Paul Pelosi was driving his brown convertible in Yountville, a small town in the heart of wine country in Napa County, when he struck a legally parked car on the side of the road, briefly stopped and then drove away, Napa County Sheriff's department said in a news release on Saturday. There were no reported injuries.

A witness saw the collision and called 911. Shortly after, sheriff's deputies then found Paul Pelosi with severe damage to the front of his car on a nearby road roughly one quarter of a mile away. The octogenarian told officers that he knew he hit something but wasn't sure when or what caused the damage to his car.

Paul Pelosi didn't have any alcohol in his system at the time of the crash, according to the statement. The sheriff's department referred Paul Pelosi to the California Department of Motor Vehicles to initiate a process that will determine whether he is able to continue driving — a process that officials say is “common” for elderly drivers.

He wasn’t arrested, and because no one was physically injured, the sheriff's department is recommending a misdemeanor that charges Paul Pelosi with fleeing the scene of an accident.

A staffer for Congresswoman Pelosi didn't respond to an emailed request for comment on Saturday afternoon.

Paul Pelosi pleaded guilty in 2022 to misdemeanor charges of driving under the influence in Napa County. He was sentenced to five days in jail and three years of probation — though he only served two days in jail and received good conduct credit for two other days, leaving just one day to serve in a work program at the local courthouse.

As part of his probation, Paul Pelosi he was also required to attend a three-month drinking driver class, and install an ignition interlock device, where the driver has to provide a breath sample to prove sobriety before the engine will start. He was also ordered to pay about $5,000 in victim restitution for medical bills and lost wages and nearly $2,000 in fines.

Shortly after that crash, Paul Pelosi was attacked and severely beaten with a hammer at the couple's San Francisco home in late 2022.

Azzedine Ounahi scored twice to lead Morocco to a 3-0 win over Canada in the World Cup round of 16 Saturday to make the country the first African nation to reach the quarterfinals more than once.

“We are no longer a surprise,” Ouahbi said through a translator. “Now when people talk about Morocco we’re a major contender and it’s a great source of pride. I think it’s only the beginning and I hope we continue to have runs like this.”

And despite already making history in this World Cup, Morocco has much higher goals.

“We want to keep going,” Ouahbi said. “We don’t want to stop.”

It’s Morocco’s second straight appearance in the round of eight after becoming the first African team to reach the semifinals in 2022.

“We are so proud to represent Africa because it’s a continent with a lot of talent and Africa deserves to be in the best level in football,” Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou said.

Neither team was able to break through until Ounahi took a free kick from Achraf Hakimi and made a right-footed shot through traffic from outside the box to the bottom right corner to put Morocco on top 1-0 in the 50th minute.

Ounahi made it 2-0 on a right-footed shot from the middle of the box off a pass from Brahim Díaz in the 82nd minute.

Soufiane Rahimi added a goal in the final minute of stoppage time.

Morocco advances to face the winner of Saturday’s Paraguay-France match on Thursday at Boston Stadium.

The loss ends a historic run for World Cup co-host Canada, which won its first-ever knockout round with a 1-0 victory over South Africa to reach Saturday’s match. The country was playing in the World Cup for just the third time and the run enchanted a nation that is normally far more interested in hockey than the pitch.

Canada coach Jesse Marsch shared his postgame message to the team.

“I told them that I was proud of them and I challenged them to understand that we can play like this all the time against the best teams in the world,” he said. “We can be better on the day. And then the challenge is, can we hold that standard for 90 minutes?”

Morocco, which is ranked sixth in the FIFA rankings, dispatched the Netherlands in a penalty shootout to reach the round of 16 and send the country to its earliest World Cup exit.

Though Marsch mistakenly said Morocco is ranked one spot lower than it is, he lauded how his team performed against a squad of its caliber and of how Canada controlled the match for much of the day.

“The way we pushed, the way we were in the match, the quality we showed, the overall impact in the match, we were better,” he said. “We were better than the No. 7 team in the world today.”

Ouahbi had a strong response when told of those comments.

“In terms of intensity they were good,” he said. “They were good for 98 minutes. Were they better? It’s hard to say. It takes some nerve to say that when you lose 3-nil.”

Canada had a couple of chances to score late. Jonathan David had a free kick from outside the box in the 78th minute, but his shot sailed over the crossbar.

Just after that Tajon Buchanan’s shot from about 30 yards was stopped with a diving save from Bounou. Bounou, who was born in Canada to Moroccan parents, had three saves to help Morocco to the win.

Canada reached the round of 16 despite missing star Alphonso Davies for the majority of the tournament because of a hamstring injury. The Bayern Munich player logged only 15 minutes as a substitute in the victory over South Africa but wasn't available Saturday.

“His hamstring didn’t feel right,” Marsch said. “We were hoping that by the time he woke up this morning that he would feel better, but he didn’t.”

This game was a rematch from the last World Cup when Morocco beat Canada 2-1 in the group stage in a tournament in which Morocco finished fourth.

It was an extremely physical match with eight yellow cards being issued. Both teams received four.

Hakimi and Canada’s Richie Laryea received yellow cards in the 40th minute. Hakimi shoved Laryea to the ground and then Laryea pushed him and a minor scuffle ensued.

Morocco midfielder Ismael Saibari left with an injury in the 22nd minute.

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The signing of the Declaration of Independence, one of history's most celebrated articulations of democratic ambitions, is being marked in myriad ways.

President Donald Trump plans to speak on the National Mall before what is being billed as a historically enormous fireworks show that will rain down over the nation's capital. He was in South Dakota at Mount Rushmore on Friday, where he delivered a dark speech about the threat of communism in the U.S.

Fireworks are scheduled to be set off over Navy Pier in Chicago and against the skyline of New York City. New York hosted a ball drop at midnight to usher in the holiday with the same fanfare as New Year's Eve and saw tall ships parade pass the Statue of Liberty, recalling the fanfare around America's 200th anniversary in 1976.

Anticipation for the milestone holiday has been building for much of the year, serving as an opportunity for Americans to reflect on their complicated history as onetime colonists of an empire who became a superpower of their own. Celebrations months in the making had to adjust or cancel activities entirely as much of the East Coast sweltered under heat that approached and in many cases surpassed triple digits.

Undeterred, a U.S. Marine from Guinea became a newly minted citizen at George Washington's Mount Vernon in Virginia, wearing a crisp dress uniform and a small smile, while a 7-year-old raced onto a parade route in Brattleboro, Vermont, to snatch a Tootsie Roll. In Louisville, Kentucky, people used a Sharpie equipped with a feather to scribble their signatures on a copy of the Declaration of Independence.

Heat is defining the big weekend in many places

In Washington, a rodeo and the city’s main Independence Day parade scheduled for Saturday were canceled, but a smaller one rolled along in the Capitol Hill neighborhood in the morning as onlookers sought shade under trees along the route. Also in the area, dozens of members of the white nationalist group Patriot Front wearing face masks and carrying Confederate battle flags held a march. No arrests were reported, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.

An extreme heat warning was issued for the District of Columbia, where heat index values could approach 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46 C). Organizers for events later Saturday on the National Mall said they were monitoring the weather. Triple-degree heat was also forecast in from the Southeast U.S. to New England, though the heat could ease somewhat with strong thunderstorms later.

In Philadelphia, fireworks began to crack as early as midday in the birthplace of the nation near the site where the Declaration of Independence was adopted by delegates to the Second Continental Congress. Hundreds of visitors were gathering at Independence Hall in the sweltering heat to await the celebrations coinciding with the France-Paraguay World Cup knockout game at Philadelphia Stadium, which began with commemorations of the holiday.

“It’s one big party in here,” Carlos Alban, who traveled to Philadelphia from Chicago to watch the match, said as he arrived at the stadium, adding that he spotted a fan in the parking lot dressed as one of the Founding Fathers.

About 45 minutes before another World Cup match in Houston, a message from astronauts aboard the International Space Station noting the holiday was beamed into the stadium.

On New York's Coney Island, competitors chowed down on hot dogs at the annual Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July contest.

Joey “Jaws” Chestnut won for the 18th time in 21 appearances, eating 66 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes. On the women’s side, defending champion Miki Sudo of Tampa, Florida, held the title by downing 38.75 dogs. Both champions said the heat wave made the competition more difficult.

Tall ships, with their masts, rigging and white sails outlined against a blue sky, made a procession around the Statue of Liberty and up the Hudson River.

The 43 ships were followed by a display of aerial might with a stealth bomber and the Navy's Blue Angels. Patrouille de France, the French Air Force's acrobatic teams, flew over New York Harbor with their red, white and blue trails, evoking images of the American flag.

At George Washington's Mount Vernon, people took the Oath of Allegiance to become U.S. citizens. They stood with eyes closed and hands over hearts for the national anthem.

An uneasy nation gets ready to celebrate

The celebrations are unfolding against the backdrop of a deep divide this election year that has been expanding for years, visible in everything from political expression to cultural norms to age-old questions over race, class and immigration.

At Mount Rushmore on Friday, Trump spoke of communism as a “mortal threat to American liberty” with the Republican president saying it was more dangerous than either World War or 9/11.

Without naming Trump, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a Democrat who is also a democratic socialist and recently backed several successful congressional candidates in their primaries, appeared to reference Trump during a speech Friday.

“Those ideals upon which our nation was built — they are strong enough to endure any authoritarian regime, but only if we reach for them,” he said.

Vice President JD Vance said small but loud voices would speak on America's birthday about its imperfections instead of its greatness.

"They will tell you that America is just another country, where the weak struggle against the strong,” Vance said speaking aboard the USS Kearsarge in New York Harbor.

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Associated Press writers Luis Andres Henao in Philadelphia, Kristie Rieken in Houston, Sarah Rankin in Richmond, Va., Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, S.C., Safiyah Riddle in Los Angeles and Jesse Bedayn, Will Weissert and Michael Kunzelman contributed to this report.

While the United States marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence with rallies, parties and fireworks, the U.S.-born pope traveled to the Sicilian island of Lampedusa to pray at a migrant cemetery and celebrate a solemn Mass for the island's residents and newest arrivals.

Later on Saturday, he got into the July 4 spirit with a visit to the residence of the U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, Brian Burch. The Vatican confirmed that Leo had accepted Burch's invitation to join in the anniversary celebrations.

A treeless strip of rock 9 kilometers (5.6 miles) long, Lampedusa is closer to Africa than the Italian mainland and is the main port of entry into Europe for hundreds of thousands of migrants who crossed by boat from Libya or Tunisia, often smuggled by human traffickers.

Leo met with some migrants at the port and then walked alone onto the jagged jetty rocks, the wind whipping his cassock and blowing his zucchetto skullcap off as he looked out to the sea. He then blessed a plaque dedicating the dock to Pope Francis, who visited in 2013, before celebrating Mass on land.

“This is a place where gestures speak louder than words,” Leo said. “But for gestures to be human, they need a heart.”

In making the visit on this particular Saturday, Leo was sending a powerfully symbolic message to the United States and Europe of the Christian obligation to uphold the dignity of every human being, migrants and the most vulnerable especially, while reminding the United States that it was founded by immigrants.

In a letter sent to Americans on the July 4 anniversary, Leo insisted that protecting the unborn and all human life also means “welcoming, protecting and assisting immigrants, whose hopes, sacrifices and contribution have formed part of the history of this country from its very beginning.”

“To receive them with compassion and generosity is not only an act of charity, but also a recognition of the dignity that belongs to every human person,” Leo wrote.

A tiny island becomes Ground Zero for European migration

In recent years, Lampedusa has become Ground Zero of Europe’s migration debate as the continent struggles to police its borders while honoring its legal obligations to welcome refugees fleeing conflict, climate change and poverty.

In his homily, Leo thanked the residents of Lampedusa for the “miracle of compassion” they have shown in welcoming migrants and urged Europe to rise to the challenge of the moment and assume its responsibility.

“Indeed, before any intellectual consideration or ideological conviction, the encounter with those who lie before us, stripped of everything, calls us to be close to them,” Leo said, wearing vestments decorated with images of waves.

Preaching from “this far-flung corner of Europe on the Mediterranean Sea,” Leo urged European leaders to address the migration phenomenon in a comprehensive way, integrating immediate relief with a long-term strategies to receive, protect, support and integrate migrants while developing their home countries so no one is forced to migrate.

“Here you have seen not just one, but thousands of human beings fallen into the hands of robbers who have taken everything from them, beat them brutally and walked away, leaving them half-dead,” he said.

Others have died making the voyage, he said, “yet we feel their presence, which challenges us no less than that of those who have landed in need of attention and aid.”

The number of migrants arriving in Italy so far this year is significantly lower than in recent years, with the Interior Ministry reporting 14,464 arrivals as of Friday compared with 30,598 in the same period last year and 26,202 in 2024.

At the same time, the International Organization of Migration has recorded more than 35,000 missing migrants in the Mediterranean since 2014, though the actual number of dead is believed to be far higher given the untold number of “invisible” shipwrecks that are never recorded.

Leo has strongly emphasized the need to uphold the dignity of migrants, especially amid the Trump administration’s mass deportation program in his native Chicago. But he has also directed his message to Europe’s Christian leaders.

Last month, Leo visited another European migration hot spot, in Spain’s Canary Islands, to shame leaders who turn migrants away indifferently while also warning people smugglers they will face God’s wrath for exploiting the desperation of migrants.

Leo honors the dignity of the dead and recalls Francis

After arriving in Lampedusa by plane, Leo paid homage to the dead at the island’s migrant cemetery, laying a wreath of yellow and white flowers on their graves, marked by simple crosses made from the splintered wood of shipwrecked boats.

The gestures send a “strong message” of solidarity, said Tareke Brhane, a migrant from Eritrea and president of the Oct. 3 Committee, a nonprofit founded by relatives of victims of a 2013 shipwreck in Lampedusa that left 368 people dead.

“It is a strong sign for our battle with Italy and with Europe in order to register the deaths, because as of today we still do not have a registry (of those deceased),” he told The Associated Press.

Leo’s visit both honors the dead and “gives a message to the relatives, so many of them still waiting and suffering,” he said.

With his visit, Leo followed in the footsteps of Francis, who made the plight of migrants and refugees a priority of his pontificate. For the Catholic Church, welcoming and accompanying people fleeing hardship is part of the Gospel-mandated call to “welcome the stranger.”

Francis traveled to Lampedusa in July 2013, on his first trip outside Rome after his election. He tossed a wreath into the sea in memory of migrants who had died and denounced the “globalization of indifference” that the world shows migrants.

Salvatore Sortino, the IOM’s head of mission for Italy and Malta, said despite the decrease in arrivals, the number of dead had increased proportionally, “in the sense that the diminishing numbers of arrivals hasn’t resulted in a lower number of deaths at sea.”

“That speaks about the vulnerability that remains,” he said. “So the visit of the pope here, where all this happens, I think is a very important reminder of that element.”

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Winfield reported from Rome.

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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.

Why this photo?

As we enter the final rounds of the World Cup, The Associated Press has five photographers covering every match. Four are in different spots around the pitch at field level and one in an overhead position, called the “tribune.” That was me for Friday night’s game between Colombia and Ghana. During halftime an announcement was made for fans to scan a QR code shown on the stadium screens to take part in a light show. Since I also cover the Kansas City Chiefs there, and they do that occasionally, I knew what was coming. The stadium lights would flash on and off with music playing, and fans’ smartphones would also turn on and off.

⁠How I made this photo

I’m normally shooting a telephoto lens at either 400mm or 560mm for action, but have a second camera with a wide-angle lens for overall photos. Once they made that announcement, I grabbed the second camera, changed the settings for less light and waited for the right moment. With action I’m always shooting at over 1/1000 second to stop action, but for this I dropped the shutter speed to 1/80 second and braced the camera on the railing in front of me.

⁠Why it works

It’s rare for the lights to be off in a stadium during a night game, so that, paired with the tens of thousands of smartphone lights, created a scene few people ever see. For most of the light show, though, the stadium lights were just changing in brightness. There were only two brief moments the lights were completely off, and I waited for those. In photography, different is good, so I try to keep that in mind with every assignment I do. And this was very different.

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The Rangers partnered with Budweiser on Saturday to set a Guinness World Record for the largest-ever glass of beer. A 12-foot tall, 600-gallon glass beer stein was filled in a plaza outside Globe Life Field before the team's July 4 game against Detroit.

It took nearly two hours to fill the stein before the new record was certified by a Guinness adjudicator who was present for the record.

That broke the previous world record of 550 gallons that was set in 2014 by by Stod Fold Brewing Company, which is based in Halifax in the United Kingdom. That total had significance to that year's Tour de France bicycle race.

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Dozens of people were there, cheering for them.

After a loss, no less.

Let that be the first sign of how things are going to be very different in many respects for the team, at least for the foreseeable future. Such is the case when a club goes from unheralded — and practically unheard of — to taking Lionel Messi and Argentina to the brink of elimination on soccer's biggest stage, before falling 3-2 in a match that went to extra time.

“It's time to rest and think about the future,” Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha said. “But I am very, very proud of the team's work, and I hope that in the future we can achieve great things.”

In other words, he hopes seeds were planted.

Cape Verde went 0-1-3 in its four matches at its inaugural World Cup, which won't look great on paper. More than two-thirds of the 48 teams in this tournament won at least one game; Cape Verde wasn't one of them.

But the record simply doesn't tell the whole story.

It played Spain to a scoreless draw to open the group stage, making the chance of advancing to the knockout stage very real. There were two more ties in group play — a 2-2 tie against Uruguay that put Cape Verde on the brink of advancing, then a 0-0 tie against Saudi Arabia that was good enough to get the round of 32 trip secured.

Argentina's players and coaches, to their credit, insisted they did not expect a cakewalk past Cape Verde. And when the match was over, Messi — generally considered to be the greatest player of all time — had nothing but compliments for the underdog opponent.

“Some people thought the match was going to be straightforward, but that couldn’t have been further from reality,” Messi said after Friday's match. “They pressed us really well. There are no handouts in knockout football. They’d already performed well against Spain and Uruguay, so we knew it was going to be difficult.”

For Argentina, getting the win was indeed difficult.

For Cape Verde, coming to grips that the ride ends here was also difficult.

That said, when they walked through that hotel lobby, it was like the return of conquering heroes. Bubista, the team's coach, shook his fist in celebration. Many players couldn't stop smiling. Vozinha shook some hands and posed for a few photos.

They were celebrities. Rock stars, almost. The score didn't matter. The totality of three weeks that put Cape Verde on soccer's map did matter.

“I can only thank our team for their effort and for showing so much heart on that pitch,” Bubista said. “And I think everyone should thank them for what they did for this tournament.”

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The funeral for Khamenei, who ruled Iran for decades before he was killed at age 86 in a Feb. 28 airstrike in the opening moments of the Iran war, could provide a boost for the country's theocracy and its new supreme leader, his son Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei.

That is important as Iran tries to leverage its hold on the Strait of Hormuz in negotiations with the U.S. over a permanent end to the war and as concern lingers that Israel could attack again. The funeral was delayed as the war raged, and talks appear to be on hold until it is over.

During the ceremony, Iran's top negotiator warned France and the U.K. over their comments about potentially launching joint patrols in the waterway, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of all oil and natural gas once passed in peacetime.

Mourners wept at the sight of Khamenei's coffin alongside those of his family members also killed in the airstrike, with some chanting: “Our word is one! Revenge! Revenge!” Some carried banners and flags. Billboards across the city bore Khamenei’s image. Crowds of men rhythmically beat their chests in mourning, a common practice at Shiite funerals.

“Imam Khamenei was our heart, our father, our everything,” mourner Masoumeh Mohammadi said. “I still can’t believe they martyred him. We will not rest until we avenge his death.”

Coffins on display at Grand Mosalla

An outdoor stage at the Grand Mosalla resembled the stage where Khamenei once gave his speeches at a husseiniyah, or congregation hall, at his compound in downtown Tehran. There was a chair like the one he once sat in while giving his sermons, complete with a microphone on a stand and a table next to it. Above it hung an image of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who died in 1989.

Khomeini's funeral saw chaotic scenes as millions thronged his mourning ceremony and trip to the cemetery. Khamenei's death was only the second time Iran has lost a supreme leader since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

On Saturday, volunteers sprayed cooling water on crowds in the summer heat. Men and women congregated separately inside the Grand Mosalla after being checked by metal detectors and body searches. Police with assault rifles stood guard on surrounding streets. Many people stayed outside in the street, lounging under the shade of trees because the city had shut down.

The caskets of his dead family members sat beneath Khamenei's, which had his black turban atop it, identifying him as a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad. The dead included the wife of Mojtaba Khamenei, whose possible appearance at the funeral remained unclear. He reportedly was wounded in the attack that killed his father and has not been seen publicly since the war began.

“We attended the funeral to show that we are all committed to defend our country and religion,” said one mourner, Ali Kazemi.

As sunset approached, the streams of people continued. “Authorities advised not to rush to the sites,” said a later visitor, Mohammad Barati. Mourners had also been advised not to stay too long, to allow others to come.

Funeral starts as US marks its 250th anniversary

Iran chose July 4, the 250th anniversary of the creation of the U.S., to begin the funeral. While authorities did not acknowledge the timing, crowds at the ceremony in Tehran chanted: “Death to America!” The refrain has been common in Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution and U.S. Embassy takeover and hostage crisis. They also cried: “Death to Israel!”

“We knocked the hell out of Iran,” U.S. President Donald Trump said in a speech at the same time in South Dakota in front of Mount Rushmore. “They want to settle so badly. We gave them a week off for a funeral.”

The U.S. president was not forgotten in Tehran. In the crowd in Grand Mosalla, several mourners held a large flag that read: “#KillTrump.”

As the ceremony went on, Iran's chief negotiator Kazem Gharibabadi criticized a joint statement overnight from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron which suggested their militaries stood ready to patrol the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran has suggested it wants to charge vessels passing through the strait, upending decades of it being widely considered an international waterway.

“The security of Hormuz lies with the coastal states — the crisis-makers will be held accountable for the consequences of their adventurism,” Gharibabadi wrote on X. “This is a serious warning.”

Khamenei to be buried in Mashhad

Khamenei’s body will be transported to cities in Iran and neighboring Iraq. Authorities have shut down streets, airspace and daily life for the mourning, which will end Thursday as he is buried at the Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad, Khamenei's place of birth.

Authorities offered no immediate attendance count for the event Saturday. Other cities across Iran also held mourning ceremonies.

On Sunday, a prayer for the dead is planned at the Grand Mosalla. On Monday, Khamenei's body and those of his family will be taken through the streets of Tehran, which likely will draw large crowds.

“I am here to say goodbye to my beloved leader Ali Khamenei,” said a weeping Hananeh Mousavi, 27, who attended alongside her mother. “I never expected to see such a day. I wish I had died before this tragedy.”

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Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

“We came here with our family and it’s really fun to watch,” said a little girl wearing red USA glasses.

“We love watching the fire trucks that go out first, and just seeing what they come up with because every year is different,” said a man sitting in lawn chair with his wife.

“We absolutely love the floats, the parade and all the cars,” she added.

This year marking a significant milestone, America’s 250th anniversary.

“It means freedom and a lot of people don’t understand what it truly means. Many gave their lives for it and if my flag should fall may someone else come and run with it,” said a man waving two large flags.

Decked out in red, white and blue, parents say this is a tradition they want to pass on to their kids.

“Oh it’s beautiful! We’ve been coming here catching candy since we were kids, so I’m happy to pass that on to him,” said a young dad holding a toddler.

Lillyana was enjoying her first July 4th parade. “It’s such a joy to watch it through her eyes,” said Lillyana’s Mom. “She’s having a blast waving and collecting candy with her big brother,” she added.

Whether you were watching the parade or in it, July 4th isn’t complete without pomp and pagentry. Decked out in feathers, one performer said “it’s good to see everyone come together and have lots of smiles!” she said while waving to the crowd.

“My heart and soul are with them,” he said in an emotional postgame interview.

Egypt won its debut in the elimination round of the World Cup by beating Australia 4-2 on penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw in the round of 32 Friday.

The victory comes in Egypt’s fourth World Cup.

A video of Hassan on social media shows him walking around the pitch holding the flag as people chanted “Free, free Palestine!" The video went viral.

“It was the most significant scene,” Yahia Qalash, former head of Egypt’s Journalists’ Union, said of Hassan’s move. “It was a telling scene in an exceptional moment.”

The fate of more than 2 million Palestinians in Gaza, largely displaced and living amid ruins, remains uncertain after a war that began when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Israel’s retaliation has killed a total of 73,066 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

The war has sparked pro-Palestinian protests around the world, with some athletes also expressing solidarity.

Earlier this year, Lamine Yamal waved a Palestinian flag during celebrations of the Spanish league title. The act caused backlash from Israel's defense minister, who criticized Barcelona’s teenage star and said his action “incites hate.”

Hassan is not known to be religious or connected to any political group. In the 1980s and 1990s, he was adored by the youth, a street footballer who played in the slums.

He said Friday he was dedicating the game to the “good and noble” Egyptian and Palestinian people.

Asked about the Palestinian flag, FIFA said it is permitted to display it at the World Cup. There was no indication of any action being taken against Hassan.

“Flags representing all 211 FIFA Member Associations are permitted at FIFA tournaments, and supporters are welcome to display them in accordance with stadium regulations and the FIFA Stadium Code of Conduct," the governing body told The Associated Press in a statement.

The Palestine Football Association is one of FIFA's member organizations.

In other contexts, FIFA has previously sought to restrict what it sees as political statements on the pitch.

During the Qatar World Cup in 2022, some European teams were prevented from wearing armbands in support of the “One Love” campaign, an international anti-discrimination initiative.

During Iran's matches in this World Cup, some Iranian Americans in Los Angeles sought to display the country's pre-revolutionary flag and block a FIFA ban on that flag. They lost in court, and the ban was upheld.

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Here are this year’s finalists:

• Polish Village Cafe in Hamtramck
• Polonia Restaurant in Hamtramck
• Polskis Pub and Grub in Clinton Township
• Sabina’s Restaurant in Melvindale
• Three Brothers Restaurant in Plymouth

We received more than 16,700 nominations across our 80 Vote 4 The Best categories this year. Each category was then narrowed down to five finalists.

Click here to view the full list of finalists.

Now that nominations are over, voting on finalists can begin. Voting is open from June 22 through July 20, and you can vote for each category once per day during that time.

Click here to vote for finalists in all 80 categories.

Eala is the first Filipino player, male or female, to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam singles tournament on a day of upsets in the women's draw.

The left-handed Eala dropped to her knees and rolled onto her back on Centre Court after hitting a forehand winner on her third match point.

“It’s incredible to have my countrymen cheering me on and knowing that we’re all in this together,” she said in an on-court interview as she looked around at the Philippines flags.

“This goes out to them, this goes out to my family, this goes out to all the little girls with ruffled socks and chubby cheeks. It means the world,” said the 29th-seeded Eala, who saved two set points in the first-set tiebreaker.

The third-seeded Swiatek earned her first Wimbledon women’s title a year ago when she beat Amanda Anisimova 6-0, 6-0 in the final.

Eala, who has trained in Mallorca at the Rafael Nadal Tennis Academy, gained worldwide support last year on her breakthrough run to the Miami Open semifinals, which included an upset of Swiatek.

She next faces 13th-seeded Jasmine Paolini for a spot in the Wimbledon quarterfinals.

2022 champion Rybakina also out

Shortly before Swiatek's exit, 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina was upset in the third round by Elise Mertens 7-6 (4), 6-1.

At No. 2, Rybakina is the highest seed on the women’s side to be eliminated. Her loss ensures that Aryna Sabalenka — who faces Naomi Osaka in the fourth round on Sunday — will keep her No. 1 ranking after the tournament.

Belgium’s Mertens is the No. 25 seed at Wimbledon, where she’s won two doubles titles. She will next face 21st-seeded Marie Bouzkova of the Czech Republic.

Keys shines on 4th of July

In another upset, Madison Keys rallied to oust the sixth-seeded Anisimova 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 in an all-American contest on the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence.

The 26th-seeded Keys, the 2025 Australian Open champion, was asked how she'll celebrate the U.S. holiday.

“I have no plans,” she told the Centre Court crowd after her victory. “When you're not in the States, it's just kind of another day.”

Keys will next play ninth-seeded Linda Noskova.

Ashlyn Krueger, another American, has come through qualifying to reach the fourth round. She beat Ukraine's Daria Snigur 6-3, 6-2 and will face another Ukrainian — 12th-seeded Marta Kostyuk — for a spot in the quarterfinals.

Zverev wins in straight sets

French Open champion Alexander Zverev, the No. 2 seed, got past American Marcos Giron 6-2, 7-6 (4), 6-4 to set up a fourth-round match against 13th-seeded Jiri Lehecka.

Ninth-seeded Flavio Cobolli — the runner-up at Roland Garros — overcame a slow start against Karen Khachanov to win 0-6, 7-6 (4), 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-2 and will face No. 5 seed Alex de Minaur in the fourth round.

Serena and Venus withdraw from doubles

Serena Williams withdrew from her doubles match with sister Venus due to a right knee injury. The 44-year-old Serena was injured during her singles return earlier this week.

The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion said in an Instagram post that she was “heartbroken to have to withdraw from doubles.”

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

Rennae Stubbs, one of Williams' coaches, pin-pointed a moment about an hour into the 44-year-old's defeat to an opponent less than half her age earlier this week at Wimbledon.

“I noticed in the middle of the second set her take a big sort of deep breath and I actually turned around to Venus and said, ‘Oh I think she just relaxed,’” Stubbs said, referring to Serena's older sister.

In an interview with The Associated Press on Saturday, Stubbs also revealed that she first started coaching Williams again in March and immediately noticed that the 23-time Grand Slam champion could still play.

Williams was beaten 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-3 by 20-year-old Maya Joint of Australia on Tuesday.

While the result on the court was a loss, the reaction in the locker room from other players and coaches was a resounding victory, according to Stubbs.

“They know what it would be like to be in that position of not playing a match for close to four years, going on Centre Court at Wimbledon, knowing there’s how many millions of people around the world watching this match,” Stubbs said. “There’s 15,000 people in Centre Court. They expect good tennis. They expect you to not embarrass yourself. So all the players know, to a small degree, what it must be like.”

The match set ratings records on ESPN and Coco Gauff, Naomi Osaka and Novak Djokovic are among the players who have publicly complimented Williams for her performance.

Williams injured her right knee toward the end of the first set against Joint and withdrew from her doubles match with Venus on Saturday.

An Instagram update from Serena included images of four syringes that she said “shows the fluid they drained from my knee after my singles match.” An accompanying video showed her walking with strapping up and down her right leg and what appeared to be one of her daughters holding a cane for her.

“The good news is my knee shouldn’t swell or collect that much fluid again,” Serena said. “The bad news is that, as hard as I tried, I just wasn’t able to get it ready for doubles.”

However, with the U.S. Open approaching, Serena indicated she could play again somewhere else soon.

“All I can say,” Serena said, “is stay tuned to a city near you.”

Right attitude

Serena became known for her emotional outbursts and run-ins with chair umpires and linesjudges toward the end of her career.

So Stubbs was concerned about her on-court behavior during her comeback.

But Williams maintained her composure from start to finish.

“That was sort of like the one sort of thing that I asked, is that she try and — as hard as it was going to be — to control her emotions and her nerves and all that sort of stuff,” Stubbs said. “I don’t think people even remotely can quantify the amount of pressure that was on her to walk out there and do what she did.”

Negative reactions

Stubbs was disappointed, though, to see negative reactions to Williams’ return on social media. She was also criticized for skipping her post-match duties – since the injury was not announced until a day later.

Stubbs herself was also criticized on social media.

“I just don’t understand why people feel the need to tear somebody down,” Stubbs said. “What she’s doing out there is trying to play a sport she loves. That’s what it’s about. Show the kids, be out there, enjoy it and give the people another look at playing. … What is wrong on with a seven-time Wimbledon champion — a 23-time Grand Slam champion — wanting to play another time at Wimbledon? God let her.”

Williams planned to play more

While Williams played two doubles matches before Wimbledon, she hadn’t played singles since the 2022 U.S. Open.

“Ideally would we have loved to have had warm-up matches? Yes,” Stubbs said. “And for anyone to insinuate that she didn’t want to do that is crazy.”

The problem was that Williams wanted to get the feeling of being back on the court first in two doubles tournaments. But after winning in the first round at Queen’s Club with partner Victoria Mboko, the pair had to withdraw when Mboko was injured playing singles.

Then Williams and partner Karolina Muchova lost in the first round at the Berlin Open.

“I would venture to say that if she’d had four or five more doubles matches, she would have even been better because she would’ve had that experience of feeling the big points and hitting the big returns on break point and hitting the serves big,” Stubbs said.

Closed roof

Because the match started late in the day and there were concerns about darkness, the roof over Centre Court was closed for the match.

“She was hitting the ball so well in practice and moving really well and the conditions were very different indoors,” Stubbs said. “They were heavy. Her ball wasn’t shooting through the court like it was outside.”

Despite being away for so long, Williams still hit serves beyond 120 mph and showed off her heavy groundstrokes that landed within inches of the baseline.

The only real issue was her movement.

“When you’re great, you’re great,” Stubbs said. “When you have great timing, you always have great timing. I saw that from the moment I stepped back on court with her. I was like, ‘Well, you never lost that.’

"And then it’s just getting the movement going and getting the body going and all that sort of stuff again and at a certain age you also have to monitor the workload. So what I saw out there didn’t surprise me at all, because I had been seeing it for months: The capacity to hit the ball as well as she’s always hit the ball.”

Gang back together

Stubbs, an Australian who won six Grand Slam titles in women’s doubles and mixed doubles, also coached Williams in her previous farewell at the 2022 U.S. Open.

Now based in New York, Stubbs first went down to Florida to start coaching Williams again in March.

“She was already hitting before that, but that’s when she was like, ‘OK, I need the eyeballs I trust on me,’” Stubbs said.

Serena also brought back her longtime hitting partner, Jarmere Jenkins, who co-coaches her with Stubbs.

“I’ve known Serena since she was a kid,” Stubbs said. “Jarmere knows her very, very well. Derick (Pierson), her fitness guy, is one of her best friends.”

What’s next

While Williams indicated in her injury post that she would play again, her team is still awaiting details.

“She’s not just going to do a one-off,” Stubbs said. “I think she would like to play more but that is 100% her decision. ... I’m sure she’ll re-evaluate and reassess how she wants go forward and then we’ll be there for her either way.”

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

Mexico boasts a legendary record in official matches at the Estadio Azteca. Since the historic venue opened in 1966, the national team has suffered just two defeats in official matches there, with the last one coming over a decade ago against Honduras in September 2013.

“The stadium is a monster; that explains the high number of wins and draws, and the few losses—which were just accidents,” said Hugo Sánchez, the legendary striker who played in the 1986 World Cup and now serves as an ESPN analyst. “We approach this with optimism because we know it’s England, but if we play the way we did against Ecuador, we can beat them.”

The numbers back up the myth. Across the 1970, 1986, and current World Cups hosted on home soil, Mexico has played 10 matches at the Azteca, winning eight and drawing two. In this tournament alone, El Tri has secured three home wins without conceding a single goal: 2-0 against South Africa and 3-0 against Czech Republic in the group stage, and 2-0 against Ecuador in the round of 32. Mexico also defeated South Korea 1-0 in Guadalajara in the group stage.

It's the first time Mexico starts a World Cup by winning four consecutive matches.

Breaking the Curse

These results have ignited the hopes of millions of Mexicans, many of whom weren’t even born the last time the nation reached the quarterfinals. After achieving that feat in 1986, Mexico’s World Cup history became a psychological hurdle: they missed the 1990 tournament, followed by seven consecutive, agonizing round of 16 exits before failing to escape the group stage in Qatar 2022.

“I’m one of those who couldn’t make it through; it happened to me in South Africa and Korea,” says Javier Aguirre, who managed El Tri during those campaigns. “It’s deeply painful because you play a great group stage, only to be knocked out for a variety of reasons.”

Mexico's eliminations comprise a catalog of heartbreaks including a penalty shootout loss to Bulgaria in 1994 when Aguirre was an assistant coach to Miguel Mejía Barón and defeats in 1998 and 2014 to Germany and the Netherlands where Mexico squandered late leads in the final minutes.

Now, the script could flip. At the Estadio Azteca—towering 7,300 feet (2,200 meters) above sea level—Mexico will rely heavily on the altitude and the backing of a ferocious home crowd, just as they did in the group stage.

“England is one of the great national teams in the history of football, with outstanding players. We all agreed that we wanted a match like this,” midfielder Alvaro Fidalgo said on Saturday. “We are in great form, the Azteca is an intimidating venue, and ultimately, it’s a World Cup round of 16 match. That’s never easy for anyone.”

The English challenge

England enters the knockout stage fresh off a 2-1 victory over Congo, powered by a brace from talismanic striker Harry Kane. Kane headlines an elite English squad that reached the quarterfinals at the last World Cup before falling to eventual finalists France.

A victory for the Three Lions would send them to the quarterfinals for the sixth time in their history—and the third consecutive time—keeping alive the dream of a title that has eluded them since 1966. On paper, England holds the clear advantage in raw talent, led by Premier League stars, whereas Mexico’s current spearhead is Julián Quiñones, the top scorer in the Saudi League.

However, the brutal playing conditions could serve as the ultimate equalizer.

England arrived in the northern part of Mexico City on Friday night, a mere two days before kickoff. Sports scientists and altitude experts generally recommend two options for high-altitude competition. Arrive weeks in advance for full acclimatization or fly in as close as possible to kickoff. By choosing a 48-hour window, England has entered the exact dead zone experts warn against.

To compound the strain, passionate Mexican fans are already plotting psychological warfare. Hundreds are expected to converge on England’s hotel to disrupt their sleep—a tactic deployed against Ecuador using loudspeakers, drums, and revving motorcycles into the early hours of the morning.

The English camp is attempting to remain unfazed.

“I’m sure we’ll have that all in order and try and get the best night’s sleep possible,” England striker Morgan Rogers said. “Of course they’re going to make it difficult, you wouldn’t expect anything different. But the fans are so passionate. That should be exciting for us, really. We’re looking forward to it.”

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AP Soccer Writer James Robson in Atlanta contributed to this report.

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See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

Saturday marked the 18th time Chestnut, 42, won the so-called Mustard Belt in just 21 appearances at the internationally televised Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest. He beat out 13 competitors who came from around the country and world, trekking from the Czech Republic, Australia and South Korea.

“It's a dream, it's electric, there's no place better on Earth,” Chestnut said breathlessly in an interview immediately after the showdown, donning a bulky, bejeweled necklace bearing the name of the sports betting company “Polymarket” around his neck. In a video posted on Instagram before the competition, Chestnut called competitive hot dog eating “the most patriotic sport we've got.”

Chestnut handily defeated the second-place winner, Patrick Bertoletti, 41, who ate 50 hot dogs, but fell short of his own 2021 record of 76 wieners and buns — or approximately 7.6 hot dogs per minute.

Defending champion in the women’s division, the 40-year-old Sudo of Tampa, Florida, won the bright pink Mustard Belt for the 12th time, downing 38.75 dogs. In 2024, she ate a record 51 links.

After competing, Sudo joined the crowd to watch her husband — who proposed to her in 2021 immediately after downing 50 boiled eggs in just over 3 minutes to set a world record — compete in the men's event.

Both champions said that the heatwave that scorched New York on Saturday — bringing temperatures in Brooklyn to roughly 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius) during the competition — made that much more difficult. On top of that, ESPN announcers said the humidity changed the consistency of the buns.

“I just said I would have to rely on muscle memory, and the crowd really carried me through to another belt today,” Sudo said.

A large crowd braved the heat to watch the event, wearing foam hot dogs on their heads and standing outside the original Nathan’s Famous restaurant that has been in Coney Island, Brooklyn, since 1972. The superfans who stood closest to the stage wore ponchos as protection in case a competitor threw up.

There was briefly some concern earlier this year that Chestnut wouldn't be able to participate in the 2026 competition after he was arrested for allegedly slapping a man in an Indiana bar. He was put on probation after pleading guilty to misdemeanor battery, but is allowed to travel outside Indiana. Hot dog contest organizer Major League Eating said the criminal case didn’t affect Chestnut’s eligibility for the competition.

Despite his continued reign, Chestnut told an ESPN interviewer after the game that he was disappointed that he wasn’t able to top his previous record.

“Dang, I got so much room left,” said Chestnut, who announcers referred to as the “Michelangelo of Mastication."

Sunday's round of 16 matchup against Mexico at the Azteca Stadium will present challenges above and beyond what the Three Lions have faced so far. The altitude, the hostile atmosphere, plus whatever extra gamesmanship might await — it's all part of the experience of taking on El Tri in Mexico City.

It's also gripping theatre.

There's nothing quite like a big World Cup match involving the host nation, and when that team has a famously impressive home record — which Mexico certainly does at the Azteca — there's a real intimidation factor. Six times the men's tournament has been won by the country playing at home, most recently in 1998. But there is hope for England. Some of the most famous matches in World Cup history were games the home team actually lost.

Here's a look at home field advantage through the years:

Italy, 1934

The first two World Cups were won by the hosts — Uruguay in 1930 and then Italy in 1934. The latter gained infamy because of Benito Mussolini's use of the tournament as a political tool — and perhaps his impact on the officiating?

“The fascist regime made a political abuse of the event,” Italian writer Marco Impiglia said nearly 80 years later. “It was a questionable win and it raised many doubts at the time.”

It should be acknowledged that four years later, Italy became the first team to win a World Cup away from home, prevailing in France.

Brazil, 1950

The Brazilian men have won a record five World Cups, but have never triumphed at home. The hosts needed only a draw against Uruguay to take the title in 1950 — there was a final group stage instead of a singular title game — but with maybe 200,000 on hand at Rio’s Maracana Stadium, the Brazilians went down to an unthinkable 2-1 defeat.

Alcides Ghiggia, who scored the winning goal, once said only three people had silenced the Maracana: “The Pope, Frank Sinatra and me.”

That 1950 loss hovered over the proceedings when Brazil hosted again in 2014 — and the team's semifinal loss to Germany may have been even more embarrassing. At least that time, the suspense was removed early when the visitors scored a flurry of first-half goals on their way to a 7-1 rout.

England, 1966

England's lone World Cup championship came on home soil, and not without controversy. In the final against West Germany at Wembley Stadium, Geoff Hurst's shot in extra time bounced down off the crossbar. Did it go in or not? Goal-line technology was still decades away.

Officials awarded the goal, which put England up 3-2. Hurst later scored again to complete a hat trick, and the final score was 4-2.

Argentina, 1978

The Netherlands lost back-to-back finals in 1974 and 1978 — both times losing to the host country. In 1974, the Dutch scored early, but lost 2-1 to West Germany. Four years later, they had to take on Argentina in front of a frenzied crowd in Buenos Aires. The Argentines took the field several minutes after the Dutch, leaving the visitors by themselves in front of the hostile fans. Then there was a row over whether Rene van de Kerkhof would be able to play with a cast on. Argentina eventually won 3-1 in extra time.

The Dutch nearly faced Brazil in that final. Argentina needed at least four goals against Peru in its final match in its second-round group to make the final. The Argentines won 6-0, leading to plenty of conspiracy theories.

Italy, 1990

Sometimes, it's not all that clear who the home team really is. At least that's what Diego Maradona was hoping when Argentina prepared to face Italy in the 1990 semifinal in Naples. A club star for Napoli, Maradona was beloved there, but would the local fans really cheer for him and Argentina against their own country? Maradona certainly tried to stoke divisions between northern and southern Italy.

“After so much racism, only now they scurry to remember that Naples is part of Italy," Maradona told Corriere dello Sport. ”Now that they have slapped the Neapolitans in every possible way, someone tells them they are Italians, that only Italy counts. It is incredible, absurd, offensive."

Ultimately, fans cheered for Italy, but Argentina became the first team all tournament to score against the Italians, forging a 1-1 draw. Then Argentina won the penalty shootout to eliminate the Azzurri. In the final in Rome, Argentina received an unpleasant reception and lost to West Germany.

France, 1998

The most recent host country to win the title was France, which had never gone all the way until 1998. The French hadn't even qualified for the 1990 or 1994 World Cups, but at home they reached the final, where they denied Brazil a repeat championship.

South Korea, 2002

The 2002 World Cup was co-hosted by Japan and South Korea, with the latter making a remarkable run to the semifinals. Italy and Spain saw little to celebrate about the Korean breakthrough.

After the Italians lost to South Korea in extra time in the round of 16, FIFA said it received hundreds of thousands of emails from Italy fans furious about the officiating. In the quarterfinals, South Korea beat Spain on penalties after the Spaniards had multiple goals disallowed.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter denied any conspiracy, but acknowledged some bad calls.

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See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

The tragedy in Wisconsin’s Walworth County in a part of Southern Wisconsin that has long served as a favorite vacation getaway for residents of the Chicago area came with a storm that downed trees, ruptured power lines and made transportation treacherous and complicated across multiple states.

It was a trio of calamities that repeated itself each time storms doused a region. After a similarly vicious storm struck the New York area late Friday, hundreds of thousands of utility customers were left without power, trains to New Jersey were canceled and thousands of trees were damaged or uprooted.

Combined with the Midwest storms, nearly 1 million residents were left powerless. By noon Saturday, about 750,000 utility customers were powerless in Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York and New Jersey.

But the Wisconsin deaths stood out for how quickly the extreme weather could turn a holiday weekend pleasure outing into a nightmare.

As the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Geneva Lake Law Enforcement Agency investigated the Geneva Lake tragedy, the city's police department issued a statement blaming it on a “sudden and severe storm” that rapidly produced hazards for boats.

It said a privately owned recreational motorboat carrying 10 occupants, including four children, tried to race to safety before it was overwhelmed by severe wind and waves. As it took on water, it eventually capsized and sank, the release said.

Six adults and a child were rescued from the water, but three children recovered from the lake after an intensive search were unresponsive to exhaustive lifesaving measures administered as soon as they were found, police said.

Officials confirmed that all four children on board were wearing life jackets, police added.

After the storm, Lake Geneva Mayor Todd Krause declared an emergency and said one person suffered minor injuries after being struck by a falling tree while downed power lines and trees blocked some streets.

The storms that rolled through the Midwest and Northeast on Friday led multiple cities to cancel holiday festivals and reschedule fireworks displays. Mayor Frank Velez in Belleville, New Jersey, rescheduled them for next year, telling residents: “While we’re disappointed we couldn’t celebrate together tonight, your safety will always come first."

By noon on July Fourth, temperatures across parts of the Northeast were already soaring back toward triple digits, resuming conditions likely to be relieved by the storms predicted to follow, leaving temperatures much lower for the start of a new week.

Almost daily long-range attacks on Russian oil facilities have created a fuel crisis and heaped political pressure on the Kremlin as its all-out invasion of Ukraine stretches into its fifth year.

Gov. Alexander Beglov said the city’s Kirovsky district on the Baltic Sea was hit. He also said that air defenses shot down 72 Ukrainian drones across Russia's second-largest city and the surrounding region.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the attack as part of Ukraine’s “long-range sanctions” against Russia. He said that Ukrainian forces also hit a military target on the island of Kronstadt, just off the coast of St. Petersburg.

“The Ukrainian defense forces hit the port oil infrastructure, which earns money for the Russian war, and there were also hits on Kronstadt — an important military target,” he said in a post on Telegram.

St. Petersburg’s Kirovsky district was previously hit in June, ahead of Russia’s flagship St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

The Crimean peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014, has suffered particularly from heavy strikes, causing local authorities to suspend gasoline sales to civilians. A Ukrainian attack on Saturday killed one person and injured two more, including a 10-year-old child, the Moscow-installed Gov. Sergei Aksyonov said.

Ukrainian attacks bring the war home

Russian President Vladimir Putin has shrugged off Ukraine’s strikes on Russia’s energy facilities as “not critical,” and insisted the war will continue until his goals are met.

He has described the attacks on Russian energy as an effort by Ukraine to distract attention from its losses on the battlefield, although analysts say the advance of Russian forces has been stymied in recent months.

On Friday, Putin visited the Russian military headquarters directing the war in Ukraine and received a report on the capture of the city of Kostyantynivka, after weeks of intense street battles. He hailed it as a key step toward capturing the nearby cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, the key remaining strongholds in the so-called “forest belt” of heavily fortified cities in the Donetsk region that remain in Ukraine’s hands.

The capture of Kostyantynivka, a big transport and industrial hub, is of “major strategic importance,” Putin, clad in military fatigues, said in televised comments.

In a briefing Saturday, Col. Gen. Sergei Rudskoy, the first deputy chief of the General Staff of the Russian armed forces, said that Ukrainian troops had been pushed back several kilometers (miles) and that fighting was taking place on the outskirts of the nearby town of Oleksiievo-Druzhkivka.

“The city is now under our full control. Units of the Southern Army Group are completing the clearance of city blocks, rooting out small groups and individual Ukrainian fighters who may still be hiding in basements and ruins,” he said.

Zelenskyy denied that Russia took control of the city. “It is just another Russian lie, an attempt to generate some kind of a news story,” he wrote on social media Saturday. “If Kostiantynivka were under Russian control, then perhaps Putin would have no problem meeting me there to find a diplomatic way to finally end this war. But the fact is, he won’t cross the front line — reality is very different from Putin’s words.”

But the Kremlin quickly dismissed Zelenskyy's offer, with Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov telling Radio Komsomolskaya Pravda on Saturday evening that Putin would meet the Ukrainian leader in Moscow once Kyiv was ready to make "important, consequential decisions.”

Putin appears to believe his government can keep the fuel crisis from eroding his authority and support for the war he launched more than four years ago. At the very least, the attacks have brought the war home even more poignantly for millions of Russians, shattering Putin’s narrative of the conflict as something that doesn’t affect the lives of ordinary people in his country.

The border city of Belgorod, which Ukrainian drone strikes have also repeatedly targeted, was left almost completely without power on Saturday due to overnight attacks, local media reported.

Meanwhile, eight people were wounded after a Russian attack struck residential buildings in Ukraine's southeastern region of Zaporizhzhia, including two children, local authorities said on Saturday.

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

“You gotta be careful, don’t drink a lot and use common sense,” said one man.

Last year, Canton firefighter’s responded to dozens of fireworks-related incidents. In some cases, people had to be rushed to the hospital with serious injuries.

“We’ve seen many things over the years, people hold them for too long and the fireworks exploded. We’ve seen people suffer eye and facial injuries and lose limbs,” said Bernie Brosnan, a fire inspector with the Canton Fire Department.

Brosnan is urging people to take precautions.

“Make sure there’s a responsible adult involved in using them. We don’t want to throw fireworks and if you have the dud don’t check on it and see what happens. A nice metal bucket filled with water works as staging area and to put fireworks out in the bucket,” Brosnan added.

Takiyah sells legal fireworks at a Meijer off of Ford Road in Canton and says there are safer way to light a firework.

“I don’t want anybody coming back saying somebody got hurt, I don’t want to hear that on the news, that would break my heart,” Takiyah said.

Remember - you can light fireworks starting at 11 am Saturday morning, but you have to wrap them up by 11:45 pm Saturday night.

Here are this year’s finalists:

• Buddy’s Pizza
• Grandma Bob’s Pizza
• Jet’s Pizza
• Loui’s Pizza in Hazel Park
• Shields Pizza

We received more than 16,700 nominations across our 80 Vote 4 The Best categories this year. Each category was then narrowed down to five finalists.

Click here to view the full list of finalists.

Now that nominations are over, voting on finalists can begin. Voting is open from June 22 through July 20, and you can vote for each category once per day during that time.

Click here to vote for finalists in all 80 categories.

The 44-year-old Serena was injured during her singles return earlier in the week — in a three-set loss.

“I’m heartbroken to have to withdraw from doubles. Coming back to compete again has been a gift, and the opportunity to play alongside (at)venuswilliams once more meant the world to me. I did everything I could but unfortunately my knee just isn’t ready to compete,” Serena said in an Instagram post.

The post included images of four syringes that Serena said “shows the fluid they drained from my knee after my singles match.” An accompanying video showed her walking with strapping up and down her right leg and what appeared to be one of her daughters holding a cane for her.

However, with the U.S. Open approaching, Serena indicated she could play again somewhere else soon.

“All I can say,” Serena said, “is stay tuned to a city near you.”

The Williams sisters — Venus is 46 — were scheduled to play Camila Osorio and Solana Sierra. It was the only first-round doubles match that wasn't scheduled earlier in the week, having been pushed back to give Serena more time to recover.

Serena was beaten 6-3, 6-7 (6), 6-3 by 20-year-old Maya Joint of Australia on Tuesday.

Venus played in the mixed doubles tournament on Friday together with Kevin Krawietz, losing in straight sets to Tereza Mihalikova and Lloyd Glasspool.

The Williams sisters are six-time champions as partners in women's doubles at Wimbledon.

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

The couple did not have bridesmaids or groomsmen, instead having Swift’s younger brother Austin Swift serve as her man of honor with Kelce’s big brother and podcast co-host Jason Kelce his best man, Swift's publicist Tree Paine said in an email.

The bride and groom’s outfits came from Christian Dior Haute Couture and its designer Jonathan Anderson with shoes custom-made by Christian Louboutin. She wore Cartier jewelry.

An almost-royal wedding

The long anticipated union of sports and song brought hype to new heights at a venue made more for historic NBA games and bucket-list concerts. The Kansas City Chiefs' superstar tight end and the music megastar married as fans and spectators gathered outside in blistering heat, eager to be part of the occasion, even though the event was almost entirely hidden.

Actors Bradley Cooper, Zoë Kravitz, Hugh Grant and Ethan Hawke; models Gigi Hadid and Karlie Kloss; comic Chris Rock; director Steven Spielberg; singer Camila Cabello and author Jenny Han were among the guests from the world of arts and entertainment. Kelce's coach Andy Reid and Chiefs teammates including running back Kareem Hunt were among the sports figures in the arena, along with retired NFL superstar Tom Brady, Seattle Seahawks receiver and recent Super Bowl champ Cooper Kupp, New York Giants receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and ESPN personalities Joe Buck and Stephen A. Smith.

In a culture obsessed with famous couplings it may have been the apex celebrity wedding, with perhaps only royal unions getting more attention. Holding such a ceremony in a huge, iconic space that sits at the center of the U.S. media universe while keeping all the details secret made for a surreal scene, but it was a mix of hype and hush that is not out of character for Swift.

A shrouded ceremony headed by Happy Gilmore

An Associated Press camera outside the arena showed a long line of black SUVs dropping off wedding-goers in tuxedos and evening gowns, surrounded by New Yorkers in shorts and Swifties amassing for the occasion. Rain briefly cut the heat shortly after the marriage was announced.

There was a seemingly total lack of social media posts from guests once they had entered the arena, with phones apparently banned.

However, on Saturday, hosts of Good Morning America who had been invited to the wedding, confirmed that Nicks performed and described the space as “intimate.”

“As intimate as it could possibly be given it was Madison Square Garden. Really this garden inside the garden, just so beautiful,” said George Stephanopoulos. “It's hard to imagine a place that big and a wedding with such stars could feel so personal and so intimate.”

Robin Roberts added that both Swift and Kelce wrote their own vows.

Weddings have been a constant subject in Swift’s songs since she was a teenager, and her actually walking the aisle for the first time at age 36 added to the drama. It was also the first marriage for the 36-year-old three-time Super Bowl champ Kelce, who could have been one of the jock characters in Swift's early hits.

Sandler, star of “The Wedding Singer” and many other hit comedies, can’t have been high on anyone’s betting list for who would marry the couple, though he’s become an increasingly warm and paternal cultural figure with age. The email announcing the marriage described him as “a friend” of the couple. Kelce was one of the many athletes who appeared in “Happy Gilmore 2,” Sandler's 2025 sequel to one of his first hits, and Sandler appeared last year on the Kelce brothers' “New Heights” podcast.

Welcome to New York — Taylor's version

The Swift-Kelce relationship has thrilled and fascinated millions around the world — particularly the Swifties, the pop star’s enormous and ardent fan base — ever since the pair first started dating in 2023 after he showed up at her Eras Tour concert at the Chiefs stadium.

Happy fans mixed with frazzled tourists outside the arena.

Lori Powers, who lives an hour north of Manhattan and rode the train in to be near the nuptials, said Swift's “music is the soundtrack behind so many amazing moments in my life. Relationships, friends, like my husband and my kids.”

She stood outside the arena before the marriage was announced with her friend Cecily Hall.

“Just being here and witnessing all the energy and the excitement, it’s so much fun,” Hall said. “The combination of sports and music makes perfect sense as to why they’re at Madison Square Garden today.”

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This story corrects that it was Robin Roberts who said the couple wrote their own vows.

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Dalton reported from Los Angeles. AP Sports Writer Stephen Whyno and AP Associated Press video journalist Emily Wang Fujiyama contributed from New York.

Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, a spokesperson for ​the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), said in a Facebook post that the town of Anefis was being targeted by the separatists.

Mohamed Cissé, a resident of Gao, told The Associated Press that the army is going door to door searching for attackers who are still in the city.

“For the moment, the calm has returned. But I learned that the attackers are still in a part of the city, so I stay inside the house with the family,” said Ousmane Maiga, another resident.

In a later statement, the Malian army claimed that “the situation is completely under control.” It added that in Sévaré, “20 terrorists on motorcycles and equipped vehicles were neutralized.”

But Rawani Ahmed Bouya, a member of the FLA and head of the National Office of the Azawad diaspora, told the AP that Anefis was under FLA control and that the fighting was almost over. His claim could not independently verified.

In late April, a coordinated attack by the FLA and the regional al-Qaida affiliate JNIM killed the defense minister in his home and took control of several key towns in the north of the country.

Ibrahim Yahaya Ibrahim, deputy project director for the International Crisis Group think tank, said that while the latest attacks are “nothing comparable” to those in April, reports of attacks across the border in Burkina Faso as well as across Mali could indicate an attempt to divert the attention of the army to secure more limited gains in northern Mali.

Wassim Nasr, a senior research fellow at the Soufan Center, said the targeting of Anefis was strategic because any Malian attempt to reverse the territorial gains from April would have been staged in Anefis.

Mali has previously faced insurgencies by militants affiliated with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group, as well as a separatist rebellion in the country’s north. The separatists have been fighting for years to create an independent state in northern Mali.

Along with Mali, neighboring Niger and Burkina Faso have also been battling al-Qaida and IS affiliates.

Following military coups, the juntas in the three countries turned from Western allies to Russia for help combating Islamic militants. But the security situation has worsened with a record number of militant attacks. Government forces have also been accused of killing civilians they suspect of collaborating with militants.

—-

Wilson McMakin reported from Dakar, Senegal

Here are this year’s finalists:

• Alibi of Troy
• Green Lantern
• Mootz Pizzeria & Bar in Detroit
• Square One Pizzeria in Mt. Clemens
• Toarmina’s Pizza

We received more than 16,700 nominations across our 80 Vote 4 The Best categories this year. Each category was then narrowed down to five finalists.

Click here to view the full list of finalists.

Now that nominations are over, voting on finalists can begin. Voting is open from June 22 through July 20, and you can vote for each category once per day during that time.

Click here to vote for finalists in all 80 categories.

Alternative for Germany, or AfD, sought to show unity as it voted to extend the terms of Weidel and Tino Chrupalla, who have headed it for four years as co-leaders and ran unopposed Saturday. Weidel was reelected with 81% of the vote, while Chrupalla earned 70%. German parties elect their leaders every two years.

The demonstrations outside the convention in the eastern city of Erfurt reflected how AfD has divided Germany even while becoming the biggest opposition party nationally and the strongest political force in Germany’s formerly communist east.

Saturday's event was able to start on time despite the protests, which party officials hailed their “fundamental, legally guaranteed right to hold party conventions.”

“There are no peaceful seated blockades. There are no democratic roadblocks. Nor are there any gangs of thugs who deserve the harmless label ‘civil society.’ These troublemakers are the last resort of our political rivals,” Chrupalla said.

The weekend convention drew additional controversy by coinciding with the 100-year anniversary of a Nazi Party meeting held nearby that consolidated Adolf Hitler’s power over the fascist movement. Historians and political opponents say the timing carries powerful symbolism, an accusation the AfD rejects.

AfD fights ‘firewall’ as its support rises

AfD achieved second place in the February 2025 national election with 20.8% of the vote, the best showing by a far-right party since World War II. Since then support has risen to first among the nation's political parties.

Despite the growing support, some want to see the party banned and protesters this weekend are likely to underline those calls. But Germany’s supreme court previously has set a very high bar for banning parties.

Although Weidel said recently that “2026 is a year of destiny for AfD,” mainstream parties say they won’t work with AfD in a stance often referred to as a “firewall” against far-right parties.

Police said some 31,000 people attended Saturday's protest rallies, German news agency dpa reported. The demonstrations were largely peaceful, with protesters holding signs such as "Stop AfD Nazis” and "For Diversity, Against Nazis.”

Lena Raupach, spokesperson for widersetzen, an anti-fascist alliance whose name translates to “resist,” said the group had hoped to block the convention.

“The AfD pursues fascist policies: It wants mass deportations and terror on the streets. At the same time, however, it doesn’t solve a single real problem," she said. “It pursues policies that benefit the rich, not ordinary citizens. And we at widersetzen want a society in which all people have equal opportunities and equal security. We want a society based on solidarity.”

The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, announced last year that it had classified AfD as a proven right-wing extremist group, but suspended the designation after a legal challenge. In February, a Cologne court said the agency can’t use the designation while the court evaluates the party’s lawsuit.

AfD vehemently rejects accusations of extremism and argues the agency is being used as a political instrument by mainstream parties.

Upcoming state election could bring a major win

AfD is capitalizing on the unpopularity of a government that is trying to reform the sluggish economy. The party has become adept at harnessing discontent with issues well beyond its signature theme of curbing migration, which powered its rise in the mid-2010s.

AfD hopes to win 40% or more of the vote in a Sept. 6 state election in the eastern region of Saxony-Anhalt. That could put the party on course for an absolute majority or in a position where it might try to attract defectors from other parties, paving the way for its first state governor.

“We will win. Maybe we’ll be able to govern alone soon,” Chrupalla said. “That would send the right message to the enemies of democracy out there who wanted to prevent our party convention from taking place.”

The party, which has long called for lifting sanctions against Russia and opposes weapons deliveries to Ukraine, also has supported the general approach of U.S. President Donald Trump while criticizing the war in Iran launched by the Trump administration and Israel.

Björn Höcke, one of the party’s regional leaders, repeatedly said in his speech Saturday that AfD wants to make Germany great again, a reference to Trump's MAGA platform, and at least one attendee wore a hat with a “Make Germany Great Again” logo.

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Associated Press writers Stefanie Dazio and Philipp Reissfelder in Berlin contributed to this report.

Starting July 3, anyone under the age of 17 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian after 10 p.m. through July 4.

Dearborn’s Fourth of July celebrations draw large crowds — and that size can sometimes lead to trouble. Police say they regularly receive complaints about illegal fireworks being set off in residential neighborhoods.

“We have in the past seen juveniles, young youth in city streets, at the schools, lighting off these fireworks and using illegal fireworks,” said Cpl. Dan Bartok, a spokesperson for the Dearborn Police Department.

Bartok says complaints spike this time of year. When illegal fireworks start flying in Dearborn’s densely packed neighborhoods, situations can quickly turn dangerous.

“This is a great example of just how dangerous illegal fireworks use can be, as you can see our neighborhoods are densely populated,” Bartok said.

Residents say the curfew isn’t just about protecting kids — it’s about protecting the entire community.

“They’re all young, they don’t think, so they’re just trying to have fun but they do it wrong. Hopefully when they get older they’ll understand,” said Dearborn resident Hussien Charara.

One anonymous resident said the measure is long overdue.

“If we didn’t have a curfew they’d be all night long, as in the past, so it’s a very good idea,” the resident said.

The curfew lifts at 6 a.m. Minors found outside without a parent or guardian before that time could face arrest, a curfew violation citation, and their parents may also be held responsible.

Bartok urged families to stay engaged during the holiday weekend.

“We really encourage parents and guardians to pay attention to what their children are doing, where they’re at especially on holidays or the evening hours,” he said.

Police say the goal isn’t to put a damper on Fourth of July festivities — it’s to make sure everyone gets home safely.

“When drowning occurs, seconds matter,” said Dr. Rohit Shenoi, the lead author of a recent American Academy of Pediatrics warning. “Quick rescue and resuscitation can mean the difference between life, death and lifelong disability.”

About 4,000 to 5,000 Americans drown each year. Most are adults who die in natural bodies of water, such as lakes, ponds or oceans.

But statistically speaking, drowning is a much larger danger to children. It’s the No. 1 cause of death for kids ages 1 to 4, and one of the top killers of children ages 5 to 14. The drowning rate is higher for white kids in the younger group, but much higher for Black, American Indian and Alaska Native children in the older group.

Drownings of very young children sometimes occur in bathtubs. But most, like Stewie Leonard's, occur in swimming pools.

A family tragedy leads to a foundation for water safety

The Stew Leonard’s grocery chain offers a Disney-like shopping experience, featuring food-promoting animatronic characters like a dancing banana, a mooing cow and singing avocados. But several of its stores also have an animatronic creature that seems out of place: a life-jacketed duck named Stewie who sings about how not to drown.

The duck is named for the son of Stew Leonard, the grocery chain’s chief executive. The boy was 21 months old when he drowned during a family vacation on the island of St. Martin in 1989.

More than a dozen adults and kids had gathered at a birthday party for Stewie's older sister, who was turning 3. Stew Leonard was outside hanging balloons and his wife was inside baking a cake.

“I saw Stewie outside and I assumed that he (Leonard) was watching him,” said his wife, Kim, noting that other relatives also were in the area of the pool.

“We never communicated with each other; ‘You’ve got him?’” said Kim Leonard, now 65. “When everyone’s watching, nobody’s watching.”

“There were a couple of balloons floating in the water,” Leonard, 71, recalled. “And you know after a few minutes, sort of everybody was like, ‘Where’s Stewie?’ Unfortunately I was the one who found him. He was face down in the pool.”

His death led the couple to start a foundation that pays for children’s swimming lessons and promotes drowning prevention.

Why are more kids drowning?

Unintentional child drowning deaths in the U.S. fell from around 2,000 a year in the 1980s to below 1,000 a year by the early 2000s, thanks in part to public awareness campaigns, expanded access to swimming lessons, and adoption of pool fencing laws. Between 2000 and 2019, health officials saw a 38% drop.

But then the trend reversed, with the number of child drowning deaths rising from 756 in 2019 to 865 in 2024, the most recent year for which complete data is available. The bulk of them were children younger than 5. The child drowning death rate also increased slightly, from 1.1 to 1.2 per 100,000 children.

What happened?

The COVID-19 pandemic interrupted swimming lessons and lifeguard training programs, and contributed to a national lifeguard shortage. Meanwhile, some data suggests an increase in swimming pool construction and increases in unsupervised swimming, said Tessa Clemens, the CDC Foundation’s senior director for drowning prevention initiatives.

Kym Roberts studies drownings in Australia — where child drownings have been either level or decreasing in recent years. She said “drowning in young children is often associated with falls into water and lapses in direct supervision.”

Some possible good news: Preliminary U.S. data for last year suggests child drownings declined. But it's not clear whether that's the start of a trend, and the deaths still remain higher compared to before the COVID-19 pandemic, Clemens said.

Pediatricians push for standards and regulations

Inventors have recognized a need for child water safety measures, and recent years have seen the emergence of immersion alarms that sound if the wristband a child is wearing goes underwater. But manufacturers of such devices note they can serve as an extra warning system, but should not be considered a primary way to keep children safe.

The federal government's top public health agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, laid off Clemens and the rest of the staff of its drowning prevention program last year. But new guidance and drowning prevention support continues to come out of other organizations, including the CDC Foundation and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

A CDC Foundation program has paid for basic swimming and water safety skills training for over 35,000 students since 2024. The program operates in 11 states with higher drowning rates: Alaska, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Michigan, New York, Oklahoma and Texas.

Ways to prevent drowning

The AAP says research shows that policies can make a difference, including lifeguard standards, life jacket regulations and requirements that swimming pools be completely surrounded by fences with self-closing, self-latching gates.

Stew Leonard emphasizes two other approaches — swimming lessons for young kids and complete focus by caregivers when young children are around water.

“I mean, I love ballet. I love karate. I love tennis lessons. You know, all the activities that kids can do,” he said. “But the only thing you can do to save their life is put them in swimming lessons.”

His foundation has funded over 250,000 swimming lessons for children and opened two swimming schools — one of them across the street from his company's headquarters in Norwalk, Connecticut.

Also, “shut your cellphones off when you're around the pool, watching the kids. Don't sit there reading a book. Don't sit there talking to your friends, neglecting your child that's near the water,” he said.

“This happens in the blink of an eye.”

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

SATURDAY NIGHT: Partly to mostly cloudy skies, a chance of showers and thunderstorms. Low: 67.

SUNDAY: Partly cloudy skies. A chance of showers and thunderstorms. High: 82.

SUNDAY NIGHT: Partly cloudy skies. Low: 64.

MONDAY: Partly cloudy skies, a chance of showers and thunderstorms. High: 85.

MONDAY NIGHT: Partly cloudy skies. Low: 64.

After widespread severe thunderstorms moved through with damaging winds near or above 70 MPH leaving lots of damage behind over portions of the region, we will see more of Mother Nature’s “fireworks” looking ahead into the Fourth of July.

With a frontal boundary still lingering across the region to start the weekend, we will keep the chance of some scattered thunderstorms under the forecast Saturday afternoon and Saturday evening. High temperatures will cool down a bit to start the weekend, expect high temperatures to warm into the upper 80s by Saturday afternoon.

We will keep the chance of some scattered showers and thunderstorms under the forecast to end the weekend on Sunday, but the day will not be a complete washout. High temperatures remaining in the mid upper 80s by the end of the weekend.

With this frontal boundaries, slow to move away from the region, we will keep the chance of a few thunderstorms under the forecast looking ahead to the start of next week on Monday. High temperature temperatures remaining into the mid 80s by Monday afternoon.

High-pressure will build back into the region, looking into the middle of next week for Tuesday and Wednesday. Expect a mixture of sunshine and clouds both days. High temperatures warming into the mid to upper 80s for Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon.

Chances for showers and thunderstorms return to the forecast looking ahead into the end of next week. I don’t think either of these days will be a washout. High temperatures warming into the upper 80s near 90° by Thursday, then dropping back into the mid 80s by Friday afternoon.

The reported boost to domestic tourism, though anecdotal, comes as higher airfares and gasoline prices have made vacations more expensive. The FIFA World Cup soccer tournament and celebrations of the nation's 250th birthday have given some U.S. residents additional incentives to create summer memories without going far.

Motor club federation AAA estimated that 72.2 million Americans would travel at least 50 miles from home between June 27 and this Sunday. That's 0.5% more than the number who got away during last year's July Fourth travel period, but the forecasted increase is almost all due to people taking cruises, buses and trains; AAA expects no change in the number driving or flying to their destinations.

A meaningful reduction in summer globetrotting might have an upside for businesses that depend on tourists, said Tarik Dogru, an associate professor at Florida State University's Dedman College of Hospitality. Fewer U.S. residents heading abroad or flying across the country means more of their vacation budgets are staying local too, Dogru said.

“The current economic and tourism dynamics are likely to redirect spending toward small businesses, such as regional restaurants, local attractions, Airbnb hosts, and roadside businesses along drive routes that serve budget-conscious and close-to-home travel,” he said.

If the trend holds through the summer and the rest of the year, it could reduce a travel and tourism trade deficit the United States has run since the COVID-19 pandemic. Each year since 2020, Americans spent more on foreign travel than international visitors spent on travel-related goods and services in the U.S., according to the National Travel and Tourism Office.

Morgan Kain, a teacher in Baltimore, said her family is among the ones keeping their travel bugs in check for financial reasons. Kain, her husband and three children usually take multiple trips each summer, including a weeklong stay at a Virginia lake house. Last year, they spent six weeks traveling around Italy.

“This summer, we’re still doing a couple overnights and the lake house, but nothing else,” Kain said. “Things are crazy expensive, from travel costs to food costs to gas.”

Vacationers are taking trips within driving distance

Despite gasoline costing more than it did a year ago, 85% of Independence Day week travelers were expected to drive to their destinations, AAA said, noting that car trips still are cheaper than flights for the most part.

Around Lake Tahoe, which straddles California and Nevada, several businesses reported spotting more visitors driving in from cities along the West Coast.

Ron Williams, who owns Tahoe Sports, said he worried at the beginning of the season that customers might not show up to rent boats and Jet Skis due to economic concerns. Like the gasoline that powers cars, the price of boat fuel went up during the Iran war.

But Williams so far is “pleasantly surprised with how well the business is doing across the board.” His future bookings are 10% higher compared to the same time last year, he said.

“I think people are probably sticking close to home, and being in Lake Tahoe, we have such a huge drive-up market,” Williams said.

Increased demand for the three Lake Tahoe area rental properties that Jerry Bindel manages for Pyramid Global Hospitality also came as a relief. Ski season bookings petered out along with the snow during an unusually warm winter, but “we just saw that flip” with the arrival of hiking and boating weather, he said.

Bindel, an area general director for the property management company, said he spotted a possible sign of Tahoe visitors watching their spending: more of them skipping restaurants and using the kitchens in their rental units or outdoor barbecue grills to prepare their own food.

“We’re seeing a lot of additional use on those items this summer,” he said.

Locals still want to have memorable summer experiences

In Asheville, North Carolina, small business owners have hoped tourism would rebound since Hurricane Helene and flooding from days of torrential rain caused widespread destruction to the city's landscape, buildings and infrastructure in September 2024.

Aubrey Anderson, who owns a river tubing outfitter in Asheville, reduced her summer staff from 100 people to 25 after Helene. After reservations picked up earlier this year and she noticed “a lot new people coming into town,” Anderson felt encouraged enough to hire 50 workers for Zen Tubing's current season.

The unfamiliar faces include day-trippers driving in from South Carolina, Tennessee and other parts of North Carolina to spend several hours floating down the French Broad River for around $30 per person, Anderson said. After tubing, customers from around the region often grab a meal, stop at a brewery, shop or visit other local attractions before heading home, which is “a win for Asheville as a whole,” she said.

“We’re definitely seeing a lot of locals, so to speak," Anderson said. “People are maybe skipping the long drive to the beach this year, and they’re kind of doing just something close by so that they can save a little money and still enjoy a family outing.”

Factory tours offered by French Broad Chocolate have surged this summer, according to Jael Skeffington, the Asheville chocolate maker's CEO and co-founder. Tour-takers often stop in the on-site cafe for ice cream or coffee and buy a box of chocolate bars or bonbons before they leave, she said.

“So it’s good for business, but it also seems to be what people are looking for is something to do, not just something to eat — something to experience." Skeffington said.

Cities are getting a World Cup boost

Soccer enthusiasts have poured into Kansas City, Missouri, just like other North American cities hosting World Cup matches.

Made in KC, a chain of four cafes and 11 shops that sells locally made sauces, Kansas City-themed gifts and T-shirts for fans of the city’s professional sports teams, has gotten “really noticeable spikes of traffic” at all its locations during the tournament, co-owner Keith Bradley said. World Cup-related merchandise, including $40 hats featuring the team colors of this year’s competitors, have been a big hit, he said.

American tourists from other Midwestern cities — Des Moines and Omaha both are within a three-hour drive from Kansas City — seem to outnumber U.S. visitors from farther away, Bradley noted.

“We have a couple locations that are in tourist parts of Kansas City. ... But then we also have little shops that are just in suburban neighborhoods in Kansas City, and those have also seen World Cup traffic of people going to watch parties, people coming in town to go to the games, and then tourists just exploring Kansas City on their own.”

Mollie Lothman, co-owner of McLain’s Bakery, a family-owned cafe with five locations, said she thinks the cost of food and lodging in Kansas City compared to bigger or better known host cities has helped.

“We’re one of the smaller markets who got the World Cup in Kansas City, but we’re also probably one of least expensive markets, in terms of family budgeting, to try to come and experience the World Cup," Lothman said. “So I think that’s been a huge draw for people."

“It was terrible,” said Amanda Stamper, 34. “It was just me trying to survive and trying to kind of block the most stressful parts out to protect my baby.”

“The fact that in modern day this would happen… it shocks the conscience,” said her attorney, Todd Perkins. “It makes you mad as hell.”

Stamper and her fiancé, Lamar Lyons, 40, are suing M. Shapiro Management Group LLC, M. Shapiro Development Company LLC, and M. Shapiro Real Estate Group, along with several managers and superiors, alleging pregnancy and race discrimination, retaliation, and illegal eavesdropping.

The other defendants include Emily Rathnaw, Jared Gorback, Erica Spencer, Rubin Chrisman, Mark Kassab, and Mia Reikensmeyer.

The complaint filed June 22, 2026, lists 10 counts, including discrimination and retaliation; violation of the Persons with Disabilities Civil Rights Act; violation of the federal Wiretap Act and Michigan’s eavesdropping act; invasion of privacy; FMLA interference and retaliation; violation of the PUMP Act; violation of the Whistleblower Protection Act; third-party retaliation claims as to Lyons; civil conspiracy; and a civil RICO violation.

What the lawsuit alleges

Stamper said she began working as a leasing agent for Waynewood Apartments in Westland in June 2024, and Lyons was hired as a janitor in September 2024. Both allegedly received positive reviews and “exceeded expectations.”

The suit said M. Shapiro began managing Westland and other residential community properties, including one in Livonia, in January 2025, and that Stamper continued under “the same corporate structure, management, and chain of command.”

Stamper said she told supervisors she was pregnant in February 2025. Not long after, however, she told Local 4 she began experiencing an overwhelmingly hostile work environment.

Rathnaw allegedly immediately asked her: “Why she wanted another baby when she already had eight children?”

The complaint said she later provided medical restrictions tied to a high-risk pregnancy but alleged they were ignored.

Stamper, who later had to wear a heart monitor, said her PTO was reduced, she only received the minimum 1% raise, and when she raised concerns, a supervisor told her he would replace her if she could not perform.

The lawsuit alleges that attempts to go through HR were blocked or redirected through management, and that one supervisor told her, “Let’s not forget that I hired your fiancé for you.”

In July 2025, the company allegedly brought in a new leasing agent who Stamper said told her she was only hired “to chase Stamper off.”

“One of those employees who disclosed to her (that ‘I’m here to replace you’), they fired her,” Perkins told Local 4.

Stamper said she was hospitalized again in September 2025 and said she was told to return to work.

During a Teams meeting, she was allegedly told doctor appointments were an “inconvenience” and that she was “stealing time.”

Stamper said she later went into labor-related distress and returned to the hospital. She was then approved for maternity leave beginning Sept. 17, 2025.

Stamper’s return to work

When Stamper returned early in November 2025, she was allegedly told her office and duties had been given to another employee.

The complaint also includes detailed allegations tied to lactation accommodations. In one instance, Stamper alleges Rathnaw handed her a note from another supervisor instructing her that “if you need to pump throughout the day, you can either take a 30-minute lunch and two 15-minute break periods, or a one-hour lunch and no break periods.”

Stamper was also allegedly told to use the cafeteria or kitchen areas to pump milk for her baby when at Westland.

According to the lawsuit, the kitchen was in the middle of the Westland office and was frequented by employees, vendors, contractors, and others throughout the day.

A portion of the kitchen had been fitted with “porous bifold doors” with openings, so “anyone outside the makeshift screen could see Stamper pumping milk.”

Stamper said she could not comfortably pump milk in front of an audience. Stamper said she went home to pump milk during her one-hour lunch break.

On Nov. 26, 2025, Stamper began working three days a week at Livonia and two days a week at Westland, the suit said.

Later, with no other options, Stamper said she pumped milk for her baby in a parking lot, with the car windows covered, during her break.

Alleged hidden microphone found

Things escalated further in early 2026 when Stamper said she discovered what appeared to be a hidden microphone near her desk.

The lawsuit said Stamper’s discovery was all caught on surveillance video and that she was “horrified.”

On Feb. 5, 2026, Stamper said she heard “a strange sound” in her office that sounded like “static.”

Stamper said she searched for the source of the sound and found a microphone “embedded in the floorboard plaster” on the side of her desk.

“My heart dropped,” Stamper said. “I immediately was scared. I felt like, you know, what more are they doing in here to me other than recording my conversations?”

The microphone, according to the suit, had been planted in her private office area and installed without her knowledge by an IT technician.

Erika Erickson: “How long did you keep quiet?”

Amanda Stamper: “All the way until they walked into my office on April 20 and tried to fire me for finding it.”

Erika Erickson: “How did they know you found it?”

Amanda Stamper: “From watching me on the cameras in my office.”

After Stamper reported the issue, management allegedly said she had consented under policy, a claim the lawsuit disputes.

“This type of mistreatment of human beings should just not be allowed,” Perkins said. “These are violations that extend and are so broad we can’t even comprehend right now.”

A confrontation allegedly followed, including accusations that Stamper had tampered with surveillance equipment, which she denies.

In another allegation, Lyons was accused of stealing a refrigerator after being told to dispose of it, which he denies, according to the complaint.

Stamper said she later filed a police report and an EEOC complaint.

Local 4 reached out to M. Shapiro Real Estate Group and was told “no comment” before someone quickly hung up.

Calls and emails to an attorney representing the management and real estate groups were not returned immediately.

Stamper and Lyons are still employed by the company.

“It’s a hard situation; you don’t know what they’re going to do next, so it’s basically going into work, looking over our shoulders every day. I walk through my office, turn on all the lights, check the closets, just to make sure no one is in there,” Stamper said. “I just kind of pray on it, hope that no one is hiding in my office, hope that they’re not trying to send anyone to scare me off. It’s a scary situation.”

“You want to protect this person, and whoever’s been subjected to it,” Perkins said. “Think about the other people who unwittingly were exposed to this type of bad behavior; they should step forward, too.”

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) and Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) are actively investigating the potential source of the “large and growing outbreak” of cases confirmed in Monroe, Lenawee, Washtenaw, Wayne, Shiawassee, Jackson and Livingston counties.

Health officials also reported 24 cases across 11 other Michigan counties, including in the city of Detroit. Typically, Michigan only gets around 50 cases per year.

On July 1, MDHHS reported there were at least 170 cases. On Thursday, the number of cases jumped to at least 300.

Read more --> Michigan health officials warn of ‘large and growing outbreak’ of cyclosporiasis

The age range of individuals who were diagnosed with the illness ranges from 8 years old to 84 years old, with a median age of 41, according to MDHHS.

Health officials are working to determine the common exposure of the outbreak in Michigan.

Here’s what to know about cyclosporiasis:

What is cyclosporiasis?

Cyclosporiasis is an intestinal illness caused by a parasite and infects the small intestine.

Healthcare providers can diagnose the illness by testing a stool sample.

Signs and symptoms

If infected with cyclosporiasis, people may experience watery diarrhea with frequent and sometimes explosive bowel movements.

The illness can last from a few days to over a month if the illness is not treated. Symptoms could relapse.

The timeframe from becoming infected to becoming sick usually takes about one week but can range from two days to two weeks or more.

In the US, outbreaks of cyclosporiasis have been linked to various types of fresh produce. People can get infected with Cyclospora more than once.

Anyone who experiences symptoms of cyclosporiasis should see their healthcare provider.

How it spreads

The illness can spread when people eat food or drink water that was contaminated with feces.

The CDC said it can take at least one or two weeks outside the body for Cyclospora to become infectious after passing in a bowel movement, making direct person-to-person transmission unlikely.

How to prevent cyclosporiasis

According to the CDC, people can prevent infection by avoiding food or water that may contain feces and by following food safety recommendations for safe preparation and storage.

The CDC recommends washing hands with soap and water before and after handling or preparing raw fruits and vegetables.

Wash all fruits and vegetables thoroughly under running water before eating, cutting or cooking. Cut away any damaged or bruised areas on fruits and vegetables before preparing and eating.

Read more on prevention here.

The flag is sewn in the traditional Ross flag style: the 13 alternating red and white stripes, the blue ensign in the upper left corner, and the 13 Colonial stars in a circle.

On the inside of the stars is the number 250.

It has become a viral collector’s item but has drawn some backlash from flag purists.

“We got a phone call from a gentleman saying we were defacing a US flag,” Jame Miles, the owner of American Flag and Banner, said. “They explained to us that the Betsy Ross is no longer a US flag; it is now just a commemorative historical image.”

The flags, which sell for $70 each, are hand-embroidered in the back of the shop.

The Ross flags have sold out as of July 3, but that hasn’t stopped the rush.

“We’re actually enhancing and complementing and glorifying Betsy Ross for 250 years,” Miles said.

Miles, 75, has run American Flag and Banner since 1980.

She has been with the company since 1977, when she was hired along with her late husband, Bill, by former owner Robert Erdman.

She had been working as a seamstress, sewing the interiors of caskets, and had graduated from Wayne State when an opportunity arose.

“I went in to see about being a sewer, and Mr. Erdman was ready to retire,” said Erdman. “He interviewed me and found out I could do the patterns, so I could run the sewing room, and my husband could do the business end of it.”

Jane and Bill, who passed away in 2018, bought the company when Erdman retired and moved it to Clawson.

American Flag and Banner was founded in Southwest Detroit in 1917.

The company and Miles have been involved in the production and finishing of large flags and banners of all varieties for more than a century.

Historically, the company has made and repaired flags and banners that hung everywhere, from the original Hudson’s Department Store to the Guardian Building to the Ambassador Bridge.

Miles and her crew also made all of the Detroit Red Wings’ championship and retired number banners that hung in Joe Louis Arena, as well as the banners for the Detroit Pistons’ 1989 and 1990 NBA Championships.

“I’ve always sewn, but everything that you sew is different,” Rosie Danz, a seamstress at American Flag and Banner, said while she sewed a 250-flag. “You can do clothing or this or something, you know. Everything you do, you have to learn really how to do it.”

Danz is the main seamstress. She works at the sewing machine in the back of the shop. She is often tasked with making new flags and repairing old ones.

She said it normally takes her about 45 minutes to make the 250 Betsy flags, and the semi-quincentennial has been a nice change of pace from the reasons that people normally buy flags in times of war or in remembrance of a veteran.

“This year it’s fun,” Miles said. “Everyone’s happy about it, so this time selling a lot of flags is joyful. They’re buying them for happy reasons, which in my lifetime we haven’t seen a surge like this.”

The 250 Betsy flags have sold out, and none will be available until at least October, when more Betsy Ross flags come in from Philadelphia.

After nearly 50 years making flags, Miles doesn’t see herself quitting.

Flags are her life.

“This is what I do. I don’t know what else to do,” Miles said. “I’m here. As long as I can make the drive and do the work, I’m staying.”

His hopes of a second consecutive World Cup title also lived on — and that accomplishment was anything but easy.

Messi’s goal in the 29th minute was the 20th of his World Cup career, extending his record and moving him two ahead of France’s Kylian Mbappé on the all-time list. It was the opener of what became a wild night, with Argentina escaping with a 3-2 win over Cape Verde in extra time against a huge underdog.

Messi was pictured later at his media conference with a large bump on his head after apparently being hit with a knee during a collision with a Cape Verde player.

“It hurts a little but I’m good," he was quoted in comments translated from Spanish about the goose-egg over his right eye. A FIFA post on X showed a definite welt.

Messi — who now has goals in a record eight consecutive World Cup games going back to Argentina's run to the 2022 title — seemed relieved after the match, and lauded Cape Verde’s defense.

“We did good things,” Messi said in his native Spanish, “and we have to correct the bad things.”

Messi has seven goals in this World Cup — one more than Mbappé in the race for the Golden Boot as the top scorer of the tournament — and has scored 12 times during his eight-game World Cup streak. He has been great, and Argentina has needed him to be great.

“For me, it represents a lot to be friends with him,” said Rodrigo De Paul, Messi’s teammate with Argentina and Inter Miami. “For me, friendship is one of the most important things that we all have and I consider myself fortunate to be there, to share these moments with him.”

And there has been no shortage of moments.

Messi had the game's first good chance Friday, his all-world left foot sending a shot skidding across the goal mouth but outside of the right post in the 15th minute. After getting taken down, he had a 25-yard free kick three minutes later that was easily gobbled up by Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha.

But the momentum was shifting, and before long, Messi broke through for a 1-0 lead. He timed his run perfectly on a ball played into the box by defender Lisandro Martinez to stay onside, controlled the pass and then lifted a shot over Vozinha's left shoulder from close range for his 124th international goal. Only Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, with 146, has more.

Messi stretched his arms and pointed to Martinez, saluting the pass, before teammates mobbed him in celebration.

Argentina was a huge favorite — some sportsbooks had the defending champions at minus-3500 to win, meaning bettors would have to wager $3,500 to profit $100 — and the Messi goal probably had some thinking the scoring dam was about to break.

It wasn't.

Cape Verde scored to knot the game at 1-1 and 2-2, and Messi set up the eventual winner with a corner kick that bounced off some heads and into the net midway through the second half of extra time.

“As this team has demonstrated many times, and as I’ve said many times, it competes,” Messi said. “And we competed to the end.”

The Golden Boot race may go down to the end as well, with the four leaders now all safely into the Round of 16.

Messi and Mbappé are far from the only contenders in the Golden Boot race: Norway’s Erling Haaland and England’s Harry Kane each had five goals entering Friday, while four players — France’s Ousmane Dembele, Spain’s Mikel Oyarzabal, Brazil’s Vinícius Júnior and Senegal’s Ismaila Sarr — had four. Sarr is out of the running since Senegal has been eliminated.

Norway, England and France have advanced to the Round of 16; Argentina and Messi, the Inter Miami star who is widely considered the greatest player ever, now join them — barely.

“Our team did everything we could to win the game,” Cape Verde goalie Vozinha said.

Messi has never won the Golden Boot. He finished second with seven goals — one behind Mbappé — while leading Argentina to the 2022 World Cup title, and he tied for third with four goals in 2014.

If there’s a tie atop the goal list when the tournament ends, FIFA will use assists as the first tiebreaker and fewest minutes played as the second tiebreaker. Entering Friday, that meant Mbappé would have had the edge over Messi based on his 2-0 lead in assists.

But for now, Messi leads the scoring race. Most important, he's still in the race for another World Cup title.

“I hope you now realize, there is no easy opponent," Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said.

___

See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

The two-way superstar was hitless in three at-bats before being lifted as a precaution. On the mound, Ohtani allowed three runs and seven hits in six innings. He struck out nine and threw a season-high 110 pitches before Los Angeles rallied for a 4-3 victory.

Ohtani said he felt the biceps issue during his at-bat in the sixth, when he flied out to right field.

“It’s the same location that I felt a couple months ago,” he said through a translator. "It went away pretty relatively quickly, so I expect that to happen again.”

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Ohtani would be given Saturday off to recover and receive treatment.

“He's a quick healer and finds a way to get back,” said Roberts, who added that Ohtani's previous biceps issue was "so benign that I didn't hear about it until tonight.”

Ohtani has primarily been starting on the mound every Wednesday, but the team pushed him back to Friday this week to manage his workload.

Asked if that meant Ohtani was unlikely to pitch in the All-Star Game, Roberts said before the game: “I haven't formally said it, but if you just kind of do the math, it would be hard to imagine. But I don’t have to make that decision quite yet.”

Roberts will manage the National League All-Stars in Philadelphia.

He said the possibility of Ohtani skipping his last pitching start before the All-Star break should “be on the table.”

Ohtani is already penciled into the All-Star starting lineup as the NL designated hitter because he was the overall leader with 3,341,257 votes after the first phase of fan balloting.

The right-hander is a strong candidate to be selected to the NL pitching staff as well, but Philadelphia left-hander Cristopher Sánchez seems most likely to start in his home ballpark. Milwaukee ace Jacob Misiorowski leads the majors with a 1.45 ERA but is on turn to pitch for the Brewers two days before the All-Star Game, which would make him unavailable against the American League.

Ohtani's ERA rose to 1.79 from 1.58 after his start Friday.

The Dodgers wanted Ohtani to get additional rest during a stretch of 13 games in 13 days. If he makes his final scheduled start before the All-Star Game on July 10, that would give his arm only three days of rest prior to the Midsummer Showcase.

“Shohei hasn’t had his best stuff recently and that’s the truth,” Roberts said. “The fastball command hasn’t been what it was earlier in the season, the sweeper hasn’t been the same.”

Ohtani has been bothered by left knee soreness and has a blister on the middle finger of his right hand.

“He feels good, the body feels good,” Roberts said before Friday's game. “The knee feels as good as it’s felt in quite some time, so that’s encouraging.”

___

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

The Boston Red Sox's 38-year-old left-hander didn't do it with one of the triple-digit fastballs that have made him one of the most imposing pitchers of his generation and one of the most accomplished relievers in baseball history.

Instead, his high pitch to the Angels' Denzer Guzman was clocked at a mere 98.6 mph — and Guzman still couldn't get around in time.

“I feel very happy, very proud of what I’ve been able to accomplish,” Chapman said through an interpreter. “I just feel very satisfied right now.”

The strikeout was the 1,364th in Chapman's 17-year career. It broke the record long held by Hoyt Wilhelm, the Hall of Famer whose 21-year career ended back in 1972, just five days shy of his 50th birthday.

Chapman paused and soaked in the moment only briefly after fanning Guzman, aware of the significance of the strikeout while also knowing he still had to get two more outs. He promptly gave up two hits, but escaped the jam with a double-play grounder to secure Boston's 5-2 win over Los Angeles and his 383rd career save.

The Red Sox celebrated Chapman’s achievement in their Angel Stadium clubhouse, showing a video retrospective of Chapman’s career to his younger teammates — everything from his debut with Cincinnati in 2010 to his two World Series championships with the Cubs and Rangers.

“It’s cool. We’ve been waiting for that one,” Boston interim manager Chad Tracy said. “What a career he’s had. The cool thing is watching the video, and you’re seeing him at a young age throwing 102, and he’s still doing it. It’s just incredible.”

In his 889th major league appearance — all of them in relief — Chapman saved a deserved victory for Red Sox rookie Jake Bennett, who was making his seventh appearance.

“It’s incredible,” said Bennett, who tired in the eighth. “It’s incredible to even just be a part of a team that it happens on.”

Chapman hadn’t pitched since he tied the strikeout record last Sunday while blowing a save against the Yankees, with whom he spent parts of seven seasons before an acrimonious split four years ago. He has pitched for seven teams since he defected from Cuba in 2009, earning eight All-Star selections and moving up to 10th on the majors' career saves list.

This record spanned across a half-century of baseball history and a fundamental change in the way pitchers are used.

Among the 14 pitchers in major league history who have recorded 1,000 strikeouts as a reliever, only Lindy McDaniel was a contemporary of Wilhelm, a World War II veteran and a pioneer in relief pitching. The crafty knuckleballer was among the first pitchers to be used regularly as what's now known as a high-leverage reliever, coming into close games and tight situations regardless of whether the starter was tired or not.

Chapman has spent his entire career in those tight spots, and he has usually excelled when healthy, often with a fastball that has topped 105 mph at times during his career.

He has even been in a renaissance since joining the Red Sox before last season. After earning AL Reliever of the Year honors in 2025 with a minuscule 1.17 ERA, he has 17 saves in 19 chances this season, still taking high-leverage assignments and usually succeeding.

“I was just focused on doing the job, day in and day out over the course of the last few weeks, getting to this point where I had the opportunity to break the record,” Chapman said. “I had some highs and some lows, but I've just tried to stay positive throughout.”

___

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

That plan also went by the wayside when Jhon Córdoba appeared to hurt his groin.

Forced into making a rare early move, Colombia coach Néstor Lorenzo sent Luis Suárez onto the field, and he promptly delivered a sharp cross that Jhon Arias flicked into the net, resulting in the only goal on a sweltering night at Arrowhead Stadium and sending Los Cafeteros into the Round of 16 at the World Cup with a 1-0 victory over the Black Stars.

“I think football is a team sport,” Lorenzo said. “Ultimately you do have little groups in certain areas, but you have to have a unit — a whole — and I think our squad has been working on that from the very onset. That was the goal from the very beginning.”

The early goal was a good omen: Colombia has won 11 consecutive World Cup matches when scoring first. Now, it will play Switzerland on Tuesday in Vancouver, British Columbia, for a spot in the quarterfinals.

“We have won absolutely nothing,” Colombia star Luis Díaz said. “These games are very difficult. Every game we've seen has been tight. The good thing and the positive thing is that we're playing very well, we feel comfortable, we are being a family, we are working as a team, and that will work for what is coming.”

Los Cafeteros thought they had doubled their lead in the 56th minute, when Díaz found the back of the net only to see the offside flag raised, and the fleet-footed Colombia forward had a point-blank shot saved by Lawrence Ati Zigi a few minutes later.

Zigi wound up making seven saves to keep Ghana in the game.

“Sometimes it happens in football,” Ghana defender Jerome Opoku said, “that it doesn’t go your way.”

It was 88 degrees Fahrenheit (31.1 Celsius) with a heat index of 96 when the game kicked off at 8:30 p.m. local time, the late start intentional due to the expected heat of Midwestern summers. The hydration breaks that have been controversial in so many matches suddenly became a blessing as players from both sides fought through dehydration and cramps.

Ghana was one of a record nine teams from Africa to escape the group stage of the World Cup. And while many gave fits to some of the tournament favorites — hello, Cape Verde against Argentina — only Morocco and Egypt were able to reach the Round of 16.

“It's always great to get out of your group,” Opoku said. “Obviously we wanted to go further.”

Colombia had breezed through the group stage, conceding only a single goal in wins over Uzbekistan and Congo and a draw with Portugal. In fact, Los Cafeteros had been so impressive that Spain coach Luis de la Fuente — whose own team is considered among the tournament favorites — tapped them as “a candidate to win the World Cup.”

Their fans certainly believe in them.

The home of the NFL’s Chiefs has three levels of seats with a band of yellow ones sandwiched between red. Yet the entire bowl of the stadium just east of downtown Kansas City was awash in the vibrant yellow of Colombia some 2 hours before kickoff.

Ghana knew it would be an underdog. Yet the team that failed to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations last year for the first time in nearly two decades had already answered plenty of critics by surviving a difficult group topped by England and Croatia.

The question as it faced Colombia: Could Ghana mount enough offense?

As expected, Los Cafeteros dominated the ball — the Black Stars had possessed it just 36.1% of the time in the group stage, second-least of any team that advanced, and those offensive issues continued against Colombia. Even when Ghana managed to put together an attack, Colombia was there to quickly counter with the speed of Suárez, Díaz and its midfielders.

Ghana wound up taking eight shots against Colombia. None of them were on goal.

“Intense game. Tough game for both teams, I guess, as I expected,” Ghana coach Carlos Queiroz said. “Colombia started the game as we expected, full speed, a lot of intensity, passing. We tried to answer and stop them, but unfortunately the goal came too early for us.”

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See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

“Communism is a mortal threat to American liberty,” he said from Mount Rushmore. “It is the greatest threat to our country, including World War I, World War II, Pearl Harbor or even 9/11."

While the language was similar to several other speeches Trump has given in recent days, it was notable for being delivered in a national park that commemorates some of America's most prominent presidents. And it swerved from the typically apolitical, unifying speeches past presidents like Gerald Ford or Ronald Reagan have delivered during earlier high-profile Independence Day celebrations.

Indeed, Trump's language evoked the Red Scare of the 1950s, when alleged communists were persecuted and blacklisted from jobs across America, from Washington to Hollywood.

In New York City, Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, delivered his own address that cast America as a nation of contradictions “working each day towards the perfection in which it was conceived.”

The president's speech capped an Independence Day eve that was otherwise most notable for a brutal heat wave the gripped much of the eastern portion of the country. Officials have warned those celebrating the holiday to stay hydrated and take air-conditioned breaks as needed.

Philadelphia canceled its Salute to Independence parade Friday. The Great American State Fair in Washington shut down in the early afternoon before reopening at 5 p.m. The Capitol Fourth concert, a mainstay of the holiday in Washington, opened its gates a little later than normal but ultimately moved forward with appearances from Patti LaBelle, Trace Adkins, members of the Artemis II space mission and fireworks over George Washington’s Mount Vernon. An Independence Day parade scheduled for Saturday in Washington was canceled.

Looking for a place to cool off

By early afternoon Friday in Washington, hundreds of people were roaming the grounds of the National Mall, home to The Great American State Fair. They snapped photos of the flyovers and tried to cool off inside tents that offered $9 lemonades and $23 turkey legs. Many were dressed in patriotic colors, their faces glistening with sweat.

Glenn Brooks, who was pardoned by Trump for his participation in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, said he was “thankful to be participating in this grand event.”

The activity culminates in the main event Saturday, when fireworks will erupt in communities across the U.S., along with backyard cookouts and block parties. Trump will deliver another speech at the National Mall in Washington before what is being billed as a historically massive fireworks show.

As the rest of the country struggled under stifling heat, the Pacific Northwest enjoyed temperatures in the 60s with even a few light showers.

World Cup soccer fans in Seattle were staying cool Friday as they got psyched up for Monday’s big game between the U.S. and Belgium. In the nearby suburb of Issaquah, Megan Kurowski, 31, brought her two dogs to the dog park so they could get some exercise before she went to work.

Kurowski said she was feeling positive about America’s 250th anniversary and was planning a possible paddleboard to watch the fireworks.

“Everyone’s just, from what it seems, been pretty excited about celebrating 250 years,” she said.

The holiday is unfolding at a unique time in the U.S. The anniversary has served as an opportunity for the country to reflect on its history while also reminding it of the political polarization of the moment.

On a holiday of unity, there is an undercurrent of division

In New York, Mamdani, a Democrat, did not mention Trump by name, but parts of his speech appeared aimed at the president’s divisive rhetoric.

“For generation after generation, we have been told that when the world has sent its people to our shores, it has not sent its best,” Mamdani said in an apparent reference to a common criticism from Trump. “Those ideals upon which our nation was built — they are strong enough to endure any authoritarian regime, but only if we reach for them."

Freedom 250, an organization aligned with the White House, has come to rival America250, a bipartisan group founded by Congress a decade ago. Freedom 250 has organized much of the activity in Washington, including the Great American State Fair. America250 is behind the ball drops unfolding in many cities, including New York, and will host a concert in Los Angeles on Saturday.

About 4 in 10 U.S. adults feel “proud” about the country’s 250th anniversary, according to an April survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Roughly 3 in 10 said “excited” describes their emotions.

Ahead of the holiday, auto technician Joe Fuqua-Bejarano in Topeka, Kansas, sized up “what makes us awesome” as a people. It is clearly not the politics, in his view, but rather resilience.

“We’ve just all got to find unity somewhere, whether that’s in laughter or perseverance, and keep everybody cool,” he said from the fireworks stand where he is doing a booming business as a side hustle.

Christina Zhou, a 25-year-old research assistant from Cambridge, Massachusetts, said she would aim to “think about just things that are happening locally.”

“It feels a little bit more like within our own personal control," she said.

Jerry Chin of Newcastle, Washington, said he wasn’t aware that the U.S. was celebrating its 250th anniversary and planned to stay low-key around the holiday. He and his wife generally skip the fireworks and instead stay home with their fearful dogs to keep them calm.

“America’s a great place, but there are some concerns,” he said. Chin, 55, and his wife worry about healthcare and issues around staying healthy, but they also stress about politics.

“We’re Democrats, so kind of given up hope,” he said. “Just feel that it is the way it is. I don’t know if there could be change.”

At the National Archives in Washington, visitors made their way through the Rotunda to look at the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights -- and to escape the heat outside.

Michael Dresdner, 60, traveled from West Orange, New Jersey, with his wife, Cindi, 57, and about two dozen other people to be part of the America 250 celebrations. He said their group of travelers included people on both sides of the political aisle -- and that is what gave him hope for the future of American democracy.

“We are all here, and we all love America,” he said.

___

Peoples reported from New York. Associated Press writers Martha Bellisle in Seattle, Anthony Izaguirre in New York, John Hanna in Topeka, Kan., Michael Casey in Cambridge, Mass., and Calvin Woodward, Didi Tang, Gary Fields and Nathan Ellgren in Washington contributed to this report.

Hossam Abdelmaguid scored the deciding goal in a shootout, and Egypt won its debut in the elimination round of the World Cup by beating Australia 4-2 on penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw in the round of 32 Friday.

Australia goalkeeper Mathew Ryan didn't stop any of Egypt's four shots after replacing starter Patrick Beach late in extra time.

The victory comes in Egypt's fourth World Cup, the first one with an expanded field of 48. Australia is now 0-3 in the knockout round.

Egypt will next face defending champion Argentina, which beat Cape Verde 3-2 in extra time Friday night, in the round of 16 on Tuesday in Atlanta.

“Me feeling today is that it's incredible,” said Salah, the 34-year-old former Liverpool player who is one behind national team coach Hossam Hassan's Egyptian record of 69 international goals. “I always like seeing the boys happy and enjoying the moment. Nothing can match that. So today was one of the best days of my life.”

Harry Souttar opened the shootout by missing high for Australia, and 18-year-old Lucas Herrington hit the crossbar with the fourth attempt to set up Abdelmaguid’s clincher for the Pharaohs.

The 25-year-old Abdelmaguid, who doesn't have an international goal in 15 appearances, went low left as Ryan dived to the defender's right, setting off a raucous celebration among 70,244 fans at the sold-out home of the Dallas Cowboys, plenty of them wearing Egyptian red.

Egypt didn't even have a victory in the World Cup before beating New Zealand 3-1 in the group stage less than two weeks ago.

“I was only thinking about the Egyptian fans,” Hassan said through an interpreter. “During the entire time and during the penalty shootout, I was just praying, ‘God, please make the Egyptian people happy.’ Even before the penalty shootout, to be honest.”

Egypt’s other shootout scorers were Mahmoud Saber, Ramy Rabia and Salah, who played every minute of regulation and extra time despite a hamstring injury sustained in the team's group finale.

Jackson Irvine and Awer Mabil scored in the shootout for Australia.

“When I went to the players and talked to them, I wanted to take some pressure off,” Hassan said. “Do not look at the pressure. Just let everything out, don’t think about anything. Think about your penalty kick. Don’t even think about the goalkeeper. Just think about your kick.”

Emam Ashour gave Egypt the lead in regulation by scoring in the 13th minute with a header that beat Beach just inside the near post. Australia evened the match in the 55th when Egypt defender Mohamed Hany became the first player to score two own-goals in the same World Cup.

The own-goal came when Aiden O’Neill took a free kick from left of the penalty area and Hany headed the ball past goalkeeper Mostafa Shoubir for a spot in World Cup infamy. His other own-goal came in a 1-1 draw with Belgium in the group stage.

Less than 10 minutes earlier, Hany was down near the same spot after colliding with Connor Metcalfe on the Australia midfielder’s header attempt. Medical personnel tended to Hany with a stretcher waiting nearby, but he was helped up and stayed on after what appeared to be a concussion check.

Australia’s only scoring in World Cup knockout rounds has been two own-goals. The Socceroos lost to Italy 1-0 in 2006 and lost to Argentina 2-1 four years ago in Qatar. The goal against Argentina was an own-goal.

“It hurts when you get that close,” Australia coach Tony Popovic said. “Unfortunately, we bow out in a penalty shootout, so it’s difficult to take right now.”

Omar Marmoush had a great chance to give Egypt a two-goal lead in the opening seconds of the second half, but he sent a shot wide.

The late goalkeeper switch to the 34-year-old Ryan, for his 105th international appearance, came despite several strong saves from the 22-year-old Beach, who was playing in only his sixth game for the Socceroos.

Beach made a sprawling save on a header from Rabia in the waning moments of regulation, and seconds later had a much easier stop on Salah’s shot.

Egypt had one more chance before the end of regulation, but Haissem Hassan was turned away by Souttar, who deflected the shot with his knee.

___

See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

The Berkley Department of Public Safety announced on Friday (July 3) that the leak has been contained and the evacuation order for homes in the affected area has been lifted.

Residents may now safely return to their homes.

The incident occurred on Dorothea Street between Mortenson and Ferris, where emergency crews responded to a significant gas leak.

As a precaution, officials evacuated nearby homes while crews worked to contain the leak and urged the public to avoid the area to allow first responders to operate safely.

Earlier in the response, with residents preparing for Independence Day celebrations, officials warned against using fireworks in or near the affected area, as any ignition source could create an extremely dangerous situation.

No injuries were reported.

Officials have not released additional information about what caused the gas leak.

Update: Berkley gas leak contained, evacuation lifted after emergency response

Per the Berkley Department of Public Safety’s Facebook page, the incident is taking place on Friday (July 3) on Dorothea Street between Mortenson and Ferris.

As a precaution, homes in the affected area are being evacuated while emergency crews work to contain the leak.

The Berkley Department of Public Safety is urging the public to avoid the area until further notice to allow first responders to safely manage the incident.

With everyone getting ready to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, officials also warned residents not to use fireworks in or near the affected area, saying any ignition source could create an extremely dangerous situation.

Residents are asked to stay clear of emergency personnel and follow all instructions from public safety officials.

No injuries were immediately reported, and officials have not released additional details about the cause of the leak.

Police said they will provide updates as more information becomes available.

The same heat and humidity that pushed heat index values above 100 degrees Friday afternoon helped fuel the storms that raced across the region during the evening.

Before reaching Metro Detroit, storms produced damaging winds across western and central Michigan, including a wind gust near 80 mph reported near Kalamazoo. The line maintained its strength as it moved east, prompting several Severe Thunderstorm Warnings across Metro Detroit.

The storms hit as many people were already starting Fourth of July weekend celebrations and attending outdoor events.

In downtown Royal Oak, the severe weather impacted Royal Oak Taco Fest, where strong winds sent tents airborne as storms moved through the area. It also forced the event to shut down for the rest of the night. The incident was another reminder of how quickly conditions can become dangerous during severe thunderstorms, especially at outdoor festivals and gatherings.

Damage reports across Southeast Michigan

The strongest storms produced widespread wind damage, including:

• Detroit Metro Airport: 63 mph wind gust
• Detroit River Light: 63 mph marine thunderstorm wind gust
• Oakland County International Airport: 62 mph wind gust
• Willow Run Airport: 59 mph wind gust
• Grosse Pointe Yacht Club: 58 mph wind gust
• Selfridge Air National Guard Base: 53 mph wind gust

Damage reports included trees falling onto homes, trees blocking roads and numerous power lines coming down.

Reports included:

• A tree falling onto a home in Chelsea
• Multiple trees down near Dexter
• Large trees down around Ann Arbor
• Multiple trees and power lines down across Plymouth Township
• Large tree limbs down in Hazel Park
• Numerous trees down in Wyandotte
• Damage reports in Monroe County, including the Dundee area

Heavy rain also caused flooding issues.

All lanes of the Southfield Freeway were impacted by flooding between Ford Road and Warren Avenue, including the northbound and southbound sides, according to the Michigan Department of Transportation.

Hundreds of thousands without power heading into Fourth of July

About 325,000 customers were without power across Southeast Michigan following Friday evening’s storms.

The utility company said crews were working to restore power, with 500 team members responding and hundreds of out-of-state crews coming in to assist.

DTE said it expects 95 percent of affected customers to have power restored by the end of Monday.

Anyone who sees a downed power line should stay at least 25 feet away from the wire and anything it touches.

Heat continues for those without power

While the worst of the heat wave is ending, it will still be a very warm Fourth of July weekend, especially for those without electricity and air conditioning.

Saturday highs will climb to around 90 degrees, with humidity making it feel warmer.

Heat index values Saturday afternoon will likely reach the mid-90s.

Anyone without power should:

• Drink plenty of water
• Avoid overheating indoors
• Spend time in cooler locations if needed
• Check on older adults and neighbors
• Keep refrigerators and freezers closed as much as possible

Fourth of July forecast: More storms possible

The holiday weekend will not be a washout, but more showers and thunderstorms are possible.

Saturday (Fourth of July):

• High: Around 90 degrees
• Heat index: Mid-90s
• Scattered showers possible earlier
• Better chance for thunderstorms later in the day and evening

The highest chance for storms will be during the late afternoon, evening and overnight hours.

A few stronger storms cannot be ruled out.

Saturday night

Showers and thunderstorms will become more likely by Saturday night. Heavy rain will be possible.

Sunday

More rain showers are likely Sunday morning, and a few showers and thunderstorms are possible in the afternoon, with highs in the mid 80s.

Southeast Michigan gets a break from the extreme heat, but recovery from Friday’s storms will continue beyond the holiday weekend. Thousands of families will spend part or all of the Fourth of July without power as warm, humid weather continues and more thunderstorms remain possible.

Friday’s storms served as a reminder for anyone heading to outdoor events this holiday weekend: have multiple ways to receive weather alerts and know where you would go if storms approach.

If you were able to safely capture photos, share them with Local 4 at MIPics.

Dearborn Heights resident Yassir Salih described how a massive tree came down and crashed through the windshield of his parents’ car.

“We opened the window, and we see these two trees, one going here and one going there, and just people are panicked; it was scary. I’ve never seen it in my life,” Salih said.

Also in Dearborn Heights, a large tree was uprooted and fell across Rockdale, blocking the roadway and narrowly missing homes and cars.

“It came down, and it was really quiet. It was a snap, and then, the branches cushioned it,” said resident Jean Poma. “We’re really lucky.”

City officials in both communities urged residents to report hazards as crews work through calls.

The City of Dearborn said its Department of Public Works is assessing and addressing fallen trees and storm-related debris, prioritizing blocked roadways, public safety hazards and locations affecting emergency access.

Residents should call 311 to report fallen trees and concerning conditions, and call 911 for downed power lines or emergencies, the city said.

Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud said the city sustained significant damage, with over 50 trees and large branches reported down across the community.

Crews were called in and are responding, prioritizing urgent hazards, including blocked roadways and immediate safety concerns, he said in a social media post.

In Dearborn Heights, the city said police, fire, and public works crews are responding to reports of downed power lines and streets blocked by fallen trees and limbs.

Residents are asked to report downed power lines, blocked streets or storm damage by calling the non-emergency dispatch lines at (313) 277-7400 or (313) 277-6770, according to a city statement.

City officials are also warning residents to never approach or drive over downed power lines.

Police said investigators quickly identified two individuals believed to be involved in the shooting on Friday (July 3), and both are being held at the Dearborn Police Department.

No charges had been announced as of Friday evening.

The shooting occurred at about 1:25 p.m. inside the shopping mall near Michigan Avenue and Evergreen Road.

Officers responding to reports of gunfire found three people who had been shot.

One person died at the scene, and a second victim died after being taken to a Metro Detroit hospital.

Police said a third person suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

The victims ranged in age from their late teens to early 20s, police said.

Police said the shooting stemmed from a dispute between two groups that escalated into gunfire.

Officials emphasized the violence was an isolated incident and not a random attack.

Police said detectives continue to interview witnesses, review evidence, and work to determine the full circumstances surrounding the shooting.

Earlier Friday, officials said all three people who were shot are believed to have been involved in the dispute.

The mall was closed for several hours while investigators processed the scene.

Police have not released the identities of the victims or the two people in custody.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact the Dearborn Police Department at 313-943-2240 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.

He got that — and so much more.

Cape Verde didn’t win a match at the World Cup, and somehow, that didn’t seem to matter. The African team's debut on this stage was unforgettable, thanks largely to the 40-year-old goalkeeper who nearly engineered a soccer story that would have been counted among the greatest upsets in sports history.

Cape Verde’s magical ride ended Friday in the Round of 32, with the Blue Sharks falling to Lionel Messi and defending World Cup champion Argentina — as most expected. Final score: Champions 3, Cinderellas 2, in extra time — as probably very few expected.

“We have dignified Cape Verde as a national team in most parts of the world,” Vozinha said in Portuguese. “Today, we fought on an equal footing against Argentina.”

Fight, the Blue Sharks did. But the journey still ended. There was a scoreless draw against Spain to open the tournament, with Vozinha leading the way, which led to the captivating tale surrounding the global collaborative effort it took to get his mother to the U.S. to watch matches in the group stage. There were two more dramatic draws that were good enough for Cape Verde to reach the knockout round.

It took a goal from Messi, then a corner kick from the legend midway through the second half of extra time that set up what became the game-winning tally, to save mighty Argentina. The match lasted more than 2½ hours in real time after the David-vs.-Goliath showdown started. Goliath was pushed to the brink, with Vozinha standing tall against the team that entered the tournament ranked No. 1 in the world — and the player regarded by many as the best ever — time and again.

“He's a quality, quality goalkeeper,” said Cape Verde defender Pico Lopes, who was recruited to the team with a LinkedIn message — another made-for-Hollywood story for this squad. “Probably hasn't gotten the recognition he deserves before this. ... He's a legend in Cape Verdean football.”

There were no fewer than four elite saves by Vozinha against Messi alone in the final 60 minutes:

— A point-blank stop in the 63rd minute after Messi tried to power a right-footed shot past the keeper, who came off his line to cut down the angle and absorbed the shot with his body. “Not many people stop Lionel Messi from three or four yards out,” Lopes said.

— A free kick from Messi in the 73rd seemed destined to curl into the right side of the net; Vozinha got just enough of an outstretched gloved hand on that one to knock it away to preserve what was then a 1-1 score.

— Messi went low with a free kick in stoppage time; Vozinha managed to see the ball through a wall of bodies and dropped to his knees to make a save.

— Late in the first 15-minute extra time period, Messi collected a deflected ball at the top of the penalty area and fired. Vozinha dove to his left, punching that one aside as well.

He did all he could. Everyone in his country's colors did. It was almost enough.

“Argentina is a world champion and they have one of the best players in the world, so that in itself speaks of the challenge it was for our team to overcome them,” Cape Verde coach Bubista said. “Above that, there’s the fact that we’re here for the first time. ... We want to evolve so that we can have more opportunities to face the so-called big dogs of the tournament.”

Cape Verde, the smallest nation in terms of land area to make the World Cup, with a population about 1% the size of Argentina's, will get $11 million from FIFA for making it this far in the tournament.

Of course, the Blue Sharks got a lot more than money. They became known on soccer's biggest stage, with fans from around the world reaching out during the World Cup run to say they had earned their support.

“Nobody has to ask where Cape Verde is now,” Lopes said. “They know where we are.”

___

See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

The flag is sewn in the tradition look of the Ross flag: the 13 alternating red and white stripes, the blue ensign in the upper left corner and the 13 Colonial stars in a circle. On the inside of the stars is the number 250.

It has become a viral collector’s item but has drawn its own bit of backlash from flag purists.

“We got a phone call from a gentleman saying we were defacing a US flag,” Jame Miles, the owner of American Flag and Banner, said. “They explained to us that the Betsy Ross is no longer a US flag, it is now just a commemorative historical image.”

The flags, which sell for $70 each are embroidered by hand in the back of the shop. The Ross flags have sold out as of July 3, but that hasn’t stopped the rush on them.

“We’re actually enhancing and complimenting and glorifying Betsy Ross for 250 years,” she said.

Miles, 75, has run American Flag and Banner since 1980. She has been with the company since 1977 when she was hired along with her late husband, Bill, by former owner Robert Erdman.

She had been working as a seamstress sewing the inside of caskets and had graduated from Wayne State when an opportunity came.

“I went in to see about being a sewer, and Mr. Erdman was ready to retire,” she said. “He interviewed me and found out I could do the patterns, so I could run the sewing room, and my husband could do the business end of it.”

Jane and Bill, who passed away in 2018, bought the company when Erdman retired and moved it to Clawson.

American Flag and Banner was founded in Southwest Detroit in 1917. The company, and Miles, has had a hand in making and finishing large flags and banners of all varieties for more than a century.

Historically, the company has made and repaired flags and banners that hung everywhere from in the original Hudson’s Department Store, to the Guardian Building, to the Ambassador Bridge.

Miles and her crew also made all of the Detroit Red Wings’ championship and retired number banners that hung in Joe Louis Arena, along with the banners for the Detroit Pistons’ 1989 and 1990 NBA Championships.

“I’ve always sewn, but everything that you sew is different,” Rosie Danz, a seamstress at American Flag and Banner, said while she sewed a 250 Flag. “You can do clothing or this or something, you know. Every everything you do, you have to learn really how to do it.”

Danz is the main seamstress. She works at the sewing machine in the back of the shop. She is often tasked with making new flags and repairing old ones.

She said it normally takes her about 45 minutes to make the 250 Betsy flags, and the semi-quincentennial has been a nice change of pace from the reasons that people normally buy flags in times of war or in remembrance of a veteran.

“This year it’s fun,” Miles said. “Everyone’s happy about it, so this time selling a lot of flags is joyful. They’re buying them for happy reasons, which in my lifetime we haven’t seen a surge like this.”

The 250 Betsy flags have sold out, and none will be available until at least October when more Betsy Ross flags come in from Philadelphia.

After nearly 50 years making flags, Miles doesn’t see herself quitting. Flags are her life.

“This is what I do. I don’t know what else to do,” she said. “I’m here. As long as I can make the drive and do the work, I’m staying.”

Update: 2 in custody after fatal Fairlane Town Center shooting leaves two dead, another injured in Dearborn

Dearborn police responded to reports of gunfire on Friday (July 3) around 1:25 p.m. at the mall near Michigan Avenue and Evergreen Road.

Police said three people were shot during the incident.

One person died at the scene, and a second victim died after being taken to a local hospital.

A third person was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.

The victims ranged in age from their late teens to early 20s, police said.

Investigators believe all three victims were involved in the incident, which police said began as a dispute between two groups that escalated into gunfire.

Officials emphasized the shooting was not a random act of violence and said there is no ongoing threat to the public.

As of Friday afternoon, no suspects were in custody.

Police said investigators are interviewing people of interest and witnesses as they work to determine exactly what happened.

“The safety of our residents and visitors remains our top priority,” Dearborn Police Chief Issa Shahin said in a statement. “Shootings and other acts of violence are entirely unacceptable, and we will hold everyone involved fully accountable.”

Shahin also thanked Dearborn police officers, first responders, and regional and federal law enforcement partners, including the University of Michigan-Dearborn Police Department and the Michigan State Police, for their swift response.

Fairlane Town Center remained closed for several hours Friday while detectives processed the scene.

The investigation remains ongoing, and authorities have not released the victims’ identities.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Dearborn Police Department at 313-943-2240.

You can watch the full media briefing in the video below

A thrilling, unforgettable World Cup match with underdog Cape Verde was over — and the defending champions survived after being pushed to the brink.

Cape Verde equalized in regulation and again in extra time, but the Blue Sharks could not respond to Argentina's third goal, and La Albiceleste advanced to the Round of 16 with a 3-2 victory on Friday.

Even in defeat, the performance by Cape Verde — a tiny island nation off the western coast of Africa — will stand as one of the most remarkable stories of this, or any, World Cup.

“I have to give credit to our opponents,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said. “The truth is, when people say there’s no such thing as an easy opponent, today (Cape Verde) proved they’re a great team.”

The go-ahead score for Argentina was credited as an own-goal after Cristian Romero's header deflected off Cape Verde's Diney Borges in the 111th minute. Messi scored early in regulation, his record-extending 20th career World Cup goal. Lisandro Martinez scored in the 92nd to put Argentina ahead 2-1.

Sidny Lopes Cabral and Deroy Duarte scored for Cape Verde — both equalizers that stunned the pro-Argentina crowd in South Florida. Cabral's goal — a curling, right-footed strike past goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez in the 103rd minute — made an already wild game even more incredible, tying it at 2-all and raising the possibility of Messi facing standout Cape Verde goalkeeper Vozinha in a penalty shootout.

Argentina pushed back in front eight minutes later, held on from there and advanced to face Egypt — which beat Australia in a shootout earlier Friday — in Atlanta on Tuesday.

“As this team has demonstrated many times, and as I’ve said many times, it competes,” Messi said in Spanish. “And we competed to the end.”

Cape Verde’s memorable World Cup debut had been a stunning run that few outside the country of 525,000 could have predicted. Behind the stellar play of the 40-year-old Vozinha, Cape Verde became the smallest country to reach the knockout round, securing surprising draws against former champions Spain and Uruguay and another against Saudi Arabia.

Vozinha had 10 saves against Argentina, including five against Messi.

“We dignify what our country is. We drew twice against the world champions, we took it to extra time,” Cape Verde coach Bubista said. “More than anything, it’s being proud of our players who were dignified in the World Cup. We showed our identity.”

Messi added another brilliant goal to his resume, sneaking behind the Cape Verde defense on a well-timed run as Martinez lofted a pass toward him, taking a quick touch and hammering a finish into the roof of the net for a 1-0 lead in the 29th minute.

The Argentina captain has seven goals in this tournament — one more France’s Kylian Mbappé in the Golden Boot race as the top scorer in this year’s World Cup — and extended his World cup record, moving two goals ahead of Mbappé on the career list. He has 12 goals during his record eight-match scoring streak.

Messi had the game's first chance that he sent skidding across the goal mouth but outside of the right post in the 15th minute. After getting taken down, he had a 25-yard free kick three minutes later that was easily gobbled up by Vozinha, who came up with a marvelous save nearly every time his team needed one.

“We came so close, we pushed them right to the end,” Cape Verde defender Pico Lopes said. “But in the end, it wasn’t to be. Disappointed ... but I think we showed great character today, a great quality to get back into the game twice. They’re the world champions for a reason.”

Bubista and players remained on the pitch well after the final whistle. Some sat with their heads nestled in their chests. Other shared tearful embraces before waving to their small crowd of supporters, reality sinking in at the end of a ride that almost no one outside of their fearless island could have predicted.

“We showed that we may be a small country,” Bubista said, “but we can play against some of the best teams in the world.”

___

See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

ESPN Senior NBA Insider Shams Charania reported the news on Friday (July 3) on X.

Free agent forward Javonte Green has agreed to a one-year, $3.95 million deal to return to the Detroit Pistons, sources tell ESPN. Green played all 82 games for the Pistons a season ago, averaging 6.9 points, 17.6 minutes and 38.1% 3-point shooting. pic.twitter.com/UNXv8bXiYu

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 3, 2026

Green appeared in all 82 regular-season games for Detroit last season, providing durability and reliable depth off the bench.

He averaged 6.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 17.6 minutes per game while making six starts during the 2025-26 season.

He also shot a career-high 38.1% from the three-point line, establishing himself as a dependable perimeter option in Detroit’s rotation.

Green contributed across multiple categories last season, including defense and high-energy plays, helping stabilize the Pistons’ second unit throughout the year.

Continuity a priority for Detroit this offseason

The Pistons have made continuity a priority this offseason as they look to build on last year’s roster structure and depth.

Detroit now boasts five players who shot above 36% from three-point range last season.

Former Michigan Wolverines star Duncan Robinson led the group at 41%, followed by new acquisitions Isaiah Joe at 42.3% and John Collins at 40.6%.

The Pistons also re-signed Kevin Huerter, who shot 36.8% from three-point range last season, adding yet another perimeter weapon to a roster quickly becoming one of the league’s most shooting-rich lineups.

--> Detroit Pistons will not waive former Michigan basketball star Duncan Robinson, report says

--> Lob City brewing in Detroit as Pistons sign high-flying forward John Collins to 3-year, $51M deal

--> Detroit Pistons re-sign sharpshooter Kevin Huerter to reported 3-year, $27M deal

--> Detroit Pistons introduce first-round pick Ebuka Okorie after trading up 4 slots in 2026 NBA draft

Trout has been out since June 17, when he strained his right hamstring while running the bases against Arizona. He performed his normal pregame routine Friday before the Angels opened a series against the Boston Red Sox, and he expects to hit on the field this weekend.

Trout said he is optimistic about playing early next week, and manager Kurt Suzuki didn't disagree.

“He looks good," Suzuki said. “I saw him today when I first came in. He was working out. He was obviously on the road trip, doing his thing. He’s getting really close. Really, really close.”

The 34-year-old Trout hasn't been officially selected for the All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park, but the two-time All-Star Game MVP is expected to be elected to the AL's starting outfield in what would be his 12th All-Star nod.

The honor would be particularly special this year for Trout, who grew up 40 miles from Philadelphia in Millville, New Jersey.

The three-time AL MVP hasn't participated in the All-Star festivities since 2019. He wasn't able to play due to injury after being selected from 2021-23, and he injured his knee early in the 2024 season before not being selected last year.

Trout has bounced back and stayed mostly healthy for the last-place Angels this season, posting a team-leading .866 OPS with 17 homers and 36 RBIs in 74 games.

He said last week that he probably wouldn't participate in the Home Run Derby as he tries to stay healthy.

___

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

The acts of clemency come as Trump has issued a slew of pardons in his second term, particularly for allies, public figures and those seen as politically aligned.

His use of the presidency’s sweeping ability to unilaterally grant pardons and commute sentences is among the ways the Republican’s return to office has featured an expansive use of executive power.

Trump earlier on Friday announced some of the pardons on social media, without identifying any of the recipients by name.

“It is my Great Honor to have just signed Pardons for six people who were persecuted by the Biden Administration, and were in, or being sent to, prison, for ‘fixing their car,’” Trump wrote on his Truth Social media network.

“I AM SETTING THEM ALL FREE, RIGHT NOW!” he said.

In a list provided Friday evening by the White House, Trump pardoned 11 people, including nine who faced charges related to violations of the Clean Air Act by disabling emissions monitoring systems on vehicles or selling devices that enabled emissions systems to be bypassed.

The pardons come after Trump on Monday signed a memo telling the Environmental Protection Agency that Americans can fix their own vehicles as they see fit. As he signed the memo, Trump referenced a diesel mechanic he pardoned last year who disabled emissions monitoring systems.

The memo also addressed aftermarket auto parts and would supersede the ability of the California Air Resources Board to evaluate parts that affect vehicle emissions.

The White House, in releasing the list of those pardoned, described Trump having “relieved consumers from these regulatory burdens.”

Beyond the emissions-related pardons, Trump on Friday also issued a pardon for Adam Kidan, a former business partner of Abramoff.

Kidan pleaded guilty in 2005 to fraud and conspiracy related to the purchase of a fleet of gambling boats, and in 2006 he was sentenced to nearly six years in prison.

The case was part of a broader investigation of the early 2000s lobbying scandal involving Abramoff, Capitol Hill, the Interior Department and members of President George W. Bush’s administration.

After leaving prison in 2009, Kidan began working at a staffing agency, went on to found a staffing business, Chartwell Staffing Solutions, and now serves as president of Empire Workforce Solutions, the White House said.

In March, the newspaper Newsday reported that Kidan was among the hosts of a fundraiser at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort for a Long Island Republican congressional candidate.

A message sent to Kidan’s business seeking comment was not immediately returned Friday evening.

Trump on Friday also pardoned ranch owner Jack Harvard, citing an “upstanding record” post-conviction and praising him for allowing the U.S. military and NATO troops to train on his land free of charge.

The White House did not immediately release additional details about Harvard, including his conviction.

Click here for the latest forecast from our 4Warn Weather team.

Here’s a list of the alerts by county.

Wayne County

• Severe Thunderstorm Watch through 10 p.m. Friday

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St. Clair County

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Sanilac County

• No active weather alerts.

FIFA had been looking at the possibility of starting the round of 16 game at the Azteca Stadium earlier than the scheduled 6 p.m. local time (8 p.m. EDT), a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

But a Mexican federation official told the AP that after deliberation FIFA decided the match would remain unchanged.

That person also spoke on condition on anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly.

Among the reasons for exploring the change was because of possible disruption caused by flooding.

Mexico coach Javier Aguirre criticized the proposed change earlier Friday.

“It’s a kick in the gut; now we must change everything. It’s not that all the work goes down the drain — though it’s close — because you’re having to scrap six hours of scheduled planning. I don’t like it at all,” Aguirre told Radio Formula. “Obviously, we’ll abide by what FIFA says, but neither my players nor I are happy about it.”

Rescheduling the match also could have affected England’s preparations. The Three Lions are scheduled to arrive late Friday and will hold their Saturday training session at the grounds of UNAM Pumas in the southern part of the capital, leaving them with significantly less time to acclimate to Mexico City’s high elevation.

The Azteca Stadium sits at more than 7,300 feet (2,200 meters) above sea level. For elite athletes to perform at their peak at high altitude, a period of adaption is required to reduce fatigue caused by lower atmospheric pressure and reduced oxygen availability, experts say. Sports scientists generally recommend an extended acclimation period of at least two weeks, or the “fly-in, fly-out” method of arriving as close to game time as possible before acute symptoms set in.

England coach Thomas Tuchel has already spoken about the difficulties his team faces in Mexico City.

“My understanding is that we cannot adapt to the altitude. That is just a huge advantage that Mexico will have,” Tuchel said this week. “It just takes too much time.”

The game will be Mexico City's fifth and final match of this year's World Cup.

___

See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

Here are this year’s finalists:

• JLBoone Photography
• Kendra Nichole Studios
• Lulu & Lula Photography
• Marisa Bowman Photography
• Ruff Life Photography

We received more than 16,700 nominations across our 80 Vote 4 The Best categories this year. Each category was then narrowed down to five finalists.

Click here to view the full list of finalists.

Now that nominations are over, voting on finalists can begin. Voting is open from June 22 through July 20, and you can vote for each category once per day during that time.

Click here to vote for finalists in all 80 categories.

Larson has a successful history on the bumpy asphalt of Chicagoland, a D-shaped oval circuit. He has four top-five finishes in six Cup Series starts at the speedway about 50 miles southwest of downtown Chicago. His 6.17 average finish is tops in track history among drivers with multiple starts.

Sunday's eero 400 is the first Cup Series race at Chicagoland since 2019, but Larson participated in two days of testing at the track in April. He had one of the fastest cars in practice on Friday.

“I felt like we learned a lot about our race car at the test that has benefited the four of us as we’ve moved on from it,” Larson said, referring to fellow Hendrick drivers Chase Elliott, William Byron and Alex Bowman. “So yeah, I think just extra laps here gives some confidence, but everybody’s so good, they’re going to get the speed fast.”

The 33-year-old Larson is looking to stop a 42-race drought dating to his win at Kansas in May 2025. It looks as if the two-time Cup Series champion is rounding into form midway through the season, posting top-five finishes in five of his last six races, including fourth at Sonoma last weekend.

Larson was second in the previous two Cup races at Chicagoland, losing to Bowman in 2019 and Kyle Busch in a memorable finish in 2018. When it comes to NASCAR’s top series, he remains in search of his first win at the speedway.

Larson rewatched his last-lap duel with Busch before he tested at the track in April, and he watched the highlights again ahead of his return this weekend.

Busch died in May at age 41, and Larson said watching the end of the race has a different meaning for him now.

“It was a really neat battle and it’s always fun to be a part of battles that still to this day get replayed, and I’ve been a part of a few,” Larson said. “So yeah, just wish he was here for obvious reasons and we could have another battle.”

Larson is taking on Byron this weekend in one of the most intriguing matchups for the second round of NASCAR's In-Season Challenge. The winner of the five-race, bracket-style tournament receives $1 million.

There were no signs of any awkwardness as Larson and Byron discussed their own duel within the race on Friday.

“It would be fun to go heads up with William but it’s really not something that you’re too focused on in the race,” Larson said. “I think you’re always just kind of focused on winning and if you win, I mean that takes care of it. Yeah, as it gets closer to the race, I think you pay a little bit of attention to it, but I'm just trying to do a good job."

___

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

High winds, hail, thunder, and lightning hit the area as severe weather moved through Metro Detroit.

As of 7:45 p.m. on Friday, DTE Energy reported that 264,840 customers were without power.

In this article, we’ll track power outages caused by the storm, should they occur. For the most up-to-date outage information, visit DTE’s outage center.

Report an outage to DTE here. Report an outage to Consumers Energy here.

• Track the live Michigan Weather Radar here
• Track severe weather alerts here
• Submit storm photos here
• Find more weather forecast articles at Weather Center

Remember to download the free 4Warn weather app -- it’s easily one of the best in the nation. Just search your app store under WDIV and it’s right there available for both iPhones and Androids! Or click the appropriate link below.

• Download for iPhone
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What to do if you find downed power lines

Stay at least 20 feet away from downed power lines and keep children and pets inside.

DTE Energy said you should assume that all downed power lines are energized and dangerous.

You can report downed lines to DTE Energy by calling 800-477-4747 or to Consumers Energy by calling 800-477-5050.

If you believe the downed power line poses an immediate danger to the public, you should call 911.

Energized wires that have fallen may whip around, spark, or arc as they look for a ground.

Energized wires that have found their ground might not move at all or make any sound, but they are still dangerous.

Click here to learn more about electrical safety from DTE Energy.

The Michigan Department of Transportation reported water over the roadway on southbound M-39 just after Warren Avenue West on Friday (July 3).

MDOT said all lanes are closed as crews responded to the scene.

Flooding on SB M-39
Location: SB M-39 AFTER Warren W
Lanes Blocked: All Lanes
Event Type: Flooding
County: Wayne
Event Message: FLOODING: WATER OVER ROADWAY : DO NOT DRIVE THRU STANDING WATER

— MDOT - Metro Detroit (@MDOT_MetroDet) July 3, 2026

Officials warned motorists not to drive through standing water, noting that flooding can create hazardous conditions and lead to vehicle damage or crashes.

No information was immediately available on when the roadway would reopen.

Drivers were urged to seek alternate routes and use caution in the area.

Michigan State Police said the family’s Chrysler 300 was stopped on the southbound shoulder of I-75 near Grange Hall Road Wednesday.

Then a pickup truck slammed into the vehicle, killing everyone inside.

Troopers said the family had pulled over to deal with an issue with their car.

The driver of the pickup was injured and taken to a hospital. That person is in custody.

For relatives, the loss is almost too much to bear.

“I’m so numb right now,” Devrionta Powell, the brother of Tieree Powell, who died in the crash Wednesday, said. “My tears yesterday, they turned to acid. My face was hurting. I have no more tears right now.”

Devrionta shared a video with Local 4 showing he and Tieree and dressed in suits at a wedding, sharing a brief, joyful moment. For Devrionta, it captures the depth of their relationship.

“The video shows the power, the bond we had between each other,” he said.

That bond was shattered Wednesday, when Tieree, his girlfriend, and their two young children were killed in the crash.

Family members said Tieree played a central role in keeping everyone connected, especially after their mother died.

“My brother played a big role in our family. He looked after everyone,” Devrionta said. “After my mother passing, you know, I used to call him like, ‘Hey, I need you to go over to the house and cut the grass. Check on someone, or feed the cats, or at least assist someone in our family.’ He was the contact I had since I’ve been deployed.”

Devrionta said his brother was devoted to his girlfriend and their children and was working to build a better future for them. Before the crash, Tieree was speaking with Army recruits about joining the military to create more stability for his family, Devrionta said.

Devrionta also mentioned his brother looked up to him. Devrionta is a sergeant in the army.

Outside the family’s home, a sidewalk memorial continues to grow, with neighbors and friends stopping by to leave balloons and messages.

“We’re just grieving right now and we could really use some support, a hug,” Devrionta said.

To honor the four lives lost, relatives are planning a public celebration service on Saturday.

The family is asking people to RSVP to come, you can send them an email to get the address at devriontapowell@gmail.com.

Local 4 also reached out to Michigan State Police on Friday to see if there were any updates on the crash; their Public Information Officer replied that there were none.

Update: ‘I’m so numb right now’: Brother remembers powerful bond with sibling killed in I-75 crash

Relatives on Thursday (July 2) identified the victims as parents Tieree Powell and Zakiera, and their children, 4-year-old Malani Powell and 2-year-old Carter Powell.

“This is very devastating for my family as we just lost our mother recently,” Tieree’s brother, Devrionta Powell, said in a statement. “My brother and his kids and girlfriend were the most kind-hearted people I knew.”

Michigan State Police said the family’s Chrysler 300 was heading south on I-75 around 9 p.m. when they pulled onto the shoulder to deal with a problem with the vehicle.

Devrionta Powell said his brother had stopped to change a flat tire.

While the car was on the side of the freeway, it was hit by a pickup truck.

Video taken Thursday morning showed the Chrysler on a flatbed being towed away; it was hardly recognizable.

The driver of the pickup was injured and taken to a hospital.

MSP said the driver is in custody as the investigation continues.

Local 4 reached out to MSP on Thursday afternoon for more information about the crash and the driver.

Their public information officer responded, “No additional updates at this time.”

“It was quite a mess,” said John Williams, fire chief of the Groveland Township Fire Department, whose crews responded to the scene.

Williams said the crash happened on a stretch of I-75 where emergency responders have seen numerous serious crashes over the years.

Local 4 reported last year that Williams and two other fire chiefs urged drivers to use extra caution along the roughly 15-mile stretch.

“Slow down. Do the speed limit. You’ll get there,” Williams said.

Devrionta said his family is leaning on their faith as they cope with the loss.

Devrionta said he and his brother were adopted into a loving family.

In addition to a brother, Tieree leaves behind four other sisters.

The family has set up a GoFundMe.

Devrionta’s full statement is below.

This is very devastating for my family as we just lost our mother recently.

My brother and his kids and girlfriend were the most kind hearted people I knew.

They loved their kids and would do anything to make sure their needs are met.

I am saddened by the way we lost them.

But we put our trust in god and we know justice will prevail for all involved.

Keep the families in your prayers and thoughts please.

Devrionta Powell

The Aspen Acres fire is one of about 40 uncontained large blazes burning mostly in the West, fueled by months of dry weather and a record lack of snow this past winter in some places.

Fire personnel were scooping water from the Pueblo Reservoir to fight the Aspen Acres fire, which had expanded to about 115 square miles (297 square kilometers) by Friday afternoon with zero containment.

All of Colorado City, an unincorporated community of about 2,200, was ordered evacuated as well as the towns of Beulah, Rye and San Isabel, according to the Pueblo County Sheriff's Office.

About 50 National Guard soldiers were being sent in Friday to help with staffing checkpoints on roads in Custer and Pueblo counties.

Guard members would also help State Park Rangers as they bring on additional boats to keep boaters clear of water-scooping operations.

Fire crews on the western side of the Rocky Mountains had contained about 65% of the Snyder Fire on the Colorado/Utah border, where three members of a helitack team were killed and two others injured last weekend when they were overcome by flames.

The Cottonwood fire in southwestern Utah had grown to about 147 square miles (380 square kilometers) by Friday while the Babylon fire in the southeast corner of the state was up to 133 square miles (344 square kilometers).

Balogun was sent off Wednesday for stepping on the right ankle of Tarik Muharemovic.

Before practice at Husky Soccer Stadium, Balogun said a yellow card for the illegal tackle would have been fairer.

“There’s nowhere else to put your leg. It’s going to be unavoidable,” Balogun said. “So, I’ve seen many different opinions and takes. But, for me personally, I think a yellow card would have been fair. It’s something that’s happened, so we have to move forward and I have to accept it.”

Balogun has to serve an automatic one-game suspension and will miss Monday’s Round of 16 game against Belgium. There is no appeal process for a red-card suspension unless FIFA assesses a penalty of more than one game, which was not the case with Balogun. He will be eligible to return for the quarterfinals should the Americans advance.

Balogun has three goals in the tournament, including one to give the U.S. the lead against Bosnia. He has matched Landon Donovan in 2010 for the second-most goals by an American in a World Cup, behind only Bert Patenaude’s four in the initial tournament in 1930.

The 25-year-old striker celebrated his goal against Bosnia with the “Silencer” move used by the NBA’s LeBron James, which the league’s career scoring leader also celebrated on social media. Balogun, who became the first U.S. player to score two goals in a World Cup match since 1930, said he has experienced a “roller coaster” of emotions as of late.

“Been upset, I’ve been happy. It’s been surreal, to be honest,” Balogun said. “But for me, I think it was just important to stay calm. I never want to react out of anger and out of emotion. There’s still lots of people who are inspiring little kids, boys and girls who are watching. We have to show them the correct way to handle things, even when you think it’s unjust.”

It's not yet clear who U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino will select to replace Balogun in the starting lineup. Ricardo Pepi and Haji Wright are the most likely candidates.

When Christian Pulisic sat out the 2-0 win against Australia in group play because of a calf injury, Pepi started in his place.

“When you miss a player like Balo, things change a little bit, but we’ve been flexible,” teammate Tyler Adams said. “Guys have shown that they’re ready to play. If it’s Pepi, if it’s Haji, we go a different direction. It should be an exciting opportunity for whoever has to step up.”

Belgium is aware of the Americans' offensive capabilities outside of Balogun. Pulisic has 33 goals in 89 international appearances, fifth most in U.S. history. Five players other than Balogun have scored for the U.S. in the tournament.

“They have a lot of danger in the team,” Belgium defender Maxim De Cuyper said. “Lot of quality. I don’t want to say too much, which qualities are the best. But, I think they grew a lot in this tournament. You see they are in good flow. They play at home, I think it’s very dangerous for us. So, we will be prepared.”

To be without Balogun for one of the most significant matches in U.S. history is still a significant blow. A victory on home soil would secure a spot in the quarterfinals of the World Cup for only the second time for the Americans. The first was in 2002.

“I love seeing how engaged the country is in our journey and what they’re doing,” Balogun said. “So, my role is just to continue supporting everybody, to keep morale high. And, I’m sure for the game against Belgium we can really create a great atmosphere to win.”

Injury notes

Midfielder Cristian Roldan trained on his own again as he continues to rehab a quad injury. Defender Mark McKenzie trained in full after dealing with a foot injury that sidelined him for the Bosnia match.

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See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

Powell was one of scores of Taylor Swift fans and inquisitive passersby who braved the New York City heat Thursday to satiate their curiosity about what many are calling the wedding of the century and the American equivalent of royal nuptials.

The couple are "literally the king and queen of America,” said Kristen Donohue, who stopped by the area surrounding Madison Square Garden Thursday with a fellow Swiftie co-worker on their lunch break.

A law enforcement official briefed on the security plans confirmed to The Associated Press Wednesday that Swift and Kelce will have their wedding at Madison Square Garden on Friday night with a smaller rehearsal dinner planned for Thursday night.

The couple themselves have been mum on the wedding details. Neither has confirmed the festivities will happen on the bustling and hot weekend that coincides with World Cup matches and Fourth of July celebrations. A representative for Swift has not responded to multiple inquiries, including on Thursday.

About 100 guests began arriving at the famed venue at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday — when temperatures were still near the triple digits. The event was for a “pre party celebration,” according to a copy of a city permit obtained by The AP. Heavy security was in place as black sport utility vehicles drove into a large tent to drop off passengers, who then walked through a tented area into the arena.

Several fans stopped by in passing or even made trips to midtown Manhattan expressly to scope out the scene hours before those expected arrivals.

Crews have been seen unloading equipment from trucks this week — much of it covered or obscured — and barricades have been placed near the perimeter of the arena. The aesthetic details of what will happen beyond the loading docks have been shrouded in mystery.

Madison Square Garden sits next to New York Penn Station, one of the nation’s busiest transportation hubs, so it is naturally a lively area on any day. But Thursday afternoon, people lingered longer than usual as they passed through, and there was an increased police presence in the area.

Rachel Latchford and Linda Solano, nurses in a hospital in central Pennsylvania, made the trip to New York to see a Broadway show this weekend, but they said they had to go “see what all the buzz is about," Latchford said. “We’re going to the wedding, baby,” Solano joked on a FaceTime call with a friend.

Latchford acknowledged the heavy police presence, but she said she felt “very protected” and added that “there's been police all over the city this week with Fourth of July.”

A large tent was erected Thursday on 31st Street outside of an entrance to the arena. Tarps were hung to cover the walkway, so the couple and their guests will presumably be blocked from view as they enter and exit. In one spot where glass windows offered a peak inside, pink curtains were hung around 5 p.m., completely obscuring any of the exclusive happenings indoors.

By 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, 31st Street was completely closed off to pedestrians between 7th and 8th avenues. Some disappointed fans lingered near the barricades and boundaries police had set up and were enforcing. They were still hoping to see anything from their limited vantage point.

While many there earlier on Thursday were keeping their eyes peeled for any decor, florals or anything that could give them a sense of what and who might be inside the arena this weekend, much of the motivation to be there for fans was purely out of excitement for Swift herself.

“She's just so important in everyone's life,” said Alyssa Heinen, who was outside the arena Thursday afternoon. “We grew up with Taylor Swift, and just seeing her now find love — I feel like it's inspiring to so many women. It's so nice to see her so happy.”

“When they started dating, it was super exciting and cute and adorable,” said Brittany McCusker, who was with her colleague Donohue on their scouting mission. “It’s really amazing that they don’t have to broadcast anything, they can have it super private. I really respect that, but it’s a bummer that we don’t get to see it too.”

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Associated Press journalist Ted Shaffrey contributed.

State television showed people rallying at night in various Iranian cities, chanting slogans in support of the country's theocracy and against America and Israel.

The government expects to see millions flood the streets of the capital beginning Saturday in scenes reminiscent of the burial of the late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989.

That could provide a boost for Iran's government, particularly as it tries to leverage its hold on the Strait of Hormuz in negotiations with the United States over a permanent end to the war, and as concern still lingers that Israel could attack yet again.

Despite that, a powerful general who leads Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard emerged publicly for the first time in months for the funeral. Other top government officials will also likely will be on hand alongside foreign dignitaries in a show of strength by Iran.

“As long as these people, who are chosen (by God), are on the field, we will definitely continue the same ‘no to humiliation’ policy that was founded by the Islamic Republic,” said Mohammad Hossein Rezaei, a volunteer preparing for the funeral Friday.

“We will continue our policy of pursuing independence, and decisions will be made inside the country, and the people will decide their own fate,” he said.

Caskets displayed in Tehran

Khamenei's flag-draped coffin sat at Tehran's Grand Mosalla alongside family members killed in the Israeli airstrike that came in the first moments of the war on Feb. 28.

The dead being honored include a son-in-law, his eldest daughter, a 14-month-old granddaughter and the wife of Iran's new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of the previous leader who remains in hiding after reportedly being wounded in the attack.

Religious leaders and foreign dignitaries walked up to Khamenei’s casket as a military band played or a man sang prayers. Iran's Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and President Masoud Pezeshkian, key leaders in the country's civilian government, all paid their respects.

Video published by Iranian state media showed an earlier mourning ceremony Thursday night for Khamenei. The black-clad mourners, whom state media identified as coming from families of those who lost loved ones in the 12-day war in 2025 and the recent Iran war, threw scarves and other items for attendants to brush against the coffin, a common practice in Iran seen as a blessing.

Later, state media showed images of Khamenei’s casket draped by a red flag with white calligraphy reading “Ya Hussein,” a Shiite expression in remembrance of the 7th-century martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson. It had been flying over the Imam Hussein golden-domed shrine in Karbala, Iraq. The flag also traditionally symbolizes both the spilled blood of someone unjustly killed and a call for vengeance.

Top general appears for first time in months

Photos published online by Iranian state media showed Gen. Ahmad Vahidi attending a meeting Thursday about the funeral of Khamenei, then sitting alongside his casket as Iran's theocracy held a smaller service for him Thursday night near the supreme leader's former home in downtown Tehran.

“They must know that the pure blood of our martyred imam will mark another turning point in the victories of beloved Islam across the global arena,” Vahidi told state television in comments aired Friday. “They will take to their graves the wish to see this nation surrender. This nation will rise higher day by day through this pure blood.”

Vahidi has become a major player in formulating Iran’s tough stance in negotiating a possible permanent end to the war with the United States, experts say. He had not been seen publicly since Feb. 8, weeks before the Iran war began. Israel killed top leaders in Iran’s military and government during the war, and has threatened the life of the new supreme leader as well. Vahidi is believed to be part of a small clique in direct contact with the younger Khamenei.

It remains unclear whether Khamenei will appear at his father's funeral. His father appeared in 1989 at Khomeini's funeral, weeping visibly, as he began his journey to lead Iran for decades with an iron fist while confronting the West.

Israel's repeated threats to kill Khamenei drew a warning from Iran's joint military command Thursday, which told Israel and the U.S. “to avoid any miscalculation" over the coming days.

Funeral to go on for days

Beginning Saturday, Iran will hold the dayslong funeral for Khamenei and his body will be transported to cities in both Iran and neighboring Iraq. Authorities plan to shut down streets, airspace and daily life in Tehran as mourners commemorate the life of Khamenei.

In Tehran, images of the late Khamenei's fist could be seen in banners and in a giant statue in Enghelab Square, framed by what appeared to be ballistic missiles flying through the air. In his first message to the nation, read by a state television anchor, Mojtaba Khamenei said he saw his father’s body after his death with raised, clenched fist.

The banners read in Arabic, English and Farsi: “We must rise.”

“This fist is the clenched fist of all us Muslims,” taxi driver Jafar Javadi said. “The leader’s fist is a sign all our fists are clenched and they (the enemies) will be destroyed with these fists, God willing. We will continue chanting death to America and death to Israel with the same clenched fist.”

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Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writer Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report.

The Flyers tendered the five-year, $90 million offer sheet to Carlsson on Friday, which would require four of the Flyers first-round draft picks in each of the next four seasons as compensation.

The Anaheim Ducks have seven days to exercise their right of first refusal on the player, per the NHL collective bargaining agreement.

The Ducks announced they would not make an immediate decision. General manager Pat Verbeek will not comment until the process is complete.

The offer sheet comes 14 years after the Flyers, under previous management, offer-sheeting Nashville defenseman Shea Weber for $110 million over 14 years, which the Predators matched.

The 21-year-old Carlsson had 29 goals, 38 assists for 67 points in 70 games last season with the Ducks. He added 11 points in 12 playoff games to help lead Anaheim to the second round.

A native of Karlstad, Sweden, Carlsson has 141 points (61 goals, 80 assists) in 201 regular-season games with the Ducks. The 6-foot-3, 208-pound center was selected by Anaheim second overall in the 2023 draft.

The Minnesota Wild in September signed Kirill Kaprizov to an eight-year, $136 million extension, giving him the richest contract in NHL history.

Kaprizov will count $17 million against the salary cap beginning next season, through 2034. That’s the highest annual average salary of any player since the league’s cap era began in 2005, surpassing Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl at $112 million over eight years, a $14 million annual average. Alex Ovechkin’s 13-year, $124 million contract signed with Washington in 2008 was previously the highest total value.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL

For many who gathered along the parade route Friday, it was a chance to reconnect with neighbors, reflect on sacrifice and celebrate what the holiday represents.

“Everybody comes out in the neighborhood, sit on the grass and stuff, and give thanks,” said Oak Park resident Leola Clay.

For David and Cathy Tovarez, the day carries a personal meaning rooted in family service.

“I think the biggest thing about celebrating Independence Day is remembering those and what our country has gone through to get to this point,” David Tovarez said. “Those that have served, specifically both of our fathers, had served in the military.”

Crowds of all ages filled the sidewalks as bands provided the beat and marching groups moved down the street, drawing cheers from spectators.

Clay said the celebration also comes with perspective.

“There’s so many sacrifices that have been made for us to glorify this day,” Clay said. “People have lost their lives, so independence is important.”

Oak Park City Council member Solomon Radner called Independence Day one of the country’s most meaningful holidays, a moment to pause and unite.

“It’s the one day a year, at least one day a year, that we get to put our differences aside and focus on what we have in common and what keeps us together,” Radner said.

This year’s parade also carried added significance for many along the route as the country approaches its 250th anniversary.

With sunshine and temperatures pushing toward the 90s, parade-goers said they planned ahead.“Just being out here in the sunshine and being able to be with family — that’s a big part,” said Cathy Tovarez, adding that arriving early and finding shade made the heat more manageable. “Making sure we get in the shade and get here early, always.”

Families like the Williams also used the holiday to celebrate across generations. When asked to sum up what Independence Day means in one word, Larry Williams didn’t hesitate.

“At the end of the day, the biggest thing is freedom,” Williams said. “Our ancestors went through a lot to get us to this point. I think about my grandmother, my grandfather, my great-grandfather. For me to be here and doing what I’m doing, I tip my hat to them.”

NFL players and other prominent sports figures made up part of the star-studded crowd for Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift's wedding at Madison Square Garden on Friday.

Kareem Hunt was one of Kelce's many current or former Kansas City Chiefs teammates spotted in New York ahead of the wedding, which was expected to also be attended by Kelce's retired Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl-winning brother Jason, San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle and others from football, golf and beyond.

Soccer even had a presence, albeit in the form of “Ted Lasso” actor Jason Sudeikis, himself a big Chiefs fan.

The wedding is taking place at the home arena of the NBA’s New York Knicks and NHL’s Rangers. Swift attended Game 4 of the NBA Finals there, sitting courtside as the Knicks pulled off the biggest comeback at that stage of the playoffs in league history by rallying from down 29 to beat San Antonio.

MSG has been the site of some iconic sports moments since the current version opened at this location atop Penn Station in 1968.

The Knicks won their first NBA title there in 1970, when Willis Reed famously returned from injury to spark their Game 7 victory against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Joe Frazier beat Muhammad Ali there in the first of the legends' three boxing matches against each other, the “Fight of the Century,” in 1971. Ali won the rematch in '74.

The Rangers ended their 54-year championship drought at the Garden in 1994, defeating the Vancouver Canucks to win the Stanley Cup.

Kelce is a three-time Super Bowl champion with Kansas City and a four-time AP All-Pro selection at his position. Jason was a seven-time All-Pro center who helped Philadelphia win the Super Bowl in the 2017 season.

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

The four-time Grand Slam champion reached the fourth round at the All England Club for the first time Friday in a tidy 6-1, 6-3 victory over Daria Kasatkina on No. 1 Court.

An on-court interviewer then asked Osaka about her daughter Shai's third birthday on Thursday, as the Japanese player had said they would celebrate by going to a nearby park. But apparently that didn't work out as planned.

“I don’t think I should be telling you this, but she was kind of bad yesterday,” a smiling Osaka began. “We tried to take her to the park but then she needed to go to timeout, so we’re going to try to take her to the park again today.”

As fans chuckled, Osaka added: "It was an awesome birthday. She blew out her candles. She made a wish — I hope her wish is to behave better. Today’s a new day for her.”

Osaka will next face No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.

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

WAYNE COUNTY – Dehydration, heat exhaustion, sunburn, insect bites, poison ivy, skin rashes, gastrointestinal illnesses.

Hanady Nasser-Beydoun, Pharmacy Manager, Livonia CVS Pharmacy

• This time of year, we’re seeing a lot of dehydration, heat exhaustion, sunburns, insect bites, poison ivy, seasonal allergies, and minor cuts and scrapes from outdoor activities
• We also get questions from travelers about motion sickness, upset stomachs, and what to pack in a travel first-aid kit.
• Patients with asthma or other respiratory conditions may also experience flare-ups due to heat, humidity, or poor air quality.
• Sunscreen remains one of the most requested products, particularly broad-spectrum SPF 30 or higher. We’re also seeing strong demand for electrolyte drinks and hydration powders, insect repellents, aloe vera gel for sunburn relief, and antihistamines such as Claritin for seasonal allergies and itchy insect bites.
• Decongestants like Sudafed are also common requests for patients dealing with lingering congestion from allergies and before air travel.
• Pain relievers for headaches or muscle aches, travel-sized medications, anti-diarrheal products, and motion sickness remedies are also popular as families prepare for vacations.
• Many patients underestimate how quickly dehydration can develop during outdoor celebrations, especially older adults and young children. It’s common to hear from people who spent the day outside to develop headaches, dizziness, or fatigue caused by dehydration or heat exposure.
• We’re also reminding patients that certain prescription medications—including some antibiotics, acne medications, diuretics, and blood pressure medications—can increase sensitivity to the sun or affect the body’s ability to regulate temperature. That’s an important conversation to have before spending long periods outdoors.
• Overall, the best advice is simple: stay hydrated before you feel thirsty, wear sunscreen and reapply it every two hours (or after swimming or sweating), use insect repellent when appropriate, seek shade during the hottest part of the day, and keep a small first-aid kit on hand for outdoor gatherings and travel. These simple precautions can help prevent many of the health issues we see around the Fourth of July.

Rami Fakih, Pharmacy Manager, Dearborn Heights CVS Pharmacy

• Now we are seeing many cases of skin rash, most of the time it’s either after mosquitoes bites or poison IVY. We recommend over the counter creams like Hydrocortisone and Benadryl tablets to help with the itching.
• Also recently we started seeing cases of stomach cramp with diarrhea and nausea,  first we advise patients to drink a lot of water to prevent dehydration. We also recommend electrolyte-rich beverages to replenish nutrients.
• Last, we are getting questions regarding sunscreens and sunburns. We advise our customers to always put sunscreen at least half an hour before they go outside (at least 35 SPF) and to repeat application every 2 hours.

OAKLAND COUNTY – Gastrointestinal viruses, hand foot & mouth disease, croup, e-bike injuries, dehydration, poison ivy, respiratory illnesses.

Dr. Whitney Minnock, Pediatric Chief of Emergency at Corewell Health William Beaumont University Hospital in Royal Oak

“We’re currently seeing a wide range of seasonal illnesses in the hospital, including gastrointestinal viruses, hand, foot and mouth disease, croup, and other fever-related viral infections. In addition to that, there’s been a noticeable increase in e-bike-related injuries, as well as some unfortunate water-related incidents, which is something we always urge families to be mindful of this time of year.”

Dr. David Donaldson, Emergency Center Chief, Corewell Health Beaumont Troy Hospital

“With the recent stretch of hot weather, we’re treating more cases of dehydration, along with a spike in poison ivy exposure. Interestingly, we’re also still seeing some respiratory illnesses, despite being in the middle of summer. It’s a reminder that a variety of health concerns can emerge this time of year, and prevention and awareness are key.”

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

“Recently, we have seen cases of rhinovirus and bacterial pneumonia. We are also seeing a few summer respiratory viruses this past week.”

Dr. Josh Newblatt, Pine Knob Urgent Care

“Seeing a lot of heat related illness such as dehydration, sunburn, heat exhaustion, etc. Also continued injuries secondary to outside activities.”

WASHTENAW COUNTY – did not report this week.

MONROE COUNTY – Did not report this week.

MACOMB COUNTY – Outdoor injuries, motor vehicle accidents, breathing problems, heat-related issues, seasonal allergies, asthma flare-ups, skin rashes, bug bites.

Dr. Andrew Awabdeh, Emergency Physician at McLaren Macomb

“In addition to the orthopedic and soft tissue injuries sustained in outdoor and other summer activities, there has been a significantly high rate of patients injured in motor vehicle accidents. The heat and allergens prevalent in the air continue to cause varying degrees of breathing complications, with asthma sufferers at risk for severe complications. Though some patients have received treatment, there has not been the elevated prevalence of environmental irritants (ie, bug bites and skin rashes) often typical for this time of year.”

LIVINGSTON COUNTY – Gastrointestinal illnesses.

Dr. Bashar Yalldo, Henry Ford Byron Family Medicine- Howell

“I have been seeing some GI issues including nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. It is not yet confirmed to be cyclosporiasis, but now is an important time to take steps to avoid illness. To help avoid any illness from cyclospora or other harmful bacteria or organisms, it is recommended to properly wash and store and fruits or vegetables.”

The signs would be in the same area where the Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776. A message seeking comment was left Friday with the National Park Service.

The new educational panels were designed to replace ones put up in 2010 that told the story of how nine slaves lived in the home along with George and Martha Washington in the 1790s, when Philadelphia was briefly the nation's capital.

Their removal stemmed from Trump's 2025 executive order calling for federally owned or controlled historic sites not to display information to “disparage Americans past or living” and to focus on the “greatness of the achievements and progress of the American people.”

Friday's ruling from a three-judge panel of the U.S. 3rd Circuit of Appeals, which is based in a courthouse across an intersection from the President's House site, was a technical one to allow implementation of a ruling made last month.

That ruling — by one judge Trump nominated, one nominated by former President George W. Bush and one chosen by former President Barack Obama — said a lower court was wrong to force the federal government to take down its new panels.

The government asked Thursday for the go-ahead to put them back up, saying that the panels were ready to install and that they should go up “without further delay.” The administration has said in court filings that its information also discusses slavery.

Advocates, academics and officials have been concerned for months that the version that complies with Trump’s order could give a history that downplays the pain in the nation’s past in favor of a more triumphant view.

A government website with images of the new panels shows they would still have information on enslaved people who lived in the home, plus details on the abolitionist movement, how the Constitution treated slavery, the end of slavery in Pennsylvania and how Washington and his successor, John Adams, viewed and treated slavery, as well as information about the 20th century Civil Rights movement. The replacement panels do not include some of detail in the earlier ones, such as a map of slave trade routes and a timeline on slavery. They also avoid critical headlines such as “The Dirty Business of Slavery.”

The City of Philadelphia, which sued over removal of the previous information, is trying to put the brakes on the new installation. The city on Friday asked the appeals court to recall its order from earlier in the day — at least long enough to allow the city to respond to the request Trump's administration made on Thursday.

Philadelphia said in its filing that it would be hurt if the new panels go back up: “The President’s House is a site of exceptional importance to Philadelphia and the Nation, developed through years of federal-local collaboration to tell a historically significant and long-suppressed story.”

About half the previous panels were reinstalled earlier this year before a court ordered that work to stop.

Update: Dearborn police describe what led to fatal shooting, leaving 2 dead, 1 injured inside Fairlane Mall

The shooting happened at around 1:30 p.m. on July 3 at the mall near Evergreen Road and Michigan Avenue.

According to Dearborn police in a media briefing, three people were shot inside the mall. One person died at the scene and one died at a local hospital. The extent of the injuries for the third victim is not clear.

The victims ranged in age from the late teens to the early 20s.

No suspects are in custody, and it was not a random act of violence, officials said.

According to police, the incident stemmed from a fight between two groups that escalated in gunfire.

The mall will be closed for at least a few hours as police investigate the scene.

You can watch the full media briefing in the video below

He has shrugged off the setback for one of the world’s leading oil-producing nations as “not critical,” dismissed ceasefire proposals and insisted the war will continue until his goals are met.

Putin has described the attacks on Russian energy as an effort by Ukraine to distract attention from its losses on the battlefield, although analysts say the advance of Russian forces has been stymied in recent months. The Russian leader appears to believe his government can keep the fuel crisis from eroding his authority and support for the war he launched more than four years ago.

The Russian military unleashed a massive 11-hour barrage on the Ukrainian capital overnight into Thursday morning that killed at least 30 people. It was one of the deadliest attacks on Kyiv since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.

Here's a deeper look at the latest exchange of strikes and Putin’s refusal to halt the fighting:

Gas shortages worsen in Russia as more oil facilities are hit

There have been more than 50 reported Ukrainian attacks on oil refineries and other energy facilities in Russia and occupied Crimea since March — a barrage Ukrainian leaders have said is intended to pressure Moscow to end the war.

At the very least, the attacks have brought the war home even more poignantly for millions of Russians, shattering Putin’s narrative of the conflict as something that doesn’t affect the lives of ordinary people in his country.

An estimated one-third of Russia’s refining capacity has been cut off, according to Chris Weafer, CEO of the consultancy Macro-Advisory. The attacks have inflicted lasting damage that will be costly to fix.

Despite significant air defenses protecting Russia's capital, a top refinery in Moscow has been hit twice. The second strike on June 18 set it ablaze, damaging key equipment that will reportedly take until the end of the year to repair.

With gasoline production in Russia reduced by roughly 17% to 850,000 barrels a day, according to government statistics, rationing has been introduced in many regions, and motorists have had to wait in line for hours to refuel.

In an effort to ease the fuel deficit, the government has allowed production of lower quality gasoline with higher sulfur content through the year's end.

Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014, has faced the worst fuel shortages. Gasoline sales to individuals have been periodically halted there altogether.

Putin downplays the impact of Ukrainian strikes

Putin chaired a meeting of government officials last weekend to discuss the fuel shortages.

In televised statements, he acknowledged the country was going through a “difficult period.” He pledged to accelerate repairs of energy facilities and said Russia would consider importing gasoline to help make up for what he described as “temporary” shortages. He also said Russia's arms industry will boost production of air defense systems to fend off future Ukrainian attacks.

Putin portrayed the Ukrainian strikes as an attempt to divide Russian society, halt Moscow's offensive and try to force the Kremlin into negotiations on “terms advantageous to our adversary.”

“We will not give them that chance,” he said.

While Putin said Ukraine's long-range strikes on Russian oil facilities “have absolutely no effect on the situation at the front,” Western military analysts say midrange strikes on the Russian army in recent months have hampered military logistics and slowed the tempo of its advance, leaving the battlefield in a stalemate.

On Friday, Putin visited the Russian military headquarters directing the action in Ukraine to receive a report on the capture of the city of Kostyantynivka after weeks of intense street battles. He hailed it as a key step toward capturing the nearby cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, the key remaining strongholds in the so-called “forest belt” of heavily fortified cities in the Donetsk region that remain in Ukraine's hands.

The capture of Kostyantynivka, a big transport and industrial hub, is of “major strategic importance,” Putin, clad in military fatigues, said in televised comments.

There has been no immediate comment from Ukrainian officials on the Russian claim. Earlier Friday, the Ukrainian military's General Staff reported repelling 24 Russian assaults near Kostyantynivka and other settlements.

Putin also warned Friday that “the more strikes Kyiv launches on our civilian facilities ... the bigger security zone we will need to create” in Ukraine.

He issued another threat to Ukraine's Western allies, saying that Russia will look into the details of their “engagement in hostilities,” adding that "we will need this analysis for making possible responsible decisions in the future."

Putin dismisses Ukraine's ceasefire offers

The Russian president has responded to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's offer to meet by challenging him to come to Moscow, a non-starter to Ukraine.

Putin has rejected a truce that Kyiv and its Western allies have proposed. He says it would only give Ukrainian forces time to rest and regroup.

He has made any ceasefire conditional on Ukraine's withdrawal from the part of the Donetsk region it still controls, a demand rejected by Ukraine. Putin has said that a final peace deal must oblige Ukraine to abandon its bid to join NATO, reduce its military and protect Russian language and culture.

In last Sunday's interview, Putin claimed that Ukraine had offered to limit the fighting to the four regions that Russia annexed but never fully captured: Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. He said he rejected the proposal because it would free up Ukrainian forces from other areas where Russian troops have made inroads and let them focus on fending off the Russian attacks in the four southeastern regions.

“Faced with a catastrophic shortage of personnel, the armed forces of Ukraine apparently believe this could be their salvation,” Putin said. “Saving the Kyiv regime is not part of our plans.”

The Kremlin said the offer was made via confidential channels; Ukrainian officials have not publicly discussed any such proposal.

Putin also dismissed a Ukrainian proposal to mutually halt strikes deep into each other's territory. Russian attacks deep into Ukraine are “much more powerful, sensitive and, frankly speaking, destructive,” he said.

In Thursday's deadly barrage on Kyiv, Russia once again hit residential areas even as it claimed to be targeting military sites. By contrast, the vast majority of Ukrainian strikes in Russia have hit oil facilities, weapons factories and other military targets.

A United Nations tally says more than 16,000 Ukrainian civilians have died in the war.

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Fujimori, 51, the daughter of a disgraced former president, was running for the presidency for the fourth time. She will be Peru’s ninth president in 10 years when she takes office later this month.

Fujimori’s victory, along with that of Abelardo de la Espriella in Colombia and José Antonio Kast in Chile, confirms a regional shift toward the conservative wing, a stark contrast from the panorama of a few decades ago when left-wing leaders such as Hugo Chávez in Venezuela or the current Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva emerged.

The election win was certified Friday by the country's top election authority. Figures released by election officials earlier in the week showed that with 100% of ballots tallied, Fujimori received 9,223,000 votes, or 50.135% of the total, while nationalist congressman Roberto Sánchez earned over 9,173,000 votes, or 49.865%.

Fujimori and Sánchez made it to the June 7 runoff election after defeating 33 other candidates in an April vote.

Voters were primarily concerned with increasing levels of crime, especially extortion by violent organized crime gangs, and Fujimori pledged to combat crime with an iron fist.

Fujimori said on social media Friday that “each day of this process of transition is an opportunity to listen, discuss and arrive prepared for the start of a new government.”

The winner is the daughter of the late Alberto Fujimori, the former president whose government in the 1990s defeated the Shining Path extremist rebel group but also took an authoritarian turn. He was convicted in 2009 of human rights abuses in the fight against the rebels, and later of corruption charges.

Keiko Fujimori promised to build four prisons and another similar to El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center known as the CECOT, and to force prisoners to work in the prisons. She also announced plans to militarize the borders to curb crime and deport undocumented migrants.

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A day after Rodríguez angrily defended the competence of her government's relief effort at her first news conference since the June 24 disaster, her main rival, exiled Venezuelan Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado, issued her own appeal.

Machado on Friday argued that the government's quake response exposed its critical weaknesses and that she should return to Venezuela to help "the transition process, especially after the tragedy.”

"My presence stabilizes the situation; it is part of the organizing forces that the country needs at a time when the total absence of the state has become evident," Machado said, referring to widespread criticism of the government’s earthquake response as slow and disorganized. “The country needs figures it can trust.” She spoke to reporters from Panama.

The quakes have killed 2,645 people and injured over 12,500 others, according tallies released Friday by the government. Machado's opposition movement has set up an online database to locate the missing — a list of 36,000 people as of Friday. The party has mobilized volunteers to collect donations in Venezuela and solicited aid from the country's vast diaspora.

Machado was barred from running in a 2024 presidential election in which President Nicolás Maduro claimed victory. Vote tallies that the opposition collected from voting machines used in the election showed that the candidate Machado endorsed, Edmundo González, beat Maduro by a more than 2-to-1 margin.

The US praises Rodríguez, blocks Machado

When the earthquakes hit, Machado saw an opening to return home for the first time after fleeing in December to accept a Nobel Peace Prize in Norway. Ever since the United States captured Maduro in a brazen military operation in January, Machado has been seeking a comeback and calling for a democratic transition.

But the Trump administration has thrown its support behind Rodríguez since Maduro's ouster, praising her business-friendly reforms of the country’s lucrative oil sector.

Two senior U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to disclose private diplomatic discussions, told The Associated Press that the Trump administration has grown frustrated with Machado and dissuaded her from returning to Venezuela in the aftermath of the earthquakes.

One official said that Machado had sought assistance from Washington for ferrying her to Venezuela from the Caribbean island of Curaçao and also from Panama.

The second official said the U.S. suspected she wanted to return to lead protests against Rodríguez and push for political change at a time when the focus should be on quake recovery. This official added that the Trump administration could not prevent Machado's return but was not in a position to facilitate it.

Earthquake fallout becomes political

Upon learning of Machado’s plans, Rodríguez shut down commercial air traffic into Caracas, the U.S. official said. Those canceled flights were set to bring hundreds of relief workers to assist with earthquake recovery efforts, the official said.

Seemingly concerned that anger over the earthquake response could jeopardize her leadership, Rodríguez on Thursday blamed any criticism of the government on what she called “narratives manufactured in propaganda laboratories."

She claimed that rescue crews deployed immediately with adequate equipment to disaster zones — contrary to complaints by residents that they were left alone to search for their loved ones without official teams or heavy machinery for the first 48 hours.

“Those propaganda operations, driven by partisan political interests, are despicable,” she said. “We did not wait one day, two days or three days. We activated immediately.”

Rodríguez went on to say that thousands of civil and military rescue workers as well as 11 international field hospitals had been deployed to quake-affected areas, adding that the government had approved the creation of a fund to receive donations for reconstruction.

On Friday, state-run media broadcast her visiting Hernán Alberto Gil Flores, a 43-year-old security guard pried from a collapsed basement after surviving nearly eight days under the rubble, in his hospital bed. His dramatic rescue Thursday served as a rare bright spot in the days since the earthquakes.

Unclear what happens when mandate expires

Under Venezuela’s constitution, temporary absences are to be filled by the vice president — which was Rodríguez’s former role under Maduro — for up to 90 days, after which they can be extended by the national assembly for an additional 90 days.

On Friday, that 180-day interim period expired. There was no immediate comment from authorities on what, if anything, they would do in response to the expiration of Rodríguez’s mandate.

The National Assembly, controlled by Rodríguez’s party, can trigger a snap election if lawmakers declare the post permanently vacant.

A humanitarian crisis brews

International organizations and governments, including the U.S., have pledged hundreds of millions of dollars in emergency relief aid to stave off a full-blown humanitarian catastrophe in Venezuela. With infrastructure and sewer systems damaged, aid workers are scrambling to prevent the spread of disease through contaminated water.

But nine days after the quakes, the scale of human suffering is still coming into focus.

“We know that there are still dead bodies under the collapsed buildings, and it's difficult to give a number on this, but several thousands for sure,” said Andreas Spaett, the Venezuela country coordinator for international aid group Doctors Without Borders. “I do believe this is one of the major natural catastrophes in the history of humanity.”

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DeBre reported from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Associated Press reporter Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.

The Frenchman did — and 39-year-old Djokovic dove to hit a backhand volley winner on match point for a 7-5, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (4) record-equaling victory in the third round at Wimbledon on Friday.

Djokovic's 105th match win at the All England Club ties Roger Federer on the men's list for most singles match victories. Martina Navratilova won 120 singles matches at Wimbledon.

By next weekend, Djokovic would love to equal Federer's men's record of eight singles titles, but reaching the fourth round will have to suffice for now.

“Today, I was quite stressed out, more tension than usual,” Djokovic said in his on-court interview. “I knew it was going to be a very challenging match for me.”

The 24-time Grand Slam champion overcame a blip — dropping the third set in 18 minutes — and held his nerve in the fourth-set tiebreaker by hitting back-to-back aces before Rinderknech's forehand went wide to set up match point.

“I saw him slip and kind of fall down. And I was just like ‘please stay down’ for that last shot,” said Djokovic, who had repeatedly punched his left thigh after losing the third set.

Joining Federer on 105 singles match wins is “a huge honor and privilege,” Djokovic added. “I propose a matchup for me and Roger for 106.”

Djokovic will face Russian qualifier Roman Safiullin in the fourth round. Safiullin, a Wimbledon quarterfinalist in 2023, beat Brazilian rising star João Fonseca 6-3, 6-3, 6-3.

Sinner finds his groove

Defending champion Jannik Sinner beat Jenson Brooksby 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 on No. 1 Court to advance to the fourth round.

The Italian, hoping to put his French Open meltdown in the rearview mirror, finished off Brooksby in two-plus hours after his opening-round five-setter was followed by a second-round win over Nuno Borges in straight sets but with two tiebreakers.

“I'm trying to find my way in. Felt better today, which was my main goal,” the four-time Grand Slam champion said. “Trying to move better. Return today was a little bit better. All things considered, was a small step forward.”

Sinner will next face Japanese qualifier Shintaro Mochizuki, who stunned 23rd-seeded Rafael Jodar of Spain 1-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4, 6-4 to reach the fourth round at a Grand Slam for the first time. Mochizuki, ranked No. 151, won the Wimbledon boys' title in 2019.

Also, third-seeded Felix Auger-Aliassime beat American qualifier Michael Zheng 7-6 (1), 6-2, 6-1 in the Canadian's Centre Court debut. Jan-Lennard Struff upended eighth-seeded Daniil Medvedev 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5), 7-5.

Sabalenka vs. Osaka in 4th round

No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka and Naomi Osaka meet for a spot in the quarterfinals after both players won in straight sets.

Sabalenka beat Jelena Ostapenko 6-4, 6-4 on Centre Court and declared herself ready for the 14th-seeded Osaka in what will be a battle of four-time Grand Slam champions.

“She's (a) very aggressive player, serving well,” Sabalenka said. “I watched a couple of her matches. ... I’m ready to go out there and to bring the fight and to do anything it takes to get through this difficult match.”

Osaka eliminated Daria Kasatkina 6-1, 6-3 on No. 1 Court. Osaka is into the fourth round at the All England Club for the first time.

Coco Gauff got past fellow American Claire Liu 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-2 after having three match points at 5-4 in the second set. Gauff will next face 11th-seeded Belinda Bencic.

Other winners in the women’s draw included fourth-seeded Jessica Pegula, 10th-seeded Karolina Muchova, and 2024 Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova.

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All told, 321 diamonds, 56 sapphires, 13 emeralds and six rubies encrust the watch-sized gold ring presented this week to Bill White, the U.S. ambassador to Belgium, to give to U.S. President Donald Trump.

“A very special thank you to my friends from Antwerp for the magnificent Freedom 250 ring,” Trump said in a prerecorded video message during an event marking America’s 250th birthday in Brussels.

Isidore Mörsel, president of the Antwerp World Diamond Center, or AWDC, gifted the ring on behalf of the centuries-old diamond community in the Belgian port city, a central node in the worldwide trade of the precious stones that found itself struggling last year under the weight of Trump’s sweeping trade war.

“May this ring serve as a lasting reminder that true partnership, like the finest natural diamonds, are formed under pressure, endure the test of time, and shine brightest when built on trust,” Mörsel said. The ring's interior is engraved with the phrase “Crafted in Antwerp for Donald John Trump.”

In dollar terms, the ring’s value pales beside gifts like the $400 million plane donated by Qatar that Trump ordered converted into a new Air Force One. But it’s a glitzy window into the role that ostentatious – and almost always gilded — gifts are playing by those seeking to curry favor with the U.S. president.

A White House official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the matter, said Thursday that the ring has not been presented to Trump yet.

The ring is latest in Trump's historic break with White House custom

The gift comes months after Belgium’s diamond industry won the removal of U.S. tariffs on diamond imports. In September, AWDC said it had “succeeded in securing a zero percent import tariff” on Antwerp’s annual export of more than $2 billion of polished diamonds to the U.S. A spokesperson for the group said on Thursday that the AWDC provided “input” to the European Commission as it negotiated with Trump on a broad deal on tariffs in 2025, but did not itself lobby the administration.

U.S. presidents have considerable discretion to accept gifts from domestic and foreign sources and may determine themselves whether a gift was meant for them personally or the nation. The exception is those from foreign governments, which are prohibited by the foreign emoluments clause of the Constitution without congressional assent, though presidents could use personal funds to reimburse the Treasury for the full value of an official gift if they wish to retain it.

Personal gifts are also supposed to be registered on the president’s annual financial disclosure. Trump’s 2025 disclosure, released this week, revealed a $250,000 gift of a sculpture depicting his triumphal gesture after surviving a 2024 assassination attempt at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, and tickets to 10 sporting events, including 10 to the upcoming World Cup final in New Jersey from FIFA’s Gianni Infantino, valued at a collective $15,000.

Four U.S. ethics experts told The Associated Press that Trump has broken with decades-old custom in the White House to avoid accepting such gifts.

The ring's value estimated at $25,000-$35,000

To forge the ring, the AWDC turned to David Gotlib, an Antwerp-based high-end jeweler whose cufflinks can sell for more than 15,000 euros ($17,000).

Neither AWDC nor Gotlib would provide a valuation of the ring, but two independent jewelers told AP they estimated the value at between $25,000 and $35,000.

Paris- and London-based jewelry consultant Alexander Levinson calculated the cost at $25,928, while David Saad, a third-generation luxury jeweler in Canada, priced the ring between $33,000 and $35,000. Both said half the cost was in materials, half in labor.

After the ring was presented on a star-spangled stage in Brussels, musician Alexis Wilkins, the girlfriend of FBI Director Kash Patel, sang the U.S. national anthem to more than 8,000 people drinking Budweiser and bourbon from Tennessee and Kentucky.

Ambassador White said he raised more than $5.5 million for the 250th anniversary event from corporate sponsors like defense industry titans Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, tech firms like Intel, Google and Meta, as well as the European chocolate companies Leonidas and Ferrero. AWDC said it contributed funds, too.

“The media was asking, ‘Why does it have to be so big?’” White said of the event. “Because we are the United States of America!”

The ambassador posted on social media Friday that after he gives the ring to Trump, it will be displayed in the Oval Office.

Update: 2 dead, 1 injured after shooting at Fairlane Town Center in Dearborn

Police surrounded the mall located near Evergreen Road and Michigan Avenue on July 3 at around 2 p.m.

Dearborn police said the scene is active and are asking residents to avoid the area while officers secure the scene.

A witness, Weston Fantroy, told Local 4 that he was buying a birthday gift for his daughter when he heard what sounded like four or five gunshots and saw a commotion. He ran outside, fearing for his safety.

“Please stay clear of Fairlane Mall while police secure and investigate this incident,” Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud said in a statement on Facebook.

It’s not clear if a suspect is in custody.

This is a developing story.

In Trump's appearance on Vance's “Storytime with the Second Lady,” podcast, which was posted online Friday, the president read “Presidents Play!” a children's book from the White House Historical Association that features illustrations of the presidents enjoying sports and using the White House and its grounds for recreation.

Trump pretaped the appearance in mid-June in the White House's Oval Office, where the abundant gold accents he added were supplemented for the occasion with a bald eagle stuffed animal, tables made up of stacks of oversized books and a globe made out of Legos.

When Vance asked Trump if he has much time to read for fun while serving as president, he replied that he ends up mostly reading newspapers.

“I usually read stories about myself,” Trump said.

As Trump turned through the children's book, he made observations about past presidents, cracked some jokes, and threw in a plug for the extensive ballroom he's building on the White House grounds.

He described Lyndon Johnson as a “tough cookie,” Ronald Reagan as a “high-quality person” and “like your father was president,” and John F. Kennedy as “the second-most good-looking president.” Left unsaid was who Trump felt was the best-looking president.

Richard Nixon, the only president to resign the office after he became embroiled in the Watergate scandal, “got himself into trouble, I guess.” Herbert Hoover, who was president during the Great Depression, was depicted in the book playing a game he made up called “Hoover Ball.”

“That worked out better for him than the economy,” Trump quipped.

Barack Obama, who has been a longtime object of Trump's derision, was illustrated playing basketball.

Trump, calling him “Barack Hussein Obama,” said he doubted Obama was a good basketball player. He then shared that Obama's favorite sport is golf, but added, “He won’t be in the Masters anytime soon," referring to the professional golf tournament.

When he reached a page with a drawing of Bill Clinton running on the jogging track the former president installed at the White House, Trump remarked, “I don’t think I’ll ever do that.”

But he added that he likes Clinton “a lot.”

Trump mused about riding a horse after seeing a picture of Abraham Lincoln riding one.

“That's great. I'd like to ride horses, too,” Trump said. “In fact, it gives me an idea, but when you fall off a horse... I've seen too many things happen. Falling off horses is not good.”

The solution he suggested was “A nice old horse that's extremely slow, lazy” and that he would “maybe ride it.”

A picture of John Quincy Adams swimming in what was then the Tiber Creek that ran past the South Lawn of the White House prompted Trump to remark, “I think we’re building a beautiful ballroom on top of it.”

Some of the other presidents' physical activity prompted some reflection on his own physique.

When he saw Gerald Ford swimming in a pool, Trump said: “I don’t know if I look good in a bathing suit. I haven’t had a bathing suit in a long time.”

William Howard Taft, who was known for his girth, “was our heaviest president,” Trump said.

“I have to be careful because I don’t want to supersede his record,” Trump said. “And a thing like that would be possible if I allowed it to happen. For all of you out there watching, keep yourself in good shape.”

In addition to encouraging young viewers to stay in shape, Trump offered a somewhat cloudy message when the second lady asked him for his advice to children on why they should celebrate the country on July 4th.

“We have a great country,” Trump said. “We have a country that, it’s on a little bit of a ledge right now. It can go one way or another, you understand that. But we’re going to make it go the other. And we're going to make America greater than ever before.”

Now Heliovaara, the No. 1 ranked doubles player in the world, is among those fearing for the future of the format.

Doubles players are up in arms after being told by the ATP Tour this week that prize money and tournament sizes will decrease significantly starting in 2028.

“There has been instances in the past where the future of doubles was very (uncertain),” Heliovaara, the 2024 Wimbledon doubles champion, told The Associated Press at the All England Club on Friday. "This is one of the key moments again.”

Leading doubles players issued a statement Friday condemning the ATP's plans, saying they are not “a carnival sideshow” and that it will be impossible for anyone outside the top 30 in the doubles rankings to make a living if the new proposals are adopted.

The statement came after doubles players met with ATP officials at Wimbledon this week to discuss the future of a format that is struggling to draw an audience.

“The ATP is proposing to slash doubles draws, gut doubles prize money, and hand Challenger entry to singles players ahead of specialists who have built their careers in this discipline,” the players' statement said.

They said the proposal would give doubles players just 10% of the prize money at ATP tournaments — down from 20% — while halving the size of the doubles fields.

At the premier Masters tournaments, that would cut the doubles draw to 16 teams, while at the smaller ATP 500 and 250 events it would consist of just eight teams.

“Do the math on what that means for anyone outside the top 30: it will be impossible to make a living,” the statement added.

“This is not a minor adjustment. It is a plan to end doubles as a viable profession, dressed up as a cost-saving measure — and it is being pushed through with almost no transparency and almost no consultation with the players whose careers and livelihoods are on the line.”

Asked about the statement, the ATP said it was “assessing the doubles product, draw sizes and player compensation distribution with the aim of creating a more sustainable long-term model while maintaining doubles’ important role on the tour.”

It added that changing the doubles model could help increase early round singles prize money, “helping more players at the highest level to better meet the costs of competing on tour and build sustainable professional careers.”

The proposal does not affect Grand Slam tournaments. At Wimbledon, there are 64 doubles teams in both the men's and women's draw and winning pairs split 760,000 pounds (about $1 million), compared to 3.6 million pounds ($4.8 million) for the singles champions.

Doubles has always taken a back seat to singles tournaments when it comes to popularity and TV audiences, and the format has already faced several changes in recent years. In 2023, Wimbledon joined the other Grand Slam tournaments in shortening matches from five to three sets.

The U.S. Open last year introduced a new mixed doubles format that was played before the singles tournament started, in order to draw top names like Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Iga Swiatek and Naomi Osaka. That was criticized by traditional doubles players, however, as it largely excluded them in favor of attracting more famous singles specialists.

Heliovaara said one of the problems for doubles is that most of the well-known singles players have almost completely abandoned the format.

“We are losing the singles stars from the doubles game, and we have not been very good at making the doubles stars known to a global audience,” the Finnish player said.

The women's doubles at Wimbledon received a boost when Serena and Venus Williams accepted a wild-card entry. They are set to play on Saturday after doubt caused by Serena tweaking her knee during her first-round singles in her first appearance at the All England Club in four years.

Heliovaara did not take part in the meetings with the ATP this week, but has previously been part of a player council that tried to find solutions to the problems facing doubles.

“It was very difficult to find answers," he acknowledged. "But I still believe someone might have them. But it’s a very money-driven world.”

The men's players said part of the problem in attracting an audience was due to the ATP's “lackluster marketing of doubles, failure to exploit broadcast and other commercial partnerships, and poor event staging and promotion.”

“Doubles is not an afterthought we fell into,” the players' statement said. “It has always been part of this sport’s identity, not a discount version of it.”

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

The defending champion was asked why his mother and father weren't in attendance for his opening match on Centre Court on Monday, when last year's women's winner Iga Swiatek had her father and sister in the Royal Box the next day.

Turns out Sinner's parents were also invited, but that kind of fancy affair apparently isn't their thing.

“I know my parents. I asked them, but it was impossible,” Sinner said in Italian on Friday after reaching the fourth round with a straight-sets win over Jenson Brooksby on No. 1 Court.

Sinner grew up in a small Alpine village in northern Italy where his parents, Hanspeter and Siglinde, worked in a ski lodge. His father was a chef and his mother was a waitress.

“We hardly even discussed it,” Sinner said of the Royal Box invite, laughing. "They have other things to do and I understand that.”

His parents did come to last year's final and sat in the player's box to watch their son beat Carlos Alcaraz for the title.

There was a famous parent in the Royal Box to watch Sinner on Monday, though. David Beckham took his mother to the match.

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

Here are this year’s finalists:

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• Greek Goddess Nail Spa in Trenton
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We received more than 16,700 nominations across our 80 Vote 4 The Best categories this year. Each category was then narrowed down to five finalists.

Click here to view the full list of finalists.

Now that nominations are over, voting on finalists can begin. Voting is open from June 22 through July 20, and you can vote for each category once per day during that time.

Click here to vote for finalists in all 80 categories.

The report issued Thursday by the National Transportation Safety Board also did not flag any other serious safety or mechanical failures that could have led to the crash, which happened just after takeoff on a clear day.

The NTSB released the findings based on initial inspections of the badly damaged wreckage and flight records. The report said there were no indications of any precrash mechanical malfunctions or failures in the engine that would have prevented the normal operation of the plane.

In fact, NTSB said it appeared that the engine of the single-engine turboprop plane had been producing power at the time of the crash.

“I was surprised that they had determined that the engine was producing power,” said Jeff Guzzetti, president of Guzzetti Aviation Risk Discovery, an aviation safety consultancy. “Initially I thought it smacked of a potential engine problem and that the pilot had been trying to return to the airport.”

The federal agency also said a post-accident sample from the fuel truck found the fuel to be free of sediment or debris, and a review of the skydiving business operators’ software showed that the airplane had met the weight and balance limitations for the flight.

The report raised no concerns about the weather or the pilot, who had accumulated over 4,100 total flight hours and was in his second consecutive jump season working for the operator, Skydive Kansas City.

The airplane was not equipped with a crashworthy voice or data recorder, like those that record flight data on commercial planes, nor was it required to be, investigators said. The NTSB report did note, however, that its investigators had recovered damaged GoPro cameras from the wreckage.

The federal agency's investigation into the accident was ongoing, and a final report often takes a year or more to complete.

The June 14 crash happened about an hour south of Kansas City, when the Pacific Aerospace 750XL carrying a pilot and 11 skydivers took off from Butler Memorial Airport at 11:25 a.m. on a clear day.

During the initial climb, the airplane began a gradual turn to the left, with both wings eventually becoming almost perpendicular to the ground before it slammed into a field, nose down, and burst into flames, investigators said.

The straight up-and-down position of the wings meant they could no longer produce enough aerodynamic lift to keep the plane in the air and the NTSB will have to figure out why that happened, Guzzetti said.

The fire inflicted significant damage to the aircraft's major structural components, as well as the cockpit, the cabin and the fuel system, investigators said.

Some family members of those who died were at the airport to watch the jump and witnessed the crash, authorities said. The United States Parachute Association, skydiving’s governing body, said its technology director, Jen Sharp, was among those killed.

Skydive Kansas City called the crash a “devastating loss."

Poor maintenance is often a factor when skydiving planes crash and the NTSB has previously raised concerns about the weak oversight for skydiving operators in past crash investigations. The agency said after a 2019 crash that killed 11 people in Hawaii that the FAA’s regulatory system isn’t strong enough to ensure the safety of skydiving flights.

The Federal Aviation Administration has yet to adopt the NTSB’s recommendations, but said it established a committee in April that will recommend ways to increase skydiving safety and will consider the safety board’s proposals.

The United States Parachute Association said that Skydive Kansas City adheres to the safety standards set by the largest skydiving organization in the world, including all FAA maintenance requirements. The skydiving industry says it has a strong safety record. The association said that last year nearly 3.5 million jumps were completed and that 16 civilians died, the majority from human error.

The plane that crashed was built in 2010, according to FAA records. It made two successful flights the morning of the crash, the NTSB said. It is popular for skydiving and certified to be operated by a single pilot.

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The person spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the voting. It's unclear why so many players didn't cast their votes. However, the Los Angeles Sparks were one of the teams that didn’t have all of its players vote due to some operational errors.

“Players were sent ballots via email,” the Sparks said in a statement. “Some players indicated that they didn’t receive the email or weren’t aware of it until after the voting period had closed. That’s something we take responsibility for as an organization, and we’ll have a more robust process going forward.”

Fan vote accounts for 50% of the overall vote while players and a media panel each are 25%. It's been that way since 2017.

New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu said her team has never had an issue getting players to submit their ballots.

“We always vote. But I do think especially if they’re weighed as much as they are, like teams should be making sure that their players are voting like it is important. There should never just be a team that like, doesn’t get the ballot. ...That’s something that every player should be getting the opportunity. And if the player doesn’t want to vote, then that’s on them.”

The league announced the All-Star starters on Thursday.

ESPN was the first to report the lack of ballots.

Like the media, each player is given a link to a voting site as well as an individual username and password. Those are supplied by the league to the teams who distribute them to the players.

Sparks guard Kelsey Plum was lower in the player balloting than she was from the media and fans. She is second in the WNBA in scoring, but has only played in a dozen games because of injuries. She was 12th among players votes after ranking sixth by the fans and fifth by media.

She finished seventh in the voting overall for the guards. Even if the Sparks had all voted, it wouldn't have been a guarantee that Plum moved up to the top four spots. In the past, players have said that they have either voted for their entire team on the ballot or for friends or college teammates which has led to some skewed results. Some do take it seriously and pick who they think are the best players.

All-Star starter Caitlin Clark was right in front of the player balloting finishing in 11th. She was picked as an All-Star starter as she was second in the fan vote and third in the media rankings.

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

“I would not have gone for most people,” Trump said last week. “But he called me up. He said: ‘Please, I have it in Turkey. You got to be there. The United States has to be in there.’ And so I’m going out of respect to President Erdogan.”

Leveraging that respect has helped Erdogan avoid the disarray that Trump's absence would cause the alliance, particularly at a time when the Republican president has been repeatedly threatening to pull U.S. forces from Europe and scale back America’s role in NATO, unsettling allies.

Trump, who has frequently praised Erdogan and has called him a “hell of a leader,” has long rebuked other NATO countries over their defense spending. He claimed last year’s pledge to collectively boost it as a major personal win. More recently, he has clashed with alliance members for failing to back his war against Iran.

But Trump has sweetened the deal for Erdogan by also hinting that he could make news during his visit related to jet engines and the potential sale of F-35 fighter jets barred for years because of Turkey’s closeness with Moscow.

Trump's affinity for strongmen leaders has long made him an admirer of Erdogan, who amassed power in Turkey first as its prime minister and now in his 13th year as president.

“His relationship with Erdogan, which is pretty strong, is consistent with what seems to be a pattern of his preference,” said Philip Gordon, who served as national security adviser for Vice President Kamala Harris. “It has often been pointed out he seems to have better relationships with adversaries and autocrats, and he certainly says nicer things about them than with allies.”

Gordon, now at the Brookings Institution, added, “Erdogan is taking full advantage of it.”

Erdogan snubbed Biden but bets on Trump

Trump, who is expected to have a bilateral meeting with Erdogan on the sidelines of the NATO summit, will be the first U.S. president to visit Turkey since Democrat Barack Obama in 2015. By contrast, Democratic President Joe Biden kept Erdogan at arm's length over Turkey’s democratic backsliding and close ties to Russia.

Opposition parties and human rights organizations have accused Erdogan of undermining democracy and curbing freedom of expression. They say baseless investigations and prosecutions of human rights activists, journalists, opposition politicians and others remain a persistent problem in Turkey.

Soner Cagaptay of the Washington Institute said Erdogan and Trump “clicked” personally during Trump’s first term. When Biden extended an invitation in 2024 for Erdogan to visit the U.S. after Turkey endorsed Finland and Sweden’s NATO membership, Erdogan decided not to go.

“That was Erdogan’s way of signaling to Trump, ‘Hey, you are going to probably win the elections,'” Cagaptay said. “I think Trump saw that as a giant gesture.”

Trump signals steps toward jet sales for Turkey

During a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte last week, a reporter asked Trump whether he was taking “a big gift bag for Erdogan” on the trip, noting that Ankara wants F-110 jet engines and F-35 fighter jets.

“Yeah, I think so,” Trump responded. “Yeah, I’m going to probably do something that’s going to make him very happy.” Trump had also suggested September that the U.S. could soon start selling F-35s to Turkey.

Turkey was barred from the program in 2019, after it purchased Russian-made S-400 missile defense systems. U.S. officials have feared that Turkey’s use of the Russian system could enable Moscow to gather information on the F-35’s capabilities.

At the Oval Office meeting, Vice President JD Vance said Washington was exploring ways to sell ⁠Turkey the jets, emphasizing that any sale would ensure Turkey has complied with U.S. law. There is significant bipartisan opposition on Capitol Hill, including from influential Republicans such as Sen. Jim Risch of Idaho, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, to selling the F-35s to Turkey as long as Ankara is in possession of the Russian missile defense systems.

Meanwhile, the F-110 jet engines that Turkey is seeking to purchase would power its domestically produced KAAN fighter jets. The State Department last week took a step toward making those sales, sending key lawmakers a notice that it planned to bypass congressional opposition to more than $700 million of the jet engine sales to Ankara, according to two people granted anonymity to discuss details of a nonpublic notification.

“In this case, the State Department did not even attempt to justify its decision,” New York Rep. Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a statement last week. “It did not invoke any emergency authority, did not present a written rationale, and for months refused to make a good-faith effort to brief me on implications of the sale for the U.S.-Turkey relationship, Turkey’s continued possession of the Russian S-400 system, and other regional security concerns.”

The relationship between the U.S. and Turkey is thawing in other ways, too. Earlier this year, Trump's Department of Justice dropped a major case against Turkey’s state‑owned Halkbank, which had been accused of helping Iran evade U.S. sanctions.

Erdogan lauds Trump's friendship and phone calls

When he returned to the White House for his second term, Trump appointed a close friend as ambassador to Turkey: Tom Barrack, a longtime ally who also served as the chairman of his inaugural committee. “Barrack is playing a crucial role as a facilitator in the relationship,” said Ahmet Kasim Han, a professor of international relations at Ankara’s TED University.

Erdogan and Trump have frequently held telephone calls to discuss Syria, Gaza and the wider Middle East, and Turkey joined Trump’s Board of Peace aimed at overseeing the ceasefire in Gaza. Trump claimed this month that he asked Erdogan to stay out of the war in Iran and that the Turkish leader complied, though there is no indication that Turkey had ever intended to get involved.

Trump expressed admiration for Erdogan even while standing beside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a joint news conference last year. Netanyahu, whose government is at odds with Ankara, had hoped to win Trump’s support for pushing back on Turkish influence in Syria, but instead found himself watching as Trump showered praises on Erdogan and urged Netanyahu to be “reasonable.”

Last year, after meeting with Trump at the NATO summit in The Hague, Erdogan told reporters that the U.S. president is quick to return his calls, an anecdote that illustrated their close ties.

“With my friend Trump, we are opening the door to a new era in Turkish‑American relations,” Erdogan said. “The process of telephone diplomacy between us has never exceeded 24 hours so far. When we call, the other side responds within 24 hours.”

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Fraser reported from Ankara.

Justice Patricia Smyth regretted that her verdict would bring “little if any comfort or relief” to McKee’s family, but said the circumstantial evidence was insufficient for a conviction, following a nonjury trial held intermittently over the past two years in Belfast Crown Court.

“Lyra McKee’s murder was an act of senseless violence," Smyth said. “The gunman has never been brought to the court and the evidence against those accused of assisting or encouraging has fallen short of that required for conviction."

McKee, 29, was shot while standing near law enforcement officers observing an anti-police riot in Londonderry, also known as Derry, on April 18, 2019. Protesters had tossed fire bombs at police and torched a car before four shots rang out and a bullet fired by a masked gunman struck McKee.

No one was ever charged with pulling the trigger, but three other men, Paul McIntyre, 58, Peter Cavanagh, 37, and Jordan Gareth Devine, 25, were charged with murder as accomplices for encouraging or assisting the shooter. The three denied the charges but none testified.

The New IRA, a small paramilitary group that opposes Northern Ireland’s peace process, said one of its members accidentally shot the reporter while aiming at police.

McKee wrote about the challenges faced by the generation of “ceasefire babies” raised after the 1998 Good Friday peace accord ended three decades of sectarian violence. She was becoming an influential voice chronicling the legacy of the years of paramilitary violence carried out by Irish nationalists and supporters of remaining part of the U.K.

The prime ministers of Britain and Ireland and political leaders from Northern Ireland’s Protestant and Catholic communities were among the hundreds who attended her funeral. Her death helped feuding politicians revive Northern Ireland’s power-sharing government, which had collapsed in 2017.

The judge found McKee was murdered by a gunman who acted with intent to kill or seriously injure police to “guarantee the oxygen of publicity” from the fiery riot.

McKee's sister said that the system had failed her family and vowed to relentlessly pursue justice. She railed against a culture of silence in Northern Ireland, saying that not one of the 150 people who witnessed the shooting spoke out.

“People are afraid to speak out, they are afraid to tell the truth, they are afraid to share information that they have,” Nichola Corner said. "That culture of silence needs to stop in Northern Ireland. It is unfair to victims and it completely allows people with blood on their hands to walk free.”

The National Union of Journalists, which McKee was a member of, and Reporters Without Borders expressed their sympathy with her family and friends and said they were concerned someone got away with the killing.

“The authorities must continue to pursue all legal avenues to establish accountability and ensure that those responsible for Lyra’s death are brought to justice,” Felicity Garvey of Reporters Without Borders said. "Journalists cannot work freely and safely if those who kill members of the press can do so with impunity.”

Six other men were also on trial for charges related to the riot, but not for having a role in the killing. Four were acquitted of rioting while one, Christopher Gillen, 45, was convicted of riot and tossing fire bombs. Kieran McCool, 57, was convicted of assaulting a community worker.

Dominick Robinson, 31, has remained in custody at the Macomb County Jail on a $2 million bond since Dec. 12, 2025 for the killing of Mucari Finley, a 29-year-old Flint native and decorated Metro Detroit chef.

>>>Read more: Family and friends remember man killed in viral Warren stabbing<<<

Finley died at the scene from multiple stab wounds inside Robinson’s home, police said. The incident escalated further when Robinson allegedly refused to leave the home, resulting in six hours of negotiations with law enforcement that the suspect streamed on Facebook Live before their eventual arrest.

During the stream, the suspect claimed Finley sold drugs to the suspect’s partner that led to his death.

Investigators have not confirmed those allegations.

Finley’s family says he has no criminal history and was not a drug dealer.

“He was an amazing chef,” Candice Wroblewski, a friend of Finley’s, said in December. “He always wanted more. He loved the food scene in Detroit. He loved music. He loved his dog. We shared a lot of good times together.”

Robinson was bound over on one count of first-degree murder on June 30, following a preliminary exam in Warren’s 37th District Court.

In a news release issued on Thursday, Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido said the ruling confirms the abundance of evidence in the case, adding that his office will “prosecute this case with the seriousness it demands.”

Robinson is scheduled to be arraigned before Macomb County Circuit Court Judge Julie Gatti at 1:30 p.m. on July 13.

Hamilton coped best with adapting his driving style around Formula 1's new reliance on battery power to take pole position in qualifying for Saturday's sprint race.

Despite a slight wobble in the final corner, Hamilton held on to take pole by just 0.011 of a second at a track where he'd predicted he and Ferrari would struggle. The seven-time world champion stood atop his car and soaked in the applause as he waved to the crowd.

“I love this place, I love this crowd and I can’t express how big a dream it is,” he said.

Standings leader Kimi Antonelli was second fastest, with Max Verstappen third for Red Bull ahead of Hamilton's teammate Charles Leclerc.

George Russell was only fifth after winning last week's Austrian Grand Prix, while McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were sixth and seventh in a throwback green-and-white livery.

The battery challenge

Setting fast times at Silverstone is very different this year because of how the cars struggle to recharge their batteries around the high-speed circuit. Having only a single practice session on Friday, topped by Hamilton, made it crucial to adapt quickly.

With nine wins there, the most of any F1 driver at a single track, Hamilton knows his home circuit inside out.

Ahead of this weekend's race, he outlined how the 2026-specification F1 cars will struggle with Silverstone's long straights and fast corners.

The Ferrari star predicts cars running at reduced speed with empty batteries, because they need heavy braking zones to recharge the electrical power that's crucial to how they operate.

“This is going to be the most unprecedented weekend in terms of the power deployment," he said Thursday. “All of us drivers have been talking on the drivers’ chat just how poor the power is going to be through this track. We run out of battery power.”

The fastest way around Silverstone now involves easing off the power to recharge in what would normally be some of the most exciting corners, Hamilton predicted, adding it could be a setback for him and Ferrari.

“Normally the engine’s screaming as you’re going into Copse, and you’re holding on for dear life as you go through there flat out. This year, the engine will be coasting down,” he said. “Maggotts and Becketts is just not going to feel the same because I think you have to lift and coast or something through there for a period of time. It’s just a completely different track.”

Even before Friday practice, drivers spent plenty of time practicing for Silverstone on advanced simulators that mimic the behavior of the cars. Hamilton's comments line up with predictions by Verstappen, who said he “just started laughing” when he tried it out.

Despite the changes Norris, who won a thrilling British Grand Prix on his way to the title last year, says F1 can still put on a good show.

“I think Sunday will be exciting. On the outside I think it’ll be great," he said. "Certainly there’s going to be less challenges on the track itself comparing to what you’ve seen in the past few years.”

Home race curse

Racing at home has been bad luck in F1 recently. No driver has scored a point in his home race since Antonelli's ninth place at the Italian Grand Prix in September.

So far this year, Piastri failed to make the start in Australia and Leclerc crashed out in Monaco, leaving 12th for Carlos Sainz, Jr. the best by any driver on home soil.

Where better for that streak to end than Britain? Besides Hamilton's nine wins, Norris is the defending champion and Russell is coming off the victory in Austria last week.

To top it off, those three combined for the first all-British podium since 1968 at last month's Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.

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

“I’ve said up here and said before, the harassment, the hate, none of that is OK,” Clark said at practice Friday “That goes for the opposing team we play, that goes for my teammates, that goes for my coaches. There should never be question of character. None of that is OK, and I don’t want anybody to ever experience that.”

The WNBA has gotten a lot more attention the past few seasons with the addition of Clark and Angel Reese among others to the league. A multi-billion dollar media rights deal, million dollar salaries and higher attendance have been the positives. An increase of social media vitriol toward players and teams has been the negative.

Social media hatred is nothing new and isn't just directed toward the WNBA and its players. It's been going on for more than a decade toward the league and its players. However, it has gotten worse lately with players and coaches receiving threats for things that happen on the court.

Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas said Tuesday that she received death threats and had been called racial slurs in the aftermath of her one-game suspension after she made contact with her fist to Clark’s throat in last week’s matchup against Indiana.

WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert issued a statement on Tuesday condemning “any and all forms of hate.”

The WNBA has been trying to do what it can to make the players feel more protected and combat its social media problem.

The league has made a major push with security over the past few seasons. Teams travel with more security on the road and there are enhanced protocols at arenas, hotels and when traveling. Franchises now take charter flights, which makes it easier on the teams.

The WNBA also has implemented initiatives that combat online hate and threats to players. Some of that includes artificial intelligence software to identify and respond more quickly to threats, harassment and hate directed at players and teams across social media platforms.

Unfortunately, nothing is foolproof in stopping online hate spewed by anonymous people who hide behind their keyboards.

“I think for the league as a whole, there’s been so much more toxicity, racism, homophobia — straight-up hateful nonsense, and it is absolutely unacceptable,” Fever coach Stephanie White said during a two-minute opening statement at practice Wednesday. “Most of it is coming from the online community. In my heart of hearts, I believe most of it is not coming from WNBA fans or Indiana Fever fans."

White coached Thomas in Connecticut two years ago and saw the social media vitriol there, as well.

“AT is exactly right: We get to play a basketball game,” White said. “Yes, that’s going to come with criticism and yes, that’s going to come with fans and the love-hate relationship they have with players and teams. But it’s not hard to not be a jerk. And if you’re one of the people who’s online doing this, do not call yourself a WNBA fan.”

Clark said she’s been hurt by all of the narratives created online and in the media about her and her Fever teammates.

“It can be really frustrating to me at times and it’s difficult,” Clark said. “A lot of people sometimes think I’m a robot. I’m not a robot. I have emotions, I have feelings. And it can be really difficult to go through a lot of that. I’m 24 years old, trying to navigate a lot ... there are times that it is hard, and there are times that, you know, it probably affects me a little bit more than I do put on."

To try and help the players deal with the hate they receive, the league also has expanded access to confidential mental health resources and support.

The union sent a letter to its players last week that was obtained by The Associated Press that included points on social media vitriol.

“We know spirited debate and passionate fandom are part of sports. Threats, harassment, and especially death threats directed at any player or members of her family are not. It is completely unacceptable and must be unequivocally, publicly and immediately condemned,” the letter said. “If you experience any threatening or concerning communications, please remember that both your team and the WNBPA have security resources available to support you. Your safety and the safety of your loved ones remain our highest priority.”

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

Giannis Antetokounmpo got traded to Miami for Tyler Herro. Jaylen Brown got traded to Philadelphia for Paul George. Kawhi Leonard got traded back to Toronto, Ja Morant got traded to Portland, LaMelo Ball got traded to Minnesota and Dusty May left NCAA champion Michigan to coach Dallas.

There have been some huge moves in the NBA in the past few days. But everybody, it seems, is waiting for James — again.

“He's still the face of the league,” James' agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul said.

If there was any question about whether the league's oldest active player and NBA's all-time points leader still moves the needle, that's been answered.

Soccer's World Cup is going on, the wedding of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce at Madison Square Garden — the home of the NBA champion New York Knicks — is commanding global attention, it's a holiday weekend in the U.S., and yet there's still all sorts of intrigue surrounding where James will decide to play next season.

This much is certain: James, who turns 42 in December, will play a 24th season and it won't be for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Officially, that's the full list of what is known. Paul dropped some clues on the “Game Over” podcast that he shares with Max Kellerman — indicating by showing a whiteboard filled with scrawled-out possibilities that James is looking at a slew of teams, including and probably not limited to Philadelphia, Cleveland, Miami, Minnesota, Denver, Golden State, San Antonio, Dallas, Boston and New York.

“If the Knicks hadn’t have won, there would be no board,” Paul said on the podcast. “He'd be going to the Knicks.”

When does LeBron have to decide?

The decision can come whenever he wants.

It can't be announced or commented upon by a team before Monday at 12:01 p.m. Eastern — unless James signs for the minimum salary, which in his case would be about $3.9 million.

Will he make his announcement Saturday, on July 4 amid a celebration of the nation's 250th birthday? Will he do it on July 8, the 16th anniversary of the famed “The Decision” broadcast?

Nobody knows. Nobody even knows if he knows. And nobody also knows if James intends for 2026-27 to be his final season.

“No one said this is going to be his last year,” Paul said. “Nobody said that.”

That raises the possibility of a 25th season — a quarter-century of LeBron, when nobody else in league history made it past a 22nd season.

What is LeBron looking for?

It's pretty clear that money won't be a huge factor here. James has earned nearly $600 million in gross salary on the court in his first 23 seasons, while his net worth is generally believed to exceed $1 billion.

Golf will matter. James is an avid — perhaps even rabid — golfer now, and Minnesota, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Denver, New York and Boston aren't exactly places known for great golf offerings in January and February. That said, they all surely have great indoor facilities. It won't be a deal-breaker.

He'll want to play for a team that can contend for a title, not present quality-of-life issues, and appeals to his wife and daughter. Every spot on his list will be able to make a good case on all those fronts.

So, who is the front-runner?

The podcast had a ton of news and a ton of insight. Paul laid out how James would fit into the lineup of most of those teams, how acquisitions such as Philadelphia acquiring Brown changes dynamics, then talked about some of the reasons why James might be leaning toward — or away from — certain clubs.

But in the end, he didn't provide any real hint.

"You can think whatever you think,” Paul said. “This is just my board. You decide what you want to think.”

And the wait continues.

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

Authorities said the investigation began after a body was pulled from Lake Erie near Mienke’s Marina in Ohio on Thursday, July 2.

After a few hours, police learned an 11-year-old girl was on a boat with the deceased man, as well as her babysitter.

Police in Ohio said the three went out on a boat in Lake Erie on Wednesday night, and the man’s death appeared to be a “horrific accident.

The babysitter managed to swim ashore and speak with police about the incident. Crews are continuing the search for the child.

Coast Guard Sector Detroit watchstanders joined the search with Ohio crews to help find the 11-year-old girl.

According to the Coast Guard, many search crews reached their fatigue limits as all available resources were deployed. Crews continued the extensive search overnight and continued on Friday, July 3.

Coast Guard was called off on July 3, and officials said the search has become a recovery mission.

Anyone with information regarding the missing girl is urged to contact Coast Guard Sector Detroit at (833) 388-8724.

Agencies helping in the search include the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Jerusalem Fire Department and Toledo Fire Department.

It canceled Croatia's late equalizer deep in added time against Portugal by detecting a touch that was undetectable to the naked eye and even video replays late Thursday.

Portugal won 2-1 in Toronto and advanced to the round of 16, leaving Croatia players and fans devastated in the belief Josko Gvardiol's goal was wrongly called offside by the VAR and referee Espen Eskås.

FIFA is relying on a high-tech soccer ball fitted with “advanced sensors” and insisted it got it right when determining Croatia's Igor Mantanovic got the slightest of glances with his head, meaning Mario Palasic was in an offside position during the buildup to the goal.

The in-ball sensors were so finely tuned, FIFA said, they were “capable of determining any slight contact ... allowing officials an unprecedented level of data to make fast, accurate decisions.”

Here's the science bit

The official “Trionda” World Cup ball, manufactured by Adidas, is fitted with a “small inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensor,” which FIFA says operates at around 500Hz and captures data 500 times per second.

FIFA says it can track ball acceleration and granular movements in three dimensions and can detect the exact moment a player makes contact.

The ball technology is combined with in-stadium cameras for tracking data that is transmitted in real time to video assistants.

As well as helping to determine offsides, the touch data can also be used for incidents such as handballs and penalties.

How reliable is it?

The reason the call was so contentious was because even slow motion replays from numerous angles were visually inconclusive that Mantanovic made contact with Ivan Perisic's in-swinging cross.

That is where reliance on the technology came in. Referee Eskås was instructed by the VAR to review the sideline monitor. Replays showed what FIFA calls a “heartbeat graphic” to indicate the moment the ball was touched and there was a clear spike as it apparently grazed Mantanovic's head.

“No matter how fast the ball is moving or the spin of the ball, you can track it really effectively,” The AP was told by professor Manos Tentzeris from Georgia Tech's school of electrical and computer engineering. "The position of the ball is 99.99% accurate ... you know exactly where the players are, even the tip of a shoe, which sometimes determines if someone is offside or onside."

FIFA also used connected ball technology at the 2022 World Cup, and it was deployed at the most recent men's European Championship in 2024.

Tests were carried out from 2020-22 and the technology trialed at tournaments such as the Arab Cup and the Club World Cup.

This is not the first time

The ball sensors also had a decisive impact at Euro 2024 by detecting Denmark's Joachim Andersen handled in the box against host Germany. After a VAR review a penalty was awarded and Kai Havertz scored and Germany won 2-0.

“In my opinion this is not how football is supposed to be,” Denmark coach Kasper Hjulmand said after his team also had a goal ruled out by VAR.

Those sentiments were echoed by Croatia coach Zlatko Dalić after his team's painful exit.

“All these decisions take the joy out of football," he said.

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AP sports writer Maura Carey in Atlanta contributed.

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

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See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

Northrop Grumman launched Katalyst Space Technologies’ Link spacecraft from the Marshall Islands in the Pacific. The Pegasus rocket blasted off from the belly of a modified airplane, putting Link on course to reach and capture NASA’s Swift Observatory in about a month.

Launched in 2004, Swift is sinking faster than ever because of recent solar storms. NASA is paying $30 million for Katalyst to capture the telescope and boost its orbit so it can continue tracking some of the biggest explosions in the universe, like gamma ray bursts and exploding stars.

If all goes well, Swift could be back scanning the cosmos by September. Observations are currently on hold to preserve the telescope’s orbit as long as possible.

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope could be a candidate for a similar salvage operation in a few years. It’s also slipping in altitude because of increased atmospheric drag caused by the sun’s outbursts.

The 1.6-ton (1.4-metric ton) Swift currently is circling 224 miles (360 kilometers) above Earth. Katalyst aims to raise the telescope’s altitude by 150 miles (240 kilometers), back to where it all began. Link’s thrusters will fire to boost Swift slowly, so there's no heavy jostling.

Katalyst threw the mission together in just nine months. NASA insisted on a rush job because the telescope will be too low to recover by the fall. Without a boost, it’s predicted to plunge to its demise in October.

Bad weather and technical issues caused a series of last-minute launch delays.

“This is a high-risk, high-reward mission,” Katalyst Space CEO Ghonhee Lee said ahead of liftoff. “The biggest danger was always we don’t launch anything and we let Swift burn up in the atmosphere. So we were always trying to avoid that risk, and our team has done that.”

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

The U.S. match against Bosnia-Herzegovina on Wednesday night was the most-watched soccer telecast in English language history with more than 24.4 million viewers, according to Fox Sports.

The peak audience was 31.8 million.

The United States won the game 2-0 in Santa Clara, California, to advance to the round of 16, marking its first knockout win since 2002.

The match topped the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup Final telecast in which 22.3 million viewers on English-language TV tuned in.

By comparison, the most-watched Super Bowl of all time came in 2025 when an average of 127.7 million viewers watched the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs across FOX, FOX Deportes, Telemundo, and Tubi. The peak average audience of 137.7 million viewers during the second quarter.

The most-watched combined U.S. audience during the World Cup so far was Mexico-Ecuador game with 29.3 million viewers overall.

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See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

The head of the Society of St. Pius X wrote to Leo a day after the Vatican excommunicated the group’s bishops and priests and warned its faithful they too could be excommunicated for participating in the schism, or rupture in church unity.

The society, known as SSPX, celebrates the ancient Latin Mass and opposes the modernizing reforms of the Catholic Church. On Wednesday, it consecrated four new bishops without papal consent during a massive ceremony at its seminary in Econe, Switzerland, committing one of the gravest crimes in church law.

Leo had begged the SSPX not go ahead with the ceremony, but the SSPX defied his will. Within 24 hours, the Vatican declared an exceptionally harsh punishment that surprised even the SSPX’s toughest critics.

In his letter to Leo, the SSPX superior, the Rev. Davide Pagliarani cast the SSPX as the defiant guardian of the church’s tradition and the victim of an unjust sanction by Rome.

“What the Society of Saint Pius X has done, and will continue to do, is nothing other than an extraordinary initiative for the salvation of souls, amidst the doctrinal and moral confusion into which the church is plunged,” he wrote.

Despite the “unjust and invalid” sanctions, the SSPX will love the church even more and “offers up the suffering caused by these new sanctions for the good of the universal church and of Your Holiness,” Pagliarani wrote.

French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre founded the SSPX in 1970 in opposition to the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, which revolutionized the church’s relations with other Christians, Jews and people of other faiths and allowed Mass to be celebrated in the vernacular rather than Latin.

While now a fringe movement on the Catholic right, the SSPX has been a thorn in the Vatican’s side for five decades because it claims to be even more Catholic than the Holy See. The harshness of Vatican’s response suggested that after trying to negotiate with the SSPX over three pontificates, the Vatican under Pope Leo XIV had had enough.

The Rev. Robert Gahl, an ethics expert at The Catholic University of America, said the speed and decisiveness with which the Vatican responded to the consecrations was significant in clearly alerting the SSPX faithful that they were participating in a schism. Doing so, he said, exposed how the SSPX falsely claims to be “more Catholic than the pope.”

The SSPX claimed it had to proceed with the consecrations, "that they had a case of necessity because of the need of the faithful to receive their sacramental care, while claiming that their sacramental care is somehow better than what the rest of the church offers,” Gahl said. The Vatican's decisive response "calls them out and says, 'If you want the salvation that the church offers, you have to belong to the church, and you stepped out of full communion by disobeying the pope’s explicit command.”

___

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.

After missing the July 1 deadline to pass the annual budget, state legislators worked through the night to come to a bipartisan agreement on next year’s fiscal spending.

The budget, totaling around $75.2 billion, marks a roughly $1 billion decrease from the current fiscal year, and includes no new taxes or fee increases while preserving the state’s rainy day fund, according to legislators.

“Michigan families expect their government to live within its means, spend responsibly, and focus on results,” said Michigan House Appropriations Committee Chair Rep. Ann Bollin (R-Brighton Twp.) in a statement. “This budget reflects those values. We held the line against tax increases, protected our rainy-day fund, reduced spending compared to last year, and advanced reforms that will make government more accountable to the people it serves.”

Notable highlights in the budget include continued investments in free school meals program and free pre-K for all, tax credits for working families and seniors, public assistance programs including Medicaid and food assistance, as well as public safety, mental health services, and education and literacy programs.

Though investments in education are less than the current fiscal year’s allocation, it includes a $250 increase in per pupil funding. It also establishes a Childcare Fund to provide more stability for providers, wage increases for direct care workers, resources for local small businesses, and investments in affordable housing and home repair grants.

“This budget shows bipartisan progress is still possible,” said Sen. Darrin Camilleri (D-Trenton), a former educator and current Chair of the PreK-12 Appropriations Subcommittee. “I’m proud of the funding priorities we’ve carried through every one of our Senate Majority budgets, with record investments and better support for our students and teachers.”

The 2026-27 budget also secures “robust” funding for Community Violence Intervention (CVI) grants, natural disaster emergency response, relief for prosecutor caseload relief, and continued revenue sharing to support local communities statewide.

The state House overwhelmingly passed the budget on Friday morning with a 99-7 margin. Four representatives did not vote.

In the Senate, State Sen. Thomas Albert (R-Lowell) voted no on the new budget, noting that it has “structural and sustainability issues” that he cannot support.

“The size and scope of state government has ballooned during Gov. Whitmer’s eight years in office, worsening our economy and making life tougher for Michiganders,” he said in an issued statement. “Our public schools continue to struggle, and until we adopt changes that will truly improve student outcomes, our investments will not produce the results we need.”

Gov. Whitmer posted to X on Friday to express gratitude to legislators on both sides of the aisle for coming together to get the 2027 budget passed.

“This budget builds on our progress by strengthening student literacy, opening doors for more housing opportunity, protecting health care, fixing our damn roads, and lowering costs for all Michiganders,” she wrote. “I am proud of this budget, my final as Governor. It will leave our state stronger than before and keep things moving forward for Michigan.”

The budget now heads to Whitmer’s desk for her signature and final approval.

The lawsuit, filed on behalf of three environmental groups last fall in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan, alleges that an exemption issued by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in July 2025 to allow for the reopening of the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant in Covert Township violates the Atomic Energy Act.

Palisades’ current owner, Holtec International, applied for the exemption in September 2023 in order to restart operations at the previously decommissioned plant, which was shut down in May 2022 under previous owners.

The court’s dismissal of the case reaffirms the NRC’s decision to exempt the company from provisions of the Atomic Energy Act that would prevent the Palisades plant from reopening under Holtec’s leadership, citing the NRC’s authority to do so under the act as enacted by Congress.

Still, many environmentalists and residents around the state are concerned by the plant’s future reopening, warning of the potential for “irreparable harm” to surrounding communities and ecosystems.

Meanwhile, Holtec announced on Thursday that the Palisades restart project reached a major milestone over the past few weeks as the last of major equipment installation and other upgrades were completed, allowing the company to transition to routine maintenance, testing, inspection, and “operational readiness work.”

“These accomplishments reflect the tremendous amount of work performed across the station throughout the restart effort,” said Enterprise Unit Head Steven Soler and Site Vice President Michael Schultheis in a news release. “The plant is coming back together, and the professionalism and dedication demonstrated by our workforce continue to move the project forward.”

Once complete, the project will be the first recommissioning of a retired nuclear power plant in U.S. history.

As Argentina rides World Cup fever and dreams of beating Cape Verde in the round of 32 on Friday, a dog walker has added his pack to the local fanbase.

Nahuel Meneghini, 33, walks the streets of the capital’s city center with the dogs wearing the team’s jerseys, leashes and collars in support of Lionel Messi ’s squad.

“I did it out of love for them and for Argentina. And for the World Cup,” said Meneghini— known as “Nano” — while speaking to The Associated Press on Thursday during a walk with the canine group.

The dog walker, also dressed head-to-toe like a fan, skilfully managed all the leashes, guiding the dogs along the narrow sidewalks of the capital’s San Cristóbal neighborhood.

As they passed, smiles lit up the faces of onlookers who pulled out their phones to snap pictures. “Let’s go, Argentina!” a woman shouted.

“These are the only joys we have because nothing ever goes our way, not for workers or retirees. Everything is against us,” said 80-year-old Edgardo Pérez, who was taking photos of the group known on social media as “La Perroneta.”

The name alludes to “La Scaloneta,” the nickname of the national team aiming to retain its title at the World Cup under coach Lionel Scaloni.

Scaloni is admired in Argentina following the team’s triumphs at the World Cup and the Finalissima in 2022, as well as the 2021 Copa América.

Meneghini developed the idea of ​​dressing the dogs in Argentina colors last week as it advanced from the group stage.

Two of the dogs he regularly walks, Sirio and Roberta, were wearing jerseys featuring Messi’s No. 10. Their owners bought them after catching World Cup fever.

Meneghini loved the idea and decided to dress the rest of the dogs the same way. He stopped by a pet store and picked up jerseys in various sizes. The owners readily accepted the outfits.

The same went for the collars and leashes he crafted in light blue and white. He added three rivets to the leashes — one for each of Argentina’s World Cup titles in 1978, 1986 and 2022 — while hanging tags reading “Los perros de Nano” (Nano’s Dogs) from the collars.

Meneghini offers the pet owners a good price for all the items. Other people in the neighborhood have started placing orders for their own pets.

The dogs and their walker cover around 60 blocks almost every day and have become local celebrities and social media stars.

“Now that is patriotism," the 73-year-old Dora Maisano said as she watched the group pass by. "Not just peeing and pooping. Everyone wearing the No. 10. Well done, congratulations — they look so cute!”

The pack will continue to wear the national colors “forever,” even if Argentina is eliminated from the competition, Meneghini said. “But I have faith that we’ll win a fourth cup. After the fourth one, I’ll add another rivet to the leashes.”

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See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

He's giving his harvest away rather than watching it rot as he's locked in a legal battle with a company that claims exclusive rights over the variety of white nectarine he grows. He's shared more than 100,000 pounds (45,359 kilograms) since Monday.

“It was really just a thought of not wasting a perfectly good product,” Mora said. “It does make a grower feel good, being able to share my fruit with people and see their immediate reaction that they love it. It’s a little bit of good in this tough situation that I’ve been dealing with.”

The legal dispute highlights the tension that can emerge between farmers and the plant breeders and large industrial food marketers that create new varieties of plants and obtain the exclusive rights to sell them.

Since 2023, the third-generation farmer in the agricultural community of Reedley in California's Central Valley has been fighting a lawsuit filed against him by Giumarra Brothers Fruit Co. The suit centers on the company’s claims of exclusivity over a variety of white nectarine and accusations that Mora broke their contract by selling the fruit to other packers. A trial has been scheduled for later this month.

“At its heart, this is a disagreement involving two written agreements, and it is being resolved the right way — in court and on the facts,” the company said in a statement emailed by one of its attorneys.

Mora has accused the company of unfair and fraudulent business practices.

Fruit patents are becoming more common

The fight centers on a white nectarine variety known as “Monalise,” which has a sweeter, less tart taste.

In its court filings, Giumarra says all rights to the Monalise variety are owned by Star Fruits Diffusion, a French company that works with plant breeding programs, while Giumarra holds the right to sublicense the variety for testing, production and sale. Star Fruits Diffusion did not respond to a request for comment.

Plant breeders, including universities, have long experimented with breeding new crop varieties, and some have become household names. Washington State University developed the Rainier cherry in the 1950s, while the University of Minnesota released the Honeycrisp apple in the 1990s. Both varieties are now in the public domain and can be grown and sold by anyone.

Fruit patents are becoming increasingly common, said Bradley Rickard, professor of food and agricultural economics at Cornell University. A patent allows a breeder to collect a royalty from the fruit trees it sells, the fruit that the trees produce, or both.

In 2010, more than a dozen apple growers sued the University of Minnesota for awarding exclusive rights to its SweeTango apple to an orchard that organized a cooperative of growers to market the variety. A settlement maintained the university's license agreement with the cooperative while also allowing more Minnesota orchards to lease the trees that bear the apple variety.

The white nectarine battle in California

California's Central Valley, stretching some 20,000 square miles (51,800 square kilometers), is an agricultural powerhouse that's estimated to produce 40% of the nation's fruits, nuts and other table foods, including most of its nectarines.

Court filings show Mora signed a sublicensing agreement with Giumarra in 2017 allowing him to grow and sell the Monalise. He entered a marketing agreement in 2019 requiring the fruit to be packed and sold through Giumarra. He said Giumarra recruited him to grow it.

Under the agreements, Mora was to pay Giumarra a royalty of $2.50 per tree and a 4% production royalty based off the gross sales of the fruit the trees produced, as well as a sales commission.

“They sold me hope and a big dream that I thought I could participate in with them," he said.

Mora alleges that up to half of the nectarines he provided to Giumarra in 2020 were thrown away, reducing his profits. The company disputes this, and the judge overseeing the case found that the statute of limitations for those claims had passed.

In 2022, Mora alleges the company sold his nectarines to Taiwan in violation of the contract, which states Giumarra will market and sell them in the U.S. and Canada. Giumarra also disputes that claim.

Mora later sought to terminate his relationship with Giumarra, and he sold his nectarines to another fruit packer in 2023. That's when Giumarra sued him for breach of contract, leading to his inability to sell the fruit at all while the court battle plays out.

Mora’s attorneys say Giumarra has not provided documents regarding its license to the nectarine variety. The company said in court filings the Monalise is not covered by a U.S. plant patent. Mora’s attorneys claim in court filings that “Giumarra promised and represented that the Nectarines were an ‘exclusive variety’ of fruit, and thus Giumarra held patents and related legal rights over these nectarines,” and that because it was exclusive, the fruit “would be sold for top dollar.”

Fresno County Superior Court Judge Jon Skiles in May ruled that Giumarra's breach of contract claim can go forward, saying that the agreement between Giumarra and Mora is valid whether there is a patent for the fruit or not.

“The sublicense agreement does not expressly state that its validity is dependent on the existence or issuance of a patent for the fruit,” he wrote.

He added that Giumarra “does not have to prove the existence of the underlying license agreement in order to prove that it has a valid contract with defendant regarding growing and selling the fruit."

Legal battles can discourage farmers

Mora said the yearslong litigation has left him feeling frustrated and defenseless. He also grows peaches and plums that are not subject to agreements with Giumarra, but he has lost a quarter of his income by not being able to sell his nectarine crop. Mora says he hopes his case results in more legal protections for growers, while Giumarra says it will let the evidence speak at trial.

“It's been discouraging to even want to go out and farm,” he said.

On Wednesday, locals wore T-shirts that read “No Nectarines Wasted” as they bagged up the free fruit, with some staying to help Mora serve the large crowds. He's raised more than $17,000 through a GoFundMe page.

“The only saving grace through all this is being able to share it with the public,” Mora said of his nectarines, “and having everybody enjoy it."

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The police organization named Anastasiia Berezovska, who remains at large, in a Red Notice seeking her arrest on charges of attempted murder, placing an explosive device in a public place with criminal intent, and criminal conspiracy.

Monaco authorities haven’t identified any of the three people wounded in Monday’s explosion at an apartment building entrance but said they are a family and that they appear to have been specifically targeted.

Media reports named Ukrainian construction tycoon Vadym Yermolaiev as being among the wounded. He has said he renounced his Ukrainian citizenship nearly a decade ago, and he was targeted by Ukrainian sanctions in 2023 for ties to Russia.

A woman and a child were also hurt. One of the victims is still in a life-threatening condition, prosecutors said Friday, also mentioning two other “collateral victims” who were slightly injured in the attack.

Investigators are also seeking to establish whether the suspect had accomplices or acted on behalf of someone else.

“The relative sophistication of the explosive device and the modus operandi suggest that the person who planted the device did not act alone,” Monaco’s deputy prosecutor, Morgan Raymond told a news conference.

He said the bomb was detonated from a distance, using a remote control, and its remains are being analyzed in neighboring France.

The attack shocked Monaco, a coastal playground for the rich and famous known for its tax-friendly incentives, royal family and Formula 1 Grand Prix. Its head of state, Prince Albert II, described the blast as “an odious act” and said all public services were mobilized to ensure security.

Prosecutors have not yet given a motive for the attack.

The Interpol notice says the suspect has a tattoo, possibly of a snake, on her right arm from the shoulder to the elbow. It says she was born in Ukraine, has dark hair, and speaks German.

Raymond said the suspect was initially identified as a heavily built person appearing to be male, wearing a dark long-sleeved top, light-colored shorts and a black bucket hat. A broader review of CCTV footage from previous days and testimony from a witness redirected the investigation toward a woman disguised as a man.

The Interpol Red Notice includes two photos of a woman wearing a white T-shirt with dark stripes, one of them in a street where she’s holding what appears to be some sort of electronic device, trailing a cable, in her left hand.

Two male individuals were taken into police custody as part of the investigation, but both were subsequently released.

Investigators also identified a rented vehicle fitted with German license plates used by the suspect in Monaco. The suspect’s escape route was traced, including the journey from France into Italy, and then across several European countries up to her country of residence. Raymond said that her last known address is in Germany, “a country with which judicial cooperation is particularly active.”

German police, including special forces, on Thursday searched the rented apartment near Frankfurt of a 39-year-old Ukrainian woman in connection with the investigation, police and prosecutors said in a statement Friday.

A vehicle used by the woman also was searched and secured, they added, and evidence will be handed over to authorities in Monaco. They said that the woman is on the run and they can’t give more details at present.

Ukraine is believed to have carried out attacks and targeted killings of Russian figures in the course of the war, although those attacks have largely been confined to Ukrainian or Russian territory.

In December 2024, Ukraine’s security service claimed responsibility for killing the head of nuclear, biological and chemical military protection forces for the Russian military.

Western intelligence officials have recently said that Russia has ramped up a campaign of targeted killings since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

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Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.

It wasn’t some toxic jab from a volatile actor to his director and co-star after a difficult shoot; They really have found a kind of magic in screaming at each other on screen, first in the Chinatown-ish “Missing Reel” episode of “The Studio,” in which Wilde plays a satirical version of herself as the crazed director, and then as a couple on the rocks in the acerbic chamber dramedy “The Invite,” which expands nationwide on July 10.

“There’s nothing precious about either of us really,” Wilde said. “There was, like, a permission speak — permission to scream — freely.”

Rogen, 44, and Wilde, 42, came up in the same class of sorts, with memorable roles on television, in the late 90s and early-aughts, that blossomed into movie stardom and, eventually, directing. But until recently, they’d only ever really crossed paths meaningfully once: At a table read for Judd Apatow’s slacker pregnancy comedy “Knocked Up” over 20 years ago. Wilde did not get the role, and they went their separate ways.

And perhaps it was for the best. “Knocked Up” might not have been the right use of Wilde and Rogen together. They seem to excel not as a traditional romantic comedy duo, but in a realm that’s more prickly, more abrasive.

In “The Invite,” tensions are already simmering between Joe (Rogen) and Angela (Wilde) when their more liberated upstairs neighbors, neighbors Pína (Penélope Cruz) and Hawk (Edward Norton), arrive for dinner, and stir things up over one booze, and a revelation-filled night.

Wilde and Rogen spoke to The Associated Press about how the cast got Wilde to act in the movie, studio productions and not taking casting too personally. Remarks have been edited for clarity and brevity.

AP: You both have been in this business long enough that I’m sure if someone says they’re thinking about you for a role, it’s ultimately flattering, but is there a part of you that wonders “Oh, do you see me like this?”

WILDE: I loved the opportunity on “The Studio” to make fun of myself, like what a thrill, and to just make fun of this business in the most loving way. I loved getting to play in that world, but there was no part of me that was like, wait a minute, do you think I’m (expletive) insane?

ROGEN: Thank God.

WILDE: Did you feel offended that I wanted you to be a sexless dad?

ROGEN: A sexless sad man? No, I got it. I give that: Sexless sad dad.

WILDE: This role was like the best of Albert Brooks and a little bit of a ‘70s Richard Dreyfuss or maybe like ’80s Richard Dreyfuss. And I felt like there is a bit of Albert Brooks and Richard Dreyfuss in you, which is high praise.

ROGEN: Hey, I can only hope.

AP: Did the actors really gang up on Olivia to get her to act in this movie as well?

ROGEN: Very much so. We overtly pressured her to do it. We had a side text chain between us where we would strategize about how to do it and how to launch a multipronged attack on her to back her into doing it. Thank God it worked. And I just kept saying no to every other option she put on the table. I literally made it impossible to hire another person because everyone else you suggested I was like, “I don’t think they’d be good at this.”

WILDE: Meryl Streep?

ROGEN: Yeah, that wouldn’t work.

WILDE: It did take encouraging because I just for whatever reason had real impostor syndrome about it because I just revere them so much. I felt capable of directing this and holding it all in place and I really felt a strong connection to the story and everything that needed to happen to make it good but the idea of jumping in the ring was intimidating. I never would have suggested myself. I’d rather die than be like, “What if it was me, you guys?”

ROGEN: I’m the exact opposite, I’m always like, “We need a tighter shot of me, I don’t think we’re featuring me enough in all this.”

WILDE: It was the best experience of my career for every reason, but certainly as an actor. I’ve never had that much fun acting. And it made me think that maybe I don’t hate it.

AP: This was inspired by a Spanish movie that has been adapted in different languages too. Is there something uniquely American about this version?

WILDE: I think so. I think that there’s an attitude about marriage in American culture that is very much very reflective of our like, can do attitude, like you’re gonna do it and you’re just gonna stick to it and you’re going to grin and bear it. There’s an American energy to that that I think is part of what keeps people in really rough places and relationships for a long time and in this version of the story, in our version, these people, if they hadn’t been confronted with this evening that the movie’s about, would have just stayed in this kind of difficult conflict-ridden kind of passive-aggressive zone probably forever because they just aren’t people who like to give up. I also think there’s an American puritanical attitude toward sex in general that we are definitely dealing with in the movie, because it’s about people who haven’t talked about sex with each other in a way that they have desperately needed to for years.

ROGEN: Felt American to me, as a Canadian, the most sex-liberal people on the planet.

AP: Your last film (“Don’t Worry Darling”) was a studio production. What did you learn from that experience?

ROGEN: They would have been way more stressed out that the movie was completely rewritten in the weeks leading to shooting. They don't like that much.

WILDE: Working for a studio, you don’t get the opportunity to be as — this is like the most obvious statement on the planet — but typically, unless you’re Paul Thomas Anderson, I feel like you don’t get the opportunity to be as specific and, in some ways, hopefully a little bold. I think that we wouldn’t have had the same amount of creative ownership as a group and that was what made the experience so valuable. I’m very happy this wasn’t like a hundred billion dollar Sony movie.

ROGEN: We could have done it. We could find a way to spend it. You give me a budget, I will blow through it.

Deniz Goktas was detained Thursday for questioning at Istanbul’s main airport on his return from a trip abroad, days after prosecutors launched an investigation into his comedy show, which had been widely viewed online. He was formally arrested following questioning by prosecutors on Friday, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

The routine, recorded in Istanbul last month, drew some 9.5 million views after being uploaded to YouTube on June 24. The pro‑government newspaper Sabah said dozens of viewers were offended by jokes on religion and filed complaints, prompting the investigation.

During questioning, Goktas, 32, said he had no intention of degrading religious values or insulting the president, stressing that his approach was satirical.

Asked about a quip in which he described Erdogan as having evolved from a “shy dictator” to one “confident in his identity,” the comedian said the remark reflected a topic widely debated in Turkey, according to excerpts of his testimony published by the rights‑focused news portal Bianet.

Insulting the president is a criminal offense in Turkey, punishable by up to four years in prison.

Erdogan has consolidated power during more than two decades in office, and critics say he has steadily narrowed the space for free expression. Journalists and government critics frequently face investigation, detention or prosecution.

Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, Erdogan’s main political rival, has been imprisoned since March last year and is on trial on corruption charges. Hundreds of mayors and other officials from the main opposition party are also under prosecution over corruption allegations while the party's leader was deposed by a court order — moves critics say are aimed at neutralizing the party ahead of the next elections.

Erdogan’s government insists that Turkey’s courts are impartial and act independently of political pressure.

Dozens of people gathered at the courthouse in solidarity with the comedian on Friday, chanting anti‑government slogans, according to the opposition‑leaning newspaper Cumhuriyet.