In a social media post Thursday morning, he said the military is intensifying its mine clearing efforts in the critical waterway. The move intensified the U.S.-Iran standoff in the Persian Gulf and raised questions about efforts to end the war.

Meanwhile, the U.S. military said it seized another tanker Thursday associated with smuggling Iranian oil, the Majestic X, in the Indian Ocean, deepening confusion over efforts to end the war. The seizure comes after a day after Iran attacked three cargo ships in the Strait of Hormuz, capturing two of them. Ship-tracking data showed the Majestic X in the Indian Ocean between Sri Lanka and Indonesia.

The standoff between the U.S. and Iran has effectively choked off nearly all exports through the Strait of Hormuz, where 20% of the world’s traded oil passes in peacetime, with no end in sight.

Here is the latest:

Trump say he won’t be rushed to end war as Iran negotiations drag on

“I don’t want to rush myself,” said Trump, who added that Iran’s leadership is in “turmoil.”

Trump in an exchange with reporters in the Oval Office also pushed back against questions that the conflict is exceeding the four-to-six week timeline that he and aides previously set for the war.

“I took the country out militarily in the first four weeks. I took it out militarily,” Trump said. “Now all we’re doing is sitting back and seeing what deal (we make). And if they don’t want to make a deal, then I’ll finish it up militarily.”

Iranian officials refute Trump’s claims of leadership rift in the country

“In Iran there are no ‘hardliners’ or ‘moderates’. We are all Iranians and revolutionaries,” Iran’s president, and Iran’s parliament speaker wrote in an almost identical statement on their social media.

A spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry called the U.S. president’s claim that there was a leadership rift in Iran “a form of deflection,” with other Iranian officials also claiming on social media that the country was united.

Hours earlier, Trump said that Iran is going through a hard time “figuring out who their leader is! They just don’t know!“

Since the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei at the beginning of the war, it has been unclear who in Iran wields ultimate authority over its collection of civilian figures and powerful generals who appear to be in charge.

Third aircraft carrier arrives in the Middle East

The aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush has now arrived in U.S. Central Command, making the ship the third aircraft carrier to be present in the Middle East during a tenuous ceasefire in the Iran war.

The Bush is now in the Indian Ocean, according to a social media post from the military command. The USS Abraham Lincoln is located in the Arabian Sea and the USS Gerald R. Ford is in the Red Sea.

The Bush, which left its home port of Norfolk, Va. at the end of March, proceeded to sail across the Atlantic Ocean but then made the unusual choice to turn south and sail around the Horn of Africa before heading north toward the waters of the Middle East

Air defenses in action over Tehran

Iran’s capital Thursday night saw air defense systems in action as explosions were heard in the western part of the city.

State media said the move was against “hostile targets, “ without any elaboration.

Witnesses said air defense systems were also heard southwest of the city.

Some Iranian media said earlier Wednesday that a test of the systems was in process.

Clashes disrupt Israeli Supreme Court hearing

Clashes broke out at Israel’s Supreme Court during a hearing on petitions calling on the government to establish an official state commission of inquiry into the Oct. 7 attacks.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opposes the investigation.

Protesters attempted to break into the courtroom, forcing the proceedings to pause, according to Israeli media reports. The hearing resumed after about 30 minutes. Separate confrontations were reported outside the court between bereaved families holding opposing views.

Renowned US-Kuwaiti journalist detained in Kuwait acquitted, press monitor says

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said Thursday that a Kuwaiti court acquitted journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin on all charges following 52 days of detention.

Shihab-Eldin, an award-winning journalist who contributed reporting to major media outlets, was arrested March 3 while visiting his family in Kuwait, CPJ said. The press monitor previously reported that Kuwaiti authorities have charged him with “spreading false information, harming national security, and misusing his mobile phone.”

“We are relieved that Ahmed Shihab-Eldin has been found innocent after 52 days in detention,” said CPJ CEO Jodie Ginsberg.

Trump to join Israel-Lebanon talks at White House

A U.S. official says President Donald Trump will greet Israeli and Lebanese diplomats who will meet for a second round of talks on Thursday at the White House.

The official said the meeting had been moved from the State Department, where the first round was held last week, to the White House so that Trump could attend. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal administration planning.

The talks come as a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that was agreed to by the Israeli and Lebanese governments is due to expire. U.S. officials say they hope an extension of the truce can be arranged.

—- Mathew Lee

Israel appoints envoy to Christian world

Israel’s foreign minister Gideon Saar has appointed George Deek as special envoy to the Christian world in a bid to strengthen ties with Christian communities, according to a government statement.

Deek, a veteran diplomat and former ambassador to Azerbaijan, is a member of Israel’s Arab Christian community.

Saar said Israel attaches “great importance” to its relations with Christians worldwide.

The appointment comes after a pair of incidents that strained relations with the Christian world. Last month, Israeli police prevented Catholic leaders from celebrating Palm Sunday at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, citing the war with Iran. And an Israeli soldier set off a global firestorm by smashing a statue of Jesus Christ in Lebanon. Two soldiers have been sentenced to jail for their roles in the incident.

Pope urges US and Iran to return to peace talks, condemns capital punishment

After a trip that was dominated by the very public back and forth between Pope Leo XIV and U.S. President Donald Trump over the war, Leo urged the United States and Iran to return to negotiations.

He called for a new “culture of peace” to replace the recourse to violence whenever conflicts arise.

He said the question wasn’t whether the Iran regime should change or not. “The question should be about how to promote the values we believe in without the deaths of so many innocents.”

He revealed that he carries with him the photo of a Muslim Lebanese boy who had been killed in Israel’s recent war with Hezbollah. The boy had been photographed holding a sign welcoming the pope when he visited Lebanon last year.

“As a pastor I cannot be in favor of war,” he told reporters aboard his plane. “I would like to encourage everyone to find responses that come from a culture of peace and not hatred and division.”

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Trump likes a naval blockade. But Iran presents big differences from Venezuela and Cuba

President Donald Trump has turned to naval blockades to pressure the governments of Venezuela, Cuba and now Iran to meet his demands, but his preferred tactic is confronting a very different reality in the Middle East than in the Caribbean.

Unlike Cuba or Venezuela, Iran choked off a crucial trade route for energy shipments, meaning the longer the standoff persists, the more the global economy will suffer. Tehran also poses a greater military threat than those two adversaries in America’s own hemisphere and requires a sustained military presence far from U.S. shores.

Iran’s leverage over the Strait of Hormuz gives it power during a shaky ceasefire because the widening economic risks, especially higher U.S. gas prices in an election year, could force the Republican president to end the blockade on Iran’s ports and coastline, experts say.

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Palestinians mourn another death in historically violent year in the occupied West Bank

A 25-year-old father of twins was shot by Israeli settlers in a village home to a large Palestinian-American population, sparking an outpouring of grief at his funeral Thursday.

The Ramallah-based Palestinian Ministry of Health said Awda Awawdeh died from gunshot wounds after what witnesses described as a clash with settlers attempting to steal Palestinian livestock.

“Young men from our town gathered and came to confront them. The settlers fired at them, and the young man Awda Awawdeh was hit and injured on his side with a live bullet,” said Ziad Manasrah, a local paramedic who helped transport Awawdeh from the town of Deir Dibwan to the hospital.

Awawdeh is the 11th Palestinian killed by Israeli settlers in 2026, surpassing the nine killed in 2025.

“The daily killings in the West Bank are not incidental, but an integral part of a systematic process of ethnic cleansing. The Israeli system does not halt this violence deliberately because it serves its political goal: the suppression and dispossession of Palestinians from their land,” said Yuli Novak, the executive director the Israeli rights group B’Tselem.

Lebanese cabinet discusses potential move to join the ICC

Lebanon’s Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri said ministers on Thursday discussed joining the International Criminal Court, a permanent tribunal that prosecutes individuals for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, for “a specific period.”

The move would mark a significant shift for Lebanon, which is not a member of the court. Mitri said the move would enable the ICC to “look into war crimes and humanitarian crimes which were committed on Lebanese territory.”

Lebanon has accused Israel of war crimes and and repeated breaches of international law during the latest war with Hezbollah.

Iran’s judiciary chief touts the country’s show of force in the Strait of Hormuz

Iran’s judiciary chief, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejehi, said on X that the country’s armed forces were demonstrating strength in the Strait of Hormuz, citing what he described as a Revolutionary Guard “mosquito fleet” of speedboats and underwater drones, along with action against three ships in the waterway.

He wrote that “the IRGC’s mosquito fleet, with speedboats and drones, lies in wait from the sea caves of Faror Island for the American aggressor warships, ready to saturate their air defenses and bring utter ruin upon the invaders.”

He called the display “a source of pride” and warned against U.S. naval presence.

Israeli defense minister says Israel is ready to resume war with Iran

Israel’s defense minister, Israel Katz, said Thursday that Israel is prepared to resume war with Iran and is awaiting a “green light” from the United States, according to a statement following a security assessment.

“We are waiting for a green light from the United States,” Katz said, adding that the military is ready for both defensive and offensive operations and “targets are marked.”

Israelis express mixed views on Lebanon talks

Residents in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv expressed mixed views on talks between Israel and Lebanon, with opinions ranging from calls for diplomacy to deep skepticism over Hezbollah’s role.

“I always believe that you can talk, but you have to be prepared for war,” said Ben Kurtzer, a Jerusalem resident.

Others were more skeptical. “Who is there to talk to?” said Yardena Sharon.

Some drew a distinction between Lebanon and Hezbollah.

“We do not want to be hostile with the state of Lebanon; we have no hostility towards them. I think there are, undoubtedly, wonderful people there, people who seek peace, just as we seek peace,” said Matan Moalem, a Jerusalem resident. “Hezbollah needs to be eliminated once and for all, to take control of the entire area that constantly threatens Israel, firing in our direction and always seeking to eliminate and kill us.”

In Tel Aviv, others emphasized diplomacy. “Force without brains is worth nothing. In the end, only agreements bring peace and security, only agreements,” said Daron Sabani.

Images of new crucifix in southern Lebanon convey ‘message of hope, dialogue and peace,’ Meloni says

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni on Thursday thanked Italian peacekeepers serving in southern Lebanon for donating a new crucifix to the village of Debel after the original was destroyed by an Israeli soldier in an incident that drew international criticism.

Meloni said images showing the crucifix being delivered and placed in the same spot as the one destroyed days earlier conveyed “a message of hope, dialogue and peace.”

Israel’s military said Tuesday it had replaced the crucifix and shared a photograph of the new one on social media. The replacement appeared smaller and more ornate than the original, which had been smashed by a soldier.

The Israeli military said two soldiers involved in the episode will be held for a month in military detention.

Ukraine’s president discloses details of security agreements with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and UAE

Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a CNN interview that his country signed a “Drone Deal” with the three Gulf countries, aiming to help them manufacture much cheaper drones and drone interceptors.

Zelenskyy toured the Gulf countries late May, but there was no immediate word on the details of the signed agreements between Ukraine and the Gulf countries.

” A (low-cost, Iranian-designed Shahed drone) can cost from 80 to 130 thousand dollars. It will be destroyed not with a missile worth 3-4 million dollars, but with an interceptor costing 10 thousand dollars,” Zelenskyy wrote, adding that he wants to help Gulf countries defend themselves.

Speaking earlier this month, Zelenskyy said that in exchange for its drone expertise, Ukraine would get air defense weapons to protect its energy infrastructure, along with oil, diesel and, in some cases, financial help. Ukrainian officials haven’t published details of the final deal.

‘Stable ceasefire and assurances’ needed for transit in the Strait of Hormuz

The chief safety and security officer in BIMCO, the world’s largest international shipping association, said Thursday that shipping companies need assurances from both Iran and the U.S. to transit the vital waterway.

Mine clearance efforts are also needed as they pose a “particular concern,” Jakob Larsen said in a statement, adding that the process of mine clearance could take up to several weeks.

Hours earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump said in a social media post that the military is intensifying its mine clearing efforts in the strait.

The Strait of Hormuz remains fully closed Thursday as the U.S.-Iran standoff continues to intensify in the Persian Gulf.

Mourners bid farewell to a prominent Lebanese journalist killed in an Israeli airstrike

Dozens gathered in the southern village of al-Tiri as the coffin of journalist Amal Khalil, draped in the Lebanese flag with a press helmet placed on top, was carried through the crowd. People wept as mourners chanted “Death for Israel.”

Khalil, a reporter for the Al-Akhbar daily newspaper, was killed Wednesday in an Israeli airstrike on a house where she had taken cover while reporting on the Israel-Hezbollah war. Her body was retrieved from the rubble hours later. The Israeli military said the incident is still under review.

“This is not the first time that the Israelis have threatened Amal,” said her brother, Ali Khalil. “Three strikes within two hours or an hour and half is evidence that the Israelis intend to assassinate Amal Khalil.”

Amal had said in media interviews that she received threatening messages from an Israeli phone number. However, it wasn’t clear whether they came from the Israeli military, an Israeli official or individuals.

France is ready to host a Lebanon conference

The president of France says he’s willing to host a conference on supporting Lebanon’s army and helping rebuild the country’s battered south.

French President Emmanuel Macron said after talks with Cypriot counterpart Nikos Christodoulides on Thursday that the conference would take place when Lebanon deems it appropriate.

The conference would also aim to release additional European funding. Macron said he and Christodoulides support the idea of a European Union partnership agreement with Lebanon.

India says it’s ‘worried’ for its seafarers after vessels come under fire in Strait of Hormuz

India’s shipping ministry said Thursday it’s “worried about Indian seafarers” in the Strait of Hormuz after reports of vessels coming under fire in the region, though none have been injured.

Mukesh Mangal, Additional Secretary at the Indian Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, said two foreign-flagged vessels that came under fire had 22 Indian sailors on board.

“None of the Indian seafarer have been injured in the firing,” he said.

The ministry said at least 2,680 Indian sailors have been evacuated since the conflict began.

US stocks edge back from their records and oil prices yo-yo

The U.S. stock market is edging back from its all-time high following mixed profit reports from Tesla and other big companies. Oil prices are yo-yoing on continued uncertainty about what will happen next in the war with Iran.

The S&P 500 slipped 0.3% in the early going Thursday following a big rally that erased all its losses because of the war. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 193 points, and the Nasdaq composite fell 0.4%.

Oil prices wavered as uncertainty continues about what will happen with the Strait of Hormuz. Brent crude rose 0.5% to $102.43 a barrel.

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Hezbollah says it attacked Israeli positions in southern Lebanon

The group said in a statement that it targeted Israeli soldiers in the southern village of Taybeh and downed a drone in Majdal Zone on Thursday. Earlier, the Israeli army said it intercepted an “aerial target” in southern Lebanon.

The group reiterated that its attacks, which resumed Tuesday, were in retaliation for Israeli violations of the 10-day ceasefire that took effect Friday. The Israeli army has been launching near-daily strikes on southern Lebanon since the ceasefire.

Israel has also been accusing Hezbollah of breaching the ceasefire.

Trump claims leadership rift is confounding Iran

“Iran is having a very hard time figuring out who their leader is! They just don’t know!,” Trump said in a social media post. “The infighting is between the ‘Hardliners,’ who have been losing BADLY on the battlefield, and the ‘Moderates,’ who are not very moderate at all (but gaining respect!), is CRAZY!”

Trump has repeatedly said over the course of the ceasefire that began April 8 that his team is dealing with Iranian officials who want to make a deal, while acknowledging his decision to kill several top leaders has come with some complications.

He announced earlier this week that he was extending the truce to give the battered Iranian leadership more time to come with a “unified proposal” on ending the war.

Next UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon could be smaller than the current one

The head of the U.N.’s peacekeeping operations says he expects the possible replacement for its force in southern Lebanon will “probably be smaller” than the current one that’s been in place for nearly a half-century.

Jean-Pierre Lacroix said the UNIFIL operation, which has inhabited a tense zone where militants from Hezbollah and Israeli forces have battled repeatedly, has recently faced pressure from funding cuts.

The force’s mandate ends at the end of the year. U.N. officials are facing a June 1 deadline to present a proposal for the force that could replace it.

Trump threats against Iran are a boon for prediction markets, including some backed by his son

Will President Trump send troops into Iran? Will he rename the Strait of Hormuz after himself? Will he post again praising Allah?

No one knows the answers, but online betting companies that allow people to wager on Trump policies and statements are profiting — including some backed by his oldest son.

Prediction markets love the president’s unpredictability, his need to keep people guessing about his next move or social media post, leading to more wagers in these betting venues and more fees for them. That includes Polymarket, a company Donald Trump Jr. has a stake in, and Kalshi, a company he advises.

These sites have to come up with new betting lines on current events everyday, and Trump Jr.’s famously fickle father has proven to be a rich source of will-he-or-won’t-he questions.

When a wagering event on Polymarket asked whether Trump was likely to send troops into Iran, nearly 100,000 bets were placed April 8, leading to the biggest trading day of the year up to then.

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Trump orders the US military to ‘shoot and kill’ Iranian small boats choking the Strait of Hormuz

The U.S. president in a morning social media posting also said the military is intensifying its mine clearing efforts in the critical waterway.

“I have ordered the United States Navy to shoot and kill any boat, small boats though they may be ... that is putting mines in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump posted. “There is to be no hesitation. Additionally, our mine ‘sweepers’ are clearing the Strait right now. I am hereby ordering that activity to continue, but at a tripled up level!”

Trump’s post on social media came shortly after the U.S. military seized another tanker associated with the smuggling of Iranian oil, ratcheting up a standoff with Tehran over the strait through which 20% of all crude oil and natural gas traded passes.

“I have ordered the United States Navy to shoot and kill any boat, small boats though they may be ... that is putting mines in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump posted, adding that U.S. minesweepers "are clearing the Strait right now.”

“I am hereby ordering that activity to continue, but at a tripled up level!” he added.

Meanwhile, it was still unclear when, or if, the two sides would meet again in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, where mediators are trying to bring the countries together to reach a diplomatic deal.

Negotiations initially planned for this week have not happened. Iran insists it will not attend until the U.S. ends its blockade on Iranian ports and ships. America insists it will not take part until Tehran opens the strait to international traffic.

Pope Leo XIV, returning home from a trip to Africa, urged the U.S. and Iran to return to talks to end the war.

Footage shows US forces on deck of tanker

The Defense Department released video footage earlier Thursday of U.S. forces on the deck of the Guinea-flagged oil tanker Majestic X, which was seized in the Indian Ocean.

The footage emerged a day after Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard attacked three cargo ships in the strait, capturing two of them, in an assault that raised new concerns about the safety of shipping through the waterway.

The powerful head of Iran’s judiciary, Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei, said three “violating ships” in the strait were “subject to enforcement” on Wednesday.

“The show of strength by the armed forces of Islamic Iran in the Strait of Hormuz is a source of pride,” he wrote Thursday on X, claiming that the Americans “lack the courage” to approach the strait.

Ship-tracking data showed the Majestic X in the Indian Ocean between Sri Lanka and Indonesia, roughly the same location as the oil tanker Tifani, which was seized earlier by American forces. It had been bound for Zhoushan, China.

The vessel previously had been named Phonix and had been sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department in 2024 for smuggling Iranian crude oil in contravention of U.S. sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

There was no immediate response from Iran about the seizure.

Trump claims leadership rift in Iran

Trump this week extended a ceasefire to give the battered Iranian leadership more time to come up with a “unified proposal” on ending the war, while maintaining an American blockade of Iranian ports.

In a separate post Thursday, Trump claimed a leadership rift between moderates and hardliners was confounding Iran.

“Iran is having a very hard time figuring out who their leader is! They just don’t know!” Trump said.

The president has repeatedly said over the course of the ceasefire that began on April 8 that his team is dealing with Iranian officials who want to make a deal, while acknowledging that his decision to kill several top leaders has come with complications.

Iran’s president and its parliament speaker posted almost identical statements on social media declaring that the country has no hard-liners or moderates.

"We are all Iranians and revolutionaries,” they said.

A spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry said Trump's claim of a leadership rift was “a form of deflection.” Other Iranian officials said on social media that the country was united.

Lebanon and Israel to hold second round of talks

Elsewhere on the diplomatic track, Lebanon and Israel were set to hold a second round of talks in Washington to discuss the possibility of extending a truce between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group.

The latest war between Israel and Hezbollah started two days after Israel and the U.S. launched attacks on Iran, after the Tehran-backed militants fired rockets into northern Israel.

In a new show of the fragility of the ceasefire that went into effect Friday in Lebanon, Hezbollah said it attacked Israeli positions in southern Lebanon, targeting Israeli soldiers in the village of Taybeh.

Each side has accused the other of breaching the 10-day truce.

The standoff between the U.S. and Iran has choked off nearly all exports through the strait with no end in sight.

On Thursday, Iran’s exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi was splattered with red liquid as he left a building after a news conference in Berlin. The person believed responsible was immediately detained by police.

During the event, Pahlavi criticized the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, arguing that the agreement assumes the Iranian government’s behavior will change and “you’re going to deal with people who all of a sudden have become pragmatists.”

Pahlavi, 65, has been in exile for nearly 50 years. His father, Iran’s shah, was so widely hated that millions took to the streets in 1979, forcing him from power. Nevertheless, Pahlavi is trying to position himself as a player in his country’s future.

Threats to shipping persist

Since the Feb. 28 start of the war between Iran, Israel and the United States, over 30 ships have come under attack in the waters of the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman.

The threat of attack, rising insurance premiums and other fears have stopped traffic from moving through the strait. Iran’s ability to restrict traffic through the strait, which leads from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean, has proved a major strategic advantage.

Jakob Larsen, the head of maritime security for BIMCO, the largest international association representing shipowners, said in a note Thursday that most shipping companies need a stable ceasefire and assurances from both sides of the conflict that the strait is safe for transit.

The threat of mines, he wrote, was a “particular concern” if traffic might return to normal levels one day.

The ceasefire has been strained by the dueling U.S. attacks on Iranian ships and those by Iran on commercial vessels.

The conflict already has sent gas prices skyrocketing far beyond the region and raised the cost of food and a wide array of other products. Officials around the world have warned that the effects on businesses, consumers and economies could be long-lasting.

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Madhani reported from Washington, and Keaten reported from Geneva.

Some of those responsible fled the scene as a huge police response arrived. No one was immediately in custody.

“To the thugs that did this, we’re going to catch you.” Baton Rouge Mayor Sid Edwards said.

Police Chief TJ Morse said two groups argued inside the food court and started shooting at each other.

"Unfortunately there were some innocent people in the area who might have also caught some rounds," he said.

Ten people were at local hospitals with various injuries, Morse said, and at least two needed surgery. The chief appealed to witnesses to provide any video of the shooting.

“Right now there is no known threat to the public,” he said. “Right here is the safest place in Baton Rouge.”

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said he was aware of the shooting and advised the public to avoid the area.

A WBRZ-TV employee said she was among mall patrons who were taken to a safe holding area.

“I drove up and walked in right after the shooting,” Nikki Lee told the TV station. “There was already a helicopter and already lots of police officers going through the parking lots."

It’s the second instance of gun violence in Louisiana this week. A father fatally shot eight children, including seven of his own, in an attack on his family Sunday morning that stretched across two houses in a Shreveport neighborhood, police said. Two women, including the gunman’s wife who was the mother of their children, were critically wounded.

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AP reporters Jack Brook in New Orleans and Jim Mustian in Natchitoches, Louisiana, contributed to this story.

The S&P 500 fell 0.4% and halted a weekslong rally that had erased all its losses because of the war and then carried it to all-time highs. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 179 points, or 0.4%, while the Nasdaq composite dropped 0.9% from its own record.

Tesla helped drag the market lower after sinking 3.6% even though it reported better results for the latest quarter than analysts expected. Investors focused instead on a big jump in Tesla’s forecast for spending this year, as it builds factories to make robots and other products.

“You should expect to see a very significant increase in capital expenditures,” Elon Musk told investors late Wednesday, “but I think well justified for a substantially increased future revenue stream.”

ServiceNow dropped even more, 17.7%, even though its results for the latest quarter matched analysts’ expectations. The company has been under pressure, along with much of the broad software industry, because of worries that rivals powered by artificial-intelligence technology could undercut its business.

In the oil market, prices leaped as uncertainty built about what will happen with the Strait of Hormuz. A ceasefire is still in place between the United States and Iran, but oil tankers in the Persian Gulf aren’t able to get through the narrow waterway off Iran’s coast and deliver crude to customers.

The U.S. military on Thursday seized another tanker associated with the smuggling of Iranian oil, a day after Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guards took control of two vessels in the strait. President Donald Trump also said Thursday he ordered the U.S. military to “shoot and kill” Iranian boats that deploy mines to gum up traffic in the strait.

The price for a barrel of Brent crude to be delivered in June rose 3.1% to settle at $105.07 and at one point topped $107. That peak coincided with a sudden drawdown for stocks, and the S&P 500 fell as much as 1.3% before it almost as instantly erased half the loss.

The price for a barrel of Brent to be delivered in July, which is the more popular contract for traders, settled at $99.35 after getting as high as $101.

More expensive oil has hurt airlines in particular because of the industry’s big fuel bills, and stocks diverged in the industry following the latest profit reports.

American Airlines Group rose 2.4% after reporting better profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected. American said demand was strong for flights, and it saw the nine best weeks for revenue intake in its 100-year history.

Southwest Airlines lost 4.1% after reporting weaker quarterly results than analysts expected. It said it would not give an updated forecast for profit this year because of “the ongoing macroeconomic uncertainty.”

Also on the losing end of Wall Street was IBM, which sank 8.3% despite reporting better profit and revenue for the latest quarter than expected. Investors focused on potentially discouraging numbers underneath the surface, including decelerating growth in trends for its software business.

Paramount Skydance fell 4.5% after Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders approved selling the business to Paramount. Warner Bros. Discovery sank 1.6%.

Texas Instruments helped limit Wall Street’s losses after breezing past analysts’ expectations for profit in the latest quarter. CEO Haviv Ilan said the semiconductor company is benefiting from growth led by industrial and data center customers, and its 19.4% leap was the strongest force pushing upward on the S&P 500.

All told, the S&P 500 fell 29.50 points to 7,108.40. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dipped 179.71 to 49,310.32, and the Nasdaq composite sank 219.06 to 24,438.50.

In stock markets abroad, indexes fell across much of Europe and Asia. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell 0.9%, and Japan’s Nikkei 225 sank 0.7% for two of the bigger losses.

South Korea’s Kospi climbed 0.9% after the government reported better-than-expected economic growth for the start of the year, boosted by strong exports, particularly of computer chips used in the AI boom. Semiconductor supplier SK Hynix said its revenue for the latest quarter jumped more than analysts expected largely because of AI-related demand.

In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury erased an early dip and rose to 4.32% from 4.30% late Wednesday as oil prices accelerated.

A report in the morning said slightly more U.S. workers applied for unemployment benefits last week, but the number is still at a historically healthy level. A separate, preliminary report on U.S. business output from S&P Global also suggested growth is improving a bit from its near-stagnation seen in March.

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AP Business Writers Chan Ho-him and Matt Ott contributed to this report.

Tonight will be mild and muggy with temperatures only dropping into the lower-to-mid 70s. Some isolated fog is possible.

Friday’s Forecast:

Friday will be hot and humid across SE Texas. Temperatures will climb into the mid-80s, but factor in the humidity and we will feel like the lower-90s. Stay hydrated out there!

There is a chance for rainfall well to the north and west of Houston Friday afternoon. This will bring the risk for large hail.

Your extended forecast:

Every day next week we will feel like summer! Lows will be in the lower-to-mid 70s with afternoon highs in the upper-80s to lower-90s. There is a very small chance (less than 20%) of rainfall everyday.

It does look like our next cold front will swing through before the following weekend. This front will likely come with showers and thunderstorms. It will also lower humidity and temperatures down into the 70s, but forecast confidence will grow as we get closer.

Have storm or flood photos from your neighborhood? Share what you’re seeing with the KPRC 2 Weather Team through Click2Pins at click2houston.com/pins/.

The company said it was making the cuts for the sake of efficiency and to allow new investments in parts of its business, as first reported by Bloomberg, which also said the company will leave about 6,000 jobs unfilled.

Also Thursday, Microsoft said it was offering voluntary buyouts to thousands of its U.S. employees.

The software giant plans to make the offers in early May to about 8,750 people, or 7% of its U.S. workforce, according to two people familiar with the plan who were not authorized to speak about it publicly.

While an alternative to the sudden layoffs removing tech workers from peers like Meta and Oracle, the savings are likely tied to a similar industry upheaval that is requiring huge spending on the costs of artificial intelligence. Meta has already warned investors that its 2026 expenses will grow significantly — to the range of $162 billion to $169 billion — driven by infrastructure costs and employee compensation, particularly for the artificial intelligence experts it’s been hiring at eye-popping pay levels.

Wedbush analyst Dan Ives welcomed Meta’s cuts in a note to investors Thursday.

He said he sees it as part of a strategy of using AI tools to “automate tasks that once required large teams, allowing the company to streamline operations and reduce costs while maintaining productivity driving an increased need for a leaner operating structure.”

Microsoft, based in Redmond, Washington, has spent billions of dollars operating an ever-expanding global network of data centers powering cloud computing services, AI systems and its own suite of productivity tools, including the AI assistant Copilot.

CNBC reported earlier Thursday on a memo from Microsoft's chief people officer, Amy Coleman, announcing the voluntary retirement plan.

“Our hope is that this program gives those eligible the choice to take that next step on their own terms, with generous company support,” Coleman wrote, according to CNBC.

They currently hold the 28th overall pick of the draft and could make their first first-round selection since landing All-Pro defensive end and $150 million man Will Anderson Jr. third overall and former NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year quarterback C.J. Stroud second overall four years ago.

The excitement of that landmark draft, acquiring two foundational pieces that accelerated the Texans’ path from a rebuild to a playoff squad the past three years with Anderson, Stroud and the leadership of coach DeMeco Ryans, is unlikely to be rivaled Thursday night.

The Texans have a prime opportunity, though, in a draft regarded as lacking flash to upgrade their roster. They have displayed a particular emphasis on the line of scrimmage with an extensive visit schedule and private workouts for offensive linemen, defensive tackles and pass rushers.

Under the direction of general manager Nick Caserio, the Texans are always open for business in terms of the trade market. They have explored both trade-up and trade-back scenarios, per league sources.

Ideally, they come away with a few offensive linemen in this draft along with an edge rusher to work in tandem with Anderson and Pro Bowl defensive end Danielle Hunter, a tight end to pair with Dalton Schultz and

“The draft, as we all know, can go a lot of different way,” Ryans said. “We will examine the board, see where we are and we’ll just make smart decisions for our football team to put us in the best position possible to add quality young men to our team, quality football players who can add value to our team.”

Should the Texans stay put at the 28th overall pick, league sources have linked them heavily to Ohio State defensive tackle Kayden McDonald and Texas A&M offensive guard Chase Bisontis. Both players visited the Texans along with Clemson offensive tackle Blake Miller, Arizona State offensive tackle Max Iheanachor, Alabama offensive tackle Kaydyn Proctor, UCF edge rusher Malachi Lawrence and Missouri defensive end Zion Young.

Among the more prominent players that have conducted Zoom calls with the Texans: Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez and Georgia linebacker C.J. Allen.

“We’re looking to improve in all areas,” Ryans said. “That’s how we keep it open for the draft. I don’t think there is just one particular area where we’re going in saying, ‘Hey, we have to do a certain thing.’

“You see how everything shapes out. The draft, as we know, there’ll be a lot of movement. A lot of things happen throughout draft weekend. It’s hard to predict where you’re going to be. We just have to be ready.”

Trade-back options, or waiting until 38th overall in the second round, include Georgia Tech guard Keyland ‘Big Red’ Rutledge. The Texans love his nasty streak, overall toughness and coachability, per sources, and have met with him extensively in advance of the draft.

If the Texans do land a defensive tackle like McDonald or Clemson standout Peter Woods in the first round, they could wait on addressing a long-term succession plan at guard or tackle in the second round.

Rutledge could be off the board by the 38th overall pick. Among the cluster of players that are expected to be available in the top half of the second round: Rutledge, Texas Tech defensive tackle Lee Hunter, who met formally with the Texans at the NFL scouting combine, Florida defensive tackle Caleb Banks, who has had foot surgeries and is expected to be cleared by June, Young, possibly Rodriguez, and edges Gabe Jacas, Cashius Howell, and T.J. Parker.

Caserio emphasized the Texans could draft any position in the first round except for a quarterback.

By reinforcing the offensive line with offensive guard Wyatt Teller (two years, $23 million), offensive tackle Braden Smith (two years, $25 million) and retaining guard Ed Ingram (three years, $37.5 million), the Texans aren’t locked into drafting an offensive lineman immediately. They can wait a bit, if they prefer, to address depth and potential competition and succession plans. They can stick with their best player available strategy.

“DeMeco and I have talked about this, before the draft you try to put the team in a position where if you had to go play a game tomorrow, we’d be able to go out there and play and what we feel is a competitive team,” Caserio said. “What happened in free agency, honestly, has no bearing in what goes on in the draft. The draft is the draft. We’ll grade the players. Ultimately, we’ll take the best football players, regardless of the position. That’s what we’ve always done. We take the best player available.

“There’s a reason that we grade the players and put them on the board and stack the board accordingly. So, you start hopscotching around, it goes against the integrity of what you’re doing with the process from start to finish. So, our goal is to build the best football team we can for the 2026 season. We’ll take the best football players. It’s not going to affect our draft strategy. Whatever we feel makes the most sense at that time then that’s how we do it.”

A year ago, Caserio traded out of the first round with the New York Giants as they drafted quarterback Jaxson Dart. And the Texans’ first pick of the draft was second-round wide receiver Jayden Higgins.

Trade-up options are always a tough endeavor. A year ago, the Texans looked into the cost of trying to move up for offensive linemen Kelvin Banks Jr. and Thomas Booker. The cost of doing something was expensive and the New Orleans Saints and Dallas Cowboys preferred to stand pat and draft Banks and Booker, respectively.

What if the Texans want to move up for that high-qulity, coveted prospect?

There’s a pathway to do that, and a proven track record for Caserio of executing trades. This isn’t regarded as a very deep draft. The elite players go off the board fast.

The Texans have the ammunition of two first-round draft picks after trading offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil last year. They maneuvered with a third-round pick acquired from the Washington Commanders to draft Tunsil’s replacement, Minnesota left tackle Aireontae Ersery, last year and plugged him in as an immediate starter.

If the Texans did trade up, potential targets include Penn State consensus All-American Vega Ioane and Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq. Offensive tackles Caleb Lomu (Utah) and Monroe Freeling (Georgia) are expected to be off the board by the Texans’ current position in the first round. Both were initially slated to visit the Texans, per sources, but the trips didn’t go forward due to their draft stock being well above the Texans’ first-round selection.

“I think we’re prepared for anything,” Caserio said. “I don’t know if there’s a, ‘Well we’re going to do this.’ We could go both ways. Again, it’s always who are you trading up for. How far are you going and what do you have to give up in return? If you get past a certain cohort of players, ‘What’s the next tier? Well, we’re comfortable with these five or six, or you know what, maybe we’d rather have this player as opposed to that player.’

“Look, I’m not trying to be cute here. Trades are always a product of the player, they’re very player-driven. We’re going to sit in there. I’m sure what we’ll do you get through 10 picks or so, and we’ll keep having conversations and discussions as the players come off, ‘Okay, here are our options. Hey, what about these two or three players, what are our thoughts? What are our grades? What do you think? DeMeco what are your thoughts on this one? Yeah, I like the player. I’m not sure. Okay, where are we collectively as an organization and is it worth doing?’

Caserio has strong relationships around the NFL. Annually, he does a ton of trades.

What if the Arizona Cardinals or New York Jets want to maneuver to draft Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson? The Texans’ 28th overall pick is a prime opportunity for a team looking to get a quarterback.

“Where we are positioned right now, we’re picking at 28,” Caserio said. “Honestly, we have no idea who is going to be available at 28. There’s probably a group of 10 or 15 players, more than likely, unless you get to that level, that they’re off the board. So, then you’re into the next tier and then go through that process.”

Caserio made eight trades during the 2023 draft, including the big one to acquire Anderson.

This marks his sixth draft since joining the Texans in 2021.

“We’ll put the scenarios on the board: ‘Hey, it will cost this,’” Caserio said. “Okay if we do that then that means we’re going to be out of this and this and this.’ We’re either comfortable or not comfortable. It’s free-flowing and it’s a very active conversation.

“We don’t just sit there looking at a screen watching all the fans jump up and down when somebody gets picked. We’re working. We’re thinking. We’re preparing. We’re always ready to go whenever we’ve got to pick.”

Four years ago, the Texans created a ton of excitement as they went back to back picks for Stroud and Anderson.

Four years later, Anderson is under contract through the 2030 season on a deal that includes a $32 million signing bonus, $134 million total guaranteed and $100 million fully guaranteed.

“The 2023 draft is probably one of the most exciting drafts that I’ve been a part of, and I would say one of the most exciting drafts in Texans history,” Ryans said. “It was exciting just to know what we were doing. We pick C.J. and to know we’re back on the phones trying to trade up to get Will, it was just an exciting moment, a tense moment.

“The adrenaline is pumping in the room. It was awesome. Nick executed the trade. It was about the guy we were getting. As we all see, fast forward to where we are now, it was well worth the move. We knew the type of man that Will was, and it was worth moving up to get him and it has paid off big-time for us.”

Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com

Angelina Han Hicks, 18, of Lexington, was being held Thursday in the Davidson County jail under a $10 million bond, jail records show.

Hicks was arrested Wednesday and formally charged with conspiring with two "male subjects" to commit murder and assault at Congregation Beth Israel in Houston on April 21, 2028, according to warrants laying out two felony counts against her.

The male subjects were identified on Hicks' warrants only by their first names, listing their last names as “unknown.” Alan Martin, the county's senior assistant district attorney, said on Thursday he doesn't know whether the male subjects are in custody.

While the warrants point to a potential attack two years from now, Martin said in an interview that early Tuesday there had been "some concern that there could be an imminent event” targeting the Houston synagogue.

Explaining why Hicks' detention was necessary, District Court Judge Carlton Terry wrote Wednesday that the two other suspects had not been arrested and that the alleged “conspiracy is to kill as many Jews as possible by driving through a congregation at a synagogue.”

“Allowing a co-conspirator a chance to communicate with either of those individuals or those who could relay a message puts lives at risk,” Terry added.

A potential motive for the planned violence wasn’t immediately disclosed in North Carolina court documents. And, Martin said, “At this point, I have no idea” why Congregation Beth Israel — over 1,000 miles (1,609 kilometers) from Lexington — would have been targeted. The investigation is continuing.

Attempts to speak by phone with Hicks’ court-appointed attorney were unsuccessful early Thursday. The lawyer, Chad Freeman, told the Houston Chronicle that the case was in its early stages and Hicks' youth could be a factor in her defense.

“I anticipate getting numerous experts involved in the case to look at both investigatory and possible forensic matters,” Freeman told the newspaper. Her next scheduled hearing is May 13.

Congregational Beth Israel is the oldest Jewish house of worship in Texas, founded in the 1850s. It also operates a school going up to fifth grade.

The potential threats communicated to congregation leadership by Houston police prompted Beth Israel to close on Wednesday “out of an abundance of caution,” the Jewish Federation of Greater Houston wrote in a social media post.

“The safety and security of the Houston Jewish community is of utmost importance to all of us,” the federation wrote.

Lexington is about 90 miles (145 kilometers) west of Raleigh.

The FBI said Ayman Ghazali sought to inflict as much damage as he could on Jewish people when he drove his pickup truck last month into Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan.

Ghazali, 41, was armed when the truck smashed through doors and into the hallway of an early childhood education area, striking a security guard. He then exchanged gunfire with another guard before fatally shooting himself. No one else among the 150 children and staff was injured.

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Associated Press writer Corey Williams in West Bloomfield, Michigan, contributed to this report.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Cuban Ambassador to the U.N. Ernesto Soberón Guzmán said internal issues regarding detainees “are not on the negotiating table.” The release of political prisoners was a key U.S. demand as the longtime adversaries held discussions in Cuba this month for the first time in a decade.

“We have our legal system, like here in the U.S., they have their legal system,” he said. “So we have to respect both of our internal affairs.”

An American delegation arrived for secret meetings in Havana on April 10 in a diplomatic push to urge Cuba to make major changes to its economy and political governance or face continued economic pressure and potentially risk U.S. military escalation. Neither side has named who took part, but Guzmán said it was at the undersecretary of state level for the Americans and deputy foreign minister level for the Cubans.

Despite the recent revival in diplomatic relations, tensions between the two countries have steadily increased in the last few months over a U.S. energy blockade that has further strained economic and other crises in the Caribbean country.

Trump has threatened tariffs on any country that sells or supplies oil to Cuba and said the U.S. might have “the honor of taking Cuba” following military operations in Venezuela and Iran. The State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Guzmán's remarks.

The blockade, coupled with the island’s severe water and power shortages, has deepened poverty and increased hunger across Cuba as severe blackouts persist.

In late March, a Russian tanker carrying 730,000 barrels became the first fuel shipment Cuba had received in three months. Guzmán said that the shipment has been able to fulfill only a fraction of what the country needs to operate.

Other concerns the U.S. raised during the meeting this month centered on the influence of foreign powers on the island, the AP has reported. The Americans also discussed proposals to compensate hundreds of thousands of legal claims by Cuban Americans whose homes, businesses and land were seized after revolutionary leader Fidel Castro took power in 1959.

Guzmán confirmed that such compensation was among the topics at the meeting and that Havana is receptive to it. But, he added, that it could only happen in conjunction with reciprocal economic relief for the decadeslong economic embargo against Cuba.

“There is not only this claim but also the claim from our side because the embargo has an economic impact,” he said. “This is a highway with two directions.”

Asked whether Cuban officials can trust diplomatic efforts amid U.S. threats, Guzmán said that while they are optimistic about creating a “new approach” to U.S.-Cuban relations, the Trump administration's foreign policy approach in the last year has put them on high alert.

“We have been seeing what is happening all around the world, in our region, in the Middle East, so we are not a naive person,” he said. “We are preparing for all the scenarios. And I insist, our first option — what we really want — is a successful dialogue with the U.S. government.”

But, he added, if U.S. military aggression were to happen, “we are ready to fight back.”

The recent rounds of showers and thunderstorms have helped in a few key ways for Southeast Texas. First, they’ve started to replenish topsoil moisture. They’ve also given a boost to creeks, rivers, and reservoirs, helping stabilize water levels that had been dropping during the long dry stretch.

But here’s the reality check: we’re still in a drought.

Across Southeast Texas, including the Houston area, most locations remain in severe to extreme drought conditions, and rainfall has been running well below normal for months.

Even with the recent storms, the rain has been somewhat uneven — meaning some neighborhoods got a good soaking, while others missed out.

And one big rain event isn’t enough to fix a long-term deficit. Here’s the thing: It would take consistent rainfall over weeks or even months to truly erase the drought and fully recharge groundwater and reservoirs.

The review from the inspector general's office will focus on how the department collected, reviewed and redacted materials in preparation for their release, as well as its process for addressing concerns that arose after the files were made public, when Epstein survivors complained that personal information about them had been disclosed.

The audit will revisit the department's staggered and uneven release of millions of records from the Epstein sex trafficking investigation, a process that exposed it to accusations that it was attempting to protect President Donald Trump, who decades ago was friendly with the financier. It marks the watchdog office's first significant effort since Trump took office for a second time to scrutinize the actions of a department that has been riven by tumult, including mass firings of employees and allegations of politicization of investigations.

The records were released starting late last year in compliance with a bill passed by Congress and signed into law by Trump, who bowed to political pressure from his own party after initially resisting efforts to disclose additional files. That November law required the release within 30 days of records related to Epstein, as well as any information about the investigation into his death in a jail in 2019, and also allowed for redactions of information about victims.

But problems with the department's process soon emerged.

Officials released only a fraction of records within the 30-day deadline, later disclosing they would need several more weeks because of the abrupt discovery of a massive tranche of records tied to the case.

In late January, the department released what it said were 3 million pages of records, but subsequently withdrew several thousand documents and “media” after lawyers told a judge that the lives of nearly 100 abuse survivors had been “turned upside down” by careless redactions. The exposed materials include nude photos, with faces visible, as well as names, email addresses and other identifying information that was either unredacted or not fully obscured.

The department blamed it on “technical or human error.”

The scrutiny continued after several news organizations reported that some records involving uncorroborated accusations made by a woman against Trump were not among those released to the public. The accuser was interviewed by the FBI four times as it sought to assess her account but a summary of only one of those interviews had been included in the publicly released files.

The department said those files had been “incorrectly coded as duplicative” and therefore were inadvertently not published along with other investigative documents.

Trump has consistently denied any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein.

Authorities say Epstein killed himself in a New York jail cell in August 2019, a month after being indicted on federal sex trafficking charges.

The FBI and other federal and local agencies executed search and arrest warrants at about 30 locations mostly in Orange County, south of Los Angeles, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

A total of 43 people, including those already in custody, have been indicted on charges that include murder, kidnapping, extortion, running an illegal gambling operation and drug trafficking, prosecutors said.

Officers seized 120 pounds (54 kilos) of methamphetamine, more than eight pounds (four kilos) of fentanyl, along with 25 firearms and more than $30,000 in cash, officials said.

“The stuff that we’re taking off the streets is very, very dangerous. These guys have no regard for human life. They’re about making money,” First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli said during a news conference.

The Mexican Mafia was started in the 1950s at a juvenile jail and grew to an international criminal organization that controls smuggling, drug sales and extortion from inside California’s penal system.

The indictment alleges one leader who was incarcerated used contraband cellphones to oversee the Mexican Mafia's criminal activities from his state prison cell from June 2024 to April 2026. He directed street gang members to kidnap and assault people, according to court documents. The gang also allegedly sold drugs including fentanyl, meth, heroin and cocaine.

“It ran illegal gambling businesses within commercial strip malls and private residences,” the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a statement. “The gang collected extortionate taxes and provided security, including the use of violence, to protect the illegal gambling businesses.”

The gang is also suspected of a murder at a “gang-controlled” motel in Anaheim, according to the indictment.

The defendants will begin making their initial appearances Thursday afternoon in federal court in Los Angeles and Orange counties.

The deal involves Regeneron lowering the prices of current and all future drugs on Medicaid, according to Trump. It also involves selling a cholesterol drug called Praluent for $225 on the White House's discounted drug website TrumpRx, according to the agreement first outlined by NOTUS and confirmed by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.

The deal comes as the Trump administration has been touting efforts to provide economic relief ahead of November's midterm elections, with Americans saying high costs for health care, gas, groceries and other basic needs are straining their budgets.

It's one of many so-called most-favored-nation deals the Trump administration has made with drug companies to bring U.S. pharmaceutical prices to the same level as other developed nations. Last July, Trump publicly sent letters to executives at 17 major pharmaceutical companies about the issue. Regeneron is the final one of those companies to strike a deal with his administration.

Speaking at the White House on Thursday to announce the deal, Trump touted the discounts on drugs and said, “It should be front page news.” He said voters in this November's midterm elections should reward his party because of the agreements with drugmakers.

“We should win the midterms, but it doesn’t work that way, unfortunately,” Trump said.

Trump also has a notable history with the drugmaker.

During his first term in 2020, when he was hospitalized with COVID-19, he was given a dose of a drug that Regeneron was testing to supply antibodies in order to help his immune system.

After he was released, Trump posted a video of himself standing outside the White House in which he repeatedly lavished praise on Regeneron.

As part of the new deal, Regeneron has also committed to spending nearly $10 billion to bring pharmaceutical production to the United States, NOTUS reported. Trump’s deals have historically offered companies relief from his tariffs if they make such commitments.

Regeneron also announced Thursday that Otarmeni, its new gene therapy for a rare form of congenital hearing loss, had been approved by the Food and Drug Administration and would be made available to clinically eligible individuals in the U.S. at no charge. The therapy received expedited approval from the FDA under the agency’s so-called Commissioner’s National Priority Voucher program.

The program, which was not authorized by Congress, has been under scrutiny from Democrats in Congress for months. House and Senate lawmakers have noted that FDA vouchers have repeatedly gone to companies that agree to pricing concessions sought by the White House.

Even as Trump and his Department of Health and Human Services have touted his drug-pricing deals as transformative, the details of the agreements have so far not been made public.

Pressed by members of Congress to share the contracts this week, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said his team would share whatever details it could that didn't include proprietary information or trade secrets. Trump and Kennedy have urged Congress to codify the deals into law.

The deals have occasionally run into roadblocks. A centerpiece of the agreements with weight-loss drugmakers Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk fell apart earlier this week when Medicare delayed implementation of a program for insurers to cover the GLP-1 drugs.

Drug prices for patients in the U.S. can depend on a number of factors, including the competition a treatment faces and insurance coverage. Most people have coverage through work, the individual insurance market or government programs like Medicaid and Medicare, which shield them from much of the cost.

Patients on Medicaid, the state and federally funded program for people with low incomes, already pay a nominal co-payment of a few dollars to fill their prescriptions, but lower prices could help state budgets that fund the programs.

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Associated Press writers Matthew Perrone and Michelle L. Price contributed to this report.

A U.S. official said President Donald Trump plans to greet Lebanese Ambassador to the U.S. Nada Hamadeh Moawad and her Israeli counterpart Yechiel Leiter on their arrival for the meeting, which is the second between the two diplomats, days after they held the first such direct talks between the two countries in three decades. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal administration planning.

The U.S. will be represented in the talks by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, State Department Counsellor Michael Needham, Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa, according to the State Department. Huckabee did not participate in the first round.

Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun said Wednesday that Hamadeh will put forward an extension of the 10-day ceasefire that went into effect last Friday. She also will ask for an end to Israeli home demolitions in villages and towns occupied by Israel after the latest war broke out on March 2, Aoun said in comments released by his office.

Preparations are being made for wider-reaching negotiations between Lebanon and Israel. The aim of the future talks is to “fully” stop Israeli attacks, the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon, release of Lebanese prisoners held in Israel, deployment of Lebanese troops along the border and beginning the reconstruction process, Aoun said.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has called on Lebanon to work with Israel to disarm the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah.

“We don’t have any serious disagreements with Lebanon. There are a few minor border disputes that can be solved,” Saar said during Independence Day remarks to Israel’s ambassadors and diplomatic corps in which he also described the neighboring country as a “failed state.”

“The obstacle to peace and normalization between the countries is one: Hezbollah,” he said, adding that Lebanon could have “a future of sovereignty, independence and freedom from the Iranian occupation.”

The latest war started when Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel, two days after Israel and the U.S. launched attacks on Iran. Israel responded with widespread bombardment of Lebanon and a ground invasion in which it captured dozens of towns and villages along the border.

Israel’s military currently occupies a buffer zone stretching as much as 10 kilometers (6 miles) into southern Lebanon. Israel says it aims to remove the threat of short-range rockets and anti-tank missiles being fired toward northern Israel.

Hezbollah has rejected the talks. Wafiq Safa, a high-ranking member of the militant group’s political council, told The Associated Press that it will not abide by any agreements made during the direct talks.

Despite this, the talks are a major step for two countries with no diplomatic relations that officially have been at war since Israel’s inception in 1948.

The Lebanese government hopes the talks will pave the way to a permanent end to the war. While Iran has set ending the wars in Lebanon and the region as a condition for talks with the U.S., Lebanon insists on representing itself.

Since the ceasefire went into effect last week, there have been multiple violations by both side sides.

On Wednesday, Amal Khalil, a well-known Lebanese journalist covering southern Lebanon, was killed by an Israeli strike. Lebanese health officials said the Israeli military opened fire on an ambulance that responded to the scene, preventing rescuers from reaching her. Her body was pulled from the rubble of a collapsed building several hours later.

The Israeli military denied that it had deliberately targeted journalists or fired on rescuers, but the case sparked widespread anger in Lebanon ahead of the Washington talks.

After a Cabinet meeting Thursday, Lebanon’s Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri said the government is working on a report documenting alleged war crimes by Israel and that ministers had discussed joining the International Criminal Court.

The latest Israel-Hezbollah war has killed around 2,300 people in Lebanon, including hundreds of women and children, and displaced over 1 million people.

Last week’s talks were the first between Israel and Lebanon since 1993. Both countries have relied on indirect communication, often brokered by the U.S. or UNIFIL, the United Nations peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon.

Lebanon’s top political authorities, critical of Hezbollah’s decision to fire rockets toward Israel on March 2 in solidarity with Iran, quickly proposed direct talks in a bid to stop the escalation, hoping Israel would not launch its ground invasion.

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Mroue reported from Beirut. Abby Sewell in Beirut contributed.

A program called BioPath, part of the TMC Innovation Factory, is introducing students across Houston to careers in biomanufacturing and the life sciences. Designed to expand awareness and access, the initiative aims to connect young people with industries that are rapidly growing—and increasingly essential to the region’s economic and healthcare landscape.

A Workforce Need Driving Innovation

Houston’s life sciences sector continues to expand, fueled by global investment, cutting-edge research, and the scale of care delivered through institutions within the Texas Medical Center. With millions of patients treated each year, the demand for a highly skilled workforce is both immediate and ongoing.

Leaders at Texas Medical Center say preparing that workforce must begin earlier—well before students reach traditional higher education or career entry points.

BioPath is one response to that challenge: a program designed to move beyond awareness and into action, offering students a clearer understanding of how careers in science and medicine are built.

From Exposure to Direction

For many students, the program provides a first meaningful interaction with the field.

High school participants are able to engage directly with professionals and environments that might otherwise feel distant or inaccessible. That early exposure can shift perspectives—transforming abstract ideas about science into tangible career possibilities.

For others, including students already enrolled in community college programs, BioPath serves as a catalyst for deeper commitment. What begins as curiosity can evolve into a defined path, supported by training, mentorship, and a clearer understanding of industry opportunities.

Building a Structured Pipeline

Central to BioPath’s model is the concept of a career pipeline—a system that connects initial exposure with long-term opportunity.

Students who choose to continue can access mentorship, job shadowing, and certification pathways designed to prepare them for entry-level roles in the biomanufacturing workforce. These opportunities are particularly significant in a field where specialized training can lead to stable, high-demand careers without requiring a traditional four-year degree.

The program’s design reflects a broader shift in workforce development strategy: one that prioritizes accessibility, flexibility, and alignment with industry needs.

Expanding Opportunity Through Partnership

That pipeline is now expanding through a new partnership between Texas Medical Center and San Jacinto College.

The collaboration is intended to strengthen the connection between education and employment—ensuring that students not only learn about opportunities in the life sciences, but also have clear, attainable pathways to pursue them.

Leaders at San Jacinto College emphasize the importance of awareness. For many students, careers in biomanufacturing are not widely understood or visible. By increasing exposure and providing structured access to training, the partnership aims to bridge that gap—turning possibility into participation.

A Broader Impact on Houston’s Future

Programs like BioPath also extend beyond individual students. By engaging families, educators, and communities, they help build a shared understanding of emerging industries and the opportunities they represent.

In a city like Houston—home to one of the most expansive and diverse life sciences ecosystems in the world—the long-term impact of that awareness could be significant.

As demand for skilled workers continues to rise, initiatives that connect education, industry, and community may play a critical role in shaping not only the future workforce, but the future of medicine itself.

Learn More

To learn more about BioPath and upcoming opportunities, including Build with BioPath Days happening July 13–16, CLICK HERE to visit the Texas Medical Center website.

Per a preliminary vote count Thursday, Warner Bros. Discovery said the overwhelming majority of its stakeholders voted in support of selling the entire business to Skydance-owned Paramount for $31 a share. Including debt, the deal is valued at nearly $111 billion based on Warner's current outstanding shares.

That means Warner-owned HBO Max, cult-favorite titles like “Harry Potter” and even CNN could soon find themselves under the same roof with Paramount's CBS, “Top Gun” and the Paramount+ streaming service.

David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, said in a statement that stockholder approval marks “another key milestone toward completing this historic transaction.” Paramount added that it looks forward to closing in the coming months, and “realizing the creation of a next-generation media and entertainment company.”

It's not a done deal quite yet. The acquisition still faces ongoing regulatory reviews. Many critics have decried further consolidation in an industry already controlled by just a few major players, and are calling for the merger to be blocked — if not from the Trump administration, which so far seems unlikely, perhaps at the state level or through other court fights both in the U.S. and abroad.

Meanwhile, Warner shareholders rejected a separate measure Thursday outlining post-merger payments for company executives.

The takeover fight

Paramount’s quest for Warner has been a bumpy road. And Warner leadership wasn’t always eager to enter this particular marriage.

Late last year, Warner rebuffed Paramount’s overtures to instead strike a $72 billion studio and streaming deal with Netflix. Paramount, meanwhile, went directly to shareholders with a hostile bid to take over the whole company, including the cable business that Netflix did not want. All three companies spent months fighting publicly over who had the better offer on the table. Warner’s board repeatedly backed Netflix’s bid. But eventually, Paramount offered more money and Netflix abruptly bowed out of the race.

That corporate drama may now be over, but implications of a potential Warner sale remain. Thousands of actors, directors, writers and other industry professionals have voiced “unequivocal opposition” to the Paramount deal, in a letter arguing that further consolidation will lead to job losses and fewer choices for filmmakers and movie goers.

Jane Fonda’s Committee for the First Amendment called Thursday's vote to advance the merger a “serious setback” — but maintained the fight wasn't over. “A handful of powerful decision-makers should not be allowed to quietly reshape American media, culture, and creative life without accountability,” the advocacy group said in a statement, while pointing to other efforts to challenge consolidation.

Some have called on states, rather than the federal government, to fight the deal. California Attorney General Rob Bonta has been particularly vocal about the transaction, and said his state is investigating it.

"State attorneys general across the country are stepping up to stop this antitrust disaster. We need to keep up this fight," Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a longtime antitrust hawk, wrote on social media Thursday.

What would come under the same roof

The merger would bring together two of Hollywood’s five remaining legacy studios. It would also join two major streaming platforms (Paramount+ and HBO Max) and two big names in America's TV news landscape (CBS and CNN ) — as well as a heap of other brands and entertainment networks.

Company executives argue this will be good news for consumers, who they say will have access to bigger content libraries, particularly if HBO Max and Paramount+ become one streaming service. And Paramount CEO David Ellison has tried to assure filmmakers with a 45-day theatrical window guarantee and goal to release 30 movies a year between Paramount and Warner, which he's said will remain stand-alone operations under a combined company.

“I love cinema and I love film,” Ellison said at CinemaCon last week. "You can count on our complete commitment.”

But the new owner will also be looking to cut costs. Regulatory filings have already indicated that would include layoffs and downsizing some overlapping operations. And critics are skeptical about consumer benefits — warning of higher prices that could arise when it comes to streaming, and potentially less diversity in content down the road.

Then there’s the news. Since coming under Skydance ownership less than a year ago, CBS has already seen significant editorial shifts, notably with the installation of Free Press founder Bari Weiss as CBS News editor-in-chief. If the Warner takeover goes through, many are expecting similar changes at CNN, a network that has long attracted ire from President Donald Trump.

Political implications

Questions of political influence have piled up. The Justice Department and company leadership have maintained that politics will not play a role in the regulatory process — but Trump himself has publicly waded into Warner’s future at times, despite backpedaling on what he once suggested his personal role would be.

The Republican president also has a close relationship with the Ellison family, particularly Oracle founder Larry Ellison, who is putting billions of dollars on the table to back the bid for his son’s company.

Support for Paramount’s proposed buyout is falling largely along party lines in Washington. Democratic senators held a “spotlight” hearing on the merger last week, and have been more outspoken about antitrust concerns spanning from a potential Paramount-Warner combo. In contrast, lawmakers from both sides questioned Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos and Warner’s chief revenue and strategy officer Bruce Campbell in February, calling on regulators to heavily scrutinize that deal at the time.

Meanwhile, Paramount has secured money from several sovereign investment funds — including Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, as well as funds from the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, per regulatory filings. But such investors will not have voting rights in a future Paramount-Warner combo, the filings noted. Paramount has not publicly specified how much they’re contributing.

Other countries, including European regulators, also looking the deal — and again, states may try to challenge it too. Labor unions and other entities could also wade in.

Shares of Paramount Skydance fell nearly 6% on after Thursday's vote, and Warner Bros. Discovery's stock slipped slightly as well.

Blustery winds also are helping ignite and expand the fires in Georgia and Florida that have blanketed parts of several states in smoke, leading to air quality warnings Thursday in cities far from the blazes.

The weather forecast Thursday appeared to warn of another high-risk day, with shifting winds that could send embers flying in all directions a major concern.

Hundreds of residents have been forced from their homes near Georgia's coast, where a wildfire destroyed more than 50 homes and threatened many more. Georgia's biggest fire near the Florida state line doubled in size in less than a day and by Thursday had burned through a sparsely populated area that's twice the size of Manhattan.

Images from the devastated areas show the shells of charred cars and trucks sitting next to the smoldering ruins of homes nestled among blackened trees.

Many who were forced to flee this week were left distraught about the homes and animals they left behind.

“I don’t know if I have a house standing or not,” said Denise Stephens, who evacuated her home near Hortense because of the fast-moving Brantley County fire. “I know what it’s taken from other people, but I don’t know what I have left standing.”

Wood debris littering the state’s southern half since Hurricane Helene churned through in September 2024 has enabled Georgia's two biggest fires to spread and intensify quickly, officials said.

“There’s a ton of old Hurricane Helene debris down in the woods,” said Seth Hawkins, a Georgia Forestry Commission spokesperson. “It’s lying around and it’s just a tinderbox out there.”

The forestry commission estimated that Helene swept across nearly 14,000 square miles (36,000 square kilometers) of forestland statewide, striking areas where trees are grown for paper and lumber.

In Helene’s wake, cleanup efforts were rolled out across southern Georgia. The state put up roughly $135 million to help private timberland owners remove fallen trees, and the Army Corps of Engineers hauled off millions of cubic yards of debris.

But they couldn’t get everything.

“The way Helene just threw everything down like matchsticks, there’s only so much you can do short of bulldozing everything,” Hawkins said. “There are big pockets of woods out there where people don’t walk around too much. So it just kind of gets left there.”

It isn't known yet how the wildfires started, but the bottom half of Georgia and northern Florida are both extremely dry.

In Florida, firefighters were battling more than 130 wildfires, mostly in the state’s northern half. Fire crews in Georgia responded to 34 new and relatively small blazes Wednesday, the forestry commission said.

Smoke from the wildfires was drifting across a large area of the Southeast, making the air unhealthy on Thursday for children and those with lung or heart problems in cities as far as Columbia, South Carolina. A haze hung over Atlanta’s skyline a day earlier and there was a smoky smell across the metro area.

Officials are hoping for rain to help tame the fires. There’s a 30% to 40% chance of showers or thunderstorms in the area of both big Georgia fires this weekend, according to the National Weather Service. While showers could bring some welcome relief, thunderstorms could also produce lightning capable of sparking more fires.

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Martin reported from Atlanta and Bynum from Savannah. Associated Press reporter John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, contributed.

The National Transportation Safety Board said in a preliminary report that a crash prevention system didn't generate an audio or visual alert in the control tower, and that runway entrance lights that act as stop lights for crossing traffic were on until about three seconds before the March 22 collision. The system is designed to turn the lights off two or three seconds before a plane reaches an intersection, the report said.

After the air traffic controller's initial warning, the fire truck's turret operator heard the controller say, “Truck 1, stop, stop, stop,” and realized he was telling the truck to halt, the report said. By that time, the truck was already on the runway as Air Canada Express Flight 8646 was landing and speeding toward it.

The turret operator, one of two crew members in the fire truck, recalled that as the vehicle turned left, he saw the airplane’s lights on the runway, the report said, summarizing an interview that investigators conducted with him.

The frantic warning came after an air traffic controller had cleared the truck to cross the runway just 12 seconds before the plane touched down, investigators said.

The plane, a CRJ900 regional jet from Montreal, had more than 70 people on board. Pilots Antoine Forest, 24, and Mackenzie Gunther, 30, were killed. About 40 people, including the two people in the fire truck, were taken to hospitals.

A flight attendant still strapped in her seat survived after being thrown onto the tarmac.

The fire truck was leading a convoy of six vehicles, including four fire trucks, a stair truck and a police vehicle, responding to an emergency involving a strong odor reported in the cabin of an outbound United Airlines jet.

The tower at LaGuardia was busier than usual the night of the crash because flight delays pushed the number of arrivals and departures after 10 p.m. to more than double what was scheduled, according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium.

Planes were landing every few minutes, with a dozen flights arriving between 11 p.m. and when the crash happened less than 40 minutes later. At the same time, the tower was coordinating the emergency response to the unusual odor that was making flight attendants feel ill.

LaGuardia is one of 35 major U.S. airports with an advanced surface surveillance system to help eliminate dangerous runway incursions and prevent crashes. Controllers in these airports have a display in the tower that’s supposed to show the location of every plane and vehicle.

The system, known as ASDE-X, didn’t work as intended at the time because the fire truck wasn’t outfitted with a transponder, investigators said. There were also emergency vehicles behind the truck, and the proximity of the vehicles merging kept the system from triggering an alarm, investigators said.

According to air traffic control transmissions, Flight 8646 was cleared to land on Runway 4 at 11:35 p.m.

About two minutes later — and 25 seconds before the crash — the fire crew asked to cross the same runway, which was between the airport’s fire station and where the United Airlines jet had parked.

Five seconds later, with Flight 8646 approaching the runway a little more than 100 feet (30 meters) above the ground, an air traffic controller cleared the fire truck to cross the runway.

Then, just nine seconds before the crash, the controller frantically told the fire crew: “Stop, stop, stop, stop. Truck 1. Stop, stop, stop, stop.” A second later, the plane’s landing gear touched down.

It was the first deadly crash at LaGuardia in 34 years. ___

Funk reported from Omaha, Nebraska.

A three-judge panel found unanimously there were “substantial grounds” to believe the ex-leader was responsible for dozens of murders, first as mayor of the southern Philippine city of Davao and later when he was president.

Duterte, who served as president from 2016 to 2022, was arrested in the Philippines last year and flown to The Hague, where the global court is located. He denies the charges against him.

In their 50-page decision, judges found that the evidence shows that Duterte, 81, “developed, disseminated and implemented” a policy “to ‘neutralize’ alleged criminals.”

According to prosecutors, police and hit squad members carried out dozens of murders at Duterte’s behest starting in 2011, motivated by the promise of money or to avoid becoming targets themselves.

“For some, killing reached the level of a perverse form of competition,” deputy prosecutor Mame Mandiaye Niang told the court in pretrial hearings in February.

Estimates of the death toll during Duterte’s presidential term vary, from the more than 6,000 that the national police have reported to up to 30,000 claimed by human rights groups.

Prosecutors said in a statement on Wednesday that the decision “represents a significant milestone” in their effort to bring accountability.

Duterte's lead defense lawyer Nick Kaufman told The Associated Press he was disappointed in the decision, saying it “is based on the uncorroborated statements of vicious self-confessed murderers acting as cooperating witnesses.”

A date for the start of the trial has not yet been set.

Duterte has not been present in the courtroom for any hearings, having waived his right to appear. Last month judges found he was fit to stand trial, after postponing an earlier hearing over concerns about his health.

In the Philippines, families of slain victims in the brutal anti-drugs crackdown rejoiced over the decision, saying it will bring them closer to justice and toward a closure of a tragic chapter in their lives.

“This is for all the victims, who were not even given the chance to be recognized as victims because their stories were twisted in police reports, investigations and findings,” said Randy delos Santos, whose nephew, Kian delos Santos, was gunned down in an alley in August 2017 by three police officers.

“Unlike Kian, most other victims were nameless, voiceless and were just numbers and statistics whose horrific stories were never heard. Now the ICC will give their stories a chance to be told,” delos Santos told the AP.

Human rights groups also praised the decision.

“Duterte’s trial will send a powerful message that no one responsible for grave crimes is above the law, whether in the Philippines or elsewhere, and that justice will eventually catch up with them,” said Maria Elena Vignoli, senior international justice counsel at Human Rights Watch.

ICC prosecutors said in 2018 that they would open a preliminary investigation into the violent drug crackdowns. In a move that human rights activists say was aimed at avoiding accountability, Duterte, who was president at the time, announced a month later that the Philippines would leave the court.

On Tuesday, appeals judges rejected a request from Duterte’s legal team to throw out the case on the grounds that the court did not have jurisdiction because of the Philippine withdrawal.

In October, judges disqualified the court’s chief prosecutor Karim Khan from the case, citing a “reasonable appearance of bias” because he represented victims of Duterte’s alleged crimes before he took office at the ICC. Khan had already stepped back from his duties pending the outcome of an independent investigation into allegations of sexual misconduct.

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Associated Press journalist Jim Gomez in Manila, Philippines contributed to this report.

Walker, in his 14th major league season, exited the Phillies clubhouse a couple of hours before Thursday’s contest. He was in the final year of a four-year, $72 million contract and let go after outfielder Nick Castellanos was released by the Phillies in February as he entered the final year of a five-year, $100 million deal.

The Phillies had optioned right-hander Alan Rangel to Lehigh Valley following Wednesday’s 7-2 loss to Chicago, their eighth straight.

The 33-year-old Walker was an All-Star with the New York Mets in 2021 and peaked with a 15-6 record and 4.38 ERA with Philadelphia in 2023. But he’s slid ever since, starting 2026 at 1-4 with a 9.13 ERA in five games, and has a combined 9-19 record with a 5.67 ERA over the past three seasons.

Walker gave up five runs (four earned) on eight hits in four innings of bulk relief and took the loss at Wrigley Field on Wednesday. With ace Zack Wheeler set to return on Saturday, Walker was bumped out of the Phillies rotation.

Dave Dombrowski, the Phillies’ president of baseball operations, said the team tried to trade Walker’s contract “various times,” but found no takers.

“We know and he knows that he gave every effort that he possibly could to try to get people out and it just wasn’t working,” Dombrowski added. “Maybe a change of scenery will help him."

Philadelphia owes Walker $15,208,556 of his $18 million salary this year. Any team can sign him for a prorated share of the $780,000 minimum, with the Phillies remaining responsible for the remainder of the money.

Manager Rob Thomson said: “It's just all performance based. I hope that people understand."

“We had a really good year out of him the first year (2023) with the 15 wins,” Thomson added. “With the injuries we had last year, this guy took down 125 innings and basically helped us get to the playoffs.”

Thomson praised Walker's presence and work ethic.

“He's one of the best teammates and one of the best people I've been around," Thomson said. “This guys a pro, performance aside.

“He tried everything, being the opener and trying to get some velo back, which he did. It didn't work out, but it wasn't for a lack of effort on his part.”

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This story has been corrected to show that Walker pitched in relief on Wednesday, not as the starter.

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

In rounds of calls immediately following the indictment, advocates discussed how to support the SPLC, a Montgomery, Alabama-based civil rights group founded in 1971 that has tracked white supremacist groups and been outspoken on voting rights, immigration and policing. Organizers on one call agreed that winning in the court of public opinion would be crucial as judicial proceedings began, leading to dozens of public statements of support and planned rallies.

And legal advisors to civil rights groups urged organizers to prepare for similar criminal indictments, protracted legal action that may exhaust their resources and audits of their staff and internal documents.

The flurry of behind-the-scenes coordination represented a marked mobilization by activist groups that, like many universities, law firms and non-profits, have been at odds with the federal government since President Donald Trump's return to the White House last year.

“There’s a muscle that has been built among these organizations learned from the law firm debacle,” said Vanita Gupta, a former associate attorney general of the Justice Department during the Biden administration, referring to deals some major law firms made with the administration. Gupta led one of the calls that convened activists.

“The government's goal is often to shut down and paralyze an organization, so that their work has to stop while they defend themselves. And the hope here is that with this broad effort to defend the SPLC, that will not happen,” said Gupta.

Organizers say they are prepared to back the SPLC in its legal fight.

“It’s a blatantly obvious attack on civil rights and civil liberties to whitewash the foot soldiers of the great replacement theory and other extremists. This coalition isn’t going silent,” said Maya Wiley, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, an umbrella organization of hundreds of civil rights groups.

Without addressing the indictment, a coalition of more than 100 activist groups on Tuesday published a letter vowing solidarity with groups that are “unjustly targeted” by the federal government. SPLC was a signatory to the pact.

“An attack on one is an attack on all,” the coalition declared. “We will share knowledge, resources, and support with any organization threatened by abuses of power.”

DOJ alleges criminal conduct in SPLC's longtime informant network

The Justice Department alleges that the SPLC, which rose to prominence for its work prosecuting and tracking hate groups like the Ku Klux Klan, violated federal law through its network of paid informants in extremist groups. The DOJ claims the payments funded hate groups and misled the SPLC’s donors.

The SPLC now faces charges of wire fraud, bank fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering in the case brought in the federal court in Alabama, where the organization is based.

“The SPLC is manufacturing racism to justify its existence,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche at a press conference announcing the charges. Blanche promised the department “will hold the SPLC and every other fraudulent organization operating with the same deceptive playbook accountable.”

Longtime civil rights activists found the claims to be a disingenuous and partisan move that may empower extremist groups.

“The indictment is nakedly political and represents the Justice Department turning on itself,” said Marc Morial, president of the National Urban League. “It places the Justice Department in the posture of, in effect, defending white supremacist groups like the Ku Klux Klan and others.”

Advocates also view the indictment as part of the administration's broader upending of civil rights law and the Justice Department's prosecution of Trump's political opponents.

The SPLC in recent years became a bogeyman among conservatives who resented that the watchdog designated several rightwing organizations that engage in Republican politics as hateful or extremist.

Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, which the SPLC has designated as a hate group, said the government should not only pursue convictions, but also restitution for those the SPLC has harmed.

“For years, the SPLC has used its platform to label and target organizations with whom it disagrees, often blurring the line between legitimate concern and ideological attack,” Perkins said in a statement. “That kind of reckless characterization doesn’t just damage reputations, it has put lives at risk.”

In October, FBI Director Kash Patel cancelled the agency’s longtime anti-extremism partnerships with the SPLC and the Anti-Defamation League, which combats antisemitism. Patel at the time called the SPLC a “partisan smear machine.”

The Justice Department and SPLC did not respond to requests for comment.

Indictment represents marked shift for civil rights work

Advocates dispute the DOJ's characterization of the SPLC's work.

“The problem is that the indictment essentially claims that it was a fraud on SPLC’s donors to use their funds to fight the Klan, the Neo Nazis and other white supremacist groups, when that is exactly why people gave to the organization,” said Norm Eisen, founder of Democracy Defenders Action, a group that works with organizations in legal disputes with the Trump administration.

Eisen added: “The notion that there’s something wrong with using informants and protecting their identities to prevent white supremacist violence is belied by the fact that that is not only what the SPLC did, but it is also the stock and trade of the FBI itself.”

Civil rights organizations are now preparing for further legal action. Organizations have reviewed their document retention, tax compliance and auditing policies over the last year to safeguard against any probes or lawsuits.

Some civil rights organizations have also floated creating new organizational structures that may better withstand legal scrutiny. On another recent call, activists floated restructuring some groups into for-profit entities, or potentially crafting new financial conduits for donors to ensure that staff could receive pay if an organization's assets were seized or frozen.

The preparations represent a marked shift for many civil rights leaders, who in recent years counted the Justice Department under both Democratic and Republican administrations as a reliable ally in key civil rights battles.

“What we are seeing in real time is an administration seeking to leverage its position to target individuals and organizations that do not agree with its political thought,” said NAACP President Derrick Johnson, who said the Justice Department has been “weaponized by dangerous forces."

But for other leaders, the SPLC indictment raised the specter of a return to a previous era, when the Justice Department monitored civil rights leaders to disrupt their activities.

“We're not backing down, but we are clear-eyed. Everyone could be in some form of jeopardy if you're in the crosshairs of this administration,” said Juan Proaño, CEO of the League of United Latin American Citizens, a civil rights group suing the Trump administration over executive orders addressing birthright citizenship and mail-in voting.

“That's what they’re looking for; they want this to have a chilling effect," Proaño said.

Trisha Bhatnagar and Madhavan Vinod are the co-creators of Financial Fortunes, a student-led company focused on helping kids and families build strong financial habits. Their solution is a card game that transforms real-life money situations into something interactive and easy to grasp.

Players move through the game using job cards that determine income, event cards that add or subtract money, and asset cards that provide a layer of protection. There are even special cards that introduce more complex situations like inheritance or job changes. The goal is to simulate real-world financial decisions in a way that feels approachable, not overwhelming.

The game is designed for ages 8 to 18 but is meant to be enjoyed by the whole family. Along with the physical cards, a companion web app helps track progress so players can focus more on understanding financial concepts.

Bhatnagar says the inspiration came from recognizing a gap in financial education for young people. By turning those lessons into a game, she hopes to give kids the tools and confidence to make smarter decisions as they grow.

As families look for ways to start conversations about money, this student-created idea is proving that learning the basics can be both practical and fun.

Great Age on the Green debuts Friday, April 24, at Discovery Green, bringing together music, wellness and community. The free event is designed to celebrate active aging while welcoming guests of all generations.

Iconic daytime TV actress Kate Linder will emcee the event, helping kick things off with a live DJ set before a full lineup of interactive programming. Guests can take part in fitness classes, including a Dance2Thrive session with Houston Ballet, or join in on lawn games like bingo and hula hooping.

The festival also features a wellness speaker series focused on topics like heart health, aging and overall well-being. Organizers say the goal is to inspire connection and encourage people to prioritize their health at every stage of life.

As the day continues, attendees can enjoy live music performances and a standout fashion show celebrating confidence and style at any age. The event is led by Fritz McDonald, whose Great Age Movement focuses on shifting the conversation around aging.

Organizers say Great Age on the Green is about more than just a day of fun. It is about creating a space where people feel empowered, energized and connected, no matter their age.

The event runs from noon to 5 p.m. and is open to the public.

Royals owner John Sherman was joined by Hallmark chairman Don Hall Jr., Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe and Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, along with other local and state dignitaries, in making the announcement Wednesday near Hallmark headquarters.

While the finalized master plan has yet to be complete, Sherman said the $1.9 billion stadium would break ground next year in the middle of Crown Center as part of the first phase of an 85-acre project. Two-thirds of the funding will come from private sources and the remaining one-third from public partners, including money earmarked by the state for stadium projects.

“This is a partnership between two treasured Kansas City institutions,” Sherman said. “We are committed to creating a vision which honors our history, the rich past of both organizations, while reinvigorating and reimagining what our future can be together.”

The announcement came about a week after Kansas City officials passed an ordinance authorizing City Manager Mario Vasquez to negotiate a $600 million deal to help the Royals move downtown. Most believed the stadium would sit on Washington Square Park, which is next to Union Station, but it will instead be located just south of it, with the park featured in the development.

Hallmark intends to build a new headquarters in the area, which is connected by a streetcar to the Power & Light District, where the T-Mobile Center serves as its anchor. That part of downtown Kansas City will provide the backdrop beyond the outfield fence.

Officials touted the availability of public parking already in the area and convenient traffic flow from nearby highways.

Missouri's contribution comes from a law enacted last year that authorized bonds covering up to 50% of the cost of new or renovated stadiums in the state, plus up to $50 million of tax credits for each stadium and unspecified aid from local governments.

“We think it's a great investment for our Missouri taxpayers, because this does not affect existing programs,” Kehoe said. “The ripple effect from this facility will truly be far-reaching into rural Missouri and other parts of the state.”

The Royals have insisted they would leave Kauffman Stadium when their lease expires at the Truman Sports Complex in 2031, and the intention of Sherman ever since purchasing the club in 2019 was to build a downtown ballpark as its replacement.

Yet reaching Wednesday's announcement did not come without plenty of pitfalls.

The biggest stumbling block came in April 2024, when the Chiefs joined the Royals in a plan to renovate Arrowhead Stadium and replace Kauffman Stadium. The plan hinged on the extension of a sales tax that had been paying for stadium upkeep, and voters in Jackson County, Missouri, overwhelmingly rejected the proposal, forcing the franchises to go their own way.

The legislature in neighboring Kansas aggressively pursued the Chiefs, committing last December to issuing $2.4 billion in bonds to cover 60% of the cost of a new $3 billion domed stadium in Kansas City, Kansas. The NFL franchise ultimately decided to move across the state line, where it also will build a new training facility in the nearby suburb of Olathe, Kansas.

Officials in Kansas briefly pursued the Royals, too, but their interest in the MLB franchise had always been lukewarm.

The Royals had been weighing several options in recent months. But they ultimately rejected an option in the suburb of Overland Park, Kansas, and allowed a deadline to pass for a site north of downtown and across the Missouri River in Clay County, Missouri.

Economists have long concluded that subsidizing stadiums isn’t worth the cost for communities because the venues pull economic activity away from other parts of the area, rather than expanding the overall economy. Yet states and cities continually provide money to renovate stadiums or build new ones — 49 of the 60 used by MLB or NFL teams are publicly owned or sit on public land.

One of the stadiums that Sherman has cited as an example of what's possible in Kansas City is Truist Park in Atlanta.

The stadium was a public-private partnership in which the Cobb-Marietta Coliseum & Exhibit Hall Authority issued up to $397 million in bonds, the county raised millions more from transportation taxes and businesses added millions in cash. The Braves contributed the remaining money for the park and The Battery, a mixed-use development, with a total cost of more than $1.1 billion.

“There are many great ballpark neighborhoods in Major League Baseball,” Sherman said, “but this is a bigger project with more land in downtown and in the heart of the city. We are bringing a modern, state-of-the-art ballpark experience to our fans, closer to our public transportation and where more people work and live.”

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

Her nails are down to the quick, except for her thumbs, which feature inch-long talons covered in fancy silver swirls.

Unable to afford a new set of nails as Cuba’s economic crises grind on, the 56-year-old cafeteria worker opted instead to do her lashes, a cheaper alternative she hoped would draw people’s attention upward.

Severe shortages of water, power and money combined with a U.S energy blockade have deepened poverty and increased hunger across the island as severe blackouts persist. Even those who are more affluent are now eliminating long-established and often beloved routines as they adapt to increasingly dire realities.

“The Cuban woman likes to look beautiful — to do her hair, do her nails, do her feet — and wear perfume,” Zamora said. “I don’t look how I would like to look.”

Changes in beauty routines

Melina Colás knows the feeling.

The young manicurist who works in Havana recently got long braids to celebrate her birthday but quickly realized it’s a difficult style to maintain given chronic water shortages.

She used to wear her hair long and straightened but has decided to cut it and wear it natural, even though she thinks it would not suit what she called her short stature and round face.

“Before, you could do whatever you wanted,” she said of hairstyles when water was readily available. “Not now.”

Colás also has tweaked things at the salon where she works.

She has learned patience, aware clients show up late because public transportation is scarce.

And she now relies on a mix of water and vinegar in a spray bottle to offset water shortages – a concoction she said also helps soften clients’ cuticles and staves off a growing number of fungus cases because time between manicure appointments is growing longer for many.

“Some cases are critical,” Colás said.

She also lamented how the island’s economic crisis and shrinking budgets have led to a drop in customers, a trend that hairstylist Betty Ramírez Aldana, 50, also has noticed.

“It really came as a shock to me, because I’ve lost a lot of clients,” he said on a recent afternoon at a makeshift hair salon with bubblegum pink walls. “Normally by now I’d have five, six, eight clients. Look at the hour. And no one has showed up.”

The hair salon where he works recently spent three weeks without water, since electricity powers many pump stations on the island and severe outages are commonplace. He no longer can provide certain hair straightening treatments, so he offers clients options including flattering cuts.

“A lot of them have opted to embrace their natural curly hair,” he said.

An increasing number of women also have been forced to grow out their roots because they can't make it into a salon given a lack of gasoline and public transportation, coupled with withering budgets, Ramírez said.

Those who can afford it call him for home visits, with the original customer likely joined “by her aunt and the upstairs neighbor. I don’t serve one, I serve two or three,” he said.

A demand to lift the US energy blockade

Beauty aside, Cubans also are agonizing over being forced to cut corners on basic hygiene: Some say they are washing their hair only twice a month, and that clothes stay dirtier longer.

Antonia Isalgués Barrién, 60, who works for a state-run company running boats from eastern Havana to the heart of the capital, said she hangs her clothes outside every day after working on a boat because she doesn’t have water to wash them.

“It’s very hot here in Cuba; you sweat a lot,” she said, recalling how she used to wash clothes nearly daily. “I’ve never been forced to hang clothes in the fresh air… and then put them on again.”

Isalgués said she has noticed a surge in the number of passengers as a growing number of gas stations close and only a handful of public buses remain in circulation.

Cuba had spent three months without fuel shipments until a Russian tanker arrived in late March with 730,000 barrels of oil. That amount, once fully refined and distributed, normally would meet less than two weeks of the country’s fuel demands.

Iván de los Ángeles Arias, a 44-year-old boat pilot, often boards the boat for a five-minute ride across the Bay of Havana, keeping his car at home for emergency use only.

“That’s the reality we’re forced to live,” he said. “You deal with it as best you can.”

U.S. diplomats flew to Cuba earlier this month to meet with top government officials for the first time since 2016 as tensions remain high between the two countries.

Cuba’s government has said that the elimination of the U.S. energy embargo was a top priority for its delegation, calling it an “act of economic coercion” and “unjustified punishment.”

In late January, just weeks after the U.S. invaded Venezuela in a move that halted critical oil shipments to Cuba, President Donald Trump threatened tariffs on any country that sells or provides oil to Cuba, which produces only 40% to meet its needs.

The U.S. has called for an end to political repression, the release of political prisoners and liberalization of the island’s imploding economy as part of several conditions to lift its sanctions on Cuba.

Arias, the boat pilot, said he didn’t think the talks will change anything for him.

“I have no hope,” he said. “That means nothing if living conditions remain the same.”

That's because shareholders of Warner Bros. Discovery on Thursday voted to sell the entire business to the company that owns CBS, along with blockbusters like “Top Gun." Based on a preliminary count, Warner shareholders overwhelmingly agreed to the proposed $81 billion buyout — valued at nearly $111 billion including debt, based on Warner’s current outstanding shares.

While the deal still faces regulatory review, the megamerger would vastly reshape Hollywood and the wider media landscape, further consolidating power in an industry already run by just a handful of major players. Paramount itself was acquired by Skydance just last year.

Here's what a Paramount-Warner combo could look like for streaming, movies, news and more.

Streaming

Paramount Skydance would own both Paramount+ and, with the sale approved by shareholders Thursday, Warner's HBO Max. Company executives have said that they would combine these streamers into one platform.

What that combined service would look like (or be named) is unclear. But Paramount CEO David Ellison suggested that HBO could still have some level of independence, at least production-wise.

“Our view point is, HBO should stay HBO,” Ellison said during a conference call last month. “They built a phenomenal brand, they are a leader in this space and we just want them to continue doing more of it. But by bringing the platforms together, all of our content will be able to reach even a broader audience than we can do standalone.”

Warner and its HBO streaming platform have a powerful lineup that includes “The Pitt,” “Game of Thrones” and “Sex and the City." And beyond “Harry Potter,” Warner's library lists blockbuster films such as “Sinners,” “Barbie” and "Superman" (the company also owns DC Studios). Titles like “Top Gun," "Titanic,” “The Godfather" and “Yellowstone" fill Paramount's catalog.

In the U.S., according to streaming guide JustWatch, HBO Max controlled about 12% of on-demand subscriptions in the first quarter of this year — compared to 3% for Paramount+. Combining those two services would still fall slightly below Prime Video's 17% market share, and the 19% of the market commanded by Netflix. Disney owns about 27% of the market between Hulu and Disney+.

Beyond HBO Max, Paramount would also acquire Warner’s smaller Discovery+ streamer. And apart from Paramount+, Paramount owns Pluto TV and BET+, too.

Critics are skeptical of consumer benefits touted by Paramount. While company executives have continued to laud larger content libraries and the potential for Paramount to better compete with bigger rivals, a combination with Warner Bros. would mean fewer platform choices when it comes to streaming overall. Critics warn that could actually mean higher prices at a time when the price of almost all subscriptions continues to tick higher.

Moviemaking and theatrical releases

Paramount and Warner Bros. are two of Hollywood’s oldest studios. A merger would mean fewer companies control legacy film production.

Ellison has said he wants the combined company to grow a slate to more than 30 movies a year, keeping Paramount and Warner Bros. as stand-alone operations. And in a star-studded CinemaCon appearance last week, he promised a 45-day exclusive window for films in theaters, pledging a “complete commitment” to the industry.

Still, others are wary about what further consolidation could mean for jobs and which projects are greenlit down the road. Regulatory filings have indicated that the new ownership will be looking for ways to cut costs — including layoffs and downsizing some overlapping operations. Paramount is taking on billions of dollars in debt to finance the deal.

Warner Bros. just had a banner year of both major blockbusters and critical successes. The studio racked up 30 Oscar nominations thanks to “Sinners,” “Weapons,” and “One Battle After Another” (which took home the top best picture slot). Paramount received zero. And in 2025, Warner Bros. movies — including “A Minecraft Movie,” “Superman” and “Sinners” — accounted for 21% of the domestic box office. Paramount’s market share was only 6%, driven largely by “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning."

The industry has already experienced a sizeable consolidation. Almost 10 years ago, Hollywood’s big six became the big five when Disney bought most of 20th Century Fox. And if the Warner sale goes through, a new “big four” era would be underway — with a bigger Paramount standing alongside Disney, Universal and Sony.

News

CNN would come under the same roof as Paramount-owned CBS. That would bring together two of America’s biggest names in television news, although whether CNN would continue to operate as a separate brand from CBS has yet to be confirmed.

Regardless, there is a lot of anxiety about Paramount taking control of CNN — a network that has long attracted ire from President Donald Trump and his allies. Critics point to Trump’s close relationship with the Ellison family, particularly billionaire Oracle founder Larry Ellison, who is putting up billions of dollars to back the bid by his son’s company.

Since coming under Skydance ownership less than a year ago, CBS has already seen significant shifts in editorial leadership. It's taken steps to appeal to more conservative viewers in its news operations, notably with the installation of Free Press founder Bari Weiss as editor-in-chief of CBS News. If the company’s proposed Warner takeover is successful, many expect similar changes at CNN.

Some officials in the Trump administration have also made their opinions very clear about CNN's future ownership. In March, the White House attacked CNN for its coverage of the U.S. and Israel's war against Iran — and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told reporters that "the sooner David Ellison takes over that network, the better.”

Ellison has said that editorial independence “will absolutely be maintained” under Paramount ownership. “It’s maintained at CBS. It’ll be maintained at CNN,” Ellison told CNBC's “Squawk on the Street” in March, while noting that his company wants to speak to “the 70%” of viewers who he said identify as center-left or center-right.

The acting head of the U.S. Justice Department's antitrust division has also said that its regulatory review will not be political. Still, critics are skeptical — particularly following Skydance's acquisition of Paramount in August. That merger was approved by the Federal Communications Commission just weeks after the company agreed to pay Trump $16 million to settle a lawsuit over editing at CBS' “60 Minutes” program. The president has continued to publicly lash out at “60 Minutes” programming since.

Other TV and cable networks

CNN is just one of the cable operations that Warner is selling. And the proposed merger would make Paramount's TV footprint even bigger.

The company also owns Discovery, TNT, TBS, Food Network, Cartoon Network and Animal Planet, among other networks — all of which would come under Paramount ownership if the deal goes through. Meanwhile, Paramount already has its own sizeable broadcast lineup. Beyond CBS, that includes Nickelodeon, MTV, BET, Comedy Central, Showtime and more.

The 21-year-old whose legal name is David Burke appeared in a small Los Angeles courtroom in orange jail clothes sitting next to his attorneys, exactly one year after authorities say Rivas Hernandez, a 14-year-old from Lake Elsinore, California, was last known to be alive.

Burke was brought into court wearing handcuffs that were removed when he sat. He spoke only to say “yes, ma'am” to a procedural question from Superior Court Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo, who set the four-to-five-day preliminary evidentiary hearing to start May 1. She will determine whether there is probable cause to send Burke to trial.

Deputy District Attorney Beth Silverman said the prosecution has voluminous evidence that will take time to share, including child sex abuse images taken from Burke's phone with a warrant that must be handled sensitively.

“I cannot turn that type of materials over,” Silverman said.

But she said the prosecution is fine with working on an incredibly tight timeline for the hearing, which usually comes many months after defendants are arrested and charged.

“We'll be ready,” she said.

“Today it’s been exactly one year since the death of Celeste,” the prosecutor said. “We're eager to set this case for trial.”

Burke was arrested on April 16 and pleaded not guilty Monday to first-degree murder, lewd and lascivious acts with a person under 14 and mutilating a dead body.

His lawyers spoke only about the exchange of evidence at Thursday's hearing and declined to comment outside court. But at his arraignment, defense attorney Blair Berk told a judge, “We believe the actual evidence will show David Burke did not murder Celeste Rivas Hernandez.”

In a rare move, the singer is exercising his right in California to have the preliminary evidence hearing within 10 court days of his arraignment. It is not entirely clear why his lawyers are pursuing the strategy. Berk said in court previously that with all the secret evidence gathered in the case, they simply want it seen.

The body of Rivas Hernandez, with the head and arms cut off, was found in two bags in a seemingly abandoned Tesla registered to Burke that was towed from the Hollywood Hills while he was on tour.

In an autopsy report unsealed Wednesday, the LA County Medical Examiner determined that she died from two penetrating wounds to her upper body. The decomposing body made the examination difficult. Investigators did not determine how she got the wounds, and no weapon was recovered, the report said.

Prosecutors allege Burke had been sexually abusing Rivas Hernandez for at least a year starting when she was 13; killed her on or around April 23, 2025, after she threatened to report the relationship; and dismembered her body about two weeks later.

Silverman said the evidence includes the contents of his phone and iCloud accounts, items seized from many search warrants and a huge amount of forensic material. And it includes witness testimony given to three different grand juries, whose existence she confirmed for the first time publicly Thursday.

Silverman said the grand juries, which have subpoena power, were called only for investigative reasons. Defense attorneys and court observers have questioned why no grand jury indictment was issued against Burke before his arrest.

“It's been an informative hearing,” Berk, the defense attorney, told the judge.

The girl's parents, Jesus Rivas and Mercedes Martinez, made their first public statement in the case on Tuesday, calling their daughter “a beautiful, strong girl who loved to sing and dance” and saying “All we want is justice for Celeste.”

D4vd, pronounced “David,” gained popularity among young fans for his blend of indie rock, R&B and lo-fi pop. He went viral on TikTok in 2022 with the hit “Romantic Homicide,” which peaked at No. 4 on Billboard’s Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart. He released his debut EP “Petals to Thorns” and a follow-up, “The Lost Petals,” in 2023. His debut full-length album, “Withered,” was released in 2025.

Thousands of people were injured in the violence, with more than 800 people having gunshot wounds.

The commission's chairman, Mohamed Chande Othman, said that the number of deaths was likely to be higher, because some families buried their loved ones without taking their bodies to morgues.

Tanzania experienced postelection violence on Oct. 29, after young people took to the streets, accusing the government of silencing the opposition, as the country’s main opposition party leader remained in prison for treason and the presidential candidate for the second-largest opposition party was barred from running.

The internet was shut down in the country for days, a move that President Samia Suluhu Hassan later apologized to the diplomatic community for and promised would never happen again.

Hassan was seeking a second term in office after serving out the term of her predecessor, John Magufuli, after he died in office. Hassan won with 97% of the vote, and some international observers said the election fell short of a free and fair vote.

Othman recommended that a further investigation be conducted on the use of firearms, as some of the witnesses told the commission that their loved ones were shot while sitting inside their houses.

Since the violence, 245 people remain unaccounted for, and 39 families reported having seen the bodies of their loved ones in morgues before they later disappeared.

The commission ruled out the presence of mass graves, as alleged by human rights groups. The commission concluded that the demonstrations weren't peaceful, but were “acts of violence” based on their contravention of laws requiring a 48-hour police notice and because it was an election day, thus denying some citizens the right to vote.

Othman said that the protests were planned and coordinated by people who had been recruited and trained, and violence occurred simultaneously in various locations to confuse the police.

Hassan said that the commission’s findings will guide constitutional amendments and promised the establishment of a reconciliation commission.

The president also announced the formation of a criminal investigative body to review the postelection unrest. She said that the body will identify those who planned, financed and were involved in criminal acts such as looting and damaging infrastructure. It will also investigate claims of missing bodies and allegations of abductions.

The shooting of Casey Goodson Jr. by former Franklin County Deputy Jason Meade, who is white, led to protests in Columbus and lingering questions, in part because the sheriff’s office didn’t equip its deputies with body cameras or dash cameras.

Meade faced the same charges at his first trial. The judge in that case declared a mistrial in 2024 after the jury couldn't agree on a verdict.

Attorney Howard Merkle, a special prosecutor for the case, recounted events that he said led up to the shooting, and urged jurors to consider the evidence he said proves Meade’s use of force was unreasonable.

“The evidence will show that on December 4, 2020, the defendant shot Casey Goodson Jr. six times in the back, killing him,” he said.

“At the time, Casey had entered his house, was carrying a bag of Subways and was listening to YouTube music on his AirPods,” Merkle said.

Meade testified in the first trial that Goodson waved a gun at him as the two drove past each other and that he pursued Goodson because he feared for his life and the lives of others. He said he eventually fired as Goodson entered his grandmother’s home because the 23-year-old man turned toward him with a gun.

Defense attorney Kaitlyn Stephens said the now-retired deputy feared for his life in the confrontation with Goodson, and said officers do “not have to wait to be shot at in order to protect themselves.”

“The evidence will show that Jason Meade was justified, a justified tragedy,” she said.

Meade had been searching unsuccessfully for a fugitive that day as part of his work for a U.S. Marshals Service task force. Goodson was not the subject of the fugitive search, and the Marshals have said Meade wasn’t performing a mission for them at the time.

Goodson’s family and prosecutors have said Goodson was holding a sandwich bag in one hand and his keys in the other, having unlocked the front door, when he was fatally shot. They did not dispute that Goodson may have been carrying a gun, which he had a license to carry, but prosecutors have noted that Meade has been the only person to testify that Goodson was holding a gun.

Goodson’s weapon was found on his grandmother’s kitchen floor with the safety mechanism engaged.

Jurors in the previous trial deadlocked after one was dismissed during testimony and replaced by an alternate and three others were dismissed and replaced during deliberations, forcing the panel to restart deliberations multiple times. Court officials did not say why the jurors were removed.

The $2,299,998.85 seats for the July 19 match at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, are located behind a goal in the lower deck in block 124, row 45, seats 33-36.

FIFA does not control the asking prices on its Resale/Exchange Marketplace but takes a 15% purchase fee from the buyer of each ticket and a 15% resale fee from the seller.

An aisle seat 33 in block 146, row 32 of the lower deck listed as easy access standard was listed at $207,000, while a category two seat in the last row of the uppermost third deck was listed at $138,000 for block 310, row 26, seat 23. A few feet away, seat 21 has an asking price of $23,000.

The lowest-priced tickets for the final listed Thursday on the Marketplace were $10,923.85 for four seats four rows from the top of the upper deck behind a goal, in block 323, row 23, seats 13-16.

FIFA did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

FIFA put new blocks of tickets on sale Wednesday on its direct tickets site. Available tickets for the final cost $10,990.

Tickets were available from FIFA at $11,130 for the July 14 semifinal in Arlington, Texas, and at $9,660 and $4,360 for the July 15 semifinal in Atlanta.

Prices for the U.S. opener against Paraguay on June 12 at Inglewood, California, were listed at $4.,105, $2,735, $2,330 and $1,940, while seats for the Americans' second match against Australia on June 19 at Seattle cost $2,715. Tickets for the U.S. group stage finale against Turkey on June 25 at Inglewood cost $2,970 and $1,345.

Canada's opener vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 12 at Toronto was available for $3,360, $2,240, $1,645 and $980.

No tickets were listed directly by FIFA for the June 11 tournament opener between Mexico and South Africa in Mexico City.

For the quarterfinals, available tickets were $4,200 and $1,610 for the July 9 match at Foxborough, Massachusetts; $5,730 for the July 10 game in Inglewood; $4.770 and $1,815 for the July 11 match at Miami Gardens, Florida, and $4,080 for the July 11 game at Kansas City, Missouri.

Tickets for the third-place game at Miami Gardens on July 18 could be purchased at $1,125.

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

Iran has not withdrawn from the World Cup, and the team is preparing to play in the U.S. despite the war in the Middle East. FIFA has insisted its group stage games near Los Angeles and in Seattle will go ahead as planned in June.

The Financial Times reported that Paolo Zampolli, the U.S. special envoy for global partnerships, had suggested the swap to President Donald Trump and FIFA president Gianni Infantino.

In a phone interview with the Associated Press on Thursday, Zampolli emphasized that “my request is not a political request." The ask, which was made to Trump and Infantino on Wednesday, was meant as a contingency plan in case Iran could not participate in the soccer tournament at the last minute.

“I had a dream,” Zampolli told the AP. “My request was for the Italian people and the American-Italian people.”

He said in the FT interview that, with four titles, the Italian national team's appearance in the World Cup would be justified.

Italian officials pushed back hard at the suggestion, with Sports Minister Andrea Abodi saying Thursday that “first of all, it's not possible. Secondly, it's not a good idea.”

Luciano Buonfiglio, the president of the Italian Olympic Committee, which oversees all sports in Italy, also dismissed the idea.

“I would feel offended,” Buonfiglio said. “You need to deserve to go to the World Cup.”

Italy’s Finance Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti called the suggested swap “shameful.”

While Iran was among the first teams to qualify for the World Cup, Italy missed out for the third consecutive tournament, resulting in the resignations of its national team coach and soccer federation president.

Zampolli has long been a part of the Trump family orbit, having introduced then-Melania Knauss to Donald Trump at a New York Fashion Week party in 1998. He regularly posts on social media about his meetings with Infantino, calling him the “King of Soccer.” Trump last year appointed him as special representative for global partnerships.

In March, The New York Times reported that Zampolli had reached out to a top official at Immigration and Customs Enforcement, informing him that the mother of his child was in the country illegally as the two were locked in a custody dispute. She was ultimately deported.

The White House did not return a request for comment. Its World Cup task force, housed under the Department of Homeland Security, said it had no comment. FIFA also would not comment.

The Iranian embassy in Rome denounced Zampolli’s remarks in a comment on X.

“Football belongs to the people, not to politicians,” the embassy said. “Italy earned its soccer prowess on the field, not thanks to political maneuvers. The attempt to exclude Iran from the World Cup shows only the ‘moral bankruptcy’ of the United States, which fears even the presence of 11 young Iranians on the field of play.”

Iran’s status at the World Cup, which starts in June, has been a source of debate and concern since the U.S. and Israel launched military attacks on the country in February.

Trump in March discouraged Iran from participating in the tournament, citing safety concerns.

FIFA has consistently said Iran will stick to the World Cup schedule decided last December, and refused to negotiate any suggestion of moving the team’s games to co-host Mexico.

An Iranian government spokesperson said Wednesday that the men’s national team is preparing for “proud and successful participation” in its World Cup games in the U.S.

Iran earned one of eight guaranteed World Cup places allocated to the Asian Football Confederation. Should Iran pull out, in theory the replacement should be the United Arab Emirates, the highest-ranked Asian team that didn’t qualify.

One possible element of uncertainty is the language of the World Cup tournament rules.

FIFA wrote that it can decide to replace a withdrawn team “with another association,” though without specifying the replacement must come from the same continental confederation.

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Dunbar reported from Geneva and Kim reported from Washington.

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

“Mr. Pearce Jr. will be entering a six-month diversion program. Upon completion of the six months without violation, the state will dismiss all felony and misdemeanor charges,” one of Pearce’s attorneys, Jacob Nunez, said Thursday in a statement provided to The Associated Press.

“James is focused on moving forward, rejoining his teammates and the Atlanta Falcons organization as a whole, performing at the highest level, and continuing to be a team player on and off the field,” Nunez and another attorney, Yale Sanford, said in another statement.

The Falcons did not immediately respond to an inquiry about Pearce's status with the team.

Atlanta's WSB-TV first reported the agreement for Pearce to enter the intervention program.

The resolution came on the opening day of the NFL draft, one year after the Falcons made Pearce the No. 26 pick in the 2025 draft. Pearce led Atlanta with 10 1/2 sacks. His 45 quarterback pressures set a Falcons rookie record.

The felony charges, however, have left his status with the team uncertain. First-year coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed on April 8 Pearce was not at the practice facility for the start of the team's voluntary offseason program.

General manager Ian Cunningham said Monday there was no update on Pearce. “Everything is status quo,” Cunningham said.

On March 13, the Florida State Attorney’s Office in Miami-Dade County filed charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, fleeing and eluding police and resisting an officer with violence. A fourth charge of stalking was brought as a misdemeanor.

An additional charge of aggravated battery of an officer was dropped.

According to the police account, Jackson told authorities she attempted to drive away from Pearce and was driving toward the Doral police station to seek help when Pearce “intentionally collided into the rear of her vehicle with his SUV” before police arrived.

Pearce allegedly refused an initial order from police to “get on the floor,” according to details of the arrest in an affidavit. The police account said Pearce then drove away and hit a police officer’s left knee with his vehicle “intentionally in an attempt to evade arrest.”

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

Trump’s return to the presidency was fueled by a wide-ranging coalition that built on his loyal base of supporters. Now that Trump has been in the White House for more than a year, the survey of more than 2,500 U.S. adults from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that many key groups — including Hispanic adults, younger adults and men — are increasingly dissatisfied with his presidency.

The poll was conducted from April 16 through Monday, as oil prices fluctuated and Americans spent more at the gas pump.

It’s a particularly bad moment for Trump, a Republican whose economic approval slumped over the past month as the Iran war drives prices higher. But AP-NORC polls show that discontent has been building among critical segments of the population over the past year.

Trump's overall approval among Hispanic adults has fallen 16 percentage points since March 2025, and his support has declined by 9 percentage points among men.

And while Trump’s base is still largely behind him — most Republicans approve of his performance — there are signs that his second term may not be living up to their expectations.

Here’s what polling shows about Trump’s current status with four important groups:

Hispanic adults

Hispanic Americans have grown increasingly discontented with Trump over the past year.

About one-quarter of Hispanic adults approve of how he’s handling the presidency in the new poll, down from about 4 in 10 in March 2025.

That decline has been visible since late last year — suggesting that it’s not just the war in Iran or recent spikes in gas prices that are leaving this group unhappy.

Trump’s restrictive immigration approach may be playing a role. Only about one-quarter of Hispanics approve of his handling of immigration, down from 36% at the beginning of his term.

His immigration tactics appear to be particularly unpopular among younger Hispanics — a group with which he made gains in 2024. Only 18% of younger Hispanic adults approve of his performance on immigration, compared with 40% of Americans overall.

There is also broad discontent about the state of the U.S. economy among Hispanics. Only about one-quarter of Hispanic adults approve of how Trump is handling that issue, and about 2 in 10 say they approve of his approach to the cost of living. Few Hispanic adults, about 2 in 10, describe the nation’s economy as “good.”

Young adults

Trump’s overall approval with Americans under age 45 has slid over the past year, falling from 39% in March 2025 to 28% in the latest poll.

Younger women have a particularly dim view of Trump’s handling of the economy.

Only about 2 in 10 women under age 45 approve of how Trump is handling the economy, including only 7% of younger Hispanic women who approve of his economic approach. More young men, about 3 in 10, approve of him on this issue.

Trump’s struggles among young adults extend to other groups, too. Only about one-third of white adults under age 45 approve of his overall performance, compared with 45% of white adults age 45 or older.

A downtick among men

Trump made broad appeals to men throughout his 2024 campaign, and most male voters backed Trump in the presidential election over Democrat Kamala Harris. In particular, he made slight but significant gains with Black and Hispanic men, who were drawn by his vows to revitalize the economy.

Since he reentered office, though, American men have become slightly less likely to approve of his performance, declining from 47% at the start of his second term to 38% in the most recent poll.

There are signs that Black men, in particular, aren’t seeing Trump’s economic promises pan out. Black men are more likely than white or Hispanic men to disapprove of Trump’s approach to the presidency, as well as his approach to the economy, the cost of living and Iran. Only about 1 in 10 Black men say they approve of how Trump is handling the cost of living, and roughly 2 in 10 approve of how he’s handling the economy.

Hispanic men, too, have a relatively dim view of Trump’s overall performance. About 3 in 10 approve of how Trump is handling the presidency, regardless of their age. That support is stronger among white men, with about half approving of Trump.

While young Republicans are frustrated, MAGA still backs Trump

Trump has benefited from Republicans’ loyalty for years, but there are recent signs of frustration even within his base.

Roughly two-thirds of Republicans approve of Trump’s job performance. That is down slightly from 82% near the start of his second term and is generally in line with the GOP low point from his first term.

But only about half of Republicans overall approve of Trump’s approach to the cost of living, and a majority of Republicans under age 45 disapprove of him on that issue.

Trump is still buoyed by the support of his MAGA base, even as he faces backlash from conservative media figures on some of his recent actions in Iran.

About 9 in 10 MAGA Republicans — those who consider themselves supporters of the “Make America Great Again” movement — approve of Trump’s job performance, and a similar share approve of his handling of Iran.

It's a good sign for Trump that his most robust supporters are still in his corner, but not all Republicans identify with MAGA. About half of Republicans, 54%, say they consider themselves MAGA supporters.

Among non-MAGA Republicans, Trump's approval is much lower, at 44%.

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The AP-NORC poll of 2,596 adults was conducted April 16-20 using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 2.6 percentage points.

Here in Houston, the issue is not abstract. So far in 2026, Houston police data shows 91 women have been raped, and 2,142 people—men and women—have been victims of violent attacks. Nationwide, statistics show 22 out of every 1,000 women have been attacked this year.

That’s why a hands-on workshop happening this weekend is focused on one goal: giving women practical, non-lethal ways to drive off an attacker and escape.

The Women’s Personal Safety / Less-Lethal Workshop is set for Sunday, April 26, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at Hartman Tactics, 350 Nursery Road in Spring. The cost is $89.

The class will be led by Joe Morris, a former Marine combat soldier and self-defense trainer, and Heather Hartman, a former police detective and firearms instructor.

Participants will learn non-lethal self-defense techniques, along with how to use less-lethal tools such as a Byrna launcher, a Taser, and a Strikelight—training designed to help women create distance, break free, and get to safety.

This is a hands-on workshop. Organizers say attendees should wear workout clothes and tennis shoes.

To register, visit hartmantactics.com and click on the Events page.

Leo also asserted that countries have the right to control their borders but mustn’t treat migrants worse than “animals,” and lamented that the church’s morality teaching is often reduced to sexual issues.

On Iran, capital punishment and peace

After a trip that was dominated by the very public back and forth between Leo and U.S. President Donald Trump over the war, Leo urged the United States and Iran to return to negotiations.

He called for a new “culture of peace” to replace the recourse to violence whenever conflicts arise.

He said the question wasn’t whether the Iran regime should change or not. “The question should be about how to promote the values we believe in without the deaths of so many innocents.”

He revealed that he carries with him the photo of a Muslim Lebanese boy who had been killed in Israel’s recent war with Hezbollah. The boy had been photographed holding a sign welcoming the pope when he visited Lebanon last year.

“As a pastor I cannot be in favor of war,” he told reporters aboard his plane. “I would like to encourage everyone to find responses that come from a culture of peace and not hatred and division.”

Asked if he condemned Iran’s recent executions, Leo said he condemned “all actions that are unjust” and included capital punishment in the list.

“I condemn the taking of people’s lives. I condemn capital punishment. I believe human life is to be respected and that all people from conception to natural (death), their lives should be respected and protected.

“So when a regime, when a country takes decisions which take away the lives of other people unjustly, then obviously that is something that should be condemned,” he said.

Pope Francis changed the church’s social teaching to declare capital punishment immoral in all cases.

On migration and the rights of states

Leo affirmed the right of countries to impose immigration controls on their borders and acknowledged that uncontrolled migration had created situations “that are sometimes more unjust in the place where they arrive than from where they left.”

“I personally believe that a state has the right to impose rules for its frontiers,” he said. “But saying this, I ask: ‘What are we doing in the wealthier countries to change the situation in poorer countries’ to provide opportunities so that people aren’t compelled to leave?”

Regardless, he said migrants are human beings and deserve to be respected in their human dignity and not be treated “worse than house pets, animals.”

On LGBTQ+ blessings and morality

Leo was asked about the recent invitation by Cardinal Reinhard Marx, archbishop of Munich, for the priests and pastoral workers in his archdioceses to adopt a set of guidelines formalizing and ritualizing blessings of same-sex couples.

The guidelines were approved last year by a controversial German church governing body made up of the German bishops’ conference and a Catholic lay group that has been working to have a greater say in church decision-making.

The Vatican in 2023 allowed for such blessings, but it made clear that they were not to be formalized or ritualized. The Vatican allowed them to be offered spontaneously and informally, as a priest gives a final blessing to all people at the end of Mass.

Leo said the Holy See had made clear to German bishops that “we do not agree with the formalized blessing” of gay couples or couples in other “irregular situations.”

The Vatican’s 2023 declaration allowing an informal blessing, promulgated with virtually no consultation outside the Vatican, sharply divided the church, with African bishops delivering a continent-wide dissent and refusing to implement it. Homosexual activity is criminalized in several African countries.

Asked how he would handle keeping the church unified over such a divisive issue, Leo spoke broadly about how culture war questions of sexual morality had dominated church discourse, particularly in the West, far too much.

“I think it’s very important to understand that the unity or division of the church should not revolve around sexual matters,” he said. “We tend to think that when the church is talking about morality, that the only issue of morality is sexual.

“And in reality, I believe that there are much greater and more important issues such as justice, equality, freedom of men and women, freedom of religion that would all take priority before that particular issue.”

The comment was significant because it suggested that even though he is American, Leo believes the church in the U.S. and the West has excessively reduced its moral teachings to revolve only around sex at the expense of other pressing issues.

A pope who keeps on eye on how he’s being covered

History’s first U.S. pope showed himself keenly aware of how his Africa trip had been reported and interpreted, including about his sometimes tame public addresses to African leaders who are accused of corruption or authoritarianism.

With a few notable exceptions, Leo kept his political remarks to the leaders largely diplomatic, using a language of encouragement and subtle messaging rather than headline-grabbing condemnations.

He also allowed some of the circumstances of his visit to speak louder than his words: a choreographed song and dance routine by prisoners in a country known for gross human rights abuses, or the extravagant luxury of a president’s hometown in a country where more than half the population lives in poverty.

Leo insisted that his primary reason for visiting Algeria, Cameroon, Angola and Equatorial Guinea was as a pastor, to accompany his flock in their faith.

He added that the Holy See can sometimes achieve more behind the scenes via its diplomatic work, including through the release of political prisoners, than with “great proclamations criticizing, judging or condemning.”

——-

Associated Press writer Monika Pronczuk contributed to this report.

___

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

The sixteenth recipient of the KPRC 2-American Furniture Warehouse Senior Scholarship from the class of 2026 is Jordan High School senior Jaiden Suh. Jordan High School in Fulshear is part of the Katy Independent School District.

Ranked ninth academically in his class of 791 students, Suh stands out as a scholar who is active in extracurriculars like the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), where he serves as Vice President. He is also an officer for his school’s chapters of the National Honor Society and Mu Alpha Theta, the honor society for mathematics.

With four years of participation in Jordan High School’s varsity orchestra, Suh is the group’s principal violist. He works with the nonprofit Spread the Music Association, volunteering more than 75 hours of his time to date playing music for patients in hospitals and nursing homes. Suh has also volunteered with Project C.U.R.E., packing and sorting medical supplies that would be distributed to hospitals in low-income communities.

Looking to the future, Suh plans to double-major in Economics and Political Science. Amherst College in Massachusetts is on the short list of places he’s considering to further his studies. Congratulations, Jaiden!

You can see the scholarship surprise for Jaiden Suh in the video player at the top of this article.

Thursday, April 23

• The Chevron Championship
• Great Age on the Green
• Financial Fortunes Card Game
• Silambam Houston

Wednesday, April 22

• The George Ranch
• Texas Medical Center BioPath Program
• From ‘Dance Moms’ to the stage and page: Nia Sioux’s next act
• • Follow Nia Sioux on Instagram
• Nia Sioux’s Memoir “Bottom of the Pyramid”

Tuesday, April 21

• Orchid care 101: Simple tricks to keep your orchids blooming longer
• • Ace Berry
  • Flora & More
• Affordable luxury: New upholstered bed collection unveiled at Texas Mattress Makers
• • Texas Mattress Makers
• Music, food and rodeo fun for all at the Galveston County Fair & Rodeo
• • Galveston County Fair & Rodeo
• Texas Dental Implant Center

Monday, April 20

• Robins Landing Neighborhood Floor Plans - Houston Habitat for Humanity
• Homeownership Process - Houston Habitat for Humanity
• Volunteering - Houston Habitat for Humanity
• ReStore - Houston Habitat for Humanity
• Third Ward - Houston Habitat for Humanity

Friday, April 17

• ‘Houston Life’ is live today at the Houston Ballet Nutcracker Market Spring
• • Houston Ballet Nutcracker Market® SPRING
  • Dog Collar World
  • Linked by Stevi
  • The Hive
  • Big Creek Farms
  • EK The Boutique
  • House of Cottonwood
  • ParkerJoe

Thursday, April 16

• TUTS presents ‘Monty Python’s Spamalot’ rides into the Hobby Center
• • Monty Python’s Spamalot at TUTS Tickets
• One ticket, endless fun at the Galveston County Fair and Rodeo
• • Galveston County Fair and Rodeo
• Carpet Giant celebrates 50 years of proudly serving generations of Houstonians
• • Carpet Giant Website (mention Houston Life to get $150 off your purchase of $1,000)
• Faith ‘One Arm Wonder’ Malton and Zack ‘Pitbull’ Ruhl rappel 30 stories for non-profit Camp For All
• • Camp For All
  • Faith Malton

Wednesday, April 15

• Brush up on your makeup routine at Blushington River Oaks
• • Houston Life Deals (Get 20% off beauty services at Blushington River Oaks)
  • Blushington River Oaks
• The King himself shares how to save 20% on tickets to the Texas Renaissance Festival
• • Texas Renaissance Festival
• Ethan’s Ohana
• Cube Against Cancer 2026 Houston
• Cube Against Cancer
• Fortis College

Tuesday, April 14

• Former Texans WR Steven Sims Jr. to host FREE youth football camp
• • Must See Foundation
• Why it’s not just the generator - it’s the company behind it
• • Gen Pro
• How the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce helps local companies grow
• • Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
• Step Onward Foundation uses music to fight homelessness in Texas
• • Step Onward Foundation
  • Sunday Funday Community Celebration

Monday, April 13

• Robins Landing Neighborhood Floor Plans - Houston Habitat for Humanity
• Homeownership Process - Houston Habitat for Humanity
• Volunteering - Houston Habitat for Humanity
• ReStore - Houston Habitat for Humanity
• Third Ward - Houston Habitat for Humanity

Friday, April 10

• Your guide to the Houston Barbecue Festival this weekend: Top pitmasters, unlimited BBQ samples, and more
• • Houston BBQ Festival
• Texas CASA’s partner agencies train volunteers to be a voice and a lifeline for children in the foster care system
• • Become a CASA
• ‘Grow the Game’ Initiative expands soccer access in Houston ahead of the World Cup with Guinness World Records attempt
• • Airbnb GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™
• Houston’s Garden Theatre celebrates 5 years with Stephen Sondheim’s “Company”
• • The Garden Theatre
• Father daughter duo Steve Zahn and Audrey Zahn chat new film ‘She Dances’

Thursday, April 9

• The Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary kicks off 22nd annual ‘Chic Boutique’
• • Chic Boutique
• Aramie Payton brings Broadway pedigree to Alley Theatre’s revival of “Fences”
• • Alley Theatre
• Layoff leads Houston creator to viral small business mission
• • Follow David on Instagram
• At just 19, Jalyn Hall is stepping into his moment
• • NBC’s “The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins”
• KPRC 2’s “Eat Like a Local”

Wednesday, April 8

• Houston Underwater Film Festival returns this weekend with stunning ocean films 🌊🌊
• • School, college and scuba students: claim a free ticket by emailing huff@hups.org
  • Houston Underwater Film Festival Tickets
• Celebrate Earth Month by sipping sustainably!
• • Wine and Travel Contributor Daniela Garrido
• Shred Day Houston: Safely destroy documents and fight hunger on April 18
• • Comerica Shred Day Houston
• Trade-show-tested home picks: Coffee, Water, Bidets and Moving Gear
• • Kathryn Emery Home Improvement & Lifestyle Expert
• A kid’s guide to top play picks to cut screen time and spark creativity
• • Kid-trepreneur Dylan Emery

Tuesday, April 7

• Grand Marshals Kam Franklin & Brian Ching preview the 39th annual Art Car Parade
• • Houston Art Car Parade
• This Texas artist is turning Titanic artifacts into art
• • Souls of the Titanic
• In Houston, Your Windows May Not Last as Long—Here’s What to Know (and What to Do About It)
• • Pella Windows and Doors
• Houston’s Trillest Chef bringing bold flavors of H-Town the national stage
• • Follow Chef Machete on Instagram
• Texas Dental Implant Center

Monday, April 6

• Houston’s Garden Theatre celebrates 5 years with Stephen Sondheim’s “Company”
• • The Garden Theatre
• Sysco’s World Cup-themed food show is a preview of how Houston plans to feed the world
• • Sysco World Cup-themed food show
• The Houston Art Car Parade

Friday, April 3

• HL Rhythm Energy Question of the Week
• WWE Wrestler Je’Von Evans
• WWE Monday Night Raw at Toyota Center Tickets
• IBEW Local 66
• KPRC 2’s “Eat Like a Local”

Thursday, April 2

• Disney on Ice
• The Chevron Championship
• Maxine Sharf brings ‘Maxi’s Kitchen’ to Houston Life with her mom
• • Follow Maxine Sharf on Instagram
  • "Maxi’s Kitchen: Easy Go-To Recipes to Make Again and Again"
• Father daughter duo Steve Zahn and Audrey Zahn chat new film ‘She Dances’

Wednesday, April 1

• Spring gets sweeter with two easy recipes: Carrot cupcake and blueberry crumble bun
• • Follow Cookbook Author Florence Jackson on Instagram
• This Houston Restaurant Hasn’t Raised Prices Since Its Food Truck Days
• • Black Restaurant Week
  • Chitalian Pizzeria
• Tarot, the Fool card and finding meaning on Derrick’s birthday (April Fool’s Day)
• • Tarot Card Reader Amber Ambrose
• Theatre Under the Stars presents ‘Back to the Future: The Musical’ through April 5th
• • TUTS “Back to the Future: The Musical”

Tuesday, March 31

• Send Well Wishes to Tessa on her last day
• • Tessa Barrera announces she’s leaving ‘Houston Life’
• Calling all book lovers: Houston indie bookstore crawl returns for its third year of literary adventure
• • 2026 Houston Bookstore Crawl
• Preview the 13th annual Insperity Invitational presented by United Healthcare
• • Insperity Invitational
• Texas roots and coastal growth, how the Oyster Bros in Palacios are redefining the gulf oyster
• • Oyster Bros
• Goodtaste with Tanji Patton

Monday, March 30

• How Autism Moms of Houston became a lifeline for families raising children who are neurodivergent
• • Autism Moms of Houston
  • Autism Awareness Festival
• An offer fit for a new you! Grab the Alloy Personal Training Houston Life Deal
• • Alloy Personal Training Houston
  • Houston Life Deals
• Who’s responsible when a child is hurt at daycare?
• • Bivona Law
• At just 19, Jalyn Hall is stepping into his moment
• • NBC’s “The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins”

Friday, March 27

• Family fun, charity, & of course golf shine at Texas Children’s Houston Open ⛳
• • Texas Children’s Houston Open
  • TCHO Cleats for Kids

Wednesday, March 25

• Tessa Barrera announces she’s leaving ‘Houston Life’
• Plan aims to turn Garden Oaks Theater into an arts hub before it’s too late
• • Save the Garden Oaks Theater
• Fore! Preview the 2026 Texas Children’s Houston Open
• • Texas Children’s Houston Open
• Women, Wealth, and breaking ‘The Success Lie’
• • Chantell Preston
  • “The Success Lie” by Chantell Preston
• McGovern Allergy & Asthma Clinic
• Gexa Energy

Tuesday, March 24

• From puppy playtime to pesky nipping, helpful springtime tips for dog owners
• • Stephanie Bennett’s Believe in Dog Training
• How one Houston program is helping kids discover confidence—and their future
• • Sam Houston Area Council Boy Scouts of America
• Houston Ballet’s Busy Spring: Nutcracker Market, Sons de L’âme & YAGP Finals
• • Houston Ballet
• Breaking barriers and popping corks with CEO and Master Sommelier June Rodil
• • Master Sommelier June Rodil
  • Goodnight Hospitality

Monday, March 23

• Blooming Wonders at ARTECHOUSE
• • Spring arrives at ARTECHOUSE Houston with ‘Blooming Wonders’
• Texas Dental Implant Center
• • Trusted Dental Implant Care in Houston — Board-Certified Periodontist Helps Complex Cases
• Disability Attorney Marc Whitehead
• • Expert tax advice: Are your Social Security and Disability benefits taxable?
• Allied Outdoor Solutions
• • From basic to beautiful: See this stunning backyard transformation in Weston Lakes

Thursday, March 19

• Springtime fun at the Houston Zoo
• • Zoo Bloom
  • All you can Zoo
  • Saving the Galápagos Islands

Wednesday, March 18

• Houston Latino Film Festival celebrates 10 Years with Cheech Marin
• • Houston Latino Film Festival
• Find the good vibes every weekend for Jazzy Sundays in the Parks
• • Jazzy Sundays in the Parks
• Get to know Dash rising star, Avery Patterson
• • Houston Dash
• Kevin Williamson makes fans SCREAM all over again in latest franchise installation
• • Kevin Williamson
• Self Employed? Tax Filing Moves That Help You Qualify for a Mortgage
• • Habayit Home Loans
  • Mortgage Expert Rich Bonn’s Upcoming Webinar

Tuesday, March 17

• Houston’s Mezclada Dance Company blends hip hop, Latin and contemporary dance forms into high-energy performances
• • Performing Arts Houston New/Now featuring Mezclada Dance Company
• METRO rolls out systemwide changes: A first look at the new technology to help streamline your ride
• • Metro Houston
• Houston Life Deals: Fun & savings for the entire family
• • HoustonLifeDeals.com
• Frontier Utilities teams with Kids’ Meals Houston to pack thousands of meals
• • Frontier Utilities

Monday, March 16

• Affordable rodeo-ready outfits you can find at Target this season
• • Target.com
• Houston’s growing need for linemen: Why the trade pays and how to start
• • IBEW Local 66
• ET hosts Nischelle Turner and Kevin Frazier share highlights from the 98th Academy Awards
• • Entertainment Tonight Oscars Coverage
• Houston Ballet principal dancer Karina González brings Frida Kahlo to life in Broken Wings
• • “Broken Wings” at Houston Ballet Tickets
• The Largest Indoor Waterpark in the U.S.? It’s Just a Road Trip from Houston
• • Kalahari Resorts and Conventions

Friday, March 13

• HL Rhythm Energy Question of the Week
• Houston Life Deals: Fun & savings for the entire family
• Outriding the Devil: Angela Ganter’s incredible rodeo comeback
• • Outriding the Devil premieres at River Oaks Theatre
• ‘Aliens’ 40th anniversary cast reunion and more at Pop Culture Con 2026
• • Pop Culture Con
• Alley Theatre brings Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest” to Houston with a fresh twist
• • “The Importance of Being Earnest” at Alley Theatre Tickets
• Bounce your way to better fitness: trampoline workouts in West U
• • Motiv Fitness at West University
• Moon 2 Mars Festival returns to Space Center Houston with out-of-this-world fun and concerts this spring break
• • Space Center Houston

Thursday, March 12

• KPRC 2 INSIDERS: Enter for your chance to see Tim McGraw at RODEOHOUSTON
• The Birthday Joy Program helps kids in foster care, shelters and group homes celebrate their special day
• • the Birthday Joy Program Website
• Inside “The Feminine Universe” Houston’s new all-women immersive art experience
• • The Feminine Universe Art Show Tickets
• Bring the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo home with these sips and bites
• • Entertaining Expert Paul Zahn
• Spring is in full swing at CITYCENTRE Houston
• • CITYCENTRE
• Kalahari Resorts and Conventions

Tuesday, March 10

• Enjoy Spring Break at the Houston Museum of Natural Science
• • Houston Museum of Natural Science
• Honoring the fallen & recognizing community heroes
• • Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
  • BP America
• Houston author Margie Seaman proves it is never too late to chase a dream
• • Margie Seaman
  • “Someday Is Our Horizon” by Margie Seaman on Amazon

Monday, March 9

• NestFest beach cleanup invites volunteers to protect nesting sea turtles on the Galveston Coast
• From bumper boats to STEAM activities, enjoy a FUNonmenal spring break at Discovery Green
• • FUNomenal Spring Break at Discovery Green
• This veteran-owned business is helping Houstonians keep the heat the out and the savings in with new windows
• • The Window Source
• You’ve been diagnosed with cancer, now what? Non-profit CanCare pairs you with survivors who can help
• • CanCare
• Spring Break Staycation: Why The Travel Mom says Houston families love Great Wolf Lodge
• • The Travel Mom
  • Great Wolf Lodge

Friday, March 6

• Houston Life Deals
• Pickle vs. anime: Largest pickle festival in Texas comes to Rosenberg with anime-inspired food
• • In A Pickle Festival
• Expedia’s 2026 Air Hacks: Best days to book, when to fly and top savings
• • Expedia Air Hacks Report
• The Parking Spot making airport parking a breeze
• • The Parking Spot
• A rustic dream venue just outside Houston
• • Country Oaks Venue
• Rare Texas artifacts step out ‘From the Vault’ at The Bryan Museum
• • The Bryan Museum
• Rhythm Energy Question of the Week

Thursday, March 5

• Gold Buckle Foodie Awards at Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
• Houston Life Deals
• Avoiding vacation headaches: New Vrbo survey on group travel reveals common pet peeves
• • Vrbo
• Houston wellness trend: A local body sculpting technique focused on lymphatic health
• • The Tox
• Catching up with Russell Dickerson ahead of debut RODEOHOUSTON performance
• • RODEOHOUSTON

Wednesday, March 4

• Houston Life Deals
• Moon 2 Mars Festival returns to Space Center Houston with out-of-this-world fun and concerts this spring break
• • Space Center Houston
• What to Wear to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo: Your Ultimate Style Guide 
• • Boot Barn
• Destin-Fort Walton Beach, more than beaches: reefs, fishing, little adventures
• • Visit Destin-Fort Walton Beach
• Baz Luhrmann’s ‘EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert’ gives fans a front-row seat to The King
• • “EPiC: Elvis Presley In Concert” Film

Tuesday, March 3

• Diana Ross coming to Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land
• Learn about the untold history of Black baseball
• • Houston Freedmen’s Town Conservancy
• Houston Life Deals
• Modern dental implants give Houston patients natural, comfortable smiles
• • Texas Dental Implant Center
• Houston native Kyrie McAlpin Talks ‘The Burbs’, Keke Palmer & a very Seth MacFarlane Christmas party

Monday, March 2

• Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
• • Houston Life kicks off opening day at 2026 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
• Suits & Boot Injury Lawyers

Friday, February 27

• Gabriel Basso takes us behind the scenes of Netflix’s ‘The Night Agent’
• • Netflix’s “The Night Agent”
• Mudbug Mania: Tanji Patton celebrates crawfish season in Houston
• • Goodtaste with Tanji Patton
  • Crawfish Shack
  • Crawfish Hideaway
• Theatre Under The Stars reveals 2026-27 season with Broadway tours & local shows
• • Theatre Under the Stars
• Boot Barn
• What to see and do in Malta — beaches, history and booking tips from The Travel Mom
• • The Travel Mom

Thursday, February 26

• Diana Ross at The Sugar Land Smart Financial Center
• KPRC 2 INSIDERS: Enter for a chance to see Creed perform at RodeoHouston
• Get a peek inside RodeoHouston’s World Championship BBQ Cookoff
• • Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
• Soulful river cruises that connect Black travelers to heritage and culture
• • AmaWaterways Soulful Experience River Cruise
• Houston Life Deals
• Allied Outdoor Solutions
• HCC Southeast College

Wednesday, February 25

• Behind the scenes of TUTS’ ‘Million Dollar Quartet’
• • Tickets to ‘Million Dollar Quartet’ at Theatre Under the Stars
• Houston influencers share their best thrifting tips for Rodeo
• • Find your nearest Goodwill store
• Plan the ultimate spring break getaway for everyone at Moody Gardens
• • Moody Gardens
• Ride along: METRO Police Chief explains new safety measures for Houston transit
• • Metro Houston

Tuesday, February 24

• Spring Break, but make it San Antonio
• • Visit San Antonio
• Alley Theatre’s ‘English’ explores identity, belonging, and the weight of learning a new language
• • Tickets to ‘English’ at Alley Theatre
• Looking for a Career Change? Here’s How You Could Be Job-Ready in 10 Months
• • Learn more about programs at United Education Institute Houston

Monday, February 23 (WE ARE BACK!!!)

• Indian Film Festival of Houston celebrates France with film, food and culture
• • Indian Film Festival of Houston Website
• KPRC 2 INSIDERS: Enter for a chance to see Riley Green perform at RodeoHouston
• • Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo
• Chris Hemsworth will keep you on the edge of your seat in ‘Crime 101’
• • “Crime 101” Movie Times
• Modern dental implants give Houston patients natural, comfortable smiles
• • Texas Dental Implant Center

February 6 - 20

• Houston is off air due to the Winter Olympics, but that doesn’t mean we’ll stop entertaining you. Be sure to follow us on social media to see all the HL fun. We’ll be back Feb. 23.
• • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest

Thursday, February 5

• Papa Johns Pizza
• The Cody Stephens Foundation saves lives with free heart screenings for young athletes
• • Cody Stephens Foundation
• Get ready for the return of the one and only Monster Jam in Houston
• • Tickets to Monster Jam at NRG Stadium
• Getting your best night’s sleep: How the latest materials and technology can help you sleep better
• • Texas Mattress Makers
• What is an “Orphan Generator”? And why it could put Houston homes at risk during an outage
• • GenPro.com
• Follow Mersha the Mini Panther on Instagram (Use MERSHA20 to get a discount at PrettyLitter)

Wednesday, February 4

• Simon & Garfunkel Story at The Sugar Land Smart Financial Center
• Behind the scenes of ‘Real Women Have Curves’ on stage at Alley Theatre
• • Tickets to ‘Real Women Have Curves’ at Alley Theatre
• Decoding body language: How to spot liars, read subtle signals, and communicate with confidence
• • Jan Hargrave
• In the Kitchen with Kroger: Why they are your one stop shop for the Big Game and Valentine’s Day
• • Kroger

Tuesday, February 3

• MFAH’s new exhibit explores Frida Kahlo’s lasting legacy
• • ‘Frida: The Making of an Icon’ at MFAH
• United Way of Greater Houston’s 211: Help is one call away
• • United Way of Greater Houston’s 211 Helpline
• After the freeze - now what? How to care for perennials and shrubs in Houston
• • Gardening with Skip
  • Houston Home and Garden Show
• Go back in time at Popfancy Dessert Bar’s new retro 80’s sci-fi arcade cafe
• • Popfancy Fan Cafe

Monday, February 2

• Kenny G at The Sugar Land Smart Financial Center
• The relationship advice that helps couples feel closer — even during hard conversations
• • Connection Expert Jenn Pinkerton
  • Connectin Cards Couples Edition on Amazon
• Paris Hilton’s “Infinite Icon”
• Arandas Bakery
• Texas Dental Implant Center

Friday, January 30

• Monster Energy Supercross heads into Houston featuring the world’s fastest racers
• • Monster Energy Supercross at NRG Stadium This Weekend
• From Trinidad and Tobago to Top Chef: Tristen Epps’ journey is rooted in culture
• • Chef Tristen Epps
  • A Classically Black Dinner - Vibrant + Modern + African
• Few physicians leave a legacy like this: Houston honors cancer pioneer Dr. Philip Salem
• • Salem Oncology Center
• The Travel Mom: Family-Friendly Wave-Season Deals from Princess
• • The Travel Mom
  • Princess Cruises

Thursday, January 29

• The Simon & Garfunkel Story at The Sugar Land Smart Financial Center
• Former KPRC 2 reporter shares ‘With Love From Harlem’: The story behind America’s First Black power couple
• • ReShonda Tate’s new book ‘With Love from Harlem’
• American Home Buyer
• How personalized aesthetics - Botox, fillers & lasers - can help you age better
• • Anti Age Institute
• The cast of ‘Bridgerton’ takes us behind-the-scenes of the ton for season 4
• • Netflix’s Bridgerton Season 4

Wednesday, January 28

• KPRC 2’s new evening anchor Stephania Jimenez makes her Houston debut with passion and purpose
• • Follow Stephania on her KPRC 2 Instagram Account
• Cars, boats and more: What to know about this year’s Houston AutoBoative Show 2026
• • Houston Autoboative Show (Save $20 with Family Four Pack Option)
• Get a taste of Old Town Katy with Tanji Patton of Goodtaste TV
• • Goodtaste with Tanji Patton
  • Peanut Butter Pie from Southern Dough
  • Southern Dough Baking Co.
  • Humble Grounds Coffeehouse
  • Harvest Kitchen & Bakery
• A Family Business Built on Trust: Luke’s Plumbing & Air Conditioning Serves Houston for Over 30 Years
• • Luke’s Plumbing & Air Conditioning

Tuesday, January 27

• Remembering the iconic artist David Adickes on his 99th birthday and his lasting legacy in Houston
• • David Adickes Art Website
  • Follow ‘Adickes Art’ on Instagram
• Plan a Vacation Day: Experts share 2026 travel trends and how to protect your trip
• • The Travel Mom
  • Follow The Travel Mom Emily Kaufman on Instagram
  • Travel Guard Insurance
• Texans Serving Texans: Gexa Energy gives back
• • Gexa Energy
• Bill Skarsgård steps beyond horror roots in new film, ‘Dead Man’s Wire’

Monday, January 26

• Houston relationship and intimacy expert dishes on the small relationship habits that make love last
• • Houston Relationship Therapy
  • VIVID Relationships app
• Crawfish & Noodles gearing up for a busy crawfish season
• • Crawfish & Noodles
• Traveling smarter in 2026: What travel experts say to book now
• • Travel Expert Jeanenne Tornatore
  • Follow the Outside Insider on Instagram

Friday, January 23

• Discover why Sam Houston Race Park is a top spot for family outings with “Houston Life”
• • Sam Houston Race Park
  • Corgi Races
  • Shannon Jewelers Presents Diamond Dig
  • Wiener Dog Races

Thursday, January 22

• WEIGH IN: What are your must have products during a freeze?
• Cars, boats and more: What to know about this year’s Houston AutoBoative Show 2026
• • Houston Autoboative Show (Save $20 with Family Four Pack Option)
• Honoring Dr. Philip A. Salem for innovations in cancer care and research
• • Salem Oncology Center
• Bert Kreischer talks fatherhood, fame, and his new scripted comedy series, “Free Bert”
• • Netflix’s “Free Bert”
• Last chance to enjoy the Green Mountain Energy Ice at Discovery Green
• • Ice at Discovery Green

Wednesday, January 21

• Seth Rogen, Ike Barinholtz & Chase Sui Wonders chat comedy series ‘The Studio’
• • Apple Tv+’s ‘The Studio’
• Allied Outdoor Solutions
• Living Designs Furniture
• The Women’s Resource empowers women and girls through free financial and career coaching services
• • The Women’s Resource
• Houston woman helps bring Black cowboy history to PBS
• • Alma’s Way on PBS Kids
  • Black Cowboy Coalition

Friday, January 16

• School Makes You Super: KPRC-TV reporter and mom Haley Hernandez debuts first children’s book to ease school anxiety
• • Buy ‘School Makes You Super" here
• Children’s Museum Houston celebrates the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
• • MLK Day Celebration at Children’s Museum Houston
• Two experts explain why Key Largo, Florida should be on your 2026 travel list
• • The Travel Mom
• The man known as “the human lie detector” works to keep serial killers behind bars
• • Killer Confessions

Thursday, January 15

• Young voices, lasting legacy: Houston students honor Dr. King in 30th Annual Oratory Competition
• • Foley MLK Jr. Oratory Competition
• Breaking through the plateau with Dr. Ian Smith’s ‘The Last 15′
• • Follow Dr. Ian Smith on Instagram
  • Purchase “The Last 15″ on Amazon
• Mindful eating tips and a pesto vinaigrette recipe to kickstart a healthier new year
• • Leaf & Grain
• Stay powered and protected with GenPro.com, Houston’s premier generator specialists
• • Call or log on to book an estimate and receive a functional mini generator worth $50 for FREE

Wednesday, January 14

• Check out the fun, food and giveaways for Houston Rockets fans this week
• • Houston Rockets Game Day Tickets
• A Kroger pharmacist’s guide to everyday wellness in 2026
• • Enter for a chance to win a Kroger gift card
  • Kroger
• Mix-MATCH Festival returns with over 20 performances celebrating Houston’s creative spirit
• • Tickets to 3rd Annual Mix-MATCH Festival
  • Daisies & Pancakes

Tuesday, January 13

• Kick off the new year with magic: Magician Curt Miller returns with his show “The Conjurer”
• • Curt Miller
  • Tickets to The Conjurer: An Intimate Magical Experience with Curt Miller
• Brad Meltzer Book Signing
• • Follow Brad Meltzer on Instagram
• Innovative Lasers of Houston

Monday, January 12

• Turn to tea this year to slow down, reset, and satisfy without regrets
• • Tea Please
• The Travel Mom: Family fun at Knott’s Berry Farm - a California getaway everyone will love
• • The Travel Mom
  • Visit Buena Park
  • Knott’s Berry Farm
• Pet adoption events for the new year at Fort Bend County Animal Services
• • Fort Bend County Animal Services
• New Year, New Smile: AI-driven smile design at Texas Dental Implant Center
• • Texas Dental Implant Center

Friday, January 9

• Shop The Sale Houston with proceeds benefitting childhood cancer research
• • The Sale Houston
• A new chapter begins: Jenna Bush Hager and Sheinelle Jones chat about their new pairing
• • TODAY with Jenna & Sheinelle
• Former radio personality, Sarah Pepper returns to Texas to emcee 2026 Chevron Houston Marathon
• • Follow Sarah Pepper on Instagram

Thursday, January 8

• Belle comes to Houston - Kyra Belle Johnson stars in Disney’s ‘Beauty and the Beast’ now at the Hobby Center
• • Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” Tickets at Hobby Center
• Mathew Knowles launches new Destiny’s Child nationwide tribute tour; Houston is first stop
• • Destiny’s Child: Iconic Reimagined Tribute Tickets
• Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

Wednesday, January 7

• The story behind Luke’s Plumbing and Air Conditioning serving Houstonians since 1991
• • Luke’s Plumbing & Air Conditioning
• Where karaoke meets claw machines: Welcome to Klaw‑Oke Kingdom in Pearland
• • Klaw-Oke Kingdom
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Tuesday, January 6

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Monday, January 5

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Friday, January 2

• Tough but fair: NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Llamas visits Houston Life
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• Opening weekend kicks off at Sam Houston Race Park TODAY!
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Thursday, January 1

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For people like Zack Loud of Farmington, Minnesota, it was a surprise to learn that under a new law, Canada already considered him and his siblings citizens because their grandmother is Canadian.

“My wife and I were already talking about potentially looking at jobs outside the country, but citizenship pushed Canada way up on our list,” he said.

Since the new law took effect Dec. 15, immigration lawyers in the United States and Canada say they have been overwhelmed by clients seeking help submitting proof of citizenship applications. Driven by politics, family heritage, job opportunities and other factors, thousands of Americans are exploring whether the easier process makes now the right time to gain dual citizenship.

Nicholas Berning, an immigration attorney at Boundary Bay Law in Bellingham, Washington, said his practice is “pretty much flooded with this.”

“We’ve kind of shifted a lot of other work away in order to push these cases through,” he said.

Immigration attorney Amandeep Hayer said his Vancouver, British Columbia-area practice went from about 200 citizenship cases a year to more than 20 consultations per day.

How the new law works

Canada has been changing its citizenship laws for decades, whether to update historic interpretations of law or to address discrimination issues.

Previously, Canadian citizenship by descent could only be passed down to one generation, from a parent to a child. But the new law opened up citizenship to anyone born before that date who could prove they have a direct Canadian ancestor — a grandparent, great-grandparent or even more distant ancestor.

Those born on or after Dec. 15 need to show that their Canadian parent lived in Canada for 1,095 days.

Under the new law, descendants of Canadians are already considered citizens but must provide proof to obtain a certificate of citizenship. Hayer estimated that there are millions of Americans who are Canadian descendants.

“You are Canadian, and you’re considered to be one your whole life,” said Hayer, who advocated for the new law in parliament. “That’s really what you’re applying for, the recognition of a right you already have vested.”

“The best way I can put it is like, if a baby’s born tomorrow in Canada, the baby’s Canadian even though they don’t have the birth certificate,” he said.

Americans interested in dual citizenship

American applicants have different motivations, but many say President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown and other topics have led them to seek dual citizenship.

Michelle Cunha, of Bedford, Massachusetts, said she decided to move to Canada after reflecting on decades of political activism and deciding she had “nothing left to give.”

“I put in my best effort for 30 years. I have done everything that I possibly can to make the United States what it promises the world to be, a place of freedom, a place of equality,” Cunha said. “But clearly we’re not there and we’re not going to get there anytime soon.”

Troy Hicks, who had a great-grandfather born in Canada, said he was spurred by an international trip.

“I recently went to Australia and you know, first words out of the first person I talked to in Australia was basically an expletive about Trump and the U.S.,” said Hicks, of Pahrump, Nevada. “It was just like, whoa, I walked off a 20-hour flight and literally the first words of somebody’s mouth to me were that. ... So the idea of doing that with a Canadian passport just seemed easier, better, more palatable.”

Maureen Sullivan, of Naples, Florida, said she was motivated by the immigration crackdown in Minnesota, which hit home when her teenage nephew encountered federal officers near his high school in St. Paul. Sullivan, whose grandmother was Canadian, said she sees citizenship in Canada as an option in case things in the U.S. “really go south.”

“When I first heard about the bill, I couldn’t believe it. It was like this little gift that fell in my lap,” Sullivan said. “There was kind of this collective excitement amongst the (family) who just felt like, we wanted to feel like we were doing something to take care of our security in the future if needed.”

How much will Canadian citizenship cost?

For those with documentation ready at hand, the proof of citizenship application fee is a relatively inexpensive 75 Canadian dollars ($55).

But costs will climb for those seeking help from an attorney or genealogist to locate records like birth, death and marriage certificates that can establish the lineage to a Canadian ancestor.

Cunha said she used an attorney and estimates the cost will be about $6,500.

However, Mary Mangan, of Somerville, Massachusetts, filed her application in January using advice from online forums.

“There are some situations where a lawyer might be the right thing, but for many people, I would guess 90% of people can probably do this on their own,” Mangan said.

The website for the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada office, which processes applications, says processing times for a certificate is around 10 months, with more 56,000 people awaiting a decision.

The agency said that from Dec. 15 to Jan. 31, it confirmed citizenship by descent for 1,480 people, though not all were Americans. Last year, 24,500 Americans gained dual U.S.-Canada citizenship.

What's the reaction in Canada?

Fen Hampson, professor of international affairs at Carleton University in Ottawa, said Canadians are generally a “welcoming people.”

Hampson said some also worry a surge of interest from Americans could delay efforts by refugees and asylum-seekers fleeing vulnerable situations.

“I think where people start looking askance is someone who’s never been to Canada, who has very thin ties. They can get a passport, becoming Canadians of convenience. People don’t like that,” he said.

Officials plan to unveil the marker Thursday in Ellerbe, North Carolina, a community of about 1,000 people where the wrestler born Andre Rene Roussimoff lived on a ranch just outside town.

Roussimoff was billed at 7-foot-4 (2.24 meters) and 520 pounds (236 kilograms) during his time wrestling for the WWE in the 1970s and 1980s.

A larger than life villain, Roussimoff was touted as unbeatable until he faced Hulk Hogan in a match in 1987 at WrestleMania III that launched the once regional wrestling company into a nationwide entertainment force.

Later that year, Roussimoff appeared on film as the giant Fezzik in “The Princess Bride.” Fezzik was the gentle-hearted muscle for the antagonist and needed rhymes to remember his instructions.

Roussimoff was born in France. But as he wrestled around the U.S. South he fell in love with the region, buying his North Carolina ranch and raising cattle on his land about 60 miles (97 kilometers) east of Charlotte.

He became a critical part of the Ellerbe community. In 1990, he taped TV and radio spots against a possible low-level radioactive landfill nearby. A pair of his size-26 cowboy boots are kept at a museum.

Roussimoff died in 1993 at age 46 in France where he was visiting for his father’s funeral. They had a service for him there, but his body was cremated and his ashes spread at his beloved ranch.

The Richmond County marker at NC Highway 73 and Old NC Highway 220 simply says “Andre The Giant. 1946-1993. Actor and professional wrestler. Was born Andre Roussimoff. Known for role in The Princess Bride in 1987. Lived nearby.”

The benchmark 30-year fixed rate mortgage rate fell to 6.23% from 6.3% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. One year ago, the rate averaged 6.81%.

The average rate is now at its lowest level since March 19, when it was 6.22%.

Meanwhile, borrowing costs on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, popular with homeowners refinancing their home loans, also eased this week. That average rate dropped to 5.58% from 5.65% last week. A year ago, it was at 5.94%, Freddie Mac said.

Mortgage rates are influenced by several factors, from the Federal Reserve’s interest rate policy decisions to bond market investors’ expectations for the economy and inflation.

Rates have been declining of late, echoing some easing in the yield on U.S. 10-year Treasury bonds, which lenders use as a guide to pricing home loans.

The 10-year Treasury yield was at 4.30% in midday trading on the bond market Thursday, down slightly from 4.32% a week ago. The yield was at just 3.97% in late February, before the war with Iran broke out.

As recently as late February, the average rate on a 30-year mortgage slipped just under 6% for the first time since late 2022. It started climbing last month as the war with Iran sent energy prices soaring, heightening worries about higher inflation.

Bond yields, and mortgage rates, have been volatile in the weeks since as the conflict drags on despite attempts by the U.S. and Iran to negotiate a ceasefire.

The war has ratcheted up worries over higher inflation and the trajectory of the economy at a time when consumers are feeling less confident about the job market. That, plus the volatility in mortgage rates, has clouded the outlook for the spring homebuying season.

The U.S. housing market has been in a slump since 2022, when mortgage rates began to climb from pandemic-era lows. Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes were essentially flat last year, stuck at a 30-year low. They have remained sluggish so far this year, declining in January and February and March from a year earlier.

“Looking ahead, mortgage rates will likely continue to be volatile throughout the spring,” Lisa Sturtevant, chief economist at Bright MLS, said in an email. “For the market to regain full momentum, we will need to see more than just a temporary dip in rates. Rather, we need sustained stability in the global energy market and a clearer sign that domestic inflation is back on a downward trajectory.”

Authorities in several states did not name the event, but the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, commonly known as Jazz Fest, runs from Thursday through May 3. The gathering attracted about 460,000 people last year, organizers said.

Christopher Gillum of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, was wanted for “terroristic threats,” the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office in Florida posted online Thursday. Federal authorities told the sheriffs office that Gillum was in the Florida Panhandle “heading to do a mass shooting at a large festival in Louisiana.” The sheriffs office did not name the federal agency, and the FBI office in New Orleans did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Okaloosa sheriff’s office said Gillum was arrested without incident Wednesday night at a hotel in Destin, and posted a photo of him being led away in handcuffs. Deputies recovered a handgun and about 200 rounds of ammunition from the hotel room, the statement said.

Gillum was arrested as a fugitive from justice and will be extradited to Louisiana to face charges there, the sheriff’s office said. It was not immediately known if he had a lawyer. The Associated Press left a message at phone numbers listed for him.

Gillum’s family reported him missing on Tuesday and he had a history of self-harm, according to Lt. Clint Lyons of the Alamance County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina. Gillum’s family told law enforcement he had a gun and “expressed recent threats to harm ‘Black people,’” according to a bulletin from police in Burlington, North Carolina.

Lyons said Gillum crossed state lines before his agency could prepare the paperwork to involuntarily commit him to psychiatric treatment. Lyons said that there were no criminal grounds to detain Gillum despite his comments about Black people “because there was no victim.”

“But we felt that there was definitely something there that needed to be shared, so that’s what we did,” Lyons said.

Gillum was located and stopped by law enforcement in Oklaloosa County on Wednesday, according to Lyons and the Burlington police bulletin.

However, Gillum “did not present any grounds for involuntary commitment or criminal charges” and was allowed to continue on his way, the bulletin stated. Gillum told officers that he was “enroute to New Orleans,” the report added.

Okaloosa deputies were initially asked to make a “welfare check” on Gillum Wednesday morning and were “not aware” of any threats he had made, sheriff spokesperson Michele Nicholson said. Later that day, after the sheriff's office learned Gillum was being investigated, deputies surveilled him until a signed warrant arrived from Louisiana, she added.

Gillum had been hired as a detention officer by the sheriff’s office in Orange County, North Carolina, in October 2023 but he left in July 2024, department spokesperson Alicia L. Stemper said.

“We hired him again as a deputy on Jan. 13, 2025,” she said in an email. “He resigned his position on Sept. 21, 2025, and we terminated him accordingly.”

Gillum also served as a sworn police officer for Chapel Hill from 2004 until his resignation in 2019, town communications manager Alex Carrasquillo said.

“He returned as a non-sworn employee in 2024 before leaving for another job by the end of that year,” Carrasquillo said in an email.

Louisiana State Police spokesperson Trooper Danny Berrincha said the agency is still investigating the episode with the FBI.

“At this time, there are no known direct threats to any festivals in Louisiana,” he added.

In a statement, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival said it works closely with law enforcement and applauded their efforts, saying ”we look forward to another safe and joyful Jazz Fest.”

————

Mustian reported from Natchitoches, Louisiana, and McCormack from Concord, New Hampshire. Associated Press writer Allen G. Breed in Wake Forest, North Carolina, contributed.

Between berating individual reporters, fighting organizations like The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Associated Press in court and restricting press access to the Pentagon, the administration's animus toward journalists has been a fixture of Trump's second term.

It's another layer of complexity for the so-called “nerd prom,” given the name for the sight of reporters in tuxes. Some people are already squeaming about journalists toasting and laughing with people they regularly cover.

“This is sort of a critical moment for these dinners and it will be interesting to see what happens going forward,” said Lisa Stark, a former ABC News reporter.

Petition asks journalists to ‘speak forcefully’ on freedom of press

She and longtime colleague Ian Cameron have circulated a petition urging journalists who attend Saturday to “speak forcefully” in defense of the press with Trump in attendance. Dan Rather and former ABC White House reporter Sam Donaldson are among more than 350 former journalists to sign. Reporters have talked about a visible protest like lapel pins touting the First Amendment.

Calvin Coolidge, in 1924, was the first president to attend the dinner. Chief executives usually appear, requiring them in recent years to appear to be good sports as comics like Stephen Colbert, Colin Jost and Trevor Noah make jokes about them. Trump attended in 2011, glaring from the audience at President Barack Obama's barbs about him. This will be the first year he attends as president, however.

“The only thing more insulting for the press than Trump not coming is Trump coming,” Kelly McBride, NPR ombudsman and head of the Poynter Institute's ethics and leadership center, wrote last week.

“This man mocks you, sues you, and targets you for prosecution,” former AP White House reporter Ron Fournier wrote on Substack. He detailed a list on Trump's actions against the press, finishing with: “and you're having dinner with him?” The top editor at HuffPost — a news website clearly hostile to Trump — said its journalists wouldn't attend Saturday as a protest.

The president of the WHCA, CBS News' Weijia Jiang, had no immediate comment. But Todd Gilman, a former White House bureau chief for the Dallas Morning News and now a journalism professor for Arizona State University, suggested it wasn't the press' role to make news itself by snubbing Trump. The president will make news either way depending on what he says there, he said.

There's a misperception, Gilman said, that the correspondents are honoring Trump by having him at the dinner.

Some potential uncomfortable moments

Meanwhile, CBS owners Paramount are reportedly hosting a dinner to honor Trump Thursday at the Institute of Peace, which was renamed for Trump last year. Paramount is awaiting government approval of its deal to buy Warner Bros. Discovery.

The president, if he chooses to stay at the correspondents dinner Saturday, will also face some uncomfortable moments as the WHCD gives awards to journalists he has criticized, like CNN's Kaitlan Collins. The Wall Street Journal is being honored for its story about Trump's birthday message to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein — for which the president sued the newspaper. The AP, which is battling Trump in court over access, is also being honored.

Debate over the appearance of partying with the president and his staff isn't new. The New York Times stopped attending the event in 2011 for that reason. The Atlantic magazine wrote about the “slow, awkward death” of the correspondents dinner in 2018.

Correspondents should acknowledge that “a red-carpet schmoozefest with the powerful sources they cover was never a good idea,” McBride wrote. News organizations will also be watched this weekend for administration officials sitting at their tables as guests, such as CBS News reportedly inviting Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Many journalists who have attended, however, said the opportunity to have personal interactions with people they cover can help them later in their jobs. Gilman has brought ambassadors from Mexico as guests— an important contact for a reporter at a Texas newspaper. NPR journalist Eric Deggans wrote on Substack that he got an interview with media mogul Byron Allen after making a connection at the WHCD dinner.

“Even if you're not sitting with an administration official, you have the opportunity to walk up to someone, say hi, break the ice and give them a business card,” Gilman said. “It puts a face to the name, so maybe they'll return your call the next time.”

___

David Bauder writes about the intersection of media and entertainment for the AP. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social.

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson stopped short Thursday of saying Wembanyama will play in Game 3. Wembanyama is “progressing,” Johnson said, but his status against the Trail Blazers remains uncertain.

“He looks good,” Johnson said, noting that the Spurs hadn't even started discussions on when Wembanyama can play again.

Wembanyama was at the team's practice facility for a second consecutive day Thursday, walking around in a black hoodie and gray sweatpants. He even got a few shots up, teammate Julian Champagnie said.

“He was only around for a little bit this morning,” Spurs guard De'Aaron Fox said Thursday. “Obviously, we just want him to be healthy.”

Wembanyama — the league's first-ever unanimous Defensive Player of the Year and one of three finalists for the Most Valuable Player award — suffered a concussion in the Spurs' Game 2 loss to Portland on Tuesday night, leaving the game in the second quarter.

Game 3 of the series — tied at a game apiece — is Friday in Portland, followed by Game 4 there on Sunday. The Spurs were scheduled to fly to Portland on Thursday afternoon.

There are very specific steps that players have to clear before being removed from the league's concussion protocol. Players begin the return-to-play process with light exertion — such as riding a stationary bike, jogging, agility work and non-contact basketball drills — and each step is followed by another neurological examination.

Wembanyama's results will also be compared to his baseline neurological evaluation — which players undergo prior to each season — before doctors permit him to move forward in the return-to-play plan.

“It's pretty straightforward,” Johnson said. “Obviously, we hope he'll be back at some point. But we'll allow the protocol to play out. And again, there's nothing more important than his health.”

Any extended absence by Wembanyama would be a massive blow to San Antonio, which finished with the league’s second-best record behind the versatile 7-foot-4 center from France. They were 12-6 in the regular season without Wembanyama.

Wembanyama averaged 25 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists and a league-best 3.1 blocks per game this season. He was also with his teammates on Wednesday evening, when they all donned cowboy hats and surprised teammate Keldon Johnson after he was announced as the league's Sixth Man of the Year.

“We know that he's chomping at the bit to get back on the court and be with his guys,” Johnson said.

___

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

The juvenile’s name or photo have not been released to the public due to him being a minor.

The victim is identified as Riley Dearmas, 13.

• SPANISH VERSION: Muere adolescente de 13 años tras apuñalamiento durante pelea masiva en el noroeste de Houston

On April 22, members of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s Violent Criminal Apprehension Team arrested the boy in Charlotte, North Carolina.

What happened

Police said they received a report of a large fight and stabbing outside of an apartment in the 8000 block of Grow Lane around 8 p.m. on Feb. 4.

Responding officers said they found a 13-year-old girl who had been stabbed at least one time. Emergency medical personnel took the girl to the hospital where she later died.

HPD Lt. Larry Crowson said they believe the 13-year-old girl was part of a larger group of 20 to 30 people who came over to the apartment and started “assaulting people.” Allegedly, the incident stemmed from an earlier disturbance at school that involved several teenagers, police say.

At the scene, officers spoke with a mother and her 10-year-old boy who said he stabbed the girl. The boy allegedly turned himself over to officers, claiming self-defense.

Homicide detectives are at the scene interviewing witnesses and looking for surveillance video of the incident.

In Texas, the minimum age for juvenile criminal responsibility is 10 years old.

The order signed by Todd Blanche does not legalize marijuana for medical or recreational use under federal law. But it does change the way it's regulated, shifting licensed medical marijuana from Schedule I — reserved for drugs without medical use and with high potential for abuse — to the less strictly regulated Schedule III. It also gives licensed medical marijuana operators a major tax break and eases some barriers to researching cannabis.

The Trump administration also said it was jump-starting the process for reclassifying marijuana more broadly, setting a hearing to begin in late June.

Trump told his administration in December to work as quickly as possible to reclassify marijuana. On Saturday, as the Republican president signed an unrelated executive order about psychedelics, he seemed to express frustration that it was taking so long.

Blanche said Thursday that the Department of Justice was “delivering on President Trump’s promise” to expand Americans’ access to medical treatment options. “This rescheduling action allows for research on the safety and efficacy of this substance, ultimately providing patients with better care and doctors with more reliable information,” he said in a statement.

What the marijuana reclassification order does

Blanche's action Iargely legitimizes medical marijuana programs in the 40 states that have adopted them. It sets up an expedited system for state-licensed medical marijuana producers and distributors to register with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

It makes clear that cannabis researchers won't be penalized for obtaining state-licensed marijuana or marijuana-derived products for use in their work, and it grants state-licensed medical marijuana companies a windfall by allowing them, for the first time, to deduct business expenses on their federal taxes.

Any marijuana-derived medicine approved by the Food and Drug Administration is similarly listed in Schedule III, it said.

Since 2015, Congress has prohibited the Justice Department from using its resources to shut down state-licensed medical marijuana systems. But the order nevertheless represents a major policy shift for the U.S. government, which has continued its longstanding marijuana prohibition — dating to the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 — even as nearly all the states have approved cannabis use in some form.

Two dozen states plus Washington, D.C., have authorized adult recreational use of marijuana, 40 have medical marijuana systems, and eight others allow low-THC cannabis or CBD oil for medical use. Only Idaho and Kansas ban marijuana outright.

The regulation of medical marijuana has come a long way since California became the first state to adopt it in 1996, Blanche wrote.

“Today the vast majority of States maintain comprehensive licensing frameworks governing cultivation, processing, distribution, and dispensing of marijuana for medical purposes,” Blanche wrote. “Taken as a whole, they demonstrate a sustained capacity to achieve the public-interest objectives ... including protecting public health and safety and preventing the diversion of controlled substances into illicit channels.”

The president of the American Trade Association for Cannabis and Hemp, Michael Bronstein, called it “the most significant federal advancement in cannabis policy in over 50 years."

“This action recognizes what Americans have long known, cannabis is medicine,” he said in a written statement.

Critic calls the order ‘a tax break to Big Weed’

The Trump administration’s decision drew derision from marijuana legalization opponent Kevin Sabet, the chief executive of Smart Approaches to Marijuana. Sabet said that while marijuana research is necessary, "there are many ways to increase our knowledge without giving a tax break to Big Weed and sending a confusing message about marijuana’s harms to the American public.”

“With this move, we are now confronted with the most pro-drug administration in our history,” Sabet said in a text message. “Policy is now being dictated by marijuana CEOs, psychedelics investors, and podcasters in active addiction."

Marijuana or marijuana-derived products that are not distributed through a state medical marijuana program will continue to be classified in Schedule I.

Schedule III drugs are defined as having moderate to low potential for physical and psychological dependence. Some critics of the industry have suggested that legalization in the states has led to stronger and stronger cannabis products, which need to be researched rather than categorized less strictly than before.

The efforts to reclassify marijuana

The Justice Department under President Joe Biden, a Democrat, had proposed to reclassify marijuana, eliciting nearly 43,000 formal public comments. The DEA was still in the review process when Trump succeeded Biden, and Trump ordered that process to move along as quickly as legally possible.

Blanche's order sidestepped the review process by relying on a provision of federal law that allows the attorney general to determine the appropriate classification for drugs that the U.S. must regulate pursuant to an international treaty.

It was unclear how the order might affect operations in states where licensed recreational marijuana shops also sell to medical patients. In Washington state, which in 2012 became one of the first states to legalize the adult use of marijuana, 302 of 460 licensed stores have endorsements allowing them to sell tax-free cannabis products to registered patients.

Many Republicans oppose loosening marijuana restrictions. More than 20 Republican senators, several of them staunch Trump allies, signed a letter last year urging the president to keep the current standards.

Trump has made his crusade against other drugs, especially fentanyl, a feature of his second term, ordering U.S. military attacks on Venezuelan and other boats the administration insists are ferrying drugs. He signed another executive order declaring fentanyl a weapon of mass destruction.

___

This story has been corrected to show the spelling in the name of the 1937 law was Marihuana, not Marijuana.

___

Johnson reported from Seattle.

The BYU forward — widely expected to be a top candidate to be the No. 1 pick — made the announcement Thursday. Dybantsa led the nation by averaging 25.5 points per game in his lone college season, along with 6.8 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.

He's the first player to have a season with all those averages and be named a consensus All-American since Larry Bird did it for Indiana State in 1978-79.

“Now the work starts again, all over again," Dybantsa said. “I've had a lot of NBA players tell me that it kind of restarts once you get there. I'm just looking forward to that next step, being a rookie and learning from all the vets.”

Dybantsa made the announcement at the Davis School in his hometown of Brockton, Massachusetts — the home of boxing greats Rocky Marciano and Marvin Hagler, among others.

“It's the city of champions,” Dybantsa said. “I just want to be considered like one of those champions.”

Dybantsa attended the Davis School until fifth grade and said he still values the lessons instilled in him there, including the importance of education. That's part of the reason why, even though he's going to the NBA, Dybantsa said he will simultaneously remain in school and continue working toward a mass communications degree at BYU.

“My mom wanted me to stay in college to graduate,” Dybantsa said. “But I told my mother that I'm going to declare for the draft and also finish and get my degree online. I'll probably finish within the next four years.”

The draft order will not be known until the lottery on May 10, where Washington, Indiana and Brooklyn all have the best odds — 14% each — of winning and landing the chance to pick No. 1 overall. When asked what team he would like to play for in the NBA, Dybantsa gave an immediate answer.

"Whatever team drafts me, bro," Dybantsa said.

He's not lacking for confidence and hopes to give another speech in Massachusetts — the home of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame — when his playing career is over.

“The next speech — the next big, big speech — I should have is the Hall of Fame speech,” Dybantsa said. “So, we should be good.”

___

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

The EU also approved a new raft of sanctions against Russia over its war on Ukraine. The measures were prepared early this year and had been set to be announced in February to mark the fourth anniversary of the conflict, but Hungary and Slovakia opposed the move.

Hungary and Slovakia have been locked in a feud with Ukraine since Russian oil deliveries to the two EU countries were halted in January after a pipeline was damaged. Ukrainian officials blamed the damage on Russian drone attacks. Both countries confirmed Thursday that deliveries have resumed.

Ukraine desperately needs the loan package to prop up its war-ravaged economy and help keep Russian forces at bay. Hungary angered its EU partners by reneging on a December deal to provide the funds. The loans are expected to be available in coming weeks and months.

“Promised, delivered, implemented,” European Council President António Costa posted on social media. A few hours later, as he arrived to chair a summit of EU leaders in Cyprus, Costa told reporters that the priority now must be to advance Ukraine's quest to join the bloc.

Standing alongside him, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked his European partners for their support. “We will work to make sure the funds are delivered as soon as possible,” he said. “This will strengthen, of course first of all our army, Ukrainian forces, and allow us to boost production.”

Pipeline breakthrough

The political greenlight for the loan package came after Russian oil began flowing to Hungary and Slovakia again through the Druzhba pipeline that crosses Ukraine. Populist Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico welcomed that development as “good news.”

“Let’s hope a serious relation between Ukraine and the European Union has been established,” Fico said.

Hungarian energy group MOL said it had “received crude oil at the Fényeslitke and Budkovce pumping stations earlier Thursday. Crude oil deliveries via the Druzhba pipeline system have thus resumed to Hungary and Slovakia after a hiatus of nearly three months.”

Ukraine and most of its European backers oppose imports of Russian oil which have helped to fund Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine, now in its fifth year. But unlike the rest of the European Union, Hungary and Slovakia still depend on Russia for their energy needs.

Hungary’s nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who was recently defeated in an election, had accused Ukraine of deliberately delaying repairs — an allegation that Zelenskyy denied.

Fico said Thursday he still didn’t believe the pipeline was damaged at all and alleged that the pipeline and oil “were used in the current geopolitical battle.”

Another EU voting hijack

The row has raised yet more troubling questions about decision-making in the EU, which can often be held hostage to national interests when unanimous votes are required. Several top officials have in recent months called for more majority voting.

The 27-nation bloc had originally intended to use frozen Russian assets as collateral for the loan. But that option was blocked by Belgium, where the bulk of the frozen assets are held.

In December, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia agreed not to stop their EU partners from borrowing the money on international markets as long as the three countries did not have to take part in the scheme.

But Orbán, who has repeatedly blocked EU aid to Ukraine, angered the other 24 countries by later reneging on that deal over the pipeline dispute and as campaigning heated up ahead of the April 12 election that he lost in a landslide.

More sanctions on Russia

The EU has also been trying since February to push through a new raft of sanctions against Russia to undermine its war effort, but Hungary and Slovakia were also blocking those measures over the oil feud.

More than 40 ships believed to be part of Russia’s shadow fleet illicitly transporting oil were targeted.

Oil revenue is the linchpin of Russia’s economy, allowing Putin to pour money into the armed forces without worsening inflation for everyday people and avoiding a currency collapse.

A number of banks were targeted, and a ban was imposed on Europeans using Russian crypto currency.

Asset freezes were slapped on around 60 more “entities” — often companies, government agencies, banks or other organizations — adding to a growing list of more than 2,600 Russian officials and entities already under sanctions, including Putin, his political associates, oligarchs, and dozens of lawmakers.

___

Spike reported from Budapest. Janicek reported from Prague.

Tilson Thomas had surgery for a brain tumor in 2021 and resumed his career, then said in February 2025 the tumor had returned. He conducted his final concert with the San Francisco Symphony in April 2025 and died at his home in San Francisco, spokesperson Connie Shuman said.

Tilson Thomas received 39 Grammy Award nominations, winning 12, and was among the Kennedy Center Honors recipients in 2019.

“It’s meant to have various intriguing and alluring, questioning things that you hear on first hearing,” he said of classical music during a 2004 interview with The Associated Press. “But by its very nature it’s holding a lot of other secrets or a lot of other perspectives much closer to its chest, which only with repeated hearing you start realizing are there.”

Tilson Thomas was born in Los Angeles on Dec. 21, 1944, to a family steeped in the arts. His father, Ted, was a producer at New York’s Mercury Theater Company, then worked in Los Angeles in the movie and television industry. His mother, Roberta, headed research for Columbia Pictures. His grandparents, Bessie and Boris Thomashefsky, were pioneers in American Yiddish theater.

He played piano at a young age and attended the University of Southern California. By the time he received a degree in 1967, he had worked with Pierre Boulez, Aaron Copland, Igor Stravinsky and Karlheinz Stockhausen.

“I don’t fling the word genius around lightly, but I fling it around about Michael. He reminds me of me at that age, except that he knows more than I did,” conductor Leonard Bernstein told The New York Times Magazine for a 1971 profile. “Not only music, but things like the functions of the brain, cerebrology, physics, biochemistry.”

Tilson Thomas was the co-music director and then music director of California’s Ojai Festival in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was an assistant at Germany’s Bayreuth Festival in 1966, won the Koussevitzky Prize at the Tanglewood Music Center in 1968 and became a Boston Symphony Orchestra assistant conductor in 1969.

Tilson Thomas made his New York debut at Lincoln Center’s Philharmonic Hall on Oct. 22, 1969, as a mid-concert replacement for an ailing William Steinberg. Tilson Thomas led Robert Starer’s Concerto for Violin, Cello and Orchestra, and Strauss’ “Till Eulenspiegel.”

“A tall, thin young man, he came on stage with an air of immense confidence and authority, and showed that his confidence was not misplaced,” critic Harold C. Schonberg wrote in the Times. “He takes naturally to this music, as might be expected of a Tanglewood graduate and a pupil of Pierre Boulez.”

Tilson Thomas became the BSO’s principal guest conductor from 1972-1974 and was music director of the Buffalo Philharmonic from 1971-79 and a principal guest conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic from 1981-85.

He helped found Miami’s New World Symphony in 1987 and served as artistic director until 2021. He was principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra from 1988-95 and music director of the San Francisco Symphony from 1995-2020.

Tilson Thomas’ compositions include “Grace” (1988), “Four Preludes on Playthings of the Wind” (2015-16) and “Meditations on Rilke” (2019).

His husband, Joshua Robison, died Feb. 22 while recovering from a fall suffered last August. They met while playing in the orchestra of North Hollywood Junior High School (since renamed Walter Reed Middle School), became partners in 1976 and married in 2014.

In announcing his final concert would take place in San Francisco on April 26, 2025, in a belated 80th birthday celebration, Thomas issued a statement acknowledging his mortality.

“At that point we all get to say the old show business expression, ‘It’s a wrap,’” he said. “A coda is a musical element at the end of a composition that brings the whole piece to a conclusion. A coda can vary greatly in length. My life’s coda is generous and rich.”

A rising star from Dance Moms

Nia Sioux began dancing with the Abby Lee Dance Company at age 3 and joined the breakout reality series Dance Moms at 9. Over seven seasons she became one of the show’s most recognizable faces, navigating the highs and lows of competitive dance under coach Abby Lee Miller. Today, at 24, Sioux is carving a new path as an actress and author, showing fans there’s more to her story than what viewers saw on TV.

The book that started conversations

In November Sioux released her memoir “Bottom of the Pyramid,” which recounts her experience as the show’s only Black dancer and the challenges that came with that spotlight. She writes candidly about being labeled the company’s weak link, attempts to stay in the coach’s favor, and how racist microaggressions affected her.

Sioux credits family support — especially her mother, Dr. Holly — and the therapeutic act of writing for helping her heal. The book became a New York Times bestseller soon after release.

New roles and hometown appearances

After leaving Dance Moms before its final season, Sioux pivoted to acting, taking on roles including appearances on The Bold and the Beautiful and in the 2024 Mean Girls film. She’ll also join the cast of 11 to Midnight for a limited engagement beginning May 15 at the Orpheum Theatre, a high-energy show set at a New Year’s Eve party that blends choreography with a genre-hopping soundtrack.

Locally, Sioux will meet fans at a book signing on April 22 at 7 p.m. at Mockingbird Books in Katy.

Whether you remember her from the dance studio or you’re just discovering her writing and stage work, Nia Sioux’s story is one of resilience and reinvention — a reminder that life after reality TV can still surprise us.

The Transportation Security Administration has rolled out TSA PreCheck® Touchless ID at both George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) and William P. Hobby Airport (HOU), allowing eligible passengers to move through security using facial recognition technology.

According to TSA, the Touchless ID system uses facial comparison to verify a traveler’s identity, aiming to make the screening process faster and more efficient while maintaining security standards.

At IAH, the technology is available at TSA PreCheck checkpoints in Terminal A-North, Terminal C-North and Terminal E. At HOU, travelers can use the dedicated TSA PreCheck lanes equipped with the system.

To use Touchless ID, passengers must already be enrolled in TSA PreCheck, have an active profile with a participating airline and upload valid passport information to that airline account. Eligible travelers will see a Touchless ID indicator on their mobile boarding pass.

Participating airlines at IAH include Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines. At HOU, participating carriers include American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines.

TSA officials say participation in the program is voluntary. Travelers who opt in must still carry a REAL ID-compliant form of identification and present it if requested by a TSA officer.

The agency emphasized that privacy protections are in place. Images captured during the identity verification process are not used for law enforcement or surveillance purposes and are deleted within 24 hours of a passenger’s scheduled flight departure.

Officials say the expansion is part of a broader effort to modernize airport security while improving the passenger experience.

And Anderson was an open book one day after celebrating his record-setting $150 million contract extension as the highest paid non-quarterback in NFL history. He provided encouragement, perspective and his strong message of religious faith Wednesday during his return to Camp Hope while giving an NFL draft chalk talk with Texans broadcaster Marc Vandermeer.

Camp Hope is an interim housing program in Houston operated by the PTSD Foundation of America. This marks the second time the Texans’ All-Pro defensive end has visited Camp Hope, which helps military service members to relieve the effects of combat trauma with peer support, mentoring and professional development at no cost to them or their families.

Anderson fielded questions about everything from adversity he’s overcome, how he built his spirituality, to playing video games (He’s not a Madden guy, and prefers NCAA football), fishing on Lake Conroe and tips about how to lift weights.

“It means everything,” Anderson said during an event led by American National Insurance, the official military partner of the Texans. “This place is built on hope. It’s built on improving life, getting closer to God, faith. And these guys are finding faith and finding hope. It’s just great to be a part of it, but also just to show that the community is behind them

“I’m really big in faith, really big in God, and giving back to the community. To come in here the very first time, it was very life-changing. To see how guys have started one way then came out another way and came out on top, and everything they had to endure and overcome, it was really special.”

#Texans Will Anderson Jr., at Camp Hope @CampHopeUSA today, sharing message of faith and support to veterans dealing with PTSD @ptsdusahttps://t.co/TXRHQueNaI

— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) April 22, 2026

For Anderson, faith is something he has grown comfortable talking about.

And he wants volunteer work to become his legacy. Whether it’s the Houston Food Bank or talking at schools and giving away bicycles, Anderson is heavily involved and grounded in the Houston community.

“They was talking about legacy,” Anderson said. “The accolades is fun, but I think the biggest thing about legacy is the impact that you have on people. How are you a positive role model your community? When somebody asks about you, what type of person would you want them to say that you were? I really pride myself on, you know, being a positive influence and leaving an impact wherever I go. It make me feel great.”

Anderson was recently at Barnes & Noble bookstore in Florida when he struck up a conversation. For that individual and Anderson, it was significant.

“When the whole conversation was over, he had no idea who I was,” Anderson said. “He said, ‘Man, I really appreciate you talking to me today. I just wanted someone to talk to me today.’ And that’s really what people want.

“People want someone that they can relate to, that will give them some attention, to talk to them, and to acknowledge that they’re human beings as well. We’re all humans. No matter what platform you on, how much money you make, we’re all humans.”

#Texans Will Anderson Jr., today at Camp Hope @CampHopeUSA providing his support, encouragement to veterans with PTSD Foundation of America @ptsdusa 'It means everything. This place is built on hope and finding faith. I pride myself on being a positive influence.'@KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/0Kc1GcvH3X

— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) April 22, 2026

Anderson’s faith has been tested at times, but he has learned a lot and strengthened his beliefs through his conversations with team chaplain Mikado Hinson and previously with team development director Dylan Thompson, who’s now with the Washington Commanders.

“Nothing really holds you down,” Anderson said. “As long as you keep God first, as long as you keep searching for God, searching for that faith, and building the great people around you, the sky’s the limit for you.”

It resonated strongly that the men Anderson talked to have served their country bravely and have paid a price.

“It’s very humbling,” Anderson said. “It gives you a chance to get out your own life, get out of your own lens, and to look into their lens and how much they’re sacrificed to protect this country, how much you know they’ve done for us to walk around here and be free and not have to worry about anything.

“Putting themselves on the front line for us, It means the world to not only me, but I’m pretty sure the whole world. We just thank them for their service and want to help them. help them any way we can, because they’ve helped us all these years.”

Anderson visited inmates at San Quentin State Prison during the Pro Bowl Games.

He spent time with several inmates, witnessing about his faith. Several individuals got baptized after talking with Anderson.

“I think it all just goes back into taking yourself outside your own personal life and seeing another person’s life, and like how those guys were incarcerated,” Anderson said. “These guys were shooting guns, going through PTSD, all those things, killing people to save this country.

“It kind of left a lot of trauma on them, and now they’re back here, trying to get themselves right, and to be able to see them chasing after God and knowing that he is the one and only true person that can really help, and obviously could bring a village around to help is really special.”

Anderson said he wants to be like J.J. Watt and Andre Johnson, legendary players for the Texans who gave back to the community.

“Growing up, for me, I didn’t really see a lot of role models like that,” Anderson said. “And to get to Houston, and obviously, to see ‘Dre always here, to see J.J. always here, to see those guys always giving back to the community, and they’re been out the league for a good little time, I think that’s how you see how special Houston really is.

“The fans, the people, the community here, how important it is to everybody, and those are guys that I look up to that are still in the community, still doing things for Houston, and they don’t even play anymore. That’s what it’s all about.”

On that speed boat purchase Anderson is planning, he has a passion for fishing trips with his father. Anderson really enjoys the open water at Lake Conroe.

“That’s how I calm myself down and remain true to who I am,” Anderson said. “Be in my own little element.”

Fishing is a passion for #Texans All-Pro Will Anderson Jr. He plans to purchase a speed boat for fishing trips with his dad. Anderson really likes Lake Conroe. 'That's how I calm myself down and remain true to who I am and be in my own little element' @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/Xv1CZuIoL9

— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) April 22, 2026

Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com

Over 400 nuclear reactors are operational in 31 countries, while about 70 more are under construction. Nuclear power accounts for producing about 10% of the world’s electricity, equivalent to about a quarter of all sources of low-carbon power.

Nuclear reactors have seen steady improvements, adding more safety features and making them cheaper to build and operate.

While Chernobyl and the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan diminished the appetite for such power sources, it was clear years ago that there probably would be a revival, said Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency.

With the war in the Middle East, “I am 100% sure nuclear is coming back,” he added.

“It’s seen as a secure electricity generation system, and we will see that the comeback of nuclear will be very strong, both in (the) Americas, in Europe and in Asia,” Birol told The Associated Press.

Nuclear energy reliance stays strong

The United States is the world’s largest producer of nuclear power, with 94 operational reactors accounting for about 30% of global generation of nuclear electricity. And it is increasing efforts to develop nuclear energy capacity with a goal to quadruple it by 2050.

“The world cannot power its industries, meet the demands of artificial intelligence, or secure its energy future without nuclear power,” U.S. Undersecretary of State Thomas DiNanno said last month.

China operates 61 nuclear reactors and is leading the world in building new units, with nearly 40 under construction with a goal to surpass the U.S. and become the global leader in nuclear capacity.

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen has acknowledged that it was Europe’s “strategic mistake” to cut nuclear energy and outlined new initiatives to encourage building power plants.

Russia, meanwhile, has taken a strong lead in exporting its nuclear know-how, building 20 reactors worldwide.

Chernobyl’s Reactor No. 4 exploded on April 26, 1986, while Ukraine was still part of the Soviet Union. The accident contaminated nearby areas and spewed radiation across Europe.

Ukraine still relies heavily on nuclear plants to generate about half of its electricity. Those plants have played a vital role after Russia sent troops into Ukraine in 2022. Moscow's forces have captured Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, and Kyiv accused Russia of a drone attack on the protective containment structure covering the damaged Chernobyl reactor.

Japan has restarted 15 reactors after reviewing the lessons of the earthquake and tsunami that damaged the Fukushima plant, and 10 more are in the process of getting approval to restart.

South Africa has the only nuclear power plant on the African continent, although Russia is building one in Egypt, and several other African nations are exploring the technology.

“The momentum we are seeing today is the result of a growing recognition that reliable, low-carbon electricity will be essential to meet the world’s rising energy demand,” said Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

EU eyes nuclear expansion

Europe sought to wean itself off Russian energy after the Ukraine conflict, but its dependence on hydrocarbons was underlined by the war in the Middle East.

The European Commission has shifted its perception of nuclear energy and views it as part of clean energy, along with wind and solar power, to achieve climate goals.

In 1990, nuclear energy accounted for about a third of Europe’s electricity; now it's only about 15%, and von der Leyen has acknowledged that its reliance on imported fossil fuels puts it at a disadvantage.

“I believe that it was a strategic mistake for Europe to turn its back on a reliable, affordable source of low-emissions power,” she said recently. “In the last years, we see a global revival of nuclear energy. And Europe wants to be part of it.”

The EU is considering the development of Small Modular Reactors. Expected to become operational in the early 2030s, they are seen as cheaper and faster to build and more flexible than traditional reactors.

France and a few other EU members, including Sweden and Finland, have spearheaded nuclear power. On the other hand, Germany, Austria and Italy are among the EU members that outlawed its use.

In a major policy reversal last year, Belgium repealed a law that demanded the closure of its reactors and extended their lifespan. Spain, meanwhile, still plans to phase out its nuclear capacity and shut down its seven operational reactors between 2027 and 2035.

France remains a nuclear powerhouse

With 57 reactors at 19 plants, France relies on nuclear power for nearly 70% of its electricity.

Successive governments have backed nuclear power as central to France’s energy independence, undeterred by the Chernobyl disaster. In 2022, President Emmanuel Macron announced plans to build six new pressurized water reactors, aiming to cut greenhouse gas emissions and support the transition to low-carbon energy.

The COVID-19 pandemic, combined with the gas supply crunch triggered by the conflict in Ukraine, “revealed the limits of deploying renewable electricity and Europe’s dependence on gas,” said Nicolas Goldberg, a partner at Paris-based Colombus Consulting.

“France has therefore been reinforced in its strategy of maintaining its existing nuclear plants, which means extending their lifespan as much as possible,” he said.

Germany stands firm in phasing it out

Decades of anti-nuclear protests in Germany, stoked by past accidents, had pressured successive governments to end using a technology that critics saw as unsafe and unsustainable. Germany switched off its last three nuclear reactors in 2023, the final step in plans that had been drawn up by governments of various political stripes over two decades.

A significant nuclear revival in Europe’s biggest economy still looks far-fetched, despite recent talk among some in Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s center-right bloc about being open to a possible future generation of small modular reactors.

“The decision is irreversible — I regret it, but that’s how it is,” Merz said, noting the plant operators's "consistent answer was: ’We are too far along with demolition.'”

Russian domestic nuclear expansion and exporting reactors

Russia has aggressively expanded its nuclear power capacity both domestically and internationally.

It has 34 operational reactors, including eight Chernobyl-type RBMK reactors, known as the light water graphite reactors, which account for about a quarter of all nuclear power generation. They have seen extensive modernizations, adding safety features to fix the inherent design flaw that, coupled with human error, triggered the Chernobyl disaster.

Key projects under construction include new units at the Kursk, Leningrad and Smolensk sites, a prospective plant in the Far East, and prospective floating nuclear units.

Russia also is building 20 reactors in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East, and has signed contracts to launch construction in several other countries.

Russia has built the first nuclear reactor for neighboring ally Belarus, which has seen a third of its territory contaminated from the Chernobyl accident.

“Belarusian authorities are using the changed context and the so-called ‘nuclear renaissance’ to claim that we are acting like everyone else in the world, rather than solving the problems of Belarusians in the contaminated territories,” said Irina Sukhiy, founder of the Belarus ecological group Green Network.

___

John Leicester and Sylvie Corbet in Paris, Geir Moulson in Berlin, Gerald Imray in Cape Town, South Africa and Yuras Karmanau in Tallinn, Estonia, contributed.

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The zero-emission buses were funded through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean School Bus Program and represent what district leaders call a major step toward cleaner air, quieter rides and more sustainable transportation for local communities.

Acting Comptroller Kelly Hancock announced that more than 42,600 students will receive award notices this week under the Texas Education Freedom Accounts program. This first round prioritizes students in the program’s highest-need category, those with qualifying disabilities who come from households earning at or below 500 percent of the federal poverty level, along with their siblings.

• Tier 1: Families with a child with a disability and household income at or below 500% of the federal poverty level (up to $165,000 for a family of four).
• Tier 2: Lower-income families at or below 200% of the federal poverty level (about $66,000 for a family of four).
• Tier 3: Families earning between 200% and 500% of the federal poverty level ($66,000–$165,000 for a family of four).
• Tier 4: Families above 500% of the poverty level. Only 20% of the program’s $1 billion budget is allocated for this tier, and a lottery will determine funding if there are more applicants than funds.

According to the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, notifications will be distributed in batches from April 22 through April 24. Families who receive notices will have 30 days to appeal funding determinations, though any adjustments must be supported by official school district records or Individualized Education Program (IEP) documentation.

“These awards put tens of thousands of Texas families one step closer to the educational path that works best for their children,” Hancock said in a news release.

Governor Greg Abbott praised the rollout, calling it a transformative step for education in the state.

“School choice funds being distributed to Texas families paves the way for Texas to become the No. 1 state for education,” Abbott said. He added that the program empowers parents to choose the best learning environment for their children regardless of income or location.

More award notifications are expected in the coming weeks. For families in the second priority tier, primarily lower-income households without qualifying disabilities, the next phase will include a lottery scheduled for the week of April 27. This process will determine which applicants receive funding for the 2026–27 school year, while others will be assigned positions on a waitlist.

The effort appears to have yielded a stalemate, at best, for national Republicans.

Texas’ unusual move unearthed a wave of resistance from blue-state Democrats, who were initially thought to be handicapped from retaliation by independent redistricting commissions. Instead, voters in California and Virginia decided to temporarily suspend their commissions via ballot referendum in favor of new maps drawn to yield Democrats up to a combined nine seats.

In deep-blue California, the successful “Yes” campaign romped to victory in November, replacing the state’s map, which currently has 43 Democratic-held districts and nine Republican seats, with a new configuration in which Democrats are favored to win 48. And in light-blue Virginia, where Democrats hold a 6-5 advantage in the state’s congressional map, voters on Tuesday narrowly approved a new map where Democrats are favored in 10 of the state’s 11 districts.

The results of Virginia’s referendum were temporarily blocked by a judge, but that decision will be appealed to the Virginia Supreme Court. And an expected redraw from Florida could change the redistricting math again. But the end result could be a net advantage for Democrats, depending on how the fall elections play out.

“I think Trump really screwed them up,” said Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-McAllen, whose seat was redrawn to more heavily favor Republicans.

The majority of the Texas Republican delegation was privately skeptical of the redistricting effort when it was first proposed last summer, with some frustrated over a lack of input.

Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Waco, noted this week that the effort reshaped the seats of numerous members and forced them into retirement — both consequences that are “not oriented to continuity.”

“I think that that change, just like it would be in Indiana or wherever you are from, it changes up the mix of members,” Sessions said. “What has happened as a result of this is, I think, an unforeseen desire by others to be competitive.”

After Texas lawmakers passed the new map in August, Republicans rejoiced and defended the merits of partisan redistricting done outside the usual once-a-decade timeline. But on Wednesday morning, it was Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and his caucus who were triumphant, and Republicans grumbling about the unfairness of a mid-decade redraw.

Jeffries told Punchbowl News he warned Republican Speaker Mike Johnson in July, as Republicans were proceeding with the Texas redraw, that he was pursuing a treacherous path. And in a statement, he said Democrats were committed to “maximum warfare, everywhere, all the time.”

“Last July, Donald Trump demanded that Texas draw five new Republican seats in the middle of a decade, igniting a chain reaction of corrupt MAGA state legislators attempting to rig the midterm elections,” Jeffries said. “While many expected Democrats to roll over and play dead, we did the opposite. Democrats did not step back. We fought back. When they go low, we hit back hard.”

Rep. Richard Hudson, a North Carolina Republican who chairs the National Republican Congressional Committee, demurred when asked by reporters whether the redistricting war had been worth it.

“It’s not for me to decide that,” Hudson said. “Wasn’t my decision.”

When asked if they had any second thoughts, most Texas Republicans stood by their state’s decision and trained their ire on Virginia.

“The fact that Virginia now is going to have one red seat in all of Virginia just goes to show you that’s kind of ridiculous,” said Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Houston. “We didn’t do that. We just made it more equitable in terms of what the actual demographic representation is, from a political standpoint, in Texas.”

Hunt also noted that Texas is expected to gain seats in Congress after the 2030 census due to population growth, while several blue seats are projected to lose seats.

“This was — I guess we’d call it retribution — but we got ours,” Hunt said. “And we have to continue to work more, and work toward having the majority. But I don’t think this is going to hurt us.”

Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Richmond, said Texas’ mid-decade redistricting effort was different from Virginia’s, because Virginia’s map was more extreme. And he disagreed with the idea that the two redraws could be equated.

“Texas, we don’t have that — I mean come on,” Nehls said. “We have more of a majority there, but it’s not like — there’s nobody like Virginia. They’re out of control.”

Reps. Chip Roy, R-Austin, and August Pfluger, R-San Angelo, both pointed the finger at Democratic states that have little to no Republican representation, especially in New England, saying that Texas’ mid-decade redistricting was done to reach equilibrium with them.

“There’s not a single Republican in all of New England,” Pfluger said. “President Trump won 45% in many of the states in New England, and you’re telling me that this is retaliation. They started this whole thing, and have been doing this for years. It’s really sad.”

While some states were forced by the courts to redo their maps enacted after the 2020 Census, Texas was the first state to take up a redraw mid-cycle without a court order. California’s and Virginia’s new maps will expire in 2030 and their temporarily suspended redistricting commissions will return in time for the next round of census-mandated redraws.

Democrats in those blue states have been unequivocal in stating that their new maps were drawn specifically to counteract Texas.

“Donald Trump and his power grab to try to maintain unchecked control of the Congress is why we’re here right now,” said Virginia Senate President Pro Tempore Louise Lucas, one of the Democrats who pushed for the referendum. “And when the Texas delegation got to Boston [for a legislative summit during their quorum break], and we found out what was going on — hell yeah, we’re in this fight. And we’re going to help them win it.”

Many Republicans held out hope that Virginia courts would overturn the map — the same tack Texas Democrats took once their state’s map was passed into law. And others said they would reserve judgment until after Election Day.

“We don’t know yet,” said Rep. Keith Self, R-Plano, when asked if Texas redistricting was still worth it. “The proof is in the pudding in November. It’s an impossible question to answer.”

As for whether Republicans foresaw the potential for retaliation when they passed their map last summer, Sessions said, “I think it was seen that we were starting something that maybe we don’t know the end of.”

Rep. Brian Babin, R-Woodville, said he didn’t bring up those concerns. But Roy said he wasn’t surprised.

“This has been a part of the conversation from the beginning,” Roy said when asked if anybody had raised the prospect of blue-state retaliation. “It’s like, if you’re going to start this, then each state is going to be doing whatever they’re going to do. But that’s the way it’s been.”

James Blair, a former White House deputy chief of staff who now runs Trump’s political operation, argued the redistricting war was started by Democrats suing over Republican-drawn maps in other states. But he conceded that, if he had known judges in California and Virginia “would just let them break the law, maybe we would have a different consideration.”

In addition to the nine new seats Democrats expect to win in California and Virginia, a court-ordered redraw in Utah facilitated the creation of a new blue-leaning seat in Salt Lake City.

Outside Texas, meanwhile, Republican legislatures redrew maps to pick up one seat each in Missouri and North Carolina. A court-ordered redraw in Ohio led to a bargain between the parties there that gave Republicans an advantage in 12 seats rather than the current 10, though the two seats that were made redder are still considered winnable for their Democratic incumbents.

But Republicans in Indiana resisted a push from the White House to redraw the state’s 7-2 map, voting down a proposal in the state Senate. And Republican legislatures in Kansas, Nebraska and New Hampshire did not take up mid-decade redistricting despite overtures from Trump’s political team.

And the GOP’s five-seat pickup in Texas is far from guaranteed. Trump would have won three of the new districts — all majority-Hispanic — by a 10-point margin, giving Democrats hope that Hispanic voter shifts and a history of overperformance by Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, and Gonzalez can keep those seats blue. Jeffries predicted that Republicans would only win two or three of the Texas seats, an outcome that would make the redistricting math more lopsided in Democrats’ favor.

The remaining wild card is Florida, where Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has called a special legislative session for redistricting. A successful redraw in Florida could rebalance the scales. But the end result of the redistricting war that Texas kicked off appears to be a draw, or close to it, regardless.

Already, Jeffries has pledged that Democrats will target eight GOP incumbents in Florida, arguing that a new map would spread Republican voters too thin and make the party’s existing representatives vulnerable.

Gonzalez said that one side effect of the Texas redistricting is the loss of incumbents and senior members to retirement — and that it reflected poorly on Republicans that they had traded that away for a redistricting war they seem unlikely to win.

“[Gov. Greg Abbott] sold out his entire delegation to their own detriment, and it’s been devastating,” Gonzalez said. “But also, they should have spoken up. We’ve lost some very reputable members.”

The construction often requires archaeological surveys before the paving starts, and some of the latest discoveries have emerged along the BR-156 highway in Brazil's northern state of Amapa. Among the findings so far from nine dig sites: pottery vases that may be funerary urns, as well as small artifacts that resemble human faces.

“What we now about the region’s past is also tied to the opening created by these projects, which gives our relationship with them a somewhat ambivalent character,” said Lúcio Flávio Costa Leite, who manages the Archaeological Research Center at Amapa’s Institute for Scientific and Technological Research. “At the same time, the knowledge we gain about these sites leads us to pay closer attention to these regions, including by adopting permanent protection measures.”

Scientists say recent research has reinforced understanding of the region's past not as a human desert, but rather as a landscape shaped by interconnected societies long before Columbus arrived. The material found along BR-156, for example, included pottery in multiple styles and techniques that reflected influences from communities ranging from Brazil’s Para state to the Caribbean.

It's been cleaned and analyzed by a team working for the National Department of Transport Infrastructure. One of the archaeologists, Manoel Fabiano da Silva Santos, said the layers of the Amazon soil he excavated are a historic timeline.

In the upper layers, he found items such as Portuguese porcelain and nails linked to European occupation.

“Digging deeper, we uncovered pottery and ceramics associated with earlier Indigenous presence, marking the site’s transition before and after the arrival of colonizers,” Santos said.

The artifacts will eventually go to Amapa's state collection, overseen by Costa Leite, which includes about 530,000 pieces. The oldest piece is around 6,140 years old, confirming a long human presence across Amapa, he said.

The artifacts offer insight into how ancient Indigenous societies lived, died and interacted with the rainforest.

“Here is something I often debate with my students -- we usually think of technology as computers and microchips,” Costa Leite said, walking through shelves of ancient pottery. “But all of this required careful reading of the landscape and deliberate choices of materials.”

Indigenous design behind an intriguing monument

One of the most impressive historic areas in Amapa is in the city of Calcoene, where a 1,000‑year‑old stone monument made up of 127 carved monoliths arranged in a circle about 30 meters (98 feet) in diameter, set in open grassland amid the rainforest and bordered by a slow river.

Some have dubbed the Archaeological Park of the Solstice the “Stonehenge of the Amazon” for its resemblance to the British monument. Researchers found that the stones were positioned so that during the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere they marked the exact point where the sun rises, said archaeologist Mariana Petry Cabral, a professor at the Federal University of Minas Gerais who was part of the team that began digging at the site some two decades ago.

“It’s hard to say exactly what all the stones mean, but what we do know is that they are not from the site itself. They were brought from other nearby locations,” she said.

Subsequent research and excavations found the site also served as a burial ground. Radiocarbon dating showed it was occupied for hundreds of years, beginning around 1,100 years ago, she said.

The site, discovered by scientists in 2005, can be visited with prior approval from Amapa’s Institute for Scientific and Technological Research. At the same time, the site is going through the process to become a national park, which will allow more people to visit.

Such archaeological sites are protected by Brazilian law, which prohibits them being altered. That adds a layer of protection for surrounding rainforest.

Ancient roads point to connected Amazon societies

Modern archaeological and historical ecology research shows that Indigenous peoples not only lived in the Amazon for centuries but also shaped it. They managed and cultivated the landscape through long‑term, sustainable practices, said Eduardo Neves, an archaeologist professor at the University of Sao Paulo.

Neves has studied the Amazon rainforest for more than 30 years and, since 2023, has led the Amazon Revealed project, which uses satellite scans to identify archaeological sites hidden beneath the forest canopy.

Scans have revealed roads linking archaeological sites and buried patterns in the rainforest that point to repeated occupation and deliberate landscape modification. Together, Neves said, the features suggest large settlements.

Archaeologists had long suspected such connections, Neves added, but technology has made it possible to see their broader geographic reach. The scans show networks of roads connecting clusters of settlements across the forest, most clearly in southern Amazonas state and Acre.

“When people think of an Indigenous tribe, they often imagine a small village isolated in the middle of the forest. But evidence shows a high degree of interconnectivity linking different settlements,” Neves said.

“Amapa is a key piece that helps us see how dynamic and active these populations were, and how they maintained networks of exchange that have been in place for millennia,” Cabral said.

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Felipe Campos Mello contributed reporting.

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Angelina Hicks has since been charged with two counts of felony conspiracy.

On Wednesday, the Jewish Federation of Houston released a statement saying the Houston Police Depaertment warned them of potential threats made againts their campus.

“Out of an abundance of caution,” Beth Israel said it decided to close its campuses for the day.

“This situation is fluid, ongoing, and under investigation. We will share information, as warranted, in partnership with Congregation Beth Israel and The Shlenker School. We all remain in close communication with HPD, the FBI, and local and national security partners,” the Jewish Federation of Houston said in a stament.

Other Jewish instituations remaided open Wednesday and local authorities patroled the area. We did not hear of any incidents taking place as of Thursday morning.

The FBI of Houston released the following statement regarding the situation:

“The FBI is aware of threats against certain Jewish institutions in our area. The FBI immediately acts on this type of information, in coordination with our respective law enforcement partners, to gather and share intelligence as soon as it comes to our attention. We urge the public to remain vigilant and report all suspicious activity and/or individuals to law enforcement immediately.”

U.S. jobless aid applications for the week ending April 18 rose by 6,000 to 214,000, up from the previous week’s 208,000, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s slightly more than the 210,000 new applications analysts surveyed by the data firm FactSet were expecting.

Filings for unemployment benefits are considered a proxy for U.S. layoffs and are close to a real-time indicator of the health of the job market.

The Iran war, now in its eighth week, has injected a large degree of uncertainty about how it will affect the U.S. and global economies even as Iran and the U.S. remain under a ceasefire agreement.

U.S. financial markets have rebounded to record levels and prices for a barrel of U.S. crude oil have settled in around $94 per barrel. That’s better than the $112 earlier this month, but still 40% higher than before the war began. Gas prices also remain elevated, saddling businesses and consumers with higher costs.

The largest monthly jump in gas prices in six decades sent consumer prices up 3.3% in March from a year earlier, the Labor Department recently reported. That’s up sharply from just 2.4% in February and the biggest yearly increase since May 2024. On a monthly basis, prices rose 0.9% in March from February, the largest such increase in nearly four years.

This comes at a time when U.S. inflation was already above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target, further diminishing the chances of an interest rate cut by central bank officials any time soon. Lower interest rates can boost the economy and hiring, but also tend to fuel inflation.

Fed officials voted to cut rates three times to close 2025 out of concern for a weakening job market but have held off lowering rates further this year. The Fed meets next week to decide on rates.

The Labor Department reported earlier this month that U.S. employers added an unexpectedly strong 178,000 new jobs in March, nudging the unemployment rate back down to 4.3%. That followed a surprisingly large loss of 92,000 jobs in February. Revisions also have trimmed 69,000 jobs from December and January payrolls, a sign that the labor market remains under strain.

A number of high-profile companies have cut jobs recently, including Morgan Stanley,Block, UPSand Amazon.

Weekly jobless aid applications have stabilized in a range mostly between 200,000 and 250,000 since the U.S. economy emerged from the pandemic recession. However, hiring began slowing about two years ago and tapered further in 2025 due to President Donald Trump’s erratic tariff rollouts, his purge of the federal workforce and the lingering effects of high interest rates meant to control inflation.

Employers added fewer than 200,000 jobs last year, compared with about 1.5 million in 2024, according to the data firm FactSet.

The American labor market appears stuck in what economists call a “low-hire, low-fire” state that has kept the unemployment rate historically low, but has left those out of work struggling to find a new job.

The Labor Department’s report Thursday showed that the four-week moving average of jobless claims, which evens out some of the weekly volatility, inched up by 750 to 210,750.

The total number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits for the previous week ending April 11 rose by 12,000 to 1.82 million.

Council members Edward Pollard, Abbie Kamin, Alejandra Salinas and Tiffany Thomas voted against the measure.

The ordinance takes effect immediately as an emergency measure.

• RELATED: Houston mayor unveils proposed amended immigration ordinance in hopes to restore state funding

What the amended ordinance does

The updated policy refines how the Houston Police Department handles immigration-related encounters, particularly interactions with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Key provisions include:

• Defines ICE administrative warrants: The ordinance establishes a formal definition for administrative warrants used in deportation proceedings.
• Reinforces cooperation with federal authorities: It states the city cannot prohibit or materially limit cooperation with ICE when required under Texas law or by agreement.
• Clarifies detention rules: Officers may detain individuals for the duration of a lawful stop and for other legitimate purposes discovered during that detention, aligning with constitutional standards.
• Expands transparency: HPD must provide quarterly public reports to City Council detailing immigration-related activity, including when officers inquire about immigration status or contact ICE, along with demographic and location data while protecting confidential information.
• Immediate implementation: The ordinance was approved as an emergency measure and goes into effect right away.

Background: funding fight with the state

The vote comes amid an ongoing legal and political battle with Ken Paxton, who has challenged the city’s earlier ordinance and prompted the state to freeze more than $110 million in public safety funding.

Mayor Whitmire has warned the funding loss, previously estimated at about $114 million, could significantly impact city operations, including overtime and staffing at HPD for investigations involving homicides, domestic violence, juvenile cases and human trafficking.

He has also pointed to the financial strain on preparations for the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026, which will bring global attention and security demands to Houston.

What changed from the original policy

The amended ordinance rolls back and modifies portions of a policy approved earlier this month.

The previous ordinance removed a provision allowing officers to wait up to 30 minutes for ICE when someone had an administrative warrant unless there was a criminal warrant, citing constitutional concerns.

Whitmire’s revisions clarify that cooperation with federal authorities cannot be limited when required by law and adjust how administrative warrants are defined.

The updated language removes earlier wording stating those warrants do not establish probable cause and instead describes them as orders related to deportation or removal proceedings.

It also broadens detention language, allowing officers to hold individuals not just for the initial stop but for “other legitimate purposes” identified during the encounter.

Debate and concerns

The vote follows days of intense debate at City Hall, with some council members raising concerns about the speed of the process and potential constitutional implications.

Salinas previously questioned whether the changes could undermine key protections in the original ordinance.

“The amendment poses a lot of open questions,” she said during Tuesday’s meeting, including whether it complies with the Fourth Amendment.

Kamin also criticized the timeline, saying council members had limited time to review the proposal before the vote.

Public opinion remained divided. Some residents and leaders argued the city must comply with state law to avoid losing critical funding, while others stressed the importance of protecting constitutional rights.

Rev. James Dixon of the NAACP Houston branch said the issue requires balance.

“We support law enforcement… but we want law enforcement to operate within constitutional law,” Dixon said.

Whitmire has said he believes the amended ordinance creates a path to resolve the dispute with the state without engaging in a costly legal battle.

City officials now hope the changes will lead to the restoration of millions in frozen public safety funds as Houston prepares for upcoming budget decisions and major international events.

Caro Rivera Nelson, attorney at the ACLU of Texas, released the following statement:

“The effective repeal of Proposition A is a stain on our state. Houston City Council caved to the governor’s threats and intimidation. This ordinance would have allowed local police to focus on public safety in accordance with state and federal law. Instead, officers are again left without clear guidance and remain under the same conditions in which local officers were doing ICE’s job — a job they’re not trained for, paid for, or legally authorized to do. Our city councils must defend their authority to enact lawful ordinances that represent what is best for their constituents.”

Barcelona said 18-year-old Yamal will miss the remaining six La Liga games for the leaders as he follows a “conservative treatment” process to heal a muscle injury in his left leg that he picked up on Wednesday while converting a penalty in a 1-0 win over Celta Vigo.

The club added in a statement that its doctors “foresee that (Yamal) will be available for the World Cup.”

Yamal is supposed to make his World Cup debut this summer. Spain's campaign starts against Cape Verde on June 15 in Atlanta.

“This injury sidelines me just when I most wanted to be on the field,” Yamal wrote in an Instagram post. “It hurts that I won't be fighting alongside my teammates. But I believe in them and know that they will give it their all in every game.”

Yamal has emerged as one of the world’s top players since making his Barcelona debut at a record-breaking 15 years old. He helped to lead Spain to the 2024 European Championship and is a major reason why Luis de la Fuente’s team is among the favorites this summer thanks to his dribbling, creativity and ability to both score and set up teammates.

Yamal went down after he scored the winner against Celta in the 40th minute and immediately looked to the bench to signal he was hurt. He dropped to the ground as his teammates arrived to celebrate, then appeared to grab the back of his left leg.

Yamal left the field on his own after being attended by doctors. He talked briefly with coach Hansi Flick on the sidelines before walking into the locker room tunnel by himself.

Barcelona leads Real Madrid by nine points with two more rounds before they meet at Camp Nou on May 10.

Barcelona will start its run-in without Yamal on Saturday when it visits Getafe. Flick could replace Yamal on the right side with winger Roony Bardghji or mix up his front line and play with an extra midfielder.

Yamal leads Barcelona in scoring (24) and assists (18) across all competitions.

“This is not over. This is just a pause,” Yamal wrote in his social media post. “I will come back stronger and more motivated than ever and next season will be even better.”

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

No reason was given for the unexpected departure of the Navy’s top civilian official, coming as the sea service has imposed a blockade of Iranian ports and is targeting ships linked to Tehran around the world during a tenuous ceasefire in the war. Another Trump loyalist is taking over as acting head of the Navy: Undersecretary Hung Cao, a 25-year Navy combat veteran who ran unsuccessful campaigns for the U.S. Senate and House in Virginia.

Phelan’s departure is the latest in a series of shakeups of top leadership at the Pentagon, coming just weeks after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired the Army’s top uniformed officer, Gen. Randy George. Hegseth also has fired several other top generals, admirals and defense leaders since taking office last year.

The firings began in February 2025, when Hegseth removed military leaders, including Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the Navy’s top uniformed officer, and Gen. Jim Slife, the No. 2 leader at the Air Force. Trump also fired Gen. Charles “CQ” Brown Jr. as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Showing how sudden the latest move was, Phelan had addressed a large crowd of sailors and industry professionals on Tuesday at the Navy’s annual conference in Washington and spoke with reporters about his agenda. He also hosted the leaders of the House Armed Services Committee to discuss the Navy’s budget request and efforts to build more ships, according to a social media post from his office.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a post on X that Phelan was “departing the administration, effective immediately."

John Phelan had been a major Trump donor

Phelan had not served in the military or had a civilian leadership role in the service before Trump nominated him for secretary in late 2024. He was seen as an outsider being brought in to shake up the Navy.

Phelan was a major donor to Trump’s campaign and had founded the private investment firm Rugger Management LLC. According to his biography, Phelan’s primary exposure to the military came from an advisory position he held on the Spirit of America, a nonprofit that supported the defense of Ukraine and the defense of Taiwan.

The Associated Press could not immediately reach Phelan’s office for comment. The White House did not answer questions and instead responded by sending a link to Parnell’s statement.

Phelan is leaving during a busy time for the Navy. It has three aircraft carriers deployed in or heading to the Middle East, while the Trump administration says all the armed forces are poised to resume combat operations against Iran should the ceasefire expire.

The Navy also has maintained a heavy presence in the Caribbean, where it has been part of a campaign of strikes against alleged drug boats. It also played a major role in the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in January.

Hung Cao, new acting Navy secretary, ran unsuccessful bids for Congress

Taking over as acting secretary is Cao, who ran a failed U.S. Senate bid in Virginia to try to unseat Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine in 2024. He had Trump’s endorsement in the crowded Republican primary and gave a speech at the 2024 Republican National Convention.

Cao's biography includes fleeing Vietnam with his family as a child in the 1970s. In a campaign video for his Senate bid, he compared Vietnam’s communist regime during the Cold War to the administration of Democratic President Joe Biden.

During his one debate with Kaine, Cao criticized COVID-19 vaccine mandates for service members as well as the military’s diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

“When you’re using a drag queen to recruit for the Navy, that’s not the people we want,” Cao said from the debate stage. “What we need is alpha males and alpha females who are going to rip out their own guts, eat them and ask for seconds. Those are the young men and women that are going to win wars.”

Trump and Hegseth have railed against DEI in the military, banning the efforts and firing people accused of supporting such programs.

When he ran for Congress in Virginia in 2022, Cao expressed opposition to aid for Ukraine during a debate against his Democratic opponent.

“My heart goes out to the Ukrainian people. ... But right now we’re borrowing $55 billion from China to pay for the war in Ukraine. Not only that, we’re depleting our national strategic reserves,” Cao said.

Cao graduated from the prestigious Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia, before attending the U.S. Naval Academy.

He was commissioned as a special operations officer and went on to serve with SEAL teams and special forces in Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia before retiring at the rank of captain, according to his Senate campaign biography.

Cao also earned a master's degree in physics and had fellowships at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University.

Since becoming Navy undersecretary, Cao has championed returning to duty service members that refused a Biden-era mandate to take the COVID-19 vaccine.

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

House Majority PAC’s eight-figure spending is aimed at holding two vulnerable Democratic districts in South Texas — held by Reps. Henry Cuellar of Laredo and Vicente Gonzalez of McAllen — and winning three seats that Republicans already hold or are favored to win after redistricting. All five districts are majority-Hispanic, signaling Democrats’ confidence in polls that show Hispanic support for the GOP is eroding after Republicans made major gains two years ago in the Rio Grande Valley and other border communities.

The three GOP seats on House Majority PAC’s target list are Edinburg Rep. Monica De La Cruz’s 15th Congressional District; the 23rd Congressional District, previously held by former San Antonio Rep. Tony Gonzales; and the newly drawn 35th Congressional District in San Antonio and surrounding counties.

The top House Republican outside group, Congressional Leadership Fund, is spending $13.9 million in three media markets to target Cuellar and Gonzalez, whose redistricted seats are some of the party’s best competitive pickup opportunities in November, albeit heavier lifts than usual in a midterm election expected to favor Democrats. 

In 2024, HMP’s initial ad reservation list for South Texas was under $2.3 million, a small fraction of the $22.2 million it plans to pour into the Lone Star State this fall. Of that total, $4.8 million is earmarked for Spanish-language programming.

“HMP’s historic television and digital ad reservations reflect that Democrats are firmly on offense heading into November,” HMP President Mike Smith said in a statement. “While Democrats are expanding the map nationwide, House Republicans are losing ground after failing to lower costs, making health care more expensive, and dragging us into another costly and unpopular foreign war. Democrats will take back the House in November, and elect Hakeem Jeffries as the next Speaker.” 

CLF’s initial spending in South Texas, while smaller than that of HMP, also represents a massive increase from last cycle — reflecting redistricting’s role in making the Cuellar and Gonzalez seats a more attractive investment. The group spent $1.9 million in just the Harlingen market in 2024. 

“Our record fundraising gives us the firepower we need to make a significant first investment to protect our House Majority,” said CLF President Chris Winkelman. “This initial reserve reflects the reality that this cycle, again, will be fought on a narrow map. Republicans hold the terrain, and it’s a tall order for Democrats to break through our strong, battle-tested incumbents. This reserve shows we are committed to defending our own while aggressively supporting our candidates on offense.”

The ad reservations are an initial marker of both HMP’s and CLF’s spending priorities, and can be increased or cancelled at a later date as each party’s House strategy shifts. 

House Majority PAC is reserving ads in four media markets, including San Antonio, which includes parts of the 15th, 23rd and 35th Congressional Districts. The PAC’s targeting of the 23rd District is especially notable: Gonzales won reelection in 2024 by a 24-point margin, and HMP has not spent money on the district since 2020, when it was a swing seat before being made safer for Republicans during the 2021 round of redistricting. 

Gonzales dropped his reelection bid in March in the wake of a sex scandal with an employee, and ultimately resigned from Congress last week. The now-open race is between GOP nominee Brandon Herrera, a gun rights activist and Youtuber who is far more conservative than the moderate Gonzales, and Democratic newcomer Katy Padilla Stout.

A March poll commissioned by HMP found Herrera leading by just 2 percentage points, giving Democrats optimism even as Republicans have maintained that the district is deep red and Herrera has outraised Padilla Stout. HMP’s initial commitment to the seat, which stretches from San Antonio through West Texas along the border, is a sign of Democrats’ seriousness about a district that has been safely Republican for the past two cycles.

Meanwhile, in targeting the 35th District — currently represented by Austin Democrat Greg Casar but completely reconfigured by Republicans to be a seat President Donald Trump won by 10 points in 2024 — Democrats are underscoring their growing optimism that they can blunt the effectiveness of the new map. The 35th was one of five Democratic-controlled districts that Texas Republicans explicitly targeted in reshaping the state’s political lines.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York, has maintained that the map will backfire on Republicans, and predicted the GOP would only win two or three of the five seats they intended to deliver. 

In the 35th District, national Democrats have lined up behind Johnny Garcia, a Bexar County Sheriff’s deputy, though he faces a runoff against a more progressive candidate, Maureen Galindo. The Republican primary proceeded to a runoff as well between state Rep. John Lujan, R-San Antonio, and Carlos De La Cruz, the Trump-backed brother of Monica De La Cruz.

CLF did not put any of its initial $153 million total ad buy into San Antonio to defend Republican-held seats or the newly-created 35th District. Instead, the party is solely focused on picking up the two seats that will be the most difficult to flip.

HMP is pouring the majority of its Texas funding — $13 million — into the Harlingen media market, where Democrats are defending two seats and looking to pick up the one held by Monica De La Cruz. The market covers the South Texas cities of Brownsville, McAllen and Weslaco, in addition to Harlingen. 

Even before redistricting, Democrats were targeting De La Cruz, and have been enthused about Bobby Pulido, a moderate Democrat and Tejano music star running in the district.

De La Cruz won her race by a 14-point margin in 2024; Trump would have won the district, under its new boundaries, by 17 percentage points.

CLF has reserved $10.3 million for the Harlingen media market, which includes Spanish-language spending. The Republican group is solely on offense in South Texas, at the moment, with the funding targeted at flipping Cuellar and Gonzalez’s seats rather than defending De La Cruz.

The Democratic House Majority PAC is also planning to provide ad support to Cuellar and Gonzalez, whose districts were made more red-leaning by legislative Republicans hoping to oust them. House Majority PAC is making initial ad reservations of $682,500 in Laredo, which Cuellar represents, and $2.35 million in Corpus Christi, part of which was drawn into Gonzalez’s district to make his reelection tougher. 

CLF is spending more than HMP in Laredo but less in Corpus Christi. The Republican group is reserving $2 million in Cuellar’s district in Laredo, and $1.6 million in Corpus Christi, which Gonzalez has taken in under the new map. Both reservation totals include Spanish-language spending.

Trump won both seats, under their new boundaries, by 10 points in 2024. But Cuellar and Gonzalez are both moderates willing to break with their party, and they have significantly overperformed Democrats at the top of the ticket, holding on in 2024 even as Trump carried each of their districts.

Cuellar is running against Webb County Judge Tano Tijerina, while Gonzalez will face former federal prosecutor Eric Flores.

HMP’s ad reservations fulfill a pledge the group made last summer to raise and spend at least $20 million for the Lone Star Fund, created as Republicans pursued Texas redistricting. At the time, HMP said it would recruit and fund campaigns to flip Republican-held seats in newly gerrymandered districts.

CLF is also spending $1.8 million in the El Paso media market. But those ad reservations are targeting New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District, held by Democrat Gabe Vasquez, rather than a Texas seat.

The Omaha, Nebraska-based railroad said Thursday that it earned $1.7 billion, or $2.87 per share, but it estimated that merger-related costs weighed down the results by 6 cents per share. That's still up from last year's $1.63 billion, or $2.70 per share. And the results topped the $2.86 per share that the analysts surveyed by FactSet Research expected.

Union Pacific CEO Jim Vena said the railroad continued to get more efficient during the quarter as it benefited higher rates even as it prepared its case for the merger. Vena said he's even more convinced now that creating the nation's first transcontinental railroad would be good for customers and the country because Union Pacific will be able to deliver goods more quickly at a lower cost.

“Service is going to be better. We provide more opportunity. We take trucks off of the highway and our employees are guaranteed jobs,” Vena said. “I think we’re more convicted now that this is good for country and good for Union Pacific. And financially, it is good for our shareholders.”

The railroad’s revenue grew 3% to $6.22 billion even though it hauled about 1% fewer shipments. That’s because the rates it charges continued to increase and the railroad benefited from fuel surcharge fees.

Union Pacific’s expenses also grew 3% to $3.76 billion.

The railroad affirmed its outlook for midsingle digit growth in its earnings per share this year in line with its long-term plan. It plans to invest $3.3 billion in its operation.

Union Pacific plans to resubmit its application to acquire Norfolk Southern next week. The U.S. Surface Transportation Board rejected the railroad's first request to approve the $85 billion merger because the regulators wanted more information. The STB hasn't yet decided whether the deal that would cut the number of major freight railroads down to five will enhance competition.

The deal has divided labor and the shippers who rely on both railroads. UP is already one of the biggest railroads and it serves the western United States. The nation's largest rail union and a number of the smaller ones supported the merger after Union Pacific promised that their workers would have jobs for life, but two of the other largest unions that represent engineers and track maintenance workers oppose it.

The railroads' customers are also split with trade groups representing chemical makers and agricultural businesses expressing concerns, but hundreds of other businesses lining up behind it. President Donald Trump has also said the deal sounds good to him.

Vena has argued that creating a railroad that stretches from coast to coast would be good for the economy because without the need for a hand-off between railroads in the middle of the country rail shipments would move faster, meaning it could better compete against trucking.

Unlike Cuba or Venezuela, Iran choked off a crucial trade route for energy shipments, meaning the longer the standoff persists, the more the global economy will suffer. Tehran also poses a greater military threat than those two adversaries in America’s own hemisphere and requires a sustained military presence far from U.S. shores.

Iran’s leverage over the Strait of Hormuz gives it power during a shaky ceasefire because the widening economic risks, especially higher U.S. gas prices in an election year, could force the Republican president to end the blockade on Iran's ports and coastline, experts say.

“It’s really a question now of which country, the U.S. or Iran, has a greater pain tolerance,” said Max Boot, a military historian and senior fellow for national security studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.

Iran presents ‘major differences’ from other blockades

The effectiveness of Trump's use of the world’s most powerful navy to block the trade of Iran's sanctioned oil and other goods is very much up for debate. But it certainly appears to be intensifying as the war grinds on.

The U.S. military on Thursday announced the seizure of another tanker associated with the smuggling of Iranian oil, a day after Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guards took control of two vessels in the crucial waterway.

Trump also announced he has ordered the U.S. military to “shoot and kill” Iranian small boats laying sea mines in the strait.

But the situation in Iran is not exactly analogous to what is playing out with the U.S. operations in Venezuela and Cuba.

Some experts say Trump’s success in Venezuela likely had more to do with the U.S. military raid that captured leader Nicolás Maduro than American warships seizing sanctioned oil tankers to enforce U.S. control over the South American country.

A U.S. oil embargo on Cuba, meanwhile, has caused the island’s most severe economic crisis in decades. While U.S. and Cuban officials have met recently on the island for rare talks, the financial strangulation has failed to produce the Trump administration’s stated goal of leadership change.

“I do think that the success of the Maduro mission in Venezuela has probably emboldened the president,” said Todd Huntley, director of Georgetown University’s National Security Law Program.

That does not make the situations in Venezuela and Iran similar — geographically, militarily or politically. “There are some major differences,” said Huntley, a retired Navy captain and judge advocate general.

While the blockade against Iran has delivered a severe blow to its economy, including stopping freighters from importing various supplies, the country has still been able to move some of its sanctioned oil, ship tracking companies say.

Iran has rejected Trump’s demands to reopen the strait, where 20% of the world’s oil normally flows, and it has been firing on ships again this week. Stalled shipments through the strait have sent gasoline prices skyrocketing far beyond the region and raised the cost of food and a wide array of other products, creating a political problem for Trump before the November's elections.

“Blockades are usually just one tool of a mechanism used in a conflict,” said Salvatore Mercogliano, a maritime history professor at Campbell University in North Carolina. “They can be important. But it’s only one element. And I don’t think it’s going to be enough to convince the Iranians.”

Effectiveness of US blockade called into question

Adm. Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command, claimed last week that “no ship has evaded U.S. forces." The command overseeing the Middle East said it has directed 31 ships to turn around or return to port as of Wednesday.

Merchant shipping groups are skeptical.

Lloyd’s List Intelligence said “a steady flow of shadow fleet traffic” has passed in and out of the Persian Gulf, including 11 tankers with Iranian cargo that have left the Gulf of Oman outside the strait since April 13.

The maritime intelligence firm Windward said this week that Iranian traffic continues to flow “via deception."

Iranian ships have several ways to sneak through the blockade, including spoofing their location tracking data or traveling through Pakistani territorial waters, Mercogliano said. He also noted that the sheer volume of shipping traffic the military needs to screen is a challenging task.

Blockades require patience to work

The last time the U.S. mounted a blockade similar to the one focused on Iranian ships was during the Kennedy administration in the early 1960s, against Cuba, Huntley said.

“And it wasn't even called a blockade,” he said. “We called it quarantine.”

Some naval blockades over the course of history have had an impact, such as Britain's blockade on Germany during World War I. "But they tend to be very long-term impacts, whereas Trump is looking for short-term, quick results,” according to Boot, the military historian.

He said Trump probably saw the blockade on sanctioned oil tankers tied to Venezuela as playing a large role in the success of leadership changes in that country. But Boot said it had more to do with the U.S. ousting Maduro and the subsequent cooperation from his vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, who is now the acting president.

“There is no Delcy Rodríguez in Cuba or Iran,” Boot said. “I think his success in Venezuela led him astray, thinking that this was a template that could be replicated elsewhere. He sees it as a huge success at little cost. And, in fact, it turns out to be a unique set of circumstances.”

In practice, he thinks one side has gained an advantage.

And it's not the guys throwing the baseball.

“It's what (MLB) wanted — people on base,” Sewald said. “Tough time to be a pitcher. Balls flying everywhere, you've got a smaller strike zone. But you just go out there and do the best you can."

So ... is Sewald right? It depends on which numbers you want to use, but it sure seems like the strike zone has shrunk.

Walks have skyrocketed to near historic highs through the season's first month. There's no direct evidence ABS is the reason for the increase, but as D-backs catcher James McCann said: “Of course it is. What other rules have changed?”

MLB players have drawn a walk in 9.8% of plate appearances this season through Wednesday's games, which would be the highest rate since 1950. The rate is likely to come down as the season progresses — pitchers usually have more trouble finding the zone during widespread chilly conditions in northern cities during March and April.

But even adjusted for the time of year, walks have made a massive jump from last season.

Everyone knew the strike zone would change. MLB had to re-write its definition of the zone to accommodate the shift to robot umpires. The Official Baseball Rules long described a zone stretching from the midpoint of the hitter's torso down to the “hollow beneath the kneecap.” The new zone is more precise. It starts at 27% of a batter's standing height and stretches to 53.5%. The ABS zone is 17 inches wide, matching the width of home plate. All pitches are measured at the midpoint of the plate.

The spike in walks doesn't tell the whole story about who is benefiting during the ABS era. MLB's league-wide batting average is down slightly to .240 through Wednesday, a few ticks below the .242 rate through last year's games in March and April. That pokes a hole in Sewald's claim that there are “balls flying everywhere.”

The difference in opinion is fascinating as MLB players digest the new rules and new data.

New York Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger isn't putting too much stock in the early numbers. He said hitters and pitchers are always playing a cat-and-mouse game, and there will eventually be equilibrium.

“I think there’s always an adjustment to something new,” the 2019 National League MVP said. “It’s also such a short sample size. It’s (20-25) games into the season, so numbers skyrocket both ways early on.”

McCann's not so sure. The veteran catcher said a smaller strike zone will inevitably lead to more walks.

“I think it's tighter in general,” McCann said. “Umpires are getting instant feedback on what's a strike or a ball and everything's becoming much more uniform. That's what the guys who had used it in the minor leagues told me was going to happen before the season started, and they were exactly right.”

Chicago Cubs star infielder Nico Hoerner had a slightly different take — arguing that hitters might be benefiting in the short-term by laying off pitches at the top of the strike zone — but that all adjustments have an expiration date.

“Getting on base has been emphasized for a long time,” Hoerner said. “Walking is incredibly valuable as a hitter. A lot of pitchers — their approach is to avoid slug at all cost. Sometimes that involves throwing less strikes. But I'm sure there will be a back and forth, just like every trend in baseball.”

If recent history is any indication, MLB rule changes can cause a lasting effect. There was a nearly 50% increase in stolen bases from 2022 to 2023 after a rules package introduced a pitch clock and limits on how many times a pitcher could make pickoff throws.

Stolen bases have remained high in the subsequent years — even after teams adjusted to the new rules.

And when MLB lowered the mound in 1969, the walk rate jumped from 7.6% to 9.1%. It dipped slightly after that but didn't return below 8% again until 2013.

Miami Marlins manager Clayton McCullough believes the ABS issue is a different animal. He's watching the trends and doesn't believe the higher walk rate is here to stay.

Who knows? The next five months will tell the tale.

“I think that we’ll get to a point where it gets close and stabilizes to what it’s been, where relievers are walking around 10%. Starters are going to be more around 8%,” McCullough said. “My hypothesis sitting here now early in the year is that by the time the season ends, (walk rates) will look very much like they have, say the last several seasons.”

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AP Baseball Writer Jay Cohen, AP Sports Writer Alanis Thames and AP freelancer Larry Fleshier contributed to this story.

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

Gates, who founded Microsoft, reportedly spoke “candidly” about his relationship to Epstein in a February town hall meeting of the influential foundation he started with his ex-wife Melinda French Gates. But the external probe marks the nonprofit's plainest attempt yet to address associations that have cast a pall over its efforts to end preventable maternal and child deaths and control infectious diseases.

The Gates Foundation said in a statement that CEO Mark Suzman, with support from Gates, commissioned an external review in March to assess past foundation engagement with Epstein and look at current policies for vetting and developing new partnerships. The Wall Street Journal first reported news of the staff memo detailing the review.

The philanthropic giant has already undergone a period of change. The Gates Foundation shared plans in January to cap operating costs and incrementally cut as many as 500 positions, or about 20% of its staff, by 2030. The move follows last year’s announcement that the foundation would close in 2045, earlier than previously expected.

The Justice Department's files include email correspondence between Gates and Epstein about philanthropic projects, calendar entries documenting dates they held meetings, and photos of Gates at events also attended by Epstein. Gates has not been accused of any wrongdoing regarding their connection, denies knowledge of Epstein's crimes and claims they met only to discuss philanthropy.

The foundation acknowledged in a February statement that “a small number” of employees met with Epstein based on his “claims that he could mobilize significant philanthropic resources for global health and development." They never created a fund together and the foundation made no payments to Epstein, according to the previous release.

“The foundation regrets having any employees interact with Epstein in any way,” the statement read.

The files' disclosures are being closely followed by one of the Gates Foundation's earliest and most ardent supporters. Investor Warren Buffett, who donates a portion of his annual Berkshire Hathaway shares to the nonprofit, told CNBC's “Squawk Box” last month that it's clear “there was a lot I didn't know."

Buffett, who resigned as the foundation's trustee in 2021, has completed his donation every year around the end of June. But he said he will “wait and see what unfolds” in the Justice Department's documents and congressional hearings on their contents. He noted the foundation is “sitting” on a large endowment, which totals $86 billion, and said Gates has “plenty of his own money.”

“So, in any event, I’ll just wait and see. And there’s three and a half million, or whatever it is pages – I mean, it is astounding,” Buffett said of the Epstein files.

A Gates Foundation spokesperson described Buffett as “an extraordinarily generous partner” for nearly two decades in a statement Wednesday to the Associated Press.

“We are deeply grateful for his support, which has enabled us to accelerate progress on some of the world’s toughest challenges that would not otherwise have been possible,” the spokesperson said.

The Gates Foundation expects its board and management will receive an update on the Epstein review this summer. The third-party investigators have not been publicly named.

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The Associated Press receives financial support for news coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation and for news coverage of women in the workforce and statehouses from Melinda French Gates’ organization, Pivotal Ventures. ___

Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP’s philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.

“As I said the other day, I promised my family, this organization and this team that I was going to give them the best version of me that I can possibly give them. In order to do so, I have committed to seeking counseling, starting this weekend,” Vrabel told ESPN on Wednesday night. “This is something that I have given a lot of thought to and is something I would advise a player to do if I was counseling them.

“I have always wanted to lead by example, and I believe this is what I have to do to be the best husband, father and coach that I possibly can be. This is not an easy thing for me to admit, but it is one that I know will make me a better person. I appreciate the support that everyone has given me and promise a stronger resolve as a result.”

The Patriots confirmed Vrabel will miss the third day of the draft.

The photos of Vrabel and Russini at a Sedona resort were taken before the annual NFL meetings that began in Phoenix on March 29, according to the New York Post, which published the photos this month.

The NFL said last weekend that it is not investigating Vrabel’s behavior.

Vrabel addressed the matter for the first time on Tuesday, telling reporters he’s had “ difficult conversations with people I care about.”

Vrabel and Russini, who are both married, released written statements to the Post after the publication of the story downplaying what the photos depict. But Russini resigned from The Athletic less than a week later, after the Post’s report prompted an internal investigation at The New York Times-owned sports outlet.

Vrabel said he addressed players about the matter on Monday after they arrived for the start of the voluntary workout program. Two Patriots players were scheduled to be made available to reporters on Tuesday, but Vrabel said he wanted to speak before they did. He also said he didn’t want the interest in the Post photos to take attention away from the NFL draft, which begins Thursday.

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AP Sports Writer Kyle Hightower contributed to this report.

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

The Defense Department released video footage of U.S. forces on the deck of the Guinea-flagged oil tanker Majestic X, which was seized in the Indian Ocean.

“We will continue global maritime enforcement to disrupt illicit networks and interdict vessels providing material support to Iran, wherever they operate,” a Pentagon statement said.

Ship-tracking data showed the Majestic X in the Indian Ocean between Sri Lanka and Indonesia, roughly the same location as the oil tanker Tifani, earlier seized by American forces. It had been bound for Zhoushan, China.

The vessel previously had been named Phonix and had been sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department in 2024 for smuggling Iranian crude oil in contravention of U.S. sanctions on the Islamic Republic.

There was no immediate response from Iran on the news of the seizure.

It comes a day after Iran attacked three cargo ships in the strait, capturing two of them, in a move that intensified its assault on shipping in the key waterway through which 20% of the world’s traded oil passes in peacetime.

On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump extended a ceasefire while maintaining an American blockade of Iranian ports. There was no immediate sign whether peace talks, previously hosted by Pakistan, would resume anytime soon.

The standoff between the U.S. and Iran has effectively choked off nearly all exports through the strait with no end in sight.

On Thursday, Iran’s exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi was splattered with red liquid as he left a building after a news conference in Berlin. The alleged perpetrator was immediately detained by police.

During the event, Pahlavi criticized the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, arguing that the agreement assumes the Iranian government’s behavior will change and “you’re going to deal with people who all of a sudden have become pragmatists.”

Pahlavi, 65, has been in exile for nearly 50 years. His father, Iran’s shah, was so widely hated that millions took to the streets in 1979, forcing him from power. Nevertheless, Pahlavi is trying to position himself as a player in his country’s future.

Since the Feb. 28 start of the war between Iran, Israel and the United States, over 30 ships have come under attack in the waters of the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman.

The threat of attack, rising insurance premiums and other fears have stopped traffic from moving through the strait. Iran’s ability to restrict traffic through the strait, which leads from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean, has proved a major strategic advantage.

The ceasefire has been strained by dueling U.S. attacks on Iranian ships and those by Iran on commercial vessels. It also remains unclear when, or if, the two sides will meet again in the Pakistani capital Islamabad, where officials say they are still trying to bring the countries together to reach a diplomatic deal.

The conflict already has sent gas prices skyrocketing far beyond the region and raised the cost of food and a wide array of other products. Officials around the world have warned the impact to businesses, consumers and economies could be long-lasting.

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Keaten reported from Geneva.

No one knows the answers, but online betting companies that allow people to wager on Trump policies and statements are profiting — including some backed by his oldest son.

Prediction markets love the president's unpredictability, his need to keep people guessing about his next move or social media post, leading to more wagers in these betting venues and more fees for them. That includes Polymarket, a company Donald Trump Jr. has a stake in, and Kalshi, a company he advises.

These sites have to come up with new betting lines on current events everyday, and Trump Jr.'s famously fickle father has proven to be a rich source of will-he-or-won't-he questions.

When a wagering event on Polymarket asked whether Trump was likely to send troops into Iran, nearly 100,000 bets were placed on April 8, leading to the biggest trading day of the year up to then.

And Trump's policies and social media comments generate bets beyond the war-related ones: Who will Trump back to run Venezuela? Will his insults of Pope Leo XIV continue? Will he seize Greenland?

“Trump is the guy. He makes the market possible,” said Kwok Ping Tsang, a Virginia Tech economist who has studied Polymarket. “He’s so unpredictable.”

Sports wagers make up the largest portion of the volume on prediction markets, but politics runs a close second, according to crypto analysis firm Dune.

People are also betting “Yes” or “No” on all kinds of other things — the price of gold, the winner of “Survivor,” even the weather. The cost of the wager, in cents per dollar, reflects the number of people making the same bet, with a price of 49 cents for “Yes,” for instance, reflecting 49% odds.

The betting has drawn bipartisan criticism for inviting insider trading but the president seems to be a big fan, applying a light regulatory touch and helping the industry expand. His family company, the Trump Organization, is even working on opening its own prediction market, called Truth Predict.

One of the biggest fee generators lately has been Trump's approach to the Iran war, notably his Truth Social post on April 5 demanding the country “Open the F—- Strait."

Trading on Polymarket soared with “Yes” or “No” wagers on whether an invasion was imminent, according to Dune, only to be surpassed on April 7 by betting on another question — Will there be a ceasefire? — when Trump posted ominously that a “whole civilization will die tonight.”

In total, 413 million bets on the Iran war were made risking more than $100 million from Sunday, April 5, through Wednesday, April 8, the day after Trump announced a ceasefire, according to Dune.

In a report after the surge, Dune called Trump an “unpredictability machine” and marveled at how his “governing-by-tweet” style sends trading volumes soaring.

Asked whether the president's son should be profiting from a business benefitting from his father's actions, a Trump Jr. spokesman called the question “fact-free Democratic propaganda.”

“Don does not interface with the federal government as part of his role with any company that he invests in or advises and has no influence or involvement with administration policies relating to prediction markets," said the spokesman, Andrew Surabian.

Polymarket didn’t respond to a request for comment.

The betting venues have jumped in popularity since Trump was reelected in November 2024 in part because they correctly predicted, unlike many pundits, that he would win decisively.

Since then the Trump administration has sued states trying to ban prediction markets under no-gambling laws. The head of the industry's chief regulator, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, has even promoted the business publicly, calling the online bets in a Wall Street Journal op-ed “exciting products.”

Benefiting particularly has been Polymarket, which was banned from operating anywhere in the U.S. in 2022 after the Biden administration fined it for running an unregistered exchange. It recently got permission to return, and its value has soared.

The company is now worth $9.6 billion, according to research firm PitchBook, a nearly tenfold increase in eight months since a venture capital fund in which Trump Jr. is a partner last invested.

Just how much Trump Jr. is benefiting from the increase in value is unclear because Polymarket is private and doesn't release ownership stakes. Kalshi, which took on Trump Jr. as an adviser last year, is also private.

As for profiting off turmoil and war, Trump Jr. has other possible ways besides the prediction markets.

Through his venture capital fund he also owns pieces of aerospace, defense and technology companies seeking Pentagon contracts and other federal agency dollars. Separately, he and his brother, Eric, just struck a deal giving them stakes in a military drone maker not just selling to the U.S. forces but also pitching to Gulf countries under Iranian attack and beholden to their father for U.S. military protection in a war he started.

Asked last month about the drone company potentially profiting off his father's position as president, Eric Trump sent The Associated Press a statement saying, “I am incredibly proud to invest in companies I believe in.”

Critics in Congress, virtually all Democrats, have decried what they believe is blatant profiting off the presidency, and are waiting for the midterms to do something about it, possibly voting for impeachment.

But whether that happens is anyone's guess — or to be more specific, tens of thousands of guesses.

In Polymarket trading, those betting that Trump would get impeached by the end of his term were putting the chances at 13% at the start of the year. But that has changed dramatically after his “civilization wipe out” threat and calls from Democrats to oust him from office.

By Tuesday, the odds had jumped to 66%.

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AP reporters Ken Sweet in New York and Christopher Keller in Albuquerque, N.M., contributed to this story.

The Texas Center for the Missing has canceled their Missing Persons alert for 13-year-old Ryder Bryant after it was reported that he was found safe.

ORIGINAL REPORT

HOUSTON - The Texas Center for the Missing has issued an Endangered Missing Persons Alert for Ryder Bryant, a 13-year-old boy reported missing in Houston, according to the Houston Police Department.

Police say Ryder was last seen Monday, April 20, around 5:34 p.m., walking on foot in the 5000 block of Mallow Street in the Sunnyside area.

He was last seen wearing a gray shirt, gray shorts, a baseball cap and Crocs.

Anyone with information about Ryder Bryant’s whereabouts is urged to contact the Houston Police Department at 832-394-1840. The case number is 507641-26.

The NFL draft is here in the Steel City.

A total of 257 players will live out a dream and hear their name called over the course of the next three days, culminating a long journey that required a ton of hard of work and plenty of sacrifice.

The first round kicks off Thursday night when NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell takes the stage inside the main theater outside Acrisure Stadium and announces the Las Vegas Raiders’ selection with the No. 1 pick. Fernando Mendoza, the Heisman Trophy winner who quarterbacked Indiana to its first national title, is the consensus favorite for the Raiders. It would be a downright stunner if he’s not headed to Las Vegas.

The poised and polished Mendoza will get a chance to learn from Kirk Cousins and play for part-owner Tom Brady, the seven-time Super Bowl champion who is ready to impart some of his wisdom.

While 16 other players will enjoy the on-site festivities and have the opportunity to give Goodell a giant hug on stage, Mendoza is spending the night with his family in Miami. His mother, Elsa Mendoza, has multiple sclerosis so traveling is difficult.

“I’ve done so much traveling this year, it’s a lot easier for my mom and her health is at the forefront,” Mendoza said. “We need to hop on a plane the next day for whatever team drafts me and to be there with the village that’s poured into me — friends, family, coaches, mentors — to be there with all of them and to share the start of this NFL journey, it’s going to create the best memory for our family.”

Mendoza would be the fifth No. 1 pick in the last nine in-person drafts - 2020 was held virtually - to skip the spectacle and celebrate privately with family and friends. Travon Walker (2022), Trevor Lawrence (2021), Baker Mayfield (2018) and Myles Garrett (2017) were the others.

The biggest question is who goes No. 2 to the New York Jets. Will it be Ohio State’s Arvell Reese or Texas Tech’s David Bailey? They’re considered the two best edge rushers in the draft. Or will the Jets pull off a surprise?

After Mendoza, it could be a while until another quarterback is selected. Alabama’s Ty Simpson is expected to be the next one. He’s among the group of players in attendance and there’s a chance he might have to wait until Round 2 on Friday night.

“I can't control how people think,” Simpson said Wednesday. “All I can control is how I play and how much of a player I can be so wherever I go, whoever gets me, I'm gonna make sure that's what I do wherever that is.”

The first round should be about an hour faster than it's been because the time between picks was shortened from 10 minutes to eight minutes.

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

DeBoer is getting a $2 million raise — up to $12.5 million — and a two-year contract extension after leading the Crimson Tide to the quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff, where Alabama lost to eventual national champion Indiana.

Oats is getting a $1.2 million raise — up to $7.2 million — and a two-year contract extension after leading Alabama to the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16, where the Crimson Tide lost to eventual national champion Michigan. Oats' new deal had been agreed to earlier this month.

Alabama announced both deals Wednesday during a board of trustees meeting.

DeBoer had been scheduled to make $10.5 million during 2026. His salary was set to increase $250,000 annually. He is now under contract through the 2033 season.

Oats had been scheduled to make $6.02 million in 2026-27. He made $5.5 million this past season. He is now under contract through the 2032 season.

DeBoer, courted by Michigan to replace fired coach Sherrone Moore, now has a $10 million buyout through January 2027. It drops to $8 million the following year and $6 million through January 2029.

“We are excited about the opportunity to continue our time in Tuscaloosa with this contract extension,” DeBoer said in a statement. "This university has become a special place to us, and I look forward to working to ensure that Alabama football remains at the forefront of college football.

"This program has a long history of success and an unmatched tradition that I was eager to be a part of two years ago, and I cannot wait to keep coaching our guys and bring more championships to Alabama.”

DeBoer is entering his third season in Tuscaloosa since replacing legendary coach Nick Saban. The Tide are 20-8 in his tenure, with a Southeastern Conference title game appearance and a first-round CFP victory over Oklahoma.

But he also has blowout losses to Indiana in the Rose Bowl and Georgia in the SEC title game on his Alabama resume as well as regular-season upsets to Oklahoma, Vanderbilt and Florida State.

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

Nearly a year after his death in South Africa, Lungu’s remains are still unburied, the subject of a macabre fight between his family and the longtime rival who succeeded him.

In a statement Wednesday, Zambia's attorney general said the government had custody of Lungu's remains after a South African court ordered the body be released to them. It said the body had been moved from a private funeral home in the South African capital, Pretoria, to another facility run by the South African government.

A separate urgent order then ruled that the body be returned to the funeral home where it had been since Lungu's death last June.

That order, though, said a date of May 21 had been set for the body to ultimately be handed over to the Zambian government. It wasn't clear Thursday where the body was and if it had been returned to the family.

The bizarre battle revolves around Lungu's relationship with current Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema. The two were bitter political rivals and the animosity has continued after Lungu's death.

Hichilema's government has said Lungu should have a state funeral at home and be buried at a cemetery set aside for Zambian leaders. Lungu's family claims that he made clear that one of his last wishes was that Hichilema should not go anywhere near his body and not preside over his funeral.

In June last year, the Zambian government succeeded in getting a court order to stop his funeral service in South Africa as it was taking place, forcing family members to leave the church ceremony and travel to a courthouse.

Lungu, who was Zambia’s leader from 2015 to 2021, died of an undisclosed illness in a South African hospital on June 5. He was 68.

When Lungu was president in 2017, Hichilema was arrested, charged with treason and detained for four months, only to be released and the charge dropped after international condemnation.

Lungu lost to Hichilema in a 2021 election, and claimed years later that his movements were being restricted by Zambian police and that he had been effectively placed under house arrest by authorities to prevent any political comeback. Hichilema's government denied the allegations.

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Imray reported from Cape Town, South Africa. AP writer Jacob Zimba in Lusaka, Zambia, contributed to this report.

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AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa

He was one of the key negotiators of the agreement reached in late 2024 that provisionally comes into force May 1.

“In a moment that the world much needed it, at a time of protectionism, a tough world, this gives a message that it is possible to open markets,” Alckmin said Wednesday during an interview with media, including The Associated Press, at the presidential palace in Brasilia. “It is the biggest deal between trade blocs in the world. A market of $22 trillion and 720 million people.”

Fierce opposition by farmers and environmentalists delayed the deal in December. It then hit another wall after EU lawmakers sent the deal to the bloc’s judiciary. The EU executive responded by saying it would provisionally enact the deal, which sidesteps the European Parliament. After the trade deal is implemented, it will be halted if the European Court of Justice rules against it.

Alckmin said not finishing the deal with the EU would have meant staying behind while other competitors accomplished other agreements.

“It is a win-win. The societies of the Mercosur countries win, and so the 27 countries of the EU,” added Alckmin, who expects a boost in Brazilian exports to the EU of about 13% per year.

The trans-Atlantic trade deal was signed Jan. 17. The European Commission’s president Ursula von der Leyen repeatedly paid tribute to Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s administration for its efforts in making the deal happen despite opposition in Europe. Brazil is by far the largest economy of Mercosur, with a gross domestic product estimated at more than $2.3 trillion in 2025.

Alckmin confirmed other potential deals with the United Arab Emirates and Canada are being negotiated.

Change of mind and time

Two decades ago, Alckmin and Lula were on opposite camps in almost every issue, including the negotiations for a deal between the EU and the bloc that includes Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. While the man who was then governor of the powerful Sao Paulo state advocated for a pact with European nations, Lula did not.

Fast forward to 2022, the two gathered forces to unseat then-President Jair Bolsonaro, who they deemed to be a risk to Brazil's democracy. Both gravitated toward the political center. Lula made Alckmin his trade and industry minister, one of the government's key negotiators in any front.

Lula's win in 2022 for a third nonconsecutive term and his bid for reelection this year did not assure the Mercosur-EU trade deal was going ahead, but the conversations gained a new momentum after U.S. President Donald Trump took office last year and imposed tariffs against several countries, including Brazil.

French President Emmanuel Macron, one of the critics of the deal, has demanded safeguards to monitor and stop large economic disruption in the EU, increased regulations in the Mercosur nations like pesticide restrictions, and more inspections of imports at EU ports.

Alckmin rejected the accusation that Mercosur countries have less concerns about environmental preservations, as some EU farmers have said.

“If there’s one country that is a role model of environmental preservation, that is Brazil … Brazil reduced deforestation in 50%,” Alckmin said.

“So no one is too scared in either side, if there’s an import boom any of the two (blocs) can ask for safeguards,” he added.

The full implementation of the deal might take up to 12 years, which Alckmin sees as key for Mercosur companies to improve productivity and quality of thousands of products. He said the fruit, beef and sugar industries of the South American bloc will be among the first to benefit but many more will over time.

“It is better to do it gradually than not do it at all,” Alckmin said. “This was a very well-built deal.”

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

Abbott said in a press conference in Conroe on Wednesday the ordinance passed by council brings the city closer to compliance, but not all the way.

“The city of Houston passed today is an agreement good enough to be in compliance with the contract,” Abbott said. “However, the Houston Police Department still has not agreed to the terms.”

• ICE Houston reports 277 arrests over two-week enforcement period

According to the governor, the agreement requires the Houston Police Department to notify the Department of Homeland Security about individuals in custody who may be in the country illegally—and follow federal instructions on whether to detain them.

Until HPD formally agrees, Abbott said funding remains frozen.

“As of right now, these extra law enforcement funds … are no longer flowing,” Abbott said. “We will release those funds as soon as the police department gets on board.”

The governor added Houston could be required to repay more than $110 million if it fails to comply.

“It better happen in the next 24 hours,” Abbott said.

What changed in the policy

The revised ordinance removes a previous policy that allowed officers to wait up to 30 minutes when an immigration-related warrant appeared.

Instead, it now allows officers to detain someone for a “reasonable” amount of time and for “other legitimate purposes” beyond the initial stop.

The president of the Houston Police Officers’ Union, Douglas Griffith, said the change won’t significantly impact day-to-day operations.

• How Harris County constable precincts instruct deputies to interact with ICE in the field

“There’s very little change,” Griffith said. “We’re still going to contact the agency involved … and give them a reasonable amount of time.”

He emphasized officers are not trying to enforce immigration law—but must respond to warrants when they appear.

“We are not ICE,” Griffith said. “We’re here to enforce the law.”

One challenge officers face is that when a warrant appears during a stop, it may not be immediately clear whether it is a criminal or civil warrant, according to Griffith.

That distinction is critical because it determines whether officers can legally detain someone.

We reached out to all the city council members about this distinction and the language in the ordinance.

• RELATED: Houston City Council passes Whitmire’s amended immigration ordinance in 13-4 vote to preserve state funding

Council member Alejandra Salinas’ office sent us the following statement:

“While I’m disappointed in today’s vote, this fight is far from over.

From the beginning, this has been about protecting families, upholding the Constitution, and ensuring our officers are focused on solving crime, not doing the job of ICE. That has not changed. The legal concerns we raised remain unresolved for this proposal. While I remain hopeful based on the City Attorney’s assurances that this amendment will continue to end HPD’s 30-minute wait policy and not permit HPD officers to detention on the basis of a civil administrative warrant alone, that language was struck by the Governor and Houstonians shouldn’t need to rely solely on assurances.

I am glad that transparency and reporting requirements that we passed remain in place. Those provisions are critical for building trust and improving accountability for how local resources are used by HPD’s interactions with ICE. That is meaningful progress.

But we cannot ignore that this vote walks back explicit protections that our community fought hard for. Houstonians from all walks of life showed up week after week to collectively demand the city take action. More than 50 prominent legal advocacy groups, labor unions, faith coalitions, and community organizations stood together to support this ordinance and get it over the finish line.

I will continue to stand with Houstonians against state overreach, push for stronger protections, and ensure this City defends our constitutional rights.

This is not the end of this work. I look forward to working with the community to bring forward solutions to protect families."

The Office of Council Member Fred Flickinger said:

“Council Member Flickinger does not have any information or comment to provide beyond what the City Attorney already provided at this morning’s meeting. The amendment passed today aligns with state and federal law so the City can retain millions of dollars in grants for public safety. ”

The Office of Council Member Twila Carter said:

“A few weeks ago, Chief/Mayor’s press conf set forth a 30 minute limit, today’s ordinance, as I understand is as you outline…”a reasonable amount of time” is now the directive and we are still in compliance."

The Office of Council Member Tiffany Thomas said:

“Council Member Thomas voted against the amendment today, standing firm with her constituents and the principle of local authority. As we see with Gov. Abbott’s recent statement, it’s evident that even when the City concedes, the goalpost often still moves. For this reason, she remains committed to the belief that state leadership should not dictate how city-elected officials govern their local communities.”

The Houston Police Department has not yet confirmed whether it will formally agree to the terms outlined by the state.

A spokesperson referred questions to the mayor’s office, which has not responded.

HPD will also need to update its internal policies to reflect the new ordinance, a process the union president says could take days to weeks.

For now, funding tied to the agreement remains frozen as state and local leaders continue negotiations.

The lawsuit alleged the bank misled customers by offering two similarly named accounts, 360 Savings and 360 Performance Savings, paid significantly different interest rates, leaving some account holders earning less without realizing higher-yield options were available.

Under the agreement, customers who held a 360 Savings account between September 2019 and June 2025 may be eligible for compensation. Payment amounts will vary based on factors such as account balances and how long the accounts were held, and exact payouts have not been finalized.

Most eligible customers are expected to receive payments automatically, though the distribution timeline could extend into mid-2026, depending on any potential appeals.

In addition to financial compensation, the settlement requires Capital One to make changes to how it manages and communicates interest rates on its savings products going forward.

The approval follows an earlier version of the settlement that was rejected by a judge for not providing sufficient relief to customers.

“They were demolishing it gradually until they reached the main square and now, as you can see, there are no more houses,” said Hassan Sweidan, a resident of a neighboring village looking across at Beit Lif — about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) north of Lebanon’s border with Israel — from a nearby hill.

Since agreeing last week to a ceasefire with Hezbollah, the Israeli army has been leveling neighborhoods in towns and villages near the Lebanese-Israeli border. The military says it destroys buildings that were used as outposts by the Iran-backed militant group.

But in many cases, like Beit Lif, the demolition is almost complete. The wide scale of destruction has Lebanese officials and residents increasingly worried that large numbers of people displaced by the latest war will have nowhere to return if the fragile truce holds.

Because of security concerns and limited access, neither U.N. peacekeepers nor Lebanese officials have been able to conduct a detailed survey of the villages where demolitions are taking place. But observers have described entire residential neighborhoods in multiple villages being systematically destroyed.

The demolitions mirror what has happened in the Gaza Strip, where Israeli bulldozers and controlled explosions have almost entirely razed the city of Rafah and other towns under Israeli control. There, Israel says it is removing structures used by Hamas.

Lebanese officials plan to raise the issue of widespread demolitions on Thursday when they hold ceasefire talks with their Israeli counterparts in Washington — part of the first direct negotiations between the two countries in decades.

A 10-day ceasefire is shaky

On March 2, two days after the U.S. and Israel launched the war with Iran, Hezbollah entered the fray by firing missiles into northern Israel. The group had been under pressure by the Lebanese government to disarm following its previous war with Israel in 2024, but refused to do so.

Israel responded with an intense bombing campaign and ground invasion of Lebanon that prompted hundreds of thousands of people to flee the southern part of the country. The fighting has killed around 2,300 people in Lebanon, including hundreds of women and children.

The fighting was mostly halted by a 10-day ceasefire that began Friday. But both sides have carried out strikes since then. Hezbollah has justified its attacks in part by pointing to the Israeli military’s destruction of houses.

Israeli officials have said they intend to occupy parts of southern Lebanon, and the military has issued maps of a “forward defense line” that extends several miles into Lebanon and encompasses dozens of villages whose residents have not been allowed to return.

Following the announcement of the ceasefire, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said this area had been "cleared of terrorists and weapons and is empty of citizens, and will continue to be cleared of terrorists' infrastructure, including the destruction of houses in Lebanese villages that border (Israel) and have become terrorists outposts in every sense.”

‘There are no more houses’

After the ceasefire went into effect, Sweidan returned to check on his home in the southern Lebanese village of Yater. It is still intact.

Because Sweidan's village overlooks neighboring Beit Lif, he has been able to observe Israeli army operations there. Despite damage from Israeli airstrikes during the war, most of Beit Lif was still standing on the first day of the ceasefire, he said.

But on the second day, Israeli forces arrived with bulldozers, jackhammers and tanks.

“We would come each day to see how much of the village was demolished," he said.

Tilak Pokharel, a spokesperson for the U.N. peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon known as UNIFIL, said that peacekeepers “have observed demolitions taking place in several areas” since the truce.

The Israeli military said in a statement that the target of the demolition work is Hezbollah, not Lebanon or its civilians, and that it "operates in accordance with international law and does not destroy civilian property unless required by imperative military necessity.”

New demolitions come on top of existing destruction

There was already widespread destruction in border areas after the previous Israel-Hezbollah war in 2024. Some homeowners could afford repairs, but there was no large-scale reconstruction.

Demolition also took place during the most recent war. Photographs taken on April 12 by AP from the towns of Menara and Misgav Am in northern Israel show excavators and bulldozers destroying homes on the Lebanese side of the border.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported Wednesday that Israeli bulldozers were destroying neighborhoods, roads and infrastructure in the town of Khiam, a battleground in the Israel-Hezbollah fighting, “in a scene that suggests an attempt to completely erase the town’s identity.”

The news agency also reported “systematic bombing operations" Wednesday affecting residential neighborhoods in the city of Bint Jbeil — another flashpoint in the fighting — and in the villages of Beit Lif, Shamaa, Tair Harfa and Hanine.

Hezbollah said Tuesday it had launched drone and rocket attacks, the first since the ceasefire, in response to Israeli “attacks on civilians and the destruction of their homes and villages in southern Lebanon.”

As Lebanese officials scramble to keep the ceasefire in place, President Joseph Aoun said in a statement that “halting Israel’s demolition operations in southern villages and towns” is something Lebanese ambassadors in the United States will raise with their Israeli counterparts during ceasefire talks on Thursday.

The talks were expected to focus on a potential extension of the 10-day truce and establishing a framework for future talks aimed at a lasting a peace between the two countries.

___

This story has been updated to correct that UNIFIL is a U.N. peacekeeping force, not a U.S. peacekeeping force.

___

Associated Press journalists Malak Harb in Beirut and Melanie Lidman in Jerusalem contributed.

A U.S. Department of Health and Human Services spokesman on Wednesday confirmed the decision to halt publication, citing a dispute about the study’s methodology.

The research paper was to appear in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s flagship publication.

One way scientists have studied COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness is by focusing on sick people who were admitted to hospitals or visited emergency rooms. The researchers check whether patients were vaccinated and then calculate the odds of a positive COVID-19 test among vaccinated patients vs. those who were unvaccinated.

Papers using that methodology have been published — after review by experts in the field — in a number of esteemed journals, including Pediatrics and the New England Journal of Medicine.

Following the same approach, the new study concluded that the vaccine cut ER visits and hospitalizations among otherwise healthy adults by about half this past winter, according to The Washington Post, which first reported the cancellation.

HHS officials did not say exactly why that methodology was a problem in this instance but argued that prior infection, behavior and differences in who seeks care can affect results.

The wider scientific community does not have those concerns and many researchers have used the approach, said Dr. Fiona Havers, an Atlanta-based doctor who previously worked at CDC. The methodology is built to address differences related to who seeks care, and prior infection shouldn’t be much of an issue because so many Americans have been infected by the coronavirus, she added.

No study design is perfect, but HHS officials haven’t proposed an alternative “that’s realistic and ethical for getting real-time estimates of how well vaccines are working each year,” said Havers, who once led a CDC hospital network surveillance team that focused on COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses.

During President Donald Trump’s first administration, public health advocates worried that political appointees were trying to control what was being published in the MMWR.

Those concerns returned last year, when Trump returned to office and publication of the MMWR was temporarily suspended. It returned, but has remained a thinner version of its former self.

“Health care professionals rely on the MMWR for timely, objective and fact-based information about the nation’s public health,” said U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat who voiced concern when CDC communications were halted last year.

“Muzzling scientists and doctors on how to prevent Americans from being hospitalized can have deadly consequences. The CDC must abandon plans to place a political gag order on this critical research,” Durbin said in a statement Wednesday.

___

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.

Happy almost Fri-YAY. How has your week been? Leave a comment and let me know! Well, for me, I’m excited that the rain is finally out and that we might get some sunshine this weekend. Not that we didn’t need the rain, it was definitely much needed. But I’m glad it’s over, at least for now.

Anyways, let’s jump into some news of the day, shall we!

Well, on Wednesday, the Houston City Council approved a revised immigration policy. However, Governor Greg Abbott says the city is still at risk of losing more than $100 million in public safety funding if the Houston Police Department doesn’t agree by today.

To read more, click here.

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TODAY: 83° TONIGHT: 70°

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TOP STORIES

Houston City Council passes Whitmire’s amended immigration ordinance in 13-4 vote to preserve state funding

The Houston City Council voted 13–4 Wednesday to approve John Whitmire’s amended immigration ordinance, aiming to resolve a high-stakes dispute with the state and restore more than $100 million in public safety funding. Council members Edward Pollard, Abbie Kamin, Alejandra Salinas, and Letitia Plummer voted against the measure. The ordinance takes effect immediately as an emergency measure.

Driver with rifle shoots man multiple times while he sits inside his vehicle in north HoustonA man in his 30s was found shot multiple times inside a vehicle in north Houston, according to police. Houston Police responded to reports of a shooting near Laura Koppe Road and Bertwood Street around 9 p.m. and discovered the victim at the scene.

Celeste Rivas Hernandez, girl who singer D4vd is charged with killing, died from penetrating wounds

Celeste Rivas Hernandez, the 14-year-old girl singer D4vd is charged with killing, died from penetrating wounds to her upper body, according to an autopsy report released Wednesday. Her death was ruled a homicide in the report from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office that had been blocked from release for months.

ARE YOU A KPRC 2 INSIDER? HERE’S SOME EXCLUSIVES

Chris Shepherd shares two of his favorite Houston-area spots for a great meal with friends

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that the rain is finally out and that we might

Holding signs and waving banners, the workers gathered at a factory compound amid a heavy police presence, shouting “make compensation transparent and remove maximum limits on bonuses!” Union officials said about 40,000 members participated in the protest. Police did not immediately provide a crowd estimate.

The rally came hours after Samsung’s cross-town rival, SK Hynix, posted an all time high in quarterly revenue and operating profit for the January-March quarter. It attributed the jump to expanding global investments in data centers and other AI infrastructure that drove up the demands for its memory chips.

Samsung, which together with SK Hynix produces about two-thirds of global memory chips, forecast earlier this month that its first-quarter operating profit would reach a record 57.2 trillion won ($38.6 billion). That would be higher than the 37.6 trillion won ($25.4 billion) posted by SK Hynix on Thursday, although Samsung has a more diverse lineup of businesses, including smartphones and consumer electronics.

Samsung’s union, which represents about 74,000 workers, says the company has failed to offer adequate compensation despite its strong performance. It has rejected the management’s proposal for bonuses of restricted stock and has called for removing caps on bonuses.

The union has threatened to stage an 18-day walkout starting May 21 if negotiations with management fail, and claims that such action would cost the company more than 1 trillion won ($676 million) a day.

“We won’t stop this fight until our fair demands are met,” Choi Seung-ho, a union leader, said through a loudspeaker from atop a crane-mounted structure.

While semiconductor makers have benefited from the AI boom, the war in the Middle East has clouded the outlook, disrupting supplies of key materials such as helium that are crucial to chipmaking and pushing up energy costs.

In a conference call Thursday, Woo Hyun Kim, SK Hynix’s chief financial officer, said the company is closely monitoring the conflict but does not expect a meaningful impact on production, saying it has been diversifying its sourcing of helium and bromine beyond the Middle East and has sufficient inventory.

———

Kim Tong-hyung reported from Seoul, South Korea. AP writer Hyung-jin Kim contributed to the report from Seoul.

El incidente ocurrió entre las 8:50 y las 9:00 p.m. del miércoles en la intersección de Laura Koppe Road y Hirsch Road.

De acuerdo con el Departamento de Policía de Houston, la víctima estaba detrás del volante, detenida en el semáforo, cuando una SUV se le acercó.

Los investigadores dicen que alguien salió de ese vehículo con un rifle y abrió fuego, disparándole en múltiples ocasiones por todo el cuerpo mientras aún estaba dentro del automóvil.

Paramédicos del Departamento de Bomberos de Houston llegaron rápidamente al lugar y trasladaron al hombre a un hospital mientras le realizaban RCP, pero más tarde fue declarado muerto.

Lo que sabemos hasta ahora

La policía indica que todo ocurrió en cuestión de segundos.

Las autoridades creen que el sospechoso llegó en una SUV, salió del vehículo y disparó múltiples veces contra el automóvil antes de huir del lugar.

Hasta ahora, los investigadores dicen que no cuentan con testigos sólidos y no han dado una descripción del sospechoso.

Esa falta de información representa un reto importante para los detectives que trabajan el caso.

Evidencia en la escena y video

Video del lugar muestra el vehículo blanco de la víctima aún en la intersección, con las ventanas destrozadas tras el tiroteo.

El automóvil permanecía en el mismo punto donde, según la policía, el hombre fue atacado.

Investigadores pasaron varias horas procesando la escena, recolectando evidencia y revisando el área.

El tirador sigue sin ser identificado

La policía no ha informado qué provocó el tiroteo ni si la víctima fue atacada específicamente.

No hay arrestos hasta el momento.

Ahora, los investigadores trabajan para identificar quién iba en la SUV y están pidiendo ayuda al público.

En lo que estoy trabajando

Estoy buscando más respuestas por parte de la policía sobre varios puntos clave:

• Si se trata de un ataque dirigido o un acto de violencia al azar
• Si hay cámaras de vigilancia en el área que hayan captado la SUV o al sospechoso
• Si los investigadores pueden dar una descripción del vehículo o de la persona involucrada
• Y si esta zona ha registrado incidentes similares anteriormente

También estoy tratando de confirmar la identidad de la víctima y saber si la policía cree que fue seguido o interceptado en el semáforo.

En cuanto tengamos más información, actualizaremos esta historia.

Lo que pide la policía

Las autoridades están pidiendo a cualquier persona que haya estado en la zona de Laura Koppe y Hirsch alrededor de la hora del tiroteo que se comunique.

Si tiene información, puede contactar a la unidad de homicidios de la policía de Houston.

Officers with the Houston Police Department responded to reports of a shooting on Laura Koppe Road and Bertwood Street around 9 p.m.

When officers arrived, they found a man in his 30s shot multiple times inside a vehicle.

According to witnesses, someone in an SUV pulled up to the man while he was sitting in his vehicle and got out with a rifle and started shooting.

The man was transported to the hospital, where he later died.

For the first time in more than a decade, Texans will pick their next attorney general from a field of candidates that doesn’t include incumbent Republican Ken Paxton, who is giving up the office to run for the U.S. Senate.

On the Democratic side, state Sen. Nathan Johnson of Dallas and former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski are facing off  in the May 26 primary runoffs, after no candidate won more than 50% of votes during the March 3 primary. The winner will take on the Republican nominee in November. No Democrat has won statewide office since 1994, so whoever wins the primary will be entering the general as the underdog. 

Whoever wins this seat will take over one of the largest and most powerful attorney general’s offices in the country. The agency handles legal affairs that impact everyday Texans’ lives, like enforcing child support judgments, stopping waste and fraud in government programs and investigating deceptive charities, unscrupulous businesses and fraudulent billing. It also defends state agencies and statutes against legal challenges and puts out opinions interpreting state law.

Under Paxton, the office has prioritized headline-grabbing conservative litigation. He has brought a deluge of lawsuits against the federal government, nonprofits and private companies, testing novel legal theories in friendly courtrooms across the state and establishing the agency as a leader in the conservative legal movement.

The next attorney general will decide what the agency’s priorities are. To help primary voters distinguish between the Democratic hopefuls, earlier this year we asked each of the candidates to share their views on the office’s major issues ahead of the March primary. See where Johnson and Jaworski stand and how they differ.

Question topics

• Office priorities
• Retaining current employees
• Relationship with Trump administration
• Continuing practices from Ken Paxton
• Enforcing wrongly decided rulings
• Prosecutorial authority
• Defending state agencies
• Defending laws you disagree with
• Outside counsel
• Open records law

Campaign site

Joe Jaworski

Private mediator and lawyer

💰 Campaign finance from July 1, 2025-Feb. 21, 2026:

• Total raised: $283,746
• Total spent: $427,208
• Cash on hand: $53,413

💰 Major donors this cycle:

• Jeffrey Westphal, Philadelphia-based philanthropist
• John Weldon Granger, Houston lawyer, and the JonesGranger law firm
• Lyndon Olson, former Texas legislator and ambassador to Sweden under President Bill Clinton

🏢 Experience:

• Mediator and lawyer in private practice
• Former mayor of Galveston after Hurricane Ike, leading the city through extensive disaster recovery
• Unsuccessful run in the Democratic primary for attorney general in 2022

📣 Endorsements:

• Houston state Rep. Gene Wu, chair of the House Democratic Caucus
• Democratic state Reps. Ann Johnson of Houston, Ron Reynolds of Missouri City, Rep. Jon Rosenthal of Houston, and others
• State Board of Education Member Rebecca Bell-Metereau, El Paso County Judge Ricardo Samaniego and Harris County Commissioners Adrian Garcia and Michelle Cohen
• University Democrats, Coalition of Democratic Allies, Asian American Democrats of Texas, State Tejano Democrats, Texas Progressive Caucus, Save Our Public Schools and other local and state organizations 

🗞️ In the news:

• Texas AG candidate Joe Jaworski sits down with Capital Tonight ahead of runoff election, Spectrum News
• Democratic candidates for Texas AG call state’s school choice program, Ten Commandments law unconstitutional, CBS News
• Democrat Joe Jaworski to run for Texas attorney general again, Texas Tribune

Campaign site

Nathan Johnson

State Senator, Dallas County

💰 Campaign finance from July 1, 2025-Feb. 21, 2026:

• Total raised: $901,353
• Total spent: ​​$1,230,534
• Cash on hand: $151,207

💰 Major donors this cycle:

• Daniel Cocanougher, Dallas private equity investor and Dragon Ball Z producer
• Evelyn Rose, Dallas donor
• Garrett Boone, founder of The Container Store
• Danielle Cocanougher, Keller donor
• Machinists Non-Partisan Political League

🏢 Experience:

• Served in the Texas Senate since 2019, representing part of Dallas County
• Litigator and mediator with Thompson Coburn, a Dallas-based law firm

📣 Endorsements:

• Democratic U.S. Reps. Lloyd Doggett of Austin, Veronica Escobar of El Paso, Julie Johnson of Dallas, and Marc Veasey of Fort Worth
• Democratic State Sens. Sarah Eckhardt of Austin, Borris Miles of Houston, Royce West of Dallas, José Menéndez ofSan Antonio, and other state legislators
• Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, Dallas District Attorney John Creuzot and Harris County Commissioners Rodney Ellis and Lesley Briones
• Texas AFL-CIO, Texas AFT, Sierra Club, Everytown for Gun Safety, Moms Demand Action, Asian Texans for Justice, Young Democrats United and other local organizations

🗞️ In the news:

• Dallas State Senator Nathan Johnson talks about his run for Texas Attorney General, NBC 5 Dallas Fort Worth
• Democratic candidates for Texas AG call state’s school choice program, Ten Commandments law unconstitutional, CBS News
• Democratic state Sen. Nathan Johnson announces run for attorney general, Texas Tribune

Q&A

Editor’s note: These responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length. Minor changes have been made, when necessary, to correct grammatical or spelling errors and ensure the text conforms with Tribune style.

What do you believe should be the agency’s top priority?

Jaworski

Affordability — I will create and staff within the OAG a Division of Affordability focused on using the law to help young adult Texans afford the American Dream (graduating debt free, getting a job that pays good wages, home ownership or affordable rent and starting a family).

Elections — I will create a Division of Elections and Voter Encouragement to enforce the law and seek to register every high school senior, pursuant to Election Code section 13.046d , to reverse decades of voter suppression wrought by Texas GOP politicians.

Corruption — I will create a Division of Ethics and Integrity which will investigate — and with local district attorneys will take punitive action to respond to — credible complaints of fraud, corruption and crime within Texas government. The Texas AG DEI will also advocate for constitutional amendments and laws providing for term limits, campaign contribution limits, independent redistricting commissions and citizen-initiated legislation by petition.

Johnson

My top priority will be to rebuild the OAG – in talent, purpose, culture, and ethic, and to re-commit the agency to serving the public interest instead of a partisan faction’s personal and political aims. The OAG has too many essential functions to reasonably rank them, but generally speaking, the office should confront a set of major problems that are getting worse by the day: (1) uncompetitive markets that drive up prices and encourage deceptive practices, that drive down quality and stifle innovation, and that sap the bargaining power of consumers and workers; (2) problematic levels of influence of commercial power over public policy, the natural outgrowth of which is corruption; (3) loss of respect for the rule of law, constitutional order, and democratic institutions at a state and national level, and (4) an antagonistic relationship with local district attorneys that impairs their ability to keep the public safe.

Would you aim to keep most current employees of the agency or clean house?

Jaworski

The agency has over 4,000 employees, and many are nonpartisan, valued state workers. As attorney general-elect, I will reach out to each to determine their willingness and capabilities to serve going forward. My incoming chief of staff and I will identify within a week of the Nov. 3, midterm election the numerous political apparatchiks installed by Paxton, and more likely than not, they will leave on their own. But if they don’t, we will make it clear within legal parameters their last day is Paxton’s last day.

Johnson

Anyone working for Paxton in pursuit of a partisan ideological agenda will need to look for work somewhere else; I expect that will mean the exit of most, perhaps all, of the top echelon. That does not mean I will administer partisan ideological purity tests – I will not. Disagreement is okay, agendas are not. Moreover, I am certain that many of the OAG’s 4,000 employees are not especially ideological, and have institutional knowledge, professional expertise, and a personal commitment to public service that will be essential for the office to operate effectively. I will invite them to re-apply. The proportion that stays or goes depends on what we find when we get there.

What would be the relationship between the OAG and the Trump administration under your leadership?

Jaworski

It would be hostile, and within the rules of decorum for federal and state litigation. Over the course of my thirty-five-year legal career trying cases in courts across the country, I’ve dealt with people like Trump and his minions, and there is only one way to deal with them: nose to nose and ten toes down.

Johnson

Rough. Were I attorney general in 2025, I would already have sued the Trump administration many times for violating the law and the Constitution and harming Texans in the process. Texas has been deprived of money and sovereign power by the blind subservience of the current OAG to Washington.

But the relationship would not be antagonistic out of spite, nor for partisan theatrics. While I won’t hesitate to sue the Trump administration (or any other), I’ll work in partnership wherever it benefits the state and is consistent with the law and the scope of my authority. This approach – working without regard to partisan affiliation or political pressures while adhering to principle – is what has allowed me to pass 135 bills as a Democrat in the Texas Senate while still advancing Democratic values through my own legislation and consistent opposition to the current Republican bent toward expansive, regressive government.

What, if anything, would you carry forward from Attorney General Ken Paxton’s time in the office?

Jaworski

The credibility of the Office of the Attorney General has withered, and the agency has been corrupted under Paxton’s tenure. There is absolutely nothing to carry forward from his years in office. Perhaps we can have a small museum dedicated to Paxton’s ruinous years in office within the William P. Clements State Office Building so future generations of school children who come to Austin as part of their Texas history field trip can understand how corruption in government is corrosive to the rule of law and American values.

Johnson

Antitrust enforcement and consumer protection. But I’d enhance it, and I would rely less on outside counsel (see below). Some people in Paxton’s OAG have taken seriously the responsibility to act as a check on the unlawful practices and market-distorting concentration of commercial power. Very recently, the Texas OAG has succeeded in altering behavior by hotels that had been unlawfully charging junk fees. It should be recognized that this kind of litigation can itself spur helpful legislation. (I personally have filed legislation to combat junk fees in other industries.) Paxton has been criticized, however, for pursuing these worthy aims with a bias against, ironically, smaller businesses. I would recruit a top flight team of attorneys and policy experts and combine resources and expertise with other AGs around the country (irrespective of political party) to elevate this aspect of the OAG responsibilities, without bias.

Do you believe the state has to cooperate with court rulings, from state or federal courts, that you believe were wrongly decided?

Jaworski

Yes they do. It’s called the rule of law. A creative, talented, ethical lawyer understands that. Political hacks … not so much.

Johnson

Part of the reason I’m running for this office is to reverse the accelerating disintegration of respect for the rule of law and separation of powers under the leadership of scofflaws like Ken Paxton and Donald Trump, and at times even under former-AG-now-Gov. Greg Abbott. In the instances where I believe that a case was wrongly decided (it will happen!), I will on behalf of the state appeal the ruling, and where appropriate seek a stay of (a pause on) the lower court ruling. But absent a stay, the state should honor the rule of law by complying with judicial rulings.

Do you believe the attorney general’s office should be given more independent criminal prosecutorial authority?

Jaworski

No. The Texas attorney general, with some clearly defined statutory exceptions, is a civil law authority, and it needs to stay that way. On those limited occasions when criminal justice matters arise, a Texas attorney general who is doing his job will make sure to have solid relationships with local district attorneys across the state to advance any agenda involving criminal justice. That’s not just me saying that — it’s what the Texas Constitution requires. Of course, what I’ve just described can happen only when a Democrat is elected as our next attorney general, because Republicans have irretrievably abandoned their once-solid support for local decision-making authority.

Johnson

It’s important to recognize that under current law, the Legislature cannot, merely by passing a bill, grant to the attorney general prosecutorial authority that the Texas Constitution expressly assigns to district attorneys. So we have to consider whether expansion of authority requires a constitutional amendment rather than the typical Republican tack of ramming another hollow talking point through the Legislature.

The next question is whether now is the right time to expand AG powers. Some other states grant more criminal authority to the OAG. But Ken Paxton’s grotesquely partisan weaponization of AG powers, at a time when Donald Trump brazenly weaponizes the Department of Justice, should give us pause.

A better approach would be to use current AG powers and resources more effectively to support investigations and prosecutions by district and county attorneys, where, not incidentally, the Constitution places prosecutorial authority subject to election by the voters.

Paxton has refused to represent state agencies in certain lawsuits — at least 75 times in a recent two-year period — forcing agencies to hire outside counsel. Does the OAG have a responsibility to defend all state agencies in-house?

Jaworski

Yes, with the limited exception of those matters where the Texas attorney general (who, by historical practice, is a licensed Texas lawyer, even if that’s not a constitutional requirement) adheres, as he must, to Rule 3.01 of the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct: “A lawyer shall not bring or defend a proceeding, or assert or controvert an issue therein, unless the lawyer reasonably believes that there is a basis for doing so that is not frivolous.”

Johnson

The state Constitution and Texas Government Code section 402.021 explicitly assign to the AG the duty to represent the state in the Texas Supreme Court and all (lower) courts of appeal. Representing the state includes representing state agencies. Historically, attorneys general have declined on occasion to represent an agency, but the practice is suspect. If the AG does decline representation (perhaps due to a conflict), the AG must approve of outside counsel for the agency. The AG cannot simply leave the agency without representation.

I will fulfill the duties of the office in accordance with the oath I will take, which includes the discretionary exercise of my independent legal judgment in presenting the position of the state in any dispute with an agency.

Would you defend laws passed by the Legislature or executive actions by Gov. Greg Abbott if you disagreed with them ideologically?

Jaworski

I would not defend laws and executive actions that I reasonably believe are unconstitutional or the product of corruption in government. There are many such examples — a few recent ones are the 89th Legislature’s Ten Commandments law, Greg Abbott’s sending the Texas National Guard to Chicago and the voucher bill passed by the second special session of the 89th Legislature. There are many more.

Johnson

I believe in carrying out the responsibilities of the office, which includes defending laws I may dislike. Representing the state, however, does not necessarily mean or require adopting a statutory interpretation favored by the governor or by the Legislature. And it certainly does not mean or require taking the position that an unconstitutional law is not unconstitutional, nor that a statutory conflict among laws or even within a law must be resolved in a partisan manner that pleases Republican leadership.

Paxton has relied on outside counsel for lawsuits against Big Tech and pharmaceutical companies, among other cases. Would you continue that practice?

Jaworski

I would not continue “that practice.” Paxton has chased off national level class talent from the Texas OAG with his notorious conduct, and he has a habit of hiring competent law firms, awarding handsome contingent fees contracts and then, curiously, OAG staff then wind up working at these firms. I would draft and recruit excellent trial attorneys to serve Texas and replenish the consumer protection and other divisions (new and existing) so we can try our own cases, win verdicts, collect judgments — all without having to pay 40% on everything we win. I can imagine there will be occasion to hire great lawyers, but on those occasions, I will — unlike Paxton — scrupulously adhere to the rules pertaining to the retention of outside counsel set forth in Texas Government Code section 2254.103(d) .

Johnson

Not at the same level. There may and likely will be instances where a particular firm or group of attorneys has expertise that is worth engaging. But I will recruit (and retain!) top-flight lawyers and expert staff at the OAG, and the need to outsource or reinforce in-house capabilities will be exceptional, not routine. Taxpayers will not have to pay $3,780/hour for excellent and effective legal representation against Trump’s ballroom contributors or any other corporate behemoth.

In massive cases that require massive resources, AGs from multiple states frequently combine forces successfully. Also, the terms of representation must not incentivize a quick eye-popping settlement (Big Tech/pharmaceutical money is so vast in scale that it can be as hard to fathom as astronomical measures) over meaningful change in market behavior. A big settlement number gets headlines, but consumers are protected when the harmful behavior stops.

Do you agree with Paxton’s current interpretation of open records law, and if not, what would you change about the handling of public records?

Jaworski

I do not agree with Ken Paxton’s “hide the records from public scrutiny” default approach. As attorney general, I will embrace a level of transparency that will be historical in Texas government, and when interpreting the Texas Open Records and Open Meetings Acts, I will honor the intent of the “Government in the Sunshine Act” movement that followed the Watergate scandal.

Johnson

Paxton appears to have a history of interpreting open records laws narrowly when he or other Republican leaders want to hide information from public view, and broadly when he wants information to advance his right-wing narrative. The “transparency” in his approach to public information access is one-way.

I would apply the law consistently and without bias, and work within the bounds of the law to ensure public access to public information. As a state senator, I have filed seven bills aimed at making government offices more responsive to public information requests (and passed one of them).

Disclosure: Everytown for Gun Safety and Texas AFT have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

Today, the state and its contractors are more likely to move foster children out of their communities — one in three children placed in foster care is sent to a different region, sometimes hundreds of miles away, according to a Texas Tribune analysis of state data.

“Community-based care contracts say the contractor was supposed to keep children within a 50-mile radius of home,” Vikki Spriggs, the chief executive of Texas CASA, the association for advocates the court appoints to children in abuse cases. “Based on what we are hearing from local CASA programs, that’s not happening.”

Despite the state’s efforts to dramatically reduce the number of Texas children moved into foster care, the state and its contractors say they must move higher percentages of foster children out of their communities. They are seeing a far more traumatized child than ever before, requiring more intensive hospitalization and monitoring that certain parts of the state are better equipped to handle.

Meanwhile, the child welfare workers’ unions and some foster care advocates say the privatization of foster care hasn’t done enough to build more treatment facilities or recruit more foster parents to care for more high-acuity children across the state. About 54% of the state’s 16,000 foster care children are located in 10 of the state’s 16 foster care regions served by a private contractor.

Advocates say moving these vulnerable children out of their communities erodes the likelihood of their reunifying with family members and challenges caseworkers and other providers from monitoring these children’s progress, resulting in inconsistent care and the potential for dangerous outcomes.

“Being close to things that are familiar minimizes the level of anxiety the child has to deal with,” Spriggs said.

In 2016, the year before the state approved a major ramp-up to the privatized foster care model, also called community-based care, 22% of foster care children were placed outside of their foster care region. In 2025, that rate increased to 34% — or 3,183 foster children. Of those out-of-region placements, 67% of them came from DFPS regions served by a private contractor.

As of December, 48% — more than 1,300 — of those children sent to other regions were placed in region 6, the territory DFPS has assigned to Harris, Montgomery and Fort Bend, the most of any region. Many of them came from privatized regions that include Dallas, Tarrant and Bexar counties.

The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, which oversees the foster care program, said the Houston area has better services for high-needs children.

“This is largely due to a combination of factors that have made it more feasible to develop and sustain specialized programs in that region, including a higher concentration of behavioral health service providers and access to local workforce,” according to the statement.

The state’s private contractors insist they are doing their best to transform what some have seen as a threadbare statewide machine into a more localized care system they’re building from the ground up. Of the 10 private contractors, seven have taken over the complete care of foster care children for their region, some of which are extremely rural and sparsely populated.

These state contractors admit moving children outside their region is never an easy choice but because Houston’s easier zoning regulations have allowed more larger facilities to be built there, they must outsource until they can recruit more foster parents or build more foster beds in their regions.

“We inherited a system that was historically built to operate statewide, not regionally, and with that came an existing shortage of foster homes and specialized placements,” 4Kids4Families, the foster care contractor in East Texas’ region 4 said in a statement. “The lack of capacity in our 23 East Texas counties didn’t begin with Community-Based Care, and it’s not something that can be resolved overnight.”

But the persistent and historic reliance on foster care homes and intensive psychiatric facilities in the Houston area illustrates that despite the $700 million a year poured into a private system caring for abused children in Texas, the state’s contractors continue to struggle with an age-old problem of finding adequate intensive care and a workforce closer to children’s homebases.

That’s in addition to the $300 million the state has spent on various improvements as part of a 15-year-old federal lawsuit over the unhealthy and often dangerous conditions of Texas’ foster care program between 2019 and 2025.

The whole idea of redesigning foster care, said Myko Gedutis, organizing coordinator and vice president for the Texas State Employees Union, which represents DFPS foster care workers, was to create fewer disruptions for a child in state care. Both advocates, the agency and their contractors agree that foster care children and their families do better when oversight by caseworkers is nearer.

But Gedutis said Houston caseworkers have had to visit children sent from other regions on top of their local cases.

“We did hear that from our folks, that they have children that have not been seen … even though they’re from [other] regions,” Gedutis said.

A more traumatized child

Private contractors came online as DFPS worked to reduce the number of children in foster care. For years, most of the cases that resulted in a child’s removal experienced neglect, not abuse. Then in 2021, state lawmakers increased the bar for removal by allowing the state to take children from their homes only if they are in “immediate danger,” instead of “substantial risk” of harm.

The result is that DFPS has removed far fewer children from their homes, and those that enter the system have more serious problems, Spriggs said. “When you look at the record, you have multiple calls on a family before a child is removed.”

Today’s child is more medically fragile and traumatized than previous generations of Texas children entering into foster care. At the same time, many parts of the state do not have a sufficient number of foster beds. In a November 2025 report to the Legislature, DFPS noted the state has lost 598 foster care providers since 2019.

Without sufficient specialized foster beds in communities, the state and its contractors place many children in a different county or administrative region than their original home.

“Removal from home is a traumatic event that, in most cases, places a child in an unfamiliar setting with unfamiliar people,” Spriggs said. “Compound that with going into a new school, having to make new friends and learn all the new ways of the new environment and you are expecting a lot from a child who has already experienced extreme abuse and the trauma of removal.“

The Texas Tribune reached out to seven private contractors now managing a foster care caseload. Many of them acknowledge they have challenges in expanding the number of foster care homes, but they also point to how large their service areas are and how rural areas have very little specialized care for high-needs kids.

Saint Francis Ministries, the foster care contractor for the 41-county Texas Panhandle region, has invested $8 million to expand local capacity.

“We remain focused on matching children with safe, supportive placements, recognizing that in some rural areas this may mean accessing resources outside their immediate community,” said Denny Marlin, a company spokesperson.

A statement issued by EMPOWER, the largest contractor in the state serving Dallas and eight other counties in region 3, noted that in-region placement is always a priority. But other factors including a child’s safety and level of care can necessitate a higher level of care elsewhere in the state.

“Many EMPOWER youth placed in Region 6 (Houston area) require specialized services that necessitate placement outside their home region,” the statement reads. “Despite this, EMPOWER remains committed to building local capacity to keep youth connected to their home community, whenever safely possible.”

April Molina, spokesperson for SJRC Texas/Belong, said region 6 has Houston, which has more favorable zoning regulations that make it easier to place residential facilities there than in her area.

“Historically and across much of the state, higher-level residential treatment capacity has been concentrated in Region 6,” said Molina, whose foster care region stretches from Del Rio to just southeast of the Houston area of region 6. Because of their proximity to region 6, some of their children don’t have to travel as far if they’re placed there.

Contractors addressing legacy foster care issues

In 2010, DFPS launched a so-called foster care redesign and at the direction of the Texas Legislature in 2017 accelerated the shift away from an entirely state-run operation to a privately contracted one.

In this “community-based care” landscape, everything — where a child would live, what services a child and their existing family members would get to improve that home life as well as a plan to either reunify the child or place them with an adoptive family — would be in the hands of a community-based contractor. The agency would maintain custody of the child while in care and handle legal proceedings, but it would place 90% of the child’s care in the hands of a private contractor.

The state pushed the concept as a way to give control to a local contractor who knows the area and can build better relationships with foster families and health care providers, so that abused children can stay in their community.

“Where [communit-based care] fell short is not having the community-based services that communities need,” Spriggs said.

But since community-based foster care launched 16 years ago, it’s been a rocky road to complete. To date, the state hasn’t yet rolled out privatized foster care in six DFPS regions and of the 10 that do have a private contractor, three are still in a start-up phase and haven’t started taking in children.

And there’s been failures. In 2014, Providence Services Corporation, the contractor for a large swath of West Texas, called it quits after one year. Two years after taking over services in Bexar County, Family Tapestry pulled out and canceled its contract with the state in 2021.

Then last month, DFPS asked a judge to put EMPOWER, the contractor in charge of Dallas and adjacent adjacent counties, back under agency oversight for at least 90 days after performance had declined to a point the contractor found to have “systematic failures” that created “an imminent danger to the children under conservatorship.” EMPOWER declined to comment about the receivership petition.

“Community-based care, it was not made to improve outcomes,” Gedutis said. “It was made to pass accountability so when contractors fail, like they have, kick ‘em to the curb, we’ll just get a new one in.”

Texas still working on expanding foster beds

DFPS and their private contractors all say they are working together to create more specialized services and beds for children who have serious behavioral, medical and substance abuse conditions.

In DFPS’ 2026 annual plan, the agency discusses generally how it has prioritized building more capacity for higher needs foster care children and references how it secured more money during the last legislative session to “to develop strategies addressing high acuity youth needs” but the report does not offer a specific plan to do that.

The agency insists that building out bedspace is a priority and is working with its contractors in particular to build out better services for older foster care children and those with high needs. .

“By strengthening provider networks, supporting workforce development, and creating more therapeutic and community-based options, DFPS is working to ensure that every child in its care has access to a safe, stable, and supportive environment,” the plan said.

From the contractor perspective, it’s going to take a lot more than funding and regulation changes to bring more intensive services to local communities.

In a state that has faltered on certain regulatory oversight, some Texas communities don’t want residential treatment centers in their neighborhoods because they fear these homes bring more crime. The foster care system can better serve foster children if the public can sympathize more with these children’s often tragic backstories and the services they need.

“Foster children have experienced significant trauma and instability, and the staff who care for them are doing complex, high-risk work,” said Molina with SJRC/Belong, the contractor for region 6 that now includes San Antonio. “It’s important for communities to understand who these youth are and why this level of care is sometimes necessary to develop the appropriate capacity.”

Part of the battle is getting buy-in from community leaders to support the state’s privatized contractors in the numerous steps they have to go through to build one of these specialized facilities, which includes finding a property, completing the licensing process and training staff, she said.

Local health officials can also help reduce the dependence on larger residential treatment facilities by expanding a county’s mental health infrastructure that prioritizes early intervention and a reliable crisis response.

“Many youth enter higher levels of care because they lacked timely access to trauma-informed services earlier, or because local systems are not equipped to support them consistently through crisis and recovery,” Molina said. “The results will take time, but the momentum is moving forward.”

It's the first time in a generation that California has a wide-open contest for the heavily Democratic state's highest office, with more than 50 names on the ballot. Mail ballots are scheduled to go to voters early next month in advance of the June 2 primary election.

It was mostly a mannerly exchange. There were few instances of candidates talking over or interrupting each other, indicating they were eager to make a positive impression with voters who might be seeing them for the first time.

The debate brought together the two leading Republicans, conservative commentator Steve Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, and four Democrats including former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter,billionaire Tom Steyer, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan and former Biden administration Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra.

Over 90 minutes, candidates fielded questions on housing and wildfire insurance, social media and gas taxes, while bickering over professional experience, individual wealth and the direction of the nation's most populous state. Democrats made clear they would fight President Donald Trump in a state known as the home of the so-called Trump resistance, while Republicans said ruling Democrats are to blame for the state's woes.

“Donald Trump is trying to punish California every way he can,” Steyer said.

Homeless policy displays sharp partisan divide

California has more people living on the street than any other state and Democrats generally credited outgoing Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom for his efforts to deal with the long-running crisis. But Republicans said the state has spent billions of taxpayer dollars with little evidence of progress.

“Everything has taken us in the wrong direction,” Hilton said.

Bianco called the state's record on homelessness a “dismal failure.”

Social media use for kids at issue

Candidates were asked if the state should ban social media use for children under 16 years old and their answers didn't fall neatly on party lines.

Steyer and Becerra said they support such a ban. Hilton said there should be a social norm to keep smartphones away from children under 16. Porter said she doesn't support a ban at that age but may support a different age ban, noting two of her teenage children use social media in different ways. Bianco and Mahan said it should be left to parents, with Mahan saying he supports parental consent for kids under 16 and cellphones should be banned in schools.

There also were some sharp exchanges and candidates sought to distinguish themselves from rivals.

A billionaire faces questions

References to Steyer's wealth and previous business dealings came up repeatedly.

“The only housing Tom Steyer’s built has been private prisons and ICE detention centers,” Mahan said, echoing criticism that Steyer, a hedge fund founder turned liberal activist, invested in private prisons that today house people picked up in federal immigration raids.

Steyer responded that he and his wife have financed thousands of low-income housing units.

Steyer has been vastly outspending his rivals in advertising and was asked about being the only billionaire in the race. He noted major corporations including utility companies are spending millions against him.

“I’m the billionaire who wants to tax other billionaires,” Steyer added. “I’m the billionaire who's taking on the electric monopoly and trying to break up their power. I’m the billionaire who wants to tax the oil companies and make polluters pay.”

California's unique primary rules fuel uncertainty

The candidates were all on stage together because California puts all candidates on the same ballot regardless of party, and the two with the most votes go to the November general election. Democrats have been fretting their crowded field could result in two Republicans advancing, a result that would be a historic calamity for Democrats.

The campaign has just come through an unstable period, with U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell — one of the leading Democrats — leaving the race and Congress following sexual assault allegations that he denies.

Becerra and Mahan were late additions to the debate lineup after Swalwell exited the race. Both candidates in the reordered contest have been getting fresh attention, and endorsements. Becerra was the only candidate who declined to speak to reporters after the debate.

Porter, who became a social media celebrity by brandishing a whiteboard at congressional hearings while grilling CEOs, could become the state's first woman governor. Steyer, who in 2020 ran an unsuccessful presidential campaign, is known for his involvement in climate issues. Becerra served in the Biden administration and as a state attorney general, a congressman and a state legislator, and would be the state's first Hispanic governor in modern history. Mahan says he has made gains against homelessness and crime while leading Northern California's largest city.

California takes center stage

Democrats have dominated government in the nation's most populous state for years. Republicans haven't won a statewide election in two decades, and Hilton and Bianco faulted Sacramento's one-sided politics for the state's troubles.

Bianco said Democratic policies were driving up the cost of living.

Hilton, while discussing the state's notoriously high tax rates, said, “All the Democrats here are part of this system that obviously isn’t working.”

Nexstar Media Group hosted the debate that aired on its local channels, as well as NewsNation, and streamed online via The Hill. ___

Sophie Austin and Trân Nguyễn contributed from Sacramento, California.

Comet 3I/Atlas is only the third interstellar visitor to be confirmed and quite possibly the oldest. Scientists estimate it could be up to 11 billion years old, more than twice as old as the sun.

A team led by the University of Michigan used the ALMA observatory in Chile’s Atacama Desert to examine the comet last fall. The errant but harmless iceball was discovered last summer, giving NASA and the European Space Agency plenty of time to aim multiple space telescopes at it as it zoomed past Mars in October and made its closest approach to Earth in December. It's now well past Jupiter on its way out of our solar system for good, still visible only to the professionals.

In the study, scientists said they detected extremely high amounts of deuterium, or heavy hydrogen, in the comet's water. That suggests that the comet originated in a place considerably colder — before the star of this solar system even formed — than our own cosmic neighborhood, said the University of Michigan's Teresa Paneque-Carreno.

While our sun may have been surrounded by other newborn stars as it was forming, she noted, this comet's home star could have been more of a loner, leading to less heating and colder conditions.

The findings were published in Nature Astronomy.

The comet's precise place of origin is still unknown. Observations by the Hubble Space Telescope put the size of its nucleus somewhere between a quarter-mile and 3.5 miles (440 meters and 5.6 kilometers). It's hurtling away at 137,000 mph (220,000 kph).

Linking all these “puzzle pieces together may give an idea to how the planet-forming conditions were at these early times,” Paneque-Carreno said in an email.

The first known interstellar object to stray into our celestial backyard — Oumuamua — was discovered by a telescope in Hawaii in 2017. Comet 2I/Borisov followed in 2019, named for the Crimean amateur astronomer who first spotted it.

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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 entire department has been shut down since mid-February as Democrats have demanded policy changes in the wake of fatal shootings of two protesters by federal agents. Republicans are now trying to fund the two immigration enforcement agencies through the complicated, time-consuming process called budget reconciliation, a maneuver that they also used to pass President Donald Trump’s package of tax and spending cuts last year with no Democratic votes.

“We have a multistep process ahead of us, but at the end Republicans will have helped ensure that America's borders are secure and prevented Democrats from defunding these important agencies,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.

The budget process only requires a simple majority in the Senate, bypassing filibuster rules that require Republicans to find 60 votes on most bills when they only hold 53 seats. But it also comes with increased scrutiny from the Senate parliamentarian and a long, open-ended series of amendment votes at the beginning and the end of the process.

The Senate held the first series of votes through the night, starting Wednesday evening and into early Thursday morning, with Democrats proposing amendments to lower health care expenses and other costs in an effort to contrast with Republicans’ focus on Trump’s campaign of immigration enforcement.

“Instead of pumping hundreds of billions of dollars into ICE and Border Patrol, Republicans should be working with Democrats to lower out-of-pocket costs,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

The Senate adopted the final resolution 50-48, just past 3:30 a.m.

A lengthy effort to reopen Homeland Security

Once the House approves the framework and the Senate Parliamentarian approves it, the two chambers can then move to pass the measure.

The Senate has already voted on a bipartisan basis to reopen the rest of the department, but Republican leaders in the House say they won’t take that bill up until the Senate shows progress toward funding ICE and Border Patrol, as well.

The $70 billion budget resolution would fund the two agencies for three years, through the rest of Trump’s term. Thune and other GOP leaders say they hope to keep the bill narrowly focused on ICE and Border Patrol and get it to Trump’s desk in the coming weeks, along with the rest of Homeland Security Department funding that has already passed the Senate.

But that could prove difficult as many in the party see the budget bill as the last real chance this year to enact their priorities. Republicans in both the Senate and House have pushed to add other items, including money for farmers and Trump’s proof of citizenship voting bill, called the SAVE America Act.

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., briefly held up the vote series late Wednesday, frustrated that the bill would not include parts of the SAVE America Act or other legislation.

“This is the last train leaving the station,” Kennedy said, predicting they would not be able to pass any other major bills ahead of November's midterm elections. But he withdrew his objections and allowed the voting to proceed.

Democrats say reform needed at ICE and Border Patrol after shootings

Democrats say any funding bill for the Homeland Security Department should place restraints on federal immigration authorities, including better identification for federal officers and more use of judicial warrants, among other asks.

After federal agents shot Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis in January, Trump agreed to a Democratic request that the Homeland Security bill be separated from a larger spending measure that became law. But bipartisan negotiations went nowhere, and the DHS funding lapsed with no agreement on changes to the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement tactics.

In March, the Senate passed the legislation by voice vote that would separate out ICE and Border Patrol and fund the rest of the department, including the Transportation Security Administration as security lines grew long at some airports. But Republicans in the House refused to consider it, saying they wouldn’t support any bill that didn’t include money for immigration enforcement.

Congress then left town for a two-week recess, leaving the issue unresolved. Trump has used executive orders to pay some department salaries in the meantime, but the future of those paychecks is uncertain.

Potential roadblocks in the House

During the recess, Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson announced that they would pursue a two-track approach — pass the Senate bill that includes most of the department’s funding through regular order and use the party-line bill to pass ICE and CBP funding.

Weeks later, though, Johnson has still not said when the House will take up the Senate’s legislation that would fund the rest of the department. And it is unclear if members of his GOP conference will unite behind the narrowed budget bill as some House Republicans have argued, like Sen. Kennedy, that they should add other priorities to the legislation.

Johnson said this week that the sequencing of the two bills is important. House lawmakers don’t want to see the rest of the department funded without ICE and Border Patrol, he said.

But Thune warned after the Senate vote that other parts of the Homeland Security Department may run out of money before they are able to finish the winding budget process and fund those two agencies. He said he hopes the adoption of the budget resolution is a signal to the House that “we're going to be following through."

“We'll see what they can do with it," Thune said. “And if they can't, I guess we will go to the next plan.”

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Associated Press writer Kevin Freking contributed to this report.

The latest war in the Middle East has far-reaching effects, including on countries ravaged by conflicts of their own.

After three years of war in Sudan, a public health clinic in Qoz Nafisa village in Khartoum state is struggling to support thousands of people like the 61-year-old Awad.

He said he has been spacing out his medicine for glaucoma, worried he won't be able to find more or afford it when he does. Money was already an issue because of the war at home, he said.

“Now we have the problem of the war in the Middle East. It's just made things worse," he said.

Aid groups say the Iran war has cut off vital shipping routes, upending their ability to get food and medicine to millions of people around the world in need. The standoff between the United States and Iran has essentially shut down the Strait of Hormuz, and other routes from strategic hubs such as Dubai also have been impacted.

Transport costs have spiked with higher fuel and insurance rates, further straining the ability to deliver supplies. The United Nations says there's been up to a 20% cost increase on shipments, along with delays, as goods are rerouted.

The International Rescue Committee, which supports the clinic where Awad gets some of his medicines, said about $130,000 worth of pharmaceuticals intended for Sudan was stranded in Dubai for weeks and only now is making its way there.

The IRC says medicines and supplies such as antibiotics, painkillers and stethoscopes that were supposed to be flown from the United Arab Emirates to Port Sudan were instead transported by road to neighboring Oman and then flown out.

U.S. President Donald Trump this week extended the fragile ceasefire with Iran, but aid groups worry little will change.

“There’s still a real lag in the system. Shipments remain blocked or delayed, and that’s deeply worrying," said Madiha Raza, associate director for global public affairs and communications for IRC.

Sudan has widely been described as facing the world's worst humanitarian crisis, and Raza said any delay in delivering food, medicine and fuel has devastating consequences.

For the roughly 5,000 people who rely on the public health clinic that the IRC supports in Qoz Nafisa, some now must search at other clinics and spend their own money, which they often don't have.

During a visit by AP journalists on Wednesday, clinic staff said that since the war with Iran began at the end of February they've been struggling to meet demand.

A member of the military media accompanied The Associated Press during the visit for safety reasons. The AP retains full editorial control of its content.

Dr. Amira Sidig, the center's medical director, said the last shipment from the IRC was in December. Ones expected in February and April have not arrived.

Sudan's health ministry tries to fill the gap, but it only accounts for half of what's needed, Sidig said.

“It’s never enough because they also have a shortage, and we’re again out of stock quickly,” she said.

For several days this month, the clinic had no malaria treatment to give the 50% of patients who come in with the disease, Sidig said.

Ahmed Ibrahim, who works at the clinic, said patients are getting frustrated.

“When people come to the window, they say, ‘Why are you here and there is no medicine?’"

———- For more on Africa and development: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-pulse

The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Gates Foundation. The 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.

Matt Duchene tied it for Dallas on a power play midway through the third period, seconds after his backcheck on Matt Boldy averted a short-handed goal that would’ve put Minnesota up by two.

After the Wild failed to convert two overtime power plays, finishing 1 for 7 with the man advantage, the Stars took advantage of their opportunity after Danila Yurov’s delay-of-game penalty. Miro Heiskanen's shot was knocked in by Johnston for his third goal in three games — and his sixth winning goal in four career postseasons.

“It’s kind of a little blurry, but just trying to get to the net and just trying to get my stick on the puck,” said Johnston, who had a career-high 45 goals during the regular season.

The game ended at 12:54 a.m.

Radek Faksa had a close-range chance in the second overtime he poked behind Wild goalie Jesper Wallstedt, but the puck skidded straight across the crease.

Wallstedt polished off the first Stars' power play by snapping his glove around Mikko Rantanen’s shot and smothering Esa Lindell’s bad-angle attempt. Johnston then spoiled a brilliant 32-save performance by Wallstedt with his deflection.

“We definitely played well enough to win," Wallstedt said. "It’s small margins. It’s a ‘D’ shot that double tips and hits twice and goes over my shoulder. Yeah, it’s bounces, but that’s what it is.”

Seconds after the audible thump from Stars goalie Jake Oettinger’s blocker save on Brock Faber’s slap shot, the Wild had another prime opportunity to win it in the first overtime when Hughes drew a tripping penalty on Sam Steel. But even with Faksa playing most of that penalty kill without a stick, the Wild failed to generate much pressure. Jamie Benn’s holding penalty on Nick Foligno gave them another try to crack Oettinger, who finished with 28 saves.

“I had my head down, looking out of one eye, just like, ’Good Lord, get through this,'” Duchene said.

The Wild killed four penalties between Rantanen’s power play tip-in just 1:25 into the game and Duchene’s crowd-quieting snap shot that slipped between defenseman Jared Spurgeon and the near post. That included 40 seconds of a 5-on-3 after Boldy’s delay-of-game penalty late in the second period.

As soon as he left the box, Spurgeon saw an opening to start a rush that Michael McCarron finished with his first goal in the NHL playoffs to give the Wild a 3-2 lead.

Jason Robertson scored after a slick stretch pass by Duchene to put the Stars up 2-0 in the first period.

Marcus Johansson scored on a power play to start the rally less than five minutes later, and Joel Eriksson Ek had the tying goal in the second after a brilliant setup by Boldy. The U.S. Olympian, who had a career-high 42 goals during the regular season, weaved through four Stars skaters and drew a crowd behind the net before zipping the puck back into the slot for Eriksson Ek to knock in.

Entering these playoffs, the winner of Game 3 after a split of the first two games in a best-of-seven went on to win the series nearly two-thirds of the time (245 of 369) in NHL history.

The Wild, who have not advanced in the postseason since 2015, fell on the flip side of that ratio in each of their last three appearances. They won Game 3 to go up 2-1 on Vegas last year, on Dallas in 2023 and on St. Louis in 2022, before being eliminated with three straight losses every time.

This was the third time in Wild history they reached double overtime, including a 3-2 win at Dallas in Game 1 of their first-round series with the Stars in 2023.

The Wild, who have a 4-14 series record in their underwhelming playoff history, have lost 17 of their last 23 postseason home games.

“Whether we won tonight or lost tonight, this series isn’t over,” Hughes said. “It’s a really good hockey game. We had our looks. They had their looks. Just leave it at that.”

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“I've run out of things to say,” White Sox manager Will Venable said. “Obviously, he continues to put himself in a really good spot to take good swings on good pitches. He's making great swing decisions, making a ton of contact and when he hits it, he hits it really hard.”

He added: “Even the singles he's hitting are hard. The damage is incredible and it's impressive to watch.”

He is the 13th rookie in big-league history to go deep in five straight, according to MLB.com. The Japanese first baseman also tied the team's franchise record, a mark shared by A.J. Pierzynski (2012), Paul Konerko (2011), Carlos Lee (2003), Frank Thomas (twice in 1994), Ron Kittle (1983) and Greg Luzinski (1983).

Murakami's two-run homer came off Diamondbacks reliever Ryan Thompson in the seventh, cutting Arizona's lead to 10-7. His 10 homers are second in the big leagues behind Houston's Yordan Alvarez, who has 11.

Murakami’s 10 homers, eight coming on the road, are the most in MLB history by a Japanese-born player in his first 24 career games.

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

Some of the biggest blazes were near Georgia’s coast, while others were popping up in northern Florida, a state facing one of its worst fire seasons in decades.

It was not yet clear how the wildfires started, but the bottom half of Georgia is perilously dry and the conditions prompted the state's forestry commission to issue a burn ban for the first time in its history. Southeastern Georgia has seen just 11 inches (28 centimeters) of rain since the beginning of September — almost 15 inches (38 centimeters) below normal, the National Weather Service said.

The fires spread so quickly in that area that residents received no warnings or alerts.

“I wish that I had knew something more,” said Brianna Elliott, who left home Tuesday only to find her route back blocked by the fires 90 minutes later. “I would have turned around in that moment and gone home and got my animals before anything.”

She now fears that her home and her dogs are gone.

Georgia’s two biggest wildfires together have burned more than 53 square miles (137.3 square kilometers), and crews responded Wednesday to 34 smaller fires newly burning across the state, the state's forestry commission said.

Dry timber feeds Georgia fires

The fast-moving Brantley County fire threatened roughly 1,000 homes Wednesday after destroying dozens a day earlier.

That fire grew by roughly six times in just a half day Tuesday, said Joey Cason, the county manager. There were fires erupting “in the backyard and people taking off in the front yard,” he said Wednesday.

So far no major injuries have been reported, Cason said.

The rural county is roughly midway between Georgia's coastal beaches and the Okefenokee Swamp, dotted with livestock and fruit farms as well as thick stands of planted pines grown for timber.

Crews worked to create fire breaks and stop the flames from reaching populated areas. The biggest concern was gusting winds that could easily spread embers.

Authorities said rain is desperately needed. The area with the worst fires was in exceptional or extreme drought, the most dire levels, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

“If you could start praying for that right now, we’d be grateful,” Cason said.

Pine and hardwood forests in the region are helping charge the fires, said Seth Hawkins, a spokesperson for the Georgia Forestry Commission, and swampy lowlands with thick layers of leaves and woody debris are “super flammable” when they dry out.

The commission's 30-day burn ban is for the southern part of the state.

FEMA announced the approval of grants for Georgia and Florida to battle the blazes.

More residents told to evacuate

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency for more than half of the state's counties.

More people were told to evacuate from Brantley County on Wednesday afternoon, on top of the 800 evacuations previously. Another large fire that started in nearby Clinch County also prompted evacuations.

Mike Reardon and his wife packed family photos and their dog, Molly Rose, along with new e-bikes before leaving their Brantley County home.

The fire was about a mile away, and a shift in the wind would put flames “in our backyard in a matter of minutes,” he said.

The couple just built the home two years ago.

“It’s more than our house. It’s land that my dad bought years ago,” Liz Reardon said, fighting back tears. “It’s the most beautiful place in the world to me.”

Florida sees its worst wildfire season in decades

In Florida, firefighters battled more than 130 wildfires that burned 39 square miles (101 square kilometers), mostly in the state’s northern half.

“Florida has got one of the worst fire seasons in maybe the last 30 or 40 years, or it’s turning out to be that way,” state Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson said. “We’ve been in drought for 18 months now all across the state.”

Smoke blows into Atlanta and Jacksonville

The National Weather Service said a dangerous combination of low humidity and breezy winds would keep the fire danger elevated Wednesday.

Smoke drifted to Atlanta, Savannah, Georgia, and Jacksonville, Florida. The air quality in parts of south Georgia declined to the unhealthy category, meaning all people there might feel health effects.

Smoky conditions were expected to linger throughout the Atlanta area, according to the Atlanta-Fulton County Emergency Management Agency. The worst fires were more than 200 miles (322 kilometers) southeast of the city.

Smoke from Georgia fires also spread into South Carolina, according to its forestry commission.

The high fire risk was expected to continue each afternoon through Friday due to the very dry conditions, the weather service said.

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Martin reported from Atlanta. Associated Press writers Jeff Amy and Kate Brumback in Atlanta, Mike Schneider in Orlando, Florida, John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, and Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed.

It's something only Ohtani could achieve, but the two-way superstar could be having games like that a little bit less often.

“I’m focused, as a leadoff hitter, to get on base. As long as I feel good overall, the result will follow," Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton. "It hasn’t been the case (lately).”

Before Wednesday's loss to San Francisco, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts made it clear he's committed to Ohtani's health and keeping him fresh to perform both on the mound and at the plate for the long haul.

And that may look different by the day or week, depending how Ohtani is feeling.

“I'll always let the manager make that final decision and I'm always going to be prepared when I'm starting that I'm hitting,” Ohtani said. “But if it makes sense as a team to occasionally put a guy in as a DH or hit later that's fine as well. I wouldn't want to same more aside from that.”

For some games, that could mean Ohtani pitches but doesn't bat as the designated hitter — and Roberts plans to keep his options open.

Ohtani was solid on the mound again for the Dodgers in a 3-0 loss to the Giants, allowing no earned runs for the third time in four starts this season. A week earlier, Ohtani was held out of the lineup while pitching for the first time since 2021 because he was still sore from getting hit by a pitch.

Ohtani batted in his customary leadoff spot and went 0 for 4 with a strikeout, hitting a fly ball to left in his last at-bat. That ended an on-base streak that matched Shawn Green for the second-longest in Dodgers history. Duke Snider owns the team record at 58 games from May 13-July 11, 1954. Ohtani’s streak was the longest in the majors since Orlando Cabrera reached base in 63 straight from April 25-July 6, 2006.

“The season’s not over, and I could start another streak and that would be great," Ohtani said. "We’ll see how it goes.”

The 31-year-old Ohtani saw his batting average drop from .271 to .258. He has allowed one earned run over 24 innings for an ERA of 0.38 and a 2-0 record, surrendering 15 hits with 25 strikeouts and six walks.

“I think if you look at the overall numbers it's certainly something. I still feel really good about putting his name in the lineup,” Roberts said. “I know the last start I chose not to have him hit and just pitch. I am open to it. We'll see. It's something that we've certainly flagged, and also you have to look at what's the option. In years past or last year, you've got to kind of weigh, who's a different option?”

Catcher Dalton Rushing has become a capable fill-in at DH. He's hitting .414 with seven homers and 13 RBIs.

The two-time defending World Series champion Dodgers have dropped four of five. They lost 3-1 in Tuesday night's series opener at rival San Francisco.

Roberts had yet to decide whether Ohtani would play the series finale Thursday. He said beforehand he had no qualms about giving Ohtani five at-bats on a day he’s pitching but would consider moving him down in the batting order if that makes sense.

“I think everything should be on the table,” Roberts said.

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Juan Soto went 1 for 3 with a single and a walk in his return from a strained right calf, but shortstop Francisco Lindor was removed with left calf tightness after laboring around the bases while scoring from first on Francisco Alvarez's go-ahead double in the fourth.

Byron Buxton tied it 2-all with a leadoff homer in the sixth against Clay Holmes, his second longball in two nights.

Brett Baty, who came off the bench to replace Lindor in the lineup, drew his second walk of the game with two outs in the eighth against Taylor Rogers (0-1). Alvarez coaxed a nine-pitch walk from Justin Topa before Vientos dumped an RBI single into shallow right field.

In the sixth, Vientos blatantly ran through a stop sign rounding third and was easily thrown out at home plate for the final out of the inning.

Luke Weaver (2-0) retired Luke Keaschall with the bases loaded to end the top of the eighth and struck out three batters in a one-hit ninth to secure New York's first victory since April 7 at home against Arizona.

The 12-game skid was the team's longest since August 2002.

Connor Prielipp, the Twins' top pitching prospect, needed 82 pitches to get through four innings in his major league debut. But the 25-year-old left-hander showcased a good slider and limited a slumping New York lineup to two runs and four hits with six strikeouts and no walks.

Holmes allowed two runs and five hits in seven innings.

Batting cleanup, Lindor drove in a run by legging out an infield single with two outs in the first. Victor Caratini's sacrifice fly tied the score in the fourth.

Up next

All-Star right-hander Joe Ryan (2-2, 3.29 ERA) pitches Thursday night for Minnesota in the series finale against RHP Christian Scott, who will be called up from Triple-A Syracuse to make his first major league start since Tommy John surgery in 2024.

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

The child's parent, Rose Inessa-Ethington, a transgender woman, is accused of taking the child to Cuba without the permission of the biological mother. Federal and state authorities sought the return of the child after a family member expressed concern that Inessa-Ethington went to Havana to get the child gender transition surgery.

Inessa-Ethington, who had run a popular Utah political blog in the 2010s, was arrested along with her partner, Blue Inessa-Ethington, and charged in the U.S. with international parental kidnapping.

The couple traveled with the child to Canada ostensibly for a camping trip in late March with Blue’s 3-year-old child. However, the two adults turned off their phones after telling the older child’s mother they had arrived in Canada. They flew from Vancouver to Mexico and then to Cuba on April 1, according to a criminal complaint filed Monday in federal court in Utah.

The charges don't say if the couple actually planned on getting the child gender-affirming surgery in Cuba or how they would get it because that surgery isn't legal for children in Cuba.

The FBI said that Blue Inessa-Ethington withdrew $10,000 from her checking account before leaving. Agents also found at their home a note with instructions from a mental health therapist in Washington, D.C., “to send the therapist the $10,000.00 and instructions on gender affirming medical care for children.” That note didn't mention Cuba.

The use of the Department of Justice plane in a parental kidnapping investigation comes after the Trump administration sought to block access to gender-affirming care for minors and pressured health care providers over the issue.

The Associated Press left telephone and email messages with the court-appointed attorneys who represented Blue and Rose Inessa-Ethington in Virginia. The defendants will be returned to Utah to face one count each of international parental kidnapping, according to court filings.

Search began after child wasn't returned as scheduled

The search for the child began on April 3 when they were not returned to the mother in Utah as scheduled, court documents show.

The 10-year-old’s mother, who was divorced from Rose Inessa-Ethington and had shared custody of the child, filed a missing-person report with police in Logan, Utah, a college and dairy farming town about 70 miles (115 kilometers) north of Salt Lake City.

Logan City Police Chief Jeff Simmons said his department’s initial focus was on the custodial interference allegations in the case, and he said investigators did not learn until later about concerns over gender-affirming surgery.

Logan police spokesperson Sgt. Brandon Bevan said those concerns were raised by one family member. He declined to say who.

“They just had the concern about it, no actual physical evidence” Bevan said.

A Utah state judge ordered the return of the 10-year-old to the child’s mother on April 13. Three days later, a federal magistrate judge issued an arrest warrant for the Inessa-Ethingtons. On the same day, Cuban law enforcement located the group. They were deported to the U.S. aboard the government plane Monday and arraigned in federal court in Richmond, Virginia.

The 10-year-old was returned to the child’s biological mother, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Holyoak in Utah indicated in a statement. Representatives of the FBI and U.S. attorneys office in Utah declined to say what happened to the 3-year-old child who had been with the group.

Parents engaged in custody dispute

The custody dispute between the parents does not appear to be a new development. An online fundraiser created five years go by Blue Inessa-Ethington titled “Help a Trans Mother Keep Custody of Her Child” raised $9,766.

“Last week, Rose’s ex relocated several counties away, negatively impacting Rose’s parent-time with the child,” she wrote on the fundraising page. She said the money would be used to seek a court order that would keep the child “safe and stable throughout this process.”

Anyone who has spent time with Rose knows “how much care and thought she puts into parenting her gender open child,” she wrote.

Family members said the child was assigned male at birth but identifies as a girl because of what they believed to be “manipulation” by Rose Inessa-Ethington, according to an April 16 affidavit from FBI Special Agent Jennifer Waterfield.

Gender-affirming care for minors has been limited

The Trump administration moved in December to cut off gender-affirming care for minors, prompting a third of states to sue.

It was the latest in a series of clashes between an administration that says transgender health care can be harmful to children and advocates who say it’s medically necessary.

Gender-affirming surgery is rare among U.S. children, research shows. Guidance from several major medical organizations calls for caution around surgery for minors and says decisions about treatments are case-by-case. Fewer than 1 in 1,000 U.S. adolescents receive gender-affirming medications, such as hormones or puberty blockers.

In Cuba, gender-affirming surgeries are banned for minors and only performed for adults through the public health system under strict supervision in designated public hospitals for Cuban citizens. They must be authorized by a medical commission after a comprehensive review of the patient’s file. That process often takes years because it requires a wide range of medical and psychological evaluations.

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Brown reported from Billings, Montana, and Boone from Boise, Idaho. Associated Press journalists Eric Tucker in Washington, Cristiana Mesquita in Havana and Devi Shastri in Milwaukee contributed to this report.

It’s going to be a family affair on the golf course in more ways than one. Stacy is competing while pregnant with her second child, and her husband Gerrod Chadwell, who’s also the Texas A&M Women’s Golf Head Coach, will be her caddie this weekend.

• Texans’ Will Anderson Jr. delivers message of faith, support to military veterans at Camp Hope: ‘Means the world to me’

“It just felt like the perfect place to come back one more time and call it good, but I will say the last several weeks of trying to get ready to play again just kind of affirmed my decision to retire, and so I’m looking forward to getting through this week and then going back to normal life,” said Lewis. “I didn’t know what I was gonna do in retirement, but I guess I know what I’m gonna do now. But I’m looking forward to the next few years of raising a kid at home and not cleaning bottles in hotel rooms and trying to travel every week, so looking forward to that.”

Understandably, a lot of people would think that playing a tournament while expecting a child is a little scary, but for Lewis, she kind of sees it as an advantage.

• ‘Overwhelmed with joy, tears,’ Texans star Will Anderson Jr. reacts to record-breaking $150 million contract extension

“It’s actually very nice because with the hormones and everything, your body gets looser and so my body has hurt a lot less, which has been enjoyable, and for me, my golf swing is flatter, so that has helped my golf swing as well,” said Lewis. “My old caddie, Travis, is like, ‘yeah, you play good when you were pregnant,’ so who knows what will happen this week.”

Lewis will tee off on Thursday in the opening round of the 2026 Chevron Championship at 1:03 p.m.

Francisco Lindor was removed Wednesday night against the Minnesota Twins with left calf tightness, just hours after teammate Juan Soto came off the injured list. The switch-hitting shortstop will have an MRI on Thursday, putting the top of New York's punchless batting order in flux once more.

“Here we go again," manager Carlos Mendoza said.

New York (8-16) ended its 12-game losing streak with a 3-2 victory over Minnesota, but it might have come at a cost.

“We’ve got to wait and see what we’re dealing with,” Mendoza said.

Lindor labored around the bases while scoring from first on Francisco Alvarez's one-out double up the right-center alley in the fourth inning. He grimaced as he rounded third and paused for a bit from the seat of his pants after beating the relay throw with a feetfirst slide.

“I knew right away when he was rounding third base that something wasn’t right there. So, we’ll see what we’ve got,” Mendoza said. "Right away, he scores and you could see his face. Looking from the dugout, I knew something wasn’t right.”

Lindor headed down the dugout tunnel with an athletic trainer and was replaced in the lineup by Brett Baty, who entered at third base in the top of the fifth. Bo Bichette slid over from third base to shortstop.

Batting cleanup, Lindor knocked in a run when he legged out an infield single with two outs in the first. Moments earlier, he made an outstanding leaping grab at shortstop for the second out of the game.

Soto was reinstated from the 10-day IL earlier in the day. The slugging outfielder had been sidelined since straining his right calf while running from first to third on April 3 in San Francisco.

“We got good news, relatively good news with Soto, and it was still three weeks,” Mendoza said. "So, we’ll see what we’re dealing with.”

After a slow start this season, Lindor was starting to come on recently. He launched a three-run homer Tuesday night and is hitting .226 with two home runs and five RBIs.

“Can’t sit here and make excuses. It’s all part of it. We lost Soto, and we had a hard time," Mendoza said. “Another really good player, and we’ve got to figure it out.”

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

“I'm sure they appreciated it,” Pistons power forward Isaiah Stewart said.

Wallace, a four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, and Mahorn, an enforcer for the Bad Boys, helped the Pistons win a lot of games that looked like Wednesday night's slugfest.

Stewart had two blocks, including one that denied Paolo Banchero a dunk.

“I’m willing to lay my body on the line to make those plays for the energy,” Stewart said.

Top-seeded Detroit held eighth-seeded Orlando to 33% shooting and season lows in points and field goals. The Pistons forced 19 turnovers and blocked 11 shots.

“When we play defense at the level we’re capable of, it triggers everything for us,” Pistons coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “We can be an elite defensive team, a disruptive defense. It's Pistons basketball. That’s what it looks like.

“We had one off night and it came at a bad time.”

In Game 1, the Pistons had a sluggish start in each half and allowed the Magic to make almost half their shots All five Orlando starters scored at least 16 points in a 112-101 win.

The Pistons were the aggressors in Game 2, blocking seven shots in the opening 12 minutes to tie a franchise playoff record for blocks in a quarter.

In the third, they went on a 30-3 run and outscored the Magic 38-16.

Detroit coasted in the fourth quarter, winning a playoff game for the first time at Little Caesars Arena. The Pistons ended an NBA-record, 11-game home losing streak in the playoffs that dates to 2008, when the franchise played at The Palace of Auburn Hills.

“Obviously, we've heard it,” Tobias Harris said after scoring 16 points, blocking two shots and making two steals.

The Magic, a little reluctantly, gave the Pistons some credit for their defense.

“They did a heck of a job of reaching, grabbing and holding,” Orlando coach Jamahl Mosley said. “They protected that paint and our ability to get downhill.”

Jalen Suggs scored 19 and Banchero had 18 for the Magic. They combined to make just 14 of 35 shots.

“They met us at the rim a few times, and they brought the intensity on defense,” Banchero said. “But we got good looks, and nobody really had a great night shooting the ball.”

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

The Pistons had lost 11 straight home postseason games, a drought that started in 2008.

Game 3 is Saturday in Orlando.

Detroit dominated the third quarter, turning a tie game into a rout by outscoring the Magic 38-16 in the period with six players scoring at least five points.

After Cunningham scored a career playoff-high 39 points in Game 1 and didn’t get much help, the All-Star guard had plenty of support, with five teammates scoring in double figures.

Jalen Suggs scored 19 points and Paolo Banchero had 18 for the Magic. They combined to miss 21 of 35 shots as the team shot 33% and was held to a season low in points.

Detroit’s Tobias Harris scored 16 points, Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson had 11 each, and Duncan Robertson and Isaiah Stewart each scored 10. Robinson made three much-needed 3-pointers for a team that struggles with outside shooting.

Orlando’s Franz Wagner and Desmond Bane had 12 points apiece and Wendell Carter Jr. was limited to three points on 1-of-6 shooting after he scored 17 in the opener.

The Magic did not trail in the opener as their starters scored at least 16 points apiece and the Pistons had just two players in double figures.

Detroit took its first lead of the series on the opening possession of Game 2 and jumped to a 14-7 lead with a desperately needed strong start after coming out sluggish in Game 1.

The Pistons led by four points after the opening quarter and the game was tied at 46 entering the third period, when Detroit looked like the defensive-minded team that had the best record in the Eastern Conference.

Both teams will have two days to make adjustments for Game 3.

Detroit hasn't advanced beyond the first playoff round in 18 years and Orlando hasn’t reached the second round in 16 years.

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

“The end of smoking, and the devastating harm it causes, is no longer uncertain — it’s inevitable,” Hazel Cheeseman, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health, said after a decades-long campaign in favor of legislation approved Tuesday.

Children born after Dec. 31, 2008, will be banned from ever buying cigarettes under the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.

The legislation that needs approval by King Charles III — a formality — before taking effect will also allow the government to regulate tobacco, vaping and nicotine products, including flavors and packaging.

It is currently illegal to sell cigarettes, tobacco products or vapes to people younger than 18. But most youths today will continue to face a ban their entire life as the minimum age to buy cigarettes rises each year.

The passage gives the U.K. one of the toughest antismoking measures in the world. The law is similar to one New Zealand lawmakers passed in 2022, but that was repealed by a subsequent government.

The number of people who smoke in Britain has declined by two-thirds since the 1970s, but some 6.4 million people — or about 13% of the population — still smoke, according to official figures.

Authorities say smoking causes some 80,000 deaths a year in the U.K, and remains the number one preventable cause of death, disability and poor health.

“Children in the U.K. will be part of the first smoke-free generation, protected from a lifetime of addiction and harm,” Health Secretary Wes Streeting said.

Pakistan had planned to host a second round of talks, but the White House suspended Vice President JD Vance’s planned trip to Islamabad as Iran rebuffed efforts to restart negotiations. Iran acknowledged the ceasefire extension but didn't say Tehran was ready to attend a new round of talks to end the war, state television reported Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Iran’s semiofficial news agencies are reporting that the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard has attacked a third ship on Wednesday in the Strait of Hormuz, throwing into question efforts to end the war. Nour News, Fars and Mehr all reported the attack by the Guard on a vessel called the Euphoria. They said the vessel had become “stranded” on the Iranian coast, without elaborating. The Guard has seized the other two ships that were attacked, Iranian state television separately reported.

Here is the latest:

CENTCOM says more than 30 ships affected by US blockade

The U.S. military’s Central Command said Thursday its forces in the Mideast had “directed 31 vessels to turn around or return to port as part of the U.S. blockade against Iran.”

Panama condemns ‘illegal seizure’ of a vessel traveling under its flag through Strait of Hormuz

The Central American nation’s foreign ministry wrote in a statement that the boat, owned by the Italian company MSC Francesca, was “forcibly taken” into Iranian waters on Wednesday, and it accused Iran of violating international law. It wasn’t immediately clear if the boat remained in Iranian custody.

The seizure “represents a serious attack on maritime security and constitutes an unnecessary escalation,” it wrote.

Panama has one of the largest ship registries, with around 16% of the world’s ships flying under the country’s flag, according to 2024 data from Panamanian authorities.

Pentagon says it will take months to clear mines in the Strait of Hormuz, AP source says

The Pentagon told lawmakers this week it will likely take six months to clear the mines set in the strait, according to a person familiar with the situation who was granted anonymity to discuss the sensitive information.

Officials from the Department of Defense delivered the information during a classified briefing at the House Armed Services Committee on Tuesday.

The session left more questions than answers as lawmakers probed for information about the cost of the war against Iran, the strategy and objectives, the person said. The lawmakers also raised questions that have still gone unanswered about the strike on a school compound during the early days of the war.

___

— By Lisa Mascaro

Senators have again rejected a Democratic attempt to halt Trump’s war in Iran

The U.S. Senate rejected the resolution 46-51 on Wednesday as Republicans in Congress have largely backed Trump’s military efforts.

It was the fifth time this year that the Senate voted to cede its war powers to the president in a conflict that Democrats say is illegal and unjustified. The resolution would require the U.S. to withdraw forces from the conflict until Congress authorizes further action.

“The longer Trump waits to extricate the U.S. from this war, the deeper the hole gets and the harder it will be for him to get out,” said Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer.

Republicans have been reluctant to criticize Trump or the war, even as they say they want it to end quickly.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Tuesday that most Republicans believe “that the president is correct in making sure Iran can’t threaten the world with a nuclear weapon.”

Israeli strike kills at least 5 people in Gaza, hospital says

At least five people, including three children, were killed by an Israeli strike in Gaza on Wednesday night, according to Shifa hospital, where the bodies were taken.

Local health authorities said the group of people was targeted by a drone while they were in a street in Beit Lahiya, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Israeli attacks have killed more than 780 people since the fragile ceasefire between Hamas and Israel was put in place six months ago, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The ministry, part of the Hamas-led government, maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts. It does not distinguish between civilian and militant deaths.

Overall, the health ministry says 72,300 Palestinians have been killed since the war in Gaza began with the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel.

US stocks rally to records, but Brent oil also tops $100 on worries about the Iran war

The U.S. stock market rallied to more records Wednesday after GE Vernova, Boston Scientific and other big companies joined the parade, reporting fatter profits for the start of the year than analysts expected. But caution still hung over Wall Street, and oil prices rose on uncertainty about what would happen in the war with Iran.

The S&P 500 jumped 1% and topped its prior all-time high set on Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 340 points, or 0.7%, and the Nasdaq composite set its own record after jumping 1.6%.

Strong performances have helped the S&P 500 power higher, and the index recorded its 13th gain in its last 16 days.

Still, another rise in oil prices helped keep enthusiasm in check on Wall Street. The price for a barrel of Brent crude oil, the international standard, climbed 3.5% to $101.91.

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Paramedics recover body of Lebanese journalist hours after Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon

The body of a Lebanese journalist killed in an Israeli airstrike on southern Lebanon on Wednesday has been pulled from under the rubble hours after the attack.

The daily Al-Akhbar newspaper confirmed that its reporter, Amal Khalil, was killed in the strike on the southern village of al-Tiri.

Information Minister Paul Morcos also confirmed Khalil’s death.

Khalil had been covering the Israel-Hezbollah war since it started in October 2023 and had been reporting from different parts of southern Lebanon on the hostilities.

Earlier on Wednesday, Reporters Without Borders, or RSF, called on the international community to immediately pressure the Israeli army to allow the rescue of Khalil.

Iran says it is prepared for 2026 World Cup participation in the US

However, it was unclear whether it would ultimately take part.

“The Ministry of Youth and Sports made an announcement about the full preparedness of our national soccer team for presence in the 2026 World Cup in the U.S., by the order of the minister,” Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohejerani told Iran’s state TV on Wednesday.

“They informed that the necessary arrangements that these dear ones need for the team’s proud and successful participation, (have been made),” Mohejerani added.

The tournament is scheduled to be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico this summer.

White House says only Trump knows how long extension of Iran ceasefire will last

Press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Trump hasn’t set a deadline for receiving a proposal from the Iranians.

“Ultimately, the timeline would be dictated by the commander in chief,” she said.

Trump announced a ceasefire extension on Tuesday.

White House says Iran seizing 2 ships doesn’t violate ceasefire terms

Iran taking control of two ships is not a violation of the truce terms because “these were not U.S. or Israeli ships, these were two international vessels,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News Channel.

She said Iran’s navy has been decimated and that the ships in question “were taken by speedy gun boats,” meaning that Iran is acting “like a bunch of pirates.”

Leavitt said Trump’s blockade remains in place “on ships coming to and from Iranian ports” and that the seizure by Iranian forces “is piracy that we are seeing on display.”

Hezbollah says it launched drones at Israeli positions in southern Lebanon

The group added in a statement that the two attacks targeting soldiers and vehicles in the village of Qantara on Wednesday evening were in retaliation for alleged Israeli violations of the 10-day ceasefire that took effect Friday.

The strikes marked the group’s third attack on Wednesday. Israel did not immediately comment on the latest attacks but has previously accused Hezbollah of breaching the ceasefire.

Lebanon’s health ministry says Israeli troops fired at rescuers searching for missing journalist

The ministry said two Israeli strikes on al-Tiri in southern Lebanon killed two people. The journalist Amal Khalil and her colleague took cover in a house, which the ministry said was targeted in the second strike. When rescuers arrived, they were able to recover the two bodies and one injured journalist. But the Israeli military fired live ammunition at the ambulance, preventing the team from completing the search for Khalil, the ministry said. Lebanon’s National News Agency showed pictures of the damage to the ambulance.

Khalil’s condition is not clear. She is a prominent journalist with the Lebanese daily Al-Akhbar.

Israel’s military alleged the individuals in the village violated the ceasefire, posing a risk to the troops’ safety. It denied that it prevented rescue teams from reaching the area or that it targets journalists.

Reopening Strait of Hormuz ‘impossible’ amid breaches, Iranian official says

“A complete ceasefire only makes sense if it is not violated by the maritime/naval blockade and taking the world’s economy hostage, and if the Zionist warmongering across all fronts is halted,” Iran’s parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said on Wednesday.

“Reopening the Strait of Hormuz is impossible with such flagrant breach of the ceasefire,” Qalibaf added. “The only way forward is to recognize the rights of the Iranian nation.”

Israeli military says it struck targets in south Lebanon, denies blocking rescue

Lebanese officials and Reporters Without Borders said a journalist was missing following an Israeli strike near the southern village of al-Tiri on Wednesday, while another journalist was wounded.

The Israeli military said it struck a vehicle and a structure in the area after identifying what it described as militants posing an immediate threat near the border.

The military said it was aware of reports that journalists were injured but did not confirm them and denied preventing rescue teams from reaching the area.

The details of the incident are under review, it added.

Trump says Iran respected his request, will free women whose release he demanded

The president said he has been informed that four of the women will be “released immediately,” while four others will be sentenced to one month each in prison.

“I very much appreciate that Iran, and its leaders, respected my request ... and terminated the planned execution,” Trump wrote on the Truth Social platform.

He said the women protesters were expected to be executed Wednesday.

Rights groups that monitor Iran had said two of the women were already released on bail in March, and two others were known to face charges that carry the death sentences. They had been arrested during the January anti-government protests.

Trump re-posted a photo of the women, including two teen girls, on Tuesday on social media, which a conservative activist noted are facing prosecution in Iran.

The Iranian judiciary responded promptly, denying that any of them were on the verge of execution, saying some were already released.

Lebanon’s health ministry says Israeli strike on southern Lebanon kills 2

The ministry added that the Wednesday afternoon strike on the village of Yohmor also wounded two people.

UN’s global shipping regulation body condemns Persian Gulf shipping attacks

Arsenio Dominguez, secretary-general of the International Maritime Organization, on Wednesday condemned attacks on shipping after Iran’s Revolutionary Guard fired on three ships in the Strait of Hormuz, seizing two and taking them to Iran. Earlier, Trump said the United States would continue to blockade Iranian ports.

“The attacks on and seizures of commercial ships are unacceptable,” Dominguez said, urging an immediate halt and the release of vessels and crews. He warned that the situation remains “extremely volatile” and questioned why companies risk seafarers’ lives.

Nearly 20,000 seafarers remain at sea after seven weeks, uncertain when they can return home, he added.

Firm says over 10M barrels of Iranian oil left Persian Gulf since US blockade of Iran’s ports

An analytics firm focusing on global energy and freight markets says it recorded 34 movements of sanctioned and Iranian-linked tankers in and out of the Persian Gulf in the week after the U.S. imposed a naval blockade of Iranian ports.

The firm, Vortexa, says it identified 19 outbound and 15 inbound movements of such vessels between April 13 and Monday.

Six of those outbound movements were “confirmed laden with Iranian crude, representing about 10.7 million barrels,” it said in an email to The Associated Press.

It was not immediately clear whether all those barrels reached markets overseas.

Lebanese journalist missing after Israeli strike on southern Lebanon

Reporters Without Borders, or RSF, called on the international community on Wednesday to immediately pressure the Israeli army into allowing the rescue of journalist Amal Khalil, who works for the daily Al-Akhbar.

RSF added that Khalil is currently trapped near the southern Lebanese village of al-Tiri following an Israeli airstrike close to her vehicle.

“Her life is in danger right now! Continued Israeli airstrikes are preventing rescuers from reaching her,” RSF said.

Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun called on the Lebanese Red Cross to work on the rescue of Khalil, along with another journalist, Zeinab Faraj, who was with her.

Aoun requested the Lebanese Red Cross to coordinate with the Lebanese army and U.N. peacekeepers “to carry out the rescue operation in the shortest possible time.”

Crew of a ship attacked in the Strait of Hormuz is safe, management company says

The management company of a container ship that was fired upon in the Strait of Hormuz early Wednesday says the Liberian-registered Epaminondas was “approached and fired upon by a manned gunboat” while transiting the strait about 20 nautical miles off the coast of Oman.

The Technomar company said all crew were “safe and accounted for” and no injuries were reported, but that preliminary inspections indicated the ship’s bridge had been damaged.

“Technomar remains in close contact with the crew and relevant authorities. Our priority remains the safety and well-being of our crew as we work with all relevant stakeholders to ensure their continued safety and investigate the incident,” the company said. It did not provide further details, but said more information would be released “when there are material developments.”

Iranians have long sought work and relative stability in Turkey. The war could force some to return

Sadri Haghshenas spends her days selling borek — a layered, savory pastry — at a shop in Istanbul, but her mind is on her daughter in Tehran.

The family had to send her home to Iran after they ran into difficulties renewing her visa, despite fears that a shaky ceasefire could soon collapse.

For years, short-term residency permits have allowed tens of thousands of Iranians to pursue economic opportunities and enjoy relative stability in neighboring Turkey. But it’s a precarious situation, and the war has raised the stakes.

“I swear, I cry every day,” Haghshenas said, raising her hands from behind the counter of the pastry shop. “There is no life in my country, there is no life here, what shall I do?”

Turkey hasn't seen an influx of refugees, as most Iranians have sought safety within their country. Many who've crossed the land border were transiting to other countries where they have citizenship or residency.

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Israeli strike kills two people in southern Lebanon despite ceasefire

The strike targeted a vehicle in the town of Tayri on Wednesday, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency.

No further details on the identities of the victims were immediately available.

The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the attack.

The strike comes despite a 10-day ceasefire that went into effect Friday. Since then, several Israeli strikes have been reported, while Hezbollah has claimed a couple of attacks since Tuesday.

A second French soldier has died after an attack on peacekeepers in Lebanon

On Saturday, a U.N. peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon came under attack with small arms fire leaving one French peacekeeper dead and three others wounded, two of them seriously.

French President Emmanuel Macron posted on X that a wounded soldier, who was repatriated Tuesday from Lebanon “where he had been seriously wounded by Hezbollah fighters, died this morning from his injuries.”

Hezbollah had denied is was behind the attack.

Iran says it has yet to decide whether to join a new round of talks with the US

“We entered the negotiations in good faith and with seriousness, but the negotiating party (the United States) has shown disregard and lack of good faith,” Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baqaei, said Wednesday, according to Iran’s State TV.

A second round of negotiations, expected in Pakistan’s capital later this week, has not yet been confirmed. On Tuesday, President Trump extended a ceasefire with Iran indefinitely, leaving the next steps for resuming talks unclear.

“Iran has not yet decided whether it will participate in the new round of peace negotiations with the United States scheduled for later this week,” Baqaei said.

US stocks climb, but so do oil prices with uncertainty rising about the war with Iran

GE Vernova, Boston Scientific and Boeing are leading the U.S. stock market toward another record after joining the list of companies reporting fatter profits for the start of the year than analysts expected.

But caution is still hanging over Wall Street on Wednesday, and oil prices are also rising on uncertainty about what will happen in the war with Iran.

The S&P 500 climbed 0.7% and was on track to top its all-time high set Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 360 points and the Nasdaq composite gained 0.9%. The price for a barrel of Brent crude oil briefly topped $100.

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Energy agency head says energy crisis will trigger major response by governments and industry

Talking about the repercussions of the Iran war, the head of the International Energy Agency said Wednesday that “we are facing the biggest energy crisis in the history.”

IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol said at the Petersberg Climate Dialogue in Berlin that what ”we lost in the this war is much bigger than all the crises put together in terms of oil and gas. Plus, plus, there are vital commodities that we are losing — petrochemicals, fertilizers, helium, sulfur.”

However, Birol also pointed out that “there will be a major response to this crisis as well” and that “it is now the job of the governments to design their energy policies in terms of industrial sector, while keeping the competitiveness of the existing industries, preparing the next steps for the tomorrow’s industries.”

He said he also expects that “there will be a similar response in all parts of the economy, car manufacturing industry, electric industry and in the industry sector.”

“And this is a wonderful opportunity,” he added.

Dozens of Israeli civilians attempt to enter Syria

The Israeli military said it intercepted around 40 Israeli civilians that attempted to enter Syria on Wednesday afternoon. The military said the civilians gathered at the border and then were able to infiltrate several hundred meters into the Israeli-military controlled buffer zone in Syria before being returned to Israel and taken into police custody.

The Israeli media identified the infiltrators as part of the right-wing group “Pioneers of Bashan,” which calls for establishing Jewish settlements in Lebanon and Syria.