Carter called the situation “bigger than football" and explained he felt the need to call out Dart publicly for the decision.

“He not only represents himself and what he does, but he represents all of us and that goes for anybody who wears a Giants uniform,” Carter said Friday after an offseason workout practice. "If he chooses to align himself with a man like President Trump, it’s my responsibility based on what I believe and what I stand on to not only show my teammates that I’m against that — but to show the world.”

Carter took to social media on Saturday to criticize his teammate after realizing a video of Dart on stage with Trump was real. Hours later, Carter said he and Dart spoke and were fine. Those posts have since been deleted.

“It doesn’t mean that me and Jaxson hate each other or we have beef,” Carter said. "I sit next to Jaxson every day, every team meeting. We’re close. We talk. As long as we make sure we’ve got the same goal as a team and our goals align, which they do, then I feel like that’s all that matters.”

Trump has targeted the diversity, equity and inclusion programs that helped many Black Americans find jobs in both the federal government and a variety of private industries. He has called DEI programs “discrimination,” and he has pushed to eradicate them from the government and put pressure on the private sector to do the same.

Earlier this year, he posted and then deleted a racist video on social media that depicted former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, as primates in a jungle.

Dart in his 562-word statement never invoked Trump's name and said he valued the office of the president. Dart called it “a unique opportunity, being asked and given the opportunity to introduce the president of the United States.”

Asked if he understood why the situation might bother teammates and if he thought he made a mistake, Dart referred back to his statement. Carter said Dart did not apologize for being at Trump's event.

“I don’t want him to say he’s sorry,” Carter said. “Stand on what you believe in. But it can’t be a problem when I stand on what I believe in. That’s all that matters to me. As long as we have that understanding, it’s all good.”

Dart said he addressed the situation with teammates, including Carter, as part of “honest conversations” over the past week. That included a meeting at the Giants' facility Tuesday when Carter was not present, as well as a conversation Saturday between the two players going into their second NFL season.

“We just talked," Dart said of Carter, who was also drafted in the first round last year. “Me and him are one of the closer guys on the team with each other. We’ve had a lot of conversation, and he’s my brother. I know that I’m a brother to him.”

Coach John Harbaugh and veteran backup quarterback Jameis Winston attempted to put a positive spin on going through the situation at a tense time in the U.S.

“We’ve got a blond-haired, blue-eyed white kid and a Black Muslim religion, Black kid, who are coming together and showing y’all, showing the world that we can come together,” said Winston, who is also Black. “I think this is an excellent opportunity for those two young men to realize what they represent, the platform that they have, and how they’re going to go about navigating that and standing on what they both believe in.”

Harbaugh, who has expressed support for Trump over the years, said he had no concerns about a rift in the locker room and said “it’s not going to affect what kind of football team we are.” He deferred to players about what kind of guidelines they want to set.

“I think it’s made us better, honestly,” Harbaugh said. “I’m kind of grateful for the opportunity that we had to have the conversation. But if you do things the right way, you confront everything all the time that have to do with your football team and your ability to be successful, and that was something to confront and talk about. Rather than ignore it or rather than dictate something, let’s just talk about it."

Gunner Olszewski carted off with injury

Receiver/return specialist Gunner Olszewski went down with a noncontact injury grabbing at his right leg late in practice, and teammates went down on one knee while he received medical attention. Olszewski was put on a cart and driven off the field, and it did not look good.

“We’ll find out what the situation is with that,” Harbaugh said. “That was a noncontact change-of-direction kind of a deal there in the grass, so that was disappointing.”

Arvell Reese signs his rookie contract

No. 5 pick Arvell Reese, a linebacker out of Ohio State, signed his rookie contract on Friday, becoming the final member of the draft class to do so. No. 10 pick Francis “Sisi” Mauigoa signed earlier this week.

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

The Democrat announced Friday that police will create designated protest zones and set up vehicle checkpoints to regulate traffic outside Delaney Hall as clashes between protesters and federal immigration enforcement officials have intensified.

“It has grown unsafe, and that’s completely unacceptable,” Sherrill said at a news conference along with other state officials. “We need to take this opportunity to lower the temperature.”

Spokespersons for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the GEO Group, the private firm that runs the facility, didn’t immediately respond to emails seeking comment.

The protests began last Friday after immigrant advocates said detainees inside launched a hunger strike over poor living conditions at the 1,000-bed facility, which opened last May.

Demonstrators have been attempting to block people and vehicles from entering and exiting the building. They have linked arms in a human chain and used trash cans, umbrellas and other materials as makeshift shields and barricades.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers wearing helmets and tactical vests have used pepper spray and batons to try and disperse the protesters and clear the roadway for vehicles.

At least six demonstrators were arrested for assaulting law enforcement officers Wednesday night, and more have been arrested on other nights of the protests, DHS has said.

Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche on Friday shared images of some of the bloody wounds and bruises sustained by ICE officers.

“These riots are clearly not ‘peaceful protests’ as you can see from the photos of these horrific wounds,” he wrote in a social media post. “Assault a federal officer, you’ll be held accountable.”

Demonstrators outside Delaney Hall Friday had mixed reactions to the new safety measures.

Rachel Cohen said she was concerned police were being sent to silence demonstrators “who are showing up for their neighbors, exercising their First Amendment right.”

“It is not helpful to quell protest for the sake of a false peace,” she said. “There is no peace while we are torturing our neighbors on government dime inside this facility.”

But Lisa O’Dwyer said she has found separate areas for protesters “very helpful” in her many years of activism.

“I like to get my point across and stay safe at the same time,” the Westfield resident said.

Eyesha Marable, pastor at Mt. Zion AME Church in Millburn, agreed, even as she acknowledged there are “different schools of thought” among protesters.

“There are people here who are angry. Their family members are inside. Their friends are inside. People have been taken off the streets, out of their communities,” she said.

“We have to keep the peace,” Marable said. “The goal is to get our people free, to get them liberated, and we cannot do that if we’re fighting out here.”

ICE officers currently lining the the center’s entry have agreed to stand down as state police take over public safety responsibilities, said State Police Lt. Col. David Sierotowicz.

In addition to the protest zones, police will also be setting up vehicle checkpoints to regulate traffic and assure safe passage, he said.

“We want everyone to have the right to peacefully assemble, and to exercise their constitutionally protected rights,” Sierotowicz said.

State Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said it is important to “de-escalate the situation” as “violence, either against protesters or by protesters, is unacceptable.”

Sherril stressed that she doesn’t want to give ICE “pretext” to expand operations in the state.

“We all need to do everything we can to cool things down now,” she said.

The governor was among a group of Democratic officials who tried to visit detainees on Monday but were denied entry.

Democratic members of Congress from New York City, however, were able to tour Delaney Hall on Tuesday and described dire conditions where detainees are fed small portions of often spoiled food and their varied medical needs are ignored.

The families of detainees and their supporters say their loved ones have also been subjected to pepper spray and physical force in retaliation for their hunger strike and the protests outside.

____

Marcelo reported from New York.

A tank containing more than 500,000 gallons (1.9 million liters) of a mixture used to break down wood for making paper collapsed Tuesday morning at the Nippon Dynawave Packaging Co. in Longview, a city along the Columbia River. The collapse expelled a flood of caustic chemicals powerful enough to overturn pickup trucks and damage buildings at the site. The liquid, called white liquor, causes severe burns on contact and lung damage if vapors are inhaled.

The recovery of victims has been slow and methodical, complicated by the dangers posed by the remaining chemicals and other industrial hazards, said Matt Amos, Longview fire battalion chief.

Six bodies were found on Thursday.

Crews were steering clear of a zone closest to the tank and they've been working with engineers to determine which damaged buildings near it are safe to enter.

As they collect the remains, crews must decontaminate them before turning them over to the coroner’s office for identification. The searchers also must decontaminate themselves.

The cause of the disaster is under investigation.

Who was killed in the chemical tank disaster

Authorities have not released the names of those who were killed, but friends and relatives had begun confirming their names and posting online fundraisers to support their families.

Among the victims were brothers Tyler and Brad Covington, who worked together at the plant. An online effort to support Tyler Covington's family noted he “leaves behind his wife and their three beautiful children, who are now trying to navigate a future without the man who was their rock, protector, and greatest source of love and support.”

Gilbert Bernal, a grandfather who was an electrician at the plant, was the first confirmed death, his friend Todd Cornwell said.

“He was one of the most genuinely good people that you’ve ever met. He would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it,” Cornwell said.

John Forsberg, who also died in the collapse, was witty, kind and “wicked smart,” said friend Kole Musgrove, who hosts a trivia night at Ashtown Brewing in Longview, where Forsberg regularly competed. The brewery is renaming its trivia trophy the Forsberg Cup to honor him.

“It seemed like there was never a fact he didn't know,” Musgrove said. “He was also a tremendous sport — he was always the first to cheer for another team when they won.”

A GoFundMe post sought donations for Forsberg's two children.

CJ Doran, 26, was “the spiritual leader of their family, the joy of their home, and the family provider,” according to a GoFundMe post verified by the crowdfunding site.

Other victims included Jared Ammons, who had two children and another on the way, and Braydon Finkas, an electrician at the plant, who, along with his longtime partner, Kaitlyn Kincaid, hosted exchange students and others in need, according to their friend Rex Czuba.

Finkas moved to Cathlamet about four years ago to build a house and start a farm, Czuba said. He always was willing to help other farmers cut hay or load equipment, or buy a beer for a new face in their small town, he said.

“He really jumped in and became a part of the community so quickly,” Czuba said.

The tank failure also injured eight people, including a firefighter. Some suffered burns or inhalation injuries, authorities said.

The mill’s Japanese parent company, Nippon Paper Group, said in an updated statement Friday it was offering its “heartfelt sympathies to the bereaved families.”

The impact of the spill on the area

Authorities said Friday the spill hadn’t contaminated the air and drinking water in and around Longview, a city of about 40,000 people along Washington’s border with Oregon.

The community, which was founded at the confluence of the Cowlitz and Columbia rivers by a Kansas City timber baron in the 1920s, has deep ties to paper and lumber industries.

Generations of families have worked in the mills, and many residents who spoke with The Associated Press had family members or friends connected to the Nippon Dynawave plant. The sprawling facility, which employs about 1,000 people, makes material for tissues, printing paper, cups, plates and cartons. It sits along the Columbia river next to other timber, paper and chemical businesses.

Crews worked to flush water from ditches near the plant and dilute it before pumping it into the river.

Some contamination has reached the river, but the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said it has had no noticeable effect.

___

Johnson reported from Seattle and Rush from Portland, Oregon. Associated Press writers Martha Bellisle and Hallie Golden in Seattle and John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, contributed.

“This time of year is about communication, man,” Campbell said after the Lions’ third OTA practice Friday (May 29). “Working your craft, getting better at what you do, and then learning to work with the guy next to you. Nobody’s going to win a job in the spring.”

Campbell cautioned against drawing conclusions from the limited-contact workouts, which have featured walkthroughs, jog-throughs, and seven-on-seven drills. He said no player will earn a roster spot or starting role based on May practices.

Injuries, Sewell transition headline early updates

On the injury front, Campbell said safety Kerby Joseph, defensive back Brian Branch, and tight end Sam LaPorta are all making progress in their recoveries.

Campbell emphasized there is no rush to return any of them to the field.

“The most important thing is to continue to let them improve, rehab, all that,” Campbell said. “That’ll take precedence right now.”

Campbell also confirmed offensive lineman Penei Sewell has shifted to the left side during offseason work.

He expects the transition to be smooth, given Sewell’s experience at left tackle.

“It’ll be like riding a bike for him,” Campbell said. “That’s muscle memory. He’s played left before. He’ll do whatever we ask him to do.”

Campbell praised Sewell’s versatility, calling the All-Pro lineman a rare combination of talent, athleticism, and work ethic capable of excelling in multiple roles.

‘New season, new year’ mentality drives Lions’ offseason

With several new faces on the roster, Campbell said the organization is focused on evolving rather than simply replicating past success.

“When you’ve been able to hold a group together for a significant amount of time, and then you don’t get the results that you want, it’s probably time to shake it up a little bit,” Campbell said. “This is a new season. It’s a new year.”

Campbell said the Lions conducted a thorough organizational review following the 2024 season and are working to return to a more focused, businesslike approach.

“Let’s get back to the business of what it is,” Campbell said. “It’s about football first and foremost, and it’s about the guy next to you.”

Competition level expected to be highest yet

While Campbell declined to single out standout performers from the first week of OTAs, he expressed confidence in the team’s overall depth and predicted this will be Detroit’s most competitive offseason yet.

“This will be the most competition we’ve had, in my opinion,” Campbell said. “Top-tier competition. This is going to be good across the board.”

Campbell also praised several newcomers along the offensive line, but was quick to temper any early excitement.

“I’m done with the hype of the pajama party in May,” Campbell said with a smile. “We’ll find out in training camp who’s who.”

The Lions will continue offseason workouts through June before reporting for training camp in late July as they prepare for the 2026 season with championship aspirations.

--> Detroit Lions 2026 schedule released: Full game list, key matchups with season outlook

Meanwhile Trump held a White House Situation Room meeting with his advisers as he looks to make a “final determination” on moving forward on a deal to extend a ceasefire with Iran. Trump confirmed the high-level talks a day after the AP reported that U.S. and Iranian negotiators had reached a tentative agreement to extend the fragile ceasefire by 60 days and start new talks on Iran’s nuclear program.

And former Attorney General Pam Bondi refused to answer questions on Trump’s involvement in the release of case files on Jeffrey Epstein as she defended the administration’s actions in a closed-door interview before House lawmakers. Lawmakers have scrutinized the Justice Department’s release of the files, which was delayed and revealed the personal information of potential victims.

Here's the latest:

What to know about the artists backing out of the Trump-linked Freedom 250 concerts

“The Great American State Fair” is a series of concerts, exhibits, tributes and other programs scheduled for June 25 to July 10 on Washington’s National Mall. It was organized by Freedom 250, which is billed as a nonpartisan organization but was launched last year by the president and is headed by a Trump State Department appointee from his first term.

On Wednesday, Freedom 250 announced that Bret Michaels, the Commodores and Martina McBride would be among the musical performers. But by late Thursday, all three dropped out, as did Morris Day and Young MC.

Michaels and others have said they were misled about the theme of the shows or were otherwise wary of being caught up in a political fight.

Freedom 250 organizers have yet to respond to AP requests for comment. Spokesperson Rachel Reisner told The New York Times that “Freedom 250 is focused on our signature celebrations and events that honor our history and engage all Americans.”

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US and China trade journalist expulsions days after Trump visits Xi in Beijing

The Trump administration has revoked the visa of a Chinese national working for state news agency Xinhua, an apparent reciprocal act to Beijing’s decision to expel a New York Times reporter.

A person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity because it involves visa privacy confirmed the visa had been revoked. A State Department official confirmed there was a plan to revoke it.

The move followed China’s expulsion of Times correspondent Vivian Wang, apparently over the appearance of the Taiwanese leader in a DealBook event in which Wang had no role.

The Times, which first reported the reciprocal move, said it does not ask governments to revoke media credentials or otherwise interfere with the work of any journalist. It called for Wang’s reinstatement and urged both governments to “reverse this deterioration in journalist access.”

The Chinese Embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

— Didi Tang and Matthew Lee

US commander meets with Cuban military officials as Trump continues pressure on island nation

The top U.S. military leader in Latin America and the Cuban officials met Friday in what Southern Command characterized as a “brief exchange on operational security matters” near the U.S. Navy base on Guantanamo Bay.

Gen. Francis L. Donovan also “led a perimeter security assessment of the naval base and discussed force protection, safety of service members and their families, and operational readiness with base officials,” Southern Command said on the social platform X.

The meeting comes as the U.S. military maintains a presence of warships in the Caribbean Sea and the Trump administration applies pressure on Cuba with an oil blockade. Trump has warned that Cuba “is next” after capturing Venezuela’s autocratic leader in a January military operation.

Trump says he’s backing away from Kennedy Center renovation and returning control to Congress

Hours after a federal judge ordered his name removed from the arts institution, the president said the judge “should be ashamed of himself” in a social media post.

“Unless I am free to do what I do better than anyone else, bring this Institution back, physically, financially, and artistically, I have no interest in continuing what could only be a hopeless journey into ‘NEVER NEVER LAND,’” Trump said on his Truth Social platform.

Trump also said he has instructed his administration to “make all necessary arrangements” to have the center transferred to Congress.

Federal judge says New Hampshire must loosen requirements to prove citizenship to vote

New Hampshire must make voter registration easier by allowing applicants to attest to their U.S. citizenship if they don’t have the documents to prove it, the judge said.

The case was seen as the first major legal test of an election reform that has been pushed nationally by Trump and has gained favor among many Republicans, although U.S. District Court Judge Samantha Elliot said she was not deciding whether requiring proof of citizenship itself is constitutional.

Her ruling late Thursday night on a narrower question of New Hampshire law was significant, however, because it underscored the potential perils of implementing strict requirements for voters to document their U.S. citizenship so they can cast a ballot.

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Kennedy Center board broke the law putting Trump’s name on the building, judge says, and blocks its closure for renovations

U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper concluded Friday that the board “overstepped its statutory bounds” by unilaterally adding Trump’s name to the center. Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, he said, and only Congress can change it.

The judge also ruled that the board’s March 16 vote to close the facility was “ill-informed and seemingly preordained” with no regard for its legal obligations.

“The trustees might have assessed the propriety of closure in a number of prudent ways. This was not one,” he wrote.

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Iran’s nuclear issues remain unresolved

A deal to extend the ceasefire and reopen the Strait of Hormuz “has not yet been finalized,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told a state broadcaster on Friday.

On Thursday, U.S. Vice President JD Vance suggested negotiators were trying to strike general terms on Iran’s nuclear program, with the specifics to be hammered out in the ensuing talks.

Baghaei, however, said Friday that Iranian officials were “focused on the end of war and are not discussing the details of the nuclear plan at this point.”

Trump’s Situation Room meeting on Iran ceasefire has concluded

Trump has finished his meeting with national security aides to weigh a framework of an agreement that would extend the U.S. ceasefire with Iran by 60 days and kickstart new talks on Iran’s nuclear program, according to a senior administration official.

The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, would not comment on whether Trump had made a decision to sign off on the tentative agreement following the roughly two-hour meeting.

— Aamer Madhani

Kennedy Center board broke the law putting Trump’s name on the building, judge says, and blocks its closure for renovations

U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper concluded Friday that the board “overstepped its statutory bounds” by unilaterally adding Trump’s name to the center. Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, he said, and only Congress can change it.

The judge also ruled that the board’s March 16 vote to close the facility was “ill-informed and seemingly preordained” with no regard for its legal obligations.

“The trustees might have assessed the propriety of closure in a number of prudent ways. This was not one,” he wrote.

Rubio calls Lebanese president as Israel-Lebanon security talks begin at the Pentagon

The U.S. secretary of state had a phone call with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to praise him for pursuing peace talks with Israel, as Israel and Lebanon held their first security-related meeting in Washington at the Pentagon.

Rubio “commended President Aoun’s courage and vision in pursuing direct negotiations with Israel, even as Hezbollah continues its attempts to derail those talks at the expense of the Lebanese people,” the State Department said in a statement Friday.

Talks between senior officials from Israel and Lebanon have been going on since last month but are complicated by the fact that Hezbollah, Israel’s target, is not participating in the discussions and has refused to accept their results.

Rubio told Aoun that Hezbollah “is entirely responsible for the ongoing fighting and emphasized the need for Hezbollah to immediately cease its attacks and provocations to enable de-escalation.”

Trump administration grants a rare reprieve, shielding 11,000 Lebanese from deportation

The decision on their Temporary Protected Status allows them to stay and work in the United States for another six months.

Unusually, the decision was automatic, meaning the administration missed the deadline to decide on whether to extend TPS for Lebanese people covered by the program.

The Department of Homeland Security said on Thursday that officials “were unable to make an informed determination on Lebanon’s TPS designation.” It comes amid ongoing fighting in southern Lebanon between Israeli troops and Hezbollah militants.

Republicans have harshly criticized the TPS program, which was created by Congress in 1990 to prevent deportations to countries suffering from natural disasters or civil strife.

White House moves to give political appointees more power over federal grants

Scientists say this would put critical research funding into the hands of partisans without relevant expertise. It would be the most sweeping change to the federal grantmaking process in years.

The proposed regulations would require senior appointees to review funding to see if it complies with the law and the president’s priorities. The rules would also give administration officials more freedom to terminate grants that have already been awarded, a process that could jeopardize millions of dollars in ongoing research.

The Office of Management and Budget claims the reforms are needed for greater accountability. It says the Biden administration wasted taxpayer dollars on “woke” programs.

Published Friday, the plan will enter a public comment period before a final rule will be issued.

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Ex-Iowa school district leader who was arrested in Trump’s immigration crackdown gets 2 years in prison

Ian Roberts pleaded guilty in January to falsely claiming to be a U.S. citizen and illegally possessing firearms, which together carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

He would serve the sentence before he is likely deported to his native Guyana in South America.

His lawyers had proposed that he be put on probation “to facilitate his removal from the United States.” Prosecutors recommended a sentence of more than three years, saying his likely deportation should not be a factor.

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Louisiana lawmakers pass a new congressional map designed to pick up a Republican seat

The new map is also likely to leave the state with just one of its two majority-Black House districts represented by Democrats.

Approval of the new House map came a month after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the state’s current map as an illegal racial gerrymander, weakening the landmark 1965 federal Voting Rights Act. That decision intensified a national redistricting battle fueled by Trump’s efforts to protect the Republicans’ slim House majority in the midterm elections.

Louisiana Republicans had considered drawing a map giving the party a shot at winning all six of the state’s U.S. House seats. But that would have required adding more Black voters to Republican-held districts, potentially backfiring with losses. Some Republicans said a 5-1 map better protects U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson from facing a difficult reelection.

Republican Gov. Jeff Landry is expected to sign the new map into law.

Bondi interview concludes after 4 hours

Democratic lawmakers say former attorney general told them she would not answer questions about Trump’s involvement in the release of case files on Jeffrey Epstein.

She also said Todd Blanche, her former deputy who is now the acting attorney general, had overseen the publication of case files.

Bondi refuses to answer lawmakers’ questions about Trump’s involvement in Epstein files release

Bondi was on Capitol Hill for a closed-door interview in which she defended the administration’s actions before House lawmakers who are scrutinizing a process that was delayed and included personal information of potential victims.

Democratic lawmakers said Bondi told them she would not speak about the president in Friday’s interview and, accompanied by a lawyer from the Department of Justice, cited her ability to decline questions because she agreed to appear before the committee voluntarily.

“It’s a sham in there. They are not answering any questions,” said Democratic Rep. Dave Min during a break in the interview.

Trump says only the US and China are capable of removing Iran’s enriched uranium

The president in his online post also turned back to his on-and-off demand that the highly-enriched uranium buried under nuclear sites badly damaged during last year’s U.S. air bombardment of Iran be removed as part of a deal.

“The enriched material, sometimes referred to as ‘Nuclear Dust,’ which is buried deep underground with virtually collapsed mountains, caused by our powerful B2 Bomber attack 11 months ago, sitting on top of it, will be unearthed by the United States (which, it is agreed, is the only Country, along with China, with the mechanical capability of doing so!), in close coordination and conjunction with the Islamic Republic of Iran, plus the International Atomic Energy Agency, and DESTROYED,” Trump said.

Trump has offered mixed messages over the course of the three-month conflict on the importance of removing the enriched uranium. Earlier this month, he told Fox News’ Sean Hannity he’d “just feel better if I got” the uranium, but that “it’s more for public relations than it is for anything else.”

Louisiana Republicans are poised to pass new US House districts in wider redistricting fight

The state’s Republican-controlled Senate is poised to pass a plan Friday to help the GOP maintain control of the U.S. House in November, potentially becoming the latest Southern state to eliminate a majority-Black congressional district that elected a Democrat.

The state Senate is set to vote on a redistricting plan that would give Republicans a chance to pick up an additional seat in response to late April’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling that Louisiana’s congressional district map constituted an illegal racial gerrymander.

An amended map overwhelmingly passed the House on Thursday. Once the final map clears the Legislature, Republican Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry is expected to sign it.

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Hegseth meets with leaders of Vietnam and Singapore at Asian defense conference

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has met with leaders from Vietnam and Singapore to discuss shared security interests, the Pentagon said Friday.

The separate meetings occurred on the sidelines during the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s annual defense and security forum in Singapore.

Hegseth praised Vietnam’s decision to join the Board of Peace and for committing troops and police to the International Stabilization Force in Gaza. Hegseth also applauded the modernization of Vietnam’s military and discussed opportunities to deepen cooperation, including on unmanned naval capabilities.

Hegseth and Singapore’s leaders discussed expanding the U.S. military’s presence in Singapore with rotational deployments from the Navy and Air Force. Meanwhile, Hegseth reaffirmed the American commitment to support advanced training for Singapore’s military in the U.S.

Pam Bondi defends administration’s release of Epstein case files as she testifies before lawmakers

The former attorney general stood behind the Trump administration’s release of the case files on Jeffrey Epstein as she testified Friday before House lawmakers scrutinizing a process that was delayed and included personal information of potential victims.

Bondi, who arrived Friday morning on Capitol Hill for her closed-door interview, was defiant in previous public testimony when she was confronted by lawmakers about the Epstein investigation. In her opening statement, she kept to the same tack.

“The bottom line is: justice and transparency in this matter have been delivered at the direction of President Trump and his administration,” she said, according to a written copy of her opening statement.

The transcribed Bondi interview gave lawmakers a chance to dig for information on the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein files and other related matters, including the prison sentence of Epstein’s former girlfriend and confidant, Ghislaine Maxwell.

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Trump meeting with aides to make ‘final determination’ on moving forward with Iran deal

The president says he’s holding a White House Situation Room meeting with his advisers.

Trump confirmed the high-level White House talks Friday, a day after The Associated Press and other news outlets reported that U.S. and Iranian negotiators had come to terms on a tentative agreement.

The deal would extend the fragile ceasefire by 60 days as new talks are held on Iran’s disputed nuclear program.

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White House declines comment on judge’s ruling blocking payouts from ‘anti-weaponization’ fund

The White House referred all questions to the Justice Department, which didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Plaintiffs’ attorneys from the legal advocacy group Democracy Forward are seeking a court order halting the fund’s implementation and preventing the Trump administration from disbursing any payouts from it. The federal suit claims there’s no legal basis or accountability behind the fund.

At least two other lawsuits, both filed separately in Washington, also are challenging the fund’s creation.

Rubio meets with Pakistani foreign minister as tentative Iran deal hangs in the balance

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has met with his Pakistani counterpart, Ishaq Dar, as a tentative deal to extend a fragile ceasefire with Iran hangs in the balance.

Neither Rubio nor Dar — whose country has emerged as a main player and mediator in talks to end the conflict — spoke or responded to questions from reporters as they posed for photographs at the State Department on Friday. Dar has been in the United States since earlier this week to attend meetings at the United Nations in New York.

The meeting came just a day after U.S. officials said an agreement in principle on a memorandum of understanding to extend the ceasefire, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and return to talks on Iran’s nuclear program had been reached. That agreement, though, must still be approved by President Trump and Iran’s top leadership and there was no indication when that might happen.

Judge temporarily blocks payouts from Trump’s ‘anti-weaponization’ settlement fund

A federal judge has temporarily blocked Trump’s administration from paying any claims through a new $1.776 billion settlement fund for Trump allies who believe they were victims of a weaponized government.

U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema in Alexandria, Virginia, on Friday also barred the government from moving forward with the fund’s creation while litigation is pending to challenge it.

The judge scheduled a June 12 hearing for arguments on whether to extend the order blocking payouts from an “Anti-Weaponization Fund,” which the government created to resolve Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the leak of his tax returns.

The fund has created a fierce backlash since it was announced last week, with even Republicans pressing acting Attorney General Todd Blanche over the eligibility considerations and the possibility that even violent rioters at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, would be free to seek compensation.

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Pam Bondi interview gets underway on Capitol Hill

The former attorney general is appearing before House lawmakers as they investigate how the government has handled the investigations into Jeffrey Epstein.

Bondi was ousted as attorney general last month, but her in her previous testimony to Congress she has been defiant in the face of lawmakers’ questions about how the Department of Justice handled the release of case files on Epstein. She is also accompanied today by Department of Justice officials — an arrangement Democrats have criticized.

Several survivors of Epstein’s abuse also appeared outside the House office room where the interview is happening behind closed doors. They pressed the committee chair, Republican Rep. James Comer, to closely question Bondi.

“We want justice for the survivors, we do,” Comer told them.

South Carolina Democrats expected to celebrate after failure of Trump-backed redistricting push

Democrats may be in a more celebratory mood than usual as they gather Friday in South Carolina, a state led almost entirely by Republicans.

The party is holding events days after the GOP-led state Senate shot down an effort backed by President Donald Trump to redraw House district lines to help Republicans this fall. That move was aimed at ousting longtime Rep. Jim Clyburn, the state’s lone congressional Democrat and a party powerbroker who’s been in office since 1993.

Friday’s gatherings kick off with the Blue Palmetto Dinner, an annual party fundraiser that typically showcases potential presidential contenders and the party’s national figures. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear will be the headliner.

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Pam Bondi to face closed-door questioning from House lawmakers over Epstein files

Former Attorney General Pam Bondi is testifying before House lawmakers investigating Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse cases, a long-awaited appearance that brings fresh scrutiny of the administration’s botched release of the Epstein case files.

Bondi was defiant in previous public testimony when she was confronted by lawmakers about the Epstein investigation. It’s unclear whether she’ll bring the same approach Friday, now that she is no longer in charge of the Justice Department. The session will be held behind closed doors.

The transcribed interview will give lawmakers a chance to dig for information on the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein files and other related matters, including the prison sentence of his former girlfriend and confidant, Ghislaine Maxwell. The Justice Department moved Maxwell to a prison camp in Texas last August.

“I think she absolutely could clear up many missing pieces if she wanted to,” said Rep. Yassamin Ansari, an Arizona Democrat on the House Oversight Committee. “Now it’s a question of whether or not she is willing to be transparent.”

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Trump has warned that Cuba “is next” after U.S. military forces captured Venezuela's autocratic leader, Nicolás Maduro, in a January raid. In recent months, the Trump administration has imposed an oil blockade, maintained warships in the Caribbean Sea and indicted a former Cuban leader on federal charges.

Top Trump aides, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and CIA chief John Ratcliffe, have met with Cuban officials to explore possible improvements in relations. But the U.S. side has come away unimpressed from those talks, leading to even more sanctions imposed on the Cuban government.

Besides meeting Friday with Cuban military officials, U.S. Gen. Francis L. Donovan assessed the security of the U.S. naval base and discussed the “safety of service members and their families, and operational readiness with base officials,” U.S. Southern Command said in a post on X.

The U.S. still maintains the base in Guantanamo Bay despite decades of friction with Cuba's socialist leaders, whom Trump wants removed from power.

The U.S. military now has a handful of Navy ships, including at least one amphibious assault ship, in the Caribbean, a much smaller force than was present at the time of the Maduro raid.

On Friday, the Pentagon announced that a new unit of 1,300 sailors and Marines would be replacing the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, which deployed to the region last summer.

In a pair of social media posts, Trump gave his backing to South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and Iowa Rep. Randy Feenstra, as primary elections in both states approach.

Iowa’s primary is Tuesday, and South Carolina’s is on June 9.

For two terms, Evette has served alongside Gov. Henry McMaster, one of Trump's earliest backers during his first presidential campaign. Earlier this year, the long-serving governor endorsed his No. 2, telegraphing to some that Trump's backing could be next.

On Friday, Trump expressed both appreciation for Evette and the state she represents, noting that she stumped for him in 2024. He also said “A BIG added plus” for her campaign is that Henry McMaster Jr. — the sitting governor's son — may be Evette's running mate.

In the deep red state of South Carolina, the competition for the president’s support has been the most intense part of the primary race.

In a separate post, Trump described Feenstra as "MAGA all the way” and said he would “fight tirelessly” for the state on issues including the economy, border security and support of law enforcement.

Both Evette and Feenstra have been vocal about wanting Trump's endorsement, in the hopes that it would carry weight in states that helped propel Trump's return to office in 2024. Feenstra said earlier this year that he asked for Trump's support, and much of Evette's campaign media has featured photos of her next to Trump.

Along with Feenstra, four other Republicans — state Rep. Eddie Andrews, businessman and former conservative political director Zach Lahn, former state Rep. Brad Sherman and former director of the state Department of Administrative Services Adam Steen — are in the primary to replace outgoing Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, who opted out of a third bid.

Evette is competing for the South Carolina nomination against Rep. Nancy Mace, Rep. Ralph Norman and state Attorney General Alan Wilson.

Both states are having their first competitive Republican gubernatorial primaries in years, with Reynolds and McMaster in office for roughly a decade each.

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Hannah Fingerhut contributed reporting from Des Moines, Iowa.

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Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP

The right-hander and closer Kenley Jansen both left the Tigers’ 4-0 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday with injuries. Jansen went on the injured list Thursday due to pelvic inflammation.

Mize was placed on the injured list Friday, retroactive to Thursday, as the Tigers prepared to open a series with the Chicago White Sox. The Tigers activated right-hander Beau Briske from the 60-day injured list and put him on their 26-man roster.

The Tigers also transferred left-hander Brant Hurter to the 60-day injured list.

Mize is 2-3 with a 2.27 ERA in nine starts this season. He has struck out 49 batters over 47 2/3 innings.

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

After a warm finish to the workweek, a cold front will usher in noticeably cooler air for the weekend.

The front will not bring rain, though. Instead, it will provide a refreshing break from the recent warmth, with afternoon temperatures settling into the 60s and lower 70s across much of Southeast Michigan.

For Grand Prix spectators, that means comfortable conditions for spending hours outdoors along the riverfront and race course.

The cooler temperatures should make walking between viewing areas more pleasant, especially compared with the hotter summer days that are still to come.

The forecast is equally favorable for anyone planning outdoor activities away from downtown Detroit.

Whether it is a bike ride on area trails, a picnic at a local park, gardening in the backyard, or a trip to the golf course, dry weather and abundant sunshine will be the dominant theme through the weekend.

Boaters will also find plenty to enjoy. While the cooler air moving across the Great Lakes may create a brisk breeze at times, the overall weather pattern favors an extended stretch of fair conditions.

Sunshine and dry skies should provide excellent opportunities to get out on the water and enjoy the start of the summer recreation season.

The reason for the prolonged stretch of pleasant weather is a large-scale weather pattern setting up across North America.

High pressure will remain firmly in control over the Great Lakes, keeping storm systems well away from Southeast Michigan through at least the middle of next week.

That means umbrellas can likely stay tucked away for several more days.

The cool weekend air will come to an end.

Temperatures are expected to gradually climb through next week. By midweek, many communities will once again be reaching the lower 80s, bringing a more summerlike feel back to Southeast Michigan.

For now, however, the weekend offers something many people can appreciate: sunshine, comfortable temperatures, and an opportunity to make outdoor plans without worrying about the weather.

Share your weather photos now and throughout the weekend with Local 4 at MIPics.

Demetra C. Kazanis, 55, was arraigned Wednesday (May 27) in 54B District Court in East Lansing on 43 felony charges, including one count of conducting a criminal enterprise and 42 counts of Medicaid fraud.

According to prosecutors, Kazanis allegedly billed Medicaid for more extensive dental fillings that were either not performed or completed as less invasive preventive resin restorations, commonly known as PRRs.

Kazanis practiced at New You Dental clinic in Livonia, officials said.

Authorities allege the PRRs involved treatment limited to the tooth’s enamel and did not require drilling into the dentin or the use of anesthesia.

Fillings, by comparison, are considered more extensive procedures and are reimbursed at a higher rate by Medicaid.

The charge of conducting a criminal enterprise carries a possible penalty of up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $100,000.

Each Medicaid fraud charge is punishable by up to four years in prison and/or a fine of up to $50,000.

Kazanis was released on a $50,000 personal recognizance bond at arraignment.

She is scheduled to return to court on June 5 for a probable cause conference.

Republican Gov. Jeff Landry signed the plan hours after it overwhelmingly passed the state’s Republican-controlled Legislature.

Approval of the new House map came a month after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Louisiana’s current map — with its two majority-Black districts — as an illegal racial gerrymander, weakening the landmark 1965 federal Voting Rights Act. That decision intensified a national redistricting battle fueled by President Donald Trump’s efforts to protect Republicans’ slim U.S. House majority in the midterm elections. Louisiana is one of several Southern states now redrawing their maps to help Republicans.

Louisiana Republicans had considered drawing a map giving the party a shot at winning all six of the state’s U.S. House seats. But that would have required adding more registered Democrats to Republican-held districts, potentially backfiring with GOP losses.

The map approved Friday in a 28-10 state Senate vote along party lines reflected Republican arguments that a 5-1 map is safer for the GOP and better protects U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson from facing a difficult reelection. Republicans currently hold four of Louisiana’s six congressional seats.

‘Vicious race to the bottom’

Democrats contend that the new map is racially gerrymandered to squeeze more Black voters — who tend to be registered Democrats — into a single district.

Democratic state Sen. Royce Duplessis pointed out during floor debate Friday that some other Southern states, such as South Carolina, had refused to redraw their maps in the middle of an election year, and said Louisiana is participating in a “vicious, vicious race to the bottom.”

The bill's sponsor, Republican state Sen. Jay Morris, repeatedly insisted that party affiliation, not race, drove district boundaries.

“I purposely put more Democrats into District 2 to make the remaining districts better performing for Republicans,” Morris said at one point.

Morris said he told the map demographers to avoid including any data on race or including those statistics in information shared with lawmakers before the vote.

Democratic state Sen. Sam Jenkins told Morris, “I think it’s a racially gerrymandered district that's going to get us into a lot of trouble here."

“Agree to disagree,” Morris told Jenkins.

More litigation expected in Louisiana

Louisiana is currently using a map ordered by a lower court in 2024 to comply with the Voting Rights Act by including a second district with a majority-Black population.

That map, however, was challenged in court, and the Supreme Court responded on April 30 by striking it down as an illegal racial gerrymander.

Landry postponed the state’s closed U.S. House primary slated for May 16. He later signed a law making the U.S. primary open and shifted the date to Nov. 3 to allow time for Republican lawmakers to draw and pass a new map. All candidates, regardless of party affiliation, will be on the ballot for voters in their district.

The new map redraws Democratic U.S. Rep. Cleo Fields' district, clustering it around predominantly white communities in the Baton Rouge area and southern Louisiana. It also adds part of Baton Rouge to a heavily Democratic, majority-Black district based in New Orleans currently represented by Democratic U.S. Rep. Troy Carter.

More lawsuits were expected over the new map.

Democrats say the map could draw a legal challenge over racial gerrymandering, and the ACLU of Louisiana suggested Friday that it could sue, calling the map a “racial gerrymander hiding behind the thin veneer of partisanship” and warning that "this fight is just beginning.”

Meanwhile, the victorious plaintiffs in the U.S. Supreme Court's decision criticized the Legislature's map earlier this week for leaving a majority-Black district in place.

Nationwide battle over district lines

In the weeks following the Supreme Court’s decision, several other Republican-controlled Southern states have seized upon a weakened federal Voting Rights Act to try to redraw their own congressional districts.

So far, Republicans are winning the redistricting contest. But that doesn’t necessarily mean they will win a narrowly divided U.S. House in November. Republicans think they could gain as many as 15 seats from their redistricting efforts so far, while Democrats think they could gain six seats from new districts in California and Utah.

Meanwhile, a court decision in Wisconsin on Friday could give Democrats a new avenue to pick up seats in 2028.

The liberal-controlled Wisconsin Supreme Court said it would hear an appeal of a case filed by a bipartisan coalition of business executives that seeks to redraw the state’s Republican-friendly congressional districts. Republicans hold six of the state’s eight House seats, but only two are considered competitive.

A three-judge panel dismissed the case in April. Those who filed the lawsuit weren't seeking a ruling in time for the 2026 election. Instead, they are asking the state Supreme Court to send the case back to the lower court for a trial on their claims, which would likely not take place until 2027.

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Levy reported from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Associated Press writers Scott Bauer in Madison, Wisconsin, and Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City contributed to this report.

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This story has been corrected to show that Landry ultimately postponed Louisiana's closed U.S. House primary elections to Nov. 3, not “later this summer” after signing a law making the primary election open.

Ahead of the meeting, Trump said he was looking to make a “final determination.” A senior administration official later said the roughly two-hour meeting with national security aides had concluded without a decision.

The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said Trump would only sign a deal that “satisfies his redlines” and curbs Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

Trump confirmed the high-level talks the day after The Associated Press and other news outlets reported that U.S. and Iranian negotiators had come to terms on a tentative agreement. The deal would extend the fragile ceasefire by 60 days as new talks are held on Iran’s disputed nuclear program.

Trump wrote on social media that “Iran must agree that they will never have a Nuclear Weapon or Bomb.” He said the strait must be reopened for international navigation and all sea mines destroyed.

Iran’s main negotiator said Friday that it has “no trust in guarantees or words,” only actions, underscoring lingering distrust after the U.S. and Israel have twice attacked Iran over the past year while it was engaged in nuclear negotiations.

“No step will be taken before the other side acts,” Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf wrote on X. “We do not gain concessions through talks, but through missiles."

Nuclear issues remain unresolved

Later, but before Trump's meeting concluded, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei told a state broadcaster that the agreement “has not been finalized yet.”

On Thursday, U.S. Vice President JD Vance suggested negotiators were trying to strike general terms on Iran’s nuclear program, with the specifics to be hammered out in the ensuing talks.

Baghaei, however, said Friday that Iranian officials were "focused on the end of war and are not discussing the details of the nuclear plan at this point.”

Iran also wants any deal to include a truce between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon, where fighting has intensified despite a nominal ceasefire. And the Islamic Republic has been seeking the release of billions of dollars in frozen funds.

Ebrahim Azizi, who heads the Iranian parliament’s national security commission and is close to top leaders, posted on social media Friday that Iran “sets the terms: cash for cash, credit for credit, nothing for nothing.”

The Islamic Republic has 440.9 kilograms (972 pounds) of uranium that is enriched up to 60% purity, a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90%, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Iran has long maintained its nuclear program is peaceful and has not publicly committed to giving up the stockpile. It's believed to be buried under three nuclear sites that were badly damaged by U.S. strikes last year.

Trump returned Friday to his on-and-off demand for the removal of the cache as part of a deal. The material would be unearthed by the U.S., in coordination with Iran and the IAEA, “and DESTROYED,” he posted.

Deal would reopen the Strait of Hormuz

The proposed memorandum makes clear that Iran would not be able to impose tolls on the Strait of Hormuz and that it would have to remove all mines from the vital waterway within 30 days, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The U.S. would gradually lift its blockade on Iranian ports and would also agree to relax sanctions, allowing Iran to sell more of its oil.

Baghaei said Iran and Oman, which lie on opposite sides of the strait, would manage it and “adopt mechanisms” for transit through it, "based on their own national interests and the interests of the international community.”

The two nations' foreign ministers discussed the issue by phone earlier Friday, according to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who wrote on X that he had expressed solidarity “in the face of any threat.”

On Wednesday, Trump had warned Oman — a U.S. ally — not to enter into any agreement with Iran to share control of the strait or the U.S. will “have to blow them up.”

Iran has effectively closed the strait since the U.S. and Israel launched a surprise attack on Feb. 28 that killed Iran's supreme leader and other top officials. Before then, the waterway was open to international traffic, and around a fifth of the world's oil and gas passed through it.

The closure of the strait has caused the price of fuel and other goods to soar, with the effects felt far beyond the Middle East.

Iran has said it lets some commercial vessels pass — about two dozen daily in recent days, compared with more than 100 a day before the war. But the Islamic Republic also has charged tolls for at least some ships and established a formal gatekeeper agency earlier this month, spurring a new round of U.S. sanctions this week.

The agency, called the Persian Gulf Strait Authority, condemned the sanctions Friday but deemed them a a sign of its own “positive performance.”

Since the ceasefire began about seven weeks ago, the U.S. and Iran have traded strikes and accusations of ceasefire violations. But they have not returned to full-scale hostilities and have kept negotiating.

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Associated Press writers Jennifer Peltz and Farnoush Amiri in New York, and Matthew Lee in Washington, contributed.

The operation occurred on May 23 and 24 at the annual electronic music festival in downtown Detroit.

Police said they seized a variety of suspected narcotics, including 94.8 grams of suspected cocaine, 282.5 grams of suspected MDMA, 167 grams of mushrooms, and 206.2 grams of marijuana.

Officers said subsequent testing determined the substances believed to be cocaine and MDMA were actually imitation drugs.

Authorities noted that counterfeit substances can pose significant health and safety risks to users because their contents are often unknown.

In total, officers made two felony arrests and issued citations to two individuals during the operation.

The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office has authorized felony charges of possession with intent to distribute against the two individuals arrested during the investigation.

Police did not immediately release the names of those charged or provide additional details about the circumstances surrounding the arrests.

The Movement Festival, one of Detroit’s largest annual events, draws thousands of electronic music fans from around the world each year to the city’s riverfront.

The investigation remains ongoing.

Trump said in response that he’s backing away from his proposed renovation and returning control of the arts institution to Congress.

“Unless I am free to do what I do better than anyone else, bring this Institution back, physically, financially, and artistically, I have no interest in continuing what could only be a hopeless journey into ‘NEVER NEVER LAND,’” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper in Washington, D.C., ruled that the Kennedy Center board’s March 16 vote to close the facility was “ill-informed and seemingly preordained” with no regard for its legal obligations. The administration had announced the work would begin in July and last approximately two years, but Cooper's ruling halts those plans for now.

“The trustees might have assessed the propriety of closure in a number of prudent ways. This was not one,” he wrote.

Cooper also concluded that the board “overstepped its statutory bounds” by unilaterally adding Trump’s name to the center. Congress gave the Kennedy Center its name, and only Congress can change it, he said.

The judge, who was nominated to the bench by Democratic President Barack Obama, ordered the defendants to remove Trump's name from the institution's façade and any “official materials,” such as digital or physical signs, within two weeks.

"May the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts be renamed absent Congressional authorization? The answer, plain from the face of the statute, is no. Nor can any other individual be memorialized on the front portico of the building," Cooper wrote.

Trump said the judge “should be ashamed of himself” in a social media post hours after the decision was issued.

The Republican president said he instructed his administration to “make all necessary arrangements” to have the center transferred to Congress.

Trump determined to leave his mark on DC

Trump has made it a priority of his second term to leave his personal stamp on some of the most historic spots in Washington. He demolished the East Wing of the White House to build a ballroom. His name or image has been added to government buildings, including the U.S. Institute of Peace and Justice Department headquarters. He is pushing for a triumphal arch overlooking the Potomac River.

Opponents have challenged other Trump construction projects in court — and won favorable rulings. But the district court judges likely won't have the final say as the administration pursues appeals.

Roma Daravi, the Kennedy Center’s vice president of public relations, said Friday the institution is “confident that on appeal the court will uphold the Board’s will to recognize President Trump’s historic contributions to our nation’s cultural center.” She said the decision would be reviewed “carefully.”

“Though the reality remains — the Center requires an urgent and significant restoration – a truth that even the plaintiff acknowledges,” Daravi said. “With $257 million secured by President Trump and approved by Congress, the resources are in place and we remain committed to pursuing every lawful avenue to ensure the Trump Kennedy Center is restored as a national cultural landmark for all Americans to enjoy.”

Cooper held hearings in late April for parallel lawsuits challenging the project. One was filed by a group of cultural and historic preservation organizations. The other was brought by Rep. Joyce Beatty, an Ohio Democrat who serves as an ex officio member of the Kennedy Center’s board. He ruled in favor of Beatty’s request but rejected the other challenge.

Beatty called the decision a win for the Kennedy Center and the performing arts. “Now hopefully people can come back to work, we can continue to be the Kennedy Center that we were intended to be,” she told The Associated Press.

Justice Department attorneys said renovation plans for the building are limited in scope and well within the board’s authority to make without needing outside approvals.

How much of an overhaul is needed?

The plaintiffs worry the president and his board allies will flout preservation rules designed to maintain the building’s historic fabric. In earlier statements in court hearings, attorneys for Beatty and the preservation groups raised doubts about the limited scope of the project, pointing to Trump’s statements that he would “fully expose” the building’s steel skeleton.

Beatty has said she was “very fearful that we’ll see what happened with the East Wing and what happened with the Rose Garden” if the center is closed and the renovations allowed unsupervised, referring to major changes the president has made at the White House.

Mike Floca, the Kennedy Center’s executive director and chief operating officer, spent several weeks during the spring walking a bipartisan group of lawmakers and their staffs, along with journalists and Washington city officials, through the expansive building that sprawls across 1.5 million square feet.

The tours were intended to show that the Kennedy Center, which began construction in 1965, was in genuine need of an overhaul. The walkthroughs showed severe water damage, apparent in some places through discoloration and pooling. Some pieces of equipment, including several 800-ton chillers that help cool the building, are decades old and in need of replacement.

Floca told reporters in April that he considered doing the repairs individually but insisted it was his recommendation to Trump to close the building and move forward with the renovation all at once.

Trump has taken a keen interest in the Kennedy Center’s operations since he returned to the White House last year. He installed a handpicked board that named him chairman. His name was added to the façade of a building that is considered a living monument to Kennedy.

The Kennedy Center has kept up performances ahead of the closure, though at a much slower pace than in previous years. Trump attended the premiere of the musical “Chicago” in March and other shows, including “Moulin Rouge,” are slated for June.

Bill Maher, the comedian who has had an up and down relationship with Trump, is expected to be awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor on June 28, an event that was anticipated to be one of the final big moments at the Kennedy Center before the closure.

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Associated Press writers Alanna Durkin Richer, Collin Binkley and Darlene Superville contributed to this report.

Uribe is appealing the suspension so he will be available Friday night when the Brewers open a three-game series at Houston.

The suspension comes after Uribe's behavior Tuesday night following an inning-ending strikeout in a 6-0 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Uribe retired Alec Burleson on a called third strike with two outs and runners on first and second in the eighth, the only inning he pitched. Uribe then made three WWE-style crotch chops while facing the Cardinals dugout.

The Cardinals challenged the call, which was close, but narrowly confirmed to be at the bottom of the strike zone.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy said after the game that he was embarrassed by Uribe’s antics and that it was unacceptable. He reiterated that point Friday after the suspension was announced.

“We accept the fact that the MLB has a job to do and I’ll be the first one to say what Abner did is unacceptable,” Murphy said. “I’m not going to make any other statements about what’s fair and what’s not fair. I don’t have a full view of everything and how it works or what all goes behind it. But Abner has the right to appeal. He’s done that and I support him on that.”

Uribe said through an interpreter on Tuesday that he apologized to his team. But he did not apologize to the Cardinals.

“Everyone here knows me and knows who I am, and knows I have a bit of a history of being emotional out there,” Uribe said. “I think first I owe an apology to the Brewers. I owe an apology to my teammates, to my manager, all the bosses of the team. I understand that’s unacceptable, to go out there and react in a way like that.”

Uribe did not speak to reporters on Friday after the suspension was announced.

Murphy said Friday that they have dealt with the matter internally and added that Uribe was not available to pitch Wednesday.

“He clearly understands,” Murphy said. “He’s clearly made the apologies he needs to make. It was sincere. I know the kid very well and am happy with that.”

Uribe was suspended for six games and fined following a benches-clearing brawl against the Tampa Bay Rays in April 2024.

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

Update: 21-year-old in custody after deadly prom after-party shooting in Hazel Park

Hazel Park police responded around 1:15 a.m. Friday to a home near Powell and Orchard avenues, just off I-75 and 9 Mile Road.

--> Dispute at ‘after-prom’ party leads to deadly shooting in Hazel Park

Officers arrived to find a 20-year-old man from Detroit dead and a 19-year-old woman from Pontiac injured.

Investigators are still searching for a suspect.

“It’s not something that typically happens over here, so I don’t want to see this,” said Rhiron Tolentino, who lives in the neighborhood.

Short-term rental under fire

Neighbors say the home has been used as a short-term rental and has had problems before.

A search of the VRBO platform confirmed an active listing for the property.

The VRBO listing itself explicitly states that on-site parties or group events are strictly prohibited.

Local 4 attempted to reach the property owner by phone, but there was no answer.

A notice posted on the front door from the city indicates the owner’s short-term rental license has been suspended.

Hazel Park’s ordinance caps short-term rental licenses at 30 citywide, limits occupancy to 10 people per property, and strictly forbids house parties.

“Condolences to everyone because one way or another, multiple families are affected,” Tolentino said.

Neighbors say they don’t necessarily oppose short-term rentals but expect renters and owners to follow the rules.

“It’s as simple as just having cameras. You won’t have a party if you have cameras,” Tolentino said.

Investigators were working to obtain search warrants as of Friday (May 29) morning.

No cameras were visible on the outside of the home, and the property owner was not present at the scene.

We are deeply shocked and saddened by the incident that occurred at our rental property in Hazel Park.

Our hearts go out to the victims and everyone affected by this tragedy.

We maintain a strict zero-tolerance policy for illegal activity and disruptive events at our properties.

This reservation was booked through a major third-party platform, and we are currently cooperating fully with the Hazel Park Police Department and local authorities in their ongoing investigation.

Because this is an active police matter, we cannot provide any further details at this time.

All further inquiries should be directed to the local police department.

Joe Rohrhoff, owner of the short term rental

The incident occurred around 1 a.m. on Friday (May 22) at a home on Powell Avenue near 9 Mile Road and I-75, where they found a 20-year-old man from Detroit dead and a 19-year-old woman from Pontiac hospitalized with injuries, police said.

Investigators said the shooting took place during an after-prom gathering at a property that operates as a short-term rental.

City officials said the home appears to have been in violation of occupancy restrictions.

--> Hazel Park suspends short-term rental license after deadly after-prom party shooting

Authorities also said the incident has prompted the city to impose a six-month moratorium on new short-term rental licenses while it reviews its ordinance and enforcement practices.

Police did not immediately release the suspect’s name or provide additional details about a possible motive.

Officials are asking residents who attended the party to contact them to help with the investigation.

The investigation remains ongoing.

Cristian Roldan tucked a phone into his pocket during a Seattle Sounders team meeting.

“I just wanted it to feel and vibrate,” he said.

American players dispersed across North America and Europe were told notification of coach Mauricio Pochettino’s World Cup picks would arrive via WhatsApp at 1 p.m. EDT on May 22.

Chris Brady, hoping to earn the No. 3 goalkeeper spot, was in the Central time zone and waited nervously with Chicago Fire teammates.

“When 12 struck, nothing came. ... What does that mean?” he remembered thinking. “But, yeah, eventually got the message.”

Gathered now at the new U.S. National Soccer Training Center and a nearby hotel in Trilith ahead of their June 12 World Cup opener against Paraguay, players relaxed after making the cut for their sport's pinnacle event.

“It was just sheer elation,” 27-year-old defender Mark McKenzie said. “Four years of hard work, sacrifice. It was obviously heartbreaking not making '22 but turned it directly into just motivation to make sure the next time around my name would hopefully be on that roster.”

In the rush to get to the U.S., McKenzie left his film camera back in France, where he plays for Toulouse.

Robinson, still the first-choice left back at age 28 after starting four years ago, hadn't allowed himself to think too far ahead during a season in which a difficult recovery from May 2025 knee surgery delayed his first Premier League start this season for Fulham until mid-December.

He was on the 13th hole of Pyford Lakes in Woking when his phone buzzed.

“I was playing bad, played bad after but I was a lot happier,” he said. “It was a massive relief just because the year I’ve had and the ups and downs personally.”

Reyna, a son of former U.S. captain Claudio Reyna, was notoriously almost sent home from the 2022 tournament by then-coach Gregg Berhalter for lack of hustle during training. His status was uncertain because of an unimpressive club season with German club Borussia Moenchengladbach, which didn't start him after Dec. 19.

He was outside Barvida in Norwalk, Connecticut, alongside wife Chloe and Melo, his 1-year-old Cavapoo, when Pochettino's video message flashed.

“I was sitting in the car," the 23-year-old midfielder recalled. “We didn’t want to go home because we were both a little bit nervous.”

Roldan, a member of the 2022 roster who didn't get into a match in Qatar, received an emotional hug from his brother Alex, a Sounders teammate. Cristian didn't play for the U.S. between July 2023 and his first call-up under Pochettino last September.

“There was a lot of doubt in my mind, but there was a glimmer of hope,” he said. “When your name isn’t called each and every camp and you get further into the cycle, you feel like your chances are dwindling down. So, absolutely, I started to doubt myself a little bit. And then it made me play a little more free.”

Midfielder Sebastian Berhalter, a son of the former coach, didn't make his national team debut until last June. After getting the WhatsApp video, Sebastian called his dad — now coaching the Chicago Fire — and then his mom and his sisters.

“It was barely a conversation. My mom started crying right away, and then my sister started crying, and I started crying," Sebastian said. “I was just telling them I love them, and thank you so much for all the sacrifices over the years, especially my mom. Yeah, I was crying for probably 45 seconds.”

Auston Trusty was in a Glasgow hotel with Celtic teammates ahead of the next day’s Scottish Cup final against Dunfermline and fellow defender Alex Freeman was in an apartment in Spain with his father, Super Bowl champion Antonio Freeman.

“I was definitely checking my phone like every minute,” Alex Freeman said. “We were kind of just waiting on the couch. When we got the call, it was kind of a good moment with family bonding.”

Alejandro Zendejas, a 28-year-old forward, was picked after not playing for the U.S. since September. He learned of his selection while in San Antonio with his family and girlfriend. His father, Alfredo, burst into tears.

“When he hugged me and stuff, I could feel shaking in his voice,” Zendejas said. “He started tearing up and that makes me tear up.”

Zendejas was among the players on the roster bubble.

“We joked around about his number being number 26,” Roldan said of Zendejas. “Him and myself, we were probably one of the later guys on the roster and we kind of share that kind of sentiment together.”

Richards arrives

Defender Chris Richards arrived after going to Leipzig, Germany, with Crystal Palace for the UEFA Conference League final Wednesday, won by the Eagles over Rayo Vallecano.

He traveled from London to New York on Thursday, then to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Friday morning. Richards, who hasn't played since tearing two ankle ligaments on May 17, went straight to the training center for medical evaluation and is to join practice on Saturday.

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AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

Dallas Fire-Rescue Chief Justin Ball said the first group of four firefighters arrived within two minutes of the call reporting the gas leak on Thursday.

“Right before they were going to enter and evacuate, it exploded,” Ball said.

Firefighters had been on scene for about 10 minutes, conducting necessary safety protocols that include blocking off the street, finding the leak, donning protective gear and setting up a water supply, he said, describing their actions as “heroics.”

“No time was wasted,” Ball insisted. “That takes time to put all the safety protocols in place. I would be criticizing them if they had not done that."

The explosion shook nearby homes and the resulting inferno razed the two-story complex. A child and two other people were killed and at least five people were injured and sent to hospitals. No firefighters were injured, Ball said.

The building's 23 units were occupied by 19 families. Ball said authorities searched the charred wreckage late into Thursday night and early Friday morning with drones, cadaver dogs and specialized urban rescue teams, and did not expect to find any more victims.

“There is nobody unaccounted for or we’d still be searching,” Ball said.

Authorities have not released the names of the people who were killed. The local Democratic Party said one of its members was missing.

The cause of the gas leak before the explosion is still unknown and Ball said he would not speculate.

The National Transportation Safety Board, which investigates gas pipeline accidents, is leading the probe into what happened with support from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The NTSB said initial reports indicate a contractor damaged an underground gas pipeline.

Atmos Energy, a natural gas provider in the area, said service to the neighborhood remained shut off, and company officials were working with investigators on-site.

An attorney for the apartment owner said the building was being sold to a buyer who planned to build a new housing unit. He said an engineering firm hired by that company struck the gas line while doing soil testing.

“The owner is shocked by this outcome and likewise mourns this outcome,” attorney Geoff Henley said.

Phone and email messages left with an engineering company that the complex’s owner said was doing soil testing were not immediately returned.

Jerry Knapp, the founder of the Explosive Gas Academy, which provides training for fire academies and fire departments about handling natural gas and propane leaks, said the protocols described by Ball appeared to be “100% proper.”

Gas leaks are unpredictable and firefighters must work quickly to find the leak and assess how long it has been going on, he said. Gas can be ignited suddenly and without warning.

“You go from, ‘Doesn’t look too bad,’ to 'Bang!” Knapp said.

Several blocks of streets around the explosion site were still closed off by police cars and police tape Friday.

Sherry Woods, who lives in an apartment across an alleyway from the fire site, said Friday she was sitting outside her front door when she and her boyfriend smelled what they believed to be gas.

Moments later, the explosion nearly knocked her down.

“All you heard was ‘boom.’ I shook like something was hitting me. It was scary to hear something like that. I felt the building shake,” Woods said.

Trish Thompson surveyed the site from across a grassy field Friday morning and could see the gap on the block where the apartment complex stood just 24-hours earlier.

Thompson, who lives nearby, described hearing a “loud rumble, something more like a train to me” and seeing smoke and fire.

“Pray for them,” Thompson said.

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Associated Press journalists Jim Vertuno in Austin, Texas, and John Hanna in Topeka, Kansas contributed.

The crash happened at about 2:35 a.m. on southbound I-95 in Stafford County, near Quantico. All five of the people who died were in vehicles hit by the bus, and 44 people were taken to hospitals, including three in critical condition, police said.

“The preliminary investigation indicates that traffic was slowing southbound for an upcoming work zone,” state police said in a news release. “A bus failed to slow for traffic and struck six vehicles."

Police said there were “approximately” 34 passengers on the bus.

“We’ve got patients in multiple hospitals. We’ve got the driver at a hospital here,” said Peyton Vogel, a Federal Transit Administration spokesperson who was on the scene. “I’ve got to say, this is one of the most tragic things I’ve ever seen. Absolutely tragic.”

Four of the fatalities were in one car, which caught fire. State police said the victims were a 45-year-old male, a 44-year-old female, a 13-year-old female and a 7-year-old male, all from Greenfield, Massachusetts. The fifth victim, a 25-year-old female from Worcester, Massachusetts, was in an SUV that was struck by the bus.

State police identified the bus driver as Jing S. Dong, 48, of Staten Island, New York. Charges are pending, authorities said.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on X that Dong was an American citizen originally from China who got his commercial driver's license two years ago in New York.

Mary Washington Healthcare said it received 19 patients from the crash. It posted online that seven of the patients were taken to its trauma center in Fredericksburg, where four were being discharged and three remained in treatment — one in serious condition and two in critical condition. Twelve were taken to its hospital in Stafford, where they were later discharged in good condition.

The National Transportation Safety Board posted online that it was sending a “go-team” to conduct a safety investigation into the crash and that it would have a spokesperson at the scene.

The southbound lanes had reopened by noon, but traffic was still backed up for a couple of miles, according to a state transportation advisory.

Bus company had satisfactory record

The bus was operated by E&P Travel Inc., based in Kings Mountain, North Carolina. A compliance snapshot from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration showed only one injury accident involving the company’s vehicles in the previous two years and listed its safety rating as “satisfactory.”

The company was incorporated Nov. 24, 2023, by Shuo Liu, according to records from the North Carolina Secretary of State’s office. Liu is also listed as the registered agent. The FMCSA site said the company operated four vehicles and had 11 drivers.

While it is too soon to say what caused Friday's crash, federal authorities have been grappling with interstate passenger bus safety issues for decades.

Following a series of passenger bus crashes in 2008 that killed 41 people, the U.S. Department of Transportation published a Motorcoach Safety Action Plan.

The NTSB investigated 16 fatal motorcoach crashes between June 1998 and January 2008, finding that driver-related problems such as fatigue, medical condition and inattention accounted for 56 percent of the accidents. The agency said driver-related problems were responsible for 60 percent of the fatalities in those crashes.

Among the actions recommended were creation of a pre-employment driver history screening program and a national drug- and alcohol-testing database “to enable motorcoach operators to determine if drivers have a history of violating DOT alcohol or drug rules.”

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Breed reported from Wake Forest, North Carolina, and Verduzco from Kings Mountain, North Carolina. Associated Press writer Holly Ramer in Concord, New Hampshire, contributed.

Crews are putting the finishing touches on the Obama Presidential Center ahead of the official public opening on Juneteenth, more than a decade after the site was chosen. But the design of the roughly $850 million campus — particularly the conspicuous 225-foot high rise at its north end — still divides the city celebrated as the birthplace of the modern skyscraper.

For some, it’s a jarring choice in Barack Obama’s hometown after a grueling battle over its location in a lakefront park where classical style buildings are more common. To others, it’s a bold addition that will shape Chicago’s iconic skyline for decades to come.

Residents have compared it to a grain elevator, ship from “Star Wars” and a mausoleum.

“It doesn’t fit in at all,” said Brenda Nelms, who has lived in the area since the 1970s and leads a group that advocates for nearby Jackson Park, which spans more than 500 acres.

Leaders of the Obama Foundation, which has raised private funds, say they’ve heard it all. They enlisted “Star Wars” actor Mark Hamill for cheeky promotional videos on May the 4th, a day celebrated by fans of the movie franchise.

“Part of the joy of the center is everyone is going to have their unique experience,” said Valerie Jarrett, foundation CEO and a former Obama advisor. “The design of the building was intended to be inviting and opening to people whether they live across the street or around the world.”

Chicago’s architecture is ‘spectator sport’

The bar for architectural design is high in Chicago, from Louis Sullivan’s modern skyscrapers after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 to Helmut Jahn’s post-modern office buildings.

Discourse around design is so fierce in the nation’s third-largest city that Chicago Sun-Times architecture critic Lee Bey calls it “a spectator sport.” His initial impression of the Obama Presidential Center was that it looked more suited to a cemetery.

The striking design has few windows, all selectively placed. Foundation officials say that decision also helps protect the artifacts inside from sunlight, including an Oval Office replica.

Bey said the museum design makes more sense in context with the other low-lying buildings on the campus, which includes a basketball court, children’s playground, public library branch and works by prominent artists.

Mixed public response has greeted other renown Chicago buildings, he said. The former John Hancock Center, a black 100-story building marked by giant X’s, was compared to an oil rig soon after it was built in the 1960s. Renamed 875 North Michigan Avenue in recent years for its address, the building houses stores, condos and offices.

“As we begin to experience buildings, we begin to imprint our own impressions,” Bey said. “The John Hancock becomes less of an oil derrick and more of the building that has your doctor’s office.”

Edward Keegan, a Chicago Tribune architecture columnist, has called the presidential museum “an un-Chicago building” because of the few windows and unusual shape. Still, it offers a unique perspective of the city.

Atop the building is a glass-enclosed “Sky Room,” with panoramic views of Chicago, including north-facing perspectives of downtown, which are uncommon from that height.

“It doesn’t feel like any other place in Chicago,” he said. “It does feel unique and unexpected.”

After fights over the location, some worry about future

The road to the museum was bumpy, even though support for Obama has remained vigorous in the Democratic stronghold.

Lawsuits to stop construction started after its location was announced in 2015. Concerns about displacement of low-income and Black residents living in pockets near the museum grew. Community groups lobbied for housing protections, but area residents say they don’t go far enough as prices for homes near the museum have soared.

Construction of the museum involved tearing up nearly 20 acres of park land and scrapping a section of major thoroughfare, which residents say was critical to connect residents from other parts of the city and suburbs with downtown.

On a recent walk through a bird sanctuary near the center, activist Robin Kaufman, 82, said she couldn't fully enjoy the wildflowers by the secluded ponds as she once did. She watched as ducks paddled through a lagoon but couldn't ignore the center's tower poking out above the tree line.

“Everywhere I go, you can see it, so you’re reminded of what’s going on and that’s distressing,” she said. “I’m very distrustful of anything they say.”

She and others have anxiety about what else might come to the area because of Obama's presidential center.

“It’s a Trojan horse,” said Shannon Bennett with the Kenwood Oakland Community Organization. “It’s an extreme version of a scheme to transform these communities for another population.”

Obama advisor says facility outweighs costs

Several design choices were made by the former president with New York-based architects, Tod Williams and Billie Tsien. Obama chose a stone design and wanted a high tower for city views not far from where he raised his family and taught law at the University of Chicago.

The tower’s design is meant to depict four hands coming together in solidarity. Wrapped around one side are 5-foot concrete capital letters, an excerpt of Obama’s 2015 speech commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Selma-to-Montgomery march. It begins, “You are America.”

The Obama Foundation said they have widened some roads, added a new field to the area that local schools use and the campus has a new public library branch, basketball gym for community use, a playground and gardens that have been landscaped to blend in with the park around it.

“The benefit of having this extraordinary facility far outweighs any costs,” Jarrett said. “It’s a symbol to the community of how important they are to us.”

Adam Rubin at the Chicago Architecture Center called it a successful project so far, but added that questions linger about whether the tradeoff of park land for the center was worth it.

“It really does have a sense of place,” he said of the museum. “Time will tell how people utilize it.”

Christian Castro, of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, was taken into custody 11 days after Minneapolis prosecutors charged him with assault and falsely reporting a crime in the Jan. 14 nonfatal shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis.

Hennepin County, Minnesota prosecutors said the state’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension located Castro, 52, in Texas, and the Texas Rangers said they assisted in the arrest in Cameron County, which borders Mexico in the southernmost part of the state.

The Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General said its agents were not involved in or present for Castro’s apprehension, denying the Hennepin County Attorney’s office’s claims in press statements about the arrest.

“Any characterization that DHS OIG agents participated in or led the arrest operation is inaccurate,” the Office of Inspector General said in a statement.

Messages seeking comment were also left with ICE and the Texas Rangers.

Online court records do not list an attorney for Castro, and it wasn't immediately clear if he has one.

In a statement, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty heralded the arrest as “a critical step forward in our prosecution of Mr. Castro.”

Castro is the second federal agent to be charged over their conduct during the Minnesota crackdown, which was known as Operation Metro Surge. He is one of two agents that ICE Director Todd Lyons said lied about the circumstances of the incident.

According to prosecutors, Castro fired through a home’s front door and shot Sosa-Celis in the thigh after Castro and another officer chased a different man, Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna, to the Minneapolis apartment duplex where he and Sosa-Celis lived. Sosa-Celis and Aljorna were legally in the U.S., Moriarty said.

Federal authorities initially accused Sosa-Celis and Aljorna of beating an officer with a broom handle and a snow shovel. A federal judge later dismissed the charges, and ICE and the Justice Department opened an investigation into whether the officers lied about what happened.

In a statement after the charges were announced, ICE said the U.S. attorney’s office was investigating statements made by the officers, who could face disciplinary action including being fired and prosecuted. ICE called the Hennepin County attorney’s action “unlawful and nothing more than a political stunt.” DHS's Inspector General's Office, which Moriarty credited with assisting in the arrest, is separate from ICE and is meant to serve as a watchdog for DHS agencies, including ICE.

Minneapolis last month released video showing the moments before Sosa-Celis’s shooting, captured from a distance by a city-owned security camera.

The video appears to show a person standing with a snow shovel outside the house, near the street, then retreating toward the house and tossing the shovel into the yard. This happens as a person being chased by another person runs up from the street, falls on the sidewalk, gets up, and keeps heading toward the house.

The three appear to scuffle near the front steps for about 10 seconds. The exact moment when Sosa-Celis is shot isn’t clear. A car with flashing lights pulls up, and another person walks up.

The Trump administration sent thousands of officers to the Minneapolis and St. Paul area as part of President Donald Trump’s national deportation campaign and considered Operation Metro Surge a success.

But tensions mounted during the weekslong campaign, and the shooting deaths of U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal officers sparked mass unrest and raised questions about officers’ conduct.

Minnesota leaders and the Trump administration have clashed over who has the authority to investigate and prosecute federal officers for on-duty conduct.

Moriarty’s office last month charged immigration agent Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr. with assault for allegedly pointing his gun at people in a car on a highway. He turned himself in last week, and his lawyer disputes the charges.

The county is also investigating Good’s and Pretti’s killings and sued the Trump administration in March to gain access to evidence in those cases and the Sosa-Celis shooting.

Three-time champion Novak Djokovic was the most experienced contender left in the field, chasing a record 25th major title. But the 39-year-old Serb will have to wait until Wimbledon after losing a five-set thriller to 19-year-old Brazilian Joao Fonseca on Friday.

The result may not have been so surprising because Djokovic came into the tournament with questions over his form after losing to a Croatian qualifier at the Italian Open, his only clay-court warmup event after two months out with a right shoulder injury.

Here is a look at some of the favorites still in contention for the title:

Alexander Zverev

He will likely think this is best chance of winning his first major title. The 2024 runner-up to Alcaraz has also advanced to three semifinals and another quarterfinal in Paris. The 29-year-old German is in excellent form after reaching the final in Madrid and the semifinals in Monte Carlo and Munich. The second-seeded Zverev has yet to drop a set and takes on Frenchman Quentin Halys during the evening session Friday.

Felix Auger-Aliassime

At No. 4, the Canadian is the highest seed left in the top half of the draw and will take on Brandon Nakashima in the third round. Auger-Aliassime was two points away from defeat in the first round before rallying past Daniel Altmaier in five sets. He then got past Roman Andres Burruchaga in four sets. Auger-Aliassime’s best result at Roland Garros was the fourth round in 2022 and 2024.

Rafael Jodar

He is the latest tennis sensation from Spain. The 19-year-old Jodar is into the fourth round at a major for the first time after his five-set win over Alex Michelsen. Jodar claimed his first ATP title in Marrakech last month then made it to the semifinals in Barcelona and the quarterfinals in Madrid and Rome. His tour-level record on clay is 18-3. By comparison, 14-time Roland Garros champion Rafael Nadal and Alcaraz both went 13-7 through their first 20 tour-level matches on clay.

Moise Kouame

Can the French teenager create a major surprise and emulate Yannick Noah, the last Frenchman to win at Roland Garros in 1983? Kouame reached the third round after a five-set, five-hour thriller that delighted the French crowd. The No. 318-ranked player next faces Chilean Alejandro Tabilo. Kouame beat Marin Cilic in straight sets in the first round, becoming the first man born in 2008 or later to win a Grand Slam match.

Casper Ruud

Ruud lost the 2022 final to Nadal and the 2023 final to Djokovic. The Norwegian has struggled in the Paris heat this week and needed five sets to prevail in the first round. Ruud faces Tommy Paul of the United States in the third round.

Joao Fonseca

He has to be added to the list after a brilliant comeback win against arguably the best men’s player of all time. Fonseca became the first teenager to defeat the Serbian at a Grand Slam event. He is into the fourth round at a major for the first time.

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

Seniors reached out to Local 4 for help.

The apartment management company tells Local 4 one of the elevators has been out since November and they are working hard to expedite the process and parts. The management company also tells Local 4 they are meeting with local emergency services to address safety concerns.

They say they share in residents’ frustration.

St. George Tower in Clinton Township has 11 flights and residents say about 200 seniors live inside the building.

“They should fix the elevator,” one resident said from their balcony when Local 4 showed up.

If one was to walk inside, they’d see seniors packed and pressed into the only elevator that’s functioning, at least for today.

Residents say there’s supposed to be multiple working elevators.

“If you were to go inside – people, older people, are having to walk up flights and flights of stairs?” Local 4 asked one senior.

“They can’t – that’s the problem. Most of them are on walkers or canes. They can’t,” a resident, who asked not to share their identity out of fear of retaliation, said.

The resident said the elevator issue has been a problem for a long time. It’s common for both elevators to be down, especially lately.

“There are people sitting all in the lobby saying ‘we can’t go up the stairs, we have to spend the night here.’ So, some of their families came and got them, but EMS arrived because a lady couldn’t breathe. Her oxygen was broken,” the resident said.

The resident is referring to a woman having a medical emergency on the fifth floor.

Local 4 asked what EMS’s response was to the elevator being down.

“They were pretty upset – they said, ‘are you kidding me?’ So they got their flashlights and tilted the gurney and went all the way up the stairs,” the resident said.

It’s creating other issues, too.

“There’s been a lot of fights in the elevators – people screaming, because somebody will take cuts and they start screaming,” the resident said.

“When you go to management, or anyone goes to management about the elevator issue – what’s the response?” Local 4 asked.

“We’re doing our best,” the resident said. “People are losing their patience and I can see the animosity.”

A person familiar with the matter confirmed the visa had been revoked. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the matter involves visa privacy. A State Department official confirmed there was a plan to revoke the visa.

The tit-for-tat move by the Trump administration has followed the expulsion by Beijing of Vivian Wang, a China correspondent for The New York Times, apparently over the appearance of the Taiwanese leader in a DealBook event in which Wang had no role. It was a rare occasion of the U.S. government directly retaliating against Beijing's expulsion of American journalists.

The Times, which first reported the reciprocal move by the Trump administration, said the newspaper does not ask governments to revoke media credentials or otherwise interfere with the work of any journalist. On Friday, the paper issued a statement calling for Wang to be reinstated as a credentialed journalist in China and urging both governments to “reverse this deterioration in journalist access."

“The Chinese government’s decision to expel Vivian Wang is wrong,” Joseph Kahn, the paper's executive editor, said in a statement published on the Times' corporate website. “Her expulsion will make it even harder for our global audience to get accurate, independent and in-depth reporting about the world’s second largest economy at a critical time.”

The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

US media presence in China already dwindled

Wang is leaving China when the presence of U.S. media is already thin after previous rounds of disputes over journalistic credentials, leaving several U.S. news organizations with skeleton staffing in their China bureaus.

“The number of correspondents from American media outlets allowed to work in China has now fallen to an alarmingly low level, at a time when the need for people everywhere to understand China is greater than ever,” Kahn wrote.

Beijing moved to expel Wang, a China correspondent for the newspaper since 2020, after the media group's DealBook Summit 2025 featured Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te in a recorded interview with host Andrew Ross Sorkin. Sorkin called Taiwan a country, and Lai warned of Beijing's aggressive behavior in the Taiwan Strait and vowed that “Taiwan will do everything necessary to protect itself.”

The Chinese government claims sovereignty over Taiwan, which split from the mainland in 1949 after Mao Zedong's communists won a civil war. In the latest summit with President Donald Trump in Beijing, in mid-May, Chinese President Xi Jinping warned that China and the U.S. could “collide or even clash” over Taiwan if the issue is not handled properly.

Other Western media watching closely

The decision against The New York Times also has created unease among other Western media that might interview Lai, giving the self-governed island a voice, at the risk of losing their abilities to report within China.

All foreign journalists must be accredited by China's foreign ministry to report in China, and Beijing has used the accreditation and visa policy to expel or keep out foreign journalists whose work has upset the Chinese leadership or to show displeasure with what Beijing views as unfavorable or malicious coverage of China.

In 2020, for example, the Chinese government expelled three Wall Street Journal correspondents after the financial newspaper ran an opinion piece titled “China is the Real Sick Man of Asia” following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As U.S.-China relations soured, the U.S. State Department in 2020 designated some major Chinese news groups as “foreign missions". Xinhua, for example, is tasked by the ruling Chinese Communist Party to serve as the mouthpiece of the party and the government, which includes distributing their official news.

Beijing in turn drastically limited visas for journalists working for U.S. media.

In total, at least 18 foreign journalists working for The Washington Post, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal were expelled in the first half of 2020, according to the Foreign Correspondents' Club of China. Many others were given short visas ranging from one month to three months, according to the group's annual survey.

The two governments later reached a one-time agreement that allowed U.S. media to send in a small number of correspondents to mainland China. Wang was one of them.

U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema in Alexandria, Virginia, scheduled a June 12 hearing for arguments on whether to extend her order barring the government from moving forward with its “Anti-Weaponization Fund” while pending litigation challenges it. The administration created the fund to resolve President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the leak of his tax returns.

A Justice Department spokesperson said it's “extremely confident” that the fund is legally supported “by ample precedent,” including from settlements during the administration of President Barack Obama, a Democrat. "We will not allow the policy preferences of judges to interfere with our efforts to provide restitution to victims of lawfare,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

The White House declined to comment on the judge’s ruling, referring questions to the Justice Department.

The judge, who was nominated to the bench by President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, gave the government another week to respond in writing to the plaintiffs' arguments in favor of freezing the fund's creation and operation, including any payments in or out of it.

The fund has generated a fierce backlash since it was announced last week, with even Republicans pressing acting Attorney General Todd Blanche over the eligibility considerations and the possibility that even violent rioters at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, would be free to seek compensation.

Also on Friday, the federal judge in Florida overseeing Trump's lawsuit against the IRS ordered Trump's attorneys to respond to “grievous allegations” by settlement critics that the president abandoned his claims to avoid the court's scrutiny of an illegal deal. U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams gave them until June 12 to respond in writing to allegations of collusion and whether the case should be reopened because the court was the “victim of a fraud.”

The Justice Department hasn’t formed the five-member commission that will decide on payout criteria, so there has been no money paid out yet or claims accepted.

Plaintiffs’ attorneys from the legal advocacy group Democracy Forward are seeking a court order halting the fund’s implementation and preventing the Trump administration from disbursing any payouts from it. The federal suit claims there is no legal basis or accountability behind the fund.

“President Trump and his allies have long accused Democrats of using the government and the legal system as political weapons,” plaintiffs' lawyers wrote. “In doing so, the (Trump) administration fails to acknowledge the unprecedented campaign of targeting individuals and entities for retribution on personal and ideological grounds that it has carried out.”

Brinkema said it’s important to maintain the status quo — for at least the next two weeks — and to ensure that no funds are “irreversibly disbursed” from the fund. Her order temporarily prohibits the Trump administration from transferring any money to the fund, considering any claims or disbursing any money from it.

The Virginia lawsuit's plaintiffs include a fired prosecutor and a college professor acquitted of assaulting federal agents at a protest.

“The unlawfulness that has imbued the Anti-Weaponization Fund from its inception requires that it be wholly dismantled,” the suit says.

At least two other lawsuits, both filed separately in Washington, also are challenging the fund's creation. A lawsuit filed by the advocacy group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington refers to the fund as “a jaw-dropping act of presidential corruption.” Two police officers who helped defend the Capitol from a mob of Trump supporters sued last week.

During a congressional hearing, Blanche wouldn’t rule out the possibility that rioters who assaulted police on Jan. 6 could be eligible for fund payouts.

Nearly 1,600 people were charged with Capitol riot-related federal crimes. Over 1,200 were convicted and sentenced before Trump handed out mass pardons, commuted prison sentences and ordered the dismissal of every pending Jan. 6 criminal case last year.

One of the plaintiffs in the Virginia case is former Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew Floyd, who prosecuted Capitol riot cases in Washington before he was fired last year by then-Attorney General Pam Bondi. Floyd believes his firing was retaliation for his Jan. 6 work.

“The President’s targeting of me and others involved in January 6 prosecutions leaves our country in a very dark place, sending a message that insurrection and sedition will be protected (and even encouraged) as long as it is on behalf of this administration,” Floyd said in a court filing.

Another plaintiff is California State University Channel Islands professor Jonathan Caravello, who was acquitted of an assault charge. He was accused of throwing a tear gas canister at federal agents during a 2025 protest against an immigration raid at a Camarillo, California, cannabis farm.

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Associated Press writers Darlene Superville, Alanna Durkin Richer and Eric Tucker contributed to this report.

WAYNE COUNTY – Seasonal allergies, insect bites, rashes, stomach viruses.

Dr. Ayed Mahmoud -- Trinity Health Livonia Emergency Medicine Physician

“We are seeing an increase in cases of gastroenteritis this week, with patients presenting with nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps and dehydration. Fortunately, most cases are self-limited and improve with rest, hydration, electrolyte replacement and a bland diet at home. Patients should wash their hands frequently, avoid sharing drinks or utensils, and seek medical attention for severe dehydration, persistent fever, bloody stools or worsening symptoms.

“In addition, with severe thunderstorms expected in the area, we encourage everyone to stay weather aware, avoid flooded roads, secure outdoor items, and seek shelter indoors during lightning and high winds.”

Dr. Daniel Ridelman -- Emergency Department Vice Chief, DMC Harper University Hospital

“Respiratory viruses are definitely not going around anymore. Our positivity rate for both COVID and flu last week were 0% for the first time in a while. We keep seeing significant injuries from unrestrained patients in car accidents, including children, many of which are devastating and completely preventable. We also saw a small child who sustained scald burns after heating ramen soup in its original Styrofoam container. This is a bad idea on many levels, including microplastic ingestion, and is actually a common source of pediatric scald burns in our community.”

Dr. Kevin Dazy -- Pediatrician, Children’s Hospital of Michigan

“I would say there’s less going around, meaning flu/rsv/cold virus season is winding down. We’re still seeing some asthma exacerbations brought on by seasonal allergies and weather changes. And there are still some stomach bugs causing vomiting and diarrhea, but that seems to be on the decline as well. School is coming to an end, so it’s a good time to think about end of school checklists, like picking up medications from school and making sure summer physicals are getting scheduled for next year.”

Dr. Ali J. Bazzi -- Pediatrician, Corewell Health Dearborn Hospital

“We are continuing to see viral gastroenteritis. Patients are also coming in with extensive bug bites. We are reminding patients as the temperatures get warmer to use bug spray and sunscreen.”

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

“We are seeing seasonal allergies, which are sometimes hard to distinguish from the common cold, insect bites and contact dermatitis from environmental exposure outdoors.”

OAKLAND COUNTY – Respiratory viruses, asthma flare-ups, stomach viruses, dehydration, sunburns.

Dr. Evelyn Laskowski -- Division chief, Corewell Health Children’s in Royal Oak

“We are seeing some viral respiratory illnesses causing asthma. It’s also the time of year where we start to see muscle and kidney injury from kids being outside working out and pushing themselves hard in the heat, especially without adequate hydration.”

Dr. Josh Newblatt -- Pine Knob Urgent Care

“We are seeing GI illness with nausea and vomiting. The rising temperatures has led us to start seeing heat related illness like dehydration and sun burns.”

WASHTENAW COUNTY – Upper respiratory infections, outdoor injuries, stomach viruses, asthma flare-ups.

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

“We are still seeing some upper respiratory infections and mild GI infections this week. Warmer weather has caused a few warm weather injuries and burns as well.”

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

“We are seeing some viral respiratory illness and several cases of asthma and orthopedic injuries.”

MONROE COUNTY – did not report this week.

MACOMB COUNTY – Seasonal allergies, asthma flare-ups, outdoor injuries.

Dr. Erin Cuddeback -- Emergency Physician at McLaren Macomb

“While there has already been a steady volume of patients seeking care for orthopedic and soft tissue injuries, the holiday weekend and improved weather has increased that volume, with the majority of those receiving treatment being pediatric patients. The rise of allergens and other environmental irritants has caused exacerbated symptoms in some asthma sufferers.”

LIVINGSTON COUNTY – Outdoor injuries, poison ivy, tick bites.

Trinity Health Livingston Emergency Department and the Brighton Medical Center

“We are seeing a trend with outdoors injuries from bicycles and ATVs, as well as poison ivy and tick bites.”

Cigarette smoking is a risk factor for lung cancer, heart disease and stroke, and it’s long been considered the leading cause of preventable death.

The preliminary findings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were based on survey responses from more than 24,200 adults. In the survey, CDC officials defined current cigarette smoking as smoking at least 100 cigarettes in a lifetime and now smoking every day or some days.

In the mid-1960s, 42% of U.S. adults were smokers. The rate has been gradually dropping for decades, due to cigarette taxes, tobacco product price hikes, smoking bans, public education campaigns and changes in the social acceptability of lighting up in public.

In 2024, the percentage of current adult smokers fell below 10% for the first time. Last year, it was 9%, according to the new survey.

The use of electronic cigarettes has been inching up among adults, but has held about steady in 2025, at about 7%.

“The continued decline in smoking is a monumental public health achievement that has saved millions of lives and billions in healthcare costs,” said Yolonda Richardson, president and chief executive of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy and research organization.

Richardson said current smoking-prevention efforts have been set back by cuts President Donald Trump's administration made that eliminated the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Office on Smoking and Health and its “Tips from Former Smokers” advertising campaign.

She cited estimates that the “Tips” campaign alone helped more than 1 million Americans quit smoking and saved over $7.3 billion in healthcare costs.

“This critical work must be restored and sustained to continue reducing smoking-related disease, death and healthcare costs nationwide,” Richardson said.

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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 Detroit Police Department presented badges to 42 men and women, marking what DPD called its largest graduating class of the year.

Chief Todd Bettison praised the recruits’ work after months of training.

“You have worked so hard for this,” Bettison said during the ceremony.

Graduates described the past six months as challenging, both physically and mentally, and for some, the path to graduation came with major life hurdles.

“Standing here today, I can say this journey has changed all of us,” said Officer Sharon Thompson, who, at 43, was the oldest recruit in the class. “This academy tested me and all of us in ways we didn’t expect.”

For officer Ahmed Said, the milestone was shaped by a loss that still resonates.

Said mentioned he decided to become a police officer to follow in the footsteps of his older brother, Melvindale police Corporal Mohammed Said, who was shot and killed in the line of duty in 2024.

“I’m doing this, one, to honor my brother,” Ahmed said. “Second, to finish a career that he didn’t have the chance to finish.”

Ahmed mentioned he once hoped the two brothers would serve together.

“One of the dreams was me and my brother become partners,” Ahmed said. “Sadly, it didn’t happen, but I’m here to finish the career.”

Members of the Melvindale Police Department, along with family and friends, attended the graduation to support him.

But even with the celebration, Ahmed said grief remains close, especially for his mother, who chose to watch from home.

“My mom couldn’t show up today because she said if she’s going to show up, she’s going to see my brother in my face, like when she attended his graduation,” Ahmed said. “And she didn’t want to cry, so she’s watching it from home.”

Ahmed also referenced the case tied to his brother’s death.

Last month, a Wayne County jury found Michael Lopez guilty of murdering Mohammed.

Lopez is expected to be sentenced next month.

Looking ahead to his first days on patrol, Ahmed hopes the community will support officers as they work to serve and protect.

“My message to the community is, show love to the police officers,” Ahmed said. “And we are here to serve them and protect them.”

Ahmed’s first official day on the job is Monday (June 1).

The annual tradition gives fans access to the track and a rare, up-close look at the cars that typically race through the city’s streets at high speed.

“I think my past life was a race car driver, so I’m loving it. I’m loving every inch of it. I’m loving the energy,” said Stachia Safford, a fan in attendance.

The event drew a wide range of attendees — from first-timers to those who have been coming to the race for years.

“I remember being down here 4, 5, 6 years old and it was always a good time even when it was on Belle Isle, but now it’s back here and I’m bringing him just keeping the tradition going,” said Rayshon Cotton, a fan at the event.

A tradition four decades in the making

Free Prix Day is a tradition that stretches back more than four decades. For younger fans and racing newcomers, the event serves as an accessible entry point into the sport.

“I think it’s awesome to bring everyone into the sport. I think a lot of people don’t know what racing is all about and I think it’s great that people come together,” said Jackson Olson, a student at Detroit Catholic Central.

Fans sat in designated seating overlooking the two-sided pit lane and finish line along the 1.7-mile course — putting them right in the middle of the action.

“It’s insane. I’ve never seen any of them in person before. I’ve just driven them in the sim and it’s like 20 times louder than I actually expected,” said Cole Martin, also a student at Detroit Catholic Central.

Free viewing areas available all weekend

For those who missed Free Prix Day, free viewing areas remain available throughout the weekend, giving fans another chance to experience the race without cost.

“If you love to race on 75, the Lodge, 96 … come down, bring the kids, you’ll have a great time,” Safford said.

Brazilian teenager Joao Fonseca beat 24-time major winner Djokovic 4-6, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, 7-5 in the third round to follow Thursday’s huge upset, when No. 1 Sinner — last year's runner-up lost to 56th-ranked Juan Manuel Cerundolo.

“Ten minutes after the match I could realize a little bit what I did, what I achieved," the 19-year-old Fonseca said. “How difficult it was and how amazing it was for me."

Djokovic’s latest quest for a record 25th Grand Slam was ended and it was just the second time he lost from two sets up, the other also coming in Paris in 2010.

Along with veterans Marin Cilic and Stan Wawrinka, all the men's major winners are out, thus guaranteeing that a new pair of hands will raise the Coupe des Mousquetaires trophy aloft on June 7 on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

“Of course, Jannik and Djokovic out, there’s more chances,” said Fonseca, who next faces two-time runner-up Casper Ruud, who beat Tommy Paul 4-6, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (4), 7-5.

The 39-year-old Djokovic faded as the court slowed in the evening cool.

“Tough one for me to lose,” Djokovic said. “I was barely standing on my legs toward the end of the match."

In the final game, Djokovic had a break point for 6-6 but Fonseca served out with three consecutive aces and became the first teenager to beat Djokovic at a Grand Slam tournament.

“I just enjoyed being on court and what a pleasure it was. It’s my first stepping on court against him,” Fonseca said. “We still think he’s 20. At the end of the match I think he was more fit than me, that’s crazy.”

Fonseca wished his mother in the crowd happy birthday and thanked all the Brazilians who turned up to watch.

Djokovic doubts

This wasn't as big an upset as Sinner's loss because Djokovic came to Paris with doubts.

After he lost the Australian Open final to Carlos Alcaraz, a shoulder injury limited his clay-court buildup to one competitive match and Djokovic labored for at least three hours in each of his previous two rounds before facing the full fury of Fonseca's booming forehand.

“Taking everything in consideration and all the circumstances, I think the level was really good," said Djokovic, whose last major title was the 2024 U.S. Open.

The heat that stressed Sinner also got to Djokovic, who applied ice packs on both sides of his face during changeovers. Djokovic snapped at a television camera operator for getting too close to his face at one point.

By the fifth set he couldn't hide his fatigue: He hunched over the advertising boards, his forearms dangling; slumped back in his chair with a towel on his head; grabbed his head with his hands.

He was gracious in defeat.

“I told him (after the match) that he deserved to win and he should be proud of himself," Djokovic said. "We’ve all seen today why there is hype around him."

Djokovic said he was unsure if he would play at the French Open next year, although he said the same after his semifinal defeat to Sinner last year.

Kostyuk keeps going

Still unbeaten on clay this season, Marta Kostyuk reached the fourth round for the second time and set up a big match against four-time champion Iga Swiatek in the women's draw.

The 15th-ranked Ukrainian extended her winning streak on clay to 15 matches by 6-4, 6-3 over Viktorija Golubic on yet another hot day in Paris.

She lost to Swiatek in the fourth round in 2021. A rematch is coming up next after Swiatek defeated fellow Polish player Magda Linette 6-4, 6-4.

Swiatek has won in straight sets all three times against Kostyuk and boasts a 43-3 record at Roland Garros.

Seventh-seeded Elina Svitolina was another Ukrainian woman to advance. She beat Tamara Korpatsch 6-2, 6-3.

Double bagel

Also advancing was 36-year-old Sorana Cirstea, who routed Solana Sierra and became the oldest player in the Open Era to claim a 6-0 6-0 win in a Grand Slam tournament. She next faces China's Wang Xiyu, who has still not dropped a set.

Eighth-seeded Mirra Andreeva progressed with a 6-4, 6-2 win against Czech opponent Marie Bouzkova and leads the women’s tour with 32 victories this season.

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

Police identified the victim as Nicholos Hatcher, 34, of Detroit.

The incident occurred on Thursday (May 29) afternoon when officers were dispatched at approximately 4:32 p.m. to the area of Middlebelt Road and Orangelawn Street after reports of a man lying on the side of the road.

When officers and paramedics arrived, they said they found Hatcher suffering from a single stab wound to the upper chest.

Officials said emergency personnel attempted life-saving measures, but Hatcher was pronounced dead at the scene.

According to investigators, detectives later determined that Hatcher and two suspects were seen earlier at a BioLife Plasma Services center on Plymouth Road in Livonia.

Police said one of the suspects allegedly stole Hatcher’s backpack at that location.

Investigators said Hatcher later followed the suspects to a nearby area, where a confrontation occurred that escalated into a physical altercation.

During that encounter, Hatcher was stabbed once in the upper chest by one of the suspects, according to police.

Police said the suspects then fled into a neighboring city.

At approximately 9:20 p.m. Thursday, detectives identified, located, and arrested a person believed to be responsible for the stabbing.

A second individual who was present during the incident was also identified and taken into custody, police said.

Additional details about the suspects have not been released.

Middlebelt Road between West Chicago and Elmira streets was temporarily closed during the investigation but has since reopened.

The case will be submitted to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office, which will determine formal charges.

The investigation remains ongoing.

Bondi, who spent roughly four hours on Capitol Hill for her closed-door interview, was again defiant when she was confronted by lawmakers about the Epstein investigation. In her opening statement, she stood behind the Department of Justice's handling of the case files and said that Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, now the acting attorney general and Trump's former personal attorney, had overseen the process to publish them.

“The bottom line is: justice and transparency in this matter have been delivered at the direction of President Trump and his administration,” she said, according to her opening statement.

Bondi's transcribed interview presented lawmakers with an opportunity to question a Cabinet official who was central to the political firestorm over Epstein that at times has rattled Trump's Republican administration. She initially raised expectations for the full release of the Epstein case files, only to later backtrack. That reversal prompted Congress to step in and pass the law requiring the release.

But Democratic lawmakers said that Bondi told them she would not speak about the president in the interview and, consulting with a lawyer from the Department of Justice, said that she could decline those questions because she agreed to appear before the committee voluntarily.

“It's a sham in there," said Democratic Rep. Dave Min of California during a break in the interview. "They are not answering any questions.”

Democratic Rep. James Walkinshaw of Virginia said he asked Bondi whether Trump had any knowledge of Epstein's crimes before they became public. Reading from his notes of the exchange, Walkinshaw told reporters that Bondi's response was, “I'm not certain of the extent of his knowledge.”

Epstein killed himself in a New York City jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial for trafficking and sexually abusing underage girls. Trump was friends with Epstein in the 1990s and early 2000s but has said he cut ties with him years before Epstein pleaded guilty to Florida state charges in 2008 for soliciting prostitution from a minor.

Survivors tried to confront Bondi

Several survivors of Epstein's abuse gathered outside the Capitol office where the interview was taking place. They tried to make their presence known to Bondi as she entered the room, but several said they were shoved aside by police officers.

“I just hope that she does have a moment where she remembers her own humanity and our humanity and finds her compassion and remembers that this is a bigger story than political rhetoric,” said Danielle Bensky, one of the survivors.

The survivors also implored lawmakers to hold Bondi accountable for the handling of the Epstein case files' release, which included the personal information of potential victims.

They confronted the committee chair, Republican Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, and he told them that he would press for the complete release of case files mandated by law.

“We want justice for the survivors, we do,” Comer added.

Bondi told lawmakers in her opening statement that releasing the Epstein case files was “an enormously complicated and labor-intensive process” and conceded that the Justice Department had made redaction errors. But she mostly defended the department’s work, saying that it had complied with the law and demonstrated “an unprecedented commitment to transparency.”

Even after being ousted as attorney general last month, Bondi has stayed within the Republican president's orbit.

Trump appointed Bondi, who revealed this week that she is being treated for thyroid cancer, to a White House panel on artificial intelligence this week, and she was be accompanied Friday by Justice Department officials, including Harmeet Dhillon, who heads the department's Civil Rights Division, acting as her counsel.

Democrats called that arrangement a conflict of interest.

Dhillon told reporters after the interview that she had been there to “represent the interests of the Department of Justice” because Bondi was answering questions about her time as attorney general. She said she had advised Bondi to only answer questions that were within “the ground rules laid with the committee” and not on other topics.

Interview was not videoed

Friday's interview was only the latest clash between Bondi and Democrats.

Bondi was subpoenaed by the committee in March in a bipartisan vote, but she tried to head off that demand by holding a closed-door meeting with lawmakers. The maneuver only added to the enmity between her and Democrats on the committee.

Bondi's departure from the Justice Department also raised doubts about the enforcement of the congressional subpoena. After the committee's Democrats maneuvered to press for a civil contempt of Congress resolution against Bondi, she agreed to sit for a transcribed interview rather than a sworn deposition.

Democrats on the Oversight panel criticized that arrangement, saying it allowed Bondi to decline to answer questions. They also objected to Comer's decision not to video the interview.

“We continue to be incredibly disappointed of the decision to not have this interview videotaped and then released to the American public,” said Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the top Democrat on the panel.

Comer has said he allowed Bondi to sit for a transcribed interview rather than a deposition as an incentive to cooperate. Previously, he had enforced a subpoena on former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton after they resisted the demand. Both of their depositions were video-recorded.

Comer said that Bondi could face prosecution if she lies to Congress and that the committee would release a transcript of the interview.

Meanwhile, Democrats suggested they could still press to enforce the subpoena for Bondi. They also said they wanted to subpoena Blanche. Both actions would need Republican support.

“It's important that we continue to keep this pressure on them,” said Democratic Rep. Summer Lee of Pennsylvania.

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Associated Press writer Alanna Durkin Richer in Washington contributed to this report.

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Follow the AP's coverage of the Jeffrey Epstein case at https://apnews.com/hub/jeffrey-epstein.

Update: Detroit man fatally stabbed following dispute over backpack theft in Livonia

At approximately 9:20 p.m., detectives said they identified, located, and arrested a person believed to be responsible for the fatal stabbing, according to the Livonia Police Department.

Additional details about the suspect were not immediately released.

The incident occurred on Thursday (May 28) as officers were dispatched around 4:32 p.m. to the area of Middlebelt Road and Orangelawn Street after reports of a man lying on the side of the road.

When officers and paramedics arrived, they found a man suffering from an apparent single stab wound to the upper chest area, police said.

Officials said paramedics attempted life-saving measures, but the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said they have not yet released the victim’s identity pending notification of family members.

Middlebelt Road between West Chicago and Elmira Street was closed around 5:30 p.m. during the investigation, but has since reopened.

No motive has been released, and police have not provided additional information about the circumstances surrounding the stabbing.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Livonia Police Department at 734-466-2470.

The investigation remains ongoing.

The climate-disclosure rule has been on hold since last year, after the Republican-led commission said it was pausing its legal defense after legal challenges by business groups and Republican state attorneys general.

The SEC said in a statement that it is now moving to rescind the disclosure rules “in their entirety because they exceed the scope of the agency’s statutory authority." The rules, finalized in 2024, “impose substantial costs on public companies and their shareholders that are not justified by the informational benefits they may provide to some investors,” the commission said.

Eliminating the rule will “avoid the practical effect of dictating corporate behavior” and ensure that agency rules will "be imposed only when the expected benefits justify the likely costs and burdens,” SEC Chairman Paul Atkins said in a statement.

Environmental groups said the action would leave investors without data they need to accurately assess financial risks and other hazards related to climate change.

“The SEC’s mission is to protect investors and the public by ensuring they have access to material information,” said Kathy Fallon, director of land systems at the nonprofit Clean Air Task Force. “While imperfect, the rule was an important step toward giving investors consistent information about financially material climate risks, including the use of carbon offsets.”

She urged the commission to retain the rule and enforce disclosure requirements "that give both investors and the public the transparency they need.”

Repeal of the climate-disclosure rule is among dozens of environmental rollbacks imposed in President Donald Trump's second term. The Environmental Protection Agency has eliminated major climate change programs, promoted deregulatory efforts that Trump calls the largest such move in American history and canceled billions of dollars in Biden-era environmental justice grants.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin has focused on weakening or eliminating regulations perceived as climate-friendly, including revoking a scientific finding that has long been the central basis for U.S. action to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and fight climate change.

Zeldin has said his actions will put a “dagger through the heart of climate change religion.”

The SEC, an independent agency whose members are appointed by the president, approved the climate rule in March 2024 on a party-line vote. Three Democratic commissioners supported it and two Republicans opposed.

The commission currently has three Republican members, including Atkins, and no Democrats.

The 2024 rule was one of the most anticipated in recent years from the nation’s top financial regulator, drawing more than 24,000 comments from companies, auditors, legislators and trade groups over two years. The vote brought the U.S. closer to the European Union and states like California, which have imposed similar corporate disclosure rules.

Sen. Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat who long pushed for the disclosure rule, said the SEC announcement “is the result of years of work by corporate polluters to delay, defang and decimate rules meant to protect people’s investments from risky and reckless business models.”

Americans’ retirement security, union pensions and savings should be protected by the SEC, “not put in harm’s way by companies that are exposed to climate risks or that depend on an unfettered ability to pollute in order to make money,” Markey said in an email to The Associated Press.

Tom Zimpleman, an attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said the SEC is shirking its responsibility to protect investors. “Climate risk is financial risk,” he said.

A public comment period will remain open for 60 days following publication of the proposal in the Federal Register, expected in the next few days.

---> Car crashes into terminal at DTW for 2nd time in 4 months -- what we know

Authorities said the man was “very disoriented.”

The man reportedly drove the wrong way down the street before going around cement barriers and through Door 4.

It happened just after 9:30 a.m. Friday, May 29, prompting a rapid response from airport police, fire, TSA and the FBI. The driver was taken into custody.

Police said there were no weapons or explosives found and that there was no evidence that the driver intended to hurt anyone.

The only injury was a woman who suffered minor injuries while avoiding the vehicle, but she refused medical treatment and made her flight.

The crash disrupted airport operations, which returned to normal by 11 a.m.

The driver, only identified as a 67-year-old man, reportedly told authorities that he was there to meet Tom Cruise and save his dad.

The Hollywood actor’s dad died in 1984.

Someone who reportedly went through a security checkpoint while fleeing was briefly detained and released without a citation.

The investigation is ongoing.

The S&P 500 rose 0.2%, notching its seventh consecutive gain and ninth straight winning week — the longest such streak since 2023. The benchmark index set an all-time high for the fourth day in a row.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.7% and the Nasdaq composite added 0.2%. The Dow and Nasdaq also reached new heights after posting record highs earlier in the week.

Big technology stocks have been behind much of the market’s record-breaking streak. Their pricey stock values give them more influence in directing the market higher or lower. In May alone, technology stocks within the S&P 500 rose more than 15%, while most of the sectors in the benchmark index actually lost ground.

“The rally has been largely tech-led and supported by resilient earnings, but the key question is whether it can be sustained,” wrote Angelo Kourkafas, senior global strategist at Edward Jones, in a research note.

Tech stocks also powered the market higher Friday. Microsoft rose 5.4% and Broadcom gained 4.7%.

Dell Technologies surged 32.8% to lead all stocks in the S&P 500 after delivering profits that blew past expectations. The company also raised its outlook, citing powerful demand for AI computing.

Most other sectors in the S&P 500 lost ground Friday. Among the decliners: Paramount Skydance fell 1.9%, Amazon.com dropped 1.2%, and Costco Wholesale closed 3.9% lower.

Wall Street has been gaining ground despite worries that the U.S. war with Iran is worsening inflation and jeopardizing economic growth.

The U.S. and Iran are reportedly working toward a deal to extend a ceasefire. That eased pressure on oil prices. The price for August delivery of Brent crude, the international standard, fell 1.7% to settle at $91.12 per barrel. It is still well above the $70 per barrel level in late February before the war began. The price for a barrel of benchmark U.S. crude oil for July delivery fell 1.7% to settle at $87.36.

Treasury yields held relatively steady as oil prices fell. The yield on the 10-year Treasury slipped to 4.44% from 4.45% late Thursday.

Still, high oil prices remain a key concern for Wall Street. The war has stifled the flow of oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. Roughly a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas is shipped through the waterway.

That has pushed up prices for gasoline and a wide range of goods, feeding inflation and squeezing consumers and businesses. Prices were already rising before the war began from the ongoing impact of tariffs.

Several reports this week reflected inflation’s rise and impact on consumers. A measure of inflation preferred by the Federal Reserve accelerated in April to its highest level in three years. Consumer confidence is slipping amid the squeeze from rising inflation.

Wall Street’s worries about rising inflation have been somewhat muted by the latest round of corporate profit reports. Companies in the S&P 500 have reported profit growth of 28% overall for the most recent quarter, according to FactSet. The overwhelming majority of companies in the S&P 500 have already reported their latest results. That could mean investors’ focus may shift back toward inflation, consumers’ behavior and the Fed’s path ahead for interest rates.

The Fed has been holding its benchmark interest rate steady as it closely watches rising inflation. It is expected to continue holding rates steady at its next meeting in June and through the year, according to CME’s FedWatch tool. Cutting interest rates could help lower borrowing costs and give the economy a jolt, but it could also worsen inflation at time when prices are already high and rising.

Despite the market turbulence caused by the conflict in the Middle East, stocks notched further gains in May. The S&P 500 closed out the month with a 5.1% gain. It’s up 10.7% so far this year.

All told, the S&P 500 rose 16.43 points to 7,580.06 on Friday. The Dow gained 363.49 points to 51,032.46, and the Nasdaq added 55.15 points to finish at 26,972.62.

Markets in Europe and Asia mostly rose.

The company fueled the hulking New Glenn rocket Thursday night, hoping to briefly ignite the engines ahead of a satellite launch next week. But the 321-foot (98-meter), rocket blew up, taking part of the pad with it.

Aerial views on Friday revealed heaps of crumpled structures on the ground, with just one tower and the water tank still standing. Emergency officials warned the public to avoid any wreckage that might wash ashore and to instead call 911. There were no reported deaths or injuries.

It’s a major setback for Blue Origin, coming just one month after the entire New Glenn fleet was grounded because of an upper-stage engine issue that dumped a satellite in the wrong orbit.

Named after John Glenn, the first American in orbit, New Glenn is the rocket that Blue Origin plans to use to launch landers to the moon under NASA's Artemis program that aims to build a sprawling base near the moon's south pole. The goal is to land the first Artemis moonwalkers as early as 2028. Earlier this week, the space agency awarded a new contract to Blue Origin worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

One of the biggest rockets to reach orbit, New Glenn has seven first-stage engines fueled by liquid oxygen and liquefied natural gas, which is essentially methane. It has flown three times.

None of the assigned 48 Amazon Leo satellites were on board the newest rocket when the blast occurred. Another batch of Amazon Leo satellites — competing with SpaceX's Starlinks to provide internet service to remote locales — awaited liftoff several miles away at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, courtesy of United Launch Alliance's Atlas V rocket.

Within 12 hours of the explosion, SpaceX launched more Starlinks to orbit Friday morning. CEO Elon Musk has two Florida pads in action, one on the Space Force side where the latest Falcon 9 lifted off and the other at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

Blue Origin has just one Florida pad: Launch Complex 36 dating back to the early 1960s. NASA's Mariner and Pioneer interplanetary probes rocketed away from there, as well as the moon-bound Rangers and Surveyors. The Washington state-based Blue Origin spent more than $1 billion rebuilding the launch complex — taking it from double pads to a single — after leasing it from the Air Force in 2015.

The company's smaller New Shepard rockets soar from Texas, skimming space for a few minutes with tourists and science experiments. Those suborbital hops were paused in January so the company could focus on New Glenn and upcoming moonshots. All that is now on hold, pending the investigation into the explosion.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said late Thursday that the space agency will evaluate near-term impacts to the Artemis program, which saw four astronauts fly around the moon in April. That Artemis II mission was hoisted by NASA's Space Launch System rocket.

Before the explosion, Blue Origin was on track to launch a prototype lunar lander to the moon on a New Glenn this fall, with another lander due to rocket into orbit around Earth in 2027 for docking practice by the soon-to-be-announced Artemis III crew.

A touchdown by two astronauts on Artemis IV — using a Blue Moon lander or SpaceX's Starship, whichever is ready first — was targeted as early as 2028.

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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.

Gordon's transfer announcement comes seven months after the NCAA's decision to eliminate the spring football portal window, opting instead for a 15-day period in January in an effort to corral offseason chaos and give programs a clearer picture of their fall roster.

Track and field athletes have two windows, one at the end of the fall and another 30-day period that begins the day after selections for Division I track and field championships are announced. This spring, the window opened on May 28 and will close on June 26.

“I am very thankful for my time as a dual-sport athlete at UCLA," Gordon wrote on social media. “I have made relationships here that will last me a lifetime. I am officially in the transfer portal as a dual sport QB/ATH and Triple Jumper. I have not committed to a school yet.”

Gordon initially signed with UCLA as a three-star quarterback out of Missouri City, Texas. He's now listed as a receiver on the Bruins' roster. He has not yet seen game action at either position.

The redshirt sophomore did not compete in the 2026 track season due to an injury. He competed in two indoor meets during his true freshman season and set a personal record in the triple jump.

The NCAA and UCLA did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press.

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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

Deputies with the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office responded to a residence in the 100 block of Barbara Street after receiving a report from a woman who alleged that her boyfriend was assaulting her teenage children and was armed with a handgun.

Police said the caller was not at the residence when deputies arrived.

Authorities identified the suspect as Bryant Hall, 44, of Mount Clemens.

According to the sheriff’s office, deputies attempted to take Hall into custody, but he became combative and actively resisted arrest. Investigators said Hall continued fighting with deputies after being handcuffed and later kicked and struck the windows and doors of a patrol vehicle while being transported to the Macomb County Jail.

No injuries were reported among the teenage victims during the incident.

During their investigation, deputies discovered a black-and-silver Ruger handgun hidden in the basement rafters inside a flexible air-conditioning duct.

The firearm was loaded with a full magazine and matched the description provided during the assault investigation, police said.

Investigators later determined the handgun had been reported stolen in Roseville.

Hall was arraigned in 41B District Court on multiple charges, including possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, three counts of felony firearm-second offense, possession of ammunition by a prohibited person, two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, assaulting, resisting or obstructing a police officer causing injury, three additional counts of assaulting, resisting or obstructing a police officer, and one count of domestic violence.

A judge set Hall’s bond at $250,000 cash or surety.

If released, Hall will be required to wear a GPS tether and have no contact with the victims.

Hall remained lodged in the Macomb County Jail following his arraignment.

The case was seen as the first major legal test of an election reform that has been pushed nationally by President Donald Trump and has gained favor among many Republicans, though U.S. District Court Judge Samantha Elliot said she was not deciding whether requiring proof of citizenship itself is constitutional. Her ruling late Thursday night on a narrower question of New Hampshire law was significant, however, because it underscored the potential perils of implementing strict requirements for voters to document their U.S. citizenship so they can cast a ballot.

Elliot found that changes in 2024 to the state voter registration law unconstitutionally removed one method of proof -- namely, a voter’s sworn affidavit attesting to citizenship.

“The evidence shows that this is the only method of proof available to a significant number of New Hampshire voters,” she wrote.

The changes took effect last year, after former Gov. Chris Sununu, a Republican, signed the bill two years ago. The attorney general’s office said it plans to appeal the judge’s ruling, calling the citizenship requirements a “common-sense approach to voter registration and election administration designed to protect the integrity of our elections.”

The ruling was a win for the American Civil Liberties Union of New Hampshire and other plaintiffs who argued that the changes that took effect last year were burdensome and unnecessary.

“New Hampshire’s elections have always been safe, secure, and accurate — and this law could have unconstitutionally and needlessly prevented thousands of eligible voters from casting a ballot,” said Henry Klementowicz, deputy legal director of the ACLU of New Hampshire.

In her ruling, Elliott said eliminating the affidavit option created a significant burden for voters and did little, if anything, to further the state's interests. She noted that an expert on voter fraud found only 47 instances of wrongful voting out of roughly 8.3 million votes between 1998 and 2024. During that time, only eight noncitizens may have cast ballots, she said.

“If wrongful voting is rare in New Hampshire, wrongful voting by noncitizens is essentially non-existent,” she wrote.

The lawsuit, filed on behalf of the Coalition for Open Democracy, the League of Women Voters of New Hampshire, the Forward Foundation and five voters, called the state’s voter registration law one of the most restrictive in the nation. During town elections last fall, some voters had trouble gathering passports, birth certificates or other proof of citizenship.

New Hampshire is not the only state with a proof-of-citizenship law for voters. Arizona, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming have similar laws already in effect, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. Florida passed a law this year requiring documentary proof of citizenship to vote, but it won’t take effect until next year.

A similar law in Kansas, which required proof of citizenship for state and federal elections, was found in 2018 to violate both the U.S. Constitution and the National Voter Registration Act after it prevented more than 31,000 citizens from registering to vote.

Arizona established a two-tiered system after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2013 that the state could not require citizenship documentation for federal elections. In August 2024, the court allowed some parts of the state’s proof-of-citizenship law to be enforced as the legal fight continued in lower courts.

The ruling comes as Trump is trying to push a proof-of-citizenship bill, the SAVE America Act, through Congress. Voting rights advocates say such a federal requirement could disenfranchise millions of people. A 2025 University of Maryland study estimated that 21.3 million Americans who are eligible to vote do not have or have easy access to documents to prove their citizenship, including nearly 10% of Democrats, 7% of Republicans and 14% of people unaffiliated with either major party.

New Hampshire Secretary of State David Scanlan said he will reimplement the use of voter affidavits for registrants to prove citizenship, but noted the ruling doesn't affect other 2024 changes to the law, including a requirement that those registering to vote provide documentary proof of identity, age and address. Voters also will continue to be required to show proof of identity on Election Day.

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Carr Smyth reported from Columbus, Ohio.

The drone was tracked overnight by radar in Romanian airspace, crashed onto the roof of the building in the Danube port city of Galati and sparked a fire, the Defense Ministry said in a statement. The two injuries were minor and several people were evacuated.

It was the latest in a series of drones — from both Russia and Ukraine — to hit a NATO member since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

The incidents have left the 32-member military alliance on edge. Friday's incursion drew strong condemnation across Europe, with leaders calling Russia's actions reckless and irresponsible.

Romania scrambled two F-16 fighter jets and a helicopter, and alerted residents of the affected areas, but the aircraft didn’t engage the drone in the city, which is located near the borders of Ukraine and Moldova.

Romania asked NATO to speed up the transfer of anti-drone capabilities to its military, the Foreign Ministry said, calling the incursion a serious violation of international law.

Asked about the drone during a state visit to Astana, Kazakhstan, Russian President Vladimir Putin said its origin is yet to be determined, telling reporters that “no one can say what origin a particular aircraft has until it has been examined.” He urged Romania to turn the drone over to Russia for it to conduct “an objective investigation.”

But Romanian President Nicusor Dan identified the drone as Russian.

“We had a Russian drone, Geran-2, leaving Russia. We know the trajectory, we know where it went through Ukraine, we know where it entered Romania, part of a swarm of 43 Russian drones, of which only one reached Romanian territory,” a statement from Dan said.

He said later that investigators determined it was probably carrying at least 30 kilograms (66 pounds) of explosives.

Gen. Gheorghe Maxim, interim commander of the Romanian armed forces' joint staff, told a news conference that the drone in Galati wasn't “an attack from Russia against Romania,” but he added that “Romanians should understand that Russia is a threat to the security of the countries in the area.”

In Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had spoken to Dan, praising the country's “principled, prompt, and strong” response. In a social media post, he said the countries’ militaries were in contact and that "we will remain in constant communication with Romania and continue working together to protect lives from all potential Russian threats.”

Earlier drones in Romania

Romania has confirmed drone fragments landed on its territory on multiple occasions since the war began, including in Galati last month, but no one was hurt in any of those incidents, with debris falling in remote areas.

Dan convened Romania’s top defense body Friday to discuss what he called “the worst incident to hit the national territory” since the war began.

After the Supreme Council of National Defense met in Bucharest, Dan said the Russian consul in the Black Sea port of Constanta has been declared persona non grata and that the consulate will be closed. Foreign Minister Oana Toiu summoned Russian Ambassador Vladimir Lipaev and told him the consul had 72 hours to leave Romania.

Territorial violations have become so common in Romania in recent years that lawmakers adopted legislation last year allowing the army to shoot down drones entering its airspace as a last resort. But the country has remained cautious in downing errant drones, which can pose risks to populated areas.

Russia has been using long-range missiles and drones to damage Ukraine’s power grid and hammer cities, and Ukraine has braced for further heavy bombardments. Kyiv also has sent long-range drones deep into Russia to attack oil refineries, military bases and and other infrastructure.

Friday's incident adds to recent drone-related incursions in Europe. Ukrainian drones have hit the chimney of a power plant in Estonia and empty fuel tanks in Latvia, and also were shot down by Romanian fighter jets stationed in Lithuania. Ukrainian officials apologized and said the drones were aimed at military targets in Russia, but veered off course by Russian electronic interference.

Poland, Croatia, Romania and non-NATO member Moldova all have reported airspace violations and found drone fragments on their territory since the war began. The airspace violations have raised questions about the state of air defenses on NATO’s eastern flank.

A senior U.S. military official recently told reporters the number of “hybrid activities” — drone incursions, hacking attacks and other acts short of military force in Europe that can be attributed to Russia — have increased in recent years and are part of a campaign to achieve strategic objectives without actually going to war.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to talk candidly about the ongoing situation, said it is believed that there's an opportunity for the U.S. and other NATO countries to be more aggressive in countering these actions, particularly since there is a belief that Russia won't see the responses as escalatory.

Allies' condemnation

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said he had spoken to Dan and expressed “absolute solidarity” with its ally.

"NATO stands ready to defend every inch of Allied territory. We will continue to enhance our readiness to deter and defend against any threat, including from drones,” he said in a post on X.

A senior NATO military official said the alliance detected and tracked the Russian drone, but it entered Romanian airspace only minutes before striking the apartment building in Galați. It was traveling at nearly 200 kilometers per hour (nearly 124 mph) over a populated area less than 15 kilometers (less than 10 miles) from the border, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military information.

NATO is assessing what more can be done to optimize Romania's and NATO’s network of sensors and shooters to safely neutralize such threats, the official added.

NATO allies spoke informally about the incursion, but no official meeting was scheduled Friday. Romania can request formal NATO consultations if it believes its territory or security is under threat.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Russia "has crossed yet another line,” and that the European Union will draft a 21st set of sanctions against Moscow.

Putin also was asked in Kazakhstan about comments that NATO is capable of destroying Russian military assets in Moscow's Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad. He responded that Russia “has every means to raze to the ground anyone who tries to do so.”

He said nations posing a direct military threat to Russia “are legitimate targets,” responding to an earlier claim by Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service that Ukraine sent troops to Latvia to launch drones at Russia. Officials in Latvia and other Baltic nations rejected Moscow’s claims.

Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said the risk of such “serious incidents” was raised by “ Putin’s increasing nervousness, driven by military setbacks.”

Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Putin’s National Security Council, told European leaders to “just shut up” about the drone.

Medvedev, known for his provocative and inflammatory statements, said in an expletive-filed post on his messaging channel MAX that the leaders were “scoundrels” and “imbeciles” and that their countries were part of the “warring nations” in the conflict.

“European drones, their spare parts, and other weapons, not to mention intelligence data, are used daily in attacks on our country,” he wrote. “Their operations result in damage to residential buildings, killing civilians.”

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This story was corrected to delete Galati being east of the borders of Ukraine and Moldova. The city is west of them.

—-

McGrath reported from Leamington Spa, England. Konstantin Toropin in Washington and Emma Burrows in London contributed.

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

Highland Park, a city of about 8,900 residents spanning less than three square miles, currently has a crowded contest for mayor. Candidate lists reviewed this week showed six people running: Joshua LaMere, J. Douglas Hollie, incumbent Mayor Glenda McDonald, Attie Pollard, Shamayim “Mama Shu” Harris, and Elen Robinson.

Davis filed the lawsuit in Wayne County Circuit Court earlier this month seeking to remove three candidates, Hollie, McDonald, and Robinson, from the August primary ballot.

“It’s important that we have qualified candidates on the ballot,” Davis said.

In court filings, Davis alleged that the candidates made false statements in their affidavits of identity (AOIs) submitted to the city clerk, which he argues violates Michigan election law.

“They did not give their legal name, and proof of this falsity are public court records,” Davis said.

According to court documents, Judge Kathleen McCarthy granted an Order removing Hollie’s name from the ballot.

Davis alleged that the name “J. Douglas Hollie” listed on the candidate’s AOI filings is not his legal name and that his paperwork inaccurately identified the jurisdiction of the office as “Wayne” rather than Highland Park.

Hollie has not responded to requests for comment.

The judge determined Robinson’s name could remain on the primary ballot.

“I want the voters to know there’s ugly people out here with ugly intents, and we can’t let that deter us,” Robinson said.

Davis also alleged Robinson did not use the name she was given at birth in her affidavit.

Robinson said she has used both names legally.

“I do have two legal names. My birth certificate says Elen. My social security says, Elene Robinson. Both of them are my name,” Robinson said.

The judge also ruled that McDonald could remain on the ballot.

“I do not have anything against the person who brought this case,” McDonald said.

Davis alleged that McDonald falsely stated in her affidavit that she has no outstanding campaign reports or fees, claiming her campaign failed to file a statement for the August 2022 primary election and that she owes a $25 fee dating back to 2011.

McDonald had a message to voters.

“I’m going to continue to do the work. I’m going to continue to move this city forward,” McDonald said. “And hopefully they won’t pay attention to any of this distraction, because that’s what it is.”

Davis said he is not done and is filing an appeal to have the additional names removed.

“I’m very confident the law will result in their disqualifications from the ballot,” Davis said.

Separately, candidate Attie Pollard announced on social media this week that he is withdrawing from the mayoral race for personal reasons and apologized to supporters.

For now, the final list of candidates appearing on the August primary ballot remains tied up in the courts.

“While we are certainly disappointed by Judge McCarthy’s ruling, we are not discouraged. We will pursue every legal remedy to vindicate Mr. Hollie and to place his name on the ballot for the City of Highland Park’s Mayoral race.”

Antisia King, On behalf of J Douglas Hollie for Mayor

“The Big 12 wants rules and enforcements, and we want to be a leader in that area,” commissioner Brett Yormark said Friday after the league wrapped up four days of annual meetings. “I think signing the participation agreement certainly is indicative of that."

The agreement requires schools to waive their right to file lawsuits against the enforcement agency and gives it wide latitude to sanction programs for violating rules that outline how players can be paid after the House settlement last year.

But all 68 Power Four schools must sign the 11-page document for it to become valid. All schools had initially been asked to review and sign the document by last December.

“I can’t speak for the other conferences. I mean, obviously they all say they want rules and enforcement, but they haven’t signed the participation agreement,” Yormark said.

Richard Linton, president of Kansas State, said the Big 12 board of directors — composed of the presidents and chancellors from the league's 16 schools — unanimously agreed to sign the document.

Yormark said the league expected to have all the signatures by early next week.

The document outlines rules that have been established since the House settlement was approved last summer — for instance, about the salary cap and the CSC’s role in analyzing third-party name, image, likeness deals through its NIL Go platform.

Bryan Seeley, the CEO of the CSC, addressed Big 12 members and league officials this week during their meetings in North Texas.

The CSC says it has cleared more than 26,000 NIL deals worth some $242.3 million through May 1 since its launch.

Yormark said he was on a call earlier Friday with the CSC and other conference commissioners.

“Like any startup, and the CSC is a startup, not even 12 months old, you have to think about what’s working and what’s not and what are the necessary adjustments both short-term and long-term that we should be considering,” Yormark said. “And we’re going to dive into that a little bit more in the coming weeks to determine what that might look like. ... But I’m bullish on the direction of the CSC.”

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U.S. administration officials said on Thursday that the U.S. was planning to send Americans who are exposed to Ebola while abroad to a new facility in Kenya instead of flying them home. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to share the administration’s plans. They said the facility would be at Laikipia Air Base and would be operational with 50 quarantine beds by Friday.

The Kenyan government said it was in discussions with the U.S. on support for Ebola preparedness, but declined to address whether the country would establish a treatment facility for Americans. The U.S. government intends to commit $13.5 million toward Kenya’s Ebola preparedness efforts, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.

The High Court in Nairobi on Friday put a stop to any deal on the Ebola facility until petitions against it are heard on Tuesday.

An organization formed to defend Kenya’s Constitution, Katiba Institute, and the Kenya Law Society separately challenged any presence of Ebola-related facilities. The Kenya Law Society asked the court to nullify any agreements signed between the U.S. and Kenya on the project, citing public health risks and a lack of public participation.

It also said that Kenya lacks “the high-containment infrastructure required to safely manage such a facility, exposing the public to serious health risks.”

A Kenyan doctors' union on Thursday issued a 48-hour strike notice should the country proceed with the deal. It said the U.S. was clear that they would not allow Ebola on their soil and that Kenya should not become a “dumping ground.”

“As the vanguard of Kenya’s healthcare system, we are utterly disgusted by the government’s apparent willingness to trade national biosecurity and the lives of its citizens for foreign aid,” the union’s chairperson, Davji Atellah, said in a statement.

Ordinary Kenyans have been angered by the plan.

“Why do they want to get infected people and bring them to Kenya? Kenya is not a dumping area for such sick people," laborer Cedric Akweyu said in an interview with The Associated Press.

Student Wycliff Otieno also expressed concern. “It is like the government has been given a lot of money by the U.S. So, it is like they are selling us,” he said.

In northeastern Congo, health workers with scant supplies have been struggling to contain an outbreak of the Bundibugyo virus, a kind of Ebola that has no approved treatment or vaccine.

The Congolese government has confirmed more than 1,000 suspected cases, with at least 220 deaths, since it declared an outbreak on May 15. But the virus had been spreading undetected for weeks and the WHO suspects it is much larger than what has been reported.

The virus also has reached neighboring Uganda, which has confirmed seven cases and one death.

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Associated Press journalist Jackson Njehia in Nairobi, Kenya, contributed.

The incident occurred on Friday (May 29) at 10:47 p.m. in the 600 block of East Street during a gathering by an unknown suspect.

Police said the victims were transported to a Metro Detroit hospital by paramedics.

The investigation remains ongoing.

The Leeds midfielder was marrying longtime girlfriend Milana D’Ambra, a daughter of Saint Joseph’s men’s soccer coach Don D’Ambra.

Aaronson, also a member of the 2022 U.S. World Cup squad, left camp after Thursday’s session and was due back in time for training Saturday.

Unable to attend the wedding himself, fellow midfielder Gio Reyna was being represented by wife Chloe.

“We don’t know if it’s a no-phones wedding. We’re trying to get clarity on that," said Cristian Roldan, another U.S. midfielder. “Gio's wife will be FaceTiming in and we’ll all be able to watch kind of like a live stream if it is a phone wedding.”

Aaronson, 25, is part of a well-known U.S. soccer family from Medford, New Jersey. His brother Paxten is with Major League Soccer's Colorado Rapids and sister Jaden played for Villanova as a freshman last fall. Their father, Rusty, is sporting director of Real Futbol Academy in Medford.

American goalkeeper Chris Brady said Aaronson was likely playing golf Friday afternoon ahead of the ceremony.

“Good luck. Don't (mess) it up,” Brady said teammates told Aaronson before he left camp. “Say I do.”

Timing for the wedding was tricky.

Players at the World Cup are supposed to get 21 days off before reporting to Premier League clubs ahead of season openers from Aug. 21-23. The U.S. finale could be as early as June 25 if the Americans are eliminated in the group stage or as late as July 19 in the unlikely event they reach the final for the first time.

The U.S. team allowed star Christian Pulisic to skip training to attend his Hershey High School prom on May 27, 2016, at the Hershey Hotel in Pennsylvania, then return for the following day’s Copa America match against Bolivia in Kansas City, Kansas.

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AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

It’s the first vehicle my dad learned to drive, as a young boy helping with farm chores during the day and adventuring with friends at night. At the time, the 1956 International Harvester S-130 had no sentimental value. Its worth was tied to its usefulness.

Or as my dad explains, “it was just a truck.”

Pickups were made for work. Until the first purpose-built ones rolled off American assembly lines in the early 20th century, people DIY-ed their own. They became icons of a rural ideal, potent enough to inspire and populate many a country song.

Today, they are mainstays on American roadways. While they’re still used to haul things, some are more luxury than workhorse; cool enough to be lifted or lowered and comfortable enough for Sunday drives.

As for the pickup that once powered the now-defunct Meyer family farm, it will soon have just one job: to look pretty.

It’s an unexpected turnabout. If it had been planned, my dad might have picked an easier truck to restore. International’s S series from the 1950s had a blink-and-you-miss-it production life. Practically speaking, that means sourcing replacement parts is a challenge — even for my brother Andy, who is good at finding things that are hard to find.

He’s the one who spotted the truck for sale. And though it was worse for wear, he couldn’t resist hauling it back home. In the years since, he and my dad have embarked on a replacement-parts treasure hunt that's unearthed my dad’s childhood memories along the way. Stories of my dad behind the wheel as a child taking the neighbor boys on late-night hunting trips, the precarious ways he and his siblings accomplished their farm chores and the uncle whose prom date rode shotgun.

Their odyssey through online auctions and Illinois backroads has taken on a life of its own. What started with restoring one 1956 International Harvester has turned into owning five 1956 International Harvesters in various states of repair. Only one is too far gone to fix up.

I asked my dad why he keeps hauling them home. “I’m possessed,” he joked dryly.

But if I’m honest, I already knew the answer. There’s joy in the journey. So why not?

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Part of a recurring series, “American Objects,” marking the 250th anniversary of the United States. For more American objects, click here. For more stories on the anniversary, click here.

The WHO said Friday authorities have reported 125 confirmed cases in Congo, including 17 confirmed deaths. Additionally, there are 906 suspected cases and 223 suspected deaths.

Neighboring Uganda has confirmed nine cases and one death, the Ugandan ministry of health said Friday.

“To come here is to really show to the community that they’re not alone," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters at the airport in Kinshasa late Thursday.

“Pushing orders from my comfortable office in Geneva is easy, but I’m asking my colleagues to work with the community and I am asking communities to protect themselves,” he added.

The outbreak “can be stopped,” he said, but is “very complex.”

Challenges like the high number of people displaced by armed conflict in the region and food insecurity are complicating efforts, Tedros said. Aid supplies reached the heart of the outbreak this week but medical personnel continue to struggle with a lack of equipment, a distrustful population and armed groups in the volatile region.

Containment has been particularly difficult because the disease likely spread for weeks before it was first identified in mid-May.

Outbreak spreading faster than response

The outbreak continues to spread faster than the response, despite health facilities becoming more organized and more equipment arriving.

The Bundibugyo virus, the current kind of Ebola, has no approved treatment or vaccine.

Anaïs Legand, a researcher in the WHO emergencies program, cited a patient discharged Wednesday as a “positive development” since it is the only documented recovery of a confirmed Ebola patient during the current outbreak.

Legand said at a U.N. briefing in Geneva Friday that five other infected people were also likely to recover.

The average fatality rate of Bundibugyo virus is around 30 to 50%, she said.

Medical aid donated by the European Union arrived in Ituri, the heart of Congo’s Ebola outbreak, on Thursday, with more shipments expected over the next eight days. The U.S. announced $80 million in additional aid on the same day, bringing its total commitment to more than $112 million.

At Rwampara Hospital, where a treatment center has been established, the response looks far more organized than in previous days, with more staff deployed, stronger prevention measures and teams in protective gear visible across units — though patients continue to arrive around the clock, according to an Associated Press reporter in Bunia, the provincial capital.

The same progress was noted at Bunia General Hospital, where new medical kits, support personnel and emergency funding appear to be reinvigorating operations.

David Munkley, the eastern Congo director of World Vision, said more equipment and supplies are still needed.

“We know what is required in terms of personal protective equipment, in terms of supporting communities and ensuring proper sanitation hygiene practices,” Munkley told the AP. “So the moment of truth is, are we going to fund it or not?”

Congo’s Health Minister Samuel Roger Kamba told reporters Thursday night they are exploring more drugs “that can help save even more lives, because ... this disease initially presents just like any other infectious disease we’re familiar with: dizziness, headache, fever, vomiting and diarrhea.”

The continent's top public health body will “ensure that we have a vaccine and a treatment for Bundibugyo" by the end of the year, Africa CDC chief Jean Kaseya said Thursday.

Distrust, travel bans could complicate response

Dangers faced by health workers have been heightened by anger among residents over the stringent medical protocols for handling the victims' bodies, which clash with local burial rites. Residents have launched at least three attacks against health centers.

Attacks in Ituri by the Allied Democratic Force, a rebel group allied with the Islamic State group, and a coalition of ethnic militias have also hindered the response.

The illness also has been reported in the Congolese provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu, south of Ituri, where the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group controls many key cities, including Goma and Bukavu. The rebels have reported two cases.

After Uganda closed its border with Congo, the WHO chief said Thursday he discourages countries from imposing travel bans. “There are ways to manage workers and to manage cases without having a strong, restricted travel ban,” Tedros said.

The Trump administration last week announced a temporary ban on the entry of people without U.S. passports who have visited Congo, Uganda or South Sudan in the past 21 days. A Kenyan court Friday suspended a U.S. plan to house Ebola-exposed Americans at a facility in Kenya rather than flying them home, following backlash from medical workers and activists.

More than 230 U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention staff are working on the Ebola response, including screeners at four U.S. airports and personnel deployed to Congo and Uganda, the agency said Friday.

But current and former staffers say many have unaddressed safety concerns, particularly over whether the Trump administration would repatriate infected personnel.

“The U.S. government refusing to repatriate first responders who may contract Ebola would be an abandonment of our government’s duty,” said the National Public Health Coalition, a group of current and former CDC workers.

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Kabumba reported from Bunia, Congo, and Banchereau from Dakar, Senegal. Associated Press writers Jamey Keaten in Geneva and Monika Pronczuk in Dakar and Mike Stobbe in New York contributed to this report.

The decision, announced Thursday by the Department of Homeland Security, marked a rare reprieve for people protected by temporary measures which have been harshly criticized by Republicans. The extension comes amid ongoing fighting in southern Lebanon between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters.

The decision was automatic, meaning that the administration missed the deadline by which they were supposed to decide on whether to extend the measure called Temporary Protected Status for Lebanese people living in the U.S. who are covered by the program. By statute, the status automatically extends for six months if the department misses the deadline.

It was an unusual outcome for an administration that has cancelled the protections that had covered people from 13 countries, including Venezuela, Haiti, Nicaragua and Syria from deportation.

TPS was created by Congress in 1990 to prevent deportations to countries suffering from natural disasters or civil strife, giving people authorization to work in increments of up to 18 months. More than 1 million immigrants from 17 countries were protected by TPS at the beginning of the Trump administration, after the Biden administration greatly expanded its use.

The program has been at the center of a controversy.

Republicans and critics of TPS argue that the program and its protections deviate from their original temporary intent, taking on a quasi-permanent character when extended. Its defenders assert that it is a fundamental humanitarian program that prevents vulnerable individuals from being forced to return to dangerous conditions.

The DHS notice said that former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and current Secretary Markwayne Mullin, who has led the department for the past two months, “were unable to make an informed determination on Lebanon’s TPS designation.”

The extension allows existing beneficiaries to keep their protections through Nov. 27, 2026, “if they still meet the eligibility requirements for TPS,” according to the notice. The work permits that were already issued for Lebanese TPS holders will be valid until the same day.

This is the second time the Trump administration has automatically extended a TPS designation. The first happened nearly a year ago with South Sudan, but the protections were terminated in November 2025, after the six-month extension period.

There are dozens of lawsuits challenging the termination of TPS at federal courts in different states. The Supreme Court is set to make a decision on TPS that protected Haitians and Syrians during the summer, and the result is expected to have an impact on all the other cases.

Advocates welcomed the extension.

“Extending Temporary Protected Status means Lebanese nationals in the United States will not be forced back into dangerous conditions but allowed to stay and continue supporting their families and contributing to their local communities,” said Kelly Razzouk, vice president of policy and advocacy at the International Rescue Committee.

José Palma, national coordinator of the National TPS Alliance—an advocacy group that has fought in federal courts against the cancellation of TPS for several countries—welcomed the extension of protections for the Lebanese.

“But we need to find a permanent solution for all TPS beneficiaries,” he warned.

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Associated Press writer Rebecca Santana contributed to this report.

Sweeney is in the final stages of completing a deal that will make him the next coach of the Magic, according to a person with knowledge of the move who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Friday because the hiring has not yet been revealed publicly.

The Magic declined comment. ESPN first reported that an agreement between Sweeney and the Magic was being finalized.

Sweeney — currently the associate head coach for the San Antonio Spurs — is getting the job over, among other candidates, longtime coaches Billy Donovan and Jeff Van Gundy. The 41-year-old Sweeney will replace Jamahl Mosley, who was let go by the Magic after five seasons and three consecutive first-round playoff exits. Mosley has since been hired as coach of the New Orleans Pelicans.

Sweeney is expected to remain with the Spurs through the end of their season. The Spurs play Oklahoma City in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals on Saturday night, and if they win would meet the New York Knicks next week in the NBA Finals.

Sweeney is a defensive guru, widely considered one of the brightest young coaches in the league on that side of the ball. In his lone season with the Spurs, he turned what was a porous defense a year ago into one of the league’s most airtight — his scheme centered around Victor Wembanyama, the unanimous winner of the Defensive Player of the Year award this season.

Wembanyama has spoken highly of Sweeney all season long. So, too, has Spurs coach Mitch Johnson — who thought so much of Sweeney that he made him the associate head coach on his first staff in San Antonio.

“I just took a liking to his ability to articulate his basketball philosophy and what he thought about the game and NBA coaching in general, in terms of competitiveness and how hard you should coach and holding guys accountable,” Johnson said earlier during this postseason, in comments published by the San Antonio Express-News. “But also the modern, creative part and thinking outside the box.”

Sweeney is technically set to become a first-time head coach, just as Mosley was when Orlando hired him in 2021. Sweeney is 41 and in his 13th season as an assistant; Mosley was 42 and had spent 15 years as an assistant when Orlando hired him.

Sweeney does have some experience. He had two separate, brief stints filling in for then-Dallas coach Jason Kidd because of illness and the health and safety protocols put into place during the COVID-19 pandemic. And he’s said in the past that he may have coached more Summer League games than anyone in NBA history.

But this fall, when the Magic start their season, Sweeney will be coaching for real.

He started in the NBA as a video coordinator for the then-New Jersey Nets, and has since had assistant stints with the Nets, Milwaukee, Detroit, Dallas and San Antonio. Sweeney was among the handful of assistants who seemed to perpetually be interviewed for top jobs in recent years, but never got the offer — until now.

Sweeney also spent time with Luka Doncic as part of Slovenia’s coaching staff for the Paris Games in 2024. He’s a Minnesota native whose coaching career began with various stops at Northern Iowa, Evansville, Anoka-Ramsey Community College and the Academy of Art University.

Sweeney will become the 15th coach in Magic history — 16th if counting Donovan, who briefly accepted an offer to take over in Orlando and leave the University of Florida in 2007, then changed his mind about a week later.

Donovan parted ways with the Chicago Bulls earlier this spring. Van Gundy also interviewed for the Orlando job; he’s the brother of former Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy.

Mosley was let go in Orlando one day after the Magic were eliminated by the Detroit Pistons in Round 1 of the Eastern Conference playoffs — after blowing a 3-1 series lead. When Orlando lost Game 6 of that series, Magic fans booed the team off the floor after a game where the team wasted a 24-point second-half lead by missing 23 consecutive shots.

There is no shortage of talent, led by forwards Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. Orlando won 22 games in Mosley’s first season, improved to 34-48 in Year 2 and has been .500 or better in all three seasons since — 47-35 in 2023-24, 41-41 last season and 45-37 this season.

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

So where's the reality?

The graphic shared by President Donald Trump may be correct about the specific items he listed. It's hard to know because he used data that isn't publicly available and he didn't specify what time frame he used.

But specific grocery items go up and down all the time, and his post ignores the broader reality consumers are facing at the supermarket: Overall, food prices have risen since his inauguration, and at a faster pace than they typically did before the pandemic. Most economists expect them to continue to do so in the coming months as a spike in diesel fuel prices lifts the cost of shipping groceries to stores around the country.

The April gain in grocery prices was the largest in 2 1/2 years. The 2.9% increase is only modestly above the 20-year average of 2.6%, though in the decade before the pandemic, grocery prices rose an average of just 1.1% a year.

And the increase comes after much larger, painful spikes that took place in 2021-22 under former President Joe Biden. Grocery costs soared nearly 28% from just before the pandemic in February 2020 until Trump took office in January 2025.

In his social media post, Trump focused on nine specific items without looking at overall grocery costs. He said that avocado prices have fallen 19%, cheese has dropped 5.6%, fresh berries and butter have dropped 13%, olive oil prices are down 16%, while chicken breasts are down 2.4% and eggs 90%.

Trump's post cited data from Circana, a private company, as published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Neither Circana nor USDA responded by press time to requests from The Associated Press. The White House also did not respond to an email seeking comment on the post.

Still, many of Trump's figures are in the ballpark of those in the government's consumer price index, compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the highest-profile gauge of inflation. That data shows cheese prices falling 3.1% in April compared with a year ago. Egg prices have dropped 39% from a year earlier and 60% from the peak in March 2025, short of Trump's 90% claim.

Many of the items Trump cited have gotten cheaper for reasons that have little to do with broader economic trends. Egg prices have fallen because chicken flocks have recovered after being devastated by the avian flu, and in part because the Trump administration allowed nearly 1 billion eggs to be imported last year.

The price of olive oil has declined recently because its production has recovered after a two-year drought.

Chicken breasts, according to the consumer price index, averaged $4.17 a pound in April, up from $3.97 when Trump was inaugurated. Still, chicken breast prices are down 0.3% from a year earlier. Butter has fallen 5.8% in price in the past year, according to the BLS.

Yet the president left out all the items that have jumped in price and kept grocery costs elevated. Many factors are pushing up food costs, including Trump's own policies: His tariffs have made many imported items more expensive, while droughts are also pushing up prices. A jump in oil prices from the Iran war has made fertilizer more expensive, but the impact of that will take months to show up on grocery store shelves. Pricier diesel fuel is pushing up shipping costs, which effects nearly everything on store shelves.

Consumers paid 6.5% more for fresh fruit and vegetables last month than they did in April 2025, and 8.8% more for meat, according to the Labor Department.

Tomato prices have shot up 40% in the past year after the Trump administration imposed a 17% duty on fresh tomatoes imported from Mexico in July 2025.

And dry weather in the Western U.S. has pushed up beef prices, which in April were 15% higher year-over-year. Coffee prices were up 18.5%, partly due to drought and other weather conditions that have hurt global coffee production.

In consumer confidence surveys, Americans still cite high prices as a top concern. Those surveys have found that consumers generally have a dim outlook on the economy, even as the unemployment rate stays low and the economy continues to grow at a modest pace.

Polls also find that most Americans have soured on Trump's economic policies, and Democrats have benefited in recent elections by raising “affordability” concerns, an issue that is also likely to play a role in this year's midterm elections.

Lao and Thai rescue workers posted the news on social media, along with a video showing the first rescued villager with a lamp strapped to his forehead. The villager, who was not immediately identified, was walking unsteadily with the assistance of two men. They handed him over to other team members amid a waiting crowd for a medical check.

The five had been found by divers on Wednesday, but that left rescue workers with two serious tasks: extricating the five and finding two more who are still missing.

Evacuations of the other four were suspended until tomorrow because they were not ready, said Chakkit Taengtang of Sai Than Association, one of the Thai rescue organization at the scene.

Rescue teams had pumped water out of the flooded cave’s passages on Friday, but a morning rainstorm complicated their work. The trapped men have already been supplied with water, soft food, and foil blankets to keep them warm.

The villagers had reportedly entered the cave last week to look for valuable minerals before being trapped by flash flooding that blocked their way out. One other villager escaped in time and alerted the authorities to the seven left behind.

A video shot inside the cave on Thursday vividly illustrated the desperation the trapped men were feeling.

Thai rescue diver Norrased Palasing spoke with a trapped villager named Khamla, who urged the divers to let the group attempt to swim out immediately

“I can’t go on. I don’t have any strength,” he said.

Norrased sought to reassure him, telling him that the water was being drained, and handing over blankets and food. He cautioned Khamla to eat slowly to avoid digestive problems.

Divers from several nations joined the rescue effort

Rescue teams from Laos and neighboring Thailand were joined by Japanese and Malaysian colleagues. Indonesian and French specialists also had been reported to be coming to the site in a rugged area in the central province of Xaisomboun, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) north of the capital, Vientiane.

Working in the dark in unfamiliar surroundings, divers had to make their way through twisting, narrow, flooded passages with jagged walls.

A good rescue plan depends on “the length of the dives involved, the restrictions and the sheer size of the passages that they are in, and the support that’s available," said Gary Mitchell, press officer for the South & Mid Wales Cave Rescue Team, which is associated with the British Cave Rescue Council.

Other necessities normally include the space and equipment to recharge air or oxygen cylinders, and a medical team.

Rescuers must weigh risks of waiting for flooding to recede

At the same time, rescuers must weigh the high risks of guiding survivors without diving skills through zero-visibility water against the strategy of waiting for water levels to recede, said Mitchell, who took part in the complicated 2018 cave rescue in northern Thailand of 12 schoolboys and their soccer coach. Several of the divers at the Lao site had also taken part in the Thai rescue.

“You can’t leave people underground too long without medical support, without proper food, sustenance, clean water ... before their condition is going to deteriorate,” Mitchell warned Thursday from Wales in a video interview.

The five found Wednesday were identified by their first names as Khamla, Mued, Ee, Ing, and Laen. They were reportedly in good health but exhausted from dehydration and lack of food.

A video filmed by Norrased showed the emotional moment he and Finnish diving instructor Mikko Paasi emerged from the water and discovered the trapped men sitting on a rock surrounded by floodwater.

Mued delivered a message to his family on camera, saying, “Don’t worry mom, dad. I’m still strong, I’m still healthy. Tomorrow I will be home. I love you, mom and dad.”

Lao officials say the villagers normally forage in the mountainous surroundings for a living.

The villagers are believed to have been searching for gold

The villagers had been reported to have entered the cave to look for gold deposits. Bounphong Khammanyvong, a local official in Longcheng, the district where the cave is located, said they had noticed rocks or sand with unusual colors in the cave, so they entered it in the hope of digging them out to see if they were valuable.

Bounphong, in an interview on Thursday with local media outlet Xaisomboun Province Television, said the villagers entered the cave on May 20, contradicting rescuers who put the date at May 19.

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Associated Press journalists Danica Kirka in London and Haruka Nuga in Bangkok contributed to this report.

Vallejo lost to French teenager Moise Kouame on Thursday after a tense five-set battle that lasted nearly five hours on Court Suzanne-Lenglen.

“This sort of match needs to be umpired by a man,” Vallejo told Clay magazine after his 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 2-6, 7-6 (8) loss. “It’s very difficult for a woman to do it.”

His comments were “unacceptable,” the French Tennis Federation and Roland Garros organizers said on Friday.

“The competence of an umpire is not determined by their gender but by their professionalism and ability to officiate at the highest level,” they added in a statement. “The outcome of a sporting event, whether positive or negative, can never justify or excuse such remarks. The tournament organizers will impose a significant sanction on Adolfo Vallejo in the form of a fine.”

Organizers did not say how much the fine would be, but players reaching the second round at the French Open receive 130,000 euros ($151,000).

Kouame was 5-3 down in the fifth set and 8-7 down in the tiebreaker. The French crowd was boisterous and Vallejo, from Paraguay, said the umpire, Ana Carvalho from Brazil, did not control the spectators.

“It has to be refereed by a man, because it’s a very demanding crowd and you need a lot of strength to go against the crowd,” he said. “The crowd was very out of line, but I understand they’re supporting their compatriot. It’s quite an intense crowd and that’s why I was prepared; I already knew it would be like that and, to be honest, it didn’t harm me, but rather strengthened him.”

Vallejo added that Kouame “took up a lot of time on many occasions, lying on the floor or stalling.”

“And it’s not normal for the crowd to be shouting for a full minute without any play. In a match where the physical aspect matters so much, if you give a player a lot of time he’s obviously going to take advantage of it. The truth is it’s also difficult for a referee to manage this situation.”

Roland Garros organizers said they condemn “all sexist remarks, regardless of who makes them” and offered their support to the match umpire “and, more broadly, to all the tournament’s umpiring officials.”

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AP sports writer Jerome Pugmire contributed.

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

Police held 30 students overnight for questioning. Authorities said school administrators would face disciplinary action for safety violations after an exit door was found to be locked during the panicked rush to escape the building. At least 79 people were injured.

Education Minister Julius Ogamba said two teachers were aware that students were planning something but failed to take appropriate action, without elaborating.

A full day after the blaze, some parents said they had still not been told whether their children were under arrest or just being questioned.

“We have not even been told about the eight that police have arrested,” a parent, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of fear that her daughter could be victimized, told The Associated Press. “We are just here and no one is giving us any information.”

At a hospital morgue some 28 kilometers (18 miles) from the school, other parents awaited DNA tests to identify their children. A distraught father, John Muiruri, said they were being given conflicting information about the location of the bodies.

“They have just been doing some sideshows, trying to prevent us from knowing the truth, but the reality we have come to know is that we have lost our children," he said. “What we want to know is where are the remains of our daughters.”

The Utumishi Girls School, located about 120 kilometers (75 miles) from the capital, Nairobi, is managed and sponsored by the police, and many of the students are daughters of police officers.

“Investigators have conducted extensive interviews with students, teaching staff and other witnesses, while forensic teams carry out a detailed review of available CCTV footage,” John Marete, a spokesman for the investigative arm of the national police, said in a statement.

Education Minister Ogamba said the school's board of management had been dissolved and the principal would face disciplinary action for failing to comply with safety regulations.

“In particular, there was congestion in the dormitory and one exit door was locked, contrary to the prescribed safety requirements,” he said.

Fires at schools have long been a cause of concern for education officials in East Africa, where classrooms and dormitories are often crowded and firefighting equipment is rarely within reach.

Fires are sometimes attributed to electrical faults but there have also been cases of students burning down schools because of disciplinary issues.

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Associated Press journalist Zelipha Kirobi in Gilgil, Kenya, contributed.

Prices for those red orbs have soared more than any other food product over the past year to cement a spot as one of the consumer headaches du jour.

“The tomato has become a symbol of something much deeper,” says Isaac Bernal Carbajo, a New York City chef who lamented life's “simplest pleasures” falling victim to price increases. “Something as basic as buying fresh vegetables is starting to become a serious financial decision for many families.”

Tomato prices are up about 40% over a year ago, according to the latest Consumer Price Index, dwarfing increases for other groceries, including coffee (up 18.5%), beef roasts (up 17.8%) and frozen fish and seafood (up 12%), among other products that have become symbols of America’s affordability squeeze.

A separate inflation gauge released Thursday showed that overall prices increased 3.8% in April from a year earlier, the highest reading in nearly three years.

Alongside crop yields, experts blame price increases for tomatoes, in part, on two pillars of President Donald Trump’s second-term policies: the Iran war and tariffs. The war spiked gas prices and increased shipping costs. Meantime, the U.S. withdrew from a deal allowing duty-free imports of tomatoes from Mexico, which grows most of America's supply.

Usha Haley, a Wichita State University economist, says it's “a perfect storm of trade policy, extreme weather and Mideast policy.”

American tomato farmers cheered the withdrawal from the tomato deal last July, saying it would help rebuild their shrinking industry. But for consumers, it's been painful. Though the U.S. withdrew from the Mexico tomato deal in July, it took time to see the impact in the produce aisle, with more imports in late winter and early spring.

When the tomatoes arrived, they were slapped with a 17% tariff.

“Tariffs are undeniably a big driver of the price inflation,” says Brett Massimino, a Virginia Commonwealth University business professor. “Because the U.S. relies on Mexico for the majority of its tomato supply, any changes in trade policy can have a large impact.”

U.S. tariffs collected on tomatoes ballooned from just $16,424 in 2024 to nearly $4.6 million, according to federal data, a staggering 27,879% increase.

As the cost trickles down, outraged shoppers have pulled out their phones in the produce aisle, shooting videos lamenting costs they said quadrupled, with some vowing to plant a garden to avoid prices of up to $8 a pound. But the impact has been most pronounced for businesses that rely on tomatoes as a key ingredient in their kitchens.

MarginEdge, which tracks prices for restaurants, says grape tomatoes have increased most — 65% in just a month — but prices have gone up across all types of tomatoes.

Phillip Coles, a professor of supply chain management at Lehigh University, says prices should drop later in the year when domestically grown tomatoes are harvested. Higher prices, he says, will also “induce farmers to increase planting to meet the demand, but this takes longer because of the lead time.”

Meantime, it's translating to a big hit for businesses like Snarf’s Sandwiches, which puts a tomato in nearly every sandwich it makes.

Wayne Humphrey, chief operating officer of Snarf’s, which operates dozens of stores in Colorado, Missouri and Texas, said cases of tomatoes went from costing him $27 to $93 in the space of a year, piled on top of rising expenses for other ingredients including bread and beef, as well as increased labor costs.

“That single ingredient now costs us more than $1.7 million in additional spend annually,” says Humphrey. “The math is getting harder to ignore.”

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Associated Press writer Dee-Ann Durbin contributed to this report. Matt Sedensky can be reached at msedensky@ap.org and https://x.com/sedensky

All identifying information about the man has been removed from this story to protect his identity.

His information has been removed from this story to protect his identity.

Prosecutors said Friday that the decision marks a significant milestone in heritage protection.

Fordlandia, now a ghost town and a district of the city of Aveiro, was built in 1927 in Pará by the Ford Motor Co. as a rubber-tapping metropolis intended to secure a steady supply of natural rubber for tires.

Designed to resemble an idyllic American suburb, it was once the third-largest settlement in the Amazon region. However, disease ravaged the rubber tree plantations, leading to the city’s abandonment. In 1945, the Brazilian government acquired the site.

In 2015, Brazil’s federal prosecutors’ office in Pará sued the country’s Iphan architectural heritage agency and the city of Aveiro for failing to preserve Fordlandia. They also demanded that authorities grant the city protected status.

“Fordlandia is a landmark chapter in the history of Brazil and of global industry. The project was an American effort to challenge the British monopoly on rubber, bringing cutting-edge infrastructure—including a hospital, running water, electricity and a movie theater — to the heart of the Amazon in the 1920s,” the prosecutors’ office in Pará said in a statement.

Despite the end of the commercial venture, officials emphasized that the district remains an important part of Brazil’s national memory and should be preserved for future generations.

Two weeks ago, a judge in Pará ordered both federal and local authorities to restore Fordlandia. The decision came after more than a decade of legal proceedings.

Although the district isn't officially recognized as a heritage site, the court found that it possesses historical, cultural, and architectural significance, which the Brazilian Constitution mandates must be protected.

The ruling further requires the government and municipality to develop and implement a recovery plan for the district, with potential financial penalties for noncompliance.

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The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

In what would be the most sweeping change to the federal grantmaking process in years, the proposed regulations would require senior appointees to review funding to see if it complies with the law and the president's priorities.

The rules would also give administration officials more freedom to terminate grants that have already been awarded, a process that could jeopardize millions of dollars in ongoing research.

The Office of Management and Budget, which issued the more than 400-page proposal, said President Joe Biden's administration allowed a lack of transparency, accountability and oversight in the federal grant process that led to “woke” programs receiving federal funding.

“Collectively, these policies wasted a great amount of taxpayer resources and caused great harm to public trust in government,” the document reads. “The proposed reforms are necessary to ensure greater accountability for use of public funds.”

After a public comment period, OMB and federal agencies will decide whether to revise the proposal before finalizing it as soon as this summer.

Scientists have said the move will cripple the scientific engine that has made America the world's leader in research and development by giving control over federal research funds to people who are influenced by politics. They've raised concerns the changes will delay grant review and approval, slowing scientific progress and medical breakthroughs.

Friday’s proposal fulfills an executive order issued by President Donald Trump last summer. Throughout the president's second term, his administration has been terminating research grants on topics that the president deems inappropriate for study, including transgender health and diversity, equity and inclusion.

The LGBTQ+ advocacy group the Human Rights Campaign slammed the Trump administration’s draft regulations, saying they would strip money from any program that acknowledges diversity, abortion or the existence of transgender and nonbinary people.

“Withholding public grants from programs that depend on them because you refuse to acknowledge the humanity of certain communities is not good government - it’s fascism,” said spokesperson Laurel Powell. “We will fight back.”

Matthew Furman was found guilty by a jury on April 23 for that assault, and not guilty of a felonious assault charged issued in the case.

Third Circuit Court Judge Mark Slavens also sentenced Furman on Friday to one year of probation for an assault and battery charge, which Furman plead no contest to, in connection with a separate alleged assault of a handcuffed man during a traffic stop in July 2021.

“A bad officer is off of the streets and will never be in law enforcement again,” Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said in response to the sentencing. “Citizens will be safer.”

Furman also faced charges for misconduct in office, felonious assault and assault and battery for allegedly using excessive force against a woman during a traffic stop in April 2024, and a felonious assault charge for the July 2021 incident, but was found not guilty of those charges.

An additional misconduct charge related to the July 2021 case was also dropped at Friday’s sentencing.

Restaurant owner Billy Dec joins the show to share what guests can expect from the new hotspot, from bold dishes and incredible cocktails to an energetic atmosphere.

Watch the video above to see what’s cooking up at Sunda New Asian.

For the fifth time in this year's playoffs, a series is coming down to the ultimate game. San Antonio will visit Oklahoma City on Saturday night in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals.

The others this season: Philadelphia beat Boston on the road in Round 1, Cleveland beat Toronto in Round 1, Detroit beat Orlando in Round 1 and Cleveland beat Detroit on the road in Round 2.

The five Game 7s this season tie the most in a single postseason. There also were that many in 1994, 2014 and 2016. And there have never been three instances of Game 7 road winners in the same season; the Spurs will aim to change that on Saturday.

Home teams have gone 117-42 in the previous 159 instances of Game 7s in the NBA playoffs.

Game 7 records

A look at the histories in Game 7 for Oklahoma City and San Antonio, two franchises that have never before gone head-to-head in such a game:

— Thunder, since moving to Oklahoma City: 4-2 overall, 4-0 at home.

The four home wins — the last of which was Game 7 of last season's NBA Finals — were all by double digits and the margin averaged 17.5 points. The two losses were both on the “road,” though one of those was simply classified as a road game because Oklahoma City was lower seeded than Houston when those teams met in the bubble playoffs of 2020.

— Spurs: 4-7 overall, 1-5 on the road.

The lone road Game 7 win in franchise history was at New Orleans in 2008. The Spurs have never played a West finals Game 7 on the road — but played on the road in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals in 1979, losing to Washington.

Game 7 birthday matters

Spurs forward Harrison Barnes turns 34 on Saturday. This could be a good sign for San Antonio.

No player has ever appeared in a Game 7 during the NBA playoffs on his birthday and lost. Paul George turned 36 on May 2 and Philadelphia beat Boston. And Barnes has been in this position once before; he turned 24 on May 30, 2016, and his Golden State team beat Oklahoma City.

The other birthday winners of Game 7s:

— Pablo Prigoni turned 35 on May 17, 2015; he and Houston beat the Los Angeles Clippers.

— Udonis Haslem turned 32 on June 9, 2012; he and Miami beat Boston.

— Kevin Garnett turned 28 on May 19, 2004; he and Minnesota beat Sacramento.

— Scott Hastings turned 30 on June 3, 1990; he and Detroit beat Chicago.

— Walt Hazzard turned 24 on April 15, 1966; he and the Los Angeles Lakers beat St. Louis.

The best-of-12 season series

Saturday night will be the 12th matchup between Oklahoma City and San Antonio this season. San Antonio went 7-4 in the first 11 games between the clubs.

Golden State and Houston played 12 times last season between four regular-season games, an additional game tacked on because of the NBA Cup, and then a seven-game playoff matchup in Round 1.

Other than that, the last time — before now — that two teams met 12 times in the same season was 1994-95, when San Antonio and Houston faced off on that many occasions.

The league has used a scheduling model for the last three decades that doesn't have any teams meeting more than four times in the regular season, which capped the total number of head-to-head meetings at 11 even if they went the distance in a seven-game playoff series. But the addition of NBA Cup now makes a 12-game season series possible.

And technically, teams could meet as many as 13 times.

It's theoretically possible for teams to play four regular-season games, plus a fifth time in NBA Cup, then meet in the No. 7 vs. No. 8 game in the play-in tournament, then play a seven-game playoff series.

Regardless, the record for head-to-head meetings will probably never be broken. In 1959-60, the Minneapolis Lakers and St. Louis Hawks played 20 times and in 1960-61, the Los Angeles Lakers played the Hawks 20 more times. The league had only eight teams then and played a 75-game schedule.

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

“Besa stands for ‘our guests before ourselves,’” he said. The hospitality, food, and decor is all inspired by the country of Albania.

To see the dishes and full segment, please click the video above.

Behold, for example, the cheesehead hat.

Made of sofa foam and sunny yellow defiance, the hat was created in the late 1980s in response to the taunting faced by supporters of sports teams in Wisconsin, which has long called itself America’s dairyland.

“Cheeseheads!” residents of neighboring Illinois said. The insult was embraced and, yes, turned on its head — particularly in the realm of a certain football team named the Green Bay Packers.

Soon, Wisconsin sports fans were appearing at events wearing the hats shaped like large, dimpled wedges of cheddar. (The dimples evoked Swiss, but U.S. notions of cheese, especially processed versions, are another slice of Americana.)

This doesn’t mean that a single state has a lock on silly hats, though the “Wisconsin Cheesehead” is now included in the Smithsonian’s American History Museum. U.S. sports — college sports especially — bounces with fans who throw inhibition aside and put on horns or animal ears, or strip off shirts and paint their torsos even in freezing weather.

The seasonal display is perhaps the most colorful, and harmless, of the “Hold my beer” exuberance that’s defined generations of Americans at home and overseas.

We are loud. We do dumb things. We are tribal in ways both superficial (sports) and significant (the current political landscape).

We have a pretty good record of stumbling into greatness. “I wasn’t thinking too deeply about it,” the creator of the cheesehead hat, Ralph Bruno, once told Milwaukee magazine about his inspiration, which is now trademarked, owned by a professional football team and sells for $28.99 apiece.

Above all — literally, with this towering block of fake cheese that just might be a metaphor — Americans are known for being able to laugh at ourselves.

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Part of a recurring series, “American Objects,” marking the 250th anniversary of the United States. For more American objects, click here. For more stories on the anniversary, click here.

According to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were investigating an unrelated incident on M-59 between Crooks and Adams roads around 2:30 a.m. when the driver of a 2018 Chevrolet Impala crashed into the back of the patrol car.

Deputies were several yards away from the patrol vehicle at the time of the crash and were not injured. The fully marked patrol vehicle had its emergency lights on and was positioned to block off traffic at the time of the accident, deputies said.

The driver was transported by the Rochester Hills Fire Department to McLaren Oakland Hospital, where he remains in critical condition. The cause of the accident is under investigation.

This is the second recent crash involving a patrol vehicle on M-59, according to the Sheriff’s Office, prompting Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard to remind residents of Michigan’s Move Over Law.

“I cannot overstate the safety and legal need to follow the law and move over one lane away from any stopped emergency vehicle,” Bouchard said. “These crashes are too common and often deadly. Please, pay attention, slow down, and move over.”

According to authorities, the man was looking at a tablet while driving before swerving to avoid a mailbox, overcorrected and crossed into oncoming traffic before crashing into Trinity Congregational Church.

Police said the driver and a passenger -- a 33-year-old woman -- were taken to a hospital for treatment.

Michigan is one of dozens of states that has a hands-free driving law on the books.

The crash remains under investigation.

Officials with Trinity Congregational Church said they will need remodeling.

Russia has been banned from participating in any of the tournaments run by the sport’s governing body since invading Ukraine in February 2022. That included preventing Russian players, including those in the NHL, from taking part in the Milan Cortina Olympics.

The decision to evaluate eligibility on a case-by-case basis comes after a January decision to bar Russian teams, including at the youth level, was annulled following an appeal from the Russian Ice Hockey Federation. But that was not a reversal of course, as the IIHF said its disciplinary board “explicitly confirmed that this does not mean that Russia has automatically been reintegrated.”

Earlier this week, the IIHF announced it would reintegrate Belarus at the under-18 men’s and women’s events and the women’s Division IV world championship beginning this year. Belarus had also not been allowed to play since aiding Russia in its war in Ukraine.

The IIHF Council said the decision to bring back some teams from Belarus was not taken lightly.

“Based on the assessments conducted and ongoing consultations with relevant stakeholders, we believe this can be done in a safe, responsible, and controlled manner,” the council said in a statement. “The IIHF has always believed in the importance of the international hockey family staying connected through sport. Bringing the family back together is an important step forward for our federation and for the global game.”

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

The entrance of Israel’s troops into the village of Dibbine, near the town of Marjayoun, came as Israeli airstrikes killed at least six people. Five were killed in an airstrike on the villages of Deir Qanoun al Nahr and Abbasiyeh, while a municipal policeman was killed in the village of Ebba, state media reported.

In Washington, a six-member Lebanese military delegation was meeting on Friday with Israeli military officials in the first direct military talks between the two countries in decades.

A nominal ceasefire went into effect on April 17. A senior Lebanese military official told The Associated Press Friday that the Lebanese delegation, led by the army's head of operations Brig. Gen. George Rizkallah, would be to make it comprehensive.

The official added the Lebanese delegation will request the reactivation of the committee monitoring the enforcement of an earlier U.S.-brokered ceasefire that halted the war between Israel and Hezbollah in late 2024.

Another Lebanese official, who is briefed throughout the day about the ongoing talks at the Pentagon, also said the delegation would seek the comprehensive implementation of the ceasefire and a stop to ongoing hostilities.

He said implementation would be followed by talks at a later date on matters such as deploying the Lebanese army along the border and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon.

Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media about the ongoing talks in Washington.

President Joseph Aoun's office said he received a call Friday from U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and they discussed the situation in Lebanon and the latest developments in the Middle East. Aoun's office said the president told Rubio that efforts should concentrate on implementing the ceasefire as it is “the essential entry point for transitioning to any other issues.”

In April, Lebanon and Israel held the first direct talks in Washington in more than three decades.

The Israeli military issued several evacuation warnings for southern Lebanon on Friday, forcing hundreds of families to flee to safer areas further north.

Israeli troops fought Hezbollah fighters inside the villages of Yohmor and Zawtar al-Sahrqieh near the city of Nabatieh after they crossed the strategic Litani River, which the Israeli military has used as a de facto boundary. Large areas to the south are under Israeli military control, despite the April ceasefire.

Hezbollah, whose members have been fighting Israeli troops for days in the area, said in statements that its members struck Israeli troops inside Yohmor.

The two villages are close to the Crusader-built Beaufort castle that is about 15 kilometers (9 miles) from the Israeli border and overlooks wide parts of southern Lebanon. It was not clear if Israeli troops are trying to capture the castle, which lies north of the Litani.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the northern front Friday where he spoke to members of the military. “I must tell you that there are very impressive results here. Our forces have crossed the Litani; they have advanced to controlling positions,” he said.

“We are operating in Beirut, in the Bekaa, across the entire width of the front, and we are dealing Hezbollah a crushing blow,” Netanyahu said referring to Lebanon's eastern Bekaa Valley and Beirut's southern suburbs where Israel's air force struck on Thursday.

The violence in southern Lebanon came as U.S. and Iranian negotiators reached a tentative agreement Thursday to extend the ceasefire in the 3-month-old war by 60 days and start a new round of talks on Iran’s nuclear program, according to a U.S. official familiar with the matter.

Iran did not immediately confirm any deal. Vice President JD Vance on Thursday evening confirmed there was a tentative agreement, but said it was unclear if President Donald Trump would approve it.

Hezbollah legislator Hassan Fadlallah said Friday that any deal between Iran and the U.S. would stop Israel’s offensive in Lebanon. Officials in Iran, Hezbollah’s main backer, have said that they insist that a deal with Washington would stop the latest Israel-Hezbollah war that started on March 2, when Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel two days after Israel and Iran attacked in Iran.

The latest Israel-Hezbollah war has left 3,200 people dead in Lebanon and over 1 million people displaced.

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Associated Press writer Kareem Chehayeb contributed to this report from Beirut.

Russell’s picks lean into tension from two different angles: Pressure brings the suspense, while Backrooms dives into eerie, unsettling horror built for fans who like their chills a little more psychological. Catch his full review and recommendations by clicking the video above.

Here are some key things to know as Broadway's biggest night approaches, including how to watch, the top nominees, who is poised to make history and what shows secured performance slots.

When are the Tony Awards?

The Tonys will be broadcast to both coasts on June 7 from 8-11 p.m. Eastern/5-8 p.m. Pacific, live from Radio City Music Hall.

How can I watch them?

On CBS and streaming for Paramount+ with Showtime subscribers in the U.S.

Who's hosting the Tony Awards?

Pink, a three-time Grammy Award winner, will make her debut as MC.

A pre-show will be broadcast on Pluto TV from 6:35-8 p.m. Eastern/3:45-5 p.m. Pacific. Laura Benanti and Tituss Burgess will host that telecast. Viewers can access it on their smart TV, streaming device, mobile app or online by going to Pluto TV and clicking on the “Live Music” channel, found within the Entertainment category on the service.

What performances will there be?

The seven best new musical and best musical revivals — "The Lost Boys," “Schmigadoon!,” “Titanique,” “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York),” “Cats: The Jellicle Ball,” “Ragtime” and “The Rocky Horror Show.”

How many awards are there?

A total of 26 competitive categories, from lead and featured actors to scenic, costume and lighting design. Some technical award handouts may be pre-taped and winners won't appear on the live show, only cut down into edited bits sandwiched into the telecast.

What are the top nominees?

There are two top nominees: “The Lost Boys” and “Schmigadoon!” each earned a leading 12 Tony Award nominations. “The Lost Boys” is an adaptation of a 1987 teen movie vampire thriller, and “Schmigadoon!” is an adaptation of an Apple TV series that gently mocks Broadway musicals. They're followed by a revival of “Ragtime,” a big, soaring musical celebrating early 20th-century America, with 11 nominations, and “Death of a Salesman,” Arthur Miller’s masterpiece that looks at the unraveling of the American Dream, starring Nathan Lane, which nabbed nine nods.

Who is vying for best new play and musical?

For new musicals, it's “The Lost Boys," “Schmigadoon!,” “Titaníque” and “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York).”

For new plays, it's “The Balusters,” “Giant,” “Liberation” and “Little Bear Ridge Road.”

Can history be made?

History has already been made, in a way. June Squibb became the oldest Tony-nominated actor in history at 96 and could become the oldest Tony winner, surpassing Lois Smith who was 90 when she won in 2021.

Nathan Lane is hoping for his fourth Tony, which would make him tied as the most-awarded male performer in Tony history, alongside Boyd Gaines and Frank Langella. If he does win for best lead actor in a play for the revival of “Death of a Salesman,” he'd have Tonys in three separate acting categories, previously winning featured actor in a play for “Angels in America” and lead actor in a musical twice for “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” and “The Producers.”

And for the first time since 2002, the contenders for best leading actress in a musical are all first-time nominees: Sara Chase ("Schmigadoon!"), Stephanie Hsu ("The Rocky Horror Show"), Caissie Levy ("Ragtime"), Marla Mindelle ("Titanique") and Christiani Pitts ("Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York").

Will there be other performances?

Other performances include the original lead cast members of “The Book of Mormon” — Josh Gad, Andrew Rannells, Rory O’Malley and Nikki M. James — this year celebrating its 15th anniversary.

Broadway's big season

The 2025-2026 Broadway season set a new box office record for the second year in a row. Over the 52 weeks of the season, Broadway brought in a combined total of $1,910,903,835, a smidge higher than last season’s then-historic total of $1,892,650,959. Last season also had 53 weeks instead of the usual 52, a Broadway accountant trick.

In more gloomy news, attendance was actually down — 14,577,322 versus 14,658,531 from last season. And the average paid admission was $131.09, continuing an ever upward trend.

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For more coverage of the 2026 Tony Awards, visit https://apnews.com/hub/tony-awards.

The terminal was closed while emergency personnel responded to the scene and his since been reopened. The driver has also been detained.

Car crashes into terminal at DTW for 2nd time in 4 months — what we know

Witnesses at the airport described the scene as “scary,” including Sedeq Arshuhtpi, who works at the airport and told Local 4 he was standing 10 feet away when the crash occurred.

“We didn’t know what to do, we don’t know what’s inside that car, there’s a lot of people around, there could be a threat so everybody was nervous, we didn’t know what was going on,” he said. “The doors slowed him down a little bit, and then after he got through from the doors, he went and sped off a little bit and then the other door stopped him.”

Another witness, Nikia Hubbard, says she was going through security when the man’s vehicle “barreled through the door.”

“It was unbelievable,” she said, “there was a lady in front of us who was really upset because it was so close to us…They just drove right past us. We were just thankful, thank god that we didn’t get hit because we were that close, we could have gotten hit.

The crash happened around 10 a.m. Friday, May 29, 2026.

• Employee was 10 feet away when car crashed into DTW terminal. Here’s what he saw

The Evans Terminal was closed after the crash, but reopened before 11 a.m. Operations have not been affected at the McNamara Terminal, officials said.

Pictures from a witness show police detaining a person at the scene.

UPDATE: What witness saw as driver crashed into Evans Terminal

A witness told Local 4 that the driver went up on the sidewalk to avoid the cement barriers. A woman fell and hurt her knee, so the driver yelled at her, “Get out of my way, b----,” according to the witness.

“As he pulled in, (he) just kept revving his engine,” the witness said.

Local 4 is already on the way to DTW and is working to get more information confirmed.

January crash at McNamara Terminal

This crash comes about four months after a car was driven into the McNamara Terminal at DTW.

On Jan. 23, 2026, a man was driving a black Mercedes-Benz in the far-left lane near the McNamara Terminal before making a sharp right turn, cutting between two cars, and driving straight through the terminal, taking out metal bollards.

He got out of the car, yelling incoherently before being taken into custody.

New barriers were installed outside the McNamara Terminal following that crash.

The crash happened around 10 a.m. Friday, May 29, 2026, and the Evans Terminal was shut down. The terminal reopened around 11 a.m.

Pictures showed police detaining a person.

• Employee was 10 feet away when car crashed into DTW terminal. Here’s what he saw

A witness told Local 4 that the driver went up on the sidewalk to avoid the cement barriers.

During that time, a woman fell and hurt her knee, so the driver yelled at her, “Get out of my way, b----,” according to the witness.

“As he pulled in, (he) just kept revving his engine,” the witness said of the driver.

Local 4 is already at DTW and is working to get more information confirmed.

January crash at McNamara Terminal

This crash comes about four months after a car was driven into the McNamara Terminal at DTW.

On Jan. 23, 2026, a man was driving a black Mercedes-Benz in the far-left lane near the McNamara Terminal before making a sharp right turn, cutting between two cars, and driving straight through the terminal, taking out metal bollards.

He got out of the car, yelling incoherently before being taken into custody.

New barriers were installed outside the McNamara Terminal following that crash.

• Employee was 10 feet away when car crashed into DTW terminal. Here’s what he saw

Here’s what we know so far.

Friday’s crash at Evans Terminal

It was around 10 a.m. Friday, May 29, 2026, when someone crashed into the Evans Terminal.

A witness at the scene told Local 4 that a driver in a black car went up onto the sidewalk to avoid the cement barriers.

A woman fell and hurt her knee, and the driver told her to get out of the way, the witness told Local 4.

UPDATE: What witness saw as driver crashed into Evans Terminal

“As he pulled in, (he) just kept revving his engine,” the witness said.

A picture from the witness showed how far the car got into the terminal.

Terminal reopens

The Evans Terminal was closed after the crash, but it reopened before 11 a.m. Friday.

Officials said operations at the McNamara Terminal were not affected.

Person detained

Pictures from multiple witnesses at DTW showed one person being detained by police officers.

Here is a picture showing the person, who was wearing a white shirt, jean shorts, and a sleeveless jean jacket.

Here are some additional photos of police and the person being detained:

What another witness saw

Sedeq Arshuhtpi, who works at the airport, said he was about 10 feet away from the crash.

“He drove from all the way over here, the middle, and came in from door four, and drove through, broke the glass and everything,” Arshuhtpi said.

“It was scary, man, like, we didn’t know what to do. We don’t know what’s inside that car. There’s a lot of people around. There could be a threat, so everybody was nervous. We didn’t know what was going on.”

Arshuhtpi said the doors slowed the driver down a little bit, but after he got through them, he “went and sped off a little bit and then the other door stopped him.”

January crash at McNamara Terminal

This crash comes about four months after a car was driven into the McNamara Terminal at DTW.

On Jan. 23, 2026, a man was driving a black Mercedes-Benz in the far-left lane near the McNamara Terminal before making a sharp right turn, cutting between two cars, and driving straight through the terminal, taking out metal bollards.

He got out of the car, yelling incoherently before being taken into custody.

New barriers were installed outside the McNamara Terminal following that crash.

Sedeq Arshuhtpi works at DTW and said he was about 10 feet away when a driver crashed into the Evans Terminal around 10 a.m. Friday, May 29, 2026.

“He drove from all the way over here, the middle, and came in from door four, and drove through, broke the glass and everything,” Arshuhtpi said.

The Evans Terminal was shut down after the crash, but it reopened before 11 a.m. Friday.

A person was detained by police.

“It was scary, man, like, we didn’t know what to do,” Arshuhtpi said. “We don’t know what’s inside that car. There’s a lot of people around. There could be a threat, so everybody was nervous. We didn’t know what was going on.”

Arshuhtpi said the doors slowed the driver down a little bit, but after he got through them, he “went and sped off a little bit and then the other door stopped him.”

Witness shares story from before crash

Another witness at the scene told Local 4 that a person in a black car had driven up onto the sidewalk to avoid the cement barriers.

A woman fell and hurt her knee, and the driver told her to get out of the way, the witness told Local 4.

UPDATE: What witness saw as driver crashed into Evans Terminal

“As he pulled in, (he) just kept revving his engine,” the witness said.

A picture from that witness showed how far the car got into the terminal.

Here are some picture showing the person, who was wearing a white shirt, jean shorts, and a sleeveless jean jacket.

January crash at McNamara Terminal

This crash comes about four months after a car was driven into the McNamara Terminal at DTW.

On Jan. 23, 2026, a man was driving a black Mercedes-Benz in the far-left lane near the McNamara Terminal before making a sharp right turn, cutting between two cars, and driving straight through the terminal, taking out metal bollards.

He got out of the car, yelling incoherently before being taken into custody.

New barriers were installed outside the McNamara Terminal following that crash.

The craft carrying Zhang Lu, Wu Fei and Zhang Hongzhang of the Shenzhou 21 crew touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in north China’s Inner Mongolia region in the evening. Their return came as China prepares for its first lunar landing by 2030.

The crew had completed various tasks, from processing and transmitting experimental data to transferring remaining supplies, the official Xinhua News Agency quoted the China Manned Space Agency as saying. They also shared their experience with the Shenzhou 23 crew who arrived at the space station on Monday, Xinhua said.

Xinhua reported earlier that the crew had completed three spacewalk activities. Zhang Jingbo, the space agency's spokesperson, said that Zhang Lu, who was also on an earlier Shenzhou 15 mission to the space station, had completed seven such operations in total — becoming the Chinese astronaut with the most spacewalks, the report said.

Zhang Lu said he felt extremely emotional when he returned to China. He said at the astronauts' mission wouldn't have been possible without the care and support from their families and comrades, as well as the the backing of leaders and those involved in the project.

Zhang Hongzhang recalled his time away from the planet.

“Looking at Earth from space, I really felt that humanity is an indivisible community with a shared future," he said.

One of the three astronauts who arrived at the Tiangong space station with the Shenzhou 23 craft is set to stay for a year. Tiangong means “Heavenly Palace" in Chinese.

The astronauts are Zhu Yangzhu, the commander, Zhang Zhiyuan and Lai Ka-ying, also identified by Chinese authorities as Li Jiaying, using the Mandarin transliteration of her name. Lai, who was born and raised in Hong Kong, is the first astronaut from the city on a space mission.

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

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

___

Liu Zheng contributed to this report from Beijing.

The home invasion occurred between 11 p.m. Monday and 5 a.m. Tuesday at a residence in the area of Grosse Pointe Boulevard and Hendrie Lane.

The Grosse Pointe Farms Department of Public Safety reported that surveillance video showed the man entering the residence through an unlocked front door. He was discovered inside the home by the homeowner before fleeing the area through an unsecured private street security gate.

Charges against the suspect are pending and he remains in custody.

“As the mayor of Chicago, we are incredibly elated and proud of him,” Johnson told The Associated Press in an interview Friday, a day after meeting the American pope in a private audience.

The mayor said it was comforting to know that someone who comes from the city of Chicago "can speak to justice” and defend “the most vulnerable among us.”

Johnson, a first-term progressive Democrat leading the third-largest U.S. city, traveled to Rome with a delegation of some 50 local officials, drawing strong media interest. He is a leading critic of U.S. President Donald Trump and has applauded Leo for pushing back against the war in Iran and Trump administration immigration policies.

Johnson said he used the meeting to thank the pope “for his courage and his strength and particularly his moral stance,” framing the encounter as a convergence of civic leadership and moral authority.

He noted the meeting underscored areas of alignment between Chicago’s policy agenda and the pope’s emphasis on social justice, particularly on the legacy of slavery and the treatment of migrants.

Johnson said the pontiff’s apology for the Catholic Church’s role in slavery reinforced his administration’s push for reparations, including efforts to fund a task force examining the lasting impact on Black Americans.

“The fact that the pope made a very clear declaration apologizing for the church’s role in slavery … is an affirmation to the work that we’re doing,” he said.

Johnson stressed the visit reflects an effort to position Chicago within a broader international push for human rights, with the pope’s global influence lending weight to the city’s agenda on justice, migration and reparative policies — and potentially extending that message well beyond the U.S.

Focus on migrants' conditions amid US crackdown

Migration was also central to their discussion. Johnson said Pope Leo asked directly about conditions in Chicago following a broader U.S. immigration crackdown and efforts to deport migrants.

“He wanted to know the conditions on the ground in Chicago … how we were responding,” Johnson said, adding the pontiff was aware of “the mass effort to deport immigrants from the city of Chicago and really around the country.”

Johnson described outlining the city’s response to migrants facing fear and uncertainty, including rapid-response efforts to ensure families had access to schools and basic necessities. He also highlighted executive actions intended to shield migrants, saying Chicago’s approach has been adopted by other municipalities.

Johnson framed the meeting as the beginning of broader cooperation between city government and the Vatican. “We talked about how his pulpit and my pen can come together to protect all of humanity,” he said, referencing both descendants of enslaved people and immigrant communities.

The mayor also emphasized the shared Chicago background, saying the city’s history of activism makes it “uniquely positioned for this moment.” On Thursday, he marked the visit by presenting Leo with a key to the city and inviting him to celebrate Mass in Chicago’s Grant Park.

It’s at least the second official invitation that Leo has received to visit the United States. U.S. Vice President JD Vance invited Leo soon after he became pope last May.

___

Associated Press writer Silvia Stellacci in Rome contributed to this report.

Police were called to the area around 1:15 a.m. following multiple reports of a shooting in the area. Officers arrived on the scene to find a crowd of people fleeing from the home and the male victim inside. The female victim was located several houses down with non-life threatening injuries, and both victims were transported to a nearby hospital, where the male victim was pronounced dead.

According to police, the gathering was an “after-prom” party and the shooting occurred after a dispute led individuals to exchange gunfire both in and outside the home.

Detectives are still investigating and working to obtain search warrants in relation to the case.

The release of the funds was a signal of Brussels’ embrace of the new government in Budapest after the 16-year tenure of Viktor Orbán, who was allied with Russia and antagonized the EU.

The agreement, announced during a media briefing in Brussels on Friday by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, capped off weeks of negotiations between Magyar’s government and the EU to release the crucial funding that is badly needed by Hungary’s slumping economy.

Magyar called the deal “a historic breakthrough” for the nation, and said that his government was "very grateful, and we are ready to continuing cooperating together in the interest of the Hungarian people and all the European citizens.”

Partly by campaigning on forging stronger ties with the EU, Magyar's earthquake success in the April election ended the long tenure of Orbán, who had vilified von der Leyen and other powerbrokers in the 27-nation bloc as he hollowed out institutional checks and balances in Hungary.

Those actions, and concerns over corruption and the erosion of judicial independence, prompted the EU to freeze the billions in funding to Budapest in 2022. A year later, the commission found that the government had carried out sufficient reforms to have around 10.2 billion euros ($12.1 billion) released.

On Friday, von der Leyen said that only a few weeks since Magyar's new government took office, "we can already feel a strong wind of change across Hungary.”

“A great deal of work has already been achieved in very short time, and markets are already taking notice. Investors confidence is returning. Trust is being rebuilt,” she said.

After Magyar's party Tisza won a super-majority in parliament, which enabled deep and quick reforms, leaders in Brussels and Budapest prioritized releasing the funds as soon as possible to help Hungary's economy, which has stagnated for years.

The funds are split between 10 billion euros ($11.6 billion) of COVID-19 recovery funds and more than 6.3 billion euros ($7.3 billion) in the cohesion funds designed to lift up struggling economies within the EU.

Magyar's government has undertaken crucial changes like restoring judicial independence, academic and media freedom, and launching broad anti-corruption efforts in order to get access to the money.

On Friday, Magyar formally submitted Hungary's request to sign on to the European Public Prosecutor's Office, the EU’s corruption watchdog based in Luxembourg that Orbán's government had long refused to join.

He told reporters that Orbán's government — which frequently portrayed the EU as an oppressive force bent on punishing Hungary for its anti-immigration and anti-LGBTQ+ policies — had “lied to the Hungarian people constantly" about why the funds had been frozen.

“The real reason the European institutions and the European Union were not in a position to release (the funds) was corruption,” he said. “There was a degree of corruption that for a long time was unthinkable in the European Union, and in Hungary as well.”

Von der Leyen also announced deeper integration of Hungary into EU institutions. For example, Hungarian students will once again be able to join the Erasmus scholarship program that allows students to attend schools across the EU, an opportunity that had been suspended under Orbán.

___

Justin Spike reported from Budapest, Hungary.

Timothy Thomas was last seen in the 19900 block of Santa Barbara Drive wearing a gray sweater, black pants and black shoes, possibly on a purple and green bike.

Thomas’ mother told police that her son has a mental illness.

Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to reach out to Commander Dietrich Lever with the Detroit Police Department’s 8th Precinct at 313-596-5840, or by calling 1-800-SPEAKUP.

Sudan Doctors Network, a group that tracks violence across the country, blamed forces affiliated with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces for carrying out the attacks on Thursday on villages in al-Murrah area located west of Barah town in North Kordofan.

It said the attacks worsened already “catastrophic humanitarian conditions that citizens are enduring due to the ongoing war."

A full-scale war erupted in April 2023 after long-simmering tensions between the army and the Rapid Support Forces escalated. The Kordofan region has become one of the conflict’s main epicenters, with fighting intensifying on several fronts, including through drone warfare.

The paramilitary RSF and its allies control the western Darfur region and areas in the Kordofan region along the border with South Sudan — both regions rich in oil fields and gold mines. The RSF also repeatedly clashed with the army over Barah.

Thursday's attacks were carried out during the second day of Eid al-Adha or “Feast of Sacrifice,” an Islamic holiday celebrated by millions of Muslims around the globe.

The doctors' network said in its statement that “targeting villages and civilian areas and liquidating citizens in this horrific manner constitutes a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law.”

North Kordofan's governing administration condemned the attacks in a statement on Friday and said that “such crimes will only increase the citizens’ unity behind the armed forces in defense of the security and stability of the state and Sudan in general.”

Earlier this month, intense clashes in southern Sudan in South Kordofan between forces linked to the rebel group Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North and the Otoro tribe killed over 61 people, including nine children. Last week, a drone strike on a bustling market in central Sudan killed 28 people and wounded dozens more.

The war in Sudan broke out in April 2023 after long-simmering tensions between the army and RSF erupted into a full-out war. The conflict has killed at least 59,000 people, displaced some 13 million, and pushed many parts of the country into famine. More than 30 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance.

Both of Sudan’s warring sides have been accused by the United Nations and rights groups of committing atrocities, including ethnic cleansing, extrajudicial killings and sexual violence against civilians. Aid groups say the true toll could be much higher as access to areas of fighting across the vast country remains limited.

HABs are formed wherever there is rapid growth of cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae, which are naturally found in lakes, rivers and ponds. Some cyanobacteria found in blooms contain toxins that can be harmful to people and animals, and often present as blue-green, yellow or brown streaks, foam, or thick paint-like scums on the water surface, according to the Michigan Departments of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE)

To help keep track of these harmful algal blooms across the state, EGLE has teamed up with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) to update its online reporting form to include harmful algal blooms. Now the public can easily report suspected HABs to the state by filling out the form at Michigan.gov/HABs. Individuals can also make a report by calling EGLE’s Environmental Assistance Center at 800-662-9278.

“This new online form is an easy and efficient way for Michiganders to help monitor and safeguard our water resources,” said Jerrod Sanders, director of Water Resources Division at EGLE, in a news release. “This tool improves efficiency and helps us respond to potential risks more effectively.”

It will also allow EGLE and MDHHS staff to better understand how HABs develop, and creates the potential to send out public notifications about what areas to avoid as a way of keeping people and pets safe when they’re detected.

Breathing in or swallowing water with HAB toxins can cause asthma-like symptoms, difficulty breathing, stomach pain, vomiting, diarrhea, runny eyes and nose, weakness, headaches or dizziness. Skin contact can also cause rashes, blisters or hives.

“If you had contact with or swallowed water with a suspected HAB and feel sick, call your health care provider or seek medical attention as soon as possible,” said Dr. Natasha Bagdasarian, chief medical executive.

Locations of HAB reports verified by EGLE and results of cyanotoxin testing will be displayed on the Michigan Harmful Algal Bloom Reports Map for the public to review.

For more information on health effects, causes and reports on the occurrence of HABs in Michigan lakes, visit Michigan.gov/HABs. 

“Sleeping by the Lion Carpet,” regarded as one of Freud’s masterpieces, is going up for sale at Sotheby’s on June 24, with a presale estimate of 25 million pounds to 35 million pounds ($33 million to $47 million).

Tilley hasn’t seen any of the millions that the portraits have fetched at auction. But she doesn’t regret a thing.

“It did change my life,” Tilley told The Associated Press as she sat in front of the 7 ½-foot (2.3-meter)-high nude image of herself in the auction house showroom. “Who would have thought I’d be in Sotheby’s?”

“Sleeping by the Lion Carpet,” painted in 1996, is the last of Freud’s four monumental portraits of Tilley reclining, resting or dozing. An earlier painting, “Benefits Supervisor Sleeping,” sold at auction in 2008 for $33.6 million, at the time a record for a living artist.

“I was thrilled I was in ‘The Guinness Book of Records,’” said 69-year-old Tilley, who has a rich laugh and an air of delight at the twists her life has taken. “Unfortunately, it didn’t say my name. There was a picture and it said ‘Benefits Supervisor.’ But I was still thrilled that it was there.”

Cups of tea and paint everywhere

Freud, a grandson of psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, is famed for fleshy nudes of friends, family and the artist himself. He slathered oil paint to capture his subjects’ mottled skin tones in portraits that are both unsparing and warm. He even painted Queen Elizabeth II — fully clothed. By the time of his death aged 88 in 2011, he was the most acclaimed British portrait painter of the 20th century.

His reputation has only grown since. Another picture of Tilley, “Benefits Supervisor Resting,” was auctioned in 2015 for $56.2 million. In 2022, his painting “Large Interior, W11” sold for $86 million.

Tilley met Freud through her friend Leigh Bowery, the late Australian performance artist, who also posed for the painter. She recalls “trudging up the stairs” to Freud’s London studio for sittings that involved plentiful tea and chitchat, punctuated by a good lunch. Each portrait was the product of months of work.

“Sleeping by the Lion Carpet,” Tilley says, “was the most comfortable one, because I was sitting up in a chair. Lying down on the sofa looks comfortable, but after a while it got a bit painful.”

Freud painted his friends, lovers, children and colleagues, and the results are bold and exposing. Tilley says that has never bothered her.

“I’m not really vain,” she said. “Sometimes I get out of bed in the morning, and I look at my legs and go, ‘Oh, they look just like that painting.’”

She loved the messy energy of Freud’s studio, where “he used to make you a drink and whisk it up with a dirty old paintbrush, and there was paint absolutely everywhere. I’d go home and there’d be bits of paint all over me.”

Tilley was part of a 1980s and '90s London creative scene, alongside figures like Bowery, who ran the avant-garde Taboo nightclub and died in 1994 aged 33. She says she enjoyed Freud’s tales of an earlier Bohemian era.

“I used to love hearing about when he was roaring around in a Rolls-Royce open top with Cecil Beaton and Marlene Dietrich and goodness knows (who), and when he met Judy Garland,” she said. “I used to love getting the stories of his youth and his misbehavior.”

Freud's ‘magnum opus’ up for sale

Tilley is unperturbed that her image is ending up in the hands of the ultra-wealthy. “Benefits Supervisor Sleeping” was bought in 2008 by Roman Abramovich, the then-owner of Chelsea Football Club, who was sanctioned by the U.K. after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

“Sleeping by the Lion Carpet” is part of a June 24-25 sale from the collection of British billionaire Joe Lewis, the former majority owner of Premier League soccer team Tottenham Hotspur, which is still owned by his family. Also going under the hammer are works by Henri Matisse, Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele and others, collectively valued at more than 150 million pounds ($201 million).

There's a chance “Sleeping by the Lion Carpet” could set a new record. Oliver Barker, chairman of Sotheby’s Europe, describes it as Freud’s “magnum opus.”

“This is a painting that during his lifetime was very much described by Lucian as being the apogee of everything that he was trying to achieve as a painter,” Barker said. “The market knows, and it’s very savvy, it wants to go for the best of the best — and this is it.”

Tilley, who is retired and lives on England's south coast, says Freud “gave me a couple of etchings, and then I sold them, because I’d rather have the money, and I went on holiday.”

She says she doesn’t regret Freud not leaving her one of the paintings. Her place in art history is secure.

“When I was younger, I used to read art books the whole time and read all about the Pre-Raphaelites and the Impressionists, all the goings on, how they’re all friends and interconnected and all the models knew each other," she said.

“And now, I’ve only just realized, I’m part of that. And that’s thrilling for me that I’ve achieved my ambition without really knowing it.”

Then he listened to pronouncer Jacques Bailly, and his dour body language vanished as he nodded vigorously, his tell that, yes, he knew the words he was asked to spell. All of them.

“Once I get the word,” Shrey said, “I'm not really nervous anymore, because then it's all in my control.”

Shrey arrived as a favorite and walked away as a National Spelling Bee champion Thursday night, outlasting a deep and experienced group of finalists and beating Ishaan Gupta in a lightning-round tiebreaker that looked like it was over as soon as Shrey raced through his first word.

His final tally: 32 words spelled correctly in 90 seconds, a record for the shootout-style finish that was first used in 2022.

“I was counting and I'm like, OK, this is more than 30,” said Shrey's mother, Khyati Mehta. “And at that point, I'm like, ‘I think this is it.’"

Ishaan battled gamely, getting 25 words right during the spell-off, but he was more deliberate and hesitant from the start. The competitors stood next to each other as Scripps officials announced what everyone in a lively crowd at Constitution Hall already knew, and Shrey turned and shook Ishaan's hand.

After Sarv Dharavane bowed out in third place for the second consecutive year, Shrey and Ishaan had only one conventional round before the buzzer for the spell-off was placed on the stage. Ishaan was escorted away — the tiebreaker is the only time spellers get the same words — and Shrey had a last bout with nerves as he stood there for five minutes while crews tried, and failed, to fix a technical glitch with the buzzer.

“That was really, like, scary for me,” he said.

The spell-off moves so fast that it’s impossible to tell which word secures the title, but Scripps later announced that “bromocriptine” — a polypeptide alkaloid that mimics the activity of dopamine — was the winner. Shrey could get a dopamine hit from the winner's haul of $52,500 in cash, a custom trophy and a package of prizes.

He becomes the 31st of the past 37 champions with Indian heritage, a run that began with Nupur Lala's victory in 1999.

Bouncing back from a school bee stunner

A 14-year-old from Rancho Cucamonga, California, Shrey took an unusual route to the title. He finished third in 2024, but last year he was absent. He missed his regional bee, too — because, woozy from a virus that caused a fever, he blanked on the word “calipers” and bowed out of a competition that any speller of his talent would consider child's play: the spelling bee at Day Creek Intermediate School.

“Right now I’m probably the happiest I’ve ever been. I’m just so happy and relieved, and just such a flood of emotions,” Shrey said. “At my school bee last year, I was really dejected and just very upset. It didn’t even sink in until the next day. I had a really tough time, but I’m glad I was able to bounce back.”

After a few months off, he rededicated himself, seeking every edge he could find through coaching and study guides. In online bees against many of the same spellers he faced this week in Washington, he won again and again.

“Whenever I would quiz him, he would take notice of his missed words. He'd analyze every missed word he had, try to figure out why he missed it,” said Sohum Sukhatankar, a co-champion in 2019 who coached Shrey along with Sam Evans and Vijaya Ganesh. “All the time I coached him, he'd never miss a word twice.”

Evans, who has worked with each of the past three champions, said Shrey's work ethic stood out.

“I’ve really never seen someone put this much effort into spelling bees, into learning everything that he possibly can,” Evans said. “Shrey is relentless.”

A high-quality final comes to an abrupt end

The spell-off will never be popular among bee purists who prefer to see the final two contestants go head-to-head for as many rounds as it takes. Because it emphasizes speed and memorization, it lacks the intrigue of watching a speller work out the intricacies of a tricky word with odd vowel patterns or sneaky double consonants.

“It's a perversion of many values that I and many in the spelling community hold dear,” said Navneeth Murali, who competed through 2020 and now coaches. “I think everyone would have liked to see a duel, but it looks like the spell-off is here to stay. It’s something that we’ll have to adapt to.”

A stout, experienced group of nine finalists showed off their skills by going 18 for 18 at the start, breezing through the first spelling and vocabulary rounds. Aiden Meng ended that streak when he was tripped up by “catometope” to start the second spelling round.

Then the crowd gasped when the bell rung on two thought to be capable of winning it all: Oliver Halkett for “Faesulae” and Zwe Spacetime for “vaesite,” words with tricky combinations of origins and vowel sounds.

Oliver and Zwe are eighth-graders, which means they have now aged out of the competition. Sarv, a 12-year-old sixth-grader from Dunwoody, Georgia, has two years of eligibility left to try to repeat Shrey's achievement of going from third to first. Ishaan, a 12-year-old seventh-grader from Jersey City, New Jersey, can try again next year too.

The bee’s move from a suburban convention center to Constitution Hall was a point of contention for spellers and their families because of inconveniences it caused. But Thursday's finals had a lively atmosphere, with more intimate seating and better sight lines bringing the crowd closer to the action, and the broadcast got a reboot with ESPN's Mina Kimes hosting alongside longtime analyst Paul Loeffler.

Though the way Scripps determined the champion will be debated — and Shrey didn't even get the winner's usual shower of confetti — there was no doubt he was deserving.

“When it comes to competition, he goes all the way,” said his father, Gaurav Parikh.

Or, as Evans put it: “He's got that dog in him.”

___

This story corrects the spelling of Gaurav Parikh’s first name

___

Ben Nuckols has covered the Scripps National Spelling Bee since 2012. Follow his work here.

Firefighters extricate driver from vehicle after crashing into Detroit funeral home

A driver of a white Ford Focus crashed into a funeral home on Gratiot Avenue and Mapleridge Street just north of E McNichols in Detroit early Friday morning.

Emergency personnel responded to the Andrews & Hardy Funeral Home just after 6 a.m. and worked for more than an hour to extricate the driver from the vehicle.

Read more here.

Melvindale police lieutenant to be sentenced Friday in assault, misconduct case

A Melvindale police lieutenant who was convicted last month of assault and battery and misconduct in office is scheduled to be sentenced at 9 a.m. Friday morning.

Matthew Furman was found guilty by a jury on April 23 for the two charges in connection with the alleged assault of a man during a July 2024 traffic stop, and found him not guilty of a felonious assault charge related to the same case.

Read more here.

Why Pontiac is fighting teen takeovers with a city-run kickback

Teen takeovers are spreading across Metro Detroit, and with them, a wave of violence.

In recent days, two separate gatherings in Detroit ended with two teens shot and injured. Now, the city of Pontiac is taking a different approach by fighting back with a city-organized event designed to give teens a safe, productive alternative.

Currently, social media posts are promoting an event that’s being labeled as part two after last Friday’s attempt.

Read more here.

Undercover investigation leads to closure of gas station on Detroit’s east side

A gas station on Detroit’s east side was shut down Thursday following an undercover police investigation.

The incident occurred at a BP gas station in the 4000 block of E Seven Mile Road, following allegations of illegal tobacco and marijuana sales, police said.

According to the Detroit Police Department’s Vice Unit, the business first came under scrutiny after being identified as a location allegedly selling tobacco products to minors.

Read more here.

Weather: Rain-free stretch ahead for Metro Detroit; ideal weather for Detroit Grand Prix

A beautiful stretch of weather is settling into Southeast Michigan, with rain-free conditions expected through at least the next seven days. Even though it is a cooler start this morning, due to the clear skies overnight, sunshine and warm temperatures will dominate the forecast today helping highs climb well above average across Metro Detroit around 80 degrees.

It will be one of the warmest days of the upcoming week, providing excellent conditions for outdoor activities. With a high UV index, make sure to have your sunglasses and sunscreen.

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Vote 4 The Best campaign (the “Campaign”) is sponsored by Graham Media Group, Michigan, Inc. d/b/a WDIV (“Sponsor”), co-sponsored by Wallside Windows, Inc. (“Co-Sponsor”) and administered by CitySpark, Inc. (“Administrator”), on behalf of Sponsor. The Campaign is divided into 80 categories (“Categories”) and nominated business candidates (each a “Business”) will be placed in one of the Categories.

The Campaign is subject to these official rules (“Campaign Rules” or “Official Rules”), and by participating in the Campaign as a nominator (“Nominator”), Business or voter (“Voter”), you agree to the Campaign Rules and Privacy Policy shown on our website. If you do not agree to the Campaign Rules and Privacy Policy, you should not participate in the Campaign in any way.

ELIGIBILITY:

The Campaign is open to Businesses operating in any of the Categories that, at the time of nomination, have a physical location within the following counties: Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Washtenaw, Monroe, Livingston, Lenawee, St. Clair, Lapeer, Genesee, Sanilac. Nominators and Voters must be 18 years of age or older and legal residents of the United States. You are not eligible to participate as a Nominator, Voter or Business if you are an employee of Sponsor, Co-Sponsor, Administrator or any of its parent companies, affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising companies, promotion contractors, and/or any other entity that participates in the creation, operation or fulfillment of this Campaign (“Campaign Entities”) or you are a member of the immediate family of any such employee.

NOMINATIONS:

To submit a Nomination for a Business, visit https://vote4thebest.clickondetroit.com (“Campaign Page”), then find and visit the desired Category page, write in the Business name and click the “Nominate” button. Or, to provide more details regarding the Business, click on the “Register Your Business” button (or go here: https://vote4thebest.clickondetroit.com/businesses/register) and answer the prompts that appear on the webpages that follow. After completing the Business registration form, during the Nomination Period, return to the Category page and type in the registered Business name. Registered Business names should auto-populate after entering initial characters. Select the business and click the “Nominate” button. Participants may be prompted to register and/or log into their WDIV Insider account. To register as a WDIV Insider for free, visit: https://www.clickondetroit.com/insider/

During the Nomination Period, eligible Nominators may nominate one (1) Business in each Category. Nominations in excess of these limits from any Nominator will be considered void if discovered by Sponsor. Businesses may not be listed in more than three (3) different Categories. Duplicate Nominations will be treated as multiple Nominations for the same Business, following Sponsor verification, andin Sponsor’s sole discretion. All Nominations are subject to Sponsor’s determination of eligibility, and Nominations/Businesses determined to be ineligible will not be added to the pool of Businesses available for voting (“Pool”). If Sponsor determines, in its sole discretion, that a Business is eligible for the Campaign but inappropriate for the specified Category, Sponsor reserves the right to remove the Business from that Category and enter the Business into a different Category. If Sponsor determines, in its sole discretion, that there are an insufficient number of Businesses nominated for any Category, Sponsor reserves the right to omit that Category from the Pool. Because of spelling errors and Business name variations, Sponsor will attempt to standardize the Nominations and Pool to match the Businesses to the correct Categories, and such decisions are in the sole discretion of Sponsor.

Nomination Period:

Nomination Start Date: 06/1/2026 at 4 p.m. ET

Nomination End Date: 06/14/2026 at 12 p.m. ET

VOTING:

To submit a vote, during the Voting Period visit the Campaign Page, find and visit the desired Category page, click on the Business you’d like to vote for and click the “Vote” button. Limit one (1) vote in each Category each day during the Voting Period per Voter and per email address. Votes in excess of this limit, if discovered by Sponsor, shall not be counted.

Proxy voting is not allowed. No one may purchase or otherwise provide incentives for votes. Any use of robotic, repetitive, automatic, programmed, script, macro, or any other automated means or similar voting methods or agents, vote exchange websites, vote “farming” or other method to vote or unfairly increase votes, as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion, is prohibited and will void all such votes submitted for, or orchestrated by that Business. Complimentary products or services offered in exchange for votes are prohibited. No Business may pressure their employees or contractors, or their families, to cast a vote on their behalf in the Campaign. Votes submitted in response to threats, coercion, or intimidation are void if discovered by Sponsor. A Nominator, Voter or Business may not collude with any third-party to violate these Official Rules or participate in or actively encourage such activity, whether directly or indirectly. Any votes Sponsor suspects have been submitted in violation of these Official Rules may be disqualified, in Sponsor’s sole discretion, and could affect the final standings. Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to cancel or suspend this Campaign, in part or in its entirety, should virus, tampering, fraud, technical difficulties or other causes beyond its control corrupt the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper administration of the Campaign. Sponsor further reserves the right to modify these rules at any time during the voting period, in its sole discretion, if Sponsor deems the Campaign cannot reasonably be administered in accordance with the then-current Official Rules. Notice of any such changes shall be posted to the Campaign Page.

Voting Period:

Voting Start Date: 06/22/2026 at 9 a.m. ET

Voting End Date: 07/20/2026 at 11:59 a.m. ET

WINNER SELECTION AND NOTIFICATION

One (1) winner in each Category will be selected by Sponsor’s application of the following criteria: (1) number of eligible votes received in corresponding Category (2) number of nominations received in the corresponding Category (3) value to the local community (4) positive representation of corresponding Category. Limit maximum of three Category wins per eligible Business.

WINNER RECOGNITION

Winners are scheduled to be announced beginning the week of Aug. 10, 2026, on Sponsor’s television broadcasts, website, and/or Local 4+ livestream. Winners may receive public recognition and/or window clings. Winners shall not receive any prize or award with retail value. However, to commemorate their win, Winners may elect to purchase, at their own expense, a plaque from our WDIV partner, MJ Awards (sales@mjawards.com).

GENERAL TERMS

All Nominators, Business and Voters (“Participants”) shall act in a civil, courteous, and professional manner in connection with the Campaign and any Campaign-related activity. Participants shall not engage in personal attacks or any other forms of harassment or inappropriate behavior targeting other Participants in connection with the Campaign. Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify Businesses and/or void nominations/votes associated with Participants engaging in immoral, unethical, illegal or any other behavior inconsistent with the spirit of the Campaign.

By participating in the Campaign, Participants give full consent to Sponsor to use his/her/its name, likeness, city and state in all forms of advertising, promotional, editorial, marketing and collateral materials without additional compensation or permission, except where prohibited by law.

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According to investigators, the girl was riding her bike on Rosemary Lane around 7 p.m. when she was approached by a man wearing an ID badge for a pest control company who appeared to be a traveling door-to-door salesman.

The man, described as white or possibly Hispanic, asked the girl to come into the woods with him where he would give her “a surprise.” The suspect then attempted to lure the girl into a nearby wooded area before the girl’s father confronted him and asked what he was doing.

The suspect then fled the area on a Segway-type vehicle and was last seen near Old US-23 and Alger Drive in Brighton Township until police located and arrested him without incident Thursday afternoon.

Emergency personnel responded to the Andrews & Hardy Funeral Home just after 6 a.m. and worked for more than an hour to extricate the driver from the vehicle. The status of the driver and whether or not there were passengers in the vehicle is not yet known.

Check back for more updates as this story develops.

Iran did not immediately confirm any deal. Vice President JD Vance on Thursday evening confirmed there was a tentative agreement, but said it was unclear if President Donald Trump would approve it.

“It’s hard to say exactly when or if the president’s going to sign," Vance told reporters.

He added: “We’re going back and forth on a couple of language points.”

The emerging memorandum of understanding came as the fragile ceasefire in the war between the U.S. and Iran appeared to be wavering. The latest flare-up in fighting happened less than a day earlier, when Kuwait intercepted missiles fired from Iran, according to U.S. Central Command.

Proposal addresses Strait of Hormuz

The memorandum makes clear that Iran will not be able to impose tolls on the Strait of Hormuz and that Iran will have to remove all mines from the vital waterway within 30 days, according to the official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

During the war, Iran has effectively closed the strait, which had been the conduit for about a fifth of the world's traded oil and natural gas. Its closure has sent oil prices skyrocketing around the world. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent predicted Thursday at a news briefing that the cost of oil could “come down very quickly” once a deal is finalized.

Iran has said it's letting some commercial vessels pass — about two dozen daily in recent days, compared with more than 100 a day before the war — but the Islamic Republic also has charged tolls for at least some ships. It set up a formal gatekeeper agency earlier this month, spurring a new round of U.S. sanctions this week.

Under the tentative agreement, the U.S. would gradually lift its naval blockade on Iranian ports and would also agree to relax sanctions, allowing Iran to sell more of its oil.

Yet even as word of the potential deal emerged, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed additional sanctions on the Iranian military's oil sales arm. The new penalties, first reported by The Associated Press, extend the Trump administration’s economic pressure campaign on the Islamic Republic.

Details of the tentative pact were first reported by the news outlet Axios.

Nuclear issue remains unresolved

Among the first issues to be negotiated during the 60-day ceasefire is what will happen to Iran’s highly enriched uranium, the first official said. The Islamic Republic has 440.9 kilograms (972 pounds) of uranium that is enriched up to 60% purity, a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90%, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Vance suggested on Thursday evening that negotiators were trying to strike general terms on the highly enriched uranium settled in the tentative agreement, with the specifics to be hammered out in the ensuing talks.

Vance said the continued back and forth involved “a couple of issues on the nuclear stuff, the highly enriched stockpile, and also the question of enrichment.”

Iran has not publicly committed to giving up the stockpile. It is believed to be buried under a trio of nuclear sites that were badly damaged by U.S. airstrikes last year.

Nuclear analysts have said that Iran might consider China or Russia, which have close relations with Tehran, to be a potential acceptable third party to take possession of the enriched uranium. But Trump said Wednesday that he “wouldn’t be comfortable” with such a plan.

Though Trump and his team said from the start of the conflict that one of their prime objectives was to ensure that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon, Vance framed the war's accomplishments as something far less definitive.

“We’re in a position where we could substantially set back their nuclear program, not just during the term of this president but over the long term,” Vance said. "That’s a very very good thing for the American people.”

Iran, which has long maintained its program is peaceful, has insisted that any deal must include an end to Israel’s military operations in Lebanon against the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah. Tensions deepened Thursday in Lebanon as Israel conducted an airstrike on a southern suburb of the capital, Beirut, and other strikes in the southern coastal city of Tyre. At least 14 people were killed across the country’s south.

Kuwait reports an attack

Kuwait announced that its air-defense systems intercepted incoming missiles and drones on Thursday, without detailing what had been targeted. Iran said it had retaliated for strikes earlier in the week by firing on a U.S. base in a Gulf state it did not name.

The Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry condemned Iran for what it called “blatant aggression," and U.S. Central Command called the attack on one of America’s top allies in the Persian Gulf an “egregious ceasefire violation.” Kuwait repeatedly came under fire from Iran and Iranian-backed Shiite militias in Iraq before the April ceasefire began.

The exchange took place after U.S. officials said late Wednesday that American forces launched more strikes on Iran, shooting down four one-way attack drones that posed a threat around the strait and hitting an Iranian ground-control station in Bandar Abbas that was about to launch a fifth drone.

Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard acknowledged the attack around Bandar Abbas International Airport and said via the state-run IRNA news agency that it launched a retaliatory attack on the air base that launched the assaults. The Revolutionary Guard did not specify whether the response targeted Kuwait, which houses U.S. Army Central’s forward headquarters, air bases and a naval base.

On Monday, the U.S. said it conducted what the Pentagon called “self-defense” strikes on missile launch sites and minelaying boats in southern Iran.

Although they have traded strikes and accusations of ceasefire violations, Washington and Tehran have not returned to full-scale hostilities and keep negotiating.

Vance said that, “Ceasefires are always a little messy” but it’s “very much holding."

Later Thursday, Iran's defenses destroyed “a hostile aircraft” around the southern city of Jam, the area's governor, Masood Tangestani, told state broadcaster IRIB. No other information was immediately available.

___

Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Metz reported from Ramallah, West Bank. Associated Press writers Konstantin Toropin and Matthew Lee in Washington and Jennifer Peltz and Farnoush Amiri in New York contributed to this report.

Matthew Furman was found guilty by a jury on April 23 for the two charges in connection with the alleged assault of a man during a July 2024 traffic stop, and found him not guilty of a felonious assault charge related to the same case.

Furman also faced charges for misconduct in office, felonious assault and assault and battery in connection with the alleged excessive force against a woman during a traffic stop in April 2024, and a felonious assault charge for the alleged assault of a handcuffed man in July 2021. The jury found him not guilty of all charges in those two cases, however Furman pleaded no contest to assault and battery in the July 2021 case and an additional misconduct charge in the case will be dropped at sentencing.

Check back for more updates as the sentencing hearing begins.

This Weekend

We turn cooler air and breezy overnight ushering in a more comfortable air mass for Saturday. Temperatures will retreat to the low 70s Saturday and rebound to the mid to upper 70s Sunday through early next week. The combination of sunshine, low humidity, and dry weather will make for pleasant late-spring conditions across the region. The extended forecast remains remarkably quiet, with no significant rain chances showing up through at least the middle of next week. This is due to an Omega Block Pattern with the jet stream.

Omega Block Pattern

An omega block is a large-scale weather pattern in the upper atmosphere that gets its name because the jet stream resembles the Greek letter Ω (omega) on weather maps. It forms when a strong high-pressure ridge gets sandwiched between two low-pressure troughs on either side of the ridge. Omega blocks are called blocking patterns because they slow down or even halt the normal west-to-east movement of weather systems. As a result, the weather patterns become stagnant, persisting for days or even weeks. Areas under the ridge often experience prolonged sunshine and warmth. Areas beneath the troughs may see extended periods of clouds, rain, or cooler temperatures. With Detroit being under the ridge, we will continue to see consecutive days of sunshine with no rainfall and comfortable humidity.

Detroit Grand Prix

That dry pattern is especially good news for race fans heading downtown for the Detroit Grand Prix. From Free Prix Day (today) through the final checkered flag, the forecast remains favorable with dry weather, plenty of sunshine, and seasonable temperatures expected throughout the weekend.

Blue Moon

This weekend we are in-store for our second full moon this month. The first was the “Flower Moon” on May 1st and the second “Blue Moon” will be Saturday night into Sunday with its fullest phase on May 31st at 4:45 a.m. Because the moon is at its farthest point from Earth, it appears roughly 6% smaller and 10% dimmer than usual making it a blue micromoon. It’s called a “Blue Moon” due to its rarity of being a second full moon in a calendar month, not because of its color. Despite the name, this blue moon won’t appear blue.

Next Week

With a full week of rain-free conditions on tap, Metro Detroit residents can look forward to a stretch of comfortable weather and ideal conditions for outdoor plans! Just don’t forget to run your sprinkler!

🍇 Grapevine

🌅 Good morning! On this day in 1953, New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, a Sherpa of Nepal, become the first explorers in recorded history to summit Mount Everest — the highest point on earth above sea level at 29,035 feet.

Here are a few things to know about for Thursday, May 28, 2026:

☀️ 4Warn Weather: Dry weather is expected to continue in Metro Detroit into the foreseeable future, with high pressure from the west bringing a nice little bump in temperatures this weekend. Check out the 10 day forecast.

🚨 Abduction Attempt: Michigan State Police have apprehended the suspect accused of the attempted kidnapping of an 8-year-old girl in Brighton Township Wednesday evening. Read more.

☢️ Radioactive Waste Blocked: A Wayne County judge has permanently banned a Van Buren Township landfill from accepting radioactive waste, handing a major victory to surrounding communities that spent years fighting the facility. Read more.

💥U-Haul Crash: A woman is in custody after reportedly stealing a U-Haul and using it to flee from police before flipping it on its side in Macomb County, requiring first responders to cut her out of the vehicle. Watch here.

🚧 I-94 Road Work: Several on-ramps in a Macomb County stretch of I-94 will close today as a multi-week resurfacing project begins in the area. Read more.

🏊 Morning Dive

Good morning 🌅

Detroit is gearing up for one of its biggest weekends of the year as the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix transforms city streets into a high-speed raceway.

More than 100,000 fans are expected to descend downtown, bringing excitement — and a need for a comprehensive public safety plan.

The 1.7-mile circuit winds through the heart of downtown Detroit, drawing racing fans from across the region and giving drivers a unique opportunity to experience the Motor City.

“The streets around there are pretty bumpy for the drivers, but it always creates some good action,” said Dennis Hauger, one of the drivers competing this weekend.

Beyond the track, some drivers made time to connect with the community, stopping by Children’s Hospital of Michigan for a visit ahead of race weekend.

“When kids look up to us, that’s one of the most special feelings of my job,” said driver Juan Manuel Correa.

Race weekend spans three days — Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Friday is Free Prix Day, a partnership with Fifth Third Bank that allows fans to watch on-track action at no cost.

Read more about what to expect this weekend.

🗞️ Other headlines to know today

• Undercover investigation leads to closure of gas station on Detroit’s east side
• Kim Mathers makes court appearance after OWI arrest
• Why Pontiac is fighting teen takeovers with a city-run kickback
• Court challenge threatens Highland Park mayoral ballot ahead of August primary
• ‘Sooner than later’: Michigan basketball HC Dusty May says Fab Five banners could return to Crisler Arena
• A weekend of fun in the D you won’t want to miss!
• Free gun locks available-- Warren police roll out summer gun safety initiative
• Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan says she won’t run for president in 2028
• Grosse Ile delivery driver found sleeping behind the wheel with heroin
• MSU Hoops Fans Rejoice as Jeremy Fears Jr. Decides to Forgo NBA Draft
• Detroit police want help finding missing 32-year-old
• MSP cruiser struck by alleged impaired driver in Eastpointe
• Pit bull mix euthanized after severe injuries in alleged animal abuse case by 18-year-old in Dearborn
• Oakland County man wins $1 million lottery prize, waits for wife to learn amount
• Northville dentist faces 43 felony charges in Medicaid fraud case
• Find more Local News headlines here
• Find more Entertainment headlines here
• Find more Health headlines here
• Check out the latest ClickOnDeals here
• Introducing the ClickOnDetroit Help Desk: How it works and how to use it

🌎 Meanwhile

News from around the world via the Associated Press:

Police in Hawaii were searching Thursday for a 36-year-old man whom they described as “armed and extremely dangerous” and wanted in connection with three killings within a two-day span earlier this week.

Hawaii Police Chief Reed Mahuna said authorities were deploying “significant resources and personnel” in trying to find Jacob Baker, of Pahoa, Hawaii.

Three men, including two who were 69 years old and one who was 79, were found dead on Monday and Tuesday in the Puna area of the island of Hawaii, also known as the Big Island. The island is the largest in the Hawaiian chain at more than 4,000 square miles (Read more)

----

U.S. prosecutors slapped insider trading charges against a Google employee this week, alleging the software engineer used confidential company information to pocket more than $1.2 million from prediction market platform Polymarket with bets on search trends.

In a complaint unsealed in New York, authorities identified the employee as 36-year-old Michele Spagnuolo — an Italian citizen residing in Switzerland who has worked for Google since 2014.

Under the online name “AlphaRaccoon,” they alleged, Spagnuolo used the company’s 2025 “Year in Search” data before it was published to enter Polymarket wagers about the most trending Googled people of last year. (Read more)

----

Claude Lemieux, a four-time Stanley Cup champion whose hockey career was built on playing on the edge with ferocity and physicality, has died. He was 60.

The NHL Alumni Association announced Lemieux’s death in a post on social media. A cause of death was not immediately available, nor was it clear where Lemieux was when he died.

Lemieux on Monday night was the Montreal Canadiens’ torch bearer prior to Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final at Bell Centre. (Read more)

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

📝 Word Up

Today’s Word Up is: Podsnappery / pɑdˈsnæp(ə)ri / (noun) -- defined as “an attitude toward life marked by complacency and a refusal to recognize unpleasant facts.”

Example: “The film critic’s reviews are often written with a podsnappery tone that most filmmakers don’t appreciate.”

🧹 Housekeeping

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

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

🍇 Grapevine

🌅 Good morning! On this day in 1953, New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, a Sherpa of Nepal, become the first explorers in recorded history to summit Mount Everest — the highest point on earth above sea level at 29,035 feet.

Here are a few things to know about for Thursday, May 28, 2026:

☀️ 4Warn Weather: Dry weather is expected to continue in Metro Detroit into the foreseeable future, with high pressure from the west bringing a nice little bump in temperatures this weekend. Check out the 10 day forecast.

🚨 Abduction Attempt: Michigan State Police have apprehended the suspect accused of the attempted kidnapping of an 8-year-old girl in Brighton Township Wednesday evening. Read more.

☢️ Radioactive Waste Blocked: A Wayne County judge has permanently banned a Van Buren Township landfill from accepting radioactive waste, handing a major victory to surrounding communities that spent years fighting the facility. Read more.

💥U-Haul Crash: A woman is in custody after reportedly stealing a U-Haul and using it to flee from police before flipping it on its side in Macomb County, requiring first responders to cut her out of the vehicle. Watch here.

🚧 I-94 Road Work: Several on-ramps in a Macomb County stretch of I-94 will close today as a multi-week resurfacing project begins in the area. Read more.

🏊 Morning Dive

Good morning 🌅

Detroit is gearing up for one of its biggest weekends of the year as the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix transforms city streets into a high-speed raceway.

More than 100,000 fans are expected to descend downtown, bringing excitement — and a need for a comprehensive public safety plan.

The 1.7-mile circuit winds through the heart of downtown Detroit, drawing racing fans from across the region and giving drivers a unique opportunity to experience the Motor City.

“The streets around there are pretty bumpy for the drivers, but it always creates some good action,” said Dennis Hauger, one of the drivers competing this weekend.

Beyond the track, some drivers made time to connect with the community, stopping by Children’s Hospital of Michigan for a visit ahead of race weekend.

“When kids look up to us, that’s one of the most special feelings of my job,” said driver Juan Manuel Correa.

Race weekend spans three days — Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Friday is Free Prix Day, a partnership with Fifth Third Bank that allows fans to watch on-track action at no cost.

Read more about what to expect this weekend.

🗞️ Other headlines to know today

• Undercover investigation leads to closure of gas station on Detroit’s east side
• Kim Mathers makes court appearance after OWI arrest
• Why Pontiac is fighting teen takeovers with a city-run kickback
• Court challenge threatens Highland Park mayoral ballot ahead of August primary
• ‘Sooner than later’: Michigan basketball HC Dusty May says Fab Five banners could return to Crisler Arena
• A weekend of fun in the D you won’t want to miss!
• Free gun locks available-- Warren police roll out summer gun safety initiative
• Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan says she won’t run for president in 2028
• Grosse Ile delivery driver found sleeping behind the wheel with heroin
• MSU Hoops Fans Rejoice as Jeremy Fears Jr. Decides to Forgo NBA Draft
• Detroit police want help finding missing 32-year-old
• MSP cruiser struck by alleged impaired driver in Eastpointe
• Pit bull mix euthanized after severe injuries in alleged animal abuse case by 18-year-old in Dearborn
• Oakland County man wins $1 million lottery prize, waits for wife to learn amount
• Northville dentist faces 43 felony charges in Medicaid fraud case
• Find more Local News headlines here
• Find more Entertainment headlines here
• Find more Health headlines here
• Check out the latest ClickOnDeals here
• Introducing the ClickOnDetroit Help Desk: How it works and how to use it

🌎 Meanwhile

News from around the world via the Associated Press:

Police in Hawaii were searching Thursday for a 36-year-old man whom they described as “armed and extremely dangerous” and wanted in connection with three killings within a two-day span earlier this week.

Hawaii Police Chief Reed Mahuna said authorities were deploying “significant resources and personnel” in trying to find Jacob Baker, of Pahoa, Hawaii.

Three men, including two who were 69 years old and one who was 79, were found dead on Monday and Tuesday in the Puna area of the island of Hawaii, also known as the Big Island. The island is the largest in the Hawaiian chain at more than 4,000 square miles (Read more)

----

U.S. prosecutors slapped insider trading charges against a Google employee this week, alleging the software engineer used confidential company information to pocket more than $1.2 million from prediction market platform Polymarket with bets on search trends.

In a complaint unsealed in New York, authorities identified the employee as 36-year-old Michele Spagnuolo — an Italian citizen residing in Switzerland who has worked for Google since 2014.

Under the online name “AlphaRaccoon,” they alleged, Spagnuolo used the company’s 2025 “Year in Search” data before it was published to enter Polymarket wagers about the most trending Googled people of last year. (Read more)

----

Claude Lemieux, a four-time Stanley Cup champion whose hockey career was built on playing on the edge with ferocity and physicality, has died. He was 60.

The NHL Alumni Association announced Lemieux’s death in a post on social media. A cause of death was not immediately available, nor was it clear where Lemieux was when he died.

Lemieux on Monday night was the Montreal Canadiens’ torch bearer prior to Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final at Bell Centre. (Read more)

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

📝 Word Up

Today’s Word Up is: Podsnappery / pɑdˈsnæp(ə)ri / (noun) -- defined as “an attitude toward life marked by complacency and a refusal to recognize unpleasant facts.”

Example: “The film critic’s reviews are often written with a podsnappery tone that most filmmakers don’t appreciate.”

🧹 Housekeeping

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

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

Chad Wiebesick, Director of Media Relations for Destination Ann Arbor, is helping spread the word about three signature events that span late spring through July - each of them, he says, a record-setter in its own right.

Peonies in peak bloom

The season kicks off at the University of Michigan’s Nichols Arboretum, home to what Wiebesick calls the largest heirloom peony collection in the entire United States, with some plants more than 100 years old.

The garden draws photographers, families and flower enthusiasts, but timing is everything. “It’s such a short peak bloom window from late May to early June,” Wiebesick said. Admission and a shuttle from remote parking are both free.

The appeal, he added, is multisensory. “I don’t know what I love more, the beautiful sight of these flowers or the beautiful smell of these flowers.”

Beer, wrestling and a Maker’s Fair

On June 13, the spotlight shifts to Ypsilanti for the Michigan Summer Beer Festival - “the largest Michigan-only beer festival in the entire state,” according to Wiebesick, with hundreds of brewers pouring a wide range of styles.

Among the pours: a Scottish-inspired ale from Ypsi Alehouse, brewed by Ted Badgerow, who opened one of the first microbreweries in the Midwest some 40 years ago. The dark, malt-forward beer clocks in at 8 to 9.5% alcohol by volume. When asked whether festival-goers should pace themselves, Wiebesick was philosophical: “It’s all in perspective.”

Half a million people, 30 city blocks

July brings the marquee event: the Ann Arbor Art Fair, which Wiebesick called “the largest juried art fair in the US” - and one that most people don’t fully understand in scope. It is actually three independently juried fairs running simultaneously.

“Something like almost 500,000 people are expected to come in Ann Arbor,” he said. “The size and scale is pretty immense - it spans a footprint of 30 city blocks in downtown Ann Arbor.”

Beyond the art itself, the weekend features sidewalk sales, kids’ programming, live music and food trucks across a highly walkable downtown grid.

More information on all three events is available at annarbor.org.

The eruption on May 29, 2006, was likely triggered by commercial gas drilling by a local exploration company, according to scientific research, contradicting an Indonesian government minister at the time who insisted it was a natural disaster.

Residents gathered to remember those killed, and the homes and neighborhoods they once lived in before boiling mud slowly swallowed them up in the Porong subdistrict in Sidoarjo.

For years, experts have been searching for ways to slow the spread of the sludge. But all measures, including the construction of holding dams, to stop it have failed. The volcano continues to erupt to this day.

The 14 deaths included a worker who was killed in August 2006 when the digger he was using fell off a levee, and the 13 other victims died in November 2006 when an underground gas pipeline beneath one of the holding dams exploded.

Tens of thousands of residents were displaced after losing their homes, land, jobs and even their ancestors’ graves.

One resident, Sastro, 55, lost his house and his former job as a factory worker. The factory where he worked was submerged in mud, along with thousands of other structures within the 572-hectare (more than 1,400-acre) sea of mud.

Twenty years later, he now works as a motorcycle taxi driver, ferrying visitors on daily trips to the site, which has become a tourist destination in East Java.

“As far as I can tell, things have been really tough ever since the Lapindo incident,” said Sastro, who like other Indonesians uses a single name.

Local mining company PT Lapindo Brantas was exploring for gas in the area of the disaster in May 2006.

Indonesia’s president at the time, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, ordered the company to pay $420 million in compensation to villagers who lost their homes and to help the government fund its emergency operations.

However, the government subsequently provided emergency financial assistance to compensate the affected victims. While Lapindo Brantas did provide some aid, it was a fraction of the total.

After two decades, white smoke can be seen billowing from the center of the mud lake, indicating that hot mud is still erupting from the vent. Excavators dredging the bottom of the mud pond have become a common sight.

Aerial photographs show the vent as a small dot in the middle of the vast expanse of the mud lake. That dot marks the vent that caused one of the largest and longest-lasting disasters in Indonesia.

The mud flow has affected more than 1,100 hectares (around 2,700 acres) as it submerged 19 villages across three subdistricts.

To this day, many survivors still face issues. They include environmental contamination, health and civil registration problems, and the uncertainty of life left in the wake of the disaster, said Lucky Wahyu Wardana, from the Indonesian Forum for Living Environment, or WALHI, in East Java.

“The Lapindo tragedy must serve as a lesson for the government to stop relying on extractive industries, as the costs of the impact far outweigh the benefits.

“Not only have lives been lost, but children who once lived in the affected areas have lost their future and face health consequences,” Wardana said. “In addition, many parents have lost their sense of history regarding their origins and hometowns.”

___

Edna Tarigan reported from Jakarta.

Police said Jacob Baker, 36, of Pahoa, Hawaii, was arrested on suspicion of murder, burglary and other charges following a search that involved “significant resources," including help from state and federal authorities. They described him as “armed and extremely dangerous.”

Authorities said they believe Baker is involved in the deaths of three men: a 69-year-old man found partially submerged in a cement pond, a 79-year-old man who was found just a few hundred feet (meters) away, and a third man, also 69, whose body was found about 19 miles (31 kilometers) away.

The killings took place over two days in a remote and mostly rural part of the island, which is the largest in the Hawaiian chain at more than 4,000 square miles (10,360 square kilometers). The area is a mix of tropical landscape and barren lava fields.

Police received information Thursday afternoon that Baker was hiding in a grassy area, ducking down as traffic passed, Hawaii Police Chief Reed Mahuna said at news conference after the arrest. Police found him hiding in a small cave and arrested him.

Deborah Davis was driving home when she slowed down near where one of the people killed had lived. That’s when she saw a policewoman chasing a man running on the road.

“I just stopped and I’m thinking, this is it, this is the guy,” she said.

The man ran into a grass driveway and into the jungle. After some yelling, several officers emerged with a shirtless man in handcuffs. She said officers were giving each other high-fives and shouting, “chee hoo,” a celebratory yell common in Hawaii.

“They were very happy,” she said. “And I was very grateful. I was thanking them with tears in my eyes.”

Police said they had not identified a motive but were confident Baker was involved in all three killings. Mahuna did not release information on how police identified Baker as a suspect or what evidence may connect him to the killings. He said investigators had not found any connections among the victims, other than two of them lived near each other.

Women accused Baker of threats and harassment

The slayings happened just days after two women requested temporary restraining orders against Baker, saying he had threatened and harassed them at a farm. One woman was staying there and the other co-owned it. A judge denied both applications, saying there was not enough proof of harassment.

One of the women claimed in her petition that Baker threatened to kill several women who were staying on the property, and caused a number of them to move or end their stays. She included a link to a video that allegedly captured at least one threat, but the link had either been removed or was incorrect as of Thursday.

The other woman alleged that Baker threatened women and a disabled man, and said he would trespass on the property, take things that didn’t belong to him and said his intention was to squat on the property.

No attorney was listed for Baker, who had 20 other cases in the court record in the past two decades, many of them traffic infractions. In most of those cases, Baker represented himself.

3 men found dead over 2 days

Police identified the first victim as Robert Shine and the third victim as John Carse. The name of the 79-year-old man was pending positive identification. Autopsies show Shine was strangled, and Carse died from “sharp force trauma,” police said.

On Monday night, police found Shine at a residence partially submerged in a cement pond, Mahuna said. On Tuesday, the 79-year-old man was found dead with apparent blunt force injuries shortly after 12:30 p.m., Mahuna said.

Later Tuesday, at around 10 p.m., police responded to a property about 19 miles (31 kilometers) away on a welfare check request and found Carse dead.

Stephen Shaffer said Baker had lived on his ex-wife's property in Puna, where they grow fruit, and Baker climbed coconut trees for her. But after several months, he said, she sought a temporary restraining order against Baker. Shaffer said he didn't know details of their falling out, only that his ex-wife felt threatened by Baker and wanted him to move out.

“He just seemed to me kind of angry,” said Shaffer, who lives in a separate dwelling on the same property. He added that others in the area were concerned about Baker but didn’t elaborate.

Donald Hyatt, who is friends with two of the men killed and Shaffer’s ex-wife, said Baker left the cabin he was living in on the property months ago.

“He left the place in disarray,” Hyatt said. “Trash inside and out.”

Baker returned recently claiming “squatter’s rights,” and threatened Shaffer's ex, Hyatt said. Hyatt urged her to seek a restraining order.

Puna, on the eastern side of the island, is a largely rural but fast-growing area known for affordable land. It's also an area where lava flows have wiped out entire communities over the years.

Residents on edge

Before the arrest, Puna resident Tiffany Edwards Hunt said many in the community were on edge. She said she had never seen so many police cars in Puna.

Many in the area live in poverty, she said.

“We have people who live in blue tarps in a jungle in makeshift homes,” Hunt said.

Puna is just 17 miles (27 kilometers) from Hilo, east Hawaii’s main town, but with unpaved roads in many parts of Puna, it can feel farther away, she said.

“In that remoteness, you have lawlessness,” Hunt said.

___

Collins reported from Hartford, Connecticut, and Lauer from Philadelphia.

The party is holding events days after the GOP-led state Senate shot down an effort backed by President Donald Trump to redraw House district lines to help Republicans this fall. That move was aimed at ousting longtime Rep. Jim Clyburn, the state’s lone congressional Democrat and a party powerbroker who has been in office since 1993.

Friday's gatherings kick off with the Blue Palmetto Dinner, an annual party fundraiser that typically showcases potential presidential contenders and the party’s national figures. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear will be the headliner.

Clyburn’s own signature event, his “World Famous Fish Fry,” follows the dinner. A gathering that began years ago as a thank you to campaign supporters, it’s become its own destination for White House aspirants. For one minute, they along with South Carolina Democrats seeking a litany of offices have their stump speech moment, appearing alongside Clyburn, whose backing has boosted presidents.

The events are happening as early-in person voting is underway in South Carolina's primary, which is June 9. Voters will choose nominees for offices statewide, including governor, U.S. Senate and U.S. House. Had Republicans in the state Senate not rejected the plan pushed by the White House, those congressional votes would have been canceled and a new primary scheduled under revised districts.

Republicans rebuked redistricting with voting underway

The state Senate vote on redistricting failed Tuesday, the first day of early voting, with some senators saying it was simply too late to change district lines.

Clyburn, who is Black, condemned a White House-led effort he said had been aimed at “zeroing Democratic voters, zeroing African American voters out of the process.”

“I know the state, and I am embarrassed that so many people in our legislature will allow strangers in Washington to tell them what to do, when to do it and how to do it,” Clyburn said as he cast his vote in Orangeburg on Tuesday.

The political drama in South Carolina is part of a Republican strategy to redraw voting districts to the GOP’s advantage in an attempt to hold on to a slim House majority in the midterms. Republicans have moved quickly to try to leverage a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that weakened minority protections under the federal Voting Rights Act.

Clyburn keeps his kingmaker role

At least for now, Clyburn's district has been preserved, as has his place as the Democrat to whom White House hopefuls look for guidance in navigating the state's electorate.

Among the 21 presidential hopefuls who took the stage at his fish fry in 2019 was Joe Biden, who later turned around early 2020 primary stumbles and won a resounding victory here after Clyburn endorsed him.

At 85, the dean of South Carolina's Democrats is currently seeking an 18th term representing the 6th District, one he seems certain to secure now that the redistricting threat has been turned back.

But Clyburn, among the oldest Democrats serving in Washington, has called it an “open question” as to whether this term could be his last, and the Democratic field looking to replace him is anticipated to be massive, whenever he leaves office.

Beshear is a possible 2028 candidate

The conclusion of November's midterm elections will mark the unofficial start to a 2028 presidential primary season. Although Democrats' voting order won't be set for months, the early attention primary has already begun in earnest in a variety of states — including South Carolina — that candidates are banking on playing a pivotal role in choosing party nominees.

Beshear, by all indications, is angling to be among them. He has focused much of his attention on the labor leaders on whose support Biden relied in his successful 2020 campaign. Already this year, the two-term governor keynoted the New Hampshire Democratic Party convention, fundraised for local Democrats and took questions at AFL-CIO headquarters.

Last summer, he spent two days in South Carolina, addressing an AFL-CIO convention and meeting with party leaders across the state.

Beshear isn't the only national-level luminary in town. California Rep. Ro Khanna, who has also been to South Carolina several times in recent months, is set to headline the state convention on Saturday and also attend Friday's dinner.

South Carolina's yearly confab comes as the Democratic National Committee mulls its primary calendar for 2028. The state is pitching to go first again, although party luminaries say they wouldn't see it as a loss if another state led off the calendar.

The important facet, they stress, is that South Carolina maintain its status as an early primary state, a position that brings the state that consistently votes Republican in general elections cyclical attention — and campaign spending — from Democrats that it otherwise wouldn't enjoy.

On Thursday, Democratic party chairs in five southern states wrote a letter to DNC officials urging them to again pick South Carolina to go first overall.

___

Meg Kinnard can be reached at http://x.com/MegKinnardAP

But the first Black woman to hold the post insists she should keep leading the struggling city of nearly 4 million that will host the 2028 Olympics. Homicides have dipped. Street homelessness is down. Homes destroyed in last year's wildfires are being rebuilt, though critics say too slowly.

“There’s more work to do,” Bass says.

Los Angeles mayoral races — indeed, some of the mayors themselves — often are forgettable in a city where politics takes a back seat to the Lakers, Dodgers and Hollywood. But this year has been different as Bass attempts to overcome lingering fallout from the Palisades Fire, the most destructive in Los Angeles history. Bass was in Ghana as part of a presidential delegation when the flames ignited.

Among the thousands of people who lost their homes was reality television personality Spencer Pratt, now running to replace the mayor who he blames for the destruction.

In another sign of how political media has evolved, the biggest sensation in the race has been campaign videos created with artificial intelligence where Pratt takes on a superhero persona to battle street criminals and Democratic politicians. Created by filmmaker Charles Curran, Pratt has shared the videos on his own platforms.

Unless a candidate receives a majority of the vote in Tuesday's primary, the top two will advance to a general election in November.

The race is officially nonpartisan, but Bass is a Democrat, as is progressive city council member Nithya Raman, who made a last-minute decision to challenge her one-time ally.

Pratt, who rose to fame alongside his wife, Heidi Montag, on “The Hills,” is a registered Republican who has received a nod of approval — if not an outright endorsement — from President Donald Trump.

Polling shows a tight race

A University of California, Berkeley, Institute of Governmental Studies poll, co-sponsored by The Los Angeles Times, found Bass tightly clustered with Raman and Pratt, with other candidates trailing. The poll of 1,351 of likely voters conducted between May 19 and May 24 gave no candidate a statistically significant edge.

It's a perilous position for an incumbent, spotlighting widespread public doubts about her leadership.

On a recent Saturday, Bass was greeted by cheering supporters under brilliant sunshine in a Mid-City neighborhood where she dropped off her ballot in a collection box. For an unpopular mayor facing a dicey future, she appeared relaxed, smiling broadly, petting dogs and fawning over toddlers in strollers.

Asked about Pratt drawing national attention, she dismissed him as a political dilettante.

“He is an entertainer and that’s what he’s doing is entertaining,” Bass said.

She also questioned how Pratt, who received a tacit blessing from Trump, would be received in a city where less than 15% of voters are registered as Republicans. The president is widely unpopular in California outside his conservative base — Trump received just 32% of the vote in Los Angeles County two years ago — and a Republican hasn't been elected mayor since 1997.

“This is Los Angeles,” Bass said. “This is not a MAGA city.”

Among the crowd applauding Bass was Diane Mitchell Henry, a registered Democrat and event planner, who said she was impressed with the mayor's many years of government experience.

“She knows the heartbeat of Los Angeles,” she said. “I trust her.”

A November runoff appears likely with 14 names on the ballot.

Democratic strategist Garry South expects Bass, despite her slumping popularity, to advance on Tuesday, probably alongside Pratt.

He questioned whether Pratt's online video barrage was reaching people who actually vote. The most reliable voters in the state tend to be older, white, affluent homeowners.

“Most voters are over 50, pure and simple. You are not going to grab that demographic by posting clever stuff on YouTube and Instagram,” South said.

The contest bears some similarity to the 2022 race, when billionaire developer Rick Caruso promised to expand spending on police at a time of widespread concerns over crime and homelessness. Bass won by nearly 10 points.

A struggling city looks to the future

While immediate concerns in Los Angeles are focused on wildfire reconstruction and homelessness, the city also is grasping for a vision for its future.

Hollywood jobs have been decamping for years for cheaper filming locations. A downtown renaissance was crushed by extended pandemic closures and many office buildings remain desperate for tenants. The city has long struggled to provide basic services, whether paving buckled streets and sidewalks or keeping streetlights on. The restaurant industry has witnessed a long string of high-profile closures. Trump administration immigration raids have shaken residents. The city's notorious gridlock continues unabated.

Bass was elected in 2022 promising to end the unchecked homeless crisis and deal with increasing crime as smash-and-grab robberies became national news. She has lined up most of the Democratic establishment behind her, including former Vice President Kamala Harris, Gov. Gavin Newsom and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, along with the city’s powerful labor unions.

"We are not going to have this level of failure in our city for four more years," Pratt told CNBC on Thursday. The city “is not safe. It’s disgusting. We pay with our money to give needles to drug addicts to overdose in front of kids.”

Raman has promised to speed up housing construction, bring back entertainment industry jobs and improve street paving and other basic services. Residents are “hungry for a different future for this city — one that is affordable, functional, creative and safe,” she said in a statement Thursday.

Bass brushed off the competition.

“We’re almost to the finish line,” she said after dropping off her ballot. “I’m feeling good.”