State lawmakers were expected Sunday to approve Gov. Rubén Rocha Moya’s request for an indefinite leave of absence, about a day and a half after he announced his return by claiming Mexican prosecutors had cleared him of the drug trafficking charges leveled against him by the U.S. Department of Justice in late April.

The rapid reversal demonstrated the authority Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum wields over her Morena party as she walks a fine line between placating U.S. President Donald Trump, who says cartels control Mexico and has repeatedly offered U.S. military help to fight them, and her progressive movement deeply wary of U.S. intervention.

After nearly four months on leave, Rocha Moya announced Friday that he was returning to office, claiming Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office had found “no evidence to support our participation in any criminal conduct.” He declared that he was back “as governor of Sinaloa with my head held high.”

That defiance lasted barely a day, as his return unleashed a torrent of criticism from governors, senators and other prominent figures in Morena, including Sheinbaum.

“No personal interest can ever come before the interests of the people and the nation,” she wrote Saturday in an apparent rebuke of Rocha Moya, without mentioning him by name. “Mexico deserves public servants who understand that positions are temporary, but responsibility to the nation is eternal.”

Morena said its national leadership had no prior knowledge of Rocha Moya’s return, calling it his “personal decision.” The party’s Senate bloc urged respect for the ongoing investigation, while Morena governors declared in a joint statement that “personal or group political projects have no place” when the country’s interests are at stake.

Ricardo Monreal, Morena’s leader in the lower house of Congress, publicly urged Rocha Moya, his longtime ally, to reconsider and remain on leave.

The coordinated response left Rocha Moya isolated. He announced later Saturday that he had asked the state legislature to allow him to step aside indefinitely. “Sinaloa, the nation and the transformation movement come first,” he wrote.

Rocha Moya had been on leave since early May, days after federal prosecutors in New York unsealed a bombshell indictment accusing him and nine other current and former Mexican officials of protecting Sinaloa cartel members in exchange for bribes as they trafficked fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine into the U.S.

The indictment marked the Trump administration’s most significant public action against what it calls official corruption enabling Mexico’s cartels, fueling new tension between the U.S. and Mexican governments. Sheinbaum has denied shielding Rocha Moya but rejected Washington’s request to arrest and extradite the defendants without credible evidence, insisting that any prosecution take place in Mexico.

Rocha Moya, 77, a staunch ally of Sheinbaum’s mentor, former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, denied wrongdoing and described the charges as a politically motivated attack. He initially stepped aside so he could cooperate with the Mexican investigation without relying on the constitutional immunity attached to his office. Whether taking leave stripped him of that protection — and whether his latest request to step aside indefinitely would do so again — remains disputed among Mexican legal scholars.

After the indictment, the mayor of Culiacán, Sinaloa’s capital, and the state’s deputy attorney general also stepped down from their posts, while two former senior state officials surrendered to U.S. authorities.

Sinaloa has been engulfed for nearly two years in a bloody conflict between rival factions of the cartel that bears the state’s name.

Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed it in 1981. The United Nations and most of the international community consider the territory occupied Syrian land and does not recognize Israel’s annexation of it.

In 2019, Trump recognized Israeli sovereignty over the territory, reversing decades of U.S. policy.

Ambassador Tom Barrack on Friday said that Israel “still” occupies the territory in an interview with Lebanese-Australian entrepreneur Mario Nawfal.

Barrack now says that was a description of the territory’s historical status, “not an endorsement of the United Nations’ position” on the Golan.

"United States policy on the Golan was set by President Trump in 2019 and is unchanged,” he said in a statement to The Associated Press on Sunday.

He said he intended to explain why he does not anticipate annexation in Lebanon, where Israeli forces are occupying parts of the south after the latest Israel-Hezbollah war, and to argue that negotiated agreements, rather than territorial maps, are more durable and that he had cited the Golan as an example that “territory taken by force remains contested for generations.”

In the Friday interview, Barrack had also criticized Israel’s strikes on an airbase in northern Syria earlier last week. Israeli officials said the strikes intended to prevent Turkey from establishing a presence at the base.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz defended the strikes, saying on X on Sunday that critics who initially called it “unnecessary and politically motivated” changed their position after the government said they were based on “clear intelligence” and at the recommendation of the Israeli army. He added that Israel would not allow Turkey “to establish itself in Syria and threaten Israeli security.”

The strikes last Tuesday have highlighted growing tensions between Israel and Turkey over Ankara’s increased influence in Syria following the fall of Bashar Assad. Turkey and Syria have denied that Turkish forces were due to be deployed at the Abu Duhur base.

Barrack’s comments on the Golan also sparked a backlash in Washington.

Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott wrote on X that the ambassador appears to have “forgotten” Trump’s recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the territory.

Barrack went further on the defensive on Sunday, responding to criticism of his assessment of ongoing negotiations between Israel and Lebanon over Israeli withdrawal and the disarmament of the militant group.

He had said “there are two people missing from that (negotiating) table – Hezbollah and Iran.” That remark prompted speculation Barrack meant Tehran and Hezbollah should join the U.S.-backed negotiations.

On Sunday, Barrack stressed that the U.S. does not negotiate with Hezbollah, but said he was pointing out that “the weapons in question are supplied and financed by Iran," which complicates negotiations over their fate.

“I was describing the difficulty of the problem, not proposing a new table,” Barrack told the AP. “Hezbollah is a designated foreign terrorist organization. We do not negotiate with it, and nothing I said suggests otherwise.”

He also defended his remarks questioning who would replace Tehran’s financial support for Shiite communities in southern Lebanon, saying that raising those questions was “not conferring standing on anyone.”

The meeting, first reported Sunday by The New York Times, touched on issues ranging from housing, immigration to the high costs of living. People in the United States are struggling under inflationary prices that Democrats blame on Republicans, alongside Trump, for failing to get under control.

Kushner suggested that Jeffries, who is in line to become House speaker if Democrats regain power in November, meet with White House chief of staff Susie Wiles as a follow-up.

Jeffries, in a statement Sunday, did not mention the private conversation but said the Republican administration needed to drop the GOP's “my-way-or-the-highway” approach that “has failed the American people.”

“To stop the madness, we have repeatedly made clear that an extremist approach will not work and will be met with forceful opposition," the New York congressman said. "The question is whether Republicans will join us.”

The meeting shows the depth of Republican Party angst over losing their congressional majority, particularly the House, and the need to make inroads with the opposing party as the White House seeks to stem any potential political fallout on the president.

If Democrats retake power, the White House can expect an aggressive oversight agenda into what Jeffries has called the “crooks” in the administration, with the threat of impeachment among the many tools at the party's disposal.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, a close ally of Trump, bristled Sunday when asked about the meeting. He minimized the role that Kushner, who he said “hedges his bets,” plays in the White House.

“I’m telling you what, you better not bet against the House Republicans,” Johnson, R-La., told Fox News Channel’s “The Sunday Briefing."

“I don’t know what that’s about," Johnson said. "I know Jared has interests in lots of other things going on. He’s not really directly involved in the admin, at least in the day-to-day in the White House.”

The White House did not respond to a request for comment. A representative for Kushner also did not respond.

Kushner is a familiar Trump emissary to Democrats

Jeffries and Kushner are not strangers.

The New Yorkers allied during the first Trump administration on landmark legislation to allow sentencing flexibility for certain drug offenses as a way to curtail lengthy terms in the federal prison system.

While not necessarily close, the two have maintained a relationship despite the repeated attacks Trump has leveled against Jeffries and the Democratic leader's responses. In Trump's second term, Kushner has an oversize role despite having no formal position in the White House. He serves as an outside adviser and envoy, particularly shuttling to foreign diplomatic missions as the U.S. war against Iran drags into its sixth month.

Trump has only met with Jeffries once since the president returned to the White House, taunting the House leader and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York with red “Make America Great Again” 2028 caps on the desk in front of them in the Oval Office — a nod to Trump's toying with an unconstitutional third term in office.

After that fall meeting, Trump posted a fake image of Schumer with Jeffries wearing a sombrero with a handlebar mustache in what was widely viewed as a racist trope as he mocked the Democrats before what became the longest federal government shutdown in U.S. history.

Trump has been able to alternately ignore the Congress as he relies on the sheer force of executive power to implement his priorities or to pressure the Republicans in the House and Senate, when needed, to fall in line behind the White House, particularly to confirm controversial Cabinet nominees.

All that is likely to change if Democrats control either chamber, with lawmakers eager for Congress to flex their own power as a coequal branch of government more willing to hold the White House in check.

Republicans and Democrats race for power in midterms

House Republicans are counting on Trump's popularity among their core voters as they struggle to hold onto majority control, with Johnson believing the GOP will defy history that tends to reward the challengers in midterms and punish the party in power.

The House GOP has a slim majority. Control will likely be won — or lost — in a handful of battleground districts as Democrats put forward candidates in what they hope will be something of a repeat of 2018, when they swept to power riding a wave of voter unrest during Trump's first term.

While the House is most at risk for Republicans this year, he narrowly split Senate is also increasingly in play. GOP strategists worry about an enthusiasm gap on their side as Democrats appear more eager to head to the polls.

At the same time, Democrats are nominating outsider candidates, some aligned with socialist agendas over establishment backed candidates, in a sign of voter unrest with the status quo.

__

Associated Press writer Michelle L. Price contributed to this report.

Officials said at a news conference Sunday afternoon that 42,000 residents have been ordered evacuated, and the “GO NOW” zone reached the edge of the University of Nevada campus. An additional 45,000 people were in the evacuation warning zone, and encouraged to leave now and be prepared to stay away for several days to clear the roads for first-responders.

The fire had grown to 13,000 acres (53 sq. km.) and was moving in different directions as the winds changed, complicating the fight.

Authorities confirmed several structures have been destroyed in the fire and were assessing the totals.

The injured included three civilians and three first responders, officials said.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

The fast-growing Hawk Fire was spreading toward neighborhoods in northwest Reno early Sunday, growing to more than 10,500 acres (42 sq. km.) Nearly 14,000 homes were ordered evacuated, and the “GO NOW” zone reached the edge of the University of Nevada campus.

The fire has been burning across a rugged section of the Humboldt–Toiyabe National Forest where the Peavine Mountain is ringed by homes and businesses on the Nevada side of the California state line, and some of these homes were consumed by the flames.

Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo declared a state of emergency in Washoe County, and mobilized the Nevada National Guard to support aerial firefighting with two helicopter crews as well as 60 troops to help police safeguard evacuated neighborhoods.

Nearly 10,000 customers were without power in Washoe County on Sunday. Portions of U.S. Route 395, a major north-south highway, were closed due to the fire. Reno has a population of more than 280,000 residents.

Washoe County emergency officials opened the Reno-Sparks Convention Center to evacuees, but said they couldn’t bring their pets — small animals and large animals were to be left at two other locations.

A family raced to grab possessions but lost their home

Cari Kieffer said a video posted on social media showed her house entirely burned down, with only a scorched basketball hoop still standing.

“I woke up this morning and just started crying — all my kids, they lost everything,” Kieffer said Sunday. “We lost all our stuff. Everything we own is gone.”

Kieffer had been watching her son’s football game Saturday when she learned that their home on the outskirts of Reno was in the evacuation zone. An application the family used to track the fire’s progress had been lagging significantly behind its actual location, she said, so they thought firefighters had kept the blaze from their neighborhood.

Instead, Kieffer, her husband and their four children ages 3 to 16 raced to save their dogs and whatever possessions they could retrieve. Ash rained down and the wind blew like an oven blast from a wall of flames advancing down the hillside toward their neighborhood, she said.

“I kept looking outside and the flames just kept getting closer and closer every time I looked,” Kieffer said. “I was like, we gotta go like now.”

Eyes watering and throat burning, Kieffer grabbed a handful of clothes, a Bible, her wedding photos and her mother’s ashes. In the frenzy, as firefighters yelled at her family to leave immediately, she said she forgot her family’s birth certificates and was unable to salvage her childhood photos.

The family drove to a friend’s home but had to evacuate again. They learned later Saturday evening that their own home was gone.

A mountaintop home goes up in flames

Jaida Hargrove’s grandfather, Rick Arrate, lived alone on Peavine Mountain, which overlooks Reno and Sparks. Firefighters used a bulldozer, cut down trees and applied fire retardant in their attempt to contain the flames, Hargrove said.

“They all thought it would be OK,” she said. “And then, in about 30 minutes, the winds just changed and it came way too fast.”

Arrate and the firefighters were quickly forced off the mountain. “All he was able to take with him was his two golden retrievers,” Hargrove said.

Arrate spent Saturday night with Hargrove’s parents, his next steps unknown.

Separate GoFundMe crowdfunding campaigns were set up to assist Arrate and the Kieffer family.

The fire wasn’t troubling to some at first

The fire was so small Saturday morning that it wasn’t even a concern, said Tyler Duvall, who went camping over the weekend. By the next day, his house was in the evacuation zone and he couldn’t get back.

“The wind really blew it up,” Duvall said, adding that he knows of some homes that burned about a mile from his place.

Strong, gusty winds, low humidity and dry vegetation are fueling its growth, according to Truckee Meadows Fire & Rescue in Reno.

“Approximately 400 personnel are currently working on the incident, with resources coming together from local, state and federal agencies, including ground crews and air resources,” the Truckee Meadows statement said.

A Nevada transplant gets a rude welcome to Reno

Retired police officer and firefighter Ted Melden has seen his share of Mother Nature’s fury since moving to Reno with his wife earlier this month from Chapin, South Carolina. So far, he’s experienced a hailstorm with flash flooding, two different power outages and, now, the second wildfire incident in the region in two weeks.

“Just another natural disaster,” Melden said.

In the two years he lived in South Carolina, Melden said Hurricane Helene knocked over trees in his yard, while a tornado did some damage in his neighborhood.

For now, Melden hasn’t been ordered to leave his home, but he has his bags packed just in case.

“This thing kicked off yesterday, and it just went,” Melden said in describing the wildfire’s fast movement. “I’m hoping they’ll get a good handle on it. You just have to roll with the flow and be ready. Always be prepared and have a full tank of gas.”

Places just outside the evacuation zone are warned

The University of Nevada’s Reno campus was just outside the evacuation zone Sunday morning. The university had an enrollment of about 24,000 students in fall 2025. University officials said they have established an emergency response plan should conditions change.

The Reno-Tahoe International Airport also was outside the evacuation zone. Commercial flights at the airport were unaffected Sunday. The smaller Reno-Stead Airport was closed to general aviation traffic due to the Hawk Fire, but remained open to firefighting aircraft.

Casinos in Reno offered discounts on hotel rooms to evacuees.

“If you have been told to evacuate, please don’t wait!” Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve said in a statement posted on social media late Saturday night. “Structures have already been burned in this fire and your life is more important than a building.”

Authorities also were keeping watch on a county detention facility that was several blocks from the outer edge of the evacuation warning area.

Earlier this month, three wildfires fueled by hot, dry and windy conditions north of Reno forced more than 13,000 residents from their homes, according to the Nevada National Guard. The largest of the three, the Bug Fire, burned nearly 150 square miles (390 sq. kms.) but now is almost fully contained.

___

Raby reported from Charleston, West Virginia, Brook from New Orleans and Seewer from Toledo, Ohio.

The Boston Musicians’ Association said Saturday it had authorized a strike ahead of the expiration of the union’s three-year contract at 11:59 p.m. Sunday. The BSO said Sunday the contract had been extended to 11:59 p.m. Tuesday.

BSO CEO Chad Smith said Sunday that the extension had been agreed to pending a ratification vote by the Boston Musicians’ Association and the Boston Symphony Orchestra Players’ Committee. The unions did not respond to a request for comment.

The orchestra and management have had strained relations since BSO decided in March to force out music director Andris Nelsons next summer after 13 seasons.

The orchestra’s season is scheduled to open Sept. 17.

They’re cousins, who are both from San Diego and have a combined 10-0 professional record. They are more like brothers and they’re ready to meet the moment.

“Detroit’s, you know, a place where I wanted to fight years ago,” Mansoor, 26, said. “I wrote a letter to myself. I said my goal one day is to fight in San Diego and to fight in Detroit, and here we are.”

They’re also both Chaldean, and with Metro Detroit having one of country’s largest Arab American populations, stepping into the Fox Theatre means a little something more.

“I was in Iraq a couple of months ago,” Mansoor said. “When the Iraqi soccer team was playing [in the World Cup], you could feel the streets shaking.

“To be able to be the first generation born in the United States – we both represented Team USA – and now to be representing our family’s roots in Iraq, it’s a blessing, and we know they’re going to show out for us.

Also, on the card is Husam al-Mashhadi – a super welterweight who has a career record of 15-1 with 12 knockouts. He was born in Iraq and lives in Dearborn.

This is a homecoming for him, and he says he’s ready for the spotlight.

“This is going to be probably the most stacked, you know, Middle Eastern card crowd that I’m going to be on,” al-Mashhadi said. “I’d like to win a world title, by the time I’m 26 years old, and I think I think you know this is a step closer to that.”

Ballo and Mansour held a public workout at the SuperBad gym in Detroit last week and they’ve also spent time working out at the iconic Kronk gym – where more than 40 world champions have trained.

They understand the legacy of Detroit boxing and are ready to put their stamp on it, while also representing their community

“It’s going to be great night of boxing at the Fox Theater,” Ballo, 23, said. You get to watch the two biggest Middle Eastern fighters come together, and it’s going to be a big night for Detroit.

This event will be the 4^th ever boxing event held at the fox. And the card will also feature several up-and-coming local fighters from Detroit, Flint, Troy, and Ann Arbor.

Tickets are still available on Ticketmaster and it starts on Saturday at 5:00pm.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday is expected to announce new measures against Iran after the U.S. vowed to impose an “unprecedented” level of economic warfare and isolation. Also Monday, Pakistan’s army chief planned to travel to Tehran, Iranian media reported, as mediators try to revive talks.

Meanwhile, violence continued in the occupied West Bank, and a hospital said an Israeli airstrike in Gaza killed a child.

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

Iranian president wants to move past ‘neither war nor peace’

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian defended the memorandum of understanding signed in mid-June as the best way to move beyond a situation of “neither war nor peace.”

“There is not a single provision in this agreement that amounts to capitulation,” Pezeshkian said in a speech published by state-run IRNA early Sunday. “The supreme leader sets the policies, and we will follow that path.”

The memorandum of understanding opened a 60-day period for talks aimed at ending the war and reaching an accord on Iran's nuclear program. That period ended last week with no signs of compromise, especially on the crucial issue of reopening the Strait of Hormuz, vital to global shipping.

Pezeshkian said the country can't attract investment in this stalled phase. Nearly six months after the war began, Iran's economy is suffering under sanctions and a U.S. naval blockade.

Iran's security chief warns neighbors not to join sanctions

The hard-line leader of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, in his most extensive public comments since being named to the post this month, warned Tehran’s neighbors against joining the new U.S. effort to hurt Iran’s economy and said they would be considered enemies.

“If (Trump) wants to do something, we will retaliate in a seismic manner,” Mohsen Rezaei told the state broadcaster in an interview that aired late Saturday. He said Iran would target oil-shipping routes out of the Persian Gulf — alternatives to the Strait of Hormuz — if neighbors join in.

Rezaei, a former Revolutionary Guard commander and military adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, was part of senior appointments widely seen as hardening Tehran’s political and military stance.

There were no confirmed attacks in the Strait of Hormuz over the past 48 hours, a multinational coalition overseen by the U.S. Navy said Sunday, with shipping traffic still at reduced levels.

Pakistan's army chief will visit Tehran

Pakistani Field Marshal Asim Munir will lead a delegation to Tehran on Monday, Iranian state television reported, citing Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei.

Two regional officials said the visit was part of Islamabad’s efforts to de-escalate tensions between the United States and Iran and urge them to return to the negotiating table. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

— By Munir Ahmed in Islamabad

Iran executes man arrested during January protests

The Iranian judiciary’s Mizan news agency reported the latest execution connected to nationwide protests early this year, saying Majid Adineh was arrested Jan. 9 in Mohammadshahr, west of Tehran.

The judiciary said forensic examinations indicated the handgun found on him had been fired on Jan. 8 and 9. Mizan said Adineh had joined the unrest following calls by groups opposed to Iran’s government and alleged that he had received training from groups outside the country.

A Revolutionary Court in Karaj convicted Adineh under Iran’s law imposing harsher penalties for espionage and cooperation with hostile states. Mizan said the verdict accused him of carrying out operations on behalf of Israel, the United States and groups Iran considers hostile.

Israeli settler arrested in beating of Palestinian amputee

Police arrested a 16-year-old boy from the Israeli settlement of Avigayil in the beating of a 61-year-old Palestinian man. Saeed Muhammad Ibrahim Rabah was struck with a pipe outside his home in the occupied West Bank, a year after he lost a leg after being shot by a settler.

Rabah told The Associated Press that two settlers arrived at his home in Khirbet al-Rakeez on Saturday afternoon. One struck him on his back when he approached, Rabah said. He called the violence an effort to make families leave.

“We will remain, no matter what happens,” he said after filing a police report. “This is our land and this is our homeland, and we must protect it.”

Separately, the health ministry in the West Bank said a 14-year-old in the Askar refugee camp in Nablus was shot dead by Israeli forces, who did not immediately comment. The uncle of Islam Maher Ajouri, Nehad Ajouri, called the shooting indiscriminate.

And Israel's military said it had detained a suspect in a stabbing attack that wounded a 24-year-old Israeli man in the area of al-Auja in the West Bank. Israel's emergency services said the man was taken to a hospital in moderate condition.

Airstrike in Gaza kills a 4-year-old child

Four-year-old Mohammed Taha died after an Israeli airstrike hit a house in central Gaza on Sunday, hospital authorities said. The strike in Zawaida also wounded at least five other people, including a child, according to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital, which received the casualties.

The military later said it struck and killed a Hamas commander in central Gaza. Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital confirmed that the man named in the statement, Ismail Abu Ful, was killed.

An Israeli strike in southern Gaza wounded at least seven people, including three children, according to health officials at Nasser Hospital. The military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Also, Defense Minister Israel Katz in a statement said he instructed the military to “act immediately and forcefully” to prevent launches of balloons, kites or drones from Gaza toward nearby Israeli communities.

“We view every launch as an act of war in every respect,” he said.

Before the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas-led militants on Israel — when 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage — burning kites and balloons were sent from Gaza into southern Israel, causing fires and other damage.

While the heaviest fighting has subsided since a fragile ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war took hold in October, Israeli forces have carried out repeated airstrikes, killing more than 1,280 Palestinians, according to health officials in Gaza.

The Gaza Health Ministry, part of the Hamas-led government, maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts. It doesn't give a breakdown of civilians and militants.

The 49ers got good news on the injury front 10 days before the team was set to depart for Australia for a Week 1 game against the Los Angeles Rams on Sept. 11 with both Kittle and All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey both back at practice.

The Niners are scheduled to leave for Australia on Sept. 2 and Kittle said last week that he needed to get practice time in pads before then to determine whether he would make the trip and try to play Week 1.

Kittle ruptured his Achilles on Jan. 11 in a playoff win at Philadelphia and has made an impressive recovery to get back on the field in less than eight months.

Kittle is a two-time All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowler who is a key part of San Francisco’s offense as a passing threat and a blocker in the run game. He had 57 catches for 628 yards receiving and seven touchdowns last season.

McCaffrey had missed the past two weeks of practice with what the team had described as “tightness.” After being limited to four games because of injuries in 2024, McCaffrey was an ironman last season. He played 1,010 offensive snaps in the regular season and playoffs — just the ninth running back in the past 20 seasons to top the 1,000 mark — and became the second player in the past decade with at least 450 combined carries and catches.

The 30-year-old McCaffrey hasn’t responded well in the past following his heaviest-use seasons. The previous two times he topped 400 touches — in 2019 with Carolina and 2023 with the 49ers — he was severely hampered by injuries the following season, missing 13 games each in 2020 and 2024.

Star defensive end Nick Bosa remains out of practice with soreness and tendinitis in his surgically repaired right knee. Bosa tore his right ACL in Week 3 last season. He started camp on the active roster but has only participated in individual drills before being shut down nearly three weeks ago. The Niners have expressed optimism that he will be ready for Week 1.

___

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Washington was hosting an IndyCar race through its streets Sunday, with President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump kicking off the Freedom 250 Grand Prix by leading a slow lap in the presidential limousine through the course. Soon after, the president waved the green flag to start the race and drivers began whipping through downtown, including a stretch along Pennsylvania Avenue not too far from the White House.

“I’m going to make a little circle in a nice, secure car, slightly slower than the ones we’re going to witness, but we’re going to have fun,” Trump said in an interview on Fox shortly before the ride.

The open-wheel race, with cars whizzing past Washington’s monuments at speeds approaching 200 mph, is the latest of Trump’s celebrations this year to mark America’s 250th birthday.

Trump’s other events to mark the semiquincentennial of the Declaration of Independence’s signing have included a UFC fight on the White House lawn, military aircraft flyovers, a massive July Fourth fireworks show on the National Mall and a Great American State Fair that the president headlined after scores of ’90s-era musical acts dropped out. The events have all had a Trumpian flair, featuring appearances from his friends and the aim of showcasing spectacle, Americana and power.

In this latest case, it was be horsepower.

Racing day brings out some of Trump's favorites

Sunday included some of Trump's favorite flourishes. One of his favorite singers, tenor Christopher Macchio, performed, “The Star-Spangled Banner.” A trained bald eagle was dramatically released near the start line, and it swooped and flew overhead before returning to its handler.

There were flyovers of military aircraft, which have boomed over the city during the July Fourth celebrations, among other events. One flyover Sunday involved a formation featuring a B-2 stealth bomber, which Trump frequently boasts about for its role in dropping massive bunker-buster bombs on Iranian nuclear facilities last year.

Air Force One, escorted by four fighter jets, flew overhead as Trump did his lap. The jet was the Qatar-gifted aircraft that the president has been using as Air Force One, which has attracted scrutiny not only for Trump’s acceptance of the luxury gift but because it is not equipped with some of the same missile detection and countermeasure systems found on older presidential jets.

The IndyCar race took place Trump has struggled to resolve the war he started nearly six months ago with Iran, a conflict that has driven up gasoline prices and exacerbated worries from officials in his Republican Party that voters in this November’s midterm elections see the president as distracted and not focused enough on cost-of-living concerns.

Trump in his second term has increasingly seemed to focus on relishing the presidency’s ceremonial aspects. That's included a healthy dose of visits to sporting events — including an appearance last month at the World Cup final, where he presented the trophy to winner Spain and lingered onstage with the team as its members jumped in a hail of confetti.

Bringing Indy to DC was a longtime quest for racing series owner

From his viewing box, Trump had the honor of waving the green flag to kick off the race.

Before the race, Trump and his wife met and chatted with some of the race drivers. They then took a slow drive through the course in a small motorcade and could be seen waving at the crowd as a Marine Corps band played “Stars and Stripes Forever."

IndyCar series owner Roger Penske, a longtime friend of Trump’s who received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from him in 2019, helped lead the effort to bring the race to Washington.

Trump told Fox on Sunday that Penske told him that he had been trying to bring the race to Washington for 20 years.

“When he came to see Trump it got done in about 15 minutes and it’s turned out to be much bigger than we ever even thought possible,” the president said, referring to himself in the third person.

Penske met Trump when he arrived at the course and later joined him in his viewing box, as did the president’s friend and UFC CEO Dana White, who helped put on the fight at the White House in June.

An executive order Trump signed earlier this year calling for the Freedom 250 Grand Prix declared that the “cars and drivers inspire awe and respect in all who watch this quintessentially American sport,” and the event will “showcase the majesty of our great city as drivers navigate a track around our iconic national monuments in celebration of America’s 250th birthday.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told Fox News Channel that he wants to push to bring the event back next year and make it an annual event.

Trump wanted to hear ‘freedom roar’ from the powerful racing machines

“Their beautiful cars are going to make freedom roar. This will be a freedom that’s roaring like never before,” Trump said at the White House earlier this month as he promoted the event.

Bud Denker, president of Penske Corporation and the race’s chair, said that Penske is paying for the “vast majority” of the race, including building the track and road improvements, while the District of Columbia handled some repaving.

Among the changes needed on the city’s streets for the Indycar race was the welding of more than 200 maintenance hole covers to ensure the race cars don’t suck them up off the road.

Sunday’s festivities were also the latest opportunity for Trump to revel in the way he’s putting his mark on the nation’s capital, including large banners showing his face on government buildings, the construction of a massive White House ballroom, a gold-adorned Oval Office and botched repairs at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

For Enzo Maresca, it was the "perfect day" as he earned his first victory as Manchester City manager.

City produced a stirring late rally in Maresca's first Premier League game in charge, scoring twice in the final 10 minutes to grab a 2-1 win at home to Bournemouth on Sunday.

Josko Gvardiol placed a finish into the bottom corner in the first minute of added-on time for the winner, which was initially given offside before being awarded following a video review. Marc Guehi had equalized with a 84th-minute header from a corner to start the comeback.

Maresca, the successor to Pep Guardiola, punched the air when Gvardiol’s goal was awarded and went onto the field after the final whistle to hug his players.

A huge banner, reading “Welcome back Enzo,” had been held aloft by City fans as the Italian — Guardiola’s assistant in City’s treble-winning 2022-23 season — emerged from the tunnel before kickoff

Wearing a sharp black suit, Maresca certainly looked the part on the touchline but the slickness synonymous with City’s play under Guardiola down the years wasn’t quite there until the late comeback sparked by substitute Rayan Cherki, who set up both goals.

“It is the perfect day, to be honest,” Maresca said. "I was very pleased when the game started to see the banner on the other side. And I was pleased because we give them the joy of the three points.

“It was quite emotional and the perfect day.”

Maresca throws curveball with Guehi in midfield

Maresca began his time as Guardiola's replacement with a 3-0 loss to Arsenal in the Community Shield last weekend and has had to deal with the departure of star midfielder Rodri to Barcelona.

City might have found a long-term replacement for Rodri in 18-year-old Morocco international Ayyoub Bouaddi, who is set to join from Lille for 100 million euros ($117 million) according to French media, but Maresca opted against Bournemouth to deploy Guehi — a center back — as a holding midfielder instead.

It was a contentious decision given there were other midfield options on the bench, and it might prove to be a one-off, but Guehi grew into the role.

City striker Erling Haaland wasn't on the scoresheet in the first league game of the season for the first time since joining the club in 2022. He sported a new hairstyle — a buzz cut that went viral on social media ahead of kickoff — and wasted a couple of great chances to score with it.

Szoboszlai's late equalizer for Liverpool at Newcastle after Keegan tribute

Dominik Szoboszlai converted a penalty in the ninth minute of stoppage time to salvage a 2-2 draw for Liverpool at Newcastle in a match overseen by two new managers.

Before kickoff, the teams united to pay tribute to Kevin Keegan — a star player for both clubs — following his death last month at age 75. Players from Newcastle and Liverpool wore shirts with “Keegan” and the number 7 on the back in the warmup at St. James' Park, while there was a mosaic in the center circle, a tribute video and a huge tifo in the stands dedicated to the former England star.

Szoboszlai smashed an unstoppable spot kick into the top corner after debutant Victor Munoz was fouled in the area in a dramatic finish. There was a 3 1/2-minute wait for a video review of the decision.

“I really hit it good,” the Hungary captain said. “I love the pressure.”

Joe Willock looked to have scored a 57th-minute winner for Newcastle, one minute after coming on as a substitute and two minutes after Cody Gakpo had equalized for Liverpool. Anthony Elanga put Newcastle ahead in the fifth minute.

Liverpool striker Alexander Isak was jeered by Newcastle fans when he came off the team coach and then every time he touched the ball, a hangover from his switch of clubs at the start of last season.

Matthias Jaissle was taking charge of Newcastle for first time, while Andoni Iraola is Liverpool's new manager as Arne Slot's replacement.

Brighton destroys Villa

Brighton scored four goals in the opening 31 minutes and also missed a slew of great chances in a 4-0 hammering of Aston Villa in the other early game.

To make matters worse for Villa, Joao Gomes was sent off for kicking out at Brighton’s Georginio Rutter in the 40th but the visitors somehow didn’t concede any more goals.

It has been a tough offseason for Villa, with key players Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans and Ezri Konsa leaving and speculation surrounding the future of Ollie Watkins and Emi Martinez at the club.

Brighton was sharper, having been in European qualifying action in midweek.

___

Steve Douglas is at https://twitter.com/sdouglas80

___

See AP’s full soccer coverage here

The National Hurricane Center located Moke's center about 310 miles (500 kilometers) south of Hilo Sunday morning. Its top sustained winds were around 45 mph (75 kph), but the real impact will be the rainfall in places where last weekend’s hurricane downed trees and power lines, caused mudslides and damaged roads and bridges. Two deaths related to the hurricane were reported.

Forecasters expected Moke to produce as much as 10 inches (25 centimeters) of total rain across the Big Island, and up to 15 inches (38 centimeters) in some isolated places, enough to cause life-threatening flooding and mudslides for the windward and southeast slopes, especially in steep terrain and over areas affected by Lala. In eastern Maui, the next in the island chain, up to 6 inches was expected, and the other islands may get an inch or two, the hurricane center said.

As with Hurricane Lala, the Big Island was expected to bear the brunt of Moke's rain and winds as it moves westward, south of the island chain.

The northeast coast of the Big Island saw the heaviest total rainfall from Lala, at 43.54 inches (1.1 meters), according to the weather service. More than 6,700 customers, most of them on the Big Island, remained without electricity on Sunday, according to poweroutage.us.

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green and other officials had held a news conference ahead of Moke, urging people to prepare by restocking food, medicine and other essentials.

Elsewhere, Tropical Storm Iselle formed Sunday in warm eastern Pacific waters well offshore of Mexico's southwest coast.

Iselle had top sustained winds of 45 mph (75 kph) and was located about 595 miles (955 kilometers) south-southwest of the southern tip of Mexico's Baja California peninsula. No coastal watches or warnings were in effect for the storm as it moved to the west-northwest at 12 mph (19 kph) far out at sea.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said Iselle could become a hurricane in another day or two and would kick up strong ocean swells on Baja's western coast starting Monday.

Tensions escalated late Friday when Canada walked away from negotiations after Carney concluded the United States was demanding too much in exchange for tariff relief. The U.S. imposed 50% duties Saturday on about $20 billion worth of Canadian goods, and Carney announced dollar-for-dollar retaliation beginning Sept. 8.

“We’re going to hit back,” Carney said.

Carney is doing what many other American allies have so far avoided: risking economic pain rather than yielding to tariff pressure.

For Carney, the showdown is the clearest test yet of his argument that middle powers must stand up to economic pressure from great powers such as the United States and China, even when it comes at a cost. Canada’s response could show how countries navigate a world in which long-standing alliances offer less protection and economic ties themselves become sources of leverage.

It could also shape how Carney is viewed at home and abroad, and how other U.S. allies respond to the Republican president.

The trade dispute also has become a test of sovereignty.

Carney said Washington introduced language in the final hours of negotiations that would have restricted Canada’s ability to make trade deals with other countries. He said that demand was “unacceptable” and “a question of sovereignty.”

British Columbia Premier David Eby said accepting such a condition would have reduced Canada “to the economic equivalent of the 51st state” — a status Trump has mused about often.

Canada becomes a test case for the world Carney warned about

Carney’s message resonated in January when he addressed the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, as Europe braced for Trump’s threats over Greenland and new tariffs.

Carney said the international order was undergoing “a rupture, not a transition.” He argued that sovereignty would depend increasingly on a country’s ability to “withstand pressure” and warned that middle powers negotiating alone with great powers do so from weakness.

Trump responded a day later by stressing Canada’s dependence on the United States. “ Canada lives because of the United States,” he said. “Remember that, Mark, the next time you make your statements.”

The president has repeatedly talked about making Canada the 51st U.S. state and dismissed the allies' border as artificial. On Sunday, Trump returned to that theme, writing on Truth Social that “Canada wants the benefits of being a State, without being one!!!” and accusing Canada of charging U.S. farmers “massive amounts” of tariffs for years. “No more!!!” he wrote.

Seven months since Davos, Canada has become a test case for the world Carney described.

“Our government understood, before many, that America would transform all its commercial relationships,” Carney said Saturday. He accused Washington of using “economic integration as a weapon” and said its “signature was written in pencil.”

The price of resistance and will Canada show the way?

Historian Robert Bothwell said Canada is uniquely vulnerable to U.S. pressure.

“No country is more exposed than Canada,” Bothwell said. “Other countries have to fear American misbehavior, but none as much as Canada.”

Bothwell said success ultimately means Canada retaining its independence “in the face of Trump’s desire to subordinate it and absorb it.” He said Carney "sees that very well.”

But Canada’s dependence on the U.S. market makes that difficult.

Nearly three-quarters of Canadian exports go to the United States, whose economy is roughly 10 times larger. Canada can sign new trade agreements, but replacing customers and supply chains built around the enormous U.S. market over decades is considerably harder.

Carney acknowledged retaliation would “raise costs and reduce choice for Canadians.”

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer rejected Canada’s account of the breakdown in talks, saying Ottawa introduced new demands and backed away from commitments even after Washington offered to reduce tariffs on steel, autos, lumber and other goods.

He said the United States was moving ahead with additional measures in response to Canada’s retaliation, raising the prospect of further escalation.

The European Union prepared retaliatory tariffs against the United States last year but repeatedly suspended them while negotiating with Washington.

Nelson Wiseman, a professor emeritus of political science at the University of Toronto, said Canada is providing the biggest test yet of whether Carney’s strategy can work and whether resistance by one middle power could change the calculations of others.

“Will there be a domino effect? We’ll see,” Wiseman said.

Carney tries to hold the line as anger grows among Canadians toward Trump

Ian Bremmer, president of the Eurasia Group, said Americans underestimate how angry Canadians are with the Trump administration.

“Taking a hard line in response to U.S. policy perceived as predatory — even with major economic cost to Canada — is popular among most Canadians,” he said in a social media post.

That anger again spilled into sports over the weekend. Fans in Vancouver and Montreal booed the U.S. national anthem before Major League Soccer matches Saturday, echoing similar scenes early in the trade war last year.

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said Canadians should be prepared for a prolonged confrontation and that Trump could emerge weaker after the U.S. midterm elections in November.

“He’s got two more years left in office. We should be prepared to duke it out for two years, and then hopefully, sanity will return,” Kinew said.

Carney has framed the confrontation as a test of whether Canada can preserve its independence under U.S. pressure.

“Last spring, I warned that America is trying to break us so that they can own us,” Carney said Saturday. “And I promised: ‘That will never, ever happen.’ We are keeping that promise.”

“This fight is still on,” Norris said over team radio after winning the Dutch Grand Prix for back-to-back F1 victories and a trophy presented by the King of the Netherlands.

Norris asked his McLaren team to “just keep bringing upgrades (to the car), just keep bringing performance please" as he eyes an 83-point gap to Antonelli.

Max Verstappen nearly reeled in a similarly vast lead last year as Norris held on by just two points. Now the British driver is the hunter.

“There’s still plenty of things we can do better and need to do better if we’re going to fight for a championship," Norris added.

Norris seizes his chance

Norris started on pole but was overtaken by Antonelli's Mercedes at a restart after the race was stopped for a heavy crash by home hero Verstappen, who was unhurt, shortly after the start.

Norris reeled in Antonelli before passing him around the outside of the first corner in a daring move on lap 54 of 72, then took the lead from Ferrari's Hamilton before the lap was over.

The defending champion held on with old tires to take the win. “This fight is still on," he said over team radio.

“The move (to pass Antonelli) was good. I knew I was not going to get many chances. Every lap I spent behind him my chances got lower and lower,” Norris said. “Well played from my part...I probably had one chance.”

Antonelli was second after his Mercedes teammate George Russell was ordered to move out of his way, following a failed gamble on a tire change by Antonelli. Russell clung on to finish third ahead of Hamilton.

Antonelli's standings lead grew to 59 points over Russell and Hamilton, who are now level. Norris moved ahead of Charles Leclerc for fourth.

Antonelli and Russell question Mercedes strategy

There was tension at Mercedes as both Antonelli and Russell criticized the team's decisions over the radio.

Antonelli called his team's strategy “too risky” when the team congratulated him on second place, while Russell earlier seemed to object to being asked to give way to his teammate.

“Is he fighting for the win? Or is he planning to catch Norris?” Russell questioned, at a point where Norris was far ahead of both.

Russell relented after the race and said he felt Mercedes had made the right decision to avoid the two battling for position as Hamilton closed in behind.

Antonelli “would have overtaken anyway so it was the right decision,” said Russell, who won the sprint race Saturday. "It’s been a strong weekend overall so I’ll take the positives.”

Verstappen's big crash and Hülkenberg's big save

There was a half-hour delay after Verstappen slammed into the wall on a damp first lap, stopping the race and ensuring a nightmare end to his last home race in the Netherlands for the foreseeable future.

Just a couple of seconds later, there would have been another huge collision if not for lightning reactions by Nico Hülkenberg. As his Audi teammate Gabriel Bortoleto span across the track, the German swerved around him through a cloud of tire smoke.

“It was crazy with Gabi, I almost T-boned him,” Hülkenberg said over team radio.

The Dutch Grand Prix is dropping off the schedule after this season and the many orange-clad Dutch fans who turned up to support Verstappen instead saw Norris and his orange McLaren take the win.

Verstappen said he simply misjudged his speed on the damp track after pre-race rain.

Charles Leclerc was fifth on another disappointing day for Ferrari ahead of its home race in Italy in two weeks’ time. Norris’ teammate Oscar Piastri was sixth after running in the top three early on, and Liam Lawson salvaged seventh for Red Bull after being called in to replace the injured Isack Hadjar.

Hulkenberg was eighth for Audi, with Fernando Alonso ninth in the best result of an otherwise-disastrous 2026 for Aston Martin. Alpine’s Pierre Gasly rounded out the top ten.

___

See AP’s full auto racing coverage here

Dearborn Police were dispatched to the home in the 6500 block of Theisen Street around 7:45 p.m. on Aug. 19. Upon arrival police said they found the victim severely injured, and first responders from the Dearborn Fire Department treated him at the scene before transporting him to a nearby hospital.

The suspect, Mohammed Rustom, was arraigned Thursday on one count of assault with intent to murder and one count of assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder. However, after the victim succumbed to his injuries and died on Saturday police are awaiting updated charges from the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, the department said.

Rustom’s bond was set at $500,000 cash or surety, pending additional charges.

“We extend our deepest condolences to the victim’s family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time,” said Dearborn Police Chief Issa Shahin in a news release on Sunday. “Our investigators will continue working closely with the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office to ensure the individual responsible is held accountable through the justice system.”

An investigation is ongoing and the victim has not been identified.

For the year, “The Odyssey” is second only to “Spider-Man,” which added $39 million from 4,006 theaters in the U.S. and Canada, according to studio estimates Sunday. “Spider-Man,” which has now made over $854.9 million in North America, will soon surpass “Avengers: Endgame” to become the second highest-grossing domestic release of all time. The record holder is currently “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” ($936.7 million).

Sony also had the second biggest movie of the weekend with “Insidious: Out of the Further.” The sixth movie in the franchise, produced by Blumhouse Atomic Monster, made $25.3 million from 3,303 theaters. Internationally, it made $35 million. Its $18 million production budget makes it the most expensive movie of the series.

Third place went to “The Odyssey,” which earlier this week became the highest grossing R-rated movie of all time, surpassing “Deadpool & Wolverine.” It added $19.5 million in its sixth weekend in North American theaters, where it continues to play in over 3,000 locations, bringing its domestic total to just under $539.1 million. That pushes it past the $534.9 million from “The Dark Knight” — a previous high-water mark for Nolan — not accounting for inflation. Internationally, it added $68 million, driven largely by China and Korea, which brings its worldwide total to $1.4 billion.

The other big newcomers landed further down the charts. “Mutiny,” starring Statham as a man wrongly accused of murdering his billionaire boss, opened in sixth place with $7.5 million from 2,703 locations. The Lionsgate release (an acquisition) was intended to be a theatrical only release, but a few days before it opened it was accidentally available for free on Prime Video for a few hours before the mistake was remedied. The glitch might have impacted its opening weekend earnings, but the film also had some fairly bad reviews working against it.

Even more poorly reviewed was “Spa Weekend,” a girl’s trip comedy from the men behind “The Hangover” and “Bad Moms,” starring Isla Fisher, Leslie Mann, Anna Faris and Michelle Buteau. It made an estimated $3.1 million in 2,009 locations. Women accounted for some 84% of opening weekend ticket buyers, according to PostTrak. The 25th anniversary re-release of “The Fast and the Furious” made slightly more.

“The Magic Faraway Tree,” starring Andrew Garfield, opened outside of the top 10 with $1.4 million from 1,611 screens.

The young Anthony Bourdain movie “Tony” continues to do quite well, however, earning $5 million from 1,652 screens.

The summer season, which runs through Labor Day, has now generated an estimated $4.4 billion in ticket sales in North America, putting it among the top four highest grossing summers ever.

“We’re in the home stretch of what I think will go down in box office history as maybe one of the most key and pivotal summer movie seasons ever,” said Paul Dergarabedian, the head of marketplace trends for Rentrak. “I don’t know how you can replicate this summer. Studios will try.”

Michael O’Leary, the president and CEO of the movie theater trade organization Cinema United, noted the wide variety of movies in the marketplace that have helped contribute to a big summer. Part of that, he told The Associated Press, was that the industry pipeline is finally bouncing back from the effects of the Hollywood strikes in 2023.

“The thing that I’m most excited about, frankly, is just the enthusiasm of moviegoers,” O’Leary said. “You feel it when you go to the theater. There’s an energy about being in the theater that hasn’t been there in the recent past.”

The year overall has also surpassed $7 billion, which is up about 20.4% from 2025, but about 7.1% behind 2019.

Top 10 movies by domestic box office

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

1. “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” $39 million.

2. “Insidious: Out of the Further,” $25.3 million.

3. “The Odyssey,” $19.5 million.

4. “Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie,” $9.1 million.

5. “The End of Oak Street,” $9 million.

6. “Mutiny,” $7.5 million.

7. “Tony,” $5 million.

8. “The Fast and the Furious” (25th anniversary re-release), $3.1 million.

9. “Spa Weekend,” $3.1 million.

10. “Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma,” $1.9 million.

Zelenskyy also alluded to problematic decisions over defense spending and said that inaccurate information provided by the Defense Ministry contributed to an awkward encounter with U.S. President Donald Trump over the use of Starlink in Russia.

Zelenskyy disclosed figures showing Ukraine’s growing shortage of Patriot air-defense missiles needed to counter Russian ballistic attacks, with deliveries from Western allies declining in the past three years even as Russian missile strikes intensified.

He highlighted battlefield gains, however, saying Ukrainian forces have almost completely recaptured the Dnipropetrovsk region, with only about 10 square kilometers (around 4 square miles) remaining under Russian control.

The Ukrainian president made the remarks during a two-hour off-the-record meeting with reporters on Saturday, with a transcript released publicly on Sunday.

Zelenskyy's first public comments on Fedorov dismissal

His comments ranged widely, covering the latest battlefield developments, efforts to counter Russian ballistic attacks, the state of peace negotiations, Ukraine’s budgetary challenges and the political turmoil surrounding Fedorov’s dismissal.

“I really had and still have a very positive attitude toward Mykhailo. We have been through a lot together. But I believe that he himself goes, or is pushed, into the wrong things,” he said.

Fedorov, a popular minister credited with modernizing Ukraine’s armed forces and accelerating the military’s embrace of technology and drone warfare, was dismissed last month after reportedly falling out with the country’s top military commander. His removal triggered mass protests that lasted for weeks, but ultimately failed to force a reversal of the decision. Fedorov later called for an election.

Zelenskyy said that he had offered Fedorov four different options to continue working in the government. Fedorov, he said, rejected all of them.

The Ukrainian leader told journalists that he believes holding an election during the war would be a huge risk with the potential to “split Ukraine apart.”

“I believe elections during a war like this would generally pose enormous risks. Holding elections right now would be a tsunami for the state that would split Ukraine apart,” he said.

Zelenskyy said he had previously faced pressure to hold an election during the war, but no partners had come up with a plan for how a poll could be held safely, legitimately and democratically.

Inaccurate information led to uncomfortable White House encounter

Zelenskyy appeared to link Fedorov to an awkward episode involving Starlink and Elon Musk. Zelenskyy said that earlier this year, the Defense Ministry had told him that SpaceX had agreed to allow Ukraine to use Starlink over Russian territory to carry out deep strike operations, subject to political approval.

Acting on that, Zelenskyy said, he raised the issue directly with U.S. President Donald Trump. He told Trump that Musk had confirmed the proposed use. Zelenskyy said the two sides subsequently sought Musk’s confirmation and discussed financing for the project.

But at a later meeting, Zelenskyy said that Trump told him that Musk had rejected the proposal and accused him of having misled the U.S. president. Musk considered the move a dangerous escalation, according to Zelenskyy.

“He said that I had supposedly deceived him, because Musk had denied Ukraine the use of Starlink on Russian territory. I went back to our Ministry of Defense and they said that maybe it was so,” he said.

Zelenskyy didn't explicitly accuse Fedorov of lying. He said that the situation was among the reasons behind “some of the steps.”

Zelenskyy also pushed back against protesters’ vilification of former army chief, Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, who he dismissed, and current Defense Minister Maj. Gen. Yevhen Khmara, saying they had gone too far.

“Maybe someone doesn’t like Syrskyi for one reason or another. But the slogans ‘Syrskyi is the devil, Khmara is the devil,'” he said. “Listen, this is too much. Do you understand? In principle, you can’t treat the military like this and tolerate it, especially when it was the military that made it possible for any peaceful protests to take place in the Ukrainian capital at all.”

Pressure on defense budget but military successes

Zelenskyy also described severe financial pressure on Ukraine’s defense effort. He said that the Defense Ministry faced a $27 billion budget shortfall after spending decisions earlier in the year brought forward funds originally intended for the second half of this year.

Touching on a corruption inquiry that led Zelenskyy to fire one of his most senior officials this week, he said that anti-corruption investigators don't believe that the president was involved. The investigators had named a deputy head of the presidential office among the suspects in a money-laundering case.

“The heads of anti-corruption agencies have zero questions for me. They understand perfectly well that I am not involved in anything like that. And this is important to me,” he said.

On the battlefield, Zelenskyy was optimistic. In addition to Ukraine almost completely regaining control of the Dnipropetrovsk region, he said that another operation was underway elsewhere and that its results were expected by the end of August.

He also predicted that by the end of the year, Ukraine could reach parity between the territory occupied by Russia since the beginning of the year and the territory retaken by Ukrainian forces. Zelenskyy said that Russia had occupied about 990 square kilometers (380 square miles) since the start of the year, while Ukraine had restored control over roughly 820 square kilometers (315 square miles).

The president said that Russia’s principal objective remained the Konstantynivka-Sloviansk-Kramatorsk axis, and that Moscow was still demanding that Ukraine withdraw from the Donbas region as a condition for a settlement.

Still struggling for access to Patriot missiles

Zelenskyy said that Ukraine was receiving substantially fewer Patriot interceptor missiles even as Russian ballistic attacks are increasing.

He said that Ukraine received 675 Patriot missiles in 2023, compared with 364 in 2025 and an expected 264 this year. Zelenskyy said that he wanted to secure 300 additional Patriot missiles for the coming winter, while Ukraine’s air force had requested 360.

The shortfall is particularly serious, because the United States and European partners are struggling to expand production. Zelenskyy said that he hoped Ukraine could obtain even 5% or 10% of U.S. reserves and was able to pay for them.

Zelenskyy said that Russia could eventually produce up to 1,300 ballistic missiles a year, compared with an estimated current capacity of 600.

He said that Ukraine was also preparing alternatives to Starlink, including a European communications project, as Russia and China work on their own competing system.

Other developments

— Debris from a Ukrainian drone hit two industrial facilities including a warehouse belonging to online retailer Ozon, local officials in Russia’s Orenburg region said Sunday.

As well as shifting the war onto Russian soil through long-range drone strikes on oil facilities that have caused fuel shortages across Russia, Ukraine has unsettled the Russian public by striking warehouses of online retailers, including Russia's biggest one, Wildberries, and competitors such as Ozon.

— One person was killed and six wounded in Ukrainian drone attacks on Russia’s Belgorod border region, local authorities said Sunday. A woman also died in a drone attack in the Tula region.

— Two women were killed and five other people were wounded when a Russian drone hit an electric train in Ukraine's Kharkiv region, the Ukrainian national police said Sunday.

— Leaders from Nordic and Baltic nations arrived in Kyiv on Sunday, the eve of Ukraine’s Independence Day, in a show of solidarity from some of Ukraine’s closest partners before a larger “ coalition of the willing ” meeting.

Leaders from Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Norway attended a flag-raising ceremony, as Ukraine marked Ukraine’s National Flag Day.

“We feel we are not alone. Our allies are with us,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on X on Sunday, noting that the leaders would hold bilateral and multilateral talks with Zelenskyy.

The pro-presidential Adilet party is widely predicted to win an overwhelming majority, with several smaller parties loyal to Tokayev also anticipated to enter parliament. The vote was the country’s first election to a new, single-chamber parliament called the Kurultai.

The 73-year-old Tokayev, a former Soviet official and Kazakh diplomat who previously worked at the United Nations, has been in office since 2019.

Sunday’s vote was the culmination of a constitutional overhaul that Tokayev initiated in March, when 87% of voters supported a referendum to merge the two chambers of parliament into one and grant the president authority to appoint key officials, subject to parliamentary approval, including reestablishing the vice presidency.

Tokayev, who has sought to maintain a delicate balance between Moscow and the West since sanctions were imposed on Russia over the war in Ukraine, has justified the changes by citing the need for rapid decision-making in a fast-changing world.

Last month, Kazakhstan’s Constitutional Court ruled that the amendments effectively reset the clock on Tokayev’s previous terms in office, opening the door for him to run for another seven-year term.

The election comes at a difficult economic moment for Kazakhstan: inflation hit 10.2% in February, and tax hikes have fueled public discontent.

Analysts say the economic strain has made authorities wary of a repeat of the unrest of January 2022, when fuel price protests spiraled into violence that left dozens of protesters and police officers dead — a scenario Tokayev is seeking to guard against by concentrating power in his own hands.

Ahead of the election, Tokayev said it promised to be a “truly historic event.”

“Without a doubt, these elections will be remembered as perhaps the most interesting in our country’s history,” Tokayev said on Friday. “Amid unprecedented geopolitical tensions and mounting global challenges, we must firmly and consistently implement our strategy to transform Kazakhstan into a truly developed state.”

The vote also took place against a backdrop of intensifying crackdowns on media freedom. Media organizations have urged Tokayev to drop criminal charges against several journalists under house arrest and to revise the country’s legislation to ensure media freedom. Authorities have opened roughly 10 criminal cases against independent journalists and popular bloggers.

The most recent case involves Lukpan Akhmedyarov, an independent journalist who hosts the YouTube project “Prosto Zhurnalistika,” or “Simply Journalism.”

He told The Associated Press that a criminal case was opened against him in August on charges of “disseminating false information,” after he published a list of Kazakhstan's citizens fighting in Ukraine. He faces up to seven years in prison.

“In the run-up to these parliamentary elections, repression has intensified sharply, with attacks on independent media, cyberattacks, and criminal cases launched against independent journalists and popular bloggers,” Akhmedyarov told the AP, speaking from Almaty, Kazakhstan's largest city.

“It feels like the authorities want to silence all media outlets they don’t control — everyone they couldn’t reach an agreement with or couldn’t buy off,” he added.

Akhmedyarov said that the streets of Kazakhstan’s major cities are “flooded with advertisements and posters for the pro-presidential Adilet party.”

“It is not very difficult to predict the outcome of these elections,” he said.

Returning this weekend as he mulls a second run for the White House, Buttigieg set out to reintroduce himself to the state and the Black voters he struggled to win in 2020. The results were encouraging.

There was a standing ovation in a Black church in South Carolina when Buttigieg was credited for helping bring millions of federal dollars to the area for a project as President Joe Biden’s transportation secretary. A second ovation came as Buttigieg gave a speech warning of a country in “big trouble” while laying out his own vision for what should come next.

“There is no such thing as again in real life. The only way out is through," Buttigieg told the crowd of more than 200 people at an NAACP Freedom Fund Dinner. “If we recognize and embrace a future that is different from the past, we will do better."

The warm applause was a markedly different reception than six years ago, when a fourth-place showing in South Carolina helped derail Buttigieg's presidential campaign while exposing his failure to connect with Black voters. The state is likely to have an even greater say in his political future as the first contest in the Democratic presidential primary in 2028.

Starting the election calendar in South Carolina is intended in part to give Black voters a greater voice at the outset of the nominating process. For Buttigieg and other potential contenders, winning the support of this group that makes up a majority of South Carolina’s Democratic electorate is essential.

“You need to demonstrate that you can win Black voters,” said Jaime Harrison, a former Democratic National Committee chair and South Carolina Democratic Party chairman. “If you can’t win Black voters, you can’t be the nominee of our party.”

The 2028 campaign is already coming to South Carolina

Buttigieg insists he has made no final decision about whether to run for president again.

“Right now, I'm totally focused on 2026,” he told reporters Saturday.

But his South Carolina trip — a week after visiting another early-voting state, Nevada — had all the trappings of a potential presidential bid.

He raised money Friday in Charleston with Nancy Lacore, a U.S. House candidate trying to flip a Republican-held seat. On Saturday morning, he spoke at a policy conference before traveling to Claflin University, a historically Black university in Orangeburg.

Davina Perry, a third-year student at Claflin, said she came away from Buttigieg’s visit thinking he would be a “good candidate” if he ran.

“Secretary Pete has definitely put himself on my radar for 2028 now, for sure,” Perry said. But, she added, “I do want to see more representation from people who look like me.”

That evening, Buttigieg attended a dinner at a church in Orangeburg, a nearly three-quarters Black city with a deep history in the Civil Rights Movement. The crowd included local NAACP leaders, ministers and elected officials. Buttigieg worked the room, giving hugs and taking photos.

“He is responsible for the Railroad Corner,” said Orangeburg Mayor Michael Butler, referencing a project aimed at revitalizing the city’s downtown that received a $22.7 million federal grant. “Do I need to say any more? We need to stand and welcome the former secretary.”

Buttigieg used the speech that followed to make a broader case about the direction of the country, arguing that Democrats cannot separate Americans’ economic frustrations from a political system he described as increasingly broken.

"I have come to believe that the kitchen table cannot be improved unless we are also reforming the institutional and political floor on which that kitchen table sits.”

Black voters will have the first say for Democrats in 2028

For Buttigieg, the weekend offered signs of how much has changed since he came to South Carolina in 2020 as a 38-year-old Indiana mayor asking voters to take a chance on him. He points to what he delivered during four years in Biden’s Cabinet, including specific projects in the state.

But Buttigieg said he also came to South Carolina “to propose something” about the country’s future. Butler, Orangeburg’s mayor, liked what he heard.

“His speech was what you talk about at the kitchen table. How America is going to survive all of this?” Butler said. “He brought hope to us."

South Carolina Democratic leaders say the close, personal engagement with candidates is exactly what they hoped for. Those involved in the push to make South Carolina first envisioned the living-room conversations and retail politics long associated with Iowa and New Hampshire.

“You got to go listen. You got to go all over the place,” Harrison said. “You have to make meaningful investments. That’s how you win South Carolina.”

Buttigieg is hardly alone in his early trip to the state.

Other potential 2028 contenders, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna of California and U.S. Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey have made trips to the state as what is expected to be a large Democratic field begins to take shape. Former Vice President Kamala Harris already has deep ties in the state.

The electorate they will encounter has changed from 2020, when Biden’s victory in the state resurrected his presidential campaign and put him on a path to ousting Republican President Donald Trump.

Four years later, Trump defeated Harris and returned to the White House, which Black leaders say has significantly hurt their community. Earlier this year, a Supreme Court decision weakened a core provision of the Voting Rights Act, threatening Black political representation across the South.

“We must start our process where democracy must still be fought for, in the full view of the nation,” former interim DNC chair Donna Brazile said in a speech this year advocating for South Carolina to go first.

Buttigieg addressed that anxiety directly Saturday night, describing efforts to weaken the Voting Rights Act as the culmination of a “multidecade effort.” He warned of a broader push “to demolish African American political power.”

Harrison said Buttigieg's trip this weekend was a "good start,” but that Buttigieg and all the other potential 2028 candidates have a long road ahead to prove themselves to the state's voters.

“It has to be a good start and then you got to continue,” Harrison said. “It can’t just be, ‘Oh, pop in and then I’m going to pop back out.’”

___

This story corrects the spelling of the first name of Claflin University student to Davina Perry, from Divina Perry.

The Manchester City superstar has a new hairstyle for the new Premier League season: A buzz cut that went viral on social media on Sunday ahead of the team's opening match against Bournemouth.

It didn't help him. The Norway striker missed a couple of great chances in City's 2-1 win at Etihad Stadium.

Haaland has become one of the most easily distinguishable sport stars in recent years because of his long hair.

In a video on Haaland's YouTube channel, Zlatan Ibrahimovic asked if the City striker had “lost a bet” when he was shown the new hairstyle.

“You gonna be faster now, or what?” Ibrahimovic said.

Former City manager Pep Guardiola reacted to the haircut by saying: “You're lucky to have hair. I would love to have it!”

Haaland arrived at Etihad Stadium for the Bournemouth game wearing a cap, but that had been removed for the warmup — revealing the buzz cut.

___

See AP’s full soccer coverage here

The WNBA has been the subject of recent debates on whether transgender women — people assigned male at birth who transition to align with their gender identity — should be allowed to participate in the league. There has never been such a player in the WNBA. Although the league’s collective bargaining agreement says the WNBA is restricted to women, it contains no more specific language about gender identity or sex assigned at birth.

There have been small rallies and protests outside Indiana Fever games after the issue came to a head when Sophie Cunningham of the Fever said in an ESPN profile published last month that she was opposed to transgender girls and women competing in girls’ and women’s sports. There were a pair of peaceful rallies representing both sides of the transgender issue that took place before the Fever faced the New York Liberty on Saturday night. The Liberty won the game 109-102.

“Knowing that rallies are happening on both sides shows the platform that the W has and the stunts for attention are just continuing to try and ride the wave that we have,” Stewart told a small group of reporters Saturday morning. “I want Liberty fans and even Indy fans that are going to come here tonight to be able to have this arena be a safe space.”

Cunningham felt that all the attention that her comments have garnered has been positive by bringing more fans to the game.

“You have a lot of new fans, not only just watching, but coming to games and seeing the environment and seeing the talent,” she said before the game. “I think anytime you can get more eyes on the W, that’s an awesome thing, because then that inspires other young kids that maybe have never seen the game or heard about the game or been to a game, they get that experience. So I definitely think that it’s been a very positive thing.”

At least three fans were asked by WNBA security personnel to cover shirts that had messages about transgender women participating in women’s sports during last Sunday’s game at Atlanta between the Dream and the Fever. The league later said the fans should have been free to wear those shirts.

Stewart said Liberty fans specifically, but WNBA fans in general, come to games because “they can feel like they can be themselves in whatever capacity that is and we don’t want to lose sight of that."

The Liberty forward said everyone is entitled to their own opinion and if that stops being allowed there are much bigger issues. However, she said, trying to divide teams and players shouldn't be tolerated.

“If we don’t allow (free speech), we need to like really kind of go back and look at more things. I think the bigger thing is people are trying to divide us as teams, but also as teammates or as opponents," she said. "This league is incredibly inclusive and what we continue to fight for and stand up against. So, we don’t want to take that platform away.”

Stewart has been an ally for the transgender community during her career. She faced some online backlash last year when one of her signature shoes had a Harry Potter theme to it. Stewart is a huge fan of the Harry Potter books and subsequent movies by author J.K. Rowlings, who has drawn criticism for her anti-trans stance.

Stewart has donated royalties from that shoe to The Trevor Project, a suicide prevention and crisis intervention nonprofit organization for LGBTQ+ youth.

___

See AP’s full WNBA coverage here

The sport has been around for decades, but its popularity has surged in recent years, drawing players of all ages and skill levels to courts across the country. The large crowds at the Novi event were a testament to just how deep the love for the game runs in the region.

“I wanted something active because I retired and I found out people play pickleball from 8 years old to 89 years old,” said Marilyn Waxberg, a player from Howell.

One of the event’s most unique draws was the chance for amateur players to share the same space — and even the same food truck lines — as professional competitors.

“How cool is it that amateurs can be playing right alongside the pros. You’re playing your matches and then all of a sudden you go in the food truck line and you’ve got people right there some of your favorite pros,” said Ken Herrmann, APP founder.

AARP clinics offer something for every skill level

The AARP ran on-site clinics throughout the weekend, giving beginners and seasoned players alike a chance to sharpen their game with hands-on coaching.

“They have a clinic whether you’re a beginner, intermediate. They’re going to give you lessons, so I just came out to get some extra lessons,” said Kathy Bulger, a player from Canton.

Bulger summed up the sport’s learning curve simply: “The more you play the better you get.”

For newcomers, some of the rules can take time to master. APP touring pro Domi Turkovic offered a key reminder for players approaching the kitchen — the no-volley zone near the net.

“If you’re going to hit it out of the air, do not step in. It’s a big no no,” Turkovic said.

Even with the learning curve, the welcoming atmosphere on the courts made it easy for newcomers to jump right in. Waxberg described one memorable moment during the weekend.

“A couple practicing for the pro let me whack a few balls with them, so it was really nice to have someone hitting balls at me like that, so it was pretty exciting,” she said.

The APP Tour’s Detroit stop may be its first — but organizers say they hope to return to the Motor City again.

Indonesia has been battling fires driven by an intensifying El Nino pattern and a prolonged dry season, generating dense smoke that crossed into Malaysia, according to Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency, or BNPB.

Fires are a regular problem in the country and often strain relations with neighbors.

Plantation owners and traditional farmers often start fires to clear land for farming, said Mohammad Irhamni, director of special crimes at the National Police’s Criminal Investigation Agency.

The arson suspects were being investigated in connection with 89 forest and land fire cases across five provinces on the island of Borneo and four on Sumatra, Irhamni said.

He said most of the suspects were accused of deliberately burning land to clear areas for plantations at lower cost. Investigators were still tracing financial records to determine whether companies financed or ordered the land clearing, signaling the probe could expand beyond those arrested.

“We will not stop at the perpetrators on the ground,” Irhami said in a news conference Sunday in the capital, Jakarta. “We will determine who benefited from these activities and who was ultimately behind them.”

The suspects face charges that carry penalties ranging from hefty fines to prison terms of up to 15 years, he said.

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto flew on Saturday to Central Kalimantan province, where more than 7,600 hectares (18,700 acres) have burned, to encourage authorities to get the haze cloud under control.

Prabowo promised government resources required to contain the fires, including helicopters and water pumps, and vowed to hold accountable any companies found to have contributed to the fires.

“I hope we can control this soon,” Prabowo said during the visit. “We have experienced worse forest and land fires in the past, and we were able to overcome them.”

Accompanying the president was Prasetyo Hadi, the head of State Secretariat. He said at least four companies in West Kalimantan province are under investigation for allegedly using fire to clear land. If they are proven to have intentionally set the fires, they could face sanctions, including the revocation of their operating permits, he added.

Smoke from the fires on Sunday blanketed parts of Borneo, the world’s third-largest island shared by Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. Indonesia administers about three-quarters of the island, where the country’s Environment Ministry recorded more than 3,700 hot spots on Sunday.

BNPB chief Suharyanto said fire activity had increased in West, Central and South Kalimantan provinces on Borneo, where many blazes worsen due to peatlands, prolonging the dangerous haze in several areas.

Fires that appear "extinguished on the surface may still contain embers underneath, so sufficient rainfall is crucial to rewet the peat and fully suppress the fires,” said Suharyanto, who, like many Indonesians, uses a single name.

The western island of South Sumatra also battled fires, with more than 1,700 hot spots detected on Sunday, causing a choked haze cloud and reducing visibility to only 10 meters (33 feet) in some areas, the ministry said.

Cloud-seeding resumed over Kalimantan on Sunday, with 30 helicopters for water-bombing and aerial patrol missions, and another 22 helicopters covering Sumatra.

Meanwhile, Malaysia has suffered severe smoke from the fires, with its eastern state of Sarawak among the hardest hit. One district recorded “very unhealthy” air quality on Friday, while eight others posted unhealthy readings, prompting the closure of nearly 600 schools and affecting about 200,000 students, the Sarawak government said.

The Chang’e-7 spacecraft was originally set to lift off in the coming days from the Wenchang Space Launch Site on China’s southern Hainan island.

The mission does not meet the launch conditions, said the China Manned Space Agency in a brief statement, and “cannot take place during the planned window this year.”

The decision was made following a “comprehensive assessment,” the agency added, and was based on the principles of “prudence, reliability and absolute mission success.” It did not further elaborate on the reasons behind the decision.

Preparations have been carried out at the Wenchang launch site for the Chang’e-7 mission over the past weeks, the seventh in the Chang’e moon exploration program. It aimed at making breakthroughs in key technologies, the official Xinhua news agency previously reported.

It was set to explore permanently shadowed craters on the moon and conduct environmental and resource surveys of the lunar south pole, the Xinhua report said, citing the space agency.

Chang’e refers to a Chinese moon goddess. The Chang’e-6 probe returned to Earth in 2024 with rock and soil samples from the far side of the moon in a world first.

Bayern's Vincent Kompany won the coach’s accolade, Kicker magazine announced Sunday, according to the results of its yearly polls of members of the Association of German Sports Journalists (VDS).

Kane scored 61 goals across all competitions, including the German Supercup for Bayern last season, helping the men's team defend its Bundesliga title and win the German Cup. He scored a hat trick in the cup final.

Kane also helped Bayern win the new season's German Supercup with a 2-1 win at Borussia Dortmund on Saturday, though he didn't score in that game.

Gwinn wins women's award

This time Gwinn doesn’t need to share it.

Last year, the 27-year-old Gwinn and Germany teammate Ann-Katrin Berger received the same number of votes for the award.

Kicker said Sunday that Gwinn received 106 votes to finish ahead of Bayern teammate Klara Bühl and Jule Brand of French champion OL Lyonnes.

Gwinn and Bühl helped Bayern to a Bundesliga and German Cup double for the second year in a row last season. Bayern’s Bundesliga title was its fourth straight and its fifth from six years as the Bavarian powerhouse’s women’s team proves as dominant as its men.

Bayern reached the semifinals of the Women’s Champions League last season.

The women’s player of the year award has been awarded since 1996. Three-time world player of the year Birgit Prinz, who played for FFC Frankfurt (now called Eintracht Frankfurt), won the award eight times between 2001-08.

Kane and Kompany honored after outstanding season

Kane gathered more votes (272) than teammate Michael Olise (203), Kicker said.

Stuttgart forward Deniz Undav received 61 votes, followed by Bayern’s Joshua Kimmich (21) and Hoffenheim goalkeeper Oliver Baumann (14). There were three invalid votes.

Kompany received nearly half the votes for the coach’s award, more than Freiburg’s Julian Schuster, who won it last year.

Florian Wirtz won the men's player’s award last year.

The men's player of the year accolade has been awarded since 1960, with the coaches honored since 2002. Franz Beckenbauer leads the player category with four wins, while Jürgen Klopp and Felix Magath both won the coach’s award three times.

___

See AP’s full soccer coverage here

The family eventually learned that Chesterton had postpartum psychosis, a severe mental health disorder thrust into the spotlight by the case of Lindsay Clancy, a Massachusetts woman on trial for strangling her three children. A key question is whether postpartum psychosis drove Clancy to do it.

Researchers estimate that the condition — a mental health emergency that is less common than postpartum depression — afflicts 1 to 2 out of 1,000 women after delivery. Although most who develop postpartum psychosis don’t harm their children, mothers with severe cases may try to harm themselves or their kids.

If not for medication and strong family support, Chesterton said her own situation “could have gone sideways.”

Chesterton bristles at online comments about the Clancy case suggesting postpartum psychosis is not a real disorder. She feels driven to raise awareness by sharing her story publicly; a poem she wrote about the experience will be published in a journal in the fall. She wants to dispel misconceptions about the widely misunderstood condition — and let families know there is hope.

“It’s something that we do not talk about as a society,” said Chesterton, a 52-year-old history professor who lives outside Buffalo, New York. “I’m not embarrassed about what happened. I want people to know about it.”

A mom was fine at first, then ‘in bad shape’

Chesterton and her husband James Fitzsimmons wanted a baby desperately and underwent fertility treatment for years. She finally got pregnant in her mid-40s and had severe asthma during the pregnancy that put her in the hospital. She gave birth to her daughter by C-section in January 2019, about two months early.

“Everything about bringing her into the world was awful,” Chesterton said. “It was the longest seven months of my life.”

Just after the birth, the baby was hurried off to the neonatal intensive care unit, where she spent her first weeks of life. To protect the child's privacy, The Associated Press is withholding her name at the family's request.

___

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988.

___

Chesterton went home and seemed fine at first. But the day Fitzsimmons found her on the bathroom floor, her family said, she had trouble remembering basic details of her life and made strange comments, such as “it's meditation day" even though she doesn't meditate. Fitzsimmons called his wife’s mom, Maria Chesterton, who met the couple at the hospital.

“She didn’t even remember having a baby,” the elder Chesterton said. “She knew us vaguely.”

People with certain conditions are more likely to be affected

Disorganized thinking and delusions are among the symptoms of postpartum psychosis, which also may include hallucinations, paranoia, agitation and mood changes. Postpartum depression, by contrast, is a mood disorder affecting about 1 in 7 women after giving birth — or more, according to some research.

Postpartum psychosis can happen to anyone after giving birth, but the chances are higher for people with certain mental health conditions such as bipolar disorder. Chesterton didn’t have such conditions, said Dr. Emily Williams of Buffalo OB/GYN, one of her doctors.

Chesterton was transferred to BryLin Hospital in Buffalo, which provides crisis mental healthcare, and spent about two weeks there. Her mom, who was staying at the couple’s house to help out, remembers visiting her with food and Valentine’s Day chocolates.

When she was released, she did OK for a few days, her mom remembers, then “just lost it.” She stared blankly ahead, not knowing where she was or what was happening. But she did manage to aggressively express that she didn’t want to go back to the same place she’d just left, so she was institutionalized involuntarily.

“We had no choice,” her mother said. “She was in bad shape.”

She stayed for another two weeks — apart from her baby.

“I was kind of lucky that she was in the NICU,” Chesterton said, “because we had somebody to take care of her when I was so sick.”

Medication and family support help a mom recover

Chesterton believes antipsychotic drugs ultimately brought her back to reality. But just as essential was the support of her family. When the baby came home after nearly two months at the hospital, her team of helpers included her husband, mom, dad and a postpartum doula.

“She helped me learn how to take care of the baby, remember her — you know, to become a parent again,” Chesterton said, adding that she knows how lucky she is that her family had the resources to provide such care.

Williams, the doctor, said family support is crucial in the postpartum period even if everything is going well. “The more hands on deck, the better,” she said.

Over the next several months, it was as if a fog slowly lifted.

“We could see improvement in her. It was a little bit at a time,” her mother said. “She was taking care of the baby. The glassy-eyed look was gone.”

Chesterton stayed on antipsychotics for about a year. By her daughter’s first birthday party, she was back to normal.

Doctor encourages families to be on alert for signs of trouble

Williams said Chesterton’s family did the right thing when they took quick action after symptoms arose. Sometimes, the doctor said, people may deny that something so serious could be wrong with a loved one's mental health and attribute signs of postpartum psychosis to things like needing more sleep.

Chesterton’s mother advised other families to be vigilant for signs of the illness, then come together to shepherd loved ones through it.

“If my daughter would not have had the support system,” she said, “I don’t know how this would have turned out.”

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

“This seems to be the most severe storm in Latvia since 2005 in terms of its overall impact,” Andris Viksna, from the Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Center, told the AP.

One person died in Jelgava, central Latvia, when part of a building collapsed on Saturday, and others were injured across the country. Wind speed exceeded 67 mph on Saturday in the capital, Riga. At many stations, half of the average monthly rainfall was recorded on Saturday.

More than a quarter-million people were left without electricity and mobile services were disrupted.

Rail and other public transport services were affected by trees and other objects falling on infrastructure. The Riga airport said on Sunday morning that flights could be delayed or rerouted because of the severe storm overnight.

One person also died in neighboring Lithuania after being hit by a falling tree. Others were injured and over 200,000 residents were without electricity on Sunday morning.

Strong winds also battered Estonia, with the western and northern parts and its islands most affected. Ferry services to islands were disrupted and trains arriving from Latvia and Lithuania delayed.

Northeastern Poland was affected by the storm, too, with over 100,000 people losing power.

The contribution of climate change cannot be properly assessed yet, said Viksna from the Latvian Environment, Geology and Meteorology Center, but “it is plausible that human-caused climate change may have intensified the rainfall associated with the cyclone.”

The situation was expected to improve on Sunday and certainly by Monday.

SUNDAY NIGHT: Mainly clear skies. Cooler temperatures. Low: 54. Some places outside the Metro could drop into the upper 40s tonight.

MONDAY: Mostly sunny skies. High: 75.

MONDAY NIGHT: Mainly clear skies. Low: 56.

TUESDAY: Mostly sunny skies. High: 80.

Looking ahead into the end of the weekend on Sunday, we will keep some cloud cover into the forecast as well as some sunshine for the end of the weekend on Sunday. Cooler temperatures will move in by the end of the weekend as well, and with a northwesterly flow kicking in, we will bring in the chance for a few rain showers Sunday afternoon, and into early Sunday evening. High temperatures only warming into the low to mid 70s by Sunday afternoon.

High-pressure builds into the region, and dries us out looking ahead into the start of next week. Expect plenty of sunshine for Monday and Tuesday, as some students are heading back to the classroom by the start of next week for the start of the new school year. The breezy winds will be sticking around for the start of the week on Monday, and it will also be a cool start in the morning.

Chances for showers and thunderstorms return to the forecast by the time we get to next Wednesday and Thursday, as another cold front rolls through the region. High temperatures warming into the low to mid 80s by the time we get to the middle of next week.

After the mid-week thunderstorm chances, we will bring drier weather back into the forecast looking ahead into the end of the week. Mostly sunny skies are expected on Friday and into the start of next weekend on Saturday. High temperatures remaining into the low to mid-80s by the end of the week as well.

Latonya Estes, who has worked as a 911 dispatcher for nearly three years, was recognized Monday, Aug. 17, for staying on the line and using the sound of a responding fire engine’s siren to help guide crews to the 52-year-old man.

The emergency began when the man called 911 and could only tell Estes that he was somewhere near Puritan Avenue and Schaefer Highway.

He then stopped responding.

“I remember the call,” Estes said. “The man, I heard a grunt, and I was like, ‘Somebody is there. Like, hello, are you there?’ He like, ‘I can’t breathe.’”

Estes kept trying to communicate with the caller, but he couldn’t provide a more precise location.

Then she heard something that could help.

Responding firefighters were nearby, but Estes realized their siren was getting farther away.

“I’m like, wait a minute, turn around, come back because I hear you, but now you’re getting far away,” Estes said. “So I need you to turn around and come back because he can’t tell me where he is, so we got to get to him.”

Estes listened carefully as the siren grew louder and helped guide Engine 30 toward the caller.

Eventually, firefighters located the man.

“I heard the EMS in the background like, ‘Hey buddy, they found him,’” Estes said. “I felt such a sense of relief. Like, oh, I’m so glad I helped him. I got help to him.”

Estes and the other dispatchers who coordinated the response were recognized for their work.

Lt. Delicia Tilford of the Detroit Fire Department said Estes’ persistence and attention to the sounds around the caller were critical.

“She stayed on that line. She listened for the sirens. She gave us the information that we needed, and we were able to respond and provide a citizen with the assistance that they needed,” Tilford said.

For Estes, the recognition was meaningful, but she said her focus throughout the call was simply on keeping the man alive and getting help to him.

“I just didn’t want to give up on him,” she said. “I enjoy helping people. I never thought I would enjoy this job so much.”

Firefighters saved the man, who has since been released from the hospital.

A friend of mine once had a hot air balloon land on the road in front of him. I got hit by a truck tire on 696 (it wasn’t great). A few years ago, my dad and I were heading up to the U.P. for his birthday and someone called in a bomb threat that closed the Mackinac Bridge for several hours (also wasn’t great).

Five years ago today, a truck hauling beehives crashed and overturned outside Charlevoix. Authorities said it released a large swarm and urged residents to avoid the area.

It’s not the only time some animals disrupted Michigan travel. Our story begins years ago, in a long-forgotten time: 1991.

It was a different time back then. It was the last year of the Cold War, the internet was released outside research and the first website was created, Nirvana released Nevermind, Dr. Jack Kevorkian was barred from assisting in suicides, Jeffrey Dahmer was arrested, Clarence Thomas was appointed to the Supreme Court and, most importantly, nearly 300 rodents took over the Lansing airport.

On Aug. 23, 1991, more than 250 gerbils and hamsters that were being shipped from Mississippi chewed their way out of their boxes and spread across the Capital Region International Airport.

Have you seen Die Hard 2? I imagine it was exactly like that.

“We’ve found them clear in the other end of the airport,” said then-airport-employee Barbara McWilliams at the time. “A lot of people have been taking them home as pets.”

By the end of the day, about half of the rodents were captured, but the rest were believed to have made it to hiding spaces.

Realistically, they’re probably long gone today. The Lansing airport saw significant renovations over the next 10 years and I’m sure what remaining nests were either relocated or cleared out.

And while the lifespan of these tiny pets is only a few years, I’d like to imagine there’s an entire community that still lives in secret at the airport.

Have you seen The Terminal? I imagine it’s exactly like that.

The charges against Daymien Alexander Kennedy stem from four separate incidents, police said: the alleged sexual assault of a 6-year-old girl; an assault on a woman using a hot torch lighter; and an assault in which a woman was threatened and cut with a knife.

Kennedy is also charged with publishing intimate images of a woman online without her knowledge or consent.

Police say he was placed on house arrest after being released on bail in December 2025. Windsor Police bail compliance officers discovered that Kennedy had fled while performing a routine compliance check in April 2026.

After unsuccessful attempts to locate him, investigators are seeking help from the public to determine his whereabouts.

In addition to facing charges for sexual assault, sexual interference, assault with a weapon (x3), assault, publishing an intimate image without consent, mischief (x2), and uttering threats, Kennedy is now wanted for failure to comply with a release order.

Anyone with information about Kennedy’s location is asked to contact the Windsor Police Service Offender Management Unit at 519-255-6700, ext. 4390. Tipsters can also contact Windsor & Essex County Crime Stoppers anonymously at 519-258-8477 (TIPS) or online at catchcrooks.com.

Already this year, the security situation in the Middle East following the outbreak of the Iran war has meant Bahrain's race was moved to Malaysia and the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was canceled.

F1 has indicated at least one extra event in Europe if the season-ending races in Qatar and Abu Dhabi can't take place as planned. One likely candidate could be the Imola circuit in Italy. There are more question marks over how the four contracted Middle East races could be included in the 2027 schedule.

“Circuit Zandvoort could serve as an alternative venue in the future if another Grand Prix were unable to take place due to geopolitical circumstances, for example. The circuit’s FIA Grade 1 license will remain valid for another three years,” the Dutch Grand Prix organization told The Associated Press in a statement Saturday.

“In practice, however, many factors would need to be considered, including the necessary permits, the availability of equipment and the required preparation time. Moreover, there are other venues on the Formula 1 calendar that would make more sense from a logistical perspective. At this stage, therefore, this is not a concrete scenario.”

F1 did not immediately respond to a request for comment Sunday.

What makes the Dutch Grand Prix different

The Dutch Grand Prix is a relative rarity in modern F1 as a privately run project that doesn't rely on government backing.

That makes it crucial to sell out tickets because hosting a race at Zandvoort requires spending around 75 million euros ($87.6 million) to set up infrastructure, including temporary stands seating tens of thousands of fans around the seaside circuit.

The Dutch Grand Prix returned to F1 in 2021 for the first time since 1985 and the success of four-time champion Max Verstappen — who this week signed a new contract through 2030 — has been crucial to its success. Organizers declined a potential contract extension in 2024 citing “risks and responsibilities” and a desire to go out on a high.

Replacement venues come with challenges

Fitting in a race in Europe after the scheduled Las Vegas Grand Prix on Nov. 21 could mean F1 teams and spectators dealing with weather far colder than at most races.

“I think if it were to be Imola, and to be clear, that isn’t confirmed or otherwise, the weather will be interesting and spicy, but it would still be nice to go back to a European race at the end of it,” Williams team principal James Vowles said Friday.

“I know F1 are working incredibly hard for that not to happen and for the calendar to continue as is.”

There's also the question of funding. F1's agreement to return to Malaysia in October for the first time in nine years involved working with the governments of Bahrain and Malaysia to agree a deal that keeps Bahrain Grand Prix branding and denotes Malaysia as “host venue”.

Drivers and teams don't know for sure where and when the season will end, but title contenders George Russell and Lando Norris said Thursday it isn't affecting their preparations.

“I’m not even thinking of what I’m going to do on Monday yet,” Norris joked. “Lack of clarity at the minute doesn’t change anything.”

Russell added: “I prefer more races than less. That’s the only thing I would wish for. But it’s out of our control, it’s out of Formula 1’s control as well, so it is what it is.”

___

See AP’s full auto racing coverage here

The third-year player — who is battling Sam Howell for the No. 2 role behind Dak Prescott — threw two touchdown passes and ran for a score in a second straight impressive preseason effort, sparking the Cowboys to a 34-13 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday night.

“This is long from over,” Schottenheimer said about the backup quarterback competition. “We're going back to Frisco, thankfully, get a chance to be home and put some more training camp days in. You've got to give Joe his credit, he's played really well the past two games, but we have a lot of confidence in Sam as well.”

Milton finished 9-of-13 passing for 176 yards, connecting on a 53-yard touchdown pass to Jonathan Mingo and a 70-yard strike to Camden Brown that set up Milton's 1-yard touchdown run a play later. The play to Mingo was perfectly executed, with the receiver making a double move before Milton hit him in stride down the left sideline.

“This game is about to being able to control the RPMs of the football and throw it with different speeds and touches,” Schottenheimer said. “He's done that at a very high level.”

Dallas built a 24-6 lead by halftime. Jaydon Blue ran for 75 yards on 15 carries.

The 26-year-old Milton was a sixth-round pick by New England in 2024. He played in four regular-season games with Dallas last season, throwing for 183 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.

Howell completed 7 of 10 passes for 65 yards in the second half, but also threw an interception in the end zone. He started all 17 games with Washington in 2023 and was with Philadelphia last season but didn't appear in any regular-season games.

Both teams rested most of their starters.

Arizona's Gardner Minshew completed 19 of 23 passes for 177 yards, playing the entire first half and the first series of the second half. He's expected to be Jacoby Brissett's backup this season.

Dallas defense shines early

Cowboys cornerback Shavon Revel picked off Minshew's pass midway through the first quarter after receiver Simi Fehoko slipped on the route. Revel returned the ball 22 yards to the Arizona 12.

Three plays later, Milton escaped from the pocket, rolled out to his left and hit Malik Davis for an 8-yard touchdown pass and a 7-0 lead.

Revel is in his second season after being drafted by the Cowboys in the third round out of East Carolina in 2025. He played in seven games last year, starting five.

Cowboys rookie linebacker Jaishawn Barham also had an early tackle for loss.

Penalty problems for Cardinals

The Cardinals had two touchdowns called back on the same drive when receiver Rivaldo Fairweather was flagged for a pair of penalties. Fairweather was called for offensive holding on the first play and offensive pass interference on the second.

Arizona had a to settle for a 38-yard field goal from Chad Ryland, which cut the deficit to 14-3.

Later in the first half, the Cardinals were called for a false start at the Dallas 1-yard line. Minshew was sacked on the next play and Ryland kicked a 31-yard field goal.

“It was the culmination of our week — we had a sloppy week of practice," coach Mike LaFleur said. "I don't think we've practiced really well over the last week since Vegas. There have been individuals who have practiced well, there's been times where we've done good things, but overall it wasn't good enough.

“This — tonight — was a summary of that week in general.”

Injuries

Cardinals safety Dadrion Taylor-Demerson (ribs) left late in the first quarter after delivering a big hit on Cowboys tight end Zack Kuntz. Taylor-Demerson was called for a personal foul on the play. ... Cowboys safety Julius Wood left in the third quarter with a concussion.

Up next

Cowboys: Host New Orleans on Friday night.

Cardinals: At Green Bay on Friday night.

___

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Hat racks are hard to miss in central Athens this summer. Kiosks and stores keep outdoor stands piled high as more tourists seek relief from the midday heat.

The Acropolis drew about 4.6 million visitors in 2025, a record year for Greek tourism. Many spend hours in mid-30s Celsius (mid-90s Fahrenheit) temperatures with little shade. Even a carriage horse at the foot of the ancient monument has joined in, sporting a brown bucket hat with holes cut for its ears.

“You need a hat. I’m already red as it is,” said Jack Yosif, an Australian tourist wearing a black baseball cap. “It’s a bit more of a common thing nowadays, and people are a bit more aware.”

Scorching temperatures didn't deter a record 38 million visitors last year, the most recent for which there is data. The combination of extreme heat and high demand for sites — which means not everyone can visit in the morning — is adding urgency to sun protection.

Greek health campaigners have welcomed a growing awareness of the dangers of ultraviolet exposure and risk of heat stroke. Red Cross volunteers at the Acropolis hand out kits with sunscreen, water, information leaflets and red caps.

On nearby Syntagma Square, kiosk owner Konstantinos Mallios says hat sales have risen in recent years. His stylish and souvenir models run up to 20 euros ($24) while the cheapest costs 6 euros. Available elsewhere is semi-disposable headgear: mass-produced hats made using compressed paper pulp.

And there are more ostentatious options. At her basement workshop, hatmaker Lisa Sarigiannidou turns straw braids into boaters using century-old presses and molds in a matter of minutes. Her hats start at around 50 euros, with elaborate designs costing more than 100 euros.

“People’s attitudes toward hats have changed,” said Sarigiannidou, who was trained by her hatmaker father. “In the past, when a young woman tried on a hat and looked at herself in the mirror, she usually laughed. Now they try them on seriously … and they wear them straight out the door.”

___

Theodora Tongas and Srdjan Nedeljkovic in Athens contributed to this report.

But now Buc-ee's has set off a Buckeye backlash across Ohio and beyond after taking on a beaver in the city of Beavercreek.

It's yet another Buc-ee’s Ltd. trademark infringement lawsuit. Supporters of Beaver’s Mini Mart have attacked Buc-ee’s online and boycotted the stores, and the mini mart's home city passed a resolution making the beaver an official part of its history. British comedian John Oliver has even weighed in on the kerfuffle.

On an episode of “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,” the comedian detailed Buc-ee’s aggressive history of trademark lawsuits targeting various woodland creatures and launched a website hawking merchandise bearing a knockoff “Buc-off” logo and a squirrel mascot named Mr. Nutterbutter. On X, #boycottbucees trended.

Buc-ee’s sued Beaver’s Mini Mart in late July, four months after the chain known for its extensive food offerings and massive restrooms opened its first Ohio store less than a half-hour’s drive away.

Buc-ee’s argues the shop’s beaver logo too closely resembles the convenience store giant’s branded Buc-ee (“Bucky”) beaver. The Texas-based company asked for a jury trial in federal court in Ohio.

Buc-ee's claims a right to protect its valuable logo

Beaver’s Mini Mart occupies a long, low building with a shingle roof at a suburban intersection. In contrast, the new 74,000-square-foot (6,875-square-meter) Buc-ee’s off Interstate 70 near Dayton has more than 100 gas pumps, 24 electric vehicle chargers and 700 parking spaces. A second Ohio store has been approved to open in 2028.

While preparing to enter the state in February, Buc-ee’s sued the northern Ohio holding company for Mickey Mart gas stations, arguing its Mickey the Moose logo could be confused with Buc-ee. (The company’s response: “A moose is not a beaver.”)

The Buc-ee’s beaver logo features the face of a beaver with prominent buck teeth wearing a red ball cap against a yellow backdrop. The Beaver’s Mini Mart mascot is a full beaver, unclothed, waving and smiling against a white background.

Customers have been critical of Buc-ee's decision to target the much smaller store.

“I love Buc-ee's, but I don't plan on going back until they start making better business decisions,” Austin Collins, 32, a project manager from Fairborn, said outside Beaver's, where he was making his first visit to protest the lawsuit.

He called targeting a beaver-named business in Beavercreek “a little spiteful.” License plates from three states were visible in the parking lot.

Buc-ee's has defended the lawsuit as protective of its valuable trademark. In a statement on its website, the company said it first learned of Beaver's Mini Mart when its owner, Vic Boparai, filed a trade name registration on Oct. 23.

The small business, incorporated in 2017, changed its name from Hanes Road Carryout to Beaver’s Mini Mart in January 2025, according to the paperwork. That was about four months after Buc-ee's broke ground near Dayton. Recognizing a conflict, the company said it repeatedly attempted to reach Boparai without success, so it was forced to sue.

Boparai has since issued a statement of his own, though without addressing the company's concerns nor the merits of the lawsuit.

“We want to say thank you to the community and the entire country for supporting us and our business,” he said. “We are overwhelmed by your support for our business and other small businesses everywhere.”

The Associated Press has been unable to reach Boparai at Beaver’s Mini Mart or by calling the store.

Beavercreek adopts the beaver as part of city history

Beavercreek City Council responded to the dust-up by passing a resolution Aug. 10 making the beaver a permanent and official part of its 200-plus-year history. Bucky the Beaver, mascot of the Beavercreek Local Schools, visited the meeting ahead of the unanimous vote.

On social media, images lampooning the fight are rampant. One showed the Ohio State University football mascot, Brutus Buckeye, tackling Buc-ee the beaver.

Support has taken other forms, too. One was a GoFundMe campaign aimed at assuring that costs associated with the lawsuit don't put Beaver's Mini Mart out of business, as has happened to other establishments Buc-ee's sued. It had raised at least $69,000.

The mini mart gave permission to The Original Goodie Shop bakery in Upper Arlington to use its logo on a signature cookie, with $1 from each one sold going to support Beaver's legal fees. Cake, Hope & Love, a Beavercreek bakery, also is offering cookies adorned with buck-toothed beavers that urge shopping local.

Other Dayton-area businesses — including a Lego store and a root beer shop — temporarily altered their logos to include beavers in a show of solidarity. Dozens of businesses in Beavercreek already incorporate the city name or word beaver in their names.

Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, who attended and praised the grand opening of the Dayton-area Buc-ee’s store in April, described the lawsuit as “absurd.”

“It is Beavercreek, for heaven’s sake,” the governor told reporters.

“I just thought, keep doing what I’ve been doing the first three at-bats and I was able to put a good swing on it," the Cincinnati Reds left fielder said after hitting a line drive homer to right on the first pitch of the sixth inning in a 11-5 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Bleday doubled in the first inning, tripled in the third and singled in the fourth as the Reds built an early lead and kept up the pressure. The first two hits were off Arizona starter Michael Soroka, the last two off reliever Zack Littell.

For Bleday, who struck out three times in Friday's 9-0 loss and entered the game hitting .217, it was much needed. The 28-year-old was the fourth overall pick in the 2019 draft, but it has taken awhile to gain traction.

“Things haven’t been going that well for me as of late, so I’m just trying to persevere," Bleday said. "This organization has really welcomed me and my family, and they’ve been giving me opportunities.”

“When you have a lead, you can enjoy it a little bit," Reds manager Terry Francona said. “That was special.”

It was the eighth cycle in franchise history dating to 1890. Bleday is the first Cincinnati player to hit for a cycle since Elly De La Cruz on June 23, 2023, against Atlanta.

“It's always cool seeing someone hit for the cycle,” said De La Cruz, who had four hits himself Saturday and lacked just the triple for what would have been the first twin cycle game in MLB history.

“I didn't know until he hit the homer, but that was pretty cool.”

Both players went 4 for 6, accounting for half the Reds' 16 hits.

There were three previous cycles in the majors this year — Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Cubs, the Phillies’ Bryce Harper and the most recent one, by Tristan Peters of the White Sox on July 10.

The home run was Bleday’s 21st of the season, topping his previous career high of 20 with the Athletics in 2024.

___

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

The supplement glutathione, given through an IV or an inhaler-like machine called a nebulizer, has not been proven to be safe or effective and could expose firefighters to illness if there is contamination while it's produced, experts say.

At least two pharmacies recalled the supplement in August due to bacterial contamination found during testing at their labs, with one saying it had received reports of people suffering from fever, chills, severe headache and other symptoms.

“Because glutathione is not an FDA-approved drug, consumers should be cautious about product safety and claims that glutathione can treat or prevent diseases,” said a safety advisory issued last week by the International Association of Firefighters, a labor union representing some 360,000 first responders.

Warning followed supplement's use during Spokane wildfires

Glutathione was offered to firefighters during recent blazes that destroyed hundreds of buildings in and around Spokane, Washington. During morning briefings, medical unit leaders on scene from California urged crews to check out a tent where a nonprofit run by licensed naturopathic doctors offered the supplement.

A group of naturopaths called The Integrative Health Action Network had previously provided the supplement to firefighters during the January 2025 wildfires that tore through Los Angeles County. The group’s work with firefighters began following a 2017 blaze that destroyed thousands of homes in California’s wine country.

Though there is no evidence to back its use, some firefighters have said the supplement helped them feel better after breathing toxic smoke and they have urged California pharmacy officials not to restrict access.

The supplement's promotion in Spokane prompted physicians and some members to contact the IAFF with concerns about health claims despite no research proving those claims or showing the supplement's safety, said Sean DeCrane, IAFF assistant to the general president for health and safety. Some doctors have warned of adverse effects.

The IAFF also received reports saying some firefighters felt worse or became sick after getting treated. Medical treatments being marketed to firefighters should be evaluated and tested to make sure there are no unintended consequences, DeCrane said.

In response to the safety advisory, Jen Riegle, a naturopathic doctor and co-founder of The Integrative Health Action Network, said the organization recognizes the need for peer-reviewed research on whether glutathione can reduce chemical burdens in firefighters and is “actively exploring partnerships to that end.”

How inhaling wildfire smoke harms the body

More studies are showing the wide-ranging negative health impacts of inhaling wildfire smoke, which is especially toxic when blazes tear through urban areas and burn up household appliances, batteries and chemicals. Tens of thousands of people die annually in the U.S. from long-term impacts of wildfire smoke.

Firefighters work in extreme conditions that make it impractical to use a respirator with an oxygen tank. That means they are exposed to a “slew of chemicals” that have short and long-term impacts on their health, DeCrane said.

Pasadena Fire Captain Matt Caffey, also a paramedic for 28 years, helped fight last year’s Eaton fire in Southern California and said the smoke exposure from burning neighborhoods brings on coughing, vomiting and brain fog.

“You can’t remember things. You’re just so behind the eight ball. You can’t catch up. You’re not recovering,” he said.

Caffey is among the firefighters who say glutathione helps, and he urged Integrative Health Action Network providers to come to Spokane. The California Board of Pharmacy in 2025 reversed course on regulations that would have made the supplement more difficult to acquire after pushback from some firefighters.

Experts say health claims are not backed by evidence

Experts warn anecdotal claims of relief are not proof.

Such claims are “interesting and provocative and deserve further study,” said Dr. Cora Sack, a pulmonary specialist with expertise in environmental and occupational lung disease at the University of Washington School of Medicine. But “we lack clinical evidence of its efficacy.”

Glutathione is an antioxidant made primarily in the liver that neutralizes other unstable molecules that attack the body and cause cellular damage. Wildfire smoke creates oxidative stress in the body, and there is an “interesting biological plausibility” to think antioxidants could impact that, Sack said. But she does not endorse glutathione’s use without clear evidence.

Taking glutathione through a nebulizer may constrict the airways of people who have asthma or chronic lung conditions. Glutathione is processed in sterile compounding pharmacies, and there have been cases of people getting poisoned due to contamination at these facilities, Sack said.

Injecting a contaminated product “could cause significant medical events including fevers, hypotension, inflammatory reactions, anaphylactic shock and death,” according to the recent pharmacy recalls.

Luke Montrose, a professor at Colorado State University whose research focuses in part on the impact of wildfire smoke on disease risk, said glutathione has anti-inflammatory properties.

“But because it hasn’t been studied, I’m hesitant,” he said.

The 22-year-old Anderson got done with his warmup routine on Saturday quicker than usual before his much-ballyhooed big league debut against the Chicago Cubs. So, rather than ignore the young fans who watched his bullpen session, Anderson did a little something out of the ordinary and scribbled his signature a handful of times before the Mariners beat the Cubs 5-4 in walk-off fashion.

Growing up in Slidell, Louisiana, Anderson didn’t go to many major league games. But, Anderson used to hound LSU baseball players for autographs as a kid, so he was more than willing to lend a few minutes of his time.

“That’s what it’s all about at the end of the day, to go out there and pitch for the fans,” Anderson said. “... You just got to give back to those kids.”

Anderson, the third pick in the 2025 draft out of LSU, became the first player from his draft class to make his major league debut. He looked the part of one of the top pitching prospects in baseball, too, for most of the evening.

Anderson yielded three earned runs in 5 2/3 innings, two on back-to-back solo homers in the sixth, which caused the end to his night after 81 pitches. The southpaw departed to a standing ovation from the 45,681 on hand, a figure which included roughly 20 family members and friends.

It could have been worse for Anderson, too, if not for left fielder Randy Arozarena robbing Miguel Amaya of a solo shot in the third.

“I thought it was way gone,” Anderson said of Arozarena’s heroics. “I’m honestly grateful that ball stayed in the park.”

Pete Crow-Armstrong, who led off the sixth with a double, came inches away from starting that frame with a solo home run, too.

On the whole, Anderson coasted his first two times through Chicago’s lineup. He struck out five Cubs hitters, three of them with a slider that generated six whiffs in the game. Manager Dan Wilson elected to send Anderson back out for the sixth because he thought the young lefty was throwing the ball “extremely well,” and was pleased with how he handled adversity.

“The way he used all of his stuff, you saw everything today,” Wilson said. “He wasn’t afraid to throw anything in any count, and I just thought for a first time out there, he looked very, very comfortable, and that’s a great sign.”

Anderson pitched in plenty of high-leverage games while starring for LSU, too. At the professional level, though, Anderson faced little resistance from opposing hitters before Saturday night.

In 18 starts for Double-A Arkansas this year, Anderson went 10-1 with a 1.06 ERA, striking out 135 batters and walking 13 in 93 1/3 innings.

Anderson’s arrival in Seattle coincided with the club being in need of reinforcements. Following Saturday’s win, the Mariners (62-68) moved three games behind Houston in the AL West and two games back in the race for the final wild-card spot.

Going into his outing, Anderson fully understood the magnitude of his debut, not just on a personal level, but also within the context of what it meant for the reigning AL West champions.

“The team was counting on me for a big game today,” Anderson said. “These games matter, especially when the season is getting shorter and shorter. These games matter. I understood that going in. Obviously, it’s a big day for me, but it’s an even bigger day for this org.”

That didn’t stop Anderson, though, from taking a second to look around T-Mobile Park and take it all in before he became the center of attention.

“I’ve only been to Seattle a couple times, but, this place is really cool,” Anderson said. “The weather here is really nice, so that’s a plus. It’s a really special city. I really like it so far.”

___

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

Skubal struck out 11 — one off his season best — to earn his first win since joining the two-time defending World Series champions, 4-3 over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday night.

"That's the guy that we needed. Completing seven innings, reset the bullpen, great outing,” manager Dave Roberts said. "He’s very physical, and you can see that when he needs to reach back for more, it’s in there.”

Skubal was 0-2 with a 3.18 ERA in his first three starts with the Dodgers, who acquired him in a blockbuster deal with the Detroit Tigers earlier this month.

After a rough first inning in which he gave up three consecutive hits that led to three runs, Skubal (8-7) settled down and retired 20 of his final 23 batters. The left-hander allowed five hits with one walk.

“I’m not gonna be perfect out there, but I definitely need to be better in the first inning,” he said. "But other than that, I thought my execution was good. The stuff coming out of my hand is as good as it’s ever been.”

Skubal was still throwing hard over his final two innings, reaching 99 mph to get Jared Triolo to pop up and topping 100 mph in finishing off Jake Mangum for his final strikeout.

“I feel like I’ve always been able to sustain velocity, from pitch one to pitch however many I’m allowed to go,” he said. “When I feel confident commanding the ball, that’s when I feel like I can really start letting it rip and it’s going to go where I want it to go.”

Skubal has been studying the game-planning and bullpen sessions of his rotation mates, including fellow lefty Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. He also watched Shohei Ohtani throw a live bullpen session before the game.

“We got a ton of really good arms here, a ton of talent, and it’s just about us going out there and playing baseball and executing,” he said. "When we’re doing that, we’re the best team in the league.”

___

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

The Eagles announced that Jackson had strength and movement in all extremities and had been taken to a hospital for further evaluation.

Jackson was on the kickoff team and made the tackle on New England’s Lan Larison but laid motionless seconds after the play was over.

Trainers rushed in almost immediately as medical personnel from both teams attended to Jackson. They quickly called for a backboard and ambulance.

Players from both teams knelt near the sideline as he was strapped onto a stretcher. Eagles players then surrounded Jackson briefly before he was loaded into the ambulance. Jackson could be seen briefly raising his left arm.

Play resumed a few minutes later.

Backup quarterback Tanner McKee said afterward that they were told postgame that Jackson was OK.

“A lot of different emotions just praying and hoping that he’s OK,” McKee said. “Word was going around that he was talking, he was responsive and moving. That kind of got everybody to settle down a little bit and we know our teammate is doing OK.”

___

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Speaking to tens of thousands in Rimini, Leo warned against a culture that “rearms minds, words and nations” and argued that Christians must respond with mercy, encounter and a commitment to peace.

He also delivered a message of encouragement to young Catholics, telling them they are “a sign that the future is promising, and not a threat!”

Earlier, in San Marino, Leo addressed local authorities of the world’s oldest surviving republic and reflected on the legacy of Saints Marino and Leone, whom he credited with helping create a society rooted in freedom, mutual respect and community.

The pope said the two saints translated the Christian message into “a new community and political model, strongly characterized by the Christian principles of freedom, mutual respect and communion” — a legacy that he said continues to shape the republic today.

San Marino, a nation of about 35,000 people completely surrounded by Italy, traces its origins to the fourth century. It is governed by a 60-member parliament that elects two captains regent every six months to serve jointly as heads of state, a power-sharing arrangement designed to prevent the concentration of authority.

Using the micro state as an example, Leo argued that small political communities can offer lessons in public service and social cohesion at a time of growing division and distrust.

Leo is the third pope to visit San Marino, after St. John Paul II visited in 1982 and Pope Benedict XVI came in 2011.

The American pontiff praised a society “built on respect for one’s own freedom and that of others and above all on respect for the sacred Will of God.”

He warned that modern societies face increasing threats from violence, social fragmentation and ideologies that put self-interest ahead of the common good.

“We live in a world wounded by many conflicts,” the pope said, citing growing violence, closures and fear of others. He urged Christians to respond through forgiveness, solidarity and concern for the vulnerable.

Leo also described San Marino as a “laboratory of good politics” and called for public life to uphold the dignity of every human person “from conception to natural death” — language commonly used by Vatican officials and Catholic leaders when referring to church opposition to abortion and euthanasia.

In 2021, San Marino voters approved a referendum legalizing abortion during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, overturning a decades-old ban. The referendum represented a significant change in law and public policy in a country with deep Catholic roots.

While Leo did not directly address the referendum, he repeatedly stressed the need for political, social and economic systems to place human dignity at their center. He warned against models that present themselves as liberating but ultimately fail to serve the human person and the common good.

A call for mercy in a divided world

Later Saturday, Leo addressed the annual Rimini Meeting — a major Catholic cultural festival organized by the Communion and Liberation movement — urging Catholics to respond to a world marked by war, division and inequality with dialogue, friendship and encounter.

He said peace is built by people “who love to encounter one another and are not afraid to engage with one another,” arguing that human dignity must come before political, social and ideological divisions.

In some of his strongest comments to date on global tensions, he warned against what he described as a growing culture of confrontation and militarization.

Christians should recognize that “there can be no enemies,” and that even opponents are “a brother or sister to be looked in the eye and encountered in truth,” Leo added.

He urged Catholics to challenge systems that fuel poverty, inequality and conflict.

“Let us expose unjust structures of power that lie at the root of poverty, inequality, war and environmental disasters,” he said, while urging believers to free “work from the idolatry of profit” and to “disarm technological development whenever it becomes invasive and destructive.”

A significant portion of the pope's speech focused on young people, whom Leo portrayed as a source of hope at a time when many fear the future.

Encouraging young Catholics to engage with society rather than retreat into closed communities, he urged them: “Do not be afraid to give yourselves fully!” and “Go forth to meet everyone!”

Echoing themes championed by his predecessor, Pope Francis, Leo also encouraged Catholics to embrace listening and dialogue, arguing that the church grows through the attraction of authentic witness rather than proselytism.

___

Zampano reported from Rome.

The Boston Musicians' Association issued a statement ahead of the expiration of the union's three-year contract at 11:59 p.m. Sunday.

The orchestra and management have had strained relations since BSO decided in March to force out music director Andris Nelsons next summer after 13 seasons.

“In spite of the turmoil of the last six months caused by BSO’s leadership decision to terminate the orchestra’s musical director, Andris Nelsons, they have failed to agree to a collective bargaining agreement that would begin to restore the trust that they have destroyed and offer a fair contract to the musicians who are at the heart and soul of the BSO,” the union said in a statement.

The union said management has not agreed to musicians' proposal for a mediator.

“We respect the musicians’ right to take this step as part of the negotiating process,” BSO CEO Chad Smith said in a statement. “Our focus remains on the negotiations and the ongoing constructive conversations. We are committed to reaching an agreement with competitive pay and benefits that enhances collaboration with the players.”

The orchestra's season is scheduled to open Sept. 17.

“I am mad. Angry. Disgusted. Frustrated,” LaDonna Hicks, an employee at Bee at Home in Birmingham, said.

Hicks used to describe the payment situation.

“I’ve been there over five years,” Hicks said.

Hicks and Ay’Jah Greene are two of about 10 employees who work at Bee at Home healthcare based in Birmingham. Their days consist of living with and helping clients who need extra care.

“We are supposed to get paid on the 15th and the 30th of every month, so this not getting paid is a recurring situation,” Hicks said.

They say it’s taking a toll.

“How can I pay for childcare? How can I pay for a babysitter when I am doing services for this job. It’s uncomfortable because I have to tell these people, ‘Oh, I owe you,’” Greene said.

When they call their supervisor to ask why, they say there’s not an answer.

Fed up and frustrated – they reached out to Local 4. Local 4 called the company Friday morning.

Local 4 was told the supervisor could not speak, but would call me back that afternoon. They never heard back.

Instead, employees got an unexpected call.

Just a few hours later, cashier’s checks were hand delivered to each of them late yesterday.

“We got cashier’s checks yesterday. I did not even know you had called,” Hicks said.

“You have to think about the things where people have childcare,” Hicks said. “People have bills. People don’t have transportation and stuff like that.”

“If the supervisor, or the person in charge, were sitting right here, what would you say to them?” Local 4’s Kyla Russell asked.

“Oh, you don’t want to know that,” Greene said.

Employees say this isn’t the first time this has happened and while they are grateful to have this money they are owed, another pay period is coming up and they’re hopeful this doesn’t happen again.

Prime Minister Mark Carney acknowledged the break after last-ditch negotiations failed Friday, saying Canada had recognized that “America has changed” and that the countries would “not return to our old relationship.”

The United States imposed 50% tariffs on about $20 billion worth of Canadian goods early Saturday. Carney said Canada would retaliate dollar for dollar beginning Sept. 8, targeting sectors including steel, dairy, appliances, agricultural equipment, pulp and paper and electronics.

Carney foreshadowed the shift at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January, declaring that the world was experiencing “a rupture, not a transition” and urging countries such as Canada to reduce their vulnerability to economic coercion by strengthening their economies at home and diversifying abroad.

He said in Ottawa on Saturday that warning had been borne out. He accused the U.S. of using “economic integration as a weapon” and said its “signature was written in pencil.”

“The collapse of the tariff talks points to the fact that the old Canada-U.S. relationship is over and, for many Canadians, it also confirms the perception that Canada can’t trust the Trump administration,” said Daniel Béland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal.

The pressure from Republican President Donald Trump has gone well beyond tariffs.

He has questioned Canada’s economic viability, repeatedly talked about making it the 51st U.S. state and used trade measures to encourage production to move from Canada to the United States. That has angered many Canadians and fueled a sense of betrayal in a country that had long regarded the U.S. as its closest ally.

Canadian travel to the U.S. remains sharply lower than before the dispute, with July return trips down nearly 29% by car and 27% by air from July 2024, Statistics Canada said.

The failed negotiations underscored how far the relationship had shifted. Canada had been prepared to accept some U.S. tariffs for market access and greater certainty — a break from decades of policy aimed at eliminating trade barriers.

For Canadians accustomed to preferential access under the 1989 Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, NAFTA and its successor, even reduced tariffs would mark a retreat from the old relationship.

The collapse also puts Carney’s approach to Trump to the test.

The prime minister’s “elbows up” posture — hockey shorthand for playing aggressively and refusing to be pushed around — has helped keep him popular at home. His decision to resist U.S. pressure could also resonate abroad with those impressed by his Davos call for countries to resist economic coercion and reduce dependence on great powers.

Provincial and conservative leaders broadly backed Carney. Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said “the old status quo is not possible,” while Ontario Premier Doug Ford praised Carney for rejecting what he called a bad deal for the auto, steel and manufacturing sectors.

Ford said Trump “is not to be trusted whatsoever.”

Former Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said Canada was “not cravenly surrendering in the face of constant economic and political aggression.”

Lana Payne, national president of Unifor, Canada’s largest private-sector union, accused Trump of trying to weaken Canada’s industrial base.

“What we have seen from the U.S. administration, or Donald Trump, is this consistent attempt to try and destroy the industrial economy of Canada with tariffs that have been strategically designed to attack us,” Payne said.

The economic risks of fighting back and a s

hift seen as perhaps lasting beyond Trump

Nearly three-quarters of Canada’s goods exports go to the United States. The U.S. economy is roughly 10 times larger than Canada’s, limiting Ottawa’s ability to retaliate dollar for dollar without inflicting disproportionate damage at home.

Royal Bank of Canada economists estimate the tariffs directly affect about 0.4% of Canada’s GDP because they cover only about 5% of Canadian exports to the U.S. The damage could grow if retaliation broadens, more sectors are targeted or the dispute curbs investment and disrupts supply chains.

Carney himself acknowledged the cost of retaliation, saying the Canadian measures would “raise costs and reduce choice for Canadians.” He said his government would announce additional assistance for affected businesses and workers.

Béland said the countries were witnessing “the beginning of a full-scale trade war,” though he cautioned that the situation could change rapidly.

The dependence is not one-sided.

Carney said Canada supplies 99% of U.S. natural gas imports, 85% of its electricity imports and 60% of its crude oil imports. Trump has focused much of his pressure on autos, steel and aluminum, fueling resentment among Canadians who see the push as an effort to hollow out key industries.

Goldy Hyder, president and CEO of the Business Council of Canada, said businesses still view the U.S. as Canada’s most important trading partner but increasingly see the shift as lasting beyond Trump.

“There is a new trade and investment model, one that could well be kept in place by future U.S. administrations whether Democrat or Republican,” Hyder said.

Canada looks beyond the United States because ‘things will never be the same’

The breakdown adds urgency to Carney’s push to diversify beyond the United States. He has traveled abroad seeking investment and new trade ties, aiming to attract $1 trillion Canadian (US$730 billion) by 2030 and double non-U.S. investment over the next decade. Canada has signed more than 20 trade and security agreements across five continents in the past year.

That made Washington’s effort to restrict Canada’s ability to negotiate trade agreements with other countries particularly significant.

In July, Ottawa and Alberta advanced plans for a new Pacific Coast oil pipeline to give Canadian crude greater access to Asian markets and reduce reliance on U.S. buyers.

The immediate question is how long the latest tariff confrontation will last.

Béland said the deeper change probably will, partly because U.S. protectionism is likely to remain influential under future administrations.

“The idea that things will return to ‘normal’ once Donald Trump leaves the White House is probably just wishful thinking,” Béland said. “It doesn’t mean the relationship might not improve in the future but that things will never be the same.”

The NL West leaders won their fifth in a row and ninth in 12 games with their 37th comeback win of the season.

After a rough first inning in which he trailed 3-0, Skubal (8-7) settled down and retired 20 of his final 23 batters. The left-hander allowed three runs and five hits in seven innings with one walk. His strikeouts were one off his season high and two off his career best.

Tanner Scott retired the side in the ninth to earn his 19th save.

Skubal was 0-2 with a 3.18 ERA in his first three starts with the Dodgers, who acquired the two-time Cy Young Award winner in a blockbuster deal with the Detroit Tigers ahead of the trade deadline earlier this month.

Tucker snapped an 0 for 25 skid at home with his two-run RBI to right, giving the Dodgers their first lead, 4-3. Mookie Betts got hit by reliever Yohan Ramírez to open the inning and Max Muncy followed with a double to set up Tucker, who again received encouraging applause from the sellout crowd of 53,417.

The Pirates had the tying run on third in the eighth after Esmerlyn Valdez doubled off reliever Evan Phillips. Pinch-runner Billy Cook took third on a passed ball by catcher Ben Rortvedt. Jack Dreyer came in and got Cruz on a called third strike to end the threat.

Yohan Ramirez (6-4) took the loss in relief.

After three hitless innings, the Dodgers finally got to Pirates starter Jared Jones in the fourth. Teoscar Hernández and newly called up Alek Thomas had back-to-back RBI singles that pulled them within 3-2.

The Pirates jumped on Skubal in the first, taking a 3-0 lead. Oneil Cruz had a two-run triple — his first of the season — to right and Rafael Flores Jr. followed with an RBI groundout to second.

Jones gave up two runs and three hits in four innings while striking out five and walking five.

Pirates reliever Camilo Doval pitched one inning of scoreless relief in the sixth before being ejected.

Up next

The Pirates had yet to announce a starter for Sunday's series finale against Dodgers LHP Blake Snell (1-1, 3.60).

___

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

Anthony, 19, was convicted of murder in June and sentenced to 35 years in prison for the April 2025 killing of Austin Metcalf.

Judge Michael Chitty denied the retrial motion in a half-page order following a two-day hearing this week near Dallas, citing a review of the evidence and arguments. He did not elaborate.

Russell Wilson, Anthony's attorney, said the defense would appeal.

“Our commitment to our client has not changed,” Wilson said. “We will continue to advocate vigorously on his behalf through every lawful avenue available.”

At the center of Anthony’s retrial request was an off-the-record agreement between prosecutors and his trial defense team to keep damaging character evidence about both teenagers out of the proceeding. Both sides agreed to hold back evidence that risked further inflaming a case already boiling with racial tensions and death threats.

The case attracted widespread attention in part because of a flood of social media posts that amplified the killing in racial terms. Anthony is Black; Metcalf was white. Lawyers on both sides, however, told jurors that the case had nothing to do with race.

Worries that prosecutors would renege on the agreement as Anthony prepared to testify, his attorneys say, came after a heated argument between lawyers on both sides and changed their defense strategy at the eleventh hour. Anthony ultimately decided not to testify.

Prosecutor Bill Wirskye defended the trial as fair this week.

“We respect, and expected, the court’s decision denying the motion for a new trial,” Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis said after the denial was announced. “The jury’s guilty verdict stands, and we remain confident in the process. Every defendant has the right to appeal, and our thoughts and prayers remain with the Metcalf family in the painful wake of last week’s hearing.”

Anthony’s attorneys also demanded a retrial because they said trial judge John Roach’s courtroom rules were so strict that they limited the public’s access to the proceedings. And in asking for Roach's recusal, they noted that he gave a posttrial interview with a Dallas TV station in which he expressed agreement with the jury's decision.

“Whatever they say, they got it right,” Roach said.

Roach said his rules were necessary for a fair trial, and prosecutors insisted he did nothing wrong.

Jurors rejected Anthony’s claims that he was defending himself during a confrontation with Metcalf in the bleachers of the track meet.

Anthony and Metcalf were athletes for different high schools in the Dallas suburb of Frisco, where several teams were competing on the rainy spring day when the meet took place.

Anthony sat under the tent that belonged to Metcalf's team, and Metcalf and others repeatedly told him to leave, witnesses testified. That led to an escalating confrontation.

Prosecutors said Anthony provoked Metcalf, and witnesses identified Anthony as the aggressor.

At one point Anthony reached inside a bag and said: “Touch me and see what happens,” according to a police report.

Witnesses said Metcalf pushed Anthony, who pulled out a knife and stabbed him in the chest.

Moke, which formed Friday in the Pacific Ocean, was located about 425 miles (680 kilometers) southeast of Hilo and moving west-northwest at 12 mph (19 kph). Maximum sustained winds were around 50 mph (85 kph), the National Hurricane Center said.

As with Hurricane Lala, the Big Island was expected to bear the brunt of Moke's rain and heavy winds as it passes south of a direct hit late Saturday into early Sunday.

Moke was then forecast to continue its westward path near the islands through early Tuesday, said Casey Oswant, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Honolulu.

“There will still be impacts, especially to the windward and southeast sides of the Big Island, but it will probably be a little bit more limited than what we saw with Lala,” Oswant said.

Lala downed trees, swept buildings off their foundations, damaged roads and bridges and left roads covered in mud and rocks. Two storm-related deaths were reported.

Weekend rainfall predictions for the southeast and windward sides of the Big Island were 5 to 10 inches (13 to 25 centimeters), with as much as 15 inches (38 centimeters) in isolated areas, Oswant said. Across the rest of the island chain, 1 to 2 inches (2 to 5 centimeters) of rain was expected, though parts of east Maui could see up to 4 inches (10 centimeters).

There were no coastal watches or warnings in effect, but people were urged to closely monitor the storm's progress. The rainfall has the potential to cause dangerous rip currents, life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in steep areas and places where the ground remains saturated, the center said.

The northeast coast of the Big Island saw the heaviest total rainfall from Lala, at 43.54 inches (1.1 meters), according to the weather service. More than 8,000 customers on the Big Island remained without power, according to poweroutage.us.

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green and other state officials held a news conference ahead of Moke, urging people to prepare by restocking food, medicine and other essentials.

“There’s definitely tension in the air” at the thought of more rain in communities that floodwaters turned into rivers, said Tiffany Edwards Hunt, a teacher living in Keaau, on the east side of the Big Island.

___

Associated Press writer Alexa St. John in Detroit contributed.

Watson, who has a complicated relationship with Cleveland fans because of injuries, off-field issues — including an NFL suspension in 2022 — and a massive, $230 million contract, was booed repeatedly during the second half of a 31-7 loss to the Bills.

Watson was just 5 of 12 passing for 36 yards and threw an interception. He came off the bench because the Browns started Shedeur Sanders, who is competing with Watson for the starting job. Coach Todd Monken has yet to decide which QB will start the season opener in Jacksonville on Sept. 13.

Watson didn't appreciate the reaction from the sparse crowd at Huntington Bank Field. It was his first home game since tearing his Achilles tendon on Oct. 20, 2024, when fans cheered him sustaining a potential career-ending injury.

“It has nothing to do about the performance,” Watson said of the boos. “It’s a little bit personal. I think that’s a disrespectful thing. I’m going to keep whatever I feel with me and my family internally on how I feel about that. Just move on.”

Watson has started just 19 games since the Browns acquired him in a blockbuster trade from Houston four years ago and signed him to a fully guaranteed contract. They traded three first-round draft picks for the three-time Pro Bowl pick, who came to Cleveland embroiled in controversy.

He served an 11-game league suspension in his first season after two dozen women accused him of sexual assault and inappropriate conduct during massage therapy sessions. He also paid a $5 million fine and completed a treatment program.

Watson struggled with rustiness upon his return and was just beginning to play like a Pro Bowl QB again when he suffered a season-ending shoulder surgery in 2023 and had surgery. This season, he’s coming back from twice rupturing his Achilles tendon.

When Watson first injured his Achilles tendon in 2024 in a home game against Cincinnati, some fans cheered. He hasn't forgotten.

“Last time I played on this field, I tore my Achilles and that same fan base, they cheered when I got hurt,” Watson said. “So what does that have to do with anything about performance? When a person gets hurt, especially for your own city and they cheer.”

Watson said he's not sure if he can win back any fans. He's frustrated that the only time he feels animosity from Cleveland fans is when he's on the field.

“When I’m in public, no one’s mentioned anything," he said. "Because this is social media, players can’t respond back. And then in the stadium, players can’t respond back. So I get it. I understand it. So it is what it is.

“It’s a mental battle every day. I feel like I get more love in road games than I do home games. So if it is my spot and he (Monken) does make me the (starter), maybe it’s 17 away games then.”

Although he's competing with Watson, Sanders said the booing directed at one of his teammates was bothersome.

“I don’t appreciate that at all,” Sanders said. "Regardless of competition, we’re all human beings. I think we all need to understand that. In this room, too, we’re all humans. I don’t do things to humans that I wouldn’t want done to me.

“For all the fans, we appreciate you showing up, and however you feel about the situation with Deshaun and everything, I think it’s more about a bigger purpose and it’s respect. It’s a respect thing that I feel should be there, because we’re all out there trying to do our best and serve the franchise the best way possible.”

As he nears a decision on his starting QB, Monken may now have to factor in whether Watson is mentally strong enough to handle the challenge.

Before Watson spoke, Monken said he believed Watson could win back fans with his play.

"I know you asked (Watson) ‘Hey, how does it feel to get booed?’ It’s a pretty easy question — it sucks,” Monken said. “I don’t want to get booed. It comes with the territory. You don’t want to get booed? Let’s play good football. Let’s play good at quarterback. Let’s play good on offense. Let’s play good as a team. And then you don’t have to worry about all that because it can turn just like that.

“Win, play good football, and everybody will be fine. That’s just part of it."

___

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Oliver has been grieving throughout training camp and many of his teammates only learned of the tragic accident on Friday. Following Saturday's 31-7 preseason win over the Browns, Bills quarterback Josh Allen said the team is standing with Oliver.

“Obviously, very unfortunate what happened and as a teammate of him, as someone in this locker room, all we can do is love on him,” Allen said. "There’s nothing that you can say to make the situation any better except being there in whatever ways he needs.

“That’s what we’re going to continue to do. That’s what teammates do. You love up on each other when we’re down, and I can’t imagine what he’s going through. But the way that he’s dealt with it has been unbelievable.”

Oliver has asked for privacy and prayers while still mourning his son, who was also named Ed. The toddler was pronounced dead after being found unresponsive in a residential pool in Harris County, Texas, on June 28, a person briefed on what happened told The Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because the team and player have not revealed that information.

Without providing many details including names or ages, the Harris County Sheriff’s department posted a note on its Facebook account that evening regarding the drowning of a toddler in a neighborhood community north of Houston.

“This is a tragic incident and our thoughts are with the toddler’s family during this incredibly difficult time. The investigation is ongoing,” the post read.

A sheriff’s official told The Associated Press on Saturday that a report was not immediately available.

Before Saturday's game, Bills general manager Brandon Beane issued a statement expressing his and the organization’s condolences.

“It’s an unthinkable tragedy for any parent. We will continue to support Ed and his family as we grieve this tragic loss,” Beane said.

Bills first-year coach Joe Brady was equally compassionate toward Oliver, who is in his eighth season with Buffalo.

“Ever since I found out the news, I can’t fathom what he’s going through," Brady said. "As a coach and a father, there really aren’t words to describe it. It’s all about us loving him and giving him the privacy that he deserves.

“It’s hard when I see him. I don’t have the words, but all I can do is support him in whatever way he needs.”

The 28-year-old Oliver was selected by the Bills in the first round of the 2019 draft out of Houston.

Oliver reported for training camp on time last month and appeared with the starters in the Bills' preseason-opening 29-14 win over Carolina last weekend. He has not practiced this week because of an undisclosed injury.

___

Wawrow reported from Buffalo, New York.

___

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Bitcoin had dropped from a January high of around $95,000 to below $60,000 at the end of June. Investors shied away from speculative assets earlier in the year and crypto supporters were concerned about the lack of movement on proposed regulation of the industry. On Friday, bitcoin rose above $77,000.

Gold hit a high above $5,300 in January but dropped to around $4,000 in June as rising rates made interest-bearing investments more attractive. Gold rose to $4,661 on Friday.

The first jolt arrived Wednesday when the Treasury Department announced plans to significantly increase its buybacks of long-term Treasurys, or government debt. On the same day, President Donald Trump, who made about $1.2 billion last year from various crypto holdings, urged Congress to move quickly on crypto legislation.

There was an almost immediate reaction, which included a dollar sell-off and a jump in the value of gold and bitcoin as investors moved toward alternative assets.

How these two investments caught fire can be understood in the context of several developments this week.

The Treasury stepped into the bond market — forcefully

In a surprise announcement Wednesday, the U.S. Treasury Department said that it would at least double the size of its planned purchases of longer-term government debt. The maneuver was intended to calm bond markets after a sustained sell-off, meaning investors were asking for higher yields to lend money to the U.S., which investors suddenly viewed as riskier

That's because while the Treasury intervention worked, at least for a short period, it also raised questions about whether the government is trying to push borrowing costs lower despite inflationary pressures. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is attempting to lower long-term borrowing costs, a move that can put upward pressure on inflation at a time when inflation is already elevated. Bessent's maneuver could handcuff the Federal Reserve, which fights inflation by raising interest rates.

Debt, inflation, and the “debasement trade” heat up

Then there's the national debt, which surpassed a record $40 trillion on the same day that the Treasury's actions unfolded. The milestone figure was recorded just five months after the U.S. hit a record $39 trillion debt in March. It reached $38 trillion five months before that, in October.

There is already a lot of anxiety over inflation, particularly because of the conflict in Iran and soaring energy prices. If yields on U.S. bonds are not truly reflecting risk, you can often see that play out in the value of the U.S. currency, which took a significant downward swoop Wednesday.

So where does the money that was invested in the dollar or Treasurys go? This week, it appears to have been funneled into what is known as the “debasement trade,” when investors flood into alternative assets such as gold, which rose more than 2% Wednesday. The debasement trade now includes bitcoin. Bitcoin jumped more than 20% this week.

Crypto had a very good week in Washington

On Wednesday, President Donald Trump, who banked nearly $1.2 billion from his crypto businesses last year, held a crypto currency conference at the White House where he called on Congress to pass the crypto-friendly Clarity Act, saying that it would "keep us ahead of China, keep us ahead of everyone else.”

Trump then yielded the floor to Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chair Mike Selig, who vowed to “use every tool available” to advance Trump’s agenda.

Selig’s comments came ahead of a CFTC meeting Thursday examining ways the agency can use its existing authority to ease crypto rules. A day earlier, other regulators proposed rules making it easier for crypto companies and projects to raise money from the public.

Since taking office, Trump has pushed policies friendly to the crypto industry and reversed a Biden administration regulatory crackdown.

Bitcoin's big squeeze sent prices even higher

Bitcoin can sometimes get a bump when the U.S. dollar is on the ropes as investors try to unload the U.S. currency. But you don't typically see the kind of related movement that was observed with bitcoin this week.

The price of bitcoin had been stuck between $62,000 and $67,000 for weeks. Investors seized on that weakness, many placing bets that the cryptocurrency would be stuck in that range for some time to come.

However, on the day the Treasury announced its buybacks, Treasury yields fell, as did the dollar, and bitcoin blasted through that upper level of $67,000.

The Treasury's actions negatively affected the money investors could make on U.S. bonds and the dollar, and boosted the value of bitcoin. That meant that many investors who had shorted bitcoin, or bet that its price would remain subdued, were forced to close their positions as bitcoin surged. Closing those bearish positions required buying back the digital asset, adding even more upward pressure to bitcoin’s price.

By Friday, more than $4 billion in bearish crypto positions had been liquidated during the rally, according to CoinGlass, which tracks cryptocurrency derivatives markets.

And because bitcoin was already rising, those forced purchases added fuel to the rally, potentially triggering still more liquidations as prices climbed.

Now, IndyCar drivers can finally evaluate the actual track.

“I didn’t know if it was going to be fun or not to drive. It’s a blast, super fun,” series points leader Alex Palou said after a morning practice session Saturday. “Very bumpy, huge bumps heading into Turn 2 and Turn 6. Massive bumps that are going to spice things up.”

The 1.7-mile street course in downtown Washington was an unknown commodity, set up for the first — and possibly the last — time for this event celebrating the country's 250th birthday. As these tracks go, it looks pretty simple with only seven turns, all but one to the left.

That doesn't mean the driving is smooth, though — even on the straightaway down Pennsylvania Avenue between Turns 1 and 2.

“We got quite a bit of bumps on the exit of Turn 1, quite a bit of bumps going into 2, the straightaway,” said Pato O'Ward, who won last month at Mid-Ohio. “I would say that’s taken over a little bit of what the characteristic of what this track is.”

Pennsylvania Avenue is repaved often because of its role in presidential inaugurations. Race chair Bud Denker spoke highly of the area's roads in the run-up to the event, but at high speed, the slightest bump can make a difference. Louis Foster went over one near the end of the Independence Avenue straightaway and ended up going nose-first into the wall — in the area Palou was talking about before Turn 6.

“Going to try to see if we can get a better balance in the corners, not focus so much on the bumps. They’re not going to disappear,” Palou said. “I think if you move a little bit on lanes, might be a little bit better, but it’s not going to completely go away from that.”

Palou said Turn 2 — a severe bend at the end of the Pennsylvania Avenue straightaway — presents a good passing opportunity. Same for Turn 5 — a 90-degree left from 7th Street onto Independence Avenue.

“I think there’s going to be a lot of action. I see that just having a wide track, it’s just going to allow us to have more passing than, for example, Detroit,” Palou said, referring to another downtown Indycar course. “It’s so narrow that even if you are so much faster, you can just block so much easier. Here, if you’re not going to have the pace, they’re going to overtake you.”

Palou had the top practice lap of 56.6145 seconds in the second session, then topped qualifying later in the day.

Although IndyCar owns the D.C. spotlight this weekend, NASCAR made its presence felt when four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon swept Saturday's two-race IROC event in Washington. Kurt Busch was runner-up in both races.

“I was like a kid in a candy store,” Busch said. “It was like I was in a bowl of M&M's with all the colors and the banners. ‘Where’s my braking zone? I don't know — oh, that's a cool building.'”

The weather was mostly fine despite some threatening clouds. IndyCar drivers can expect humid conditions for Sunday's 147-lap, 250-mile race.

“It’s going to be physical,” O'Ward said. “Every challenge that a street course usually throws at you. It’s bumpy. You got a bunch of sweat inside of the helmet. You’re bouncing up and down in there. It gets pretty rough, gets pretty aggressive.”

___

See AP’s full auto racing coverage here

Isolated rain will diminish tonight, giving way to partly cloudy skies overnight. By Sunday morning, temperatures will be in the mid to upper 50s with a northwest wind around 5-10 mph.

We should be closer to 63° this time of year.

Winds will remain out of the northwest tomorrow, picking up to 10-15 mph, gusting into the mid 20s.

This will help to keep highs below-normal tomorrow in the low 70s. The normal high for this time of year is 81°.

Sunday features a mix of sun and clouds with the slight chance for rain in the afternoon and evening.

We’ll see more sunshine Monday and Tuesday. Monday’s highs will be near 75°. Tuesday will be warmer with highs back to where they should be for this time of year, around 80°.

We expect more low 80s the rest of the week with midweek rain chances.

Bogey-free through 36 holes, he went from the bunker left of the fairway to the right rough on the opening hole at Bellerive. He came up short of the green, chipped to 7 feet and missed the putt, taking a double bogey that cost him the lead.

The conversation on the second tee included a few choice words and a message from his caddie to embrace the challenge and move on. Clark wound up finding another gear. He had five birdies in an eight-hole stretch and turned a bad start into a big lead.

Even closing with a bogey, Clark had a 5-under 65 and a five-shot lead.

“Hit a bad shot on 2, but then really made a nice recovery and then got into a nice groove after that,” Clark said.

It was the second time this year Clark has led by at least five shots going into the final round. He had a six-shot advantage at the U.S. Open and held on to win by one for his second major.

Rory McIlroy ran off three straight birdies late in the round and saved par from a bunker on the 18th for a 65. Patrick Cantlay birdied the 18th for a 66. They were tied for second, a position far more relevant to Cantlay. He is at No. 43 in the FedEx Cup and needs a high finish to be among the top 30 who advance to the FedEx Cup finale next week in Atlanta.

“That's a lot to make up,” McIlroy said of his deficit. “But if I focus on myself, try to shoot a good score — I shot a 64 and a 65 this week — shoot something similar tomorrow, you never know.”

Gary Woodland, trying to cap off his remarkable year with a return to the Tour Championship, only managed two birdies in a round of 70. He was six shots behind, perhaps too far back to challenge Clark but high enough to extend his season another week. He was tied with Chris Gotterup (68).

Clark made a tough par save from the bunker on No. 6. Then after hearing the crowd erupt for Woodland's 15-foot birdie on the par-4 seventh, Clark followed with a 10-foot birdie, and that was the start of a one of those hot streaks where he looks like he can't miss.

He hit a 5-wood to 12 feet for eagle on the par-5 eighth. He holed a 30-foot birdie putt on the 10th, another birdie on the 11th from about 15 feet. And then he made a pair of birdie putts from the 12-foot range on the 13th and 14th to start pulling away.

“You start seeing the lines and you’re so much more committed” Clark said of his putting. “You’re like, ‘OK, that’s exactly it.’ And then you just stroke it and the ball goes in.”

Clark is going for his third win this year, which would put him in the conversation for PGA Tour player of the year with his major championship.

Otherwise, Sunday is a matter of who gets to East Lake in Atlanta, where all 30 players only have to win to claim the FedEx Cup and the $10 million payoff.

Justin Thomas took a step back with a 71, leaving him in a tie for 15th. Sungjae Im shot 70 and was alone in seventh. He can't afford to fall any farther down the leaderboard if he wants to keep alive his streak of being at East Lake every year dating to his rookie season in 2019.

Sunday also is the cutoff to get the six automatic spots on the Presidents Cup. Clark is likely a lock even without moving into the top six spots. Ben Griffin shot a 68 but was still tied for 35th, jeopardizing his chances of being on the U.S. team at Medinah next month. Cantlay is too far back to be an automatic qualifier, but getting to East Lake goes a long way toward being an easy pick.

“I feel like my game’s in a good spot and ready to go shoot a low one tomorrow,” Cantlay said.

Scottie Scheffler shot 68 and was tied for 15th, 12 shots out of the lead.

___

See AP’s full golf coverage here

Ranging from the sound of emergency sirens and birds screeching to low grunts and guttural hoots, their vocalizations reverberate from a sanctuary in the hot, dry hills of the Santa Clarita Valley, north of Los Angeles.

Over the past 50 years, the Gibbon Conservation Center has transformed from housing a small assortment of animals to becoming a globally recognized institution dedicated solely to the care and well-being of gibbons. Known for their signature singing, they are among the rarest and most critically endangered primates on Earth.

Today the center cares for some 40 gibbons across five species. Their singing can sometimes be heard a mile away by the few neighbors in the sparsely inhabited outskirts of Santa Clarita.

The center was founded by the late Alan Mootnick, a self-taught primatologist who would go on to become a leading expert on gibbons, all while running a home painting and remodeling business. He published papers in scientific journals, hosted researchers from around the world, and fielded questions from other scientists about gibbon care and identification.

“Sometimes they would just send him a picture of a rescued gibbon asking what species, or they will play him a vocalization,” Director Gabi Skollar said.

Skollar moved from Hungary to the U.S. in 2005 to learn from Mootnick and work at the center. She has carried on his mission since his sudden death from heart surgery complications in 2011.

Skollar, who had initially planned to leave the job to continue her education, said there was no way she could abandon the gibbons.

“We have to keep going and take care of this place,” she said.

Now, she lives on-site with another caretaker, waking up every morning to the cacophony of gibbons at sunrise. They’re her children, she said.

The center contributes to global research on gibbons

The gibbons are full of personality and individual quirks, and Skollar knows them well after decades at the center. A young, northern white-cheeked gibbon named Pepper always leads the group in beginning their singing, and a pileated gibbon named Violet finishes the chorus with her partner Truman. Pierre, a rescued gibbon, does not like men.

The small apes sing three to four times a day for 20 to 30 minutes at a time.

“There’s a lot of things that we can learn in a captive setting that can be shared with conservationists in the field and also with people working in sanctuaries rescuing gibbons,” said Skollar, who is studying gibbon vocalizations in a doctorate program at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Gibbons face increasing threats from habitat destruction where they’re normally found, in the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia. Wildlife trade is also a threat, with gibbons being captured from their parents as babies and sold as pets.

Mootnick acquired his first gibbon, named Spanky, in 1976, when he responded to a newspaper ad of someone selling a pet. Some gibbons at the conservation center were born there; others were traded with different institutions to ensure diversity in breeding programs.

Some of the species at the center have a population of less than 2,000 in the wild.

The center was the first to successfully breed Javan gibbons, an endangered species only found on the Indonesian island of Java, and they are soon sending a pair of northern white-cheeked gibbons to the Pittsburgh Zoo.

How human caretakers connect with the apes

On a recent morning, on-site caretaker Jodi Kleier was making the rounds with buckets of washed lettuce, steamed sweet potatoes and bananas. She handed a young gibbon, Rocky, a piece of chopped banana as he reached out through the fence.

Rocky was hand-reared by Kleier after being abandoned by his mother after birth at the center, which can happen with first-time mothers if they went through a difficult birth.

Kleier has worked at the center for a decade, and started out as a volunteer. She has a tattoo of Rocky on her thigh.

She fell in love with gibbons after coming to the center for a primatology course in school.

“I love watching any primates play, because I think they’re so natural to us, we kind of see ourselves in them,” she said.

Kleier and volunteers who come by during the week are constantly washing and cooking produce because they feed the gibbons five to six times a day to imitate the pace of their foraging behavior in the wild.

“The Javans, they’re my favorite species and the male Javan is singing … one of my favorite songs,” Kleier said of a ghostly vocalization. “In Javanese folklore, they’re known as these spirits that live in the forest because you can always hear them.”

Students, volunteers and families can visit the animals

While the center is only open to visitors for guided tours on the weekends, they receive steady interest from schools, tourists and senior centers. They also work with local organizations such as The Teaching Zoo at Moorpark College to help students receive hands-on experience in animal care. The college takes first-year students on a field trip to the Gibbon Conservation Center every year, and many have gone on to work there after they graduate.

“When I went out there for the first time in the 1990s, I didn’t know what a gibbon was,” said Mara Rodriguez, a development coordinator who's been with the zoo for decades. “Now I’ve raised four gibbons in my career.”

Anyone who visits “will leave with a lasting impression and begin to care about the species,” she said.

Skollar’s long-term goal is to raise more money to build larger enclosures for the gibbons and construct an education center for visitors. She hopes to continue honoring Mootnick’s legacy and dedicating her life to the gibbons — one of which is named after him.

“When he passed away, I just felt that he’s around and helping us keep this center going,” she said.

Meanwhile, Israel has carried out strikes in Syria and in Gaza.

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

Iran's new top security adviser issues threats

The hard-line new leader of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council threatened Tehran’s neighbors against joining the new U.S. effort to hurt Iran’s economy, and accused the United States of increasing global nuclear insecurity with months of war.

“If (Trump) wants to do something, we will retaliate in a seismic manner,” he said in an interview with the state broadcaster that aired Saturday.

Mohsen Rezaei was named this month as part of senior appointments widely seen as hardening Tehran’s political and military stance. His interview with IRIB is his most extensive public statement since then.

Rezaei said Iran would target oil-shipping routes out of the Persian Gulf — alternatives to the Strait of Hormuz — if neighbors join what he described as the economic war against Iran. Those neighbors would be considered enemies and “we will target their interests,” he said.

U.S. President Donald Trump in the past week has vowed to increase Iran’s pain by imposing an “unprecedented” level of economic warfare and isolation. Iran has lived under sanctions for years.

Rezaei said discussions with Oman, located on the other side of the strait, over management of it were ongoing, and said fees would be imposed. Iran asserted control over what was seen as an international waterway shortly after the U.S. and Israel attacked on Feb. 28.

Rezaei also vowed to make changes to Iran’s diplomacy and bring new capabilities to what he called the next war. He warned the U.S. against sending more military personnel to the region, and said the U.S. had increased nuclear insecurity because countries see that participating in international monitoring efforts, as Iran has done, is no protection against attack.

Egypt tries to revive US-Iran negotiations

The top diplomats for Egypt and Iran discussed efforts to bring Tehran and Washington back to the negotiating table to settle the war, Egypt's foreign ministry said.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Egyptian counterpart Badr Abdelatty also discussed the Iranian-Omani talks, the ministry said.

Araghchi briefed Egypt's foreign minister about “Iran’s view of ongoing developments, the course of negotiations and their challenges,” the ministry said, without elaborating. Araghchi confirmed the call. Separately, Araghchi said he had a call with Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir,

Iran and Iraq say some Iraqi oil is facilitated through the strait

The governments of Iraq and Iran said Tehran has helped some ships carrying Iraqi oil to transit the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for global oil, natural gas and other supplies, but there were few details.

“There is facilitation for some ships carrying Iraqi oil in the Strait of Hormuz,” Iraqi President Nizar Amidi said in comments published Saturday by the state-run news agency, adding that Iraq doesn’t have a national carrier for transporting oil.

Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency said a number of Iraqi oil tankers have been permitted to transit. It was not clear how many or what Iran might have received in return.

Syria says an Israeli drone strikes inside a village

An Israeli drone strike on a vehicle wounded one person on Saturday in the southwestern Syrian village of Beit Jin, according to the Syrian state news agency SANA. Syria’s foreign ministry said several civilians were injured and called the strike a flagrant violation of the country’s sovereignty.

The Israeli military said it targeted a “terrorist who advanced terror attacks in final stages of preparation,” without elaborating. It wasn’t immediately clear if it was the same strike.

Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes around Syria after the ouster of former President Bashar Assad in late 2024, mainly destroying army assets to keep them out of the hands of his successors.

Messages differ on the Golan Heights

In an interview on Friday with Mario Nawfal, a Lebanese-Australian entrepreneur, U.S. Ambassador Tom Barrack said Israel “still” occupies the Golan Heights in violation of U.N. resolutions.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Saturday in a statement called Barrack's remarks “full of inaccuracies and positions that contradict Trump’s own position.”

Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 war and annexed it in 1981. The U.N. considers the territory occupied Syrian land. But in March 2019, Trump signed a proclamation recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, reversing decades of U.S. policy.

French president and Saudi crown prince will meet

French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman are expected to discuss plans to develop alternatives routes to the Strait of Hormuz during the Saudi leader’s two-day visit to Paris that starts on Sunday, according to officials in the presidency who weren't authorized to be publicly named.

Proposals include increasing trade through Omani ports outside of the Persian Gulf, expanding or doubling pipelines in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere, and developing new rail links, the officials said.

France and Saudi Arabia have formed a task force on energy and logistics connections between the Middle East and Europe that is scheduled to meet at the ministerial level Monday. The officials said the work would focus on identifying the most strategic projects, securing financing and establishing roles for French companies.

— AP correspondent Angela Charlton in Paris

An Israeli strike in Gaza kills 1 Palestinian

An Israeli strike on the backyard of a house in central Gaza killed one Palestinian and wounded another Saturday, according to health officials at Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital.

Israel’s military said it targeted Sharif al-Hasanat, a Hamas commander who "advanced terror attacks and took part in efforts to restore Hamas’ underground infrastructure." Days earlier, a U.S. negotiator reportedly asked Israel to draw down attacks while seeking to make progress on the ceasefire.

Wearing long sleeves, Ohtani threw 30 pitches under a blazing sun in 93-degree (34 Celsius) heat and ended the session by giving a thumbs-up.

Among those looking on were pitching coach Mark Prior and president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, fellow MVPs Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, and some of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

“We're getting there,” manager Dave Roberts said afterward. “If it were up to Shohei, he'd be in a game in a few days.”

Ohtani hasn't pitched in a game since July 3 because of lingering soreness in his left knee, which is his landing leg while pitching.

“I'd like to think the knee thing is behind us,” Roberts said.

Ohtani is likely to throw another live session next week. Once he returns to the rotation, Roberts said he'll be limited to one, two or three innings as part of a slow buildup.

“The lives are good because you’re actually facing hitters and you can see the mechanics and how they play,” the manager said.

The goal is for Ohtani to be able to make full-length starts once the Dodgers begin their quest for a third consecutive World Series championship in October.

“I could sit here and say, ‘Yeah, six innings when we start the postseason,’” Roberts said, “but he’s still got to do the work and get there, and he’s got to pass some tests and markers. That’s probably the goal, but we still got a ways to get there.”

Meanwhile, Tyler Glasnow will rejoin the rotation and is expected to start Tuesday in Atlanta. It'll be the right-hander's first start since May 6, before he was sidelined with lower back spasms and went on the 60-day IL.

Glasnow will rejoin a rotation of Tarik Skubal, Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki.

Roberts said Justin Wrobleski is expected to move to the bullpen when the injured starters return.

Closer Edwin Díaz played catch Friday while on the 15-day IL with neck inflammation. He's using the time to rest mechanically after struggling with injuries in his first season with the team.

Roberts indicated Díaz won't be rushed back into the closer's role.

“It's more of getting him back healthy and then putting him in some softer landing situations to get the confidence, to get the feel and the trust of executing pitches,” he said, “and then at that point in time we’ll go from there.”

All-Star outfielder Andy Pages went on the injured list Saturday with a left hand fracture after getting hit by a pitch from Pirates starter Bubba Chandler a night earlier.

“I think they’re probably leaning toward some type of surgery,” Roberts said. “Four weeks is the floor for him to be back with us. Like I told him in the X-ray room, the season’s not over for him and we expect him back full health.”

The team recalled outfielder Alek Thomas from Triple-A Oklahoma City. Thomas was traded to the Dodgers in mid-May from the Arizona Diamondbacks. He'll play center against right-handed pitchers, while Tommy Edman and Kiké Hernández could see time against left-handers.

___

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

Just two days after U.S. negotiators reportedly asked Israel to draw down attacks in the Gaza Strip, at least 10 people were killed Wednesday in two strikes, according to local hospitals and the Palestinian Red Crescent. Israeli troops also crossed the ceasefire line in southern Gaza and detained a Hamas police colonel at dawn Wednesday, two witnesses and a Hamas official said.

Israel's military said one of the strikes on Wednesday, in the area of Nuseirat refugee camp, struck a Hamas commander who had participated in the Hamas-led attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in which 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and 251 abducted. A second strike in the Tuffah area of Gaza City struck four Hamas militants gathering in a police station, the military said, claiming they were planning to carry out attacks against Israeli troops.

Israel's military said a strike the day before targeted a meeting of four Hamas commanders and additional militants.

The commanders killed included Muhammad Hamdi Ahmad Al-Masri, Muhammad Attar and Muhammad Fathi Hussein Nasser, all accused of carrying out terrorist attacks against Israeli troops, and Samed Samir Harb Abu Habal, who infiltrated Israeli territory during the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack, according to a statement from Israel's military.

The Hamas-run Interior Ministry said the Wednesday Gaza City strike on the police station killed eight police officers and a 13-year-old girl. Two officers were women, it said. One person was killed in Nuseirat. On Tuesday evening, an Israeli strike on a busy seaside cafe killed seven Palestinians, including a child, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

Jared Kushner, a U.S. negotiator and President Donald Trump's son-in-law, held a marathon meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, in which he asked Israel's leader to draw down attacks on Gaza, a person familiar with the meeting said. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to brief journalists.

Also on Wednesday, Israel's military said it had completed reviews of 150 incidents of troop conduct during the war in Gaza and would launch criminal investigations into the 2024 killings of a 5-year-old girl and her family, as well as of 15 Palestinian paramedics in 2025.

At least 17 killed in Israeli strikes

The deadly strikes in Gaza on Tuesday and Wednesday exacted more casualties even as a ceasefire that’s been in place since October has significantly diminished the fighting in the tiny enclave where more than 2 million Palestinians live. Since the ceasefire, Israeli strikes have killed at least 1,273 people, according to health officials in Gaza.

The nearly three-year Israel-Hamas war has killed more than 73,400 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The ministry, part of the Hamas-run government, maintains detailed records viewed as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and international organizations. It doesn't distinguish between civilians and militants, but says women and children make up around half of the toll.

In the early hours of Wednesday, at least 15 Israeli troops entered the Muwasi coastal area, west of the city of Khan Younis, two residents and a Hamas official said.

Accompanied by armed men, the troops stormed the tent of Sabri Abdel-All, a colonel for the Hamas-led Blue Police in Khan Younis. They also detained another resident identified as Nashat Ezzat Zaarab, they said.

The two residents and the Hamas official spoke on condition of anonymity for their safety.

Latest ceasefire negotiations offer few concrete commitments

On the diplomatic front, the ceasefire also appears stalled. Trump's initial ceasefire plan laid out a broad vision for ending Hamas’ rule in Gaza and rebuilding the territory, much of which was reduced to rubble during the war.

But since last fall, major sticking points have emerged on the conditions of Hamas' disarmament and Israel's withdrawal — and which should come first.

Earlier this month, Trump announced that Hamas had agreed to disarm. But Hamas said it would begin to disarm if Israel halts strikes and withdraws, adding that laying down its heavy weapons would come later and be contingent on the creation of a Palestinian state — something Israel’s government rejects.

Netanyahu also pushed back on the deal, saying Israel won't withdraw from its current lines in Gaza until Hamas has completely disarmed.

After Wednesday's strikes, Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem lashed out at the Board of Peace — the body Trump established to oversee the ceasefire — saying it has provided a "cover” for Israel to escalate its attacks in Gaza instead of pressuring it to abide by the ceasefire agreement.

___

This story has been corrected to show that while Hamas has announced the dissolution of the government, it has not yet taken place.

___

Associated Press journalists Julia Frankel and Giovanna Dell'Orto in Jerusalem; Sam Mednick in Tel Aviv, Israel; and Samy Magdy in Cairo contributed.

The remarks by Doron Spielman, spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office, were some of the first public comments since U.S. President Donald Trump announced the agreement.

Spielman told The Associated Press that Israel's intelligence assessment is that Hamas remains committed to rebuilding its military rather than genuinely demilitarizing. He said the Israeli military would not withdraw from Gaza — where it controls more than 60% of the territory — before Hamas disarms.

“Our assessment is that if we redeploy before Hamas is truly disarmed, it will quickly expand its presence throughout Gaza, rebuild its terrorist infrastructure, once again threaten Israeli communities, and seek to carry out another Oct. 7-style attack,” he said, referring to the Hamas militant attack on Israel in 2023 that triggered the war in the Gaza Strip.

“Disarming means physically giving up the weapons. Nothing less,” Spielman said.

His comments come days after Hamas said that it would begin disarming as part of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire signed nine months ago to end the nearly three-year-long conflict. It marks a potential breakthrough in ending the conflict, but many hurdles, conditions and long timelines remain.

Hamas says it's agreed to disarm but the process has obstacles

Trump’s 20-point ceasefire plan calls on the militant group to surrender its weapons and destroy its vast network of tunnels. It also envisions Israeli forces withdrawing from Gaza, the arrival of a new technocratic Palestinian government, deployment of an international security force and the rebuilding of the battered Palestinian enclave.

Hamas disarming has been a sticking point and has deadlocked negotiations for months. In announcing the deal on social media on Thursday, Trump said it would be carried out in “carefully structured phases.”

A copy of the agreement obtained and verified by the AP said that all weapons held by the Hamas-run police will be transferred to the U.S.-backed Palestinian technocratic committee, known as the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, upon its arrival in the enclave. It’s not clear when that would happen since it is contingent on other steps.

A process to decommission and store heavy weapons and to dismantle military production sites and tunnels will begin after the arrival of the Palestinian committee and the deployment of international forces. The process will be linked to a phased Israeli withdrawal, according to the agreement.

The areas Israel controls in Gaza have been mostly destroyed and depopulated. Most of the territory’s 2 million Palestinians are in the other part, where hundreds of thousands live in squalid tent camps and destroyed neighborhoods.

Israel appears unlikely to pull back significant forces or make other concessions ahead of its October elections. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces a tough reelection battle, with his far-right coalition partners urging him to keep up the pressure on Hamas and leave forces in Gaza, and opponents accusing him of failing to prevent the Oct. 7, 2023, attack.

Hamas-led militants attacked Israeli communities then, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 others hostage. Israel responded with a punishing military offensive that has killed more than 73,000 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

The ministry, part of the Hamas-run government, maintains detailed records viewed as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and international organizations. It does not distinguish between civilians and militants but says women and children make up around half of all fatalities.

Israel warns that Hamas is rearming

While Spielman said Israel greatly appreciates Trump’s commitment to its security and to finding a durable resolution, the government's position on disarmament is based on detailed intelligence saying that Hamas continues to rearm, recruit fighters, and rebuild its military capabilities.

The White House did not provide additional comments on Sunday, when asked specifically about Israel’s assessment that Hamas remains committed to rebuilding its military.

U.S. officials, who briefed reporters on the disarmament agreement last week, said that Israel had been consulted at every step of the negotiations and was not being asked to do anything more than what it had committed to as part of the ceasefire and hostage release agreement signed last October.

It's unclear what exactly Israel conveyed to the White House. Two people with knowledge of the deal told the AP that Israel had communicated its issues with it to former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who's part of the Trump-led Board of Peace. One of them said that among the points Israel wanted was freedom to conduct military operations in Gaza. They spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

According to another person familiar with the deal, the Israelis raised two other issues: that Qatar and Turkey not be involved in verifying the stages of the agreement, and that Hamas’ weapons be destroyed after confiscation. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Israel continues to strike Gaza

Since the ceasefire was signed last October, Israel has continued striking Gaza, saying it’s targeting Hamas and its infrastructure.

Local Gaza hospitals said at least 17 were killed in the latest Israeli strikes, including children. A strike on a residential apartment in southern Gaza killed three family members, including their 4-year-old child, according to Nasser hospital, where the bodies arrived.

The Israeli military said the strikes had targeted militant operatives.

___

This story has been corrected to show that while Hamas has announced the dissolution of the government, it has not yet taken place.

___

Associated Press writer Aamer Madhani in Washington contributed to this report.

“It’s extremely important to us,” said Itai Nixon, who leads the diaspora department for Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs. “We’re the state of the Jewish people, not just Israelis.”

Lesley Sachs, who has protested the current Israeli government and chairs the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism, also considers a close relationship with diaspora Jews a “strategic asset” for both Israel and Jews worldwide.

So she’s greatly concerned about diaspora Jews losing the sense that Israel can be a homeland for them, especially as rising antisemitism targets them regardless of political and religious affiliations.

“That was always really, really important that everybody around the world, especially after the Holocaust, knows that there is a country that will always take them,” Sachs said in her synagogue in Tel Aviv. “This is already a few generations after, and this is less prominent in their DNA. And I think that this is really a failure on the part of both Israel and world Jewry, that we have not managed to keep that prominent.”

Since 2000, Taglit-Birthright Israel has brought a million Jewish young adults from the United States and elsewhere for a free 10-day “discovery” tour of Israel. The organization’s CEO says it’s more necessary than ever to show what their connection to Israel could be like beyond controversial politics.

“That really increases the importance of my job to expose people to what they give up on,” said Gidi Mark. “What we give them is a mirror.”

The staunch Israel-US relationship shows some cracks

Israel and the United States have long been staunch allies. U.S. President Donald Trump and Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met in Washington earlier this week to discuss the war against Iran they launched together five months ago.

“The United States is perceived as the best friend of Israel in the entire world, and that’s still the case,” said Tamar Hermann, who directs the Israel Democracy Institute’s Viterbi Center for Public Opinion and Policy Research in Jerusalem.

Divisions over the ceasefire in the Iran war, however, have weakened Jewish Israelis’ belief that Trump prioritizes Israel’s security — from 64% in March to 26% in June — according to the center.

Amid diplomatic tensions, the role of Jewish Americans who historically lobbied for political, military and financial support for Israel gains new prominence, Israelis said. And that deepens the concern that many young progressive Americans, including Jews, now see supporting Israel in any way as irreconcilable with their worldview.

The decline in support for Israel has become particularly stark since the Oct. 7, 2023, attack when Hamas-led militants killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians in southern Israel, and abducted 251 others. Israel’s ensuing war against Hamas in Gaza has killed more than 73,000 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The ministry, part of the Hamas-run government, maintains detailed records viewed as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and international organizations. It does not distinguish between civilians and militants but says women and children make up around half of all fatalities.

That in turn ignited protests across the United States, especially on college campuses.

“Holocaust, refugees, the importance of Israel in times of need abroad, and the fact that Israel is a small country fighting for its existence … that’s history they read in a book,” Sachs said of younger Jewish Americans. “They weren’t emotionally part of it in any way or any form. And so they look at their values and the things that they believe in. And they don’t see it in Israel.”

Jewish Americans have a complicated relationship with Israel

Only about 4 in 10 religious Jewish adults under 45 in the United States say that supporting Israel is “extremely” or “very” important for their Jewish identity, while about half of older religious Jewish adults do, according to the AP-NORC poll.

The survey of 1,022 Jewish adults — including people who identify as Jewish by religion and religiously unaffiliated people who identify as Jewish through culture, ethnicity or family background — also found that only about half of religious adults say Israel’s ongoing military operations in Gaza are justified. The number drops to 2 in 10 among Jewish adults without a religious affiliation.

At the same time, about 6 in 10 Jewish adults say prejudice against Jewish people is an “extremely” or “very” serious problem in the United States today.

To many Israelis, safety threats against Jews make it all the more tragic — and dangerous — that young Jewish Americans do not see the state of Israel as a refuge or even an ally.

“Antisemitism sadly helps us to explain why a Jewish homeland is not a bad idea,” said Asaf Zamir, a deputy mayor of Tel Aviv who served as consul general in New York. “Opposing the government is fine, but you cannot understand your history as a Jew without understanding the part of Israel in it.”

Israel reaches out to secular and liberal Jews in North America

In order to promote deeper attachment between Israel and diaspora Jews, both the government and religious organizations are reinforcing exchange programs. For decades, young Israelis have traveled to Jewish summer camps across North America, and non-Israeli Jews get free trips to Israel.

“To see Israel and meet Israelis is the gold standard,” Itai Nixon said of programs bringing teens to the country.

Taglit-Birthright’s Gidi Mark said that since 2023, with multiple wars, tour participants are fewer — and their reactions to touring Israel have also changed. He recalled one participant shouting “Israel! Israel!” outside his hotel just because he felt safe to express himself.

“These people don’t feel free to experience who they are in the places that they are coming from,” Mark said.

These and other initiatives are focusing on secular Jews and adherents to Reform Judaism. The largest branch of the religion in North America, it emphasizes progressive values such as social justice.

Orthodox Jews abroad tend to have stronger ties to Israel — and Orthodox Jews in Israel tend to see themselves as closer to diaspora Jews than do secular Israelis, Hermann said.

Within the Israeli Reform movement, which is a small part of Judaism in the country, there’s a push to send more young Israelis to the United States, including as camp counselors.

“That kind of action is important, that one-on-one connection saying, ‘You know what, we believe in the same things you do. Really, we have the same ideology in general, and we feel we need to change Israel together,'" Sachs said. “We need to be partners in making Israel the country that we all need.”

Alma Edry, 18, is spending two months as a counselor at a progressive Jewish summer camp in Ontario with teens and young adults from Canada and the United States. She said her biggest surprise has been “that Israel is such a big deal for people outside the country.”

“Most of their friends are anti-Israel,” she said of the campers. “This is their chance to celebrate their connection.”

___

This story has been corrected to show that while Hamas has announced the dissolution of the government, it has not yet taken place.

___

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.

More than 2,000 humanoid robots were participating in the event, the organizer said.

The five-day games, now in its second year, are a spectacle demonstrating China’s rapid progress in advanced robotics as the technology race with the U.S. heats up, with 51 events and more than 1,000 competitions taking place including running, table tennis and soccer.

The games, which are taking place in the National Speed Skating Oval built for the 2022 Winter Olympics, opened the same week as Beijing held the 2026 World Robot Conference, where companies showcased around 3,000 products, including humanoid robots.

China makes the majority of the world's humanoid robots. The U.S. has stepped up scrutiny of robots from the country.

Last month, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission announced a ban on imports of new foreign-made humanoid robots. The FCC cited national security reasons in a move that targeted China. The Pentagon recently also added Unitree, one of China’s leading humanoid robot makers, to its list of companies that it deemed have ties with the Chinese military. Beijing has hit back at the accusations.

At Saturday’s opening of the robot games, the organizer and robot makers said that Chinese humanoid robots defeated human world records, as hundreds of humanoid robots marched in formation onto the field in a massive display of synchronized coordination.

At a 100-meter sprint, a humanoid robot achieved a result of 9.39 seconds, beating the human record of 9.58 seconds set by Jamaican athlete Bolt in 2009.

In a standing high jump, a humanoid robot was able to reach 2.88 meters, well above the 0.95 meters best result by a humanoid in last year’s first edition of the games. It surpassed the human high jump record of 2.45 meters set by Cuba’s Javier Sotomayor in 1993.

Both robots were from Beijing-based X-Humanoid.

Before the opening, a humanoid robot from Chinese smartphone company Honor completed a 100-meter sprint in a record of 9.32 seconds during a trial of the games, the company said, at a peak speed of 14.5 meters per second.

Still, experts say humanoid robots are still mostly used for demonstrations, performances and research — at least for now — and it will still take time to achieve mass real-world deployment.

Some spectators at the robot games said they were excited about the humanoid robots’ quickly improving abilities.

Humanoid robots are “evolving rapidly,” said Li Yanfeng, an education worker and a Beijing resident.

“At first, I wasn’t very accepting of artificial intelligence. I was even a bit resistant to it, because of the possibility that it might replace or displace humans,” she said. “But now that I see this development is unstoppable, I decided to come and take a look.”

“These sports are perfectly normal for humans, but now robots can do them. I find it amazing,” said Yang Shangzheng, another spectator.

Liu Tao, who was watching the games with his son, said that he was hoping to see “the best robots China currently has to offer.”

This year’s robot games — which the organizer said has 16 countries participating, among them Germany, Japan and the U.S. — also include other events such as weightlifting and tug of war.

____

Chan Ho-him reported from Hong Kong. Olivia Zhang and Liu Zheng contributed to this report from Beijing.

Each side blamed the other for the collapse of negotiations in Washington late Friday, leading the U.S. to impose 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian goods and Canada setting Sept. 8 as the start of its retaliatory penalties.

President Donald Trump’s import taxes will hit about 5% of what Canada ships to the United States every year, ranging from hockey sticks to tongue depressors. Prime Minister Carney said Ottawa would respond with targeted tariff protection for industries exposed to the new U.S. duties, including some steel products. He also mentioned the dairy, appliance, agricultural equipment, pulp and paper and electronics sectors.

No further talks were planned. Whatever the eventual outcome, a loss of trust seems one of the earliest casualties.

Carney accused Washington of using “economic integration as a weapon” and said “its signature was written in pencil.” Resorting to the language of battle, he said his country had been “attacked” by the new American tariffs. “You’re at war when you get attacked,” he said, adding that Canada had the reserves, resilience and plan to respond.

But to Trump's chief trade negotiator, Jamieson Greer, the U.S. was compelled to act after a year of retaliation by its longtime partner.

“We’ve said enough, and so we’ve taken countermeasures. Our interest is in protecting American workers and protecting American supply chains,” the U.S. trade representative told "Fox & Friends Weekend."

Canada cites ‘unacceptable demands’ as US says it offered favorable terms

Carney said Canada had been willing to drop remaining retaliatory tariffs on steel, aluminum and autos if the U.S. substantially lowered its own, and to encourage provinces to restore U.S. alcohol sales. But he said Washington’s final demands went too far. “They asked too much and offered too little,” Carney said.

Greer said the Republican administration was offering to cut tariffs on steel, autos and lumber, “things that are sensitive for them. And they’ve always had the best deal, and they still would have an even better deal, but they didn’t want that."

As a result, he said, “We’re moving forward with measures that respond to Canadian retaliation.”

Carney said the U.S. added last-minute terms that would have reduced tariff relief for Canadian-made vehicles, restricted Canada’s ability to strike trade deals with other countries and weakened protections for language, culture and sovereignty.

He said such demands were “unacceptable.”

The breakdown in negotiations marked a sharp reversal from two days earlier, when officials from the two countries sounded as if they were headed toward a compromise.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who leads Canada’s most populous province, praised Carney for rejecting the deal, saying it would have hurt Ontario’s auto, steel and manufacturing sectors. Ford urged Canada to use “every tool in our toolbox” to fight the U.S. tariffs.

The moves also call into question the future of a North American trade agreement covering the United States, Canada and Mexico that is crucial to industry in all three countries.

Carney said the breakdown was “certainly not good news” for the review of that agreement and that the failed negotiations had given Canada “a new perspective” on what Washington wants from the broader economic relationship.

A typically cooperative alliance goes sour

The political impact will likely be even bigger than the economic fallout. The countries sold each other $880 billion worth of goods and services last year.

The tariffs were initially supposed to kick in at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday. Trump extended the deadline for three days to allow talks to continue, but the countries could not reach an agreement in time.

The U.S. and Canada have wrangled for decades over trade, poking each other over sore spots such as Canadian softwood lumber imports and U.S. access to Canada’s protected dairy market.

Somehow, they still managed to remain friends, allies and trading partners. Canadian soldiers fought alongside Americans in Afghanistan after 9/11. The 5,525-mile U.S.-Canada border is undefended, and nearly 330,000 people and $2 billion worth of goods cross it every day; 800,000 Canadians live in the United States.

Trump’s approach to dealing with Canada marks an extraordinary departure from the traditionally cooperative relationship between the two countries. Trump has imposed tariffs on Canadian goods in a push to bring manufacturing back to the United States and made inflammatory comments about turning Canada into America’s 51st state.

Carney said Canada had recognized that “America has changed” and that the two countries would “not return to our old relationship.”

Canadians and Americans are frustrated

The Canadian public is fed up. A petition to expel U.S. Ambassador Pete Hoekstra, a Trump ally, has collected nearly 248,000 signatures since July 21. It accuses the former Republican congressman from Michigan of having “normalized’’ Trump’s talk of annexing Canada, among other things.

The two countries had good reasons to find a compromise.

Nearly 72% of Canada’s goods exports last year went to the United States. The Trump administration might be wary of imposing new tariffs — paid by U.S. importers who try to pass along the cost to consumers via higher prices — before the November midterm elections. American voters are already frustrated with the high cost of living.

“Both sides will be under immense pressure in the coming days to still find an off-ramp,” said Ryan Majerus, a partner at King & Spalding and a former U.S. trade official.

Joshua Bolten, CEO of the Business Roundtable, which represents leaders of major U.S. companies, warned the tariffs and retaliation risk “raising costs for American businesses and families” and disrupting vital supply chains, and urged both governments to resume negotiations.

Trump has turned to Depression-era trade penalties

Trump has made tariffs the centerpiece of his second-term economic agenda. Last year, he imposed double-digit import taxes on almost every country, justifying them by declaring the long-standing U.S. trade deficit a national emergency. The Supreme Court in February ruled that he had overstepped his authority. The justices struck down the trade penalties and set the stage for the federal government to pay refunds to importers.

So Trump has looked for other legal authority to justify tariffs.

After the Supreme Court struck down much of Trump’s earlier tariff program in February, the administration turned to other legal authorities. For Canada, Trump invoked Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930, a rarely used Depression-era provision allowing tariffs of up to 50% against countries deemed to discriminate against U.S. businesses.

The provision is part of the Smoot-Hawley tariff law, widely blamed by economists and historians for worsening the Great Depression by restricting global trade. Section 338 has never previously been used to impose tariffs.

The rift comes as the United States, Mexico and Canada are trying to renew a trade agreement that Trump negotiated in his first term and once praised as a triumph. The United States has begun formal talks with Mexico over revamping the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement, known as USMCA. But talks with Canada have not begun and escalating trade conflict casts doubt on whether they will.

__

Gillies reported from Toronto. Associated Press writer Michelle L. Price contributed to this report.

Saturday in England's top division began with United, the 20-time champion with a new permanent manager and a freshly renovated midfield, getting rolled over by promoted Hull in an embarrassing 2-0 loss.

It ended with Tottenham, one of the biggest spenders in Europe this summer with $300 million — and counting — of new players in its squad, getting overwhelmed in a 3-0 defeat at Brentford.

In the middle was a win for Everton in front of Britain's recently installed prime minister and a victory for another promoted club, Ipswich.

Man United stumbles at Hull

Hull made a dream return to the top flight after a nine-year absence but much of the post-match chatter was about Man United's shortcomings.

First-half goals from Semi Ajayi and Nobel Mendy at set-pieces consigned United to a tepid loss away to a team that was promoted via the second-tier Championship playoffs and is widely expected to be among the relegation candidates.

"It was never going to be perfect,” said Michael Carrick, who was rewarded for leading United to a third-place finish last season and a return to the Champions League with a permanent contract over the summer.

Carrick also was given a new central-midfield duo in Youri Tielemans and Andrey Santos — Brighton's Carlos Baleba might be next — while Marcus Rashford returned from a loan spell at Barcelona and entered as a halftime substitute against Hull.

They struggled to impress along with many other players in a lackluster team display that showed United — last a Premier League champion in 2013 under Alex Ferguson — still has far to go to recapture its former glories and is unlikely to challenge for the title, at least on this evidence anyway.

“One game doesn’t change the direction of everything,” Carrick said. "It doesn’t change the direction of the football club.”

Tonali and Tottenham outplayed by slick Brentford

Across Europe, only Chelsea has spent more on new players than Tottenham this summer but it didn't show at Brentford's Gtech Community Stadium.

Italy midfielder Sandro Tonali, who joined for a club-record $133 million from Newcastle, was among the new signings in a Spurs team that was completely outplayed by a settled Brentford lineup, which was two goals ahead by the 33rd thanks to close-range strikes by Keane Lewis-Potter and Vitaly Janelt.

Michael Kayode slid in to add a third just after the break and Igor Thiago, Brentford's top scorer last season, missed a chance to pad the scoreline by hitting the post with a penalty.

British PM sees Everton win

Everton had a famous fan in its stadium watching a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace.

Andy Burnham took in his first Everton match since becoming Britain's prime minister last month and saw Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Thierno Barry score goals for the hosts.

Everton manager David Moyes said he spoke to Burnham, a season ticket-holder at the club, on the phone after the match.

Ismaila Sarr, linked with a move away from Palace, wasn't in the matchday squad for Pierre Sage's first game in charge of the team, though the manager said the Senegal forward's absence was injury-related. Palace lost Morocco defender Chadi Riad to what appeared to be a serious knee injury that forced him to be carried off on a stretcher in the second half.

Another victory for a promoted club

Ipswich was another promoted team to win in the opening round of games, scoring in the 90th minute through Jack Clarke to beat his former club Sunderland 2-1.

Leeds also scored a late winner, with Anton Stach's 88th-minute free kick enough to dispatch Nottingham Forest 1-0.

Arsenal has already won

Arsenal began its title defense by beating Coventry, the second-tier champion last season, 3-0 on Friday.

On Sunday, Manchester City — demolished 3-0 by Arsenal in the Community Shield last weekend — looks to bounce back against Bournemouth and Liverpool travels to Newcastle.

___

Steve Douglas is at https://twitter.com/sdouglas80

___

See AP’s full soccer coverage here

They can provide valuable indications of your stamina and strength. They can estimate the risk of falls, which increase older adults ' risk of death. And they're useful to doctors who work to address aging or people with injuries.

But they're no crystal ball.

“A poor or declining result is a reason for a health professional to investigate why function is changing, rather than gauging how long someone will live,” said Auriel Willette, an expert on brain aging at Rutgers University.

Here's a look at what mobility tests entail and how to apply the results to your health.

A sit-to-stand test goes viral, but what does it really show?

“Sit-to-stand” tests come in several forms. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 30-second chair-stand test is designed for patients older than 60, to see how many times they can stand up in that time period.

Another test, popularized on social media, asks someone to move from standing, to sitting cross-legged on the ground, and then back up to standing. Making your way down to the floor is worth 5 points, as is standing up, for a total score of 10. You lose a point for each support you use (such as a hand or knee) and half a point if you're unsteady. The score is zero if you're unable to sit or stand without external help.

Doctors said they haven’t seen the test used with older U.S. adults, but researchers in Brazil published studies in 2020 and 2025 that concluded middle-aged people who scored higher were less likely to die within about a decade.

Many American doctors use a test called “Timed Up and Go,” or TUG. It requires the patient to get up from a chair, walk 10 feet (3 meters) and come back to their seat. That allows doctors to evaluate a person's balance, mobility and lower extremity strength all at once.

Dr. George Hennawi, who treats older adults at MedStar Health in Baltimore, said all the tests are meant to pinpoint specific weaknesses and narrow down their underlying cause, whether that's knee pain, slow reflexes, poor balance or feeling winded or dizzy because of cardiovascular issues.

“The key to react to it is to understand where did we not do well,” he said.

A full picture of a person's health is important

Tests like the viral sit-to-stand one are what doctors call screening tools. They're helpful in narrowing down issues, but they don't provide enough information for a full diagnosis.

Other popular tests for a person's “physiological age,” or how your body is aging, include tests of grip strength, walking speed, gait steadiness and balance. Such tests look at how hard your hand can squeeze something, whether you favor one side while walking, how long and well can you stand on one leg and how far forward can you reach without becoming unsteady.

Many doctors also use these challenges to understand a person’s risk for “frailty,” a medical condition that means the body is less able to handle strain from illness or injury.

Doctors sometimes use a 10-minute assessment called the Short Physical Performance Battery, which includes several tests including gait, balance and strength. It was developed by the National Institute on Aging and large clinical trials have shown it predicts mortality, disability and more.

At the University of California, Los Angeles' Multidisciplinary Falls Clinic, Dr. David Lee said it's important to look across multiple tests in combination. Grip strength, for example, is predictive of many different things, but it can be affected by arthritis, stroke or even simply not conditioning those muscles.

“It’s one measure of many,” Lee said.

Good health is about more than a good score

Experts note that strength and mobility are just one part of healthy aging. Tests of cognition, memory, hearing, eyesight and many other measures are key to evaluating how someone is aging.

They also cautioned against training to pass a test. Instead, keep the big picture in mind. Exercise your whole body. Eat nutritious meals. Address stress in a healthy way. Prioritize your sleep. Take care of your heart.

Finally, experts said it’s important to know the context in which a test has been studied and verified. If it’s shown to predict an outcome for one age group, the performance standards won’t necessarily apply to others.

If you score poorly in a mobility test and are concerned about your fall risk, or have recently fallen, talk to your doctor. The test results are the first step in determining if you need an assistive device, physical therapy, a change in medications or something else, said Emily Nabors, a falls prevention expert with The National Council on Aging.

She cited one estimate that more than a quarter of older adults fall each year, but most of them don't tell their doctor about it.

“If you've fallen, you might feel fine,” she said, “but you might not be fine at all.”

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Bradford Hobbs was born in Charleston, Missouri, and later moved to Detroit.

She was introduced in the late 1950s to Motown founder Berry Gordy by neighbor and singer Jackie Wilson. She joined Motown as a receptionist in 1958 and like many of the company's employees took part in the creative process that helped make Motown a music industry powerhouse.

She and Gordy co-wrote “Money (That's What I Want)." The song was recorded in 1959 by Barrett Strong and became an early hit. It was covered by The Beatles and also became one of that group's hits.

“Too Busy Thinking About My Baby” first was recorded by The Temptations and later became a hit for Marvin Gaye. Bradford Hobbs also wrote songs for Stevie Wonder, The Supremes, Martha & The Vandellas and others.

“Janie was there with me from the very beginning, before there was even a Motown, and she will always hold a very special place in my heart and in the Motown family,” Gordy said in a statement.

“Janie was one of a special group I have always thought of as the original Motown family — the unsung heroes who believed in the dream before anyone knew what Motown would become,” Gordy continued. “She was one of the people who helped make Motown what it became.”

Bradford Hobbs later became head of Writer Relations for Jobete, Motown's publishing company. After leaving Motown, she founded the annual Heroes and Legends Awards. The event spanned about 30 years, honoring music icons and awarding scholarships, according to her family.

She is survived by her husband, Wardean Hobbs; daughter, Nicole Hobbs; son, Lance Finney; and two grandsons. Funeral services have not been completed.

The attacks came a day after a Russian strike on a Ukrainian shopping center killed at least 16 people and wounded some 130.

Moscow’s forces have recently intensified their ballistic missile attacks on Kyiv, exploiting Ukraine’s chronic shortage of U.S.-made Patriot air defense interceptors, the sole weapon in its arsenal able to shoot down the missiles.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that one person was killed and another wounded in the latest attacks when ballistic missiles hit railway infrastructure in the capital, Kyiv, overnight.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said that its forces had hit a locomotive depot.

In a separate attack, local authorities said two people were killed Saturday afternoon in a Russian ballistic missile strike on the Kyiv region, which surrounds the capital.

Russian drone strikes also killed one person overnight in the Zaporizhzhia region, local officials said Saturday, and a daytime attack killed three others and wounded 15. Zelenskyy said that three people were also wounded in an attack on a minibus in the regional capital, also called Zaporizhzhia.

In Russia's southern Krasnodar region, authorities said that three people, including two children, were killed and two adults were wounded in a Ukrainian drone strike.

A day on from a deadly attack on a shopping center

The latest attacks came a day after Russian drones struck a shopping center in the city of Kryvyi Rih in central Ukraine.

Dnipropetrovsk regional head Oleksandr Hanzha said in the early hours of Saturday that the death toll had risen to 16. Later on Saturday he said four people remain missing after the attack, which wounded a further 130.

Kryvyi Rih is the hometown of Zelenskyy, who described the attack as a double-tap strike, in which an initial wave of drones hit the area followed by a second wave as rescue workers responded. The Ukrainian leader said the fire, which spread across 9,000 square meters (around 97,000 square feet), had been extinguished and rescue efforts were underway.

Kryvyi Rih has been hit multiple times during the 4½-year all-out war between Russia and Ukraine, with one of the deadliest occurring in April 2025, when 20 people were killed, including nine children.

Large-scale Russian strikes have become a regular occurrence this summer, with Friday’s attacks landing just 24 hours after Russia pounded Kyiv with scores of missiles and drones in a nighttime assault that killed 16 people. The United Nations said last week that Kyiv was one of the hardest-hit cities in July, with at least 54 civilians killed and 202 wounded.

Ukraine pounds Russia with long-range strikes

At the same time, Ukraine has shifted the war onto Russian soil through long-range drone strikes on oil facilities that have caused fuel shortages across Russia. It also has unsettled the Russian public by striking warehouses of Wildberries, the country’s biggest online retailer.

The Russian online news outlet Astra reported Saturday that a Ukrainian drone set ablaze an oil refinery in the Samara region. Local officials said that damage was recorded at an unidentified “industrial facility” and a logistics center for Ozon, a competitor to Wildberries.

Zelenskyy said Saturday Ukrainian forces struck the Novokuibyshevsk oil refinery in Samara, noting it is some 620 miles (1,000 kilometers) from the front line.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in remarks to state TV reporter Pavel Zarubin, who posted them Saturday on his Telegram channel, that strikes on civilian targets “cause economic damage to our country” and “lead to losses,” but that “no turning point” in the conflict had been reached and that Kyiv “will never gain any advantage.”

___

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

The event was held at the Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation, located off Trumbull Street, with 500 backpacks on hand for attendees. Hundreds of families pre-registered, while others simply showed up. It was first-come, first-served, with families picking up a ticket at the door.

Community need drives event

The Back to School Fest was organized with donations and volunteers, giving families a last-minute lifeline before Detroit Public Schools begins classes Monday.

“It’s a need in the community — with inflation and just the stressors of daily life for our families, we wanted to take one little thing off of their plate,” said Chloe White, director of Entrepreneurship and Social Enterprise at DHDC.

The event drew families from beyond Detroit’s city limits, a sign of how far word had spread.

“I don’t live in the city of Detroit, but I got a notification of this and I said we have to go,” said Coffei Pinkney, who brought her granddaughter. “Back to school fest — I mean, the name says it all, right?”

30 years of community support

DHDC Executive Director Miguel Rodriguez said the turnout reflects the deep roots the organization has built in Southwest Detroit over three decades.

“Southwest Detroit is really tight — a tight-knit community and folks came out to support us,” Rodriguez said. “We’ve been doing that for 30 years now and it’s just a reflection of Southwest Detroit and the tight-knit community that it is.”

For kids like Jazaria Brown, a rising fourth-grader, the day was simply hard to let go of.

“Yes, I don’t want this day to end,” Brown said.

U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, set aside the policy Friday as “contrary to law and in excess of statutory authority.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio exceeded his authority by issuing the policy, which “runs afoul” of the Immigration and Nationality Act by mandating "the refusal of visas to eligible applicants without any basis in law,” the judge ruled.

Judge says power lies with consular officers

Vargas said the policy also undermines the congressional requirement that puts consular officers at the forefront of any visa decision.

“Congress imbued these officers with exclusive authority and discretion to determine if an immigrant is eligible for a visa based upon review of specific and detailed criteria set forth in the statute,” she wrote. “The Policy, which categorically prohibits the issuance of immigrant visas based upon the nationality of the applicant, represents a direct abrogation of this statutory scheme."

The policy was challenged by two nonprofit organizations along with 11 individuals, including six whose family members had been refused visas. The remaining five are outside the country and had filed “employment-based petitions” to come to the United States.

Advocates say keeping families apart is cruel

“We welcome this ruling because, at its heart, this case is about keeping families together,” said Anna Gallagher, the executive director of CLINIC, a national nonprofit that provides training, resources, and support to a network of immigration legal service providers and was one of the plaintiffs.

“Catholic social teaching calls us to uphold the dignity of every person and recognize the family as the foundation of society,” she said in a statement. “This decision affirms both those values and the rule of law, allowing families to once again move forward toward reunification.”

Another plaintiff is African Communities Together, a Harlem-based nonprofit. One of its leaders called the ruling “a tremendous victory for the rule of law."

“This unlawful and racist ban caused immeasurable harm, cruelly keeping families and loved ones apart,” Diana Konate, deputy executive director for policy and advocacy, said in a statement. “Today, we are elated to tell our community members: this ban is no more.”

Trump expands his anti-immigration agenda

President Donald Trump has imposed a growing list of immigration and travel bans mostly for people from Africa, Asia and Latin America. The State Department said Saturday that the Trump administration is “protecting the American people by upholding the highest standards of screening and vetting of visa applicants,” and that it would not comment on pending litigation.

At the time the policy was issued, the State Department said it had instructed consular officers to halt immigrant visa applications from the 75 countries in accordance with a broader order in November that tightened rules around potential immigrants who might become “public charges.” Relying on Council of Economic Advisers data, the State Department said that more than 30 percent of households with immigrants from these countries received some form of public assistance.

A separate notice sent to all U.S. embassies and consulates said that non-immigrant visa applicants also should be “fully vetted and screened” for the possibility that they might seek public benefits in the United States.

The cable, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, noted several times that the applicant must prove they won't apply for public benefits while in the U.S., and that consular officers who suspect the applicant might apply should require them to fill out a form proving their financial bona fides.

The ruling is the latest example of the courts upending Trump’s immigration agenda. In June, a federal judge struck down a Trump administration policy that made it harder for immigrants from dozens of countries to enter and stay in America — affecting elements like asylum, work permits, green cards, and citizenship applications. That judge said the policy threw countless immigrants’ lives “into indeterminate legal limbo,” and accused the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services of ignoring the law.

Kassebaum Baker died Friday of natural causes, according to her son, Bill Kassebaum.

“She loved Kansas. She loved people from Kansas and representing Kansas for 18 years in the U.S. Senate,” he told The Associated Press. “She was an independent-minded Republican who was willing to stand up for what she thought was right, even if that meant going against the party.”

She was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1978 and served three terms. Her modest demeanor endeared her to voters of all political stripes, though she shared the moderate, progressive Republican politics of her father, Gov. Alf Landon, the unsuccessful 1936 GOP nominee for president. Even after leaving the Senate early in 1997, she continued taking on public service roles.

She married former Sen. Howard Baker, a Tennessee Republican, in 1996. He died in 2014.

Kassebaum Baker remained an icon for Kansans generally. She could work with Senate colleagues of all political philosophies, and a 1996 health insurance law bore her name, along with that of liberal Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy.

A centrist politician from America's heartland

Her election to the Senate brought her immediate national attention. When she announced her retirement, she was among eight women senators and the only one to chair a Senate committee, the Labor and Human Resources panel.

She was also in a dwindling bloc of moderate-to-liberal Republicans, having supported for example a ban on assault weapons championed by President Bill Clinton, a Democrat.

Yet she never polarized Kansas conservatives as other GOP moderates did. She connected with voters because she never seemed caught up in the trappings of power, and when she retired, she acknowledged, “I’d rather cuddle up and do needlepoint all day.”

She was born on July 29, 1932, as her father, an oilman from Independence, was running for the first of his two terms as governor. She earned a political science degree from the University of Kansas and a master’s degree in diplomatic history from the University of Michigan in the mid-1950s.

She was a radio-station executive, spent a year in the 1970s on the staff of Kansas Sen. James Pearson and served on the school board in the Wichita suburb of Maize. She had four children with her first husband, Phil Kassebaum, including Bill, who served a term in the Kansas House. The marriage ended in divorce in 1979.

A moderate who sought sensible solutions

When Kassebaum Baker decided to run for the U.S. Senate, she figured that “a woman with a background different from a man might be appealing” to people growing weary of politics. Pundits at the time estimated a Senate race would require the then-huge-for-Kansas sum of $1 million. In the first quarter of 1978, she spent less than $12,000 on her campaign, and saw herself “at the bottom of the totem pole.”

However, nine candidates crowded the primary field, including three state senators and a prominent Wichita businessman. Kassebaum Baker won the GOP nomination with less than 31 percent of the vote.

Running as Nancy Landon Kassebaum, she won almost 54 percent of the vote that November against former two-term Democratic congressman Bill Roy.

Her moderate politics quickly came to the fore, when only months later, she refused to endorse an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to require a balanced budget.

“We should be wary of the seemingly simple solution,” she said.

Her father, who would die at age 100 in 1987, still cast a long political shadow during her first years in office. Though he’d overwhelmingly lost the 1936 presidential race to Democratic incumbent Franklin Roosevelt, he later became an elder statesman for the party. A lecture series named for him at Kansas State University attracted presidents and foreign leaders.

Kassebaum Baker became even more popular in her time. She won re-election in 1984 with 76 percent of the vote and in 1990 with 74 percent of the vote.

But she frustrated conservative activists, despite her popularity. She said her vote in favor of the assault weapons ban inspired the angriest mail of her career.

A public servant to the end

She’d contemplated not seeking a third term, but Republican leaders had prevailed upon her to run one more time. In 1996, when she decided not to seek re-election, she said she would return to a ranch and 90-year-old farmhouse in Kansas’ scenic Flint Hills and babysit her grandchildren — she had seven, as well as two great-grandchildren.

When there briefly was talk of naming a new highway in Topeka after her, she said, “Oh, goodness. Absolutely not — no.”

She and Baker kept their romance low-key, and speculation about a possible marriage didn’t emerge until mid-1996, in a Washington Post story. They married that December.

It was the first time a man and a woman who had both served in the Senate had wed. Baker was elected to three terms and served from 1967 to 1985 before becoming President Ronald Reagan’s chief of staff. His first wife, Joy, had died in 1993 after a long battle with cancer.

After the marriage, public service still beckoned, including as a member of a bipartisan commission on campaign finance reform under Clinton and on a British commission in Africa in 2004-05.

President George W. Bush named her husband ambassador to Japan in 2001, and she went with him for the four-year posting. Baker said she became an important figure in the Asian nation.

Before she left for Tokyo, she told a reporter she saw her stint in Japan as an adventure but added, “All I can say is, I will miss the Kansas prairie.”

Not a fan of Trump

Later in life, Kassebaum Baker broke with the Republican Party as it became more conservative, endorsing Democratic candidates for Kansas governor and U.S. senator, including Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly both times — even though Kelly’s 2022 GOP opponent, then state-Attorney General Derek Schmidt, had worked on her Senate staff.

She also declared in 2021 that President Donald Trump should be impeached after Trump supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol hoping to stop congressional certification of Trump’s defeat in 2020 by Democrat Joe Biden.

“This just has gone too far,” she told Kansas City’s KMBC.

Cleveland Police said that a Volkswagen Passat carrying five people was traveling the wrong way down the A66 highway near Middlesbrough and collided with a police vehicle on the same road going in the right direction.

The seven people were pronounced dead at the scene after the crash at 3:39 a.m.

The two officers were identified as Matthew Blades and Tom Clough, Cleveland Police Chief Constable Victoria Fuller said.

Police were still working to formally identify other victims. The families of those already identified have been informed and were offered specialist support, police said.

Cleveland Police were investigating the crash, alongside the Independent Office for Police Conduct, which is always involved when such incidents take place.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said that he was “devastated” to hear about the loss of life and urged “people to avoid speculation at this time.”

As rain started to fall on the Zandvoort track, McLaren’s Norris made the most of his final run to reclaim pole by 0.102 of a second from Russell, whose Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli — the standings leader — was third.

“A little surprised, honestly, but a decent lap," said Norris, who'd been critical of his car in the earlier sprint race and credited McLaren with making the right changes.

“We had to try something because what we had before wasn’t going to be enough," he said, adding the changes were small but "enough to give me some confidence.”

Norris won the last race in Hungary on July 26 but was deflated after the sprint, saying McLaren wasn't competitive at all in slower corners.

Russell is rebuilding his title challenge after losing ground to Antonelli last month and said it was “a real joy” to drive in qualifying. The plan now is to “get in my groove again and try to fight with them tomorrow," he added.

Lewis Hamilton lost ground to Antonelli in the standings in the sprint race. His difficult day continued with fifth in qualifying.

Russell takes sprint victory

The sprint race was a display of domination from Russell, who started from pole position, quickly built a gap to Norris in second and managed the pace from there, taking his first win since the Austrian Grand Prix in June.

“Obviously a great start to the weekend,” he said.

Charles Leclerc snatched second off Norris with a daring pass into the inside of the first corner with six laps to go, but couldn’t get close enough to try passing Russell.

Norris held off a late charge from Antonelli to stay third as the Italian pulled out of a potential overtaking move on the final lap.

“We just don’t have the pace in general, especially in the slow-speed corners,” Norris said.

Fourth-place Antonelli, starting fifth after car damage in qualifying, still managed to extend his standings lead by three more points to 53 because Hamilton could only manage seventh for Ferrari.

Long-awaited rain arrives seconds too late to shake up sprint

F1 still hasn’t had a wet race this year but came tantalizingly close as rain fell as the drivers were heading back to the pits, seconds after the sprint finished.

“If there was one more lap it would have been a very, potentially, different end to the race so I’m glad the rain came when it did,” Russell said.

While it stayed dry, overtaking was difficult, even in a year where the cars’ electrical power has made back-and-forth passes common. The overtakes by Leclerc and Antonelli were the only changes of position anywhere in the top 11 finishers.

___

See AP’s full auto racing coverage here

The BBC is trying to gain "politically-driven leverage" over Trump by serving subpoenas on daughter Ivanka Trump, son-in-law Jared Kushner and son Donald Trump Jr., personal lawyers for the Republican president argued in a court filing Friday.

U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Kuntz in Miami did not immediately rule on the dispute.

Kuntz, who was nominated to the bench by Trump, inherited the president's lawsuit from another judge less than a week ago. Court filings did not immediately specify a reason for the case's reassignment. The previous judge has set a February trial date.

In May, a process server working for the BBC tried to serve subpoenas on Ivanka Trump and Kushner at their residence but encountered Secret Service agents who said they were not authorized to accept it, according to the president's lawyers. They said the process server also visited Trump Tower in New York several days later in a failed attempt to serve Donald Trump Jr.

In a court filing last week, the broadcaster asked for the court’s permission to serve subpoenas on Trump’s family members by certified mail instead of in person.

Trump's lawsuit, filed in December, accuses the BBC of deceptively editing portions of the speech that he delivered near the White House on Jan. 6, 2021, when a mob of his supporters attacked the Capitol to stop Congress from certifying Democrat Joe Biden's victory over Trump. The suit claims the BBC spliced together separate parts of Trump’s speech to intentionally misrepresent what he said.

The lawsuit alleges the BBC aired its documentary a week before the 2024 presidential election in “a brazen attempt to interfere in and influence” the outcome to Trump's detriment.

“The relief that the BBC’s Motion seeks cannot be segregated from the politically charged discovery campaign that it is based on, and which has already been ruled as improperly overbroad by this Court,” Trump's lawyers wrote.

The BBC has apologized to Trump for the misleading edit, but it denies defaming him.

In December, Takaichi moved into the official residence, a brick-and-stone mansion that opened in 1929 used to be the original prime minister’s office until its replacement was built right next to it.

Takaichi said on X that living in the official residence, or “kotei,” is good because its proximity requires no commute and lets her immediately get down to work in time of an emergency.

Takaichi said she has reinforced office functions at the residence so she can work and have meetings there remotely or in person with her staff whenever needed, even after office hours. She also takes home documents to read.

“To me, the official residence is also a workplace,” she said.

But Takaichi, whose work mantra and her recent revelation on X of zero to three hours of sleep at night because of her homemaking burden on top of her heavy workload as prime minister, triggered criticisms that Japan's first female leader was setting a wrong example for a work-life balance and gender-equality.

Takaichi has seen her support ratings rapidly drop as she pushed unpopular policies such as a revision to the Imperial House Law to reinforce a male-only succession system, while delaying economic measures to address rising prices.

Media reports have said that Takaichi was avoiding parliamentary sessions and largely holed up at the residence at night and on weekends, saying that she's having significantly less interactions and communication with other lawmakers and officials than her predecessors. Takaichi frequently posts comments and policies on X instead of talking to the media.

The official residence was the site of two bloody coup attempts in the 1930s, and legend has it that the building is haunted by ghosts.

Takaichi apparently doesn’t mind spending long hours at the residence despite that.

“I’ve never seen a ghost, but I have often screamed because of my encounters with cockroaches,” she said. “I was shocked when a cockroach ran past my feet.”

The U.S. Tennis Association announced Saturday that Williams and Alcaraz had been given a wild card into the tournament. The mixed doubles main draw begins Tuesday, with the winning team sharing $1 million.

It will be Williams' first time playing at the U.S. Open since 2022. The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion returned to tennis this summer.

“Let’s gooooo!” Alcaraz posted on X, with a fire emoji and tagging Williams.

Williams is not planning to play singles in New York. The USTA had been holding one women's wild card, presumably in case Williams wanted it. However, the tournament announced Saturday that it had been given to American Sofia Kenin, the 2020 Australian Open champion.

Williams played singles at Wimbledon but sustained a knee injury in her first-round loss. She played doubles with older sister Venus at the Cincinnati Open, and they could still opt to play together at the U.S. Open.

Alcaraz announced this week he would return to defend his U.S. Open singles title after being sidelined since April with a right wrist injury.

Serena Williams won a mixed doubles title at the U.S. Open even before winning any of her six singles titles there. She teamed for the 1998 championship with Max Mirnyi, who now works with top-ranked woman Aryna Sabalenka.

The mixed doubles tournament is far different now, as the USTA revamped it last year to make it a two-day, 16-team event it hoped would draw top singles players.

Few are bigger than Williams and Alcaraz, the two-time U.S. Open men's champion who is ranked No. 2.

The USTA also announced a number of updates to the field after some players withdrew from the competition.

Americans Jessica Pegula and Taylor Fritz will team up, after their previous partners, Jack Draper and Elena Rybakina, pulled out with injuries. The teams of Emma Navarro and Tommy Paul, along with Karolina Muchova and Jakub Mensik, were given the remaining two wild cards into the main draw.

Also, Diana Shnaider remains in the field and will be given a chance to find a new partner after Daniil Medvedev withdrew.

The current field:

Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic, Pegula and Fritz, Iga Swiatek and Casper Ruud, Belinda Bencic and Flavio Cobolli, Amanda Anisimova and Learner Tien, two-time defending champions Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori, Alex Eala and Felix Auger-Aliassime, Leylah Fernandez and Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Townsend and Alexander Zverev, Elina Svitolina and Gael Monfils, Williams and Alcaraz, Muchova and Mensik, and Navarro and Paul.

The remaining two spots will be determined through an eight-team qualifying tournament Monday. The USTA gave wild cards to the teams of Mirra Andreeva and Andrey Rublev, and Peyton Stearns and Christian Harrison, to be part of that field. It is otherwise largely made up of the traditional doubles specialists who lost out on the chance to play in the U.S. Open last year, with direct entry based on the players' combined singles ranking.

___

See AP’s full tennis coverage here

The ban, imposed over concerns about a flesh-eating parasite known as the New World screwworm fly, dealt a blow to cattle and beef industries on both sides of the border, exacerbating a livestock shortage in the U.S. and hurting a Mexican ranching sector already weakened by drought and a cattle export business that generated $1.2 billion for Mexico last year.

Now, the U.S. is set to resume livestock imports from Mexico beginning Aug. 24 at the Douglas, Arizona, border crossing, which borders Agua Prieta in Mexico’s Sonora state. If the reopening goes smoothly, the U.S. Department of Agriculture could allow imports through additional ports, though shipments will initially be subject to restrictions aimed at preventing the spread of the parasite — which has already crossed the border, with authorities battling cases in Texas and New Mexico.

The screwworm gets its name from the maggots’ habit of burrowing — or screwing — into a wound, according to the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Any warm-blooded animal, including wildlife, pets and occasionally even humans, can be infested.

In Mexico, the screwworm outbreak was detected in November 2024 and has spread to 30 of the 32 states — most recently in Sonora, where the first case was reported Wednesday in the community of Munihuasa, near the borders with Chihuahua and Sinaloa, states where infections have also proliferated.

To date, Mexico has 1,969 active screwworm cases, which represent less than half of the infections reported a year ago, a decline that authorities say shows progress in containing the outbreak. Still, they acknowledge eradication will take time.

New US controls are expected to slow shipments

Against that backdrop, Ibarra and thousands of other ranchers in the northern state of Sonora are preparing to resume live cattle exports. But optimism is tempered by new U.S. controls expected to slow shipments across the border.

“This is not over yet,” said the 58-year-old rancher, adding that the export halt cut his income by 40% last year.

According to the protocol defined by U.S. authorities, in the first week of reopening, only 700 cattle per day will be allowed through; this will rise to 900 in the second week and will gradually increase until reaching 1,300 cattle per day, veterinarian Arturo Ruiz, responsible for animal health for the state of Sonora, told The Associated Press.

The new rules also require cattle to be fitted with radio-frequency identification tags in their ears and screened by electronic readers and trained dogs. Officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture will conduct the inspections before allowing the Mexican cattle to cross into Arizona, Ruiz explained.

Mexico accepted the U.S. protocols, but the restrictions have frustrated some local ranchers.

“We are at a complicated moment when we need authorities to think less politically and more technically and reasonably,” said Juan Carlos Ochoa, president of the Regional Livestock Union of Sonora, referring to tensions between the Mexican and U.S. governments when the ban was first imposed in May 2025.

Ochoa said the new U.S. restrictions would limit shipments and argued that a greater flow of cattle across the border is needed to address supply shortages in both countries.

A cautious optimism as imports resume

Although both countries felt the effects of Washington’s decision, the impact was greater in the U.S., particularly for consumers facing record-high beef prices that led some to cut back on meat.

Juan Carlos Anaya, general director of agricultural consulting firm Grupo Consultor de Mercados Agrícolas, said U.S. ranchers were unable to make up the supply shortfall, contributing to closures at some meat-processing plants and hurting feedlot operations.

Before the border closure, Mexico exported about 1.2 million head of cattle to the United States each year, mainly from its northern states. When exports were suspended, Mexican ranchers turned to the domestic market, where they sold their cattle for nearly 40% less than they had received in the U.S. — a loss of income that forced many to sell some of their cattle or cut spending and investment.

Back in Sonora, in the stifling August heat of the capital, Hermosillo, Ibarra was cautiously optimistic about finally sending his 16 calves to the U.S. But he said he would temper his expectations until October, when the cattle have gained enough weight and the sale could be finalized.

“There’s no need to get too excited,” he said.

___

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

Around 6:30 a.m. Saturday morning, the Detroit Police Department (DPD) issued a statement seeking tips from the public to help identify and locate the “armed and dangerous” man they believe shot two women -- killing one and critically injuring the other -- in the 15500 block of E. Warren Ave.

The shooting occurred around 11:15 p.m. on Friday and the suspect fled the scene on foot, according to DPD -- which provided an update around 9 a.m. Saturday that the suspect was in custody.

Police are still seeking information related to the shooting as the investigation is ongoing. Tips can be shared with DPD’s Homicide Unit at 313-596-5260 or made anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-Speak-Up.

On Saturday, Infantino posted photos on his Instagram account showing the FIFA president meeting political and soccer officials from the Dominican Republic on the sidelines of a Caribbean Football Union (CFU) youth tournament in the Punta Cana resort.

On Friday, Infantino had been asked not to go by Victor Montagliani, the Canadian president of Miami-based continental soccer body CONCACAF, to avoid being a distraction from the soccer games.

“I believe that considering the governance crisis surrounding FIFA as a result of your controversial FIFA Forward Enterprise proposal, the media will focus on this situation,” Montagliani wrote in an emailed letter seen by The Associated Press, “which will unfortunately significantly take away from the technical nature of the CFU youth competition.”

“As such, I respectfully ask you in the name of football to reconsider your attendance as it will unfortunately undermine the technical nature of this important youth development activity,” Montagliani wrote.

FIFA declined to comment on the Montagliani request, though noted it directly funds regional bodies like the CFU with up to $5 million from each four-year World Cup cycle.

Montagliani has aligned with fellow FIFA vice presidents Aleksander Ceferin from European body UEFA and Asian Football Confederation president Sheik Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa in seeking to end Infantino’s increasingly executive presidency now in its 11th year.

They accused Infantino two weeks ago of “deception” in secretly planning over the past year to spin off FIFA’s multi-billion dollar commercial activities to a subsidiary 20% owned by investors led by Joshua Kushner.

Infantino withdrew the project on Aug. 1 amid a global backlash by soccer leaders and fans, and hours after his own chief operating officer published stinging criticism of the proposal and his leadership style in a statement to the AP. The Zurich-based COO, Kevin Lamour, was fired this week.

Caribbean member federations are seen as potential supporters for Infantino to peel away from their CONCACAF leadership. South American body CONMEBOL has backed Infantino as its best path to hosting more games at the 2030 World Cup it wants expanded from 48 teams to 64.

Avoiding questions from a bald reporter

The FIFA leader has not taken questions publicly since the $20 billion FFE project was revealed July 28 by British daily The Times, and on Friday in Punta Cana he evaded a reporter from British broadcaster Sky News.

Asked by Sky reporter James Matthews if he had betrayed the sport and should resign, Infantino said “Thank you so much” and made quips about both men being bald.

Infantino is aiming to be re-elected for a fourth and final term in office through 2031 at the FIFA election congress next March in Rabat, Morocco. FIFA has set Nov. 18 as a deadline for would-be candidates to enter the race.

___

See AP’s full soccer coverage here

Jeffrey Huber still remembers the day some 34 years ago when Hurricane Andrew blew off the roof of his childhood home, one of tens of thousands damaged and destroyed across southern Florida. For days, first responders couldn't get to them. For a month and a half, they relied on food donations. For more than a year, he lived with his family in a trailer.

“It wasn’t just about the storm itself, but it was about the aftermath of that storm and how we begin to design for those aspects,” said Huber, a landscape architect and professor who was 12 in 1992 when the Category 5 hurricane hit. "We are seeing extreme storms, extreme scenarios like this that are becoming much more common."

Some 129 million people — nearly 40% of the U.S. population — live in coastal counties. Recent research shows that a rise in sea level driven by humans has increased the frequency of extreme coastal flooding around the world.

As climate change threatens communities, Florida is showing how to build to adapt. Throughout the state, architects and designers are merging infrastructure with urban design to create residential buildings, parks and more. The goal is to better withstand rising waters, worsening storms, saltwater intrusion, heat heaves and other climate impacts.

“In places like Miami, we’re dealing with a combination of tidal flooding, storm surge and long-term sea level rise," said Huber, professor in the School of Architecture at Florida Atlantic University. "So the question isn’t about how we stop water, but it’s how we live on, with and over it.”

Seawalls that double as reefs

As global average temperatures climb because of fossil fuel emissions, so do sea levels, making low-lying coastal cities vulnerable to flooding.

Frequent flooding and intensifying storm surges got so bad in Miami Beach that when it rained, Anya Freeman rushed home to move her car because her street filled with knee-deep water and she couldn't get car insurance for flooding.

"But nobody was doing anything practical about it," she said. So in 2024, she left behind her career as a lawyer to launch Kind Designs, a startup creating 3D-printed living seawalls to protect shorelines from flooding.

These seawalls are meant to be affordable so they can be scaled, and also serve as marine habitat. They're made faster and with a nontoxic concrete mixture and can be custom shaped for the ecosystems where they're installed. On a recent August day, workers in neon-green shirts and yellow construction hats installed one mimicking mangroves at a waterfront church in Fort Lauderdale, north of Miami.

Traditional seawalls are flat, but theirs can be designed to mimic natural coastal features like the mangrove roots you'd find in Miami or barnacle clusters in New York.

“We have a whole library of designs for different marine habitats, and the point is to attract the native species... create caves where they can hide from predators and also to dissipate waves," she said.

Their technology dissipates at least 45% of wave energy, making it more resilient to overtopping and erosion. On one wall, researchers from Florida International University identified 51 species living in it one year after installation, including filter feeders like oysters and tubeworms that clean water.

They've since installed 16 living seawalls across Florida for residential, commercial and government clients, she said. Soon they'll put their first ones in California and New York and will be fortifying coastal bases for the U.S. Navy.

Affordable housing project and park

The Vista Breeze affordable senior housing project in Miami Beach by the architectural firm Brooks Scarpa Huber is a real-world application of how to live with the threats of water.

The 119-unit, two-building complex is elevated 10 feet (3.05 meters) from sea level and is designed to withstand storm surges of up to 20 feet (6.10 meters). Concrete is mixed with a crystalline, water-proof powder that blocks water from penetrating into it, protecting structures and extending their life. Rebar coated in zinc shields it from rust and corrosion.

They're “some of the most simple, easy steps and they don’t cost that much,” said Huber, the project's principal architect. “But they’re going to make our buildings more resilient starting up front.”

From a heat-mitigation standpoint, the buildings are oriented southeast to the prevailing breezes, passively cooling themselves.

There are also community rooms, courtyards and terraces to promote socializing. The elevators are hidden, and the stairs made prominent to encourage their use.

About 30 miles north, a former parking lot was transformed into a public space that doubles as flood infrastructure. DC Alexander Park in Fort Lauderdale has a 25-foot artistic overlook that provides shade on hot days.

Along the park's perimeter, a native maritime forest absorbs rainfall and saltwater flooding while providing recreational opportunities and species habitat.

These designs build on Huber's research on adapting coastal cities to rising seas, which he wrote about in his 2024 design manual “Salty Urbanism.”

Miami, he said, is a testing ground for it.

“The ideas that we’re working on here... designing for, you know, these extreme scenarios like 5, 9 feet of sea level rise are going to become increasingly relevant to any coastal cities around the world," he said.

Visions for the future

Financing, policy and community support are just some of the challenges architects and urban planners face with implementation.

About a decade ago, architectural designer, urban planner and Future Vision Studios founder Aaron DeMayo began developing The Coastline, a regional resilience master plan proposal to protect Southern Florida from storm surge and sea level rise.

Funding it will have a large price tag, but “the need and the urgency I think merits this type of infrastructure solution,” he said.

“We have a massive amount of low-lying property and property that could be impacted from storm surge," he said. "And what we’re presenting here is going to have a very large return on investment because we’re protecting hundreds of miles of direct waterfront property, as well as property behind that waterfront property.”

At the University of Miami’s Center for Urban and Community Design — founded after the 1992 hurricane that damaged Huber’s home — designer, architect and the center's director Thomas Klein is working to address a problem: a lack of assistance to help lower-income communities afford climate resilient projects.

They're putting together a community design fund that would do a call out for project proposals, work with communities to identify which would have the most impact, then bring in university experts to help develop them with residents.

For Klein, funding scarcity for climate resilient infrastructure is an opportunity to build in a way that provides multiple services.

“In 2026, is it acceptable to just build a road to move cars? Or does the road need to also move bicyclists and have a bus rapid transit lane, but also manage stormwater and ameliorate for heat island issues?" he said. This fall, they're also launching an initiative to conceptualize and design “sponge parks” in South Florida that use green and other infrastructure to absorb rain and manage stormwater.

Florida is a challenging regulatory environment, he added, but the solutions evolving there are “uniquely replicable” to other states. “Because we have to rely on a narrower band of potential approaches to actualizing solutions for resilience in our cities, that those solutions might be a little bit more, I guess, resilient.”

___

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

SATURDAY NIGHT: A chance of showers & thunderstorms early; decreasing clouds overnight. Low: 59.

SUNDAY: Mix of sunshine and clouds. A chance of a few rain showers in the afternoon and early evening hours. Breezy winds anticipated. High: 77.

SUNDAY NIGHT: Mainly clear skies. Cooler temperatures. Low: 55.

MONDAY: Mostly sunny skies. High: 78.

After a few rain showers overnight too early on Saturday morning, some of us are waking up to thunderstorms on the radar, and we will keep the chance of showers and thunderstorms into the forecast to start the weekend

A cold front will move through the region as we work throughout the day on Saturday, this will keep the chance of showers and thunderstorms into the forecast. Some storms could be on the strong, to possibly severe side of things by Saturday afternoon. Damaging winds, large hail, and heavy rainfall will be the primary threats with the strongest thunderstorms, but this will not be a widespread severe weather event. High temperature is warming into the upper 70s to near 80° by Saturday afternoon.

Once the cold front moves through late Saturday, we will keep some cloud cover into the forecast as well as some sunshine for the end of the weekend on Sunday. Cooler temperatures will move in by the end of the weekend as well, and with a northwesterl flow kicking in, we will bring in the chance for a few rain showers Sunday afternoon, and into early Sunday evening. High temperatures only warming into the mid to upper 70s by Sunday afternoon.

High-pressure builds into the region, and dries us out looking ahead into the start of next week. Expect plenty of sunshine for Monday and Tuesday, as some students are heading back to the classroom by the start of next week for the start of the new school year.

Chances for showers and thunderstorms return to the forecast by the time we get to next Wednesday and Thursday, as another cold front rolls through the region. High temperatures warming into the low to mid 80s by the time we get to the middle of next week.

Given that the state easily backed Republican Donald Trump three times and hasn't supported a Democrat for the White House since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964, the answer may seem obvious.

But in Nebraska’s largest city, it's an open question and could decide one of the country’s most-watched congressional races. Retiring Rep. Don Bacon ’s open seat pits fellow Republican and Omaha City Councilmember Brinker Harding against Democratic activist Denise Powell.

The district encompasses an increasingly Democratic-leaning Omaha metro area of 1 million-plus and its more conservative suburbs — famous for steaks and the Reuben sandwich's birthplace, though New York disputes that.

It's one of just eight districts nationwide that elected Republicans in House races while supporting Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris over Trump two years ago.

Harding and Powell have been making the rounds at parades and festivals where meat raffles offer oversized sausages as prizes. However, those on-the-ground appeals could be drowned out by Trump who, like most things in politics, has moved to shape November's midterm elections in his own image.

The president is organizing a Republican midterm convention in Dallas next month that will serve as much a two-day rally for him as a boon to party candidates nationwide. Trump is also frequently visiting tightly contested districts, despite his low approval ratings and the unpopular war in Iran.

While Trump centers himself, Democrats are happy to oblige.

When Powell knocks on doors to talk to voters, she asks, “What’s keeping you up at night?” On a sweaty Saturday afternoon, John Rosseter responded without hesitation. “Well, Trump.”

“I want to see the history books written years from now,” said Rosseter, 67, who owns a carpentry business. “They won’t be pretty.”

The ‘Blue Dot’ hasn't helped Democratic House candidates

Nebraska splits its presidential electoral votes, and the 2nd Congressional District's delegate has gone to Democrats three out of five times since 2008, making it a “ blue dot ” in an otherwise Republican red state. But a Democrat has won the House seat just once since 1994.

Harding plays up Trump's primary endorsement, and House Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise campaigned for him. Harding said he has “the full confidence of, not only the White House, but leadership in the Congress.”

He has also tried to appeal to swing voters and says he knows the district better than does Powell, co-founder of Women Who Run Nebraska, which supports female candidates.

Two possible Democratic 2028 presidential candidates — ex-Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Rahm Emanuel, an ex-Chicago mayor who was President Barack Obama's first White House chief of staff — have campaigned with Powell.

She talks about how Medicare cuts have increased anxiety about affordability. Powell also points to Trump and his family's business dealings as an example of “the choices that they have made while people on the ground are struggling” and she says that resonates with Republicans.

“Even the ones who aren’t necessarily anti-Trump," Powell said, "understand the need for checks and balances.”

Some Democrats want a 'Blue Dot Wave'

Jason Brown and his wife, Ruth Huebner-Brown, caused a sensation in 2024 by spray painting about 50 reused lawn signs with blue dots and distributing them around Omaha's Dundee neighborhood. The couple has since expanded to professionally produce signs promoting a “Blue Dot Wave.”

Brown said the Republican-controlled Congress has capitulated on “every Trump nominee, every Trump policy, all the way down to putting gilding gold on statues.”

Supporters of Harding have countered with red “Brinker Dot" signs.

“We need to make sure that we keep this country on the track to being even better,” Harding said.

Jack Hosking, the 90-year-old retired former head of a title insurance company, organizes a weekly coffee to discuss political and community issues. He estimated that about 70% of attendees are Trump voters and “maybe even more so lately, because of the crap that the New York mayor started,” referring to Zohran Mamdani's efforts at pushing the Democratic Party to the left.

Both Powell and Harding have addressed Hosking's group, though, and he predicted that as much as half will support the Democrat.

“She spoke well enough that, my sense is, a lot of them will cross over," Hosking said, noting that when it came to campaigning, “Brinker’s not doing much.”

The president seen as a base motivator

The Republican National Committee views Trump as a national asset, betting he can prevent complacency in a year without a presidential race, when enthusiasm for the party in power typically wanes.

The committee rebranded its “Young Guns” program for key candidates to “MAGA Majority” in deference to Trump's “Make America Great Again” movement, and many congressional candidates will be at the Dallas convention with Trump.

Others aren't waiting that long.

Republican Reps. Mike Lawler of New York and Tom Barrett of Michigan, whom Democrats are aiming to unseat, both appeared with Trump during his rallies in their districts. When the president visited Macungie, Pennsylvania, in June, he joined Republican Rep. Ryan Mackenzie, saying, “I’m here for him.”

Trump also traveled to the Wisconsin district of Republican Rep. Derreck Van Orden, as have Cabinet members.

Rep. Juan Ciscomani, facing a reelection fight, appeared with Trump during an April event in Arizona. Two Iowa Republicans in what could be toss-up reelection contests, Reps Zach Nunn and Mariannette Miller-Meeks, both were by Trump's side when he kicked off his midterm campaign outside Des Moines.

Bacon sometimes defied the White House in his final term. He criticized Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and tried to curb Trump’s ability to impose tariffs and was the only House Republican who opposed renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.

Mary Jane Truemper, who heads the Nebraska Republican Party, said Powell and the state's Democrats have moved too far to the left. She called Harding “a steady force” and said the nominee is not as fond of picking high-profile fights the way Bacon sometimes was.

“I think he speaks to the moderate Democrats as well as the Republicans,” said Truemper, who managed Bacon’s reelection campaign in 2018 and also worked for an unsuccessful primary challenger to him.

Even Powell said, “Don Bacon was a good representative of this district, and I think that there are a lot of people drawn to a pragmatic style of leadership in a state like ours.” But that may not be enough this year.

“People are worse off than they were before,” Powell said.

A local race may expose a wider party divide among neighbors

In the Elmwood Park neighborhood, Andy Maxwell, a 58-year-old pediatrician, said he likes to find the middle ground in politics and his community. But he recalled that, after putting up a Biden sign in his yard in 2020, his neighbors erected a Trump one.

“We don’t like all the turmoil part of it,” Maxwell said of politics nationally.

Nearby, 80-year-old Jerard Pearson called Democrats “feckless,” but said of Trump's base supporters, “I’ve always been curious about this one-third level of crazy out there, a third of the population.” He is also no fan of a neighbor's large “Harding for Congress” sign.

Truemper said Harding appreciates Trump's endorsement but Nebraskans like to be wooed "person-to-person, rather than a national entity coming in."

“Is that going to be the deciding factor?" she asked of Trump. "I don't know.”

Trump put statues of some of America’s founders in the garden just off the Oval Office after he replaced its plush lawn with a white stone patio, turning the historic outdoor space into a look-alike of the one at his Mar-a-Lago home and private club in Palm Beach, Florida.

At least one statue was a gift. Others are on loan from people who wish to remain anonymous.

The latest addition, a bronze depiction of a seated Thomas Jefferson signing the Declaration of Independence, was a gift from George Lundeen, a sculptor from Loveland, Colorado. It joins statues already displayed there of George Washington, Alexander Hamilton and Ben Franklin. A fifth sculpture named “Freedom’s Charge” is also on the patio.

The statues are part of Trump’s sweeping series of White House renovations, from his gilded makeover of the Oval Office to the ballroom and helipad that the Republican president is having built on the south grounds. These projects fit into Trump’s broader plan to leave his mark on downtown Washington through other construction projects, including a statue garden on federal land near the National Mall.

Thomas Jefferson returns to the White House

Lundeen said he made the sculpture of Jefferson, the third U.S. president, decades ago and kept it at his ranch until he decided to spruce it up and send it to Trump for display at the White House in time for July Fourth celebrations of America's 250th birthday. Steven Barber, his friend and collaborator, had reached out to contacts at the White House on Lundeen's behalf.

“I thought it would just be a real nice thing on the 250th for people to look at Thomas Jefferson as he was writing the Declaration of Independence,” Lundeen said in a telephone interview.

But the statue did not get to the White House in time. Barber said it was stuck on a truck partly because of heavy security around the celebratory events. Trump was shown photos and liked the sculpture so much that he decided to put it in the Rose Garden.

When the president called Lundeen to thank him, he got voicemail. After the holiday, Lundeen's office manager insisted he listen to one message in particular.

“Hi, George. It's your favorite president, Donald Trump, and I just wanted to thank you,” the president said on the recording, which Lundeen shared with The Associated Press. “The sculpture, it looks really beautiful ... just by the picture I can see it's really incredible, and we have a wonderful place right in the Rose Garden, and I appreciate it.”

Barber said in a separate telephone interview that he had been calling the White House for months to discuss the statue but got little in the way of a response until about three weeks before Independence Day, when in came a “flurry of emails saying they wanted it.”

White House signals that more statues are possible

Details on the other statues added to the Rose Garden are relatively sparse.

The statue of Washington, America’s first president, was lent by Harlan Crow, the White House said. Representatives for the Texas-based real estate tycoon and GOP megadonor, who made headlines in recent years for his friendship with Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, did not respond to email messages from the AP seeking comment.

A third statue, "Freedom's Charge,” a 14-foot-tall (4.3-meter-tall) bronze sculpture of two Revolutionary War soldiers separated by a flag, was relocated from Dallas. Chas Fagan, the sculptor, did not respond to emailed requests for comment.

The Franklin and Hamilton statues are from anonymous donors, according to the White House.

White House spokesperson Davis Ingle explained Trump's fondness for statues by saying that no other president has done more to beautify the White House and its surroundings.

"From restoring our treasured landmarks, which had suffered years of abuse and vandalism, to cleaning our parks and the Reflecting Pool, President Trump’s bold vision ensured that America rang in its 250th birthday celebration with glory and pride,” Ingle said in an emailed statement that referenced Trump's troubled effort to spruce up the pool near the Lincoln Memorial.

He said Trump continues to make “long-overdue and necessary” renovations to the White House.

"Thanks to the Builder-in-Chief, the White House will be properly glorified and remain in excellent condition for generations to come,” Ingle said.

Trump’s love of statues extends beyond the White House

Next door to the White House, Trump had a statue of Christopher Columbus installed on the grounds of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in March.

More recently, the National Park Service installed a series of sculptures of Revolutionary-era subjects and themes at a plaza near the White House.

Trump's marquee statue plan involves building a National Garden of American Heroes near the National Mall that would feature sculptures of 250 Americans who have made significant cultural, political and other historical contributions to the United States. Several preservation and cultural heritage organization have sued to block the project, arguing that Congress must first authorize it.

Barber said he and Lundeen are “in the mix” to make statues for that garden, too.

At his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, Trump has on display a 7-foot (2.1-meter) bronze sculpture depicting him with his fist raised after the 2024 assassination attempt during a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. It was also made by Lundeen and was given to Trump by Anthony Constantino, a businessman and Republican congressional candidate from New York.

The White House doubles as an art gallery

The White House has long been a showcase for art, perhaps no work more famous than the Gilbert Stuart portrait of Washington that hangs in the East Room and was saved by first lady Dolly Madison after the British set the White House on fire during the War of 1812.

Presidents have access to the White House's vast art collection. Trump has said he went to the “vaults” and found the presidential portraits and other art he hung in the Oval Office and in other rooms in the White House. Portraits of former presidents and former first ladies also adorn hallways and public rooms in the mansion.

In Trump's first term, first lady Melania Trump installed a piece by Japanese American sculptor Isamu Noguchi near the Rose Garden, making him the first Asian American artist to be featured in the White House collection.

Before that, then-first lady Michelle Obama's renovation of the Old Family Dining Room in 2015 included the addition of a painting by Alma Thomas, who was the first African American female artist to have her work added to the collection.

After being shut out of this month’s total solar eclipse, the Americas will have the best seats in the celestial house when Earth’s shadow briefly envelops the moon. Almost the entire lunar surface will be masked Thursday night into Friday — a whopping 96% — making this an especially deep partial eclipse.

The moon is already in the spotlight. NASA sent the Artemis II astronauts on a record-breaking lunar flyby in April, the prelude to eventually landing on the surface and building a base swarming with people and robots over the next several years.

“This is a great time to be part of the space program, right? We’re not slowing down,” NASA astronaut Jack Hathaway told The Associated Press from the International Space Station last week.

It’s the second act of the greatest show in the solar system, coming two weeks after a total solar eclipse paraded through Greenland, Iceland and Spain.

Eclipses always travel in pairs as the sun, moon and Earth align so precisely that one obscures the other. That’s because the moon is 400 times smaller than the sun, which is 400 times farther away, making them appear the same size — a cosmic coincidence and gift from the universe.

Unfolding at a more leisurely pace, the upcoming lunar eclipse will have a much bigger audience than Europe's solar show. The eclipsed moon will be visible to billions across North and South America, Europe, Africa and the Middle East, provided the skies are clear.

The lunar eclipse may also be visible to Hathaway and the nine other people living off the planet — seven astronauts at the International Space Station and three aboard China’s orbiting outpost.

Space provides a “unique perspective” for viewing cosmic wonders like eclipses and auroras, said the space station's commander, Jessica Meir.

In this case, Earth will pass between the moon and the sun, casting a reddish-orange shadow onto our closest neighbor. Because this is a partial eclipse, the lineup won’t be perfect and it won’t be a true blood moon. The partial phase of the eclipse will last more than three hours. But the entire eclipse, from the time the full moon enters the faintest, outermost edge of Earth’s shadow until it leaves, will stretch 5 ½ hours.

The eclipse will peak just after midnight EDT.

Nearly 1 billion people in the U.S., Canada, and Central and South America will have front-row views for the entire eclipse. More than 3 billion people — 44% of the world’s population — will be in position to catch at least part of it.

The eclipsed moon will be setting in Europe, Africa and the Middle East, cutting the show short. It will be rising in Hawaii, getting the eastern Pacific off to a late start along with northwestern sections of the U.S. and Canada.

This is the year’s second lunar eclipse and the fourth eclipse overall. A total lunar eclipse graced the skies over the Americas, Australia and eastern Asia in March.

The next complete lunar blackout won’t be until New Year’s Eve 2028, with Asia and Australia at center stage. And it will be 2029 before stargazers across North and South America are treated to another full eclipse of the moon.

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

The 16,250 doses arrived at the N’djili International Airport in the capital, Kinshasa, late Friday, as part of 70,000 doses expected from the World Health Organization and partners that were announced on Thursday. More doses are expected early next week.

The current Ebola outbreak in Congo is caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, which currently has no approved treatment or vaccine. It can spread easily and go undetected because some of its symptoms are similar to other illnesses, such as malaria. The Ervebo vaccine is licensed to treat Ebola and has been effective in past outbreaks. The WHO said it may provide some protection against the Bundibugyo virus.

The latest outbreak, which has recorded 2,557 deaths out of the 5,375 confirmed cases across six affected provinces, is spreading at an unprecedented rate and is on track to surpass the deadliest outbreak on record, which killed over 11,000 people across West Africa between 2014 and 2016. Data from the Africa Centre for Disease Control shows that transmission has not yet peaked and could reach three times its known rate.

Efforts to contain the outbreak have been hampered by armed conflict between the government and rebel groups, which control key cities in the hot spot; attacks on medical personnel and facilities; an itinerant labor population and people displaced by the armed conflict; and a lack of critical infrastructure.

With Michigan’s season opener against Western Michigan less than two weeks away, Whittingham highlighted several players who have stood out during camp, including wide receiver Channing Goodwin and defensive ends Carter Meadows, Tariq Boney and Nate Marshall.

Whittingham said Goodwin has earned a spot in the rotation, while the three young defensive ends have performed well despite competing for playing time in a deep position group.

“Channing Goodwin has really had a nice fall camp,” Whittingham said. “He’s stepped up and is going to be in the rotation.”

Whittingham also said quarterback Bryce Underwood has made significant progress since the spring.

He credited Underwood’s improved understanding of the offense with helping him play faster and make better decisions.

“He’s making really good decisions. He’s taken good care of the football,” Whittingham said.

Whittingham said Underwood’s footwork has improved as well.

He said the quarterback has done a better job of climbing the pocket and stepping into his throws rather than throwing off his back foot.

Whittingham said offensive coordinator Jason Beck has also tailored the offense to Underwood’s strengths.

Whittingham declined to release a depth chart, saying Michigan will let Western Michigan find out who starts when the teams take the field.

The Wolverines also have competition at tight end, where Whittingham expects several players to contribute.

Freshman tight end Mason Bonner has impressed as a receiver after arriving in June, although Whittingham said he still needs to add strength and improve as a blocker.

Michigan is also continuing to build depth along the defensive line and at linebacker and cornerback.

Whittingham said the team has made progress in areas where he previously expressed concerns about depth.

“I’m feeling much better about things than back when I made that statement,” Whittingham said.

Michigan is also preparing for a deep postseason run.

Asked what would need to happen for the Wolverines to be in contention for the Big Ten championship and College Football Playoff in November, Whittingham pointed to several areas.

He said Underwood would need to play well and protect the football, while Michigan would need to establish a strong running game, play solid run defense and perform at a high level on special teams.

Whittingham said Michigan’s special teams could become one of the best units in the Big Ten.

The Wolverines are also emphasizing situational football during camp.

Whittingham said the team will begin a mock game-week schedule next week to prepare players for the routine leading into the season opener.

Michigan has practiced a variety of situations, including two-minute and four-minute drills, third downs, red-zone situations and long offensive drives.

Whittingham said the goal is to ensure players have experienced those situations before they encounter them in a game.

“You don’t want something that they’ve never done,” Whittingham said.

Michigan’s first-year coach also said he has been pleased with how players have embraced the new coaching staff.

“The players have embraced them,” Whittingham said. “The players have bought in.”

Whittingham was hired after spending more than three decades at Utah.

He said he remains grateful for his time with the Utes but is focused on building Michigan into a contender.

The Wolverines open the 2026 season against the Western Michigan Broncos on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026, on NBC.

Health officials are reminding residents to take precautions if they encounter a bat, particularly because bat bites can be small and difficult to detect.

Rabies is a viral disease that affects the brain and is almost always fatal once symptoms begin.

However, treatment can prevent it if started before symptoms develop.

Health officials recommend capturing a bat found in a home so it can be tested for rabies.

Residents should avoid direct contact with the animal and contact the health department for guidance.

Potential exposure can occur if a person is bitten or comes into contact with a bat’s saliva or brain tissue.

Health officials said people may also need to be evaluated if they wake up to find a bat in their bedroom or if a bat is found in a room with a child who was alone, or someone who is mentally disabled or intoxicated.

Residents who believe they may have been exposed can report bat contact or an animal bite through the Livingston County Health Department’s secure online reporting system.

They can also call the department at 517-552-6882 and leave a message for staff to return the call.

Residents should wash any animal bite or scratch with soap and water and seek medical attention.

Health officials recommend keeping windows and doors screened, sealing openings around the home, and keeping cats, dogs, and ferrets current on their rabies vaccinations.

Bats can enter through openings as small as a dime, according to the health department.

The health department said residents should contact officials for guidance if they are unsure whether they have been exposed to rabies.

Warren Consolidated Schools teacher Mark Michael Sharrow, 37, was charged with five counts of aggravated possession of child sexually abusive material, five counts of using a computer to commit a crime, one count of possession of methamphetamine, and one count of possession of a Schedule 5 controlled substance and LSD.

He was arrested on a third-degree criminal sexual conduct charge out of Houton Lake on Aug. 18, according to the Macomb County Prosecutor’s Office.

Investigators said Sharrow’s home and phone were searched under warrants following his arrest. Prosecutors allege that sexually explicit videos of children were found on his phone. Methamphetamine and LSD were also allegedly found at his home.

Sharrow was arraigned in court on Aug. 19. A judge set his bond at $1 million cash or surety, with no 10% option.

If released, he must wear a GPS tether and is prohibited from using the internet or any device that can access it.

Sharrow is also not allowed to contact children or enter locations where children commonly congregate. He is a teacher at the Warren Consolidated School of Performing Arts.

He is scheduled to return to court on Sept. 1 at 8:30 a.m. for a probable cause conference.

Warren Consolidated Schools released a statement this week regarding Sharrow’s arrest. The full letter sent to parents and staff can be read below:

Warren Schools teacher arraigned on felony charges after videos of minors allegedly found on his phone by brandon carr

“The story is a long story, because we started out over 20 years ago,” Bishop Marvin Winans with Perfecting Church said.

As a refresher – in the early 2000s, Winans announced a massive plan for the space – one with a $60 million price tag.

But, for years, the site sat nearly empty.

“During the crisis of the financial institutions in 2008, it stopped. But our faith kept growing,” Winans said.

In 2023, the city of Detroit sued the church, saying construction had not been completed fast enough.

Neighbors in the area expressed frustration about the delays.

Both the city and the church later came to terms, and the lawsuit was dropped in turn for a schedule of goals and a timeline that had to be met.

“We’ve had to find financial institutions that would help us, and it’s just been one roadblock after the other,” he said.

Local 4 is told the building is nearly 170,000 square feet and over 16 acres of land.

Damon Tooles, president of Tooles Contracting Group, which is handling the build, says the sanctuary will seat over 3,000 people and the chapel will seat 500.

The church will include a 400-seat amphitheater in front, a grand staircase inside, large executive spaces, Sunday school rooms, and massive parking lots.

“It started off as an 18-month construction project,” Tooles said. “We are probably in month 23 now. So, one of the things that was significant to this project because it started 16 years ago was that in that timeframe, the stormwater retention system laws changed.”

As a result, they’ve put in a new water retention system.

“We are at a point now where we are on the line to completion, and all of the challenges have pretty much been met,” Tooles said.

Bishop Winans says although his congregation has been challenged throughout this process, he is hopeful for what’s to come.

Local 4 asked him what his vision is for everything ahead.

“Continuing to work and believe God,” Winans said. “To continue to inspire His people and to know that this building is going to be an asset to the city of Detroit.”

The church expects construction to be done by the end of the year, but they say the details for the grand opening are still being planned.

Six armed pirates hijacked the Eritrean-flagged M.T. Sibu 1 on Thursday about 136 nautical miles (252 kilometers) east of al-Mukalla, Yemen, and took it toward Somalia’s Puntland coast, the official, who has knowledge of the incident, told The Associated Press on Friday. He spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not allowed to discuss the matter publicly.

The Sibu 1, managed by the UAE-based Qatrat Alnada Almasi Ship Management, was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department last year for allegedly belonging to an Iranian “shadow fleet” used to transport petroleum products seeking to evade U.S. sanctions.

The tanker had 20 crew members aboard: 16 Indians, one Syrian, one Sudanese, and one Iraqi. The nationality of one crew member was not immediately known. The vessel’s previous port of departure and intended destination remained unclear.

The hijacking came three days after pirates seized the Lutuf, a Cameroon-flagged general cargo vessel, off Somalia’s coast. The vessel had 10 crew aboard, including six Indians, a Turkish national, a Georgian national and two Serbian security guards, according to maritime tracking reports.

The Sibu 1 is the sixth commercial vessel hijacked by Somali pirates since April 21, when the Palau-flagged tanker Honor 25 was seized off Somalia. Pirates later seized the Sward on April 26, the Eureka on May 2, the Asana on July 17 and the Lutuf on Aug. 17.

The attacks have occurred increasingly far from Somalia’s coastline, including the hijacking of the Eureka while anchored off Yemen and the Asana about 65 nautical miles (120 kilometers) southwest of al-Mukalla. The International Maritime Bureau recorded 38 piracy and armed robbery incidents worldwide during the first half of 2026, including five hijackings. Somali pirates accounted for 94% of crew members taken hostage during that period, the bureau said.

Puntland’s Security Ministry said Friday that its investigations indicated that forces beyond Puntland’s control were behind the renewed piracy, but did not identify any group or country. The claim could not be independently verified.

Puntland said it had deployed security forces along its coast and condemned airstrikes that it said struck fishing vessels and property near coastal communities where hijacked ships were being held. It called on the countries involved to explain strikes near Garacad on Aug. 18 and Aug. 20.

The ministry did not identify who carried out the strikes, and the allegations could not be independently confirmed.

The latest consumer confidence report from business group The Conference Board will be released Tuesday. Wall Street expects the report to show that confidence in the U.S. economy fell again in August after slipping in July.

Consumer confidence has been weak most of the year as inflation remains stubbornly high. The U.S. war with Iran helped fuel inflation by stifling oil supplies worldwide. That raised gasoline prices, squeezing household budgets. It has also raised costs for shipping a wide range of products, from groceries to clothing.

Wall Street will get another important inflation update on Wednesday when the U.S. releases its report on personal consumption expenditures, or PCE, for July. It is the Federal Reserve's preferred measure of inflation. Much like the consumer price index, it has shown that the rate of inflation remains stubbornly above 3%.

The Fed has been struggling to get inflation back to its target rate of 2%. It came close in early 2025 but then inflation started creeping higher as the U.S. imposed a wide range of tariffs globally. The rate of inflation leaped higher in early 2026 as the Iran war curtailed global oil shipments from the Strait of Hormuz.

The Fed is expected to continue holding its benchmark interest rate steady at its upcoming meeting in September.

Guo Degang, the country’s most prominent performer of traditional xiangsheng, a form of Chinese comedic dialogue, is under investigation by local authorities in the city of Wuhan in central China, local media reported. Guo's show on Friday in the northwestern city of Xi’an was canceled due to “venue issues," a statement on ticketing platform Damai released by his promotion company showed.

The company offered refunds for tickets as well as travel and hotel expenses. The exhibition center hosting the performance in Xi’an, which also cited “venue issues” on Wednesday, said the show had been “postponed,” without giving a new date.

Local media reports said several of Guo’s shows scheduled in August across cities were canceled.

The investigation highlights China’s stricter controls and censorship of the entertainment and arts industries, where performers and artists have to navigate an environment where “red lines” are often unclear and shifting.

Guo was reported to Wuhan's culture and tourism authorities after he changed a lyric from “it is quiet along Weishan Lake” to “it is quiet in the Forbidden City” while performing at a show in the city last month, according to local media reports and videos shown on social media platforms.

The Forbidden City, once home to China’s emperors for hundreds of years, is now a museum that attracts over 10 million visitors each year.

Neither Guo nor his show promotor immediately responded to the AP’s emails seeking for comment on Saturday.

Guo’s performance had been approved in advance by local authorities in Wuhan, but the lyric change had not, which may have violated regulations governing commercial performances according to The Paper, a Shanghai-based news outlet.

The lyrics are from “Playing My Beloved Pipa,” a song from Railway Guerrilla, a well-known 1950s film about Communist-led guerrillas fighting Japanese forces during World War II. Pipa is a traditional Chinese stringed instrument, similar to a lute.

It is a popular song among the public. It was once played at CCTV Spring Festival gala in 1998, and was also selected in 2019 by the Chinese Communist Party’s Publicity Department as one of 100 songs recommended to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China.

Guo is widely considered as the one who brought xiangsheng closer to the younger generation in China. The traditional art form was more regional and more popular among the older audience.

This is not the first time that performers facing consequences over their work on stage. In 2023, comedian Li Haoshi, known by his stage name House, sparked controversy after describing dogs chasing squirrels with a military slogan. Xiaoguo Culture Media, the company he worked for, was later fined 14.7 million yuan ($2.13 million), and Li has not appeared in public performances in mainland China since.

Edman hit a line drive to left field off Gregory Soto (5-4), scoring automatic runner Kiké Hernández from third, keeping the Dodgers as the only undefeated team in extra innings in the majors with a 5-0 record.

With Hernández starting at second, pinch-hitter Alex Call struck out and Mookie Betts was intentionally walked. Kyle Tucker grounded into a fielder's choice to second, where Betts was out.

Evan Phillips (1-2) got the win with one inning of relief.

The NL West-leading Dodgers have won eight of their last 11.

Pittsburgh's Oneil Cruz hit a two-run homer off reliever Kyle Hurt in the eighth to make it 4-4.

Betts hit a two-run single with two outs in the third to make it 4-2.

Dodgers starter Yoshinobu Yamamoto allowed two runs and five hits in 6 1/3 innings with nine strikeouts.

The Japanese right-hander was lifted after putting the tying runs aboard in the seventh. Jake Mangum had a leadoff double and Yamamoto hit Jared Triolo. Reliever Brock Stewart came on to retire the next two batters and end the inning.

Pirates reliever Luke Bachar set up the struggling Tucker for a potential Hollywood ending in the bottom of the seventh. Shohei Ohtani drew a leadoff walk and stole second. Two outs later, Bachar issued back-to-back walks to Max Muncy and Betts to load the bases and bring up Tucker. However, he flied out to center to end the threat.

Muncy's two-run, two-out homer in the first gave the Dodgers to a 2-1 lead.

The Pirates led 1-0 on Nick Gonzales' RBI single to center in the top of the inning. He tied the game 2-2 with an RBI single to center in the third.

Up next

Pirates RHP Jared Jones (2-5, 4.78 ERA) starts Saturday against Dodgers LHP Tarik Skubal (7-7, 2.85). Skubal is 0-2 with a 3.18 ERA since being traded to Los Angeles earlier this month.

___

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

The center fielder was struck on the back of his hand by a pitch from Bubba Chandler in the third inning and took first base. He advanced to third before the inning ended. Pages was replaced by Kiké Hernández to start the fifth.

Manager Dave Roberts said X-rays revealed the break.

“It's not season-ending because obviously things like that it's four or five weeks," Roberts said. “I would expect him back, knowing him, on the earlier side. There's still time in the season for him to be back. I feel for him because he's having such a good year.”

Roberts said it's possible Pages could need surgery, but he doesn't believe that would change the timetable for him to return.

Roberts said utility player Tommy Edman, who had the winning single in the 10th inning, could play some center in Pages' absence.

Pages is hitting .272 with 25 home runs and 80 RBIs. He earned his first All-Star selection this season.

___

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

“It felt great,” Nix said after working with new play-caller Davis Webb for the first time in a game. “Just like any typical year, going out for the first drive, there's going to be some different things that you can grow from. But I felt like for the first drive of the season it was solid.

“I think the strongest emotion was when I got out there it was just like riding a bike; nothing really changed.”

Nix's second and final series ended with a 53-yard field goal from Wil Lutz, but Pierre Strong Jr. returned the ensuing kickoff 68 yards, setting up Trey Smack's first of four field goals, a 51-yarder that tied it at 10.

The Nix-Waddle connection is a work in progress as Nix missed most of the offseason and Waddle missed a week of training camp.

“It’s coming along," Waddle said. "We’ve got a lot of work to do. But it was a good time. It’s good to get back out there with all the guys.”

Nix completed 6 of 9 passes for 76 yards and the touchdown in his first live action for the Broncos (1-1) since breaking his right ankle against Buffalo in the playoffs seven months ago. He underwent surgery in January and had a follow-up procedure to remove bone spurs in the spring.

The Packers (1-1) dominated every phase in snapping Denver's eight-game winning streak in the preseason.

“I can't think of one area we outplayed them,” lamented Broncos coach Sean Payton.

Jordan Love drove Green Bay on a 12-play, 63-yard touchdown drive in his only series, which he capped with an 11-yard touchdown throw to Lloyd for a 7-0 lead.

That series looked short-lived when cornerback Riley Moss recovered Christian Watson's fumble on the second play of the game, but a review determined Watson's knee was down just as the Pat Surtain II was ripping the ball out of Watson's arms.

“He's definitely one of the best corners in the game,” Love said about Surtain. “And he does a great job just everything he does. So, definitely got a lot of respect for him. He made a great play trying to get the ball out, but that's just what he does. He's a sticky corner. He does a lot of good things. I'm excited for him, the year he's going to have.”

Moss, who's had a terrific training camp and had an interception in Denver's 27-7 win over Atlanta in the Broncos' preseason opener, left the game with a rib injury later in that drive and didn't return.

Former University of Colorado receiver Will Sheppard's toe-dragging 2-yard touchdown catch from Tyrod Taylor gave Green Bay a 17-10 lead and Smack kicked field goals of 59 and 44 yards sandwiched around Mark Perry's interception of Broncos backup Jarrett Stidham's pass to send Green Bay into halftime with a 23-10 lead.

Jaden Nixon's 3-yard TD run made it 30-13 and Smack added a 38-yard field goal with 1:05 remaining.

The Broncos were upset about their performance but happy to see Nix back.

“I thought he did a great job,” said Broncos QB Sam Ehlinger, who is vying for the backup job with Stidham. “It was right back to post-season form, really. Didn't miss a beat. Really happy for him. He's in a great spot. He's been looking good and clearly he's feeling good.”

Up next

Packers: Host Arizona on Friday night.

Broncos: Host Minnesota on Friday night.

___

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Many of the basic facts jurors have learned are not in dispute.

Shakur and Death Row Records co-founder Marion “Suge” Knight were in Las Vegas to watch a Mike Tyson fight at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Just outside, Shakur, Knight and their entourage got into a brawl with Davis’ nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson.

Later that night, Shakur and Knight were in a black BMW at a red light near the Las Vegas Strip, when a white Cadillac with four men inside pulled up beside them and someone opened fire. Shakur was shot multiple times and died six days later. Knight survived with minor injuries.

Years later, Davis would say he procured the gun and his nephew fired the shots. Davis' lawyers have disputed the statements and fought unsuccessfully to get them excluded. The other men in the Cadillace have since died, limiting eyewitness testimony.

The dispute had its roots in the long-running feud between the Mob Piru Bloods, a gang Knight and Shakur were affiliated with, and the South Side Compton Crips, for whom Davis was a prominent leader.

A jury of six men and 10 women — four are alternates — will decide whether Davis, 63, is guilty of one count of murder with a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further or assist a criminal gang. He has pleaded not guilty. If convicted, he could get life in prison.

Here's a closer look at the first week of the trial that is expected to last about a month.

Is Keffe D admitting old truths — or as his lawyer says, ‘full of crap’?

A prosecutor said in his opening statement that Davis' own words — in interviews with police, podcasters and filmmakers — would prove he orchestrated the killing.

“Let’s be clear, Duane Davis did not pull the trigger. But he did plan the shooting in retaliation of the beating of his nephew,” Chief Deputy District Attorney Binu Palal told jurors. “Remarkably, you will learn that from Duane Davis himself.”

“Now, 30 years later, we’re going to ask you to finally hold Duane Davis accountable,” Palal said.

Davis' defense attorney Michael Sanft took the unusual approach of telling jurors his client's words were all bloviating and braggadocio, and did not represent the truth.

“What they are telling you, they are representing as fact, when it’s really fiction,” said Sanft. He said Davis wasn’t previously charged because law enforcement knew that he was “full of crap.”

Who are the witnesses and what have they said about the 1996 shooting?

Seventeen witnesses testified through the first five days, a little under half the number prosecutors said they plan to call at the trial.

They included a police officer, Garry Dale, who first responded to the scene, jumped into the ambulance with Shakur and asked him who shot him. “We'll take care of it,” was Dale's best memory of what Shakur said.

Brent Becker, a homicide detective from the initial investigation, said that despite being able to get probable identification on the men in the Cadillac from confidential informants, it was of little use because no witnesses would say anything solid on the record.

That included Knight. “I thought he lied to us,” Becker said.

Some of the case's most compelling witnesses — formerly gang-affiliated men who testified unwillingly under court order — essentially refused to help the prosecution that summoned them, but provided drama and humor that was absent from the more sterile official testimony.

They included James McDonald, a former Mob Piru member who helped Knight with security.

“I’m aware of a lot of things,” McDonald said on the stand, “things that was going on, people ain’t talked about them in 30 years. Today ain’t one of them.”

He directly addressed the defendant. “What you’re going through, brother, is what you’re going through,” McDonald said, adding “I didn’t want to be a part of it.”

Knight is on the prosecution's witness list, but will likely take a similar approach should he be called. He's in prison serving a 28-year sentence for an unrelated killing in California.

Leonard Jefferson, who took the last known photo of Shakur, also took the stand. Police developed Jefferson’s film and returned the photo negatives days after Shakur died.

In the frame, Shakur looks directly at the camera while Knight stares ahead, his hand on the steering wheel.

“The picture just took on a life of its own,” Jefferson told The Associated Press.

Jurors hear Keffe D's damning statements

Decades of interviews starting from the late 1990s were played for jurors.

Key was a 2008 interview with law enforcement looking into the 1997 killing of the Notorious B.I.G., Shakur’s rap archrival. Davis had briefly been a suspect in that shooting, but one detective testified that “everyone was a suspect” in that case at one point or another.

Davis shifted the conversation to the Shakur shooting, and admitted his involvement from the passenger side of the Cadillac.

“If we would have been on my side, I would have blasted,” Davis said. Instead, Knight’s car was on the other side, so Davis passed his gun back to the guys in the backseat, he said.

Davis said his nephew took the weapon and started firing.

Several people in the audience shook their heads when they heard detectives tell Davis that the interview would not be used against him. But authorities argue he negated that agreement when, years later, he spoke publicly about the shooting.

Davis, with bald head and gray goatee, sat stoically through most of the testimony, wearing a suit and tie. He occasionally whispered and exchanged fist bumps with his lawyer.

And he spoke to the judge on Friday, saying his family's safety is at risk because witnesses for the prosecution have shared his home address. “They keep giving out my address,” he said. “They broke into my house, vandalized my house, vandalized my wife’s car.”

“I’m not upset I’m being prosecuted,” Davis said, but “you’re endangering my family’s life.”

___

Dalton reported from Los Angeles and Boone from Boise, Idaho.

Scattered showers remain possible Friday night as moisture increases ahead of an approaching cold front.

Saturday brings the highest impact weather

Saturday will not be rainy from beginning to end, but it will be the day to check the 4Warn Weather app if you have outdoor plans.

The morning starts mostly cloudy with temperatures in the 60s.

A few showers or thunderstorms are possible late morning, but coverage is expected to increase as we head into the afternoon.

The most likely window for strong thunderstorms in Metro Detroit is roughly 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., although activity could develop earlier and last later.

Storms will generally move from west to east.

The Storm Prediction Center has placed much of Southeast Michigan, including most of Metro Detroit, under a Marginal Risk, or Level 1 of 5, for severe thunderstorms.

The overall severe-weather threat remains relatively low, but an isolated stronger storm could produce:

• Damaging wind gusts around 60 mph
• Hail up to around one inch
• Brief heavy rain and localized flooding

Slow-moving storms and multiple rounds of rain could produce isolated totals of one inch or more.

Temperatures Saturday should reach the upper 70s around Metro Detroit.

Weekend events could be affected

Saturday’s timing matters for anyone attending outdoor events.

The Health Alliance Plan Crim Festival of Races in Downtown Flint starts with comparatively better weather early in the morning.

Temperatures will be in the mid-60s around 7 a.m., with only a low chance for a rain shower.

Rain chances increase later in the morning and become considerably higher by afternoon.

Anyone in Flint for post-race activities should be prepared for showers and thunderstorms and have a way to receive weather warnings.

Sunday’s Detroit Bourbon & Blues Festival at Eastern Market gets much more favorable weather conditions.

Temperatures during the noon-to-7 p.m. event should hover in the lower to mid-70s.

A spotty shower cannot be ruled out Sunday afternoon, so keeping an umbrella nearby is reasonable, but Sunday does not look like another Saturday.

Sunday will feel like early fall

The cold front responsible for Saturday’s storms will usher in a noticeably different air mass.

Sunday will be breezy and cooler, with Metro Detroit temperatures generally topping out in the lower to mid-70s. West-northwest winds could gust above 20 mph.

A few afternoon showers may redevelop as colder air aloft moves across the Great Lakes, but much of Sunday should be fine for outdoor plans.

Sunday night gets even cooler, with temperatures dropping into the 50s in many locations.

Great weather for the return to school

For families preparing for the new school year, Monday provides a much quieter start to the week.

Sunshine returns with highs in the upper 70s and noticeably lower humidity.

Students waiting at the bus stop Monday morning may even notice a hint of fall in the air after overnight temperatures fall into the 50s in some communities.

Tuesday looks sunny and warmer, with highs climbing into the lower 80s.

The next opportunity for showers begins to return Wednesday, with additional shower and thunderstorm chances possible Wednesday night into Thursday.

Forecast confidence in the exact timing remains lower that far out.

Drought conditions remain despite weekend rain

The latest U.S. Drought Monitor continues to show abnormally dry conditions across a large portion of Southeast Michigan.

Moderate drought is developing near the I-69 corridor.

Saturday’s rainfall will be beneficial, particularly where thunderstorms produce soaking rains, but rainfall totals will vary considerably from one community to another.

National weather: Heat remains a concern

While Michigan gets ready for a cooler air mass, dangerous late-summer heat remains an issue elsewhere in the country.

Parts of the Desert Southwest, Southern Plains and Lower Mississippi Valley continue to deal with dangerous heat.

Triple-digit temperatures and dangerous heat-index values are possible in parts of the South and Southwest.

Thunderstorms are also affecting portions of the central United States, with pockets of severe-weather potential from the Plains into the Midwest.

Tropical Storm Moke strengthens in the central Pacific

The 4Warn Weather team is also tracking Tropical Storm Moke well southeast of Hawaii.

As of Friday, Moke had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph and was moving west-northwest.

The National Hurricane Center expects gradual strengthening during the next day or two.

Moke is not a threat to Michigan, but it remains an important system to monitor in the central Pacific as it moves generally toward the west-northwest.

For Metro Detroit, the main weather story remains wet weather. Saturday brings our best chance for widespread showers and thunderstorms, including an isolated severe-weather threat, before a cooler and much more comfortable pattern arrives Sunday and Monday.

Share your weather photos with Local 4 at MIPics.

The shooting occurred on Friday (Aug. 21) shortly before 6 p.m. in the 3700 block of Haverhill Street, according to Assistant Chief Kari Sloan.

Sloan said four people were exiting a location when an unknown vehicle pulled up, and someone inside began firing multiple shots.

The victims include an injured 40-year-old woman, her 10-year-old son, and two relatives: a man in his 40s and a man in his 20s.

--> ‘If you see something, say it’: Ceasefire Detroit asks witnesses in quadruple shooting of family to speak up

The 40-year-old woman, who is the mother of the 10-year-old, was in critical condition, Sloan said.

The other three victims are expected to be OK.

Investigators have not released a description of the vehicle or identified a suspect.

Sloan said detectives were canvassing the area for surveillance footage as they work to determine what led to the shooting.

Police recovered a weapon at the scene.

Investigators have not determined how many shots were fired or whether the gunfire came from inside the vehicle.

Sloan said the investigation is in its early stages.

“Early this evening, four people were injured by gunfire in a drive-by shooting on Haverhill street.  

According to DPD, of the three adult victims, two have non-life threatening injuries, but a young woman is in critical condition.  

Our thoughts are with her and her family at this difficult time as we pray for her recovery. 

The youngest victim, who by the grace of God was not seriously injured, is a 10-year-old boy. 

This senseless and indiscriminate violence should never reach a young child and will not be tolerated. 

DPD will find those responsible for this heinous crime and we will ensure justice is served.  

If you know anything, please call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP or DPD at 313-596-2260."

Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield

Police are asking anyone with information about the shooting to come forward and contact authorities or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP.

All tips to Crime Stoppers are anonymous. Click here to submit a tip online.

The investigation remains ongoing.

Watch the full presser below

The $38 million Stadium Hall opened Friday (Aug. 21) and will house 282 first-year students just beyond the north end zone.

The residence hall gives students a unique view of home football games, with rooms and common lounges overlooking the stadium.

University leaders said the project is the first of its kind in Michigan, combining student housing with a college football stadium.

The university said Ferris State graduates helped design and build the project.

The new residence hall is expected to provide students with a front-row experience for Bulldogs football games while adding housing capacity on campus.

Ramon Chaney left his residence in the 16800 block of E. Warren Ave on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026, and did not return home.

He was last seen wearing a black top, gray jogging pants, and black boots.

According to his caregiver, he has schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder.

Anyone with information should contact the Detroit Police Department’s 5th Precinct at 313-596-5540 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-Speak Up.

All tips to Crime Stoppers are anonymous. Click here to submit a tip online.

READ: More Missing in Michigan coverage

Rianna Jones left her residence in the 18600 block of Fairport Street on Saturday (Aug. 1) and did not return home.

It is unknown what she was wearing when she left the location.

Anyone with information should contact the Detroit Police Department’s 9th Precinct at 313-596-5940 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-Speak Up.

All tips to Crime Stoppers are anonymous. Click here to submit a tip online.

READ: More Missing in Michigan coverage

Moke was located about 595 miles (960 kilometers) southeast of Hilo and was moving west-northwest at 12 mph (19 kph). Maximum sustained winds were around 45 mph (75 kph), according to an advisory from the Miami-based hurricane center.

Like with Hurricane Lala, the Big Island is again expected to bear the brunt of the storm. It battered Hawaii last weekend without making landfall, downing trees and leaving roads covered in mud and rocks.

Rain and heavy winds from Moke are expected to hit the Big Island late Saturday, with the storm continuing to move west across the islands through early Tuesday, said Casey Oswant, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Honolulu.

“There will still be impacts, especially to the windward and southeast sides of the Big Island, but it will probably be a little bit more limited than what we saw with Lala,” she said.

The northeast coast of the Big Island saw the heaviest rainfall from Lala, at 43.54 inches (1.1 meters), according to the weather service. The resulting flooding swept dozens of homes from their foundations and damaged roads and bridges. About 11,630 customers on the Big Island remained without power Friday, according to poweroutage.us.

Rainfall predictions for this weekend for the southeast and windward sides of the Big Island were 5 to 10 inches (13 to 25 centimeters) of rain, with isolated amounts up to 15 inches (38 centimeters), Oswant said. Across the rest of the island chain, 1 to 2 inches (2 to 5 centimeters) of rain was expected to fall, though parts of east Maui could see up to 4 inches (10 centimeters), she said.

There were no coastal watches or warnings in effect Friday evening, but people were urged to closely monitor the storm's progress. The rainfall has the potential to cause dangerous rip currents, life-threatening flooding and mudslides, especially in steep areas and places where the ground remains saturated in Lala's wake, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green and other state officials held a news conference Thursday afternoon to update Lala recovery progress and urge people to prepare for the next storm.

Officials urged people low on emergency supplies to restock up to 14 days of food, medicine and other essentials and closely monitor the storm’s progress.

“There’s definitely tension in the air” at the thought of more rain in communities that floodwaters turned into rivers, said Tiffany Edwards Hunt, a teacher living in Keaau, on the east side of the Big Island. “There were some areas that were completely washed out.”

The Hawaiian Electric utility said it expects nearly all affected customers on the Big Island to have power restored, except for certain remote and severely damaged areas.

The incident happened in the third quarter of the Sky's 73-70 victory over the Valkyries. Players stayed on the court while arena personnel removed the items from the court.

According to the New York Times, there was a delay for the same reason in Atlanta's 124-88 victory at the Los Angeles Sparks on Thursday. Police in Los Angeles said a male suspect was detained by arena security, received a citation and was released.

There were similar incidents last season in Atlanta, New York and Los Angeles. Some of the incidents resulted in arrests.

___

See AP’s full WNBA coverage here

"The Dodgers are not being sold. They’re not for sale. There’s no process that has been started to sell it, period,” he told reporters on the field before the team's game against Pittsburgh. “We are planning only to win.”

The conjecture began earlier this month with Walter agreeing to a stunning sale of the Los Angeles Lakers to businessmen Josh Kushner and Bob Iger for a record-breaking price of $12.5 billion, according to a person familiar with the terms who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. Walter bought a controlling stake in the franchise from the Buss family last year.

“I can’t tell you how important the Dodgers are to Mark,” Kasten said. "The Lakers thing? The Lakers were important to him too, but it’s kind of an extraordinary opportunity, which he took.”

Multiple media outlets last month reported that Walter’s business empire is under scrutiny from both federal prosecutors and the Securities and Exchange Commission in tax fraud investigations. Walter is cooperating with the investigation.

“I know nothing involving the Dodgers is part of the investigation," Kasten said, declining to go into specifics.

The 66-year-old Walter is based in Chicago, where he is CEO of Guggenheim Partners. He has overseen a run of success for the Dodgers that includes three World Series championships in six seasons and a penchant for lavishing big-money contracts on players like four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani.

"I think Mark has done an extraordinary job as an owner,” Kasten said, “and all he’s ever cared about is providing the best experience in order to make us more money, to make this project successful. I think so far it has been, I expect that to continue far into the future.”

Kasten also said Walter is not exploring any sales of his other sports properties, which include the WNBA's Los Angeles Sparks, the Professional Women's Hockey League and TWG Motorsports.

Walter typically shuns the spotlight, preferring to stay behind the scenes and have Kasten or other team executives make public statements.

___

See AP’s full MLB coverage here