Rain chances will remain relatively low for most of the week, making for several excellent days to spend time outdoors and at the pool.

The next opportunity for showers and thunderstorms appears to arrive late Wednesday evening as a weak disturbance moves through the Great Lakes. At this time, rainfall coverage looks limited, and many locations could remain dry.

Following the midweek warmth, temperatures will trend closer to seasonal averages beginning Thursday. Highs are expected to settle back into the 70s through the weekend while dry weather continues to dominate the forecast.

But few may know that there are a plethora of other ancient fossils that can be found on Michigan beaches as far south as Metro Detroit, according to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE).

Many of the fossils found plentifully throughout the state are shells and coral-like animals, geologists say, as Michigan used to be entirely covered in warm shallow seas some 350 million years ago.

However hobbyists and archeologists alike have also found trilobites, plant fossils, and teeth or bones on beaches throughout the Michigan Basin — which encompasses the entire lower peninsula and roughly half of the upper peninsula and is considered one of the most unique geologic structures in the world, according to EGLE.

For those looking to take advantage of Michigan’s rich landscape of ancient fossils, here’s a list of tips from EGLE’s Senior Geologist Evin Maguire to help ensure a successful fossil hunt:

• Search for fossils after a storm or high wave event. Storms cause shoreline erosion and can reveal new fossils that were not previously exposed.
• High lake levels also cause shoreline erosion and can expose new fossils in the same way as storms.
• Bring a snorkel and go offshore. Fossils underwater are far less likely to be picked up than ones easily seen walking on shore.
• Look for areas with larger cobbles near the foot of steeper bluffs. Steeper areas generally have higher rates of erosion, so a steady supply of new fossils can be found near them.
• Look for areas where small creeks or streams enter the lake. Streams also cause erosion, and new material can be washed down them, especially after storms.
• Do your research. There are a wealth of resources and highly knowledgeable local people who can help you find the best collecting localities wherever you may go.
• Keep in mind the 25-pound annual limit for rock/fossil/mineral collecting in Michigan state parks and shorelines. Always check for and follow local rock collecting rules. 

For a complete list of the most common fossils that can be found and how to identify them, visit michigan.gov.

The shooting happened in the 300 block of Central Avenue, near Woodward Avenue and South Boulevard, on May 24 at around 10 p.m. Deputies from the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office responded to the area for a report of a man who had been shot.

When deputies arrived, they found Brian Keith Washington Jr., 25, in his room with a gunshot wound to the neck and not breathing. He was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

According to the sheriff’s office, shell casings were found outside the bedroom window.

Anyone with information about the shooting, or who may have heard or seen something in the area around 10 p.m., is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAKUP. Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $2,000 for information leading to an arrest in the case. Tipsters can remain anonymous.

Russia and ally Belarus held joint nuclear drills last week, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned in recent days that Belarus could provide a launchpad for Russia to open a new front in northern Ukraine. Some Russian troops entered Ukraine from Belarusian territory in Moscow's invasion on Feb. 24, 2022.

In a further sign of concern, French President Emmanuel Macron spoke by phone with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on Sunday about the war in Ukraine, their first call since the invasion began.

Russia warns of more 'systemic strikes'

Further “systemic strikes” on Kyiv are in store, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement Monday. It urged foreign citizens, including members of diplomatic missions, to leave the city as quickly as possible and told residents to stay away from military and government facilities.

The ministry said Friday’s deadly Ukrainian drone strike on a college dormitory in Starobilsk was “the final straw.” Ukraine said it hit only targets supporting Russia’s invasion.

The Russian army is locked in a hard and costly slog on the 1,250-kilometer (780-mile) front line that mostly snakes through eastern and southern Ukraine.

“Russia hit a dead-end on the battlefield, so it terrorizes Ukraine with deliberate strikes on city centers,” Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, said on X, after the weekend barrage that killed two people and damaged buildings across the Ukrainian capital.

With U.S.-made air defense missiles in short supply because of the Iran war, Russian missiles are harder for Ukraine to stop. Meanwhile, U.S. efforts to stop the fighting have stalled.

Countries keep a wary eye on Belarus

In his call with Lukashenko, Macron “underscored the risks for Belarus of allowing itself to be dragged into Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine,” according to a presidential aide in the French leader’s office who spoke on condition of anonymity in accordance with the presidential palace’s practices. Macron also spoke Sunday with Zelenskyy.

Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, on her first visit to Kyiv, told The Associated Press on Sunday that “Lukashenko’s regime knows well what needs to be done to improve ties with the European Union, but it isn’t happening. Instead, hybrid attacks, nuclear blackmail and threats to the entire region continue."

A terse readout released by the Belarusian presidential press service said the call with Macron took place “on the French side’s initiative” and the leaders discussed “regional issues” and Belarusian relations with the EU and France.

Lukashenko, who has governed his country of some 9.5 million people with an iron fist for more than three decades, relies on the Kremlin for cheap energy, loans and other support. Western countries have repeatedly slapped sanctions on Belarus, including for its crackdown on human rights and for allowing Moscow to use its territory to invade Ukraine.

More recently, Lukashenko has been trying to improve ties with the West. Since President Donald Trump returned to the White House, Lukashenko has released hundreds of political prisoners as part of deals that lifted some U.S. sanctions.

Russia fires hypersonic missile at Ukraine

Sunday’s bombardment included Russia’s powerful hypersonic Oreshnik ballistic missile, which can carry multiple warheads. Russian President Vladimir Putin has boasted it can travel up to 10 times the speed of sound and evade air defense systems.

Zelenskyy said Ukrainian intelligence services had received tipoffs from the United States and European countries that Russia was preparing to launch an Oreshnik.

In addition to the two deaths, at least 91 people were wounded in Sunday's barrage, according to Tymur Tkachenko, the head of the Kyiv City Administration.

Shattered glass littered sidewalks on Monday after Ukrainian authorities said the assault damaged buildings across the city, including near government offices, residential buildings, schools and a market.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on Monday led ambassadors from more than 70 countries on a visit to the sites of the strikes. He urged the international community to step up pressure on Moscow and ensure Ukraine gets more air defense support.

In other developments:

Russia’s Federal Security Service said divers found magnetic mines attached to the hull of a liquefied petroleum gas tanker in the Russian Baltic port of Ust-Luga. The tanker Arrhenius was bound for Samsun, Turkey, it said, adding that the limpet mines were made in a NATO member country. Ukrainian officials made no immediate comment.

Meanwhile, a Russian missile hit a business in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Derhachi, killing two people and wounding 19 others Monday, Kharkiv regional administration head Oleh Syniehubov said. Seventeen people were hospitalized.

___

Associated Press writer John Leicester in Paris contributed to this report.

___

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

“Magnifica Humanitas” (Magnificent Humanity), Leo’s first encyclical, has been eagerly awaited ever since history’s first U.S.-born pope announced days after his election that he considered AI to be the biggest challenge facing humanity today.

In the text, Leo denounced the “culture of power” driving the AI race, especially in developing ever more sophisticated methods of remote warfare. He declared that it was “not permissible” to entrust irreversible, lethal decisions to AI systems, setting up another flash point between the American pope and the Trump administration, which has worked aggressively to deregulate AI development.

“Artificial Intelligence now demands to be disarmed, freed from logics that turn it into an instrument of domination, exclusion and death,″ the pope told a special Vatican presentation of the encyclical, one of the most authoritative types of teaching documents a pope can issue.

Experts in the tech industry, academia and Catholic morality said the document will likely become a benchmark in the debate over AI, a point of reference for policymakers, researchers and ordinary folk alike. It comes as the near-daily developments in the technology trigger concerns over AI replacing human jobs and even human intelligence.

Taylor Black, a Microsoft AI executive and director of Catholic University of America’s AI institute, said the document would prompt people “at the forefront of these tools” to ask questions such as “What does it mean to be human?”

Pope calls out AI companies even as he hosts Anthropic

The Vatican launch also included remarks by the co-founder of Anthropic, which is currently locked in a legal battle with the Trump administration over access to its AI technology. The Vatican decided to involve Anthropic as part of its decade-long effort to engage Silicon Valley in dialogue over the human cost of AI.

And yet in his text, Leo repeatedly blasted the concentration of power and data in the hands of so few people in the private sector as a danger, especially to children and the most vulnerable, and called for external regulation of their work.

“It is not enough to invoke ethics in the abstract; robust legal frameworks, independent oversight, informed users and a political system that does not abdicate its responsibility are required,” he wrote. “A more moral AI is not enough if that morality is determined by a few.”

Leo appealed to AI developers and political leaders responsible for regulating them to slow down and reflect on what they are doing. He urged them to use ethical and spiritual guidelines to make the choice to work not for their own profit or power, but the betterment of humanity.

AI competitors OpenAI and Anthropic are the second- and third-most valuable U.S. private companies, each valued at hundreds of billions of dollars, more than the GDP of many nations. Both companies are heading toward near-trillion dollar IPOs.

Anthropic co-founder Christopher Olah welcomed Leo's criticism and concern. He said such external checks were fundamental to the technology “going well” for humankind since there is so much at stake — “a real possibility that AI will displace human labor at a very large scale.”

“We need more of the world — religious communities, civil society, scholars, governments — to do what His Holiness has done here: to take this seriously, to look closely, and to push events in a better direction,” Olah said. “We need moral voices that the incentives cannot bend.”

Experts say the text will become a benchmark

In a methodical text, the math major pope traced the history of the Catholic Church’s social teaching and applied its core concepts — justice, solidarity, the dignity of work and the universal destination of resources — to the digital revolution.

“I am convinced that this will prove to be a defining document for our era, a profound and prophetic document,” said Paolo Carozza, law professor at Notre Dame Law School and chair of the Meta Oversight Board.

“Pope Leo is offering a clear, comprehensive, and coherent voice urging us to take responsibility for constructing a world in which technology will serve humans rather than degrade them,” he said.

In its strongest chapters, Leo denounced how AI had helped accelerate the “normalization of war” by desensitizing people to its cost. He didn’t name specific conflicts, but cited “opposing imperialisms, between powers that wish to preserve their supremacy, and those that aspire to seize that supremacy.”

He demanded transparency and accountability by AI developers so that the chain of decision-making command in ordering strikes with AI weaponry is always known. He declared that the Catholic Church’s “just war” theory, which provides specific criteria for when force can be justified, was now “outdated” given the technological advances of warfare.

A text in the church’s social justice tradition

Leo signed the text May 15, the 135th anniversary of the publication of “Rerum Novarum” (Of New Things), the most important teaching document of Leo’s hero and namesake, Pope Leo XIII. That document addressed workers’ rights, the limits of capitalism, and the obligations that states and employers owed workers as the Industrial Revolution was underway.

It became the foundation of modern Catholic social thought, and the current pope cited it at the start of his pontificate in relation to the AI revolution, which he believes poses the same existential questions that the Industrial Revolution posed over a century ago. “Magnifica Humanitas” thus becomes the latest chapter in a century-long history of popes adapting “Rerum Novarum” to the social questions of their times, often dwelling on the dignity of work for human flourishing.

AI is evoking both existential fears and utopian vision amid an intensifying debate on whether it will become a catalyst that enriches humanity or a technological toxin that dulls human intelligence while wiping out millions of high-paying jobs.

“The pursuit of greater profits cannot justify choices that systematically sacrifice jobs, because the human person is an end, not a means, and the economic order must remain subordinate to human dignity and the common good,” Leo wrote.

Leo extended his concern for upholding human dignity in labor to issue the first-ever papal apology for the Holy See’s own role in legitimizing slavery by giving European sovereigns explicit authority to subjugate and enslave “infidels.”

A decade-long dialogue with Silicon Valley

Vatican officials declined to say who contributed to Leo’s encyclical. But Vatican and church officials have been engaged in a dialogue with Silicon Valley tech firms for a decade.

The decision to include Anthropic at the Vatican launch was criticized by some who considered it a papal stamp of approval of the AI firm, which is currently suing the Trump administration after it ordered all U.S. agencies to stop using Anthropic’s technology for its refusal to allow the U.S. military unrestricted use of it.

Brian Boyd, U.S. faith liaison for the nonprofit Future of Life Institute, read the inclusion of Anthropic’s co-founder Olah as a recognition of its prominence in the field and as similar to a papal audience with a head of state: not an endorsement.

Anthropic is an “enormous corporation that is taking onto itself an enormous risk and responsibility,” Boyd said, adding that the company has “demonstrated genuine goodwill and integrity and interest in dialogue.”

___

Winfield reported from Middletown, Connecticut, and Huamani reported from Los Angeles. Associated Press writers Kelvin Chan in London and Colleen Barry in Milan contributed to this report.

___

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Some 50,000 residents in Garden Grove, a city of roughly 170,000 about 40 miles (60 kilometers) south of downtown Los Angeles, have been evacuated and are waiting for a resolution. The tank overheated Thursday and began venting vapors, leaving local and state officials scrambling to evade a worst possible scenario at the aerospace company site.

No injuries have been reported.

Fire officials planned to send in a team for “an all-night mission” to determine if the pressure has been relieved, which would reduce the worst-case scenario of an explosion, Orange County Fire Authority interim chief TJ McGovern said in a video posted late Sunday to the agency's X account.

“We are not there yet,” McGovern said, urging residents to stay out of the evacuation zone while crews continued operations overnight.

In a follow-up update posted on X, the Orange County Fire Authority said there was one known crack on the tank, disputing reports circulating online of multiple cracks. Officials also said there was no active leak and that continuous atmospheric monitoring confirmed no chemicals were escaping from the tank.

Firefighters have repeatedly sprayed the tank with water in an attempt to cool the chemical inside, methyl methacrylate, which is used to make plastic parts. The tank's interior reached 100 degrees (37.7 Celsius) Sunday, an increase of 10 degrees Fahrenheit (5.5 Celsius) since Saturday, according to Democratic state Sen. Tom Umberg.

Fire officials said a crack discovered in the tank over the weekend may have helped relieve pressure, reducing the risk of a catastrophic explosion.

Officials working to prevent a disaster

Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency Saturday and said he asked President Donald Trump to issue an emergency declaration to bolster federal support for local and state officials.

The tank at GKN Aerospace Transparency Systems, which makes parts for commercial and military aircraft, holds 6,000 to 7,000 gallons (22,700 to 26,500 liters) of methyl methacrylate used to make plastic parts.

Monitoring tests found air pollution around the evacuation zone was within normal limits and specialized equipment is being used to ensure gas is not released, state and federal environmental officials said Saturday.

The first goal of firefighters is to cool off the chemical inside the tank to prevent a leak or explosion.

Drones were monitoring temperatures at 10-minute intervals to watch for any spikes. Containment barriers have been set up to prevent the chemical from getting into storm drains or reaching creeks or the nearby ocean in the event of a spill, Orange County Fire Authority division chief Craig Covey said on social media.

As the interior temperature rises, methyl methacrylate converts from a liquid to a gas and increases the pressure, according to Purdue University engineering professor Andrew Whelton, who said the crack could mean product or pressure is being released, reducing the chance of explosion.

“Think of a soda can. If you leave it in a hot car it can explode,” Whelton said. “But if you put a hole in the can, the product is released and the can itself doesn’t explode.”

Firefighters are unlikely to consider making a hole in the tank, fearing a spark that might ignite the volatile and flammable gas. An explosion that could spread the chemical over a broad area and send shrapnel flying would be the worst-case scenario, he said.

Dealing with displacement and health concerns

Aerial photos taken by The Associated Press showed streets in the area were empty Sunday, while several evacuation shelters were open. At a high school in neighboring La Palma, people slept in cars or on mats and sleeping bags on the asphalt.

Garden Grove is next to Anaheim, home to Disneyland’s two theme parks, which were not under evacuation orders. Park officials said they were monitoring the situation.

Exposure to methyl methacrylate can cause serious respiratory problems, neurological problems and irritation to the skin, eyes and throat, according to fact sheets about the chemical.

Whelton said if an explosion occurs, it will be crucial to conduct detailed air monitoring specifically for methyl methacrylate and not just generic tests for volatile organic compounds as officials did after a 2023 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, which released more than 115,000 gallons (435,000 liters) of vinyl chloride after officials blew open five tank cars and burned the chemical.

Orange County health officials said the chemical is easy to smell and people may notice it over a large area without being harmed.

Residents taking legal action

Some Garden Grove residents filed a class-action federal lawsuit Saturday against GKN Aerospace Transparency Systems, which operates the facility where the tank is located. Lawyers for the residents argued that regardless of what happens, property values in the surrounding community are sure to be impacted.

GKN Aerospace did not comment on the lawsuit but has apologized to residents and businesses forced to evacuate. It said Sunday it was “working around the clock to mitigate the risk of a leak.”

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

___

Associated Press journalist Ethan Swope in Garden Grove, California, contributed to this report.

The primary election in Michigan is on Aug. 4, 2026, and the general election is on Nov. 3, 2026.

Current Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel is term-limited and is unable to run again.

--> Hear from the candidates running for Michigan Attorney General

Both candidates running for the open seat are sitting prosecutors.

Eaton County Prosecutor Doug Lloyd (R)

Doug Lloyd has been the Eaton County Prosecutor for 13 years and is the president of the Michigan Prosecutors Association.

According to his campaign website, if elected, he said his focus will be on prosecuting fairly, protecting constitutional rights and pushing back on “political lawfare.”

Lloyd is running as a Republican for Michigan attorney general.

Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit (D)

Eli Savit has been the Washtenaw County Prosecutor since 2020. He is a University of Michigan Law School graduate who clerked for two U.S. Supreme Court Justices.

If elected, he said his focus will be on prosecuting serious crime, protecting voting rights and holding environmental polluters accountable, according to his campaign website.

Savit is running as a Democrat for Michigan attorney general.

Current Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is term-limited and cannot run again. She is, however, running for governor in the 2026 election.

The primary election in Michigan is on Aug. 4, 2026. The general election is on Nov. 3, 2026.

Here’s a look at the candidates running for Michigan secretary of state in the 2026 election:

Garlin Gilchrist (D)

Garlin Gilchrist II has served as Lt. Governor alongside Governor Gretchen Whitmer since 2018.

He was initially running for governor in the 2026 election, but ended his campaign and instead announced his bid for secretary of state.

According to Gilchrist’s campaign website, his priorities, if elected, include modernizing licensing and registration, holding companies accountable for auto repair scams and “standing tall” against big tech companies.

Gilchrist is running as a Democratic candidate for secretary of state.

Anthony Forlini (R)

Anthony Forlini has been serving as the Macomb County Clerk since 2021.

Before working as a county clerk, he represented Michigan’s 24th District in the State House of Representatives and served as Supervisor of Harrison Township.

According to his campaign website, his priority, if elected as secretary of state, is to “protect election integrity, strengthen transparency, enforce the rule of law and run a high-performing office that respects the public.”

Forlini is running as a Republican candidate for secretary of state.

Also on the ballot are primary runoffs in more than a dozen congressional districts, plus state contests for lieutenant governor, attorney general and others.

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn was the top vote-getter in the March 3 primary, but strong showings by two GOP challengers forced the four-term incumbent to Tuesday’s head-to-head matchup with state Attorney General Ken Paxton, the second-place finisher who received President Donald Trump’s endorsement on May 19.

The contest is Trump’s next opportunity to purge the party of incumbents he views as insufficiently loyal to him and his agenda. It also sets the stage for a general election where Democrats are increasingly optimistic about their chances to score an upset in the heavily Republican state as they look to retake control of the U.S. Senate. Historically, voters have tended to punish the incumbent president’s party at the ballot box in midterm election years.

The winner will face Democratic state Rep. James Talarico in the general election.

Trump seemed open to endorsing Cornyn following the primary, and he did not excoriate the incumbent in his endorsement of Paxton, as he’s done recently with Republican incumbents in Indiana, Louisiana and Kentucky. But he said Cornyn “was not supportive of me when times were tough.”

Cornyn was critical of Trump ahead of the president’s 2024 campaign.

Since much of the Texas primary campaign has focused on the candidates’ loyalty to Trump, the counties where the president has the most support could play a decisive role. Although many of the counties Trump won in 2024 with 80% or more of the vote are rural and sparsely populated, collectively they made up about a fifth of the GOP primary vote. Paxton beat Cornyn in these counties, 45% to 40%, while Cornyn performed better than Paxton in the rest of the state.

In counties Trump carried with between 50% and 80% of the vote, Cornyn received about 42% of the vote, edging Paxton by a percentage point. Republican primary voters in the 12 counties Democrat Kamala Harris carried in 2024 preferred Cornyn, 44% to 40%. These counties made up 25% of the overall primary vote, larger than the share of Trump’s 80%-plus counties.

Only two incumbent U.S. senators from Texas have lost a primary in the last 100 years.

In 2025, Republicans redrew the state’s congressional districts at Trump’s urging as part of an effort to maintain control of the U.S. House.

Among the notable primary runoffs that resulted from the new congressional map, Democratic U.S. Reps. Christian Menefee and Al Green will face each other in the redrawn 18th Congressional District. In the new 33rd Congressional District, Democratic U.S. Rep. Julie Johnson faces a challenge from her predecessor, former Democratic U.S. Rep. Colin Allred.

Here are some of the key facts about the election and data points the AP Decision Team will monitor as the votes are tallied:

When do polls close?

Polls close statewide at 7 p.m. local time, which is 8 p.m. ET and 9 p.m. ET. Most polls are in Central time and close at 8 p.m. ET, while polls in the westernmost part of the state are in Mountain time and close at 9 p.m. ET.

What’s on the ballot?

The AP will provide vote results and declare winners in Republican primary runoffs for U.S. Senate, U.S. House, railroad commissioner, Court of Criminal Appeals, state Senate and state House and in Democratic primary runoffs for U.S. House, lieutenant governor, attorney general, state Board of Education and state House.

Who gets to vote?

Voters who did not participate in a party primary on March 3 may vote in the runoff for either party. Voters who did cast a ballot in a party primary may only vote in the runoff of the same party as they did in the primary. In other words, Democratic primary voters may not vote in a Republican primary runoff or vice versa. Voters in the non-partisan primary may vote in either party’s runoff.

How many voters are there?

As of the March 3 primary, there were nearly 19 million registered voters in Texas.

How many people actually vote?

About 2.2 million Republican primary votes and about 2.3 million Democratic primary votes were cast in the March 3 Texas primary.

In the 2022 Republican primary for Texas Attorney General, turnout was about 1.9 million voters in the primary and about 932,000 in the primary runoff.

How much of the vote is cast early or by absentee ballot?

About 63% of the vote in the March 3 Republican primary was cast before primary day.

As of Thursday, about 621,000 Republican primary ballots and about 262,000 Democratic primary ballots had already been cast in Tuesday’s election.

When are early and absentee votes released?

Counties tend to release all or nearly all results from early and absentee voting in the first vote update of the night, before any in-person Election Day results are released.

How long does vote-counting usually take?

In the U.S. Senate primary in March, the AP first reported results at 8 p.m. ET just as polls closed in most of the state. By 11:39 p.m. ET, 75% of the vote had been counted. Vote results were released continuously until about 5:58 a.m. ET, with about 98% of the total vote counted.

When will the AP declare a winner?

The Associated Press does not make projections and will declare a winner only when it’s determined there is no scenario that would allow a trailing candidate to close the gap. If a race has not been called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why.

How do recounts work?

Texas requires an automatic recount only in cases of a tie vote. Losing candidates may request and pay for a recount if the margin is less than 10% of the leading candidate’s vote. The AP may declare a winner in a race that is subject to a recount if it can determine the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome.

Are we there yet?

As of Tuesday, there will be 161 days until the 2026 midterm elections.

___

Follow the AP’s coverage of the 2026 election at https://apnews.com/projects/elections-2026/.

More than 1.5 million pilgrims have arrived in Saudi Arabia from outside the country, Saleh bin Saad Al-Murabba, commander of the Hajj passport forces, said Friday. The faithful have been pouring into the country for the Hajj against the backdrop of a tenuous ceasefire in the Iran war and related regional tensions and uncertainty.

Egyptian pilgrim Samya Abdul Moneim said she was grateful to God that she made it to the Hajj, which is required once in a lifetime of every Muslim who can afford it and is physically able to make it.

“I am in a state of blessing and happiness,” she said in Mecca on Sunday. “It’s an indescribable feeling, truly. I mean, thank God, I am in a blessing.”

Typically on the first day, many pilgrims in Mecca converge on a vast tent camp in the nearby desert. Ahead of that, pilgrims have been circling the cube-shaped Kaaba in the Grand Mosque in sweltering temperatures. For pilgrims, Hajj can be a deeply moving spiritual experience and a chance to seek God’s forgiveness and the erasure of past sins. Pilgrims perform the Hajj rituals over several days.

This Hajj "is, in effect, a hard reset for me,” Youssef Chouhoud, a political scientist at Christopher Newport University in Virginia, said Monday from the tent city of Mina. “I pray that I emerge on the other side of this journey with a new sense of purpose and the discipline to see it through.”

Around him, many pilgrims were resting and refueling, he said via WhatsApp, noting how demanding the pilgrimage is.

“It is for many pilgrims the most difficult thing they will ever do in their lives,” he said. “But nothing this meaningful is ever going to be easy.”

He found it inspiring “to see so many who have sacrificed so much to be here ... only to compete with one another in giving charity and helping each other along the way," he said. “All this in the hope that their intentions and actions may be accepted by their Lord.”

Pilgrims brave intense heat

Many spend years hoping and praying to one day perform the Hajj or saving up money and waiting for a permit to embark on the trip.

As they brave the intense heat to perform religious rituals, many pilgrims have been using umbrellas for shade and carrying handheld fans. Volunteers hand out water bottles to help them stay hydrated and fans spray fine mists of water.

On Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump said a deal with Iran on the war, including opening the Strait of Hormuz, has been “largely negotiated” after calls with Israel and other allies in the region. He described it as a “Memorandum of Understanding pertaining to PEACE” that still must be finalized by the United States, Iran and the other countries that participated in the calls. That capped a week in which the U.S. weighed a new round of attacks on Iran.

Ahead of the trip for Hajj, some have said they were leaning on their faith as they embark on the journey amid the tensions and that they were feeling immense gratitude for the opportunity to go.

Hajj brings together large numbers of Muslims of diverse races, ethnicities, languages and economic classes, creating a sense of unity for many.

Regional tensions and Hajj travel plans

With uncertainty and global concerns high, authorities in Indonesia, home to the world’s largest Muslim population, have in the run-up to the Hajj season emphasized contingency planning for the pilgrimage and issued instructions to ensure that additional travel costs not be passed on to Indonesian pilgrims.

In India, home to a large Muslim minority, pilgrimage planning has proceeded largely as normal, but high fuel prices have pushed up travel costs for pilgrims.

A reopening of the strait would begin to ease a worldwide energy crisis sparked by the U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran on Feb. 28, which led Tehran to effectively close the waterway. Prices have spiked for oil, gas and several related products, jolting the world economy. The U.S. has blockaded Iranian ports for over a month, and Trump on Sunday said the blockade “will remain in full force and effect until an agreement is reached, certified, and signed.”

In response to the U.S.-Israeli attacks, Iran has launched retaliatory strikes and the conflict widened. A fragile ceasefire was reached in April.

In Saudi Arabia, pilgrims have been doing the ritual circuit around the Kaaba since arriving in Mecca over recent days. Pilgrims in Mina will camp there and pray and worship.

On Tuesday, in what is considered the pinnacle of the pilgrimage, the pilgrims will stand on the plain of Arafat, where they praise God, plead for forgiveness and make supplications. Many carry prayer requests from loved ones and raise their hands in worship with tears streaming down their faces.

___

Fam reported from Winter Park, Florida. Associated Press writers Niniek Karmini in Jakarta, Indonesia, and Sheikh Saaliq in New Delhi contributed to this report.

___

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Volunteers gathered at Hana’s Memorial Garden inside Seymour Lake Township Park to plant, reflect and honor the four students killed in the November 2021 tragedy: Hana St. Juliana, Tate Myre, Justin Shilling and Madisyn Baldwin.

A living tribute

The garden was dedicated in a ceremony last year, but work remained.

On Sunday, volunteers planted approximately 700 plants — each one chosen with intention — to help fill out the space.

Craig Smith, president of the Master Gardener Society of Oakland County, painted a picture of what the garden will look like as it matures.

“When all of these perennials grow and bloom, with what we have here it’ll be color here the entire year: spring, summer and fall,” Smith said.

For Hana’s father, Steve St. Juliana, the garden carries a message that reaches beyond Oxford.

“The garden is here as a memorial to Hana, Justin, Madisyn and Tate. And the first thing is to remember them and what happened here in Oxford can happen anywhere,” he said.

More than a garden

The morning brought together Michigan State University Extension, the Four County Community Foundation and Oxford Township Parks and Recreation for a series of activities tied to the passions and personalities of each of the four students.

Melanie Fuhrmann, a consumer horticulture educator with MSU Extension, said watching the community show up made the day feel special.

“It’s really been great to see the community connecting — just coming out for an amazing goal and to just get out and know they can come here whenever they want to just enjoy what’s going on outside,” Fuhrmann said.

St. Juliana said the garden also serves a deeper purpose, one rooted in the circumstances that led to the shooting in the first place.

“Also there needs to be the focus on mental health, especially for the kids because that’s where the shooting started from — was an imbalance on mental health,” he said.

Seeds of hope

Long after the event wrapped up, MSU Extension master gardeners will continue tending the space to keep the garden alive as a permanent, living tribute to the four students lost.

For more information about MSU Extension programs and resources, visit extension.msu.edu. To contact an expert in your area, visit extension.msu.edu/experts or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).

For more information on supporting Oxford memorial efforts, visit the websites of the Four County Community Foundation memorial fund for Hana St. Juliana, the 42 Strong Tate Myre Foundation and For the Love of Nature, the Forever Justin Shilling Foundation.

MDOC said Washington and senior custody and medical staff are observing health care units and day-to-day operations to make sure procedures are being followed and a consistent standard of care is provided. The department said leadership has been speaking with incarcerated individuals and reviewing concerns.

The department also said additional clinical leaders have been brought in and a new health care staffing plan is being developed, including enhanced nursing management.

Stakeholder briefings

Washington and the department’s medical director met May 22 with stakeholders, lawmakers and members of Michigan’s congressional delegation to provide updates and answer questions. The department said more briefings will be held as new developments occur.

Lawmaker letter

A letter dated May 21, 2026, and led by state Rep. Laurie Pohutsky calls for Washington to resign and raises concerns about conditions at Women’s Huron Valley and across the prison system.

In the letter, lawmakers say there have been at least four deaths in MDOC facilities in the last month that gained public attention, including two at Women’s Huron Valley: Khaira Howard (May 13) and Rebecca Fackler (May 17). The letter also references Colton Mitchell (April 15 at Chippewa Correctional Facility) and Devin Hurst (April 23 at the Charles Egeler Reception and Guidance Center).

The letter says “significant policy and culture change” is needed within MDOC and claims that change “cannot and will not occur” under Washington’s leadership.

There were no public campaign events scheduled for Sen. John Cornyn nor state Attorney General Ken Paxton on the final day of their more than yearlong quest for the GOP nomination. Instead, their fight for Tuesday's runoff continues as it has for months — intense and unabated — through advertising that has topped $109 million, heavily from Cornyn's side.

Cornyn is scheduled to host an annual, non-campaign event in San Antonio to recognize high school graduates attending the nation's service academies. The senator seeking a fifth term held his last public campaign event in Corpus Christi on Friday, ahead of Tuesday’s voting.

Paxton headlined his last events Thursday in the Austin area and in San Antonio, content to let his campaign and a super PAC carry his primary message: that President Donald Trump endorsed him on May 19.

Trump's announcement and accompanying dismissal of Cornyn, who has had an awkward public relationship with the president, came on the second day of early voting, which ended Friday.

Though the candidates were quiet over the weekend, Trump reaffirmed his support for Paxton on Sunday, and disparaged Cornyn as insufficiently loyal to him.

Paxton, Trump posted on social media, “was also very loyal to your favorite President, ME,” while calling Cornyn “VERY disloyal to me.” It was Trump's strongest rebuke of Cornyn, who had dismissed his 2024 comeback chances, and echoed the president's reproach of Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy before he lost in the May 15 GOP Senate primary.

Following Trump's call for retribution, Republican voters in Indiana and Kentucky have also chosen GOP primary challengers over incumbent GOP officeholders who have crossed the president or opposed his agenda.

For a contest that is expected to draw a fraction of Texas’ 18.7 million voters, the two candidates’ campaigns and supporting groups were continuing to bombard all Texans with advertising, though more by Cornyn's backers than Paxton's.

"It’s just a slug fest, with the campaigns and third-party groups slugging it out,” said Wayne Hamilton, a former executive director of the Texas Republican Party.

The combination of Cornyn's campaign and supporting super PACs have far outspent pro-Paxton groups over the past year, by almost nine-to-one. But the gap has shrunk as the runoff has approached. In the final week of the campaign, the combination of pro-Cornyn ad spending was less than twice Paxton's group.

Cornyn's network continued to air spots attacking Paxton over ethical and personal questions that have shadowed him with little effect throughout the campaign. Cornyn’s campaign also had reprised an ad noting his tendency to vote in the Senate for Trump’s priorities.

Paxton's campaign and groups supporting him transitioned midweek to all ads noting Trump's endorsement, though Paxton's primary super PAC, Lone Star Liberty Fund, began airing one over the weekend aimed at raising questions about state Rep. James Talarico, the Texas Democratic Senate nominee.

Past popes have apologized for Christians’ involvement in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. But no pope had ever publicly acknowledged, much less apologized for, the role that past popes played in giving European sovereigns explicit authority to subjugate and enslave “infidels.”

History’s first U.S.-born pope, whose family history includes both enslaved people and slave owners, delivered the apology in his first encyclical, “Magnifica Humanitas,” (Magnificent Humanity), which was released Monday.

The sweeping manifesto is about safeguarding humanity in an era of increasing reliance on artificial intelligence. Leo raised the trans-Atlantic slave trade in relation to what he called the new forms of slavery and colonialism that the digital revolution is fueling, such as the unregulated labor practices in procuring rare minerals needed for AI chips.

Anthea Butler, senior fellow at the Koch History Center, Oxford University, said Leo needed to acknowledge and atone for the Catholic Church's complicity in historic slavery if he wanted to credibly “speak to the current issues of technological enslavement.”

“For descendants of enslaved persons, this is once again a much needed apology from the pope,” said Butler, who is Black.

Black American Catholics, activists and scholars have long called for the Holy See to atone for its role in the colonial-era trade in human beings, beyond more generic apologies for the involvement of individual Christians.

“It is impossible not to feel deep sorrow when contemplating the immense suffering and humiliation endured by so many in stark contrast to their immeasurable dignity as persons infinitely loved by the Lord,” Leo wrote. “For this, in the name of the church, I sincerely ask for pardon.”

Centuries of legitimizing slavery for European colonizers

The Vatican has insisted that it always upheld the dignity of all human beings as children of God. But a series of 15th-century directives from the Vatican authorized Portuguese sovereigns to conquer Africa and the Americas and enslave non-Christians.

In 1452, for example, Pope Nicholas V issued the papal bull Dum Diversas, which gave the Portuguese king and his successors the right “to invade, conquer, fight and subjugate” and take all possessions — including land — of “Saracens, and pagans, and other infidels, and enemies of the name of Christ” anywhere.

The bull also gave the Portuguese permission “to reduce their persons to perpetual slavery.”

That bull and another issued three years later, Romanus Pontifex, formed the basis of the Doctrine of Discovery, the theory that legitimized the colonial-era seizure of land in Africa and the Americas.

Nicholas V’s permissions to the Portuguese were confirmed or renewed by Pope Callixtus III in 1456, Pope Sixtus IV in 1481 and Pope Leo X in 1514, according to the Rev. Christopher J. Kellerman, a Jesuit priest and author of “All Oppression Shall Cease: A History of Slavery, Abolitionism, and the Catholic Church.”

Spanish kings received the rights for the Americas.

In 2023, the Vatican formally repudiated the Doctrine of Discovery, but it never formally rescinded, abrogated or rejected the bulls themselves. The Vatican insists that a later bull, Sublimis Deus in 1537, reaffirmed that Indigenous peoples shouldn’t be deprived of their liberty or the possession of their property, and weren't to be enslaved.

Holy See late to condemn slavery, Leo says

In his encyclical, Leo recalled that his namesake, Pope Leo XIII, was the first pope to explicitly condemn slavery in 1888, long after many countries had abolished it. Before that, in antiquity and the Middle Ages, even church institutions had slaves.

In acknowledging the Holy See’s role and the 15th-century papal bulls, Leo wrote in his encyclical: “Already in the early modern period, the Apostolic See of Rome, responding to the requests of sovereigns, intervened several times in order to regulate and legitimize forms of subjugation, and, in certain cases, including the enslavement of ‘infidels.’”

Leo said that it wasn't possible to judge the morality of the decisions with today’s standards.

“Yet neither can we deny or diminish the delay with which both society and the church came to denounce the scourge of slavery,” he said.

The pope said that the church has long affirmed the dignity of every human being as the basis of its doctrine, “even if it took eighteen centuries for its full incompatibility with slavery to be explicitly recognized.”

“This constitutes a wound in Christian memory, one from which we cannot consider ourselves detached,” he said.

Leo said that the church must firmly condemn all forms of trafficking related to the digital technological revolution “if we want to avoid the need to ask for pardon again in the future for having failed to respect the treasure of human dignity that is required by our faith.”

Leo’s own family history and past apologies

Kellerman, the scholar, welcomed Leo’s apology but said more needs to be done to further acknowledge and atone for how the Catholic Church legitimized and expanded slavery.

“Pope Leo has strengthened the moral credibility of the church with this admission and apology today,” he told The Associated Press. “Hopefully a future document will explain in more detail the church’s involvement with slaveholding. As a scholar I have some quibbles with the wording, but this is a truly remarkable moment.”

During a 1985 visit to Cameroon, St. John Paul II asked forgiveness of Africans for the slave trade on behalf of Christians who participated in it. In a 1992 visit to Goree Island, Senegal, which was the largest slave-trading center in West Africa, he denounced the injustice of slavery and called it a “tragedy of a civilization that called itself Christian.”

According to genealogical research published by Henry Louis Gates Jr., 17 of Leo’s American ancestors were Black, listed in census records as mulatto, Black, Creole or a free person of color. His family tree includes slaveholders and enslaved people, Gates wrote in The New York Times.

During a visit to Angola last month, Leo prayed at a Catholic shrine at the site of an important hub of the African slave trade during Portugal’s colonial rule. While at the Sanctuary of Mama Muxima, Leo recalled the “sorrow and great suffering” Angolans endured for centuries, but he didn’t refer specifically to slavery.

___

Winfield reported from Middletown, Connecticut.

___

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Who’s on the ballot for Michigan’s governor in the 2026 election? Here’s a list

The Michigan gubernatorial election is shaping up for 2026.

The primary election in Michigan is on Aug. 4, 2026. The general election is on Nov. 3, 2026.

See list of candidates here.

Man seriously injured in Monroe Township motorcycle crash

A 34-year-old motorcyclist is in critical condition following a serious crash that took place early Monday morning in Monroe Township.

According to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, the man lost control of his 2019 Harley Davidson around 12:30 a.m. while negotiating a curve on E. Dunbar Road, and was ejected from the motorcycle after striking the curb of a private drive. The man, who was not wearing a helmet, struck a sign during the crash and had to be transported to ProMedica Toledo Hospital in Toledo, Ohio, where he remains in critical condition.

Read more here.

MDOC says leaders are onsite at Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility; lawmakers call for director’s resignation

Michigan Department of Corrections Director Heidi E. Washington and other department leaders have been onsite this week at the Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility, MDOC said in a press update.

MDOC said Washington and senior custody and medical staff are observing health care units and day-to-day operations to make sure procedures are being followed and a consistent standard of care is provided. The department said leadership has been speaking with incarcerated individuals and reviewing concerns.

Read more here.

Detroit hairstylist accused of pulling gun over payment pleads guilty

A hairstylist accused of pulling a gun during an argument over payment has pleaded guilty.

Police said the confrontation happened March 6 at Justice Angelique-Danielle Snell’s home on West Forest Avenue after a dispute over styling fees.

Read more here.

Weather: Memorial Day forecast: Patchy morning fog, summer-like warmth settles into Metro Detroit

Metro Detroit may encounter a few areas of patchy fog early on this Memorial Day as low clouds and abundant moisture linger across the region. Dense Fog Advisories have been issued just west of Southeast Michigan, and while widespread dense fog is not expected locally, folks should remain alert for reduced visibility in isolated spots early today.

The clouds and fog will gradually dissipate through the morning, paving the way for mostly sunny skies by this afternoon. Once the sunshine returns, temperatures will respond quickly, ushering in the warmest stretch of weather so far this weekend. In fact, conditions look beautiful for local parades and ceremonies. The UV index will be very high this afternoon, so make sure you apply sunscreen.

• More Local Headlines
• National Headlines
• World Headlines
• Sports Headlines

“I’ll stay in the European Parliament because it would be good for the Direct Democracy party to have a European Parliament member,” Fidias, who goes by his first name, told reporters before a proclamation ceremony.

“We could’ve done better but we’re happy with what has happened, this is a small victory.”

Fidias whipped up much speculation by being coy about his political future throughout his campaign.

It was only six months ago that Fidias, 26, founded the Direct Democracy party. He said that the party was intended to upend the established political order in Cyprus and abroad by enabling ordinary citizens to have a say in formulating party policy and declare themselves party candidates through an online application.

Direct Democracy received 5.4% of total votes in Sunday’s parliamentary election and four seats in the 56-member House. Fidias, who garnered the most votes out of all of his party’s candidates, ceded his seat to runner-up Yiannis Laouris.

Even though it’s a remarkable result for a group that eschewed the traditional way of wooing voters by outlining its policies, the result didn’t live up to Fidias’ own expectations. That’s because nearly one in five voters cast their ballots for him in the June 2024 European Parliament election, even though he took no political positions, made no promises and didn't present a program for his time in office.

“It seems now that people are hungry not for political positions, but for true people that are not lying, (but) saying the truth,” he told The Associated Press in an interview shortly after the 2024 poll.

Fidias spent years boosting his popularity with outrageous video posts of him spending wads of cash in Vietnam, living a week in an airport for free, and burying himself alive for 10 days.

His online breakthrough came after he relentlessly pursued and succeeded in getting a hug from billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, who also became a fan.

Fidias has acknowledged that his online antics had offered many Cypriot voters — who are deeply disenchanted with the perceived corruption of a party system that has operated on a favors-for-votes basis for decades — a way to express their frustrations.

Fidias has used online media as his primary tool to communicate with his supporters the inner workings of the European Parliament, the reasoning for his voting on issues as well as to answer his growing number of detractors who consider him and his trial-by-error decision-making politically infantile.

He has also courted plenty of controversy for his perceived support for negotiations with Russia over the war in Ukraine, and for casting doubt on what the International Criminal Court said was the “unlawful deportation” of Ukrainian children to Russia.

Sunday’s parliamentary election saw the ultranationalist National Popular Front, or ELAM, party make major gains, receiving nearly 11% of the vote and eight seats — up from just under 7% and four seats in the previous poll.

“'What about the stock trading in Congress? What about people getting rich in Congress?’” Allred said they ask him regularly. “And I have to say to them, you’re absolutely right about that, too. We need to be better.”

He's challenging Rep. Julie Johnson in the Democratic runoff for a Dallas-area House seat on Tuesday, and he's one of several candidates trying to harness populist anger over congressional stock trading. Allred has denounced Johnson for trades involving companies like Palantir, a data analytics firm with ties to President Donald Trump's administration.

Johnson said her trades were handled by a financial manager, and she accused Allred of being “only out for himself.” She pointed to financial disclosures that showed Allred's wealth nearly doubling during his own time in Congress, although Allred said his assets were in a blind trust and the money came from his wife's income as a partner at a law firm.

“To be clear, the sum total I made on that trade was only $90,” Johnson said of her Palantir stock. “My opponent is trying to make it seem like it was hundreds or thousands.”

The bitter campaign is emblematic of broader debates within the Democratic Party over the role of money in politics. Long a refrain of strident progressives and good-government reformers, accusations that political rivals are self-dealing or bought by special interests have become a mainstay of Democratic primaries. The heightened criticism of lawmakers’ personal wealth comes as the party looks to sharpen its anti-corruption message against Trump and to develop a platform for overhauling Washington if Democrats take power in the midterms.

Some are tracking congressional stock trading

Trump campaigned on a promise to “drain the swamp,” capitalizing on Americans' disdain for the Washington establishment. Now that his family is profiting while he's back in the White House, Democrats are eager to regain the upper hand on an issue that could prove potent with voters.

“The difficulty is that right now, no party has the mantle on anti-corruption,” said Daniel Lobo-Lewis, a political consultant in Washington. “Many voters outside of the beltway see both parties as corrupt, because they see all politicians as bought by the donors or by their own self-interest.”

Lobo-Lewis and Nico Agosto founded the Political Integrity Project last year to track stock trading and corporate donations involving members of Congress.

The organization asks candidates to sign an “integrity pledge” to refrain from trading stocks or accepting corporate donations while in Congress and vow not to work as a lobbyist after they leave office. So far, about 90 challengers and seven sitting lawmakers have taken the pledge, all of whom are Democrats.

"If we want to, in any way, start rebuilding trust in our political institutions, it starts with no-brainer changes like this that have an approval rating above and beyond any other issue you could imagine," Lobo-Lewis said.

Congress has yet to enact a stock trading ban for its members, though insider trading is already illegal. for members just like it is for anyone else. There are multiple proposals on Capitol Hill but none have gained traction.

A bipartisan bill to ban congressional stock trading stalled this year despite receiving Trump’s blessing during his State of the Union. And Democrats remain divided over the number of alleged loopholes in their competing proposals.

Anti-corruption messages spread in Democratic primaries

A crowded race in a Democratic-leaning Utah congressional seat has featured attacks over candidates’ personal wealth. State Sen. Nate Blouin criticized his main rival, former Rep. Ben McAdams, for having equity in a Utah data center firm, and excoriated others in the race for past investments and jobs.

McAdams said the equity of several thousand dollars was payment for a past contract completed by his government consulting firm while he was a private citizen. His campaign defended the data center project by saying it would use no water and run on clean energy.

A spokesperson for McAdams also claimed Blouin “is currently hiding his corporate donations” by removing them from campaign disclosure reports, which McAdams' campaign claims "is not only deceitful, it breaks campaign finance law.”

In an interview, Blouin rejected the claim that he broke the law, and said that he removed the donations because he returned the money to each donor.

“It was actually quite uncomfortable to return some of those,” said Blouin, because some of the firms included local firms and clean energy companies. “But there is a perception that campaign contributions from lobbyists and companies influence votes, and I think there is some truth to that."

In a New York City congressional district that includes both Wall Street and the Democratic Socialists of America’s headquarters, the city’s former comptroller, Brad Lander, has accused Rep. Dan Goldman of trying to buy another term by using his own wealth to match campaign contributions. Goldman, an heir to the Levi Strauss family fortune, says he entered all of his assets into a blind trust after taking office in 2023.

A spokesperson for Goldman said Lander is “running a deceitful campaign based on absurd lies that Dan is beholden to special interests" and that Goldman has raised more campaign funds than Lander “without taking a dime of corporate PAC money.” Goldman has spent his own money on the race, the spokesperson said, “to ensure that the NY-10 voters can be sure that he is beholden only to them and his principles.”

Lander said Goldman's spending is “not illegal, but it is certainly anti-democratic when a quarter-billionaire like Dan Goldman not only dumps millions of his own inherited wealth into his elections but also solicits money from the same forces who are rigging the economy and worsening the affordability crisis."

More candidates are fighting over stocks in California

Even representatives who support a ban on congressional stock trading are feeling the heat.

Democratic Rep. Brad Sherman of California is facing multiple primary challengers who have criticized the congressman for holding stocks while serving in Congress. Sherman does not trade individual stocks and supports a ban on stock trading.

“I only own three individual stocks which I inherited from my mother when she passed away, which were originally acquired by my grandmother,” Sherman said. “I have never sold them because I made a promise to my constituents that I would not buy and sell individual stocks.”

One of Sherman's primary challengers is Jake Levine, a former climate adviser to President Joe Biden, who signed the pledge from the Political Integrity Project. But Sherman said Levine “refuses to disclose key elements of his $18 million stock portfolio, and actively bought and sold stocks while serving on the National Security Council.” Levine has said he cannot disclose the portfolio because it is managed by his family and he has no oversight.

In the race to succeed former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, California State Sen. Scott Wiener has critiqued his progressive opponent, Saikat Chakrabarti, over his personal wealth. Chakrabarti is a former software engineer who earned millions as an early employee at the tech firm Stripe. He later served as the first chief of staff to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.

Wiener said that Chakrabarti “has enormous investments” and “is trying to buy this seat” while “spreading bogus conspiracy theories” with his own wealth. He criticized Chakrabarti for not disclosing the last decade of his stock trades.

“If you’re making a ban on stock trades a central part of your campaign — as Saikat is doing, running around saying that everyone under the sun is corrupt — how about you tell the voters about your own stock trading history,” Wiener said.

Chakrabarti retorted that his wealth as a private citizen is not relevant to his future time in office and that he would put all of his assets into a blind trust should he be elected. He critiqued Wiener for being supported by super PACs funded by the AI firm Anthropic and other major corporations.

“This is all part of a larger problem, which is just the whole idea of corruption in our politics,” Chakrabarti said. “If you’re in Congress, you sit on committees that oversee a lot of these industries, and it’s unethical to be using that insider information, that knowledge to make stock trades. But that doesn’t apply to a private citizen.”

Michelle Amo was charged with two felony counts of larceny in a building.

According to court documents, Amo is accused of stealing jewelry and comic books from one client and jewelry from another.

“She’s taken advantage of people’s trust,” a Northville police officer said during her arraignment on May 7.

One victim from Canton Township, who spoke by phone to Local 4, said she hired Amo about a year and a half ago after seeing her services posted on Facebook. Amo watched her anxiety-ridden dog during that time, the woman said.

In February, the client noticed a piece of jewelry was missing.

She then realized more items were gone, including a necklace with a diamond that once belonged to her grandmother. The woman reported the theft to the police.

That woman said Amo pawned the items, but she later retrieved them.

“I was quite shocked,” said Amanda Mazloum, owner of Canton Tails and Bales, a local dog daycare. She said hearing what happened to Amo’s clients is disheartening but not surprising, given the access in-home sitters have.

“When people come into your home, there’s a lot of trust,” Mazloum said. “You have to know the people you’re giving access to your home, access to your belongings, alarm codes.”

Mazloum advises pet owners to use established facilities with trained staff when possible and avoid a pet sitter.

If they prefer or need a sitter, she recommends running a background check, checking multiple references, and locking valuables in a safe.

Court records show Amo was on probation when she was accused of stealing from her clients. Something one of the victims said she did not know when she hired her.

On May 22, Amo was bound over to circuit court, where she could face trial. Her next court appearance is scheduled for June 4 at 9 a.m.

Kylian Mbappé and Mohamed Salah have recovered from injuries ahead of the tournament co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Now the focus will switch to Messi, the Argentina great who left the field after reaching toward his left hamstring in a game for Inter Miami in Major League Soccer on Sunday.

Yamal, Spain's new superstar, missed the final weeks of the season for Barcelona because of a muscle injury in his left leg but should be healed in time to play at the World Cup.

Others have not been so fortunate.

France striker Hugo Ekitike sustained an Achilles injury in April that could take more than six months to heal, ruling him out of the tournament and probably the start of next season with Liverpool.

Brazil stars Rodrygo and Éder Militão are definitely out. So is Bayern Munich and Germany forward Serge Gnabry after injuring his adductor in training.

Players and coaches have increasingly warned about the impact of an ever-packed schedule, and the expanded World Cup comes a year after the relaunched, supersized Club World Cup. The Champions League has also been expanded in recent years.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta describes the demand on players as “an accident waiting to happen."

With the World Cup just around the corner, players are walking a tightrope to avoid injury before the tournament kicks off.

Players definitely ruled out of the World Cup

Argentina: Joaquín Panichelli (ACL)

Brazil: Éder Militão (hamstring), Rodrygo (ACL)

England: Ben White (medial ligament)

France: Hugo Ekitike (Achilles)

Germany: Serge Gnabry (adductor)

Netherlands: Xavi Simons (ACL)

United States: Cameron Carter-Vickers (Achilles), Patrick Agyemang (Achilles)

Ones to watch

Algeria: Goalkeeper Luca Zidane, son of France icon Zinedine Zidane, is a doubt after suffering a facial injury during an on-field collision last month.

Argentina: Cristian Romero has a knee injury. It has not yet been confirmed if he is out of the World Cup, with Tottenham not giving a timeframe for his recovery.

Canada: Star left back Alphonso Davies injured his hamstring with just over a month to go before the tournament starts, after he was hurt during Bayern Munich's defeat by Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League semifinals.

Croatia: Veteran midfielder Luka Modrić broke his cheekbone last month but was back playing for AC Milan well in time for the World Cup. Defender Joško Gvardiol returned to training for Manchester City in early May after four months out with a broken leg.

Morocco: Paris Saint-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi has been sidelined with a right thigh injury.

United States: Midfielder Johnny Cardoso sprained his right ankle five weeks before the World Cup while training with Atletico Madrid. Center back Chris Richards tore ligaments in his ankle playing for Crystal Palace.

___

James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson

___

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

Police said the confrontation happened March 6 at Justice Angelique-Danielle Snell’s home on West Forest Avenue after a dispute over styling fees.

Video of a physical fight between Snell and a 29-year-old woman went viral.

Snell was charged with felonious assault and felony firearm.

On May 22, she pleaded guilty to aggravated assault. Her felony firearm charge was dismissed as part of a plea agreement.

Snell is scheduled to be sentenced on June 10 at 8:30 a.m.

According to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, the man lost control of his 2019 Harley Davidson around 12:30 a.m. while negotiating a curve on E. Dunbar Road, and was ejected from the motorcycle after striking the curb of a private drive. The man, who was not wearing a helmet, struck a sign during the crash and had to be transported to ProMedica Toledo Hospital in Toledo, Ohio, where he remains in critical condition.

Monroe County Sheriff Troy Goodnough says alcohol was not a factor in the crash, which remains under investigation. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to reach out to the Sheriff’s Office at 734-240-7541.

The clouds and fog will gradually dissipate through the morning, paving the way for mostly sunny skies by this afternoon. Once the sunshine returns, temperatures will respond quickly, ushering in the warmest stretch of weather so far this weekend. In fact, conditions look beautiful for local parades and ceremonies. The UV index will be very high this afternoon, so make sure you apply sunscreen.

Summer-like conditions are expected from today through Wednesday, with afternoon highs climbing into the 80s across much of Southeast Michigan. Rain chances will remain relatively low for most of the week, making for several excellent days to spend time outdoors and at the pool.

The next opportunity for showers and thunderstorms appears to arrive late Wednesday evening as a weak disturbance moves through the Great Lakes. At this time, rainfall coverage looks limited, and many locations could remain dry. Following the midweek warmth, temperatures will trend closer to seasonal averages beginning Thursday. Highs are expected to settle back into the 70s through the weekend while dry weather continues to dominate the forecast.

All the cases are linked to the outbreak in neighboring Congo, which appears to have started several days or weeks before Congolese authorities declared it on May 15.

A 59-year-old Congolese man was admitted to a hospital in Kampala, the Ugandan capital, on May 11, and died three days later, before it was known he was suffering from the Ebola virus. Two other Congolese nationals who sought medical care in Uganda later tested positive for Ebola.

Ugandan health authorities on Saturday confirmed the first local infections: a driver and a health worker exposed to the Congolese patient who died on May 11. Two more health workers at a private hospital in Kampala have since tested positive, the Ministry of Health said Monday.

“Both patients have been admitted to the designated treatment unit and are now receiving care,” Dr. Charles Olaro, the national director of health services, said in a statement.

President Yoweri Museveni has urged Ugandans to “ stop shaking hands ” as part of measures to avoid infection. He also ordered the postponement of an annual religious event that attracts thousands of pilgrims, from Congo and elsewhere, who converge around a Catholic basilica just outside Kampala by June 3.

Other measures include the temporary suspension of all public transportation and flights between Congo and Uganda.

In Congo, suspected Ebola cases have topped 900, mainly in eastern Ituri province where the ongoing outbreak is centered, authorities said Sunday. The response has been hampered by fear, anger and frustration among locals including attacks on treatment centers, as well as distrust of authorities in a region long plagued by armed violence.

Congo has had more than a dozen Ebola outbreaks over the decades. Health experts say international aid cuts last year by the United States and other rich nations are devastating for eastern Congo because of the region's unique problems.

Aid groups fighting this Ebola outbreak say they don’t have the equipment they need, such as face shields and suits to protect health workers from infection, testing kits, and body bags and other materials needed to safely bury the bodies of victims, which can be highly contagious.

The Bundibugyo type of Ebola virus responsible for the outbreak has no approved vaccine or treatment. The outbreak has been declared a global health emergency.

Tracing and isolating Ebola contacts is seen as key to stopping the spread of the disease, which usually manifests as hemorrhagic fever.

A family of fruit bats is believed to be the natural hosts of the viruses that cause Ebola, according to the World Health Organization. Ebola is spread by contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person or contaminated materials.

🍇 Grapevine

🌅 Good morning! On this day in 1977, Memorial Day weekend opened with an intergalactic bang as the first of George Lucas’ blockbuster Star Wars movies hit American theaters.

Here are a few things to know about for Monday, May 25, 2026:

⛅ 4Warn Weather: Metro Detroit may encounter a few areas of patchy fog early on this Memorial Day as low clouds and abundant moisture linger across the region. Check the 10-day forecast.

📺 ‘Only in Monroe’: Stephen Colbert may be done with late nights, but he’s not done performing. He turned up with a new gig Friday, hosting a one-hour special called “Only in Monroe” on Monroe County’s public access channel. Read more.

🚧 Road Closures: Detroit announced planned road closures and transportation options for the Grand Prix. See the list here.

🚗 ‘Thank you, Jesus‘: A Detroit woman is getting her car back after nearly two months of runaround repairs and a bounced check from a repair shop on the west side. Read more.

🏬 Stores Open, Closed: In observance of Memorial Day, some stores have adjusted their hours. See the list here.

🏊 Morning Dive

Good morning ☀️

During Lupus Awareness Month, a Detroit church and a local community organization came together to celebrate the spirit of one woman whose faith has carried her through years of hardship. Amaya Kuznicki reporting:

Pleasant Grove’s congregation, alongside Top Ladies of Distinction, held a special Sunday program honoring Trudi N. Smith — a Detroit woman living with lupus — and raising awareness about the disease.

Trudi first began showing symptoms of lupus in college in 2004. At the time, she didn’t think much of it. Her mother, Yolanda E. Smith, also has lupus. But the two cases turned out to be very different.

“Her symptoms were so much worse, so different than mine. So much more severe,” Yolanda said.

Over the years, Trudi’s condition brought increasingly difficult challenges. She battled a severe case of shingles that left her unable to walk. She later contracted COVID-19 and was placed on a ventilator. Since then, she has been unable to speak.

Still, Yolanda visits her daughter every day — and says she knows Trudi is still very much present.

“I know she’s in there because even yesterday when I went in to talk to her like I do every day, and she was looking — she kind of stretched her eyes and I said, ‘Trudi, are you getting ready to tell me something?’” Yolanda said.

Through it all, Yolanda says her family leans on faith — and holds doctors accountable to do their part, too.

“We’re praying, and I tell the doctors you do your part. I’m going to do mine and you just watch this miracle that’s going to happen for Trudi,” she said.

Pastor Dr. Louis Forsythe II says Trudi’s journey is a message for everyone in the congregation.

“Trudi is an example to all of us of how you navigate different health challenges. How do you maintain your faith, your dignity and not let that define your situation?” Forsythe said.

Yolanda said watching the community come together for her daughter was almost too much to put into words.

“It’s overwhelming. It’s just a sense of everyone coming together for my baby, and it’s really an experience that’s hard to describe,” Yolanda said.

🗞️ Other headlines to know today

• Detroit veterans donation bins vandalized ahead of Memorial Day; group says 30 others hit in recent years
• Spirit Plaza makes summer comeback after $2.9 million renovation
• 2 injured after car lost control and collided with guardrail in Livonia
• Suspect dead after opening fire near White House security checkpoint, Secret Service says
• Semi-truck lost control and struck median wall in Warren
• Pope Leo XIV makes historic apology for Holy See’s own role in legitimizing slavery
• Box Office: ‘Mandalorian and Grogu’ tops charts and ‘Obsession’ grows in second weekend
• Jim Henson’s Creature Shop opens for tours. Here’s what’s inside the once-hidden puppet studio
• Southern California officials trying to prevent explosion or leak from damaged chemical tank
• Find more Local News headlines here
• Find more Entertainment headlines here
• Find more Health headlines here
• Check out the latest ClickOnDeals here
• Introducing the ClickOnDetroit Help Desk: How it works and how to use it

🌎 Meanwhile

News from around the world via the Associated Press:

Gladys Marín only has to cross the street to reach a school where polling stations will open Sunday in her small town in Colombia. But she’s still not sure she’ll make the short walk, because fears for her safety could outweigh the chance to vote for the country’s next president.

Her home in the southwestern village of Potrerito sits less than 100 meters (320 feet) from the police station, which has become a frequent target for drone-dropped explosives. Authorities blame the attacks on a rebel faction that rejected a peace agreement signed a decade ago with the Colombian government.

“You have to stay alert to what is happening, because we live very close to the police station,” Marín said from her porch in this town about 470 kilometers from the capital, Bogotá. (Read more)

----

Rescuers pulled out three people Monday from an immense pile of rubble that was all that remained of a nine-story hotel which collapsed while under construction in a northern Philippine city, bringing the death toll to four with 17 others still missing, officials said.

Two of the men were dead, while emergency personnel struggled in the early morning hours to revive one in an ambulance near the pile of concrete slabs, twisted iron bars and aluminum scaffoldings that was all that remained of the building in Angeles City of Pampanga Province. They eventually gave up and drove away.

The poignant scene was witnessed by a small group of journalists, including from The Associated Press, who watched hundreds of rescuers led by firefighters and police scrambling for hours to extricate the men, who were at the time alive but trapped under concrete slabs and iron bars. (Read more)

----

On the day of the Pearl Harbor attack, the country’s oldest living survivor of the Japanese bombing was far below deck helping repair one of the boilers of the USS St. Louis.

Freeman Johnson, who turned 106 in March, never witnessed the surprise attack. He never heard his shipmates firing anti-aircraft guns at the attacking planes — shooting down a torpedo plane. By the time he was topside, the St. Louis, a light cruiser, had evaded midget submarines and safely set out to sea.

Even as the St. Louis headed into the Pacific Ocean, Johnson, whose job was known as a fireman on the ship, knew little about the attack. (Read more)

---> Find more headlines from around the world right here <---

📝 Word Up

Today’s Word Up is: Disabuse /ˌdisəˈbyo͞oz/ (verb) -- defined as “To free someone from a misconception.”

Example: “I’m afraid I must disabuse you of the notion that chitterlings are tasty.”

🧹 Housekeeping

Hey, if you like this newsletter, let us know. We’d love your feedback. We also offer several other newsletters, including Live in the D, All 4 Pets and more. Hopefully, we have one that caters to your interests -- unless you’re only interested in Sears Catalogs. We don’t have one for that, sorry.

✍🏽 Written and curated by: Samantha Sayles (Have something to say? Feel free to send an email here.)

This back and forth was hardly a surprise. One byproduct of the automatic runner on second base is that extra innings are one of the few times managers can still stomach ordering up an intentional walk. It's a strategy that was beginning to fall out of favor otherwise.

In 2019, only 753 intentional walks were issued in the major leagues. That was the fewest since 1961, when there were fewer teams and fewer games.

And the number has only decreased since 2019. There were just 474 intentional walks in 2023 and 556 last year. Just as some statistically minded thinkers frown on the sacrifice bunt — don't give away outs! — it's also considered risky to give the other team an extra baserunner.

But in extra innings, the calculus changes. The inning starts with first base open, and if it's still tied in the bottom half, there's little downside to walking a good hitter intentionally and setting up a potential double play.

From 1974 to 2019 — before the automatic runner — there was an intentional walk every 140 plate appearances. In extra innings, it was one every 26.7.

Since 2020, there has been an intentional walk every 335 plate appearances overall. But in extra innings, it has been one every 16.7. In extra innings, intentional walks are actually more common than they used to be.

Some fans may enjoy the extra strategy, while others surely find it frustrating to watch the bat taken out of a player like Soto's hands. Since 2020, here are the major league leaders in extra-inning RBIs:

1. Eugénio Suarez, 22

2. Josh Naylor, 21

3. Alec Bohm, 20

4. Adolis García, 20

5. Daulton Varsho, 18

Here are the leaders in extra-inning intentional walks:

1. José Ramírez, 25

2. Aaron Judge, 19

3. Juan Soto, 16

4. Shohei Ohtani, 15

5. Bryce Harper, 15

The two intentional walks to Soto didn't stop the Mets on Monday. They scored 10 runs in the 12th inning and won 16-7. Carson Benge had two hits and three RBIs in the inning. Benge now has an MLB-best six extra-inning RBIs this season.

Trivia time

Which player hit five extra-inning home runs in the 2010 season alone? (Hint: His team reached the World Series that year.)

Performance of the week

Reid Detmers of the Los Angeles Angels struck out 14 in eight one-hit innings Sunday night. Jake Burger homered in the second. That was the only batter Detmers failed to retire.

The Angels beat the Texas Rangers 2-1 on a ninth-inning throwing error by Justin Foscue.

Comeback of the week

The Arizona Diamondbacks were down by two in the bottom of the ninth to San Francisco on Tuesday night, with two outs and one on. Adrian Del Castillo hit an RBI single and Ryan Waldschmidt reached on catcher’s interference. Then Ketel Marte's three-run homer gave Arizona a 5-3 win. San Francisco's win probability peaked at 95.4% according to Baseball Savant.

The Diamondbacks have taken advantage of a soft patch on their schedule, going 8-2 against the Giants and Rockies in their last 10 games.

Trivia answer

Nelson Cruz.

___

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

Memorial Day is a holiday observed on the last Monday of May each year, honoring and remembering those who lost their lives while serving in the United States Armed Forces.

Here are places across the nation that are closed for the holiday:

• Nonessential federal government offices and most local government offices, including courts
• Post offices and major mail delivery services, including FedEx and UPS
• Public schools
• The stock market
• Major banks
• Costco

Here is a list of stores open on Memorial Day:

• Walmart
• Target
• T.J. Maxx
• Marshalls
• Whole Foods
• Trader Joe’s
• Meijer
• Kroger
• Walgreens
• CVS
• Aldi (limited hours)
• Dollar General
• Dollar Tree

The primary election in Michigan is on Aug. 4, 2026. The general election is on Nov. 3, 2026.

Current Governor Gretchen Whitmer is term-limited and cannot run again.

Here’s a look at the candidates you will see on the 2026 primary election ballot:

Jocelyn Benson (D)

Jocelyn Benson was elected as Michigan’s Secretary of State in 2018. During her time in this role, she improved the customer service operations of the Secretary of State’s Office by doubling the number of services available online, installing more than 100 self-service stations across the state, and launching mobile offices to bring services to residents who couldn’t easily reach offices or access the internet, according to the department’s website.

In an interview with Local 4’s Jason Colthorp on Jan. 22, 2025, she said she decided to run for governor to improve the education system in the state.

She was the first candidate in the 2026 gubernatorial race to run as a Democrat.

Read more --> Why Jocelyn Benson, Michigan’s Secretary of State, is running for governor

Chris Swanson (D)

Chris Swanson has served as Genesee County’s Sheriff since 2019.

He helped create the Genesee Human Oppression Strike Team (GHOST) in 2019, aiming to arrest criminals involved in human trafficking and sexual assault.

In September 2020, he also helped create Inmate Growth Naturally and Intentionally Through Education (IGNITE), which is a program that helps inmates find full-time employment once released and helps improve reading, comprehension, and math skills while they are in jail.

He gained national attention in 2020 following the killing of George Floyd when he joined a group of Black Lives Matter protesters in a march in Flint.

Read more --> Chris Swanson, prominent sheriff and Democrat, announces run for Michigan governor

John James (R)

John James, who currently represents Michigan’s 10th Congressional District, announced his run on April 7, 2025.

If elected, he would be the first Black governor of Michigan.

His priorities include eliminating income tax, giving teachers pay increases, defending parents’ rights and promoting “open, accountable government that earns trust.”

“Our state has suffered long enough,” James said, in part. “Michigan is strong. Our people are strong. But we are being held back by a lack of strong, competent leadership -- leadership with real-world experience in the areas Michiganders need most.”

Read more --> Congressman John James announces run for Michigan governor

Aric Nesbitt (R)

Michigan Senate Republican Leader Aric Nesbitt was elected to serve as a state senator in 2018. He currently serves Michigan’s 20th Senate District, which represents portions of Berrien, Van Buren, Allegan and Kent counties.

According to his campaign website, he aims to “Make Michigan Great Once Again” as governor and claims a conservative leadership is needed to restore the state’s government that puts Michigan families and workers first.

The Lawton native earned his economics degree from Hillsdale College and later earned his master’s in international business.

Read more --> Michigan Senate Republican Leader Nesbitt launches run for governor

Mike Cox (R)

Mike Cox served as attorney general for Michigan from 2003 to 2011. According to his campaign, he was the first Republican to hold that office in about 50 years.

If elected as governor, Cox has plans to eliminate state income tax, restore Right to Work, end DEI mandates in government and schools, have schools focus on core skills and accountability, and cut spending through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

“Michigan is getting weaker, poorer, and less free under Gretchen Whitmer,” Cox said. “While she grows the government, families are crushed by taxes, regulations, and woke priorities. Too many of our children are leaving. Enough is enough. I’m running to fight for Michigan families. I will eliminate the income tax—what I call the tax on work—restore Right to Work, and return power to Michigan’s workers, families, and small businesses.”

Read more here --> Former Michigan attorney general Mike Cox launches campaign for governor

Perry Johnson (R)

Perry Johnson, who once tried to unseat Whitmer in the 2022 election, is seeking office again as a GOP candidate.

According to the Oakland County businessman’s campaign website, Johnson plans to eliminate Michigan’s income tax, end wasteful spending in state government and demand accountability for every tax dollar.

Johnson ran in 2022 for Michigan’s governor, but the state’s election bureau ruled he did not submit enough valid signatures required for nominating petitions, ending his bid. He also ran for president in 2024.

Read more here --> Former candidate Perry Johnson joins crowded Republican field running for governor of Michigan

France's CAC 40 edged up 1.1% to 8,203.32, while the German DAX rose 1.0% to 25,148.39. Britain's FTSE 100 added 0.2% to 10,466.26. Trading will be closed in the U.S. for the Memorial Day holiday.

In Asia, Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 surged 2.9% to finish at 65,158.19. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 added 0.4% to 8,692.00. The Shanghai Composite gained nearly 1% to 4,152.57. Trading was closed in South Korea and Hong Kong for holidays marking Buddha's birthday.

Trump said negotiations with Iran were “proceeding in an orderly and constructive manner.” Meanwhile, regional officials told The Associated Press on Sunday that the United States is close to reaching a deal with Iran that would end the war, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and see Iran give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium,

Reopening the Strait of Hormuz will help decide the direction of oil prices. Its closure due to the war has prevented oil tankers from exiting the Persian Gulf and delivering crude to customers worldwide. Japan, for instance, imports almost all its oil, most of it through the strait.

“Markets are rapidly transitioning from pricing geopolitical fear toward pricing a potential peace dividend as Hormuz reopening expectations pressure oil and the dollar lower,” analyst Stephen Innes said in a commentary.

On Friday, the S&P 500 added 0.4% and the Dow industrials climbed 0.6%. The Nasdaq composite gained 0.2%.

Benchmark U.S. crude oil declined $4.77, or more than 4%, to $91.83 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, sank $4.86 to $98.68 a barrel.

In currency trading, the U.S. dollar declined to 158.95 Japanese yen from 159.16 yen. The euro cost $1.1644, up from $1.1605.

Recent earnings reports from U.S. companies that topped analysts’ expectations are helping markets, though concerns over inflation have risen as the war has dragged on.

___

Yuri Kageyama is on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@yurikageyama

As a quick refresher, on Memorial Day, we remember those who died while serving our country. Veterans Day is intended to honor the service of all people who have worn armed services uniforms.

So, what do you say on Memorial Day to someone who might be struggling -- a widow, a veteran or anyone who’s been affected by a military member’s death? What do you say to someone who served?

The website DiversityInc wrote about this very topic.

“This common misconception, that Memorial Day is a time to thank veterans, is not in fact what the holiday is intended for,” the site says.

Here are some ideas on what you can say instead. Try something like:

• “Enjoy your weekend, but I want you to know that I will be remembering what this holiday is about.”
• “Enjoy your weekend, and I will be thinking about those who are no longer with us.”
• “I will be taking a moment this weekend to honor those who served our nation and are no longer with us.”
• NPR simply suggests, “I hope you’re having a meaningful day.”

Those seem preferable to:

• “Thank you for your service.”
• “Happy Memorial Day.”
• “Is this a difficult weekend for you?”
• “How many friends did you lose on your deployments?”

It might be hard to approach any veterans you might know, but saying something meaningful really could make all the difference for someone having a difficult day.

Before you think this is splitting hairs, consider that what you say matters.

While it’s certainly not “wrong” to wish someone a “Happy Memorial Day,” and it’s safe to assume most people are well-intentioned, it seems as though taking a few minutes to say the right thing will mean that much more.

After all, the day is about more than backyard parties and barbecues. Let’s prove it by taking a moment to examine our words.

This story was first published in 2019. It has since been updated.

Two of the men were dead, while emergency personnel struggled in the early morning hours to revive one in an ambulance near the pile of concrete slabs, twisted iron bars and aluminum scaffoldings that was all that remained of the building in Angeles City of Pampanga Province. They eventually gave up and drove away.

The poignant scene was witnessed by a small group of journalists, including from The Associated Press, who watched hundreds of rescuers led by firefighters and police scrambling for hours to extricate the men, who were at the time alive but trapped under concrete slabs and iron bars.

Rescuers tried to provide water and medicine intravenously to one of the trapped men in a desperate effort to keep him alive in the scorching summer heat, regional police chief Brig. Gen. Jess Mendez told the AP.

“He never made it despite all the efforts,” he said.

One of the three people pulled out from the rubble on Monday was unidentified and was not on the list of the 17 missing, who were mostly construction workers, according to Angeles city information chief Jay Pelayo.

The fourth dead victim was a Malaysian tourist trapped in a budget inn that was partly hit by the avalanche of debris from the collapsed building. Another guest at the inn was injured but managed to dash out, officials said.

A day after the unfinished building collapsed with a loud crashing sound after a fierce thunderstorm, Angeles City Mayor Carmelo Lazatin said rescue efforts would still not be shifted to a body retrieval operation.

“My best hope is that we can rescue more people alive,” Lazatin told the AP. “We don’t want to give the families of the trapped workers any bad news.”

Anxiety and fear among relatives of the trapped workers, who are waiting in sheds near the rubble, have deepened.

“I’m losing hope because of what I see — slow rescue work,” said Lea Mendoza Casilao, a 47-year-old sardine factory worker whose boyfriend, a mason, was among those still trapped in the rubble.

She brought a week’s supply of rice and sardines for him at the construction site, but she said they would never meet as scheduled over the weekend after the building where he was sleeping crumbled before dawn on Sunday.

Lazatin said rescuers were moving carefully because huge slabs of concrete were being held up precariously by a tangle of aluminum scaffolding and could crash down on rescuers.

Twenty-six workers were either rescued or managed to run out of the collapsing building, where they slept on pieces of plywood on the ground floor.

National police chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said his force will support an “ongoing investigation to determine the cause of the incident and possible violations of safety and building regulations.”

Angeles City hosted one of the largest U.S. Air Force bases outside of the American mainland, helping turn Angeles and outlying cities and towns into entertainment and commercial hubs in the main northern Philippine region of Luzon.

Clark Air Base, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Manila, closed in the early 1990s. The former base has become a bustling industrial and tourism enclave called the Clark Freeport Zone, and is still surrounded by remnants of U.S. base-era red-light strips, bars, nightclubs, tattoo shops and budget hotels.

Mike Burgess, director-general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organization, the nation’s main domestic spy agency known as ASIO, was testifying at a government inquiry into the spread of antisemitism in Australia ahead of the attack at Bondi Beach on Dec. 14.

ASIO reduced Australia’s National Terrorism Threat Level from “probable” to “possible” — the second-safest level on a five-tier scale -- in November 2022, after the Islamic State group in the Middle East had been defeated and was no longer recruiting fighters.

ASIO then shifted to increase its focus on foreign interference and espionage investigations, but left the organization’s “counterterrorism mission” with sufficient resources, Burgess said.

“Because terrorism has the potential to cause people to lose their lives or get harmed, it always remained a priority for us. There was just less activity that we were investigating because the nature of the environment had changed and the number of tasks we were looking at had reduced,” Burgess said.

“At the same time, every rock we lifted up we found espionage or foreign interference that needed to be inquired and investigated and so resources were moved over there,” Burgess added.

Spy boss had sounded alarm after the Hamas Oct. 7 attack

Five days after the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, Burgess said he took an unprecedented step for an ASIO boss by making a public statement warning that inflamed language could lead to violence.

“Before the Israeli government responded to that horrific attack, we saw the strong emotions appear in this country where we had people celebrating the Hamas terrorist attack,” Burgess said.

ASIO saw threatening and intimidating behavior directed at Jewish Australians through the end of 2023. That behavior escalated to target Jewish businesses and places of worship in October 2024, he said.

ASIO elevated Australia’s terrorism threat level again to “probable” in August 2024. ASIO's resources became stretched as antisemitic cases mounted, Burgess said.

'We knew we were busy and had a lot on our plate, but ... at no time did we have serious matters that we knew about that we were leaving untreated," Burgess said.

Hanukkah event was given the lowest security priority

Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion, the highest form of inquiry in Australia, must report to the government before the first anniversary of what was the nation’s worst mass shooting since 1996.

The father and son gunmen, Sajid and Naveed Akram, were inspired by IS and brought handmade IS flags to Bondi, prosecutors allege.

Both were wounded in a gunfight with police, the father fatally, less than eight minutes after the shooting began. The son has been charged with committing a terrorist act, 15 counts of murder and 40 counts of attempted murder. He has entered no pleas.

Richard Lancaster, who leads a team of lawyers in his role as the Senior Counsel Assisting the Royal Commission, said only four police officers were at the event when the gunmen opened fire on a crowd of around 1,000 people.

Within 29 seconds of the start of the shooting, 10 people had been fatally shot and an 11th had been wounded, Lancaster said.

Within five minutes, 11 police officers were at the scene. Three of those officers were wounded, he said.

A Jewish security organization, the Community Security Group, had requested the New South Wales Police Force post officers at the beachfront park for the duration of the Hanukkah event, Lancaster said. Instead, officers were instructed to attend from time to time.

Police gave the Hanukkah celebration the lowest security priority on a three-tier scale, with police resources managed by a local commander, Lancaster said.

Jewish High Holy Days in September and October were top-tier events in which police resources were managed by the specialized Police Force Major Events Group in liaison with the paramilitary Police Force Counter Terrorism and Special Tactics Command.

“There is no evidence that any intelligence agency or law enforcement agency had any actual knowledge or specific information to suggest there might be an armed attack on the Hanukkah celebration,” Lancaster said.

“In that sense, it was a surprise attack,” he added.

___

This story has been corrected to show that Burgess said the agency’s counterterrorism mission was left with sufficient resources.

Her home in the southwestern village of Potrerito sits less than 100 meters (320 feet) from the police station, which has become a frequent target for drone-dropped explosives. Authorities blame the attacks on a rebel faction that rejected a peace agreement signed a decade ago with the Colombian government.

"You have to stay alert to what is happening, because we live very close to the police station,” Marín said from her porch in this town about 470 kilometers from the capital, Bogotá.

Colombia will elect a new president and vice president on May 31 in what has been cast as a referendum on President Gustavo Petro’s policies, most notably his controversial “total peace” initiative to negotiate with the country’s remaining rebel groups.

By most accounts, violence tied to armed groups has worsened under Petro's watch.

According to Colombia's Electoral Observation Mission, 386 municipalities, or about a third of the country, are vulnerable to violence from illegal armed groups, and data from the Ideas for Peace Foundation think tank indicates that roughly 27,000 people remain under arms nationwide.

Drone attacks change the landscape of violence

In Robles, a neighboring town in the Jamundi municipality, the streets leading to the police station are blocked by improvised barricades. The police are entrenched in sentry posts, using shelters made of sandbags and black fabric to scan the sky for any approaching drones.

“You pass by the police station with this sense of dread, looking up, hoping you won’t run into a nasty surprise,” said Eucaris Zamora, who had to vacate her home after a cylinder bomb struck it in October, leaving the building partially destroyed.

Guillermo Londoño, a security official in the region of Valle del Cauca, where Jamundi is located, said illegal armed groups in the area have sought to maximize damage through simultaneous, “swarm-style” drone strikes, marking a shift from previous tactics, where attackers would launch attacks with a single drone, reload it, and then resume their assault.

Drones modified to drop explosives have altered the dynamics of Colombia’s armed conflict since 2024, posting one of the greatest threats to civilians and security forces alike, particularly along the Venezuelan border, in northern Bolivar province and in southwestern coastal areas.

Colombia's Defense Ministry reported that drone attacks hit 333 targets in 2025, up from 61 such incidents recorded in 2024. Meanwhile, the army has recorded 107 drone attacks so far this year, which have claimed the lives of two soldiers.

The problem with Petro's ‘total peace’ plan

Officials here believe their region has become a casualty of Petro's “total peace” strategy, aimed at putting an end to one of the world’s longest-running conflicts.

Petro acknowledges that the initiative has failed to achieve its hoped-for outcome of disarming illegal networks, and his approach of being open to talk to every group has hardened up a notch. He has frozen negotiations with some groups due to their continuing violence, though he has kept dialogue open with other organizations.

A clear divide has emerged between candidates. On one side are those who favor continuing dialogue with illegal groups, such as Sen. Iván Cepeda, of Petro’s political movement. On the other are those who say they would dismantle such efforts and prioritize military pressure, such as Sen. Paloma Valencia, of the opposition Democratic Center, and Abelardo de la Espriella, a self-described admirer of Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele who has vowed to crack down on illegal armed groups.

Elizabeth Dickinson, a senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, believes the violence could worsen if a hawkish candidate is elected.

“Right-wing candidates propose a ‘hard-line’ response that could exacerbate the violence, because the armed groups will respond to pressure from security forces with terror-style attacks, as they lack the means to respond symmetrically, army-to-army,” Dickinson said.

In December, gunmen sowed terror in the small southern town of Buenos Aires, launching an attack on the police station that left several officers injured and reduced a local bank and nearby homes to rubble.

Among the wreckage was the home of 89-year-old Celimo Enrique Aguilar.

“I haven’t lost faith that, someday, one might be able to live in peace,” he said.

___

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

It was not immediately known if anyone was hurt in the attack on the Mongbwalu General Hospital but Dr. Richard Lokudu, the hospital’s medical director, told The Associated Press the attackers demanded that two bodies of their kin be handed over to them.

There was gunfire and the medics were trying to evacuate the patients and the staff, Lokudu said over the phone.

“Mongbwalu General Hospital is on general alert,” he added. He did not have any further details of the unfolding turmoil.

The attack — the third in a week’s time on healthcare facilities where medical workers struggle with lack of resources to treat suspected Ebola cases — underlined the challenges of the outbreak, which the World Health Organization has declared a public health emergency of international concern.

Bodies of those who died of Ebola can be highly contagious and lead to further spread when people prepare them for burial and gather for funerals.

In response to the outbreak, Congolese authorities have mandated that the dangerous work of burying suspected victims be managed wherever possible by authorities, which can be met by protests from families and friends. On Friday, the government said funeral wakes and gatherings of more than 50 people would be banned in northeastern Congo in an effort to curb the spread of the virus.

On Saturday, a group of residents of Mongbwalu, located in Ituri province, attacked and set fire to a tent set up for suspected and confirmed Ebola cases by the Doctors Without Borders humanitarian group.

During that attack, 18 people with suspected Ebola infections left the facility and were now unaccounted for, Lokudu had said earlier.

On Thursday, another treatment center, in the town of Rwampara, was burned down after family members were banned from retrieving the body of a local man suspected to have died of Ebola.

WHO has said the outbreak poses a “very high” risk for Congo — up from a previous categorization of “high” — but that the risk of the disease spreading globally remains low.

Earlier on Sunday, the Congolese Ministry of Communication said on X that there were 904 suspected cases of Ebola, mostly in northeastern Ituri Province — a significant jump from the previously announced more than 700 suspected Ebola cases.

The ministry also said the total suspected Ebola deaths stood at 119, but the numbers it released separately for each region added up to 220. Officials could not immediately be reached to explain the discrepancy.

There is no available vaccine for the Bundibugyo virus, a rare type of Ebola, which spread undetected for weeks in Ituri following the first reported death — in late April in the town of Bunia, the provincial capital — while authorities tested for another, more common, Ebola virus and came up negative.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said on Saturday that three of its volunteers had died from the outbreak in Mongbwalu. The agency said it believed the three healthcare workers contracted the virus on March 27 while handling dead bodies as part of a humanitarian mission unrelated to Ebola.

If confirmed, this would significantly push back the timeline of the outbreak.

___

Pronczuk reported from Dakar, Senegal.

That made his crown jewel Cup Series victory Sunday night all the more special.

Suarez benefited from a crucial pit call, then caught a break from Mother Nature to win the rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600, capping an emotional day in which the racing world remembered the late Busch.

Suarez became the first Mexican-born driver to win the Coke 600. It was his third Cup Series win and first since 2024.

The victory was especially emotional for Suarez, who previously raced for Kyle Busch Motorsports.

“Kyle, he was special,” Saurez said as he teared up. “I was doing this for Kyle, for (his wife) Samatha, for (his children) Brexton and Lennix and for all of his family.”

A non-factor for most of the race, Suarez gambled and took two tires during a late pit stop, then held off Christopher Bell and Denny Hamlin on restarts before the race was called when the sky opened up and rain drenched the track shortly before midnight Eastern time.

NASCAR quickly made the decision to call the race with 27 laps remaining.

Bell finished second; Hamlin was third.

The two Joe Gibbs Racing teammates had a chance to catch Suarez on the two restarts, but couldn't clear his No. 7 Chevrolet.

“It’s a bummer," Bell said, who won the rain-shortened 2024 Coca-Cola 600. "It wasn’t meant to be today. That's 2026 for us.”

Hamlin said he was “just a little unlucky.”

“The 20 car (Bell) and us were just really battling because we knew whoever could clear him (would win the race),” Hamlin said. "We were really good all day. We just didn’t get to see it through.”

The race came just three days after Busch’s death sent shockwaves throughout the motorsports world and beyond. The 41-year-old Busch died after severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis, resulting in rapid and overwhelming complications, according to a statement released by his family.

The two-time Cup Series champion and winner of a record 234 races across NASCAR’s three national series had become unresponsive while practicing in a Chevrolet simulator Wednesday, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because no details were released by the family.

Busch's family attended the race and NASCAR CEO Steve O'Donnell told them they are part of the NASCAR community and “we got you.”

NASCAR and CMS honored Busch with his No. 8 and signature on the frontstretch grass and a highway billboard near the main entrance of the track. The U.S. Army Golden Knights carried a Busch flag prior to the race and each of the 39 cars in field carried a small, black No. 8 decal.

Kyle Larson won the first stage race. Hamlin won the second stage and Bell the third.

Crashing out

Defending champion Ross Chastain crashed out when Ricky Stenhouse Jr. clipped his car in Turn 2 with 81 laps remaining in the race.

Connor Zilisch and Austin Cindric only made it 52 laps before getting caught up in a crash. Cindric got turned around and Zilisch came crashing in to the side of his No. 2 Ford, ending both drivers’ day.

Chase Elliott, a two-time winner this year, hit the outside wall and ping-ponged into the inside wall on Lap 90. That car was beyond repair and he finished 37th.

“I was trying to make something happen and I stepped over the line,” Elliott said.

Replacing Busch

Austin Hill, a regular driver in the O'Reilly Auto Parts Series for Richard Childress Racing, took Busch's spot in the race and finished 26th. He drove the No. 33 car after RCR temporarily retired the No. 8 until Busch's 11-year-old son Brexton is ready to drive.

Austin Dillon, went behind the wall with damage to the front of his car with 56 laps to go, ending any hope of an emotional win for RCR. He finished 32nd.

___

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

Kerley, who predicted Usain Bolt's world record of 9.58 seconds would get “destroyed,” ran a time that would have placed him last at the Paris Olympics two years ago, where he ran 9.81 and won bronze.

The only athlete to win the $1 million bonus for going faster than the world record over the four hours of swimming, weightlifting and track in the specially built stadium on the Las Vegas Strip was Kristian Gkolomeev, who closed the night by swimming the 50-meter free in 20.81 seconds.

That record won't go into the books, however, because the Enhanced Games, true to its name, allows performance-enhancing drugs that are banned in mainstream sports.

The men’s 50-meter freestyle world record of 20.88 seconds was set two months ago in a sanctioned event by Cameron McEvoy.

Gkolomeev had also won a $1 million bonus from Enhanced last year for swimming faster than the world record during a “trial.”

“Another million, it’s not bad at all,” he said. “It’s going to change my life to the good, for sure.“

The most iconic marks in Olympic sports, though, are in track, and when Kerley called out Bolt’s 17-year-old record, it made headlines and even got Bolt involved with a short post on social media: “OK,” he said.

By the time the starting gun sounded (or maybe long before that, depending on who you ask) it was clear there wouldn't be much to worry about.

Kerley was in a line of six runners who had to be called out of the blocks three times — an energy sapper — first for a sprinter to re-tie his shoe, then twice more when the false-start signal went off, but early motion was, apparently, undetectable and nobody was disqualified.

“A lot of false starts, a lot of jumping, a lot of people who didn’t want to run their heats,” Kerley said of the less-than-full field for a basically meaningless prelim race in which he false started but wasn't DQ'd. “Got to do better than that. I’m ready to run fast.“

Kerley, who said he is not using performance enhancers, still pocketed $250,000 — the first-place prize for all the events.

Most athletes are making money they could only dream of in mainstream Olympic sports.

The real stakes, however, could be for the investors in the company that brought the world the Enhanced Games with the idea of turning it into a new-age online pharmacy that peddles performance enhancers under medical supervision.

“It's just the beginning,” CEO Max Martin said in front of a specially curated crowd of around 2,500.

Tickets were not on sale to the general public.

The women’s sprints didn’t have anywhere near the star power Kerley injected into the men’s.

What the two races did have in common were winners who claimed not to be taking drugs — results that force questions about both the effectiveness of performance enhancers and the level of the athletes who signed onto the league that began with mega investments from the likes of Peter Thiel and is now a publicly traded company.

Tristan Evelyn’s winning time of 11.25 seconds in the women's sprint was more than three-quarters of a second slower than FloJo's 38-year-old world record (10.49). It would have been .21 seconds behind the seventh-place finisher at the Paris Games two years ago.

In all, Enhanced said there were 14 personal bests set by 12 athletes, all of them swimmers and weightlifters.

Among those who made runs at world marks was Ben Proud, the British Olympic silver medalist, who finished .05 off the 50-meter fly mark of 22.27.

“I think I am,” he said when asked if he was happy after winning $250K. “But I think we all know what we came here for, and that’s a world record.”

Kerley didn’t come close to it. When it was over, he seemed to be blaming everyone but himself.

“Man, they gotta do better than that,” he said. “Gotta train a little harder, train on that (expletive) a little more.”

___

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

Suzuki, an honorary adviser at Seven & i Holdings, died on May 18 of heart failure at his Tokyo home, the company said Monday.

Suzuki founded the Japanese unit that operates the seemingly ubiquitous 7-Eleven “conbini” outlets, where busy people can hop in and grab sandwiches, rice balls, drinks, chips and other meals on-the-run, use ATMs, pay utility bills and copy documents.

The 7-Eleven stores, now numbering more than 80,000 worldwide, are the biggest convenience-store chain in Japan.

The business started out in Japan under a franchise agreement with the U.S. 7-Eleven in 1973. The first store opened in Japan the following year.

After The Southland Corp., which founded 7-Eleven, ran into financial difficulties the Japanese company bought a majority stake in the 1990’s. It made the American counterpart its 100% owned group company in 2005.

Several years ago, the Canadian retailer Alimentation Couche-Tard, which runs the global Circle K convenience store chain, sought to take over Seven & i Holdings. But it dropped the effort in 2024, citing frustration with negotiations that showed “a lack of constructive engagement.”

Suzuki, born in Nagano Prefecture, northern Japan, in 1932, graduated from the prestigious Chuo University in Tokyo.

Before beginning his career in the convenience store business, he worked at Ito-Yokado, a major Japanese retail chain that sells a variety of products including groceries, cosmetics and clothing, which is also owned by Seven and i Holdings.

Apart from leading 7-Eleven, Suzuki engineered the acquisition of Barney’s Japan in 2015 and added banking functions to the empire.

He said he wanted to provide customers with what he called a lifestyle shopping experience. Over the years, the retailing giant also brought under its wing the Sogo and Seibu department stores.

Suzuki became chief executive of 7-Eleven Japan in 1978. He is widely seen as having innovated how Japanese consumers shop. Convenience stores have led retailers in Japan in implementing new retail technologies.

Funeral services are being held privately with family, and messages, flowers and other condolence gifts were politely declined, according to the company. Details of a public ceremony will come later, it said.

Suzuki is survived by his wife and two children.

Vegas coach John Tortorella had his own description.

“This is a game where we showed some balls,” the man known as Torts said after the Golden Knights' latest Houdini act.

Tomas Hertl weaved his way toward the slot and broke a tie at 8:21 of the third period as the Golden Knights overcame a three-goal deficit Sunday night to beat Colorado 5-3 and move within a victory of their third Stanley Cup Final appearance in nine years.

“It obviously feels really good right now, but we’re playing a hell of a hockey team,” Golden Knights forward Mitch Marner said. “We know that the next game is going to be even tougher now. Enjoy this for the next 10 minutes, 30 minutes, go home and then try to take care of yourself, and do what you got to do to be ready tomorrow.”

The Golden Knights go for what would be a stunning sweep over the Presidents' Trophy winners on Tuesday night. Chicago in 2013 was the last team to win the Presidents' Trophy and the Stanley Cup in the same season.

Colorado will try to become just the fifth team to win a series after falling behind 3-0. Los Angeles in 2014 was the most recent team to accomplish that in eliminating San Jose in their first-round series.

Vegas, which trailed 3-0 after the first period, was 0-19 in the playoffs when behind that many goals. The Avalanche were 74-1 when holding such a lead.

“As low as it can get,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said of the team's emotions. “It’s a big hill to climb. The next 24-to-36 hours is for … you’ve got to find a way to get over it, regroup and go again.”

Colorado has other concerns because front-line center Nathan MacKinnon might not be fully healthy going forward. MacKinnon, who has 15 points this postseason and led the league in the regular season with 53 goals, took a puck to his right knee in the second period and played through the injury.

That comes just as the Avalanche got back star defenseman Cale Makar, who missed the first two games this series because of an upper-body injury.

Vegas keeps finding aways, going this deep into the postseason despite being outshot in 11 of 15 games, including now nine in a row. The Golden Knights erased deficits the past two games against Colorado, though Game 2 was just 1-0.

“We’ve been all season long many times down,” Hertl said. “We’ve come back so many times. Even after the first when we were down 3-0 we knew we could do it.”

Hertl, Mark Stone and William Karlsson each had a goal and assist. Keegan Kolesar and Brett Howden scored the other Golden Knights goals, and Mitch Marner and Kaedan Korczak each tallied two assists. Carter Hart made 32 saves.

Stone’s goal came on his first appearance since suffering a lower-body injury in Game 3 of the second-round series against Anaheim. Kolesar, who had gone 37 playoff games without a goal, picked up his first point of the postseason.

Gabriel Landeskog, Nazem Kadri and Jack Drury scored for the Avalanche, and Devon Toews had two assists. Scott Wedgewood stopped 18 shots.

The Avalanche dominated the first period by taking a 3-0 lead, but the Golden Knights thought they had cut the deficit to 2-1 when Pavel Dorofeyev appeared to score a power-play goal with 7:26 left. Officials immediately waved it off and the decision was upheld on video review.

Colorado then made the Golden Knights pay when Drury found himself alone on a breakaway, deking Vegas goalie Hart to score the short-handed goal with 6:45 left for the three-goal lead.

But the Golden Knights didn't let the two-goal swing trouble them too much, with Stone's power-play goal 19 seconds into the second period sparking a three-goal answer to tie the game heading into the final period of regulation.

Then Hertl broke the deadlock — and now the Golden Knights just need to win one of four games.

“I want them to feel it for a little bit, as far as what they just did against a really good hockey club,” Tortorella said, “but then we get back to work tomorrow.”

There was a moment of silence before the game for two-time NASCAR champion driver and Las Vegas native Kyle Busch. He died Thursday at 41 after severe pneumonia developed into sepsis, according to a statement from Busch's family.

___

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

“The highlight will be when I can finally lay down because I'm so tired,” Legge said.

Legge's quest to become the first woman to complete “The Double” — racing 1,100 miles spread out over two tracks on one day — ended quickly Sunday when she crashed out in the Indianapolis 500.

She flew to North Carolina and finished in 31st at the Coca-Cola 600 and 12 laps back after losing a tire mid-race.

Legge said now it is time to regroup after what she called “a calamity of errors.”

The English driver completed just 17 of the scheduled 200 laps at Indianapolis Motor Speedway's iconic 2.5-mile oval before she ran into the car of Ryan Hunter-Reay, knocking both cars out of the race. Hunter-Reay started spinning in the second turn and braked hard to keep his car off the wall, and the trailing Legge steered inside to try to avoid the 2013 Indy 500 winner. But as smoke emerge from both braking cars, Legge's car hit the inside wall.

“I’m fine, just gutted more than anything,” she said after being checked and released at the track's infield medical center. “Ryan spun in front of me, I think he was battling his car for a minute, I was just chilling, trying to save fuel and he spun down the track and started coming up the track, so I tried to go low and just didn’t make it.”

Legge was the sixth driver ever to attempt “The Double." The only driver to complete it is three-time NASCAR champion Tony Stewart in 2001.

It's been a week full of bad luck for Legge.

Her flight from New York to Indianapolis was delayed, causing her to miss Indy's annual media day. Then she had communications trouble in Friday's final 500 practice, and after flying to Charlotte on Saturday, Coca-Cola 600 qualifying was rained out.

“Hopefully, we get all of the travel woes out of the way now before the weekend, and this weekend goes smoothly,” Legge told The Associated Press on Thursday. “My management has been speaking with Kyle’s management about how to get the logistics sorted out, how they did it and we’re trying our best to copy and paste what they had and they’re just keeping me in the loop.”

Her fortunes briefly looked like they might have changed when the speedway dodged the predicted prerace rain, allowing the race to begin on time. Then came the tangle with Hunter-Reay, who was also was checked and released by IndyCar's medical team.

“It was super tough out there,” Hunter-Reay said. “The whole time I was trying to keep it off the wall. Just super disappointing. That’s the busiest I’ve been around here in 16 years. I was trying to keep it off the wall the whole time and finally, one of those wiggles didn't come back in Turn 2.”

At the 500, crashes and bad weather have been a theme in each of the last three “Double” attempts. A rain-delayed Indy start prevented two-time NASCAR champion Kyle Larson from making it to Charlotte in time for the start in 2024, and Larson crashed out of both races last year after another rain-delayed start in Indy.

But Legge was hoping to avoid all of it.

“She’ll stay here throughout,” her father, Derek Legge, said before the first race while texting from a golf cart outside her garage. “We’re keeping an eye on the weather. It might even be delayed here an hour at a time.”

By then, Legge’s car was already on the Brickyard as the sold-out grandstands filled in and hundreds of people surrounded the cars on the track.

The English driver started from the No. 26 spot, the middle of the ninth row, at Indy, where she drove for HMD Motorsports with A.J. Foyt Racing team.

The other five drivers who previously tried "The Double” had months to prepare, but Legge's teams didn't announce her attempt until last week. Since then, those behind the scenes helped Legge line up the helicopter ride she planned to take from the speedway to Indianapolis International Airport and the private jet that would take her to Charlotte.

___

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

The Golden Knights, instead, put the setback behind them and rallied to beat the Colorado Avalanche 5-3 and take a 3-0 series lead in the Western Conference Final.

Vegas forward Pavel Dorofeyev appeared to score a power-play goal with 7:26 left in the first period, but officials immediately waved it off and the decision was upheld on video review. The Golden Knights immediately celebrated despite the initial call with a run through the high-five line, believing the call would be changed after officials checked the video.

Officials ruled on the ice that the puck went off Dorofeyev's glove, according to the ESPN broadcast, and found the video inconclusive.

Dorofeyev's stick also might have been above the cross bar, but it was at least even with it.

The Avalanche then made the Golden Knights pay when Jack Drury found himself alone on a breakaway, deking Vegas goalie Carter Hart to score the short-handed goal with 6:45 left for the three-goal lead.

A lead that didn't last.

“Not super ideal, obviously, but I think we got a pretty big penalty kill after that and it kind of settled us down and the period ends,” Golden Knights captain Mark Stone said. "That’s probably the best thing that could happen to us, the period ends.”

___

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

Now Jim Henson's Creature Shop, the workshop founded by the legendary creator of the Muppets, is drawing back the curtain.

This year, the company opened the doors of its Queens workshop to public tours for the first time, allowing fans to meet a puppet builder, see a puppetry demonstration and take photos and videos with beloved and iconic characters.

Jason Weber, the shop’s creative supervisor, said the tours, which cost $150 a person, are an opportunity to celebrate the unsung craftspeople that bring these famous characters to life.

“There is a level of expertise here that we’re sharing. It’s not just going to a pop-up store or something like that,” he said during a recent visit. “Things are made one-of-a-kind, made by hand with artisans who have been trained for years and decades.”

Besides Kermit, Miss Piggy and other Muppets, Henson was the creative force behind Big Bird, Cookie Monster and other famous “Sesame Street” denizens, as well as the “Fraggle Rock” characters. He died in 1990.

Henson originally founded the workshop in the 1960s in Manhattan and it has moved multiple times around the city since. It's been at its current location in Queens since 2009. The company also has a workshop in Los Angeles, though that doesn’t offer tours.

The 80-minute New York tours take place on Saturdays. Visitors start in a large room specially created for the tour that's filled with real show props and creations. It’s also the only spot on the tour where visitors are allowed to take photos and videos, as much of what’s in the actual workshop are still works in progress or proprietary.

“The Muppets" are now owned by Disney. Sesame owns the rights to Big Bird and other characters Henson created for the long-running show, which films at a nearby studio.

Among the centerpieces in that first room on the tour is an Oscar the Grouch display where the “Sesame Street” character is in his familiar trash can surrounded by heaps of fake garbage.

There’s also a menacing black throne from “The Dark Crystal,” Henson’s 1982 live-action fantasy film, and a full-sized working puppet of Junior Gorg, a giant from “Fraggle Rock,” which requires multiple performers to manipulate.

The workshop space itself is filled with fantastical creatures in various stages of assembly. There’s drawers and bins tucked into nearly every corner brimming with colorful furs, textured fabrics and ready-made puppet body parts, clothing and accessories.

“Everything we do is custom. Everything we do is bespoke,” said Melissa Creighton, the shop’s director.

On a recent visit, staff were busy preparing costumes and other pieces for a range of current projects, including a “Fraggle Rock" musical opening later this month at a theater near Times Square.

The shop’s past credits include the horror movie “Five Nights at Freddy’s,” the children’s fantasy film “Where the Wild Things Are" and the 1990s television sitcom “Dinosaurs.”

Sierra Schoening, a senior puppet builder, said working at the shop had been her “pie-in-the sky” dream job. Her favorite movie growing up was “The Labyrinth,” Henson's 1986 musical fantasy film starring David Bowie and Jennifer Connelly.

“I just really always wanted to know how those illusions were made,” Schoening said as she took a break from fashioning a set of new creations. “I know all the secret sauce, and I’m making the secret sauce now.”

___

Follow Philip Marcelo at https://x.com/philmarcelo

One day might not seem like much in the grand scheme, but it was a seismic delay in plans for the unprecedented and daring invasion, which would deploy nearly 160,000 Allied troops in Normandy. Ultimately it came down to a recommendation from a shrewd Scottish meteorologist, Group Capt. James Stagg, who had to tell everyone, including Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower and the Allied leadership, something they didn’t want to hear: The weather was going to be catastrophically bad. And no, he wasn’t certain about it.

The tense 72 hours before the invasion are brought to life in “Pressure,” in theaters May 29, on the eve of the operation’s 82nd anniversary. An adaptation of David Haig’s acclaimed stage play, the film sheds light on this bit of history that would effectively change the course of the second World War.

The very different styles of Brendan Fraser and Andrew Scott

Filmmaker Anthony Maras assembled a unique group of actors for the task at hand, calling on Brendan Fraser to play Eisenhower and Andrew Scott to play Stagg.

“I didn’t think I was an Ike Eisenhower when Anthony Maras sent me the script,” Fraser said. “I got on a Zoom call and he said, ‘You gotta do this man.’ Me? Why? ‘It’s because he’s you, he’s like you. He’s just a regular guy.’ Really? I mean, I thought Eisenhower was this, you know, stern, staunch, something on coin.”

Fraser went deep in his preparation, reading and listening to everything he could get his hands on to help him understand the man who would ultimately have to make the decision. The research even continued on set. Maras laughed that right before they shot Eisenhower’s famous “soldiers, sailors and airmen” speech, something that they’d rehearsed many, many times, he looked up and saw Fraser reading yet another biography. But he appreciated that the Oscar-winner was passionate about knowing everything he possibly could to get it right.

“He cared intensely for his troops,” Fraser said. “It was my responsibility to honor their memory and to comport myself in a way that puts a human face on the seemingly academic decisions that go into an operation as massive as this.”

Scott was the opposite in terms of how he approached his role. Yes, he read Stagg’s book and wanted to have a working understanding of the metrological jargon he’d have to be spouting. While history was important, for him, character was king. And he liked that Stagg is not the most immediately likable person, but he has integrity.

“The thing with Stagg is that he’s just not interested in charm … or being liked at all,” Scott said. “I think that’s to be admired actually, because he’s just there to do a job. So I like the fact that at the beginning of the movie, you’re like, whoa, this guy is not pleasant.”

Maras said that for Scott, it was all about the inner, emotional life of the character — which was essential for a part that would require so much internal conflict.

“With Andrew, he has a quality to him where he can seemingly be doing very little — he’s sitting down, rearranging his tie, he can be reading a phone book — and you can’t look away,” Maras said.

In the shadow of ‘Saving Private Ryan’

The actors weren’t the only ones feeling pressure of the assignment: Maras also had a behemoth looming in attempting to stage, however briefly, the D-Day invasion.

“You’ve kind of got to be crazy maybe to attempt it, given that Spielberg did it so masterfully,” Maras said.

But unlike “Saving Private Ryan,” which focused on the men storming the beach, “Pressure” is about the ones making the decisions. It’s a different perspective. Still, once they make the call to go, there would have to be at least some of the operation shown to juxtapose with the “bloody tense, wire-type atmosphere of the control room,” Maras said.

Inspired by Peter Jackson’s World War I documentary “They Shall Not Grow Old,” and the existence of dozens of hours of pristine 35 mm black and white film from the event, Maras decided that perhaps archival footage, colorized, would be the way to go. It was a different way to present D-Day that gave it immediacy, he said, as opposed to looking like history.

‘Pressure’s’ relevance to today

Ultimately, “Pressure” isn’t just a history lesson, or even a character drama with big personalities and even bigger stakes: It’s a portrait of leadership and ego clashing with facts and science. And its relevance to the present day is the reason Maras wanted to make the film in the first place.

“How do you bring your best self to the table to make the decision? How do you have the humility to acknowledge when you don’t know something? And how do you have the wisdom to determine who to trust? … Eisenhower in the end showed that he was a maestro at that,” Maras said. “What I love about the Stagg character is he’s someone who feels compelled to tell someone something that they don’t want to hear, that they violently don’t want to but they need to hear. The world needs more of that.”

Years later, John F. Kennedy, on the way to his own inauguration, asked Eisenhower what gave them the edge on D-Day. His response? “We had better meteorologists than the Germans.”

“When life or death depends on you understanding the facts, it probably has a way of like cutting up the BS and getting to it,” Maras said. “It’s a very clear example of a time where the Allied worlds’ future was at stake and they listened to someone who knew what he was talking about and they did all right.”

___

For more coverage of summer films, visit: https://apnews.com/hub/movies

He had three Oklahoma City defenders in front of him. He took three dribbles. He got three points.

And he made it look easy, too.

A swished 3-pointer from the midcourt stripe to close the first half brought maybe the loudest roars of his night, but it was hardly the only moment in which Wembanyama was unstoppable in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals on Sunday.

He got most of the fourth quarter off and still finished with 33 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three blocked shots as the Spurs beat the Thunder 103-82 to tie the West title series at two games apiece.

“The truth is that we had never been in this kind of situation before,” Wembanyama said. “It was our first deficit in a playoff series and we just responded. It was nothing amazing. It wasn't magic. We just did what we needed to do.”

In other words, he wasn't surprised. A 62-win team in the regular season — and a team that has now beaten Oklahoma City six times in nine opportunities this season — shouldn't be surprised by anything anymore.

Game 5 is Tuesday in Oklahoma City.

It was Wembanyama who pointed the finger of blame at himself following San Antonio's loss in Game 3, saying that the Spurs were “going to see what we're made of” in Game 4 and that he had to do more to get teammates involved.

He delivered on every level.

“I saw a lot and I'm not surprised," Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. “I think our competitive response all year has been pretty good — and he's been at the forefront of that more often than not. I think tonight, not speaking for him, he felt an obligation to set a tone for us in a variety of ways.”

Wembanyama had 11 points in the first quarter, 11 more on 10 shot attempts in the second quarter and capped all that with the beat-the-clock 3-pointer going into halftime.

And on the other end, he might have been even better.

The unanimous Defensive Player of the Year — who was announced on Sunday night as a first-team All-NBA selection for the first time — led an effort that held Oklahoma City to a season-low in points and a season-high-tying 20 turnovers.

The Thunder had at least 108 points in every game in these playoffs entering Sunday.

“We've played 12 playoff games. When you play 12 playoff games, they're not all going to be masterpieces,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “As much as you want to win, there's nights where you just don't have it for whatever reason.”

On Sunday, that reason might have been Wembanyama. The Thunder were outscored by 29 points when he was on the floor. They shot 18 of 41 inside the paint, with Wembanyama a big reason for that, so more things got forced outside — where they shot 12 of 50.

He was asked how the Spurs bottled up the Thunder so well.

“I'm not going to get into details, but in general, being more disciplined and just trusting the game plan even more,” Wembanyama said.

There's a flight for the Spurs to Oklahoma City on Monday for a game on Tuesday, and the winner of that contest will be one game away from the NBA Finals. It's clear that Wembanyama knows that even after a big win, the job only gets tougher now.

“The series is far from over,” Wembanyama said. “We've got six more wins before we can rest.”

___

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

De'Aaron Fox had 12 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for San Antonio, which has not lost three consecutive games all season. Stephon Castle and Devin Vassell added 13 points each.

“You definitely don’t want to go down 3-1 going into their house,” Vassell said. “We knew we had to respond and that’s how you respond. You get stops. You don’t try and focus on the offensive end, you get stops, you get out of transition. You guard your yard and that’s what we did.”

Game 5 is Tuesday in Oklahoma City, followed by Game 6 on Thursday in San Antonio.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 19 points on 6-for-15 shooting for the Thunder.

Wembanyama took Oklahoma City's 123-108 victory Friday in Game 3 personally. The 7-foot-4 star from France said he needed to be better to make his teammates better. He was monumentally better Sunday night — and so was San Antonio.

“We all have high standards and I know I have a lot of responsibilities, but I’m here for it,” Wembanyama said. “Yeah, it was better today. It wasn’t perfect. But, you know, all of us, I’m talking about the whole organization, so we’re going to have to do things that we didn’t sign up for.”

The Spurs limited the Thunder to 33% shooting from the field, including 6 for 33 on 3-pointers (18%).

“I think we made a great defensive adjustment,” Vassell said. “I don’t want to say what it was. We were just able to rotate the shooters and not give them so many wide-open 3s. I feel like they had so many wide-open 3s over the past couple games and you've got to respect them, especially if they’re making them. So, we were trying to cut them out with that and just stay playing fast.”

After being outscored 76-23 in bench points in Game 3, San Antonio's reserves scored 30 points while limiting Oklahoma City to 34.

The Spurs had another hot start in Game 4 after opening the previous game on a 15-0 run. Unlike Friday’s lopsided loss, the Spurs never relinquished that lead.

“They just punched us in our face early,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It’s two games in a row they’ve come out the aggressor. The last game we were able to course correct. Tonight, we just didn’t do so.”

After blocking Jared McCain’s layup under the rim, Vassell tossed an alley-oop pass to Wembanyama for a dunk as part of 16-0 run that gave the Spurs a 23-8 lead with 4:19 remaining.

“I feel like with who we are, we need to start games like this,” Wembanyama said, “but it really doesn’t mean anything for the way it holds. I mean, it helps for sure, but it’s a whole 'nother type of effort to be consistent rather than just hitting first.”

San Antonio had an assist on all 10 field goals in the first quarter.

San Antonio held Oklahoma City to 38 points in the first half, tied for its second-lowest half in the past four regular and postseasons. The Thunder are 2-9 when they score less than 40 points in any half over the last five seasons.

Oklahoma City’s franchise low is 65 points in a playoff loss to Memphis on May 3, 2014, and its second-fewest points had been 85 against San Antonio on May 21, 2014.

___

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

Also among the streaming offerings worth your time this week, as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: Netflix drops Season 2 of Netflix’s “Four Seasons” starring Tina Fey, Atlanta rapper Latto returns with “Big Mama” and Nicolas Cage stars in a new live-action series inspired by Spider-Man.

New movies to stream from May 25-31

— Bill Skarsgård’s aggrieved everyman takes Dacre Montgomery’s mortgage executive hostage in “Dead Man’s Wire,” streaming on Netflix on Thursday. In his review for The Associated Press, Film Writer Jake Coyle wrote that, “it plays a little loose with facts but the righteous rage of “Dog Day Afternoon” is present enough in Gus Van Sant’s … thriller that’s as deeply 1970s as it is contemporary.”

— Fresh off its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, John Travolta’s “Propeller One-Way Night Coach” will be streaming on Apple TV starting Friday, May 29. The actor wrote, directed and narrates this ode to the glamorous days of 1960s air travel following an aviation obsessed 10-year-old on a cross country trip with his mother. Running at only 60 minutes, the film, which is based on a novel he wrote, has received mostly mixed reviews.

— In “Miss You, Love You,” written and directed by Jim Rash and streaming on HBO Max on May 29, Allison Janney plays a recently widowed woman who has to plan her husband's funeral with a stranger: Her estranged son’s assistant, played by Andrew Rannells. Also coming to HBO Max on May 29 is the Charli xcx movie “The Moment,” a meta mockumentary about the end of Brat summer and grappling with otherworldly success.

— Markiplier’s “Iron Lung” is also making its streaming debut, on YouTube, on May 31. The adaptation of the indie horror game was self-financed and self-released in theaters where it earned over $50 million worldwide.

— AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr

New music to stream from May 25-31

— Paul McCartney reflects on the “Days We Left Behind” on his 18th studio album, “The Boys of Dungeon Lane,” out Friday. That’s a reference to a particularly nostalgic and wistful track on the new collection, which reflects on the youth of a life well lived — so, of course, it’s all soft piano and delicate harmonies. If that’s not enough to inspire a listen, perhaps this is: The album also features the first duet of Macca and Ringo Starr, a must-play for any Beatles fan. “The world around us wasn’t safe, the place was falling down/But it was my hometown/And it was home to us,” they sing. It’s enough to make someone weep, if it wasn’t such a jam.

— Atlanta rapper Latto is back with “Big Mama.” If the title feels familiar, there’s a reason for it. “Big Mama” is also the name of her 2024 Grammy-nominated single from her last album, “Sugar Honey Iced Tea.” She’s called her forthcoming record her “retirement album,” and if that’s true, she’s going out with a bang: “Somebody” is laid-back pop-trap; “GOMF” (an acronym for “Get Out My Face”) samples the buzzy ’00s Soulja Boy hit “Yahhh!” and transforms it with the swagger only Latto possesses. For the lover girls and girl bosses among us, and for everyone in between.

— AP Music Writer Maria Sherman

New series to stream from May 25-31

— A Spider-Man series, but make it noir. Nicolas Cage stars in a new live-action series inspired by the Marvel character. Set against a gritty 1930s New York, Cage plays Ben Reilly, a P.I. who carries the weight of being the city’s only masked hero fighting rampant corruption. Viewers can choose between black-and-white and color versions. “Spider-Noir” drops its eight episodes on Wednesday on Prime Video.

— The wild crime comedy “Deli Boys” returns to Hulu for its second season on Thursday. Two Pakistani American brothers, played by Asif Ali and Saagar Shaikh, inherit a chain of delis after their father dies and think they’re set for life until the realization that those delis were really a front for smuggling drugs. Poorna Jagannathan plays their aunt who has taken over the business.

— Netflix drops Season 2 of its “Four Seasons” on Thursday. It’s about a group of friends navigating relationships and life’s ups and downs. Tina Fey is a co-creator and stars alongside Colman Domingo, Will Forte, Kerri Kenney-Silver, Marco Calvani and Erika Henningsen. It’s adapted from Alan Alda’s 1981 film of the same name.

— “Criminal Minds: Evolution” Season 19 premieres with two episodes Thursday on Paramount+. In the new episodes, serial killer Elias Voit (Zach Gilford) is still in prison for life but also helping the BAU track down other killers like himself. The big bad for Season 19 is a copycat killer, who is a fan of Voit. A number of actors from the original series return, including Joe Mantegna, A.J. Cook, Aisha Tyler, Adam Rodriguez and Paget Brewster. Connor Storrie of “Heated Rivalry” will also guest star.

— Alicia Rancilio

New video games to play from May 25-31

— Filmmakers are still trying to decide on the next actor to play James Bond, but gamers worldwide are ready to take on the role in “007 First Light.” Developer IO Interactive describes it as an origin story, as a 20-something Bond who is new to MI6 is sent in pursuit of a rogue agent. Expect plenty of exotic locations, cool weapons and gadgets, a slick wardrobe and, of course, a glamorous love interest. You can “go silent or go loud,” meaning you can take a stealthy approach to each mission or go in with fists and bullets flying. IO is best known for its globe-trotting “Hitman” series, so it’s well qualified to take on this franchise. Pick up your license to kill Wednesday on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S, Switch 2 or PC.

— “Mina the Hollower” is a mouse who’s really good at burrowing, which comes in handy when she needs to run away from — or sneak up behind — the nastier critters roaming her spooky home. She can also fight back with her whip, and she can track down sidearms and trinkets that make her more of a threat. All this takes place in a colorful, pixelated 2D world reminiscent of 1980s classics like “The Legend of Zelda.” Developer Yacht Club Games, which gave us the retro indie smash “Shovel Knight,” promises a “bone-chilling yet heartwarming tale inspired by Victorian Gothic horror.” Dig in Friday, May 29, on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S, Switch, PC or Mac.

— Lou Kesten

Messi — who almost never gets subbed out of matches — left in the 73rd minute, meaning he was long gone before Luis Suárez's third goal of the night helped lift the defending MLS champions past the last-place Philadelphia Union 6-4 on Sunday night.

No preliminary diagnosis of any issue for Messi was immediately announced. Messi has dealt with hamstring issues at least two other times during his three-year stint with Inter Miami.

In past instances of possible soft tissue injuries, the team has ordered an MRI exam relatively quickly to determine severity. There was no indication in this case from the club that any tests on Messi were scheduled; Mateo Silvetti, the Argentine who replaced Messi on Sunday night, said he had no idea what had happened.

“I tried to see how he was doing. ... I have the same doubt as everyone else,” Silvetti said in Spanish after the match.

Messi had two assists and Germán Berterame scored twice during a record-setting first half for Inter Miami. But Messi basically took himself out of play in the 71st minute and reached toward his left hamstring at least once, then didn't even venture toward the Inter Miami bench when he could be subbed out.

Messi was replaced by Silvetti, then left immediately through the tunnel connecting the field with the team’s locker room. Messi was walking under his own power, albeit slowly, and without any team medical personnel with him.

Suárez got the go-ahead goal in the 81st minute. Rodrigo De Paul, on his birthday, scored in stoppage time to seal the win for Inter Miami.

Heavy rain began falling early in the second half, causing some players to seem to slip on the turf. It wasn't clear if Messi's departure was precautionary or not, and it didn't seem like he took any major missteps during the worst of the rain.

Messi has said in the past that he would only play in the World Cup if healthy. Argentina starts group stage play on June 16.

Milan Iloski had a first-half hat trick — including two penalty kicks — and Bruno Damiani also scored for Union, which was up 2-0 only 10 minutes into the match. That start set the stage for the teams to be tied at 4-4 at the half.

The eight goals by halftime was an MLS record, the league said.

Inter Miami (9-2-4, 31 points) enters the break second in the Eastern Conference, two points behind Nashville (10-1-3, 33 points). Inter Miami is also fourth in the Supporters’ Shield standings — a trophy that Philadelphia won last season.

The Union won’t be winning that this season. Not even close.

They’re at the bottom of the league, a stunning first-to-worst collapse and head into the break with seven points — at 1-10-4.

"It's beautiful, it's fun to be a part of the game, it’s fun to sing a national anthem and obviously to see Messi and all these greats so close to me, it’s an honor," said Grammy-nominated and Latin Grammy-winning singer and Miami resident Luis Fonsi, who performed “The Star-Spangled Banner” pregame. "I’m a fan and I’m enjoying every bit of it.”

He was asked what it's like to share the field with Messi.

“He’s a lot more known than me — times a million," Fonsi said.

Messi has already appeared in five World Cups, winning the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player twice — first in 2014, then again in 2022 when he led Argentina to the title. That award has been given out only since 1982, but he is the lone player to win it twice.

Argentina is in Group J for the World Cup. Its group stage matches: Algeria, at Kansas City, on June 16; Austria, at Arlington, Texas, on June 22; and Jordan, back in Arlington, on June 27.

If Argentina wins that group — and the defending champions would be heavily favored to do so — then Messi would play a Round of 32 match in Miami Gardens on July 3. The only other way for Messi to play in South Florida during the tournament would be if Argentina is in the third-place match on July 18.

Of course, all that is contingent on whether Messi plays. And that would now seem to be in at least some question.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/soccer

Pleasant Grove’s congregation, alongside Top Ladies of Distinction, held a special Sunday program honoring Trudi N. Smith — a Detroit woman living with lupus — and raising awareness about the disease.

Trudi first began showing symptoms of lupus in college in 2004. At the time, she didn’t think much of it. Her mother, Yolanda E. Smith, also has lupus. But the two cases turned out to be very different.

“Her symptoms were so much worse, so different than mine. So much more severe,” Yolanda said.

Over the years, Trudi’s condition brought increasingly difficult challenges. She battled a severe case of shingles that left her unable to walk. She later contracted COVID-19 and was placed on a ventilator. Since then, she has been unable to speak.

Still, Yolanda visits her daughter every day — and says she knows Trudi is still very much present.

“I know she’s in there because even yesterday when I went in to talk to her like I do every day, and she was looking — she kind of stretched her eyes and I said, ‘Trudi, are you getting ready to tell me something?’” Yolanda said.

Through it all, Yolanda says her family leans on faith — and holds doctors accountable to do their part, too.

“We’re praying, and I tell the doctors you do your part. I’m going to do mine and you just watch this miracle that’s going to happen for Trudi,” she said.

Pastor Dr. Louis Forsythe II says Trudi’s journey is a message for everyone in the congregation.

“Trudi is an example to all of us of how you navigate different health challenges. How do you maintain your faith, your dignity and not let that define your situation?” Forsythe said.

Yolanda said watching the community come together for her daughter was almost too much to put into words.

“It’s overwhelming. It’s just a sense of everyone coming together for my baby, and it’s really an experience that’s hard to describe,” Yolanda said.

The bins belong to the Veterans and America First Foundation.

“We went for servicing the bins, we found the doors were ripped off,” Aiman Kawas, who handles bin placement and servicing, said.

They believe it happened some time between Wednesday night and Friday morning.

They have over 200 bins across southeast Michigan.

“Please stop,” Director Paul Dehem said. “Live and let live, especially for the veterans. People that sacrifice their lives for the country and you are destroying a veteran’s source of money.”

He says these donations are meant for families in need.

They also run this storefront thrift shop in Clinton Township.

“Police came to the site and we filed a police report. I have a stack of police reports in my office,” Kawas said.

Kawas showed Local 4 the long list. They’ve been dealing with this for the last year and a half and they say it’s happened to at least 30 other bins.

They say the items aren’t just being stolen but the equipment is being damaged and boxes are disappearing.

“There were videos from different angles from stores, but I don’t think anybody followed up on it,” Kawas said.

Local 4 went around and asked for that footage.

“Do you guys have security camera footage that was pointed that way?” Local 4 asked the nearby restaurant.

Checkers couldn’t give it to Local 4.

“Do you think it’s the same person?” Local 4 asked Kawas.

“I believe it is,” Kawas said.

Local 4 asked Dehem what he thinks of this happening right before Memorial Day.

“It’s the most disheartening part about it because all the things that we do are based on helping veterans and just helping normal Americans. So, it’s just sad,” he said.

Local 4also reached out to Detroit police to ask if they have anyone in custody but has not heard back.

The difference: He was more focused on being a dad and felt less pressure to reach victory lane.

Rosenqvist responded by making a daring, outside move in the closing yards, sling-shotting past leader David Malukas and across the yard of bricks by half a car-length in the closest race in 500 history and cap the most memorable month of his life.

The 0.023-second victory was his second in 120 career IndyCar starts, his first on an oval and came exactly 20 days after he welcomed his first child, daughter Stella.

“After we had our baby, Stella, I was like I've already won the month of May,” said Roseqvist, whose only other win came in July 2020 at Road America. “But winning was the cheery on top of an incredible month.”

Neither Rosenqvist's wife, Emille, nor his newborn daughter were at the track.

Rosenqvist jumped on top of his Meyer Shank Racing car, pumping his arms in the air before tasting the milk and then dumping it over his head. And why not savor it after what he's endured on this iconic 2.5-mile track.

Rosenqvist entered race day with five straight top nine 500 qualifying runs but no poles. He'd also finished fourth in the race twice over the past four years, including 2025, while winding up 27th in the other two.

And it looked as if this one might be slipping away, too, when the red flag came out with seven laps to go and he got passed on the ensuing restart and again when Malukas appeared to be pulling away while Rosenqvist and teammate Marcus Armstrong were racing wheel-to-wheel on the final lap.

“I was given two options: either I lift or I crash with Felix,” said Armstrong, who finished fifth. “I chose to lift. I don’t know if I could have done anything different.”

With Armstrong out of the way, Rosenqvist pulled up behind Malukas, swung his car to the outside and pushed the car as hard as he could. The momentum — and the tow — sent him past Team Penske's top finisher, relegating Malukas to runner-up status for the second straight year.

Meyer Shank earned its second 500 win and Helio Castroneves, one of four four-time 500 winners, celebrated his first as a team owner.

The victory margin was even closer than the 1992 race when Al Unser Jr. beat Scott Goodyear to the finish line by 0.043 seconds. But that was little consolation to Malukas. Even moving up to second in the points standings was little consolation to the 24-year-old American.

“I just don’t know what else we could have done,” an understandably distraught Malukas said. “We were driving 150% that whole time. We had the fastest car out there, loved that whole race. It was ours to win and I knew that, so I just never pushed like that my whole life.”

Malukas seemed to be in position to win with four turns left.

He beat leader Marcus Armstrong off the final restart with one lap to go and led through each of the final four corners as Rosenqvist tried to snake his way down Indy's front straightaway and moved to the outside.

This time, Rosenqvist timed it perfectly, stayed on the high driving line and didn't think twice about going for it. He's the third Swede to win the 500, joining Kenny Brack in 1999 and Marcus Ericsson in 2022.

Rosenqvist even had to hold off his best friend in racing, Pato O'Ward of Arrow McLaren. The two-time race runner-up finished fourth — his fourth top-five finish in four years — behind Malukas' teammate Scott McLaughlin. Armstrong wound up fifth.

“I haven't seen a finish like that ever," Rosenqvist said. “So initially, I was like ‘OK, I’m second' because this never happens, you never have enough time to get that pass. But it happened and it's just incredible."

It was a wild conclusion to a strange race day that included a handful of crashes, two red flag delays — a 12-minute stoppage midway through the race because of rain and the 10-minute delay after Indy rookie Caio Collet slammed hard into the wall with eight laps to go.

But just as it appeared Rosenqvist and O'Ward might come up short again, they got another chance when Mick Schumacher, the son of seven-time world champ Michael Schumacher, brushed the second turn wall with 3 1/2 laps left

That contact set up the final one-lap shootout and this time, Rosenqvist sensed it was going to be different.

“I think somehow this was the first time I felt less (pressure) because I had so much to come home to at night, and I’m like happy,” Rosenqvist said before telling reporters he had already spoken with his wife after the race. “It's actually kind of nice when taking more pressure off of yourself in a way when you think about the right stuff because because we all put enough pressure on these folks. I think actually it turned out to be a good point to become a dad."

Alex Palou, the pole winner and defending Indy champ, extended his lead to 37 points after leading the most laps (59) and making the most on-track passes (60). But he settled for seventh.

Palau was penalized five points after for a technical violation found in the post-race inspection, with IndyCar saying the “non-compliance was the result of an assembly error and not an intentional modification.”

Double trouble

Katherine Legge’s attempt to become the first woman to complete “The Double” ended after just 17 laps when she couldn’t avoid Ryan Hunter-Reay’s spinning car. Legge’s car skidded down the track and into the inside wall in Turn 2.

The English driver was checked at the track’s infield medical care center and was released. She was still planning to travel to Charlotte, North Carolia, for Sunday night’s Coca-Cola 600. She’s scheduled to start 37th.

Up next

The series moves north for the Detroit Grand Prix next Sunday.

___

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

Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Wayhowe Huang said that fire officials were able to evaluate the tank more closely overnight and discovered the tank had cracked.

Huang told The Associated Press earlier Sunday that it did not appear any of the highly volatile chemicals in the tank have leaked. “There’s still the danger of a possible explosion," Huang said.

Firefighters have been spraying the tank with water in an effort to cool the chemicals inside and prevent an explosion. The inside of the tank reached 100 degrees (37.7 Celsius) Sunday, Democratic state Sen. Tom Umberg said, an increase of 10 degrees Fahrenheit (5.5 Celsius) since Saturday.

Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who declared a state of emergency Saturday, said in a post on X he had asked President Donald Trump to issue an emergency declaration to bolster federal support for local and state officials.

The pressurized tank overheated Thursday and began venting vapors at a company site in Garden Grove, about 40 miles (60 kilometers) south of downtown Los Angeles, according to the Fire Authority.

No injuries have been reported. Air monitoring tests have found that air pollution around the evacuation zone is within normal limits, and specialized equipment has been deployed to ensure no gas is released from the compromised tank, state and federal environmental officials said Saturday.

The streets were empty in the area Sunday, according to aerial photos taken by the AP.

Tank crack could mitigate damage

A crack could be a welcome development, as it could mean product or pressure inside the tank is being released, reducing the chance the tank explodes, said Andrew Whelton, an engineering professor at Purdue University.

“Think of a soda can. If you leave it in a hot car it can explode," he said. “But if you put a hole in the can, the product is released and the can itself doesn’t explode.”

Elias Picazo, a chemistry professor at the University of Southern California, agreed that a crack could be a positive development.

“A strategic leak buys more time for the liquid within the tank to solidify as the reaction continues,” he said. “Depending on where the leak is, it can also be used to direct the unreacted liquid out of the tank in a controlled manner.”

Faisal Khan, head of the chemical engineering department at Texas A&M University, said a crack suggests an explosion could still happen -- just not in the magnitude initially feared.

“Cooling is happening on the surface of the tank while runaway reaction may be occurring deep inside the tank,” he explained. “Yes, reaction is slowed compared to what it started. However, we are not out of explosive release risk.”

Several shelters for evacuees remained open. The parking lot was full Sunday at an evacuation center at a high school in neighboring La Palma. Some people, including a family of seven, slept in cars or on mats and sleeping bags on the asphalt. The large family also had nine cats with them. They stacked up cat carriers for a makeshift table as they waited around, sipping coffee and tending to the pets.

Meanwhile, some Garden Grove residents filed a class-action lawsuit on Saturday against GKN Aerospace Transparency Systems, the company that operates the facility where the tank is located.

Lawyers for residents living in the evacuation zone argued in their federal court lawsuit that regardless of what happens next, property values in the surrounding community are sure to be impacted.

Spokespersons for the company didn’t comment on the lawsuit itself, but pointed to a Saturday statement in which they apologized to residents and businesses that have been forced to evacuate.

On Sunday, the company released another statement saying it was monitoring the “condition of the affected material” and “working around the clock to mitigate the risk of a leak.”

Officials said the valves on the tank are broken or “gummed up,” which prevented crews from removing the chemical or relieving the pressure on the tank, said Craig Covey, Orange County Fire Authority division chief.

Firefighters’ first hope is to find a way to cool off the chemical inside the tank so it won’t leak or explode. If that is not possible, Whelton said it would be best if the tank sprang a leak so the chemical could be mostly contained. An explosion that could spread the chemical over a broad area and send shrapnel flying would be the worst-case scenario.

If the temperature inside the tank continues to increase, the pressure will continue to build as the methyl methacrylate converts from a liquid to a gas. Whelton said it’s unlikely that firefighters would consider creating a hole in the tank because of fears that could create a spark that might ignite the volatile and flammable gas.

Drones were monitoring temperatures at 10-minute intervals to watch for any spikes, Covey said on a social media post on X. Containment barriers have been set up to prevent the chemical from getting into storm drains or reaching creeks or the nearby ocean in the event of a spill, Covey said.

Exposure could lead to health problems

The damaged tank is located at GKN Aerospace, which makes parts for commercial and military aircraft. It holds 6,000 to 7,000 gallons (22,700 and 26,500 liters) of methyl methacrylate, used to make plastic parts.

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

Exposure to methyl methacrylate can cause serious respiratory problems and even render someone unconscious. It can also cause neurological problems and irritate the skin, eyes and throat, according to fact sheets about the chemical. But Orange County health officials said the chemical is easy to smell and residents may notice it over a large area without being harmed.

Whelton said the volume of chemical in the tank is much smaller than in the disastrous 2023 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, which he studied when more than 115,000 gallons (435,000 liters) of vinyl chloride was released after officials blew open five tank cars and burned the chemical.

“Many of these are acute, fast-acting effects. But the longer somebody stays in contact with it, the more potential for significant damage that occurs,” Whelton said.

If an explosion releases the chemical into the air, Whelton said, it will be crucial to conduct detailed air monitoring specifically for methyl methacrylate and not just generic tests for volatile organic compounds as officials did in East Palestine.

The weather will be an important factor in determining where a plume of chemicals would go in the event of an explosion. Officials were developing maps to predict different scenarios.

Garden Grove is next to Anaheim, home to Disneyland’s two theme parks, which were not under evacuation orders. Park officials said they were monitoring the incident and supporting employees impacted by evacuations.

___

Marcelo reported from New York. Associated Press journalist Ethan Swope contributed to this report.

The spacecraft blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China. The much-anticipated launch comes as China prepares for its first crewed lunar landing by 2030.

The astronauts on the mission are Zhu Yangzhu, the commander, Zhang Zhiyuan and Lai Ka-ying, also identified by Chinese authorities as Li Jiaying using the Mandarin transliteration of her name.

Lai, who was born and raised in Hong Kong and has a doctoral degree in computer forensics, is the first astronaut from the city on a space mission.

The crew is set to conduct dozens of science and application projects, state media said. They are also expected to complete an in-orbit rotation with the crew of Shenzhou 21, who has been at the Tiangong space station for more than 200 days.

One of the three astronauts on the Shenzhou 23 mission is scheduled to stay at the orbiting space station for a year in what would be among the world’s longest single stays in space. The astronaut's mission is to “explore human adaptability and performance limits” in long-duration spaceflight environments, state media reported.

As China steps up its space program, its astronauts have carried out multiple missions to the Tiangong space station, developed after China was effectively excluded from the International Space Station on U.S. concerns over national security.

The U.S. is seen as China’s top space rival, with NASA aiming to land astronauts on the lunar surface in 2028.

China’s space station Tiangong, which translates to “Heavenly Palace,” first hosted the country's crew in 2021. Last year, an emergency mission in the Shenzhou program, which means “Divine Vessel,” returned a team of astronauts stranded on the space station due to a damaged spacecraft.

___

Associated Press video journalist Wu Jia in Jiuquan, China contributed to this report.

The Secret Service said the bystander, who has not been identified, suffered a gunshot wound described as not life-threatening. It was not clear how he was shot.

Authorities have released few additional details about the early Saturday evening shooting. The District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department said the suspect, identified as 21-year-old Nasire Best, started shooting toward a White House security checkpoint when Secret Service officers returned fire. Best, of Dundalk, Maryland, was later pronounced dead at a hospital.

No officers were injured, Secret Service Director Sean Curran said in a statement posted on social media. “Our thoughts are also with the innocent bystander who was wounded during this incident,” Curran said. “The Secret Service is hopeful he will make a full recovery.”

President Donald Trump was in the White House at the time of the shooting.

It was the third shooting near the president in the past month, after a man stormed the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner in April armed with guns and knives, and Secret Service officers shot and wounded a man who fired at them earlier this month near the Washington Monument.

In a Truth Social post, Trump said the suspect in Saturday’s shooting had a “possible obsession with our Country’s most cherished structure.” He also used the shooting to promote the ballroom he is seeking to build on the site of the White House’s former East Wing, saying the shooting “goes to show how important it is, for all future Presidents, to get, what will be, the most safe and secure space of its kind ever built in Washington, D.C.” Trump is asking Congress for $1 billion for security additions for the White House campus, including the ballroom.

Best had a previous run-in with law enforcement near the White House, according to District of Columbia court records. He was arrested last July for attempting to enter White House grounds near a different checkpoint. He failed to heed officers’ commands to stop, claimed to be Jesus Christ and said he wanted to be arrested.

Best was a track and field athlete at Dundalk High School, from which he graduated in 2023.

A woman who identified herself as Best’s mother told The Washington Post that she learned about the shooting on social media and was in disbelief. She said her son “was never violent, regardless of what people are posting.”

At a 79th Cannes Film Festival that saw few films cause a stir, “Fjord” found wide admiration for its engrossing tale of what Mungiu called “left-wing fundamentalism.” It stars Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve as Romanian Evangelicals who move to Norway, but soon after have their children taken from them by child services for spanking them.

“Today the society is split. It’s divided. It’s radicalized,” said Mungiu. “This film is a pledge against any type of fundamentalism. It's a pledge for these things we quote very often, like trauma and inclusion and empathy. These are lovely words but we need to apply them more often.”

Mungiu becomes just the 10th filmmaker to win the Palme d’Or twice. His “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days,” a Romanian abortion drama, won the award in 2007.

The win for “Fjord” extends one of the movies’ most extraordinary streaks. Neon, the specialty label, has now taken seven Palme d’Or winners in a row. “Fjord” adds to its unparalleled run, including last year’s champion, Jafar Panahi’s “It Was Just an Accident,” and the 2024 winner, “Anora.” The latter went on to win best picture at the Oscars.

‘Minotaur’ wins Grand Prix

The Grand Prix, or second prize, went to “Minotaur,” Andrey Zvyagintsev’s domestic thriller set against Russia’s war with Ukraine. Loosely based on Claude Chabrol’s 1969 film “The Unfaithful Wife,” “Minotaur” is about a Russian businessman suspicious of his wife’s indiscretions. At the same time, he’s tasked with conscripting 150 of his workers for Vladimir Putin’s war machine.

“The only person who can stop this butchery is you, Mr. President of the Russian Federation,” Zvyagintsev said, accepting his award. "Put an end to this slaughter. The whole world is waiting for this.”

By wide consensus, it wasn’t a banner festival. Hollywood largely sat out this year’s edition. Many of the selections struggled to bowl over critics. The global buzz that Cannes typically generates was fitful at best.

But the awards handed out Saturday as the 79th Cannes drew to a close will significantly raise the international profiles of the winners. Last year's Cannes produced a long string of Oscar nominees, including “Sentimental Value” and “The Secret Agent.”

The nine-member jury that decided the awards was headed by Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook. Demi Moore, Chloé Zhao and Stellan Skarsgård were also jurors. Park, a Cannes regular including last year with his satirical thriller “No Other Choice,” joked that he preferred not to give away the Palme.

“To be honest, I didn’t want to award the Palme d’Or to any of the films, because it’s an award I myself have never gotten,” Park told reporters after the ceremony. “But I had no other choice.”

Awards are split and shared

Two films won for best director: the Polish filmmaker Pawel Pawlikowski, for his postwar drama “Fatherland,” and the Spanish creative duo Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo for “The Black Ball,” a generation-spanning queer epic “The Black Ball.”

It was Pawlikowski's second time winning the same Cannes prize in as many films, following his “Cold War” in 2018. But the award marked a breakthrough for Ambrossi and Calvo in their first Cannes entry.

"No one knew us. Thierry didn’t know us," Ambrossi told reporters, referring to Thierry Fremaux, Cannes artistic director. “It was just that the movie spoke.”

Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto, the two stars of Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “All of a Sudden” shared the best actress award. In the elegantly empathetic drama, the two play women brought together in friendship out of their mutual sense of care for others.

The jury also split the best actor prize. They chose Emmanuel Macchia and Valentin Campagne, the two stars of "Coward,” Lukas Dhont’s drama about young Belgian men sent to the front lines of World War II.

The prize for best screenplay was awarded to Emmanuel Marre for “A Man of His Time,” a French drama about a Nazi collaborator in Vichy France. Marre based it on the experiences of his own great-grandfather.

The jury prize, or third place, went to German filmmaker Valeska Grisebach’s “The Dreamed Adventure,” a crime drama set in a Bulgarian border town.

Saturday’s ceremony was missing its tribute honoree. Barbra Streisand was to receive an honorary Palme d’Or, but a knee injury prevented her from attending. Isabelle Huppert nevertheless celebrated Streisand during the ceremony, and Streisand appeared in a taped video message.

The Camera d’Or, Cannes’ award for best first film, went to Marie Clémentine Dusabejambo’s post-genocide drama “Ben’Imana,” the first Rwandan film to be officially selected for the festival.

U.S. President Donald Trump has lashed out at allies for not doing more to support the United States' war effort in Iran, whose chokehold on the strait has crippled international shipping and sent energy prices soaring. In March, Trump told NATO allies to “go get your own oil” and secure the strait themselves.

On the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar, the U.K.’s Royal Navy is preparing to do that — but only once a peace agreement is reached. Trump said Saturday that a deal with Iran has been “largely negotiated” after calls with Israel and other allies in the region, but it still needs finalizing.

Britain’s Armed Forces Minister Al Carns took a small group of reporters to visit the RFA Lyme Bay as it prepares for a possible international operation, led by the U.K. and France, to secure the strait. As Carns spoke, the amphibious landing vessel, docked at the gateway to the Mediterranean, was being loaded with ammunition and mine-hunting sea drones equipped with sonar.

With a crew of several hundred sailors, the RFA Lyme Bay will soon depart Gibraltar to link up with the U.K. destroyer HMS Dragon and allied ships for air support before sailing through the Suez Canal to the Persian Gulf.

“Which other country can pull together 40 nations and come up with a solution to deal with a complex problem that we couldn’t predict because we weren’t involved?” asked Carns, responding to a question from The Associated Press about what Trump wants from his British ally.

After the U.S. and Israel launched the war on Feb. 28, Tehran retaliated by effectively closing the strait, a key waterway for the region’s oil, natural gas and fertilizer, causing global economic pain. The U.K. in particular has drawn the ire of Trump, who has described Britain’s navy as “toys” and Prime Minister Keir Starmer as “not Winston Churchill.”

At least 6,000 ships have been blocked from passing through the strait since the conflict began, Carns said.

There could be a range of threats from Iran’s mines

Iran could have a “huge” variety of mines throughout strait, said Cmdr. Gemma Britton, who is in charge of the Royal Navy’s Mine and Threat Exploitation Group. Mines could be rocket-propelled, cabled or sit on the seabed and be triggered by sound, movement or light.

AP was shown autonomous systems that can scan the seabed and the water with sonar in about half the time it takes for a crewed vessel to enter and map potential dangers. The sea drones equipped with sonar produce a picture of objects under the water, from fishing traps to pipelines. The picture is used to identify mines that can be explored with advanced acoustic systems and cameras, Britton said.

Some of the systems on the RFA Lyme Bay can be loaded onto a smaller vessel that can be launched and piloted autonomously from the ship, which acts as a mother ship, waiting outside any potential minefield, Britton said. That reduces the number of people needed to enter, she said.

Once a mine has been located, a diver with explosives normally places a charge on the mine before swimming away to detonate it. But RFA Lyme Bay is trialing a remotely operated vehicle that dives and drops a charge by a mine before setting it off, Britton said.

The priority, she said, will be to clear a transit lane in the strait to allow around 700 ships to leave. A lane flowing in the opposite direction will then be cleared, allowing ships to enter, she said, but added that clearing the entire strait could take months or years.

It's still not clear if the UK and its allies will be deployed

It's still not clear if any mines are in the strait — or if the U.K. and its allies will be deploying to remove them.

A U.S. official speaking on condition on anonymity to discuss sensitive military matters told the AP that the U.S. has not found or destroyed any mines in the strait, nor have any ships been damaged. Commercial traffic has quietly continued to flow, though at a much lower volume than before the conflict.

When asked by the AP if the British effort was partly for show, to curry favor with the U.S., Carns said he was sure some mines had been blown up or floated away but that assurance is not good enough for commercial insurance companies. He said those companies need “absolute certainty” to get vessels traveling through the strait again.

“That’s what this capability will provide,” he said.

The international effort to secure the strait would happen only once hostilities are over.

“Final aspects and details of the Deal are currently being discussed, and will be announced shortly,” Trump said Saturday on social media, with no details on timing.

This is not the first time in recent weeks that a deal has been described as close.

“We don’t know when the Americans, Iranians and Israelis are going to come up with a suitable solution,” Carns said.

In the meantime, the RFA Lyme Bay and its crew will be waiting and will be “really, really ready,” Carns said.

——

Associated Press writer Konstantin Toropin in Washington contributed to this report.

After that approach shot inside 3 feet, he became the first PGA Tour player to win twice with a closing 60.

The 2023 U.S. Open champion shot 11 under on Sunday, overtaking Si Woo Kim by three and pulling away from defending champion Scottie Scheffler after starting the day tied with the top-ranked hometown favorite.

Clark didn't know he was shooting a closing 60 for the win the first time he did it, in 2024 at Pebble Beach. There was supposed to be a final round the next day, but it was wiped out by weather. Clark was declared the winner when officials decided not to play Monday.

One other difference came to mind for Clark, who shot 30-under 254 and had a 28 on the back nine at the revamped but still vulnerable TPC Craig Ranch, about 30 miles north of Dallas.

Two years ago, Clark had an eagle putt for 59 on the iconic 18th green at Pebble Beach but settled for birdie. This time — in his first victory since then — Clark closed with four birdies over five holes, including that short capper at 18.

Clark's ninth birdie matched Kim’s 60 from the second round when the 30-year-old South Korean was in position to shoot 59 but bogeyed the final hole. Kim, who started the final round with a two-stroke lead, shot 65 to finish 27 under.

“I look at Pebble, it was amazing, but that one, I was so close to shooting 59. At that golf course, that would have been just epic,” Clark said after his fourth PGA Tour win. “This one, really 59 wasn’t necessarily in the cards. I’m just really proud of myself that I didn’t waver and I didn’t sit back and just try to hit to 20 feet and kind of leak my way in there. I was still very aggressive.”

Despite the addition of bunkers and significant changes to the contour of the greens on the Lanny Wadkins-led redesign, Clark was just one shot off Scheffler's winning score of a year ago. Scheffler's 31 under tied the tour's 72-hole scoring record of 253.

“I felt pretty comfortable, but I knew I had to put the pedal to the metal and keep making birdies,” Clark said. “I made more than I thought I was going to make, that’s for sure.”

Clark went in front for the first time in the final round with an eagle at the par-5 12th and twice took two-shot leads with clutch birdie putts over the final four holes.

The 32-year-old had an emphatic first pump after his 45-foot birdie putt at the par-3 15th. Clark was a little more reserved, but pumping a fist nonetheless after another birdie 2, this one at the No. 17 stadium hole.

A few minutes after Clark's long putt at 15, Kim was a shot behind when his 44-footer on the same hole slid by the right side of the cup. The deficit was two when Kim couldn't match Clark's birdie at 17.

“I think if I keep knocking on the door, something’s coming,” said Kim, a four-time tour winner looking for his first victory since 2023 at Waialae. “I think it’s pretty much best play golf I’ve ever had. I’m a little frustrated, but nothing I can do. Wyndham played so good.”

Scheffler, who matched Kim's 65 and was 25 under, briefly was tied for the lead on Saturday, but never caught Kim — his partner in the final pairing — or Clark one group ahead after the second hole in the final round.

The four-time major winner was two shots behind Kim and Clark at the short par-4 sixth when his second shot hit the pin and spun away after it bounced, ending up 54 feet away. Scheffler settled for par on a hole Kim and Clark birdied.

Jackson Suber was a career-best fourth, shooting 63 to finish 23 under. Keith Mitchell shot 64 and was a stroke back in fifth.

Brooks Koepka, still looking for his first win since rejoining the PGA Tour from LIV Golf, shot 68.

Jordan Spieth, the other hometown favorite alongside Scheffler, bounced back with a 66 and finished 15 under a day after fading from contention with a 73.

Scheffler almost became the only PGA Tour player since at least 1983 to go an entire tournament without a score of 5 or higher. That ended with his par 5 on 12, when he went bunker to bunker with his first two shots and missed a 12-foot birdie putt. It was his only 5.

“No,” Scheffler said when asked if he was aware. “But you know around this place, what did Wyndham finish out, around 30 under? If you’re going to play 30 under, you can’t be making too many 5s.”

___

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

Rain will move out Sunday evening, giving way to mostly cloudy skies and calm winds overnight. Patchy fog will also be possible. Temperatures tonight will be near normal in the low to mid 50s for most of the area.

Memorial Day will begin with some passing clouds and patchy fog, especially further eastward, but by lunchtime expect more full sunshine.

We’ll see lots of sun for the afternoon and have a beautiful evening.

If you’re heading out in the morning for a parade or ceremony, temperatures will be in the mid 50s, so you may want a light jacket or long-sleeves. You’ll want to be in layers because we’ll warm up fast - seeing mid 60s by mid-morning and mid 70s by lunchtime.

Grab extra water and sunscreen if you’ll be outside midday into the afternoon. Highs will be mainly in the low 80s with UV levels in the Very High range.

If you’ll be in the bay or thumb regions, along with areas further north, these areas have a slim chance of seeing spotty rain in the afternoon.

If you’ll be visiting Fort Custer National Cemetery or the Great Lakes National Cemetery, the forecast will be very similar to ours with plenty of sunshine and highs in the low 80s.

We stay warm for Tuesday and Wednesday across Southeast Michigan, seeing highs into the low and middle 80s. We’ll drop back to the mid and upper 70s to end the week.

Every day of the week features mostly to partly sunny skies with a slight chance of rain Wednesday afternoon.

It was a violent end to a standoff between members of the Republican Peoples’ Party, or CHP, and a leadership team appointed by an appeals court, escalating tensions between the opposition and the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Supporters had barricaded the courtyard entrance with buses and the building with furniture. Footage taken by local media in the courtyard and inside the building showed clouds of tear gas as riot police stormed through the premises, before journalists were removed by the police.

Once the raid began, supporters attempted to resist the police by spraying them with fire extinguishers, but were quickly stopped. Doors, furniture and the ground floor windows were destroyed in the melee.

Among those inside the building was Ozgur Ozel, elected as party chairperson in November 2023 but dismissed by the court ruling. A video from inside his office at the start of the raid shows him being served the court order removing him, which he promptly ripped up.

Leaving party headquarters to cheers from supporters outside, Ozel told journalists: “We are leaving (the building) now only to reclaim it in such a way that no one will be able to meddle again. When we return, neither this administration nor the administration’s collaborators will dare do this once more.”

Ozel asks his supporters to rebuild the party for a third time

Ozel and his supporters then marched to Parliament about 8 kilometers (5 miles) away, joined by hundreds of passersby despite heavy rain and hail. Before arriving at Parliament, he stopped at the National Sovereignty Park where he asked the crowd if they were willing to rebuild the party for a third time.

The CHP was first established in 1923 by Turkey's founding father, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, but was shut down in a 1980 military coup, before reemerging in 1992.

Outside the legislature, Ozel rallied a crowd of hundreds, telling them that the CHP was “de facto shuttered” but would be reestablished.

Even if ousted as the chairperson of the CHP, Ozel is still an elected lawmaker from the western province of Manisa as well as the party's group speaker.

The appeals court on Thursday nullified Ozel's election as CHP chairperson, suspending him and members of the party’s executive board. The ruling said Ozel should be replaced by Kemal Kilicdaroglu, his predecessor, who led the party for 13 years but never won any national elections.

Meanwhile, Ozel, in his first and only election as party leader, delivered a decisive blow to Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party in the 2024 municipal polls.

The opposition says the decision was politically motivated to weaken the party as it struggles under waves of legal cases targeting its members and elected officials.

Erdogan's eye is on the next election

The next presidential election isn't due until 2028, but Erdogan can call for an early vote. His main challenger, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, a CHP member, has been imprisoned since March last year and is on trial on corruption charges.

Many observers have said the legal cases against the CHP — mostly centered on corruption allegations — are aimed at neutralizing the party ahead of the next election. The government insists that Turkey’s courts are impartial and act independently of political pressure.

The vast majority of the party has rallied behind Ozel. He and most of the party had been inside the CHP headquarters in Ankara since Thursday’s ruling, with the new administration unable to enter. The rival teams were supposed to meet Sunday afternoon to figure a way out of the impasse.

Early on Sunday, a crowd gathered outside the office, watched by a growing police presence. Kilicdaroglu’s lawyer, Celal Celik, sent a request to Ankara police to assist in vacating the building, a move approved by the provincial governor.

The police raid comes at the start of a nine-day holiday for the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha, when many people are on vacation and out of the big cities.

Erdogan has ruled Turkey, first as prime minister and then as president, since 2003. His electoral record suffered a setback in 2019, when the CHP seized control of several major cities in local elections. In Istanbul, Imamoglu emerged as a popular and charismatic figure who many felt could successfully topple Erdogan.

Standing on the frontstretch at Charlotte Motor Speedway, O'Donnell looked directly at the Busch family and said, "Samantha, I want you to know that this sport stands with you, and that you and your children are NASCAR family forever. And Brexton and Lennix, your dad loved you with all his heart. Everyone gathered here, everyone behind you, everybody watching on TV, and all those people up in that grandstand are your family — and we’ve got you. ”

Tears rolled down Samantha Busch’s cheek as she wrapped her arm tightly around 11-year-old Brexton, an aspiring racer. Both wore black T-shirts that read “Battle of the Busches.”

Busch’s older brother and former Cup Series champion, Kurt, and his parents, Tom and Gaye, also attended the tribute.

“Kyle Busch is NASCAR,” O'Donnell added. “He was one of a kind and there will never be another.”

A moment of silence followed.

Auto racing's biggest day became a Memorial Day weekend tribute to Busch from Indianapolis to CMS.

Busch died Thurday at 41 after severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis, resulting in rapid and overwhelming complications according to a statement released by his family, and his loss sent shockwaves through the motorsports world and beyond.

Charlotte Motor Speedway honored the two-time Cup Series champion with a large, black No. 8 and his signature on the frontstretch grass and a photo on the videoboard.

The U.S. Army Golden Knights carried Busch's flag prior during pre-race festivities. Each of the 39 cars in field carried Busch's decal. On the pace lap, the cars formed the missing man formation.

The speedway's public address system and the television commentators went silent on the eighth lap of the race.

On Saturday night, Layne Riggs celebrated his Trucks Series win at Charlotte by immitating Busch's traditional bows to the crowd after the race, and Ross Chastain did the same after capturing the rain-shortened O'Reilly Auto Parts race.

“When you think race car driver and what that person should be like, Kyle Busch is probably one of the first that comes to your mind on the type of racer he was," Cup Series driver Joey Logano said.

Fans at CMS arrived in droves Sunday with shirts that read “Rowdy” and “KFB.”

Earlier in the day at the Indianapolis 500, Dale Coyne Racing changed the font of Romain Grosjean's No. 18 car to replicate the font the two-time Brickyard 400 winner used during his 14 seasons with Joe Gibbs Racing in his No. 18 car.

Then came the opening prayer, in which Busch was mentioned by name. And on lap 18, race officials lit up the scoring pylon next to pit lane with Busch's name, his birth year and 2026.

Even with the pageantry of Indianapolis' big IndyCar race, Busch, who had a record 234 victory across NASCAR’s three national series, was never far from the thoughts of people in the city that dubs itself the “Racing Capital of the World.”

“It’s desperately sad. It’s also one of those things where you try not to think about it or let it in because you’ve got so much to do, you can’t let yourself get emotional,” Katherine Legge said. “But honestly, racing has lost one of the greatest drivers, in my opinion, of all time. If you look back at the history and just — he was a legend.”

As Indy held its biggest race of the year, those who knew or competed against Busch raced with a heavy heart.

“How can you not be in shock over the situation?” two-time Indy winner Josef Newgarden said. “I think it just puts into perspective how fragile life is. You just don’t know. Makes me think of his kids, to be honest with you. Gosh, I feel terrible about — I have two sons now. That’s the thing that breaks my heart.”

___

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

Even opponents nearly half his age — and in front of a hostile crowd.

Djokovic came back from a set down for a 5-7, 7-5, 6-1, 6-4 victory over 22-year-old home player Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the first round of the French Open on Sunday in his record 82nd Grand Slam appearance.

“Obviously playing a French player, center court at Roland Garros is never so easy. The crowd gets into it and then you feel the pressure even more,” Djokovic said after the 2 hour, 51-minute encounter. “But all in all it was a good match to be part of: Three hours, just what the doctor ordered at age 39.”

Grunting during long rallies and digging deep on the opening night session on Court Philippe-Chatrier, it wasn’t until 1 hour, 45 minutes in that Djokovic finally found a way to break his 6-foot-7 (2.01-meter) opponent and even the match at a set all.

The crowd was pumped for a potential stunner — after all, Djokovic hasn’t lost in the first round of a Grand Slam in 20 years. But after two tense sets, Mpetshi Perricard seemed deflated of energy.

Djokovic, meanwhile, was just getting warmed up in only his second match on clay this year. In his other match on the surface this season, Djokovic lost to Croatian qualifier Dino Prižmić at the Italian Open after two months out due to a right shoulder injury.

Just by stepping on court two days after his 39th birthday, Djokovic set the men’s record for most Grand Slams contested — one more than Roger Federer and Feliciano Lopez. Djokovic has won a record 24 of those 82 Grand Slams.

Djokovic also tied French players Richard Gasquet and Antoine Gentian with a men’s record 22nd appearance at Roland Garros. He has reached at least the quarterfinals in 19 of the last 20 editions and raised the Coupe des Mousquetaires trophy in 2016, 2021 and 2023.

Djokovic taunts the pro-French crowd

The 80th-ranked Mpetshi Perricard had plenty of crowd support and the fans erupted into chants of “Gio-vanni, Gio-vanni, Gio-vanni” when he ripped a forehand winner on his fourth break point to conclude a long rally during a tense game at 5-5 in the first set. Mpetshi Perricard then finished the set off with consecutive aces — the first of which clocked in at 223 kph (139 mph).

Djokovic said afterward that Mpetshi Perricard — who he played for the first time — has “one of the most tremendous serves in terms of precision and speed that I have ever faced in my career.”

Djokovic couldn’t convert a break point until his 10th try when he concluded the second set with a drop shot that Mpetshi Perricard couldn’t get back. Then Djokovic held his hand to his ear to taunt the pro-French crowd.

Late in the fourth set after he pulled off a delicate half-volley winner, Djokovic skipped back to the baseline in apparent glee. And when it was over, Djokovic performed a celebratory wiggle on the baseline.

Djokovic can't meet Sinner until the final

Despite his reduced schedule of late, it should be remembered that Djokovic reached this year’s Australian Open final where he lost to Carlos Alcaraz and has made the semifinals or better at five straight Grand Slams.

With Alcaraz, the two-time reigning French Open champion, sitting out Roland Garros and Wimbledon with an injured right wrist, Djokovic sees a chance for himself in the lower half of the draw. He would meet top-ranked Jannik Sinner, who is on a 29-match winning streak, only in the final.

Along with 2015 champion Stan Wawrinka, who is playing in his final French Open, Djokovic is the only former men’s singles champion competing in Paris.

Match-fixing whistleblower

Djokovic wasn’t the only player at an advanced age in the win column at Roland Garros on Sunday.

Marco Trungelliti, who at 36 recently became the oldest man in the professional era (since 1969) to break into the top 100 of the rankings, beat Kyrian Jacquet 6-4, 6-2, 6-2.

“I’m reaching my peak (at) 36,” Trungelliti said.

Trungelitti partly attributed his late development to being ostracized from the tennis tour years ago when he became a whistleblower against match-fixing in the sport.

“Really hurt me back then,” said Trungelitti, who still lives in exile in Andorra and feels uncomfortable going home to Argentina. “I was very innocent in the sense that I was expecting that the system would help me out a little bit, and it was completely the opposite.

“The whole package of institutions were never there, and they are still not there,” Trungelitti added. “I have a spine in my heart, and it’s going to be there forever.”

Sorana Cirstea, another 36-year-old who this week became the oldest player to make her debut in the top 20, beat 17-year-old Ksenia Efremova 6-3, 6-1.

And on Monday, 41-year-old Wawrinka will play Jesper De Jong.

___

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

Brunson's focus, along with the rest of his teammates, is what happens in the first 12 minutes of Monday night's Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

“So you have the first possession, the first quarter, and then you have the end of the first half and you go on,” Brunson said after Saturday night's 121-108 victory. “You just continue to just deal with what’s in front of you and just have your teammates' back. Make sure everyone’s on the same page, making sure that everyone’s holding each other accountable. That’s just the most important thing right now.”

The blinders approach has New York on a 10-game winning streak with an average margin of victory of 22.5 points and one victory away from its first finals appearance since 1999.

No team in NBA history has blown a 3-0 lead, and the Knicks aren't showing any signs of being the first in 164 series.

Just when everyone thinks the Knicks are peaking, they find a way to find another gear. Forward OG Anunoby, who missed the last two games of the Philadelphia series due to a strained right hamstring, had 21 points, seven rebounds and four assists in Saturday night's victory.

Anunoby is second on the team in scoring during the winning streak, averaging 19.8 points in eight games.

Brunson is averaging 29 points in the series and 27.8 in the postseason while Karl-Anthony Downs is averaging a double-double with 16.8 points and 10.3 rebounds, along with 6.1 assists.

Brunson said the next-man-up mentality has displayed itself throughout the series.

“We have a bunch of individuals in that we locker room who work really hard and they’re very psychotic about their work and the things they do, and making sure that they’re ready physically and mentally so when their number’s called and then when there’s time to go out there, they’re ready,” Brunson said. “We have a lot of real professionals on our roster.”

The Knicks have had the momentum in the series since rallying from a 22-point deficit in the fourth quarter to defeat the Cavaliers 115-104 in Game 1. Towns noted though the Knicks still have the mentality that it is the opening tip of the first game.

“We've got to come out with that same desperation as Game 1. What got us here as a team, we’ve won all these games in a row as a team, we’ve had this winning streak as a team. As long as we stay together, we stay unified, we always have felt that the sky’s the limit for us,” he said.

Cleveland will be playing its 14th game since April 29, while New York will be playing its ninth.

The Cavaliers are shooting only 29.4% from 3-point range and are 50 of 74 from the foul line. Donovan Mitchell is averaging 26 points in the series, but has appeared not to have the same burst he had in previous rounds.

Coach Kenny Atkinson is hoping his team can find something in the tank to avoid a sweep, but knows his team is winded after enduring a pair of seven-game series against Toronto and Detroit to get to their first Eastern Conference final in eight years.

“I said it before this series, the rest disadvantage is real. It’s massive, right? And it plays into it. I don’t think anybody has a grip on what that really means saying, ‘Well why are you shooting so below expected? Is that a part of it?’ I don’t know. I don’t have that answer,” he said.

___

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

Trump said negotiations were “proceeding in an orderly and constructive manner,” and the relationship with Iran was becoming “much more professional and productive.” He pushed back against criticism by some fellow Republicans seeking a tougher approach.

The agreement would not be signed Sunday, according to a person familiar with the status of negotiations who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly. The sides have previously seemed close to a deal in recent weeks, only to falter.

The strait's reopening would ease a worldwide energy crisis sparked by the U.S. and Israeli bombardment of Iran on Feb. 28, which led Tehran to effectively close the waterway. Prices have spiked for oil, gas and related products. Experts say it would take several weeks or even months for shipping and prices to recover once the strait reopens.

The U.S. has blockaded Iranian ports for over a month, and Trump said it “will remain in full force and effect until an agreement is reached, certified, and signed.”

The emerging deal would include Iran giving up uranium

Under the potential deal, Tehran would agree to give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, according to the two regional officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive negotiations.

One official, with direct knowledge of the negotiations, said how Iran would give up the uranium would be subject to further talks during a 60-day period. Some would likely be diluted, while the rest would be transferred to a third country, the official said. Russia has offered to take it.

A U.S. official confirmed the 60-day period and said if Iran doesn't give up its stockpile there will be no sanctions relief. The official spoke on condition of anonymity about the emerging deal because it has not been made public.

Iran has 440.9 kilograms (972 pounds) of uranium that is enriched up to 60% purity, a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90%, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Iran has not publicly committed to giving up its uranium, a key Trump demand. President Masoud Pezeshkian told state TV they were ready “to assure the world that we are not after a nuclear weapon.”

Iran has always insisted its program is peaceful while enriching uranium to near weapons-grade levels, and asserts its right to nuclear technology.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, on a visit to India, said that “significant progress, although not final progress, has been made” in negotiations, and the world would no longer need to fear Iran getting a nuclear weapon.

Rubio told India Today that the “first stage” ahead would be the full reopening of the strait. “The second is that Iran needs to enter into serious negotiations on three topics: their pledge never to have nuclear weapons, restrictions long-term on their enrichment capabilities, and what do you do with the highly enriched uranium?”

Trump has sought greater concessions from Iran than those required under a 2015 Obama-era agreement that the U.S. later withdrew from under Trump.

On Saturday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told the state-run news agency there are “narrowing differences” between the Iranian and U.S. positions, but Iran is cautious after being attacked twice in the past year during nuclear negotiations.

The strait would reopen and Iran would be able to sell oil

Under the emerging agreement, the Strait of Hormuz would gradually reopen in parallel with the U.S. ending its blockade, the two regional officials and the U.S. official said. The U.S. official said the strait would be demined, though a U.S. official on Friday said the military has not found any mines there.

The U.S. would allow Iran to sell its oil through sanctions waivers, said the second official, who has been briefed on the negotiations. Sanctions relief and the release of Iran’s frozen funds would be negotiated during the 60-day period, the official said.

Both officials said the draft deal includes an end to the war between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon that began two days after the Iran war started.

Twelve weeks have passed since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran, killing its supreme leader and other top officials. A ceasefire has held since April 7, though the sides have exchanged fire on occasion.

Israel remains concerned over Hezbollah

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a social media post said he and Trump agreed that "any final agreement with Iran must eliminate the nuclear danger,” and that Trump had reaffirmed Israel's right to defend itself “on every front, including Lebanon.”

The U.S. official said the deal would guarantee Israel’s right to act against imminent threats in self-defense.

Israeli officials are concerned that Hezbollah remains a serious threat to Israel and that Lebanon is ill-equipped to disarm it.

A fragile, U.S.-brokered ceasefire took effect in Lebanon on April 17, but fighting has continued, mainly in the south. Hezbollah has launched daily drone and rocket attacks on Israeli forces and northern Israel, and Israel has struck targets across Lebanon while its troops remain in large swaths of the south.

More than 3,000 people have been killed in the latest fighting, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. Additionally, 22 Israeli soldiers and a defense contractor have been killed in or near southern Lebanon, and two civilians have been killed in northern Israel, according to Netanyahu’s office.

___

Superville reported from Washington and Lidman from Tel Aviv, Israel. Associated Press writers Aamer Madhani in Washington, Sheikh Saaliq in New Delhi and Munir Ahmed in Islamabad contributed to this report.

Kostyuk fought back tears after beating Oksana Selekhmeteva 6-2, 6-3 on Court Simonne-Mathieu on the opening day of the clay-court Grand Slam at Roland Garros in western Paris.

“I think it was one of the most difficult matches of my career," the 15th-seeded Kostyuk said. “This morning, 100 meters away from my parents’ house, the missile destroyed the building and it was a very difficult morning for me ... I didn’t know how I would handle it, I’ve been crying part of the morning.”

In the opening night session at Roland Garros, Novak Djokovic beat home player Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard 5-7, 7-5, 6-1, 6-4 in his record 82nd Grand Slam.

Kostyuk received a message at 8 a.m. and could not stop thinking what could have happened.

“I felt sick,” she said. “If it was 100 meters closer, I probably wouldn’t have a mom and a sister today.”

Her mother, sister and great aunt — were in the house at the time of the strike, she said, among 17 people in total, so her relief was enormous that no one was injured.

“I don’t want to think what I would do if something worse happened, but I knew that this is the day to go out and play,” she said. “It didn’t cross my mind today that I shouldn’t go out, because, you know, at the end of the day, everyone is alive.”

After the match, she thanked fans and received an ovation. Then she explained how she found the emotional and mental resources to play.

“I think it’s important to keep going. My biggest example is Ukrainian people, I woke up in the morning today and,” the 23-year-old Kostyuk said, becoming tearful before repeating and finishing the sentence.

“I looked at all these people who woke up and kept living their life, kept helping people who are in need,” she said. "I knew a lot of Ukrainian flags would be here today and a lot of Ukrainian people would come out, support. My friends from Ukraine came as well.”

She next plays unseeded American Katie Volynets and Kostyuk's countrywoman Elina Svitolina — a recent winner at the Italian Open in Rome — faces Anna Bondar on Monday.

The heat is on

High temperatures of 33 degrees Celsius (91 Fahrenheit) contributed to Frenchman Arthur Gea taking an emergency bathroom break early into his first-round loss to No. 13 Karen Khachanov on Court Suzanne-Lenglen.

Spectators folded newspapers in half and fanned themselves to keep cool as players attempted to stay hydrated.

Canadian Gabriel Diallo said the heat was the main reason why he retired against Australian James Duckworth after losing the first set 6-3 and trailing 4-1 in the second.

“That’s mainly what it was," he said. "It was getting worse and worse.”

No. 21 Alejandro Davidovich Fokina also struggled.

“I am coming from Hamburg with 10 degrees (and) it’s 22 degrees more,” the Spaniard said after beating Damir Dzumhur 6-7 (3), 6-3, 2-6, 7-5, 6-3. “I didn’t expect that.”

The opening match on Chatrier saw No. 11 Belinda Bencic beating Sinja Kraus 6-2, 6-3 and 2024 runner-up Alexander Zverev, seeded No. 2, won 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 win against Benjamin Bonzi.

Other results

Former U.S. Open champion Emma Raducanu and former French Open runners-up Sloane Stephens and Sofia Kenin all went out.

No. 26 Hailey Baptiste won 6-7 (7), 7-6 (6), 6-2 against 2021 champion Barbora Krejčíková. Baptiste is playing in the women’s doubles alongside American countrywoman Venus Williams. No. 21 Clara Tauson lost while No. 27 Marie Bouzkova and No. 32 Wang Xinyu reached the second round.

In men’s first-round play, No. 23 Tomas Etcheverry lost against Nuno Borges but No. 26 Jakub Mensik and No. 28 João Fonseca advanced.

___

AP Sports Writer Andrew Dampf in Paris contributed to this report.

___

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

Freeman Johnson, who turned 106 in March, never witnessed the surprise attack. He never heard his shipmates firing anti-aircraft guns at the attacking planes — shooting down a torpedo plane. By the time he was topside, the St. Louis, a light cruiser, had evaded midget submarines and safely set out to sea.

“While all the rigamarole was going on topside, I was inside a steam drum. Couldn’t see anything, absolutely nothing,” said Johnson, a Centerville, Massachusetts, resident whose living room is filled with mementos and photos of his Navy service, including photos of the St. Louis and him as a young sailor, along with a collection of Navy challenge coins and ribbons representing the places he visited. He still has his military identification tag — popularly known as dog tag.

Even as the St. Louis headed into the Pacific Ocean, Johnson, whose job was known as a fireman on the ship, knew little about the attack.

“We were way out to sea, way out. You couldn’t see any land at all. All you saw was ocean,” he said. “I was just a sailor, just a swabbie, I was not an officer. They don’t tell you anything if you don’t need to know. And I didn’t need know it. So they tell you nothing.”

When he visited schools, children often asked Johnson whether he was scared that day. “You’re not scared. You’re too busy to be scared,” he said, his gravelly voice rising. “Besides, you don’t know what you’re scared of. You can’t see anything. What are you afraid of?”

One of only 11 survivors

Johnson became the oldest survivor after World War II Navy veteran Ira “Ike” Schab died in December. He was 105. With Schab's passing and the death of Clarence Lane in February at the age of 100, there remain only 11 survivors of the surprise attack, which killed just over 2,400 Americans and propelled the United States into the war. The U.S. mourns the nation’s fallen service members on Memorial Day, which takes place Monday.

Every year, there is a remembrance ceremony at the military base’s waterfront for Pearl Harbor survivors.

About 2,000 survivors attended the 50th anniversary event in 1991. A few dozen have showed in recent decades. In 2024, only two made it. That is out of an estimated 87,000 troops stationed on Oahu that day. None made the pilgrimage to Hawaii last year.

Growing recognition

For most of his life, Johnson avoided the spotlight and talked little about surviving the bombing. After all, he was one of the tens of thousands sailors who were there on that tragic day. He recalled his wife, Ruth, “thought that was something special,” so she called the Navy and “the girl laughed at her.”

But as the oldest survivor, he's become a local celebrity and the reluctant face of one of the most important events in World War II. Johnson showed up at his 106th birthday party in a limousine and was mugged by television cameras. He gets letters from all over the world and is routinely called a hero wherever he goes out.

Johnson, who is hard of hearing, needs a walker to get around and suffers from congestive heart failure, can recall his wartime experience down to the smallest detail. A 19-year-old who was unemployed and living at home in Waltham, Johnson said he feared being drafted so he signed up for the Navy — because he felt it would be less physically taxing than the Army.

“As a kid, I walked. If I wanted to go somewhere, I walked or took my bicycle. But I didn't want to walk from France to Germany," he said, sitting in a recliner, dressed in an oversized flannel shirt and waving his hands like an orchestra conductor.

“It's a long way carrying a knapsack with you. ... Water for a day, food for a day, a 9-pound Springfield rifle all on your back and walking through the mud,” he said. “No thanks. That’s why I joined the Navy.”

Witnessing history

Johnson's memories have less to do with battles while on the St. Louis, and later aboard the USS Iowa, than their significant roles in history. He helped commission the Iowa and recalled the battleship's preparations in November 1943 ahead of transporting President Franklin D. Roosevelt to the Tehran Conference with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Soviet dictator Josef Stalin.

The ship was equipped with two elevators and a bathtub. All the ammunition and much of the oil was removed to lighten the ship as it made its way down the Potomac River to pick up Roosevelt. It was reloaded before the ship headed out to sea.

“It was a big meeting,” Johnson said, recalling how the crew were photographed with Roosevelt. “I don’t know what they talked about, but I didn’t need to know. We picked him back up, brought him home.”

Johnson also witnessed the war's end aboard the Iowa. He was on the Iowa's mast watching the surrender ceremonies about a mile away in Tokyo Bay aboard the USS Missouri on Sept. 2, 1945.

“I could see the boats coming up with the Marines escorting the Japanese onto ship and sitting around a table,” he said. “It was all over. That was the end of the war. A bunch of us got together — the war is over. Let's go home.”

Telling the story of Pearl Harbor

These days, his daughter, Diane Johnson, is often by his side. They live together and always take a trip on Dec. 7, often attending Pearl Harbor remembrance events, including the 65th and 80th anniversary in Hawaii. She often poses questions to get her father talking and likes to nag him that he has “a responsibility” to share the story of Pearl Harbor —- especially for children who know little about the bombing.

“It’s kind of overwhelming when you think of it. Well, the 106 is what gets me,” she said. “When I think about his history, he’s at the beginning, he’s at middle, he is at the end when he witnessed the surrender. It’s something.”

Johnson began getting more attention when Diane Johnson heard a local television report suggesting the last survivor in the state had died. She called to correct the record and that raised his profile. Johnson also started making regular appearances in the Cape Cod St. Patrick's Parade, often leading from the front.

“I wish more people were like him today. He just gets on and doesn't complain about anything,” said Desmond Keogh, the chairman of the parade who has accompanied Johnson. “It's what this country was all about. They were just a different generation. They did what was best for their country.”

For all the attention to Pearl Harbor, the gruff Johnson, who is known for his cackling laugh and mischievous smile, doesn't see it as a defining moment in his life.

That would have been getting married after the war to his late wife and having three daughters. He also worked for years in a machinist shop, then in a convenience store and, finally, delivering meals to seniors — all jobs he retired from, the last one at the age of 90.

“Pearl Harbor just happened. I can’t put it any other way,” he said.

His final game ended in a 2-1 loss to Aston Villa on a day charged with emotion as he said goodbye to the fans he gave so much joy during a decade of dominance in English soccer.

“I never could have imagined the amount of love I've found,” said Guardiola, standing in the center of the field at the Etihad Stadium and addressing the crowd. “It is an incredible, tremendous honor to be your manager, to be here 10 years.”

The tears started long before the final whistle, with Guardiola welling up and rubbing his eyes as two of his most loyal servants, Bernardo Silva and John Stones, also said farewell and were given guards of honor when substituted in the second half.

Then it was his turn to receive a guard of honor of his own.

“This is the man who changed everything,” the stadium announcer said as Guardiola ran onto the field wearing khakis and a cream T-shirt, with fans cheering wildly.

“10 more years," they chanted, prompting Guardiola to shake his head in defiance.

After 17 major trophies and records galore, on Friday he confirmed he could do no more. After turning City into the most dominant Premier League team of its generation and a champion of Europe for the first time, he said the time was right to hand over the reins.

“I will not miss it for a while,” he said Sunday. “I feel deeply... it is the right decision.”

Guardiola's day

Former Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca, who won the Club World Cup last year, is favorite to take over with an announcement possibly in the coming week.

Guardiola did not confirm his replacement, but said he would call his successor to offer advice.

“Be yourself... be free with your ideas and work a lot. Everything will be fine,” he said.

That is for another day. This day was about Guardiola and the chance for supporters to show their appreciation.

“He means everything to me and this club. It’s absolutely brilliant what he’s done for it,” City fan Fred Taylor, 82, told The Associated Press. “I can’t think of another manager that’s done what he’s done in the 10-year period he’s been here.”

Guardiola joined City in the summer of 2016 and has led the Abu Dhabi-owned team to six Premier League titles and a first Champions League crown in 2023.

“That's what we always wanted ... we’d never done it,” said Taylor. “That was probably the highlight of his tenure.”

Guardiola's trophy haul included a domestic double this season of the English League Cup and the FA Cup. He led City to the treble in 2023, winning the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup — matching Manchester United’s feat from more than 20 years earlier in 1999.

First to 100 points

There were other benchmarks. City became the first team to win four straight English leagues and the first to amass 100 points in a single season in 2018. The following year City was the first team to win the domestic treble of the league, FA Cup and League Cup in the same season.

Those are big shoes to fill, but Guardiola said expectations of his successor should be realistic.

“Fans don’t forget that winning the treble, doubles is exceptional,” he said. “It is so difficult, this business is so complicated. That’s why when you come here, you win one game, here in the Etihad - enjoy it. Celebrate it.”

More than just trophies, Guardiola has connected with City fans, telling them Sunday to hug him if they ever see him in the future, saying “I will need it.”

“It’s hard to describe, it’s someone you don’t actually know, but you feel like you do know,” City fan Richard Wilbourn said. "When I heard the news (he was leaving) I got a bit emotional. What he’s done for the club has been absolutely unreal, and it’s something that we’ve never seen in our lifetime.

“Growing up through my mid-20s to mid-30s (he's been) a massive part of my life.”

City has honored Guardiola by naming its newly developed north stand after him. He will also take up a role as global ambassador.

“I’m sad he’s leaving, but I think he’s leaving at the right time,” said Taylor. “He’s done everything and he can’t go any further in this club, but I think he’s done brilliant and I wish him all the best.”

___

James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson

___

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

Keith Wilson left his residence in the 19200 block of Revere on Thursday (May 21) and did not return home.

He was last seen wearing a black hooded sweatshirt with red writing, blue jeans and orange and white ‘Nike’ shoes.

Wilson is 27 year old, 5′5″, 1720-180 pounds, has brown hair and brown eyes.

He has a ‘Veronica’ tattoo on his left arm.

Anyone with information should contact the Detroit Police Department’s 11th Precinct at 313-596-1140

Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard looked up to the sky and back down at the trophy, shaking his head in disbelief, before walking in front of his celebrating teammates and lifting it aloft inside Selhurst Park after a campaign-ending 2-1 win at Crystal Palace.

Arsenal clinched a first English league title since 2004 with a game to spare in midweek, after three straight runner-up finishes.

Kroenke made his way to London for the trophy lift and watched the game against Palace next to his son, Josh. About an hour after the game finished, they walked out onto the field with the trophy ahead of the ceremony.

It marked the latest success in Kroenke’s sporting empire. The Denver Nuggets won the NBA Championship in 2023, a year after the LA Rams won the Super Bowl and Colorado Avalanche won the Stanley Cup in NHL. All three of those teams are in the Kroenke Sports & Entertainment portfolio that also now includes the best soccer team in England.

Josh Kroenke, Arsenal's co-chairman, said his family is invested “emotionally, financially, everything.”

“This club means the world to us,” he told Sky Sports. "I think it took a few people a few years to understand what that meant but now we’ve some great people, great players and great coaches.

“We’ve just got to continue providing them the resources to go out and do magical things like they did this season.”

He described the Premier League as a “slower burn than our championships in the United States.”

“Here, the cumulative points — it's a grind and you start to feel it in December,” he said. “Credit to our players, the staff, and Mikel for keeping their heads on. They deserve it.”

For Sunday's big occasion, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and his players wore the team’s classic red-and-white jersey with “Champions 2026” on the back. Arteta was thrown up in the air by the squad in joyous scenes.

The season could get even better for Arsenal, which also has reached the Champions League final for the first time since 2006. Paris Saint-Germain will be the opponent in Budapest, Hungary, next Saturday.

“We’ve achieved one of our goals but we have several others as well," Josh Kroenke said. "There is still one to be played for next weekend. Today is about enjoying today — tomorrow, we will get back to work because there is still one more to play.”

___

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

West Ham beat Leeds 3-0 but that wasn't enough to climb out of the relegation zone because fourth-to-last Tottenham also won, 1-0 at home to Everton, to stay two points clear of its London rival.

That meant West Ham's 14-year stay in the Premier League was over and Tottenham, which won three of its last five games under recently hired coach Roberto De Zerbi, will be in the top division for a 49th straight season.

“We shouldn’t be in the position we’re in but we’ve found ourselves in it and we’ve not done enough to stay up," West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen said. "Hurt is the only thing.”

Guardiola's decade-long tenure at Manchester City — which has included six Premier League titles among 17 major trophies — ended with a 2-1 loss to Aston Villa that featured a mid-match guard of honor for first Bernardo Silva and then John Stones, two of Guardiola's stalwarts.

Guardiola wept on the sideline as Silva left the field and was given his own guard of honor by players and staff after the match.

“We lived an incredible period,” Guardiola said. “If I had energy, I would stay here (but) a new person has to do this job.”

Salah started and was given a standing ovation — before he kissed the Anfield turf — during his second-half substitution in his 442nd and last game for Liverpool, in which he grabbed an assist in a 1-1 draw with Brentford. The Egypt winger finished his nine years with the Reds with 257 goals and received his own post-match guard of honor, which he walked through in tears.

Arsenal had already clinched the title in midweek and closed its first championship-winning campaign since 2004 with a 2-1 win at Crystal Palace. The players finally got their hands on the trophy about an hour after fulltime at Palace's Selhurst Park stadium, with coach Mikel Arteta and the team wearing jerseys with “Champions 2026” on the back for the occasion.

In the final shake-up for European qualification, Bournemouth and Sunderland finished sixth and seventh, respectively, to get into the Europa League and Brighton was eighth to reach the Conference League.

Brighton lost 3-0 at home to Manchester United, for whom Bruno Fernandes scored and got a record-setting 21st assist of the season.

Sunderland, which beat Chelsea 2-1, will be in Europe for the first time in 53 years — a remarkable achievement for a team in its first season back in the top division and which was in the third tier as recently as 2022. The team's players huddled around a cell phone to see their Europa League qualification confirmed and broke away in delight.

Chelsea, on the contrary, missed out on European competition entirely after finishing in 10th place — 10 months after winning the Club World Cup.

West Ham's third Premier League relegation

Add 2026 to 2003 and 2011 as years when West Ham lost its Premier League status.

The big difference this season is that the team is now playing its home matches in the vast Olympic Stadium, so that 68,000-capacity arena will be staging games in the second-tier Championship against the likes of Wrexham and the two clubs that had already been relegated from the Premier League before Sunday — Wolverhampton and Burnley.

“This club deserves to be in the Premier League,” said Bowen, who scored and set up a goal against Leeds. "Our aim now is to get this club back into the Premier League.”

De Zerbi rescues Tottenham

A top-flight ever present since 1978, Tottenham was heading out of the Premier League before the club hired De Zerbi in what has proved to be an inspired appointment.

Three wins and two draws later — along with two losses — and Spurs have managed to avoid dropping into the bottom three in what would have been the most unlikely relegation since the Premier League was founded in 1992.

Joao Palhinha scored Tottenham's winner against Everton in the 43rd minute, forcing in a rebound after initially heading against the post, and Spurs defended stoutly to stop Everton scoring the two goals that would have kept West Ham up.

“After a bad season like this one, we showed up as a collective and had amazing support from the fans,” Palhinha said.

“The club will grow up with this season and we know what we have to do in the future."

Tottenham, one of the biggest clubs in Europe and the Europa League champion last season, has now finished one place outside the relegation spots in successive seasons.

___

Steve Douglas is at https://twitter.com/sdouglas80

___

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

The crash happened on I-696 near 11 Mile Road in Warren.

Police say the crash happened on May 23 at around 2 p.m.

Authorities say the crash caused significant damage to the median wall and sent large pieces of concrete into all westbound lanes.

The semi spilled a significant amount of fuel in both directions of the freeway and into nearby drains, police say.

Police say no life-threatening injuries have been reported and no other vehicles are believed to be involved.

The Livonia Police department say they responded to the area of eastbound I-96 and Inkster Road for the crash.

The police say they showed up at around noon on May 22.

Preliminary investigation revealed that a black 2014 Dodge Charger was traveling eastbound on I-96.

The car lost control after trying to exit the freeway at Inkster Road, crossing multiple lanes of traffic, authorities say.

Police say the car then collided with the guardrail terminal, separating the exit ramp from the freeway, causing the vehicle to overturn.

The 18-year-old male driver suffered minor injuries.

The front seat passenger, an 18-year-old female, suffered serious injuries and was sent to a hospital.

The investigation is ongoing.

The Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix will begin on May 29 with Fifth Third Free Prix Day, and the event will run through May 31.

Some road closures now in place with additional closures and detours set to begin May 26.

There will be access to downtown through alternative transportation options, including the Detroit People Mover, SMART and DDOT buses, Transit Windsor, and the QLINE.

The Detroit People Mover will have extended hours, May 29 and 30 from 5 a.m.-midnight and May 31 from 5 a.m.–11 p.m.

DDOT and SMART buses will run on normal schedule with modifications to routes to due to road closures.

Sidewalks will remain open for access to businesses and residences downtown.

The Detroit Windsor Tunnel will remain fully open and accessible from I-375 to westbound Jefferson Ave.

The tunnel will not be accessible via M-10. Visit here for more information.

Traffic to the Renaissance Center, or to pre-arranged parking options near the center, should use I-375.

All the latest traffic and transportation information is available here.

Detroit Grand Prix related road closures include:

Now through June 4

• St. Antoine from Larned to Jefferson eastbound, local traffic only                                                
• Brush from Larned to Jefferson eastbound, local traffic only
• Griswold from Larned to Jefferson eastbound, local traffic only
• E. Jefferson service road between Washington Blvd. and Griswold, full closure
• W. Jefferson service road between Griswold and Shelby St., full closure

Now through June 5

• Woodbridge from St. Antoine to Rivard, local traffic only
• Woodbridge from Riopelle to Rivard, local traffic only

May 26 – June 2 at 5 a.m.

• Woodward between Larned and State Street, full closure
• Cadillac Square from Randolph to Bates, local traffic only
• Cadillac Square between Bates and Woodward, full closure

May 26 – June 3 at 5 a.m.

• Atwater from Civic Center Drive to Bates, local traffic only
• Atwater from Bates to Riopelle, full closure
• Bates from Jefferson to Atwater, full closure

May 26 – June 4 at 5 a.m.

• Beaubien from Larned to Jefferson, full closure
• Beaubien from Jefferson to Atwater, local traffic only. Motorists should follow posted signs.
• Renaissance Drive, local traffic only. Motorists should follow posted signs.
• Randolph from Larned to Jefferson, full closure
• I-375 southbound service drive from Larned to Jefferson eastbound, full closure
• From I-375, Jefferson eastbound exit open to local traffic only 
• I-375 northbound service drive from Larned to Jefferson eastbound, full closure
• St. Antoine from Jefferson to Woodbridge, local traffic only
• St. Antoine from Woodbridge to Atwater, full closure
• Rivard from Jefferson to Atwater, full closure
• Rivard from Larned to Jefferson, full closure
• Eastbound Jefferson at M-10 to Rivard, full closure
• I-375 southbound remains open at all times but to local traffic only. Motorists should follow signage
• Eastbound and westbound Jefferson is accessible via I-375 for local traffic and tunnel traffic only.  Motorists should follow signage
• Southbound M-10 from Larned Exit 1B to Griswold, full closure

Road closures and traffic patterns are subject to change based on weather conditions and other factors.

For the most up-to-date information, please visit here.

The deal the Republican president had said was “largely negotiated” has left a range of lawmakers, former Cabinet members and conservative analysts wondering aloud whether the terms as currently known will render the conflict all “for naught.”

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said the president's decision to strike Iran was the “most consequential” of his second term and that he should not let up now.

“If the result of all that is to be an Iranian regime — still run by Islamists who chant ‘death to America’ — now receiving billions of dollars, being able to enrich uranium & develop nuclear weapons, and having effective control over the Strait of Hormuz, then that outcome would be a disastrous mistake,” Cruz wrote Saturday on the social media platform X. It was in reaction to Trump's update after he had spoken with the leaders of Israel and other U.S. allies in the region.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who also is close to Trump, panned any deal that would leave Iran perceived as being a dominant force in the region and in which it would retain its ability to destroy oil infrastructure throughout the Gulf.

Sen. Roger Wicker, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, questioned the merit of a proposed 60-day ceasefire, saying it would be a “disaster.”

“Everything accomplished by Operation Epic Fury would be for naught!” said Wicker, R-Miss.

Trump says it will take time to ‘get it right’

Trump, who has said he only makes good deals and detests being seen as not having the upper hand in any negotiation, dismissed objections to a deal that he said was not “even fully negotiated yet.”

“So don’t listen to the losers, who are critical about something they know nothing about,” he said on his social media platform.

Trump said the deal he and his representatives are working out is “THE EXACT OPPOSITE” of a nuclear pact that Iran agreed to under the Democratic Obama administration. Trump pulled out of that agreement and has been trying to iron out a new one.

“Both sides must take their time and get it right. There can be no mistakes!” Trump said.

He added that a U.S. military blockade of Iranian ports would remain “in full force and effect until an agreement is reached, certified, and signed.”

Some support for Trump came from Capitol Hill, too.

GOP Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, often a thorn in the president’s side, defended the White House's approach.

“War virtually always ends with negotiations,” Paul wrote on X. “Critics of President Trump’s peace negotiations should give President Trump the space to find an American First solution.”

Under the proposal, the war would come to an end and Iran would reopen the strait and give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, with the details and timelines to be worked out during a later 60-day window, regional officials told The Associated Press on Sunday.

Critics air objections as details trickle out

Polls show the war, which began when the United States and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, is unpopular with the American public and has cost U.S. taxpayers at least $29 billion, as of this month. Thirteen service members have been killed during the operation.

Trump initially said the war would be over in four weeks to six weeks, but the standoff continues. Iran's closure of the strait, through which about 20% of global energy supplies transit, has jolted the world economy and sent prices for gasoline and other goods climbing.

Mike Pompeo, one of Trump's first-term secretaries of state, asserted on Saturday that the emerging deal seemed to him to be the same as the Obama-era one from which Trump withdrew.

“Not remotely America First,” Pompeo said on X, prompting a profanity-laced rejoinder from Steven Cheung, the White House director of communications.

John Bolton, a national security adviser in the first term who has become a critic of the president, said the emerging plan details seemed to favor the Iranian government.

“If news reports about the impending Iran deal are correct, the ayatollahs will have won a significant victory,” Bolton wrote Sunday on X. “They will be back on the road to nuclear weapons, supporting global terrorism and repressing their own people.”

Rubio says a nuclear Iran is ‘not going to happen’

Secretary of State Marco Rubio pushed back on Sunday during a diplomatic mission in India, telling reporters at a news conference that no president has been stronger against Iran than Trump.

“His commitment to that principle that they’ll never have a nuclear weapon shouldn’t be questioned by anybody,” Rubio said. “And the idea that somehow this president, given everything he’s already proven he’s willing to do, is going to somehow agree to a deal that ultimately winds up putting Iran in a stronger position when it comes to nuclear ambitions is absurd. That’s just not going to happen.”

Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, a Trump antagonist who had pushed legislation to restrain the president’s ability to wage war against Iran, told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday that while the terms are not yet fully known, “if Lindsey Graham and Ted Cuz are crashing out last night, I’d say it’s probably a pretty good deal.”

Massie will leave Congress in January after incurring Trump's wrath and losing his GOP primary last week to a Trump-backed challenger.

The plaza is a community space centered around the Spirit of Detroit statue.

The space was first established in 2017 and originally meant to be temporary.

Construction of Spirit Plaza renovation began in Oct. of 2025.

The plaza layout is remains the same with more permanent features.

The renovations brought a new covered stage, playground, turf surface and more seating.

The play area was intentionally made to be a space for youth of all ability.

The surface of the rubber and turf is made to make traveling easier for anyone using a mobility aide, the merry go round is wheelchair-accessible and the tower can be climbed or crawled up.

The plaza will reopen on June 6.

A grand reopening celebration at the plaza from from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on June 6.

The event will include DJs, fitness classes, food trucks, resource tables, inflatables, and a gaming truck.

Returning to the plaza

• Yin Nights with Trap Yoga and Massage Studio every Wednesday at 8:15 p.m.
• Dancing in the D with DJ Roc Wit Moe every Friday 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
• Variety of food trucks will be at the plaza weekdays 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Seating and tables will be placed in the plaza once the programming season begins on June 6.

During the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix, May 29-May 31, Spirit Plaza will be activated and a pedestrian bridge will go from Hart Plaza to Spirit Plaza.

Spirit Plaza programming is facilitated by Detroit family business, Total Access Events Inc.

Construction for the plaza was done by Michigan Recreational Construction.

“Spirit Plaza is a place for all Detroiters, whether it’s to sit and enjoy lunch, take part in the diverse programming or join fellow Detroiters to voice support for a cause they support,” said Mayor Mary Sheffield.

An Associated Press reporter on Sunday witnessed police and security guarding the entrance to the mining facility located in Qinyuan county in the city of Changzhi as emergency vehicles were on site.

Hundreds of emergency responders and medical personnel were sent to help with rescue efforts, state media reported. Rescuers were taking turns to go down the mine shaft, according to the official Xinhua News Agency, facing hurdles including flooded tunnels.

Two were missing and dozens of miners were hospitalized, local officials said late Saturday, following the gas explosion Friday evening at the Liushenyu coal mine in the northern province of Shanxi.

The death toll was revised down from 90, with officials blaming “chaotic” scenes in the aftermath and inaccurate information provided by the mine operator. Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for a thorough investigation and accountability of those responsible.

Some hospitalized miners recalled seeing smoke and blacking out, according to state media reports. Many among the injured were hurt by toxic gas, the reports said.

Shanxi is a coal-rich province

The inland Shanxi province, located southwest of Beijing with a population of around 34 million, is China’s main coal-mining area.

A few hundred meters (yards) from the mine lies the village of Shangzhuang, where some of the miners who work at the site live, including some of the victims, residents said.

The village includes a single main street through which mining trucks pass. On both sides stand two-story houses, some with red-tiled roofs. Some of them are divided into separate rooms and rented out to people including miners.

After the explosion, other mines in the area shut down and some miners left, while others stayed behind waiting to receive their pay, residents said.

Wang Linjun, a coal miner at Liushenyu, said he was at home when the gas explosion occurred.

“My heart is very heavy,” he told the AP. “Thinking that those who eat together and work together suddenly are gone, no one would feel good.” Wang said he does not want to continue at the job, but doesn’t know where to go.

Miners can be paid more than 10,000 yuan ($1,500) a month.

Feng Renfu, also a miner at Liushenyu, said he was working underground in a pit next to the one where the accident took place. Feng said he and his co-workers smelled gas and withdrew from the underground.

“My father is over 80 and he is worried about me. He always calls me to check if I am safe and well in my job,” Feng said. “There are eight people in my family and they all depend on me.”

Safety lapses investigated

The coal mine has “seriously” violated the law, according to local officials, although they did not elaborate on the specific violations. China’s state broadcaster CCTV reported that blueprints provided by the Liushenyu coal mine did not match the actual layout, which hampered rescue efforts.

State media said those responsible had been “placed under control.” On Sunday, a commentary in the official People’s Daily newspaper called for all regions and departments to learn from the accident and to “always keep safety in mind.”

Local authorities also announced a “comprehensive, blanket” inspection of the coal mining sector that would include checks of coal mines’ gas drainage, ventilation, safety monitoring systems and their underground layouts.

A broader inspection of coal mines could put pressure on the province’s ability to produce its annual capacity of around 1.3 billion metric tons of coal, which accounts for nearly a third of China’s total. The country's total coal output rose to approximately 4.8 billion metric tons last year.

China still relies on coal

Coal remains a major energy source in China, given its high availability and low cost, even as the country accelerates its green energy transition. Mining accidents were common and authorities had implemented measures to help improve safety over the past years.

China’s National Mine Safety Administration in 2024 put the Liushenyu mine, operated by the privately run Shanxi Tongzhou group, on a national list of disaster-prone coal mines.

___

Chan reported from Hong Kong.

It exceeded opening weekend expectations for the movie, a continuation of Disney+ spinoff series “The Mandalorian,” but it’s also on the low end of Disney-era Star Wars releases, closer to “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” which made $103 million over the four-day Memorial Day frame in 2018. While “Solo” was considered a disaster, the metrics around “The Mandalorian and Grogu” are a little different.

The production budget for “Solo” was in the $300 million range, while “The Mandalorian and Grogu” was made for significantly less — a reported $165 million, not accounting for marketing and promotion costs. It makes the journey to profitability more likely, especially when factoring in positive audience scores. Although critics were mixed to negative on the movie (it currently carries a 63% on Rotten Tomatoes), ticket buyers overall gave it an A- CinemaScore. Boys under the age of 13 are especially high on the movie: They gave it an A CinemaScore and a perfect five on PostTrak. Parents also gave it a five out of five.

The Jon Favreau-directed movie stars Pedro Pascal as the titular bounty hunter and puts him and his tiny green companion on a mission to save Jabba’s son Rotta the Hutt, who is voiced by Jeremy Allen White.

“Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu” could also be graded on a bit of a curve because of the streaming component, both that it started as a series, and that it will eventually end up as a value add on Disney+, which was only about a month old when the last Star Wars movie, “The Rise of Skywalker,” debuted in December 2019.

Star Wars as a brand is in a time of transition under its new leadership team of Dave Filoni and Lynwen Brennan; Earlier this year it was announced that Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy, who produced “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu,” was stepping down after 13 years. The question for the industry is whether audience interest in Star Wars on the big screen might have cooled slightly, and if next year’s “Star Wars: Starfighter,” starring Ryan Gosling, will provide a definitive answer. Until then, the hope is that strong audience and exit scores will propel word-of-mouth generated enthusiasm in the coming weeks.

“The moviegoers rule," said Paul Dergarabedian, the head of marketplace trends for Comscore. "I think given the audience reaction and the scores that are coming from parents and kids, this is going to be in it for the long haul."

Word-of-mouth certainly helped Curry Barker’s relationship horror movie “Obsession” defy the standard box office trajectory and do better business in its second weekend. The Focus Features had an astonishing 30% uptick in ticket sales, earning $22.4 million from 2,655 theaters.

“That’s really unheard of,” Dergarabedian said. “And it is a testament to how this social media buzz from younger viewers is fueling the FOMO factor."

The studio, which acquired the microbudget movie for some $15 million, is projecting that it will have made $28.2 million by the end of Monday, bringing its running total to $58.5 million. It snagged the second-place spot, while “Michael” landed in third place with $20 million for the three-day weekend. The Michael Jackson biopic has now earned $782.4 million.

“Obsession” also did better than the new horror movie “Passenger,” a Paramount Pictures release with Melissa Leo, which grossed an estimated $8.7 million from 2,534 locations. It’s expected to earn $10.5 million over its first four days. The movie received poor reviews from both critics (44% on Rotten Tomatoes) and audiences (B- Cinema Score).

Boots Riley's colorful shoplifting caper meets surreal social satire “I Love Boosters” also opened this weekend to $3.7 million. The Neon release stars Keke Palmer and Demi Moore.

The mix of movies this year didn’t hold a candle to last year’s record Memorial Day weekend, which was led by Disney’s live-action “Lilo & Stitch” and “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning.” The overall four-day frame this year will net out around $211 million, down about 36% from last year’s $330 million. It’s also far from the disastrous 2024 Memorial Day weekend box office, a 30-year low, when “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” opened.

Top 10 movies by domestic box office

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

1. “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu,” $82 million.

2. “Obsession,” $22.4 million.

3. “Michael,” $20 million.

4. “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” $12.6 million.

5. “The Sheep Detectives,” $9 million.

6. “Passenger,” $8.7 million.

7. “Mortal Kombat II,” $6.2 million.

8. “I Love Boosters,” $3.7 million.

9. “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” $3.2 million.

10. “Project Hail Mary,” $2.7 million.

The force of the explosion caused two of the train cars to overturn and catch fire, sending thick black smoke into the air, according to footage shared online.

The attack happened in an area where security forces are usually stationed, badly damaging several nearby buildings and smashing more than a dozen vehicles parked along the road, according to witnesses and images circulating on social media.

Doctors at local hospitals said they had received the wounded, with 20 in critical condition. Three security officials told The Associated Press the bodies were transported to hospitals following the attack. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to be able to speak to the media.

The outlawed Baloch Liberation Army, or BLA, which demands independence from Pakistan’s central government, has claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement sent to reporters. The militant group said it targeted a train carrying security personnel.

Quetta is the capital of insurgency-hit Balochistan province. The oil- and mineral-rich region has long been the scene of a low-level insurgency. The insurgents have frequently targeted security forces, government installations and civilians in the province and elsewhere in the country.

“We strongly condemn the targeting of innocent civilians and are deeply saddened by the loss of precious human lives. Terrorist elements deserve no leniency,” said Shahid Rind, Balochistan provincial government spokesman.

He said following the explosion, a medical emergency was declared at hospitals in Quetta, and an investigation has been launched.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the attack, calling it a “cowardly act of terrorism" in a post on X and offering condolences to the families of the victims.

Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti strongly condemned the attack in Quetta, saying the militants targeted “innocent civilians, including women and children,” vowing to “hunt (them down)” in a post on X.

Bugti and the federal government in Islamabad often use the phrase “Fitna al-Hindustan” to refer to the BLA, which they allege is backed by India. New Delhi denies the allegation.

Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari denounced the bombing, saying militants and their backers sought to undermine Pakistan’s role in regional and international peace efforts.

The attack came a day after Pakistan said the United States and Iran were close to reaching a memorandum of understanding to end the war in the Middle East that began on Feb. 28 after the U.S. and Israel attacked the Islamic Republic, upending global travel and spiking oil prices. U.S. President Donald Trump had said a deal related to the conflict had been “largely negotiated” following calls with regional allies, including Pakistan.

Zardari promised in a statement that his country “will defeat terrorists, their facilitators, financiers and those providing them safe havens.”

Pakistan and India have long had strained relations and have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir, which is claimed by both in its entirety.

Although Pakistani authorities say they have quelled the insurgency, violence in Baluchistan has persisted.

At least 26 people, including soldiers, were killed in 2024 when a suicide bomber attacked a train station in Balochistan.

The Knicks can wrap up the Eastern Conference Finals and sweep their second straight series with a win on Monday night. Knicks fans — who were boisterous throughout the night — were chanting “Knicks in four!” as the final seconds of Game 3 ticked away.

New York is the seventh team in NBA history to win at least 10 straight during a postseason run. The last team to do it was the Boston Celtics, who went on a 10-game run on their way to the 2024 title. Cleveland, San Antonio and the Los Angeles Lakers have done it twice.

All but one of the Knicks' wins have been by double digits, with an average margin of victory of 22.5 points.

“We've just have to keep our mind on the task at hand. The game is over and we found a way to win. We have to execute at a high level in Game 4,” said Karl Anthony-Towns, who had 13 points, eight rebounds and seven assists.

OG Anunoby had 21 points as New York led the entire game. The Knicks not only made 55.8% of their shots from the field, they also had 11 3-pointers and were 24 of 27 from the foul line.

Evan Mobley scored 24 points, Donovan Mitchell had 23 points and James Harden added 19 for Cleveland. The Cavaliers were 12 of 41 on 3-pointers and 12 of 19 from the foul line.

Not even an appearance by the superstar couple of Taylor Swift and Cleveland Heights native Travis Kelce could spur the Cavs to beat the Knicks.

“I think their physicality and energy, we couldn’t get to that level to combat it,” Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said. “They’re on a hell of a run. We haven’t been able to stop the momentum. We had one chance in that first game I thought to stop it, but they haven’t been able to halt their momentum.”

New York led 91-82 at the end of the third quarter but put it out reach in the fourth when Landry Shamet made three 3-pointers in a 99-second span to make it 105-94.

“Our guys were locked in from the beginning of the game and it showed from the first few minutes of the game. We got a lot of great contributions,” Knicks coach Mike Brown said. “I thought throughout the whole game we did a good job trying to play fast. We don’t want to go against their set defense all the time, so we’ve got to keep trying to play fast. And then our guys did a better job in the second half trying to defend without fouling.”

The Knicks made their first four shots en route to a 9-1 lead less than two minutes into the game. New York was 12 of 17 from the field in the quarter and was up 37-27 after 12 minutes.

Cleveland rallied to tie it at 50-all on a jumper by Harden before the Knicks countered with a 10-1 run. They went into halftime with a 60-54 advantage.

Brunson had six of his 12 points during an 8-1 run midway through the third quarter as the Knicks extended their lead to 83-70 with 3:41 remaining.

“It’s the next-man-up mentality and the guys found me a few times," Shamet said. We knew we were going to get a real good punch from that team, and we weathered their best punches tonight.

___

This story has been updated to reflect that Evan Mobley led the Cavaliers with 24 points and James Harden scored 19.

___

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

“I need to go to the bathroom. I can’t move anymore. I’m going to (go) on the court,” Gea told the chair umpire in French before hastily running off Court Suzanne-Lenglen.

The 135th-ranked Gea was trailing 13th-seeded Karen Khachanov 4-2 when he made his move. Khachanov won 6-3, 7-6 (3), 6-0.

Usually, bathroom breaks are only permitted between sets.

Khachanov protested to the chair umpire as three minutes passed between games at a point in the match that was not a changeover when players change ends.

Gea said the umpire allowed him the break because of "medical circumstances" and that he was given some medicine to settle his stomach pain.

After the match, Gea said he had not felt ill the night before but started feeling unwell when he woke up in the morning.

“During the match it was even worse,” he said. “I had to go to the toilet really quick.”

His situation was not helped by the intense heat at Roland Garros with lunchtime temperatures hitting 31 degrees Celsius (88 Fahrenheit).

“It was harder than usual, because I was ill,” he said.

The 21-year-old Gea received a wild card invitation from Roland Garros organizers to participate in the main draw.

___

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

The intense aerial assault damaged buildings across the Ukrainian capital, including near government offices, residential buildings, schools and a market, Ukrainian authorities said. At least 83 people were wounded in the attack.

Air raid sirens blared through the night as smoke billowed across the city from strikes. Associated Press reporters heard powerful explosions near the city center and close to government buildings.

The attack included 600 strike drones and 90 air, sea and ground-launched missiles, according to Ukraine’s Air Force. Ukrainian air defenses destroyed and jammed 549 drones and 55 missiles. Around 19 missiles failed to reach targets, the Air Force said.

Ferit Hoxha, Albania’s foreign minister, reported that the residence of the Albanian ambassador to Ukraine was hit during the attack, denouncing it as “unacceptable” and a “grave escalation”.

The Oreshnik, which is capable of carrying nuclear or conventional warheads, struck the city of Bila Tserkva in the Kyiv region, Zelenskyy said on Telegram.

Russia had vowed to strike back for an attack Friday

Russia’s Defense Ministry on Sunday confirmed the weapon's use, as well as other missile types, to strike Ukrainian “military command and control facilities,” air bases and military industrial enterprises. The ministry added the attack was retaliation for Ukrainian attacks on “civilian facilities on Russian territory,” without giving detail.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday denounced a drone strike on a college dormitory in Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine, which Moscow blamed on Kyiv. He said there were no military or law enforcement facilities near the college. Putin said he ordered the Russian military to retaliate.

The death toll from that strike had risen to 21, Russian authorities said late Saturday. They said 42 other people had been wounded in the attack the previous night. The Kremlin-installed authorities of the Luhansk region announced two days of mourning for the victims.

At a U.N. Security Council emergency meeting on the strike, held at the request of Russia, Ukrainian Ambassador Andrii Melnyk denied his Russian counterpart’s accusations of war crimes, calling them a “pure propaganda show” and asserting that the May 22 operations “exclusively targeted the Russian war machine.”

Kyiv's European allies, including France's Emmanuel Macron and Germany's Friedrich Merz, condemned the Russian strikes and use of the Oreshnik in statements published on Sunday. Kaja Kallas, the European Union's foreign policy chief, said top diplomats from EU states will meet within days to “discuss how to dial up the international pressure on Russia.”

Ukraine struggles to down all ballistic missiles

Zelenskyy said not all the ballistic missiles were intercepted and that most of the strikes hit Kyiv, the primary target of the attack.

The apparent interception failures underscored Ukraine’s chronic shortage of air defense missiles capable of downing ballistic missiles. Kyiv relies heavily on U.S. Patriot air defense systems to intercept such weapons, but interceptors remain in short supply and are among Ukraine’s most urgent requests to its Western partners.

Developing a domestically produced alternative has become a top priority for Ukraine’s Defense Ministry, though doing so will require time and funding.

Fires rage into the morning in Kyiv after attack

Damage was recorded in 50 locations across several districts of the capital, including residential buildings, shopping centers and schools, Ukraine's emergency service said in a Telegram post. Police department buildings were also damaged, it said.

Fires continued to rage into the morning, complicating rescue efforts as buildings collapsed from the blasts.

“It was a terrible night, and there had never been anything like it in the entire war," said Kyiv resident Svitlana Onofryichuk, 55, who had worked in the market that was damaged for 22 years.

“I am very sorry that I have to say goodbye to Kyiv now, I am not staying there anymore, there is no possibility," she added. “My job is gone, everything is gone, everything has burned down.”

Yevhen Zosin, 74, a Kyiv resident who witnessed the attack, said the moment he heard the explosion he rushed to grab his dog.

“Then there was another explosion and she and I were thrown back like a pin by the shock wave. We both survived, she and I. My apartment was blown to pieces,” he said.

In Kyiv’s Shevchenko district, a five-story residential building was hit, which caused a fire, and one person was killed, Ukraine's state emergency service reported.

A school building was damaged by an attack while people sheltered inside, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. Local authorities reported supermarkets and warehouses across the city also were damaged.

Multiple communities recorded damage throughout the Kyiv region, according to Mykola Kalashnyk, who heads the regional administration.

Elsewhere, a Ukrainian drone killed a civilian in the Russian town of Grayvoron, in the Belgorod region bordering Ukraine, local authorities reported on Sunday morning.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces shot down or jammed 33 Ukrainian drones overnight into Sunday, including over the Moscow region, western and southwestern Russia, and Russian-occupied Crimea.

___

Associated Press writer John Leicester in Paris contributed to this report.

___

This story corrects Mykola Kalashnyk’s title.

Rubio's first official visit to the South Asian country came amid an economic and diplomatic downturn between the United States and India, largely strained by U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff policies, which raised duties on several Indian exports.

Rubio is set to meet in New Delhi on Tuesday his counterparts from India, Australia and Japan, members of the Indo-Pacific strategic alliance known as the Quad.

India is a US strategic partner, Rubio says

Rubio and Jaishankar held a joint press briefing after Sunday’s initial round of talks. They reiterated their aim to deepen the U.S.-India strategic partnership while pursuing their respective national interests.

The U.S. top diplomat said that India is one of the most important strategic partners of the United States and expressed optimism about finalizing a bilateral trade deal soon. “I don’t view our relation with any country in the world as coming at the expense of our strategic alliance with India,” he said, adding that he hoped that India-U.S. relations would come out much stronger in the coming years.

Rubio stressed that the Trump administration’s trade decisions were of a global perspective to serve the U.S. economy, rather than targeted at New Delhi. “There virtually is no country in the world that I could travel to that isn’t going to raise the issue of trade because we did this from a global perspective.”

Jaishankar said the U.S.-India strategic partnership exists because of a “convergence of national interests" in multiple areas.

“Trump administration has been very forthright in putting forward its foreign policy outlook as America first. ... We have a view of India first. So both of us are obviously driven by our respective national interests,” he said.

The Indian foreign minister also said his country sought dependable, multiple and cheap energy sources for its 1.4 billion people.

“The United States fits the bill in many respects. So do some other countries. So, we will continue to diversify and maintain multiple sources of supply at the most reasonable cost,” Jaishankar said.

India has recently made a notable shift by wrapping up a series of trade deals: three in 2025 with Oman, New Zealand, and the UK. This was followed by an agreement with the European Union in January, which represents a third of global trade.

On tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, following the U.S.-Israel attacks on Iran that sparked a war in the region, spiking oil prices and disrupting supply chains, Jaishankar said India and the U.S. are keen on keeping global maritime trade safe and uninterrupted, while ensuring fuel remains affordable and widely available.

He said India's approach is to diversify its energy sources so that energy markets stay open and unconstrained, with prices kept low to support global economic growth.

Rubio's four-day visit includes a multicity tour and a gala reception in New Delhi marking the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence.

India and US have different priorities but shared concerns

“In the past one year, statements and rhetoric coming from Washington on some of India’s most sensitive security concerns and trade matters have not been helpful and have created a trust deficit,” said Ashok Malik, a former policy adviser in India’s Foreign Ministry.

“Certain misgivings will remain,” Malik added, noting Rubio’s visit will be considered an achievement if the talks somewhat stabilize the relationship and check further deterioration.

Experts say friction exists between U.S. global strategic ambitions and India’s priorities as an emerging middle power. Historically close to Russia, New Delhi has long expressed unease as it moves closer to the U.S., reflecting India's lingering distrust of American intentions rooted in cultural differences and Cold War-era instincts.

Still, India-U.S. ties steadily deepened over two decades into a broad, robust strategic partnership, increasingly shaped in recent years by shared concerns about China’s growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific and articulated diplomatically through the Quad forum.

The Quad has repeatedly accused China of flexing its military muscles in the South China Sea and aggressively pushing its maritime territorial claims. Beijing maintains that its military is purely defensive to protect what it says are China's sovereign rights and calls the Quad an attempt to contain its economic growth and influence.

After the U.S. presidential inauguration in January 2025, Rubio’s first formal international engagement was meeting with the foreign ministers of the Quad countries jointly and in separate sessions.

Tensions build up over conflict with Pakistan and Russian oil purchases

Despite close ties and often being perceived as ideological allies, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi downplayed Trump’s role in brokering a ceasefire after a brief India-Pakistan military conflict triggered by the April 2025 massacre of mostly Hindu tourists in Indian-controlled Kashmir. But Pakistan openly courted Trump and even advocated for him to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.

Economic tensions followed, with the Trump administration imposing tariffs on India over its discounted purchases of Russian oil, further straining ties between the two countries.

“In India, there is some skepticism about U.S. policy and predictability,” said Malik, who heads the India chapter of The Asia Group advisory firm in the U.S. He said what has happened in the past year between India and the U.S. “can’t be forgotten or erased easily.”

When the Iran war broke out in February, the U.S. stepped up engagement with Pakistan, which positioned itself as a mediator between Washington and Tehran, deepening unease in New Delhi. Trump’s recent, high-profile visit to China has only added to India’s discomfort.

India-U.S. relations are challenging “due to a few structural tensions and Trump only brought them to the fore,” said Praveen Donthi, a senior analyst with the International Crisis Group.

“New Delhi’s foreign policy, increasingly colored by its domestic politics, has become more black-and-white in the last decade, as evidenced by its deep discomfort with the U.S.’s ties with Pakistan and its moves toward detente with China,” Donthi said.

Experts say these shifts reflect the growing complexity of India-U.S. relations, rooted in shared strategic interests, yet increasingly shaped by competing priorities and a shifting geopolitical landscape.

“New Delhi is likely to exercise strategic patience and wait for Trump to leave office,” Donthi said. “India would hope that the bipartisan consensus on India in the U.S. survives his term and that it can start building on that again.”

___

Hussain reported from Srinagar, India.

At least 24 workers either managed to dash out of the building, where they mostly slept on the ground floor, or were rescued after the it crumbled to the ground around 2:30 a.m. in a crowded neighborhood of budget hotels, cafes, spas and rural houses outside a former U.S. Air Force base, officials said.

A Malaysian tourist died and another guest was injured in a lodging house, which was partly hit by debris from the collapsing building in Angeles City in Pampanga province, Fire Superintendent Maria Lea Sajili said.

Relatives of those trapped under concrete slabs, twisted iron bars and aluminum scaffoldings and other debris prayed and wept as they waited for word from about 700 rescuers gingerly scouring the rubble pail to create space for them to safely move into the collapsed structure.

“This is the worst day of our lives,” Joamel Angcao, an 18-year-old student, told The Associated Press as she and other siblings waited for word on their parents, who were among those trapped.

Her parents were tending to their food and coffee cart positioned beside the building when it tumbled down. The parents had struggled through poverty to send her and another sibling to school, Angcao said, tears welling in her eyes.

John Carlo Villarente, a young plumber, said that he stepped out of the building about two hours before it collapsed after heavy rains and fierce wind to have a drink.

“I was so shocked, there were people inside, including my nephew,” Villarente told The AP. “We ran and tried to help but we were not allowed to ger near because people said it was very dangerous.”

Randy Alapide, a 41-year-old plumber who was off-duty when the accident unfolded, said he rushed back to the scene and helped rescuers locate trapped workers by drawing a map to pinpoint their location. “I know three of the missing. They are breadwinners and they have families waiting for them,” Alapide said.

Sajili said two of the trapped workers were located alive by rescuers but it was taking time to pluck them out safely. Ambulance vans, firefighters and police lined up waiting for the two to be extricated.

Nearly 200 police officers were helping in the rescue, which would proceed overnight “until all are accounted for,” regional police director Brig. Gen. Jess Mendez said.

Angeles City hosted one of the largest U.S. Air Force bases outside of the American mainland until it closed in the early 1990s, helping develop Angeles and outlying cities and towns into entertainment and commercial hubs in the main northern Philippine region of Luzon.

The former American air base, now a bustling industrial and tourism enclave called the Clark Freeport Zone, lies about about 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Manila.

That's because Democrats, in many states, can draw partisan political lines only if they evade constraints — some self-imposed — on their ability to counterpunch.

In Colorado, New Jersey, New York and Washington, redistricting commissions draw boundaries that are not supposed to benefit either party. Democrats will have to gain voters' permission to nullify those politically popular bodies and replace their balanced maps with ruthlessly gerrymandered ones to match what Republicans did after President Donald Trump last year demanded a sweeping redrawing in Republican-controlled states in an attempt to help his party keep its House majority.

If the Democrats get a detail wrong in their process, courts could unwind the new maps. That is what happened in Virginia this month when the state Supreme Court invalidated voter-approved maps that would have given Democrats four more winnable seats. The court found the Democratic-controlled legislature did not follow the correct procedure when it placed the measure on the ballot.

“It's going to be expensive, it's going to be unpopular, and it's going to be a challenge for them to do what they want,” said Adam Kincaid, executive director of the National Republican Redistricting Trust.

The next census will present another challenge for Democrats

Democrats remain favored to win control of the House this year despite recent setbacks in redistricting. The most consequential was the conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court gutting a key provision of the Voting Rights Act, allowing Republicans to swiftly eliminate at least three majority-Black House seats in the South that Democrats now hold.

Strategists for both parties expect Democratic gains in November that are typical when the party of an incumbent president faces voter backlash in a midterm election. In Trump's first midterm in 2018, for example, Democrats added 40 seats in the House.

But a 2028 House majority looks much harder for Democrats.

Presidential votes are usually much closer than midterm ones. Under the recent high court decision, Republicans next year could easily eliminate another five or more majority-minority Democratic-held districts in states whose maps were already set for 2026. They can likely gain an additional four seats by redrawing maps in Indiana, where some state lawmakers balked last year and were punished by Republican primary voters, and in Kentucky and Kansas, where Democratic governors who have been able to block Republican maps will reach their term limit.

The mapmaking pressure is high for Democrats to try to boost their chances of winning the House in 2028 as the party also hopes to take back the Senate and White House that year. Only then could it try again to pass a national ban on partisan gerrymandering that could rob the Republicans of what could become a durable advantage for them.

After the 2030 census, House seats will be reallocated to states seeing the fastest population gains, which are mainly ones that Republicans control. They are projected to pick up as many as 10 seats, largely at the expense of Democratic strongholds such as California and New York.

“Looking at the next census makes me all the more stressed to ban partisan gerrymandering at the federal level,” said John Bisogano, executive director of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee.

Constitutional and legislative barriers confront Democrats

Republicans face some of their own legal hoops in the redistricting competition.

In Florida, their redrawn congressional map hinges on the conservative-majority state Supreme Court throwing out that state's constitutional ban on partisan gerrymandering.

But Democrats face far more obstacles and need to execute a series of complex political maneuvers.

Only in Illinois and Oregon would Democrats have a chance to draw additional winnable seats without many impediments.

Among Colorado, New York and New Jersey, Democrats could rack up close to double-digit gains in House seats, but only if they likewise thread the needle to change their constitutions.

In Maryland, Democrats who balked at redrawing their map this year are moving to place a constitutional amendment on the November ballot that would give them permission to eliminate the state’s sole Republican House seat in 2028.

Democrats note that their voters have embraced the idea of ditching the reform approach they once favored to let their party match the redistricting by Trump and his fellow Republicans. The biggest success came in California, where a ballot measure to adopt a new map to pick up as many as five seats easily passed last year. Virginia's map passed more narrowly, but Democrats there remain resolute about implementing the 10-1 map in 2028.

In Washington state, Democrats' only chance to revise the constitution and redraw maps would be to win a two-thirds majority of the Legislature in November, a tall order. Because Democrats expect to do well in November, they re also hoping to win a handful of state legislative seats that would give them control of maps in states such as Minnesota, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Devin Remiker has floated new maps to let Democrats win up to six seats in a state where Republicans now hold six of the eight House districts. Such an aggressive move is necessary, he said, because of what Republicans are doing elsewhere.

“If we’ve learned anything, we’ve learned that when you know a knife fight is coming — bring a bazooka,” he said.

Redistricting reforms of the past are complicated to overcome

In other states, Democrats are confident their voters will be behind them.

“People in New York are pretty fired up given what they've seen around the country,” said U.S. Rep. Joe Morelle, a New York Democrat who is close to the top Democrat in the U.S. House, Hakeem Jeffries, also from New York.

But New York voters cannot enter the redistricting fight until next year because the state constitution will need to be amended by a statewide vote to permit it. That can happen only after the Democratic-controlled Legislature votes twice over two years to put the question on the ballot.

Likewise, Colorado Democrats embraced the idea of an independent commission redrawing lines in their state. Though many have had second thoughts, they cannot act until voters lift the commission's map this fall and permit a Democratic redrawing for 2028.

Their proposed initiative faces a challenge at the state Supreme Court. Even if it is approved for the ballot, it could face a rival measure from Republicans to redraw the map to favor conservative candidates.

“Republicans are stealing votes of Americans all across the country, and Colorado voters will say: ‘Hey, you can’t do that,'” said Curtis Hubbard, a spokesman for Democrats pushing the Colorado redrawing.

Democrats see an existential threat in the GOP's rush to gerrymander

Colorado is the most visible example of Democrats' about-face on redistricting.

Republicans won control of numerous statehouses in the 2010 midterm election and used that to redraw maps across the country, giving them an edge in the U.S. House. Democrats responded by embracing nonpartisan redistricting, a push that reached its zenith in 2018 when Colorado Democrats rallied behind a measure creating such a body in their state.

Now, both candidates for the party's nomination for governor support overruling the commission. Former Democratic President Barack Obama, who made redistricting reform a key pillar of his platform, has also had a change of heart, calling for aggressive map redrawing nationwide.

Nicholas Stephanopolous, a Harvard law professor, said it is clear that Democrats view Trump’s redistricting push as an existential threat.

“I think they’re going to move heaven and earth to respond,” he said.

___

Associated Press writer Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin, contributed to this report.

SUNDAY NIGHT: Mostly cloudy skies, a chance of rain showers early. Low: 56.

MONDAY (MEMORIAL DAY): Mostly sunny skies. High: 81.

MONDAY NIGHT: Partly cloudy skies. Low: 60.

TUESDAY: Partly cloudy skies. High: 83.

TUESDAY NIGHT: Partly cloudy skies. Low: 62.

After plenty of rain to start the weekend, along with chilly temperatures on Saturday, we’ve kept the cloud cover around overnight, and the active weather continues into the end of the weekend on Sunday.

Some of us are waking up to some patchy dense fog on Sunday morning, so be sure to use your low beams. Expect the cloud cover to stick around for most of the day, especially if you’re attending any outdoor events to honor Memorial Day or for Movement in Downtown Detroit, but we’re also watching the radar for the end of the weekend as well. High temperatures warmer than we were to start the weekend, we’ll make it into the lower 70s by Sunday afternoon.

Drier weather finally moves into the region for Memorial Day on Monday. Expect a mixture of sunshine and clouds, and high temperatures warming into the lower 80s by Monday afternoon.

The dry weather sticks around for the majority of next week. Expect a mixture of sunshine and clouds for both Tuesday and Wednesday, before more sunshine than anything moves in by the time we get to Thursday. High temperatures are warming into the low 80s Tuesday & Wednesday, and upper 70s to near 80° on Thursday.

The one “fly in the ointment,” if you will, is a chance of rain showers we’re introducing into the forecast for the middle of next week on Wednesday, but as of right now, I do not think it will be a washout by Wednesday afternoon & evening.

That sunshine continues into the end of next week, through the last weekend in May. High temperatures are cooling down a bit by the end of next week as well. High temperatures into the middle 70s are expected by Friday, and we’ll remain in the middle 70s for the start of next weekend on Saturday.

Mauriel Dashawn Hearn was charged with carjacking, assault with intent to murder, fleeing a police officer, resisting a police officer, carrying a concealed weapon and three counts of felony firearm.

The shooting happened on May 19 outside Baldwin Commons Plaza near Baldwin and Brown roads.

According to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, Hearn appeared to have been waiting in the parking lot before targeting the woman, who was with her young son.

The Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office said Hearn confronted the woman in the parking lot and demanded her car keys. He then allegedly shot the woman in front of her son.

--> ‘She’s lost a lot of blood’: Mom shot in front of her son in Oakland County carjacking survives

Hearn allegedly took her purse and drove away in her car.

The woman was taken to a local hospital with a gunshot wound to her hip. According to officials, the bullet came dangerously close to a major artery.

Authorities said they immediately issued a broadcast alert for the stolen vehicle and used the department’s FLOCK camera system to track its movements northbound from the scene.

While Hearn was leading a police chase, he was going over 100 mph before hitting a guardrail in Groveland Township. He then allegedly jumped out of the car and tried to run away. He was eventually arrested.

Hearn is a 25-year-old man from Ann Arbor. It’s not known why he was in Orion Township on May 19.

Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said Hearn has a violent criminal history and has been uncooperative with investigators since his arrest.

“He’s currently on probation for hog-tying a woman, duct taping her and suffocating her with a plastic bag over her head, and he’s back out on the street saying no harm, no foul. Is that how the justice system works for our victims?” Bouchard said on May 20.

Local 4 reached out to the Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office regarding Bouchard’s statements on the handling of Hearn’s previous charges. They sent over the following statement:

“As to the 2024 case, it is incorrect to suggest that the suspect received any meaningful leniency from our office as a result of his plea. He pleaded guilty, as charged, to one count of assault with intent to do great bodily harm, and one count of assault and battery. No reduction in charges were given or offered by our office. His sentence of probation was consistent with Michigan’s sentencing guidelines.”

Hearn was arraigned in court on Friday, May 22.

During his arraignment, Hearn’s defense attorney entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf, and his bond was denied.

His attorney requested to file a competency motion, but the court ruled that the motion could be filed in the next court hearing.

He is scheduled to return to court on June 2 for a probable cause conference and on June 9 for a preliminary examination.

Lincoln Erickson, a former medical resident at a Detroit hospital, pleaded guilty May 20 to receipt of child pornography. He is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 15, 2026, and will be required to register as a sex offender.

Arrest tied to broader investigation

Erickson, of Farmington Hills, was one of four men arrested in connection with a large child pornography and sexual abuse case that began with the arrest of Brett Tooman in Toledo, Ohio.

On March 29, 2025, Toledo police took Tooman into custody after he allegedly traveled to the area to sexually abuse a 7-year-old girl and a 6-month-old infant he believed existed.

Tooman’s arrest led investigators to Jeremy Brian Tacon, Joshua Ronnebaum and Erickson, who allegedly shared explicit and sexually abusive materials with one another.

---> Doctor, lawyer, therapist, and man in Toledo -- how they’re linked to pedophilia, child porn case

FBI arrests Erickson at Detroit hospital

The FBI arrested Erickson on Dec. 10, 2025, at a Detroit hospital where he was working as a medical resident, after authorities reportedly discovered a conversation on Ronnebaum’s phone linking him to the case.

After his arrest, Erickson allegedly admitted receiving what he believed was AI‑generated child pornography from a man in Chicago.

He was denied bond.

Erickson and Ronnebaum allegedly spoke about wanting to travel to Thailand and sexually abusing children together.

“Love being a pedo,” read one text message.

Erickson reportedly shared a fantasy about having a relationship with a man where they would raise a child together that they would abuse and groom “from baby to adulthood.”

“Start them young,” read one message.

The FBI said Erickson shared in messages that he knows a father who allegedly allows him to sexually abuse the man’s 3-year-old son.

A Telegram chat on his phone also showed him requesting more videos and writing, “Bro, I love other pedophiles. So hot.”

Court hearings

During a Dec. 16, 2025, court hearing, prosecutors presented evidence of Erickson’s interactions with the father of three minors, including phone sex and in-person meetings, as well as disturbing messages regarding the children.

Erickson, who reportedly has a history of domestic violence and threatening behavior, allegedly attempted to impregnate an adult woman, described by the defense as his best friend.

The man won the prize from the Diamond Wild Time Progressive Fast Cash jackpot, according to Michigan Lottery officials.

The 64-year-old man has chosen to remain anonymous.

The man bought his winning ticket at Clinton Market East LLC, located at 1724 West Michigan Avenue in Clinton.

Clinton is about 20 miles southwest of Ann Arbor.

“I looked the ticket over as soon as the clerk handed it to me and started yelling when I saw I’d won the jackpot. I showed the clerk, and she started yelling and jumping up and down with me,” said the man.

The man recently visited Lottery headquarters to claim the prize.

With his winnings, he plans to pay off his truck and then save the remainder.

The man won the prize playing the Michigan Lottery’s $1,000,000 Cash Spectacular instant game.

The 48-year-old man has chosen to remain anonymous.

The man bought his winning ticket at Main Street Convenience Inc., located at 402 South Main Street in Ann Arbor.

“I stopped at the store and bought three lottery tickets,” said the man “I didn’t win anything on the first two tickets, then I scratched the third ticket and was in total disbelief when I saw I’d won $1 million.”

“I feel so blessed to win a prize like this. It’s going to give our family a sense of financial security and will allow us to give our kids a better future.” said

The man recently visited Lottery headquarters to claim the big prize.

He chose to receive his prize as a one-time lump sum payment of about $693,000 rather than annuity payments for the full amount.

With his winnings, he plans to start college funds for his children.

“Final aspects and details of the Deal are currently being discussed, and will be announced shortly,” Trump said on social media, with no details. He said he had spoken with leaders from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain, and separately with Israel.

He described it as a “Memorandum of Understanding pertaining to PEACE" that still must be finalized by the United States, Iran and the other countries that participated in the calls. It capped a week in which the U.S. weighed a new round of attacks on the Islamic Republic that would break a fragile ceasefire.

There was no mention of Iran's nuclear program and highly enriched uranium, which Iran has sought to discuss later. There was no immediate comment from Iran or Israel. Trump said speaking with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had pressed the U.S. to go to war, went “very well.”

There had been growing optimism among officials

Earlier on Saturday, a regional official with direct knowledge of the Pakistan-led mediation efforts said the U.S. and Iran were closing in on a deal to end the war.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss closed-door deliberations, cautioned that “last-minute disputes” could blow up the efforts. This is not the first time in recent weeks that a deal has been described as close.

The official said the deal would include an official declaration of the war's end, with two-month negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program. The Strait of Hormuz would be reopened and the U.S. would end its blockade of Iran’s ports.

Iran, meanwhile, had signaled “narrowing differences” in negotiations after Pakistani army chief Asim Munir held more talks in Tehran.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday welcomed Trump’s efforts to advance peace in the Middle East. He said Pakistan would continue supporting peace efforts “with utmost sincerity” and “we hope to host the next round of talks very soon.”

In a post on X, Sharif congratulated Trump on what he called his “extraordinary efforts to pursue peace” and described discussions among regional leaders as “very useful and productive.”

Twelve weeks have passed since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28, killing top Iranian officials including its supreme leader and interrupting nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran for the second time in less than a year. Iran fired at Israel and at neighbors hosting U.S. forces, shaking Gulf nations that had considered themselves safe havens in a tough region.

A ceasefire has held since April 7. But Iran’s decision to effectively close the Strait of Hormuz for ships carrying regional oil, natural gas and other critical supplies has been a focal point of global concern and economic pain.

Iran described it as a ‘framework agreement' for more talks

Iran state TV earlier quoted Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei as describing the draft as a “framework agreement” and adding: “We want this to include the main issues required for ending the imposed war and other issues of essential importance to us. Then, over a reasonable time span, between 30 to 60 days, details are discussed and ultimately a final agreement is reached.”

He said the Strait of Hormuz is among the topics discussed.

But Baghaei told Iran’s official IRNA news agency that nuclear issues are not part of current negotiations.

“Our focus at this stage is on ending the war on all fronts, including Lebanon,” he said, adding that lifting sanctions on Tehran “has explicitly been included in the text and remains our fixed position.”

The Iranian-backed Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV reported that the Lebanese militant group's leader received a letter from Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi saying Tehran will not abandon its allies. There is a fragile, U.S.-brokered ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war in Lebanon, a conflict that began two days after the Iran war started.

Trump had said ‘serious negotiations’ were underway

Trump earlier said he was holding off on a military strike against Iran because “serious negotiations” were underway, and at the request of allies in the Middle East. Trump has repeatedly set deadlines for Tehran and then backed off.

Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, the lead negotiator in historic face-to-face talks with the U.S. last month in Islamabad, said Saturday that Iran has rebuilt its military assets and if Trump resumed attacks, the result would be “more crushing and more bitter” than at the start of the war.

State TV said he spoke after meeting with Pakistan’s army chief, who also met with Araghchi, President Masoud Pezeshkian and other senior officials. Qatar sent a senior official to Tehran to support Pakistan’s efforts.

The war’s stated aims have not been achieved. Iran still has its enriched uranium and a missile program it says is being rebuilt. It continues to express support for armed proxies in the region. The new supreme leader, though still unseen publicly since the war began, is the son of the previous one and close to the powerful Revolutionary Guard.

And the Iranian people have not revolted against the government as both Trump and Netanyahu had predicted after nationwide protests early this year.

___

Magdy reported from Cairo and Superville from Washington. Associated Press writers Aamer Madhani in Washington and Bassem Mroue in Beirut contributed to this report.

No injuries were reported after the pressurized tank overheated Thursday and began venting vapors at a company site in Garden Grove, about 40 miles (60 kilometers) south of downtown Los Angeles, according to the Orange County Fire Authority.

But officials said the valves on the tank are broken or “gummed up,” which prevented crews from removing the chemical or relieving the pressure on the tank, said Craig Covey, Orange County Fire Authority division chief.

Firefighters’ first hope is to find a way to cool off the chemical inside the tank so it won’t leak or explode. If that is not possible, Purdue University engineering professor Andrew Whelton said it would be best if the tank sprang a leak so the chemical could be mostly contained. An explosion that could spread the chemical over a broad area and send shrapnel flying would be the worst-case scenario.

If the temperature inside the tank continues to increase, the pressure will continue to build as the methyl methacrylate converts from a liquid to a gas, because officials said the pressure relief valves on the tank were no longer working. Whelton said it’s unlikely that firefighters would consider creating a hole in the tank because of fears that could create a spark that might ignite the volatile and flammable gas.

Drones were monitoring temperatures at 10-minute intervals to watch for any spikes and planning was underway to ensure a possible leak could quickly be prevented from spreading into waterways or the ocean, Covey said in an early evening post on social media platform X.

“Sitting back and allowing these tanks to fail is unacceptable,” Covey said, adding there was no guarantee tanks will not breach and leak. “Our goal is to protect your homes — no damage to them — and protect the environment.”

Tank wasn't cooling as first thought

Efforts to cool the tank appeared to be working Friday, but Covey backtracked the following day, saying a reading conducted by drones actually showed the temperature on the outside of the tank, not the inside.

“Unfortunately I do have to report that the temperature was 90 degrees,” Covey said, up from 77 Fahrenheit (25 Celsius) the previous morning.

Cooling the tank is important because the liquid chemical's flashpoint is 50 Fahrenheit (10 Celsius), according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

Residents are frustrated and stressed

Initially people in Garden Grove were ordered to leave. Evacuation orders were then expanded to some parts of five other Orange County cities including Cypress, Stanton, Anaheim, Buena Park and Westminster. Some people with pets planned to sleep in their cars.

Several shelters remained open Saturday, including at three high schools.

Marco Solano, 32, spent Friday night at his parents’ home, frustrated by the situation and monitoring the news to see if he could go home.

“I don’t think that they should have dangerous chemicals in a neighborhood area, especially that dangerous that they have to evacuate people,” Solano said. “But again, it's not up to me. I don’t make the laws. I don’t make the rules. We just have to do what is best I guess.”

Solano, who has multiple jobs, said he felt very tired and weak and believed the stress of the chemical leak was exacerbating his anemia and ulcerative colitis.

“This has been affecting me quite a bit,” he said.

Solano also said he went to his apartment after work Friday to grab belongings and saw other residents who had not evacuated, and he was worried for them.

Exposure could lead to health problems

The damaged tank is located at GKN Aerospace, which makes parts for commercial and military aircraft. It holds 6,000 to 7,000 gallons (22,700 and 26,500 liters) of methyl methacrylate, used to make plastic parts.

Exposure to methyl methacrylate can cause serious respiratory problems and even render someone unconscious. It can also cause neurological problems and irritate the skin, eyes and throat, according to fact sheets about the chemical. But Orange County health officials said the chemical is easy to smell and residents may notice it over a large area without being harmed.

Whelton said the volume of chemical in the tank is much smaller than in the disastrous 2023 train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, which he studied when more than 115,000 gallons (435,000 liters) of vinyl chloride was released after officials blew open five tank cars and burned the chemical.

“Many of these are acute, fast-acting effects. But the longer somebody stays in contact with it, the more potential for significant damage that occurs,” Whelton said.

If there is an explosion, officials said they expect “severe structural damage and significant harm” in the blast zone closest to the tank.

If an explosion releases the chemical into the air, Whelton said, it will be crucial to conduct detailed air monitoring specifically for methyl methacrylate and not just generic tests for volatile organic compounds as officials did in East Palestine. General tests, often completed with handheld detectors, may not be capable of detecting the chemical. Indoor tests of buildings and homes may also be needed before residents return home.

The weather will be an important factor in determining where a plume of chemicals would go in the event of an explosion. Officials were developing maps to predict different scenarios about which areas would be most affected.

Meanwhile containment barriers have been set up to prevent the chemical from getting into storm drains or reaching creeks or the nearby ocean in the event of a spill, Covey said.

Emergency declaration

Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in Orange County, making state resources available to local agencies and letting state-owned properties and fairgrounds be used for shelters if necessary.

Garden Grove is next to Anaheim, home to Disneyland’s two theme parks, which were not under evacuation orders. Park officials said they were monitoring the incident and supporting employees impacted by evacuations.

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

___

Associated Press writers Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut, and Michael R. Blood in Los Angeles contributed.

More than 620 people turned out for the event, braving wet weather to complete a hands-on skills course designed to let job seekers prove what they could do on the spot.

“We’re out in the rain and we’re supporting the city of Detroit,” said Luke Harris, one of the job seekers who participated.

The rain didn’t slow anyone down. Determined applicants trudged through puddles to finish the skills course, performing directly in front of contractors scouting for new hires.

Guy Cohoon of Clark Contracting Services said he was looking for one thing above all else: “Anyone that wants to come in, work hard, and show up every day on time.”

Partners unite to put Detroiters to work

The event was organized by a coalition of local partners, including Olympia Development, the Detroit Tigers, the city of Detroit, and the Northern Midwest Regional Council of Carpenters.

Tom Lutz, executive secretary treasurer of the Northern Midwest Regional Council of Carpenters, said the goal is simple: open doors. “Getting those doors open and providing those opportunities is what we’re doing,” Lutz said.

Rian English-Barnhill, vice president of government and community affairs for Olympia Development, echoed that commitment. “We are all leaning in to put Detroiters to work,” she said.

For many attendees, the event represented more than just a job fair — it was a chance to change their trajectory.

“I don’t know if it’s a for sure opportunity, but it’s an opportunity,” said Markiest Doss, one of the job seekers who participated. “Just ready to upgrade in life.”

The breakthrough comes after she reached out to Local 4 for help with her car, currently at Master Car Care on Greenfield Road.

Local 4 reached out to Rosemary Mitchell to deliver the good news on Saturday night.

“I just talked to the owner and he gave me his commitment that he is going to have this done and replaced for you by Tuesday,” Local 4 told Mitchell.

“Thank you, Jesus. Oh wow, thank you, Jesus,” Mitchell said.

It’s been a long journey trying to get her GMC Denali, still sitting in the lot, repaired.

“I just want my car,” Mitchell said. “I am so scared because I am scared to get in it, because if I would have made it to the freeway, I would have been seriously hurt.”

Mitchell took her car to Master Car Care on April 9. She says she simply needed the transmission fixed. It would only take a day.

“The one day turned into a whole month,” she said. “I kept calling, they said ‘Well, we ain’t got no workers’ and all this. They kept giving me one excuse after another.”

When she finally got to drive off the lot, she only made it a few minutes.

“The drive shaft fell out from when they put the transmission in, they didn’t tighten the bolts,” she said.

“And that was, like, immediately after you got in it, right?” Local 4 asked.

“Yes, just a couple of blocks down,” Mitchell said.

She called the shop and was told she’d have to tow it back on her own dime.

Reluctantly, she did. Then, she came back the next day to get a check from them.

“The check bounced,” Mitchell said.

We got a copy of that. The paperwork said “not sufficient funds.”

At the same time, Mitchell found another issue.

“The whole covering of my engine was gone - oil everywhere,” she said.

She needed more repairs.

Mitchell said the shop told her it would take days, which has turned into many weeks.

“Everytime they give me a different excuse,” she said. “They say, ‘the boss didn’t come in, or we ain’t got enough workers.’”

Local 4 got in touch with the owner today and pressed him on this.

He says he wanted to work on the car himself – that’s what’s taking so long.

He also says he wasn’t aware the check had bounced but that he will have cash waiting for Mitchell on Tuesday.

“This is bad business. That’s night right to do people like that,” Mitchell said.

The law enforcement agency said in a statement posted on X that the man was in the area of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue when he “pulled a weapon from his bag" shortly after 6 p.m. EDT and began firing. Secret Service officers returned fire and hit the suspect, who died at a hospital, the agency said.

The suspect was identified as 21-year-old Nasire Best, said a law enforcement official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the investigation.

According to District of Columbia court records, Best was arrested in July 2025 after he attempted to enter a different White House checkpoint without authorization, didn’t heed officers’ commands to stop, “claimed he was Jesus Christ” and said he wanted to be arrested.

An initial hearing was held and a “Pretrial Stay Away Order” was issued, typically a measure ordering a defendant not to go near a person or area before a trial. A bench warrant was issued in August after a notice of “noncompliance” against Best, who did appear for a subsequent hearing.

Latest gunfire incident around Trump

It was the third time in the past month that shots were fired near the president after incidents at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner in April and near the Washington Monument earlier in May.

A bystander was also struck on Saturday, but a law enforcement official said it wasn’t clear whether that person was hit by the suspect’s initial bullets or those fired subsequently by officers.

Secret Service said none of its officers were injured, and that Trump — who was at the White House at the time — was not "impacted.” Trump originally was scheduled to spend the weekend at his New Jersey golf club but changed his plans on Friday to stay at the White House instead.

FBI Director Kash Patel said on social media that agency personnel were on the scene and "we will update the public as we’re able.”

Evidence of the shooting was visible on a sidewalk just outside the White House complex, where yellow crime scene tape snaked across the pavement and Secret Service officers placed dozens of orange evidence markers on the ground. Medical material, including what appeared to be purple surgical gloves and kits typically used by emergency medical personnel, were also seen.

Gunshots heard by journalists at the White House

Journalists working at the White House on Saturday evening reported hearing a series of gunshots and were told to seek shelter inside the press briefing room.

In a post shared on X, ABC News senior White House correspondent Selina Wang shared dramatic video of the moment she said she heard what “sounded like dozens of gunshots” and ducked for cover. Writing that she had been performing a routine task that White House reporters do daily — filming themselves on a cellphone for a social media post — Wang’s video shows her speaking for a few seconds about Trump’s statements earlier Saturday about a potential Iran deal.

As the sounds of gunfire are heard in the background, Wang’s eyes grow wider, and she ducks down in the media tent, which is among those situated in a line along the White House driveway where broadcasters film their reports. On X, Wang’s video had been shared thousands of times as of Saturday evening, and viewed at least 3 million times.

Shooting scene not far from a deadly incident last year

The shooting scene is within walking distance of where a gunman ambushed two members of the West Virginia National Guard last November.

U.S. Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died from the wounds she suffered in that shooting. Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, then 24, was critically wounded. Rahmanullah Lakanwal has been charged in that incident.

The gunfire Saturday came nearly a month after what law enforcement authorities said was an attempted assassination of the president as he attended the annual White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at a Washington hotel on April 25. Cole Tomas Allen, of Torrance, California, recently pleaded not guilty to charges that he attempted to kill Trump. Allen is accused of running through a security checkpoint inside the hotel and firing a shotgun at a Secret Service officer.

Following that scare, Secret Service officers shot a suspect they said had fired at officers near the Washington Monument, several blocks from the White House. Michael Marx, 45, of Midland, Texas, was charged in a complaint filed in U.S. District Court in connection with the May 4 shooting. A teenage bystander was wounded in that incident.

___

Kinnard reported from Columbia, South Carolina. Associated Press photojournalists Jose Luis Magana and Alex Brandon and AP writers Gary Fields and Matthew Daly contributed to this report.

They got that most of Saturday night for Game 2, along with a huge performance from offseason addition Nikolaj Ehlers.

Ehlers got loose up the center of the ice and popped the puck past Jakub Dobes at 3:29 of overtime to lift the Carolina Hurricanes past the Montreal Canadiens 3-2 on Saturday night to level the Eastern Conference Final at one game apiece.

Ehlers scored twice for the Eastern Conference's top seed, the first with a highlight-reel individual effort in the second period against two Montreal defenders.

And when the game went to OT, the guy the Hurricanes landed as a sought-after free agent carried them to the finish line.

“He's a special talent,” Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour said, “and it was on full display tonight.”

The winning sequence started with a retreating Jalen Chatfield bouncing the puck back into the neutral zone to Mark Jankowski. Jankowski had a quick redirection to Ehlers entering the zone at full speed for a clean look at Dobes for the sudden winner.

“We didn't get a second breath,” said Dobes, who had 23 saves. “It was over pretty quick.”

As the puck hit the net, that sent a tense home crowd into a relieved but jubilant roar — along with a screaming Ehlers.

“I can barely talk right now, but I was yelling pretty loudly after that OT winner,” Ehlers said.

“It was a great pass ... and then just try to get some speed and get the puck off my stick as quick as possible and try to surprise the goalie,” Ehlers said. “Seeing that go in, seeing how the fans reacted was pretty cool.”

Eric Robinson also scored for Carolina, which improved to 4-0 in overtime in the playoffs — including 3-2 home wins in extra time during Game 2 in all three playoff series so far.

Carolina was facing massive pressure to regroup from Thursday's 6-2 loss in the series opener that only magnified the team's long-running troubles in the Eastern Final. Now the series is level as it shifts to Canada for Monday’s Game 3.

Josh Anderson scored twice for the Canadiens, the second coming at the 12:51 mark of the third period to ultimately force the overtime at 2-2.

The Canadiens won Game 1 by jumping on a Carolina team coming off an 11-day break after sweeping through the first two rounds — the longest wait to start a series in more than a century — for four goals in the opening 11 1/2 minutes. Montreal repeatedly got loose for clean breakouts and breakaways for high-danger chances against Frederik Andersen in that one.

But Carolina looked much closer to its earlier playoff form with is aggressive forecheck and defensive pressure, holding Montreal to 12 shots on goal and giving up far fewer of those quick transition chances the Canadiens kept burying in Game 1.

“It's hard to go 200 feet and produce offense unless you execute a little bit through that pressure," Montreal coach Martin St. Louis said. "I felt today we weren't terrible, we just weren't as good” as Thursday.

___

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

The global music superstar sat courtside at Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals on Saturday night along with fiance and Cleveland native Travis Kelce as the Cavaliers hosted the New York Knicks desperately needing a win in the series.

Swift and Kelce, who recently signed a 3-year, $54 million contract with the Kansas City Chiefs, took their seats in Rocket Arena shortly before the opening tip. Their appearance caused a stir as fans reacted to seeing the power couple together.

Kelce didn't need long to settle in and was animated while cheering for the Cavs.

With the Cavs trailing 91-82 at the end of the third quarter, Kelce and Swift were shown on the arena's giant scoreboard. Fans cheered wildly as Kelce showed off his team cap and wine-and-gold shirt before chugging a beer to help rally the Cavs.

As Kelce gulped down his beverage, Swift covered her mouth and feigned shock and embarrassment.

Swift became a staple at Chiefs home games when she began dating Kelce a few years ago. She also accompanied him to Game 1 of the AL Championship Series at Yankee Stadium in 2024.

Kelce has attended Cavs games in the past and he and his brother, Jason, were celebrated with a bobblehead giveaway by Cleveland in 2024.

The couple announced their engagement last year and there are reports they'll get married sometime this summer.

The Knicks have a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series after winning twice at Madison Square Garden.

___

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

The U.S. Travel Association said that Mullin confirmed he is considering withdrawing CBP officers in a meeting where the trade group was pressing its concerns about other proposals the Trump administration is considering that could hamper travel. U.S. Travel and the major airlines quickly condemned the idea, and even Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said it doesn't make sense to him.

“U.S. Travel believes such a move would have devastating consequences for the travel industry and communities that depend on international visitation,” the industry group said Friday in a statement.

Details of the meeting were first reported by The Atlantic.

Duffy told a Congressional hearing earlier this week that he wasn’t familiar with Mullin’s remarks, and he’d like to learn more about the context and maybe ask Mullin a question about what he meant. But Duffy said it would be a bad idea to start restricting travel based on political views. After all, at some point Democrats will be in charge and “you will all switch spots at one point — hopefully not too soon Mr. Chairman,” Duffy said.

“We have people from around the world and around the country that need to be able to fly into all different kinds of places. We shouldn’t shut down air travel in a state that doesn’t agree with our politics,” Duffy said.

So it's not clear how much support this idea has within the administration, though President Donald Trump has previously threatened to withhold funding from sanctuary cities.

There is no strict definition for sanctuary policies or sanctuary cities, but the terms generally describe limited cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. And courts have rejected the idea of pulling funding from them in the past.

In Trump’s first term in office, in 2017, courts struck down his effort to cut funding to the cities.

It’s not clear exactly which cities and airports Mullin might target, but the Justice Department last year published a list of three dozen states, cities and counties that it considers to be sanctuary jurisdictions.

The Airlines for America trade group was quick to say the idea would hurt the economy and disrupt travel.

“Reducing CBP staffing at major airports would have a devastating effect on the airline and tourism industries, causing a significant operational disruption to carriers, travelers and the flow of international cargo.”

___

This story corrects a reference to Customs and Border Protection in second paragraph.

MDOC said Washington and senior custody and medical staff are observing health care units and day-to-day operations to make sure procedures are being followed and a consistent standard of care is provided. The department said leadership has been speaking with incarcerated individuals and reviewing concerns.

The department also said additional clinical leaders have been brought in and a new health care staffing plan is being developed, including enhanced nursing management.

Stakeholder briefings

Washington and the department’s medical director met May 22 with stakeholders, lawmakers and members of Michigan’s congressional delegation to provide updates and answer questions. The department said more briefings will be held as new developments occur.

Lawmaker letter

A letter dated May 21, 2026 and led by state Rep. Laurie Pohutsky calls for Washington to resign and raises concerns about conditions at Women’s Huron Valley and across the prison system.

In the letter, lawmakers say there have been at least four deaths in MDOC facilities in the last month that gained public attention, including two at Women’s Huron Valley: Khaira Howard (May 13) and Rebecca Fackler (May 17). The letter also references Colton Mitchell (April 15 at Chippewa Correctional Facility) and Devin Hurst (April 23 at the Charles Egeler Reception and Guidance Center).

The letter says “significant policy and culture change” is needed within MDOC and claims that change “cannot and will not occur” under Washington’s leadership.

After the first night without “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” Colbert turned up with a new gig Friday, hosting a one-hour special called “Only in Monroe” on Monroe County’s public access channel.

The special blended Colbert’s humor with a Metro Detroit feel, featuring Jack White, Jeff Daniels and Eminem.

Tonight temperatures stay close to where they should be for this time of year, falling to the low 50s for most areas. We’ll be slightly cooler into the thumb region.

Patchy fog and drizzle will continue overnight into Sunday morning. Visibility will fall to around a mile or so at times, so if you’ll be on the roads you may want to allow an extra minute or two of travel time.

Sunday will begin drier ahead of another round of steady rain in the afternoon and evening.

A few thunderstorms are possible but nothing severe is expected. Rain will move out in the later evening hours.

High temperatures tomorrow will be in the low 70s with a lighter southwest breeze.

Memorial Day will be warmer with highs around 80°.

The morning will feature some clouds ahead of a mostly sunny afternoon and evening. Early morning temperatures will be in the mid 50s but we’ll warm up fast - seeing mid 60s by mid-morning and mid 70s by lunchtime.

You may want to dress in layers if you’re heading out to a parade, and grab some extra water and sunscreen if you’ll be outdoors in the afternoon hours.

If you’ll be going to Fort Custer National Cemetery or the Great Lakes National Cemetery, the forecast will be very similar with plenty of sunshine and highs in the low 80s.

We keep the warmth and sunshine in the forecast for Tuesday, seeing highs in the low 80s.

Wednesday we remain in the 80s but see the next slight chance for rain.

While the rally at a central square in Belgrade passed peacefully, groups of young assailants later clashed with riot police, throwing flares, rocks and bottles at police cordons. Police responded with pepper spray as they charged forward to disperse them.

The groups, including apparent soccer hooligans, rolled trash cans into the streets as shield-carrying riot police tried to surround them. Police parked anti-riot vehicles in a central Belgrade area to block the demonstrators from returning and the violence soon ended. Police said 23 people were detained.

Protests have shaken Vucic

Crowds of protesters earlier on Saturday streamed into central Belgrade, many carrying banners and wearing T-shirts inscribed with the “Students win” motto of the youth movement which organized the gathering. Columns of cars drove into Belgrade from other Serbian towns earlier in the day.

Vucic has sought to curb the mass demonstrations that have shaken his hard-line rule in the Balkan country. Big crowds on Saturday suggested the dissent persists more than a year after protests first started to demand accountability for a train station tragedy in Serbia’s north in November 2024 that killed 16 people.

Serbia’s state railway company on Saturday canceled all trains to and from Belgrade, in an apparent bid to stop at least some people from coming from other parts of the country.

The president said in a video on Instagram on Saturday that protesters “have shown their violent nature and that they cannot stand political opponents.” Vucic, who was on his way to China for a state visit, added that “the state is functioning and will continue to work in line with the law.”

Anti-corruption protests forced then-Prime Minister Milos Vucevic to resign in January 2025 before authorities pushed back hard against the protesters. Many people in Serbia blamed the concrete canopy crash at the station on alleged graft-fueled negligence during the renovation work on the building carried out with Chinese companies.

The students on Saturday demanded an early election and the rule of law, accusing the government of crime and corruption.

Prosecutor Bojana Savovic told the crowd that “a state where laws are not implemented or are implemented selectively is no longer a state, it becomes a mafia organization.”

Parliament speaker Ana Brnabic downplayed the student rally, saying “it offered nothing new.” Police estimated that 34,300 people came to the rally, while organizers said it was many more, without giving a specific figure.

Vucic's supporters gathered at park camp

Clashes first erupted in the vicinity of a park camp of Vucic's loyalists outside the Serbian presidency building that he set up ahead of another big anti-government rally last March as a human shield against protesters. Folk music blared from a fenced area surrounded by rows of riot police in full gear.

The Serbian president has faced international scrutiny for his hard-line tactics against the demonstrators in the past year, including arbitrary arrests and use of excessive force. The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O’Flaherty, criticized Serbia’s government in a report this week and said he “will monitor the situation closely” on Saturday.

O’Flaherty also cited “reports of police protecting unidentified and often masked attackers of journalists and protesters.” He said the overall rights situation has deteriorated since his previous visit in April 2025.

Serbia is formally seeking European Union entry but it has nourished close ties with Russia and China. The democratic backsliding under Vucic could cost the country around 1.5 billion euros ($1.8 billion) in European Union funding, the EU’s top enlargement official warned last month.

The venue on Saturday was Belgrade’s Slavija Square, the scene of a huge anti-government protest in March 2025. That rally ended in sudden disruption that experts later said — and the government denied — involved the use of a sonic weapon against peaceful demonstrators.

Students prepare for elections

The youth movement’s quest for justice and rule of law has resonated widely among Serbia’s citizens, who are disillusioned with established politicians after decades of perpetual crisis.

Students now say they plan to challenge Vucic at the approaching elections that they hope will oust the right-wing populist government. Vucic said this week that the ballot could be held between September and November this year.

Vucic, government officials and the pro-government media have branded critics as foreign agents who wish to destroy the country — rhetoric that has ramped up political polarization.

Protester Maja Milas Markovic said students “managed to gather us here with their youth and wonderful energy; I really believe that we have right to live normally.”

___

Associated Press writer Dusan Stojanovic in Belgrade, Serbia, contributed to this report.

No one was hurt in the attack, according to initial reports but as patients ran out to escape the fire, 18 people with suspected Ebola infections left the facility and are now unaccounted for, a local hospital director said.

The angry residents had arrived at the clinic in the town of Mongbwalu on Friday night and set fire to a tent set up for suspected and confirmed Ebola cases by the Doctors Without Borders humanitarian group, Dr. Richard Lokudi, director of the Mongbwalu hospital, told The Associated Press.

“We strongly condemn this act, as it caused panic among the staff and also resulted in the escape of 18 suspected cases into the community,” he said.

On Thursday, another treatment center, in the town of Rwampara, was burned down after family members were banned from retrieving the body of a local man suspected to have died of Ebola.

Burials of Ebola-victims stir anger, frustration

The bodies of those who died of Ebola can be highly contagious and lead to further spread when people prepare them for burial and gather for funerals. The dangerous work of burying suspected victims is being managed wherever possible by authorities, which can be met by protests from families and friends.

A communal burial for Ebola patients in Rwampara took place on Saturday under tight security as tensions between health workers and the local community ran high, said David Basima, a team leader with the Red Cross overseeing burials.

Armed soldiers and police monitored the burials as Red Cross workers clad in white protective suits lowered sealed coffins into the ground. Crying family members stood at a distance.

Basima said his team, after arriving at the scene, “experienced a lot of difficulties, including resistance from young people and the community.”

“We were forced to alert the authorities so that they could come to our aid, just for safety,” said Basima.

Authorities in northeastern Congo on Friday banned funeral wakes and gatherings of more than 50 people in an effort to curb the spread of the virus.

The outbreak is a high risk to Congo, WHO says

The World Health Organization has said that the outbreak now poses a “very high” risk for Congo — up from a previous categorization of “high” — but that the risk of the disease spreading globally remains low.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Friday that 82 cases and seven deaths have been confirmed in Congo, but that the outbreak is believed to be “much larger.”

There is no available vaccine for the Bundibugyo virus, a rare type of Ebola, which spread undetected for weeks in Congo’s Ituri province following the first known death, while authorities tested for another, more common, Ebola virus and came up negative. There are now 750 suspected cases and 177 suspected deaths, though more are expected as surveillance expands.

Dr. Jean Kaseya, director-general of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said a response to the outbreak must include building trust with communities.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said on Saturday that three of its volunteers had died from the outbreak in Mongbwalu. The agency said it believed the three healthcare workers contracted the virus on March 27 while handling dead bodies as part of a humanitarian mission unrelated to Ebola.

If confirmed, this would significantly push back the timeline of the outbreak from the previous first confirmed death in late April in the town of Bunia, the capital of Ituri.

The US bars green-card holders from Ebola-stricken countries

U.S. federal health officials said on Friday night that they are banning green card holders who have been in Ebola-affected countries from returning to the U.S.

Green card holders are people who are not U.S. citizens but have been granted authorization to live and work permanently in the United States.

According to a Federal Register notice on Friday, the U.S. government is enacting a rule that restricts green card holders who have recently been in Congo, Uganda or South Sudan from reentering the United States.

It's unclear why South Sudan was on the list as the country has not confirmed any Ebola cases so far in this outbreak.

Such a ban will help ensure that Ebola screening, contact tracing, quarantine monitoring, and medical monitoring will be available to U.S. citizens, according to the notice.

Federal law provides for a period before such decisions become final but the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services can argue that the order can take effect immediately in certain circumstances.

The department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

___

McMakin reported from Dakar, Senegal. AP Medical Writer Mike Stobbe in New York contributed to this report.

The 30-year-old South Korean still managed to maintain an edge over a couple of major champions, including hometown favorite and defending champion Scottie Scheffler, heading into the final round.

Kim shot 3-under 68 on Saturday for a two-shot lead over top-ranked Scheffler and 2023 U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark, who had matching 65s.

“It’s fun being in contention,” said Clark, a three-time tour winner seeking his first victory since Pebble Beach in 2024. “Whether you have to shoot 8 under to win or 1 under to win, it’s fun because you still feel the same heat. Tomorrow it’s probably going to be exactly that way where you have to make a ton of birdies.”

Sungjae Im, Kim's countryman, followed a second-round 61 with a 67 and was another two shots back with Stephan Jaeger and Tom Hoge. Jaeger's 64 was the low round of the day at the TPC Craig Ranch, and Hoge shot 66.

Zach Bauchou (66) was 16 under, one shot ahead of Brooks Koepka (66) and three others. Koepka, who opened with a 63, is looking for his first win since returning to the PGA Tour from LIV Golf.

Kim, the field's second highest-ranked player behind Scheffler at No. 24, was in position for a 59 in the second round but had a bogey at 18 that forced him to settle for 60.

His five-shot lead was tied for the second-biggest on tour through 36 holes this season behind Rory McIlroy’s six-shot edge when he defended his Masters championship in April.

It was gone by the 11th hole.

Three bogeys in a span of four holes — all on putts inside 10 feet — dropped the four-time tour winner into a tie with Clark at 18 under. Clark had earlier pulled within a stroke with a short eagle putt on the par-5 ninth.

Kim, a Dallas resident, answered with three birdies over the next four holes — a day after he had 12.

“I was thinking about too much scoring like first 10, 11 holes,” Kim said. “So I’m just trying to be back to kind of like yesterday. Yeah, just trying to hit the good shots and trying to like, all the mojo’s back.”

Clark took the lead a scrambling birdie at the par-5 12th, making a 15-foot putt after a bunker shot with his right foot in the grass, his flexed right knee almost touching the ground.

Kim, Scheffler and Clark were tied at 19 under when Kim went in front with a birdie on the short par-4 14th after Scheffler and Clark settled for pars after trying to drive the green.

Clark got even again, but Kim went in front for good with a birdie at the par-3 15th.

Scheffler, a four-time major winner who ran away to an eight-shot victory at last year's Nelson, answered his first bogey of the tournament on the par-3 fourth with three birdies over the final five holes on the front nine.

“Two shots back going into tomorrow, so I’m looking forward to the challenge,” said Scheffler, who is looking for his 21st tour win. “It’s always fun when I get to play with Si Woo. I think it’s good for the community to have two guys that are local up there on the leaderboard. Should be a fun day tomorrow.”

Clark, seeking his first win since 2024 at Pebble Beach, was standing over the putt before what ended up being one of his early birdies when he stepped away and dabbed at his nose. He made the putt, but was still dabbing at his nose a few holes later.

“I don’t really know,” the 32-year-old said when asked if he had a bloody nose. “I had like a cut on my nose, and I went like this. Next thing you know, I was bleeding. It wasn’t quite a bloody nose, but it lasted a couple holes.”

Jordan Spieth, a hometown favorite alongside Scheffler, faded with four bogeys on his first five holes on the back nine a day after six consecutive birdies to start his second nine spurred a 62. He shot 73.

First-round leader Taylor Moore was back in contention after four consecutive birdies, but went in the water at 15 and ended up with a triple-bogey 6. He shot 69 and was 13 under.

Japan's Kensei Hirata, playing in the final group with Kim and Im, shot 70 and trails by seven.

___

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

For Scott Remer, the champion spellers' coach, posing for a picture was more than just a celebration. It was a business necessity.

While nearly every National Spelling Bee champion over the past 15 years has worked with a coach, the 32-year-old Remer is the country's only full-time, professional tutor for elite spellers. Most coaches are former spellers who are still in college or even high school.

When the field of 247 spellers at this year's bee — which begins Tuesday and concludes Thursday in Washington — is cut down to 10 or so finalists, it's all but inevitable the group will include multiple Remer students.

“He’s probably one of the most influential figures in spelling over the past 10 years,” said Shah, now 17.

Remer has coached five national champions, and since the bee emerged from the pandemic disruptions of 2020 and '21, he has scaled up the coaching profession. He claims 34 spellers as his students this year and has worked with no fewer than 29 during each of the past four bees.

He charges more than other coaches: up to $180 for an hourlong private lesson. If spellers finish in the top 10 and earn a cash prize, he receives up to 10% of their winnings, which he called “a performance-based bonus.”

Many spellers and their families believe Remer is worth it — despite, or perhaps because of, the intense personality that emerges during his lessons.

Always earnest and gregarious on any spelling-related topic, Remer describes coaching as a passion that grew out of his disappointing fourth-place finish in 2008, his final year as a speller. He says he's motivated by sharing his knowledge, helping kids reach their potential and the challenge of discovering spelling bee-worthy words.

“This is really about the love of language and the love of the competition. Part of it is once you're stung by the bee, there's kind of no going back,” Remer said. “I'm not going to deny that it pays well, because it does. But I don't know that there's anything wrong with that.”

The last two champions he coached say he was crucial to their victories.

“Even though his classes are more expensive, it's definitely worth it,” Faizan said. “I saw results.”

Faizan's father, Zaki Anwar, said he negotiated a reduced rate of $120 an hour for Remer's services because Faizan was already an accomplished speller. Remer took home 7% of the champion's prize haul of $52,500 — a bonus of $3,675.

“After winning, it doesn't really matter,” Anwar said.

Expensive and demanding, Remer is not for everyone

Remer drills his students on roots, language patterns and the exceptions to those patterns. He seeks to instill a deep understanding of languages that will allow spellers to figure out a word even if they have never seen or heard it before, as Shah did with “rommack” in 2023.

But Remer's pricing, and his coaching style, have led some spellers to seek help elsewhere.

“I found it prohibitively expensive,” said Navneeth Murali, a University of Pennsylvania student who competed through 2020 and now coaches spellers, charging roughly $50 for an hourlong lesson. “It wasn't a realistic option for me.”

Grace Walters, who coached 2022 champion Harini Logan and four other champions, charges $75 an hour. She and Murali take a handful of students each year.

“I'm very much quality over quantity. It's really important to me that I'm able to get to know each speller as a whole person, not just as a speller, and tailor my curriculum to them as individuals,” said Walters, a graduate student in linguistics at the University of Kentucky. “But I have to give credit where it's due: If everyone was doing it like me, there wouldn't be enough coaches for all the spellers out there.”

Sree Vidya Siliveri was coached by Remer before her 60th-place finish in 2024 but didn't respond well to his methods, said her father, Sreedhar Siliveri. She found a new coach and finished 10th in 2025.

“We were looking for alternatives and found some of the fresh, like, high school students who can be friendlier and charge less,” Sreedhar Siliveri said.

Even spellers and their parents who swear by Remer say he can be brusque and demanding of his middle school-age pupils. Simone Kaplan, who finished runner-up to the “octo-champs” of 2019, appreciated Remer's tough coaching but said it's not for everyone.

“Scott is a true logophile, a master of languages. He pushes his students to keep up with him,” Kaplan said. “That can inspire some spellers to learn and succeed, but it can also leave a student feeling like they've disappointed him if they don't spell every word right. And that's difficult for a kid.”

Remer said his goal is to be supportive while giving spellers the feedback they need to avoid repeating mistakes.

“I try to be tough but fair, and I also try to modulate my teaching methods, based on the kids' needs and the kids' personalities,” he said. “Whether I'm always successful at that is I guess an open question.”

From the Ivy League to full-time spelling coach

Remer graduated from Yale in 2016 and earned a master's degree from Cambridge a year later. His first study guide, “Words of Wisdom: Keys to Success in the Scripps National Spelling Bee,” was published in 2010, when he was a teenager. That was also the year he coached his first champion, Anamika Veeramani.

He has published three other books and has worked for the Council on Foreign Relations and as the communications coordinator for an LGBTQ-friendly synagogue in New York. Since 2020, he has been a full-time spelling coach while also offering tutoring in Chinese, Spanish, writing and standardized test prep. Born and raised in the Cleveland suburbs, he now lives in Mexico City.

Remer has written an op-ed about the bee for the Guardian every year since 2019. He emails out lists of his students and sends updates on their progress, calling them “my spellers” even if they have multiple tutors. (Faizan had three coaches last year.) During bee week, Remer is a constant presence, giving lessons on-site and sitting with spellers' families while the television cameras roll.

He knows he has to market himself, but he says he doesn't enjoy it.

“I think I'm trying not to be particularly self-aggrandizing in general,” Remer said, “so if the question is, does it come naturally to me to do that sort of promotional and marketing work, the answer is no.”

Scripps, the Cincinnati-based media company that has run the bee for a century, does not endorse coaching, but Corrie Loeffler, the bee's executive director, described the practice as inevitable, given the intensity of the competition.

Loeffler gently pushed back at the idea that any coach should claim credit for a speller's success.

“It's hard work, it's study ethic, it's perseverance,” she said. “These kids are doing pretty incredible things at a really high level, especially at a young age, and I want them to be able to take credit for that themselves, knowing that it's a community and they've had so much support along the way.”

___

Ben Nuckols has covered the Scripps National Spelling Bee since 2012. Follow him at https://x.com/APBenNuckols