israel's police and military have been reluctant to confront the settlers

The Israeli police are overseen by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, himself a hard-line settler who has been convicted eight times for offenses that include supporting a terrorist organization. He was a defense attorney for Jewish extremists before entering politics.

The Israeli military says the settlers' actions in Qusra are “illegal, reprehensible and unacceptable,” and that it tries to maintain law and order in the West Bank. It says it dismantled two outposts in the area of Qusra and detained one Israeli.

But rights groups say the military frequently turns a blind eye to settler violence, and that when it intervenes it often focuses on protecting the settlers. Yesh Din, an Israeli rights group, says around 94% of investigations into settler violence since 2005 have ended without an indictment, with just 3% leading to full or partial convictions.

US pressure has had little impact, and has eased under Trump

Settler violence intensified after the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, triggered the war in Gaza. The following year, the Biden administration imposed sanctions on settlers and Israeli organizations accused of violence.

Other Western nations have announced sanctions against Ben Gvir and another hard-line Israeli Cabinet minister, Bezalel Smotrich, accusing them of “inciting extremist violence” toward Palestinians.

The sanctions had little impact, as the settler community rallied around those targeted.

President Donald Trump rescinded the U.S. sanctions at the start of his second term and appointed Huckabee, a staunch supporter of Israeli settlements, as his ambassador.

During his first term, Trump had upended decades of U.S. policy by moving the American Embassy to Jerusalem and supporting Israel's claims to other territories seized in war.

Netanyahu's opponents criticize the violence but support settlement growth

Netanyahu will need the backing of Ben Gvir, Smotrich and other settler supporters if he hopes to keep his job after October elections. He will also need to maintain good relations with the Trump administration.

His opponents have criticized what they characterize as the growing chaos in the West Bank. But most of Israel's political leaders — even critics of Netanyahu — support the growth of existing settlements and are opposed to Palestinian statehood.

Gadi Eisenkot, a former top general seen as Netanyahu's main opponent, criticized the government's handling of the events in Qusra, accusing it of undermining military commanders “in the face of anarchy and violent lawbreaking by an extremist minority.” He has also come out against plans to annex the West Bank.

But he has also told Israeli media that he has “never spoken about a Palestinian state,” and that he supports settlements that are “in line with Israel’s interests.”

Naftali Bennett, a staunch settlement supporter and another leading rival of Netanyahu, has condemned the violence, saying it amounts to “terrorism” by a minority.

“Precisely as someone who believes in our right to the land and in the settlement enterprise, we need to denounce this and eradicate the violence from within our own ranks — not wait for the Americans to tell us to do it,” he said in a recent interview with Israeli media.

When Bennett was prime minister, during the only brief period in the last 17 years that Netanyahu was out of office, his national unity government approved thousands of additional settler homes.

___

Associated Press writers Erin Cunningham in Jerusalem and Koral Saeed in Abu Snan, Israel, contributed.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement comes as the Rohingya refugee crisis enters its ninth year, with hundreds of thousands of refugees still living in camps in Bangladesh after fleeing Myanmar in August 2017 when the military launched a crackdown following attacks by a Rohingya insurgent group on guard posts in Rakhine.

The operation drove more than 700,000 Rohingya across the border into Bangladesh, joining hundreds of thousands of others already living there for decades in the wake of waves of previous violence perpetrated by Myanmar’s military.

The scale, organization and ferocity of the operation led to accusations of ethnic cleansing and genocide from the international community, including the U.N.

Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, does not recognize the Rohingya as one of the country’s 135 lawful ethnic minorities, instead referring to them as Bengalis to imply they are natives from Bangladesh and are illegally settled in Myanmar.

Myanmar said it had verified 426,545 of the 828,824 refugees on a list provided by Bangladesh as of the end of July, and determined that 308,797 of those verified were former residents of Rakhine.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said 113,507 people could not be verified and that 4,241 people were found to have been involved in what it called terrorist activities.

The statement said it will continue working with Bangladesh to receive verified former residents when the security situation in Rakhine becomes more stable.

The ministry also rejected claims that more than 1 million people were displaced from Rakhine, saying that more than 540,000 people crossed into Bangladesh after the violence in 2017 while more than 200,000 remained in northern Rakhine.

Myanmar and Bangladesh agreed to a two-year repatriation process in 2018. However, security in Myanmar worsened following an army takeover in 2021 that ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, triggering widespread armed resistance. Plans to repatriate the refugees have not succeeded.

The renewed chaos brought about by fighting between the Rakhine-based ethnic Arakan Army group and the military over control of the region in 2023 forced more refugees to flee toward Bangladesh and elsewhere in a desperate move to save their lives. The Arakan Army controls much of Rakhine after capturing territory from the military in recent years.

In recent years, poor conditions in refugee camps, steep cuts to foreign aid and the lack of safe prospects for returning to Myanmar have led to an increasing number of Rohingya refugees attempting to make the dangerous ocean crossing to Malaysia and Indonesia on rickety boats.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said in late July that Myanmar had agreed to take back 5,000 Rohingya refugees currently living in Malaysia as part of a repatriation program.

However, an official from Myanmar's foreign ministry, Han Win Aung, told The Associated Press at the time that the repatriation program was focused solely on verified Myanmar nationals currently held in detention centers in Malaysia and rejected reports that the government would accept Rohingya.

The National Hurricane Center said Lala should be at hurricane strength by the time it approaches the Big Island Saturday.

If it makes landfall there, it would be the first to hit the island since 1871. Back then, according to a University of Hawaii atmospheric scientist's research of newspaper accounts, a Category 3 hurricane hit the northeast corner of the island, said Vanessa Almanza, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Honolulu.

“First time since satellites,” Almanza said. “The latest forecast has it very close to the southern tip of the Big Island.”

A hurricane warning was issued for the Big Island, and a tropical storm warning was in effect for Maui County, which includes the islands of Maui, Molokai, Lanai and Kahoolawe.

Officials and residents braced for Lala regardless of whether Hawaii takes a direct hit. Shelters were scheduled to open, and various events were canceled.

“It doesn’t take landfall to create destruction,” Almanza said. “A lot of the impacts are felt outside of the hurricane.”

The National Hurricane Center predicted 8 to 12 inches (20.3 to 30.5 centimeters) of rainfall totals across Maui and the Big Island, with maximum totals as high as 25 inches (63.5 centimeters) in some spots on the Big Island. Four to 6 inches (10.2 to 15.2 centimeters) were expected across the island chain.

The center also warned that the storm could cause “life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in areas of steep terrain,” along with a dangerous storm surge and ocean swells “likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.”

“Suffice it to say, this is an enormous storm,” Gov. Josh Green said.

Officials urge taking the storm seriously

State Rep. Jeanné Kapela, who represents communities that are in the storm's possible track, traveled to the Big Island from Honolulu on Friday morning and called for people to be on alert.

The southern end of the island is remote and rural but growing in population because of its affordability. Kapela said she was especially worried about people who live off the grid in unpermitted structures. The area's agriculture includes coffee and cattle.

“We're encouraging residents to take this storm seriously, remain vigilant, and get somewhere safe before conditions deteriorate,” she said in a text message to The Associated Press as her flight took off. “We're hopeful the storm moves through quickly, but we're preparing for whatever comes.”

Green urged residents to be ready: “If you feel now that your house doesn’t have a great roof or might not be able to withstand hurricane force winds, then first things first you go to a family or friend's house and you kind of hunker down there."

Kapela also noted that many parts of the state are still reeling from devastating flooding in March, saying, “We know how quickly heavy rain and flooding can impact our rural communities.”

Brian Miyamoto, executive director of the Hawaii Farm Bureau, said growers are always concerned when there is a threat of a lot of water in a short amount time. But those still recovering from the spring floods, including on Oahu’s North Shore, were worried about suffering more damage.

Coffee farmer Bruce Corker said it was “sunny and beautiful” Friday in Holualoa, on the west side of the Big Island, and the island's only Costco seemed normal a day earlier. Still, he said, the prospect of “streams overflowing and high winds” was worrisome.

Wildfire risks increase during windy weather

As winds ramped up across the islands, there were no red flag warnings in place but Almanza said the dry and breezy conditions would still elevate fire concerns.

In 2023 the Maui town of Lahaina burned during extreme winds amid a hurricane passing far to the south of Hawaii.

“Since the fire, everybody is way more aware of weather in general and our environment and things that are happening,” said Archie Kalepa of Lahaina, who is well known in the area for his surfing, paddling and other ocean skills and has been watching the storm closely.

As of Friday afternoon, Tropical Storm Lala was located about 275 miles (440 kilometers) east-southeast of South Point, Hawaii, according to the National Hurricane Center. It had maximum sustained winds of 65 mph (100 kph) and was moving toward the west-northwest at 14 mph (22 kph).

The wind speed threshold for a Category 1 hurricane is 74 mph (46 kph).

“I wouldn’t be afraid of what’s to come, just be prepared,” said Steven Businger, the University of Hawaii professor whose research found information about the hurricane that hit the Big Island 155 years ago.

Lala has the potential to make landfall with damaging winds, he said, but its path was trending south with every forecast.

“The Big Island is furthest south and furthest east, so it has the greatest probability of having a hurricane hit,” he said. “However, historically Kauai has seen the most landfalls.”

Kauai, which is several islands northwest up the archipelago from the Big Island, saw Hurricane Iniki make landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in 1992. That, like this year, was an El Nino year. Pacific hurricane activity increases during El Nino, a warming of the Pacific near the equator that affects weather patterns across the globe.

Iniki, the last hurricane to make landfall in Hawaii, was following a southern trajectory before it turned up and hit Kauai, the governor said.

“It did $3 billion worth of damage. It destroyed thousands of homes, and it did kill six people,” he said. “So we just can never know if a storm is going to turn.”

In a stunning turn, Mangione pleaded guilty in Manhattan federal court to a pair of stalking charges and admitted that he targeted and killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson as the executive walked to his company’s investor conference at a Manhattan hotel in 2024.

Neither Mangione nor his lawyers said why he pleaded guilty now, but they gave some clues.

Immediately after his plea, Mangione’s lawyers filed paperwork seeking to have the state case thrown out on double jeopardy grounds. That trial is scheduled to begin next month, but could be pushed back or canceled altogether depending on what the judge decides.

If it succeeds, Mangione’s defense team could concentrate on trying to convince the judge in his federal case, Margaret Garnett, to spare him from the life sentence that prosecutors say they intend to seek when he’s sentenced on Dec. 18.

Mangione was facing back-to-back trials and a pile of evidence

In their double jeopardy filing Friday, Mangione’s lawyers described him as a “pawn in parallel prosecutions," and defense lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo accused state and federal prosecutors of “trying to punish him twice for the exact conduct.”

Indeed, Mangione remains scheduled to go to trial on state murder charges beginning Sept. 8. His federal trial — now moot because of his guilty plea — was set for January.

Complicating matters, anything said in federal court — including Mangione's statements Friday admitting to killing Thompson — potentially could be used against him in state court, or vice versa.

But that's not all. Prosecutors say they have a trove of evidence that proves Mangione’s guilt, including: Video of him shooting Thompson and tailing him the day before; Mangione’s DNA and fingerprints on items at or near the crime scene; testimony from shooting witnesses; a 3D-printed 9mm pistol that police found in his backpack when he was arrested that authorities said matched the gun used to kill Thompson; and a notebook found with Mangione at the time of his arrest in which he expressed a willingness to kill a healthcare executive.

The defense previously argued all the items in Mangione's backpack were obtained in an unconstitutional search, but judges in both the federal and state cases disagreed.

Guilty plea allows defense to argue double jeopardy

Mangione's guilty plea, just three weeks before jury selection in his state murder trial, appeared to be part of a larger defense strategy to swiftly resolve both cases, minimize his legal consequences and, perhaps, give him a chance to live some of his life outside a prison cell. Earlier plea talks broke down in June.

Within minutes of his plea, Mangione’s lawyers petitioned the judge in the state case, Gregory Carro, to throw out those charges on double jeopardy grounds. Instead of two trials — and two potential sentences that could run back-to-back — they are fighting for just one and are sure to argue he deserves a far lesser sentence than life in prison.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office, which is prosecuting the state case, will have a chance to respond to the defense's double jeopardy motion before Carro rules. In a statement, the office said it would fight efforts to terminate the state case, in part because Mangione's sentence in the federal case isn't yet known. Thompson's family members, in a statement, suggested they are also looking forward to the state case going to trial. Mangione has pleaded not guilty in the state case.

Compared with federal law and that of other states, New York has uncommonly strong protections for defendants facing multiple prosecutions — though they are not guaranteed.

Bragg's office contends that the state charges, including murder and firearms offenses, involve different legal elements and criminal conduct than federal charges, which alleged Mangione traveled across state lines to stalk and kill Thompson.

However Carro rules, his decision will be subject to appeal, meaning a final answer on whether Mangione faces a state trial could take a while.

An opportunity to argue for less than a life sentence

Mangione’s lawyers previously fended off the government’s attempts to seek the death penalty. Now they're fighting for a sentence that's less than the life term U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald said federal prosecutors intend to seek. Life is also the maximum punishment in Mangione's state case.

Unlike other defendants, Mangione doesn't have a plea deal with prosecutors. There were “no accommodations or concessions, and we are free to seek the maximum penalty under the law," McDonald said.

Still, Garnett noted in court that the government’s calculation of federal sentencing guidelines would call for a sentence of 24 to 30 years in prison. Mangione's lawyers can submit their own calculation and both sides can argue for greater or lesser punishment in submissions to the judge. Such filings typically chronicle the impact of a defendant's crimes, as well as his history, upbringing and other aggravating or mitigating factors.

Mangione will also be interviewed by probation officers, Garnett said, adding that the report they produce will factor heavily in her sentencing decision. Judges are free to ignore sentencing guidelines, which are intended to reduce disparities in punishments levied for the same crimes.

Garnett told Mangione she is obliged to determine what she thinks is the correct guideline range and “more importantly what I think the appropriate sentence is in your case.”

“No one, not your lawyers, not the government’s lawyers, no one can give you any assurance of what your sentence will be since I am the one who will decide your sentence,” the judge said, “and I’m not going to do that today.”

It also may require fewer parkas for the winters in Iowa, which is out of the top spot of the proposed calendar, and learning to pronounce Nevada the way the locals do (it's Ne-VAD-ah).

The Democratic National Committee is scheduled to approve the calendar Saturday at a meeting in Texas.

South Carolina’s primary would be first on Jan. 22, followed by Nevada on Feb. 1. New Hampshire, New Mexico, Michigan and Virginia would round out the early states, throughout February.

“It shouldn’t surprise anyone as a result of it being the largest and most diverse committee that we got the most diverse calendar in our party’s history,” DNC Chairman Ken Martin, who has championed the calendar, told a gathering of the party’s Black Caucus this week.

Democrats' 2028 presidential primary is expected to draw a large group of candidates. Already, some potential candidates have been making stops in states expected to vote early, such as South Carolina. Party leaders have widely praised the plan as giving its candidates the best shot at replacing President Donald Trump.

“They have to show that they can go to the South and talk to Black voters and rural voters, as well as out west, talking ranching and mining issues, to a border state, to union members,” said party strategist Karen Finney, who has worked on multiple winning and losing presidential campaigns. “Whoever survives will be battle tested.”

Former presidential candidate Howard Dean recalled his time as national party chairman, when Democrats solidified Nevada and South Carolina as early states behind Iowa and New Hampshire. The latest change is even better, he said.

“These states look more like the country,” as a whole, he said, “whereas Iowa and New Hampshire don’t.”

Nonwhite voters claim top billing

As the first-in-the-South primary, South Carolina was more decisive than Iowa and New Hampshire for nominees Barack Obama in 2008, Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020. All three dominated among South Carolina’s large Black population, which can yield more than half the state’s Democratic primary electorate.

With Nevada and New Mexico following, that will likely require that candidates also court more Latino voters long before voting starts.

Shifting from Iowa and New Hampshire does not mean little-known candidates can't catch fire like Pete Buttigieg did in Iowa and New Hampshire in 2020, when he was a 37-year-old former mayor. They just won’t be able to do it with an almost entirely white audience.

“If you can’t go to every part of this country and make your case, you should not be running for president,” Finney said.

The progressive vs. establishment dynamics may shift

There’s disagreement over how Democrats’ split between progressives and mainstream liberals may — or may not — surface in the calendar.

“I think our primary voters up north are probably a little different than primary voters in South Carolina,” said Boyd Brown, a former DNC member from South Carolina. “It’s not the woke ideologies that we just can’t get away from” in other places.

Nina Smith, a former Buttigieg adviser who now works closely with progressive causes, disagreed. Smith agreed that Black South Carolinians, especially, have gravitated to more moderate candidates — twice rejecting Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in favor of Clinton and Biden.

But, she said, “Southern Black voters are more progressive than they’re given credit for” on policy but also “realists” about what’s possible.

“Living through Jim Crow and other oppressive structures will force you to take that approach,” she said.

Smith said that South Carolina leading off — with many Southern states following on Super Tuesday soon after the early slate concludes — means that progressives will have to take the time to listen and then tailor their messages.

“A lot of Black voters don’t necessarily see themselves in the ideas and arguments that progressives put forward,” she said.

Unions get a spotlight

The slate covers three major organized labor buckets.

Nevada has the service industry unions because of Las Vegas; Michigan has the auto industry and associated manufacturing support industries; Virginia is home to more federal workers than any other state.

“Labor is still so important,” Dean said.

Beyond seeking members' votes, campaigns and the party look to organized labor for help in spreading Democrats' message to voters and getting people to the polls.

More scheduling efficiency for candidates

Campaigns struggle to balance many demands: meeting voters on the ground, raising money and travel logistics. As a result, some places, such as Nevada, have gotten short shrift in the past because candidates, most from the eastern half of the country, have concluded the time investment isn’t worth it.

An expanded calendar offers more clustering opportunities.

A Western swing could hit two early states — Nevada and New Mexico — plus a fundraising stop in California, which is rich with Democratic donors. A South Carolina trip could mean fundraisers and public appearances in Atlanta, Charlotte and Raleigh. Virginia offers proximity to donors and national TV studios in Washington; the same options are available by adding a New York City stop on the way to New Hampshire.

Bre Maxwell is a DNC member from South Carolina who said the state’s smaller size and lower media costs are a financial equalizer, allowing not only the best-funded candidates to have an impact.

“They can campaign from the top to the bottom in a day,” Maxwell said.

It’s about primaries — with a clear look to November

Of the six states, all but South Carolina are competitive general election states. That means that even before Super Tuesday, Democrats — including the eventual nominee — will have spent significant time and resources in battlegrounds worth a combined 43 Electoral College votes. That’s not insignificant on the way to the 270 needed to win.

TV ads and news coverage can spill over, as well. Markets targeting parts of South Carolina also reach portions of North Carolina and Georgia.

After all, Brown said, the point is to put a Democrat in the White House.

“This is not a social or a debate club. It is a political party,” he said.

___

Barrow reported from Atlanta. Associated Press reporter Meg Kinnard in Columbia, South Carolina, also contributed.

U.S. District Judge Richard Leon in Washington, D.C., denied the Tohono O’odham Nation's request for a court-ordered halt to border wall construction on its 2.8-million-acre reservation. Leon ruled the tribe hasn't established that a border wall will change its reservation boundaries without congressional authority.

The judge also rejected the tribe's claim that the planned border wall would illegally trespass on its reservation.

“And in any event, I find that the Government’s interests in securing the border, enforcing immigration laws, and ensuring public safety outweigh any surviving irreparable harms at this juncture,” Leon wrote.

The tribe released a statement late Friday strongly disagreeing with the decision.

"Too many critical issues were not adequately addressed, such as inevitable impacts construction will have on the Nation’s land and the permanent destruction of sacred sites," Tohono O’odham Nation Chairman Verlon M. Jose said. “The Nation will consider all possible options for moving forward, as this issue is simply too important to the O’odham.”

The O’odham reservation in the Sonoran Desert in Arizona abuts 62 miles of the Mexico border. The tribe has over 37,000 members, including thousands who live in Mexico.

Building the border wall would led to “significant devastation” on the reservation, including the destruction of mountain peaks that are sacred to the O’odham, tribe attorneys said.

“It would fray the ties between O’odham communities and families on opposite sides of the border, interfere significantly with O’odham religious rituals and practices, and destroy plant and animal resources sacred to the O’odham,” the lawyers wrote.

In 1907, President Theodore Roosevelt issued a proclamation reserving a 60-foot strip of public land along the U.S.-Mexico border for a buffer zone called the “Roosevelt Reservation,” which was formed a decade before the reservation's establishment.

Tribe attorneys say it is “fanciful at best” to suggest that border wall construction can be confined to a 60-foot-wide corridor.

During a July 22 hearing, Leon appeared to be skeptical that U.S. laws tip in favor of the tribe’s bid for a preliminary injunction, calling it an “extraordinary” request. Leon, who was nominated to the bench by Republican President George W. Bush, said he couldn’t find a previous court ruling under comparable circumstances.

“This is a novel case with novel issues,” the judge said.

The official Woodward Dream Cruise runs from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday along a 16-mile stretch of Woodward Avenue.

The event attracts about one million visitors and tens of thousands of classic, custom, and special-interest vehicles.

For those planning to spend the day along Woodward, the morning and early afternoon appear to offer the best weather.

Saturday will start dry with increasing clouds through the day. Temperatures should climb from around 70 degrees at 9 a.m. into the lower 80s during the afternoon.

Detroit is forecast to reach a high around 83 degrees.

The chance for rain begins to increase later Saturday afternoon as a weather system approaches from the west.

Isolated showers and thunderstorms could develop in Southeast Michigan during the afternoon, but the most likely window for storms is between about 6 p.m. and midnight.

The chance of rain will be higher south of 8 Mile.

That means the Dream Cruise has a chance of staying dry, but anyone planning to stay along Woodward into Saturday evening should keep an eye on radar and be prepared to seek shelter if thunderstorms approach.

Severe weather risk mainly south of I-94

There is a marginal, or Level 1 of 5, risk for severe thunderstorms Saturday, primarily along and south of Interstate 94.

The atmosphere over much of Metro Detroit is expected to have limited instability, which should make widespread severe weather unlikely.

However, an isolated stronger storm cannot be ruled out, particularly across communities closer to the Ohio border.

Damaging wind would be the primary severe weather concern.

Another concern may be heavy rainfall.

The atmosphere will contain a large amount of moisture.

Any thunderstorms that develop will be capable of producing torrential downpours, and localized flooding will be possible, particularly near and south of I-94.

More rain and storms Sunday

The unsettled weather will continue into Sunday.

Showers will be more likely Sunday, with thunderstorms also possible during the afternoon.

Temperatures will remain warm, with highs reaching the mid 80s around Detroit.

A cold front will move through Southeast Michigan Sunday, eventually bringing the rain chances to an end Sunday night into early Monday.

Behind the front, Metro Detroit gets a quieter start to the new workweek.

Monday should be mostly sunny to partly cloudy with highs in the lower 80s, followed by another mainly sunny day Tuesday with temperatures in the lower to mid-80s.

Tropical Storm Lala threatens Hawaii

Meanwhile, thousands of miles from Metro Detroit, Tropical Storm Lala is strengthening as it approaches Hawaii.

Midday Friday, Lala had maximum sustained winds of 60 mph and was moving west-northwest at 12 mph, according to the Central Pacific Hurricane Center.

Lala is forecast to strengthen and could become a hurricane, with sustained winds of at least 74 mph, as it approaches the Big Island on Saturday. Hurricane conditions are possible there, while heavy rainfall is expected across the Hawaiian Islands.

The storm is not related to the weather system bringing showers and thunderstorms to Metro Detroit this weekend.

Lala is in the central Pacific, while Michigan’s weekend weather will be driven by a separate system and cold front moving through the Great Lakes.

Share your weather and classic car photos with Local 4 at MIPics.

The Citgo station on East 7 Mile Road near Gratiot Avenue was targeted by the Detroit Police Department’s Vice Unit following complaints that the business was selling tobacco and marijuana products to minors.

Detroit police said undercover officers witnessed tobacco products being sold to a minor.

In a separate operation, an undercover officer allegedly purchased a pre-rolled marijuana cigarette at the business.

A subsequent search of the gas station uncovered 252 pre-rolled marijuana cigarettes, 17 THC vape pens, $397,000 in cash and five firearms, police said.

One of the firearms was reported stolen.

Detroit police Chief Todd Bettison urged residents to report suspected illegal activity at businesses.

Police said similar enforcement operations have shut down about five gas stations and 30 smoke shops across Detroit over the past year.

“I just want to let everybody know that when you’re conducting business like this in the city of Detroit, selling to underage minors, selling marijuana, and you don’t have a license, having stolen firearms on your premises, we’re not going to tolerate this in the city of Detroit,” Bettison said. “And as a consequence, we will shut your business down.”

Police said residents can submit anonymous tips by calling 224-DOPE.

The investigation remains ongoing.

Harris’ resignation is effective Aug. 19, according to a letter dated Aug. 11 and addressed to the Woodhaven City Council.

He said the decision followed months of escalating stress after an April dispute involving allegations against Odette and complaints she later raised about him. Harris wrote that the mayor’s actions, along with the City Council’s failure to remedy them, made it impossible for him to carry out his responsibilities.

Odette, through her attorney, Larry Gadd, denied Harris’ claims. Gadd said the mayor is saddened that he has not moved past the findings of an independent investigation and the council’s subsequent discussion of the report.

“The Mayor categorically denies any ‘retaliation’ against Mr. Harris,” Gadd said in a statement. “Mayor Odette is not aware of a single phone call, text, email, or other communication from Mr. Harris that she did not respond to.”

Gadd said Odette has not called for Harris to be fired and has not interfered with his job duties.

He pointed to Harris’ voluntary resignation, while he remained on full compensation for more than two months after the investigation report was issued, as evidence that no adverse employment action occurred.

What Harris said in his resignation letter

Harris wrote that the stress connected to his position had harmed his physical and mental health. He said Odette had not spoken with him since April 1, despite the city ordinance creating a role that requires the city administrator to work closely with the mayor on city operations.

“The continued lack of communication from the Mayor, along with the absence of communication from several Council members, has left me unable to effectively perform my duties,” Harris wrote.

He also criticized the process surrounding the independent investigation, saying he expected to present his notes and a complete complaint to the City Council but was not given the opportunity.

Harris said Odette and her attorney prevented him from speaking on his own behalf through a cease-and-desist demand, which he said left him unable to respond to statements he considered false.

He also said he was repeatedly interrupted during a closed session meeting with the investigator and city officials on June 2.

Harris wrote that he was confused when some council members characterized the findings as essentially a “draw.”

He accused Odette and other employees of making false statements during the investigation and said the council took no action in response.

Harris also alleged that Odette had repeatedly said she wanted him fired and had continued making statements about him to the public and city officials.

Harris said he has spent more than 35 years in public service and described his treatment as the most unfair he had experienced. He thanked Woodhaven’s department heads and said he was proud of the progress made during his service.

“I have greatly valued my 18 years of service to the City of Woodhaven, both as a City Council member and as City Administrator,” Harris wrote. “I am deeply saddened that my service has ended in this manner.”

He urged the council to protect employees who report what they believe to be illegal or improper conduct and to take meaningful action when employees report a hostile work environment.

Harris Resignation by brandon carr

Odette’s response

Gadd said Harris had a full opportunity to raise his complaints during the investigation. He said Harris met with the independent investigator for several hours and presented hundreds of pages of private notes he had created over 14 years.

“Mr. Harris was provided a neutral independent fact finder to address his allegations at City expense, and even when they were not substantiated, he has continued to keep his position without any adverse employment action,” Gadd said. “It is hard to imagine a more fair process.”

Gadd said Harris did not identify specific false statements by Odette and characterized the resignation letter as an effort to prepare for a potential lawsuit or justify claims the investigation did not substantiate.

Gadd also said Odette was not aware of any communication from Harris that she failed to answer and denied that she had sought his termination or interfered with his work.

Despite the dispute, Gadd said Odette thanked Harris for his years of service and contributions to Woodhaven during her tenure as mayor. Odette has served as mayor since 2009 and previously served on the City Council.

“She wishes him the best of luck in his future endeavors and hopes he can someday focus on the many good years in their relationship,” Gadd said.

City Attorney Brandon Fournier did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the city Friday evening.

Investigation found some concerns valid, others unsubstantiated

The resignation follows an independent investigation into competing allegations made by Harris and Odette earlier this year. Attorney Jonathon A. Rabin prepared a report dated June 1. The City Council discussed the findings during a June 2 meeting.

The report, obtained by Local 4 before it was removed from the city’s website, found that many of the most serious allegations against Odette could not be substantiated.

It also raised concerns about city resources, health insurance coverage, administrative practices, and compliance with competitive-bidding requirements.

Harris accused Odette of potentially misusing city employees, city funds, and city buildings, as well as insurance fraud, bribery, and other issues.

Odette later raised concerns about Harris, and the council unanimously approved an investigation into both officials.

One finding involved Odette’s participation in the city’s Blue Cross Blue Shield health insurance plan.

The investigator concluded that Odette should not have been enrolled because the benefit was not authorized as compensation for elected officials under the city charter.

The report said Odette paid the full cost of her premiums and found no evidence of direct financial harm to the city.

It also said Odette and Harris were both responsible for allowing the arrangement to continue for nearly nine years.

The report also found that the city’s competitive-bidding ordinance had been improperly ignored on some significant projects, including renovations involving fire department facilities and the community center.

It did not assign sole responsibility to Odette or Harris, instead concluding that city officials collectively failed to ensure the requirements were consistently followed.

Some allegations concerning Odette’s use of city personnel and resources were partly substantiated.

The report cited requests for city employees to create signs and banners using city equipment for Odette’s chiropractic office and an animal charity; requests to provide city generators to a veterinary hospital during power outages; requests for assistance with vehicle issues; and requests involving a police drone search for missing dogs.

The investigator concluded those actions did not appear to result in significant financial gain for Odette but represented inappropriate use of city personnel or resources for a mayoral office.

Other allegations made by Harris — including claims involving election petition signatures, property assessments, city-funded electronics, traffic tickets and charitable fundraising conducted on city time — were found to be unsubstantiated.

The report noted that many of the allegations involved events from years earlier, making them difficult or impossible to verify.

Most of the complaints Odette made against Harris were also found to be unsubstantiated, including claims involving his administrative authority, handling of investigations, and communication with the City Council.

The investigator did conclude that Harris improperly took expired EpiPens that had been left with the city for disposal and kept them for personal use. Harris acknowledged taking the EpiPens and cited severe allergies, according to the report.

The report recommended greater adherence to competitive-bidding requirements and increased cooperation among elected officials, administrators, and department heads. No disciplinary action was announced at the June 2 meeting.

Caitlin Clark had 29 points and 10 assists in an entertaining duel with fellow No. 1 overall pick Paige Bueckers, and the Fever beat the Dallas Wings 98-87 on Friday night in a rare game that wasn't marred by on-court or off-court controversies.

“We love each other in that locker room and we know there are a lot of people out there that are trying to tear it apart,” White said, three days Indiana's coach denounced the “divisiveness” around the WNBA in a 2 1/2-minute pregame rant. “When we say we’re a family, we mean that. It doesn’t always mean we get along, It doesn’t mean we always agree. But at the end of the day, it means we circle are wagons and we have each other’s back.”

White had drawn the wrath of Fever fans — and even Indiana Lt. Gov Micah Beckwith — after what some saw as her downplaying a flagrant foul by Chicago's DiJonai Carrington on Indiana's Sophie Cunningham.

After White called the foul on Cunningham “egregious” during her table-pounding pregame speech on Tuesday and said she always backed her players, the Fever went out and beat the New York Liberty 106-92 as Clark and her teammates rallied around their coach.

All appeared to be forgiven on Friday as the Fever picked up their third straight win.

“I think our fans, you know the true Indiana Fever fans, are amazing. They’ve been incredible to me for a long time,” White said. “But more than anything, I’m thankful for this group of women and the men on our staff, and I’m thankful we can all lift each other up when need to be and they’ve been lifting me up. I’m happy about that.”

All-Star guard Kelsey Mitchell continued scoring at a high clip, finishing with 23 points. All-Star center Aliyah Boston scored 10 of her 16 points in the fourth quarter, and even Indiana’s oft-criticized defense played well through the first half and in the closing minutes.

Friday’s game and next week’s game in Dallas could be a playoff preview.

Indiana has won eight of 10 and finished the night as the league's fourth-place team, a half-game ahead of the Atlanta Dream — its opponent on Sunday. The Wings have lost seven of 10 to fall into a tie for seventh with Washington.

Bueckers matched Clark with 29 points, but it wasn't enough for Dallas.

“Obviously, she is an incredible player, makes it really hard on us defensively,” Clark said. “We tried to throw a lot of different things at her. She’s so good in the mid-range. I felt like we had a few miscommunications, especially in that third-quarter spurt where she was completely wide open. That’s on our group to figure it out.”

___

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

The ages and genders of the victims were not immediately released as investigators worked to notify their families.

According to a preliminary timeline released by Michigan State Police, Troopers were dispatched at about 11:40 a.m. Friday (Aug. 14) to a home on South LaChance Road in Lake Township for a report of a person who had been shot.

Troopers found three people dead and another person in critical condition, police said.

Troopers took the injured person to a local hospital.

Police identified 39-year-old Chad Hickman as a suspect.

Investigators said Hickman fled the scene before troopers arrived, prompting a large-scale search involving Michigan State Police emergency response, aviation and canine units.

During the search, investigators found a fourth deceased person at a separate home in Missaukee County, police said.

Troopers later spotted Hickman’s vehicle near a wooded area close to Whitlock Lake in Caldwell Township.

As the search continued, police found Hickman and another person dead in the wooded area.

Investigators are working to determine what led to the deaths and the circumstances surrounding the shootings.

Michigan State Police are asking residents to avoid all three locations while investigators process the scenes.

The investigation remains ongoing.

Officers responded just before noon to reports of a shooting at a home in Missaukee County, about 170 miles (270 kilometers) northwest of Detroit, and found three people dead and another in critical condition, Michigan State Police said in a statement. The wounded person was taken to a hospital.

Suspect Chad Hickman, 39, fled before they arrived at the home, according to police. As officers conducted a large-scale search for him, they found a fourth person dead at another home.

In a post on the social platform X, police warned that Hickman was armed and dangerous and told community members not to approach him.

Hickman's vehicle was later found in a wooded area near Whitlock Lake, and that led authorities to his body as well as that of another dead person.

“This situation is heartbreaking for the community and challenging for the investigators involved,” Lt. Ashley Miller said in a statement.

She added that investigators would work through the night to process each scene.

Police asked people to avoid the areas where the shootings took place.

The names and ages of the people killed were not immediately released, pending family notification.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said she was briefed on the shooting and monitoring the situation.

“My thoughts are with the victims, their families, and the Missaukee community,” she said.

Oakley was handcuffed and arrested after an altercation with security while sitting near owner James Dolan during a game against the Los Angeles Clippers. Oakley initially brought a number of claims against MSG that were dismissed in February 2020. After appeal, Oakley's assault-and-battery claim remained.

But Judge Richard J. Sullivan of the Southern District of New York ruled that Oakley “has produced no evidence to support his claim that he was assaulted by MSG security guards.”

MSG had pointed to video evidence and previous testimony that Oakley was not assaulted.

“For more than nine years, Mr. Oakley’s lawyers have pursued claims they knew were false. Those claims have now been dismissed by the Court in their entirety — for the third time,” MSG said in a statement. “We are pursuing legal action against Douglas Wigdor, and his unscrupulous law firm, to hold them accountable for years of frivolous litigation and their blatant abuse of the judicial system.”

Oakley was a beloved Knicks forward in the 1990s, and he remains one of the few former players who has remained absent from MSG during the team's recent playoff runs, culminating with this year's NBA championship.

His removal from the game was a jarring scene, but Sullivan ruled that Oakley hadn't proven it was done with excessive force.

“Ample evidence — including videos from multiple angles and the unanimous testimony of every witness (even, to some extent, Oakley himself) — shows that Oakley had a reasonable opportunity to depart the Garden, that he instead resorted to physical violence, and that he was never pushed to the ground,” Sullivan wrote.

The judge added that “no rational jury could conclude that Oakley reasonably feared himself at risk of wrongful physical contact — let alone that MSG intended to stir such an apprehension.”

Wigdor still hopes a jury will get a chance to rule.

“We are disappointed with the Court’s rulings,” he wrote in an email. “We believe there are conflicting accounts and only a jury can decide what exactly happened. We are hopeful that the Second Circuit will agree for a third time and remand the case for an immediate jury trial.”

___

See AP’s full NBA coverage here

The first sneaker in the collection, “Pretty Penny,” will receive an early release in Detroit on Saturday, Aug. 15, during the Woodward Dream Cruise.

The shoe will receive a global release Aug. 26.

The collection follows last year’s sold-out Book 1 collaboration, which was inspired by Booker’s collection of classic Chevrolet Blazers.

The Book 2 collection also highlights Booker’s Michigan roots and passion for Chevrolet.

Booker was born in Grand Rapids and spent his early school years there before moving to Mississippi for high school.

“Pretty Penny” takes its color scheme from Booker’s 1959 Chevrolet Impala convertible, which helped spark his interest in collecting vintage vehicles.

Each sneaker in the Book 2 collection is inspired by one of Booker’s Impalas.

The designs match the paint colors of the vehicles and incorporate details from the cars, including tongue tops designed to match each vehicle’s hood ornament.

The four sneakers represent Impalas from the 1958, 1959, 1962, and 1963 model years.

The collection also includes a “Heartbeat of America” T-shirt inspired by Chevrolet’s advertising campaign from the 1980s and 1990s.

The sneakers will come in custom packaging inspired by Chevrolet’s midcentury vintage accessory packaging, featuring kraft-paper construction, teal-and-orange graphics, and oversized lettering.

The remaining three Book 2 sneakers are scheduled for release in December.

Detroit release during Woodward Dream Cruise

The “Pretty Penny” release will coincide with the Woodward Dream Cruise, an annual celebration of classic car culture along Woodward Avenue.

Fans in Detroit can enter through the SNKRS Pass on Friday, Aug. 14, for a chance to reserve the shoes ahead of the limited release.

Winning entrants can pick up their sneakers Saturday at Burn Rubber, 512 N. Main St. No. 102 in Royal Oak.

Booker’s “Pretty Penny” will be part of a classic-car weekend expected to bring thousands of vintage vehicles to Woodward Avenue.

The Woodward Dream Cruise attracts participants from across North America to Metro Detroit to travel along a 16-mile stretch of historic Woodward Avenue.

Booker’s Michigan and Chevrolet roots

Booker has been a longtime Chevrolet enthusiast and has collected numerous vintage General Motors vehicles.

His collection includes multiple classic Impalas, three 1972 Chevrolet K5 Blazers and several Buick GNX models. His daily driver is a Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Bison.

Booker also appeared at the 2021 reveal of the Chevrolet Corvette Z06.

Last year’s Book 1 collaboration with Chevrolet and Nike incorporated Booker’s interest in classic vehicles through sneakers and apparel inspired by his vintage Chevrolet K5 Blazers.

The Book 2 collection expands on that concept, focusing on Booker’s Impalas and incorporating design details from each vehicle into the sneakers.

Clark also had 10 assists while Boston had 12 rebounds. Kelsey Mitchell added 23 points, and Tyasha Harris — who hadn't made a field goal in the previous six games — was 5-of-5 shooting, all 3-pointers, to finish with 15 points.

Clark had her 20th career game with at least 20 points and 10 assists, the most in league history.

Mitchell scored at least 20 points for the 18th consecutive game to extend her WNBA single-season record, the second-longest streak in WNBA history (A’ja Wilson, 20 games).

The Fever won for the eighth time in 10 games and now hold a half-game lead over the Atlanta Dream for the No. 4 spot in the eight-team postseason field.

Paige Bueckers had 29 points, six rebounds and six assists to lead the Wings, who have lost seven of 10. Arike Ogunbowale added 20 points.

The Wings slipped into a tie for seventh with the Washington Mystics and will meet the Fever for the final time this season Thursday in Dallas.

And for a change, the only drama Friday happened on the court.

Bueckers and Clark traded baskets throughout a classic third quarter in which neither team could pull away.

Indiana opened the fourth on a 15-2 run, capped by Clark's second 3 of the game to turn a three-point deficit into a 78-68 lead. Dallas closed the deficit to 78-73, but Indiana scored four straight to retake an 82-73 lead with 4:37 left and Dallas never recovered as Harris' late 3s sealed the victory.

Up next

Wings: Host Golden State on Monday.

Fever: Visit Atlanta on Sunday.

___

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

The Swiss star, who was given a spot in the final after falling in the semifinal a day earlier, finished in 1 minute, 54.81 seconds at Alexander Stadium.

Hodgkinson closed the gap down the stretch but Werro willed herself across the line for gold ahead of her British rival. Dutch star Femke Broeders-Bol took bronze.

“I was coming for the gold medal. It truly means a lot. I’m so happy with the finish of the race,” said Werro, who did her trademark lion's roar after winning.

Werro, sporting a small bandage on her right hip, took the lead in the first lap and never let up. Werro in late June ran the third-fastest women’s time ever: 1:53.80.

In one of Thursday's semifinal heats, Anais Bourgoin’s left hand made contact with Werro’s right foot and Werro tumbled on the last bend.

“It was not the best scenario to qualify like that,” Werro said. “It was just a little bit hard for me at this point as that fall was very dramatic in the semis. But I tried to convince myself that I have the second chance and I have to take it and do something great. I’m glad I had a second chance and I just took it.”

Hodgkinson had won the past two 800 titles at the European championships.

“Going into that last 100m I really thought I could catch her but sometimes you just don’t have enough and that was the case today,” Hodgkinson said. “Of course, I am very disappointed but it was a fantastic race.”

Werro broke the European championships record of 1:55.41 set in 1982 by Olga Mineyeva, European Athletics said.

Gold for Italians and Warholm

It’s back-to-back doubles for Italy’s Nadia Battocletti, who defended her 10,000-meter title three nights after retaining her 5,000-meter crown.

Battocletti, the silver medalist in the 10,000 at the Paris Olympics, made her move with 200 meters remaining and Maureen Koster of the Netherlands and Belgium’s Jana van Lent couldn’t keep up.

Battocletti crossed the line in 31 minutes, 41.17 seconds. Koster took silver, and Van Lent won bronze.

In the high jump, Gianmarco Tamberi won his fourth European championships title — and third in a row — after clearing 2.32 meters.

The charismatic Tamberi, who famously shared gold with his good friend Mutaz Barshim at the 2020 Tokyo Games, pulled off his jersey and thumped his bare chest in celebration Friday.

Ukraine's Oleh Doroshchuk (2.30) took silver, and Tamberi teammate Matteo Sioli (2.27) won bronze.

Norway star Karsten Warholm lowered his own European championships record in the 400-meter hurdles by winning in 46.63 seconds for his fourth consecutive title in the discipline.

“It’s not as easy as it looks out there, I don’t take any medal for granted but today was extra special for me as nobody has ever won four in a row,” the 30-year-old Warholm said. “I was so locked in today.”

Germany's Emil Agyekum took bronze, and Ismail Nezir of Turkey was third.

Married man ‘Mondo’ Duplantis into pole vault final

Swedish pole vaulter Armand “Mondo” Duplantis is hoping to break the world record — as a married man.

Duplantis, who tied the knot with Desiré Inglander in June, needed just one successful attempt at 5.60 meters to qualify for Sunday night’s final.

The world record is 6.31, which the Louisiana-born Duplantis vaulted in March. That was his 15th world record. He first broke it in 2020 and has eclipsed his mark by 1 centimeter every time since.

The two-time reigning Olympic champion looked fully recovered from a thigh issue that forced him to stop competing at the London Diamond League meet one month ago.

“I’ve worked really hard the past few weeks to try and make sure I am ready for this competition, so I feel good out there. I feel hopeful and confident for Sunday,” he said. "The jump was clean, good. Nothing too out of the ordinary. Now it’s just about going up there and doing what I normally do in the final on Sunday."

The world record holder signed autographs and shook hands with fans. Organizers sold special ‘Mondo’ children’s tickets priced at 6.31 pounds — the figure representing his latest world record height — for Friday morning’s session.

Duplantis also revealed on Friday he usually keeps his wedding band “in between my laces (of) my spikes” while he competes.

He said his marriage proposal and wedding day were more nerve-wracking than vaulting himself into rarefied air going for a world record.

“When I attempt a world record, it's just like the cherry on top," he said. "I don’t really even get that nervous, it's more like I won the competition and whatever happens after that is really nice.”

Duplantis competes for his mother’s native Sweden and has won the past three European championship titles.

___

See full AP coverage of European sports here

The Justice Department announced last year that it had issued more than 20 subpoenas to doctors and clinics that provide gender-affirming care as part of an effort to investigate healthcare fraud. Federal judges have quashed many of the subpoenas as illegitimate efforts to intimidate providers into ending care.

In a 2-1 decision, a panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the efficacy and long-term risks of the treatments are "uncertain," and the president has the power to align the Justice Department's enforcement priorities with his broader policy goals.

“Every President has law enforcement priorities, just as every President has signature policies (often, the former are components of the latter)," Judge Carlos Bea wrote.

Bea, a nominee of Republican President George W. Bush, was joined in the opinion by Daniel Bress, a Trump nominee. They reversed a ruling that quashed the subpoena against telemedicine provider QueerDoc, sending the case back to the district court to consider other arguments.

The subpoena seeks QueerDoc's personnel files, billing documents, communications with drug manufacturers and records of patients who were prescribed puberty blockers or hormone therapy, among other information, according to the 9th Circuit decision.

American Civil Liberties Union attorney Adrien Leavitt, who represented Washington state-based QueerDoc, said the ACLU would continue fighting the subpoena in district court. QueerDoc has also argued the subpoena is overbroad and burdensome. The Justice Department has said it has reason to believe the company may be misleading people about puberty blockers and hormones.

"We’re ready to continue defending one of the most fundamental principles of healthcare: every patient’s right to confidential medical care,” Leavitt said in a statement.

He said the San Francisco-based 9th Circuit was the first appeals court to weigh in on the subpoenas.

Trump has signed one executive order defining sex as only male or female — and as unchangeable — and another that seeks to end federal funding of gender-affirming care for patients under 19. The latter order also directs the Justice Department to “prioritize investigations” into violations of a drug safety law by “any entity that may be misleading the public about long-term side effects of chemical and surgical mutilation.”

Gender-affirming care includes a range of medical and mental health services to support a person’s gender identity, including when it’s different from the sex they were assigned at birth. It encompasses counseling, medications that block puberty and hormone therapy to produce physical changes as well as surgeries to transform chests and genitals, though those are rare for minors.

Most major medical groups say access to the treatment is important for those with gender dysphoria and see gender as existing along a spectrum.

The 9th Circuit majority called discussion around gender-affirming care "an unsettled scientific debate," and said the Trump administration could also justify its opposition to the treatment on ethical or philosophical grounds.

Pearce was arrested in February following a domestic dispute with his ex-girlfriend, WNBA player Rickea Jackson. The incident took place in Doral, Florida.

Pearce's charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, fleeing police and resisting arrest, and misdemeanor stalking could be dropped if he cooperates in a pretrial intervention program requiring random drug tests, distance from Jackson and staying out of legal trouble for one year.

Pearce will be available to participate in preseason games and all team activities until the suspension takes effect on Aug. 30.

The second-year defensive end can be reinstated on Nov. 2, following Atlanta's Week 8 game at Tampa Bay. The Falcons will travel to Madrid to play the Cincinnati Bengals the following week.

The Falcons' pass rush has taken a hit recently following Jalon Walker's season-ending ACL tear. The group is left with Christian Harris, JD Bertrand, Samson Ebukam, Kendal Daniels and Bralen Trice. The Falcons also added Cameron Sample after Walker's injury.

Atlanta traded back to the No. 26 pick in the first round of the 2025 draft to select Pearce. The former Tennessee Volunteer has played a substantial role in transforming the Falcons' pass rush, leading the team with 10 1/2 sacks during his rookie season.

Other suspensions

Pearce was one players suspended on Friday.

The NFL also suspended Washington Commanders edge rusher Dorance Armstrong, Tennessee Titans safety Nazeeh Johnson and Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Phidarian Mathis.

Armstrong was suspended one game for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. He will miss the Commanders' season opener against Philadelphia on Sept. 13.

Armstrong opened training camp on the physically unable to perform list, but has since been activated. He was limited to playing seven games last season before tearing a knee ligament.

He’s entering his ninth NFL season and third with Washington.

Johnson was suspended six games for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancers. Mathis was issued a three-game suspension for violating the league’s substances of abuse policy.

Under league rules, the players are allowed to practice and play with their respective teams through Aug. 30, when NFL teams are required to set their 53-man rosters.

Johnson is eligible to return for the Titans’ home game against Cleveland on Oct. 25. Mathis can return for Buffalo’s home game against New England on Oct. 4.

Johnson has three previous seasons of NFL experience, all with the Kansas City Chiefs, and signed with the Titans on July 27, just before the opening of training camp.

The 28-year-old had six starts in 29 NFL games with the Chiefs since being selected by Kansas City in the seventh round of the 2022 draft. A shoulder injury limited Johnson to two games last season. He also missed the entire 2023 season with a torn ACL in his right knee.

The 28-year-old Mathis appeared in six games with the Bills last season. He spent his first three NFL seasons appearing in 23 games with Washington.

___

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

A labor union and two female prison guards sued the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which enforces employment anti-discrimination laws, for indefinitely suspending proceedings in their case as part of a wider effort to halt all federal-sector class claims pending before the agency's administrative judges.

The lawsuit cited an administrative judge’s order dated Dec. 10, 2025, stating that the sexual harassment case had been paused and that the “notification applies to all class cases in the federal sector.”

But in a court document filed Thursday evening, EEOC Chief Operating Officer Sharon Rose said the judge in the case issued the notification “in error” and that it was an “isolated incident.” Rose also told the court that the EEOC has transferred the case to another administrative judge, who on Monday issued an order scheduling further proceedings.

The court document also included a letter sent by Justice Department attorney James Harlow to the plaintiffs on Monday, offering the same explanation and asking them to drop their motion for a preliminary injunction.

“In short, Defendants agree that processing of federal-sector class complaints should not be suspended,” Harlow wrote in the letter.

Joseph Sellers, co-chair of Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll’s civil rights and employment practice and one of the attorneys for the plaintiffs, said Friday that the evidence belies the government's claim that the suspension was an erroneous isolated incident.

Sellers and other attorneys involved in the lawsuit say they are representing federal workers in at least five other class complaints that have been stalled for months, including cases against the FBI and the Department of Defense.

In two of those cases, administrative judges also issued scheduling orders Monday, according to the letter sent by Harlow, the Justice Department attorney. Harlow asked the attorneys to send him the name and number of any other federal-sector class complaints that may have been suspended “so we can investigate.”

Sellers said the fact that the EEOC judges only ordered the scheduling orders this week, after the lawsuit was filed, suggests that the suspension was not an error.

“The timing speaks for itself. We have evidence of a number of cases that were stayed. It is not an isolated incident as the EEOC seems to claim," Sellers said.

Sellers said the plaintiffs are willing to engage in discussion with the Justice Department to resolve the issue outside the court.

The lawsuit against the EEOC was filed by the American Federation of Government Employees, the largest union representing federal workers, and two women who are correctional officers at Louisiana’s Federal Correctional Complex at Pollock.

The women are part of a pending class complaint claiming that management at Pollock failed to stop inmates from subjecting female workers to sexual harassment.

Under President Donald Trump, the EEOC has drastically overhauled its civil rights enforcement priorities, including prioritizing cases aimed at stamping out diversity and inclusion policies, dropping cases on behalf of transgender workers and abandoning longstanding tools for investigating systemic discrimination.

The changes have prompted several lawsuits against EEOC Chair Andrea Lucas, who says she is pursuing an “even-handed” and “colorblind” vision of workplace civil rights.

Rose, the EEOC chief operating officer, said in her court statement that neither the commission nor Lucas had issued “a written or verbal directive to EEOC administrative judges” to indefinitely suspend class cases.

The EEOC referred questions Friday to the Justice Department, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

_______

The Associated Press’ women in the workforce coverage receives financial support from Pivotal Ventures. 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.

The fair was held Aug. 3-8 at the Grand Agricultural Center of West Michigan in Lowell.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said the individual initially tested presumptive positive for the virus at the MDHHS Bureau of Laboratories.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the result Friday (Aug. 14).

The Kent County Health Department and MDHHS are contacting swine exhibitors and their families who visited the swine barns during the fair to determine whether others developed symptoms after potential exposure to infected pigs.

The Kent County Health Department has also alerted area health care providers to watch for patients with respiratory symptoms who report exposure to swine or attendance at the fair.

Swine can carry influenza viruses that differ from those that commonly circulate among people. Although infections in people are rare, swine influenza viruses can spread from pigs to humans, primarily through respiratory droplets when infected animals cough or sneeze.

Health officials say no human vaccine exists specifically for swine flu, and the seasonal flu vaccine does not protect against swine influenza.

Antiviral medications, including oseltamivir and zanamivir, can treat influenza infections.

Early treatment is particularly important for people at higher risk of complications.

Symptoms can resemble seasonal influenza and may include fever, cough, runny nose, body aches, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

Variant influenza infections can sometimes cause severe illness, including pneumonia, hospitalization, and, in rare cases, death.

People at higher risk include children younger than five, adults 65 and older, pregnant people and those with certain chronic health conditions or weakened immune systems.

Health officials say the time from exposure to illness can be as long as 10 days, although symptoms most commonly develop within about three days.

How to reduce exposure

MDHHS recommends that people attending fairs, farms or livestock exhibits:

• Avoid eating or drinking in livestock barns or show rings.
• Keep toys, pacifiers, cups, bottles, strollers and similar items out of pig areas.
• People at high risk for serious influenza complications should avoid contact with pigs and swine barns.
• Get an annual influenza vaccination, which protects against seasonal flu even though it does not protect against swine flu.

People should also wash their hands frequently, avoid touching their eyes, nose, and mouth, cover coughs and sneezes, and avoid close contact with sick people.

Anyone experiencing flu-like symptoms should avoid contact with pigs.

Health officials recommend waiting seven days after illness begins or until the person has been fever-free for 24 hours without using fever-reducing medication, whichever is longer.

The health departments continue to monitor for additional illnesses associated with the fair and potential exposure to swine influenza.

In a pointed letter to Sen. Ron Johnson, a Wisconsin Republican, a lawyer for the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said any effort to compel him to appear before a Senate subcommittee, after a contentious July 29 hearing, would be to "impermissibly harass or degrade Dr. Fauci for political purposes.”

During the July hearing on his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, Fauci invoked the Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination 100 times, prompting the Aug. 6 contempt vote and setting up a referral to the Justice Department for potential investigation over whether he had properly exercised his constitutional rights.

Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, the committee chairman who pressed for the contempt finding, said the constitutional protection did not apply because Democratic President Joe Biden had issued a preemptive pardon to Fauci, and he did not need to be concerned about potential prosecution.

Paul has long accused Fauci of misleading the public during the pandemic and the July hearing was the latest episode in his highly publicized confrontations with him. Paul has repeatedly called for Fauci to be prosecuted and imprisoned.

Johnson, chairman of the subcommittee on investigations, had sought to open a parallel avenue of congressional investigation about Fauci's role in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines.

His daughter, Amy Rydell, told The Hollywood Reporter that her father died Thursday of natural causes at a retirement community for the entertainment industry in the Woodland Hills section of Los Angeles.

“Hard to put into words how much I loved my dad,” she posted Friday on her Instagram account. "He was truly one of a kind. Funniest and most talented person I’ve ever known.”

‘On Golden Pond’ earned 10 Oscar nominations

“On Golden Pond,” which teamed Fonda with Hepburn and his daughter, Jane Fonda, was nominated for 10 Oscars. Henry Fonda and Hepburn won leading acting honors and the film won for screenplay, which Ernest Thompson adapted from his play of the same name. Rydell was nominated for directing but lost to Warren Beatty for “Reds.”

It earned over $119 million at the box office, making it the second-highest grossing film of 1981 behind “Raiders of the Lost Ark.”

“On Golden Pond” was Henry Fonda’s final movie role. He starred as Norman Thayer, an emotionally brittle and distant father who becomes more accessible at the end of his life after his teenage grandson spends the summer with him and his wife, Ethel (played by Hepburn), at their cottage in New England. The film’s story resembled Fonda’s real-life relationship with daughter Jane, who said working on the movie together helped resolve some of their issues. The elder Fonda died at age 77 months after winning his only Oscar.

Rydell’s other Oscar-nominated films were “The Fox” in 1967, “The Reivers” with McQueen in 1969, “Cinderella Liberty” with James Caan and Marsha Mason in 1973, “The Rose” with Bette Midler in 1979, and “The River” with Mel Gibson and Sissy Spacek in 1984.

Born Mortimer Harold Rydell on March 23, 1929, in New York City, he studied with jazz pianist Teddy Wilson at the Julliard School of Music. During a stint in the Army, he spent two years in Japan developing entertainment for military personnel. He majored in English and philosophy at New York University.

Early acting career opposite Steiger, Cassavetes, Mineo

He turned to acting when he won a scholarship to the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York. Among his early roles were on the CBS soap operas “The Edge of Night” and “As the World Turns.”

Rydell made his Broadway debut in “Seagulls Over Sorrento” with Rod Steiger. In 1956, he made his movie acting debut opposite John Cassavetes and Sal Mineo in Don Siegel’s “Crime In The Streets.”

Among his film acting credits were Robert Altman’s “The Long Goodbye” in 1973 and Woody Allen’s “Hollywood Ending” in 2002.

Rydell moved into directing television, helming episodes of “Mr. Novak,” “Ben Casey," “I Spy,” “The Wild Wild West,” “The Long, Hot Summer,” “The Fugitive” and “Gunsmoke.”

He made his feature-film directorial debut with 1967’s “The Fox” starring Sandy Dennis, and it was a hit.

Two years later, Rydell directed McQueen in the comedy-drama “The Reivers.”

Teaming with Sydney Pollack

Rydell and Sydney Pollack, who became friends during their acting days, formed Sanford Productions in 1971. Among their efforts were the films “Jeremiah Johnson” starring Robert Redford and “Scarecrow” with Al Pacino and Gene Hackman, which won the Cannes Film Festival’s top honor, the Palme d’Or.

Rydell directed Wayne in 1972’s “The Cowboys.” He reunited with Caan for the 1976 flop “Harry and Walter Go to New York.”

He scored a major hit with 1979’s “The Rose,” with Midler in her Oscar-nominated role as a self-destructive rock star loosely based on Janis Joplin.

Rydell re-teamed with Caan and Midler in “For the Boys” in 1991, but it wasn’t successful.

“He was an actor of note before he became a director, and I was so lucky to have met him when I did; he taught me so much on The Rose and later on For The Boys,” Midler posted on Instagram. “Two Oscars nominations both because of him. He was the actor’s whisperer; just a few words was all it took to understand what was needed. Devoted to Meisner. So many happy memories.”

TV movies and series among his credits

Rydell directed the pilot of the hit ABC drama “Family” in 1976.

Among his TV movie directing credits were “McBride and Groom,” “Crime of the Century” with Isabella Rossellini and Stephen Rea, and “James Dean,” which earned actor James Franco a Golden Globe award. Rydell also appeared in the movie as Warner Bros. chief Jack Warner.

He directed the movies “Intersection” in 1994 and “Even Money” in 2006.

In 2009, Rydell, Oscar-winning actor Martin Landau and screenwriter Lyle Kessler taught a film workshop at UCLA. Rydell and Landau were co-artistic directors of The Actors Studio West, teaching and coaching actors, writers and directors.

“All great art rests on telling the truth,” Rydell told UCLA’s student newspaper The Daily Bruin. “The real pursuit of an artist is to tell the truth.”

Besides his daughter, he is survived by son Christopher. The siblings who went into acting were from his first marriage to actor Joanne Linville. He had another son, Alexander, from his second marriage to producer Esther Rydell.

“Really just a dream start,” Scheffler said. “Probably one of the best starts I’ve had on tour, to be honest with you. I couldn’t tell you a time where I’ve been lower early in the round.”

The top-ranked Scheffler had 11 birdies and two bogeys in 100-degree heat at TPC Southwind in the playoff opener. He had an 11-under 129 total.

“The tournament is halfway over,” Scheffler said. “I had two good rounds to start and hopefully continue that over the weekend.”

Scheffler tied the tournament course record.

“I wouldn’t say golf’s ever easy,” Scheffler. “I did some good things out there. I hit some iron shots in there close and was able to hole a few putts as well.”

He has played the TPC Southwind more times (seven) without winning than any other course on the PGA Tour.

Viktor Hovland and Sungjae Im were tied for second at 8 under. Hovland had a 64, and Im shot his second 66.

“It was really nice, really solid,” Hovland said. “Hit a lot of fairways, and I think that’s a big deal for my game, but also especially at this golf course. I think it’s really difficult to score if you’re missing fairways.”

Ludvig Aberg was 7 under after a 65.

Jordan Spieth shot 69 to get to 6 under. He was part of a four-way tie for the first-round lead. Spieth is outside the top 50 in the FedEx Cup who advance to the BMW Championship next week.

Scheffler entered the week with a 794-point lead over Matt Fitzpatrick in the FedExCup standings. Fitzpatrick was 3 under after a 67.

So much emphasis is on getting into the top 50 because that locks up all the $20 million signature events for next season.

Rory McIlroy played alongside Scheffler the first two days. He followed an opening 74 with a 70, leaving him tied for 60th at 4 over.

___

See AP’s full golf coverage here

The cats are being rescued from the former Luján Zoo, about 70 kilometers (43 miles) northwest of Argentina's capital of Buenos Aires, after years of uncertainty over their fate. Four Paws, the international animal-welfare organization overseeing the transfer, described it as one of the largest relocations of captive big cats in the world.

“We are putting everything into making this go as smoothly as possible so we can celebrate that 30 lives have improved because of this effort,” said Luciana D’Abramo, program director for Four Paws.

Once loaded into their crates and placed aboard cargo and passenger jets, nine tigers and six lions will be flown to Lionsrock, a Four Paws sanctuary in South Africa that houses more than 80 big cats across natural enclosures sprawling 60 hectares (148 acres). The remaining eight tigers and seven lions will travel to The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Colorado, a vast refuge on the grasslands northeast of Denver where rescued lions, tigers and other animals roam expansive habitats.

But getting there is no easy feat: The big cats bound for Colorado will fly through Chile, while the others will travel to Johannesburg via Frankfurt or Amsterdam before a four-hour drive to Lionsrock.

The Four Paws handlers trained many of the lions and tigers to enter the crates voluntarily. But some of the big cats required sedation, including two tigers that veterinarians hoisted in canvas slings Friday and carried by hand to their transport crates.

Argentine authorities shut down the Lujan Zoo — famous for letting visitors handle and pose for pictures with tigers and lions — over safety and animal welfare concerns in 2020. D’Abramo said about 200 big cats were living there when it closed. Only 112 remained when Four Paws first arrived in 2023 seeking a solution.

By the time the organization was allowed to take over the site two years later, that number had fallen to 62. Some of the captive animals can barely walk because of obesity, muscle loss or poor nutrition. Others suffer from dental and kidney disease, complications from declawing and injuries that never healed properly.

“That alone shows the level of overcrowding and the conditions in which these animals have endured,” D’Abramo said.

The organization retrained longtime zoo employees in modern animal-welfare practices and began improving the cats’ diets and medical care. This transfer leaves more than 20 lions and tigers at Luján while Four Paws searches for their long-term homes.

___

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

Begay, one of the last two living Code Talkers, made the long trip from his home on the Navajo Nation to the Arizona State Capitol for the event. He was joined by family members and dozens of descendants of other Code Talkers.

“I am so damn proud,” said Begay, in a wheelchair and wearing a cap dotted with pins and a golden shirt that featured military patches and his service ribbons. “We used our language in World War II and won the battles.”

The Marine Corps recruited over 400 Navajos during World War II to communicate confidential information using their then-unwritten language. It was the largest code-talking program in the military at the time. In 2021, Arizona became the first state adopting Navajo Code Talker Day as a state holiday.

Between 1942 and 1945, they sent thousands of secret messages on battle tactics and enemy troop movements — using the same language Begay spoke while growing up and herding sheep on the Navajo Nation. Ultimately, the Code Talkers helped save the lives of thousands of Allied soldiers.

The program remained secret for decades and in 1982, President Ronald Reagan signed a proclamation designating Aug. 14 as the official day to honor the Navajo Code Talkers and all Native Americans who served in the war.

“The U.S. was being defeated. Without that code, that war could have been different," said Dawn Manuelito, a granddaughter of one of the first 29 Navajo Code Talkers who developed the code. “Our language saved this country."

Navajo soldiers were sworn to secrecy

When the Code Talkers were discharged after the war, they couldn't tell anyone about their mission. The program remained classified until 1968 and then efforts began to formally recognize the soldiers for their contributions.

In 1971, President Richard Nixon sent a letter of appreciation to the Navajo Tribal Council. Code Talker veterans participated in the bicentennial parade in Washington in 1976, and a joint congressional resolution resulted in Reagan's proclamation.

In the proclamation, Reagan also acknowledged that members of the Choctaw, Chippewa, Creek, Sioux, and other tribes used their tribal languages as effective battlefield codes in the two world wars.

At least 20 tribes have had members participate in the code talking programs, according to the National Museum of the American Indian.

During World War II, over 40,000 Native American men and women enlisted in the U.S. armed forces. Of the hundreds of Code Talkers deployed, the Comanches participated in operations in Europe, including the D-Day invasion of Nazi-occupied France.

Advocates work to keep the legacy alive

Following President Donald Trump’s executive order to end federal diversity and equity programs, the Defense Department deleted thousands of pages honoring contributions by women and minority groups, including the Navajo Code Talkers and other Native American veterans.

Tribes condemned the action. The Pentagon restored some webpages, saying the Navajo Code Talker material was erroneously removed.

“They left their home, their sheep, their loved ones, to serve a country. They came back home and most of them have PTSD, like my dad. But they continued to do the best they can — and the Trump administration wiped them out of the map,” said Ronald Begay, 70, the oldest son of Thomas H. Begay. “It just makes your blood boil."

Laura Tohe, the Arizona poet laureate and daughter of a Navajo Code Talker, said her father went to a boarding school where students were punished for using their native languages. But when he joined the Marines, Tohe said, he and other men were told that the military would use their language to devise a code.

“It's a huge contradiction,” Tohe said. “Despite the complicated and dark history and relationship that we have with the U.S., these men were willing to step up because many of them felt like it was their responsibility to serve."

There's no dedicated museum to honor the group. Attempts to build one on the Navajo Nation haven't come to fruition.

New Mexico officials announced on Friday that the state would invest $20 million in a museum in Farmington.

Only two Navajo Code Talkers remain

Thomas H. Begay grew up speaking only the Navajo language with his parents. At 13, like many Native American Code Talkers, he first learned English when he was sent to boarding school.

Begay left the Marines in 1946 and joined the U.S. Army a year later. He worked as a communication specialist and was a paratrooper during the Korean War. That experience convinced him to leave the military in 1953.

The other surviving Navajo Code Talker is Peter MacDonald. He joined the Marine Corps at 15. He was two years too young, so he lied about his age.

After the war, MacDonald worked as an engineer for a defense contractor and eventually became a powerful and controversial politician on the Navajo Nation. In November 2017, MacDonald, along with other World War II veterans, met Trump in the Oval Office and shared the history of the Navajo Code Talkers.

——

Associated Press writer Savannah Peters contributed from Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Jason Arday, who was 37 when he became Cambridge's youngest Black professor in 2023, resigned after he came under intense media pressure, with weeks of allegations about plagiarism in his academic work and questions surrounding claims about his athletic and fundraising accomplishments.

The Times and Telegraph newspapers, along with the BBC and Sky News, reported that Arday, 41, was found “unresponsive” inside a home in Battersea, south London, on Friday afternoon.

News of his death comes the same week as the release of his memoir, “Great and Unfortunate Things,” a highly anticipated work that Simon & Schuster had decided to release despite the doubts about his credibility. In a statement issued through his publisher, Arday's family said that they were “in shock to have lost this amazing father, partner, brother, uncle and son.”

“The campaign of misinformation was too much for Jason, who was a gentle man and who always wanted to see the best in everyone,” the family said, adding that for three years Arday was “subjected to a campaign of sustained abuse ... by those who would leave no stone unturned in their quest to undermine him.”

The Metropolitan Police said only that a 41-year-old man was pronounced dead in Battersea, without naming the man, in accordance with its policy.

“At this time his death is being treated as unexpected, but is not believed to be suspicious," the police statement said.

Cambridge Vice-chancellor Deborah Prentice, who earlier announced that the university will investigate the circumstances around Arday's employment, said she was “desperately saddened” by the news.

“Our heartfelt sympathies go to Jason Arday’s family and friends at this incredibly difficult time," she said.

In resigning as professor of sociology of education, Arday wrote in a statement that "the relentless accusations, speculation and public commentary have taken a profound toll on me and on those I love.”

He said his stepping down should not “be mistaken for an acceptance of the narratives that have surrounded me.” He has denied plagiarism, but admitted to some mistakes when working on his doctorate.

Supporters, including more than two dozen academics and politicians, had described the plagiarism allegations as a “smear campaign” designed to undermine Arday and other Black people who hold “positions of influence.”

Arday’s appointment at Cambridge highlighted his personal story of overcoming dyslexia, developmental delays and autism that he said left him non-verbal until the age of 11 and illiterate until his late teens.

Cambridge has opened investigation into plagiarism accusations

In his memoir, Arday wrote of himself as born to achieve and born to struggle. He remembered a family “legend” that the 1980s hit “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” was on the radio at the time of his birth. He described how a midwife noted his long fingers and told his mother that it was a sign he was meant for greatness. In his early 20s, he recalled, he was on a relief mission in Brazil when an aid worker placed a hand on his arm and also predicted an extraordinary life.

“But I also believe you're destined for very sad and difficult things as well,” she warned him.

Questions about Arday's qualifications were raised publicly last month by Nathan Cofnas, a one-time Cambridge philosophy researcher who left the university after his critique of diversity, equity and inclusion programs sparked widespread protests.

On July 24, the Times of London published an analysis of Arday’s 2015 Ph.D. thesis highlighting what it said were multiple examples of passages that were “identical or near-identical” to an earlier paper written by another researcher.

British media also raised questions about Arday’s claims that he had raised 5.5 million pounds ($7.4 million) for charity through feats such as running 30 marathons in 35 days and 600 miles in six days.

Dozens of Cambridge academics had signed a letter calling for an independent inquiry into how Arday was appointed. Cambridge initially stood by Arday, saying that the plagiarism allegations had been investigated by Liverpool John Moores University, which awarded Arday’s doctorate.

The university then changed its stance and said it opened an investigation “following new information about Professor Arday’s qualifications and honorary appointments.”

Prentice, the university's vice-chancellor, said this week that Cambridge will run a review of its hiring processes. She stressed that “our staff of color are highly valued, for their scholarship, their achievements and the contributions they make to the institution and the wider academic community.”

“This particular case is an aberration and should not be used to cast aspersions on their work or the legitimacy of their roles at Cambridge," she said Thursday.

DeLind immediately recognized the stolen “Torero” print, one of 30 known to exist signed by Picasso.

“I was overwhelmed,” DeLind said Friday. “I was at a loss for words. It was an overwhelming moment for me.”

The sticker from his DeLind Fine Art Appraisals was still on the back of the framed print, just as it had been placed there in 2018.

“It was indeed mine,” DeLind said. “It came back full circle.”

Milwaukee landlord Tim Dertz told WISN-TV that he found the print while cleaning out an apartment of someone who had been evicted.

“It was kind of in a weird spot hanging on a wall,” Tim Dertz told the station. “It looked like it had been there for a long, long time because it had tons of dust across the top of it.”

Dertz said he showed it to an antique dealer friend who recognized it as a Picasso and said it appeared to be the one DeLind reported stolen in 2018. Dertz handed it over to police, who then contacted DeLind.

“When they called me, I was in disbelief,” DeLind said.

The Milwaukee Police Department said in an email Friday that the statute of limitations for theft and property crimes is generally six years but the case remains under investigation. Caroline Clancy, a spokesperson for the FBI in Milwaukee, declined to comment.

The year it was stolen the piece was appraised at between $35,000 and $50,000, DeLind said. He guessed that the value hasn't changed much since then, but now given its story it may be worth closer to $50,000.

The artwork remains in possession of Milwaukee police while the client who had commissioned it for sale with his art gallery works it out with his insurance company, DeLind said.

DeLind said his former business partner, who died in February, was distraught over the theft in 2018 and called police every year on the anniversary of the crime asking that they publicize it again in the hope the Picasso could be found.

“He would have been over the moon about this,” DeLind said. “It was special to him.”

Manager Blake Butera said Friday that Abrams has begun working out at second. He said the transition will be more “multiday than multiweek” and that Abrams will swap spots with second baseman Nasim Nuñez.

“Just thought this was the best thing for our team going forward,” Butera said. “We think with those two up the middle and Nasim playing more shortstop gives us the best chance.”

Butera said Abrams was amenable to the move while noting that shortstops take pride in playing the position — something Abrams also acknowledged.

“That’s just where I’ve been playing my whole life,” said Abrams, who led off and played shortstop Friday night against the New York Mets. “I believe I can be a great shortstop.”

Abrams, an NL All-Star starter, is having a career year offensively, with 28 homers, a major league-best 91 RBIs, a .284 average and an .898 OPS.

Abrams also leads NL shortstops with 19 errors, just three shy of his career high from 2023 and 2025. His .958 fielding percentage would also be a career worst.

“He said that a few times — like, look, the competitor in me wants to say I can do this at shortstop but also understand we have to do what’s best for the team and the organization going forward,” Butera said.

Nuñez has nine errors and a .965 fielding percentage at second base. He leads the majors in range factor at the position.

The Nationals also used first-round picks on shortstops Seaver King and Eli Willits in 2024 and 2025. Willits, selected first overall, is Washington’s no. 1 prospect, per MLB.com, while King ranks fourth.

“We’re thinking about all those things,” Butera said. “But ultimately, right now, what we’re trying to do is do what’s best for this team and this organization to win as many games as possible the rest of the year and also set ourselves up for next year.”

Abrams hasn’t played second base since his rookie season in 2022, when he made 13 appearances at the position for the San Diego Padres.

“It’s not too big of a change,” he said.

___

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

Search and rescue teams from Venezuela, Argentina and Israel joined the search for survivors following the 7.4 magnitude quake that struck the South American nation on Monday, killing at least 287 people. At 96 hours since the temblor hit, the window for survival was narrowing Friday afternoon.

The mayor of Pereira, Mauricio Salazar, told radio station FM on Friday that “contact was made with a woman who was asking for help amid the rubble” of a collapsed hotel at around 4 a.m. He suggested other people may have survived but were still trapped.

Authorities in Cali also reported apparent signs of life, saying at least three people were trapped under collapsed buildings. The search and rescue effort has been extended through Saturday.

Residents who lost their homes must start over again

With the overall search for survivors winding down, Colombia faced another challenge: rebuilding a nation shattered by a disaster that affected more than 100,000 people.

Tens of thousands of houses were damaged or destroyed, according to the government. Authorities have also reported damage to thousands of schools, medical facilities and community centers in more than 400 cities.

“There is no place to live, we lost everything,” Ebert Jonathan Morales, 38, said Friday in a shelter in Cali.

Morales is one of the 102,263 people whose lives were upended by the quake. The government says nearly 4,000 people were injured and hundreds remain missing. Private groups estimate the number of missing is in the thousands.

Morales said he, his wife and four children are trying to rebuild from scratch.

“The earthquake destroyed several neighborhoods in the city. Many houses were damaged, and buildings collapsed,” he said. “We are going to stay here until the government gives us some help, some support.”

The government focuses on providing shelter

The devastation has tested Colombia’s President Abelardo de la Espriella, who was inaugurated just days before the earthquake shook the country's west. De la Espriella acknowledged Thursday night that “the situation is complex” and announced a plan to partner with private companies to rebuild, as well as subsidies for families who are homeless.

“We will not overcome this tragedy alone as a government,” he said. “We need the private sector to rebuild Colombia together.”

Monday’s earthquake was the most powerful to hit Colombia this century. Government aid has yet to arrive in some areas, where many people are relying on volunteers and neighbors for help.

“A neighbor is giving me shelter,” Olga Castro, a mother of five in Cali, said. “At least we survived, but right now we are practically on the street because we don’t have a home anymore.”

De la Espriella said national and international funds raised in response to the disaster will focus on the reconstruction of hospitals, schools, homes, roads and airports.

Rebuilding the country requires a “serious technical assessment” to determine which buildings can be used, which can be repaired and which must be demolished and rebuilt, said Yezid Alvarado Vargas, a professor in construction engineering at Javeriana University, in Bogota, Colombia.

“Before even discussing reconstruction, we must guarantee temporary housing, food, healthcare, continuity of basic services and economic support for families who lost their homes or livelihoods,” Alvarado said.

In Bogota, Colombia’s capital, around 500 volunteers gathered at a reception center to sort food, toiletries and pet food before distributing the supplies in the most affected areas. From youngsters to the elderly, everyone diligently participated in the challenging relief efforts.

“We all have to help. Today is for you, tomorrow might be for me,” volunteer Jorge Muñoz, 85, said. One of the oldest helpers at Bogota's Vive Claro aid collection, Muñoz has witnessed the devastation caused by other earthquakes, including one in 1999 that killed more than 1,180 people.

National and international aid keeps coming

Authorities have converted schools, parks and public buildings into shelters, providing tents, mattresses and food to the displaced. In other hard-hit cities, residents improvised shelters in the streets, while hundreds of volunteers rush to help those in need in hard-to-reach areas.

“These are isolated, neglected territories, historically lacking in institutional support, already plagued by violence, and now they are hit by an earthquake of this magnitude,” said María Mercedes Liévano, director of Save the Children in Colombia.

“It’s a crisis on top of a crisis, leaving the population in a situation of extreme vulnerability,” she added, citing communities including Buenaventura, the country’s main port, and Choco, the earthquake’s epicenter.

Many buildings in Pereira have limited or no access to electricity and water, and volunteers have been delivering hygiene kits to displaced families in the city's shelters, said Pamela Londoño, a technical adviser with Project HOPE. Of the five or six shelters in the city, at least one is already full and no longer accepting new residents. The nonprofit is also assessing medical supply needs.

Other areas are also suffering, such as the town of Roldanillo, where approximately 60% of residents do not have access to clean water.

“The main concern is the lack of basic services for multiple communities,” Londoño said. “This is a really critical situation.”

De la Espriella visited several cities to track relief efforts and aid distribution, including Quibdo, in the Choco region, and Pereira. Authorities are still waiting for tons of supplies and humanitarian aid from countries that have pledged their support, including Peru, China, the United States and the United Arab Emirates.

“My heart, my strength and my spirit are with all the victims and with all these territories that have been forgotten and now devastated by nature,” he said. “We must rebuild them. There is a great task ahead and I am committed to it.”

The Trump administration announced Friday an additional $11 million in humanitarian aid — including food, health, protection and shelter assistance — bringing the total U.S. assistance following the earthquake to $26.5 million.

The U.S. “continues to coordinate with Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella and the Colombian government to assess and respond to earthquake-related needs,” the State Department said in a statement.

___

Suarez reported from Bogota, Colombia and Batschke reported from Santiago, Chile.

The Maryland Tax Court said the tax violates the federal Internet Tax Freedom Act as well as the First Amendment and the commerce and due process clauses of the U.S. Constitution.

The legal fight has been watched by other states that are considering taxes for online ads. Maryland estimated the tax, approved in 2021, could raise about $250 million a year to help pay for a sweeping K-12 education measure.

In Friday's decision, the tax court ordered the state to repay the tax money already collected by Apple, Google and Peacock TV.

The law taxed revenue that large companies make on digital advertisements shown in Maryland. Companies making more than $100 million in global annual gross revenues were taxed at a 2.5% rate. The rate increased for companies with larger revenues, topping out at a 10% rate for companies making $15 billion or more in global gross annual revenues.

Supporters of the law contended that Maryland needed to overhaul its tax methods in response to significant changes in how businesses advertise. But attorneys representing Big Tech companies including Meta and Amazon challenged the law in multiple legal venues, arguing in part that they were unfairly targeted.

Last year, 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled part of the law violated the Constitution because it blocked Big Tech companies from telling customers about the tax. That, Judge Julius Richardson said, violated the right to free speech.

Maryland Senate President Bill Ferguson and House Speaker Joseline Pena-Melnyk, both Democrats, issued a statement saying they “respectfully disagree” with the tax court ruling and expect the legal process to continue.

They said the tax was enacted to keep the state's tax system in pace with a changing economy.

“We remain committed to ensuring that Maryland’s tax system is fair, sustainable, and reflects today’s economy,” they said. “We will continue working with the Attorney General and Comptroller as this matter proceeds through the courts.”

The tax court said Congress — not the state legislature — is tasked with regulating interstate commerce, and that the tax law was inappropriately based on global revenue rather than revenue from in-state advertising.

The federal Internet Tax Freedom Act bars the taxation of e-commerce if similar services are not taxed. At least for now, the tax court found, there isn't much of a difference between digital advertising and print or billboard ads, which means the bar on taxation applies.

Those images were among many other items introduced on Friday at a meeting to stop human trafficking targeting specialty businesses in Oakland County.

The point of the meeting was to set up a system to better shut down illegal massage spas, save the lives of the women who are being trafficked, and clean up our communities.

Police call them IBMs — illicit massage businesses.

They operate under the cover of a legitimate business to provide commercial sex acts to customers.

One Thai massage spa on 10 Mile Road in Novi was recently shut down.

Its location: between a preschool and a family ice cream shop.

Photographs from inside some of the busted businesses show what life is like for the women forced to work and sometimes live there — cramped into small rooms and basements, with their trafficker controlling their every move.

The goal of the meeting on Aug. 14 was to share what the Oakland County Human Trafficking Task Force has accomplished so far.

• 29 suspected illicit massage businesses in Oakland County advertise on a paid sex forum site
• 45 citizen complaints filed
• 16 search warrants executed
• 21 undercover operations conducted
• 74 phones seized

“They’ve been trafficked here. They don’t have transportation. They don’t have a place to live. They live in these small businesses, sometimes in strip malls,” Prosecutor McDonald said. “The important thing here is they’re right in our community.”

McDonald said property owners are part of the solution. “A lot of the people who own these properties might not even be aware that this is going on,” she said. “The start is abatement letters — letting the business owner and the property owner know this is going on, we know what’s going on. And then if they don’t respond or leave or cease, they can use local ordinances to shut them down.”

A similar tactic used in other counties resulted in 55% of illicit businesses shutting down the moment they received abatement letters.

Authorities are also targeting those who pay for the illegal activity. “We are holding accountable the business owners for all sorts of things, because there’s a lot of criminal activity that takes place. And then we’re also holding accountable people who go into these places and pay for that,” McDonald said.

Additional steps include business and licensing reviews, since in many cases the women working in these massage spaces are not licensed.

Sharing information across jurisdictions is also part of the plan.

Auburn Hills and Waterford were specifically mentioned for their aggressive approach to combating this crime in their communities.

No cause of the Wednesday crash has been released because the investigation has just begun. A safety investigation team from the Army Combat Readiness Center in Fort Rucker, Alabama, is trying to determine what happened, the Army said.

“The stand-down will remain in effect until we have a better understanding of the root cause of the accident," the Army said in its statement Friday.

The military has taken similar action after past crashes. Three years ago, the Army grounded all aviation units until they completed some additional training after 12 soldiers died in separate crashes in Alaska and Kentucky.

The Army made no mention of stopping the combat missions that Apache helicopters are regularly flying in the war in Iran. These helicopters have been employed around the Strait of Hormuz as part of the measures to maintain open navigation channels. One Apache crashed after running into an Iranian drone.

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Deontre T. Huey, 34, of Killeen, Texas, and Warrant Officer Seth L. Olmstead, 25, of Belton, Texas, were killed in the Texas crash, the Army said. They were the only two people on board when the helicopter crashed in a grassy field near Salado, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) from Fort Hood.

Huey entered the Army in 2014 and Olmstead entered in 2023. They were assigned to Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division.

“Our hearts and deepest condolences are with the families of the Soldiers we lost Wednesday,” said Lt. Gen. Kevin D. Admiral, III Armored Corps and Fort Hood commanding general. “The Army is a family, and a tragedy like this is felt throughout our formations and our community.”

Aviation safety expert John Cox said it’s encouraging to see the Army take this step because “you’re guessing until you get some hard answers” and this move signals the Army is making safety a priority.

“I am very much glad to see them doing that. It says that they’re being proactive,” said Cox, who is CEO of Safety Operating Systems and a longtime pilot.

The National Transportation Safety Board criticized the Army’s safety culture sharply during the investigation of last year’s collision between a Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines jet in the skies near Washington, D.C. The NTSB said the Army did a poor job recognizing some of the safety risks in the busy airspace around the nation’s capital before that crash in January 2025 that killed 67 people.

Fort Hood is a massive base with 214,968 acres (86,995 hectares) that is used to train and deploy heavy forces. In November 2015, four soldiers were killed when a Black Hawk helicopter crashed during a training exercise. And nine Fort Hood soldiers died in 2016 when a rain-swollen creek swept their vehicle into rushing waters.

The Apache attack helicopter has been a core part of Army aviation since the first one was delivered in 1984. More than 5,000 Apaches have been deployed by the U.S. military and its allies over the decades.

The former LSU coach and athletic director passed away in a Baton Rouge hospital, LSU spokesman Michael Bonnette said.

“Few people have had a greater impact on LSU than Skip Bertman,” LSU athletic director Verge Ausberry said in a written statement. “As the greatest college baseball coach of all time, and later as our athletics director, Skip developed a championship standard and culture that still guide us today.”

The LSU Tigers, now synonymous with college baseball's elite and known for fielding numerous major league prospects, had never won a national title when Bertman, a native of Miami, took over the program in 1983.

The College Baseball Hall of Famer's legacy now includes Alex Box Stadium, which opened in 2009, holds about 11,000 and routinely is filled to capacity. The field at the stadium was named for Bertman in 2013. The Tigers also have won three national championships under two of Bertman's successors, most recently in 2025.

“Coach Bertman was so far ahead of his time while leading the LSU Tigers, and as a young coach just starting my journey, I watched, studied, and admired his incredible skills of leading, motivating, teaching, coaching, and ultimately cultivating what became ‘The Powerhouse’ of college baseball,” said current LSU coach Jay Johnson, who guided the Tigers to national titles in 2023 and 2025. “The impact he made and legacy he has left on the state of Louisiana and college baseball is beyond remarkable and will never be duplicated.”

Since 2013, the College Baseball Foundation's annual award for the nation's top coach has been named the Skip Bertman Coach of the Year Award. Bertman won it six times between 1986 and 2000.

Bertman coached a total of 18 seasons, retiring in 2001 with a record of 870-330-3 and 11 College World Series appearances. He then served as athletic director until 2008 and athletic director emeritus after that. He continued to live in Baton Rouge, support the university and attend LSU events for the rest of his life.

Bertman coached the Tigers to their first five College World Series championships in 1991, ’93, ’96, ’97 and ’00. His tenure as coach also included seven Southeastern Conference championships. His NCAA Tournament winning percentage of .754 is the highest in history.

Bertman also was head coach of the 1996 U.S. Olympic team, which at that time included only amateur players and won a bronze medal in Atlanta.

Bertman played baseball at Miami before going into coaching, starting at the high school level in Miami Beach. His final job before taking over at LSU was as an assistant at Miami under Ron Fraser.

Bertman was preceded in death by his wife, Sandy, and daughter, Lisa.

Funeral arrangements were pending Friday.

___

See AP’s full college sports coverage here

The incident occurred on Tuesday (Aug. 11) on Wildflower Drive between 1 a.m. and 3:45 a.m.

Police said the suspect is described as a white man, possibly between 25 and 40 years old.

Officials said he was reportedly wearing a baseball cap and black socks or shoes.

Police have released an image of the suspect in hopes someone will recognize him.

Anyone with information about the suspect or the incident is asked to contact the Northville Township Police Department at 248-349-9400.

The investigation remains ongoing.

Full video below

Update: Union workers, community partners rally to save Redford food pantry after Local 4 report

The pantry serves roughly 500 families every month, providing everything from groceries to clothing.

Without a functioning heating system, volunteers and the food supply itself could be at serious risk.

“I can’t not do this. There are too many people that depend on us,” said Sarah Goad, team director at Redford Interfaith Relief.

The need is wide-ranging.

Goad said the pantry supports a diverse group of community members.

“Anybody from single moms with multiple kids to senior citizens living on their own,” Goad said.

With cooler weather approaching, a failing HVAC system would leave the building with little to no heat — a dangerous situation for both volunteers and pantry supplies.

“90% of our volunteer force is over 70 years old. I can’t ask them to work here when it’s 25, 30 degrees. Never mind the fact that these cans will bust and the bottles will freeze,” Goad said.

A temporary fix that can’t last

The pantry’s boiler failed earlier this year as winter was coming to an end.

Staff and volunteers managed to get through by bundling up and relying on space heaters — but leadership knows that’s not a sustainable solution heading into another cold season.

To address the problem long-term, Redford Interfaith Relief is working to raise $110,000 to replace the system entirely.

Matching grant offers a boost

To help reach that goal, the Margaret Dunning Foundation has stepped in with a matching grant opportunity.

“If we get $25,000, they’ll give us $25,000.

They’ll match up to 45," Goad explained. “So, we have to raise 65 to their 45.”

Dozens of donors have already come forward, giving the organization reason for optimism — though a significant gap remains.

“I know it’s an amazingly huge amount of money to consider putting in, but we’re worth it. What we do here is worth it,” Goad said.

Those who wish to donate or learn more can visit redfordinterfaithrelief.org.

Redford Interfaith Relief had been struggling with a failing heating system since late winter.

The pantry, which serves families in need, managed to keep operating by bundling up and relying on portable heaters.

But with a volunteer staff made up largely of seniors, that was never going to be a lasting fix.

The repair bill is estimated at more than $100,000.

The pantry had raised roughly $60,000 toward that goal, with support from the Margaret Dunning Foundation — but the gap felt daunting.

Then came the phone call that changed everything.

After seeing Local 4’s original report, Pipefitters Local 636 and BeneSys reached out to offer their help. Jake Regits of Pipefitters Local 636 described the moment the plan came together.

“Darris contacted me when he saw the newscast, and I said, ' Man, what a great opportunity to give back to the community and it kind of took off from there,” Regits said.

For Sarah Goad, team director at Redford Interfaith Relief, the outpouring of support was almost too much to put into words.

“I don’t know what to say. This is more than I could’ve ever expected,” Goad said.

The relief was immediate and visceral.

“I feel 40 pounds lighter,” she said.

Regits made clear that the partnership felt like a natural fit.

“You’re taking care of the community, and we love giving back, so this should be a good partnership,” he said.

The good news rippled through the pantry quickly — reaching not just the volunteer staff, but the families who depend on it.

“It’s owed to them. They’re helping us, so someone should help them,” said James Grobe, a pantry shopper. “They care, they talk to you, it’s just different here.”

For Goad, that kind of response reaffirms the work her team puts in every day.

“We’re doing this for a reason, and people see that reason. It convinces me that we’re on the right path, we’re doing the best things, and the small grassroots efforts can have the biggest impact,” she said.

Workers are still coordinating a date to assess the heating system on-site, but that visit is expected before the end of the month.

“The relief that our story was heard and received by someone who can really make an impact and help us get this done, even faster than we ever imagined,” Goad said.

WAYNE COUNTY – Seasonal allergies, stomach viruses, hand foot & mouth disease, sore throats, strep throat, gastrointestinal illnesses, slip & fall injuries

Dr. Avery Harrell -- Trinity Health Livonia Emergency Medicine Physician

“Our emergency department continues to see a mix of summertime illnesses and injuries, including sore throats and strep, vomiting and diarrhea, asthma flare-ups, and dehydration. Michigan’s cyclosporiasis outbreak appears to be slowing, but we are still seeing gastrointestinal illnesses and encourage residents with persistent or severe diarrhea to seek medical attention. We are also seeing the usual summer injuries, particularly falls, fractures, cuts, and injuries involving bicycles and e-scooters.”

Dr. Tiffney Widner -- Pediatrician, Children’s Hospital of Michigan

“We’re seeing lots of allergies, and I’m seeing some stomach bugs. We didn’t see a ton of it (cyclospora); we were more getting emails. Our families stayed away from lettuce. I’m starting to see some hand-foot-month. We’re also doing the back-to-school checkups and fall sports physicals, too.”

Dr. Keith Alangaden -- Emergency Physician, DMC Sinai-Grace and Detroit Receiving Hospitals

“We are seeing a lot of orthopedic injuries – slips and falls – and a few heat-related injuries. We’re also seeing diarrhea and the sniffles.”

OAKLAND COUNTY – Gastrointestinal illnesses, cyclosporiasis, summer rashes, outdoor injuries, asthma flare-ups, bug bites

Dr. Rena Daiza -- Primary Care Physician, Henry Ford Medical Center Bloomfield Twp.

“As outdoor activities remain steady for the summer, primary care is seeing more injuries related to hiking, biking, swimming and other recreational activities. Protect yourself by wearing appropriate safety gear, staying hydrated, using sun protection and knowing your limits to help prevent avoidable injuries.”

Dr. Justin Skrzynski -- Internal Medicine Physician, Corewell Health William Beaumont University Hospital in Royal Oak

“The hospital is seeing moderate volumes, including some possible cases of cyclosporiasis. With the warm weather and lack of smoke, respiratory illnesses have fortunately subsided a little, but it’s also the right time to think about preventive care and vaccinations going into the fall.”

Dr. Christopher Loewe -- Emergency Department, Henry Ford St. John Hospital

“We have been seeing teenagers involved in e-bike accidents on a regular basis, and many were not wearing helmets. Helmets should be worn during any type of cycling to help prevent serious injuries.”

Sarah Rauner -- Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Emergency Center, Corewell Health Beaumont Troy Hospital

“We are seeing a lot of our late summer rashes and summer injuries. Some cases of vomiting, diarrhea, and decreased drinking and appetite. As well as our asthmatics are having some seasonal issues.”

Dr. Rachel M. Klamo -- Primary Care Physician, Henry Ford Glennan Primary Care

“Recently we have seen a rise in patients with bug bites and other outdoor-related issues. Additionally, we are seeing patients with community-acquired pneumonia and stress-related issues.”

Dr. Josh Newblatt -- Pine Knob Urgent Care

“Mostly seeing injuries. School sports resuming has led to increase visits related injuries.”

WASHTENAW COUNTY – Gastrointestinal illnesses, asthma flare-ups, croup, outdoor injuries, upper respiratory infections

Dr. Stuart Bradin -- Clinical Professor of Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics, Michigan Medicine

“We are seeing lots of GI illness, not cyclosporiasis, with crampy pain, diarrhea, vomiting and dehydration. There are some cases of asthma and there is an uptick in croup. We have seen several instances of orthopedic trauma and eye injuries.”

Dr. Brad Uren -- Clinical Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine, Michigan Medicine

“The adult side is seeing low levels of GI illness and URIs this week. Low levels of suspected cyclosporidia cases this week.”

MONROE COUNTY – Did not report this week.

MACOMB COUNTY – Outdoor injuries, gastrointestinal illnesses, seasonal allergies, asthma flare-ups, poison ivy, bug bites, colds

Dr. Emily Orille -- Emergency Physician at McLaren Macomb

“Orthopedic and soft tissue injuries continue to be the most common reason patients are seeking care in the emergency department. There has also been a noticeable volume of patients with gastrointestinal distress, experiencing symptoms of nausea and vomiting. Airbourne allergens continue to cause wheezy and shallow breathing in asthma sufferers, with some patients experiencing severe breathing complications to the point of emergency care. There has been a slight uptick in the number of patients experiencing a rash or skin irritation following a bug bite or another environmental irritant, such as poison ivy or other allergic reactions.”

Dr. Maria Samuel -- Primary Care Physician, Henry Ford Medical Center Sterling Heights

“We’re starting to see more patients with allergy flare-ups and viral colds. Patients with gastrointestinal issues continue to be common as well. We have also seen some cases involving rashes and some minor injuries/fractures.”

LIVINGSTON COUNTY – Did not report this week.

Audio of the incident shortly after midnight Friday shows how he found a solution to ensure the planes that were both called American 2482 maintained proper separation as one plane arrived from Chicago shortly after the other had taken off in Phoenix.

“I’ve been working air traffic for 25 years. I’ve never seen two aircraft pretty much merge with the same call sign. That’s pretty incredible,” the controller said after the departing plane had safely cleared the area.

If both pilots thought the controller was telling them to fly at the same altitude as they headed toward each other, they might have collided, so it was crucial they knew which plane he was directing.

Quick thinking ensured the controller’s instructions were clear

The audio posted by ATC.com shows how the controller quickly started referring to “American 2482 on the arrival” and “American 2482 on the departure” to keep the two planes straight.

The controller kept the arriving plane safely above the departing plane even as their flight paths converged and made sure that the pilots of both airlines saw each other when they were still miles apart. He also directed the departing plane not to climb too high, so a gap would remain between the planes.

The arriving pilot complimented the controller for his “nice work” once the two planes had passed each other safely.

“It could have been disastrous, but I’m glad it worked out,” the controller replied.

Expert says airline must have missed that the flights would overlap

Aviation safety expert Steve Arroyo said it’s likely that someone inside the airline’s dispatch center failed to catch that both planes would be in the air at the same time with identical flight numbers when both the dispatcher and the pilots signed off on the flight plan.

“You can drop the ball and that shouldn’t happen, but it’s nice to see that the system is resilient and we have all the safeguards,” said Arroyo, who has only seen this type of issue a couple times in his four decades with United Airlines. Arroyo started his career as a dispatcher before becoming a pilot.

Flight 2482 is a round-trip route that often flies back and forth between Chicago and Phoenix. Typically the same plane goes back and forth, but the flight out of Chicago was delayed by weather, so American found a second plane in Phoenix and that flight left on time. The result was that both planes briefly shared the same airspace before the arriving flight landed.

The government and airline will determine how this occurred

The Federal Aviation Administration and American Airlines will investigate how this happened, and they both emphasized how glad they were that everyone remained safe.

“The diligence and professionalism of air traffic controllers and our pilots ensured required separation was always maintained and the issue was identified and addressed. Both flights continued safely and without incident,” American Airlines said in a statement.

In a brief exchange with reporters before flying to New York for an event to highlight falling violent crime rates across the U.S., Trump refuted that family members have raised concerns about the deployment’s length and even said that the deployment — which includes a record-setting uninterrupted time at sea of more than 240 days — is “not nearly long enough.”

"That ship is moving right now, or very shortly, and it’s being replaced with another very similar ship,” Trump said when asked about the lengthy deployment. The acting navy secretary, Hung Cao, said the Lincoln “will return home soon” in a social media post on Friday.

Trump strode into office for a second term vowing to avoid lengthy and expensive military entanglements. And after launching the Iran war, alongside Israel, Trump and his advisers said the conflict would last a matter of weeks. The war is now more than five months old.

But on Friday, during his crime address in Garden City, New York, he acknowledged that he's used the U.S. military “a little bit more than I wanted to," while asserting anew that the U.S. operation against Iran is going well. He even said, seemingly in jest, that “pretty soon I’ll be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States.”

“I’ll never apologize," Trump added about the war and its impact on oil prices. “I did the right thing.”

Democrats demand Pentagon briefing on USS Lincoln

Extended deployments of carriers during the Iran conflict have raised concerns about the impact on service members who are away from home for long periods as well as the increasing strain on the ships and their equipment.

Several Democratic lawmakers, including Sens. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Ruben Gallego of Arizona, are pressing for accountability from the Pentagon over conditions aboard the Lincoln, which Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday said were “completely misrepresented.”

Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., who served three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan with the 82nd Airborne Division and 75th Ranger Regiment before being elected, took to social media to criticize Trump’s comments, saying on X that “President Trump does not care about our servicemembers or their families."

Top Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have requested a classified briefing on the ship’s food inventory, sanitation issues and healthcare availability, as well as an assessment of how much longer it would be deployed before relief arrives.

Republicans have been less outspoken about the situation on the Lincoln. The GOP chairmen of the House and Senate armed services committees did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

While hostilities between the U.S. and Iran have calmed in recent weeks, the Navy has reimposed a blockade on Iranian ports in the crucial Strait of Hormuz, and the Trump administration has offered no clarity on how it intends to wind down the war. Hegseth said the U.S. military can maintain the blockage of Iranian ports “indefinitely.”

Another aircraft carrier, the USS George Washington, left port in Da Nang, Vietnam, last week, and is expected to replace the USS Lincoln, one of two aircraft carriers currently deployed in the Middle East.

After reports emerged that sailors on the Lincoln are struggling with mental health concerns, the Navy said it has “not observed an increase in suicidal ideations or attempts aboard the ship,” though officials have declined to provide data, citing operational security and patient privacy concerns.

A Navy official said a sailor aboard the Lincoln went overboard in early August but the person was quickly recovered, treated by the ship’s medical department and transferred off ship for follow-on care. The official would not say whether it was being considered a suicide attempt.

U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, has also pushed back on reports about poor conditions.

___

AP writers Collin Binkley in Garden City, New York, and Michelle L. Price and Lisa Mascaro in Washington contributed to this report.

——

This story has been corrected to show that the USS Abraham Lincoln has spent more than 240 days of uninterrupted time at sea and its overall deployment has exceeded 260 days.

Earlier this month, The Associated Press highlighted Maisa Lopes Eliaser as one of dozens of spouses or parents of U.S. troops who had been detained after President Donald Trump’s administration rolled back protections for military families amid its push for mass deportations. Following the AP’s reporting, a group of Congressional Democrats launched an investigation into deportations of military service members and their families.

Eliaser was placed on a deportation flight Wednesday to her native Brazil when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers on the plane received a phone call about her midflight, she told the AP. She said she was then asked by an ICE officer whether she wanted to continue on to Brazil or go back to the U.S.

“Who made the call? We don’t know,” said Eliaser’s husband, Army Staff Sgt. Alexis Jaramillo. “But someone made the phone call, and then she came back.”

While other detainees were led off the plane in Brazil, Eliaser stayed on board and returned to Louisiana. ICE officers told her that she was “famous” because there were videos about her case, she said.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, a former Navy officer, directly contacted the ICE field office involved in Eliaser’s detention, according to his spokesperson. He has also spoken out on behalf of two other detained military family members in the past year.

In a statement to the AP, Kelly said the policy of detaining military family members is “wrong and makes no sense at all.”

“We need real solutions to fix our broken immigration system,” Kelly wrote in a statement. “Going after military families instead of real criminals doesn’t solve anything.”

DHS previously told AP that Eliaser, 32, had been issued a final order of removal by an immigration judge on April 15, after overstaying the tourist visa she used to enter the U.S. in 2019.

Jaramillo, a 43-year-old aviation operations specialist who has served in the Army for more than a decade, took leave of his duties training soldiers in Fort Polk, Louisiana, to care for Eliaser's 5-year-old son after she was detained on July 8.

“This family’s reunion is proof of what’s possible when people set politics aside and do right by those who serve,” Danitza James, who heads Repatriate Our Patriots, a nonprofit that supports military families facing deportation and helped with Eliaser’s case, said at a news conference. “We won’t stop until every military family facing detention gets the same chance at justice.”

Eliaser, who was detained in July while at an immigration appointment, has another appointment scheduled for Monday in an effort to reopen her case and advance her green card application. Jaramillo is a U.S. citizen and the couple have been married since 2024.

Jaramillo said he has been told that there will be no further issues with Eliaser’s case, but the couple is still concerned.

“We are really, really, really scared about it, but you know, we have to go,” Jaramillo said. “I told the person who gave me the appointment, ‘Hey sir, don’t play with me, I’ve been through a lot.’”

Eliaser said she is still struggling to sleep and is afraid she will be sent back to the detention facility, where she said she was treated like “an animal.”

“It felt like I was in a nightmare,” Eliaser said. “I could not believe what was happening until I returned to my house. Day by day, I’m trying to recover from this trauma.”

There have been similar interventions in other high-profile cases over the past year. Annie Ramos, 22, was detained by immigration authorities as her husband, an Army staff sergeant, was preparing to deploy. She was released after a public outcry. Around the same time, U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, a Democrat and combat veteran, told the AP that she personally contacted DHS to call for the release of Deisy Rivera Ortega, the immigrant wife of an Army sergeant who did three tours in Afghanistan, after learning about her case from advocacy groups. She was eventually released from custody.

___

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

No power. No gas pumps. No water.

On Aug. 14, 2003, the lights went out for more than 50 million people across the northeastern United States and Canada -- the largest power outage in North American history.

It started with something remarkably small.

Related read: Paula Tutman recalls covering 2003 Blackout: ‘Nobody has power, who are we talking to?’

A bug, a branch, a blackout

A tree branch hit a transmission line in Ohio.

A software bug at the utility meant alarms and warnings failed to trigger as designed, and the grid couldn’t stop what came next.

The result was a cascading failure that plunged entire cities into darkness during a heatwave.

More than 250 power plants were shut down within minutes.

All of DTE Energy’s grid in Michigan went down. Even the transmission lines connecting Consumers Energy and DTE experienced problems.

Life ground to a halt

Gas pumps stopped working. Flights and trains were canceled. Food spoiled as refrigerators and freezers warmed. Water and ice sold out in some areas.

Amtrak stopped all trains leaving the New York City area. Service between Detroit, Dearborn and Pontiac was also suspended.

Nationwide, about a dozen people died directly from the outage, and many more are believed to have died indirectly.

A man in Harper Woods died from carbon monoxide poisoning linked to a generator. A man in Pittsfield Township died after candles caught a home on fire.

Most people across the impacted areas had power restored within about a day, but the financial impact lingered -- with damages estimated in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

“The system responded well”

President Bush was in California for a fundraising dinner but addressed the outage in a short speech for reporters.

“I want to thank the people for their calm response to this emergency situation,” he said. “It’s been remarkable to watch on TV how resolved the people have been in dealing with this situation. I know their neighbors are thankful for the proper and calm response.”

Bush said communication between local, state and federal officials was “quick and thorough.”

“We’re better organized today than we were two and a half years ago to deal with an emergency and the system responded well,” he said.

Check out some of the news coverage from the 2003 blackout:

The Lincoln has been supporting the U.S. war against Iran, and its deployment has included a record-setting uninterrupted time at sea of more than 240 days. Several Democratic lawmakers are pressing for accountability from the Pentagon over conditions aboard the carrier, which Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Thursday said were “completely misrepresented.”

Extended deployments of carriers during the Iran conflict have raised concerns about the impact on service members who are away from home for long periods as well as the increasing strain on the ship and its equipment. While renewed hostilities between the U.S. and Iran have calmed in recent weeks, the Navy has reimposed a blockade on Iranian ports in the crucial Strait of Hormuz, and the Trump administration has offered no clarity on how it intends to wind down the war.

Hegseth told reporters that the U.S. can maintain the blockade “indefinitely.”

A new aircraft carrier is heading west from the Asia-Pacific

The USS George Washington left port in Da Nang, Vietnam, last week, a Navy statement said. The carrier, along with a cruiser and a destroyer, have since been spotted crossing the Singapore Strait.

A Navy official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to detail sensitive ship details, confirmed that the Washington was in the Strait of Malacca, which links the Pacific and Indian oceans and puts the carrier on a course to head into the Indian Ocean. The Wall Street Journal reported earlier that the Washington would replace the Lincoln as one of the two aircraft carriers now stationed in the Middle East.

The move would leave the waters of the Pacific without a U.S. carrier presence for an unknown period of time. The Trump administration sees China, the dominant power in the region, as “a settled force” that only needs to be deterred from dominating the U.S. or its allies and not the top global adversary that it was under the Biden administration.

The Lincoln originally deployed Nov. 21 from San Diego, and it arrived in the Middle East in January, ahead of the launch of the Iran war on Feb. 28. The Navy conceded that the conflict created a “highly contested environment where traditional supply hubs in the Middle East were disrupted by combat actions.” That, in turn, led to shortages and loss of mail aboard the aircraft carrier, the Navy said in a statement.

“Leadership prioritized mission-critical supplies: first food, then hygiene items, then mail,” the statement said, before assuring that sailors aboard the ship now have access to clean water and “healthy meal options.”

Democrats call for scrutiny, while the Pentagon defends conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln

Democratic lawmakers are calling for investigations, more information and greater visibility into conditions aboard the ship, which was originally set to return home in May.

“The Lincoln’s prolonged deployment is especially significant because it is occurring in the context of continuing military operations against Iran and the possibility that substantial US naval forces will be required in the region for an extended period,” Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, wrote in a letter to Navy leadership asking for a response to several questions.

Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego, a Marine Corps veteran, said on social media that he is looking to take a bipartisan delegation on an official oversight visit to the ship and that the way sailors are being treated is “not just disgusting; it’s dangerous.”

Hegseth told reporters during ​a visit to Panama that he wants the Lincoln's sailors home and crews rotated as quickly as possible but pushed back against reports of problems aboard.

“We make sure that every ship, every crew, every captain has everything we can provide them at every single moment. Some deployments are longer than others, and ​I have more respect and gratitude for those sailors than ​anybody. What they do in those high seas in those austere ⁠conditions with less port calls — it’s incredible.”

Navy leaders, including acting Secretary Hung Cao, last week held a tense town hall for families of troops aboard the USS Lincoln, at which the commanders of the Navy’s air and surface forces promised to do everything they could to relieve the aircraft carrier. MS NOW reported earlier on the meeting.

When reports of food shortages aboard the ship first surfaced in April, the Navy pushed back, calling those reports “false.”

Reports of mental health concerns and more aboard the ship

Reports have since emerged that sailors on the Lincoln are struggling with mental health concerns. The Navy said in its statement that it has “not observed an increase in suicidal ideations or attempts aboard the ship,” but officials declined to provide data, citing operational security and patient privacy concerns.

The Navy official said that a sailor aboard the Lincoln went overboard in early August but that the person was quickly recovered, treated by the ship’s medical department and transferred off ship for follow-on care. The official would not say if it was being considered a suicide attempt.

U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, pushed back on reports about poor conditions.

“The Sailors and Marines of the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group remain resilient and resolved after more than 260 days at sea, 10,000 aircraft flights, and 1.5 million pounds of ordnance expended,” the command said on social media.

Other carriers also have had long runs that have raised concerns about morale. The USS Gerald R. Ford returned home in mid-May after an 11-month deployment, the longest since the Vietnam War, during which it supported the U.S. war with Iran and the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.

During its deployment, the Ford experienced a fire in a laundry space that forced the carrier to turn around and return to the Mediterranean Sea for repairs and left hundreds of sailors without places to sleep.

Concerns about the demands of battle and the dangers of overextending ships and their crew predate the Iran war, with a number of mishaps on ships battling Houthi rebels in Yemen in 2024 and 2025, including the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman on a longer-than-expected deployment.

___

Associated Press writer Ben Finley contributed to this report.

___

EDITOR’S NOTE — This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988. There is also an online chat at 988lifeline.org. ___

This story has been corrected to show that the USS Abraham Lincoln has spent more than 240 days of uninterrupted time at sea and its overall deployment has exceeded 260 days.

Mangione, 28, said he made a gun with the aid of a 3D printer, traveled to New York and used a ruse — posing as an investor at a multibillion-dollar firm — to contact the company for details on the event.

"On the morning of Dec. 4, 2024, I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan, and he died,” Mangione told the Manhattan federal court, which he entered shackled at the feet but not handcuffed in his beige jail uniform.

Listening in the audience, Thompson's wife, Paulette, took several deep breaths and repeatedly wiped tears from her eyes.

Prosecutors plan to seek a life prison term at Mangione's sentencing, set for Dec. 18. When U.S. District Judge Margaret M. Garnett asked whether he understood that he could spend the rest of his life behind bars, Mangione answered neutrally: “Yes.”

In a statement, Thompson’s family called the plea “an important step toward justice” and noted that Mangione still faces other cases, including a New York state murder prosecution. It carries the potential for a separate long sentence.

Mangione still faces a state murder case

Federal prosecutors didn’t give Mangione any deal or incentive to plead guilty, they and his lawyers said. Nor did Mangione plead guilty to avoid a potential death sentence. That possibility was taken off the table when a federal murder charge was tossed out this winter.

Mangione’s lawyers didn’t explain why he choose to plead guilty now, but after he entered the plea at Friday’s hastily scheduled hearing, they quickly sought to have the New York case thrown out on double jeopardy grounds. The state’s double jeopardy protections can kick in if a prior prosecution ends in a guilty plea.

“Mr. Mangione has accepted full responsibility for the death of Brian Thompson,” defense lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo said outside court, arguing that her client shouldn’t face two prosecutions over a “single tragic event.”

The Manhattan district attorney’s office, which is handling the state prosecution, said it remains committed to its case and would contest the defense’s efforts to shut it down.

Mangione alludes to back pain in explaining his actions

Surveillance video of the ambush showed a masked gunman shooting Thompson, 50, from behind. Police say “delay,” “deny” and “depose” were written on the ammunition, mimicking a phrase used to describe how insurers avoid paying claims.

That detail — and revelations that Mangione's private writings lambasted health insurers as greedy, according to authorities — made the case a fulcrum for debate about the industry and made Mangione a cause célèbre for some of its critics.

A University of Pennsylvania graduate from a wealthy Maryland family, Mangione told the court Friday that he pursued Thompson “after years of enduring severe pain from a broken back, navigating the obstacles of the health insurance system and witnessing similar experiences of countless others.”

Friedman Agnifilo later said her client “believed that the system had failed him and destroyed his life.”

Authorities say Mangione's grievances are no excuse for killing

Mangione never was a UnitedHealthcare customer, according to police and the company.

“To those who idolize Luigi Mangione, I say this. Violence is not a cause. Murder is not a message. And a killer is certainly not a hero,” New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said outside court Friday.

U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald, whose office handled the federal case, added: “There can be no celebrity in assassination."

Thompson led one of the United States' largest health insurers, but he wasn't well known outside the industry. Trained as an accountant, he worked at parent company UnitedHealth Group Inc. for 20 years and became CEO of its insurance arm, UnitedHealthcare, in 2021. He and his wife had two sons, who were in high school when their father was killed.

Thompson's violent death “devastated everyone who knew and loved him,” the company said in a statement Friday, thanking law enforcement for bringing Mangione to justice.

His defense had lost some disputes over evidence

Mangione was arrested five days after the shooting, when he was spotted at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 230 miles (370 kilometers) west of Manhattan. Police had released various images of the suspected shooter, including one showing his face as he checked into a hostel.

Although his lawyers got the federal murder charge dismissed, Garnett also delivered some setbacks to the defense, ruling in January that prosecutors could use items collected from Mangione’s backpack during his arrest as evidence against him. They included a 3D-printed pistol that investigators said matched the one used to kill Thompson and a notebook in which authorities say Mangione described his intent to kill an insurance executive.

Similarly, the judge in the state case threw out terrorism charges against Mangione but agreed to let the gun and notebook be used as evidence. The case has been heading toward a September trial, but his lawyers' new bid to dismiss it could complicate the timeline.

___

Associated Press writers Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut, and Alanna Durkin Richer in Washington contributed.

West Bloomfield Township Trustee Jibran “Jim” Manna was charged with two counts of capturing or distributing an image of an unclothed person, a five-year felony, and five counts of eavesdropping by installing or using a device, a two-year felony.

What investigators found

On Thursday, Aug. 13, Oakland County Prosecutor Karen D. McDonald said Manna allegedly placed hidden surveillance cameras in the bedrooms and bathrooms of two adult women.

According to prosecutors, the women discovered cameras hidden inside smoke detectors in their bedrooms.

During a search of Manna’s home, office, and cellphone, officers allegedly recovered additional cameras.

Investigators also found nude surveillance videos from the women’s bedrooms and bathrooms on Manna’s cellphone, according to the prosecutor’s office. The investigation remains ongoing.

Arraignment

Manna was arraigned in court on Friday, Aug. 14, via Zoom.

Manna was placed on a $100,000 personal bond. He is required to wear a GPS tether and was ordered to have no contact with the victims. He is also not allowed to use any device with internet access or photo capabilities, and he is not allowed to return to his home.

He is scheduled to reappear in court on Aug. 25 at 8:45 a.m. for a probable cause conference. He is expected to appear in-person.

Macdonald made it clear he was not ducking inquiries about Arnold, who is facing eight felony charges stemming from allegations he orchestrated the abduction and beating of three men in February. The 23-year-old became a free agent in June, when the Detroit Lions released him a few days after the kidnapping, armed robbery and conspiracy charges were levied.

“I understand the situation,” Macdonald said Friday. “So, I’m glad that we had the opportunity to talk about it.”

Macdonald explained why the reigning Super Bowl champions felt compelled to add Arnold, who prosecutors in Florida said arranged for men to be pistol-whipped after he wrongly suspected them of stealing $100,000 in cash and luxury goods from him.

Police called Arnold the “primary conspirator” in the Feb. 4 attack, and a judge set his bail at $1 million.

Defense attorney R. Timothy Jansen said in Hillsborough County court earlier this summer that Arnold is “absolutely denying these allegations.” Denise White, the CEO of EAG Sports Management, an agency that represents Arnold, said there’s “no credible evidence” against him, only accounts from others who may have an incentive to get a lighter sentence.

“We also understand that it’s a serious situation with a legal matter,” Macdonald said. “There’s a process behind it, so we respect that. And, that’s how we’ll operate, too, is just letting that process play out. And, let the league decide if and when his return to play is. And we’ll just kind of understand that that’s at play.”

Macdonald said the timetable for the NFL ruling on Arnold’s eligibility for the 2026 season is still being worked out. To Macdonald’s understanding, Arnold visited at least eight teams, and it is unclear when he will join the Seahawks.

“We have an agreement with him, and we’ll see,” Macdonald said. “But I just really don’t know how we’re going to do it.”

Should Arnold be permitted to play for the Seahawks this season, he could bolster what was arguably the NFL’s best defense last season. No team allowed fewer points per game (17.2), and Seattle finished in the top seven in the league in sacks and interceptions.

Arnold should add depth to a secondary that lost cornerback Riq Woolen to free agency and has been without second-year safety Nick Emannwori, who had offseason ankle surgery, during training camp.

Arnold has played in 25 NFL games, including playoffs, since the Lions took him with the 24th pick of the 2024 draft out of Alabama.

“We think his skill set fits in our secondary,” Macdonald said. “He plays with a lot of energy, physicality. ... And then, personality-wise, I think there’s an opportunity there if he’s the best version of himself that he could be a fit for us.”

A number of Seahawks players have already spent plenty of time around Arnold.

Backup quarterback Jalen Milroe and fullback Robbie Ouzts were college teammates of Arnold for three seasons at Alabama. Cornerback Josh Jobe overlapped with Arnold for one season with the Crimson Tide.

Macdonald also said the Seahawks' decision-makers held informal, one-on-one conversations with some team leaders. He also spoke highly of his discussion with Arnold during his visit on Sunday.

Macdonald did not get into specifics, but said the Seahawks leaned on people who could vouch for Arnold’s character before deciding to offer him a deal.

“It’s overwhelmingly positive. It really is,” Macdonald said. “And, again, it’s a serious situation, that there’s allegations there that are serious. But, if you separate that from the person that they talk about on a daily basis and their history with him, it’s been really overwhelmingly positive.”

___

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Even as the Israeli army took positions around him and the homes of two other Palestinian families that settlers had blockaded for most of this week, the settlers remained close enough that Abu Rida feared they would again return after the army left and try to take over the home owned by his Palestinian American brother in Ohio.

“I just don’t know when this will end,” he said.

The standoff in Qusra between Palestinian families and Israeli settlers who apparently want to push them out entered a new stage Friday as activists supporting the Palestinians marched toward the besieged homes to replenish their dwindling food and water supply. But Abu Rida said he was growing tired of the pattern, with Israeli forces removing the settlers, only for them to return and reestablish their positions after the troops withdrew.

“It’s like a kids’ game, like cat and mouse,” Ziv Stahl, the executive director of the Israeli rights group Yesh Din, said. “It’s clearly not a matter of capability but a matter of will.”

The siege of the homes is the latest episode in a wave of settler violence convulsing the occupied West Bank, which Israel seized in the 1967 Mideast war and which would make up the main part of a future Palestinian state. Israel's military said the village — roughly 10 miles (16 kilometers) from the Palestinian city of Nablus — was a closed military zone.

More than 700,000 Israeli settlers live in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem. The international community overwhelmingly considers Israeli settlements to be illegal and obstacles to peace.

Both Israel’s military and Israel’s police referred questions about the situation in Qusra to the other.

The West Bank has become more dangerous for Palestinians as Israel, under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has approved more than 100 new settlements. Extremist settlers routinely enter Palestinian towns, clashing with villagers, burning homes, mosques and cars.

Netanyahu is courting blocs of ultranationalist voters ahead of what’s expected to be a difficult reelection campaign in October. He and members of his cabinet have largely dismissed concerns about settler violence as overblown and attributed it to fringe groups of a few hundred youths. Yet rights groups and Palestinians say the government's policies have made it more difficult to restrain settlers, who are rarely punished for attacks.

Qusra siege reflects broader violence

The standoff in Qusra began on Sunday when dozens of settlers arrived and blocked the doors to the three houses, preventing occupants from leaving, according to the families inside.

Israeli troops intervened multiple times and arrived in large numbers Thursday.

Abu Rida and his teenage son were temporarily moved by the army on Thursday but allowed to return hours later. He told his brother in Toledo, Ohio, that he planned on staying to defend the home.

Loui Ridi, the home's owner who spells the family name differently, has been in constant contact with his brother and watching the siege unfold on security cameras until they went offline Thursday.

He plans to travel to the West Bank next week in hopes of delivering more food and “to do whatever I can to protect my brother and my house," Ridi told The Associated Press on Friday.

“We want it to be resolved and permanent, not just for a couple of days,” he said.

For many, the scene unfolding in Qusra — now in its sixth day — reflected broader failures by Israeli authorities to curb the violence in the West Bank.

Itamar Weil, an Israeli human rights activist from the group Bnei Avraham, said the army had threatened to use tear gas against the activists and forced them to leave, even as settlers remained in the valley below Qusra.

“The army used to prevent settlers from carrying out this kind of violence,” he said. “Now, with a government that fully supports them, they’re not doing their job. They should be protecting both sides from violence, but instead they’re removing activists while barely doing anything about the settlers.”

Palestinian officials have reported 1,476 attacks by Israeli settlers in 2026, including several earlier instances in which settlers staged takeovers of Palestinian homes on the outskirts of other West Bank towns.

A total of 87 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli settlers and soldiers in the West Bank this year, according to the Palestinian Authority’s Health Ministry. Israel says some were involved in terrorism, which it defines broadly to include militancy and rock-throwing. Three Israelis were killed by Palestinians, including two in a July clash during which four Palestinians were also killed.

Katz strips army of enforcement power against settlers

Before calm was restored in Qusra, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz announced on Friday that he would transfer all enforcement powers against Israeli civilians in the West Bank from the army to Israel’s police.

“The (Israeli military’s) role is to fight Palestinian terrorism, focus on protecting the borders and settlements against threats, deal with the borders and the territory itself and security threats to the settlements and the State of Israel, and not chase after boys on the hills,” Katz said in a statement.

Historically, the army has been able to arrest Palestinians and bring those accused of crimes before military courts. But when it comes to Israeli civilians, in most circumstances it can only use temporary detention for those suspected of crimes, leaving arrests, investigations and prosecutions to police and civilian courts.

Katz’s move comes after he ended the use of administrative detention against Israeli civilians in November 2024. The military had used the policy as a tool to contain settler violence, allowing it to detain suspects without charge and remove them from the West Bank.

Much like with that move, rights groups said transferring all powers to the police was unlikely to restore order or ensure Palestinian safety.

Some 2.8 million Palestinians live under Israeli military rule in the West Bank alongside more than 560,000 Israeli civilians who live in settlements that the international community largely considers illegal and an obstacle to peace.

Though the Palestinian Authority exercises limited autonomy and policing power in the territory’s largest cities, agreements that date back to the 1990s give Israel security control over large swaths of the territory, including agricultural areas and communities such as Qusra.

Stahl, Yesh Din's executive director, said Katz's announcement wouldn't change or help stem the violence because police will still require army escorts to operate in Palestinian areas.

“Unless (Katz) means he’s going to apply Israeli law and have the police control the West Bank, the military is still the main body in charge,” she said.

___

Associated Press reporter John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, contributed.

Experts note that national violent crime rates have been declining since 2022, and pinpointing an exact reason is difficult. They say multiple factors contribute to decreases in crime rates seen in the FBI report, which is based on data reported voluntarily by many but not all law enforcement agencies across the country.

“The homicide drop is historic and crystal clear. But right now, what’s driving it is about as clear as a glass of milk,” said Adam Gelb, president and CEO of the Council on Criminal Justice, a think tank based in Washington.

“Rates are falling in cities with very different public safety strategies, economic conditions, and political leadership," Gelb said. "The consistency across the map should make us cautious about handing credit to any one leader, party, policy, or program before the evidence catches up.”

President Donald Trump announced the decreases in the annual crime numbers during a visit to a New York police academy Friday.

Trump proclaimed his role in lowering violent crime rates, taking a swing at his predecessor and at so-called sanctuary cities, while touting what he said was his overwhelming support of law enforcement and his tough-on-crime moves such as deploying the National Guard in Washington and elsewhere.

“We ended the war on police, and we declared a very strong war on crime,” Trump said during the Long Island appearance.

Regardless of the contributing factors, criminologists who have been tracking violent crime and property crime in a few dozen cities had been predicting that the homicide rate might drop to 4 per 100,000 residents, which would have dropped the rate to the lowest since 1900, when those rates began to be tracked.

The rate came close when the numbers from thousands of departments were calculated, reaching 4.1 homicides per 100,000 people. That rate is tied with 1955 and 1956, according to Friday's report, as the lowest rate since 1900.

The report showed murder and nonnegligent manslaughter decreased 18.1% between 2024 and 2025, while overall property crime declined by 12.4% during the same period.

Motor vehicle theft, which had spiked in 2022 and 2023 following a social media challenge that helped people exploit a manufacturing issue in some models of Kia and Hyundai vehicles, dropped by almost 23% to the lowest levels in more than 20 years.

In an unusual move just a few months before the midterm elections as many Republicans continue to tout the drop in crime, the FBI report also noted that violent and other crime has continued to drop during the first six months of 2026. The federal agency normally waits until all of the yearly data is reported to suggest a drop in crime.

Groups like the Council on Criminal Justice have also said 2026 could see an even larger decline than 2025, with homicides dropping 18% in those cities during the first six months of this year, compared with the same timeframe in 2025.

Crime surged during the coronavirus pandemic, with homicides increasing nearly 30% in 2020 over the previous year, the largest one-year jump since the FBI began keeping records. Violent crime across the U.S. dipped to near pre-pandemic levels around 2022.

The FBI collects standardized crime data from law enforcement agencies across the country through its Uniform Crime Reporting Program, though not all agencies participate. The 2025 report includes data from more than 17,000 agencies, or more than 87% of the agencies in the FBI's program, serving communities including almost 329 million Americans.

Trump was visiting the Nassau County police academy in suburban Long Island, where he was expected to promote new FBI crime statistics being released Friday showing a decrease in violent crime for 2025. But despite the setting and an array of uniformed local police officers behind him on stage, the event was overwhelmingly a political one, with Trump lashing Democrats and promoting his record and his party's candidates.

Trump's visit aimed at boosting Republicans in closely contested races across his home state, but just how much his presence will help is in question as he faces lagging approval ratings and a deeply unpopular war in Iran with no end in sight.

Trump briefly touched on the new crime statistics, but before long he was returning to familiar attacking lines, calling his opponents “Radical left Democrats” and his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, “Sleepy Joe."

“We call them Dumb-ocrats now because their policies are so dumb. Fighting to defund the police. Does that play well in this room?” Trump said at one point, turning around to look at the officers behind him.

Trump slams Democrats and promotes policies on crime, tariffs and more

He criticized the state’s Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul and insulted the state’s Attorney General, Letitia James, as “a real slob” and “a disgrace.”

James successfully sued the president and his companies for financial fraud. The Justice Department last year secured a mortgage fraud indictment against James, but the case was dismissed after a judge concluded that the prosecutor who charged her and another Trump adversary, former FBI Director James Comey, was illegally appointed.

He touted his deployment of the National Guard to cities around the U.S., including in the nation's capital. Trump repeatedly said that “young, beautiful girls in the White House" have thanked him for making Washington safer. It was not clear who he was referring to, but he said, “These young, these gorgeous, beautiful girls are — they want to be safe.”

“Two years ago, we were in a hellhole, and now we have one of the safest cities,” he said.

The new FBI statistics released Friday showed the homicide rate in the United States dropped to the lowest it’s been in 75 years. The report on 2025 crime statistics also showed that overall violent crime dropped 9.3% last year. Experts note that national violent crime rates have been declining since 2022, and pinpointing an exact reason is difficult.

Trump also promoted his tariff policies, along with his tax cuts and spending law passed last year and suggested that the tax breaks on overtime would be popular with police officers. Many of his lines, especially the political attacks, didn’t get as much of a reaction from the uniformed officers as it did from the crowd of regular Trump supporters in the audience, who enthusiastically cheered and booed on cue.

To the side of the stage during his remarks were the new U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel, who each spoke to warm up the crowd before the president. Their appearance at an event that in part was designed to help Republican candidates broke longstanding norms in which the nation’s law enforcement generally tried to steer clear of participating in overtly political events.

Also seated among the guests of honor was actor Kelsey Grammer.

Trump narrowly won Nassau County in 2024, flipping the county in the largely Democratic state to Republicans for the first time in more than two decades.

It's home to one of the largest police forces in the nation and two Democratic House seats that Republicans now see as winnable this fall, and it's home turf for Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, the Trump-endorsed Republican challenging Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul.

Crime becoming a theme in New York races

It's the second time this year Trump has visited New York in support of Blakeman and other Republicans. He stopped by the Hudson Valley area in May for a speech in which he said Blakeman would curb “out of control” crime.

Crime has emerged as a significant issue in the governor's race, with both candidates claiming to have the better track record of making New Yorkers safe. Hochul visited a different Long Island police department in July to announce a statewide investment in policing technology.

Blakeman, who briefly took the stage during Trump's remarks, said he was honored Trump was visiting.

In a Fox Business interview on Thursday, Blakeman downplayed concerns that Trump's visit would be unpopular with voters in New York City.

“When the most powerful person in the world comes to visit you and shows that you have a relationship together, I think that’s a very good thing,” Blakeman said, adding that even voters who disagree with Trump might appreciate a governor with a direct line to the president.

Hochul campaign spokesperson Ryan Radulovacki said the governor “has invested billions in public safety to protect New Yorkers — ‘MAGA all the way’ Bruce Blakeman is bringing Donald Trump to tour the county where he let violent crime spike to decade highs and Trump’s unaccountable ICE agents abuse their power.”

For GOP, safety is seen as a winning issue

Matt Gorman, a Republican strategist, said Trump's visit stands to boost Blakeman along with Republican challengers looking to unseat a pair of Democratic incumbents in Nassau County districts. Michael LiPetri Jr. is challenging Rep. Tom Suozzi in New York's 3rd Congressional District, while Jeanine Driscoll is opposing Rep. Lauren Gillen in the 4th Congressional District.

The focus on crime is seen as a cornerstone issue for Republicans that appeals to Trump's base along with suburban swing voters, Gorman said.

“On the strategic level, crime is an issue that Republicans feel comfortable going on offense with, where the country kind of broadly agrees with them,” he said.

Trump is touting the issue as he faces low approval ratings on a number of other issues, including the economy and the Iran war. An AP-NORC poll from August 2025 found that Trump’s handling of crime was among his strongest issues, though his approval on the issue had fallen by 10 points by December 2025.

___

Price reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Eric Tucker in Washington and Claudia Lauer in Philadelphia contributed to this report.

The S&P 500 slipped 0.2% from its record set the day before. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 107 points, or 0.2%, and the Nasdaq composite sank 0.3%.

Stocks gave up modest gains from early in the morning after oil prices swung higher. The price for a barrel of Brent crude rose 1.7% to $88.52 as uncertainty continues about when the war with Iran will allow oil tankers to freely exit the Persian Gulf again.

Also raising uncertainty was a report showing shoppers spent less at U.S. retailers last month than the month before. That surprised economists, who were forecasting another month of growth.

On the bright side for financial markets, such a pullback in spending could take pressure off inflation. Inflation remains much higher than anyone would like, but reports earlier this week suggested the pace of increases in prices is decelerating.

If inflation keeps trending that way, it could encourage the Federal Reserve to hold off on hikes to interest rates. Higher rates would help keep a lid on inflation, but they do so by intentionally slowing the economy and making it more expensive for everyone to borrow money.

The downside of such data, including last week’s surprisingly weak report on the U.S. job market, is that they raise the risk of a slowing economy. The Fed has no good tool to fix both a stagnating economy and high inflation at the same time, which is why what’s called “stagflation” is seen as a worst-case scenario.

Some on Wall Street cautioned against overreacting to the weak data on U.S. retail sales, even if it was broad based. It could simply be a snap back after retail sales in earlier months were boosted by unusual factors such as big tax refunds, the World Cup and even an earlier Prime Day event at Amazon, according to Jennifer Timmerman, senior investment strategy analyst at Wells Fargo Investment Institute.

U.S. consumers nevertheless appear to be getting more discouraged about the economy. A preliminary survey by the University of Michigan suggested sentiment among them is weakening by more than economists expected.

The survey said drops occurred across the political spectrum and showed up particularly among older, lower-income and other groups who can be hurt most by inflation.

On Wall Street, Reddit jumped 12.6% after learning its stock will join the S&P 500 index on Tuesday. Many professional investors and funds closely track the index, either mimicking it or at least measuring their performance against it. That can push many to buy a stock automatically when it enters the index.

Applied Materials fell 5.1% even though the company, whose technology helps make semiconductors, reported stronger profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected. CEO Gary Dickerson said global hunger for artificial-intelligence technology helped it deliver another record quarter.

But its stock had already more than doubled this year and built expectations very high, which helped pressure the stock on Friday.

AI stocks in general have been swinging sharply on worries that their prices shot too high because of AI euphoria and that their strong growth in revenue may not be sustainable.

All told, the S&P 500 fell 13.23 points to 7,785.76. Despite the loss, it nevertheless closed out a third straight winning week, its longest such streak since a nine-week run that ended in May.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 107.58 to 53,732.41, and the Nasdaq composite sank 73.86 to 26,729.16.

In the bond market, Treasury yields ticked higher and followed the price of oil. The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose to 4.69% from 4.63% late Thursday.

In stock markets abroad, indexes were mixed in Europe and Asia.

London’s FTSE 100 slipped 0.2% after Nigel Farage regained the seat in Parliament he quit a month ago, beating trash-can wearing comic candidate Count Binface in a special election.

South Korea’s Kospi again had one of the world’s sharpest moves and jumped 2.4% for its third straight gain of at least that much. Seoul has been at the center of the world’s swings for AI stocks because its market is dominated by two tech giants, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix.

___

AP Business Writers Michelle Chapman and Elaine Kurtenbach contributed to this report.

Retail sales fell 0.6% last month, marking the biggest decrease since May 2025, compared with a revised gain of 0.2% in June, according to the Commerce Department data released Friday. Economists were projecting a small increase.

The decline followed a notable bump in spending in both April and May as Americans dipped into their government tax refunds.

The drop in spending for July, however, raised concern among some economists about the resiliency of consumers who have powered the economy forward despite nagging inflation and soaring gasoline prices. Yet, it may be too early to declare a retreat by one of the strongest and most consistent forces in the U.S. economy of late.

Still, the weak sales report follows unexpectedly sluggish jobs figures last week, and both suggest the economy could be slowing after strong consumer and business spending in the first half of the year.

Separately, consumers turned more pessimistic about the economy this month, likely driven by stubbornly high prices, according to the University of Michigan’s consumer sentiment index, released Friday.

While most economists still expect solid economic growth in the July-September quarter, many have lowered their forecasts in the wake of the retail sales report.

Prices in July, which were not adjusted for inflation, were impacted by falling sales at gas stations. Fuel prices remained low until later in the month when evidence of a stalemate between the U.S. and Iran in the Strait of Hormuz began to grow. Business at gas stations fell 0.9% last month, according to the report.

Gas prices have been rising since the final week of July and ticked higher again overnight to $4.08 per gallon, up from $3.85 a month ago, according to motor club AAA. That's 92 cents more per gallon than Americans were paying last year at this time.

Gas prices typically begin to recede in August as the driving season comes to a close and the AAA said this week that the high cost of fuel for Americans this late in the year is unprecedented.

Excluding sales at gas stations and auto dealers, retail sales in July fell 0.2%.

Business at motor vehicle and parts dealers saw a 1.8% drop from a 1.9% increase in June, which was helped by auto makers' promotion incentives.

Electronics and appliance sales declined 0.5%. Online sales fell 2.2% from June when they were fueled by spending surrounding Amazon’s four-day Prime Day event that began in late June, earlier than previous years.

The drop in online sales weighed heavily on the so-called control group—which excludes food services, autos, building materials and gas station sales and is used to calculate economic growth. That figure fell 0.4% last month.

“American consumers are showing signs of fatigue, “ Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union, wrote Friday. “July retail sales were disappointing on all levels.”

But the weak sales seemed to be concentrated in a few areas.

Among some of the bright spots in the report: clothing and accessories stores, furniture and home furnishing stores as well as building material and garden supplies merchants all posted gains last month.

The data offers only a snapshot of consumer spending and doesn’t include activities like travel and hotel stays. But the lone services category – restaurants – registered a healthy 0.5% increase

“Though the latest numbers warrant a downgrade to the spending forecast, it’d be premature to write off the consumer,” Bernard Yaros, lead U.S. economist at Oxford Economics said.

He noted the job market is “broadly balanced,” and wealthy households, boosted by strong gains in the stock market, continue to spend.

New data this week showed that inflation declined slightly in July as gas and grocery prices slipped, though it is still rising more quickly than before the Iran war.

Consumer prices increased 3.4% in July from a year ago, down slightly from 3.5% in June, the Labor Department said Wednesday. Inflation had fallen to 2.4% before the Iran war. On a monthly basis, prices rose just 0.1% from June to July.

The modest decline marked the second straight decrease after sharply higher gas prices pushed inflation to 4.2% in May, a three-year high.

Given the volatile economic environment, economists are closely watching how families spend behind Christmas.

Shopping has been steady, though Americans have dialed in on sales as they grow more careful with their money.

Off-price retailers, consumer electronics and office supply retailers have had a “strong early start” to the back-to-school season, said Elizabeth Lafontaine, director of research at Placer.ai.

“Consumers have looked to take advantage of early deals to check off their lists,” Lafontaine said.

Walmart, Target and other retailers have been pushing discounts for the fall season, seeking to lure inflation-weary shoppers.

Target, for example, says that 95% of prices for school supplies are at or below last year’s levels.

Retailers begin reporting quarterly earnings next week.

Stephen Yalof, CEO of the outlet mall operator Tanger, noted an increase in foot traffic this summer because of the World Cup festivities.

More Americans were shopping too, Yalof said, because more people are vacationing close to home to save money.

“We’re rewarding with value, and we’re getting customers to come in … and shop more frequently,” Yalof told The Associated Press.

____

AP Economics Writer Christopher Rugaber contributed to this report from Washington.

Prosecutor Kym Worthy said Delmar Jijuan-Raffile Williams was charged in the case.

The alleged theft occurred July 26, 2026, around 6:30 a.m. at a senior assisted living facility in the 250 block of McDougall Street in Detroit.

According to prosecutors, Williams removed and stole the catalytic converters from 14 of the facility’s buses before fleeing the scene.

An investigation by the Detroit Police Department led to Williams’ arrest on July 27, prosecutors said.

Williams is charged with one count of larceny of $20,000 or more and 14 counts of larceny from a motor vehicle.

Williams was arraigned after 10:30 a.m. Friday, Aug. 14, 2026, in 36th District Court.

The main opposition leader claimed he had been questioned by the army, and police said one person was killed at a polling station during Thursday's vote. Police identified the person as a party official and said they had arrested nine suspects.

While the counting was suspended, riot police and soldiers in armored vehicles were deployed to parts of the capital, Lusaka, including the main vote tallying center, though there were no immediate reports of any major unrest.

It was an unusual set of developments for the southern African country of 22 million people, which has held largely peaceful elections since it returned to multiparty democracy in 1991.

“The violence is targeted at poll staff and in some instances has resulted in the theft of marked ballot papers in ballot boxes,” the Electoral Commission of Zambia said in a statement announcing vote counting had been halted.

It did not say who was responsible for the violence or the alleged theft of ballot papers.

Counting restarts after security threat is ‘contained’

Electoral commission head Mwangala Zaloumis later announced counting would start again and said the violence affected a small number of polling stations in Lusaka.

“Following a review of the security situation and consultations with the relevant law enforcement agencies, I’m pleased to inform you and to inform the nation that the security threat to the electoral process has been contained,” she said at a press briefing.

The main opposition candidate, Brian Mundubile, said in a video statement that his alliance of parties had “received deeply troubling reports from several parts of the country” and called into question the credibility of the election.

He later said on social media that he was being interrogated by the army.

The president calls for peace and patience

Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema, who ran for a second five-year term, called for Zambians to “remain peaceful, patient and patriotic as we await the official outcome from those entrusted with managing the vote” in a statement on X.

Thursday's election was seen as a test of Hichilema's economic recovery plan after the copper-rich nation was plunged into a debt crisis in 2020. Hichilema was elected in 2021 and oversaw the restructuring of Zambia's sovereign debt while reining in inflation and stabilizing the currency.

But critics say that economic stability has not trickled down to many people in Zambia, where poverty is widespread and frustration has grown over the high cost of living and electricity shortages.

The government was under scrutiny before the election

There was also criticism of Hichilema ahead of this election by the opposition and independent rights groups, which said his government was squeezing dissent. Mundubile’s alliance accused the government of being behind a law enforcement agency raid on its offices days before the election and claimed the action was designed to hurt the alliance’s campaign.

Hichilema, 64, was one of 14 candidates in the presidential election, but his biggest challenge was thought to come from Mundubile, a 55-year-old law graduate who emerged this year as the leader of the opposition alliance.

Zambians also voted for members of Parliament and local government councilors. About 8 million people were registered to vote at more than 13,500 polling stations. Final results were expected by Monday, according to the electoral commission.

The opposition claims election interference

Mundubile had said the suspension of the vote counting could lead to “an opportunity for interference with or manipulation of the results.”

“Put the records before the nation and allow every number to be reconciled. The people of Zambia voted. Their decision must be respected,” he said.

Mundubile said he had received information that members of the military had taken control of vote counting stations in at least one town and boxes containing ballots had been taken away from stations in other places, though he did not provide any evidence for those claims.

Zambia gained independence from Britain in 1964 and was a one-party state from 1973 to 1991. It has held largely peaceful votes and transfers of power between parties and political alliances since then.

Hichilema himself was once imprisoned on charges of treason when he was an opposition leader in 2017 during a bitter rivalry with then-President Edgar Lungu. He was held for four months after his motorcade did not give way to Lungu’s on a road and claimed he was tortured during his imprisonment.

Hichilema was released after international condemnation of the arrest and beat Lungu in an election in 2021.

Mundubile served in Lungu's government and rose to lead the opposition alliance challenging Hichilema after Lungu died last year.

___

AP video journalist Alfonso Nqunjana contributed to this report.

___

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

Joining the S&P 500 is considered an achievement for a company because the index is a widely followed measure of the broader U.S. stock market’s health. A company is selected for the index based on several criteria that demonstrate stability, including market size and consistent profitability.

Reddit's stock surged 12.6% Friday.

Aside from status, inclusion means more investments. The index tracks 500 of the biggest U.S. stocks, and trillions of dollars in investments benchmark themselves against it. Those investments include mutual funds and exchange-traded funds. Essentially, those funds will have to buy the stock once it becomes part of the index that the fund is tracking or mimicking.

Investors are depending more than ever on funds that simply mimic indexes such as the S&P 500. It’s a lower-cost way to invest, allowing savers to keep more of their investments. Partly because of that, such index funds have usually proven to be better performers than funds that try to pick and choose individual stocks.

Reddit will join the benchmark index as of Tuesday. A stock must trade publicly for at least 12 months to join the S&P 500. The operator of the index, S&P Dow Jones Indices, stuck to that guideline recently when it declined to fast-track SpaceX into the index after the space exploration company's massive initial public offering in June.

Reddit's inclusion comes weeks after it posted strong financial results for the second quarter. That included its highest-ever quarterly revenue. The company has been posting profits almost every quarter since it went public in 2024.

Wall Street expects profits to more than double overall in 2026 on a surge in revenue.

A jury deadlocked in June over whether to convict Jonathan Rinderknecht of intentionally sparking the fire that killed 12 people as it incinerated much of the Pacific Palisades and other neighborhoods in Malibu. Ten out of 12 jurors wanted to acquit him on all three felony charges, leading the judge to declare a mistrial. Federal prosecutors vowed to try again, and a second trial is set to start in the fall.

In a new indictment filed Thursday, prosecutors reduced their case against Rinderknecht to two charges and narrowed their scope.

Prosecutors allege that Rinderknecht used a barbecue lighter on Jan. 1, 2025, to spark a fire that burned undetected deep in root systems before flaring back up Jan. 7 to become the Palisades fire, which destroyed more than 6,800 buildings.

All three charges in the first trial blamed Rinderknecht for setting both the Jan. 1 fire and the Palisades Fire. In the new indictment, only one charge references both fires. The other only focuses on the destruction caused by the first fire.

Rinderknecht’s attorney and a spokesperson for the U.S. attorney’s office declined to comment on the new indictment. U.S. District Judge Anne Hwang is holding a status conference for an arraignment on Wednesday.

Throughout the first trial, prosecutors argued that Rinderknecht was the only person in the area when the Jan. 1 fire began and presented a digital trail seeking to show he was motivated by a desire to take revenge on society over rampant economic inequality. They also presented hours of recorded interviews with Rinderknecht in which he offered inconsistent recollections about his movements that night.

Rinderknecht's attorneys argued that prosecutors lacked direct evidence showing that he started the fire and that they failed to consider fireworks as a potential cause of the first fire.

U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill made the ruling Thursday, writing that Idaho's “Defense of Life Act" and “Fetal Heartbeat Act” — which together create a near-total ban on abortion — violate the due process and equal protection clauses of the 14th Amendment. Physicians who violate the laws can lose their license and face up to five years in prison.

Both laws include narrow exceptions, including abortions done to prevent the death of a pregnant woman or in some cases of rape or incest where the pregnant person has filed a police report.

The case isn't about bodily autonomy or reproductive choice, Winmill wrote in the 81-page decision, but rather the “limit of the state's power to make a woman suffer for the sake of an unborn child.”

The state can't pick and choose which life-threatening conditions justify abortion, he wrote.

“A pregnant woman’s health is not a state resource to be allocated at the legislature’s whim,” Winmill wrote.

Idaho's attorney general plans to appeal

Dr. Stacy Seyb, a Boise maternal-fetal medicine specialist who sued over the law in 2024, said the ruling will allow him to practice medicine without fear of prosecution, and to offer patients with serious medical conditions the option of ending a pregnancy without having to leave the state.

Idaho Attorney General Raul Labrador said he would appeal, and is “confident this decision will be overturned.”

“The Supreme Court made clear that abortion policy belongs to the people and their elected representatives, not a single federal judge," Labrador wrote in a statement.

A doctor says the ban forced patients out of state

In the lawsuit, Seyb said he wanted to provide abortions to patients facing serious health risks, including those at high risk of self-harm from mental illnesses. He also said he should be able to provide abortions when the fetus has been diagnosed with a fatal or grave condition, when a miscarriage is inevitable, or in multi-fetal pregnancies where reducing the number of fetuses would increase the likelihood that the others would survive.

Attorneys for county prosecutors and the Idaho Attorney General argued that Seyb misunderstood the state's abortion ban, and that the ban already allows most health-preserving abortions. But Winmill said there is a gap between life-saving abortions and abortions performed to prevent non-lethal harm, and noted that Seyb said he has to refer patients in that gap to other states for care — including several with grave pregnancy complications who had to be flown to Utah for treatment.

Judge: Idaho can't force women to bear permanent damage for a fetus

Winmill said just like the state can't force a mother to donate a kidney to her toddler, it can't force a pregnant woman to suffer serious harm for a fetus.

The judge also said there is no reason to treat mental illness differently than other health conditions. Barring a pregnant woman from life-saving care for mental illness threats is “an affront to human dignity,” Winmill wrote.

Seyb noted suicide and overdose are among the leading causes of death for pregnant and post-partum people in the U.S., and that between 2018 and 2021 mental health conditions were the most common underlying cause of maternal death in Idaho according to the state's Maternal Mortality Review Committee.

In cases where there is no elevated health risk for the mother — including situations where the fetus will die shortly after birth or in multi-gestation pregnancies where aborting one fetus will help the others survive — there is no fundamental right at stake, Winmill found.

That's because in these cases, the law is rationally related to the state's interest in preventing abortions based on mistaken fetal diagnoses and affirming the dignity of people with profound disabilities, Winmill wrote.

And physicians could still face civil penalties for performing abortions under another state law, which allows extended family members of an aborted fetus to sue the provider for at least $20,000.

Abortion is on the ballot this fall in Idaho and other states

Idaho voters will decide this fall whether to roll back the state's abortion ban. If approved, the voter-led initiative would allow abortion until fetal viability, which is generally considered to be after 21 weeks.

Voters in Virginia and Nevada, where abortion is legal through at least 24 weeks, will consider state constitutional amendments creating a right to abortion. In Missouri, voters are being asked to override a constitutional amendment passed in 2024 in order to bring back an abortion ban.

Trump’s solicitor general petitioned the high court to suspend last week’s decision by a three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. Chief Justice John Roberts set a deadline of Tuesday for a response by plaintiffs challenging the ballroom project.

The divided appeals court panel ruled last week Trump must stop the White House ballroom’s construction because Congress has not approved the project. The panel’s majority said Trump doesn’t have the unilateral authority to build a 90,000-square-foot (8,400-square-meter) ballroom where the White House’s East Wing stood before he ordered its demolition last fall.

The lower court suspended its own ruling for two weeks to give Trump's Republican administration time to appeal to the Supreme Court. Solicitor General D. John Sauer asked the Supreme Court to rule on its stay petition before the appeals court panel’s decision takes effect on Aug. 21.

"This case involves an extraordinary and unlawful injunction that will halt the ongoing construction of the integrated military complex, including a totally secure ballroom space, at the East Wing of the White House, which is vitally required by national security,” Sauer wrote.

Friday's court filing includes the administration's first confirmation that a threatened missile attack on Air Force One prompted the Secret Service to secretly fly Trump out of Turkey last month on an alternate military aircraft. In arguing for the need for a secure ballroom space, the filing cites “the threat of a missile attack against Air Force One on July 8” in a list of recent assassination attempts against Trump.

The filing also asserts that the project is “on time and under budget” with approximately $400 million in private donations obviating the need for any taxpayer dollars to be spent. However, Democrats in Congress have said it appears that funds from Trump's “ big, beautiful ” tax cuts bill appear to be paying for ballroom work. The administration also has requested additional funding from Congress for the project, but lawmakers haven’t approved it.

In April, a district court judge ordered a stop to aboveground construction of the planned ballroom. But the judge stressed that the White House was free to proceed with underground work, including the construction of any bunkers, military installations and medical facilities.

The D.C. Circuit panel’s 2-1 decision upheld an order to pause aboveground construction on the project, siding with historic preservationists who sued to stop construction of the ballroom.

“Whether or not a massive ballroom should be constructed is for Congress to decide and is not a matter for Executive self-help,” wrote the majority's two judges, both appointed by Democratic presidents.

A third judge disagreed, finding that the preservationist group that challenged the project had no legal right to sue.

“The district court elevated the aesthetic displeasure of a single passerby over the government’s security interests in the ballroom,” wrote Judge Neomi Rao, who was appointed by Trump.

The Trump administration argues that the president, not Congress or the courts, has unimpeded authority to renovate the White House. The current state of the project, essentially an open construction site, makes it harder to protect the White House, the Justice Department contends.

The administration also says the National Trust for Historic Preservation does not have the legal right, or standing, to sue over the ballroom, which is part of Trump’s plans to quickly remake Washington. The solicitor general said the ballroom project “should be a matter for the President and the political process, not construction-by-injunction.”

In response to the petition, the trust accused the White House of trying to “outrun the courts" by accelerating construction work, pointing to the administration's plans to install 1 million pounds of rebar and pour another 3,000 cubic yards of concrete in the next week alone.

“The Administration’s transparent efforts to evade the rule of law, frustrate judicial review, and limit the availability of meaningful relief in the courts must stop here,” the plaintiffs said in a statement.

During an appeals court hearing in early June, an administration lawyer defended a broad view of presidential control over iconic public facilities. The government could bulldoze the Statue of Liberty and the White House, Justice Department lawyer Yaakov Roth said in response to a hypothetical question, and the descendants of immigrants who came through Ellis Island and the enslaved people who built the White House would not have standing to sue.

The D.C. Circuit panel upheld a ruling by U.S. District Judge Richard Leon, who was nominated by Republican President George W. Bush. Leon concluded that a pause wouldn’t jeopardize national security. He also exempted any construction work that is necessary for the safety and security of the White House.

The ballroom has been under construction for 10 months. The administration says the work is roughly 65% finished.

“Given those developments, the injunction promises chaos in service of nothing,” Sauer wrote.

The Taliban regained control of Afghanistan on Aug. 15, 2021, after it launched an offensive as the U.S. and other NATO troops withdrew from the country after two decades of war. The withdrawal led to chaotic scenes at and around Kabul’s airport with thousands wanting to leave.

“Thank God, the past five years have passed in safety,” said Mohammad Qasim, 30, reflecting on the anniversary that comes against a backdrop of economic hardship in a conflict-stricken country. “Our wish and hope from the government is to create job opportunities for the youth.”

“We, along with the entire nation, call upon the government to create employment opportunities for the youth and to encourage them to pursue education,” he added.

Taliban curbs women's rights despite pledge

Before the takeover, the Taliban stated that, upon assuming power, it would allow women access to education, employment and public participation, albeit in accordance with its interpretation of Islamic principles.

Soon after it seized power, the Taliban imposed an indefinite ban on girls’ education beyond the sixth grade and, a few months later, also banned higher education for women until “further notice.”

Women also were banned from entering gyms, parks and public baths, from taking part in sports and traveling to distant locations without a “mahram,” or male guardian.

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid has repeatedly said the administration is working to establish conditions under which girls and women can attend classrooms or university campuses in line with Islamic Sharia laws. The restrictions, nevertheless, remain in force.

While the United Nations has acknowledged that the country has become more stable since the takeover, it has warned that lasting stability cannot be possible unless the Taliban rulers — who remain isolated internationally — lift restrictions on women and girls, protect basic rights and address terrorism concerns.

“A reduction in conflict has brought tangible benefits for many Afghans and created opportunities to focus on recovery, development and regional economic cooperation,” the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, or UNAMA, said in a statement ahead of the anniversary. It added, however, that the restrictions on women and girls impede Afghanistan’s recovery and its reintegration with the international community.

UN says Afghanistan in world's most severe women's rights crisis

In a statement this week, the U.N.'s agency on women’s rights said Afghan women and girls are living under the world’s most severe restrictions, which not only violate their rights but also threaten the country’s social and economic future.

“Half a decade after the Taliban takeover in August 2021, Afghanistan has systematically dismantled the rights of half its population, making it a global outlier with no parallel in the modern world,” U.N. Women said.

“In the past year alone, this exclusion of women and girls from education, employment, public life, justice systems and healthcare has only intensified, entrenching what remains the world’s most severe women’s rights crisis,” it said.

Fazila Soroush, a 39-year-old Kabul-based entrepreneur and an advocate for women’s rights, said the government had “demonstrated its worth to the people through its actions in every area.”

“We consider it essential that the officials of the Islamic Emirate who had announced the closure of schools and universities until further notice, now make a clear and practical decision regarding this matter,” she said.

In the streets of Kabul, preparations for the anniversary celebrations were underway. Vendors sold the Taliban’s white with black scripted flags while painters were busy writing slogans in praise of Islamic laws on walls, including: “The Islamic system has been achieved at the cost of the martyrs’ blood” and “Our commitment stands firm: Consolidation and implementation of Islamic Sharia.”

Taliban says it brought security and stability

Molvi Hayatullah Mahajar Farahi, deputy minister in the Taliban government for broadcasting at the Ministry of Information and Culture, said in the five years the administration has delivered security, stabilized the currency, improved infrastructure and formed industrial parks that have created jobs.

“Naturally, challenges and difficulties exist, yet we can highlight several accomplishments,” Farahi told The Associated Press.

Farahi, when asked, did not address the issue of the education of girls and women but said “the level of investment made in universities surpasses anything seen in the past.

“The Emirate continues its efforts to further organize and improve services for our citizens in the fields of education and other sectors,” he stated.

The deputy minister rejected a U.N. report that documented terrorist networks in Afghanistan, saying “these are merely enemy propaganda, spread to portray the country as unstable.”

Asked to comment about its international isolation, Farahi insisted the Taliban government was engaged with some 40 countries. The Taliban government currently is only formally recognized by Russia.

“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has fulfilled all the requirements necessary for official recognition. It is now up to the international community and others to step forward and take the appropriate action,” he said.

UN points to broader educational crisis

The bans have left an estimated 2.4 million girls excluded from secondary education, UNESCO, the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, said this week — a 200,000 increase from last year. The restrictions have reversed two decades of progress that Afghanistan had made in education, the agency said.

Pointing at a broader educational crisis, the agency said 53% of primary school-aged children are out of school. Schools lack basic infrastructure such as water, sanitation or heating, while natural disasters have also led to hundreds of school closures.

Meanwhile, the U.N. World Food Program said child malnutrition has reached critical levels in a third of Afghanistan’s provinces and is expected to worsen as funding shortfalls force cuts in food distributions and other support.

Speaking Friday from Kabul, the special representative for the U.N. women's agency Sarah Ferguson urged donors not to abandon Afghan women and girls, saying the agency is getting only a quarter of what it needs. She said more than half the 74 women's organizations surveyed in April in Afghanistan said they were close to suspending or halting work because of aid cuts.

In Kabul, Dost Mohammad Khan expressed support for the Taliban administration, saying the past five years have brought stability. He said, however, that the country needs trained professionals such as doctors and engineers, urging the authorities to keep “all sectors operational.”

“We also call upon the Islamic Emirate to permit women to attend school under the sharia dress code and we urge the public to heed the directives of the Emirate also,” said the 38-year-old.

___

Fraser reported from Ankara, Turkey.

The four whales, named Caspian, Peekachu, Rain and Secord, were the second group of belugas sent to Chicago's Shedd Aquarium from Marineland, in Ontario near Niagara Falls, after an initial four arrived in July.

They are among a total of 30 whales and four dolphins that will be transported from Marineland after the Canadian government approved of the rescue plan, which might have saved them from mass euthanasia.

Marineland announced in early 2023 that it was for sale and closed to the public in late summer 2024. Twenty whales — 19 belugas and one killer whale — have died at Marineland since 2019, according to provincial government data obtained through freedom-of-information laws and official statements.

As part of the rescue efforts, the whales have been making their international trips in custom-built slings and temperature-controlled transport containers. A team of experts flew to Canada to meet the whales’ previous caretakers months prior and pored over years of their health records in preparation for the trip.

“This is a very complex and unprecedented rescue effort. This has never been done before,” said Charlie Jacobsma, the director of animal behavior and training at the Shedd Aquarium.

The new arrivals first interacted with other whales already at the aquarium through gates to find the best aquatic roommates, he said. The whales for now live in the same space as three other belugas, and they trade “signs of affiliation” and sounds with each other.

“Belugas are very social animals,” he said. “It was really special to be able to see some of our animals pairing up with these new animals.”

Dr. Karisa Tang, Shedd’s lead veterinarian, said all the belugas are taking the adjustment to their new home “day by day.”

Tang said the whales are monitored “hour by hour, minute by minute,” including their food intake, interactions with other animals and signs of their mood, like “relaxed swimming.” Caretakers look for signs of soreness or bruises on their bodies.

Belugas have “great personalities” and expressive faces, she said.

“Every single day it is an absolute joy to work with belugas,” she added. “There’s something about them that seems magical.”

Under the plan, the belugas and dolphins are being relocated to five marine parks: Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, SeaWorld locations in San Antonio and San Diego, and Oceanografic Valencia.

___

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

The attacks caused no casualties but underlined the dangers faced by vessels moving cargo through the critical waterway that connects the Persian Gulf to the open oceans, as Iran keeps a firm grip on the passage.

Here’s a look at the latest developments in the Iran war and the wider Middle East. Full coverage can be found here.

2 oil tankers hit by drones as they transited Strait of Hormuz

Two tankers owned by Abu Dhabi’s state-owned oil and gas company ADNOC were attacked Thursday evening while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, the company said. It added that the attack caused no injuries and that “the situation has been brought under control.”

The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Center said two vessels were reported to have suffered minor damage when attacked by drones while transiting the Strait of Hormuz. It did not identify them as the ADNOC ships, but it appeared to be the same incident.

The UAE's Foreign Ministry blamed the attacks on Iran and said they were a “flagrant violation” of the United Nations' principles of freedom of navigation.

“Targeting commercial shipping and using the Strait of Hormuz as a tool of economic coercion or blackmail represents acts of piracy by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps,” the Foreign Ministry said.

There was no immediate response from Iran.

Activists bring food and water to Palestinians under siege by Israeli settlers

Activists from Israel and other countries marched through the occupied West Bank, bringing food and water to Palestinians who have been under siege by Israeli settlers for days.

Three Palestinian families in the town of Qusra have been unable to leave their homes for nearly a week after settlers surrounded the area. Israeli troops intervened multiple times, but the settlers have kept returning.

The standoff in the northern West Bank town of Qusra is the latest in a wave of settler violence in the territory, which Israel seized in the 1967 Mideast war and which would make up part of a future Palestinian state.

Defense Minister Israel Katz instructed the army to prepare a plan to transfer power to the police to enforce civilian-related matters, the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

Yemen says it disrupted a Houthi attack as fighting continues

Yemen’s military said its forces thwarted Houthi attacks early Friday in southwestern Yemen amid ongoing fighting with the Iran-backed rebels.

Forces affiliated with Yemen’s internationally recognized government said in a statement that dozens of Houthis were killed and injured in fighting that disrupted plans to attack military reinforcements in Taiz province with drones, explosives and artillery.

The Associated Press was unable to independently verify that toll.

A fire broke out Friday at the port in Mokha, where Houthis launched missiles targeting the port’s infrastructure, according to a spokesman for Yemen’s joint military forces. The spokesman, Wadah al-Dubaish, could not immediately say if anyone was killed or wounded.

The Houthis said Friday they targeted Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia's state-owned oil company, with a drone strike in the city of Najran near Yemen's border. There was no immediate comment from Aramco or Saudi Arabia.

Recent Houthi attacks on government-held areas across Yemen have raised fears that the country’s civil war could reignite and open another front in the Middle East.

Kushner will head to Middle East for talks on Gaza

U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and negotiator Jared Kushner will travel to the Middle East next week to try to advance plans for an end to the conflict in Gaza after a deal recently announced by the Trump administration ran into Israeli opposition.

An official with the Board of Peace, the body Trump established to oversee the fragile ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, said Kushner, board high representative Nickolay Mladenov, and executive board member and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair would arrive in Israel on Sunday.

The group will then travel to Cairo, where meetings of a Palestinian technocratic group set to assume control of Gaza under a U.S.-brokered ceasefire deal have been taking place for the past several months, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because planning for details of the trip has not yet been finalized.

The trip was reported earlier by Axios.

— Matthew Lee in Washington

Catania’s airport will remain closed until Saturday afternoon, which falls on the Ferragosto holiday that marks the height of the Italian summer holiday season when millions flock to the sea and mountains, deserting Italian cities.

While Etna’s activity often interrupts flights at the airport, located 30 kilometers (20 miles) south of the volcano, this is the longest emergency since 2002.

“Volcanic ash can be a great risk for aircraft,” said Boris Behncke, a researcher at the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology’s Etna Observatory. “It can be sucked into the motors, and force them to stall. This is why everyone is so very cautious with aircraft when there is a volcanic ash emission."

Etna is the largest active volcano in Europe. The latest activity has been unusual for its persistence and sustained ash emissions. Northerly winds have spread light amounts of ash to Malta and northern Africa.

“There have been many shorter interruptions — and stronger eruptions — over the past few decades, but this event is different because the ash emission from Etna’s summit has been much more persistent,” Behncke said.

The closure has forced planes to be rerouted to other airports on the island, which has pushed up taxi fares and car rental prices, according to the Corriere della Sera daily. The Codacons consumer association has announced it will file a complaint with Italy’s competition authority following complaints about price gouging.

The SAC airport operator said 36% of nearly 2,000 flights scheduled to arrive in Catania from Aug. 6-12 had been canceled, while more than 600 were diverted to Palermo, Trapani and Comiso in Sicily and Lamezia Terme in Calabria. Flights were able to depart Catania over the weekend, but the airport was officially closed to both incoming and outgoing flights Monday. Comiso also was briefly closed.

The Italian train company Trenitalia has added six trains along the Palermo-Messina-Catania route to help ease the travel pressure.

Italy's federation of travel agencies and tour operators has called for a task force to coordinate responses to disruptions caused by Mount Etna and said it would ask for a review of how airlines handled the cancellations and passenger assistance.

“Operators are working around the clock to provide assistance, cancellations and alternative travel arrangements, but they cannot bear the burden of structural shortcomings and the management responsibilities of others," FIAVET President Gian Mario Pilieri said in a statement.

Lawrence Mayor Brian DePena was charged Friday with one count of wire fraud and one count of money laundering.

DePena, 61, is accused obtaining a COVID-19 small-business loan worth $1.5 million for his tire sales business. Rather than using the money for the business, DePena allegedly spent more than $880,000 to pay off high-interest mortgages on various businesses and put $90,000 into his mayoral campaign fund ahead of the 2021 election. DePena has been mayor since 2021 and previously served on the Lawrence City Council.

Ted Docks, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Boston Division, accused DePena of “cashing in on a public health crisis and blatantly defrauding a government program meant to keep businesses afloat during the pandemic.”

“When elected officials misuse federal funds for personal gain, they’re breaking the trust of their constituents — and breaking the law,” Docks said in a statement. “Together, with our partners, the FBI will continue to doggedly pursue anyone who defrauds the federal government. You’ll be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, and that ‘easy money’ won’t seem so easy after all.”

DePena made an initial appearance in federal court in Boston Friday afternoon. DePena was released after agreeing to several conditions, including turning over his passport and not seeking any loans without court approval.

After leaving court, DePena's lawyer Carlos Apostle repeatedly responded with “no comment” to questions. DePena, who is a citizen of the United States and Dominican Republic, responded with “God bless” when asked if he would resign. He made no other comments.

In 2020 and 2021, DePena obtained a government disaster loan for Tenares Tire Services Inc., a tire sales and automotive services in Lawrence. During the pandemic, the Small Business Administration offered loans to qualified business that were suffering financial losses.

He used a loan of $150,000 for the business. A year later, prosecutors say, DePena's mayoral campaign was running short of cash, he owed back taxes and was under pressure to pay back high-interest loans on several of his properties in Lawrence. He then requested several increases to the government loan and allegedly used $1.5 million to cover those expenses unrelated to his tire business.

If convicted on the wire fraud charge, DePena faces up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. He faces a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 if convicted on the money laudering charge.

House Majority PAC’s move is expected to raise the group’s campaign advertising in the Cleveland area to roughly $7 million, the group announced in an email obtained by The Associated Press.

Miller’s decision to press on even after calls from within his own party to step aside also prompted the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, House Democrats’ main campaign arm, this week to move Democratic challenger Brian Poindexter on to the group’s list of priority candidates.

The House Ethics Committee said last week it had opened an investigation into domestic abuse allegations against Miller. The embattled Ohio congressman also last week spoke with Trump, who did not suggest he exit the race but suggested it would be difficult.

President Donald Trump won Ohio’s 7th District in 2024 by 11 percentage points, though Democrats see the swath of suburban Cleveland and rural northeast Ohio as within reach in light of the renewed accusations from Moreno, the daughter of Ohio Republican Sen. Bernie Moreno.

Miller, whose deadline to drop from the race passed Monday, has denied the abuse claims and said he would inject $1 million of his own into his campaign.

Officials with the National Republican Congressional Committee, the GOP's House campaign arm, said Friday they would support Miller's reelection campaign.

While discussions between Iran and Oman, as well as between Iran and Pakistan, Turkey and Qatar, persist at an uneven and unpredictable pace, the U.S. administration quietly has expanded its outreach to include perhaps unlikely interlocutors in Europe.

Just this week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio met in person in Washington with the foreign minister of Austria on Tuesday and held a call with the foreign minister of Greece on Wednesday.

Those interactions were not notable beyond the normal course of relations between the U.S. and two close European allies. The official State Department readouts of the discussions were bland and vague and did not mention Iran by name as a topic of conversation.

But it then emerged that both foreign ministers — almost immediately after their talks with Rubio — spoke Thursday with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

The apparent new tack to break the negotiation logjam comes as the U.S. and Iran are both pushing for control of the Strait of Hormuz, the crucial oil shipping corridor. President Donald Trump faces little wiggle room in his next steps as the economic fallout from the war and dwindling stockpiles of key weapons pose political problems for Republicans ahead of November’s midterm congressional elections.

A desperate push is on to break the diplomatic logjam between the US and Iran

The entry by Austria and Greece is likely less of a formal mediation attempt, analysts say, and more reflective of a desperate push to halt the conflict because of the impact it has on an increasing number of countries, beyond those in the Middle East.

“Everyone is just urging both sides to stop this reckless game of chicken,” said Ali Vaez, Iran project director at the International Crisis Group.

It also shows how much Iran's effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz has forced countries, which otherwise were neutral bystanders to the larger conflict, to exercise any diplomatic sway they may have on their Iranian and American counterparts to kick-start a lasting resolution.

Mona Yacoubian, director of the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, warned that any efforts by Greece, Austria or any other non-mediating country could prove to be futile.

“While the calls to both sides may entail encouraging both Iran and the U.S. back to the negotiating table, such efforts fall short of mediation, which is a very complex endeavor and requires trust to be built by the mediator with both sides," Yacoubian said.

She added that it’s not something that any country can “just jump into.”

Rubio discussed Iran with his Austrian and Greek counterparts

The State Department said Friday that it could not comment on the timing of calls by other countries' foreign ministers and maintained that Rubio had made no requests of either to get in touch with Iran or pass messages to Araghchi.

One European diplomat, who was briefed on the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity to detail sensitive diplomatic conversations, said the timing of the calls was not an accident.

The State Department did allow, however, that Iran had been a topic of conversation in Rubio's discussions, which occurred as Trump is facing serious political headwinds over a war for which he has offered shifting objectives.

No longer purely about making Iran incapable of producing a nuclear weapon, the immediate goal has become reopening the Strait of Hormuz, where a fifth of the world's oil usually passes through and which was open before the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran on Feb. 28.

“That’s goal number one: keep oil and gas cheap for Americans all over our country,” Vice President JD Vance said in an interview Thursday on Fox News Channel. But he did not say anything about the strait being open and toll-free for transiting ships, as he had in the past.

The second goal, Vance said, is to ensure that Iran will never get a nuclear weapon.

The two European countries have key connections to the war's fallout

Austria and Greece may not be obvious choices to assist on the Iran portfolio, but Vienna is home to the International Atomic Energy Agency, which will play a key role in any resolution to the Iran’s nuclear program, and hosted the final negotiations that resulted in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Greece is a major maritime nation in the Mediterranean and has significant shipping interests in the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea.

In statements from the Austrian, Greek and Iranian foreign ministries, it was clear that Iran had been a top topic in all of the conversations this week.

The Greek foreign ministry said Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis had been briefed by Araghchi on “regional developments, and in particular on the ongoing talks regarding the Strait of Hormuz.” It said Gerapetritis “underlined the importance of freedom of navigation and maritime security.”

The Austrian foreign ministry offered Austria’s services as a venue for further potential talks with Iran and said Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger had stressed to Araghchi “the urgency of restoring stability in the region through serious diplomatic efforts.”

“There can be no military solution,” it said. “A diplomatic solution remains possible. Our priority is to safeguard freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.”

Iran’s foreign ministry, expectedly, took a different tack in explaining the calls.

It said Friday that in Araghchi’s calls with his European counterparts they discussed “mechanisms for the future management of the Strait of Hormuz,” which he said had been disrupted by the “unlawful aggression by the United States and the Israeli regime against Iran.”

In both calls, he accused the U.S. of violating the interim deal signed by both sides in June to end the immediate hostilities and begin broader talks to end the war.

___

Amiri reported from New York. Associated Press writers Derek Gatopolous in Athens and Claudia Ciobanu in Warsaw, Poland, contributed to this report.

Club owner Fenway Sports Group (FSG) said in a statement it entered into a “definitive agreement” for the sale to 1892 Holdings.

The investor group is led by Amit Bhatia, who is married to a daughter of Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, and has taken a stake of more than 30% in the 20-time English champion, according to Sky News. The deal reportedly values Liverpool at around $6 billion.

Boston-based FSG paid 300 million pounds ($400 million) to take over Liverpool in 2010 and also owns the Boston Red Sox. FSG said in July that it had been approached by the Bhatia-led consortium regarding a “strategic minority investment” in the club.

“As we considered this opportunity, it became clear that Amit and the consortium shared our long-term philosophy and appreciation for what makes Liverpool special,” FSG president Mike Gordon said in the statement.

It marks the first foray into soccer by Bezos, who, according to Forbes, is the fourth richest person in the world with a net worth of around $280 billion. He founded Amazon in 1994 and has been executive chairman since 2021.

Saverin is a Brazilian businessman worth around $36 billion, according to Forbes.

Bhatia, a British-Indian entrepreneur, was the co-owner of second-tier English team Queens Park Rangers for 18 years before stepping down recently.

“We are making this investment because we believe deeply in Liverpool and its leadership, and we look forward to supporting the club’s continued success for years to come,” Bhatia said in the statement.

Under the leadership of FSG and its principal owner John Henry, Liverpool ended a 30-year wait to be English champion in 2020 and added another Premier League title last year. That tied Manchester United on 20 English top-flight league championships.

The club was European champion for a sixth time — a record for an English team — in 2019.

The Premier League is one of the biggest competitions in sports, with its teams now largely owned by oil-rich gulf states or private equity.

Can Liverpool now start spending heavily?

Liverpool now has three of the richest people in the world as minority owners.

That doesn’t mean, however, that the club can simply start spending recklessly in the transfer market on new players.

That’s because the Premier League has financial rules in place to protect the competitive balance of the competition and ensure the financial sustainability of clubs.

In broad terms, a club’s on-pitch spending is related to 85% of its “football-related revenue and net profit/loss from player sales,” the Premier League says.

Instead, the difference will come in how Liverpool — already one of the top teams in world soccer — is marketed more around the world under Bezos and Saverin, especially.

The deal is likely to bring more commercial revenue into the club, thereby improving its profits.

___

See AP’s full soccer coverage here

Those two massive sociological forces had already joined up, Voltron-style, early in the 20th century with the development of the drive-in restaurant – that classic scene evocative of “Happy Days” where customers sat in their cars while servers (ideally on skates) brought out food that was consumed on site from window trays.

But the real innovation dates to the late 1940s and is the brainchild of either (depending on which source you trust) an In-N-Out Burger in California in 1948 or Red’s Giant Hamburg in Springfield, Missouri in 1947. (In comparison, the first reported drive-thru in Europe didn’t open until 1985 in Dublin.)

By the mid 1960s, this had mushroomed into a robust American market, spawning imitators and innovators. Jack in the Box pioneered the drive-thru exclusive restaurant with no indoor seats and no parking — and a talking mechanical clown to take your order. In Western states, residents of a certain age will recall the Wienershnitzel chain with its distinctive A-frame structures specially built with a tunnel down the middle for cars.

The innovation sparked unexpected knock-on developments. Restaurant menus shifted heavily toward sandwiches, fries, chicken strips and other portables that could be consumed on the go. The cars themselves adjusted over the years to accommodate larger and larger drink holders. What sociological (and nutritional) impact this has all had on the actual consumers would be the subject of a much longer essay.

The innovation hasn’t stopped. Modern drive-thrus have evolved into tightly coordinated multi-lane affairs. At Chick-fil-As around the country, actual humans with electronic tablets now stand – breathing in exhaust fumes all day – to ensure a seamless ordering process with no mechanical speaker garbles.

The drive-thru, with its distinctly American creative spelling, has become woven into the fabric of the culture. It has been enshrined in the Smithsonian Museum of American History and has played a memorable role in recent and successful Presidential campaigns.

As one historian put it, somewhat pointedly: “The drive-in was less a pure novelty than an expression of great American passions that go hand in hand: speed, efficiency and, sometimes, laziness.”

___

Part of a recurring series, “American Objects,” marking the 250th anniversary of the United States. For more American objects, click here. For more stories on the anniversary, click here.

The settlement, which still needs a judge's approval, came after the family filed a lawsuit against the city.

Police have said that Jazmir Tucker was carrying a loaded weapon when he was shot in November 2024. They said two officers heard gunshots, later spotted Tucker and ran after him before one fired multiple times.

Akron Mayor Shammas Malik said Officer Davon Fields was fired for multiple policy violations, including failing to properly provide medical aid and violating the department’s policy for body-worn cameras. The mayor also cited other issues related to a separate criminal allegation involving Fields.

“The loss of life and the circumstances in this case were absolutely tragic, with enormous human and financial costs,” Malik said in a statement. "We have a responsibility to make policy changes that reduce the likelihood of cases like this happening in the future.”

The head of Akron's police union called the firing unjust and said the officer was being used as a “political scapegoat.” The union plans to fight the firing, said Brian Lucey, president of the local Fraternal Order of Police.

A grand jury decided against indicting the officer nearly a year ago.

Weeks after the shooting, Akron's mayor said the bodycam video of the shooting raised questions, including why officers didn’t immediately turn on their cameras and why it took so long to provide first aid.

In the video, the shooting officer’s arms and long gun block his camera’s view, obscuring Tucker in the moments before he was shot. Another officer’s camera recorded police unzipping the jacket pocket of the wounded teenager and pulling out a handgun.

Thompson, 50, was shot outside a New York City hotel on Dec. 4, 2024, as he walked to UnitedHealth Group’s annual investor conference. Mangione was arrested five days later at a McDonald’s restaurant in Altoona, Pennsylvania, about 233 miles (375 kilometers) west of New York City.

Here is a timeline of key events:

2024

Nov. 24: A man prosecutors say is Mangione arrives in New York City on a Greyhound bus. He takes a taxi to the area of the New York Hilton Midtown, where Thompson is later shot, then goes to a hostel where he stays until the morning of the shooting. While checking in, prosecutors say, the man presents a fake New Jersey driver’s license bearing the name Mark Rosario.

Dec. 2: Thompson arrives in New York. He is staying at a hotel across the street from the Hilton.

Dec. 4: Thompson is shot and killed. The shooter, later identified by prosecutors as Mangione, waits in the area for about an hour before ambushing Thompson. He then flees through Central Park to upper Manhattan before taking the subway to Penn Station and boarding an Amtrak train to Philadelphia, police say. The shooting is captured on surveillance video.

Dec. 5: In the days after the shooting, police release various images of the suspected shooter, including one showing his face as he checked into the hostel.

Dec. 6: Police find a backpack in Central Park that they say the shooter discarded as he fled. It contains Monopoly money and a black Tommy Hilfiger jacket.

Dec. 9: Altoona police are dispatched to a McDonald’s for a report of a man matching the description of the suspect in Thompson's killing. The man provides a fake ID and name, Mark Rosario, before identifying himself as Luigi Mangione. He is arrested. In his backpack, police find a 3D-printed pistol prosecutors say matches the one used to kill Thompson and a notebook that describes wanting to “wack” a health insurance executive.

Dec. 11: Mangione shouts about an “insult to the intelligence of the American people” and writhes in the grip of sheriff’s deputies as they lead him into an Altoona courthouse.

Dec. 17: Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announces that Mangione has been indicted on state charges including murder as an act of terrorism, calling the killing “a frightening, well-planned, targeted murder that was intended to cause shock and attention and intimidation.”

Dec. 19: Mangione is extradited from Pennsylvania and flown to New York. He is led up a Manhattan pier by armed officers in a highly choreographed perp walk in front of news cameras. The mayor at the time, Eric Adams, and Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch look on. Mangione is taken to federal court, where he is charged with stalking and murder.

Dec. 23: Mangione is arraigned on state murder and terror charges. He pleads not guilty while his lawyer complains that the dueling federal and state prosecutions had turned him into a “human ping-pong ball.”

2025

April 1: Then-U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi says she has directed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty against Mangione, calling Thompson's killing “a premeditated, cold-blooded assassination that shocked America” and “an act of political violence.”

April 25: Mangione pleads not guilty to a federal murder charge as prosecutors formally declared their intent to seek the death penalty against him.

Sept. 16: The judge in the state case, Gregory Carro, throws out Mangione's terrorism charges, rejecting the prosecution’s theory that the killing was “intended to evoke terror.” The ruling eliminated the top two charges in Mangione’s state case, sparing him the possibility of a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole. Carro keeps other charges in place, including second-degree murder.

Dec. 1: A three-week evidentiary hearing kicks off in Mangione’s state case. Prosecutors call 17 witnesses, many of them police officers and other personnel involved in his arrest, and play body-camera footage of officers arresting Mangione and a 911 call from the McDonald's manager about a man resembling “the CEO shooter.” They also reveal notes about a “survival kit” and “intel checkin” and possible escape plans that they say Mangione had with him.

2026

Jan. 30: U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett bars federal prosecutors from seeking the death penalty against Mangione, dismissing a federal murder charge that enabled them to seek capital punishment. Garnett also rules that prosecutors can use evidence collected from Mangione’s backpack during his arrest.

Feb. 6: Mangione speaks out in court against the prospect of back-to-back trials, telling Carro: “It’s the same trial twice. One plus one is two. Double jeopardy by any commonsense definition.”

May 18: Carro rules that prosecutors in the state case can use the gun, notebook and other items that police found in Mangione’s backpack after his arrest. However, the judge bars items that officers took from the bag before Mangione was taken into custody, including a loaded gun magazine, cellphone, passport and wallet.

June 17: Carro discloses that Mangione plans to assert a psychiatric defense at his state murder trial, claiming he was suffering from extreme emotional disturbance when he killed Thompson. The next day, Mangione's lawyers reverse course and tell Carro he wouldn't be pursuing a psychiatric defense.

Aug. 14: Mangione pleads guilty to federal stalking charges and admits he targeted and killed Thompson. Prosecutors say they intend to seek a sentence of life in prison. Mangione's lawyers immediately file paperwork seeking to have the state murder case dismissed on double jeopardy grounds.

The strike came a day after the United Nations said July was the deadliest month for Ukrainian civilians since the weeks following Moscow's all-out invasion of its neighbor more than four years ago.

At least 437 civilians were killed and 2,610 wounded last month, the U.N. monitoring mission in Kyiv said, as Russia escalated its bombing of Ukrainian towns and cities. That was 70% higher than in July last year and 30% up on June of this year.

Overall, since Russia's invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, U.N. human rights monitors say the war has killed at least 16,874 civilians, including 820 children, and wounded 51,273, including 3,126 children.

“Every month this year the number of killed and injured civilians has increased. That trend accelerated sharply in July,” said Danielle Bell, head of the U.N. human rights monitoring mission in Kyiv. “The number of civilian casualties in July was the highest we documented in a single month since March 2022.”

The Russian strike in northern Ukraine’s Sumy region early Friday also wounded four other people, including the dead boy’s father and grandmother, who were hospitalized with severe burns, the regional military administration chief Oleh Hryhorov said.

Russia's top diplomat says Moscow will intensify its aerial attacks

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that Moscow is planning to escalate its strikes on Ukraine, even as U.S. diplomatic efforts to end the war are set to continue.

“We will use much harsher methods to destroy everything that feeds Kyiv’s war machine from the West,” Lavrov said in an interview with Russian state TV broadcast Friday, referring to military aid Kyiv receives from abroad.

Officials in Washington said last month that Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s main envoys, would travel to Kyiv sometime in the future. No date for the trip is publicly known, as the U.S. focuses on the Iran war.

Zelenskyy has accepted an unconditional ceasefire demanded by Trump, but Putin has refused, demanding a comprehensive peace agreement first, and Lavrov said that position hasn’t changed.

“We will only stop when there’s a long-term, reliable and sustainable settlement,” he said.

Russian glide bombs hit residential areas near front line

In Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, a Russian glide bomb demolished six floors of a 10-story apartment block, killing one person and wounding 16 others, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

Russia is launching around 220 glide bombs every day against settlements near the front line in eastern and southern Ukraine, Zelenskyy said in a social media post Friday.

Russian forces crush settlements with the brute force of 3,000-pound (1,300-kilo) glide bombs, artillery, missiles and drones, then send in infantry units to attack the exposed defenders. The tactic has rendered many towns and villages uninhabitable.

In addition, Russian forces struck two tugboats in the Black Sea that were escorting cargo ships carrying Western weapons for Ukraine, the Defense Ministry in Moscow said.

It also said that its drones overnight hit the railway station in Ukraine’s southern port of Izmail that it said is used for transporting military cargo and fuel for the Ukrainian armed forces.

In all, Russia attacked 12 Ukrainian regions overnight, wounding dozens of people, Zelenskyy said.

Ukrainian drones strike a major port north of Moscow

Ukrainian forces, meanwhile, extended their long-range strike campaign against Russian infrastructure, hitting the port of Ust-Luga in the Leningrad region north of Moscow and starting a brief fire, its governor Alexander Drozdenko said.

Ust-Luga is one of Russia’s largest oil and gas export terminals located more than 800 kilometers (500 miles) from Ukraine.

It has been a frequent target of Ukrainian drone attacks this summer, as Kyiv seeks to undermine Russian oil exports that provide Moscow with vital revenue for its war effort.

Ukraine also launched another attack on the premises of Wildberries, Russia’s biggest online retailer, which Kyiv says helps supply the Russian military.

The attack damaged a wall of a Wildberries warehouse in the Tver region north of Moscow, the region’s acting governor, Vitaly Korolyov, said.

Wildberries reported “insignificant damage” and said the goods stored at the site were not damaged.

The Russian Defense Ministry said Friday its air defenses overnight intercepted 553 Ukrainian drones over 18 Russian regions, as well as occupied Crimea and the waters of the Azov and the Black seas.

NATO warplanes shoot down a drone over Latvia

NATO fighter jets shot down a drone that entered Latvian airspace in the early hours of Friday, the Latvian army and an official for the military alliance said.

Latvian authorities did not say what the origin of the drone was, but said it had entered Latvia “as a result of Russian electromagnetic warfare.”

Several drones have previously crossed the border into Latvia. Most of them are thought to be Ukrainian drones that strayed off course due to Russian electronic jamming.

Two Italian Eurofighter jets were scrambled to tackle the drone and one of them shot it down, NATO spokesperson Allison Hart said.

Two Turkish fighter jets were also deployed, she said.

Residents in five municipalities in eastern Latvia were warned about the threat to airspace and told to take shelter.

Another drone crashed in woodland in Romania 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) from the border with Ukraine, the NATO member’s Defense Ministry said Friday.

Military radars did not detect the drone, which landed in eastern Tulcea County, because it was flying at a “very low” altitude, it said without providing details about the drone’s origin.

The ministry said later that another drone was found Friday in the village of Plauru, also in Tulcea County, which is situated across the Danube River from Ukraine’s port of Izmail. A specialist team was deployed to the area, which was secured, it added.

___

Associated Press reporters Claudia Ciobanu in Warsaw, Poland, Lorne Cook in Brussels and Stephen McGrath in Leamington Spa, England contributed to this report.

___

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

A statement from the Italian Carabinieri’s art recovery squad said the artworks were discovered in the possession of one of the suspects during searches ordered by prosecutors in the Parma province and neighboring provinces. The five suspects detained are believed to belong to an organized crime group responsible for numerous thefts of homes, businesses and other properties. Police also recovered stolen goods worth tens of thousands of euros.

Meanwhile, Brazilian police said late Thursday they located eight stolen works by Matisse following an apartment raid outside Sao Paulo. There were no apparent links between the two thefts.

The three artworks recovered in Italy are “Fish,” a painting by Auguste Renoir, “Still Life with Cherries,” a pencil and watercolor by Paul Cézanne, and “Odalisque on the Terrace,” a color aqatint by Henri Matisse. Authorities said the Cézanne was valued at 6 million euros ($7 million), the Renoir at 3 million euros ($3.5 million), and the Matisse at 20,000 euros ($23,000).

The heist at the Magnani Rocca Foundation, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Parma, took place on the night of March 22-23, police said. Video distributed by authorities showed the thieves entering through a broken door window and then taking the three artworks down from adjacent walls before exiting and escaping through the gardens in a matter of minutes.

Investigators said they retrieved important evidence at the scene, including a pickaxe and fire extinguisher with their serial numbers removed. Forensic officers were able to reconstruct the serial numbers, which linked them to an apartment building accessible to one of the alleged members of the criminal gang.

The suspects were all born in Moldova and resided in the Parma area, authorities said.

Established in 1977, the foundation hosts the collection of art historian Luigi Magnani and includes works by Dürer, Rubens, Van Dyck, Goya and Monet.

The museum believes a structured and organized gang was responsible for the theft, which the alarm interrupted, local media reported.

The crime followed a series of high-profile heists at major European museums, including the theft in October of French crown jewels and other items valued at 88 million euros ($101 million) from the Louvre in Paris.

Brazilian police said the eight stolen works by Matisse were valued at more than 1 million reais ($193,000) and found in the city of São Bernardo do Campo, outside Sao Paulo.

Sao Paulo police said in a statement they arrested one man at the scene for allegedly holding the prints for another person who was taken into custody in April during an unrelated art theft probe.

The recovery of the artwork marks a major breakthrough in a case dating back to December 2025, when two intruders broke into São Paulo’s Mário de Andrade library. A total of 13 pieces of art and history were stolen. Five works by Brazilian artist Cândido Portinari are still missing.

Matisse (1869-1954) is one of the most celebrated artists of the colorful expressive style. Brazilian police recovered eight prints which are named “Le Clown,” “Le Cirque,” “Monsieur Loyal,” “Cauchemar de L’Eléphant Blanc,” “Le Codomas,” “La Nageuse Dans L’Aquarium,” “L’Avaleur de Sabres” and “Le Cowboy.” They were made for an artbook named “Jazz.”

The Perna Team is the winner of this year’s Vote 4 The Best category for best real estate agent in Metro Detroit.

Here are the results for the top five:

1. The Perna Team.
2. Ariel Radtke, Keller Williams.
3. Next Level Realty - The Isenberg Group.
4. Leslie E. Martin.
5. Justice Johnson.

Congrats to all of our finalists.

This year’s Vote 4 The Best received more than 163,000 votes during the finalist phase, with Metro Detroiters supporting their favorite restaurants, venues, and local businesses in 80 different categories.

Our winner reveal begins Monday, Aug. 10.

Click here to view a full list of this year’s Vote 4 The Best winners as they are announced.

Methodology

Fans nominated their favorite businesses from June 1 through June 14 -- one nomination in each category per person.

After the nomination period closed on June 14, we announced the finalists for each category at the end of the week -- on June 19.

Voting on finalists opened June 22 during our Ford Fireworks special. Fans voted in each category once per day until voting ended on July 20.

Winners are announced from Aug 10 through Aug. 21.

Click here to read the official Vote 4 The Best rules.

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.

Fry finished third in a special primary held Tuesday, when Graham and U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman advanced to the Aug. 25 runoff. His backing follows that of other powerful Republicans who have supported Graham, including Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina and Trump, whose early endorsement helped propel his own congressional career.

“President Trump needs fighters and allies in the Senate who will show up every day and get results,” Fry said in a news release. “I believe Darline Graham will be exactly that.”

Graham's brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham, died suddenly last month. Darline Graham, was appointed to serve out the remainder of his current term, then opted to run for the seat, winning the biggest share of votes but not the majority needed to avoid a runoff.

The special primary, which took place just a month after Lindsey Graham's death, meant a compressed and sometimes chaotic campaign for the 10 candidates who ran to replace him.

Much of the most heated rhetoric volleyed back and forth between Fry and a political action committee supporting Darline Graham, which ran ads pointing out that Trump — who initially said Fry would be an “outstanding” pick for the seat — passed him over to back Graham instead.

Graham's brother was a top Senate ally for Trump, to whom she has also closely tied herself in her campaign. Both Fry and Graham have often mentioned their humble origins as a touchpoint for understanding kitchen table issues, something Fry noted he had in common with Graham.

“Darline knows what it means to struggle, persevere, and keep fighting when life deals you a difficult hand," Fry said of the 62-year-old Graham, who had a hardscrabble upbringing and was ultimately adopted by her older brother after their parents died when she was young. “Those experiences shaped her, and I believe they give her a real understanding of the challenges families across South Carolina face.”

Trump had stumped for Fry in his first House campaign in 2022, when the state lawmaker ousted a five-term GOP congressman who had voted to impeach Trump a year earlier.

Matt Gorman, a GOP strategist and former senior adviser to Scott, suggested that Fry's endorsement of Graham was a political calculation for the 41-year-old, two-term congressman, who has seen the ramifications for some Republicans who have crossed Trump.

“Russell is a smart guy with a long career ahead of him," Gorman said. "It makes zero sense to get crosswise with either President Trump or Tim Scott. If he wants to, Fry will get another shot at the seat because Graham or Norman won’t be there multiple decades.”

The GOP runoff’s winner will face Democratic nominee Dr. Annie Andrews in November’s general election. No Democrat has won a U.S. Senate seat in South Carolina in decades.

___

Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP.

In July, U.S. President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on hundreds of Brazilian exports, with duties reaching up to 37.5% in some products. The Trump administration has accused Brazil of unfair trade practices, but Lula has denied the accusations, insisting they are politically motivated ahead of the October election.

Lula is seeking reelection against Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, a Trump ally who met with U.S. officials, including Trump, in Washington weeks before the administration proposed higher tariffs on Brazilian goods.

“Yesterday, we invoked the reciprocity law to show that we are not to be taken lightly," Lula said in an interview with Brazilian podcasters. “We respect ourselves. I am very calm knowing what could happen, and I am prepared to debate the defense of Brazil anywhere in the world.”

Brazil’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement late Thursday it is requesting diplomatic consultations with its U.S. counterparts on the issue, as a sign of Lula's aim “to privilege dialogue and negotiation in its international relations.”

The beginning of the proceedings does not necessarily mean Brazil will retaliate against U.S. tariffs.

“I don’t want any fight with the United States," Lula said Friday. “Unfortunately, they are spreading falsehoods."

Earlier this month, the U.S. State Department revoked the visa of Brazil’s ambassador to Washington in retaliation for Brazil’s denial of visas last month for two American diplomats who sought to visit ahead of the October election.

The U.S. government also has accused Brazil of stalling approval of Trump’s nominee for ambassador in Brasilia, while Brazilian officials say the U.S. should have first sought the government’s approval before submitting the nomination to Congress, as diplomatic protocol requires.

Since U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio revoked the Brazilian ambassador’s visa in response to Lula’s actions but did not order her expelled, U.S. officials have said the Trump administration does not want the dispute to escalate.

These officials, who have spoken on condition of anonymity to discuss internal administration deliberations, have said on multiple occasions that Rubio’s limited response was intentionally designed to give Lula time and space to back down.

At the same time, they have said that the U.S. will respond quickly should Lula's government choose to escalate the matter and that declaring the Brazilian ambassador “persona non grata” and expelling her from the U.S. would be a logical next step.

Lula said once again Trump has treated him well, but warned any foreign governments “who come here to meddle in the election, will lose.”

___

Associated Press writer Matthew Lee contributed from Washington.

___

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

The rookie quarterback, however, is already well-versed in how his head coach's mind works. Yes, McCarthy was pleased after watching Allar throw for a pair of scores and run for another.

Yet the final product on a given play is only a piece of the puzzle. McCarthy is just as fixated on the process it takes to get there, which is why the 22-year-old Allar couldn't help but grin when asked about how his fundamentals are coming along, perhaps knowing the feedback he was going to receive in the aftermath.

“I’ll probably get a minus grade on some of my footwork,” Allar said. “It was kind of a crazy reverse out under center exchange. Other than that, I felt pretty good.”

Just as importantly, he looked pretty good while leading three long scoring drives. The third-round pick was accurate while completing 10 of 13 passes. He frequently made the right decision on where to go with the ball and showcased his athleticism while diving over for a 3-yard touchdown run.

Not bad for his first game action since last fall, when his final year at Penn State ended prematurely with a left ankle injury.

“I feel like the first rushing touchdown I had was the first hit I’ve had in, I don’t know how long, but since mid-October,” Allar said. “I feel like that kind of got the physical part out of the way. I feel like going against our defense every day in practice really helped me mentally prepare for the game.”

Allar wasn't the only student of McCarthy's “quarterback school” who aced their first test. Will Howard, playing for the first time since leading Ohio State to the College Football Playoff championship in early 2025, had no issues running the two-minute offense. He connected with tight end Robert Tonyan frequently and didn't panic during a fourth down call near midfield that required him to roll to his left, where he flipped the ball to wide receiver Ben Skowronek for a first down.

The result was great, sure. So was the jolt of confidence felt when Howard heard the play call.

“You’re, like, man, ‘Coach is throwing the ball on fourth-and-1, and he’s putting the ball in my hands,’” he said. “That feels great. I knew they were going to really trigger on that run. I think Aaron (Rodgers) had a little input on getting that play out there, and I appreciate him for that.”

Rodgers, watching from the sideline with a headset on, promised to crack some dad jokes to keep the mood light. The reality is he spent most of the night serving as an experienced resource for Allar, Howard, and Mason Rudolph, as no clear front-runner to win the quarterback derby to serve as Rodgers' backup emerged.

McCarthy appears to be in no hurry to make any sort of decision. Rudolph got the start and settled in after some shaky play by the first-team offensive line early. He consistently found rookie wide receiver Germie Bernard and did his best to keep plays alive to give the young playmakers around him time to get open.

“Not to be a broken record, I’ve been talking about it pretty much since the spring ... I really like the room,” McCarthy said. “I think it’s a really good quarterback room, and I thought they played that way tonight.”

The guys behind center weren't the only ones who stood out. Tonyan, who caught 11 touchdown passes from Rodgers when both were in Green Bay in 2020, finished with four receptions for 61 yards. Bernard caught four passes for 51 yards, and rookie Kaden Wetjen showed his elusiveness on a 74-yard catch-and-run and later pulled in a touchdown pass from Allar.

Sure, it was just an exhibition game, and both sides were more focused on getting through it healthy than on coming up with some elaborate game plan. The scheming will come later.

The preseason opener was mostly just a progress report. Plenty of work remains, but for a first-year coaching staff trying to lay a foundation and for three quarterbacks trying to prove their worth, it was a promising start.

“We have a lot to clean up, but the passing game ... I know the numbers were pretty good,” McCarthy said. “I liked the way our quarterbacks ran the offense, and that’s a big thing.”

___

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Forty years after the beloved 1986 film about a carnivorous plant took root in pop culture, Greene - who originated the role of the sweet and beleaguered Audrey - is keeping the movie’s legacy alive with a national screening tour. The run includes a stop at the Fisher Theatre in Detroit on Friday, Aug. 21.

For Greene, the character of Audrey was more than a comic foil in a campy musical.

“She’s endearing. She’s very honest. She’s very truthful. And she does hide an awful lot of pain,” Greene said during an appearance on Live in the D. “So, she’s a deep character, even though she seems very simple in this complex world.”

The film, directed by Frank Oz and featuring an ensemble cast that included Steve Martin, Bill Murray and John Candy, was shot at Pinewood Studios in England with a largely British crew. Greene recalls the set itself as a formative creative experience.

“Sandy Simo’s set was the most remarkably romantic set I’ve ever been on,” she said. “There was grass growing through the floor. Cobblestones and everything. It was just beautiful.”

Greene described the atmosphere on set as one of mutual respect and shared purpose - no room for star egos.

“Everyone was so talented, so no one’s talented,” she said. “You leave your ego at the door. The star is the work. The star is the piece.”

She credits Oz as the driving creative force behind the film’s enduring appeal, calling him a genius who built “a magical land full of whimsy and silliness, but it’s got a moral with deep underpinnings.”

“People love this because they see themselves in all the vulnerabilities and the imperfections,” Greene said. “And well, everybody wants a home.”

At the Detroit screening, fans can expect a meet-and-greet, a Q&A - and a live performance from Greene herself.

“I’m going to sing,” she said. “And I haven’t sung in public for a while. So, this is all going to be thrilling and new and exciting for me.”

The screening tour marks a full-circle moment for a film that has only grown in stature since its release, cementing lines like “Feed me, Seymour” and “Don’t feed the plants” into the American cultural vocabulary.

Little Shop of Horrors screens at the Fisher Theatre in Detroit on Friday, Aug. 21.

Pirro announced on X that her office was filing two felony charges against Melissa L. Farris. Pirro said the felony charges are “Depredation Against Property of the United States and Destruction of Veterans’ Memorials.” The offenses carry penalties of up to 10 years in prison.

On Thursday, the words “Clean hands dirty $” were found painted on the monument and bubbles filled a fountain.

“Vandalizing our World War II Memorial is a despicable attack on a sacred monument honoring the Americans who fought and died for our freedom. Those Americans include my father and grandfather,” Pirro wrote.

A woman identified on her Facebook page as Melissa Lovewell posted a video Thursday in which she is seen taking cans of spray paint from her bag and then painting the monument.

“I will wait here to be arrested for spraying our veterans’ fountain,” she says. “It was me, I’m doing it, it’s on camera."

In a video posted Friday, the woman, who in a separate post said she had been in Washington for three weeks, said she was turning herself in.

The arrest warrant filed in the case indicated that witnesses took pictures of the vandalism occurring, which were circulated among U.S. Park Police officers.

One officer recognized the suspect as someone they arrested Aug. 10 “for unlawfully camping on federal property” just blocks away. She livestreamed that arrest, the warrant said.

The suspect was identified by her Kentucky driver's license as Melissa L. Farris, of Elizabethtown, Kentucky.

Farris was expected to be arraigned Friday. The Public Defender’s office said she was not yet listed in the system and had not been assigned an attorney.

The incident sparked harsh rebukes from both Pirro and President Donald Trump and comes after the president blamed damage to the nearby Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on vandals, without providing evidence. That case prompted charges against multiple people which were dropped when Pirro said evidence showed the damage came from botched repairs after Trump's renovation at the site.

“Our beautiful World War II Memorial was just hit by Spray Painting Vandals,” Trump said on Friday on his Truth Social site. “First the Reflecting Pool, now this.”

The Interior Department said that the U.S. Park Police were on the scene following the Thursday vandalism and an investigation was ongoing. "The public should know we will find the person responsible for this disgusting act,” the department said.

The Friends of the National World War II Memorial, a nonprofit organization that helps maintain the site, said: “There are many places in our country for expression, debate, and disagreement. A national memorial honoring those who served and those who never returned home should never be used as a canvas for vandalism.”

The Veterans of Foreign Wars called the vandalism “an act of profound disrespect, a slap in the face to the veterans who served and sacrificed and to the families who carried that burden at home.”

A former Olympian was charged in late July with deliberately damaging the Reflecting Pool, but the Justice Department later moved to dismiss that case, saying evidence prosecutors had received refuted the idea that vandals were to blame.

Trump sharply criticized Pirro’s assessment that damage to the Reflecting Pool was the result of shoddy construction and not the work of vandals, as he claimed.

The case dismissal was an embarrassing setback for a Justice Department that had previously echoed Trump’s claims and billed the prosecution as accountability for damage at a Washington landmark, a pet project of Trump. Pirro’s decision to drop the case was also a rare moment during Trump’s second term of an aide or political appointee openly defying him.

Michigan State Police troopers were investigating a crash on Aug. 7 at around 1:30 p.m. on River Road near Lambert Road in St. Joseph County.

According to police, a motorcycle crashed into a guardrail, and the motorcyclist ran into the woods, leading to troopers setting a perimeter and requesting K-9 to track.

While evidence was being collected, a Nigerian Dwarf goat wandered onto the scene, jumped into the back of the state police cruiser, also known as the “Blue Goose,” and “made it clear he wanted in on the action.”

“He also thought it was cool to trample upon the point of crash trying to shadow the trooper,” Michigan State Police said. “When he wasn’t selected for the track, he staged a brief protest by returning to the Blue Goose.”

Police did not catch the motorcyclist, but said they did get a “very determined and highly unofficial G-9 partner.”

G-9 REPORTING FOR DUTY!

Last week at a Marshall Post crash investigation, a Nigerian Dwarf goat made an unexpected appearance and quickly decided to “assist” troopers on scene.

After a motorcycle crashed into a guardrail and the operator fled on foot into the woods, troopers… pic.twitter.com/C6FrCDkIPx

— MSP Fifth District (@MspSouthwestMI) August 14, 2026

The Department of Defense Education Activity operates about 160 schools across 11 countries and educates roughly 70,000 students who are children of active-duty military or civilian service members. Conservatives have eyed the schools — which, unlike most public schools, are run by the federal government — as a testing ground for reshaping education.

The Western civilization course planned for this fall will use a textbook published by Encounter Books, a conservative publishing house. Titled "The Golden Thread: A History of the Western Tradition, Volume I: The Ancient World and Christendom," it includes suggested lesson plans created in partnership with Hillsdale College, a conservative Christian school in Michigan.

Historians and educators who reviewed excerpts of the text told The Associated Press it depicts points throughout history in misleading ways, representing Western civilization and Christianity as one and the same and casting Islam as a threat to both.

“You’ve got to wonder a bit whether Western civilization is a Trojan horse for classical Christian education,” said Phil Gorski, a historical sociology professor at Yale University.

The course is part of a wider reshaping of the Defense Department's schools. They have begun hiring classical learning teachers, and the department has brought in new academic chiefs with ties to classical learning charter schools and to Republican-led efforts to promote more patriotic and civic education.

In a written statement, the Pentagon said it “remains committed to providing all of its military-connected students with the best possible education and opportunities.” It did not respond directly to a series of questions about the textbook and the broader push for classical learning.

Classical education broadly refers to a teaching style built on the liberal arts, with an emphasis on critical thinking and citizenship. Students are taught to imitate the rhetoric and style of great thinkers and writers. Critics have argued the movement focuses too heavily on foundational texts from Greek, Roman and other Western writers.

Conservatives see classical learning as an antidote to unflattering depictions of US history

Conservative politicians have embraced classical learning, especially as the Trump administration and Republican-led states have pushed schools to emphasize patriotism and put boundaries around how they teach unflattering parts of American history.

In his writing and public remarks since before becoming defense secretary, Hegseth has advocated for parents to embrace classical Christian education.

In his 2022 book “Battle for the American Mind,” Hegseth, a former Fox News host, describes a history of progressives working to remove God and religion from public and private schools.

Many classical Christian schools focus on reclaiming Western civilization from external threats. But across the broader field of classical education — including secular private schools — the field is increasingly split on this point, said Susan Wise Bauer, the author of a popular classical homeschooling program.

“Whenever you have a system of education where that is the impulse, ... 'This is us, and they are them over there,'” she said, “then the idea of a shared literary heritage becomes a weapon.”

Textbook casts Western civilization as under threat

In the Pentagon's system, high school students can take the new course, Western Civilization to 1500, to fulfill a world history graduation requirement, according to a news release. The course is offered through the department's virtual school.

In the textbook’s introduction, the authors write: “When citizens of Western countries are utterly ignorant of history, as most now are, they are left unarmed against the general hostility to their own tradition that has become so destructive a force in contemporary culture."

The book describes Islam as inherently more violent than Christianity.

In a section titled “Holy War and Martyrdom in Battle,” the book describes wars fought by Christians, such as the Crusades, as intended to defend and protect other Christians. Islam, in contrast, glorifies violence and war, the book says, invoking the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks and 9/11.

Matthew Gabriele, a history and religion professor at Virginia Tech, said the book's description of the Crusades and the conflicts with the Islamic world strips out important details and context to depict Islam as an aggressive religious tradition and downplays the religious motivations and violence of the Christian church.

The book's publisher, Roger Kimball, said it was peer-reviewed by 15 experts. “As the proud publisher of this incomparable work, I stand behind it in every detail,” he said.

One of the book's co-authors, Harvard emeritus professor James Hankins, said the text does not attempt to characterize Christianity and Western civilization as one. Segments of the book acknowledge the West’s cultural debts to the Islamic world, said Hankins, who now teaches at the University of Florida's Hamilton School for Classical and Civic Education, a conservative-backed project to teach Western civilization.

The Trump administration aligned the military’s education system with its political vision

President Donald Trump's administration also has moved to align the military's education apparatus with its broader vision for American schools. Admissions offices at U.S. military academies now accept the Classical Learning Test, a college entrance exam that positions itself as a classical alternative to the SAT. And last year, the ACLU sued the defense school system over its decision to ban hundreds of books that covered topics like race, gender and democracy.

In March, the department abruptly changed the leadership of Department of Defense Education Activity schools, replacing Beth Schiavino-Narvaez with Paul Craft as director. In a news release at the time, Hegseth described Craft as the right leader to reorient the school system "toward patriotic values and classical learning.”

The Pentagon also replaced the education activity's chief academic officer, hiring Tiffany Hoben, who previously worked in the Florida Department of Education under Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. In Florida, she oversaw the rollout of a civics curriculum that was criticized for claiming America's founders did not intend for a full separation of church and state.

___

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.

The Department of Defense Education Activity operates about 160 schools across 11 countries and educates roughly 70,000 students who are children of active-duty military or civilian service members. Conservatives have eyed the schools — which, unlike most public schools, are run by the federal government — as a testing ground for reshaping education.

The Western civilization course planned for this fall will use a textbook published by Encounter Books, a conservative publishing house. Titled "The Golden Thread: A History of the Western Tradition, Volume I: The Ancient World and Christendom," it includes suggested lesson plans created in partnership with Hillsdale College, a conservative Christian school in Michigan that has also developed influential materials for K-12 schools.

Historians and educators who reviewed excerpts of the text told The Associated Press it depicts points throughout history in misleading ways, representing Western civilization and Christianity as one and the same and casting Islam as a threat to both.

“You’ve got to wonder a bit whether Western civilization is a Trojan horse for classical Christian education,” said Phil Gorski, a historical sociology professor at Yale University.

The course is part of a wider reshaping of the Defense Department's schools. They have begun hiring classical learning teachers, and the department has brought in new academic chiefs with ties to classical learning charter schools and to Republican-led efforts to promote more patriotic education.

In a written statement, the Pentagon said it “remains committed to providing all of its military-connected students with the best possible education and opportunities.” It did not respond directly to a series of questions about the textbook and the broader push for classical learning.

Classical education broadly refers to a teaching style built on the liberal arts, with an emphasis on critical thinking and citizenship. Students are taught to imitate the rhetoric and style of great thinkers and writers. While some classical educators have pushed to incorporate diverse scholars, critics have argued the movement focuses too heavily on foundational texts from Greek, Roman and other Western writers and gives short shrift to achievements in Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

Conservatives see classical learning as an antidote to unflattering depictions of US history

Conservative politicians have embraced classical learning, especially as the Trump administration and Republican-led states have pushed schools to emphasize patriotism and put boundaries around how they teach unflattering parts of American history.

In his writing and public remarks since before becoming defense secretary, Hegseth has advocated for parents to embrace classical Christian education.

In his 2022 book “Battle for the American Mind,” Hegseth, a former Fox News host, describes a history of progressives working to remove God and religion from public and private schools. For parents, he writes, not sending their children to classical Christian schools would be to admit defeat.

“It is certainly not sustainable, merely passing the same losing hand to the next generation,” Hegseth writes. “With this approach, we lose. We lose America — and Western Civilization.”

Many classical Christian schools focus on reclaiming Western civilization from external threats. But across the broader field of classical education — including secular private schools — the field is increasingly split on this point, said Susan Wise Bauer, the author of a popular classical homeschooling program. She said there is a range of approaches on which texts are worth studying.

“Whenever you have a system of education where that is the impulse, ... 'This is us, and they are them over there,'” she said, “then the idea of a shared literary heritage becomes a weapon.”

Textbook casts Western civilization as under threat

In the Pentagon's system, high school students can take the new course, Western Civilization to 1500, to fulfill a world history graduation requirement, according to a news release. The course is offered through the department's virtual school.

In the textbook’s introduction, the authors write: “The dangers presented by the neglect of Western history are not trivial.”

“When citizens of Western countries are utterly ignorant of history, as most now are, they are left unarmed against the general hostility to their own tradition that has become so destructive a force in contemporary culture,” they write.

The idea that external forces will displace the dominant culture is a common right-wing political narrative, said Curtis Dozier, a professor of Greek and Roman studies at Vassar College.

"It’s this right-wing idea that when immigrants come to a country, they care more about their own traditions and history and seek to replace the tradition of the place,” he said.

The textbook's authors credit early Christianity with promoting the idea that all people must be treated humanely. It argues that “Christian faith also supported a humane cosmopolitanism."

The book describes Islam as inherently more violent than Christianity. In a chapter on the Middle Ages, the text describes Arabs as resentful or bitter toward Christians and Jews.

In a section titled “Holy War and Martyrdom in Battle,” the book describes wars fought by Christians, such as the Crusades, as intended to defend and protect other Christians. Islam, in contrast, glorifies violence and war, the book says, invoking the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks and 9/11.

“In recent decades, Islam as a religion has, understandably, aroused acute hostility from a great many non-Muslims around the world thanks to the behavior of radical Muslim terrorists. Sometimes referred to as Islamists, their atrocities have been applauded by depressingly large numbers of ordinary Muslims,” the book says.

Matthew Gabriele, a history and religion professor at Virginia Tech, said the book's description of the Crusades and the conflicts with the Islamic world strips out important details and context to depict Islam as an aggressive religious tradition and downplays the religious motivations and violence of the Christian church.

“It’s trying to make a contemporary political point by continuously referencing things that happened in the 21st century,” Gabriele said. “The fact that (the book) does this very selectively and only when it suits a particular political project suggests to me that this is not a scholarly history in any kind of real sense.”

The book's publisher, Roger Kimball, said it was peer-reviewed by 15 experts. “As the proud publisher of this incomparable work, I stand behind it in every detail,” he said.

One of the book's co-authors, Harvard emeritus professor James Hankins, said the text does not attempt to characterize Christianity and Western civilization as one. Segments of the book acknowledge the West’s cultural debts to the Islamic world, said Hankins, who now teaches at the University of Florida's Hamilton School for Classical and Civic Education, a conservative-backed project to teach Western civilization.

An emphasis on the study of Western civilization was standard until the 1970s, Hankins said. He criticized the move away from teaching it, noting that other countries such as China study their own civilization.

“Abandoning it has been foolish in my view, and is one cause of the growing cultural disorientation of the last couple of generations,” he said in an email. “People no longer know where they come from or where they belong in the story of our civilization.”

The Trump administration aligned the military’s education system with its political vision

In speeches and interviews, Hegseth has drawn a line from the country's founding to Western civilization and early Christianity, a religion he describes as under attack by outside forces. He often argues the U.S. was founded as a Christian nation and troops should embrace God.

At an event last September recognizing a civics education initiative, Hegseth emphasized the need to teach these values to children early on.

“That type of brilliance didn’t come out of thin air," he said of the Founding Fathers. “It was first inspired by God (and) inspired by an understanding of human history, an understanding of biblical history (and) an understanding of Western civilization philosophy and theology and civics poured into a generation of men and poured into an American experiment — it wasn’t an accident.”

President Donald Trump's administration also has moved to align the military's education apparatus with its broader vision for American schools. Admissions offices at U.S. military academies now accept the Classical Learning Test, a college entrance exam that positions itself as a classical alternative to the SAT. And last year, the ACLU sued the defense school system over its decision to ban hundreds of books that covered topics like race, gender and democracy.

In March, the department abruptly changed the leadership of Department of Defense Education Activity schools, replacing Beth Schiavino-Narvaez with Paul Craft as director. In a news release at the time, Hegseth described Craft as the right leader to reorient the school system "toward patriotic values and classical learning.”

The Pentagon also replaced the education activity's chief academic officer, hiring Tiffany Hoben, who previously worked in the Florida Department of Education under Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. In Florida, she oversaw the rollout of a civics curriculum that was criticized for claiming America's founders did not intend for a full separation of church and state.

This summer, the department announced the hiring of Matthew Kirby as the system's Americas regional director. Kirby is the CEO of Liberty Classical Schools, an Atlanta-based network of charter schools.

In an all-hands meeting after his appointment, Craft described classical learning as a priority that came directly from Hegseth.

“He has tasked us with taking the best that we can from the lessons learned from classical learning in a private school setting to say, ‘How do we expose our kids to that in a public school setting like us?’” Craft said.

___

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.

The trio, who star at Texas, Notre Dame and UConn respectively will be joined by KK Arnold — Strong's teammate with the Huskies — Ohio State's Jaloni Cambridge, South Carolina's Joyce Edwards, Michigan's Olivia Olson and the LSU pair of Jada Williams and Mikaylah Williams.

“We’re proud to continue investing in the future of women’s basketball through our ‘Future is Unrivaled’ initiative and are thrilled to be working with this talented group of athletes,” general manager Clare Duwelius said on Friday. “The excitement we’ve seen from these players to be part of this year’s summit is deeply matched at the league level. We can’t wait to welcome all nine athletes to Miami and continue building meaningful relationships as they become part of the Unrivaled ecosystem.”

It's the third year that Unrivaled has had NIL deals with college players.

WNBA rookies Olivia Miles and Flau'Jae Johnson were part of the 2025 Unrivaled college class and have signed on to play with the organization this winter. Just because a player has a deal with the basketball league, it doesn’t guarantee they’ll join the group in Miami to play. Azzi Fudd opted to play for Project B this upcoming winter instead of Unrivaled.

The nine college players will head down to Miami and meet at Unrivaled's headquarters this weekend. The summit will include skill development sessions, content and merchandise shoots as well as group bonding activities.

___

See AP’s full college sports coverage here

Shippers including FedEx and UPS that acted as customs brokers for imported packages and received tariff refunds from the U.S. government have started to pass on those refunds to the customers that originally paid the tariffs.

The refunds to consumers are the last step in a monthslong process that kicked off in February when the Supreme Court struck down sweeping tariffs implemented by President Donald Trumpin March 2025 under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act on goods from almost every country. The court ordered the government to return the tariffs it collected.

So far, about $100 billion in tariffs have been refunded to companies who paid them under a system set up by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

That doesn't mean Americans will get anywhere close to what they paid in tariffs, since most were paid indirectly. In 2025, the Trump tariffs amounted to an average tax increase of $1,000 per U.S. household, according to the Tax Foundation, a Washington, D.C., group that studies taxes.

But some consumers are getting some of what they paid directly back from shippers including UPS, DHL and FedEx. The refunds are being rolled out in phases based on what date they were paid. Shippers have said they'll return the refunds on a rolling basis as they receive them.

Tariff refunds from shippers will be directly refunded to credit cards or bank accounts

Most big overseas retailers paid the tariffs themselves and passed them along to retailers with a line item in their invoice that was part of the total bill, or indirectly by raising prices. But some smaller sellers left the tariff to be paid when it reached the U.S. In those cases, shippers paid the bill and charged the recipient of the package.

FedEx said it has begun the process of issuing $800 million in tariff refunds it received from the government back to the customers that paid them. Customers don’t need to apply to receive their refund, but they can enter tracking numbers for purchased items into a portal on the FedEx website to see whether or not they are due a refund.

UPS said in April it had paid $5 billion in tariffs on behalf of clients and would begin the process of applying to the government for refunds. In the first phase, it applied for $500 million in refunds and said customers should get refunds one to three months after it receives reimbursement from the Treasury.

DHL similarly said that it has filed claims for almost all eligible shipments where it served as the importer of record and is returning the refunds it has received.

“The volume and pace of refunds continue to depend on CBP’s processing of claims,” DHL said in a statement.

Major retailers say they could give back some refunds but mostly will use them to lower prices

Unlike shippers who collected tariffs directly from customers, most big retailers passed on tariffs in indirect ways, changing their product lineups or partly absorbing higher costs, making a consumer refund unlikely.

Amazon executives said last week the company received $600 million in tariff refunds in the second quarter.

In a call with investors, Amazon CFO Brian Olsavsky said the company isn't the importer of record on most of the goods it sells and that it has absorbed some tariff costs. But he said the company has “identified a limited set of circumstances where we can trace that we pass specific import charges on to customers.” In those circumstances, he added, “we will proactively contact affected customers and automatically issue refunds to them.”

Otherwise, he said, Amazon will use tariff refunds to lower prices for customers.

That echoes what other large retailers have said. In May, Corie Barry, outgoing CEO of Best Buy, the nation’s largest consumer electronics chain, said the retailer is an importer of record of only about 2% to 3% of what it sells and that the company would use any refund it gets to “deliver value back to our customers.”

And Costco CEO Ron Vachris said the company planned to return “in some form” the tariffs that were passed on to consumers.

“How much we return and when depends on a variety of factors, including how much refund money we receive and when it arrives as well as developments in the lawsuit filed against the company regarding the return process,” he said in a quarterly earnings call in May.

Dozens of class-action lawsuits have been filed

Some shoppers are suing to get the tariffs they paid in the form of higher prices back from companies. More than 80 class-action lawsuits have been filed by customers across the country against retailers including Costco, Nike, Amazon, Walmart and others.

The lawsuits will face difficulty because plaintiffs will have to prove they paid for price increases that were specifically tied to the tariffs, according to Lori Leskin, partner and co-chair of law firm Arnold & Porter’s Consumer Products Practice Group. None of the lawsuits have yet been certified as class action, which would mean they apply to all customers.

“It’s going to be very hard for anyone to establish that the price increase they paid was due to tariffs and not some other market force,” she said. “Most of them are just talking about price increases, and to be able to trace a price increase due to a single factor is going to be really difficult given the multifactorial approach that most companies take.”

Update --> West Bloomfield Township trustee accused of hiding cameras in women’s bedrooms on personal bond

The investigation began after the West Bloomfield Township Police Department received a report on Aug. 9.

Previous coverage --> West Bloomfield Township trustee faces 7 felony charges over alleged hidden cameras, nude videos

Because the allegations involved a sitting township official, the West Bloomfield Police Department referred the matter to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office for an independent investigation.

Sheriff’s Office detectives obtained and executed search warrants at Manna’s residence and office.

Investigators recovered multiple electronic devices and other evidence.

The Sheriff’s Office Computer Crimes Unit is examining the recovered devices, officials said.

Manna, 65, was taken into custody Aug. 9 and lodged at the Oakland County Jail.

Charges authorized

On Aug. 12, detectives submitted their investigation to the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office for review. The prosecutor’s office authorized charges Thursday, Aug. 13, against Manna:

• Two counts of capturing or distributing an image of an unclothed person, a five-year felony
• Five counts of eavesdropping by installing or using a device, a two-year felony

Manna is expected to be arraigned Friday, Aug. 14, in 48th District Court.

What investigators found

Earlier Thursday, Oakland County Prosecutor Karen D. McDonald said Manna allegedly placed hidden surveillance cameras in the bedrooms and bathrooms of two adult women.

According to prosecutors, the women discovered cameras hidden inside smoke detectors in their bedrooms.

During a search of Manna’s home, office, and cellphone, officers allegedly recovered additional cameras.

Investigators also found nude surveillance videos from the women’s bedrooms and bathrooms on Manna’s cellphone, according to the prosecutor’s office.

Capturing or distributing an image of an unclothed person is punishable by up to five years in prison. Eavesdropping by installing or using a device is punishable by up to two years.

The investigation remains ongoing.

Previous report

Then there’s our little secret: Lake St. Clair. It’s the Great Lakes’ junior, and it’s just as amazing as the rest of them.

Well, the rest of the country is starting to figure out what we already know. FishingBooker, one of the largest fishing trip-booking platforms in the world, just ranked the best fishing lakes in America for 2026, and Michigan is all over the list.

Coming in at number one is Lake Michigan, the only Great Lake entirely within the United States, with king salmon, steelhead, lake trout, and smallmouth bass. Number two is Lake Erie, home to some of the best walleye fishing anywhere in the country.

Number five is Lake Ontario, with brown trout, steelhead, and Chinook salmon. Number six is Lake Huron, including Saginaw Bay—one of the top walleye fisheries in the entire Great Lakes system. Number seven is Lake Superior, the biggest, deepest, coldest lake, and still one of the best lake trout fisheries left in America.

And then there’s Lake St. Clair, number ten on the list—and locals will tell you it punches way above its weight. Elite smallmouth bass fishing, plus muskie, walleye, and sturgeon. And nearby, the Detroit River is one of the best walleye spots in the entire region.

Michigan isn’t just on this list. Michigan is this list.

Vanja Prolovina with FishingBooker, the platform behind this year’s rankings, joined Local 4 Live to talk more about this.

You can watch the full interview in the video at the beginning of this article.

The shooting happened in the area of eastbound Hall Road west of Schoenherr at around 5:30 a.m. on Aug. 14.

Sterling Heights police said an 18-year-old man was shot and taken to a local hospital. The extent of his injuries was not released.

Police arrested a suspect three hours later at a Kroger parking lot on Highland Avenue in Milford. According to Milford police, guns, body armor and other possible evidence were found.

There is no active threat to the public, police said. The investigation into the shooting is ongoing.

Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Geldmacher at (586) 446-2848.

López Beltrán announced the visa revocation in a letter to Trump posted on Instagram on Thursday, saying U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Under Secretary Christopher Landau “ordered the withdrawal of my permission to enter the United States,” despite having “no evidence against me regarding any immoral or criminal act.”

The U.S. government has not publicly disclosed the reason for the visa revocation, and it was not clear from López Beltrán's post what kind of a visa was revoked.

A U.S. Embassy spokesperson in Mexico, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case publicly, told The Associated Press on Friday that visa records are confidential under U.S. law and declined to comment on the individual case.

Washington’s decision comes less than four months after another setback for Mexico's ruling party, Morena, when federal prosecutors in New York brought a case against 10 current and former Mexican officials, including Sinaloa Gov. Rubén Rocha Moya of the ruling party, over alleged links to drug trafficking.

Addressing the visa revocations of Mexican politicians at her morning news conference Friday, Sheinbaum urged the United States to provide evidence of any allegations against them but said the issue would not lead to a conflict with Washington.

“All we ask for is respect,” she said.

López Beltrán — known as Andy — was one of his father’s closest aides before his 2018 presidential victory. Local media reported that he managed his father’s private schedule and oversaw Morena’s activities in Mexico City and the neighboring State of Mexico.

For much of López Obrador’s six-year presidency, from 2018 to 2024, López Beltrán, the second of his four children, stayed out of party politics and focused on a chocolate business. But in September 2024, weeks before his father left office, he was elected Morena’s secretary of organization.

___

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

The forest gave way to giant holes gouged into the earth and filled with opaque, muddy water, gasoline and other chemicals glistening on the surface. Makeshift wooden mining platforms straddled the pools, surrounded by pumps and thick plastic tubes used to suck up and sift through sediment for tiny particles of gold.

As the troops closed in, several miners stood watching from a distance. The officer leading the patrol fired a warning shot into the air. Within seconds, they vanished into the forest.

The raid over several days this week was part of an intensified government campaign against illegal gold mining in Madre de Dios, one of Peru’s most biodiverse regions, as authorities try to stop the activity from advancing into protected areas of the Amazon. Mining has stripped away vast areas of rainforest, leaving behind a scarred landscape of contaminated pools and altered rivers in the hunt for lucrative gold. Mercury used to separate gold from sediment has contaminated waterways, wildlife and people, including Indigenous communities that depend heavily on fish.

Behind them was a camp abandoned in haste. Crushed beer cans and empty liquor bottles littered the ground alongside mattresses, clothes and tools. That day’s lunch — rice and plantain — still sat in plastic containers. Freezers and fuel containers dotted the camp, alongside live chickens and guinea pigs kept for food.

The troops were one of eight patrols, flown by helicopter to separate points along the Malinowski River. The aircraft touched down only long enough to drop each group before lifting off and moving to the next site.

Illegal mining is advancing toward protected areas of the Amazon

Edy Reynaldo Dariquebe, an official with FENAMAD, an Indigenous federation representing communities in Peru’s Madre de Dios region, said criminal groups linked to illegal mining have been operating near or inside protected Indigenous communities. He said mining is destroying forests and contaminating rivers with mercury that accumulates in fish, spreading the impact to communities far from the mining sites.

Ronald Flores Yáñez, a deputy prosecutor for Peru’s Office of the Attorney General, said illegal mining has advanced close to military monitoring points and into protected areas.

“We can attest today that they have already entered the Tambopata National Reserve,” Flores told The Associated Press. “We are inside the reserve and around us we see dredges numbering in the hundreds.”

Illegal mining declined in parts of Madre de Dios after Peru launched a major military and police crackdown known as Operation Mercury in 2019. But miners have since moved back toward protected areas, prompting authorities to intensify operations.

Global Conservation, a U.S.-based nonprofit working with Peruvian authorities, said ongoing operations will combine satellite monitoring, aerial reconnaissance and law enforcement raids over the coming year to identify and dismantle illegal gold mining camps and equipment.

Destroying the motors hits miners where it hurts most

Before setting out Tuesday, Navy Lt. Cmdr. Renato Miranda told troops at a briefing that the mission’s objective was to “neutralize and dismantle” illegal mining activities. Once on the ground, that meant searching for anything that allowed the mines to function: pumps, batteries, fuel, dredging equipment and makeshift infrastructure.

“The most important thing is to destroy the main machinery,” Miranda said. “And the main machinery is the motors.”

The powerful engines are among the most valuable pieces of equipment at a mining site and a key economic pressure point for authorities trying to make it more expensive for miners to restart operations. Miranda said larger engines can cost around $30,000 to $45,000. He estimated that motors targeted in the raids can extract 30 to 50 grams of gold a day. At current gold prices, that would be worth about $4,000 to $7,000.

Miranda told AP the three-day operation destroyed 56 motors, 78 mining rafts and 13,751 gallons (52,050 liters) of fuel, with the destroyed material valued at more than 15 million soles ($4 million). On the ground, soldiers said they had destroyed around 115 motors over the previous three months during operations carried out nearly every week.

The remote sites give miners time to hear approaching boats or helicopters and flee, often hiding motors in sand, behind trees or in muddy pools to recover later. Specialized navy divers search the murky pools for submerged engines, entering water where mercury and other chemicals may be present. When they find one, they attach explosive charges and destroy it.

At one site, as troops prepared to leave, a soldier spotted disturbed sand and began digging. He uncovered a motor, threw it onto a pile with a mattress and chainsaw, doused it with gasoline and set it alight. A dog abandoned at the site fared better: soldiers took a liking to it, bringing it along for the rest of the day’s mission and eventually back to their military base.

Elsewhere, troops used dynamite-like explosives to destroy equipment and burned structures and supplies that could be used to keep the mining camps running.

A 10-minute boat ride away, another, larger camp offered a glimpse of daily life at the mining sites. A chest freezer was packed with meat, while wooden shelves held plates and coffee mugs. Several separate sleeping areas were strewn with personal belongings: a ledger filled with lists of needed supplies, freshly washed underwear hanging from string to dry, bottles of vitamins and even pills marketed as increasing penis size and sexual endurance. All was set alight by the troops. Before moving on, some of the soldiers cooked and ate food they found in the abandoned camp.

The expensive machinery and valuable gold contrasts with the precarious conditions of many living and working in the camps.

During the operation, another patrol encountered a woman with her 1-year-old child at a mining site. Flores told AP she had come to Madre de Dios from Cusco after failing to gain admission to university and, after being left by the father of her child, needed work. She responded to an advertisement seeking a cook and ended up preparing food for illegal miners.

Authorities say raids alone will not stop the mining

The destruction of machinery is intended to hit miners where it hurts most: the cost of restarting. But authorities themselves acknowledge that raids alone are not enough.

Miranda said that with gold prices high and mining highly profitable, operators can acquire another engine, rebuild their equipment and return to the same location or move elsewhere.

“Every day they are advancing more and more and more, and we are being very slow," said Flores, adding that their strategy needs to change.

Prosecutors, he said, are now pursuing two fronts: continuing operations against dredges, motors and other equipment while also following the money behind the mines — identifying the financiers who provide the capital for expensive machinery and tracing the profits generated by the gold.

That approach could be critical to breaking the cycle visible along the Malinowski River: authorities destroy equipment, leave and miners find the money and machinery to start again.

“These operations have to be permanent,” Flores said. ___

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

The team announced Friday that the ceremony will take place following the Feb. 28 game at Target Center against the Celtics, who retired Garnett's jersey in 2022.

Garnett will become just the second player in the 37-year history of the franchise to have his number retired, following the late Malik Sealy, a close friend and teammate of Garnett's who died in a car crash in 2000.

Garnett had a falling out with former Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor, but the club under new ownership made amends and hired him last year as a team ambassador. He made his first appearance at Target Center in April during the Minnesota's final game of the 2025-26 regular season.

Garnett won the NBA MVP award for the 2003-04 season while leading the Timberwolves to the Western Conference finals. After playing the first 12 years of his career for Minnesota, he was traded to the Celtics in 2007 and won an NBA title with them in his first year. He returned to Minnesota in 2015 and played his last of 21 seasons in the league there.

Garnett is the all-time Timberwolves leader in numerous statistical categories, including points, rebounds, blocks, assists and steals.

___

See AP’s full NBA coverage here

Every Saturday and Sunday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., families can watch live dissections right on the museum floor—sheep hearts and other real organs—showing you up close how bodies actually work.

It’s free with museum admission, and they rotate the organs each weekend, so there’s always something new to see.

Dominic Roberto, the manager of guest experience at the Michigan Science Center, joined Local 4 Live for a preview of what to expect.

You can watch the full interview in the video at the beginning of this article.

New car buyers are signing up for longer loans. More than a third are taking on a 73-month loan or longer—that’s up 27% from a decade ago. Stretching out the loan can make the monthly payments cheaper, but you pay for it in the long run. Total interest adds up while the car loses value.

And even though people are looking for lower payments, the average monthly payment for a new car is the highest it’s ever been: $777.

With Michigan’s wild weather and wildlife, you also need good insurance. While costs can vary from person to person, U.S. News & World Report says Michigan drivers are paying an average of $3,121 a year. Your age, driving record, and insurance company can all influence that. They found Geico and Travelers the cheapest, and State Farm the most expensive.

And you’re not going anywhere without gas. A gallon of regular in the metro is about $4.23 this morning. That’s 28 cents more than a month ago, and well over a dollar more than last year.

Matthew Degen, a senior editor at Cox Automotive, joined Local 4 Live to talk about why it’s getting much harder to afford something most people rely on.

You can watch the full interview in the video at the beginning of this article.

Kevin Rideout “is in good health in the care of U.S. officials,” SIM International, an Evangelical mission organization, said in a statement.

He will soon be reunited with his extended family, the statement added.

Rideout was back in U.S. custody on Friday, the country’s President Donald Trump said in a post on social media.

“Kevin, the United States of America looks forward to welcoming you HOME. Glad to have helped!” Trump wrote.

Rideout was kidnapped in the West African country's capital, Niamey, on Oct. 21 by three armed individuals and was probably driven out of town, according to information provided by a security official at the time.

No armed group claimed responsibility for the abduction.

Niger has long faced attacks from armed groups including jihadis linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State organization.

The U.S. Embassy in Niamey issued a security alert a day after Rideout's kidnapping, warning that U.S. citizens “remain at a heightened risk of kidnapping throughout Niger, including in the capital city.”

Niger is ruled by a military junta that took power in 2023 after deposing the democratically elected president, Mohamed Bazoum. The new authorities ousted Western partners including the United States, which had soldiers in Niger, and forged a new security and diplomatic alliance with Russia.

In June, more than 30 people were killed when gunmen attacked the main airport in Niamey. It was the second attack this year at the airport, a strategic hub that serves as the ruling military’s command, hosting its air force base and most of its drones and aircraft. It’s also the headquarters of the regional alliance that brings together troops from Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso.

The violence is the latest sign of armed groups increasingly targeting cities and urban centers in Africa’s Sahel region.

Sly moved into the Kapuzinerkloster, a Capuchin monastery about 1,550 feet (470 meters) above sea level, 7 1/2 weeks ahead of the Aug. 4 opening of Romeo Castellucci’s new Salzburg Festival production timed for the 800th anniversary year of St. Francis’ death.

Sly climbs the steps from the city center or walks up a road several times daily and sleeps without air conditioning in a summer of record European heat waves.

“Just being here has been extremely important because I’m going to Lauds every morning,” the 37-year-old Canadian bass-baritone said in a reference to Franciscan morning prayers.

“I’ve taken on all these habits that they have here and now I long for it," he said in an interview with The Associated Press outside the monastery on the morning after the first performance. "It’s weird. I’m excited to come back to the monastery and be present for Vespers or for the Eucharist Mass.”

Messiaen, a prolific 20th century French composer, spent nearly a decade creating his only opera, which premiered in 1983, nine years before his death.

His score for the 6-hour, 20-minute, eight-tableaux opus (including a pair of one-hour intermissions) depicts episodes in St. Francis' spiritual journey, including his encounter with a leper and his sermon to birds. The score calls for two raised percussion sections on either side of the stage and three ondes Martenots. The electronic instruments figure prominently in the 45-minute “Sermon to the Birds,” the sixth tableau, reflecting Messiaen's devotion to his Catholic faith.

Conductor Maxime Pascal leads 120 musicians and a chorus of 90 in six performances through Aug. 23. A second conductor in the pit waves a baton capped by a white light, signaling percussion beats at odds with the other instruments’ markings.

“It’s 2,500 pages of music, sometimes very, very complex,” Pascal said. “There is never one transition. It’s a succession of infinity of moments and so each moment, it can be short or long, but each moment is like a work by itself.”

The staging features a peacock, sheep and baking bread

Castellucci’s production features a Czechoslovakian Wolfdog, a female peacock and seven sheep who romp across the stage near the end as the roof opens at the Felsenreitschule, a 1,400-seat theater built in the Mönchsberg rock quarry and famous for its appearance in the film “The Sound of Music.”

In the Franciscan tradition of bread for the poor, a pair of MIWE four-level ovens are moved on stage and bake 33 sourdough loaves, their aroma wafting through the audience. Each oven weighs 2,650 pounds (1,200 kilos). The bread is later made available to the backstage crew.

“In the New Testament, often there’s quotes of Jesus saying that the kingdom of God is like yeast,” Sly said.

José van Dam originated the title role at the Paris Opéra, with Seiji Ozawa conducting. Peter Sellars directed a 1992 Salzburg production starring van Dam with Esa-Pekka Salonen leading the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

“Messiaen had these pictures of colors and dimensions of time and space. Pretty exhilarating,” said Sellars, who first heard the music when Ozawa conducted three tableaux in concert with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 1986.

“Most opera is about stabbing the girl in the back," Sellars told the AP. "This is just about what are the revelations in your life, what are the moments when you have another idea of how to live and what it means to be human and what it means to be part of nature.”

Performing the opera for the first time, the Vienna Philharmonic started with five rehearsals back home followed by 12 more in Salzburg. The orchestra is known for Beethoven, Brahms, Mahler and Strauss, not contemporary compositions.

“It’s very important for an orchestra today to play also modern music,” said double bassist Michael Bladerer, the Vienna Philharmonic’s general manager.

Large orchestra and chorus make performances rare

There has been just one major U.S. staged production, by the San Francisco Opera in 2002 starring Willard White with Donald Runnicles conducting. Then-general director Pamela Rosenberg believed the city named after St. Francis should stage the portrayal of him.

“It’s one of the two or three most compelling pieces of the second half of the last century,” she said. “For me it was almost distressing — being dramatic — that it hadn’t been shown in the Western hemisphere yet.”

“He’s just so unique,” she added of Messiaen. “In spite of being part of the spectral music movement, he wasn’t continuing the footsteps of anyone with his musical language and he really created something that had an enormous artistic impetus in the music world.”

White, now 79, sings the shorter role of Frère Bernard in the new production and was able to pass on his experience to Sly.

“It was partly technical but it’s also a mindset,” White said. “I basically said that in this life we got to go from one moment to the next and in the acceptance of the moment that we’re in it actually guides us to the approach of the next moment.”

Soprano Lauranne Oliva (The Angel), tenor Sean Panikkar (The Leper) and baritone Russell Braun (Frère Léon) are part of a standout cast dominated by Sly’s quivering, self-mutilating performance as he gets smothered with dirt and blood.

Pascal thinks Messiaen chose St. Francis as a subject because of their mutual interest in birds and faith, then created the opera as a synthesis of his use of orchestral color.

“Messiaen was convinced while composing the work that it would be his last work," Pascal said. "He thought it was his swan song.”

‘The End of Oak Street’ transplants a Detroit suburb (Royal Oak) - along with its bickering neighbors - straight into the prehistoric era. Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor star as a married couple scrambling to survive dinosaurs and figure out how to get home. Writer-director David Robert Mitchell, a Michigan native, grounds the sci-fi spectacle in Midwestern familiarity.

Russell called it “fun,” though not without reservations. “Everybody kind of gave like a 3.5,” he said. “3.5, okay, down the middle.” Despite the middling consensus, Russell had a simple pitch for Michigan audiences: “Support somebody from Michigan.”

‘Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie’ delivers exactly what its title promises, sending Ryder and the pups on a prehistoric rescue mission. Russell reported the target audience gave it full marks. “Actually, talking to the kids and their parents coming out, they enjoyed” it, he said - and noted that the kids knew all the characters by name, which he considered the real test.

“It’s almost like the Paw Patrol - they run into dinosaurs too,” Russell said of the coincidental weekend theme.

‘Don’t Say Good Luck’ is the emotional standout of the week. The film follows a high school senior who lands the lead in her school play just as her mother’s cancer returns, forcing her to weigh her dreams against family duty. Sadie “Sonny” Sandler - daughter of comedian Adam Sandler, whose Happy Madison Productions backs the film - plays the lead.

“She does a wonderful job,” Russell said. The film resonated personally with the critic. “It’s just very touching, especially for those of us who ever had to deal with” a parent’s illness, he said.

Russell awarded it his highest rating of the weekend - four reels - saying simply: “It does, it moves you.” The film is available to stream on Netflix.

Greg Russell’s full interviews with Hollywood stars are available at movieshowplus.com.

Eric Dewayne Williams, 49, of Port Huron, was charged with assault with intent to murder, tampering with evidence and habitual offender - fourth offense.

Williams allegedly stabbed a victim three times in the abdomen outside the Eastland Motel in Eastpointe. Prosecutors said he ran away from the scene but later returned, where he was then arrested. A weapon was not recovered.

The victim was taken to a local hospital and is expected to recover.

According to the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office, Williams and the victim do not know each other.

Williams was arraigned in court on Aug. 11, and his bond was set at $1 million.

He is scheduled to return to court on Aug. 19 at 8 a.m. for a probable cause conference.

To watch the segment, click on the video above.