Discussion

At 900 AM GMT (0900 UTC), the center of Tropical Depression Fay was located near latitude 29.2 North, longitude 43.9 West. The depression is moving toward the south near 3 mph (6 km/h). A gradual turn to the southwest and then west is expected over the next couple of days, along with an increase in forward speed.

Maximum sustained winds are near 35 mph (55 km/h) with higher gusts. Little change in strength is forecast over the next several days.

The estimated minimum central pressure is 1010 mb (29.83 inches).

Watches and Warnings

There are no coastal watches or warnings in effect.

Land Hazards

None.

Tens of thousands marched through Madrid on Saturday to protest the eviction of María del Carmen Abascal from the apartment in the upscale Retiro neighborhood where she had lived for more than seven decades.

The demonstrators are demanding stronger tenant protections, measures to combat fraud and a ban on evictions when alternative housing is unavailable.

Many refused to leave after Saturday’s march and pitched tents in Puerta del Sol for the night.

“The wave of indignation and anger that has been unleashed is now unstoppable,” said Alicia del Río, a spokesperson for the Madrid Tenants’ Union, which led the protests.

“We will remain here” until the government passes new laws, including indefinite rental contracts, and stops evictions like Abascal’s, del Río told journalists at the plaza on Sunday. Spain's Socialist-led government is expected to announce new measures in its weekly cabinet meeting next Tuesday.

Eviction 'sparked this social unrest'

On Sept. 23, Abascal was carried from her apartment on a stretcher and placed in an ambulance as supporters — who had tried unsuccessfully to stop the eviction — chanted her nickname, “Maricarmen.”

“I haven’t managed to defend my home, but I have fought so that others can learn to fight for what’s theirs,” Abascal said in a video recorded from her hospital bed after the eviction.

Images of the eviction spread widely across Spain, fueling outrage and criticism of public authorities and real estate investment companies accused of pricing residents out of their homes. Critics often refer to such companies as “vulture funds.”

“Maricarmen has been, in a way, the last straw that sparked this social unrest,” said Simón de la Riva, 43, a teacher who took part in Saturday's protests.

Speaking at a Socialist Party rally in Madrid, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez addressed Abascal directly: “I have a message for you, Maricarmen: the government is working around the clock to bring a Royal Decree on housing next Tuesday. And I ask parliamentary groups to make one last effort to have it validated in the National Parliament for Maricarmen.”

Abascal has criticized Sánchez and blamed him for her ordeal.

“Does he not realize the quantity of evictions that there are daily?” she asked during an interview with Spain’s state broadcaster RTVE the day before she was forcibly removed from her home. “Does he not realize, or does he not want to realize?”

Spanish media reported that Abascal’s father first rented the apartment in 1956 and that she remained there as a tenant under rent controls after her parents died.

The building changed ownership in 2018, and Abascal was offered the opportunity to buy the apartment but could not afford it, according to the Madrid Tenants’ Union.

Urbagestión, an investment fund that later bought the unit, raised her monthly rent from 500 euros ($570) to 2,650 euros. It subsequently lowered the rent to 1,650 euros, which Abascal still could not afford on her pension, the union said.

Rising costs and a growing housing shortage

Rising costs and a housing shortage are pricing many Spaniards out of the market, despite strong economic growth in Europe’s fourth-largest economy. Incomes have not kept pace with the rising housing costs, and analysts say tourism and immigration-driven population growth in cities have placed further pressure on the limited housing supply.

The Bank of Spain estimated that the country had a shortage of about 550,000 homes last year, with Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia accounting for a substantial share.

The demonstrations in the symbolic Madrid plaza this weekend reminded many in Spain of the historic demonstrations starting May 15, 2011, when members of the “indignados movement” camped for 28 days straight, sparking similar sit-ins across the country and the world. That movement was a reaction to evictions and other issues following a global economic crisis, including unemployment, austerity measures and corruption.

Estefania Molina, a political scientist and columnist, said the stakes of popular frustration are growing. In 2011, "people protested because they couldn’t buy an apartment."

“Today, the protest is about not being able to rent a room in someone else’s home," she told Spanish television.

Spain ranks near the bottom of countries in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development for subsidized public rental housing, which represents less than 2% of the country's housing stock. The European Union average is 8%.

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Brito reported from Barcelona, Spain. Associated Press journalist Suman Naishadham contributed to this report from Madrid.

The Metropolitan Police, which takes the lead on potential terrorism activities, said in a statement Sunday that the men were initially arrested on suspicion of committing offences under the Explosives Act.

Vicki Evans, deputy assistant commissioner, said a 400-meter cordon has been put in place around the three vehicles that raised suspicion while the army conducts examinations. As a precaution, around 85 households have been evacuated whilst these examinations take place.

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

LONDON (AP) — British counterterrorism police took the lead in an investigation into the arrest of several men over suspected explosives offenses near a Royal Air Force base that has been used by U.S. bombers in the Iran war.

Gloucestershire police said Sunday that the men were detained on suspicion of offenses under the Explosives Act, and that army bomb-disposal experts were examining several vehicles.

A major incident was declared and aerial footage from Sky News appeared to show a bomb disposal robot roaming between three white trucks. The rear doors of two of the vans were open and large black items could be seen scattered around.

Police said the situation appeared to be “contained” but did not confirm that the arrests were linked to the base, though the proximity of RAF Fairford, which hosts the headquarters of the U.S. Air Force’s 501st Combat Support Wing and the 420th Air Base Squadron, has raised speculation that there is a connection.

Fairford has been used by American forces for strictly limited strikes during the war with Iran. After the start of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran on Feb. 28, the U.K. government allowed the American military to use the Fairford base to strike Iranian missile sites. Iran has said bombers flying from the base have been used for strikes beyond the original remit.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Air Force said U.S. and British personnel “remain vigilant” and will take appropriate actions to ensure safety of all those at the base.

“For operational security reasons we will not discuss specific force protection measures," the spokesperson said. “We constantly assess a variety of factors that determine what measures we institute or modify to protect our installations, our people and their families."

The arrests come at a time of heightened tensions around the threat from hostile states to the U.K., with Russia and Iran among those that have used proxies to commit crimes on their behalf on British soil. In March, officials said the number of national security cases involving activity by hostile states including Iran increased 50% in the six months to December 2025.

Residents in a number of properties in Whelford, which backs onto the air base, have been taken to a nearby leisure center.

Julian Tudsbery, who has lived in Whelford for 30 years, said a resident had reported three “suspicious vans” in the village in the early hours of Sunday morning.

“There were several police, three police cars in the drive, and they said you need to evacuate, there’s been a major incident, said he couldn’t elaborate,” he said.

Britain's Defense Secretary Wes Streeting thanked the emergency and specialist teams who responded to the incident.

“We can be reassured that this is being dealt with," he said.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham is receiving updates on the situation, his office said.

The slow-moving storm, which killed a New York City housing authority worker when a tree fell Saturday, was expected to linger through Sunday with heavy rain, strong winds and dangerous surf from New Jersey to New England.

The storm remained just south of Long Island and east of northern New Jersey on Sunday morning and was expected to loop around the area for roughly another 24 hours, said Bob Oravec, a lead forecaster with the National Weather Service in College Park, Maryland.

The worst of the remaining rainfall was expected Sunday from northern New Jersey through New York City and Long Island into southern New England. The storm was gradually weakening, Oravec said, but the threat of tidal flooding would linger through high-tide cycles Sunday morning and again in the evening.

“The most impactful parts of the storm are likely going to be the high winds and the tidal flooding,” Oravec said.

More than 100,000 customers were without power across the Northeast and mid-Atlantic Sunday morning, according to PowerOutage.us, including more than 40,000 in New York, 31,000 in Connecticut, 21,000 in New Jersey and 11,000 in Massachusetts.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency said response coordination centers in impacted regions were operating at an “enhanced posture,” and teams were on standby in New England in case of widespread outages.

On Saturday in New Jersey and New York, some people kayaked down flooded streets. Others headed to beaches to try to surf the higher-than-usual waves. Emergency crews in Sea Bright, New Jersey, rescued a woman and her dog after their vehicle became trapped in floodwaters, ABC7 reported.

In Surf City, New Jersey, water rose inside a marina where workers had moved equipment to higher ground, and owner Kenny Formica said customers reported boats and Jet Skis missing or blown from their lifts. In Norfolk, Virginia, floodwaters left passing cars pushing wakes through some streets.

The storm also disrupted travel throughout the region. Hundreds of flights were canceled at Boston Logan International Airport, while flooding cut off highway access to North Carolina’s Hatteras Island, stranding visitors and forcing one couple to scramble to relocate their wedding after most of their roughly 45 guests were unable to reach the island.

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AP journalist Julie Walker contributed from New York.

According to HPD, officers responded around 1:40 a.m. after reports that a car had struck a pole. A security guard at nearby apartments under construction reported hearing a loud crash followed by gunfire. HPD homicide detectives said the victim was found with a gunshot wound to the back.

• Man fatally struck while crossing East Freeway on foot; officer injured while blocking traffic

Investigators have not identified a suspect or suspect vehicle. It remains unclear whether the victim was being followed before the shooting or what led to the violence. The investigation remains ongoing.

Russia’s top diplomat on Saturday brushed off what’s believed to have been the first face-to-face meeting with his German counterpart since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The meeting was held during the U.N. General Assembly’s annual gathering of world leaders, as an intensifying aerial war between Russia and Ukraine showed no sign of slowing.

Ties between Russia and Germany have soured in recent weeks, following an attempted drone attack last month at Leipzig airport that Berlin blamed on the Kremlin.

With front-line positions largely unchanged since last year, Moscow has hammered its neighbor with cruise and ballistic missiles, powerful glide bombs and jet-powered drones in recent months. Meanwhile, Kyiv’s long-range drones have targeted Russian oil refineries and businesses.

Russian and Ukrainian strikes kill 4

In Kyiv, a man was found dead after a Russian drone hit a non-residential building overnight, according to Ukraine’s emergency service.

Later on Sunday, Russian drone strikes killed one person and wounded at least five on the outskirts of Kyiv, according to local administration head Tymur Tkachenko. One person died and four were injured in Vyshneve, where a drone damaged five vehicles and caused a blaze, Tkachenko said. A security guard at a window manufacturing facility was also injured near the town of Fastiv, he added.

In Russian-occupied Ukraine, a strike by Kyiv’s forces on Sunday killed a civilian woman in Enerhodar, the town housing Europe’s largest nuclear plant, according to its Kremlin-installed mayor. Maxim Pukhov said the Ukrainian drones also injured two others.

Russian forces also attacked Ukraine’s southern Odesa region, which surrounds the country’s main Black Sea port, multiple times overnight into Sunday, killing one person and injuring two others, according to the head of the local military administration, Oleh Kiper.

Separately, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia struck twice at a data center in Kyiv on Sunday morning, injuring two children and an adult. Russia's Defense Ministry said the data center was providing internet services to Ukraine's armed forces.

Russia and Ukraine have repeatedly blamed each other for damaging power lines supplying Enerhodar's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, which Moscow captured early in the war. The plant is not in service, but needs power to keep cooling systems running and maintain safety.

Russia's Lavrov brushes off rare Germany meeting

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was dismissive after the meeting in New York, which was held at German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul’s request. Lavrov said that Wadephul “simply reiterated his official position condemning Russia”.

“You can judge for yourself whether that counts as dialogue or not,” he said.

Wadephul expressed openness to a better relationship but said it required a genuine willingness from Russia’s leadership to end the war in Ukraine, according to a German delegation official.

An overwhelming majority of U.N. member nations have repeatedly condemned Moscow’s invasion. The Kremlin describes the war as a “special military operation” intended to ensure Russia’s security and the rights of Russian speakers.

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

Rain chances are limited Sunday, isolated showers near the coast.

Moisture streams in next week brining increase in shower and storm chances.

The science behind this week’s rain chances:

Two things I’m watching next week are tropical moisture from the Pacific and a cold front. The Pacific Ocean has two hurricanes, Odalys and Cat 5 Polo. Both of those will send tropical moisture to Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. Some of that moisture could arrive in Houston next week with a cool front moving through at the same time. We could get off and on storms Tuesday through Sunday the 4th of October.

Right now the highest rainfall totals stay to the west of Houston, but can’t there maybe enough rain that could lead to street flooding and ponding Thursday. Stay tuned for any changes to the forecast.

Tracking the tropics:

All is quiet in the Gulf. In the Atlantic is well east of Bermuda and will bring no impacts to land. There is now a new zone of development that has 40% chance to turn into an organized system over the next 7 days, this is forecasted to stay west of Bermuda.

So far this hurricane season we’ve had seven tropical storms. We have not had a hurricane in the Atlantic basin. The latest first hurricane to form was Gustav and Humberto, which formed on September 11th. This means our 2026 hurricane season set a record for the latest hurricane to form.

Extended forecast:

Our next chance of rain arrives this week. And there is the chance we get off and on rain through the first weekend of October.

That trip has been cut short.

Coastal erosion has been eating away at the beach in San Clemente, known for nearly a century as a “Spanish village by the sea.” The rising sea and crashing waves have pushed the shoreline landward, splitting the city's picturesque North Beach. Crumbling seaside bluffs have damaged oceanfront homes and forced the repeated closure of a passenger rail line considered the second busiest in the country.

It's one of many California coastal communities grappling with the effects of sea level rise. Nearly a decade ago, scientists forecast that more than half of Southern California’s beaches could significantly erode by 2100, radically altering how people live and recreate along the state’s famed coast.

“The constant pressure is sea level rise,” said Sean Vitousek, research oceanographer with the U.S. Geological Survey. “It is going to keep rising, and rising, and the beaches will retreat landward.”

After years of erosion, California is bracing for flooding and landslides ahead of this year’s expected super El Niño, a temporary warming in parts of the equatorial Pacific known to warp weather worldwide. Already this year, the town of Pacifica south of San Francisco shuttered its cracked concrete pier, and seawater flooded homes in Long Beach near Los Angeles during a hurricane-driven storm surge. A recent study showed that El Niño events are getting stronger because of human-caused climate change.

In San Clemente, a town of 62,000 people, urban development has slowed the flow of sediment that once nourished the city's beaches, and warmer ocean waters have pushed waves higher and further ashore. It’s become so challenging that residents of the largely Republican city are considering taxing themselves to raise money for beach restoration. A measure to add a 1% sales tax to fund wildfire protection and sand replenishment in San Clemente is on the November ballot.

Crumbling hillsides disrupt seaside rail

Over the past five years, the rail line that has operated along the coast for more than a century has faced repeated closures due to encroaching surf on one side and fragile bluffs on the other. The 7-mile (11-kilometer) segment is part of a 351-mile (565-kilometer) passenger rail corridor that links San Diego with Los Angeles County's huge port complex and San Luis Obispo. It's also used by freight and the military.

Transportation officials have shored up the tracks to ensure passenger safety by laying down rock. But as waves slam against the rocks, they sweep more sand offshore and speed up erosion that will eventually threaten the rail line again.

Locals say the erosion is dramatically altering their community.

“We've lost our walkable beach,” said Cameron Cosgrove, a San Clemente resident who wrote the tax measure. “It used to be you could come to North Beach, walk the beach trail, or on the beach to the pier and actually all the way down to the south end of town. Can’t do either anymore.”

City and transit officials agree more sand is needed and note that coastal communities, including surf hub Huntington Beach, have nourished their beaches for years. Opponents of the measure want sand — but not the tax — and argue San Clemente should work with other communities on a regional approach.

“Fighting Mother Nature is very expensive,” said City Councilman Zhen Wu, who opposes the measure.

City Manager Andy Hall said San Clemente faces a sand deficit of about 3 million cubic yards. Getting that much sand to the beach is no easy task, he said, adding that trucking it would require 300,000 trips.

Darrell Johnson, chief executive of the Orange County Transportation Authority, said a challenge has been getting state permits for more sand. He hopes California's recent emergency declaration ahead of El Niño will speed up the process. In the long run, Johnson said officials will study moving trains inland — an idea previously deemed too costly. A third option is to halt the line, he said.

“If we can’t figure out how to shore up properly in a way that is long-term in nature, and we can't figure out how to relocate, I think that is a question that’s going to have to be asked," Johnson said. “'What happens to passenger rail? What happens to freight?'”

More sand will also shape wave breaks

Further south, transportation officials have been working to stabilize coastal bluffs to shore up the rail line in the community of Del Mar. The plan is to eventually move the tracks, but officials have not decided where.

Charlie Fox, a 56-year-old San Clemente resident and marine meteorologist, said sand provides a critical buffer between whatever structures — train tracks, homes, lifeguard headquarters — are built along the coast. The lifelong surfer said sand also helps waves roll gently onshore, creating a steady wave break for surfing.

On a recent morning, surfers bobbed in the water off North Beach, not far from the rocky structure shoring up the train tracks by the sea.

“When you see those rocks, that's them attempting to fight the ocean," Fox said. “That is a futile endeavor.”

“The ocean wins,” he added. “Ocean always eventually wins.”

The 7th Congressional District, which includes President Donald Trump’s Bedminster golf club, has changed party control in each of the past two midterm elections, making it a magnet for campaign spending and a kind of political barometer. Republicans are trying to defend their narrow House majority at a time when Trump's approval rating is deeply underwater and gas prices are rising because of his war with Iran.

Kean, a former state legislator who comes from a deep-rooted political family, is seeking a third term. During his absence, he missed more than 100 votes.

He returned in June and said he had been hospitalized for depression and that he was a private person by nature.

Bennett, a former Navy pilot who also worked as a healthcare executive, is a political newcomer. She won a competitive primary in June and was widely viewed as a more moderate and electable Democrat than some of her competitors.

Millions of dollars have poured into the race.

Last week, a super PAC tied to the Republican president indicated it would spend more than $3 million to help Kean in the race. Another political action committee tied to Democrats has set aside about $2.5 million for television ads in the New York market to help Bennett and another Democrat in a New York district.

Kean's district became slightly more Republican after the redistricting following the 2020 census. Nonetheless, Democrats view it as a prime pickup opportunity.

Kean won in 2022 by unseating Democrat Tom Malinowski, who had ousted Republican Leonard Lance in 2018.

Kean comes from a long line of public servants, stretching 250 years to the country’s founding when one of his ancestors became New Jersey’s first leader since independence.

Kean’s great-grandfather was a senator, his grandfather was a congressman and his father was a two-term governor.

The governing Labour Party opened its annual conference beside the River Mersey in Liverpool on Sunday, with Burnham pledging to turn the page on a decade of economic and political turmoil. He is the U.K.’s seventh prime minister since the country voted in 2016 to leave the European Union.

Burnham said the message of his keynote conference speech on Tuesday would be: “It’s time for Britain to have hope again.”

“I am here to end the decade of drift and division that we’ve had since Brexit, because it’s not been a great decade for Britain,” he said on Sunday.

His message is aimed at both the British public and a center-left party that is hopeful but nervous — ready to embrace his promise of better times, but worried about economic damage rippling out from conflict in the Middle East.

University of Manchester political science professor Rob Ford said Burnham’s difficult task is to win over “a skeptical electorate” eager for change, “while at the same time doing that within the constraints of a very difficult economic and fiscal situation.”

In short: “How do you serve people a bowl of cold porridge and convince them it’s a pepperoni pizza?”

Upbeat Burnham replaced unpopular Starmer

Britain’s main political parties all hold conferences in September and October, combinations of pep rally, social gathering and policy forum that set the political tone and agenda for the year ahead.

Last year’s Labour gathering was gloomy, as members despaired about Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s deep unpopularity, little more than a year after winning power in a landslide, and the seemingly unstoppable rise of the anti-immigration opposition party Reform UK.

Burnham, then the popular mayor of Greater Manchester, was followed around Liverpool by journalists as speculation grew that he would challenge Starmer.

Events came to a head months later when a panicky party forced Starmer’s resignation and his replacement by Burnham as party leader and prime minister in July.

Now, Labour is seeing a “Burnham bounce” driven by the new leader’s upbeat talk and modest moves to put money in voters’ pocketbooks by cutting tax on electricity bills and capping bus fares.

Meanwhile, Reform is facing parliamentary and police investigations over its finances — though it also recently received 72 million pounds ($95 million) from two cryptocurrency billionaires.

Burnham has already set out some priorities, including handing more power to local leaders in order to generate “good growth in every post code.” He says he’ll reform Britain’s privatized utilities, especially the expensive, leaky and polluting water network, and will tackle the soaring cost of housing with measures including a government-backed loan plan to help people buy their first homes.

While the party is relatively united behind Burnham, he faces a divisive decision about whether to approve new oil drilling in the North Sea – opposed by environmentalists but backed by trade unions – and pushback over plans agreed under Starmer to make it harder for immigrants to settle permanently in Britain.

The next general election does not have to be called until 2029, but Labour’s revival has sparked talk of a snap election – something Burnham denies he’s considering.

“All of this speculation on an early election, I can knock that dead,” Burnham told broadcaster ITV on Friday.

Looming budget promises pain

But no matter how upbeat Burnham is, economic pain is coming.

Burnham must explain to party members and voters how he will deal with economic turbulence from the on-off U.S.-Iran war, which has severely restricted the movement of oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz.

Treasury chief John Healey is set to deliver the Burnham government’s first budget on Oct. 28, with rising energy prices pushing up inflation and the cost of government borrowing. Like other countries, Britain also needs to find money to increase defense spending to counter threats from Russia.

At the same time, Burnham is promising to strengthen Britain’s state-funded National Health Service and set up a “national care service” to fix what he calls a “ broken” social care system.

That means tax rises or spending cuts – or both – could be on the cards.

One thing that might bring an economic boost is to ease some of the trade barriers erected by Brexit. Burnham has pledged closer ties with the European Union, though he's currently bound by Starmer's 2024 election pledge not to rejoin the bloc or enter its single market for goods, services and employment.

Progress toward closer ties has been slow. A summit to reset EU-U.K. relations which was initially due to be held in July has been pushed back to November at the earliest because the two sides are wrangling over the bloc’s “made in Europe” rules, which Britain says will hurt its producers.

Ford said that, unlike Starmer, who quickly squandered the public’s goodwill, Burnham has retained his reputation “as an optimist and an effective communicator.” But Burnham's “really stern test” is yet to come, he said.

“The bills are still going to land on the doormat,” Ford said. “He’s going to have to be the prime minister who can sell the average voter on, ‘Yes, that is indeed a bowl of cold porridge in front of you, but it will get better.’”

The crash happened around 11:55 p.m. on I-10 near Mercury Drive. Investigators believe the man crossed the freeway to get fuel and was fatally struck by a vehicle as he returned to his truck. Police said they later found a disabled truck along the freeway, which they believe belonged to the man.

Police said the driver who struck the man showed no signs of impairment and stayed at the scene.

• 3 juveniles wounded in overnight shooting in northwest Harris County

During the investigation, officers closed the freeway. Police said another driver failed to yield and hit a patrol car occupied by an officer who was helping block traffic. The officer was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Evans is now “just furious with myself” for those votes. The 56-year-old from Portland described Collins’ critical vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court, where President Donald Trump's nominee eventually helped overturn the constitutional right to abortion, as a betrayal.

“I was a really uninformed voter,” Evans said. “I thought any woman from Maine was probably in line with me.”

The Nov. 3 election will be the first time Collins is on the ballot since the Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, resulting in abortion being banned in much of the United States. This time, Evans says she is backing Democrat Troy Jackson, a former state lawmaker and logger trying to deny Collins a sixth term.

Jackson and Democrats are hoping that voters like Evans will help flip a seat in a state the party has made a priority in the quest to retake the Senate.

Both Collins and Jackson have made an effort to appeal to women, who make up the majority of Maine's population and have had a slightly higher rate of voting than men, according to a recent report by democracy advocacy groups. In campaign ads from both candidates, women are featured prominently.

Democrats' ads have focused heavily on Collins' vote in support of Kavanaugh and describe her as caving to Trump. The Democratic-aligned advocacy group Affordable Maine has spent nearly $10 million on ads stressing the senator's backing of other Trump-appointed judges who oppose abortion. An additional $32 million has been spent by Win Senate, a political action committee focused on Collins. Planned Parenthood Votes has so far spent at least $500,000 to run ads that include a female voter who regrets voting for Collins because of her Kavanaugh vote.

Yet Jackson is facing a steep challenge.

Collins has a 30-year record of winning elections even as Maine voters have spurned Republican presidential nominees, including Trump, since 1988.

And the issue trails others in terms of importance to voters. A New York Times/Siena poll conducted in September found that when asked in their own words what one issue will be most important in deciding their vote for Congress in November, almost no likely Maine voters mentioned abortion.

‘I do not regret’ voting to confirm Kavanaugh, Collins says

Collins has long called herself a “pro-choice” Republican and a supporter of a woman’s right to an abortion. She was one of the few Republicans endorsed by Planned Parenthood earlier in her political career. In 2022, she co-sponsored legislation to put federal protections for abortion into law.

The position has put her at odds with her party but was in line with Maine voters.

In 2020, the last time Collins sought reelection, the vast majority of Maine voters in the Senate race, 76%, said the Supreme Court should not overturn Roe v. Wade, according to AP VoteCast, an extensive survey of the electorate. That included most Collins voters. Some 35% of voters who supported Collins in her successful reelection bid said they wanted Roe to be overturned.

Collins' 2018 vote in support of Kavanaugh was crucial to his confirmation. At the time, Collins waited months before announcing her decision in a 45-minute floor speech. The final vote was 50-48.

Kavanaugh later joined the 6-3 conservative majority in stripping away constitutional rights to abortion.

Collins criticized the high court’s decision in 2022, but she has never publicly wavered in her decision to confirm Kavanaugh. She told reporters in June that “I do not regret that vote.” Collins had said before the 2018 vote that Kavanaugh, in a two-hour meeting with her, said he viewed Roe as settled law.

But her confirmation vote is what stands out in the minds of voters like Bente Lundh, 67, of Falmouth.

“She’s positioned herself as this moderate voter, but she’s really chopped that down with her vote for Kavanaugh,” Lundh said.

For others, Collins’ long-standing record as a moderate continues to draw their support even if they are disappointed with the eventual overturning of Roe.

“I think I’ve tried to not have my allegiance to party make me blind to what may be a better path from time to time,” said Mary Ann Lynch, a Democrat supporting Collins. “Neither party, in my view, has a monopoly on the truth and how best to do things. So I think it’s really important to have people who will reach across the aisle.”

Lynch added that Collins may have voted to confirm Kavanaugh, but she also voted to confirm Supreme Court Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, who dissented in the abortion ruling. They were nominated by Democratic President Barack Obama.

Jackson makes his case to women, abortion rights supporters

Since launching his campaign in July, Jackson has announced a “Women for Troy” coalition made up of women from all 16 Maine counties and he has secured endorsements from abortion rights groups Planned Parenthood and Reproductive Freedom for All.

Jackson was serving as a top state senator when the landmark 1973 decision was upended in 2022. He says he worked to pass “some of the strongest protections for abortion access in the country.”

Yet Jackson has had his own hurdles.

The Democrat became a last-minute Senate nominee after Graham Platner dropped out this summer following criticism of his past relationships with women and a sexual assault allegation, which Platner denies. Jackson is now scrambling to win over voters who may be wary of his connection to Platner. The two campaigned together as Jackson initially sought the Democratic gubernatorial nomination but lost.

Jackson also has had to explain the evolution of his support on abortion rights and same-sex marriage, both of which he opposed years ago. Jackson now says he was wrong about his past beliefs and changed his mind after talking to women. Jackson's campaign spokesperson Maggie Amjad said Jackson now holds a “100% rating from Maine's Planned Parenthood."

Blake Kernen, a spokesperson for Collins, described the senator as the only “reliably pro-choice” candidate in the race.

Abortion is not top of mind for Maine voters

While Jackson is reminding voters of Collins’ role in the abortion rights fight, he is doing so in a state that was not highly affected by the decision compared with Republican-controlled regions where many abortion clinics have shuttered, said Mark Brewer, a political science professor at the University of Maine.

“If you were in a state where all of the abortion clinics had closed, then that might be a bigger issue," Brewer said. "That has not been the case here.”

The state’s Democratic-controlled Legislature in 2023 approved a law that allows abortions at any time if deemed medically necessary by a doctor, and Democratic Gov. Janet Mills has enacted legislation protecting providers of abortion and gender-affirming care from legal action brought by other states.

A CNN/SSRS survey of likely Maine voters conducted in late August and early September found that most voters are still unhappy about the decision to overturn Roe, but that anger over the loss of abortion rights could be overshadowed by broader concerns about the economy.

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Kruesi reported from Providence, R.I. Associated Press polling editor Amelia Thomson DeVeaux in Washington contributed to this report.

It's a central theme of the Alaska's U.S. Senate race, one of a handful expected to determine control of the chamber in the November elections.

Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan's campaign has made it a key attack line against Democrat Mary Peltola, a former congresswoman. He lumps her in with “Lower 48 liberals” who have opposed expanded oil and gas drilling in a state that has relied heavily on that industry for decades.

Peltola, an Alaska Native, has countered that she “took on” then-President Joe Biden, a fellow Democrat, to help win approval in 2023 of the huge Willow oil project, which environmentalists strongly opposed. She also says she will “take on anyone, including Democrats — anyone in the Lower 48 who doesn’t understand what Alaska needs.”

The pejorative label reflects a mystique about Alaska, which outsiders often refer to as “The Last Frontier." A state for less than 70 years, Alaska is renowned for its natural beauty, wildlife and vast landscapes. Its rural nature — isolated from the rest of the country and with many of its communities accessible only by air or water — breeds a self-reliance. It's a place where many residents hunt and fish to fill their freezers for winter and take pride in their independence.

The two major Senate campaigns and some third-party groups have leaned into that sentiment — that Alaska is different — and cast their candidates as authentic voices for Alaskans.

“We love the persona Alaska is a tough place to live," said Republican Andrew Halcro, a political podcast host and former state lawmaker who has lived in the state nearly all his life.

Abundance of oil and other resources has created friction with federal government

Alaska, rich in natural resources, has long had a love-hate relationship with the federal government, which owns about 60% of the state's land. That relationship has been especially strained under Democratic presidential administrations that have sought to restrict logging, mining and the availability of areas for oil and gas development over environmental concerns.

Policies can shift dramatically from one administration to the next.

The Democratic Obama and Biden administrations banned leasing on roughly half the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, which is home to wildlife such as caribou and polar bears and provides habitat for millions of migrating birds. Republican President Donald Trump's administration has rolled back those and other restrictions as part of a broader push for expanded oil and gas development in Alaska. The administration also is supporting lease sales in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

The state also has bristled at Democratic efforts to stifle road building and logging in areas such as the Tongass National Forest, a temperate rainforest in southeast Alaska. That dispute dates to the Clinton administration.

Alaska's share of royalty revenue from oil and minerals on federal land has been another ongoing source of tension. Some lawmakers say the state was promised a larger share at statehood and that the federal government has failed to uphold its end of the deal.

While oil production is a fraction of what it was at its peak in the late 1980s and has fallen in recent years, political leaders have pointed to signs of a turnaround. They cite in part the strong interest from major companies that snatched up leases in a sale earlier this year for the petroleum reserve, home to the Willow project.

Alaska communities have been hit hard by spikes in fuel prices caused by the Iran war. That is especially true for remote communities that must have their fuel flown in or delivered by barge before the rivers ice over.

Oil development is the top issue in this year's election for Darryl Hugo, who lives in the small North Slope community of Anaktuvuk Pass. He is backing Sullivan and notes that revenue from oil development is largely responsible for his town's health clinic, school, police and fire departments and water system.

“My region’s economy depends on oil,” he said via a messaging app.

Candidates are seen as trying to stake claim as 'the real spokesperson for the real Alaska’

Robert Sewell, an independent from the Juneau area, said he sees the “Lower 48” taunts and Peltola trying to distance herself from national Democrats as examples of the candidates “fighting to establish who is the real spokesperson for the real Alaska.”

He also likens it a bit to the schoolyard jeer, “I know you are, but what am I?”

Peltola, during her unsuccessful 2024 congressional reelection campaign, refused to endorse Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and said she would not vote for Trump. This year, before Alaska's August primary, Harris sent a fundraising appeal that offered support of Peltola.

In response, Peltola's campaign told reporters that she “isn’t seeking endorsements from anyone from the Lower 48.”

In videos highlighting her backing of the Willow oil project, Peltola said she will work with Trump, who handily carried Alaska each of the three times he has run, to advance more oil and gas projects.

“I took on Joe Biden to secure the largest development project in decades,” she said in one video on social media. “And I’ll work with Donald Trump on more.”

Sewell, a Peltola supporter, said he does not begrudge that position. He said he does not think "for one moment that she likes Trump or Trump’s agendas" on other issues.

‘Lower 48’ jabs fill social media and airwaves, but do voters care?

Peltola, who is Yup’ik, is among the roughly 43% of Alaskans born in the state. She grew up fishing on the Kuskokwim River in western Alaska and prominently displays fishing photos on her website. Her campaign slogan, “Fish, Family, Freedom,” is intended to appeal to what she believes are Alaskans' shared values.

Sullivan, originally from Ohio, came to Alaska in the late 1990s when he was in his early 30s. Now a retired Marine, he served as Alaska attorney general and natural resources commissioner, and was an assistant secretary of state in President George W. Bush's administration.

Sullivan spokesperson Nate Adams said that for the senator, “being an Alaskan means loving this state, fighting everyday for his fellow Alaskans and making sure Alaskans, not Lower 48 liberals, decide our future.”

The SLF PAC, which supports a Republican Senate majority, has been keying in on that theme. In one of its ads, a speaker says of Peltola, “They dress her up, throw her out on a stream somewhere, make her look like an Alaskan.” Another says: “Mary Peltola sounds like Alaska, but toes a different line in Washington, D.C.”

Peltola's campaign said Alaskans “won’t be fooled by mudslinging ads.” In a statement, her campaign sought to link Sullivan with “Lower 48 special interest donors.”

Halcro, the former lawmaker and podcaster, said Alaskans have been inundated with such ads and flyers, but he is not sure the messaging over which candidate aligns less with the “Lower 48” is one voters want to hear this year.

“It's all of this stuff just to make us angry at a time where we really genuinely, genuinely just need stability,” he said. “We just need to elect somebody who’s not going to break anything.”

While a ceasefire that took effect last Oct. 10 has halted the heaviest fighting, Israeli strikes have continued in what the military has said are responses to threats or attacks.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization said that almost 700 people in Yemen have been killed since an escalation last month and that more than 130,000 people have been displaced.

Here is a look at the latest news from the Middle East on Sunday.

Gaza ceasefire remains largely stalled

Gaza’s Health Ministry on Saturday said the Palestinian death toll has risen to 74,016 people, with 175,068 wounded. The war erupted on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants invaded Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 others hostage.

Since the ceasefire, 1,145 Palestinians have been killed, said the ministry, which is part of the Hamas-led government. It maintains detailed records viewed as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and international organizations. It does not distinguish between civilians and militants, but says women and children make up around half the toll.

An Israeli strike in the Muwasi area of Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip killed one person and wounded three others, Palestinian health officials said Sunday.

Meanwhile, seven Israeli soldiers have been killed since the ceasefire.

Other aspects of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire remain largely stalled. Israeli forces now control over half of the Palestinian territory, Hamas has not disarmed, a new Palestinian government has not arrived and reconstruction has not yet begun.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israeli forces will not withdraw until Hamas disarms.

Israel’s Jewish opposition vows cooperation to beat Netanyahu

Israel’s leading Jewish opposition parties said in a statement Saturday evening that they promised to join efforts to beat Netanyahu's coalition in next month's “critical elections." The parties have been criticized for infighting.

The vote, the first since the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, is largely seen as a referendum on the security failures that led to the attacks.

The meeting was attended by Gadi Eisenkot, a former military chief seen as Netanyahu’s main challenger; Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, two former prime ministers running together; Yair Golan, head of the center-left party, and Avigdor Lieberman, who heads a hawkish opposition party.

They said they would work together to increase turnout, “combat fake news and smear campaigns” and to formulate the basic principles of the next government.

“We recognize that these elections are critical to the future of the state,” the joint statement said.

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This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.

Deputies responded to the 24500 block of Cypresspark Glen Drive, where they found the victims suffering from gunshot wounds. All three were transported to a hospital for treatment.

• Man dies after being shot multiple times following crash in north Harris County, deputies say

No additional information about their conditions or the circumstances leading up to the shooting was immediately released. The investigation remains ongoing.

Harris County Precinct 4 deputies responded to the 14000 block of Kuykendahl Road near York Creek Drive, where the victim was found critically injured. He was taken to a hospital, where he was later pronounced deceased.

No suspect information is available at this time. Harris County Sheriff’s Office detectives and crime scene investigators are working the active investigation.

• 17-year-old suspect identified, charged with murder in shooting of Westbury High School senior

Northbound Kuykendahl Road remains closed as investigators continue processing the scene. Drivers are urged to avoid the area and take an alternate route.

Leo denounced the “current trends that seek to redefine the value of human life in illness, suffering and old age,” during a Mass on the Lourdes prairie before some 150,000 people, many of them in wheelchairs.

“Here, no one is turned away due to their frailty,” Leo said in his homily.

Leo traveled to the foothills of the Pyrenees on the second leg of his four-day visit to France, the once staunchly Catholic but officially secular country. The visit has been marked by huge crowds — 800,000 at Leo's Mass on Paris' iconic Place de la Concorde — and his messaging against legislation allowing assisted dying that was recently approved in France and several other countries.

Lourdes became a major pilgrimage destination after the Catholic Church officially recognized visions of the Virgin Mary reported here by a young girl in 1858. The site near the Spanish border draws millions of pilgrims each year, especially sick and disabled believers hoping for a cure from the famed spring water in the Lourdes grotto where the visions purportedly occurred.

Leo arrived in Lourdes from Paris on Saturday night and immediately prayed inside the Grotto of Apparitions and drank from the spring.

“He has given a message of hope for France, a message of hope and greatness for France, and renewal for France," said Paris pilgrim Pierre Caziljc.

Pope delivers a message about life while in France

In France, Leo has repeatedly called for a renewed respect for life in keeping with Catholic teaching that all human life must be protected and defended from conception until natural death. The teaching translates into firm opposition to abortion, euthanasia and medically assisted dying.

France’s National Assembly in 2024 enshrined abortion as a constitutional right and recently gave final approval to a bill allowing adults with incurable illnesses to receive lethal medication.

In Lourdes, where the church has recognized 72 “miraculous” cures as authentic, the question of respecting even the most frail, sick and vulnerable is particularly acute.

“Your crutches, your wheelchairs and your hidden tears are not obstacles; instead, they are the very place where you are fully respected and welcomed,” Leo said. “Lourdes is blessed as a place for professing the beauty and sanctity of life, for life is welcomed here as a precious gift from God.”

Survivors visit Lourdes as part of their healing process

More recently, Lourdes has also become a place of healing for survivors of clergy sexual abuse. Leo was to meet with seven survivors on Sunday, including one who was abused as an adult, in recognition of the new frontier of the abuse crisis facing the church.

The French church has endured a brutal reckoning with its legacy of abuse. An independent report in 2021 estimated 330,000 children had been abused over 70 years by some 3,000 priests and church workers.

Despite criticism of the report’s methodology and conclusions, French bishops put in place an independent system of compensation for victims that to date has recommended the church pay out more than 20 million euros ($22.7 million).

During a meeting with French bishops on Sunday morning, Leo praised their response to victims and urged them to continue. But he also acknowledged that the cratering in priestly vocations in the French church is related to the scandal, given the priesthood is now sometimes viewed with suspicion.

“For priestly vocations to flourish, the priest must be welcomed, accepted, and loved,” Leo said.

On the day Leo arrived in Paris, a group of victims wrote an open letter asking him to acknowledge the church’s responsibility and criticizing that the seven survivors were chosen by the church, not victims’ groups.

“The Church must relinquish its position as both judge and party to the proceedings,” they wrote in the letter published by French newspaper Liberation.

Monsignor Pierre-Antoine Bozo, spokesperson for the bishops’ conference, said two of the seven had actually been proposed by victims' groups and that Leo intentionally wanted to keep the group small to facilitate an intimate encounter.

“When it comes to listening to them, you can’t have 50 people in front of you,” he said. “So I think that’s really what the pope chose: to listen so that we can act and respond more effectively."

Mosaics are a painful reminder of alleged abuse

In Lourdes, Leo was also reminded of a prickly abuse case inherited from Pope Francis.

The façade of one of the Lourdes basilicas was designed by the Rev. Marko Rupnik, one of the Catholic Church’s most famous mosaic artists.

Rupnik is currently on trial in a Vatican court, accused by more than two dozen women of having psychologically, spiritually and sexually abused them starting in the 1990s, including during the creation of his artworks.

His case was covered up for three decades by his Jesuit superiors, and even Francis was suspected of having protected his fellow Jesuit. In response to a media outcry, Francis ordered a canonical trial in 2024, which is ongoing.

The Rupnik case posed the question of what to do with his mosaics, which adorn basilicas around the world.

In 2024, Lourdes Bishop Jean-Marc Micas decided to no longer illuminate the façade of the Notre Dame du Rosaire Basilica at night. He subsequently ordered the decorated doors covered, and more recently decided to cover the façade’s mosaics entirely. He reasoned that abuse victims who come to Lourdes for healing shouldn’t be forced to see them.

In a letter to Leo ahead of his trip, five women who say they were abused by Rupnik praised Micas’ decision to cover the mosaics but criticized the Vatican’s treatment of their case and the three decades it has taken for them to be heard.

“This prolonged and loud silence has been experienced by us, the victims, as a further, continuous violence,” they wrote.

Bozo also praised Micas' decision to cover the works.

“It creates such a heavy symbolic burden for the victims,” he said. “For them, I think this had to be done."

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Associated Press writer Samuel Petrequin in Paris 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.

Thousands of protesters, many wearing balaclavas, gathered to block the marchers from the Orange Order, a group hugely supportive of Northern Ireland being part of the U.K., from proceeding down a street in the town of Portadown, where many favor unification with the Republic of Ireland.

It's the first time in nearly 30 years that the Orange Order parade has been allowed to go down the Garvaghy Road, which had been a notorious flashpoint between the communities in the years before the Good Friday Agreement of 1998 largely ended the bloodshed in Northern Ireland. During the so-called Troubles, some 3,600 people were killed while some 50,000 were wounded.

Ending the Troubles meant balancing competing identities in Northern Ireland, which remained in the United Kingdom when the rest of Ireland won independence a century ago. Irish nationalists in the north — most of them Catholic — seek union with the Republic of Ireland, while largely Protestant unionists want to stay part of the U.K.

Burnham appealed for “calm on all sides” over the parade, saying there have been “big gains made in Northern Ireland, and we don’t want to see things go backwards.”

Jon Boutcher, the head of the Police Service of Northern Ireland called for “those with influence to encourage people to comply with the law,” referring to a large protest blocking the Garvaghy Road. He said there has been no signs of violence or disorder.

"Police are engaging and working with all parties and will continue to do so. It is incumbent on us all to come together at times like this to do all we can to preserve a peaceful Northern Ireland.”

Politicians representing the two sides were opposed in their viewpoints on whether the march should go ahead.

Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill, who represents Sinn Fein, the party historically linked to the Irish Republican Army, said the decision to give the march the go-ahead “brings into question how this whole peace process works.”

“The progress of the last 28 years have been brought into question by the actions of the Orange Order and those within political unionism that want to drag us backwards," she said while attending the counterprotest on the Garvaghy Road.

Gavin Robinson, the leader of the Democrat Unionist Party, the largest pro-U.K. party in Northern Ireland, called out Sinn Fein leaders for inflaming the situation.

“The rule of law cannot apply only when Sinn Fein likes the outcome,” he said. "Our institutions are founded on respect for the police, the courts and the rule of law.”

The march was given the final go-ahead at a court hearing concluded at 2:15 a.m. Sunday.

The Orange Order is named after William of Orange, a Protestant prince of Holland who defeated the Catholic King James to take over the British throne in the 17th century.

Discussion

At 800 PM CVT (2100 UTC), the center of Post-Tropical Cyclone Gonzalo was located near latitude 19.3 North, longitude 23.3 West. The post-tropical cyclone is moving toward the north-northwest near 7 mph (11 km/h) and this general motion is forecast to continue through the weekend, with a slow down and turn to the west-northwest expected by early next week.

Maximum sustained winds are near 40 mph (65 km/h) with higher gusts. Additional weakening is forecast, and the post-tropical cyclone is expected to dissipate over eastern Subtropical Atlantic by the early to mid portion of next week.

Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 185 miles (295 km) from the center.

The estimated minimum central pressure is 1005 mb (29.68 inches).

Watches and Warnings

There are no coastal watches or warnings in effect.

Land Hazards

SURF: Swells generated by Gonzalo are expected to affect portions of the Cabo Verde Islands this evening before diminishing Sunday. These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions. Please consult products from your local weather office.

Nolo was churning very slowly south of the Big Island with maximum sustained winds of 90 mph (150 kph). Its center was about 165 miles (266 kilometers) south-southwest of Hawaii's southernmost point and it was forecast to strengthen into a major hurricane late Sunday and early Monday while traveling westward to the south of the islands.

A hurricane watch was canceled and direct landfall by the storm's center was not expected. But forecasters said its outer bands could cause life-threatening flooding and mudslides, with parts of the Big Island expected to see rainfall totals up to 20 inches (51 centimeters). Heavy rain also was expected on the other islands.

“Don’t venture out if you don’t have to into the dangerous flooding environment, but also high winds. We can have trees and power lines down,” said Michael Brennan, director of the National Hurricane Center.

Heavy rain continued to fall across the southern part of the Big Island in the afternoon, leading to partial closures of one of the main highways connecting Kailua-Kona in the west to Hilo in the east.

Near the community of Naalehu on the island’s southern point, National Guard members were seen guiding a man who was driving across flooded streets as he tried to leave his home in the heavy downpour. More than 120 guard members were activated on the island, part of roughly 400 statewide after the governor issued an emergency proclamation.

The humanitarian nonprofit group CORE and other partners spent the week packing and shipping supplies like camp stoves and hygiene products by air cargo from Oahu to the Big Island for a community relief hub that has been active since August's Hurricane Lala.

Residents are still recovering from Lala, which produced heavy rain and winds strong enough to sweep about 100 homes off their foundations on the Big Island.

Hawaii prepares for northern edge of Nolo

About a dozen people were in the water Saturday morning at Carlsmith Beach Park in Hilo on the Big Island, despite signs saying the strand was closed. Andrea Gill was out for her regular swim before heading back home to hunker down with family.

Shop owners boarded up businesses, and events were canceled. Gill said storms are common, but hurricanes are rare. She was holding out hope that the islands might not get the full impact.

“We're used to lots of rain. We're not used to wind. So it's always a blessing when we don't get the wind from the hurricane,” Gill said.

President Donald Trump approved an emergency declaration Friday, authorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate assistance and provide funding support.

Hawaiian Electric, the state’s primary utility, said crews helping restore power in Kauai after this month’s Hurricane Lowell returned to Oahu, Maui and the Big Island in response to the storm.

On Maui, a brush fire broke out on the west side of the island Saturday, prompting mandatory evacuations for some residents and shutting down parts of a highway. The fire was burning near the Olowalu area, about 7 miles (11 kilometers) south of Lahaina, the site of the 2023 deadly fires. County officials set up two evacuation centers to the north and south of the fire.

The weather service issued a high wind warning for parts of Maui Saturday evening, meaning winds could be at least 40 mph (64 kph) with gusts over 60 mph (97 kph).

The Pacific has been unusually active this season, according to National Weather Service lead forecaster Bob Oravec, with storm activity running above average during what is already the peak of hurricane season. He said that pattern is consistent with El Niño years, when the Pacific often sees more tropical storms and hurricanes.

Powerful Polo on forecast path toward Mexico

Meanwhile Mexico was under the threat of Hurricane Polo as it headed toward the Baja California Peninsula after bringing storm conditions to the southwestern coast. Polo had maximum sustained winds of 140 mph (220 kph), making it a Category 4 storm, but it was expected to weaken somewhat before making landfall Monday.

One of the towns in the hurricane's projected path is San Juanico, a small fishing community on Baja’s Pacific coast where access to basic needs is already fickle.

“Our people are concerned about this event,” said Gloriely Robles Meza, a manager at a small hotel. “We haven’t faced such a worrying situation in many years.”

The town has only had full-time electricity for a couple of years, and it still experiences frequent outages. Without power, residents can’t refrigerate food or pump water. The closest gas station is so far away that fuel is stored in and sold from tanks, and supply frequently runs out if there is high demand.

Robles Meza said the community feels left to brace itself for the storm without the help of authorities.

“We must prepare on our own — each of us protecting our homes and belongings,” she said, adding that she wished officials would preposition heavy machinery for clearing roads, along with emergency generators.

For now, she said, the only plan is to convert the local elementary school into a shelter.

“While this is important, we also have other impacts to consider,” Robles Meza said, like what the town will do if it is cut off from help.

San Juanico has experienced late-summer storms, but Polo feels different, said Jeffrey Westman, an American who was first drawn to the town’s world-class surf break 40 years ago and owns a property there.

Washed-out roads could block access to the closest medical facility, about 80 minutes away in Ciudad Constitucion.

Westman, 63, said he hopes Polo behaves as some past storms have, losing intensity before reaching the peninsula.

“A lot of times they do start petering out,” he said. “I’m hoping that’s the case.”

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Associated Press writers Christopher Weber in Los Angeles, Gabriela Aoun Angueira in San Diego, California, and Hannah Schoenbaum in Midway, Utah, contributed.

The No. 20 Ducks harnessed that confluence of strong emotion into a 41-27 victory over the 12th-ranked Trojans on Saturday night. Yet their satisfaction in a season-correcting win was tempered by concern for Moore, along with an anger that hadn't subsided.

“It's a disgusting play,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said. “You don't want to see it happen.”

Lanning didn’t give an extensive update on Moore’s condition afterward, but he said Moore “does have the ability to move.”

Moore was sliding to complete an 11-yard run to the USC 12 when Stephens came in low and hit the Ducks' Heisman Trophy candidate in the head and chest with his shoulder. Moore’s helmet snapped back and hit the turf hard, and his hands soon went up in what appeared to be an involuntary body posture.

Moore's teammates immediately went after Stephens, who either didn't know or didn't care how seriously Moore was hurt. Both teams received unsportsmanlike conduct penalties after the prolonged exchange in which coaches pulled players apart.

“There's a reason targeting exists in football,” Lanning said. “That's as clear as day targeting. It's a shame that that happened to a good player when, in my mind, that certainly could have been avoided. So it's disappointing that that would happen, but I thought our players did a great job of resetting, and on that note, they still played with great violence and energy to make sure they could take advantage of what happened to their teammate.”

Stephens went to the Trojans’ locker room, but only after he celebrated the hit on the field and then had several less-than-somber sideline exchanges with his teammates, sparking outrage on social media. Stephens, a junior starter from Clarkston, Michigan, also returned to USC's sideline in the second half.

The Ducks all said the hit and the reaction became motivation to play even harder in a game that was vital to their championship aspirations in the Big Ten and the nation.

“It probably changed (the tone) a little bit, just because we already didn’t really like them, don’t really like being here,” Oregon receiver Dakorien Moore said. “But I would say it changed a little bit, seeing the type of people they are from that. Definitely rose attention a little bit, but we was already thinking foot on their necks, so nothing really changed besides us getting more and more hyped.”

Dante Moore was placed in a neck brace and on a stretcher, which went on a cart that drove him a few dozen feet to the ambulance. Mere moments after the doors shut following a 15-minute game delay, play resumed with Dylan Raiola at quarterback for the Ducks.

Raiola, the former Nebraska starter, seized the moment with a touchdown pass on his second snap, followed by a series of sustained drives against USC's poor defense. Raiola went 19 of 25 for 289 yards and two touchdowns while leading the Ducks to 504 yards of offense — 7.4 per play.

“You don't ever want to see someone get hurt, especially with how much (Moore) means to me, how much he means to this team,” Raiola said. “But it was a moment of connection, and that's one of our pillars. We just latched on, and we knew it was going to be for him.”

Raiola’s 2025 season coincidentally ended with a broken leg during the Huskers’ loss to USC.

Moore returned to Oregon for the current season despite the likely possibility of being a high pick in the NFL draft last April. He announced his decision two days after Raiola transferred to Eugene from Nebraska, but Raiola stuck with his decision anyway.

The game was even early in the fourth quarter, but Raiola then led touchdown drives before and after Oregon's defense stopped USC on downs at midfield. The Ducks vigorously celebrated a win that straightens out a roller-coaster season after an embarrassing loss to Oklahoma State two weeks ago.

While Lanning complimented USC coach Lincoln Riley for asking after Moore, the Oregon coach was still fired up after the game, unleashing several verbal shots at USC.

Lanning first criticized the Trojans' fan base for what he considered subpar attendance at their first three home games.

“I've watched three of their TV games. I haven't seen a game packed yet, but we were here (and) it was packed tonight,” Lanning said. “I guess when the Ducks show up, that's how you fill up the Coliseum.”

Later, Lanning turned his third straight win over Riley in their parallel coaching careers into a recruiting pitch.

“Three wins against these guys,” Lanning said. “I guess if you’re from this area and you’re interested in winning football games, you should go to Oregon. If you want to go to a Chris Brown concert, you should go here.”

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Lucky them, the AL Central crown comes with a little break before their postseason begins.

“We’ll get some rest. This team was on fumes,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said after his club wrapped up its third straight division title by beating the Kansas City Royals 11-5 on Saturday night while Chicago lost 9-6 to the Colorado Rockies.

Cleveland has won seven AL Central championships in the past 11 seasons — so the Guardians know how to celebrate.

After nearly an hour of dousing each other with bubbly in the clubhouse, drenched players spilled out of the visitors' dugout to continue their celebration and slip and slide on the tarp-covered Kauffman Stadium field as the rain began to fall harder.

“What an incredible accomplishment,” said Guardians president Chris Antonetti, who lauded the players, coaching staff and his front office for their hard work.

“But this is why we do it,” he said, gesturing to the celebration in the locker room.

The Guardians clinched a postseason berth with Thursday’s 1-0 win over the Boston Red Sox. They’ve earned a playoff spot eight times since 2016.

“There’s so many people that have contributed to this win, this championship, and I think that’s what makes this feel really good,” Vogt said. “I think that’s the story of this year, how deep the roster was.”

Vogt is the eighth manager to guide a team to the postseason in each of his first three seasons, and the 2026 title required his most creative efforts. That included overcoming injuries to José Ramírez, Angel Martínez and rookie Chase DeLauter.

“We were without three of our best hitters for over a month and the boys held it together,” Vogt said. “They held the season together. Our season could have gone very differently.”

The Guardians tried to bolster the club with the trade-deadline acquisitions of outfielder Jo Adell, first baseman Nathaniel Lowe, left-hander Foster Griffin and right-hander Craig Yoho.

Yet the Guardians trailed Chicago by six games on Aug. 16. Then they won 25 of the next 36, including 15 of the past 21.

“What this team did over the last 21 games was really special,” Vogt said. “(The players) deserve all the credit.”

The White Sox led or were tied for first in the AL Central from July 4 until Sept. 16.

Cleveland became the first team since divisional play began in 1969 to win consecutive division titles after being at least six games back through 125 games in both years, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

“I feel like the thing about us, the stretch we had after the All-Star break, the majority of teams could have folded,” said Tanner Bibee, the winning pitcher Saturday.

“We could have went back in our shell, but we knew it was going to flip. If you show up every day on the field in the same way, usually the baseball gods reward you in a good way.”

Cleveland will wrap up its regular season Sunday, then will be off until opening a best-of-five Division Series at home next Saturday.

Bibee, whose 15 losses are tied for the major league lead, sees the playoffs as a reset.

“At this point, it doesn’t matter,” he said. “Everyone’s at zero when it gets to October. The stats don’t matter. Only wins do now. That’s the beautiful thing about October.”

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See AP’s full MLB coverage here

Jake Burger also went deep for the Rangers, who remained tied with Houston atop the division standings at 80-81 when the Astros routed the Athletics 13-2 later. Houston holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over Texas, so the Rangers need a win Sunday at Minnesota and a Houston loss at the A's to reach the playoffs.

Following a 10-2 loss Friday and a two-hour weather delay Saturday, the Rangers scored four runs with two outs in the second inning and never looked back.

After the first two batters struck out, Nicky Lopez hit a two-out double off Twins starter Bailey Ober (7-7). Jansen's blooper dropped in for an RBI single, and a throwing error by left fielder Alan Roden allowed Jansen to reach second. Evan Carter, Alejandro Osuna and Brandon Nimmo all followed with RBI doubles to put Texas ahead 4-1.

Jansen added a leadoff homer in the fourth, and Burger hit his team-leading 28th homer in the fifth.

The bottom three batters in Texas' starting lineup went 6 for 11 with four RBIs and four runs.

Making his first start since Aug. 7, Rangers right-hander Nathan Eovaldi went 4 1/3 innings and allowed a first-inning run. Left-hander Robert Garcia (2-1) earned the win with 1 2/3 scoreless innings of relief.

Lopez exited in the fourth with an injury in the area of his left ankle and heel. He was replaced in the lineup by Michael Freeman.

Texas played without third baseman Josh Jung, who was placed on the 10-day injured list with a broken right hand. Jung got hurt Friday when he was hit by a pitch.

Saturday's first pitch was delayed by rain for 2 hours, 1 minute.

Up next

Texas had not announced a starting pitcher for Sunday's regular-season finale. Minnesota will start RHP Dean Kremer (4-5, 4.97 ERA), who has allowed two or fewer runs in each of his last three starts.

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See AP’s full MLB coverage here

Kiffin started sprinting down the sideline while Leavitt's fourth-down pass was in the air, having seen the Aggies freeze on a play fake as Harris sprinted into the open down the middle of the field.

The LSU coach then put both hands over his shoulder and swung them down vigorously as if wielding a sledge hammer.

“That’s probably part of why we were hired here — that aggressiveness — and I almost didn’t do it,” Kiffin said, explaining that he was leaning toward punting because his defense had been playing well.

But then Kiffin decided, "That's not how we roll. It's not how we talk to our team, you know, being conservative.

“We go for it," Kiffin added. "We take shots.”

The play put LSU (3-1, 1-1 SEC) ahead 21-3 in the third quarter and the Aggies (2-2, 0-2) did not threaten after that en route to their second straight defeat.

Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed struggled for a second straight game, completing 10 of 26 passes for 106 yards, with some passes landing nowhere near intended receivers. He also was intercepted by safety Tamarcus Cooley deep in A&M territory.

“We have to play better football. I just don’t know what else to say," said Texas A&M coach Mike Elko, noting that his team was outgained 506 yards to 197. "We got to look at everything.”

Reed didn't have many chances to throw comfortably. LSU applied pressure and kept him largely contained in the backfield — unlike the previous two times that Reed had faced LSU coordinator Blake Baker's defense.

Last season, Reed quieted Death Valley with 108 yards and two TDs rushing to go with two more TDs passing in a 49-25 triumph that helped A&M earn a College Football Playoff berth.

“Blake did a really good job of what good coaches do,” Kiffin said, noting that he and Baker spoke about LSU's difficulty defending running QBs back in January. “They spend offseasons preparing for a specific game like this.”

Now, A&M looks like a longshot at best for the 2026 CFP and will all but certainly drop out of the AP Top 25.

Reed was sacked four times in his latest visit to LSU and did not account for any touchdowns. LSU edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen helped stall a third-quarter drive with his team-high seventh sack of the season.

“I am sure they knew I was effective running the ball the past two years," Reed said. “Things didn’t open up like it did last year.”

The biggest concern for LSU's defense was the sight of linebacker Whit Weeks hobbling to the locker room in a walking boot after an apparent ankle injury. Kiffin said he didn't have an update on the severity of the injury.

LSU never trailed after Dilin Jones' 1-yard TD run made it 7-0. Leavitt, who passed for 312 yards, gave LSU a 14-3 halftime lead with his first scoring pass to Harris, which covered 16 yards on a timing pass to the right corner.

Leavitt said he pulled a hamstring in the second quarter. He subbed out a few times in favor of backup Landen Clark, who rushed for touchdowns of 4 and 2 yards late in the third quarter.

Leavitt said he'll be “just fine," adding, “It kind of almost likes locks you in on a different level when you get a little hurt because you don't have another option than distributing the ball.”

The takeaway

Texas A&M: In a pair of SEC games in the past two weekends, Reed has completed 36 of 75 passes for 342 yards and one TD against three interceptions. Elko came to Reed's defense after the Aggies' loss to Kentucky last week, but his comments were not validated by his QB's latest showing. Reed was pulled in favor of Brady Hart in the fourth quarter.

“Right now, it’s bad," Reed said. "We are at rock bottom, but we’ve got to dig ourselves out of this hole.”

LSU: There was no hangover for the Tigers after their loss at Mississippi in a hard-fought contest a week earlier. Although Leavitt was intercepted once, and for the sixth time this season, he had a number of pinpoint completions downfield, finishing 17 of 23 (74%) in what Kiffin described as a “really gutsy performance.”

Kiffin said he joked with Leavitt that his hamstring pull, “might have been the best thing that happened because he had to stay in the pocket and throw on time because he knew he couldn't run.”

Up next

Texas A&M hosts Arkansas next Saturday.

LSU hosts McNeese State next Saturday.

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The Philadelphia Phillies and Arizona Diamondbacks are fighting for the National League's final wild card, while the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers are in a race for the American League West.

In the NL, if the Phillies can beat the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday, they’re in. The D-backs have to beat the San Diego Padres and hope the Phillies lose to make the postseason for the first time since 2023.

A similar situation exists in the AL, where the Astros will clinch if they beat the Athletics. The Rangers need to beat the Minnesota Twins and hope the Astros lose.

The D-backs looked like a playoff longshot just a few days ago, but a six-game winning streak pulled them within a game of the struggling Phillies in the NL wild-card race. Philadelphia has lost four in a row. Arizona has the tiebreaker if the teams finish with the same record.

Ten teams have already clinched postseason spots

The two-time defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers are once again among the best teams in the big leagues, and they'll have several challengers in October, including the majors-leading Milwaukee Brewers and the Rays. Los Angeles is rolling into the postseason and four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani returned to the lineup on Wednesday after a stint on the injured list. He appears ready for playoff baseball.

The San Diego Padres, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Guardians all clinched invites to the postseason on Thursday, and Cleveland ensured Saturday it will win the AL Central over Chicago. The New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves are also already in the playoff field. Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, a three-time AL MVP, is dealing with a right calf strain that could keep him out through at least the Wild Card Series.

MLB's current playoff picture

American League

No. 6 White Sox at No. 3 Rangers/Astros

No. 5 Red Sox at No. 4 Yankees

No. 2 Guardians and No. 1 Rays receive a bye into the Division Series

National League

No. 6 Phillies/D-backs at No. 3 Braves

No. 5 Cubs at No. 4 Padres

No. 2 Dodgers and No. 1 Brewers receive a bye into the Division Series.

A sub-.500 team could be in line to make the playoffs

No team with a losing record has made the postseason in a full major league season. That could change Sunday.

The Astros and Rangers are both 80-81, and one of them will win the AL West. Houston owns the tiebreaker if both teams lose their regular season finales.

MVP races, stats to watch

MLB's major awards probably won't have much drama this season.

Both MVP races have strong favorites with Chicago's Pete Crow-Armstrong running away with the NL honor while Houston's Yordan Alvarez is the probable choice in the AL, though Tampa Bay's Junior Caminero has also had a fantastic season. Alvarez had an outside chance at the Triple Crown a few days ago, but those odds have mostly diminished. His .315 batting average leads the league, but his 42 homers are one behind Baltimore's Pete Alonso and his 105 RBIs are six behind Alonso.

For the Cy Young Award, Milwaukee flame thrower Jacob Misiorowski and New York ace Cam Schlittler are the favorites in the NL and AL, respectively.

The Rookie of the Year races also look set with Cincinnati's Sal Stewart and his 111-RBI season the leader in the NL and Detroit's Kevin McGonigle the favorite in the AL.

What is the MLB playoff format?

There are 12 teams that qualify for MLB’s postseason, including six teams from both the AL and NL. The three division winners in each league get seeds No. 1 through No. 3, ranked by win-loss record. Then the three wild-card teams get seeds No. 4 through No. 6, also ranked by win-loss record.

The top two teams with the best record in both the AL and NL automatically advance to the Division Series. The other eight teams play in the Wild Card Series, which is a best-of-three format beginning on Tuesday, Sept. 29. In both the AL and NL, the No. 6 seed will travel to face the No. 3 seed while the No. 5 seed goes to No. 4. The higher seed hosts all three games.

The winners then advance to the best-of-five Division Series, followed by the best-of-seven League Championship Series and a best-of-seven World Series between the winners of the AL and NL.

What is the MLB postseason schedule?

Wild Card Series: Sept. 29-Oct. 1 (NBC/Peacock)

Division Series: Oct. 3-10 (AL on TBS, NL on FOX/FS1)

Championship Series: Oct. 11-20 (AL on TBS, NL on FOX/FS1)

World Series: Oct. 23-31 (FOX)

Who are the favorites to win the World Series?

The Dodgers (+200) are the favorites to capture a third straight World Series title while the Brewers (+550), Rays (+800) and Yankees (+850) are viewed as the top contenders.

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See AP’s full MLB coverage here

They beat Tampa Bay on Sunday, and the Phillies are in the playoffs.

For an extra confidence boost, they'll go for the clincher with ace Zack Wheeler on the mound.

What else can the Phillies do except try and stay positive through a final week of futility that conjured up the franchise ghosts of the 1964 season and the 2023 playoffs?

Phillies fans that turned Citizens Bank Park into one of the top home-field advantages in baseball instead this week unleashed lusty boos on the slumping stars and some even wore brown paper bags on their heads And, no, not to protect themselves from the rain that drizzled all game on a gloomy night in Philadelphia. But in the embarrassment of pulling for a team perhaps poised for another fall swoon that needed an unearned run to snap a 21-inning scoreless streak during a stretch when the games matter the most.

In a win they had to have, the Phillies instead trailed 10-0 at home, about emptied the bullpen and now must burn their ace ahead of a potential playoff series in the wake of a 12-1 blowout by the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday night.

The good news comes from this: San Diego beat a hard-charging Arizona team 10-7 to keep the Diamondbacks one game back of the Phillies for the final NL wild-card spot. The Phillies will clinch their fifth straight trip to the playoffs with a win in the season finale or an Arizona loss to the Padres.

“This isn't the time of year to go cold," said catcher J.T. Realmuto, hitless in his last 34 at-bats.

Nola gamely did his best and said yes on the spot this week when interim manager Don Mattingly offered the veteran right-hander a start on short rest for the first time in his career.

Nola's bid to steady the Phillies on two days' rest did not go well, and he was pulled after being rocked for three runs in the first inning. With the Phillies' attempt at clinching an NL wild card teetering on an epic collapse, Nola was hit hard Saturday night on just about every ball in play and left trailing 3-0.

The Phillies hoped Nola could make it at least once through the order. He instead lasted only 21 pitches, and Tampa Bay had no swings-and-misses against him.

Nola's outing was about the best of a putrid bunch.

The Phillies used six relievers. José Alvarado was voraciously booed off the mound after the beleaguered lefty gave up three runs in the fifth inning. José Urquidy allowed three runs in the sixth to make it 10-0 and most Phillies fans — who stuck around through a rain delay — fled for the exits.

Philadelphia had a 6 1/2-game lead over Arizona for the third NL wild card on Sept. 1 before going into a tailspin that now includes four straight losses.

The Phillies are 9-14 in September. The Padres and Chicago Cubs have clinched wild-card spots.

“Two weeks ago, I wouldn't have guessed we'd be in this situation,” Realmuto said. “But that's this game. It knows how to humble you. Hopefully, we can come out of this better tomorrow, get in the postseason and get hot then.”

The Phillies are forced to throw Wheeler at the Rays, which would burn him for a potential Game 1 or 2 start in the NL Wild Card Series against Atlanta, if not rule him out for the entire series.

“We're always confident when that guy's on the mound,” Realmuto said.

Mattingly said the Phillies only briefly flirted with the idea of bumping up Wheeler a day.

The Phillies are in a bind with All-Star lefty Jesús Luzardo still on the injured list because of left shoulder inflammation. Luzardo can be activated Sunday and would be available to pitch if the Phillies need him.

NL batting leader and starting second baseman Luis Arraez is out indefinitely with a severely sprained left ankle. His absence sparked some lineup shuffling the last two games, with Bryce Harper back at first base and Bryan De La Cruz starting in right field. Bryson Stott was again at second base.

Trea Turner was moved to the leadoff spot while Kyle Schwarber was dropped to second in the order.

None of the shuffling mattered. The Phillies have just 11 hits and one run in the first two games of the series. They have homered only once in their last 64 innings.

The Phillies could have clinched a wild card as early as Wednesday. They started Saturday suddenly in the conversation on the Philly sports scene as a team potentially poised to join the short list of worst collapses in franchise history.

“I just think there's pressure all the time,” Mattingly said. “I've always felt if you put pressure on yourself all the time to perform and hold yourself to a standard, this game is really no different than any other game. Obviously, we know there's a lot at stake. That's the beauty of kind of playing at a level all the time.”

The clubhouse celebration is still within reach. With the bats in a deep freeze, it's pretty much on Wheeler to pitch them into October.

“We've got to come out and play our best baseball tomorrow,” Realmuto said. “That's really all there is.”

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The cases are unrelated, but the victims’ families are now dealing with similar losses as investigators work to determine what led to each shooting.

Westbury High School senior killed

The newest case involves 17-year-old Westbury High School senior and student-athlete LePaul Warren.

Warren was shot Friday morning before school on a dead-end road near the campus known as “The Trail,” an area where students commonly gather before and after school.

Houston police have charged 17-year-old Travoris Jarrell Hines with murder in Warren’s death. Hines is also charged with unlawfully carrying a weapon.

Hines was arrested Friday evening while walking along Hillcroft Avenue. Police said he had a gun when he was arrested, but investigators have not confirmed whether that weapon was used in Warren’s shooting.

Investigators say witnesses, surveillance video, phone data and a photo lineup helped identify Hines.

Hines is expected to appear in probable cause court, where judge can determine whether there is probable cause to hold him and address bond.

Police have not confirmed whether Hines and Warren knew each other before the shooting, and a motive has not been released.

Warren was a standout in both football and basketball. His death led Westbury High School to cancel its homecoming football game.

Friends remembered Warren as someone who brought energy and encouragement to those around him.

“LePaul, he always made me laugh,” friend Benjamin Rodriguez said while remembering Warren.

Westfield High School student killed days earlier

Just days before Warren’s death, another Houston-area teenager was killed in a shooting near a high school.

Fifteen-year-old Royce Witchet was shot and killed Tuesday just after school was dismissed.

The shooting happened along a sidewalk near Westfield High School and the Spring ISD administration building.

A 14-year-old Spring ISD student has been charged with murder in Witchet’s death.

Witchet’s family gathered Friday for a memorial, releasing balloons in his honor at about the same time he was pronounced dead.

Family members said Witchet was shot multiple times in the back.

They also called for increased security around the school, saying they believe a stronger police presence could have prevented the shooting.

At the memorial, one family member spoke about the repeated loss of young lives to gun violence.

“We’re doing this too many times,” the family member said. “We’re doing this too many times young people.”

17-year-old found dead inside vehicle

The third case happened in August and is unrelated to the two school-area shootings.

On August 22, Harris County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded to the 12,800 block of Montclair Bend after receiving a report of an injured person inside a vehicle.

Deputies found 17-year-old Tavian Soileau dead inside the vehicle.

Sheriff’s Office homicide detectives and crime scene investigators conducted the initial investigation and follow-up work.

This week, a 14-year-old was arrested and transported to the Harris County Juvenile Detention Center.

The juvenile has been charged with murder for his alleged involvement in Soileau’s death.

Authorities have not released additional details about the circumstances surrounding the shooting or a possible motive.

Officials respond to violence involving teens

The three cases have also prompted concern from local officials about young people and gun violence.

Following the Westbury shooting, Houston Mayor John Whitmire addressed the violence during a news conference, saying he was upset that confrontations were escalating into gunfire.

“We know the Westfield happened this week,” Whitmire said, “I’m angry that confrontations are leading to violence,” referring to the earlier shooting involving Witchet.

While the three cases are not connected, they have occurred within a relatively short period and involve teenage victims and teenage suspects.

For the families and friends of Warren, Witchet and Soileau, the investigations now continue alongside the process of grieving three young lives lost to gun violence.

Philadelphia had a 6 1/2-game lead over Arizona for the third NL wild card on Sept. 1 before going into a tailspin that now includes four straight losses. The Diamondbacks lost 10-7 at San Diego on Saturday night and remain one game back of the Phillies for the final wild card.

The Diamondbacks hold the tiebreaker over Philadelphia, so the Phillies still need a win Sunday or an Arizona loss to reach the postseason.

Philadelphia will turn to Zack Wheeler on Sunday to try and finally clinch its fifth straight playoff berth and avoid the franchise's worst collapse since 1964. The Phillies are 9-14 in September.

With the Phillies’ attempt at clinching an NL wild card teetering on an epic meltdown, Nola (7-12) was hit hard on just about every ball in play and left trailing 3-0 after pitching only one inning.

Junior Caminero hit a two-run homer in the first inning and Richie Palacios added an RBI double for a 3-0 lead. Caminero’s 42nd homer gave him 101 RBIs for the AL East champion Rays.

Palacios had four RBIs and Victor Mesa Jr. had his first four-hit game.

The Phillies used six relievers. José Alvarado was voraciously booed off the mound after the beleaguered lefty gave up three runs in the fifth inning. José Urquidy allowed three runs in the sixth to make it 10-0 and most Phillies fans — some of whom wore brown paper bags over their heads — fled for the exits on a rainy night.

Rays starter Griffin Jax took a line drive from Philadelphia’s Trea Turner off his lower back and left the game after three innings.

The Phillies had a runner on second and two outs when Turner drilled a 104-mph line drive off Jax. The ball ricocheted to shortstop Taylor Walls, who threw out Turner for the third out of the inning.

Jax was relieved by Steven Matz (6-6), who pitched a scoreless inning.

The Phillies snapped their 21-inning scoreless streak on an unearned run in the seventh.

Up next

The Rays finish with RHP Nick Martinez (15-5, 2.94 ERA) on the mound.

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The attack involving an explosives-laden vehicle occurred in Dera Ismail Khan, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, said Bilal Faizi, a spokesman for the provincial emergency service. Local police chief Safdar Baloch said most of those killed and wounded were security personnel and passersby.

The blast destroyed the sprawling checkpoint, and witnesses said gunshots were also heard after the attack.

Faizi said gunmen opened fire on an ambulance as emergency crews transported victims to a nearby hospital, killing a rescue worker and wounding two others. Two women and a child were among those killed in the suicide bombing, he said.

The Pakistani Taliban, formally known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, claimed responsibility for the attack. Pakistan has experienced a surge in militant violence in recent years, much of it claimed by the TTP and the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army, a separatist group primarily active in neighboring Balochistan province.

The TTP is separate from but closely allied with Afghanistan’s Taliban, which returned to power in 2021.

Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack, offered condolences to the victims’ families.

Zardari described the targeting of civilians and law enforcement personnel as “highly condemnable” and called for intensified action against the Pakistani Taliban, which he accused of carrying out “heinous and brutal acts” with foreign support.

Pakistani officials have repeatedly accused Afghanistan’s Taliban government of allowing TTP members to operate from Afghan territory and have demanded that Kabul prevent cross-border attacks. Afghan authorities deny permitting their territory to be used for attacks against other countries.

Saturday’s bombing came two days after fighting along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border killed at least 13 Afghan Taliban fighters, according to Pakistan’s government. The clash followed Pakistani strikes this week on suspected militant hideouts inside Afghanistan.

The renewed hostilities threaten mediation efforts by China, Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia aimed at securing lasting peace between the neighboring countries.

Dera Ismail Khan is near South Waziristan, a former militant stronghold where Pakistan’s military has conducted several operations in recent years.

Militants frequently target security forces in the region. In December 2023, a suicide bomber detonated an explosives-laden vehicle at the main gate of a police station in Dera Ismail Khan, killing at least 23 security personnel in one of the area’s deadliest attacks. Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan, a small militant group believed to be an offshoot of the TTP, claimed responsibility.

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Ahmed reported from Islamabad. Associated Press writers Riaz Khan and Rasool Dawar in Peshawar, Pakistan, contributed to this report.

Earlier this week it was announced that Taylor Swift will receive the inaugural Artist Director Honors, becoming the most awarded artist in VMA history.

Swift is currently tied with Beyoncé for the title of most-awarded musician in VMA history. They have 30 each. (Eminem is the male artist with the most VMAs with 15.) The new award, which according to the VMAs is meant to recognize artists “whose work behind the camera has expanded the possibilities of music video and advanced the art of visual storytelling,” will bring her total to 31.

She will also debut the music video for her new song, “Patient Zero,” during the award show. Swift directed the visual, which stars Colin Farrell and Dakota Johnson.

“Patient Zero” is also her first single since marrying Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce at Madison Square Garden in July.

Here's what else to know ahead of Sunday night's show.

How to watch the show

The two-hour MTV Video Music Awards show will broadcast live on CBS on Sunday, Sept. 27, at 7:30 p.m. Eastern and 4:30 p.m. Pacific, from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.

It is the first time since 2017 that the VMAs have picked a location that is not in New York or New Jersey.

The VMAs are also simulcast on MTV and be available to stream on Paramount+ in the U.S. It will become available to stream globally the next day on Paramount+ and MTV.

Snoop Dogg, a 13-time VMAs nominee and three-time winner, will host. Snoop made his debut on the VMAs stage in 1994. He closed the show in 1999 with Dr. Dre and Eminem and returned for a tribute to the Notorious B.I.G. and again for a performance with Eminem in 2022.

Who's nominated at the 2026 MTV VMAs

Madonna leads the 2026 MTV Video Music Award nominations. The pop superstar has been nominated in every decade of her musical career. She has 19 competitive MTV VMA wins and in 1986 became the first solo female artist to receive the Video Vanguard Award.

She is up for 11 awards at this year’s ceremony, including video, artist and song of the year, as well as best collaboration, dance, direction, art direction, cinematography, editing, choreography and visual effects.

Taylor Swift follows with the second-most nominations with nine. She is up for video and artist of the year as well as best pop, direction, art direction, cinematography, editing, choreography and visual effects.

Madonna and Swift are followed by Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter with seven nods each to their names, as well as Bruno Mars, PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson with five. Blackpink’s LISA has four and Shakira, Tate McRae, GENER8ION and Yung Lean are tied for three.

Who’s performing at the 2026 MTV VMAs

Madonna will open the show. It will mark her first performance at the VMAs in 23 years.

Kacey Musgraves will pay homage to the late, great Dolly Parton. The country music icon, whose soaring vibrato vocals, poignant songwriting and sparkling costumes defined her rise from a log cabin in the Tennessee mountains to the height of stardom and acclaim, died in Nashville of cancer in August. She was 80.

Raye, Sombr and Teddy Swims will pay tribute to George Michael, who died 10 years ago on Christmas Day. He was 53.

It's double duty for Raye, who also will perform solo.

Other performers include GENER8ION with Yung Lean, Shaboozey with Gunna, as well as Lisa and Sienna Spiro.

Who's presenting at the 2026 MTV VMAs

Alex Warren, Belmont Cameli, Charli xcx, Ciara Miller, David Corenswet, Ella Bright, Isabel May, Jeff Probst, Rachel Dratch, Teyana Taylor, Tyla and Troye Sivan will present.

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For more coverage of this year’s MTV Video Music Awards, visit https://apnews.com/hub/mtv-video-music-awards

Nicholas Alan Codutti, 43, faces charges of indecency with a child and sexual performance by a child. The alleged incidents occurred in Harris County in 2018 and 2019.

The investigation began April 29, 2026, after Child Protective Services received a report alleging longstanding sexual abuse involving a minor and former Tomball ISD student. HCSO detectives later developed information indicating the alleged abuse began when the survivor was a minor and continued for several years.

Codutti was employed as Campus Athletic Director and Head Football Coach at Klein High School when the allegations surfaced. He was asked to “step away” from campus when school officials learned of the investigation. After receiving notification of his arrest, Klein ISD terminated his employment.

Detectives filed charges against Codutti on Sept. 25. He was taken into custody by members of the HCSO Violent Criminal Apprehension Team, assisted by District 1 patrol deputies, on Saturday. He was booked into the Harris County Jail.

The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact the HCSO Crimes Against Children Unit at 713-830-3250.

Codutti is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

The 21st-ranked Gators built a two-touchdown lead against No. 4 Mississippi and responded each time the Rebels got close in the second half before pulling away for a 52-28 victory.

Ole Miss had a big comedown from its emotional win over Lane Kiffin and LSU. The Gators were at their high-scoring best in The Swamp and showed in no uncertain terms they were worthy of having been installed as 3 1/2-point favorites against their top-five opponent.

The Gators (4-0) were unranked in the preseason and picked ninth in the SEC. They've rung up 66, 52, 44 and 52 points and merit a big promotion when The Associated Press Top 25 is released Sunday.

Ducks win without Moore

No. 20 Oregon appears to be back in business, winning its Big Ten opener 41-27 against Southern California on the road and mostly without Dante Moore. The star quarterback left the field on a stretcher and was taken to a hospital after he took a hard hit in the second quarter.

Nebraska transfer Dylan Raiola entered and threw for 289 yards and two touchdowns as the Ducks showed they've recovered from the loss at Oklahoma State that looked worse two weeks ago than it does now. The loss especially smarts for USC coach Lincoln Riley, who has been selling the idea this is the year the Trojans would be ready to contend in the Big Ten.

These guys are good

No. 1 Texas, No. 7 Ohio State and No. 11 Texas Tech got some of the best individual performances of the season.

With President Donald Trump looking on from a suite at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Texas held off No. 14 Tennessee 20-17 after Colin Simmons recorded five of his team's 10 sacks of freshman Faizon Brandon. Simmons' five sacks were most in the Football Bowl Subdivision since Ivan Pace Jr. of Miami (Ohio) had six against Akron in 2019. Simmons' wasn't flawless. He was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct for “simulating” using the restroom following a second-quarter sack.

Jeremiah Smith stole the show in Columbus, tying the Ohio State record with four touchdowns among a career-high 12 catches for 217 yards in a 42-19 victory over Illinois. Smith made defenders look silly on two of his four touchdown catches. On his second, a 72-yarder, he made two quick moves to shake Mac Resetich on his way to the end zone. On his fourth, he completely turned around Juice Clarke while getting open on his 26-yarder.

Texas Tech linebacker Austin Romaine returned interceptions for touchdowns on back-to-back defensive plays early in the second quarter — something that hadn't been done by a major-college player since 2013 — and the Red Raiders pulled away for a 49-14 win over Sam Houston.

How 'bout those Hawkeyes?

Yes, karma really could be a thing.

Three weeks after Michigan got that extra second on the game clock and a second-chance Hail Mary to beat Western Michigan, Hank Brown threw a game-ending, 16-yard touchdown pass to Reece Vander Zee to give No. 17 Iowa a 20-19 victory over the 18th-ranked Wolverines.

The Hawkeyes set up a huge game against Ohio State in Iowa City next week.

Best of the rest

— No. 10 LSU bounced back from its loss to Mississippi with a vengeance, hammering No. 23 Texas A&M 35-6 and all but putting the kibosh on the two-loss Aggies' hopes of returning to the College Football Playoff.

— No. 2 Georgia's dominance continued with its 41-13 win over Oklahoma, but the big story coming out of the game was Sooners QB John Mateer and his ongoing struggles. Mateer turned over the ball three times in the first half as the Bulldogs got out to a 28-0 lead. The Sooners have scored a combined 37 points in their last three games.

— Matt Campbell and all those transfers he brought with him to No. 13 Penn State from Iowa State got a painful Big Ten initiation. The Nittany Lions led Wisconsin 20-10 at home heading into the fourth quarter and lost 24-20. Rocco Becht, who had the best passer rating in the Big Ten, was 12 of 29 for 129 yards and an interception.

— No. 16 Louisville has been vulnerable on defense through the first month of the season, and the Cardinals paid the price against Wake Forest in a 30-27 loss. They likely will have to win the Atlantic Coast Conference championship to make the College Football Playoff. An at-large bid with two losses before October is a big ask.

— No. 24 Mississippi State held on for a wild 31-24 win over No. 19 Missouri to go 4-0 in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1944-45 and 2-0 in SEC play for the first time since 2014.

— Boise State went on the road and laid claim to class of the Group of Six with a 32-7 win over Mid-American Conference defending champion and preseason favorite Western Michigan.

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The New York City Housing Authority said one of its employees was killed by a fallen tree in Brooklyn, as the storm pelted the city with rain and strong winds. Emergency crews in mid-Atlantic and New England states raced to restore power after downed trees contributed to outages for about 100,000 customers in the region.

Tens of millions of people remained in the path of the nor'easter for Sunday, with major flooding forecast for some coastal areas. The Federal Emergency Management Agency said response coordination centers in impacted regions were operating at an “enhanced posture,” and teams were on standby in New England in case of widespread outages.

The forecast showed no immediate reprieve. There will be “a lot of high winds, a lot of high tides and heavy rain possibility over the next few days for the northeastern U.S.,” said Bob Oravec, lead forecaster with the National Weather Service in College Park, Maryland.

The highest tides were likely to occur north of Atlantic City, New Jersey, from Saturday night into Sunday, creating the potential for widespread road flooding in coastal and bayside communities, the National Weather Service said.

“Anyone who goes in or near the water this weekend is literally gambling with their life,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said.

In New Jersey and New York, some people kayaked down flooded streets. Others headed to beaches to try to surf the higher-than-usual waves. Emergency crews in Sea Bright, New Jersey, rescued a woman and her dog after their vehicle became trapped in floodwaters, ABC7 reported.

High waters overtake roads and businesses

In the coastal New Jersey borough of Surf City, Kenny Formica sat at home watching surveillance cameras showing water rising inside the marina he owns. Water getting inside the building is rare, Formica said. The last time he remembers it happening was during Hurricane Sandy in 2012, which he said caused more than $4 million in damage to his business.

Ahead of the storm, workers secured dock lines, moved loose items and equipment out of harm’s way and parked the marina’s trucks and forklifts at the highest point of the property.

Formica said he awoke to messages from customers reporting missing boats and Jet Skis. One customer sent him a video around 4 a.m. showing his 25-foot (7.6-meter) boat after it had blown off its lift.

Farther south, in Norfolk, Virginia, Ellie Hodge watched from her front stoop as passing vehicles left wakes. The coastal city saw isolated flooding all week because of the nor’easter.

“We've seen cars get stuck on the road, going up the sidewalks,” Hodge said. “It's been pretty bad this time around.”

Flights, concerts and sports events scrapped

The storm forced a change of plans for many people. Hundreds of flights were canceled at Boston Logan International Airport, as were the vast majority of flights at the popular Massachusetts tourist destinations of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket.

Farther south, a flooding-related highway closure on North Carolina’s Hatteras Island scrambled Jayden Sink and Kimberly Laprad’s wedding plans. The Virginia couple made it onto the island before the storm, but most of their roughly 45 guests were stranded on the other side of the closure, the Island Free Press reported. A local campground offered a new venue, cabins and an officiant, and a DJ volunteered to provide music.

The road to the island remained closed, and a ferry also was out of service, leaving boat travel through bad weather as the only option, said Drew Pearson, emergency management director for North Carolina’s Dare County. The island has a year-round population of about 5,000 that swells much higher in warm weather, he said.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation said it would soon begin emergency ferry service between Hatteras Island and the mainland.

“To folks on Hatteras, you are not on an island all alone,” Gov. Josh Stein said on social media. “North Carolina and county emergency responders are working hard to keep you safe and reconnected as quickly as possible.”

Officials urge caution

Nor’easters are not unusual as New England moves into the fall season, but “this might be a little earlier than average for a big storm,” said Oravec, of the National Weather Service.

The storm’s slow movement could worsen beach erosion by subjecting the coast to a prolonged period of strong winds and waves, he said.

Hochul said coastal flooding was the biggest threat, but heavy rains, powerful winds and waves as high as 20 feet (6 meters) were also expected.

In Long Island, ferry owner Stephanie Sherman paused operations between Patchogue and the barrier island of Fire Island.

“It’s been a pretty wild storm,” Sherman said. “But nothing that we haven’t experienced in the past. These happen every so often.”

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Lieb reported from Jefferson City, Missouri. Associated Press writers Allen G. Breed in Norfolk, Virginia; Kim Chandler in Montgomery, Alabama; Annika Hammerschlag in Seattle; Sarah Rankin in Richmond, Virginia; and Hannah Schoenbaum in Midway, Utah, contributed.

Patrick Bailey and Brayan Rocchio each hit two of Cleveland's five home runs as the Guardians beat the Kansas City Royals 11-5 on Saturday night to clinch their third straight AL Central title.

Cleveland's victory coupled with Chicago's 9-6 loss to Colorado gave the Guardians (85-76) a two-game lead over the second-place White Sox (83-78) with one game remaining in the regular season.

José Ramírez and the Guardians are assured the No. 2 seed in the American League playoffs and a first-round bye into a best-of-five Division Series. They will have five days off and then home-field advantage against the winner of a best-of-three Wild Card Series between the No. 6 seed White Sox and either Houston or Texas — whichever one wins the AL West on Sunday.

It is Cleveland's seventh division crown in the past 11 seasons.

Kansas City jumped on Tanner Bibee for three first-inning runs, highlighted by doubles from Carter Jensen and Jac Caglianone. But then Bibee shut out Kansas City as Cleveland quickly mounted a comeback.

A fielding error by Bobby Witt Jr. at shortstop opened the Guardians’ four-run second inning. Bailey hooked a two-run homer off the right-field foul pole, and Cleveland grabbed a 4-3 lead when Steven Kwan’s slicing liner eluded diving left fielder Isaac Collins for an RBI triple — one of four extra-base hits in the inning.

After missing four games with a right wrist sprain, Chase DeLauter lined Michael Wacha’s second pitch of the third into the right-field seats for his 16th home run.

Travis Bazzana tripled and scored on Nathaniel Lowe’s sacrifice fly in the sixth, and Rocchio hit his 14th homer in the seventh. Bailey and Rocchio connected for back-to-back homers to highlight a four-run ninth.

Nine of the Guardians’ 14 hits went for extra bases.

Bibee (7-15) allowed three runs and seven hits in six innings, striking out six. Cleveland has won nine of 10 games and five straight series.

Wacha (9-10) worked 6 1/3 innings, permitting six runs — two earned — and six hits.

The last-place Royals (68-93) have dropped 11 of 13 and 18 of 24. Kansas City lost eight straight series to finish the season, its longest such skid since losing eight in a row from April 10 to May 7, 2023.

Up next

The Guardians were undecided on the mound for their regular-season finale Sunday against LHP Daniel Lynch (6-6, 4.13 ERA) and the Royals.

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Mensah passed for 338 yards and three touchdowns, plus ran for another score as Miami capped an unbeaten September by topping Central Michigan 52-3 on Saturday night.

Malachi Toney caught six passes for 120 yards and a touchdown for Miami (4-0), and all four of Mensah's touchdowns came in the second quarter. Cooper Barkate and Daylyn Upshaw also caught scoring passes from Mensah, who completed 23 of 27 throws.

“He spread the ball around pretty good, he extended plays, great pocket presence, protected pretty well,” Miami coach Mario Cristobal said. “A couple times when it got sticky, he found a way.”

Even with only four incompletions, Mensah's completion percentage for the season dipped. It's now 88.7%, down slightly from the 89.9% clip he had entering Saturday.

Mensah — whose 5-yard scoring run capped a 97-yard TD drive late in the second quarter for a 35-3 halftime lead — has 14 touchdown throws, 12 incompletions and zero interceptions this season.

“We've come a long way and we've shown some good things,” Mensah said. “But like Cristobal always says, we've got a long way to go.”

Offensive lineman Jamal Meriweather was credited with a touchdown after falling on a fumble for Miami, which is unbeaten entering October for the fourth consecutive season. Javian Mallory and Chris Wheatley-Humphrey each ran for scores for the Hurricanes, who paid tribute to their 1991 national championship team in a halftime ceremony.

Jadyn Glasser completed 13 of 15 passes off the bench for 88 yards for Central Michigan (2-2).

Miami was without top running back Mark Fletcher Jr., out with an upper body injury. Cristobal indicated that he should be available next week at Clemson.

The takeaway

Central Michigan: Give the Chippewas credit — they were the first team to lead Miami this season. A pair of penalties and a sack thwarted Miami's first drive, and Central Michigan answered with an 11-play series capped by Caden VanHuis' 49-yard field goal for a 3-0 edge.

Miami: The real tests await. Miami has eight games left in the regular season, seven against Atlantic Coast Conference foes — the other a Nov. 7 game at Notre Dame that could have massive College Football Playoff implications.

Strange series

In a four-minute span of the third quarter, Miami reached the end zone four times. Only one counted.

Damon Wilson II's 63-yard fumble return touchdown came off the board when Miami's Marquise Lightfoot — who forced the takeaway — was flagged for unnecessary roughness after the turnover. Toney had a 12-yard scoring catch (a one-handed grab) nullified when he was called for offensive pass interference, and Jordan Lyle's score off a direct snap didn't count because referee Garrett Dickerson was still explaining a flag from the previous play.

Lyle fumbled the ball on the next play, but Meriweather fell on it near the back of the end zone.

Up next

Central Michigan: Hosts Akron on Oct. 3.

Miami: Visits Clemson on Oct. 3.

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Well, the Gators are officially growling.

Jadan Baugh ran for 142 yards and three touchdowns, Duke Clark added 126 yards and a score on the ground, and No. 21 Florida manhandled fourth-ranked Mississippi 52-28 on Saturday to reach 4-0 for the first time since 2019. It tied Florida's most points against a top-five team since beating Florida State 52-20 in the 1996 national championship game.

“It's not asleep, but it ain't fully awake yet. It's being kind of stirred up a little bit," said Sumrall, who became the first coach in Southeastern Conference history to lead his team to 200 or more points in his first four games. “We’re going to get there. It’s coming.

“I didn't come here for us to be average.”

The Gators (4-0, 2-0 SEC), installed as 3 1/2-point favorites, proved Las Vegas oddsmakers right by leading from start to finish. They scored touchdowns on five consecutive drives in the second half to pull away.

The Rebels (3-1, 1-1), meanwhile, insisted that last week’s victory against LSU, the one that spoiled former Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin’s return, was not their “Super Bowl.” But they failed to build off that emotional win.

Florida had a lot to do with it in the Swamp.

“That was an old-fashioned butt-whupping,” Ole Miss coach Pete Golding said.

The Gators jumped on the Rebels early, leading 10-0 before Heisman Trophy front-runner Trinidad Chambliss even threw a pass, and set the pace the rest of the afternoon. Florida was unstoppable running the ball.

Baugh became the third player in school history to top 100 yards rushing in five consecutive games, joining Emmitt Smith (1987, ’88) and Fred Taylor (1997).

“That means everything to me, just having my name up there with those guys," Baugh said. "They did so much when they were here. And just being able to follow their footsteps and excel, that just means so much to me.”

Baugh was elusive between the tackles, and Clark allowed the Rebels no break when he subbed into the game. Florida finished with 302 yards rushing and six TDs on the ground.

“Tackling the guy with the ball is a real thing on defense,” Golding quipped. “That’s kind of important.”

Clark's 45-yard TD run early in the third was the play of the game. He juked cornerback Antonio Kite and former Florida safety Sharif Denson on his way to the end zone.

Chambliss and Ole Miss scored 11 points in a 3-minute stretch spanning the second and third quarters and seemed to have all the momentum although Florida still led 17-14. But London Montgomery returned the ensuing kickoff 41 yards to set up Clark’s scamper.

Ole Miss seemed out of sorts from the start. Trailing 7-0, Chambliss handed off four consecutive times to backup running back JT Lindsey. Lindsey failed to move the chains on a fourth-and-1 play, giving the Gators great field position.

Chambliss injured his left thigh on the team’s second series. He returned and used the exercise bike between drives. He ended up throwing for 298 yards, with a touchdown and an interception late. He also ran seven times for 44 yards and two scores.

“We have more grit and resilience than anybody in the country, and I feel nobody can mess with us,” Baugh said.

The takeaway

Mississippi: The Rebels missed star running back Kewan Lacy. He ran for 224 yards and three touchdowns against Florida last year in Oxford but missed this game with a shoulder injury. Lindsey started in his place and finished with 31 yards on 11 carries.

Florida: The Gators had dropped 12 in a row against top-five teams. They became the first Florida team since 2001 to score at least 40 points in its first four games.

Up next

Mississippi gets a week off before playing at Vanderbilt on Oct. 10.

Florida plays at No. 19 Missouri next Saturday.

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“Does Berlin understand what this could lead to?’ Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov asked in his speech at the U.N. General Assembly’s annual gathering of world leaders. “Didn’t they not learn the lessons of World War II?”

Lavrov was dismissive after the German and Russian foreign ministers met Saturday on the sidelines of the meeting, holding what’s believed to be the first such tête-à-tête since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

“He simply reiterated his official public position condemning Russia,” Lavrov said. “You can judge for yourself whether that counts as dialogue or not.”

The meeting, at German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul’s request, came just before Lavrov addressed world leaders, where he also criticized the militarization of Japan. He made clear that Russia will veto any attempt by Germany and Japan for permanent seats on the Security Council, the U.N.’s most powerful body. The two nations fought Russia, Britain and the United States in World War II.

A German delegation official said that during their meeting, Wadephul called on Russia to abandon its “dangerous path of escalation” toward Germany, Europe and the NATO alliance. Ties between Russia and Germany have soured in recent weeks, following an attempted drone attack last month at Leipzig airport — Germany has blamed the incident on Russia — and tit-for-tat responses that followed it.

Wadephul expressed openness to a better relationship but said it required a genuine willingness from Russia’s leadership to end the war in Ukraine, according to the official.

After his speech, Lavrov brushed off the Germany meeting

Later, Lavrov told a U.N. news conference that “nothing new came from that initiative of the foreign minister.”

He challenged Germany to name one commercial vessel in the Black Sea that was damaged or targeted by Russian strikes, asserting that “there are no such cases.” As for the claimed attempted drone strike at Leipzig Airport, he called it “an unclaimed drone” that Germany immediately said was Russian.

Lavrov denounced the West in his speech and at the press conference, saying it “aspires to inflict strategic defeat on Russia — but these aspirations will result in the war mongers being led into a strategic dead end.”

He recalled last year’s 80th anniversary of the Allied victory “over German Nazism and Japanese militarism” in World War II. And he made a point of blasting the notion of Germany or Japan gaining a permanent seat on the powerful U.N. Security Council. The United States has long supported permanent seats for those countries and India.

Japan’s deputy U.N. ambassador Mikanagi Tomohiro responded to Lavrov at the end of the assembly meeting, stressing that his country is “peace-loving” and that “freedom, democracy and fundamental human rights remain unshakable foundations of Japan’s every decision and action.”

In his attacks on the West, Lavrov also claimed, “the U.S. has destroyed the European security system and created a Russophobic regime in Kyiv.”

Russia believes an agreement on ending the Ukraine war was reached at the August 2025 meeting in Alaska between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Lavrov said, “and we continue to remain ready to return to it.”

“A fairer, multipolar world order is emerging before our very eyes,” said Lavrov, whose country is part of the BRICS group of leading developing nations and other organizations that he portrays as more forward-looking and constructive.

Russia emphasizes that it's still a strong global player

Moscow has repeatedly sought to stress that it maintains a strong position on the global stage despite its 4½-year war on Ukraine and isolation from the West.

Writing on her personal Telegram channel, Maria Zakharova, chief spokesperson for Russia’s Foreign Ministry, said that “tens of diplomats” had come to meet Lavrov to “shake his hand and thank Russia.”

An overwhelming majority of General Assembly member nations have repeatedly condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as Wadephul noted in his own address to the assembly Saturday.

“Russia’s war targets the lives of millions of innocent people, the existence of the Ukrainian state and culture and the European peace order,” he said, urging Russia to negotiating toward ending the fighting.

Lavrov’s speech came amid an intensifying aerial war. With front-line positions largely unchanged since last year, Russia has hammered Ukraine with cruise and ballistic missiles, powerful glide bombs and jet-powered drones in recent months, while Ukraine’s long-range drones have targeted Russian oil refineries and businesses.

Ukrainian officials said Russian attacks killed four people Saturday, as Russian authorities said a Ukrainian drone attack killed three.

Since Russia launched the war — which Moscow describes as a “special military operation” intended to ensure Russia’s security and the rights of Russian speakers — Western analysts have estimated that over 500,000 Russian troops have been killed. Ukraine has recorded more than 500,000 military casualties, including up to 140,000 deaths. Neither country discloses its own casualty totals.

The Ukraine war reverberates globally

The war has had global repercussions for fuel, fertilizer and grain shipments — and for geopolitics, widening divisions between Russia and the West.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy used his assembly speech Wednesday to press other countries to keep choking Russia’s revenues and impede its war efforts, and he echoed that message on social media Saturday morning.

“It is essential that our partners not forget: Russia is escalating every single day,” he wrote, adding that “the world must choose stronger responses to keep the war from spreading further.”

U.S. lawmakers passed a powerful sanctions bill aimed at Moscow last month. President Donald Trump signed the bill into law last week but hasn’t enacted the measures yet.

Now back in Ukraine, Zelenskyy told reporters in voicemail messages Friday that Washington is pushing for three-way technical talks involving delegations — but not top leaders — from the U.S., Ukraine and Russia. He said Ukraine is waiting for the United States to propose a date.

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Keaten reported from Geneva. Katie Marie Davies contributed from Manchester, England.

Penn State quarterback Rocco Becht, who was 12-for-29 passing for 129 yards and an interception, tossed a final deep ball out of the back of the end zone as time expired, setting off a celebration by Wisconsin defenders.

Joseph, who threw a pair of costly interceptions earlier in the game, rebounded to lead two long scoring drives for the Badgers (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten), who snapped their six-game losing streak to Penn State and won in State College for the first time since 2003. Wisconsin earned its first road win against a ranked opponent since beating No. 25 Purdue on Oct. 23, 2021. It was the Badgers’ largest comeback victory since rallying from 18 points down against Illinois in 2006.

“I don’t know if there’s any tougher situation than what we were in out there today,” Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell said. “And to see these guys not falter, to see guys not kinda get down on Colton and (not) give up on him, that’s what to me makes me so proud.”

Joseph ran for a touchdown and threw an 11-yard TD pass to Eugene Hilton Jr. to cap a 10-play, 75-yard drive with 3:31 remaining in the fourth quarter. Gavin Lahm added a field goal for the Badgers, who were sluggish and mistake-prone in the first two periods and trailed 17-7 at halftime.

Ryan Barker kicked field goals of 22 and 37 yards, and Josiah Zayas returned an interception 51 yards for a score to lead the Nittany Lions, who lost for the first time under coach Matt Campbell.

“We just really struggled to find a rhythm,” Campbell said. “I feel like it kind of led to the second half of the football game and kind of being in the same spot. We just struggled.”

Becht scored a go-ahead rushing touchdown early in the second quarter, but it wasn’t enough for an offense that punted on five of its next eight possessions. The Nittany Lions didn’t register a first down on four of their final five tries.

Daryus Dixson and Tony Rojas had interceptions for Penn State (3-1, 0-1), while James Peoples carried 14 times for 67 yards.

The Nittany Lions held Wisconsin to just 14 yards and one first down in a lopsided first quarter. Meanwhile, Barker put Penn State up 3-0 with a 22-yard field goal on Penn State’s second drive.

The Badgers’ first two possessions ended with punts. Sitting on a flat route near the line of scrimmage, Zayas one-handed a Joseph pass and returned it 51 yards, untouched, to give Penn State a 10-0 lead early in the second.

Wisconsin’s offense broke down again just four plays later when Dixson picked Joseph off and returned it to the Badgers’ 11. Becht powered into the end zone from 3 yards out moments later to make it 17-0.

Joseph finally found a rhythm and led an 11-play, 75-yard drive that ended when he scored around the left edge from 7 yards out. It cut Penn State’s lead to 17-7 at the break.

“We knew it wasn’t finished,” Joseph said. “Our defense was playing lights out.”

Becht had a pass batted at the line of scrimmage moments later and Badgers defensive lineman Charles Perkins intercepted it. The Badgers pulled within a touchdown on Lahm’s 34-yard kick three plays later.

Harris’ make-up play

Harris finished with five catches for 105 yards and emerged from the visiting team locker room barefooted with a wide smile.

He felt like he made up for miscues that nearly doomed the Badgers’ comeback.

The senior tight end moved early twice on Wisconsin’s final drive, costing his team 10 yards. The second one backed the Badgers up to their own 26 before Joseph scrambled for a short gain to set up the third-and-13 that Harris converted with his long touchdown.

“This is big time man,” Harris said. “This is a message. The Badgers are back. We’re not just going to roll over. This is historically a top-dog program and we’re looking to get back to that. That’s what the fans deserve, that’s what the community deserves and that’s what we’re going to give them.””

The takeaway

Wisconsin: The Badgers recovered to push Penn State’s stingy defense late in the first half. They eventually outgained the Nittany Lions 355-248 and won their first game in Beaver Stadium since 2003.

Penn State: The Nittany Lions were out of sync the entire game on offense and clearly missing game-breaking wideout Koby Howard, who is week-to-week with an unspecified injury.

Up next

Wisconsin: Hosts Michigan State on Saturday.

Penn State: Visits Northwestern on Friday.

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Now the question is whether they can finish off the Americans for the first time in 28 years.

“They showed a lot of passion and fight today,” International captain Geoff Ogilvy said.

The Americans narrowly won the fourballs session in the morning to trim the deficit to three points. The afternoon foursomes was a push. The result was a 10 1/2-7 1/2 advantage for the Internationals, only the fourth time since the Presidents Cup began in 1994 that they have led going into Sunday.

Now comes the hard part. Singles traditionally are an American strength in these team competitions. They have a 97 1/2-82 1/2 advantage dating to 1994.

U.S. captain Brandt Snedeker stacked the front of his lineup to try to get momentum. Cameron Young is leading off against International rookie Ryo Hisatsune, followed by U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark against Tom Kim, Justin Thomas against Corey Conners and Scottie Scheffler against Nico Echavarria, who has not hit a meaningful shot since Thursday.

“We kind of dug ourself a hole here,” Snedeker said. “We’re going to need a special day tomorrow, and the only way to do that is to get the crowd going, get these guys making some putts, and get these people behind them.”

Scheffler, who teamed with Sam Burns to deliver a rare American rally in the morning, spent the afternoon watching. Snedeker benched the world’s No. 1 player, his first time not playing all five matches since 2023.

“As I said at the beginning of the week, Scottie Scheffler is not going to go out there and win us 15 points, so we’ve got to go out there as a team and do this together,” Snedeker said. “I challenged the guys this afternoon to go out there and be that team that we need them to be.”

And that’s what he got — at least for a while.

The Americans twice filled the leaderboard with their red numbers, leading by at least 2 up in every foursomes match in the afternoon. They won two of them. Russell Henley and Jacob Bridgeman were 3 up through 10 holes when Nick Taylor and Corey Conners rallied to beat them for the final point on a long, loud day at Medinah.

“We had to sort of weather the storm early in both sessions, and it was amazing for the boys to get us out of the day relatively unscathed,” Ogilvy said.

Min Woo Lee was part of both comebacks. He teamed with Sungjae Im in fourballs, going from 2 down against Thomas and Jackson Koivun to earn a halve in the morning. Lee and Ryan Fox overcame an early deficit to blow past Burns and Clark in afternoon foursomes.

The final stroke of a long, loud day at Medinah was Conners holing a 6-foot par putt on the 18th green with both teams gathered around.

“Both sessions having all red on the board, down in every match, and to come back and get 1 1/2 points out of this morning we felt like was a little victory,” Ogilvy said. “The U.S. team played so well all day. They played some really high-level foursomes especially this afternoon. For the boys to somehow come back and pinch two points out of that and split the session was amazing.”

The lead was the largest for the Internationals since 2003 in South Africa, the Presidents Cup that ended in a tie. They last led at Royal Melbourne in 2019 until the Americans rallied behind Tiger Woods, the playing captain that year.

The Americans found their spark from Cameron Young and Chris Gotterup — Young from New York, Gotterup from New Jersey — who were unstoppable. They won the first four holes in fourballs against Conners and Taylor in a 2-and-1 victory, and they were 5 up through seven holes in blowing out Im and Adam Scott, 6 and 4, the shortest match of the week.

Clark got the noise he wanted from Chicago fans, and Snedeker was on the seventh green raising his arms for even louder cheers when the Americans holed putts — and the Internationals missed.

Lee made his Presidents Cup debut at Royal Montreal in 2024 and was asked how this experience was different.

“I guess the crowd is different, not getting cheers for holing putts. It’s a bit different than any tournament, really,” Lee said. “We just had to be there for each other. I think that was a big part.”

The crowd was so boisterous that a volunteer had to retrieve one fan's dentures that had come out of his mouth from the upper deck of a hospitality tent on the 10th hole.

The Internationals have been at their best closing out matches. Now they have to find a way to close out a Presidents Cup the Americans have won the last 10 times.

“The goal at the start of the week is to be leading going into singles. That’s sort of what the first four days are all about,” Ogilvy said. “There’s still 12 points on the board, though, so we’ve seen in these team events all sorts of different things can happen.

“We’ve got to put our heads down and play for a big opportunity tomorrow.”

___

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The Vatican estimated that 800,000 people attended — about 200,000 more than the number who had registered in advance. The turnout testified to the church’s lasting influence in France despite declining attendance and secularizing trends that have emptied churches across Europe.

The American pope greeted the flag-waving, cheering throngs from his popemobile during a 2-kilometer (1.2-mile) parade along the grand boulevard leading to the Place de la Concorde for Mass, essentially the heart of Paris and a symbol of the French republic.

In his homily, Leo asked the crowds not to keep their faith to themselves, but to instead “let it overflow, so that those you meet may be refreshed and their thirst satisfied.”

“From this beautiful city of Paris, I pray fervently that the living water of the Holy Spirit may flow throughout France,” he said.

Although a security blanket shut down central Paris to road traffic, the partylike atmosphere drew people of multiple faiths and no faith at all. The fervor spanned generations. People brought dozens of babies and young children from the crowd for Leo to caress on the head as he rode slowly past aboard the popemobile.

“The message of Pope Leo goes well beyond Catholic people; he speaks about social justice, for example,” said Leontine Joseph, 42, a fervent Catholic who came with two friends of Moroccan origin who grew up in Muslim culture.

An appeal to persevere against the trends

Leo has sought to encourage French Catholics to persevere in their faith “even amid the thorns” of a secular world during his four-day visit. It began on Friday with his arrival and prayer at the restored Notre Dame, the first by a pope since the cathedral's devastating 2019 fire. It continued Saturday night when Leo arrived in Lourdes in southern France, one of the Catholic Church’s most-visited shrines.

At the Catholic Institute of Paris on Saturday morning, the pope said he was surprised by the number of new converts in recent years.

“We must recognize, welcome and protect the small flame that the Holy Spirit has kindled in the darkness of the night, the tiny seed that strives to grow even amid the thorns,” he said.

Adult baptisms in France each year have tripled since 2016, hitting 13,000 this year. But statistics and experts caution that the uptick, which has also been recorded in secular Spain, doesn’t counteract the overall downward trend.

In 1980, there were 513,000 baptisms in France; in 2024, a total of 186,000.

The pope is a crowd-puller

The rivers of people who crammed central Paris and their joyful enthusiasm rivaled other communal but non-religious moments of celebration that marked France in recent decades. Huge crowds celebrated on the Champs-Elysées when France won the soccer World Cup in 1998 and again in 2018.

Many on Saturday didn't identify as Catholics, but came to hear the pope's message.

“People are seeing a lot of really terrible images. This kind of event reminds people of what is really important in life,” said Thierry Chen, a 40-year-old Parisian startup entrepreneur who is not Catholic. “You see a lot of different people here, so it’s not just about one race, religion or nation, but about a common belief in humankind.”

Sylvane Le Goff, 68, who lives in the Paris region, came with her 10- and 12-year-old grandchildren to “give them unforgettable memories.” Le Goff, who was raised Catholic but is not practicing, said she wanted to open her grandchildren’s minds.

“It’s not only about seeing the pope but it also is about his message of peace and unity, values I’d like to share with them,” she said.

Leo has clearly been impressed by the numbers and enthusiasm, especially at a Friday night vigil that kept the 71-year-old pope out until nearly 11 p.m. after a packed first day.

Some 80,000 young people filled the national stadium for an extravaganza of fireworks and a theatrical retelling of French Catholic history.

“Thank you for your courage! Thank you for your presence,” Leo said to raucous cheers, speaking off the cuff in French. “Thank you for your faith. You are the saints of France!”

Mass adds a new chapter for historic Paris square

The imposing stage erected for the Mass, capped with a golden cross, and rows upon rows of choir singers, clergy and others who prayed under the pope’s gaze on Place de la Concorde marked a new chapter for the history-steeped square.

It was an execution site during the French Revolution. Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette were guillotined there. For many in France, it embodies the Republic and traditionally stages Bastille Day celebrations. In 2024, the Paris Olympics gave it a blast of modernity, using it for break dance, skateboard, BMX and 3X3 basketball events.

Organizers of the Mass said it was the only area in central Paris that could accommodate such crowds.

But the choice was criticized by supporters of France’s strict form of secularism in public life based on a 1905 law separating church and state. They argued that the site represents the Republic, and that other places such as the Invalides, a complex of buildings where Pope Benedict XVI celebrated Mass with 240,000 people in 2008, would have been more appropriate.

Leo’s Mass came as a birthday present for Jean-Claude Farnabe, who turned 63 on Saturday and spent the morning securing a spot.

A lifelong Catholic, Farnabe attends Mass in the Paris suburb of Suresnes every Sunday.

“There are more and more converts,” he said. “Many youngsters are interested in faith and in God. Every Sunday, I see new people, people aged between 25 and 40, who are getting baptized.”

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Texas Department of Public Safety troopers and special agents took Misael Ramos, 40, into custody around 8:45 a.m. Saturday on an outstanding warrant “stemming from his actions” during a Sunday protest, the agency's media department wrote in an unsigned email. Protesters on Sunday had been demonstrating against the shooting of Wilber Rafael Garces Perez in Austin.

Ramos, who is running for city council in Austin, “was captured on camera taking construction barricades, sandbags, and other items and attempting to obstruct traffic,” the department said. The department also provided photos and video it said captured “some of Ramos' actions” at the scene.

Ramos, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, denies any wrongdoing and will contest the charge, his campaign said in a news release.

“I didn’t see any riots,” said Ramos’ attorney, Edmund “Skip” Davis. “I saw people out there chanting and protesting.”

Ramos was released from custody during a news conference outside the county jail Saturday, with the crowd erupting in cheers. Ramos thanked those for being there, saying it was “one of the craziest mornings I have had in a long time.” He spoke of his surprise arrest and criticized federal immigration raids in the community.

“When we fight,” he said, to which those gathered replied, “we win!”

Garces Perez was shot Sunday and then taken to a detention center after an encounter with an immigration officer. An attorney for Garces Perez has said he was an asylum seeker and had a valid work permit.

“Like the hundreds of Austinites who were shocked to hear news that an ICE officer shot someone in the back, Misael quickly joined people at the scene of the incident to offer his condemnation of the incident and show solidarity by holding the line in the protest, chanting, and amplifying the incident through campaign channels,” Ramos' campaign manager, Jeffrey Clemmons, said in a statement.

Kristen Dark, a spokeswoman for the Travis County Sheriff's Office, confirmed in an email that Ramos was booked into the agency's custody around 9:30 Saturday morning on a charge of riot participation.

Garces Perez was making a DoorDash delivery Sunday afternoon when ICE officers in an unmarked truck sideswiped his car twice, his attorney Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch has said. He was shot and taken to a hospital, then released into ICE custody with a bullet still in his back, she said.

ICE and DHS haven’t said what led to the shooting beyond that Garces Perez was “the subject of a targeted vehicle stop.”

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Rankin reported from Richmond, Virginia.

Hank Brown threw a game-ending, 16-yard touchdown pass to Reece Vander Zee to lift the 17th-ranked Hawkeyes to a 20-19 win over the 18th-ranked Wolverines on Saturday.

“To be able to silence a stadium like that, there’s no greater feeling,” Brown said.

The Hawkeyes (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) went 91 yards on the final drive — boosted by an unnecessary roughness penalty against Michigan on third down at midfield. Brown's 29-yard pass to Addison Ostrenga set up the final play with 2 seconds on the clock.

“We prep for situations like these throughout the week in practice all the time," Brown said. "Why do you prepare for it? For a moment like that."

Brown, though, didn't want to bite when asked if the victory was justice for Western Michigan.

“I'm not going to speak on that,” he said after a chuckle.

Bryce Underwood threw a 49-yard touchdown pass to JJ Buchanan early in the fourth quarter — their second scoring connection of the game — but the Wolverines (3-1, 0-1) could not make enough plays on either sides of the ball to hold on for the win.

“We would’ve liked to run the clock out,” coach Kyle Whittingham said. “That was disappointing.”

Iowa took its first lead early in the fourth quarter on Brown's 16-yard touchdown pass to Vander Zee.

Then Underwood dropped back, stepped up, rolled right and threw a long touchdown pass to Buchanan for a 19-14 lead. His 2-point conversion pass fell incomplete.

Iowa lined up to go for it on fourth down at the Michigan 28 late in the game and left guard Leighton Jones was flagged for a false start. Facing a fourth-and-6, coach Kirk Ferentz chose to have Caden Buhr attempt a 51-yard field goal and it was wide right with 2:33 left.

Iowa's defense forced Michigan to punt again and its offense took advantage.

“Our defense and special teams put us in a good spot to be able to go down and go out and execute that last drive,” Brown said.

On Underwood's first touchdown pass to Buchanan, he converted a third-and-7 from the Iowa 18.

The lead didn't last long because Braeden Jackson, son of former NFL running back Fred Jackson, returned the ensuing kickoff 99 yards for a score.

The Wolverines went back ahead early in the second quarter on Trey Butkowski's 41-yard field goal.

Instead of kicking another field goal later in the quarter, Whittingham went for it on fourth-and-1 from the Iowa 18 and Underwood's sneak was stopped.

Underwood was picked off by Deshaun Lee, a former teammate at nearby Belleville High School, at the Iowa 2 early in the third quarter.

Michigan finished 2 of 4 in the red zone, and Iowa converted on both of its drives inside the 20.

“That proved to be one of the differences in the game,” Whittingham said.

Injury report

Michigan running back Jordan Marshall appeared to aggravate an injury in the second half.

Right tackle Blake Frazier left the game in the third quarter, trying to keep weight off his right leg, and later returned to play. Frazier was shifted from left to right tackle to fill in for Andrew Sprague, who missed a second straight game with an injury.

The takeaway

Iowa: The Hawkeyes beat a ranked Big Ten team on the road for the first time since 2015.

“It’s huge,” Brown said.

Michigan: The Wolverines had won 47 straight when leading at halftime in what was the longest active streak in FBS.

Up next

Iowa: Hosts No. 7 Ohio State next Saturday.

Michigan: Plays first road game at Minnesota next Saturday.

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Coughlin made only one birdie the rest of the way, closing with six straight pars for a career-best 61.

Starting her second round on the back nine at Pinnacle Country Club, Coughlin began with a birdie on the par-4 10th hole and didn't make a par until the par-4 first. She made the turn in 9-under 26, hitting a wedge to about 3 feet on the par-5 18th for her ninth birdie.

Coughlin said she had never made more than six consecutive birdies in any round.

“Everything just seemed to be going exactly how far I wanted it to, right at the hole and I was putting really good putts on it as well,” said Coughlin, who turns 34 on Sunday.

After shooting a 2-over 73 in Friday's opening round of the 54-hole event, she moved up 106 spots on the leaderboard into a tie for 21st, eight shots behind leader Yuna Nishimura.

The LPGA single-round scoring record is a 59 by Annika Sorenstam in the second round of the Standard Register PING in Phoenix on March 16, 2001, and Coughlin was well aware of where she stood.

“I started to get a little bit of adrenaline pretty much 9 green on for the next few holes, but then I made the birdie on 3 so I thought I was like, I really have a chance now,” Coughlin said. “Then, yeah, just couldn’t quite get it close enough unfortunately, last few holes.”

A three-time winner on the LPGA Tour, Coughlin is coming off a strong performance for the U.S. in a losing effort at the Solheim Cup. She played all five sessions, going 3-1-1.

Coming off the excitement of the biennial team competition, the former Virginia star wasn't too enthusiastic about traveling to Arkansas for an event she usually enjoys.

“Solheim was so awesome and so great and it’s kind of hard to come back after that for a little bit. I feel like yesterday, like all week even, I was like, don’t really want to be here,” she said. “But I told my caddie today, I don’t really want to be here but I’m going to try as hard as I can today.”

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“That completely blindsided me, and it hit me like a ton of bricks,” Verlander said.

A stellar career for the 43-year-old right-hander ended with a 4-3, come-from-behind win against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday. Verlander's emotions will be remembered far more than the score on a meaningless game on the next-to-last day of his 21st big league season.

“That was amazing. I was sobbing and had to make sure that she understood I was happy," Verlander said. "She’s never seen me cry like that.”

Genevieve Verlander, wearing a Tigers jersey with her dad's name and No. 35, saw her cue from Hinch and ran. When she reached the mound she hugged her father, who reached down to embrace her and started shaking.

Hinch joined them about 25 seconds later for another hug, and then Verlander was surrounded by Tigers teammates who came to the mound.

Hinch had planned Genevieve's mound trip with Verlander's wife, model Kate Upton,

“It's hard to surprise a guy who has everything planned and mapped out more than any human I've ever been around,” said Hinch, who managed Verlander to the 2017 World Series title with Houston. “We wanted to come up with something special, and his family means everything to him.”

A 10-time All-Star and three-time Cy Young Award winner, Verlander left the field from his final mound appearance grasping his daughter's hand as the Comerica Park crowd gave him a standing ovation.

Upton, holding 1-year-old son Bellamy, joined Justin and Genevieve for a group hug on the warning track in front of the Tigers dugout, and Justin high-fived teammates and doffed his cap to the crowd before descending the dugout steps with his family.

“I've obviously talked a lot about how my life has changed and how my family is what I'm looking forward to most in my retirement,” the pitcher said. “Walking off the field with them to end my career is as good as I could have dreamed.”

Hinch brought Miguel Cabrera's family onto the field when he came out of his final game in 2023.

“They don't normally let non-uniformed people onto the field,” Hinch said. “But they make exceptions for guys who are going to be first-ballot Hall of Famers.”

In all, there was a 5 1/2-minute wait until reliever Tyler Kinley threw his first pitch.

Verlander allowed two runs and five hits in 5 1/3 innings with one walk and six strikeouts in his 91-pitch outing. He was making his second start of the year and first since March 30 in a season derailed by a sore hip and hamstring injury.

“He didn't want a cameo. He wanted today to be a competitive outing, and we could tell in the third and fourth innings that he wasn't laboring,” Hinch said. “He certainly left us with a reminder of why he's one of the best of all time.”

Eduardo Valencia's game-ending homer in Detroit's 4-3 meant Verlander didn't take a loss in his finale. He ended 266-159 with a 3.33 ERA and 3,560 strikeouts, eighth on the career list.

“That was a great finish to a great day,” Hinch said. “There was no way Justin Verlander was going to take the loss in his last game as a Tiger.”

Pittsburgh's fifth batter, 20-year-old shortstop Konnor Griffin, had not been born when Verlander made his debut for the Tigers on July 4, 2005.

Verlander received a standing ovation when he headed to the bullpen to warm up and a longer one when he returned to the dugout before the first pitch. Academy Award winning J.K. Simmons, a longtime Tigers fan, announced him as part of Detroit’s starting lineup.

Verlander took the field for the first inning to another ovation. He was alone on the field as his teammates stayed in the dugout to give him the spotlight.

“That blindsided me, too,” he said. “I probably should have expected it, but I was trying to stick with my routine, so I ran out onto the field. I was ready to go before I realized everyone else was still in the dugout.”

Pittsburgh took a 2-0 lead against Verlander on solo homers by Lowe in the fourth and Nick Gonzales in the fifth, the first on a 89.7 mph fastball and the second on a curve.

Verlander pitched for the Tigers from 2005-17, then returned this year after time with Houston, the New York Mets and San Francisco.

"All the ovations today brought back a lot of fond memories of the old days here, when this park was raucous every night,” Verlander said. “My body, though, didn't remind me of those days at all.”

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Break out the victory cigars.

“It's just kind of a little bit of a tradition here at Tennessee, so we had cigars or somebody had cigars in there,” coach Steve Sarkisian said. “I’m not certain. So my suit’s probably going to stink whenever I get on the plane.”

Colin Simmons tied the program record with five sacks as Texas held the 14th-ranked Volunteers 20-17 on Saturday with President Donald Trump on hand.

The cigar tradition stems from the Alabama-Tennessee rivalry, which Arch Manning's uncle Peyton played in for the Vols in the 1990s.

“It’s not about me,” the Texas quarterback said. “I didn’t play very well, but our team played great. Defense played well.”

Raleek Brown ran for 67 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and his 4-yarder with 5:41 left gave the Longhorns (4-0) the winning margin in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams. Giannis Spetic kicked a pair of field goals.

“We win big games around here, we do,” Sarkisian said. “I know we don’t win them all, but we won a lot of them. And what an incredible performance by our defense.”

Texas dominated defensively with 10 sacks, led by Simmons. The linebacker's day for the record books also will be remembered for his vulgar celebration after one sack. He was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct with the referee saying Simmons was “simulating” using the restroom.

“We took him out, we addressed it and put him back in,” Sarkisian said. “At that point, I’m not going to give the guy a death penalty over an unsportsmanlike conduct. We got to fix it, though. That can't continue.”

Tennessee quarterback Faizon Brandon made it interesting late, capping an 80-yard drive with a 30-yard TD pass to Mike Matthews with 1:22 left. Linebacker Arion Carter recovered the onside kick, and Jelani McDonald batted away Brandon’s Hail Mary pass to Travis Smith Jr. in the end zone on the final play.

Sarkisian called it a crazy finish to a game in which Texas also gave up a 57-yard punt return by Qua Moss for a TD. Sarkisian took a timeout that gave Tennessee a second chance at the onside kick after sending the first out of bounds.

“Next thing you know you're fighting to finish a game, which we were able to do,” Sarkisian said.

Manning threw for 201 yards while being sacked six times. He also was intercepted once with the Longhorns needing the smothering defensive performance on a day with too many penalties, including two illegal forward passes by Manning.

Tennessee (3-1) hadn't beaten The Associated Press' No. 1 team since 1985, and that drought continues.

“Up front we weren’t good enough,” Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said. “Quarterback was not good enough. We didn’t play smart enough, but I’ll take the effort.”

Record performance

Simmons matched the five sacks by Shane Dronett for Texas against Texas Tech in 1990.

The takeaway

Texas: The Longhorns have lots to clean up, particularly when it comes to penalties they can control. They piled up 11 for 115 yards with seven of those in the first half. Jermaine Bishop Jr. wiped out his own 22-yard punt return in the third quarter with a fair catch signal that officials noticed.

Tennessee: The Vols came in 14th nationally in total offense at 516.3 yards per game. They came nowhere near that with Brandon surviving a beating in his SEC debut. Brandon finished 17 of 29 for 145 yards. He didn't talk to reporters after the game.

Heupel said the freshman “didn’t get rid of it when he needed to get rid of it.”

Up next

Texas has a week off before playing Oklahoma in Dallas on Oct. 10.

Tennessee hosts Auburn on Oct. 3.

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Security checks on the stadium's perimeter went relatively smoothly with Tennessee officials opening the stadium 30 minutes earlier than normal. Fans got half-price off concessions as a reward for showing up early, and Tennessee faithful had the stands half full 90 minutes before kickoff and nearly packed an hour before.

Those in their seats were treated to a low-altitude flyover by Air Force One as the president came into town with the Volunteers and Longhorns warming up on the field below. Trump landed at 11:28 a.m. EDT ahead of the noon kickoff, according to reporters traveling with the president.

Trump's motorcade arrived at Neyland Stadium just as the national anthem was being sung at 11:59 a.m. Trump pumped his fist a couple of times when shown in his seat on the videoboards with Tennessee's U.S. senators on either side. One of them, Marsha Blackburn, is running for governor of Tennessee.

The president's motorcade left at 2:07 p.m. with the game in the second half.

The president's visit didn't appear to affect communications between coaches and players on the field thanks to some coordination before Saturday's game.

Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian said earlier this week that teams had to be ready to lose all communication on their headsets between coaches on the field and the players “anytime (Trump) enters the stadium, leaves the stadium or changes locations within the stadium.”

ABC/ESPN reported Saturday that both schools worked with the Secret Service on audio channels in hopes of keeping communications clear, noting an official timeout for a serious disruption could be an option.

The Southeastern Conference matchup between the No. 1 Longhorns and No. 14 Volunteers in Knoxville already was one of the biggest games in the country this weekend. Trump came to watch Texas quarterback Arch Manning play for the first time in the stadium where his uncle Peyton became famous.

How a presidential visit can affect radio communications

Trump has attended more college football games than any recent sitting president, and he arrived in Knoxville in the midst of a midterm election season and a heated debate over the role of money in college sports that Congress is trying to resolve. He has attended national championship games and regular season contests in the SEC and Army vs. Navy.

He also attended Game 3 of the NBA finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs in June, went to the 2025 Daytona 500 car race, and presented the World Cup trophy to Spain at the final in July. And last year, he was the first president to attend a Super Bowl. He left the Super Bowl after halftime.

Headset communications emerged as the latest subplot surrounding this presidential visit. Coaches communicate with each other on their headsets throughout the game and also call in plays to the quarterback. Disruptions to those communications, from a deafening crowd, technical glitch or presidential security measure, can present problems for coaches and teams.

Coaches involved in last season's College Football Playoff championship between Miami and Indiana in New Orleans cited that game as an example of how Trump's movements affected them.

Trump left in the fourth quarter of a tense Indiana 27-21 victory. Sarkisian said Miami coach Mario Cristobal told him Trump's leaving at that point disrupted communications on the Hurricanes' final possession, which ended with a game-clinching interception.

Indiana coach Curt Signetti disputed Sarkisian's version of events around the final drive. But Cignetti noted communications briefly cut off in a key moment of the fourth quarter as Indiana was trying to protect its lead.

In his weekly radio show on Thursday, Cignetti recalled that when Trump left the game “around the 7-minute mark ... there were two or three plays we couldn't hear at all.”

That included a misdirection touchdown run by Miami's Malachi Toney.

“Communication device came back right after the (Toney’s) touchdown,” Cignetti said. “And we had no problem the rest of the game.”

According to the media pool report of Trump's movements at the game, the president left the stadium with “with just under 8 minutes left in the 4th quarter.”

The White House on Friday insisted Trump’s departure caused no problems for the teams.

“No, President Trump’s departure from the CFP championship in January did not cause headset or comms issues for the teams,” the White House posted on X.

It's unclear if Trump's presence at other games like the Super Bowl have created issues. An NFL spokesman declined to comment Friday when asked if league officials work with the Secret Service when a president attends a game like the Super Bowl to minimize any impact on team communications.

Trump's visit to Neyland Stadium

University of Tennessee officials sent a midweek advisory encouraging fans to arrive “significantly earlier” than for a typical game. Neyland Stadium has an official capacity of 101,915 with this game the 30th consecutive sellout.

Fans were warned of the Secret Service conducting enhanced screening at the stadium gates and to “expect increased wait times as kickoff approaches.”

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Vertuno reported from Austin, Texas.

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The Pennsylvania senator joins CBS News’ Chief Washington Correspondent Major Garrett for a candid conversation about why he’s charting his own course and what he thinks of the current Democratic Party.

Fritz’s only career victory over Alcaraz came during Team World’s win over Europe in last year’s Laver Cup and the American had his chances to beat the Spaniard again.

But Alcaraz served an ace on Fritz’s first match point and then used a drop shot to save another, and Alcaraz finally won it on his third match point when Fritz got to his drop shot but couldn't get it back.

“The drop shot is part of my game,” Alcaraz said. “So in those moments, in those really close and important moments, I tried to use it because it was a really good weapon for me in this match and obviously I’ve been practicing the drops since I was a little kid.”

Fritz played a clean match with only nine unforced errors to Alcaraz’s 30. But Alcaraz led 42-20 in winners — often bringing the O2 Arena crowd to its feet, as Roger Federer and Andy Murray applauded from the front row.

It was Alcaraz's first singles match since he lost to Ben Shelton in a U.S. Open quarterfinal that ended at 3:33 a.m. He won a doubles match with Jakub Mensik on Friday.

Earlier, it was all Team World — which is captained by Andre Agassi — as Alex de Minaur had a 2-6, 7-6 (5), 11-9 comeback victory over Alexander Zverev and Learner Tien outlasted Flavio Cobolli 6-3, 2-6, 10-7.

In the final match of the day, Zverev partnered with Casper Ruud to beat Alexander Bublik and Brandon Nakashima 6-4, 7-6 (7) in doubles.

Wins are worth one point on Friday, two points on Saturday and three points on Sunday. The first team to reach 13 points wins.

De Minaur draws blood

De Minaur had blood trickling down his right leg after a diving volley he produced in the match tiebreaker against Zverev.

“If you can notice, my blood is red as well,” De Minaur said, referring to the color of Team World's shirts. “It was a very tough match. A tough battle. I left it all out there and got fortunate in the end to get the job done and happy to give some points for Team World.”

Europe had led 3-1 after Friday's play.

“We were in the same position last year and it worked out pretty well for us,” De Minaur said. “We know we can do some damage. We know we’re the underdogs, but we also know that we can step out on this court and light it up.”

Zverev wasted a match point

Zverev served for the match in the second set but double-faulted to hand De Minaur a break and the Australian stormed back into it.

Early in the match tiebreaker, De Minaur leaped for a volley and ended up sprawled on the black court before popping back up as Zverev's reply sailed out.

A few points later, Zverev also went down in a worrisome moment but appeared uninjured after his feet slipped out from under him as he hit a backhand.

Zverev then wasted a match point when he played passively and chipped a forehand wide.

There was more caution from Zverev on De Minaur's first match point as the French Open and U.S. Open champion hit a weak overhead to let the Australian back into the point. De Minaur then produced a backhand up the line that Zverev couldn't get back.

How did De Minaur keep believing?

“Keep asking questions. Give yourself a chance. And you never know if you put the ball in the court, you might get lucky," he said. "So that’s what I did today.”

Zverev's defeat ended his nine-match winning streak after the second-ranked player had followed his U.S. Open title with two Davis Cup victories for Germany last weekend.

Tien's stamina

The day's opening match also had drama.

On Tien’s first match point, he produced a blistering forehand passing shot that Cobolli could barely get his racket on to conclude a 34-shot rally.

The 13th-ranked Tien was making his Laver Cup debut.

Europe has won the Laver Cup five times while Team World took its third title in last year’s edition of the Ryder Cup-style event.

Yannick Noah is Europe's captain.

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At a campaign event at a gas station in Carrollton, Talarico called on his Republican opponent to condemn the ongoing Iran war and join his call to suspend the federal gas and diesel taxes. Hours later, Paxton came out against the gas tax, saying it should be permanently ended.

Talarico first called for a gas tax pause in April, saying the government should stop taxing people at the pump until prices fall below where they were when the war began in February, when the U.S. and Israel launched joint strikes against Iran. He has urged Paxton to join his call numerous times.

The price of gas and diesel, Talarico said, is exacerbating an existing affordability crisis in the state. And he called the war as a whole “a disaster.”

“Ken Paxton supports this disastrous war in Iran that’s driving up our costs,” Talarico said. “Today, I am calling on him to oppose this war and support my plan to suspend the federal gas tax and the federal diesel tax so we can provide Texans some necessary relief.”

The average gas price in Texas is $3.94 per gallon for regular gas and $5.90 for a gallon of diesel, according to AAA. Those figures are higher than even a month ago, and the cost of both fuels have risen significantly from one year ago — 69 percent higher for gas and 53 percent for diesel.

Paxton replied by saying he supports suspending the gas tax forever.

“Of course I support suspending the gas tax,” Paxton said. “In fact, I believe we should suspend it permanently. Repealing those taxes would put money straight back into drivers’ pockets every time they fill up, and Washington should fund roads by cutting waste, not by taxing Texans at the pump.”

The federal gas tax is 18.4 cents per gallon of gas and 24.4 cents per gallon of diesel. The vast majority of the funds raised from those taxes are deposited into the Highway Trust Fund, which funds federal highway and mass transit spending and capital projects, including the construction and maintenance of roads and bridges.

The tax was established in the 1930s and was raised several times since — most recently in 1993. Since the Highway Trust Fund was established in 1956, politicians have called for a gas tax holiday at numerous points — including during the COVID 19 pandemic — but Congress has never enacted such a law.

In his response, Paxton also accused Talarico of hypocrisy, saying his opponent has supported anti-oil and gas industry policies.

The attorney general did not address Talarico’s call to end the war in Iran. On the campaign trail, Paxton has said that he does not have access to current intelligence on the war, but that he supports the president and that a nuclear Iran would be untenable.

“He said that he thought, or he was told, that Iran was a few days away or a few weeks away from developing a nuclear weapon,” Paxton said in an interview with Bloomberg at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas earlier this month.

“That we couldn’t allow. So I understand. Would I have preferred it later, after the midterm elections, getting through it, and deal with them later? Yes. But the reality is, it sounds like he didn’t have a choice if he wanted to protect the country from an Iran with nuclear weapons,” he said.

Romaine, the senior transfer from Kansas State, became the first FBS player in 13 years with such quick pick-6s. They came seven seconds apart in the opening minute of the second quarter in the No. 11 Red Raiders' 49-14 win over the Bearkats on Saturday.

“Coach McGuire sent me a message just saying cut it loose and play free,” Romaine said. “And I just did a lot less thinking this game.”

The Red Raiders led only 7-0 before fellow linebacker Brock Gowlas leaped to deflect a pass thrown by Brett Holloway. Romaine, who had also jumped, then grabbed the ball out of the air and ran 15 yards for a touchdown with 14:54 left in the first half.

On the first play after the ensuing kickoff, Bearcats starting quarterback Landyn Locke was back in the game, and his pass on first down was picked off by Romaine. That 31-yard return made it 21-0.

Navy’s Dashaun Peele returned two interceptions for touchdowns against Charlotte in 2024, but Romaine is the first FBS player with pick-6s on consecutive throws since 2013.

DeVon Edwards returned two interceptions for scores on consecutive throws late in Duke’s 38-20 win over North Carolina State on Nov. 9, 2013. Edwards also had a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in that game.

Romaine had 184 tackles (110 solo) the past three seasons with the Wildcats. His only interception for K-State came in a game against Texas Tech last season when he had a cast on his left hand.

After winning their first Big 12 championship and going to the College Football Playoff last season, Tech had six defensive players taken in the NFL draft. That included All-America linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, who finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting.

McGuire, who felt that Romaine had been pressing, sent him a couple of texts and then spoke to him before the game.

“I said, ‘Man, I don’t need Jacob Rodriguez. He’s not coming back. I need Austin Romaine. There’s a reason we brought you here. Go out and be Austin Romaine, go be that guy,’” McGuire said. “And he showed up today, I thought he played free.”

When Gowlas batted the ball straight up in the air, Romaine went up and got it. On the next play, the Bearkats put a receiver in a motion while Romaine stayed where he was supposed to be on that play.

"I was in disbelief that I did it twice in a row,” Romaine said. “I just saw that slant coming across, and the ball was right there.”

The last time the Red Raiders had two pick-6s in the same game was when Kevin Curtis and Antwan Alexander both had one in a 58-0 win over Oklahoma State on Nov. 11, 2000. Romaine is the first Tech player with two in the same game.

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The collection treated the house's Sicilian codes as an inheritance to be updated rather than abandoned: a trousseau passed from grandmother to granddaughter, including nubby tweed suits updated with leopard trim and skirt, youthful bloomers and bra tops cut from checked tablecloth print worn with sheer stockings, and lace slips embellished with fringe and beads.

Crocheted doilies, which if not inherited can be easily found in Italian markets, became demure skirts and dresses.

Designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana courted younger customers with the generational exchange, mixing glammed-up denim with gardening boots, while preserving their signature black dresses, lingerie looks and animal prints.

Outside the showroom, fans waved signs for K-pop star Choi San and Japanese actor Hikaru Iwamoto. But it was “J-Lo” that they chanted in anticipation as guests streamed out of the runway show.

Lopez, who has a decades-old relationship with the fashion house, joined the designers at Vogue World earlier this week wearing a Dolce & Gabbana strapless black tulle gown with sequin detailing.

During the runway show, the singer and actress watched the models attentively, where one glam piece stood out as worthy of a diva: a trailing animal print hooded cape with gold detailing and trimmed with faux fur and worn over baggy jeans.

Substitute Mikel Oyarzabal came back to haunt England with his 74th-minute winner at Wembley.

Oyarzabal also scored the winning goal when Spain beat England in the final of the European Championship in 2024. On this occasion he calmly chipped goalkeeper James Trafford from close range to complete the world champion's comeback after trailing 2-1 at halftime.

England was punished for missing a penalty — to go 3-1 ahead — and for mistakes that led to Spain's first two goals.

“We couldn’t unfortunately convert the penalty, that may have been the decisive moment because I think then Spain would have maybe for the first time believed that their long run of unbeaten games ends here,” England coach Thomas Tuchel told broadcaster ITV Sport. “The third goal, I think, was the only goal that they really scored. The other ones there were too many individual big mistakes.”

In Spain's first game since beating Argentina in the World Cup final, its long-running unbeaten streak was put under serious threat. But Luis de la Fuente's team responded like champions to make a winning start to its Nations League campaign.

Lamine Yamal got Spain off to a flying start, needing less than two minutes to score when he dispossessed England defender Marc Guehi and fired low past Trafford into the far corner.

Spain dominated the chances and the scorer of the winning goal in the World Cup final, Ferran Torres, twice failed to make the most of opportunities when through on goal.

After surviving those scares England leveled through Antony Gordon after a swift breakaway in the 36th, combining with Jude Bellingham and sliding a low shot past Unai Simon.

England went ahead only four minutes later through Kane, whose header deflected off Marc Cucurella.

Early in the second half England had the chance to extend its lead when Rodri brought down Kane in the box and after VAR review was awarded a penalty. But Spain was let off the hook when Kane slipped during his run.

That miss proved even more costly when, on the hour, substitute Alex Baena curled a low shot into the corner to level the game again, with Nico O'Reilly guilty of losing the ball close to goal. Spain completed its comeback as Oyarzabal coolly converted from Baena's assist.

“We had a terrible start, the worst start possible. It makes it so difficult to be behind against this kind of team,” Tuchel said. “There will always be moments where you suffer against a team like this, the details matter. It matters that you take your chances and you reduce the decisive mistakes. This was not in our favor today.”

Modric's enduring class

Even at the age of 41, Luka Modric is still delivering for Croatia.

The veteran midfielder scored his nation’s opening goal in a 2-1 win away to Czech Republic.

Spain tops Group A3 ahead of Croatia on goals scored.

New Scotland coach Sebastien Pocognoli started with a 0-0 draw against Slovenia.

Zeki Amdouni scored two goals in Switzerland's 3-0 win away to North Macedonia, and Joel Pohjanpalo scored a hat trick as Finland routed bottom-ranked San Marino 7-0.

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

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See AP’s full soccer coverage here

Meanwhile, Iranian media outlets said the country's president has left New York after the United Nations gathering of world leaders that included Iran's indirect talks with the United States. And Saudi Arabia says it has intercepted another missile it blames on Iran -backed Houthis in neighboring Yemen.

Here is a look at the latest news from the Middle East on Saturday. More coverage of the U.N. General Assembly is available here.

Trump rejects Iran proposal to reopen the Strait

Iran offered this week to reopen the strait and resume talks on its nuclear program in seven days if the U.S. lifts its naval blockade of Iranian ports, waives sanctions on Iranian oil sales and observes a ceasefire that would include Lebanon.

But on Saturday, Trump rejected the proposal saying Iran wanted to make a deal because it was “losing so badly.”

“They want to make a deal and I think that’s fine,” Trump told reporters outside the White House before leaving for a college football game. “I’d like to make a deal, too. But that deal would not be acceptable.”

Iran effectively closed the strait after the U.S. and Israel attacked the Islamic Republic in late February, and the number of ships passing through has dropped significantly because of Iranian threats and attacks on vessels in the waterway.

Iranian outlets say the country's president has left New York

Semiofficial media outlets in Iran reported that President Masoud Pezeshkian has left New York for Tehran after the annual U.N. gathering of world leaders.

Pezeshkian's speech to the gathering pushed back against Trump's latest threat to “annihilate” the Islamic Republic, but he ended by saying Tehran remains open to diplomacy.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told journalists Friday night that under Tehran's proposal, Iran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resume talks on its nuclear program in seven days if the United States lifts its naval blockade of Iranian ports, waives sanctions on Iranian oil sales and observes a ceasefire that would include Lebanon.

Iran's president says supreme leader, still unseen in public, has no health issues

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told CBS that, from his viewpoint as a physician, Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei has “no specific ongoing health issues” despite not being seen or heard in public since the war with the U.S. and Israel began in February.

The interview will air Sunday.

In the transcript CBS released, Pezeshkian described his most recent meeting with Khamenei as lasting over seven hours. “But, of course, he was healthy enough to be able to withstand those hours of that situation. From a medical standpoint, he’s completely healthy,” the president said. When asked whether the supreme leader’s face and legs have recovered, Pezeshkian responded, “Yes.”

Khamenei’s father and other family members were killed on the opening day of the war.

Saudi Arabia says it intercepted a missile fired by Houthis

Saudi Arabia’s military spokesperson, Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki, claimed early Saturday that a ballistic missile launched by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in neighboring Yemen was intercepted and destroyed. He said it was fired toward the southwestern city of Khamis Mushait.

The Associated Press couldn’t immediately verify that independently. There was no immediate statement of responsibility, though it can take days for the Houthis to issue one.

A regional body representing Arab Gulf states, the Gulf Cooperation Council, condemned the latest Houthi attacks as a “grave escalation and threat to regional security” and urged the international community to respond.

Iraq seeks exemptions to US sanctions on Iranian airlines

Iraq said it is in direct contact with the U.S. to secure exemptions from sanctions on Iranian airlines as Washington continues economic pressure on Tehran.

The Iraqi prime minister’s office said the aim is to get exemptions for certain airports, noting flights for humanitarian reasons such as medical treatment, education and religious pilgrimages.

Many pilgrims in neighboring Iran visit sites such as Karbala and Najaf.

Trump again posts a map calling key waterway ‘Trump Strait’

Before rejecting Iran's proposal Saturday, Trump posted an image on his Truth Social platform of the Strait of Hormuz labeled “Trump Strait." It is not the first time he has tried to antagonize Iran in this way.

The White House on Friday said only that U.S. officials were having positive and constructive conversations with mediators on the Iran war. Earlier in the week, Iran and the U.S. participated in hours of indirect talks.

Israeli settlers seize more water sources in the West Bank

Israeli settlers have intensified efforts to seize natural springs and heritage sites in the occupied West Bank. The springs are vital for drinking water, tourism and agriculture and increasingly inaccessible to the 2.8 million Palestinians living there.

In the Jordan Valley, settlers cut a water pipe to a Palestinian village, redirecting it to a pool they named after Herod, the Roman-appointed king of Judea. Israeli rights groups say the move is part of a broader effort to claim heritage sites.

The struggle for water access highlights the ongoing contest for control of the West Bank, where Palestinians have faced shortages since 1967.

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This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.

CNN, a member of the U.S. network video pool that rotates duties shooting and sharing video coverage of the president, reported it had been scheduled to fly aboard the president’s plane Saturday for a visit to a midday game between the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and the University of Texas. But White House guidance issued Friday night instead included Real America’s Voice, a conservative outlet.

The White House guidance was issued after journalists from CNN, along with MS NOW and Politico, which Trump banned last week from the White House grounds, returned to the executive complex with TV cameras in hand after a judge handed the organizations a reprieve.

U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly temporarily struck down the president's ban in an overnight ruling early Thursday, but his decision dealt with “hard passes” to the White House grounds and didn’t directly address pool duties.

The judge’s temporary order also said nothing directly about Air Force One.

The spot meant for CNN on the flight has long been saved for a member of the U.S. network video pool; Real America’s Voice is not a part of that group. The White House did not respond to emails from The Associated Press requesting comment about the decision.

CNN declined to comment.

A written pool report Saturday morning confirmed there was “no TV pool” for the travel, though Real America's Voice celebrated its inclusion in the trip and said it would make feeds available to other news outlets.

“CNN is not here; we have taken over that responsibility. We are so excited to be here,” correspondent Taylor Mitchell said in a video that the outlet posted on social media.

On Saturday morning, the president addressed the broader debate in a post on social media, writing: “FAKE NEWS SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED IN THE WHITE HOUSE!!! IT HAS GONE ON FAR TOO LONG, AT A TREMENDOUS COST TO OUR COUNTRY."

Fans at the game caught a low-altitude flyover as Air Force One came into town while the teams were warming up. The president’s motorcade arrived just as the national anthem was being sung, and the president was later shown on a jumbotron and greeted with cheers, according to a text pool report.

Media organizations believe the court decision covers the ‘pool’

Theodore Boutrous Jr., an attorney for CNN, MS NOW and Politico, did not respond to phone calls or emails Friday evening or Saturday morning. Earlier Friday, on “The Lead with Jake Tapper,” Boutrous said the plaintiffs believe the recent court ruling also covers the issue of pool access.

For a while Friday, the U.S. network video pool for the White House was back in operation for the first time since Trump banned the three news outlets in an extraordinary showdown over media access.

At noon on CNN, viewers could see Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping touring the National Archives, along with Melania Trump and Peng Liyuan, Xi's wife. The banner along the bottom of the screen read: “Trump and China’s Xi Visit National Archives.” It was a routine report from a state visit — except that CNN had not aired live video of Trump in several days.

“As of now, all systems are go,” said a person familiar with the pool, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the fluidity of the situation.

Pool participants showed solidarity this week

The TV pool consists of five major U.S. broadcast outlets. When the White House banned CNN from the White House grounds, along with MS NOW and Politico, the other four pool providers declined to participate in a show of solidarity.

CNN did not comment directly Friday, referring instead to its editorial coverage. It did the same Saturday. But Brian Stelter, the network’s media analyst, posted on X Friday that CNN had a pool assignment at the National Archives event and that the White House had approved the network’s credentials.

The outlet on Saturday covered its exclusion from Air Force One, writing that the move “represents the Trump administration’s latest salvo against CNN and the broader White House press corps.”

Throughout his second term, Trump has increasingly targeted media outlets whose coverage irritates him, taking administrative or legal action against several. Early last year, he banished AP reporters from White House events because the organization wasn’t abiding by his executive order changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America.” The AP’s guidance says to acknowledge the new name when relevant.

The case is on appeal after a federal district judge ruled in AP’s favor.

The press pool was created decades ago by the White House Correspondents’ Association, a group of journalists who cover the president, to make sure a rotating roster always travels with the president. The pool distributes in-person reports and imagery to the broader press corps and is designed to hold the nation’s chief executive accountable on behalf of the American public.

The association did not respond to emails requesting comment.

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AP National Writer Jocelyn Noveck contributed.

Ireland is due to play Israel in Debrecen, Hungary in the first of those games Sunday, but the team’s press conference and training session Saturday were delayed by more than five hours as the players again held discussions among themselves in the team hotel over whether they should play.

Bazunu takes a stand

Gavin Bazunu later confirmed on social media that he had left the squad. He said he felt it would be “wrong to participate” in the games “based purely upon my personal belief that the killing of innocent people is wrong.”

The 24-year-old reserve goalkeeper stressed his stance was “not in opposition of the Israeli people or the Jewish community but against the atrocities in the region. There are few times where you get a chance in life to stand up for something bigger and I strongly believe that this is one of them.”

David Courell, the CEO of the Football Association of Ireland, said at a long-delayed press conference earlier that an unnamed player's “discomfort with fulfilling this fixture” had caused deliberations for the rest of the squad. He said a vote was taken among the players and that “a significant majority” favored continuing with the games.

“Based on that, the association took the decision on behalf of Irish football that this fixture would continue as we have always intended to fulfill the fixtures,” Courell said.

Bazunu, who reportedly told the team Friday night that he did not want to play, was not mentioned in the press conference, but Ireland coach Heimir Hallgrimsson said a player was leaving.

“All the rest of the players are training today,” Hallgrimsson said. “It’s an ongoing discussion and we haven’t come to a kind of conclusion on this, but we are going ahead, the game is going ahead, we’re going to train. And there will be more discussions tonight and probably tomorrow."

Black armbands

Courell said the players were uncomfortable dealing with questions “that are not about football” so they had requested not to have to deal with media obligations around Sunday's match.

“They also have the intention of wearing black armbands in recognition of all lives lost in the conflict," Courell said. "And also there will be elements of the pre-match ceremony that will not be partaken in.”

He added that both the players and the FAI will be making a “significant contribution” to charity from both match fees – neither of which is open to Irish fans – and from Ireland's game against Austria in Dublin on Oct. 1.

Ireland's national broadcaster RTÉ said last week it will only provide stripped-back coverage of the games vs. Israel to meet contractual obligations — with no studio presentation, commentary on the international feed, or analysis — while it will also not accept advertising or sponsorship around either game.

RTÉ also announced last week that Ireland will boycott the Eurovision Song Contest for a second year over Israel's participation.

Pressure builds

The Ireland team has been coming under increasing pressure at home, where affinity with Palestinians is strong, to boycott the two games against Israel — Israel's “home” game Sunday and Ireland’s “home” game in Backa Topola, Serbia on Oct. 4.

The FAI said in June that Ireland's home game was moving to a neutral venue for “operational reasons” and that no fans will be present. That followed widespread calls to boycott the match, and the FAI's own motion the previous November calling on UEFA to ban Israel from club and international competitions.

“There’s a huge support – probably in Europe the biggest support – for Palestine in Ireland,” Hallgrimsson said. “And there’s been protests since the draw (in February) not to play this fixture. There’s been a protest from day one not to play the fixture in Ireland and that’s the pressure that the players will feel and the association will feel. I felt that pressure growing day by day and it’s getting almost to a breaking limit now.”

Ireland midfielder Jason Knight said after Thursday’s 1-0 loss in Kosovo that the players were in a difficult situation and that he didn’t think the matches should be going ahead.

Hallgrimsson previously said “we’re not playing with genocide, we’re playing against genocide. We’re playing against Israel, we’re not playing with Israel” — drawing a furious reaction from the Israeli soccer federation, which accused the Icelandic coach of “stupidity, ignorance and hypocrisy.”

The FAI had resisted calls to boycott the matches, arguing the team could be hit with punishing sanctions by UEFA. Ireland is co-hosting the 2028 European Championship with England, Wales and Scotland.

More than 160 Irish sportspeople signed an open letter urging the FAI to reconsider its decision to go ahead with the fixtures.

There were protesters outside the team hotel in Dublin last week calling on the players to boycott the games. The SIPTU trade union displayed a huge poster in central Dublin beside the River Liffey asking the players to “Go with your conscience!” and “Don't play with genocide” beside an image of a blood-splattered ball.

Former Ireland coach Brian Kerr said the FAI had “lost the respect of the Irish people” for going ahead with the games.

“The Irish people and the soccer-going public don’t want the games to be played,” Kerr said. “I think they’ve made their opinions clear over the last year. The FAI back in November actually went to UEFA and requested that Israel be put out of the tournament on a principle. And yet they went against that principle.”

UEFA did not respond to a request for comment on Saturday's developments.

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See AP’s full soccer coverage here

People who have been inside Texas’ ICE detention centers describe what’s happening, who’s being held and what it means for communities, families and the rule of law.

Thailand’s Meteorological Department warned that the deluge, which has been pouring since Thursday afternoon, would continue in most parts of the country through Sunday.

Accumulated rainfall in many areas of Bangkok since Thursday exceeded 30 centimeters (11.8 inches), officials said. Floodwaters spread across the city, particularly in the central and eastern parts, blocking roads and stopping traffic.

Although not all parts of Bangkok were submerged, the city declared all 50 districts a flood disaster area to help authorities respond quickly. More than 200 shelters were set up across the city and about 4,200 people have moved in, according to Bangkok Gov. Chadchart Sittipunt.

More than 84,000 people in 21 provinces nationwide were affected by flooding as of Saturday, especially in the central region. Authorities sent emergency warning messages through cellphones, the government said.

Hwang Hwan-chung, who flew from South Korea and has visited Bangkok a dozen times, said he had never seen such “crazy” weather, adding that he couldn’t find a taxi.

Sukanya Tongsuk, a resident, said the current flooding was similar to the last time Bangkok was hit in 2011.

Meanwhile, Dutch resident Bjorn Franken, who has lived in the capital for two years, said he was able to cope although one event he wanted to attend had been canceled.

Many businesses in Bangkok closed on Saturday due to flooding.

Cars crawled along waterlogged roads in parts of Bangkok, and bikers were seen pushing their motorcycles. Authorities said some regional bus services from Bangkok to the eastern provinces were suspended.

Phetchaburi Road, one of the capital’s busiest, was unusually quiet as vehicles were turned back by floods. Some were left partially submerged.

Residents made their way through murky waters, carrying fresh water and food. Some were barefoot and others wore rubber waders, while several wrapped plastic bags around their feet to keep dry.

Air traffic control authorities confirmed flight operations were normal, but some flights might face delays.

Chadchart said despite the heavy rain, flooding should recede once the rain subsides, as city officials work to drain floodwaters as quickly as possible.

The “Dolly Lunch & Mahjong” event at The Mustard Seed, located at 9111 Massey Tompkins Road, brought together about 40 women for a buffet lunch, mahjong games and a celebration of Parton’s music, style and philanthropy.

The gathering coincided with Dolly Parton Day on Sept. 25 — a date chosen as a nod to Parton’s hit song “9 to 5.” Communities across the country marked the day with celebrations, pink lights, parades and book drives following Parton’s death last month at age 80.

A legacy of bringing people together

For Angela Clement, the event was a natural way to honor a woman whose influence extended far beyond country music.

“She led a godly life. She lifted up other women. She was a literacy advocate,” Clement said. “She rose very high from her humble beginnings, and her music touches everyone in a positive, good way.”

Clement normally hosts about 20 women for a weekly mahjong game at her home. After Parton’s death and the announcement of Dolly Parton Day, she began planning a larger gathering with The Mustard Seed. The event filled all 40 spots in less than 24 hours.

• ‘It gives riches to my soul’: Sprinkler company owner donates new system to historic community garden

Next year’s celebration falls on a Saturday, and Clement expects the group could grow to about 60 women.

But the day was about more than a game.

“It’s really not about the game. It’s about all the friendships that you make,” said Ann Best, who moved to the area from Seattle five years ago.

Best said mahjong helped her meet people in a new community. She did not know everyone in the room, but she said that was part of the appeal.

“You don’t move into a community and get to know people... except mahjong,” Best said. “I think I know half of Mont Belvieu and Baytown now.”

Women from several mahjong groups attended, including the regular mahjong moms, the “Mahjongers” and members of the Mahjong Society. Some were seated with people they had never met before.

Clement said the game’s social and challenging nature creates an easy way for people to connect.

“I didn’t have a large girlfriend circle. I have no family here,” said Clement, who retired from ExxonMobil after 28 years. “When I got the opportunity to learn mahjong and the social aspect of mahjong, we were all about it.”

Decades of friendship, advocacy and rhinestones

Gina Bibb attended alongside several former high school classmates as they prepare for their 50th reunion. She said she also made new friends through the group.

Parton’s commitment to children and literacy was another major theme of the event. Through her Imagination Library, the Dollywood Foundation provides free books to children, sending more than a million books each month in communities across several countries.

• Good Neighbor Program helps Houston District J homeowners make critical repairs at no cost

Bibb said Parton’s philanthropy is one of the reasons she continues to inspire so many people.

“She could have just been all about herself,” Bibb said. “But she’s still down to earth.”

The women also celebrated Parton’s unmistakable style. Rhinestones, sequins, butterflies, big hair and shades of pink filled the room, reflecting the look Parton made part of her public identity.

Clement wore a sweatshirt featuring one of Parton’s best-known sayings: “Find out who you are and do it on purpose.”

“To me, that means shine,” Clement said. “Be who you want to be. Don’t be who the world conforms you to be. Be yourself, shine bright and live a full life.”

For another attendee, Parton represented kindness and the ability to lift people’s spirits.

“If everyone could be like Dolly, this world would be unbeatable,” said Robin Stoerner. “Her kindness, her thoughtfulness, her ability to bring smiles to people just by entering a room — we need to be more like Dolly.”

By the end of the luncheon, the mahjong tables had become meeting places for old friends and new ones. The women played, posed for photos and celebrated a legacy they said was rooted not only in music, but in generosity, optimism and community.

“She was so happy and uplifting,” Best said. “Her whole purpose in life was to make people happy and spread joy.”

City has reportedly been found guilty of all but one of the 115 charges against the club, which could result in punishments such as a huge points deduction or even expulsion from English soccer's top division.

The club has always denied wrongdoing and Al Mubarak restated that stance in a letter to fans.

“The Premier League process still has a long way to run, and our confidence and intent in proving the club’s innocence is just as strong as when this began,” he wrote.

“There are so many things that I would like to be able to share with you to help you understand why we feel so confident in our position."

Confidentiality conditions, he said, prevented him from revealing that information.

“While some people have been quick to reach their own conclusions, and there is so much noise swirling around us, nothing has changed,” Al Mubarak said. “We have faced challenges together before and have prevailed. There remain many who want to undermine the momentum of our club. We will not give them that opportunity.”

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani appeared to add his voice to the issue Friday when posting on X “114” seemingly in reference to the charges.

Mamdani is a fan of City rival Arsenal.

The Premier League accused City in February 2023 of providing misleading information about its finances over a nine-year period from 2009-18.

Questions about the Abu Dhabi-backed club's financial dealings have hung over City after supposed leaked emails and documents, likely hacked, were published starting in 2018 by German magazine Der Spiegel. The documents allegedly showed City tried to mask the source of revenue from deals tied to Abu Dhabi, whose ruling family bought the club in 2008 and has overseen the spending of hundreds of millions of dollars on some of the world’s best players over the following two decades.

In 2020, UEFA ruled City had committed “serious breaches” of Financial Fair Play regulations from 2012-16. But a two-year ban was later overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport because allegations were either rejected or found to have happened too long ago to be investigated.

The Premier League's case, which accused City of more than 100 breaches including providing misleading information about its finances and failure to co-operate with the investigation, has run for more than three years.

City has been the most dominant team in England over the last 15 years, winning eight Premier League titles since 2012 as well as the Champions League in 2023. Over the period in question — 2009-18 — City won the league three times, in 2012, 2014 and 2018.

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

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See AP’s full soccer coverage here

The intensifying aerial war between Moscow and Kyiv came as U.S. President Donald Trump said he hoped Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would “settle” with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Russia has struck Ukraine with cruise and ballistic missiles, glide bombs and jet-powered drones while front-line progress has slowed, some 4½-years after Moscow launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbor.

“It is essential that our partners not forget: Russia is escalating every single day. If the Russians have chosen to make their strikes even more brutal, the world must choose stronger responses to keep the war from spreading further,” Zelenskyy wrote on Saturday.

He listed “numerous strikes on residential homes” in the cities of Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia, and the Odesa, Sumy, and Kharkiv regions.

Two women in Zaporizhzhia died when they were trapped beneath the rubble of their home, Zaporizhzhia’s regional military administration said. A separate Russian attack on the city of Sumy also killed two people, local officials said.

Elsewhere in Ukraine, two people were injured overnight in the Kyiv region after a Russian drone strike sparked a fire at a warehouse in the Boryspil district. Russian drones also struck several districts of the capital, injuring four people and damaging residential and office buildings, officials said.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said Saturday that the attack on Kyiv damaged a data center supporting mobile internet services and Starlink satellite communications.

Drones target Russian refineries

Separately, Ukraine continued to target Russian oil refineries and industrial sites with long-range drones. A Ukrainian drone attack in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region killed three people and wounded two, local officials said Saturday.

Regional Gov. Veniamin Kondratyev said in a post on Telegram that the attack sparked fires at two industrial sites but provided no further details.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later said that Kyiv had damaged the region's Ilsky oil refinery.

Ukrainian attacks also killed three people overnight in the Russian-occupied part of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, Moscow-installed regional head Yevgeny Balitsky said Saturday, according to Russian state media.

Trump says he hopes Zelenskyy will ‘settle’ with Putin

Trump commented on Saturday on his meeting with Zelenskyy at the U.N. General Assembly, saying that he hoped the Ukrainian leader would “settle” with Putin.

After Tuesday’s meeting, Zelenskyy told journalists that he trusted the White House could help end Russia’s invasion of his country, even as attacks by both sides intensified.

While campaigning for reelection in 2024, Trump claimed he could broker an end to the war almost immediately. The conflict has continued, but Trump said Saturday that Zelenskyy and Putin were “going along” and that “someday, hopefully in the not-too-distant future, maybe before the heavy winter, they’ll make a deal.”

“You know what I want him to do? Make a deal,” Trump said, referring to Zelenskyy. “I want him to settle with Putin, and I want Putin to settle with him.”

While in New York, Zelenskyy also appealed to the United Nations for countries to deprive Russia of revenue through sanctions and trade restrictions, denying Moscow the money it needs to prolong the war. Despite years of diplomatic efforts, however, there has been no breakthrough toward ending the conflict.

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

• 17-year-old in custody in connection to fatal shooting of Westbury High School student LePaul Warren

Travoris Jarrell Hines is accused of shooting Warren on Friday near Dryad Street and Chimney Rock Road, just outside the school and across from its athletic fields.

Warren, also 17, was shot shortly after 8:20 a.m. He was a senior and played wide receiver on Westbury’s varsity football team and shooting guard on the basketball team. Family and friends described him as respectful, polite and well-liked.

Hines was taken into custody Friday evening while walking in the 11300 block of Hillcroft Avenue, Houston police said. Investigators used witness interviews, security-camera footage, phone data, a photo lineup and drone surveillance at a nearby apartment complex to identify him.

Police recovered a weapon but were still determining whether it was used in the shooting. Investigators have not announced a motive. They believe Hines and Warren knew each other in some way and may have connected through social media.

• Coping with violence: therapist’s advice after two teens killed near Houston schools

Westbury High School was placed in secure mode after the shooting, although Police Chief J. Noe Diaz said the campus was never in danger. Students were later released to their parents, and counselors were made available.

The school canceled Saturday night’s homecoming football game. Administrators said they are working to reschedule the game.

Court records show Hines also faces an additional charge of unlawfully carrying a handgun.

Hines’ first court appearance is scheduled for Sept. 28.

“Erring on the side of innovation and winning the race is the right initial posture,” Arrington said.

But other experts pushed back.

Chris Hyams, the former CEO of Indeed, said the question should not be whether to regulate development of such a powerful technology but how to regulate it. He characterized Arrington’s argument about needing to beat China as a false one.

China has tight regulation around artificial intelligence use, and much of that country’s innovations are based on U.S. models, Hyams said. That’s because the U.S. has much more compute power, he added.

So if the U.S. slows down artificial intelligence development, China’s progress will slow too, like a motor boat pulling a water skier behind it, Hyams said.

A lack of clear technology regulation stifles companies, Hyams said. And voters support stricter protections, too.

“The time has come that we look around, and we say, ‘What do we need to do? What does the United States need to do to protect our residents?’” said Sherri Greenberg, assistant dean at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. She added, “We do have to work globally.”

Still, Arrington characterized a United Nations-style governance of AI as “disastrous” because he does not trust China.

“Zero risk means we lose,” Arrington said. “If that’s the game we’re going to play, we will lose. Managing the risk responsibly, that’s right on. Winning the race, I think, is an imperative.”

Meanwhile, at a workforce panel at The Texas Tribune Festival, Jason Tyszko, a senior vice president at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, said there’s a growing disconnect around how colleges and employers see AI.

More employers are expecting applicants to have a basic level of competence in AI for entry-level jobs. But AI is treated like the “boogeyman” at colleges, where students are afraid of being accused of cheating. 

“It’s incumbent upon campuses to demystify what’s going on with AI,” Tyszko said. “This isn’t science fiction… It’s as practical as a calculator, using the internet.”

Disclosure: The University of Texas at Austin has been a major financial supporter of The Texas Tribune. Chris Hyams and Sherri Greenberg have been financial supporters within the past five years. The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in our journalism. Find a complete list of them and more information about our financial and disclosure policies here.

They also agreed to continue cooperating through a Board of Trade focused on selected bilateral issues. The White House said the board began operating this week.

The summit produced no major breakthroughs, but analysts said the steps toward greater cooperation were important because they established working groups that could help prevent disputes from escalating.

Xi returned to Beijing on Saturday, according to the state-run Xinhua News Agency. During the visit, Trump displayed unusual warmth toward Xi, despite having escalated a trade war with China the previous year that had global repercussions.

The two sides agreed to sign a memorandum of understanding on strengthening crisis communications and preventing crises between the two militaries, China’s Foreign Ministry said Saturday in its readout. The one-page statement from the Chinese side was light on details.

Both sides will set up a communication mechanism for artificial intelligence -related incidents, to discuss related risks and benefits, with an AI-specific dialogue scheduled for November.

Trump indicated on Saturday that there would be limits on what the U.S. would share with China and said that Washington would not slow its AI efforts.

The “United States of America is not going to be putting on brakes,” Trump told reporters outside the White House. “They want to stop our progress because we’re leading China by a lot and we’re going to keep it that way.”

He added: “I would rather not integrate because we’re leading by a lot. When you’re leading, you don’t open it up to each other. We’re leading by at least a year, maybe a year and a half. Some people say two years. I’m not looking to open it up.”

The statement from China said both sides will continue to work together on the pledge to reduce reciprocal tariffs on roughly $30 billion worth of goods. During the summit, the two leaders agreed to extend a trade truce by two months. The White House statement said China agreed to import at least 10 million metric tons of coal from the U.S. in 2027 and 2028.

Most of the reduction in tariffs is aimed at non-sensitive goods, such as agricultural products or holiday decorations.

The statement from the White House also said the two sides continued to work on American concerns about rare earths supply, “with the goal of ensuring shipment levels return to appropriate levels.” China put export controls on rare earths last year in response to the U.S. tariffs, cutting the supply sent to the U.S. and other countries.

Both sides agreed to meet at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen, China, in November, and then later at the G20 at the Trump National Doral Miami golf club in Florida.

Both governments said Iran should honor its stated commitment not to develop nuclear weapons. They also said no country should charge tolls on international waterways, an apparent reference to the Strait of Hormuz, where traffic has fallen significantly since the U.S. war with Iran began.

The U.S. statement welcomed China’s decision to impose export controls on two additional precursor chemicals used to produce fentanyl. Both sides also noted recent arrests in fentanyl-related cases.

Although the summit did not resolve the countries’ fundamental differences, analysts said the incremental progress was noteworthy.

“Personal diplomacy between the two leaders is important, but the emphasis on working-level engagement, military-to-military dialogue and crisis-management mechanisms suggests an effort to make that stability more durable and institutionalized,” said Wang Zichen, deputy secretary-general of the Beijing-based Center for China and Globalization.

___

Associated Press writer Ben Finley in Washington contributed to this report.

The center’s executive director and chief operating officer, Matt Floca, did not treat the roofing issues as priorities and in April halted a funded plan to address them, according to the letter Thursday signed by David Seide, a lawyer representing the anonymous whistleblowers.

Floca denied their allegations, saying recent investigations of the leaks exposed new hazards at the building.

In a September court declaration, Floca noted there were “acute risks to public safety" when the aging building temporarily closed its doors after an inspection of a deteriorating roof terrace canopy and a partial ceiling collapse. The former employees, however, claim those “acute” issues were known previously by Floca, who joined the Kennedy Center as vice president of facilities in 2024.

“More than one year ago, Mr. Floca had requested and received the needed funds to remediate the New Problems he references," Seide wrote, citing President Donald Trump's tax cut and spending bill that he signed in the summer of 2025. “Yet six months ago – with the funds in hand – he stopped the remediation process from moving forward.” In the legislation, Congress earmarked $257 million for the Kennedy Center.

The letter, first reported by The New York Times, is the latest in a series of tensions over an iconic Potomac River waterfront building that has become a focus of the Republican president in his remaking of the nation's capital in his second term. Trump has installed his own leadership to the center's governing board and had his name placed on the building before a judge ruled the new lettering was illegally added and ordered it removed.

The Trump-aligned board voted earlier this month to close the center indefinitely for repairs hours after U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper blocked its plans to return Trump’s name to the building.

Cooper has told the center that it must give 30 days' notice before making any major physical changes to the building, including demolishing it, as Trump has threatened. The Kennedy Center leadership also must file a status report no later than Friday on the temporary closure and emergency repairs.

Asked for a response to the whistleblowers' claims, a Kennedy Center spokesperson sent a written statement from Floca, who said the safety of patrons, artists and staff is his priority.

“The Kennedy Center has known for years that the roof overhang leaked," he wrote. "What we did not know until this summer was how far the damage had spread inside it.”

Floca added that rather than halting design plans in April as the whistleblowers alleged, he had reassigned the work to a more comprehensive plan because the contractor’s quote for the initial plans were nearly three times the expected cost.

“That was a change in the approach to procuring and delivering the work, not a determination that the work was unnecessary,” Floca wrote.

Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, the top Democrat on the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, wrote Floca on Thursday after receiving the whistleblower letter. Whitehouse said the documents showed Kennedy Center leadership had “hoarded” congressionally appropriated funding for repairs “while blaming previous leadership for the state of repairs.”

“My initial investigation into misconduct at the Center focused on cronyism and corruption, with documents demonstrating considerable excessive and self-serving spending under President Trump’s chairmanship," Whitehouse said. “The documents that I attach today seem to reveal deeper financial mismanagement.”

A spokesperson for the committee's Republican majority did not immediately reply to a request for comment Saturday.

Harris County Sheriff’s Office deputies responded Friday night to the 8700 block of Barker Cypress Road near West Road, where the child was inside the vehicle with a parent and three siblings. The family had been waiting in a business parking lot for another relative.

• Westbury High School homecoming football game canceled after deadly shooting

Investigators said a person in a dark-colored sedan traveling north on Barker Cypress Road fired several shots at a lifted black truck moving through the parking lot. The minivan was positioned between the two vehicles as the sedan traveled alongside the truck.

The child was hit near the shoulder area, according to deputies. No other injuries were reported.

The investigation remains active. Anyone with information is asked to call the Harris County Sheriff’s Office at 713-221-6000 or Crime Stoppers of Houston at 713-222-TIPS (8477).

The undertaking is as robust as it is daunting, spanning several House committees. With majority power comes bigger budgets and staff, and the ability to investigate, subpoena and potentially course-correct what the Democrats say are widespread corruption and abuses of power. Impeachment of the Republican president and Cabinet officials is not off the table.

“There is a cost to the American people of the out-of-control corruption,” said Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, who is in line to become House speaker if Democrats win control at the Capitol.

“If folks have been stealing from the American people, shortchanging the American people or screwing over the American people,” Jeffries said, “we are going to hold the crooks accountable.”

Congress has enormous ability to conduct oversight of the executive branch as part of its power as a coequal branch of government, and a road map for the Democratic-run investigations has already been set by the almost daily letters lawmakers send to the administration and in amicus court filings.

Democrats are asking about the money-making by Trump and his family, whose wealth has grown dramatically since he returned to the White House in January 2025. They are investigating the potential civil rights violations of Americans killed protesting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations and of detained immigrants being deported to faraway countries. They have fought the closing of the Kennedy Center, launched investigations into private funding of the America at 250 celebrations and tracked the shuttering of federal operations, including the U.S. Agency for International Development.

New questions emerge daily, including the Trump family’s recent acknowledgment that a weekend wedding party for the president’s son Donald Trump Jr. was partly funded by a Russian oligarch, with reportedly close ties to the Kremlin.

Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., who is in line to become the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, characterized the issues involved as “gargantuan."

“We need to zero in quickly on the forms of systemic corruption that have cost the public huge amounts of money," Raskin told The Associated Press, “and where there are legislative cures available.”

Trump impeachments made history then. Could it happen again?

Jeffries will almost certainly be under pressure from the far left to move more swiftly to articles of impeachment against Trump, who during his first became the first president to be twice impeached by the House. Both times, he was acquitted by the Senate.

Impeaching the president a third time may not hold the currency that it once did. Democrats will more likely focus their impeachment efforts on Cabinet members. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth already faces articles of impeachment from a Republican, Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, over his leadership at the Pentagon and his management of the Iran war.

“We haven’t ruled anything out,” Jeffries said recently about the tools available to Congress, “and we haven’t ruled anything in.”

The White House is likely to play hardball if confronted with investigations, and Democrats are bracing for an administration that potentially ignores subpoenas or refuses to turn over paperwork that lawmakers are demanding.

The Democrats are also reaching beyond the administration into various corporate and business entities for potential wrongdoing.

‘We’ll act like the Congress,' says one Democrat in line to lead a committee

Ranking Democratic lawmakers who are in line to lead committees if power shifts are beginning to chart the investigations they plan to tackle.

Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the top Democrat now on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, has outlined five priorities, including Trump family business dealings, the administration's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation and ICE operations.

“We’re already doing work,” Garcia told the AP.

He also mentioned the Department of Health and Human Services under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., as well as broader allegations of corporate corruption.

The top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, whose jurisdiction includes the State Department, said the committee plans to investigate Trump's international dealings, including around the Iran war.

He expects the committee will also look into the administration's Venezuela operations — from the military strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific waters to the U.S. partnership with a private company to develop and access the South American country's oil.

Rep. Jared Huffman of California, the ranking Democrat at the Natural Resources Committee, which overseas the Interior Department and its National Park Service operations, has begun digging into Trump's “vanity projects,” including the demolition of the White House's East wing for a new ballroom and the president's proposed arch.

Huffman and other committee members have also been eyeing the Trump family's role in various minerals deals.

At the committee's last session before lawmakers recessed to campaign for the midterm elections, Huffman said that if Democrats take charge, he plans to call witnesses, put them under oath and follow the evidence where it leads.

"When people ask what will we do," he said he responds, “My answer is simple. We’ll use those tools. We’ll act like the Congress.”

Some were using scissors to level the high grass, an effort that should end hours before the game.

The Maracana's turf has been a concern for almost two weeks due to its poor shape amid a long season in Brazilian soccer. Local clubs Flamengo and Fluminense play there at least once a week.

Maracana workers were using mows and scissors, big and small, to perfect the turf for the game.

On Friday, the executive director of the NFL Players Association said both the NFL and the players union have had experts monitoring the field conditions for Sunday's game. The union’s experts are worried about loose turf leading to too much slipping.

Concerns are about the turf's traction and stability, which made the NFL reinforce its stitching. Earlier this week, field director Nick Pappas said he was confident players will have no trouble.

On Saturday, Pappas told reporters that the NFL made additional improvements since the union's concerns were raised.

“Things check out,” Pappas said. “No need to worry.”

The NFL has been playing in Brazil since 2024, but the two previous games were at the 48,000-seat NeoQuimica Arena in Sao Paulo. In the first year of the Brazil game, its turf was also criticized and forced players of the Philadelphia Eagles and the Green Bay Packers to change their cleats to stop slipping.

The Maracana field is 100% natural grass, while the NeoQuimica Arena has a mixture between natural and synthetic that players in Brazil deem to be the country's best pitch.

The Cowboys and Ravens began their preparations in Rio on Friday following roughly 10-hour flights. Dak Prescott, his Cowboys teammates and their cheerleaders had their visit to the stadium in the morning.

Fans from Texas involved in a stadium tour were more worried about going to a Brazilian steakhouse for lunch than the turf conditions for Sunday's game.

“These boys have played in very bad conditions growing up, I am sure they will handle whatever challenges come,” said George Smith, 72, wearing a cap with the Cowboys' blue star and a Brazilian national team soccer shirt. “What concerns me now is making sure I get my beef today rather than tomorrow before the game.”

Throughout Rio’s glitzy southern end, where Copacabana beach lies, there were clearly more Cowboys than Ravens fans roaming around. Many fans were still arriving from other South American nations, as Brazil is for now the only country of the region to host NFL games.

Their game Sunday will be one of a record nine international contests on the NFL schedule this season.

Outside the Maracana, locals and tourists seem to be keener to go to the beach at 80 Fahrenheit degrees (28 Celsius) on Saturday than preparing for Sunday's game. Unlike Sao Paulo, Rio has a more touristic atmosphere that has drawn a new batch of football followers from South America.

“I came because of the NFL game, but I also came because of Rio,” said Chilean tourist Juan Olmedo, 61, a fan of the Denver Broncos. “This game being here has that extra element it didn't have in Sao Paulo. Those who went to Sao Paulo were there for the game and not much else.”

Tourist spots such as Sugar Loaf Mountain and the statue of Christ the Redeemer also welcomed American and local fans who are attending the game on Sunday. Maracana metro station was decorated with NFL themes.

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See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Firefighters were called to the bar near Avenue Q and 25th Street. The Galveston Fire Department said the fire began in a shed next door before spreading to the business.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

The operation happened around 2:30 a.m. at El Volcan in the 3700 block of Broadway.

• 17-year-old in custody in connection to fatal shooting of Westbury High School student LePaul Warren

Preliminary information from the scene indicated officers with the Houston Police Department’s Eastside Division conducted an operation at the club and detained several people. HPD had not released official details about what prompted the operation or whether anyone was arrested or charged.

The response extended beyond Houston police. The Houston Fire Department, Houston Fire Marshal’s Office, Administration and Regulatory Affairs Department, Houston Health Department and Houston Public Works were also at the scene.

The operation comes as Houston police and other city departments have conducted enforcement operations at other after-hours clubs in the city amid complaints and safety concerns involving some late-night venues.

• Fetal remains discovered inside freezer of Independence Heights home

It was not immediately clear what authorities found at El Volcan or whether the business could face any citations or other enforcement action.

KPRC 2 has reached out to HPD for additional information about the operation, including why the club was targeted, how many people were detained and whether any arrests were made.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

The WNBA postseason begins Sunday with four first-round matchups. Clark's Fever face A'ja Wilson and the Las Vegas Aces in a rematch of last season's semifinals. Reese and the Atlanta Dream will play the Washington Mystics. Bueckers' Dallas Wings will take on the Golden State Valkyries, and New York will face Minnesota in a 2024 WNBA Finals rematch.

Reese spent the first two years of her career in Chicago before going to the Dream in an offseason trade. She flourished in her new surroundings, once again leading the league in rebounding and continuing her emergence as one of the top defenders in the WNBA.

Bueckers has put together a solid season to help the Wings get back in the playoffs for the first time since 2023. She was fifth in the league in scoring and eighth in assists.

Here are others things to watch this postseason:

Building a contender in Golden State

The Valkyries have taken the WNBA by storm in their first two years of existence. Golden State became the first expansion squad to make the playoffs last year and is now the No. 2 seed in the postseason. The Valkyries have gone 17-5 at home this year, best in the league, in part because of the average crowd of over 18,000 they draw for games at Chase Center.

Golden State has done it with stellar defense. The Valkyries led the league in defensive rating, points allowed and 3-point defense. They also shoot the 3-point extremely well, making the most 3s on the season with 10.4 a game.

Playoff expansion

The first round of the playoffs is just a best-of-three. It's undergone a few iterations, including having the higher-seeded team host the first two games. Now each team is guaranteed at least one home game with a 1-1-1 format. The coaches would love to see the first-round series expand to a best-of-five format. As of now, only the semifinals is a best-of-five and the WNBA Finals is a seven-game series. Last season was the first the league had gone to a best-of-seven and Las Vegas swept Phoenix in four games.

“I just love the idea. I mean, look at these eight teams that are in the field. Great basketball, and you should go as long as you can. Like I said, that’s where the money is. So I would like to see that. Get a new commissioner and kind of get the competition committee on that type of thing, I think we’re all in favor of that,” Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve said. “Obviously there’s a lot of chatter about the three-game series. Actually this season it’s kind of rather disappointing to have just three games for these teams that are going to be playing each other, for sure. But that’s maybe the next step, the evolution of our league.”

Where to find the games

With the new media rights deal that began this season, the playoffs will be broadcast across ESPN, NBC, USA Sports, Amazon Prime and Peacock. From 2016 to last season, ESPN had the rights to all the postseason games.

ESPN, Prime and USA Sports will have the first round. ESPN, NBC and Peacock will have the semifinals. NBC and USA Sports will broadcast the WNBA Finals with games also streaming on Peacock. ESPN had shown every WNBA Finals from 2003-25.

Officials working the postseason

Roy Gulbeyan will be working his 27th consecutive playoffs this season dating to his postseason debut in 2000, according to the website “thewhistlewire”. The WNBA doesn't release how many postseason appearances officials have. Gulbeyan has been part of the league for 29 of its 30 years.

The league will have 17 officials work the postseason as well as three alternates.

“We are pleased to recognize this group of officials for their on-court achievements and their dedication to their craft with a selection to work the 2026 WNBA Playoffs,” said Bethany Donaphin, Head of WNBA League Operations. “Qualifying for the postseason and serving the game at this important part of the season is a goal for WNBA officials just as it is for players and coaches.”

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See AP’s full WNBA coverage here

Karl Rove, a former advisor to President George W. Bush, said at The Texas Tribune Festival that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s baggage is hurting his U.S. Senate campaign. 

Paxton is running against former state Rep. James Talarico, who has made concerning statements of his own regarding transgender people’s participation in sports, gender expression and the oil and gas industry, Rove said. 

“If John Cornyn were the nominee, this race would be over,” Rove said, resurfacing allegations the Texas Legislature raised against Paxton’s impeachment trial in 2023. “But when you got a guy who’s got multiple girlfriends, $200,000 worth of improvements in his house from a corrupt business guy for whom he does favors … and now it’s in the court of public opinion. If this were not out there, this would be a normal Republican versus Democrat.”

He did not say whether he’d vote for Paxton.

Rove lamented how the Republican Party has been infiltrated by “bigots” such as Bo French, the Texas Railroad Commissioner candidate who angered many in his party last week after posting racist comments alongside a photo of South Asian students at the University of Austin.

“My party is being infiltrated by people like Bo French,” Rove said, also referencing a meeting between Texas Republicans and a right-wing podcaster. “Nick Fuentes goes to Dallas and meets with a bunch of Republican leaders. This guy is a Nazi.” 

Rove made the comments just over a week after the Tribune first reported that he’d break three decades of exclusively supporting Republicans to vote for French’s rival, state Rep. Jon Rosenthal, D-Houston, in the race to regulate the Texas oil and gas industry. 

In mid September, French posted the photo of students celebrating a football game, clad in burnt orange, suggesting without evidence that they were in the country illegally. The citizenship status of all the students in the photo is unknown. At least one student told the Dallas Morning News that they are a naturalized citizen. 

“I heard UT graduation this year looked like this,” French wrote on X. “I didn’t believe it. The problem is now obviously far worse than anyone imagined.” 

At the festival, Rove stood by his comments.

“How did the son of a bitch decide that they were foreigners?” Rove said. “I teach at UT. It’s an honor to do so … And (French’s) mind is so capable and beyond the normal understanding of things that he can just look at a photograph and know who’s a foreigner or not? Those were Texans by God.”

French is running for a seat on the three-commissioner panel at the Texas Railroad Commission to regulate the state’s oil and gas industry, which last year accounted for nearly half of U.S. oil and sends billions of dollars to the state’s coffers. 

The Railroad Commission also regulates a vast network of energy infrastructure, including natural gas facilities and pipelines. Regulators administer a half-billion-dollar budget. 

But French has scarcely discussed the issues he would regulate as commissioner if elected. Rather, French has made culture wars the cornerstone of his campaign, often taking to social media to post inflammatory and racist commentary regarding Muslims, Jews and LGBTQ+ people. 

Last year, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick called on French to resign from his role as the Tarrant County Republican chair after French published a social media poll asking whether Jews or Muslims were a bigger threat to America.

Patrick then endorsed French’s rival in the Republican primary for the Texas Railroad Commissioner. But the lieutenant governor reportedly changed his stance after French won the primary runoff to be the GOP nominee.

Following the backlash, French doubled down on his comments and said Republicans who criticized him were “less conservative.”

“For us, it's devastating,” Whipps told The Associated Press on Friday, 40 years after his previous visit. “It doesn't mean we should give up.”

In the global power game of the United Nations General Assembly, small island states, like Palau, are often on the sidelines, offering moral advice to the mighty who don't always listen. After all, their countries are tiny. Nearly 11 Marshall Islands, or about 30 Tuvalus, could fit inside New York City, where the United Nations is housed.

Now, some of the little land they do have is disappearing.

“Sometimes," Whipps said, “you get drowned out.”

He was referring to unequal power dynamics, but it also applies physically. When it comes to climate change, many of the world's island nations have banded together to be heard better. Their voices play the role of a conscience to a warming world, pleading to stop carbon pollution before it's too late.

Warming world imperils small island states

In 2015, when the world was on the verge of signing the landmark Paris climate pact, it was small island nations that got the goal to limit global warming tightened from 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) to 1.5 degrees (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) since pre-industrial times. At the time, island nations said it was a matter of survival.

Now, scientists and the United Nations have conceded that the world is blowing past the 1.5 degrees mark — a temperature averaged over many years — in the next year or two. The best hope to keep this from happening permanently is for the world to reduce coal, oil and gas use to zero in coming decades, so that sometime this century, temperatures will go back down below the 1.5 degrees threshold, they said.

“Each fraction of a degree of warming increases the risk of irreversible sea level rise,” said Anna Rasmussen, chief negotiator for the Alliance of Small Island States. “We absolutely cannot surrender our pursuits of 1.5.”

What does breaching 1.5 degrees mean? “Death,” said Joyelle Clarke, environment minister for the Caribbean island nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis, standing outside the U.N. Security Council.

This is unfair because small islands didn't cause climate change, Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine said during her speech to the General Assembly on Friday; big industrial nations did.

“We’ve seen schools destroyed by rising seas, salt water poisoning our wells and disease outbreaks linked to environmental change,” Heine told her fellow leaders. “This injustice must be addressed. Our communities deserve restitution.”

Small island states band together at U.N.

Earlier this week, the U.N. adopted a resolution that called for small island states to keep sovereignty and marine rights no matter what rising seas do. One of the major messages nation after nation gave: Despite rising seas, they are not going anywhere.

“The survival of our nations cannot be negotiated,” said Adão Soares Barbosa, special envoy on climate affairs for the Southeast Asian island nation of East Timor and chair of the Least Developed Countries Group on Climate Change. “We cannot absorb another year of promises without delivery.”

Tuvalu Prime Minister Feleti Teo said his country may only have 26 square kilometers (10 square miles) of land, but it's responsible for 750,000 square kilometers (nearly 290,000 square miles) of oceans.

“Tuvalu's nationhood is not negotiable,” echoed Teo, who called climate change the “single greatest existential threat” to his country. “Our people should never be forced to choose between their homeland and their future.”

Marshall Island Foreign Minister Kalani Kaneko said his people "have no other choice but to finally stay home, raise our own people, speak our own language and protect our own identity. We're not giving up.”

Clarke, from Saint Kitts and Nevis, said the rest of the world doesn't feel or see what island nations are going through.

“For many folks that look at the islands in the Caribbean and the Pacific, they see paradise. They see the two-week getaway — sun, sand, sea, adventure,” Clarke said. “The very beaches that you travel thousands of miles for and save up for your holiday, those beaches are disappearing.”

Clarke, who also works with her nation's youth, said “We’re seeing a generation that’s losing hope, that’s constantly facing despair, that are questioning, ‘Why should we care? Why should we do anything, when you all don’t care enough, and the world doesn’t care enough, about our future?'”

This issue hits home for Whipps from Palau, who has adult children but no grandchildren.

“The sad part is, some of the kids, you talk to them, and they don’t want to have kids, because they think, 'Why do you want to bring them to a world that’s faced with these problems?” he said. “That’s also something that we need to take responsibility for.”

___

Associated Press writer Jennifer McDermott contributed to this report from New York.

___

The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. 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.

Tens of millions of people are in the path of the storm, which was already beginning to lash the region. Dangerous flooding is expected along the Mid-Atlantic coast, particularly near New Jersey and Delaware, according to the National Weather Service.

“This storm is expected to bring major coastal flooding to the Mid-Atlantic Coast over multiple high tide cycles through the weekend,” the weather service said Saturday. “Prepare immediately for significant inundation in low-lying areas near the shore, including roads underwater and impacts to homes and businesses.”

In the coastal New Jersey borough of Surf City, water — with waves rippling along its surface — flooded the streets, inundating some homes.

Kenny Formica, owner of Surf City Marina on the Jersey Shore, was trying to keep busy Saturday as he sat at home watching water rise inside his marina through surveillance cameras.

Water getting inside the building is rare, Formica said. The last time he remembers it happening was during Hurricane Sandy, which he said caused more than $4 million in damage to his business.

Ahead of the storm, Formica said workers secured dock lines, moved loose items and equipment out of harm’s way and parked the marina’s trucks and forklifts at the highest point of the property. By Saturday morning, even those were nearly surrounded by water.

Formica said he woke Saturday to messages from customers reporting missing boats and Jet Skis. One customer sent him a video around 4 a.m. showing his 25-foot (7.6-meter) boat after it had blown off its lift.

“This is like an 8,000-pound boat and, you know, a $150,000 boat — just gone,” Formica said.

Cancellations are widespread in the Northeast

Concerts were canceled, along with dozens of flights going into airports in Boston, Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard on Friday and Saturday. Several airlines were offering to waive some change or cancellation fees for some East Coast flights through the weekend.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul urged people to use caution. She said coastal flooding is the biggest threat, but it will also bring heavy rains, powerful winds and waves as high as 20 feet (six meters).

“The rain is underway and while it’s only half an inch or so thus far, mark my words: Much more is coming,” the governor said.

New Jersey communities prepare for major flooding

Brian Kelly, the mayor of the tiny New Jersey beach community Sea Bright, said the borough is bracing for winds up to 50 mph (80 kph) and flooding that could reach up to 6 feet (1.8 meters) on some streets. Officials expect the flooding to start Saturday and worsen by midday.

“It’s going to be worse than average. We do have probably one or two flooding events a year, sometimes more, sometimes less, but I think this one will be closer to an Irene-scale flooding event,” Kelly said, referencing the 2011 storm that caused major flooding in the Northeast. “I hope I’m wrong, but that’s my gut feeling.”

Kelly hopes hundreds of residents living in low-lying areas will consider evacuating. He said the town will open its recreation center for evacuees.

Damaging winds threaten coastal New England

Peak wind gusts could approach 60 to 65 mph (97 to 105 kph) on Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket on Friday night and Saturday, compared with about 50 to 55 mph (80 to 89 kph) around Boston and 35 to 40 mph (56 to 64 kph) farther inland, according to Matthew Belk, a meteorologist with NWS in Norton, Massachusetts.

“It’s definitely going to be a case of the closer to the coast you are, the more impacts from the storm you’re likely to see,” Belk said.

Belk said nor'easters are not unusual as New England moves into fall, but one concern this early in the season is that leaves remain on the trees, creating more wind resistance. That could increase the risk of downed limbs, which in turn can cause power outages and leave debris in roads, he said.

Along the Atlantic coasts of New Jersey and Delaware, wind gusts could reach 60 mph (96.6 kph), according to NWS. In southeastern Connecticut and eastern Long Island, New York, gusts could get almost as high, potentially downing tree limbs and power lines.

Storm disrupts concerts, baseball and flights

Air travel was also being disrupted, with Boston particularly hard hit. Flight-tracking service FlightAware reported 39 cancellations at Boston Logan International Airport between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. Saturday, compared with 22 at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. Another 12 flights were delayed at Logan.

Meanwhile, the Red Sox announced their weekend series against the Chicago Cubs would be adjusted. The team moved the Sunday afternoon game to Friday to create a split doubleheader. Separately, Ed Sheeran announced that his high-profile Friday and Saturday shows at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, would be canceled due to the storm.

The public ferry service connecting Cape Cod with the islands of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard was experiencing widespread cancellations due to strong winds and choppy water.

In Rhode Island, ferries were also canceled for Block Island. The disrupted ferry service was expected to also spill into Saturday.

For people who regularly travel to and from the islands, the possibility of getting stuck on one side or the other is “part of life,” said Sean Driscoll, a spokesperson for the Woods Hole, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority. Most people have backup plans in place for when boats are canceled.

“It’s a nuisance, but you know, we know what to do with this kind of stuff at this point,” he said. “This is not out of the realm of ordinary.”

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Willingham reported from Boston. Associated Press writers Michael Casey in Boston; Rodrique Ngowi in Gloucester, Massachusetts; and Anthony Izaguirre in New York contributed to this report.

Han Zheng's speech to the U.N. General Assembly on Saturday landed somewhat anticlimactically after Chinese President Xi Jinping met Trump for a state dinner and a visit to the National Archives. Most noteworthy about the address was the presence of Han himself: China has often used high-profile public events to position its rising leaders on the global stage.

“China has created two miracles at home, namely fast economic roles and long-term social stability,” Han said.

The closest he came to a pointed statement was when he mentioned protectionism. China and the United States have been engaged in a tariff spat for more than a year, though that has ebbed as the Trump administration delayed implementations, court battles played out and Trump seemed to soften his approach to Xi.

“Both history and reality prove that countries can hardly achieve development without an open and cooperative international environment," Han said. "Protectionism produces no winners.”

The lack of direct mention of Taiwan, something that often comes up in China’s U.N. speeches, was noteworthy, particularly given tensions between Washington and Beijing about the self-governing island's fate and defense. Beijing considers Taiwan a part of China.

Development positioned as the most important principle

Typically for China, Han put development at the top of the global agenda, saying much of the world order should be built around it to raise living standards everywhere. He also repeated a familiar refrain of the Chinese government: that development helps create peace.

China's signature initiative of the past decade, known as “Belt and Road,” is an effort to foster development in nations across the world — and, in the process, increase China's influence and soft power. Han said China has worked with three-quarters of the nations through Belt and Road projects.

China has long touted multilateralism as a cornerstone of a stable world, though it hasn't always followed that path in its own relations. The nation's constant refrain — stay out of our internal affairs — reflects its history of trying to secure the edges of the country that are distant from Beijing. That's a longstanding philosophy that dates to the construction of the Great Wall hundreds of years ago and continues today in the pressure points of Xinjiang and Tibet in its far west and Taiwan and Hong Kong off its east coast.

That refrain was reflected in Han's speech Saturday.

“Multilateralism is a choice made by humanity after going through scourges," he said. “We should settle the differences and disputes through dialogue and consultation, and oppose unilateral military actions that violate the U.N. charter and circumvent Security Council authorization.”

In terms of Iran, where the U.S. and Israel have been waging war since early this year, Han had this to say: “China holds that the sovereignty and security of countries in the Middle East, including the Gulf, should be respected.”

“We should safeguard the postwar international order," he said, but — in a statement that could be considered contradictory — he said the world should “reject the Cold War mindset and block confrontation.”

Han also spoke about empowering the Global South, a term used for emerging and economically struggling nations — many of which sit below the equator. Some larger nations have positioned themselves in recent years as leaders of the Global South, including China and India.

Han's presence has meaning, but perhaps not a lot of it

Given Xi's presence in the United States this week, many on-air pundits spent time ruminating about why he wasn't speaking at the U.N. It's not that unusual, though — particularly since Xi, in the grand scheme of things, had bigger fish to fry in Washington.

Wang Zichen, deputy secretary-general of the Beijing-based think tank Center for China and Globalization, said there has never been “a convention” requiring the Chinese president to attend the U.N. General Assembly. Xi’s predecessors, including Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao, attended major U.N. meetings only selectively, and Xi himself last addressed the body virtually during the pandemic in 2021.

Last year, Premier Li Qiang represented China. Senior diplomat Wang Yi has also spoken several time in recent years in various capacities; he was accompanying Xi this year on the Washington trip. And Han spoke in 2023.

“Both the premier and the vice president are sufficiently senior representatives that I would be cautious about interpreting the choice between them as a diplomatic signal in itself,” Wang Zichen said.

He added that China portrays the U.N. as an important global institution, so “it would be difficult to argue from the level of representation alone that China is becoming less interested in the U.N.”

Unlike Li's 2025 speech, which ventured into some personal observations about arriving in New York, Han played it straight. The closest he came to being flowery was in the context of multilateralism, and he quickly pivoted back to diplomatic language.

“Diversity has created splendor in the world,” he said. “Condescension and the self-centered mindset have no place in the interactions among different cultures. Promoting mutual trust, mutual respect, solidarity and harmonious coexistence is the right approach to take.”

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Associated Press writer E. Eduardo Castillo in Beijing contributed to this report.

In one of the closest finishes in years, Russell held off Max Verstappen by just .196 of a second to win the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Saturday, ending a three-month wait for a victory.

Russell cut Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli’s standings lead from 81 points to 66 as the Italian recovered from 16th on the grid to finish fifth.

“My teammate’s had an incredible season. He’s been pretty flawless throughout, but now we’re getting to crunch time,” Russell said. “If I continue delivering performances like I’ve done this weekend, no matter what happens towards the end of the season, I’ll be happy."

A dramatic finish with the checkered flag in sight

Russell started on pole, built a big lead and it seemed like he'd cruise to victory from there, given his vast margin over the field in qualifying the day before.

But then mayhem erupted behind him. Russell had to defend on two safety-car restarts before facing a dramatic late challenge from Verstappen, who charged through the field from eighth to second and nearly chased down Russell on the last straight.

“Every race since the (mid-season) break I have gone from strength to strength and I feel more like myself again,” Russell said.

A last-lap crash by Cadillac's Valtteri Bottas forced Russell and Verstappen to slow and the Dutch driver hunted down Russell right after that, closing fast as the finish line approached.

Verstappen ultimately was less than two-tenths of a second behind as he remains winless this year for the first time since his rookie 2015 season.

“I lost the boost, I had no power. Thought he was going to get us,” a relieved Russell said after securing his third win of the season.

Verstappen's Red Bull teammate Isack Hadjar was third on his return from a wrist fracture which had been causing him pain earlier in the week. “I am completely satisfied even if it is a bit numb,” he said.

On a miserable day for McLaren, defending champion Lando Norris was taken out in a crash started by Franco Colapinto before Oscar Piastri went off-track defending third place and ended up 14th.

Antonelli helped by a fast car and good luck

Antonelli started 16th after a qualifying crash but ended up fifth as he limited the damage to his title lead, swerving to avoid a three-car crash ahead of him and later overtaking Lewis Hamilton.

The Italian had a lucky day as he benefited from a string of mistakes from drivers ahead, without being swept up in their incidents.

Antonelli swerved to avoid a three-car crash which took out Norris, caused by Alpine’s Colapinto plowing into his own teammate Pierre Gasly.

McLaren’s day got even worse when Piastri locked up his wheels while in third and defending from Hadjar. The Australian went off track and dropped all the way to 15th, helping out Antonelli in the process.

Ferrari lacked the pace to mount a serious challenge with Charles Leclerc fading to fourth from second on the grid, and Hamilton sixth.

Arvid Lindblad was seventh for Racing Bulls after he tipped his teammate Liam Lawson into a spin while reacting to the crash caused by Colapinto.

“I love getting taken out by my teammate, that’s pretty sick,” Lawson said.

Esteban Ocon was eighth for Haas, which appears set to drop him for 2027, with teammate Oliver Bearman ninth and Carlos Sainz, Jr. 10th for Williams.

F1 heads to Malaysia next week for a race still branded as the Bahrain Grand Prix. It's a replacement event after races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia were called off earlier this year because of the Iran war.

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See AP’s full auto racing coverage here

Fortune was killed in a disagreement about drugs, and she fought hard with her attackers before she was killed, Jackson police Detective Samuel Dukes told the court. Citing the medical examiner's opinion, he also said the hanging was “staged.”

Fortune was Black, and the Aug. 3 discovery of her hanging body stoked fear and drew widespread attention because the scene recalled actual lynchings in the Southern state, which has a long and troubled history of racial violence.

Authorities haven’t disclosed the exact cause of Fortune’s death or said why they think her body was hanged afterward, but they ruled it a homicide and arrested two men, both of them also Black, on murder charges. A 45-year-old man turned himself in Friday after a warrant was issued for his arrest. He was charged with murder and will appear in court Monday.

Outside court, Fortune’s mother, Christy Spivey, told reporters that she had been aware that her daughter died before her body was hanged. But that step, she added, “brought all the attention to it.”

“What bothered me was they said Tasia fought for her life. I know she did. I know my daughter,” Spivey said.

The hearing was meant to determine whether there is sufficient evidence to send the case against the first man arrested, Jarques Ratliff, to a grand jury for a possible indictment. It will resume Sept. 30.

Ratliff, 51, was arrested in mid-September and has pleaded not guilty. He remains jailed without bond. Police arrested a second defendant, 25-year-old Earnest Lloyd Jr., this week.

During Friday's hearing, Ratliff blurted out in court that he and Fortune were friends.

“It sounded sincere. Tasia had a lot of friends,” Spivey said later. “I hope if he is innocent that he can prove he’s innocent. We don’t want any innocent people going to jail.”

Ratliff’s stepdaughter, Lashuna Jones, was among her father's supporters at court.

“He didn’t do it, and I’m behind him,” she said.

Spivey has said her daughter, who had four children, struggled with homelessness in recent years, and that she wasn’t sure where Fortune was living at the time of her death. She said Fortune had talked about starting a cleaning business and was trying to get her life in order.

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This story was first published on Sep. 25, 2026. It was updated on Sep. 26, 2026 to clarify that Jackson police Detective Samuel Dukes said Tasia Fortune was apparently killed in a drug dispute before her body was hung in a tree in a “staged” scene behind an abandoned home. Dukes did not indicate whether Fortune’s alleged killers intended to make the scene look like a lynching.

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White reported from Detroit.

Texans in Congress on what the state needs from Washington right now and what they’re fighting for on behalf of their state.

The reports could help provide a clearer picture on how consumers are handling higher prices on a wide range of products and services, along with whether employment and wages remain resilient.

Business group The Conference Board will release its consumer confidence survey for September on Tuesday. The survey has revealed shaky confidence from consumers throughout the year. In August, confidence slipped to its lowest level in seven months.

On Wednesday, the U.S. will release a key inflation report, the personal consumption expenditures price index, for August. The PCE is closely monitored by Wall Street and the Federal Reserve. Inflation remains stubbornly above 3% and the Federal Reserve recently raised interest rates in an effort to tame high prices. The central bank has a target rate for inflation of 2%.

High gasoline prices have been fueling a broader jump in inflation, squeezing household budgets and sapping consumer confidence. The U.S. war with Iran has stifled global oil supplies since late February. It has a direct impact via higher gasoline prices, but higher fuel costs also make shipping more expensive. That raises prices for everything from food to clothing.

The U.S. releases its monthly employment report for September on Friday. The jobs market has been among the more resilient areas of the economy, but it has started to show more signs of stress. Wage growth has been slowing, which makes it harder for workers to deal with the impact of rising inflation.

U.S. vaccination recommendations have become splintered in the past year, with federal officials and doctors' organizations disagreeing over guidance and even battling each other in court. But both sides have been exploring revisions in longstanding HPV vaccine recommendations.

“This would be a significant shift in terms of what has been communicated for many years about the best way to protect adolescents against HPV,” said Jason Schwartz, a Yale University vaccine policy researcher.

Here's a look at HPV shots, which debuted 20 years ago and may now be approaching a crossroads.

HPV is linked to thousands of cancer cases

HPV, human papillomavirus, is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the U.S.

More than 40 HPV types can infect the genital areas of men and women, plus the lining of the mouth and throat. Certain strains are responsible for most cases of genital warts.

HPV also is a leading cause of the nearly 50,000 cancer cases diagnosed in the U.S. each year that affect those parts of the body. Indeed, about 90% of cervical cancer and anal cancers are attributed to HPV infections, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In 2006, federal health officials approved the first HPV vaccine, Merck & Co.'s Gardasil. A second vaccine was approved in 2009, GlaxoSmithKline’s Cervarix.

Both vaccines are approved for use in males and females, available for kids as young as 9 to adults in their 20s. But they were prioritized for 11- and 12-year-olds, because the shots work best if given before someone is sexually active.

HPV vaccination recommendations have changed before

Initially, in 2006, HPV vaccinations were recommended only for girls and given as a series of three shots over six months. Boys were added in 2011, a move largely intended to stop them from spreading a virus to girls that could cause cervical cancer.

Ten years ago, the government changed the dosing recommendations. It dropped the number of recommended doses from three to two after studies showed that amount offered sufficient protection. Research also suggested two doses worked better when spaced six to 12 months apart, meaning they could be given at annual checkups.

Since then, studies in multiple countries have shown dramatic decreases in infections, genital warts cases and precancerous cervical lesions.

In 2020, the American Cancer Society updated its guidelines for women, raising the age at which screenings should start to 25, from 21. The organization attributed the change to data indicating vaccinations had led to a drop in rates of cervical changes that are seen as precursors to cancer.

Evidence has continued to be favorable.

The University of Minnesota's Vaccine Integrity Project this year published a research review that found that HPV vaccines had lowered the risk of genital-area cancers in women. And a study published in April in the journal JAMA Oncology found vaccinated males are nearly 50% less likely to develop cancers of the head and neck, esophagus, anus or penis.

What's more, “the duration of protection is long,” said Angela Ulrich, who led the Vaccine Integrity Project review. "We have people who are 20, 30, 40 years old who are seeing protection from the HPV vaccine.”

HPV vaccination rates are lower than for other vaccines

A recent CDC report found vaccination rates against HPV were lower than the rates for some other shots adolescents get, at least partly because most states don't require HPV vaccinations as a condition of school attendance.

Still, the HPV vaccination rate has been flat for four years in a row, with about 63% of teenagers getting both doses.

It doesn't help that HPV shots are known to have a sharper sting. (Doctors have noted fainting is more common after HPV shots.)

Questions about pain are common, said Dr. Scott Hadland, who works at a Boston clinic that treats adolescents and young adults.

“Some of my patients tell me it hurts more than other vaccines they've received, but only for a moment,” he said.

Also not helping lately, perhaps, is the elevation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to U.S. health secretary. Before he was appointed to oversee federal health agencies last year, Kennedy was an attorney and consultant in lawsuits against Merck over the Gardasil vaccine, and falsely claimed the vaccine increases cervical cancer risk.

Research suggests one shot may be enough for girls

In January, Kennedy ordered the number of recommended HPV doses to be reduced to one, as part of a unilateral reduction of the childhood vaccination schedule.

That change was blocked by a federal judge’s order, but it actually is something that medical experts had been considering for some time.

The idea gained attention late last year with the publication of a study in Costa Rica that tracked more than 20,000 girls over five years. It found a single HPV shot provided about 97% protection against cervical cancer, similar to two doses.

A year earlier, in 2024, research developments prompted a CDC advisory committee to form a work group to explore the possibility of a revised recommendation. That work was interrupted when Kennedy dismissed the members of the committee.

The American Academy of Pediatrics — one of the medical groups that sued Kennedy — makes its own vaccination recommendations. It has been considering a guidance change, exploring questions such as whether one dose is sufficient for at least some people and at what age vaccination should begin, said Dr. James Campbell, chair of the organization's committee on infectious diseases.

Should kids get one shot or two?

Recommendations are evolving. But right now, experts advise that kids get two shots.

While there is evidence showing one shot was sufficient for girls in preventing cervical cancer, there is less evidence about other kinds of cancer in girls. Also lacking is data on whether one shot is sufficient protection for boys against the HPV-related cancers they are at risk for, according to the Vaccine Integrity Project review.

Whether the recommendation remains two shots or is changed to one, it's important that kids get vaccinated, Hadland said.

“The benefits are very clear. It prevents cancer,” he said.

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A new game week is here and the Texans are stumbling into Indy 0-2 for the third time in the last four seasons.

Last year they were a dismal 0-3 before they woke up and finished with 12 wins but finished 2nd to AFC South champion Jacksonville.

This Sunday it not a “must win” but with Dallas ahead next week the Texans need to come out and play with passion against the Colts. Starting off 0-3 again is not a road they want to revisit.

TEXANS KEYS TO A WIN

1) That starts with the offense and QB C.J. Stroud stepping up and leading. He threw it 50+ times against the Bengals and that is way too much. Good news is no interceptions so far. Nico Collins will be out again and that puts more pressure on Stroud and the WR group.

2) The Run game has to produce at a high level for this offense to click. It’s time for David Montgomery and Woody Marks to shine against a Colts defense that has yet to show they can tackle well. Pro Football Focus reports they have 28 missed tackles which is second most in the NFL. Montgomery was held to 10 yards on six carries by Cincinnati.

D-Mo and Marks combined for only 18 yards on 14 carries Sunday vs. the Bengals. The Colt defense has had its moments, but Indy currently sits last in yards allowed in the NFL in losses to the Ravens and Chiefs.

3) Can the Texans defense turn back the clock to last season when they were ranked number one? They have the pieces in place and now need to get to work on Sunday. So far in two losses the “D” is giving up 28 PPG which puts Houston 26th in the NFL.

With the Colts without WR’s Alec Pierce, who owned the Texans last year in two games, and Ashton Dulin the Texans deep unit can go to Indy and take care of business if they can pressure Daniel Jones and slow down RB Jonathan Taylor who has performed well historically against Houston during his career . Don’t get me wrong though because Indy has legitimate backup options as well in the receiving group plus tight end Tyler Warren that Jones will look to.

It’s a 12 p.m. kickoff Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium.

According to HPD Sgt. Garcia, the incident appears to be an accidental death.

• Several detained as Houston police, city departments target southeast Houston after-hours club

Investigators learned the truck had developed mechanical problems while its driver was heading home. After arriving at the home on Long Point Road in Spring Branch around 9:58 p.m., the driver’s brother tried to repair it.

The truck could not be placed in park and rolled backward onto the man. Houston Fire Department crews provided lifesaving treatment at the scene before he was taken to a hospital, where he later died.

No charges are expected at this time. The investigation remains ongoing.

“No comment,” the pontiff replied with a beaming smile when a reporter on his plane to France asked whether the surprise sprung Thursday by the long-suffering team was miraculous and “Do you have anything to do with that?"

But the Chicago-born and raised lifelong fan of the White Sox left no doubt that he was thrilled, by adding: “Great things happen in Chicago."

The pontiff's oh-so-diplomatic answer was perhaps because he's had experience of how perceived papal rooting for one team or another can land him in hot water.

In June, he said “the pope is for all teams" but rubbed soccer fans in Barcelona the wrong way by adding that he personally roots for Real Madrid, inserting himself into one of the biggest rivalries in club football.

Real Madrid proudly posted the video of the moment, and social media filled with comments about how the club is “the team of God.”

Again being careful not to overtly take sides, the pontiff also showed on the papal plane that he keeps a keen eye on basketball, too.

In response to another question, Leo said that “the voice of the people of God” will be cheering loudly for Villanova University — where he studied mathematics in the 1970s — when his alma mater and Notre Dame play a men’s and women’s season-opening basketball doubleheader in Rome on Nov. 1.

“They tell me that the people coming to the match, 90% are Villanova and 10% Notre Dame, so the voice of the people of God will be very strong on the Villanova side,” Leo said.

The Catholic schools are promoting the matchup as a celebration of their shared mission and heritage. Long before he became the first pope from the United States, Robert Prevost graduated in 1977 with a Bachelor of Science in mathematics from the Augustinian school near Philadelphia.

The 71-year-old pontiff's sporting interests extend to tennis, too.

“I consider myself quite the amateur tennis player,” he said in a 2023 interview with the Augustinian Order, although the newly made cardinal added that his church responsibilities weren't leaving him much time to get out on court.

As pontiff, Leo likes to spend Mondays and Tuesdays at the papal retreat in Castel Gandolfo in the hills outside Rome — where he plays tennis with his secretary, Monsignor Edgard Iván Rimaycuna Inga, and goes swimming and horseback riding, too.

Last year, Leo granted a Vatican audience to top-ranked tennis player Jannik Sinner. But he declined Sinner's offer of a quick volley.

The pope looked around at the antiques and said, “Better not.”

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Associated Press writer Nicole Winfield in Paris contributed.

At issue is how someone can prove they are too medically frail to work. While federal regulations say the state can take the recipient's word for it for the first year, at least six states are requiring documentation immediately. There is a continuing push in other states to follow suit eventually.

Advocates say that could create problems, especially for new applicants to the joint state-federal health insurance program for lower-income people.

“Someone may not be able to work, but they can’t see a doctor because they can’t afford it. So they’re now applying for Medicaid,” said Jennifer Tolbert, director of state health policy and data at the research organization KFF. “But Medicaid is saying you need documentation from a provider.”

As some Republican-led states take a tougher-than-required approach to implementing the federally mandated changes, Democrats in 25 states are suing and asserting that the rules are too harsh.

Some say documentary evidence is necessary to avoid fraud

The Medicaid changes are projected to save the federal government $887 billion over the next decade and result in 7.5 million fewer people with health insurance, according to the Congressional Budget Office’s 2025 estimate.

The conservative Foundation for Government Accountability has been pushing states not to make it too easy for people to avoid work requirements, saying able-bodied adults are pushing enrollment and costs higher.

Jonathan Ingram, vice president of research and policy at the group, has been encouraging states not to take a beneficiary’s word for it, a process known as self-attestation.

“Self-attestation is fraud-by-design,” he said via email. “It is a policy developed by bureaucrats to maximize enrollment at the expense of program integrity.”

Self-attestation comes under penalty of perjury, so people who lie can be subject to criminal charges — though such charges are rare.

Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, New Hampshire, North Carolina and Ohio all have laws or policies that bar self-attestation to qualify for the work requirement exception starting next year.

Republican Missouri state Rep. Darin Chappell said he worked with the Foundation for Government Accountability to craft a proposed amendment that would have enshrined Medicaid work requirements in the state constitution. It would have required “documentary evidence” of work or reasons for exemptions, specifically prohibiting self-attestation.

The amendment passed the Missouri House but died without a vote in the Senate. Chappell plans to try again next year.

“If someone has a debilitating physical ailment — or mental ailment for that matter — something that prohibits them from working, that’s totally legitimate,” he said. “But we’re not taking anybody’s word for it. I don’t mean to shock you none, but people do tend to lie about such things.”

Most nondisabled beneficiaries under 65 already work

The new mandate applies to up to 20 million lower-income adults without children at home who are enrolled in Medicaid through an optional expansion in 40 states and the District of Columbia. The requirement does not apply in the 10 states, mostly in the South, that did not expand Medicaid.

Beneficiaries will have to work or volunteer at least 80 hours each month or be in school at least half-time to qualify, with exceptions for situations including medical frailty.

The law had said medically frail people include those who have substance use disorders, disabilities or serious medical conditions. But the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services published a rule in June that went further and was stricter than states and providers expected, saying someone’s condition must “significantly impair” their ability to work, volunteer or attend school as required for an exemption.

Currently states generally decide once a year whether Medicaid recipients still qualify for benefits. The new law will require it to happen twice for most enrollees.

States will be allowed to accept self-attestation just once each time a person enrolls starting in 2028. After that, documentation would be required at least every 12 months to verify that they still have the condition and that it still prevents them from being able to work.

The government expects states to rely increasingly on third-party data — on things such as workers’ compensation claims or prescription information — to help make determinations. For conditions that do not show up in the databases, states can require a doctor's certification, a disability award letter or other proof.

While states have been ramping up the use of this information, the work requirements are still a big change, and many will first have to spend millions of dollars improving their computer systems.

States are already struggling in some cases to make changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance food program, or SNAP, that are required under Trump's law, including an expanded work requirement.

In Arizona, for example, enrollment plummeted by 55% from April 2025 to April 2026 — the biggest drop in the country — with more than 400,000 fewer people getting benefits now. Last month, the state said that was largely due to difficulties in putting in place new federal requirements that resulted in higher call volumes and additional verification.

Patient advocates worry aid will be denied to qualified people

Ingram said some of the concerns about ending self-attestation are overblown and people can get diagnoses to support their inability to work at many places, including charitable clinics and federally qualified health centers. He also noted that Medicaid allows retroactive coverage for doctor visits that happen before enrollment.

Patient advocates say it's not that simple.

“The added paperwork, the hoops you have to jump through lead to coverage loss,” said Nate Crippes, a lawyer at the Disability Law Center in Utah, where a law allows self-attestation to qualify for the work requirement exception on a provisional basis.

An added challenge is that most people in the Medicaid expansion group in his state have a mental health or substance use disorder diagnosis — or both.

“We’re choosing to make people with health conditions jump through a bunch of hurdles,” said Camille Richoux, health policy director at Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families.

It can be tricky if states decide to rely partly on patient diagnosis codes to determine whether recipients are able to work.

Lucy Dagneau, senior director of the state and local campaigns team at the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, said the codes do not indicate the severity of a condition. For example, some patients with a specific cancer can continue working, she said, but others who are in more advanced stages cannot.

“Our fear is by that banning self-attestation, unfortunately, the state lawmakers who pass those laws are going to have a hand in more people losing coverage in their state than would have,” she said.

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Associated Press writers David A. Lieb in Jefferson City, Missouri, and Laura Turbay in Little Rock, Arkansas, contributed.

The west-coast based Dockers dominated play in the third quarter but the Lions came back Saturday to beat the Dockers 14.12 (96) to 12.17 (89) before a capacity crowd of 100,023 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Brisbane made it consecutive Australian rules football titles last year with a a 47-point win over Geelong.

On Saturday, the teams were tied 43-43 at halftime, with each team kicking six goals worth six points each and seven “behinds” worth one point each in the opening half. The Dockers led by 10 points after three quarters.

Logan Morris put the Lions in front with a minute left, then kicked the sealing points.

Fremantle, a port city where the Swan River meets the Indian Ocean just south of the state capital Perth, joined the league in 1995. The Dockers are still seeking their first AFL title.

Two weeks ago, 100,021 spectators crammed the same stadium to watch the first regular-season NFL game played in Australia, won 27-7 by the San Francisco 49ers over the Los Angeles Rams.

Britain-based and Melbourne-born pop star Kylie Minogue provided the pre-game entertainment Saturday.

Australian Rules football is a often dynamic contact sport played by teams of 18 on an oval field and involves plenty of kicking. It was established in and around Melbourne in the 1850s and is one of the most popular sports in Australia. The top-tier national league, the AFL, features 18 clubs.

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See AP’s full sports coverage here

Nolo was expected to strengthen to a major hurricane on Saturday. Its maximum sustained winds increased to 105 mph (165 kph) Friday. The storm’s center was located about 145 miles (235 kilometers) south of Hawaii’s southernmost point.

Forecasters warned parts of the Big Island could see rainfall totals up to 15 inches (38 centimeters), with a possibility of up to 25 inches (64 centimeters). That was down from an earlier forecast that called for up to 35 inches (89 centimeters).

“People are going to want to kind of shelter in place on the Big Island, be in their safe place, certainly by later today, tonight, well into Saturday," Michael Brennan, director of the National Hurricane Center, said Friday. “Don’t venture out if you don’t have to into the dangerous flooding environment, but also high winds. We can have trees and power lines down.”

Heavy rainfall also was possible on Hawaii's other islands, the hurricane center said. Maui also could see heavy rainfall and potential life-threatening flooding and mudslides, forecasters said.

Crews on the Big Island spent hours Friday trying to build berms to guide water and move large debris ahead of the worst of the rain, said Erika Kapu, Hawaii program manager for the humanitarian nonprofit CORE.

CORE and other nonprofit partners spent the week packing and shipping supplies like camp stoves and hygiene products by air cargo from Oahu to the Big Island for a community relief hub that has been active since August's Hurricane Lala.

Hawaii prepares as northern edge of Nolo is expected to barrel through

President Donald Trump on Friday approved an emergency declaration for the state of Hawaii, authorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate assistance from across the federal government and provide funding support for emergency measures.

Hawaii officials told residents to put together emergency kits, and the governor issued an emergency proclamation, activating more than 230 Hawaii National Guard members. Schools were closed in some areas.

Hawaii County officials on the Big Island were urging residents in flood-prone areas to consider taking refuge at shelters being set up or other locations.

The heaviest rain from Nolo is likely to fall over the same southeastern region of the Big Island that was hit by Lala and where grounds are still wet from additional precipitation. The storm surge could hit 1 to 3 feet (30 to 91 centimeters), creating large and dangerous waves and coastal flooding, the hurricane center said.

Hawaiian Electric, the state’s primary utility, said crews that had been helping restore power in Kauai after this month’s Hurricane Lowell would return to Oahu, Maui and the Big Island in preparation for the coming storm.

Residents and tourists on the Big Island were busy preparing.

In Hilo, where light rain was falling Friday, residents filled bags with sand and gravel at Francis Wong Stadium, where authorities set up a sand distribution center.

Dean Taise said water was starting to get into his driveway from the street, so he decided to get a few sandbags ready ahead of possible floods.

“They say, prepare for the worst, right? Hope for the best,” Taise said.

Piles of sandbags lined the terminal at Hilo International Airport, where Daniela Mendoza was trying to get home to Oahu after Southwest Airlines canceled flights. Only Hawaiian Airlines was still flying out of the airport Friday afternoon.

“I hope I can leave,” Mendoza said. “My cats are waiting for me.”

Polo is strengthening after returning to Category 5 intensity

Meanwhile, Mexico is under the threat of Hurricane Polo as it heads toward the Baja California peninsula after bringing storm conditions to the southwestern coast.

The hurricane center said Polo gained significant force overnight into Friday morning and doused parts of Mexico's Pacific Coast. No major damage or flooding was reported along the coast overnight into Friday.

By midday Friday, attention turned to the peninsula, where the hurricane was slated to arch back and hit between Monday and Tuesday. Local authorities were preparing shelters, and Mexico’s government announced Friday afternoon that they were closing ports in the region as dark clouds swirled overhead.

The latest estimated sustained winds were 175 mph (280 kph).

Residents stacked sandbags to fortify beachfront shops and evacuated their homes in some coastal areas on Thursday. Mexican authorities opened shelters and cleared people from beaches, and 15,000 security personnel were deployed across the coast. Schools were closed.

In the port city of Lázaro Cárdenas in Michoacán, seawater swept through homes and left wooden planks and furniture strewn on the streets. Locals and government officials were clearing debris and shoveling thick mud coating much of the town.

Alicia Contreras said the walls and roof of her restaurant had been severely damaged by 15-foot (4.5-meter) waves. She worried about how she would recover economically, saying she has no other source of income.

Brennan said some moisture associated with Polo will be pushed into parts of the southwestern U.S. by Monday, possibly producing scattered flash flooding in the Four Corners region, particularly portions of Arizona and New Mexico.

Biologists on Friday relocated eggs from two olive ridley sea turtle nests on Southern California beaches to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach over concern about high tides and hazardous surf as officials monitor Hurricane Polo.

Powerful storms come during the weather phenomenon El Niño

El Niño is prompting major environmental shifts across the world, fueling drought in some areas and flooding in others. It traditionally dampens the Atlantic hurricane season, while it tends to rev up tropical cyclone activity in the Pacific with moist air and little wind shear.

A third storm in the Pacific, Hurricane Odalys, was at Category 4 status and was still far from land Friday, roughly 955 miles (1,537 kilometers) west-southwest of the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula.

Two other powerful storms were churning in the Atlantic Ocean but were not near land.

In the northern Atlantic, Tropical Storm Fay reformed early Thursday. As of Friday, it was about 1,040 miles (1,674 kilometers) west-southwest of the Azores, the hurricane center said. Off Africa's western coast, Tropical Storm Gonzalo strengthened early Friday as it approached the Cabo Verde Islands.

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Associated Press reporters Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut; Gabriela Aoun Angueira in San Diego; Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire; and Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City contributed.

Leo raised existential concerns about scientific progress, life and human rights during his opening speech to President Emmanuel Macron and authorities at the Élysée Palace and then to diplomats and United Nations employees at the headquarters of UNESCO, the U.N. culture and education organization.

With wars plaguing Europe and the Middle East, he reaffirmed the Vatican’s opposition to nuclear weapons and said the nuclear deterrence doctrine was “mistaken” since it was just fueling a new arms race.

“Peace is not a balance of power; rather, it is built day by day through dialogue and justice,” he said.

Leo has an intense four days in France, where the Catholic Church has lost ground in influencing ethical issues given the strict approach to secularism that is enshrined in the French Constitution.

Yet thousands of people lined his motorcade route, waving French and Holy See flags, with some braving hours of the unseasonable heat to catch a glimpse of him. The turnout underscored the surprising level of interest in Leo’s visit, the first official state visit by a pope to France in 18 years.

“To see him, praying with us, it comforts us in our faith and on our path,” said Senegalese Sister Antonia Faye, who was glowing after her first-ever event with a pope, an evening prayer service at Notre Dame that featured angelic choirs and the cathedral’s booming organ.

“Being with the pope is different to being alone or praying alone. We felt the benediction that came down on us,” she said.

A capstone visit as Macron’s term ends

For Macron, who is barred from seeking a third term in May elections, hosting the American pope is something of a capstone. Pope Francis had refused repeatedly to make a proper state visit to France during his 12-year pontificate and pointedly refused to join the inauguration of the rebuilt Notre Dame cathedral in 2024 that Macron had championed.

“For a president of the republic as Macron, who is at the end of his mandate, it can be important to be aside the pope and to capture a part of his popularity,” said Charles Mercier, director of history and sociology of Catholicism studies at Paris EPHE university.

With seven months left in his term, Macron’s approval ratings are near record lows, driven by anger over the rising cost of living and criticism of France’s growing debt and deficit and deteriorating public services.

Smiling broadly as Leo spoke French, Macron thanked the pope for visiting, saying: “You are here with us for an extended visit, giving us your time, and that is moving.”

Leo calls for the French to mull lofty questions about life

Unlike Francis, who liked to travel to small Catholic communities far from Rome, Leo has been keen to emphasize and reawaken Europe’s Christian roots. He is seeking to push the church’s message about the value and dignity of human life in a country where the right to abortion was enshrined in the constitution in 2024, and where lawmakers recently gave final approval to a bill allowing adults with incurable illnesses to receive lethal medication.

The French Catholic hierarchy strongly opposed the measures, in keeping with Catholic teaching that human life must be protected and defended from conception until natural death.

In his speech to Macron and other government and diplomatic authorities, Leo reminded France of its “deep Christian roots” and called for the French to remember that the right to life is the “indispensable foundation of every other human right.”

His concern about the dignity of human life and humanity as a whole extended to the threats posed by artificial intelligence.

“The paradox has become increasingly evident: while ‘intelligence’ is attributed to computational systems, we struggle to recognize the inalienable dignity of human persons, whose lives are judged according to the criterion of efficiency and, when deemed no longer productive, are rejected and discarded,” he said.

From the very start of his pontificate, Leo has identified AI as one of the greatest challenges facing humanity. He dedicated his first encyclical to the topic, “Magnificent Humanity,” calling for robust regulation and for AI developers to work for the common good rather than profit.

Leo also appealed to AI developers and political leaders responsible for regulating them to slow down, an appeal that several top AI companies seem to have taken to heart recently.

“If we are to avoid losing our humanity amid a ‘paradise of machines’ invading and conditioning our daily lives, there is an urgent need for education in ethical discernment and the capacity to acknowledge the moral good,” he said.

Leo earlier told reporters that he was pleased his message was being heard and said he hoped the dialogue that the Vatican initiated with tech companies would continue.

“And I think from their perspective, many of them, they’re very much open to looking for ways of making sure that AI does not displace or ultimately destroy humanity, but rather is a tool for human beings,” he said.

A visit to Notre Dame that Francis declined

Later on Friday, Leo presided over evening prayers in Paris' soaring Notre Dame cathedral, the first pope to celebrate there since the devastating 2019 fire that consumed the cathedral’s roof and toppled its spire.

After being mobbed by a crowd of eager nuns outside, Leo walked down the central aisle to the combined thundering of the organ above and cheers from the pews below. As bells tolled, he knelt in silent prayer in the same spot where, in 2019, flames brought down scorched roof beams.

Leo marveled at the brilliance of the stained-glass windows and restored cream columns and praised the artisans who repaired them. He urged the priests and nuns gathered in the pews to be inspired by the combined effort to bring the Gothic masterpiece back to life.

Francis had refused to visit France on a proper state visit, and explicitly refused Macron’s invitation to come for the 2024 reopening of the cathedral that drew dozens of world leaders.

He did make three short trips to French cities, however, including Strasbourg in 2014 and Marseille and Corsica in 2024, a one-day visit that became his last foreign trip.

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

Zelenskyy told reporters he has not yet received feedback from the White House about Trump’s talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping but expects to learn the outcome.

Zelenskyy, who is keen to muster more international support for Ukraine’s defense, was in the United States this week on a trip coinciding with the U.N. General Assembly. He met with Trump on Tuesday.

NATO countries have called China a “decisive enabler” of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion.

Zelenskyy shared more details of his U.S. trip in voice messages to a group of journalists.

Here’s what Zelenskyy also said:

Zelenskyy says the US wants initial technical talks

Washington is pushing for a three-way meeting involving delegations from the U.S., Ukraine and Russia, with officials holding technical talks in that format without the countries' leaders, Zelenskyy said.

Ukraine is waiting for the U.S. to propose a date for those meetings, he said, adding that American officials suggested the United Arab Emirates as the location for these talks.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday that Putin and Trump during their call earlier this month discussed holding such a meeting in the near future. “As of now, I can’t give you any specifics,” Peskov said.

Representatives from the three countries held three rounds of trilateral negotiations early this year, twice in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, and once in Geneva, but the talks achieved no significant breakthroughs.

Speaking to reporters in St. Petersburg on Friday night, Putin decried recent Ukrainian attacks deep inside Russia and on Russian-held areas of Ukraine and said that while “proposals to resume the talks are all on the table,” Moscow “will think carefully about what we need to do in response.”

The Kremlin will make its decisions, “including on the possible resumption of the negotiation process, based on the interests of the Russian Federation,” Putin stressed.

US passed hefty sanctions on Russia

Zelenskyy met with U.S. senators and Congress members during his U.S. trip and said he thanked them for their bipartisan support in passing a powerful sanctions bill aimed at Moscow last month. Trump signed the bill into law last week but hasn’t enacted the measures yet.

Sanctions are key in forcing Putin to the negotiating table, Zelenskyy said, adding that he hoped Trump would implement the measures.

“The sanctions are indeed strong … all of this is now in the hands of the president of the United States. He can use this tool to pressure the Russian Federation,” Zelenskyy said.

Zelenskyy says he got Trump's OK for Patriot licenses

The Ukrainian leader said Trump confirmed he had made a final decision that Kyiv would get licenses to produce Patriot air defense systems.

Ukraine is desperate for more of the American-made air defense systems that are needed to stop Russia’s ballistic missiles, but they have been in short supply since the war in Iran started on Feb. 28.

Trump had said in July that he would allow Ukraine to make its own Patriots but later appeared to be reconsidering the move.

Countries urge free flow of food through Black Sea

Ukraine and Russia are both major global suppliers of wheat, barley, sunflower oil and other food that developing nations rely on. However, wartime attacks on cargo vessels in the Black Sea have choked that supply route, raising fears of shortages.

Zelenskyy said he held separate talks in the U.S. with the leaders of India, Turkey, Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries that want unimpeded Black Sea shipping routes. He added that these leaders were also due to speak to Russian officials.

Kyiv wants Moscow to accept a Black Sea ceasefire that would allow full deliveries to resume, Zelenskyy said.

Ukraine needs more money

Zelenskyy said he also spoke in the U.S. with the heads of the International Monetary Fund and the European Commission about plugging Ukraine’s budget deficit as its finances are strained by wartime expenses and drops in production. Russia's economy is also hurting.

The European Union will extend its financial aid for Ukraine, and the IMF will continue its financial support programs, he said.

Most of the funding gap relates specifically to weapons purchases, Zelenskyy said, and future financing for Ukraine could come in the form of deals for sharing technology and joint drone production. Ukraine is a world leader in military drones.

A boy is killed in a Kyiv strike as Russia also reports civilian casualties

Russian aerial attacks on Ukraine overnight and into Friday killed five people and wounded 11, officials said, while Russian authorities reported one dead and 21 wounded in Ukrainian long-range strikes.

Zelenskyy said eight Ukrainian regions came under attack. Russia kept up its relentless round-the-clock attacks on the Ukrainian capital, hitting an office block where four people were killed, Zelenskyy said. A 14-year-old boy was also killed in a Kyiv apartment building strike and at least seven residents were injured, according to officials.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces hit a missile engine depot near Kyiv, among other targets.

Ukraine hit two refineries as part of its sustained campaign to damage Russia’s economy, Zelenskyy said.

Unconfirmed Russian media reports said Ukrainian drones also struck a Russian military electronics plant and a synthetic rubber producer.

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Hatton reported from Lisbon, Portugal.

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

His thing is esports.

Meet Yuki Kurihara, the Japanese elementary school student who defeated Kang Dongshin of South Korea 10-2 on Saturday in the final of the Puyo Puyo Champions puzzle game at the Asian Games.

He defeated Tanarak Wongkitikun of Thailand in the semifinals, 10-1. The Thai player is a relative old-timer at 28.

“I’m really happy,” Kurihara said. “The gold medal is really beautiful, shiny and heavy.”

He said he also liked the little mascot doll he was given for winning.

“The plush toy is super cute, and it’s cool that it is gold-colored too.”

Kang, the loser in the final, praised Kurihara,

“It’s obvious that my opponent was skilled and above my level,” Kang said. “His technical ability and accuracy are incredible.”

Kurihara is believed to be youngest-ever gold medalist in the Asian Games, which date from 1951 in New Delhi, India. And he’s certainly the youngest in these Asian Games.

Japanese media has reported he trains eight hours daily and still keeps up his grades in school.

Esports was held in the Asian Games for the first time three years ago in Hangzhou, China. It was so popular that tickets were sold by lottery. It's also an audience favorite in Japan.

Youth is being served at the Asian Games. Kamus Wong is a 12-year-old competing for Hong Kong in skateboarding, and 13-year-old Yu Zidi of China won three gold medals in swimming.

A relative senior citizen, 17-year-old Japanese swimmer Shin Ohashi set a world record on Thursday in the 200-meter breaststroke.

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See full AP coverage of Asian sports here

The news organization was replaced by Real America’s Voice, a conservative network, for the president's trip to Knoxville, Tennessee, according to White House guidance. Trump is scheduled to attend a college football game between the University of Tennessee and the University of Texas at midday Saturday.

The news came just after journalists from CNN, along with MS NOW and Politico, which Trump banned last week from the White House grounds, returned to the executive complex with TV cameras in hand after a judge handed the organizations a reprieve.

U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly temporarily struck down the ban in an overnight ruling early Thursday, but his decision addressed “hard passes” to the White House grounds and didn’t directly address pool duties.

The judge’s temporary order also said nothing directly about Air Force One.

Media organizations believe the court decision covers the ‘pool’

Theodore Boutrous Jr., the news outlets’ attorney, did not immediately respond to an email and phone call from The Associated Press requesting comment Friday night.

Earlier Friday, on “The Lead with Jake Tapper,” Boutrous had said the plaintiffs believe the recent court ruling also covers the issue of pool access.

The White House did not immediately respond to an AP email requesting additional details on the decision.

For a while during the day, the U.S. network video pool for the White House was back in operation for the first time since Trump banned the three news outlets in an extraordinary showdown over media access.

At noon on CNN, viewers could see Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping touring the National Archives, along with Melania Trump and Peng Liyuan, Xi's wife. The banner along the bottom of the screen read: “Trump and China’s Xi Visit National Archives.” It was a routine report from a state visit — except that CNN had not aired live video of Trump in several days.

“As of now, all systems are go,” said a person familiar with the pool, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the fluidity of the situation.

The pool consists of five major U.S. broadcast outlets that take turns shooting and sharing video. When the White House banned CNN — which belongs to the pool — from White House grounds, along with MS NOW and Politico, the other four pool providers declined to participate in a show of solidarity.

The spot meant for CNN on this flight has long been saved for a member of the U.S. network video pool, which Real America’s Voice is not a part of.

CNN did not comment directly earlier Friday, referring instead to its editorial coverage. But Brian Stelter, the network’s media analyst, posted on X that CNN had a pool assignment at the National Archives event and that the White House had approved the network’s credentials.

Throughout his second term, Trump has increasingly targeted media outlets whose coverage irritates him, taking administrative or legal action against several. Early last year, he banished AP reporters from White House events because the organization wasn’t abiding by his executive order changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America.” The AP’s guidance says to acknowledge the new name when relevant.

The case is on appeal after a federal district judge ruled in AP’s favor.

The press pool was created decades ago by the White House Correspondents’ Association, a group of journalists who cover the president, to make sure a rotating roster always travels with the president.

The pool distributes in-person reports and imagery to the broader press corps and is designed to hold the nation’s chief executive accountable on behalf of the American public.

The association did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment.

HPD investigators have detained a person of interest in the fatal shooting at 11911 Chimney Rock Road.

A media briefing will be held at 11900 Hillcroft to provide further information.

— Houston Police (@houstonpolice) September 26, 2026

Houston Police Chief J. Noe Diaz says the suspect was taken into custody in the 11300 block of Hillcroft Avenue this evening. Diaz says the suspect was walking in the area when he was detained.

The arrest comes after drones were used to conduct surveillance at a nearby apartment the suspect is believed to live at. Police are in the process of executing a search warrant at the location.

Diaz says the suspect is not enrolled at any Houston ISD school. A weapon was also recovered, but it is unclear if it is the same gun that was used in the shooting. The ATF is working to confirm whether it is the same weapon used.

Right now, police don’t know what the motive was for the killing. They also aren’t sure how the suspect and victim know each other, but believe there is some connection between the two, possibly over social media.

• RELATED: Westbury senior who was shot and killed identified as LePaul Warren

Diaz says there was some sort of discussion between the two before the shooting happened Friday morning.

It is also unclear whether the suspect has a previous criminal record.

Diaz says witnesses were extremely helpful in taking the suspect into custody. Security cameras, phone data, and a photo array presented before witnesses, were some of the things used to help make the arrest.

Diaz says there were probably close to 100 people working on the case Friday.

And with starting running back Turbo Richard out with an injury, Beebe gladly showed everyone what he could do.

On a night the Hoosiers looked nothing like the defending national champs, Beebe carried 24 times for 203 yards, scored one touchdown and his late 70-yard burst set up Josh Hoover's game-sealing 1-yard score with 1:56 to go as No. 5 Indiana held on for a 29-23 victory over Northwestern. Beebe was so good, he even earned the highest praise from coach Curt Cignetti.

“That guy’s got a lot of heart,” Cignetti said. “Boy, he’s got as much heart as anyone that’s been in this program the last three years. Not only didn’t he step in, he played and fortunately they couldn’t tackle him. It was all grit and heart.”

The Hoosiers (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) extended the Football Bowl Subdivision's longest active winning streak to 20 games and the longest home winning streak to 19 — barely.

Northwestern was within 15-13 early in the fourth quarter and had two chances to tie because of a pass-interference call on its first 2-point attempt. But the Hoosiers stopped quarterback Aidan Chiles on a designed run to preserve the lead.

Following a facemask penalty on third-and-19 that gave Indiana a first down, Beebe ripped off a 39-yard run and then ran for a 4-yard TD with 9:39 left to make it a two-score game. After Northwestern cut the deficit to 22-20, Beebe ran 70 yards to the Wildcats 5-yard line. Six plays later, Hoover scored.

Northwestern fell just short of beating a defending national champion for the first time since 1971 and a top five foe for the first time since 1959.

“Our guys kept battling, our coaches kept battling, but the frustrating thing was — I have all the respect for Indiana — but we beat ourselves,” Wildcats coach David Braun said. “We should be coming out of here with the win.”

They certainly had Indiana befuddled in the second half, right down to the final minute.

Jackson Kleather made a 42-yard field goal with 58 seconds left to make it a one-score game, but the Wildcats (2-1, 0-1) couldn't recover the onside kick.

Hoover was 19 of 29 for 201 yards and a touchdown, Charlie Becker had seven catches for 98 yards and Beebe had his second 100-yard game of the season after Turbo Richard left with a lower right leg injury in the first half.

Chiles was 22 of 29 for 293 yards and touchdowns. He also rushed for a score.

The Wildcats opened the game with a goal-line stand, but Chiles fumbled the snap on their first offensive play and Rolijah Hardy tackled him in the end zone for a safety.

Indiana made it 5-0 on Nico Radicic's 43-yard field goal early in the second quarter and extended the margin to 12-0 with Nick Marsh's 8-yard TD catch with 5:04 left in the first half.

But that's all the Hoosiers could muster in a half in which they held Northwestern to 51 total yards and minus-5 yards on the ground.

The takeaway

Northwestern: The Wildcats couldn't get anything right offensively in the first half, but coordinator Chip Kelly turned Chiles loose in the second half and it got them back into the game. The failed 2-point try and the defense's failure to get off the field coast them late.

Indiana: Poll voters penalized the Hoosiers last week, dropping them one spot after a 38-0 rout of Western Kentucky. And this was as vulnerable as Indiana's defense has looked in more than a year. Whether it's an aberration is unclear, but it's likely the Hoosiers will drop in the AP Top 25 again.

Injury report

Richard appeared to suffer a lower right leg injury when he was tackled out of bounds in the second quarter though no penalty was called. Indiana is also missing RB Khobie Martin with a broken arm. The Hoosiers also lost linebacker Hardy in the second half, and he walked from the field straight to the locker room. Cignetti did not provide any postgame updates.

Northwestern played without injured cornerback Braden Turner and lost cornerback Josh Fussell on the game’s first series. He was in street clothes and on crutches before the first quarter ended. Chiles also left for one play after he apparently suffered a dislocated finger on his nonthrowing hand.

Up next

Northwestern: Has another big test next Saturday, hosting No. 13 Penn State.

Indiana: Visits winless Rutgers next Saturday in its first away game of the season.

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Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here, visit the Top 25 here and see AP’s full college football coverage here

But for the 2.8 million Palestinians who live in the territory, those springs and the stone reservoirs they fill are increasingly out of reach as Israeli settlers — encouraged by a hard-line government facing reelection — have stepped up efforts both to seize the springs and other heritage sites.

In one case this summer, water from a natural spring to the Palestinian village of Fasayil was illegally diverted to an ancient pool nearby. Whoever siphoned the water used it to fill up that pool, declaring it a new tourist attraction named after Herod, the Roman-appointed king of Judea.

Agreements reached in the 1990s indicate the pool is located in Area C, meaning it is under full Israeli military control. Research by Dror Etkes, who runs the settlement watchdog group Kerem Navot, determined the land was privately owned.

Palestinian farmer Saad Nemer, from Fasayil, said the water being cut off has devastated his fields, adding that his family has documents that prove ownership of the land. COGAT, Israel’s military body that oversees civil issues in the West Bank, acknowledged the water was diverted “without authorization” and said it would investigate.

Other swimming areas in the West Bank have also become sites of conflict. An Israeli father of six was shot and killed last week by a Palestinian at a spring in the northern West Bank, where he was bathing with his oldest son ahead of the Yom Kippur holiday.

Israel funds Jewish heritage projects in the West Bank

Israel has occupied the West Bank since it captured the territory, along with east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, from Jordan and Egypt in the 1967 war. Since then, it has built a network of settlements for more than half a million Israelis on land Palestinians seek for a future independent state.

The international community overwhelmingly considers the settlements illegal. Earlier this month, during a rise in settler violence and other actions that have displaced Palestinians, the British government accused Israel of turning “a blind eye” to what it described as “ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in areas of the West Bank — perpetrated by settler terrorists.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has condemned the violence but blamed it on a “handful of rioters” in the occupied West Bank he said do injustice to the “law-abiding settler public.”

The push to take over and claim heritage sites is part of this wider effort, according to Israeli rights group B'Tselem, which said in a report this month that such designations are used to “elevate the historical, cultural, and religious ties of the State of Israel and the Jewish people to the West Bank.”

The decision by settlers to name the pool near Fasayil after Herod was an attempt to “brand” the site as part of Jewish history, said Alon Arad, executive director of Emek Shaveh, an Israeli group that opposes the politicization of archaeology in Israel and the Palestinian territories.

Archaeologists have never studied the site, so it's unclear when it was built. Other ruins in the area date to Herod's reign in the first century B.C.E., according to excavations conducted by the archaeology unit of Israel’s Civil Administration, a branch of the military that manages day-to-day affairs in the West Bank.

At the beginning of October, after the Jewish holidays, the pool will be drained so that the administration’s archaeologists can complete a full survey of the site, Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu said in an interview with The Associated Press.

He praised the group that originally diverted the water and said about $1 million has been earmarked by the government to rehabilitate the site. That is out of at least $166 million he said is now allocated for excavations and infrastructure at more than 100 sites he claimed are connected to Jewish heritage in the West Bank.

“We’ll turn this place into the Garden of Eden,” Eliyahu said during a visit to the pool, which is near the Petzael settlement.

There is “no such thing as a Palestinian nation” he added, before leaping into the water.

Fields dry up as water is seized

The struggle for water access in this strip of fertile land reflects a wider contest for control of the West Bank, and in particular the Jordan Valley, which Palestinians consider the breadbasket of their hoped-for future state and Israelis view as key to protecting their eastern border.

Palestinians have faced water shortages and restrictions since Israel took control in 1967. Interim peace accords in the 1990s recognized their water rights but preserved a system that allocated some 80% of water pumped from the main aquifer for Israeli use.

Now, soaring attacks by settlers are exacerbating the problem. Settlers have damaged, destroyed or seized approximately 160 water and sanitation structures, including pipelines and cisterns, in Palestinian communities in 2026, according to a July report from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

The attackers are increasingly targeting shared water infrastructure and have disrupted supply to all or large parts of several Palestinian communities, the report said.

In Al Auja, in the Jordan Valley, the seizure by settlers of the local natural springs has forced some Palestinian farmers to abandon their fields.

Murad al-Juba, 53, once grew an abundance of fruit and vegetables, including cantaloupes, eggplant, bananas and tomatoes. But after settlers encroached, harassing residents and diverting the spring water, he said he has been unable to plant.

“All these farms depend on the spring, but today, the spring is gone, because the settlers took it,” Juba said.

More recently, “settlers have completely taken over” the spring's waterfall and turned “the area into a quasi-military zone,” said mayor Hani al-Njoum, adding it has been devastating for local tourism and agriculture.

“This land was bountiful,” Juba said. “Today, it is a desert.”

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Bwaitel reported from Al Auja, West Bank.

Last month’s floods have destroyed everything once more.

With his home in a designated danger zone and no clear idea of where his family will resettle, Prassan is staying with his wife and children at a relative’s house and mulling another stint overseas.

“This flood has taken everything,” he said. “I don’t know what to do.”

A month after devastating floods swept through parts of Nepal, thousands are displaced like Prassan and rescuers continue searching for thousands others missing, including many believed trapped in six hydropower project tunnels. The disaster has left the government facing a long and costly recovery, with families confronting the loss of loved ones, homes and livelihoods.

Prime Minister Balendra Shah used his first address to the U.N. General Assembly on Thursday to highlight the flooding as a warning about the growing climate risks facing the Himalayan region.

“The disaster was not just a local tragedy, but a warning to the world,” Shah said. “I ask you today: Have we really heard that warning?”

Shah also called for greater international support for Nepal’s recovery and stronger regional cooperation to prepare for climate-related disasters.

“Climate change does not recognize borders. Glaciers and floods do not travel with stamps and passports,” he said.

DNA testing delays final rites for some families

Nepal’s disaster management agency said 1,453 bodies had been recovered and 5,644 people remained missing. Only 112 bodies had been handed over to relatives, while 1,333 were temporarily buried pending identification. In neighboring China, officials reported 261 foreign nationals among the missing.

Tents have been set up at the Nepal Police Hospital in Kathmandu, where relatives can provide DNA samples to help identify the dead. Authorities are comparing the samples with DNA collected from recovered remains.

Laboratory officials declined to provide details, citing privacy concerns, but said experts from India, China, the United States, Singapore and South Korea were assisting with the work.

Rabi Kumar Thapa Magar, a hydropower worker who lost his wife, brother, sister-in-law and mother, said he identified his wife from a photo of the dead — but authorities had buried her body before the family could see it.

Authorities declined to release the body pending DNA matching, a process they said would take at least a month. The family later performed symbolic final rites using an effigy.

Families grieve children lost in the floods

Many others are still processing the grief.

Pasang Maya Tamang, 32, who lost her young son in the floods, said she still dreams of him pleading for help.

“The body of my son has been recovered but I was not able to see him for the last time. I am very sad about that. I hear in my dreams him saying why I left him alone,” Tamang said at a shelter home in the flood-affected town of Nuwakot.

Her son had gone to school with a neighbor when the flood hit. By the time she learned what had happened, the school had already been swept away. His body was recovered three days later in a southern district, but she was unable to travel there to see him.

The Aug. 26 flood hit in the morning, around the time students were arriving at schools or making their way there. Some children's bodies were later recovered still wearing ties bearing their school’s logo, said Asta Man Dangol, a resident in Nuwakot.

"The older students were able to run uphill and escape, but the little ones who were not able to run fast ... were swept away," he said.

Crews work to reconnect communities cut off by the floods

The Nepal government estimates reconstruction and recovery will cost $4.77 billion. Nearly 33,000 people have been affected, and about 7,500 homes were damaged or destroyed.

The recovery is now focused on restoring roads and bridges cut off by the floods, particularly in remote areas where damaged infrastructure has made it difficult to deliver aid.

Ishmita Shah, a roads engineer, said crews have been working with Nepal's army since the second day after the floods to reopen routes in affected areas.

Shah said bridges were being built to improve access to the worst-affected areas and make it easier to transport relief supplies. But the work remains difficult, with more bad weather expected in the coming days, she said.

“The upcoming few days are going to be very challenging because of the weather, but we are fully prepared for that too,” she said.

The AI giant's models accessed publicly available information on two websites operated by the Securities and Exchange Commission as well as U.S. Census Bureau data, the company revealed Friday. OpenAI did not find any use of SEC credentials, access to accounts or nonpublic information, changes to SEC data or systems, or evidence of a compromise or vulnerability, the company said.

The disclosure comes at a time of heightened global concerns about AI systems escaping human control and hacking into external websites, as well as industry calls for a slowdown on AI development, which OpenAI has said it supports.

OpenAI spokesperson Liz Bourgeois said in a statement that the lab is continuing to conduct a review of “misaligned model activity" — meaning when AI systems behave in undesired ways — and is notifying organizations when it identifies potential impacts to their systems.

OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman said on social media Friday that there is an “extensive and ongoing review related to our agents’ use of internet access during training and evaluation.”

AI evaluator and research lab Transluce said Friday that through an independent investigation it also found that agents appearing to originate from OpenAI attempted a rudimentary hack on a Department of Education website for the department’s civil rights office, which did not succeed.

The Department of Education's “system operations reviews" found "no evidence of any impact to our website or databases,” a department spokesperson said Friday.

A Transluce spokesperson said as part of its investigation, it came across data on the open web that revealed fresh details about some previously identified OpenAI agents' activities on U.S. government websites and brought it to OpenAI's attention.

Transluce found “additional rogue activity, some of which is not clearly attributable to OpenAI," targeting other government agencies, including the Justice Department and the Commerce Department, as well as some state government websites in California, Maryland, Illinois, Texas and New York. The models were “using sites in unintended ways and sometimes violating explicit usage policies,” Transluce said in a statement.

OpenAI said it is reviewing Transluce’s report.

If OpenAI notifies organizations it identifies as being impacted by unexpected model behavior, that does not mean there was a security incident, the company said, and could identify a design issue or security weakness that impacted organizations want to address.

Most of the activity OpenAI said it has reviewed so far has involved routine research tasks where agents accessed public web content to answer questions, including government websites seen as authoritative sources of public information.

Several companies have disclosed incidents in recent months when they say their models have behaved unpredictably or hacked into other organizations' websites or systems. OpenAI disclosed in July that two of its most capable AI models were responsible for the cyberattack targeting AI startup Hugging Face.

Altman said in his social media post Friday that the Hugging Face incident “is still the most severe event we’ve seen.”

That incident stirred widespread panic in the industry and beyond about AI models going rogue, and several competing AI labs made similar disclosures in the days and weeks that followed. OpenAI most recently shared six reports of “unexpected or concerning” behavior in AI models and introduced a framework for tracking, probing and disclosing instances of what it called misalignment.

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Huamani reported from Los Angeles.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team had not announced the terms of Curry's contract. Curry was eligible to command up to $136 million, so he is giving his team a discount as he backs up his longstanding commitment to finish his career with the Warriors.

Golden State general manager Mike Dunleavy said last month he was optimistic of getting something done with the two-time MVP and NBA career leader in 3-pointers.

“We couldn’t be more excited about reaching an agreement with Stephen and extending his historic career with the Warriors,” Dunleavy said in a statement. “There has never been a better face to a franchise in professional sports history, both on and off the court, than Stephen Curry with the Warriors. He embodies everything this organization strives to represent through his legendary play on the court, his unique leadership and sacrifice, and his unmatched impact in the community.”

The 38-year-old Curry will complete a $62.6 million extension he signed for the 2026-27 season in August 2024 before the new contract takes him through 2029 — which would be his 20th season.

If he plays that 20th year, he would join Dirk Nowitzki of Dallas, the late Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers and Udonis Haslem of Miami as the only the players in NBA history to play 20 or more seasons with one franchise.

Curry averaged 26.6 points, 4.7 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.1 steals while playing 30.9 minutes but was limited to 43 games last season.

He missed more than two months with a nagging right knee injury before he finally came back in early April. He had initially hoped to return after the All-Star break.

Curry has won four NBA titles with Golden State, most recently in 2022.

“We’ve been incredibly blessed to experience 17 years of Stephen’s artistry and are thrilled that our fans will continue to have the opportunity to watch him perform and write additional chapters to his illustrious story,” Dunleavy said.

ESPN first reported Curry's new deal.

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

Officers were called to the scene around 9 a.m. Houston Police Department Chief Noe Diaz said detectives are interviewing two witnesses and reviewing surveillance video from apartment cameras along Chimney Rock Road. Follow live updates below.

8:10 p.m. Mayor John Whitmire announced a suspect was apprehended.

“Instead of Friday night Westbury homecoming dance, we were here where the suspected was apprehended,” the mayor said from 13950 Hillcroft Avenue.

7:36 p.m. Houston Police post that investigators have detained a person of interest.

HPD investigators have detained a person of interest in the fatal shooting at 11911 Chimney Rock Road.

A media briefing will be held at 11900 Hillcroft to provide further information.

— Houston Police (@houstonpolice) September 26, 2026

4 p.m. Westbury High School has canceled the homecoming game scheduled for Saturday. This is what Principal Alexander Westbury informed the school community.

“Dear Westbury High School Families,

“We want to share an additional update regarding this weekend’s activities. Due to today’s tragic loss and its impact on our school community, tomorrow’s Homecoming game has been canceled.

“Campus administration is working to reschedule the game, and we will share updated information with students and families once those plans are finalized.

“Thank you for your understanding and continued support of our Westbury community.”

1:30 p.m. Family identifies the 17-year-old killed as LePaul Warren. He was a football and basketball player at Westbury High School.

11:30 a.m. Dryad St. and the adjacent areas have been reopened to vehicular traffic.

10:30 a.m. Law enforcement and 25 Texas DPS troopers continue to canvass surrounding apartment buildings and wooded areas for the shooter.

9:55 a.m. “This is something that should not happen in our community. Young people at the moment making bad decisions.” HPD Police Chief Noe Diaz said. “We’re working diligently to make sure we get someone in custody as soon as possible. To make sure this area is safe.”

9:40 a.m. “I heard the shot then I saw it when I crossed the sidewalk and that’s when I saw it.” a student tells KPRC Reporter Taylor Bruck. “I heard the shot then I saw it when I crossed the sidewalk and that’s when I saw it.”

9:30 a.m. Sky 2 News Chopper overflies the scene as police canvass the area.

9:20 a.m. HPD tells KPRC 2 News that homicide investigators are responding to the scene.

9 a.m. Houston Police Department reports a person was shot near Westbury High School.

View this post on Instagram

This is a developing story.

The resolution would reaffirm the need to respect freedom of navigation in the strait, a flashpoint in the war in Iran, citing its importance for global shipments critical for food and energy security, the diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity because discussions on the measure have been private.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s top cleric issued a rare statement, calling on the kingdom’s troops to defend the country from neighboring Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

In New York, where the wars in Iran and Gaza have dominated the U.N. agenda, the leaders of Iraq, Lebanon and Egypt were scheduled to address world leaders later Friday.

Here is a look at the latest news from the Middle East. More coverage of the U.N. General Assembly is available here.

France overseeing new UN draft proposal to reopen strait

The proposed U.N. resolution would recall the need to respect the Law of the Sea and support peaceful initiatives aimed at ensuring safe passage in the strait, the U.N. diplomat said.

Iran’s disruption of the strait, through which a fifth of the world’s traded oil and gas transited before the war, has emerged as its main point of leverage. The effects have been felt far beyond the Middle East and pose political problems for U.S. President Donald Trump and his Republican Party ahead of November’s midterm congressional elections.

Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron discussed the topic on the sidelines of this week’s annual U.N. gathering of global leaders, the diplomat said. It also was discussed with Arab nations and Iran.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi confirmed Friday that Tehran put forth a seven-day plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and resume talks on its nuclear program if the U.S. meets the conditions it has laid out.

Talking to reporters at the U.N., Araghchi said the plan was delivered to Washington through Qatari mediators on the sidelines of the General Assembly.

“If the necessary conditions are met, the strait can be reopened and normal maritime passage restored within seven days,” he said, adding that seven-day clock would begin when the U.S. accepts the plan. “The choice now rests with the United States.”

The White House said earlier Friday that U.S. officials are having positive and constructive conversations with mediators on the Iran war

Top religious figure urges Saudi troops to be ready to defend kingdom

With Saudi oil facilities, cities and ships off its coast coming under escalating attacks, the kingdom's top religious authority has called on soldiers to be prepared to defend the country from Iran-backed Houthis.

Grand Mufti Sheikh Saleh al-Fawzan, who traditionally avoids weighing in on politics in a country that holds enormous influence among Muslims worldwide, issued the strongly worded statement. Al-Fawzan addressed his message to soldiers defending the kingdom's borders and members of the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis in Yemen, peppering it with Quranic verses and religious edicts.

“Protecting this great nation, guarding its borders, defending against aggression and punishing those who want to harm any inch of it is one of the greatest duties,” he said.

The head of Yemen's internationally recognized government, Rashad al-Alimi, likewise urged Yemenis to rally behind Saudi-backed armed forces and allied groups in their fight with the Houthis.

Al-Alimi, who chairs the country’s Presidential Leadership Council, also called on Yemenis fighting alongside the Houthis to defect, announcing a general amnesty.

Al-Alimi says goal is to retake capital Sanaa from Houthis

Al-Alimi said the aim of the fighting is to restore his government’s control over Sanaa, the capital, which the Houthis seized in 2014.

His call to arms came during his first speech since his Saudi-backed forces were routed from the western Red Sea coast by the Houthis’ lightning advance on the city of Mokha and islands in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, where 12% of the world's trade passes.

The swift Houthi advances raised questions about the effectiveness of the Saudi-backed forces in the face of the disciplined, well-armed Houthis. The Houthi assault exploited divisions among the Saudi-backed forces and distrust among its leaders, leading to a chaotic troop withdrawal before the fall of Mokha.

Al-Alimi’s speech came on the 64th anniversary of the military coup that ousted the monarchy ruling northern Yemen, rooted in the Zaydi Shiite sect to which the Houthis also belong. The Houthis battled Yemen’s central government for years before sweeping down from their northern stronghold and seizing Sanaa.

Pakistani, Saudi and Turkish military chiefs hold first joint meeting

The first joint meeting of the military chiefs of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey was held in Riyadh on Friday, following the signing of the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement by the three countries, Pakistan’s military said in a statement.

The chiefs of defense forces and chiefs of general staff from the three countries reviewed the regional security situation and threats facing Saudi Arabia, according to the statement.

“They strongly resented the attacks targeting the Holy City of Mecca and civilian and economic infrastructure,” the statement said.

The military chiefs also praised the vigilance and professionalism of the Saudi armed forces in ensuring the safety of the people and security of the kingdom, it said.

Iran's president says he supports Xi's call for return to MOA

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Friday in a post on X that Tehran supports Chinese President Xi Jinping’s call for a return to the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding and renewed diplomacy between Iran and the United States.

Pezeshkian said he appreciated Xi’s “thoughtful and responsible support” for resolving differences through dialogue and diplomacy, adding that Iran backed returning to the understanding and honoring previously agreed commitments.

The post came a day after Pezeshkian met with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York. Sharif said Pezeshkian told him the Islamabad memorandum remained “fully acceptable” to Iran and that Tehran was ready to take it forward.

The 14-point memorandum, mediated by Pakistan and signed in June, provided a framework for ending the conflict.

UN Security Council demands halt to attacks by Houthi rebels

In a statement approved by its 15 members, the U.N.’s most powerful body condemned Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and against commercial shipping in the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

The council called for “practical cooperation,” including with Yemen’s internationally recognized government, to prevent the Houthis from obtaining weapons, military material and training enabling them to carry out attacks.

It reminded all countries of their obligation to implement the U.N. arms embargo against the Houthis.

2 Israeli soldiers are killed in Gaza

Israel’s military said two of its soldiers were killed in northern Gaza on Thursday while inspecting an unexploded Israeli drone near a military post. They were the first Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza in months.

Five other Israeli soldiers have been killed since last October’s ceasefire that attempted to halt a more than two-year war between Israel and the militant Hamas group.

While the heaviest fighting has subsided, almost daily Israeli fire has continued. Israeli forces have carried out repeated airstrikes and frequently fire on Palestinians near military-held zones and have killed 1,408 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials.

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This report will be updated throughout the day as new developments emerge.

• RELATED: Westbury senior who was shot and killed identified as LePaul Warren

Friday night’s homecoming dance was canceled too.

When Mayor John Whitmire announced Friday night that they suspect had been apprehended, he said, “Instead of Friday night Westbury homecoming dance, we were here where the suspect was apprehended.”

In a message to families, Principal Adrea Alexander says campus administration is working to reschedule the game and will share updates with families and students once those plans are finalized.

The cancelation comes after Westbury High School senior LePaul Warren was shot and killed just steps from the school campus on Friday.

Warren, a wide receiver and starter on the school’s varsity football team and a shooting guard for varsity basketball, was described by his godfather as a “good kid, very respectful, very polite.”

• RELATED: LIVE UPDATES: Senior killed near Westbury High School; shooter at large

Witnesses said the shooter was dressed in all black with a ski mask on.

Investigators have interviewed witnesses and are also hoping license plate readers in the area can help them track down the shooter. They also had video from the apartment complex next door to the school.

If you have cell phone video, dash cam footage, home surveillance or anything else that might help, Houston police want to hear from you.

The Texas Cattle Feeders Association, Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association and Kansas Livestock Association said in a statement that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations have prompted delays in the shipment of thousands of cattle, resulting in millions of dollars in lost revenue. The groups say ICE operations have disrupted operations at feedlots, dairy processors, feed and grain companies, and transportation hubs.

Scarlett Mabinger, the vice president of communications for the Kansas Livestock Association, said they have received multiple calls from their members reporting an increase in absences at their southwest Kansas businesses after these communities noticed an increase in federal immigration officers this week.

The Department of Homeland Security confirmed their presence in Kansas but said they are not conducting worksite raids.

DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said in a statement that ICE has been “targeting heinous criminals,” but he didn’t give a breakdown on the number of people arrested.

Several meatpacking plants in the Kansas cities of Dodge City, Liberal and Garden City typically process thousands of cattle every day, but Mabinger said some had to shut down temporarily and send cattle back to feedlots.

“So then they’re having to be returned back to the feed yard to wait, which, of course, causes an animal health issue, causes financial issues,” she said.

The Kansas Livestock Association did not receive reports of arrests happening at worksites, but community members started noticing the arrival of officers on Tuesday.

Amy Soberanes, a 25-year-old community organizer in Dodge City, Kansas, has been helping deliver food to people who are afraid to leave their homes. She said cleaning crews stopped showing up at some locations, forcing plants to close.

“I have worked with so many moms who have told me that they don’t know what they’re gonna do because their provider has been taken,” Soberanes said. “I have seen kids cry to me because their mom and dad are gone. It brought a lot of hurt, and a lot of pain, and a lot of trauma for our community.”

Several of the Kansas cities where ICE enforcement appears to have increased have large Hispanic populations. Their populations have risen in the last decade from new immigrant arrivals, mostly from Cuba and Haiti, according to federal data obtained and analyzed by The Associated Press.

Voters in these counties heavily favored Donald Trump in the last election, with more than 65% casting ballots in favor of the Republican Party.

Republican politicians, who typically have sided with Trump on immigration, are making careful pivots in their messaging.

Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall, a Republican incumbent in a tight race against a Democrat, and Sen. Jerry Moran said they were both concerned and urged the federal administration to coordinate with local authorities. “Secretary Mullin assured me these warrants are only for the purpose of arresting individuals who have been charged with criminal activities,” Moran said in a statement shared on social media.

The administration has repeated claims of targeting immigrants with criminal histories, but recent data suggests more than half of those arrested in July had not been convicted of any crimes and were not facing any criminal charges. Less than a quarter of those arrested had been convicted of a crime.

Members of the Kansas Livestock Association are urging federal officials to conduct more targeted enforcement actions and provide more transparency.

Beef prices have soared to record highs in the past year, largely thanks to the smallest national herd in 75 years. The Trump administration has made efforts to bring down prices, like allowing some beef imports without high tariffs and reopening the border to cattle from Mexico, which had been closed because of an outbreak of a pest that can be deadly to cattle called the New World screwworm.

“If it continues for a long enough period of time, then it could therefore lead to increased prices, because we are not processing the amount of beef that consumers are currently demanding,” Mabinger said.

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Gonzalez reported from McAllen, Texas.

Instead, he will begin October by stumping in Alabama and Oklahoma, two of the most Republican states in the nation. His events are sure to draw enthusiastic crowds of fans, but his choice of destinations is a reminder of his deep unpopularity in much of the country during a campaign season he's sought to make all about himself.

Trump will hold rallies next week in Durant, Oklahoma, and Mobile, Alabama, where he is sure to draw crowds, but he has also raised eyebrows.

While organizers insist the rallies are in locations with media markets that span state lines and they will help bolster broader turnout, Trump's itinerary is yet another sign of the uphill fight that his party faces. Republicans have already been pouring money into red states once considered safe as they try to shore up candidates facing an unhappy electorate that has soured on Trump and his policies.

Some Republicans have also been distancing themselves from the president in recent weeks as they try to appeal to voters beyond Trump's “Make America Great Again” base. They have removed or downplayed references to the president on their websites and increasingly voiced opposition to his unpopular war with Iran.

But Trump's events — Thursday in Durant and Friday in Mobile — are also likely to deliver something else he craves: adoring crowds. He is almost guaranteed to fill the venues with the kind of die-hard supporters who fueled his political rise, projecting excitement as he tries to bolster enthusiasm and rally Republicans.

“The President’s ability to engage with and activate low-propensity voters is unmatched. That’s why he’ll be barnstorming the country to activate the voters we need to win in November,” said Republican National Committee spokesperson Natalie Baldassarre, promising more October rallies to come.

Democrats, meanwhile, celebrated the announcement. “The political floor is falling out from underneath Trump and Congressional Republicans, forcing them to scramble to spend and campaign in deep red territory in the final weeks,” said Viet Shelton, spokesperson for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Republicans expect Trump's appeal to cross state lines

The RNC noted that Durant, Oklahoma, is on the Texas border and next to the Dallas-Fort Worth media market, and will draw Republicans in Texas, which has emerged as one of the most critical states on the map. Scandal-plagued Attorney General Ken Paxton, whom Trump backed over incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, is locked in a tight race against Democrat James Talarico. Gov. Greg Abbott is also facing a stronger-than-expected challenger in Democrat Gina Hinojosa.

Mobile is next to Florida’s panhandle, a Republican stronghold where high turnout can help bolster Trump-backed candidates running for Senate and governor. However, Florida Republican Sen. Ashley Moody is not expected to attend.

In Oklahoma, Trump will be stumping for Mike Mazzei, whom he backed as the Republican nominee for governor during a competitive primary. Mazzei is running against Oklahoma's Democratic House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson.

“This race continues to get more competitive — and national Republicans are right to be worried about Mazzei,” Democratic Governors Association spokesperson Kevin Donohoe said in a statement.

Alabama, meanwhile, holds deep nostalgia for Trump and his early supporters. He held his first mega-rally in Mobile more than a decade ago, drawing some 30,000 people to a college football stadium. The crowd made clear to skeptics of his campaign that he was more than a celebrity novelty.

“I think it’s very natural that he would host a rally here as he is gearing up for the midterm elections,” said John Wahl, the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor and former chair of the Alabama Republican Party.

Although Republicans remain the heavy favorites in Alabama's statewide campaigns, they face a more challenging political landscape this year.

Former Democratic Sen. Doug Jones is mounting a vigorous campaign for Alabama governor against one of Trump’s most vocal allies, Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who said he welcomed the president's visit.

Republican Rep. Barry Moore, running to replace Tuberville in the Senate with Trump's backing, said the president's rally “will be the jet fuel we need to win big in Alabama.”

Mobile is also near Alabama's 2nd Congressional District, which leans red after its lines were redrawn but is not a slam dunk for Republicans as they try to dislodge Democratic Rep. Shomari Figures.

Figures has been criticizing the president's plan to lower import tariffs on foreign beef in an appeal to cattle ranchers as he tries to fend off a challenge from his Trump-backed opponent, State Rep. Rhett Marques.

Trump has promised to ramp up his campaigning in the election's final stretch and had said he would visit all of the most competitive districts.

“It’s all about 35 races,” he said at a recent Rose Garden dinner attended by Republican lawmakers. “I’m going to go to every one of those 35 places and we’re going to see if we can get everyone elected."

Ohio Republican Party Chairman Alex Triantafilou said he hoped Trump would visit his state, where he won in 2024 by 11 percentage points. Republican Sen. John Husted is facing a competitive challenge from Democratic former Sen. Sherrod Brown.

“We definitely want him here,” Triantafilou said. “He’s a turnout driver for us.”

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Colvin reported from New York. Associated Press reporters Bill Barrow in Atlanta and Thomas Beaumont in Des Moines, Iowa, contributed to this report.