Lick Honest Ice Cream is celebrating National Ice Cream month with Cones for a Cause. Guests can donate at any Lick shop through the month & every dollar goes to a local nonprofit.

Hot Diggity Dog - we’re celebrating National Hot Dog day with Home Team Hot Dogs. It started out as a small family hot dog cart and it’s grown into something so much bigger.

The 11th annual community Junior Chef Competition is happening this July 18th. We get a sneak peek with organizer Chef Milas Williams & two young chefs. They’re cooking with a secret ingredient that might be a bit surprising.

Oscar with a Mustache from The Magic Saloon amazes us with his incredible facial hair & a pretty stunning magic act.

Blanche insisted that the $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund,” which was scrapped after fierce bipartisan backlash, was “not moving forward.” But lawmakers, including Republican Sen. John Cornyn, conveyed concerns that the Trump administration has yet to commit in writing that the fund is dead and could therefore conceivably be resurrected.

“Just to be clear, the president of the United States, who's a plaintiff in this lawsuit, has not agreed in writing to delete the ‘Anti-Weaponization Fund’ and there’s no guarantee that he won’t raise it in the future?” Cornyn asked. Blanche replied that Trump has no power over the fund, which was to have been administered by the Justice Department but never launched.

Cornyn's questions were closely watched since Blanche requires the backing of all Republicans on the Judiciary Committee and the Texas senator has not committed his support.

The hearing arrived at a tumultuous time for the Justice Department, with mass firings and resignations hollowing out the workforce and Democrats and other critics raising alarms that Blanche is still functioning as the president's personal lawyer. He has led the department on an interim basis since April, functioning as the public face of the maligned and later-withdrawn fund and accelerating investigations into perceived Trump adversaries.

Even as he said the fund had been shelved, he made clear that immunity from tax audits afforded to Trump this year remained in place.

Those actions, plus the flawed release of files from the Jeffrey Epstein sex-trafficking investigation, received fresh scrutiny Wednesday.

“You’re in charge of a Department of Justice I don’t recognize, prosecuting the president’s political enemies, firing rank and file prosecutors and FBI agents,” Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware told Blanche. “These are some actions that in your previous confirmation hearing before us, you said you would not take.”

Blanche, for his part, insisted he has presided over a course correction following Justice Department investigations into Trump during the Biden administration.

“In recent years, we watched the Justice Department turned against many of you and a former president, and it damaged the public’s faith in justice,” Blanche argued. “We are fixing that."

Blanche will need the support of each Republican on the panel

Key to Blanche's confirmation are Cornyn of Texas, who in May lost his primary, and Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican who has opted not to seek reelection. Entering the final stretches of their Senate career, both are seen as more likely than before to split from Trump and both have been outspoken critics of the fund the Trump administration created to compensate people who feel unjustly persecuted by the criminal justice system.

After questioning Blanche about the fund, Cornyn told CNN he continues “to have some concerns” and is not “going to make any decisions at this point.” Tillis, meanwhile, indicated during questioning that he is likely to support Blanche, even as he said he wanted “to stick a fork in this turkey of a 1776 fund."

The death of South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, who was a member of the committee, level 11 Republicans and 10 Democrats on the panel. A no-vote by even a single Republican on the committee could scuttle his nomination.

Blanche insists the fund is dead. Lawmakers aren't so sure

The fund emerged from a settlement of Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over his leaked tax returns. Blanche had initially defended the initiative only to later reveal that it was being scrapped following fierce bipartisan backlash.

The judge who presided over the case said in a scathing ruling Monday that Trump and his lawyers had manipulated the court system through the lawsuit and subsequent settlement and said she was troubled Blanche had signed the settlement given his prior representation of Trump and was concerned he had given misleading testimony. Blanche said Wednesday that he disagreed “with the judge's insinuations about me.”

Blanche also defended a separate element of the settlement that afforded Trump and members of his family protection from tax audits and that, he has said, remains on track despite outrage over it even from Republicans. Blanche said the deal covers any existing audits but does not protect the president from examination of future tax filings.

“Nobody is above the law,” Blanche said. Such a settlement "doesn’t make any of those individuals above the law.”

Epstein files are also under scrutiny

Blanche was also pressed on the department's staggered release of the Epstein files, a process beset by problems, including redaction errors that left exposed nude photos showing the faces of potential victims. Some names, email addresses and other identifying information were either unredacted or not fully obscured.

Blanche acknowledged that “mistakes were made" but said that only about 1% of the records had redactions that needed to be fixed, he said.

“I want to make sure that the American people know that this administration, when it comes to Jeffrey Epstein, has been more transparent than any administration,” he said, although the Justice Department only released additional files after Trump bowed to bipartisan pressure to sign a law forcing the department to do so.

A former federal prosecutor and key member of Trump's defense team as the Republican battled four indictments, Blanche arrived at the Justice Department last year as deputy attorney general. At one point, under friendly questioning from Republican Sen. John Kennedy about whether he and Trump are friends, Blanche responded: “I’m his lawyer,” before quickly correcting himself to say he “was his lawyer.”

He ascended to the top job in April after Trump ousted Bondi, who had frustrated the White House by struggling to bring successful cases against Trump's political opponents. Blanche has tried to satisfy Trump in that regard, including with an indictment of ex-FBI Director James Comey, another Trump adversary, on charges of threatening the 47th president by posting a social media photograph of seashells in the numerical arrangement of “86 47.”

Comey has said the numbers were not a call to violence.

Blanche was also asked about Jan. 6 violence

Tillis, who has said he would not support for attorney general anyone who equivocates on the events of Jan. 6, 2021, when pro-Trump rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol, denounced the Biden administration Justice Department for what he said were excessive prosecutions and punishments.

Democrats, meanwhile, pressed Blanche on the violence and Trump’s sweeping clemency action benefiting more than 1,500 people, including those convicted of violently attacking police.

Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse criticized Blanche for comments at a political conference this year where he appeared to characterize the Jan. 6 pardons as an administration accomplishment. Blanche replied that he has “never said that any sort of violence against law enforcement is appropriate.”

“He has the absolute right to pardon anybody for any reason he sees fit,” Blanche said of the president. “I am not celebrating that. It is a fact.”

___

Associated Press writers Meg Kinnard and Michael Kunzelman contributed to this report.

San Antonio Fire Department crews responded on a “non-vehicle entrapment” call at approximately 8 a.m. to The Oasis San Antonio apartments located in the 6000 block of UTSA Boulevard, which is near Valero Way.

“We are grateful to report that there were no injuries associated with that structure,” SAFD Chief Valerie Frausto told reporters during a Wednesday afternoon news conference.

Frausto said the damage was limited to one building at the apartment complex. However, a “large portion” of the roof was torn off. In all, Frausto said the tornado damaged three units on the apartment complex’s fourth floor.

Residents at the complex are currently in the process of being relocated, the fire department said.

Of those affected, UT San Antonio Police Chief Stephanie Schoenborn said between 10 and 12 UTSA students who live at the apartment complex may be displaced.

Schoenborn said the campus’ police department is working closely with the American Red Cross to support those students.

At the peak of Wednesday’s severe weather, approximately 18,000 customers were without electricity, according to CPS Energy interim CEO Frank Almaraz. As of 1:41 p.m., the utility’s outage map shows 233 customers are still without power.

San Antonio officials said to contact the city’s non-emergency hotline at 311 for assistance with cleaning any debris.

Read also:

• Reports of tornado touching down in northwest Bexar County near The Rim, damage reported

Ruemmler in her opening remarks told members of the House Oversight Committee that “it was a mistake to deal with” Epstein, but she insisted she never witnessed criminal activity. She said Epstein “used me and other respectable people to legitimize his standing.”

Democrats emerged from the first several hours of questioning saying Ruemmler was not being forthcoming about her ties to Epstein.

“It is difficult to see how she’s being completely truthful in there with the answers she’s given the committee,” Rep. Robert Garcia of California, the top Democrat on the committee, told reporters.

Ruemmler is the latest prominent figure called before the House Oversight Committee as lawmakers investigate the network of powerful people connected with Epstein. The bipartisan inquiry has already included testimony from more than a dozen high-profile witnesses, including Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and former President Bill Clinton, as lawmakers examine how Epstein's wealth and influence may have helped shield him from scrutiny.

Ruemmler served as White House counsel under Obama from 2011 to 2014 and was briefly considered for attorney general. She served as Goldman Sachs’ general counsel for six years before announcing in February that she would step down amid backlash over her correspondence with Epstein. Although she said she would step down on June 30, she remains employed by Goldman Sachs.

Lawmakers have focused on Ruemmler’s close relationship with Epstein in the final years of his life, pointing to affectionate communications between the two.

“For her to deny that there was any type of real relationship there, I just don't buy it,” Garcia said. “And so, again, the fact she is not under oath is very problematic.”

The two were

close years after Epstein's 2008 conviction on sex crimes

While Ruemmler has tried to downplay their relationship in more recent statements, thousands of documents released by the Justice Department showed that Ruemmler and Epstein had an extensive relationship. The files included personal emails, social plans and gifts that extended beyond formal legal work. Documents showed she had called Epstein “Uncle Jeffrey” in emails and said she adored him.

Ruemmler said in her opening remarks that she first met Epstein in 2014 regarding potentially working with him and Gates “to set up a large donor-advised fund.” Soon after, according to Ruemmler, she learned about Epstein’s 2008 conviction on sex crimes, when he became a registered sex offender.

She said Epstein expressed remorse about it, and that he did not know the women were underaged. She said she “relied on the resolution reached by federal and state prosecutors and validated by a judge as being a proportionate and final resolution of his criminal conduct.”

House Oversight Chair James Comer told reporters Wednesday that the “most concerning” part of Ruemmler's communications with Epstein is how she “tried to rehabilitate his image after he was convicted of solicitation of a minor.”

Ruemmler's interview is part of a broader investigation

Comer said Wednesday that Ruemmler is the 18th person to testify as part of their broader investigation.

Billionaire investor Leon Black was subpoenaed last month after lawmakers said he refused to answer some questions about his yearslong relationship with Epstein.

Comer said Wednesday that Black will appear for a formal deposition on Sept. 3 but that he expects to have Black's nondisclosure agreements by “the end of the week.”

The committee has also expressed interest in questioning acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, whose nomination to permanently lead the Justice Department is pending before the Senate. Former Attorney General Pam Bondi identified Blanche as the department’s point person on the release of the Epstein documents, a process that has drawn bipartisan scrutiny.

“Hopefully Blanche will come in as soon as his confirmation is over,” Comer said.

The new screenings will be conducted annually as part of service members' required medical screenings for those 30 and older, he said. Troops under 30 can volunteer to be tested. In a video released on social media, Hegseth simply refers to troops, though it appears he is referring only to testing men in uniform for hormone irregularities.

The move comes as other Trump administration officials have begun to advocate for men to have easier access to testosterone replacement therapies, but the messaging from Hegseth and others blends known science on the hormone with broader, and less substantiated, claims.

When asked about what conditions Hegseth was looking to address with the new policy, the Pentagon referred to Hegseth’s remarks in the video that talked about keeping troops “strong, resilient and capable” and that the rigors of the modern battlefield demand “maximum psychological and mental readiness.”

The Pentagon would not offer specific conditions or diseases that were being targeted by the policy. In his video, Hegseth said receiving testosterone replacement therapy will be voluntary.

Over the past several years, special operations troops — and specifically Navy SEALs — have come under scrutiny for their use of testosterone and similar substances to enhance performance.

The death of a SEAL recruit during training in 2022 led to a discovery of substances in his possession, including testosterone, and revealed far more rampant drug use among the elite program than was previously acknowledged.

A year after the recruit's death, the Navy said it would begin a drug-testing program to screen for “any hormonal substance, chemically or pharmacologically related to testosterone, that promotes muscle growth.”

Hegseth said his new initiative is "not about artificial enhancement.”

The Pentagon did not respond to questions about what research or academic studies underpinned the move. It also didn’t say if female troops would be able to be screened for lowering estrogen as they entered perimenopause.

Testosterone levels in men decline naturally with age and have long been linked to issues like erectile dysfunction, low libido, mood changes and weight gain. But experts have debated for years how to diagnose those problems and whether they should be treated by replacing the hormone.

Hegseth’s announcement comes as Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other Trump administration officials are moving to make it easier for doctors to prescribe testosterone. Last month, the Food and Drug Administration proposed easing prescribing limits on testosterone gels, pills, patches and injections.

The current FDA label specifies that the medications are only for men with hypogonadism, a medical condition that causes drastically low testosterone.

But many influencers and proponents of Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” movement tout testosterone as a way to look younger, build muscle and stay mentally sharp — although those uses aren’t accepted by most medical experts.

Still, recent studies have bolstered the case for testosterone’s benefits, for certain conditions, while allaying worries about its safety — particularly concerns about heart safety.

Last year, the FDA removed a boxed warning about possible risks of heart attack and stroke from the drugs.

Separately, a series of studies by the National Institutes of Health in older men found that taking testosterone improved erectile dysfunction, libido and other sexual measures and had a small effect on mood. But there was little or no improvement in other measures like fatigue, memory or overall well-being.

Other studies have shown potential improvements in muscle-building, strength and bone density.

However, current medical guidelines generally recommend against blanket testing of testosterone levels. Typically, doctors are advised to discuss testosterone therapy with men who have troubling symptoms and documented low levels of the hormone on two separate blood tests.

Testing for testosterone is challenging because levels of the hormone fluctuate throughout the day. Accurate testosterone readings are typically measured in the morning after fasting.

Warsh has said since taking office seven weeks ago that he would provide less guidance about the Fed’s next interest rate moves than his predecessors. Yet he has frustrated many Fed-watchers by largely avoiding explanations of how the central bank might respond more generally to potential economic changes.

“I don’t view a one-time change in prices as necessarily being inflationary, because I think there’s a supply response,” he said in answer to a question on the impact of massive investment in AI infrastructure. “Will it increase measured prices over the course of the next 12 months? I suspect it will be. Whether that’s inflationary or not, that’s up to the Federal Reserve, and we’re going to have something to say about that.”

The cost of computer memory and processing chips has soared as high-tech firms have spent hundreds of billions of dollars on data centers and computing equipment. Companies such as Apple, Microsoft, and Dell said they have had to raise prices on laptops, tablets, and video game consoles as a result.

According to the minutes of the Fed's last meeting June 16-17, “many” of the 19 officials on its rate-setting committee said that the “ongoing strong demand for AI infrastructure would likely sustain upward pressure on prices for technology products and electricity.” The committee has been sharply divided over whether to raise rates later this year.

Inflation data downplayed

In his second day of congressional testimony, Warsh also downplayed positive inflation data released Tuesday and Wednesday that could make his job as Fed chair easier. As inflation fades, it reduces pressure on the Fed to raise its key interest rate to cool borrowing and spending.

The government said earlier Wednesday that wholesale inflation slowed in June, a day after consumer prices were reported to have fallen from May to June for the first time in six years. On a yearly basis, inflation cooled to 3.5% last month from 4.2% in May.

“Any central banker would be happy to have data going in the right direction,” he said, but “these are all imperfect measures of the state of underlying inflation.”

Instead, Warsh said he would look to a task force he has created to study the sources of data the Fed uses. He suggested the task force could come up with ways that government statistical agencies “could do a better job in an evolving economy.” Warsh announced the formation of five task forces last week, which will also consider the Fed's inflation framework, the impact of AI on jobs and productivity, and the Fed's ownership of trillions of dollars of government bonds.

Warsh did sketch out one standard the Fed would use when evaluating whether inflation was becoming a persistent problem: It will consider whether prices are rising in more than a just a particular category, such as oil and gas, and affecting “the generalized price level”: “That's something we can do something about.”

Yet when asked by Sen. John Kennedy, a Republican from Louisiana, how the Fed will determine whether inflation is “temporary or permanent," Warsh said, “You use five task forces to get to the big and hard questions.”

Questions about whether Warsh has spoken with Trump

Separately, Warsh reiterated that he would act independently as Fed chair and resist any political pressure from Trump, who has often demanded lower interest rates. But he did not directly answer whether he has communicated with Trump since his appointment.

“I don’t want to be in the business of sharing discussions that the president and I have," Warsh said in response to a question from Sen. Chris Van Hollen, a Democrat from Maryland.

“I will tell you what I’ve said to the president repeatedly and said to the Treasury secretary: they chose an independent guy to do the job and that’s exactly what I plan on doing,” he added.

Trump repeatedly attacked Warsh's predecessor, Jerome Powell, for not cutting interest rates deeply enough, and his administration even pushed an investigation into brief Senate testimony by Powell on a building renovation by the Fed, raising widespread concerns about the Fed's independence.

But the 291-241 vote in the lower house of parliament doesn't mean the bill immediately becomes law. Opponents say they will call for a review to determine if it complies with the French Constitution.

The National Assembly approved the measure after backing it in three previous readings. French President Emmanuel Macron announced the legislation more than three years ago.

“In 2022, I committed to opening this path with the French people,” Macron said in a message posted on X. "With seriousness, with humility, and with full respect for our democracy, that commitment has been fulfilled.”

According to various estimates, assisted dying is available to around 300 million people worldwide, with euthanasia legal under certain conditions in some countries and assisted suicide allowed in others and in several U.S. states. France has an increasingly aging population, with growing numbers of patients in the country who require care for chronic illnesses.

France, a traditionally Catholic nation, has grappled with legal, medical, moral and religious questions about end-of-life options, including existing legislation that allows doctors to keep terminally ill patients sedated before death, but stops short of allowing assisted suicide and euthanasia.

“The national representation has risen to the occasion during these debates. This has been the longest debate since the 1980s,” said Yael Braun-Pivet, the president of the National Assembly.

Many French people have traveled to neighboring countries where medically assisted suicide or euthanasia are legal. Medically assisted suicide generally involves a patient voluntarily taking lethal medication prescribed by a doctor. Euthanasia involves a doctor or other healthcare professional administering a lethal injection at the patient’s request.

End-of-life options are also being debated in the United Kingdom. A bill to legalize assisted dying in England and Wales will formally return to Parliament on Sept. 11, five months after it ran out of time in Parliament’s last session.

The bill sets strict conditions

The proposed measure in France primarily provides for medically assisted suicide, by allowing patients to receive and self-administer lethal medication under strict conditions. Only people whose physical condition prevents them from doing so would be allowed to receive assistance from a doctor or a nurse.

Patients seeking to end their lives would have to be at least 18 years old and either French citizens or legal residents of France.

A doctor would first have to consult a team of healthcare professionals and then confirm that the patient has a serious and incurable illness that is life-threatening. The patient must be in an advanced or terminal stage, experiencing pain that can't be relieved or is unbearable, and seeking lethal medication of their own free will.

Lawmakers specified that psychological suffering alone wouldn't qualify a person for medically assisted dying.

People with severe psychiatric disorders or neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s wouldn't be eligible.

Patients would initiate the request, to be reviewed by health professionals within 15 days, and then confirm it after a period of reflection lasting at least two days.

If approved, they could take the lethal medication at the time and in the place of their choice, including at home or in a healthcare facility, in the presence of their loved ones if they wish.

On the chosen date, the doctor or nurse would have to verify that the person still wishes to proceed and remain nearby to intervene if complications arise.

France’s national health insurance system would cover all associated costs.

Many French people support the changes

A 2023 report found that most French people are in favor of legalizing end-of-life options, and opinion polls have shown support increasing over the past two decades.

The Association for the Right to Die With Dignity said that the law would allow people “to choose to end unbearable suffering, freely and with full awareness.” Its president, Jonathan Denis, said in a statement that “a law that creates a new right never forces anyone to exercise it. It does, however, ensure that every person … can remain at the heart of medical decisions that concern them and have their wishes respected.”

Opponents argue the measure could put pressure on older people and those living with illness or disabilities.

In an open letter to Macron, the anti-euthanasia group Alliance Vita said that “every effort must be made to ensure that people who are suffering have immediate access to palliative care and support. Presenting death as a desirable solution can never be an acceptable response to suffering and is contrary to human dignity.”

The vote caps a lengthy parliamentary process

The Senate, the upper house where conservatives hold a majority, rejected the bill. But under France’s legislative process, the National Assembly has the final say when the two houses of parliament disagree.

Senate President Gérard Larcher and Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said that they would refer the bill to the Constitutional Council, which will have up to a month to determine whether it complies with the French Constitution. The law will only take effect once that review has been completed.

“Extensive debates have taken place in the National Assembly on this bill. However, discussions in the Senate did not allow for such an in-depth examination, in order to produce legislation that addresses both the aspirations of its supporters and the concerns of those who are worried about how it will be implemented,” Lecornu said.

In the U.K., opponents of the bill to legalize assisted dying prevented it from passing in the House of Lords, the upper house, by filing more than 1,200 amendments on a range of concerns, including potential coercion of vulnerable people and a lack of safeguards for those with disabilities.

That was in April, after elected representatives in the House of Commons passed it.

The bill that is expected to be presented again proposes allowing adults in England and Wales, with fewer than six months to live, to apply for an assisted death subject to the approval of two doctors and an expert panel. One aim is so people no longer go to other countries, such as Switzerland, for an assisted death.

In Germany, parliament’s lower house, the Bundestag, in 2023 considered two proposals to regulate assisted dying and rejected both of them.

___

John Leicester in Paris, Pan Pylas in London and Geir Moulson in Berlin, contributed to this report.

Blanche, according to prepared remarks released before the hearing, is expected to tell lawmakers that he and his team are “restoring trust” in the Justice Department. It’s a nod toward complaints from Democrats that he has weaponized the law enforcement institution by pursuing criminal investigations into Trump’s perceived adversaries.

Blanche, Trump’s former personal attorney, has run the department on an interim basis since April. During that time, he has accelerated investigations into Trump foes, functioned as the public face of a maligned fund meant to compensate the Republican president’s allies and alarmed press freedom advocates with an aggressive pursuit of news media leaks.

Here's the latest:

Blanche’s confirmation hearing has ended

After about five hours, Todd Blanche’s confirmation hearing is over.

Blanche tried to make the case that he would serve as an independent attorney general if confirmed, bidding to counter accusations from Democrats who say he’s been doing President Trump’s bidding while leading the Justice Department in an acting capacity.

Blanche was repeatedly questioned over the deal to settle Trump’s IRS lawsuit, including by Republican Sen. John Cornyn, whose vote Blanche needs to be confirmed as attorney general.

Blanche says Justice Department is ‘not targeting reporters’ with subpoenas

The acting attorney general was pressed about subpoenas issued on Friday that seek to force New York Times reporters to testify before a federal grand jury in Manhattan after they reported on security concerns involving the new, Qatari-gifted Air Force One.

The subpoenas, some of which were delivered to reporters at their homes, were swiftly condemned by free press advocates as an effort to intimidate media organizations and chill news gathering.

Blanche said the Justice Department is “not targeting reporters.”

He said investigators want to question the reporters on “who provided them with classified national security information,” which, he added, “everybody in this body should want to protect.”

“They’re material witnesses, just like a reporter would be a material witness to a car crash,” Blanche said.

Blanche defends Trump’s audit immunity deal

Democrats have repeatedly asked Blanche about part of a deal to resolve Trump’s IRS lawsuit, which granted the president and members of his family protection from tax audits.

While the administration says it has shelved a separate part of the lawsuit deal — a $1.8 billion fund to compensate allies of the president — Blanche has previously said the audit immunity remains on track. That’s despite outrage over it, even from Republicans.

Blanche defended the immunity deal again during the hearing. He denied that it placed Trump above the law.

Key Republican says he’s still undecided on Blanche

After questioning Blanche, Sen. John Cornyn said he still hasn’t made up his mind over whether he will support his nomination for attorney general. If Cornyn votes against Blanche, it could scuttle his nomination.

Cornyn, who in May lost his primary, pressed Blanche during the hearing about the creation of a fund to compensate the president’s allies and a tax immunity deal for the president. Cornyn told CNN afterward that he continues “to have some concerns” and is not “going to make any decisions at this point.”

Another closely watched Republican senator, Thom Tillis, indicated during questioning that he is likely to support Blanche.

Tillis, a key vote for Blanche, criticizes Democrats in his remarks

Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina opened his questioning by telling Blanche he “appeared to be doing very well.”

He then launched into a lengthy criticism of Democrats for not speaking out against what he viewed as politically motivated prosecutions under former President Joe Biden’s administration.

“It’s almost as if they weren’t here when the Biden administration did the indictments against President Trump,” Tillis said of Democrats.

Tillis said he wanted “to stick a fork in this turkey of a 1776 fund,” referring to the administration’s shelved “anti-weaponization fund.” He pressed Blanche to commit to helping with language to put into law that the fund cannot be resurrected.

Blanche said he “absolutely” would.

Blanche says he hasn’t been ‘celebrating’ Trump’s mass pardons for Capitol rioters

Sen. Chris Coons, a Delaware Democrat, told Blanche that it was a “shameful slap in the face” for Trump to pardon supporters who assaulted police officers during a mob’s Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Coons asked Blanche if he was proud of Trump’s decision.

“I wasn’t celebrating it,” Blanche said. But he added that he believes it was “very generous” for Trump to issue the blanket pardons to Capitol rioters.

Coons asked Blanche if he knew why Trump fired his predecessor, Pam Bondi, in April.

“I have no idea,” Blanche said. “We all serve at the pleasure of President Trump.”

Coons also asked Blanche whether he would resign if the president asked him to do something unethical.

“That would never happen, but yes: If it were to happen, I’m not going to violate my oath to the Constitution,” Blanche replied.

Whitehouse asks how long Blanche will ‘put up with that Kash Patel character’

Enumerating criticism of Director Kash Patel ’s use of the FBI plane and his global travel, blurring professional responsibilities with leisure activities, Rhode Island Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse asked if the trips were “a pretext for activities like snorkeling and girlfriends.”

Blanche called the question “extraordinarily obnoxious,” going on to say he has “full faith” in Patel.

“Great, you get to own that,” Whitehouse quipped.

According to government emails obtained by The Associated Press, the FBI took pains to note Patel wasn’t on vacation when he visited Hawaii last summer, highlighting his walking tour of the bureau’s Honolulu field office and meetings with local law enforcement.

Left out of the FBI’s releases was an excursion Patel took days later when he participated in what government officials described as a “VIP snorkel” around the USS Arizona, an outing coordinated by the military.

‘I’m his lawy

er,’ Blanche says of Trump, before correcting himself

Sen. John Kennedy, a Louisiana Republican, asked Blanche a string of questions about the nature of his relationship with Trump, including whether he considered the president a friend. Blanche represented Trump in multiple cases, including the election fraud case in Washington, before joining the Justice Department under Trump’s second term.

Blanche referred to himself as Trump’s attorney in the present tense, saying, “I’m his lawyer” before correcting himself to say that he “was his lawyer.”

Kennedy also asked Blanche if the president had ever asked him to do something illegal. Blanche said Trump had not.

“Would you do it if he asked you?” Kennedy asked.

“Absolutely not,” Blanche said.

Questioned by Cornyn, Blanche says $1.8B weaponization ‘fund is dead’

That came during an exchange with Texas Sen. John Cornyn, who is among the Republicans concerned about Blanche’s nomination and who asked about the status of the settlement fund set up by the Trump administration for compensating people who claim to be victims of a weaponized government.

“I never started. No money went from the Treasury to any other account,” Blanche said. “There’s no commissioners. It’s not moving forward.”

Last month, a federal judge agreed to extend a court-ordered block on the fund indefinitely. Blanche previously told Congress the government was scrapping its plans in the face of fierce bipartisan backlash.

But plaintiffs’ attorneys haven’t been satisfied with Blanche’s assurances that the fund won’t move forward.

As Cornyn questioned that the agreement notes it remains “enforceable,” Blanche said he had discussed with Cornyn and others “about potentially codifying, so there’s no weaponization fund, which is certainly something that could be done.”

Blanche: ‘I don’t question President Trump’s authority’ on Jan. 6 pardons

Blanche didn’t endorse Trump’s move specifically, but said the U.S. Constitution gives presidents “the authority to pardon anybody for any federal crime.”

Just hours after returning to the White House last year, Trump pardoned, commuted the prison sentences or vowed to dismiss the cases of the 1,500-plus people charged with crimes in the riot.

Durbin took issue with the decision, saying that “someone should have grabbed him by the arm and said, ‘Stop, you can’t release all of those rioters.’”

“For the president to give a blanket pardon to these individuals is something that I don’t think you can explain to the American people,” Durbin added.

Blanche defends the settlement that granted Trump immunity from tax audits

Durbin pressed Blanche over a deal to end Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over his leaked tax returns. The Justice Department has faced intense scrutiny over part of the settlement that granted the president immunity from tax audits.

Blanche said such an agreement is “typical” in settlements like that one.

“Nobody is above the law,” Blanche told Durbin. “And when we enter the settlements like that … It doesn’t make any of those individuals above the law.”

Blanche says his heart ‘breaks’ for Epstein’s victims

Sen. Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat who is ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, repeatedly pressed Blanche about whether he would commit to meeting with Jeffrey Epstein’s victims.

Durbin noted that 10 victims of Epstein were in the room for Blanche’s confirmation hearing on Wednesday.

“I appreciate them being here today,” Blanche said. “I have never said I wouldn’t meet with survivors.”

“I hope you would do it immediately, or we’re going to hold you to it,” Durbin said.

Blanche said he would be willing to prosecute “anyone who did any harm to any of these victims.”

“My heart breaks for every survivor,” he said.

Blanche defends DOJ’s handling of the Epstein files

Under questioning from the committee’s Republican chair, Blanche acknowledged that the Justice Department made redaction mistakes when reviewing and releasing millions of files related to the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking investigation.

Blanche said he takes responsibility for the mistakes that were made, but also said department lawyers who reviewed the documents took pains to protect victims and quickly fixed any errors.

The fallout over the department’s handling of the Epstein files continues to plague the Trump administration.

Blanche said the administration has been “extraordinarily transparent” in releasing the files, despite the department agreeing to release more records only after Congress passed a law forcing it to do so.

‘We are restoring trust’ in the Justice Department, Blanche says

Blanche, Trump’s former personal lawyer, alluded in his opening statement to the criminal cases brought against Trump in the last administration.

Blanche said that “in recent years, Americans watched the Justice Department turn against many of you and a former president, and it damaged the public’s faith in justice.”

He added: “We are fixing that.”

While the Trump administration has said it is determined to end the “weaponization” of law enforcement that it said occurred under the Biden administration, critics argue it has instead turned the agency into a tool of retribution against Trump’s political opponents.

The department under Trump has opened investigations or brought prosecutions against numerous foes of the president, including former FBI Director James Comey.

Blanche highlights the Justice Department’s shifting priorities under Trump

In his opening statement, Blanche touted the Trump administration’s efforts to lower violent crime, stem the flow of illicit drugs, prosecute dangerous cartels and take down fraudsters taking advantage of American taxpayers.

The Justice Department under Trump has moved aggressively to prioritize immigration enforcement and turn up the pressure on cartels. It also created a new division dedicated to tackling fraud in taxpayer-funded programs.

Florida senator highlights Blanche’s pre-Trump career

As a counter to Democrats’ narrative portraying Blanche as loyal only to Trump, Sen. Ashley Moody reminded the committee that the acting attorney general began his career at the Department of Justice as a paralegal.

Moody also detailed Blanche’s years with the Southern District of New York, where she said, “He prosecuted drug traffickers and violent criminals.” She also detailed various awards and commendations he received while in that role.

Watch these 2 Republicans on the committee

The stakes are high for Blanche, who needs the support of every Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee for his nomination to advance.

Two of those Republicans — Sen. Thom Tillis and John Cornyn — haven’t committed to supporting him.

Tillis has been an outspoken critic of a $1.776 billion fund that the Trump administration created to compensate people who feel unjustly persecuted by the criminal justice system and then quickly withdrew.

Tillis and Cornyn are expected to grill Blanche over a separate element of the settlement that afforded Trump and members of his family protection from tax audits.

Durbin says Blanche still acts like Trump’s personal attorney

In his opening statement, Sen. Dick Durbin railed against actions taken by the Justice Department under Blanche’s watch, including a move to create a $1.8 billion fund meant to compensate allies of the president.

The top Democrat on the committee also condemned the purging of Justice Department employees deemed insufficiently loyal to Trump and the department’s handling of millions of investigative files related to Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking investigation.

Durbin accused Blanche of still acting like Trump’s personal lawyer, pursuing investigations against the president’s foes while taking steps to aid his allies.

“In less than 18 months at the Department of Justice, you’ve shown you’re still President Trump’s personal attorney,” Durbin said.

Attorney general confirmation hearing getting underway

Blanche is expected to face bipartisan scrutiny as he seeks the chance to serve out the duration of Trump’s term.

Blanche, Trump’s former personal attorney, has run the department on an interim basis since April, when Pam Bondi was fired after struggling to bring successful cases against Trump’s political foes.

Since taking the reins at the Justice Department, Blanche has accelerated investigations into Trump foes, functioned as the public face of a maligned fund meant to compensate the president’s allies and alarmed press freedom advocates with an aggressive pursuit of news media leaks.

Blanche faces Senate scrutiny, with Republican support key to his confirmation as attorney general

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche will confront questions Wednesday about his brief but turbulent tenure atop the Justice Department during a Senate confirmation hearing that will test President Donald Trump’s grip on Republican lawmakers whose support the nominee will need for the job.

Blanche, Trump’s former personal attorney, has run the department on an interim basis since April, during which time he’s accelerated investigations into Trump foes, functioned as the public face of a maligned fund meant to compensate the Republican president’s allies and alarmed press freedom advocates with an aggressive pursuit of news media leaks.

Those actions will receive fresh scrutiny at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing as Blanche testifies for the opportunity to serve out the duration of Trump’s term.

▶ Read more

The National Weather Service said a tornado touched down in the northwestern part of San Antonio near Interstate 10. Videos posted on social media showed what appeared to be a small twister. Local officials said apartment buildings and other properties were damaged.

Warnings of potentially dangerous flash flooding were in effect for some areas as the deluge was forecast to continue through Thursday evening, and authorities urged people to evacuate rather than be marooned by high water in Uvalde County and the city of Boerne, outside San Antonio. In Kerr County, where catastrophic flooding last year killed more than 100 people, officials were in contact with summer camps and retreat centers near rising rivers.

As much as 10 to 20 inches (25 to 50 centimeters) of rain was possible in some places before the storms move out, the weather service said.

There have been no reports of deaths or injuries from the tornado or the flooding.

More than a foot of rain has fallen with more to come

The highest rainfall totals so far — up to 16 inches (40 centimeters) — have been in Uvalde County, where officials tallied 25 rescues as of 9 a.m. Wednesday, and said more people needed help as river levels rose. Highways and roads were closed across the region because of high water.

State Rep. Don McLaughlin said that despite a “little lull,” the rainfall wasn’t done and waterways could become more dangerous. “The rivers and the creeks are going to be coming up, and they’re going to be coming up again with a vengeance,” McLaughlin said.

Frances McNamara and her 10-year-old son, Everett, watched the bloated Leona River in Uvalde sweep southward Wednesday as she considered possible evacuation routes. She pointed to a solid line of dirt, branches and twigs about 8 feet (2 meters) above the river where the water reached the day before.

“We’ve seen the water rise, but not to this extent,” she said, describing how it rushed through a ditch next to her home with enough force to sound like a river on Tuesday.

This week's severe weather brought back memories of last year's deadly flooding in Texas Hill Country.

“It scared me,” said McNamara, her eyes wet with tears as she recalled the 2025 floods. “Cause I have a son, and to know what those parents went through.” Her son reached up and patted her back.

Some voluntary evacuations sought in light of rainy forecast

Around mid-day Wednesday, Uvalde County Sheriff Ruben Nolasco asked people living near flooded areas to evacuate voluntarily. No mandatory evacuation orders had been issued, but his social media post urged residents to prepare to leave as the rain continues.

Lightning flashed as clouds darkened the landscape Wednesday across Uvalde, where the typically calm Leona River poured over low bridges. The riverbanks were strewn with debris, including branches and grass, plastic bags and a cactus, from a day earlier when the river was several feet higher.

The night had brought booming thunder through a steady rain, swelling the rivers and creeks that ran through or just around the town. The rain would abate, then pummel the small town with heavy drops, before lifting again.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has issued disaster declarations for dozens of counties.

Authorities posted videos on Tuesday showing a rescue crew in a boat navigating flooded streets and a vehicle being swept away by fast-moving waters. Five people were rescued by the Texas Game Warden Search and Rescue Team and four were rescued by a local game warden, said Maggie Berger, a Texas Parks and Wildlife spokeswoman.

Other areas of Texas could see dangerous flooding

Forecasters warned that hilly terrain in other parts of the region could be especially vulnerable to heavy rain.

The highest level of concern for potentially dangerous flooding Wednesday was for areas west of San Antonio and north of Route 90, Weather service meteorologist Monte Oaks said.

In Boerne, a city of about 24,000 northwest of San Antonio, residents of several areas were told by officials to either evacuate voluntarily or prepare to shelter in place as waters rose. City spokesperson Chris Shadrock said in a video post on Facebook that high-water rescues were ongoing and that the city’s busiest intersection was “completely underwater.”

“This is a life-threatening weather event, I don’t want to mince words about how serious this situation is,” Shadrock said.

He said the water was rising even in areas that don’t usually flood.

Oaks said the rain is being fueled with tropical moisture, mostly from the Gulf of Mexico and some from the Pacific Ocean.

“This is called a typical mid-summer tropical weather pattern that happens in Texas,” said Oaks. “About once every five years, we’ll get socked in with a daily recurrence of heavy rain chances that’s generally produced by a stagnant kind of a pattern with a low-pressure center that’s just not moving very fast.”

___

Associated Press writers Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut, and Jamie Stengle in Dallas contributed to this report.

FORECAST HIGHLIGHTS

• FLOODING: Remains a major concern
• MORE ROUNDS OF HEAVY RAINFALL: We continue to monitor Authority Radar, more rounds of heavy rain possible
• LATE AFTERNOON: A break in the rain, but redevelopment is possible tonight

FORECAST

Flooding is ongoing all around South Central Texas. Cibolo Creek is rising, the Leona, Frio and Nueces rivers are all experiencing flooding from 10-15 inches of rain. Earlier today, a tornado touched down in northwest Bexar County.

REST OF TODAY

The flood risk will stay in place across South Central Texas through tonight. At any point, torrential rainfall and flooding could take place. A decrease in activity will likely occur late this afternoon, but as it has been, more heavy rainfall may develop Wednesday night and into Thursday morning.

DRIER WEATHER THIS WEEKEND

Drier weather will take over by Saturday and Sunday.

QUICK WEATHER LINKS

• WATCH LIVE: Doppler Radar
• Hourly and 10-Day Forecast
• Download FREE KSAT Weather Authority App: Up-to-date forecast information and livestreams from trusted local meteorologists.
• KSAT Connect: Share your weather photos.

Dr. Erica Schwartz told the Senate health committee she "will never betray the science” and pledged to use “radical transparency” in a bid to rebuild public trust in the agency. But several senators questioned how she might handle pressure from U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has repeatedly moved to alter U.S. vaccine and CDC policies. Schwartz repeatedly declined to dissent from some of those actions.

Schwartz, 54, is up for director of the Atlanta-based CDC, which is charged with protecting Americans from preventable health threats.

Her career has largely been spent in military uniform, including in a leadership position at the U.S. Coast Guard where she oversaw the organization’s system of 41 clinics and 150 sick bays — as well as policies promoting vaccinations of service members. She later served as deputy surgeon general, where she helped lead uniformed medical and health professionals posted at the CDC and government health agencies that serve the general public.

The CDC long enjoyed a sterling international reputation but has been in turmoil since Trump returned to office last year. Largely due to layoffs and resignations, the agency has lost more than 3,000 employees, or more than a quarter of its workforce. Morale has plummeted as a succession of mostly temporary leaders have come and gone — the front office filled with political appointees, many of them with little or no training in medicine or public health.

“There’s still really good people who work there (at the CDC). They are doing their best to navigate choppy waters,” said Dr. David Margolius, director of Cleveland's health department and a leader in a U.S. coalition of big city health departments. But CDC no longer seems to the authoritative and communicative lead that it was on outbreaks and other public health emergencies.

“Basically everybody’s got to kind of choose their own adventure, as opposed to being led by a national public health department,” Margolius said.

CDC has had several leaders

The agency is overseen by Kennedy, who was a leading voice in the anti-vaccine movement before he was tapped to lead the CDC and other federal health agencies. Kennedy had promised not to change the nation’s vaccination schedule. But shortly after taking office, Kennedy said he was going to investigate the childhood vaccine schedule and went on to attempt a substantial rewrite of vaccine recommendations for kids. Some of those efforts were put on hold earlier this year by a federal judge.

The administration’s first pick to run the CDC was former Florida congressman Dr. David Weldon, but his March 2025 Senate confirmation hearing was canceled an hour before it was to begin. Weldon said at the time that he’d been told not enough senators were willing to vote for him.

The White House then moved on to Susan Monarez, who had been serving as the CDC’s acting director. Monarez was confirmed by the Senate, but she was ousted in less than a month. Trump administration officials said she wasn’t aligned with their agenda so they terminated her.

Several key CDC scientific leaders resigned in protest, saying Monarez’s dismissal dashed their hopes that a CDC director would be able to guard against political meddling in the agency’s scientific research and health recommendations.

Since then, there’s been a revolving door in agency leadership, with the short-term role of acting director being passed from one Washington-based HHS official to another. National Institutes of Health Director Jay Bhattacharya has been overseeing the CDC most recently.

Schwartz said she was unaware of actions that hurt the CDC

On Wednesday, some senators suggested Schwartz should follow Monarez's example, and they asked her about actions Kennedy has taken that have affected CDC.

Schwartz said she was unaware that CDC programs that worked to prevent smoking and promote vaccinations had been curtailed. She declined to commit to taking down a CDC website that suggests there’s a link between childhood vaccines and autism (she said she had not seen it), though she agreed existing medical evidence has not found a link.

Sen. Maggie Hassan, a New Hampshire Democrat, asked if she would — if Kennedy ordered her — suspend promotion of a flu vaccination campaign during a deadly flu season.

“Senator, I don’t speak in hypotheticals,” Schwartz responded.

“It isn’t hypothetical. It happened,” said Hassan, referring to internal CDC emails, released by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders last month, that documented such a directive from Kennedy to CDC staff last year.

Schwartz said she agreed that CDC should prioritize responding to infectious diseases. “I think over time, the CDC has had some mission creep, and it’s trying to be all things to all people,” she said.

But she also agreed to requests from Republican senators to — if confirmed — look into whether AI data centers cause health problems and into the possibility of establishing a World Trade Center Health Program clinical center in Florida.

Senators also heard from nominee overseeing health emergency preparedness

In April, Trump nominated Schwartz, calling her “incredibly talented.” In a congressional hearing in April, Kennedy said he approved of the choice, but refused to commit to supporting whatever vaccine guidance she might issue.

Last month, Schwartz filed letters with the government that address her finances and potential conflicts of interest. She wrote that if confirmed, she will leave her current job with UnitedHealth Group, where she's making about $850,000 in salary and bonus money and cash out her stock options. She also will resign from the board of directors of Butterfly Network Inc., a Massachusetts company that makes ultrasound devices; from the board of Atlanta-based Aveanna Healthcare, a medical home care provider; and from the board of the Florida-based Searching for Solutions Institute.

At Wednesday's hearing, senators also considered the nomination of Sean Kaufman as the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, or ASPR. That job entails overseeing preparations and response to public health emergencies and disasters.

Last year, the Trump administration announced a plan to bring those responsibilities under CDC, but the dramatic HHS restructuring has not happened.

The assistant secretary's office is involved in decisions about funding next-generation vaccines against pandemic flu or other infectious disease threats. In postings on LinkedIn, Kaufman has made comments cheered by vaccine skeptics, arguing against hepatitis B vaccinations for newborns and saying he served as an expert witness to advocate for people who refused the COVID-19 vaccine.

On Wednesday, Kaufman faced questions about past social media posts, including one in which he expressed hatred for the CDC. He also repeatedly was asked about his support of a Trump administration decision last year to cancel 22 projects, totaling $500 million, to develop vaccines using mRNA technology.

Infectious disease experts say the mRNA technology used in vaccines is safe, and they credit its development during the first Trump administration with slowing the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. Future pandemics, they warned, will be harder to stop without the help of mRNA.

Kaufman said he supported mRNA technology and believes COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective, but said it made sense to study work that's been done so far before, including learning more about any side effects.

U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper, a Colorado Democrat, said such evaluations are the responsibility of other federal offices — not ASPR. He also said it may slow the nation's ability to respond to emerging new infectious threats.

___

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

Homes in D’Hanis and Crystal City are threatened, according to the forecasts, as are livestock and campgrounds.

The federal forecasters predicted imminent major flooding on Seco Creek near D’Hanis on Wednesday afternoon, when water levels could rise so high that homes could flood with up to 5 feet of water, or 6 feet if Parker Creek also floods. A flash flood emergency was in effect.

“This is a FLASH FLOOD EMERGENCY for D`Hanis. This is a PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION. SEEK HIGHER GROUND NOW!” the emergency warning said.

Uvalde police officials were also urging residents on the Leona River to get to higher ground Wednesday afternoon. The river had already risen to nearly 20 feet near Uvalde that morning, according to a river gauge, a record-breaking surge of water that was moving downstream.

Nearby, federal weather officials also expected the Sabinal River at Sabinal to see dangerous flooding, including at “Utopia on the River” and a Girl Scout camp, before water flowed quickly into the Frio River.

The Frio River at Concan looked poised to hit a level Wednesday afternoon where forecasters warned: “Up to near ten feet of turbulent flow smashes through campgrounds” and could easily push RVs, cars and gear downstream and threaten flood-prone homes. 

Downstream, the Frio River near Uvalde was predicted to peak with major flooding Wednesday night, reaching levels that could trap and drown livestock and flood cropland. 

The Nueces River also faced expected challenges: The West Nueces River at Bracketville was already significantly flooded and forecasted to hit a point that could threaten livestock, roads and fencing with flooding “over four hundred yards wide.”

Below Uvalde, “disastrous widespread lowland flooding” on the Nueces River overnight Wednesday looked poised to damage some homes around Crystal City, also potentially threatening livestock, fencing and roads.

“A lot of this rain that’s falling upstream is just kind of flowing downstream and there’s not a whole lot to slow down or stop that rise of water,” said Harrison Tran, a forecaster with the National Weather Service’s Austin and San Antonio office.

River flooding could impact areas downstream of heavy rain, so people needed to stay vigilant, Tran said. 

“Folks along the rivers should prepare to see some pretty steep rises either over the next few hours if they’re closer to the area or in the day or two ahead as well,” Tran said.

Here’s what you need to know

• Heavy rains continue as Texas’ flash flood concerns persist
• Rescues underway in Uvalde County as rain may return with “a vengeance”
• Tornado confirmed in northwest Bexar County
• Multiple counties under flash flood warnings; Uvalde County hit hard
• Wide swath of Texas bracing for 2 to 6 inches of rain
• Counties under flood warning brace for looming overnight deluge
• New flash flood warnings issued in Hill Country counties

July 15, 2026, 11:25 a.m.

Heavy rains continue as Texas’ flash flood concerns persist

A heavier band of rainfall continued to drop water on Kinney, Uvalde and Medina counties Wednesday morning, all of which had seen a lot of rain already, said meteorologist Matt Lanza, who helps write the Eyewall. Storms were also expanding toward Kerrville, Fredericksburg and Boerne.

But the rain — while intense — has been somewhat more manageable than the huge amount that dropped all at once in Kerr County last July, causing the Guadalupe River to surge, Lanza said. In this case, Lanza didn’t expect the flash floods to be quite so urgent and “flashy,” he said, giving people a little more time to watch and react. Even so, flooding concerns were still widespread before the rain was expected to slow into the afternoon.

Areas in Bexar, Guadalupe, Bandera, Kerr, Gillespie and Kendall counties had all come under flash flood warnings. Flash flooding was reported on Cibolo Creek at FM 78 with more rain possible, according to federal forecasters.

“Hopefully just another couple of hours of this and then things will start to settle,” Lanza said. “But even in those couple hours you could be talking about easily another 2 to 4 or 5 inches of rainfall, maybe even a little bit more in spots.”

Rain had picked up starting around 6 a.m. in Medina County and water was starting again to cover roadways, said Mark Chadwick, the county’s emergency management coordinator. Responders had rescued four people from vehicles the day prior. 

No water had gotten into structures, but officials were keeping a particular eye on D’Hanis, which has historically flooded, Chadwick said.

“We’re saturated,” Chadwick said. “Right now, any rain, it’s not going to take much for that to rise back up.”

July 15, 2026, 10:45 a.m.

Rescues underway in Uvalde County as rain may return with “a vengeance”

At least 25 people were rescued in Uvalde County as of Wednesday morning, while more rescues were ongoing, local officials said during a 10 a.m. news conference.

“As we speak, the river levels are rising due to rains last night, and first responders are actively rescuing in the northern part of Uvalde County,” County Commissioner Roy Kothmann said.

A shelter remained in operation at the Uvalde County Fairplex, Kothmann said. 

The Uvalde Police Department on Wednesday morning asked residents near the Leona River to voluntarily evacuate and warned other residents to prepare for possible evacuation as predicted rainfall is expected to affect rivers and creeks that run through town.

Officials urged residents to avoid low water crossings and call 911 if needed. 

“The rain’s going to come back tonight — it looks like with a vengeance — again, so I would urge caution,” said state Rep. Don McLaughlin, R-Uvalde. 

July 15, 2026, 8:24 a.m.

Tornado confirmed in northwest Bexar County

Forecasters just before 8 a.m. Wednesday reported a confirmed tornado in northwest Bexar County they said was crossing Interstate 10 near Shavano Park and urged people to take shelter. 

Some waterways in Texas had also risen rapidly Wednesday morning, according to river gages tracking their heights.

Significantly, the West Nueces River at Bracketville had come up 20 feet over four hours, as of 6:30 a.m., according to the U.S. Geological Survey gauge. At that height, it’s considered a major flood by federal forecasters with “extensive inundation of structures and roads.”

Other rivers had spiked into a moderate flood level, including the Sabinal River at Sabinal and the Dry Frio River near Reagan Wells.

July 15, 2026, 6:50 a.m.

Multiple counties under flash flood warnings; Uvalde County hit hard

All or portions of multiple counties remained under flash flood warnings early Wednesday morning, while storms continued to dump rain in southwest Texas. 

Federal forecasters estimated between 6 and 16 inches of rain had fallen over 24 hours in Uvalde County, relaying reports that people had been rescued from the water. Northeast Kinney County also received significant amounts of rain and remained under a flash flood warning, meaning life-threatening flooding could be imminent. Rainfall rates of two to four inches an hour were forecast in the area. 

South central Edwards, southern Real, western Gillespie and southeastern Kerr counties were also still under warnings. 

Forecasters were watching for another round of storms to move back in over previously hard-hit northern Uvalde and northwestern Medina counties. They were also keeping an eye on the Frio and Nueces and West Nueces rivers, 

“It’s very rural out there,” said Monte Oaks, a forecaster with the National Weather Service office in Austin and San Antonio, of the hardest-hit spots. “From what we know, they just basically shut down long stretches of road out there.”

July 15, 2026, 5:00 a.m.

Wide swath of Texas bracing for 2 to 6 inches of rain

Considerable to catastrophic flooding is likely to occur over the next two days in places along the U.S. 90 corridor west of San Antonio, according to forecasters who elevated the risk for heavy rain causing flash flooding to the highest possible level through Thursday morning.

Some places could see a staggering 10 to 20 inches of rain, raising particular concerns for vacationers who might not be familiar with the flash flood threat. The areas at greatest expected risk included all or parts of Medina, Frio, Uvalde, Kinney, Maverick, Zavala, Val Verde, Edwards, Real and Bandera counties.

The Pecos, Rio Grande, Nueces, Frio, Medina and San Antonio rivers could all flood, National Weather Service forecasters said.

Areas outside of the worst forecast still faced a possible 2 to 6 inches of rain, including Kerr County. The city of Kerrville Police Department on Monday night and Tuesday said it already barricaded some roadways because of high water.

The warnings arrived barely more than one year after flash flooding killed 119 people in Kerr County on the July 4 holiday, when many children were attending summer camp and families packed RV parks and vacation homes. Residents continue to feel intense anxiety when it rains and were watching the forecasts.

Weather experts after last summer’s flood cautioned that it is impossible to predict precisely and with certainty where the heaviest rain might fall. That’s why people need to have a way to receive weather warnings and be aware of how they might need to act.

State legislators have since required certain areas prone to flash-flooding to install warning sirens, a process that is ongoing. The state also mandated new safety standards at youth camps, but it took no action on other recommendations such as standardizing training for local emergency management coordinators.

Gov. Greg Abbott midday Tuesday issued a disaster declaration for 59 counties in recognition of the threat to make resources available.

“Texas is positioned to respond quickly and effectively,” Abbott said in a statement. “I urge all Texans in affected areas to monitor local weather forecasts, avoid driving through flooded roadways, and have emergency supplies ready.”

Storms had already dropped more than 10 inches of rain north of Uvalde as of Tuesday, with more heavy rain also falling in parts of Medina, Bandera and Kerr Counties, according to the National Weather Service Austin and San Antonio Office. The Uvalde County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday was urging people to stay home and reporting on roadways that had flooded. Bandera and Medina County also reported multiple road closures, including on U.S. 90.

Forecasters expected a lull in storm activity before it ramped up again overnight Tuesday into Wednesday morning.

“All areas are kind of saturated now across the Rio Grande, Edwards Plateau and in portions of the western Hill Country and U.S. 90 corridor,” forecaster Jason Runyen said at an afternoon webinar. “Any additional heavy rainfall that occurs is going to run off very, very quickly.”

July 14, 2026, 11:50 p.m.

Counties under flood warning brace for looming overnight deluge

Amid warnings Tuesday night about imminent flooding, South Texas and Hill Country towns braced for river overflows and submerged roadways into Wednesday morning as forecasters estimated rainfall to continue to batter the region.

The National Weather Service late Tuesday noted storms had stalled over Bandera County as well as Uvalde County, where the agency also warned of “swollen” creeks and rivers causing floods. Flash flooding had already been observed in Uvalde and Medina counties, according to their emergency management offices.

Flash flood warnings for Bandera, Medina, Real and Uvalde counties that were scheduled to expire at midnight were extended until 8 a.m. Wednesday. NWS discouraged travel in the affected areas and warned that it expected rainfall at 2 to 4 inches an hour.

Medina County’s Office of Emergency Management warned in a social media post that Seco Creek, which runs through several counties under warnings, was at risk of flooding. The office urged residents to be alert through the night in the event an evacuation was called, and announced five road closures.

The NWS also reduced a warning for Bexar, Comal and Kendall counties to a flood advisory, noting that 2 to 6 inches of rain through the night were still expected.

— Ayden Runnels

July 14, 2026, 7:45 p.m.

New flash flood warnings issued in Hill Country counties

The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for several counties on Tuesday evening as rainfall was expected to worsen through the night.

The warnings issued for parts of Bexar, Comal, Kendall and Real counties include San Antonio International Airport and the Guadalupe River State Park, where NWS warned that “life-threatening” flash flooding was expected or potentially already underway. Warnings for three counties were issued at 6:20 p.m. and are in effect until 11:15 p.m. but may be extended. An additional warning for parts of Bandera and Real counties was issued at 8:15 p.m. with a midnight expiration set.

A portion of Bexar County north of San Antonio was also placed under a brief tornado warning by the NWS that expired at 7:15 p.m.

The new warning adds to two already issued flash flood warnings covering most of Uvalde and Medina counties, scheduled until midnight Wednesday. The City of Uvalde opened a temporary community shelter Tuesday afternoon for those who could potentially be affected by the flooding.

In Edwards County north of Uvalde, the sheriff’s office posted photos of roadways already flooded midday Tuesday, and CNN drone footage of Sabinal showed roads completely covered by the rainfall. Several counties in the affected regions under an NWS flood watch announced road closures in preparation for any flooding occurring through the evening. Texas Game Wardens reported several swiftwater rescues earlier in the day in several South Texas counties including Uvalde.

— Ayden Runnels

Disclosure: CNN has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in The Texas Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

Ayden Runnels contributed to this story.

Buffett told CNBC that Gates' association with Epstein was “distasteful," but the 95-year-old investor suggested that Gates' actions weren't much different from mistakes he himself had made over the years in hiring the wrong person or in choosing friends.

“No one bats a thousand in the business of choosing people," Buffett said on CNBC.

Buffett read up on Gates' ties to Epstein

Buffett said he “read a great deal since Jan. 1 in terms of what happened with Bill and Epstein. And I have read his remarks to Congress given under oath, and I read the cross-examination.” He noted that Gates eventually ended his relationship with Epstein.

Buffett said Gates wasn't surprised by the decision Buffett announced Tuesday to eventually donate all the rest of his $140 billion of Berkshire Hathaway stock to foundations associated with his family and his three children, Howard, Susie and Peter. Gates flew to Omaha a few weeks ago and spent several hours talking with Buffett. The two hadn't spoken much since before additional details about Gates and Epstein started to come out when the federal government began releasing files from the Epstein investigation.

Gates has said that he only met with Epstein because he thought it might help him raise money for charitable causes, and he didn't know about Epstein's ongoing crimes.

Epstein, who was accused of sexually abusing dozens of underage girls, was found dead at the Manhattan federal lockup in August 2019. His death was later ruled a suicide by New York City’s medical examiner.

Buffett said in 2024 that he planned to cut off donations to the Gates Foundation after he died and let his three children decide how to distribute the rest of his fortune.

In other news from the CNBC interview, Buffett revealed that he recently broke his leg and underwent surgery for it, but he said he is recovering well.

Drastically increasing donations to give away his fortune by 2034

The Gates Foundation didn't immediately respond after Buffett's interview on Wednesday, but a day earlier the foundation thanked Buffett for donating more than $47 billion since 2006. The Gates Foundation plans to close in 2045 after distributing the rest of Gates' fortune.

Buffett said he wants his own money to be distributed even quicker than he has previously indicated: by the end of 2034. To do that, he will have to drastically increase the amount he donates every year, to more than $17 billion annually.

Right now he is giving roughly $6 billion to the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation and the foundations his children run: the Sherwood Foundation, the Howard G. Buffett Foundation and the Novo Foundation. The majority of that is going to the foundation named in honor of his late wife, which may quickly become one of the world's largest such organizations. Buffett also traditionally gives additional gifts to his family foundations around Thanksgiving each year.

He has said that after his death, a new foundation will be created to distribute the rest of his shares and that his children will have to agree unanimously on where to donate them. He wants his children to be able to make those decisions before they die and his oldest daughter will be nearly 81 in eight years.

Buffett's donations may affect his successor's support

The accelerated pace of Buffett's plan to give away his fortune over the next eight years rather than doing it over the 10 years following his death will mean that his successor at Berkshire Hathaway, Greg Abel, won't be able to count on the support of Buffett's family as the company's biggest shareholder for as long as he thought.

Nevertheless, Buffett said he believes it's clear that Abel is the right man to lead the conglomerate he built, and “that becomes more evident by the day.”

However, Buffett did note that Berkshire's big investment in Google's parent company, which has grown in value considerably over the past year, is one he initiated and not an investment Abel picked, though Abel did agree on it. Just last month, Berkshire agreed to invest another $10 billion in Alphabet after previously tripling its stake in the company.

The man, a 28-year-old Mexican national whose name wasn't immediately released, was sitting in a vehicle with three other people outside a gas station near St. Augustine on Tuesday when they were approached by Immigration and Customs Enforcements officers, officials said. The man then darted across the busy thoroughfare and into the path of a semitrailer, according to a highway patrol spokesperson.

The deadly encounter came a day after an ICE officer fatally shot a motorist in Maine and a week after one shot and killed a driver in Houston, officials said.

The deaths have stirred renewed criticism of the agency’s tactics.

On Wednesday, Trump said ICE agents should continue making traffic stops, pushing back on reports that most stops would be suspended.

Demands for answers about the Maine shooting

As news of the Florida death spread, immigration authorities were already facing questions about the fatal shooting Monday of Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero in Biddeford, Maine.

Durán Guerrero, a 25-year-old Colombia native, was fatally shot in his car by an ICE officer after officials said he left an address that immigration authorities had been surveilling. In a social media post, the Department of Homeland Security said he had "attempted to flee the scene and, fearing for public safety, an officer discharged his weapon."

The brief description differed from one provided hours earlier by Maine Sen. Angus King, who said Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin's told him that the driver had “weaponized” his vehicle against the ICE officers.

Maine death follows Houston shooting

DHS officials said in a statement that Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican national, ignored commands while trying to evade arrest during an enforcement operation on July 7. The department said he attempted to ram his car into an agent, who opened fire in self-defense.

Araujo's family said he was on his way to work at a construction job. He died on the way to the hospital.

The shooting drew immediate criticism from immigrant rights groups and some Democrats, who called for an independent investigation.

Video footage in several previous shootings has contradicted the accounts of federal officers. No immigration officers have been charged in those fatal encounters.

Nurse shot during Minneapolis protest

A Border Patrol officer shot and killed Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old nurse, during a Jan. 24 protest against the Metro Surge immigration operation in Minneapolis.

Federal authorities immediately described Pretti, a U.S. citizen, as an armed agitator who was a threat to officers. But bystander video showed that Pretti was on the ground and had been holding a cellphone during the interaction with officers.

The video showed an officer appearing to pull a gun from Pretti's waistband and step away before the first shot was fired by another officer, followed by more shots. Pretti had a permit to possess a firearm.

State and local officials pushed back against the federal officials' initial characterizations of Pretti, with Gov. Tim Walz calling the comments “despicable.”

Driver shot behind the wheel of an SUV

Renee Good, a U.S. citizen, was repeatedly shot by an ICE officer in Minneapolis on Jan. 7. Videos show she was turning the wheels of her car away from officer Jonathan Ross when he opened fire. Trump administration officials have repeatedly defended Ross, claiming his life was at risk from the moving vehicle.

Good’s death caused a firestorm across the country. The Justice Department said it wouldn’t share information on the shooting with state authorities. But federal prosecutors later shared some key evidence.

State and local officials sued to try to stop to try to stop the immigration sweeps. Protesters with whistles trailed officers who, in response, deployed tear gas and other chemical irritants.

Gardener from Honduras is killed on a Virginia interstate

A pickup truck fatally struck Josué Castro Rivera on a highway in Norfolk, Virginia, as he tried to escape authorities during a traffic stop on Oct. 23.

Castro Rivera, 24, of Honduras, was heading to a gardening job with three passengers when ICE officers pulled over the vehicle, according to his brother, Henry Castro.

State and federal authorities said Castro Rivera ran away on foot and was hit by a pickup truck on Interstate 264.

Cook from Mexico is shot during a traffic stop

ICE agents fatally shot Silverio Villegas González during a traffic stop Sept. 12 in suburban Chicago. Relatives said the 38-year-old line cook from Mexico had dropped off a child at daycare that morning.

At the time, DHS officials said agents were pursuing a man with a history of reckless driving who was in the country illegally. They alleged Villegas González evaded arrest and dragged an officer with his vehicle.

Homeland Security said the officer opened fire fearing for his life and was hospitalized with “serious injuries.” However, local police videos showed the agent walking around and dismissing his injuries as “nothing major.”

DHS has said the death remains under investigation.

Man is struck on California freeway after running from officers

A man fleeing from immigration officers outside a Home Depot in Southern California died after being hit by an SUV as he tried to cross a freeway on Aug. 14.

Police in Monrovia, northeast of Los Angeles, said ICE agents were conducting enforcement operations when the man was hit while running across the eastbound lanes of Interstate 210.

The man, identified by the National Day Laborer Organizing Network as Roberto Carlos Montoya Valdez, 52, of Guatemala, died at a hospital.

Homeland Security said Montoya Valdez wasn’t being pursued by immigration authorities when he ran.

Farmworker fell from a greenhouse roof during an ICE raid

Authorities were arresting dozens of farmworkers July 10, 2025, at Glass House Farms in Southern California when Jaime Alanis fell from the roof of a greenhouse and broke his neck. The 57-year-old laborer from Mexico died at a hospital two days later.

Relatives said Alanis had spent a decade working at the farm in Camarillo, about an hour east of LosAngeles. Officials said he fell about 30 feet (9 meters).

Homeland Security said Alanis was never in custody and was not being chased by immigration authorities.

Homeland Security said Castro Rivera’s vehicle was stopped as part of a “targeted, intelligence-based” operation and that Castro Rivera had “resisted heavily and fled.”

Man on vacation is shot during a traffic stop

A fatal late-night traffic stop in Texas in March 2025 marked the earliest deadly shooting by federal officers during the nationwide immigration crackdown. It took almost a year for records to be disclosed in the fatal shooting of Ruben Ray Martinez, who was a 23-year-old U.S. citizen.

A Homeland Security Investigations team was conducting an immigration enforcement operation with local police when agents stopped Martinez on his way from San Antonio to South Padre Island.

DHS officials said Martinez was told to exit the vehicle, refused and instead “intentionally ran over” an officer. Another officer fired shots through the open driver’s window, striking Martinez, who died at a hospital.

Martinez’s mother said she was contacted by investigators with the Texas Rangers who told her there was video that contradicted the account given by federal officers. Federal and state authorities have declined to comment on potential discrepancies.

One person was pulled from the water but later died, and 16 others were rescued Tuesday afternoon after the boat took on water and capsized, San Francisco Fire Chief Dean Crispen said. He said the passengers on board were mostly family members, and that a dog also died.

Witnesses reported “rough seas,” the fire chief said, with rescuers saying swells reached up to 5 feet (1.5 meters). However, marine weather conditions were not severe enough to warrant a small craft advisory.

Sudden immersion in water under 60 degrees Fahrenheit (15 degrees Celsius) can lead to cold water shock, a condition where people lose dexterity in minutes. That can be dangerous or deadly when trying to escape a sinking watercraft.

The vessel was a 50-foot (15-meter) pleasure craft with a cabin and upper deck named Volare, said Lt. Mariano Elias, a fire department spokesperson. It was registered out of Stockton, California, which sits at the eastern edge of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.

“The wind was coming underneath the Golden Gate and blowing toward Alcatraz,” Lt. Joseph England of the Richmond Police Department, who responded to the scene, said Wednesday. “If you have a smaller vessel and you don’t know what you’re doing and you’re hitting those swells sideways, it can lead to disaster.”

The U.S. Coast Guard was leading the search effort with a cutter named the Barracuda, other vessels and a fixed-wing aircraft, Petty Officer Kenneth Wiese said Wednesday.

The Coast Guard hadn’t yet determined how long crews will keep looking before switching to a recovery operation, he said.

“We want to consider every single option,” Wiese said.

Search teams were using thermal imaging, tide prediction and modeling to guide their efforts, the fire department said Wednesday. By Tuesday evening, authorities had been searching the open ocean west of the Golden Gate Bridge.

The boat departed at or near the St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco, passed under the Golden Gate Bridge twice and visited Angel Island State Park in the bay before the apparent return trip, according to the ship-tracking website VesselFinder. Angel Island, the largest natural island in the bay, has sweeping views of the city.

England said no one was aboard the boat by the time his department’s marine unit got there. The crew found the boat nearly submerged, with cushions, chairs and other debris floating nearby.

Initial callers reported what appeared to be smoke coming from the boat, but San Francisco police officers who first reached the vessel determined it was steam.

The maximum-security federal prison at Alcatraz Island, which closed more than 60 years ago, was infamously inescapable due to the chilly waters and strong currents that surround "The Rock.” Designed to hold the nation’s intractable criminals, including Al Capone and George “Machine Gun” Kelly, it is now a popular tourist attraction. The island is about a mile (1.6 kilometers) off San Francisco.

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Associated Press writers Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire; Ed White in Detroit; and photographer Noah Berger in San Francisco contributed to this story.

However, as of 12:25 p.m., NWS announced that Boerne and other portions of south Kendall County are under a Flash Flood Emergency until 8:15 p.m. The service described its latest alert as a “particularly dangerous situation.”

“Move to high ground if you are near Cibolo Creek or smaller tributaries,” NWS said in a post to X. “Turn Around, Don’t Drown if you encounter a flooded roadway!”

A Flash Flood Emergency is in effect for southern Kendall County, including the City of Boerne. THIS IS A PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION! Move to high ground if you are near Cibolo Creek or smaller tributaries. Turn Around, Don't Drown if you encounter a flooded roadway! pic.twitter.com/uhZVFJa8dp

— NWS Austin/San Antonio (@NWSSanAntonio) July 15, 2026

According to KSAT Weather Authority Meteorologist Leah Rodriguez, as of 12:30 p.m., some portions of Kendall County have experienced anywhere between 6.1 inches and 8.7 inches of rain over the last 12 hours.

In response, Boerne Mayor Frank Ritchie has issued and signed a disaster declaration due to the city’s severe weather and flooding. The city said it will be asking the state for more resources “during and after this flooding event.”

In all, as of 12:30 p.m., the city reported 20 “high-water calls” to help residents shelter in place.

“Of those calls, the Boerne Fire Department assisted three rescues where they helped walk the people to safety and one boat rescue at Herff Road and River Road,” the city said.

Road closures in Boerne

City of Boerne officials said they have shut down River Road. Residents in the area are being encouraged to seek higher ground.

“This is a life-threatening weather event,” City of Boerne spokesperson Chris Shadrock said in an 11 a.m. social media post. “I don’t want to mince words about how serious this situation is. We are seeing flood conditions that we have not seen since 2015.”

Additionally, the city said the intersection of Main Street and River Road has also been closed due to flooding.

“If you are somewhere safe and not in danger, please stay there,” Shadrock said at 11 a.m. “Roads all across Boerne are flooded. Roads that don’t typically flood are flooded. Travel is discouraged all across the City of Boerne today until conditions improve.”

At this time, officials said a temporary shelter in town has been set up at the Boerne ISD Central Offices, which is located at 235 Johns Road. Residents are being asked to enter off Lohmann Street.

Additionally, the City of Boerne’s Zoning Board of Adjustments and Appeals meeting scheduled for Wednesday has been canceled.

This is a developing story. Please check back later for updates.

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The S&P 500 rose 0.4% and was on track for a fourth gain in five days The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 175 points, or 0.3%, as of 2:13 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.6%.

BlackRock surged 6.5% after the company behind some of the most popular investment funds reported stronger profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected. CEO Laurence Fink said its iShares funds topped $6 trillion in assets under management during the quarter, roughly doubling in three years.

Bank of New York Mellon rose 3.7% after adding to the spate of strong earnings reports from many of the biggest U.S. banks a day earlier. Cintas climbed 4.1% after the provider of office uniforms, restroom supplies and other products likewise delivered a better profit for the latest quarter than analysts forecast.

They helped offset a drop for Elevance Health, which fell 8.7% even though it reported stronger profit and revenue than analysts expected.

Several big technology companies fell and checked gains elsewhere. Intel fell 5.5% and Micron Technology slumped 7.4%.

Expectations are high for U.S. companies’ profit growth during the spring. They’ll need to beat them to justify the big moves their stock prices have made, with indexes near their records.

Another report showed inflation slowed last month. This one said inflation at the wholesale level slowed to 5.5% from 6% in May, and it was much better than the acceleration that economists expected.

The day before, a separate report said that inflation that U.S. consumers are feeling was also not as bad as economists expected last month.

Such numbers take pressure off the Federal Reserve, which is considering raising interest rates. Higher rates would keep a lid on inflation, but they also slow the economy and hurt prices for all kinds of investments.

Following the inflation report, traders see just a 10% chance that the Fed will raise its main interest rate at its next meeting in a couple weeks. That’s down from the nearly 42% probability they saw on Monday, before the inflation reports, according to data from CME Group.

Also helping to pull down expectations was a speech from John Williams, president of the New York Fed. He said that “there are encouraging reasons to expect that inflation has peaked and should edge down in coming quarters.”

That helped send the yield on the 10-year Treasury down to 4.55% from 4.58% late Tuesday and from 4.62% the day before.

Still, upward pressure on inflation remains because of the war with Iran, which has seen days of back-and-forth strikes by the United States and Iran across the Middle East.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard threatened Wednesday to halt all energy exports from the Middle East because of the U.S. military's blockade to prevent tankers carrying Iranian oil from using the Strait of Hormuz.

“The export of oil and gas from the region will be either for everyone or for no one,” the Revolutionary Guard said.

Oil prices swung near their highest levels in a month because of the war with Iran. The price for a barrel of Brent crude briefly topped $86 in the morning before falling back to $84.33 per barrel, down 0.5% from the day before.

In stock markets abroad, technology stocks helped lead the way as winners of the artificial-intelligence boom gathered more strength following several shaky weeks.

In Asia, South Korea’s Kospi index jumped 6.2%. Its market is dominated by two huge tech companies, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, and the index has already had drops of 8.9%, 7.9% and 5.3% so far this month.

In Amsterdam, ASML reported stronger revenue growth for the latest quarter than the bellwether of the chipmaking industry had forecast. CEO Christophe Fouquet said continuing progress in the AI boom has customers accelerating their expansions, and the maker of chipmaking machinery gave a forecast for revenue growth in the summer that topped analysts’ expectations.

The strength helped calm some of the worries that have sent AI-related stocks spinning recently. Chief among them is the possibility that their prices shot too high in the euphoria around AI. Worries have been rising that surging demand for AI chips and data centers may fizzle if they don’t produce enough profits and productivity to make all the investments worth it.

In China, stocks rose 1.4% in Hong Kong but fell 0.3% in Shanghai after the government said the world's second-largest economy expanded at a 4.3% annualized pace last quarter, down from the 5% growth rate at the start of the year.

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AP Business Writers Yuri Kageyama and Matt Ott contributed to this report.

Critics have warned that the new panels replacing the ones exhibited since 2010 whitewash the history of slavery. They were installed Wednesday morning in the same area where the Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776.

“Overnight, under the cover of darkness, the federal government removed panels at the President’s House that told a thorough history of Philadelphia,” Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker said Wednesday. “It was allowed to do this by the decision of the federal court, but that it did so at night shows it understands this action is shameful, that it violates community trust.”

The original panels were put in place in 2010 and told the story of how nine slaves lived in the home along with George and Martha Washington in the 1790s, when Philadelphia was briefly the nation’s capital.

Those panels were updated after President Donald Trump issued an executive order in 2025 that called for federally owned or controlled historic sites to not display information to “disparage Americans past or living” and to focus on the “greatness of the achievements and progress of the American people.”

A lower court forced the federal government in February to remove the new panels after they already had been installed earlier this year. A three-judge panel of the U.S. 3rd Circuit of Appeals reversed that and ruled July 3 that the work could continue.

A government website with images of the new panels showed they would still have information on enslaved people who lived in the home. It would also include details on the abolitionist movement, how the Constitution treated slavery, the end of slavery in Pennsylvania and how Washington and his successor, John Adams, viewed and treated slavery, as well as information about the 20th century Civil Rights movement.

However, the replacement panels do not include some of detail in the earlier ones, such as a map of slave trade routes and a timeline on slavery. They also avoid critical headlines such as “The Dirty Business of Slavery.”

The city of Philadelphia had sued the federal government over the removal of information previously included in the panels. It argued that the federal government must consult with the city before making changes to the President’s House Site. Justice Department lawyers argued the administration alone can decide what stories are told at National Park Service properties.

Parker said the city intends to seek a rehearing “on serious legal issues” presented in the appeals court decision.

Michael Coard, an attorney and founder of Avenging The Ancestors Coalition (ATAC), said the Philadelphia-based history preservation group continues to work on legal strategies opposing the Trump administration’s changing of the panels.

ATAC joined the city’s lawsuit.

Trump is attempting to rewrite history, Coard told reporters Wednesday near the site.

“What if there’s a president next time who doesn’t like the Liberty Bell because the Liberty Bell was used by abolitionists to support the end of slavery?” he said. “What if there’s a president who doesn’t like the Statue of Liberty because too many immigrants come in? Do we remove the Statue of Liberty?”

The Interior Department told The Associated Press Wednesday in a statement that the new “panels are full of historical context and highlight the momentous events that took place in the President’s House and the other sites at Independence National Historical Park.”

“They acknowledge the evils of slavery, including its injustices and hypocrisies, and, by telling the stories of the nine slaves that Washington kept in the President’s House, remind us of their essential humanity,” the statement said.

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Williams reported from Detroit.

England coach Thomas Tuchel called in Morgan Rogers in place of Noni Madueke on the right wing and also handed starts to Reece James and Djed Spence in defense.

Ezri Konsa and Nico O’Reilly were benched.

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni made just one change, picking Gio Simeone in midfield ahead of Rodrigo De Paul.

The lineups

England: Jordan Pickford; Reece James, John Stones, Marc Guehi, Djed Spence; Declan Rice, Elliot Anderson, Jude Bellingham; Morgan Rogers, Anthony Gordon, Harry Kane.

Argentina: Emiliano Martinez; Nahuel Molina, Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martinez, Nicolas Tagliafico; Gio Simeone, Leandro Paredes, Enzo Fernandez, Alexis Mac Allister; Lionel Messi, Julian Alvarez.

A fierce rivalry

The game sees England and Argentina resume one of the fiercest rivalries in international soccer.

The two teams meet in Atlanta and the winner will play Spain in the final in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on Sunday.

“I mean the two shirts are just iconic and the historic matches are iconic,” Tuchel said.

The World Cup rivalry between the nations dates back to 1962, but it was England's 1-0 win in the quarterfinals four years later that saw it intensify. Argentina captain Antonio Rattin, whose death was announced on Saturday, was sent off in a bad-tempered match. England went on to win the World Cup for the first, and still the only time, in its history.

Twenty years on in Mexico, Diego Maradona scored the infamous “Hand of God” goal that helped Argentina to a 2-1 win in the quarterfinals on the way to becoming world champion for a second time.

That game also saw Maradona score what many believe to be the greatest World Cup goal ever when he dribbled the ball from the halfway line before beating England goalkeeper Peter Shilton.

“That will be forever in our hearts. It was just such a beautiful goal,” Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said. “Anybody who loves football will remember that in the best way possible.”

England felt aggrieved again in 1998 when David Beckham was sent off for kicking out at Argentina midfielder Diego Simeone before losing the round-of-16 game on penalties.

Beckham got his revenge four years later by scoring a penalty in a 1-0 win that contributed to Argentina being eliminated at the group stage.

Given the heated rivalry, Tuchel has tried to manage the emotions of his players ahead of the semifinal.

“If a fixture provides so many iconic moments you cannot just say it’s just another football match, but as a coach we do exactly that,” he said. “We don’t speak about the historic events. We don’t speak about the iconic moments.”

Route to the semifinals

Neither team has had a smooth ride to the semifinals.

Argentina survived scares against Cape Verde and Egypt earlier in the knockout rounds and needed extra time to beat 10-man Switzerland 3-1 in the quarterfinals.

England had to rally for wins against Congo and Norway after going a goal down. It also endured a physically exhausting game played at altitude, and being down to 10 men, to beat co-host Mexico 3-2 in the round of 16.

Messi vs. Kane and Bellingham

The seemingly ageless Lionel Messi has been Argentina's talisman once again, scoring eight goals and also providing crucial assists.

England has relied on its big hitters in Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham. Both have six goals so far, with Bellingham scoring twice in each of England's last two games.

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James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson

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See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

While rotation has since weakened, San Antonio residents and those across South Central Texas are encouraged to pay close attention to the weather.

If you receive a Tornado Warning, stay away from windows and take shelter in the most interior area of your residence.

Flooding remains the primary concern for San Antonio residents through Thursday.

This is a developing story. Check back later for updates.

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• LIVE COVERAGE: Heavy rainfall, flooding remain factor in Hill Country, surrounding areas
• KSAT Connect: Viewers share photos of lightning, flooding in San Antonio area

The final design for the commemorative coin, being released in the fall, was approved earlier this year by the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, whose members were appointed by Trump. But the finished product unveiled Wednesday differs from that version in a few aspects, including that it is not made of gold but rather has a gold finish.

The coin is intended “to honor the enduring legacy of liberty and a lasting symbol of patriotism,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a post on X. “Featuring President Trump, it celebrates the strength of American values, and the promise of a nation dedicated to preserving freedom for all."

Trump, a Republican, has a penchant for putting his name and likeness in the historical record, following his renaming of the U.S. Institute of Peace, the Kennedy Center performing arts venue and a new class of battleships, among other tributes. The move to put his face on the gold coin has drawn criticism in particular because federal law prohibits the depiction of a living president on U.S. currency, though the treasury secretary has the authority to authorize the minting and issuance of coins in some circumstances.

The front of the coin features an image of Trump in a suit and tie and with a stern look on his face. Lettering on the top half of the coin's arc spells “LIBERTY," with the dates 1776-2026 on the bottom half of the arc. The words “IN GOD WE TRUST” are in the middle.

The reverse side depicts the traditional image of the bald eagle in the Great Seal of the U.S., with “UNITED STATES OF AMERICA” on the top half of the coin and the Latin phrase “E PLURIBUS UNUM,” meaning “Out of many, one,” on the shield emblazoned on the bird's breast.

Among the other differences from the design approved earlier this year is that Trump doesn’t have his fists resting on top of what is supposed to be a desk as he leans forward. The Treasury Department did not specify Wednesday why the final product diverged from the originally approved design.

The Treasury Department announced in March that it would be putting Trump's signature on all new U.S. paper currency.

Traditionally, U.S. paper currency carries the signatures of the treasury secretary and the treasurer, not the president.

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Associated Press writer Darlene Superville contributed to this report.

Democrats asked Jay Clayton, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and a former Securities and Exchange Commission chairman, over and over again whether former President Joe Biden won the election and defeated Trump. Echoing many of Trump's nominees, Clayton said many times that the election was “certified" for Biden, declining to say outright that the Democrat won.

“I'm not going to get into this with you,” Clayton told Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff, the last of several Democrats on the committee to grill Clayton on the 2020 election. Clayton appeared frustrated and flustered as Ossoff repeated the question several times. “I've answered it," he said.

Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, who had praised Clayton’s nomination when Trump picked him for the role last month, expressed exasperation with him at the end of the hearing. Democrats say they are concerned that Trump will try to direct intelligence agencies to influence U.S. elections as the president has repeated his false claims that the 2020 contest was stolen.

“I’ve known Mr. Clayton for some time, I worked with him closely when he was at the SEC,” said Warner, the top Democrat on the intelligence panel. “But I am bitterly disappointed.”

While Clayton has broad support among Republicans, the acrimony with Democrats could be a blow to GOP leaders who had hoped to gain their consent for a quick vote to replace temporary intelligence director Bill Pulte, a former housing official with no known intelligence experience and who used his previous administration perch to target perceived adversaries of the president.

Senators in both parties have criticized Pulte, and Republicans had hoped to confirm Clayton immediately after he was nominated in June so Pulte did not take over when Gabbard left office. But Trump delayed Clayton’s nomination, allowing Pulte to take the job temporarily.

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said the committee will vote on Clayton's nomination next week.

Clayton emphasizes national security experience

Clayton did not mention Pulte in the hearing. But he emphasized his own government and national security experience, attempting to assuage senators in both parties.

“I saw firsthand how a strong national security apparatus depends on decisive judgment, discipline, integrity, and effective communication and cooperation across different branches of the government,” Clayton said in his opening statement. “If confirmed as Director of National Intelligence, I will commit to upholding these principles every day.”

Cotton expressed frustration last month when the hearing was delayed. He said in his opening statement Wednesday that Clayton has a reputation for operating with “morality, decency and integrity” in his previous positions and that he hopes his nomination will win bipartisan support.

Democrats press Clayton on Gabbard's election activities

Democrats also pressed Clayton on former National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard's visit to a Georgia election office earlier this year during an FBI search related to the 2020 election. Trump administration officials have given varying explanations for Gabbard's involvement in the search, which appeared to be outside of her intelligence role.

Clayton declined to say whether Gabbard's visit was appropriate or how he would handle the same situation. At one point he said he wasn't aware of Gabbard's visit before this week, then later appeared to backtrack, saying “it wasn't something on my mind” before he started to prepare for the hearing.

Warner said it “strains credibility” that Clayton wasn’t aware of Gabbard’s election activities.

Democrats also asked Clayton about Trump’s announcement that he will deliver a primetime address on Thursday with a focus on elections, after the president suggested he could revisit long-debunked conspiracy theories about his 2020 defeat. Clayton said he had has no involvement with that speech.

As US attorney in Manhattan, Clayton oversees vast portfolio

Clayton is currently the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, one of the most prestigious of the Justice Department’s prosecution offices. His cases have ranged from terrorism and espionage cases to security fraud and public corruption.

Democrats pressed Clayton on subpoenas of four New York Times journalists after they reported on security concerns involving the new, Qatari-gifted Air Force One. The Committee to Protect Journalists has called the subpoenas “an extraordinary escalation in President Trump’s efforts to threaten and intimidate independent news organizations and have a chilling effect on the work of journalists across the country."

Clayton said he was not able to discuss the details of the subpoenas and declined to elaborate on whether he spoke to the White House before they were issued. He said he is “confident in procedures we have in place to protect freedom of press.”

Under Clayton, the office also facilitated the unsealing of thousands of pages of court records from the prosecutions of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell — documents that were made public as part of the Justice Department’s release of records related to the late sex offender and his longtime confidant.

Clayton has also overseen the prosecution of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and Maduro’s wife, Cilia Flores, on drug trafficking charges.

Confirmation vote could unlock renewal of surveillance authority

Clayton’s confirmation could potentially clear the way for bipartisan legislation to renew Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA, which stalled last month when Democrats had said they would not provide the necessary votes to pass the bill unless Pulte’s temporary appointment was withdrawn.

The law, which aims to prevent terrorist attacks by monitoring the communications of targeted foreigners located outside the United States, expired in June.

Even if Democrats relent, it is unclear if Trump would sign the bill. He said in his June social media post delaying Clayton’s nomination that he would not sign the FISA renewal without his legislation to require proof of citizenship for all voters. The voting bill does not have enough support to pass the Senate.

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Associated Press writer Eric Tucker contributed to this report.

And on Wednesday, soccer's governing body said American rapper-singer Post Malone will headline the closing ceremony.

The ceremony will take place 90 minutes before Sunday's final. The show is meant to “celebrate the 48 teams’ unforgettable journey” through 16 host cities across three countries, FIFA said in a statement.

IShowSpeed — who has streamed multiple matches — is listed as a performer, while Cruise — who's also been spotted in the stands and performed a stunt at the Paris Olympics' closing ceremony — is billed as making a “special appearance.” The ceremony will also include performances from Laura Pausini, the Italian singer who helped open the Milan Cortina Olympics in February; Tony winner and Pussycat Dolls member Nicole Scherzinger; and Robbie Williams, the British singer and former Take That member.

Jennifer Hudson, who boasts the coveted EGOT title with an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony, will perform the U.S. national anthem.

“Echoing the spirit of the opening ceremonies, which welcomed the world to the greatest stage in Canada, Mexico and the United States, the closing ceremony will bring the FIFA World Cup 2026 full circle through music, culture and football, before we kick off the highly anticipated match that will crown the champions of this groundbreaking tournament,” said Heimo Schirgi, the World Cup's chief operating officer.

While Sunday will also feature the tournament's first halftime show, with a bevy of additional A-list performers, closing ceremonies are not exactly new to the World Cup. The closing ceremony is being produced in partnership with Balich Wonder Studio, led by Marco Balich, who orchestrated the 2022 World Cup's opening and closing ceremonies in Qatar.

FIFA has encouraged ticketholders to arrive early, promising that fans “will have an active role to play in the show.” The show begins at 1:30 p.m. at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and kickoff is at 3 p.m.

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See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

In Florida on Tuesday, a third man in roughly a week died during an encounter with immigration officers. The 28-year-old was killed after he was hit by a tractor-trailer while running from immigration and other federal officers, authorities said.

Here's the latest:

Prosecutors in Houston are trying to get special visas for eyewitnesses to ICE shooting

Three other men who were also in the van when Lorenzo Araujo Salgado was fatally shot last week are being held at an immigration detention center in Texas.

The Harris County District Attorney’s Office told The Associated Press it has signed off on special visa certifications that describe the men as witnesses in local prosecutors’ ongoing investigation into the shooting. The visa applications would still need approval from federal immigration officials.

Attorneys for Daniel Tirado Pantoja, Jose Rojas and Victor Salgado, the victim’s brother, say their clients have disputed the Department of Homeland Security’s account of the July 7 shooting. The temporary visas, known as U visas, are intended to protect from deportation witnesses who are assisting law enforcement.

In May, a federal court temporarily blocked ICE from detaining immigrants with pending U visas.

Maine governor says ICE must be reformed or abolished after shooting

Maine’s governor said Wednesday that ICE should be scrapped as a federal agency, if it can’t be fixed in the wake of a fatal shooting in her state.

Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, said in a letter to the state’s congressional delegation that Congress must act to “require ICE to respect the rule of law and honor our collective security.”

Mills had criticized ICE before, including in January after a surge of enforcement activity in Maine that she said was marred by “lawless, dangerous conduct” by the agency. She said Wednesday the agency must be fixed “before more families are robbed of a loved one.”

She added: “ICE needs to be fundamentally reformed, and if not, then it is time to abolish it.”

Houston Mayor John Whitmire calls for Texas Rangers to investigate fatal shooting there

“We need DHS to allow independent authorities to investigate,” Whitmire told CNN on Wednesday. “The jurisdiction is federal. They control the evidence. We’re asking them to release that to the Texas Rangers.”

Lorenzo Araujo Salgado, who had no criminal record and had lived in the U.S. for 35 years, was shot last week while driving his construction crew to a job site in Houston. His death sparked protests in Houston and demands for an independent investigation from Democrats and Salgado Araujo’s family.

On Tuesday, Houston Police Chief J. Noe Diaz, Jr. formally requested that the Texas Department of Public Safety’s investigative agency conduct an independent and transparent probe.

Mayor Whitmire also told CNN the U.S. Department of Homeland Security should pause ICE vehicle stops for 90 days to review its policies.

Biddeford Mayor Liam LaFountain calls for a permanent ban on ICE traffic stops

In a statement, he also questioned why the ICE officers involved in the fatal shooting of Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero weren’t wearing body cameras. LaFountain pointed out that his city’s police officers have been equipped with body cameras for nearly a decade.

“The fact that ICE is swimming in billions of taxpayer dollars and can’t perform a basic function like properly equipping their people is a severe indictment,” LaFountain said. “Corrective action is required immediately.”

LaFountain added that the city is offering mental health services to Durán Guerrero’s family and all residents affected by the shooting.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin: ‘If you are here illegally, LEAVE NOW’

In response to questions about President Trump’s Wednesday morning social media post, Mullin said in a statement that the department’s “#1 goal” is to keep officers safe and get criminals off the streets.

The department didn’t respond to specific questions about whether ICE officers are now able to do traffic stops but Mullin’s statement said people in the country illegally would be “arrested and deported wherever they are.”

“If you are here illegally, LEAVE NOW,” said Mullin. “We remind illegal aliens attempting to evade arrest is dangerous.”

Man fatally shot by an ICE officer in Maine had illegally entered the US, officials said

Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, a 25-year-old Colombian national, had illegally entered the U.S. on Sept. 1, 2023, through the southern border, the Department of Homeland Security said Wednesday.

He was killed Monday in Biddesford, Maine, a coastal city roughly 15 miles (24 kilometers) southwest of Portland.

Sen. Angus King said Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told him Monday that ICE officers were in Biddeford to serve an arrest warrant but that it was not for the person who was shot.

The Department of Homeland Security, which includes ICE, said agents were surveilling an address for a person with a final order of removal from the country.

When ICE tried to stop a vehicle driven by someone coming from that address, the “vehicle attempted to flee the scene and, fearing for public safety, an officer discharged his weapon,” the department said.

There have been at least 10 deaths involving immigration agents since Trump began deportation push

At least four of those deaths involved people in vehicles, including the one last week in Houston, a trend so troubling that U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said Tuesday that she had urged Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin “to cease all non-urgent vehicle stops.”

John Sandweg, who was acting director at ICE, which is part of DHS, during President Barack Obama’s Democratic administration, estimated recently that there have been roughly 18 traffic stop shootings during the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

Questions surround the Maine shooting

Photos showed bullet holes in Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero’s car windshield, but the officers involved in the shooting didn’t have body cameras, leaving many questions. Among them are how close the officer was to the vehicle when shooting, whether officers told Durán Guerrero to stop and why ICE believes he had put the public in danger.

Border czar Tom Homan told reporters Tuesday the investigation needs to play out and that officers will be held accountable if they’re found to have acted inappropriately or illegally.

Maine’s attorney general’s office, which said it is working with federal agencies to investigate, said initial statements suggest the driver was trying to flee in the direction of the officer, whose name hasn’t been released and who was placed on leave.

Fatal shooting during immigration operation angers Maine

Hundreds of people in Maine protested Tuesday over the fatal shooting of Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, a 25-year-old Colombian national. Advocacy groups said Guerrero, who had a wife and a young daughter, was authorized to work in the United States.

DHS said Monday that an officer, “fearing for public safety,” shot and killed Durán Guerrero while officers were watching the home of someone they believed was in the U.S. illegally and facing a final order of removal from the country. It said in a post on X that when ICE tried to stop a car driven by someone who came from the home, the person attempted to flee in the vehicle and the officer fired.

In a scathing post on X, outgoing Colombian President Gustavo Petro called the shooting a targeted killing “at the hands of the U.S. government.”

Lindsey Graham’s Senate Judiciary Committee spot draped in black

As the committee convened Wednesday for a confirmation hearing, the late South Carolina Republican’s seat at the rostrum was also marked with a vase of white roses.

Graham had been set to chair the panel in the next Congress. He died over the weekend of a tear in his aorta.

On Tuesday, Graham’s sister, Darline Graham, was sworn in to serve out the remaining months of his term, which expires in January. South Carolina Republicans are standing up a special primary election to pick a new nominee for this fall’s midterms.

High-stakes attorney general confirmation hearing getting underway

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is expected to face bipartisan scrutiny as he seeks the chance to serve out the duration of Trump’s term.

Blanche, Trump’s former personal attorney, has run the department on an interim basis since April, when Pam Bondi was fired after struggling to bring successful cases against Trump’s political foes.

Since taking the reins at the Justice Department, Blanche has accelerated investigations into Trump foes, functioned as the public face of a maligned fund meant to compensate the president’s allies and alarmed press freedom advocates with an aggressive pursuit of news media leaks.

Senate to hold hearing for Trump’s pick to head intelligence agencies after weekslong delay

Jay Clayton, President Trump’s pick to head the nation’s intelligence agencies, will testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday, weeks after Trump abruptly delayed his nomination.

Republicans and even some Democrats have been eager to quickly confirm Clayton, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and a former Securities and Exchange Commission chairman, as they’ve expressed concerns about Trump’s interim appointee for the intelligence post, Bill Pulte. Pulte, who has been in the job since June 19, is a former housing official with no known intelligence experience and who used his previous administration perch to target perceived adversaries of the president.

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton, a Republican, expressed frustration when Trump delayed Clayton’s nomination in a social media post last month, allowing Pulte to take office. Cotton said then that Clayton had been instructed not to appear at a scheduled confirmation hearing, but he rescheduled the hearing three weeks later, with apparent approval from the White House.

▶ Read more

Blanche faces Senate scrutiny with Republican support key to his confirmation as attorney general

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche will confront questions Wednesday about his brief but turbulent tenure atop the Justice Department during a Senate confirmation hearing that will test President Donald Trump’s grip on Republican lawmakers whose support the nominee will need for the job.

Blanche, Trump’s former personal attorney, has run the department on an interim basis since April, during which time he’s accelerated investigations into Trump foes, functioned as the public face of a maligned fund meant to compensate the Republican president’s allies and alarmed press freedom advocates with an aggressive pursuit of news media leaks.

Those actions will receive fresh scrutiny at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing as Blanche testifies for the opportunity to serve out the duration of Trump’s term.

▶ Read more

It's not how far shots are going in the air. It's what happens when they get on the ground. And with links golf, that's not always easy to control, especially this week.

“You can't judge every single bounce perfectly,” Justin Rose said. “But you have to accept the nature of a links golf course. There's going to be some good bounces, bad bounces. Just keep playing with a big of freedom and creativity, especially this week.

“You're going to get a few funny bounces here or there,” he said. “That's all part of it.”

The 154th Open begins Thursday with a mixture of excitement and curiosity. For those who love links golf, there's no greater colors than brown and yellow that indicate crispy conditions in which the fairways can run faster than some of the greens.

Rarely has the forecast been filled with warm sunshine — slightly cooler on the weekend — with a cloudless sky that will be a challenge for the R&A to keep the turf from getting too fast.

Rory McIlroy came to Royal Birkdale a few weeks ago and saw what seemed to be a different course. It was greener. The rough was more lush. It's no longer like that. Yes, it's harder to control shots running along the fairway But the rough, while still having some thick patches in which players are up to their knees in grass, is more burned and wispy.

“I think it’s a double-edged sword,” McIlroy said. "I think all this dry weather and sun and a little bit of wind is obviously great for the course in one way, but when I was here a couple weeks ago, the rough was a lot more penal than it’s going to be this week. It’s definitely burnt out a lot.

“The big thing, especially off the tee here, is the fairway bunkers and avoiding those,” he said. “You might see some guys being more aggressive off the tee, taking driver, trying to take the fairway bunkers out of play. OK, it might be in the rough, but it’s not that penal, so you get a wedge in your hand and you can figure it out from there.”

Every hole seems to have options.

The redesigned fifth plays 321 yards and enough shrubs have been removed that it's no longer a blind shot from the tee. What players see now is a pond — an unusual hazard for links golf, but it's always been there — and a row of pot bunkers leading to the green.

Marcus Plunkett, the U.S. Army veteran playing in his first British Open, arrived Thursday and smashed driver to the edge of the green. Even with that shot, he's planning on a 7-iron off the tee.

The wind is out of a different direction than usual, making the 393-yard 16th hole play downwind and running fast. Most players were hitting no more than 5-iron off the tee to avoid the bunkers. The other option is a driver than can get close to the green.

It's like that all over, and it could lead to brilliance and blunders.

“From what I’ve learned in the past, if you start pulling out drivers in an Open Championship, you can do a good job,” Jon Rahm said. “You can maybe get away with it one round. Over four rounds, you’re going to start finding spots you don’t want to be in, and you’re going to pay the price.”

Scottie Scheffler is the defending champion, trying to become the first repeat winner of golf's oldest championship since Padraig Harrington won at Carnoustie and Royal Birkdale in 2007 and 2008. The world's No. 1 player has played only five times in the Open, but he probably spoke for many when he said, “This is the first forecast I remember seeing it had no rain in it for the week.”

“If it holds, it should continue to firm up, and we’ve got some warm weather as well,” he said.

It's a different Royal Birkdale from when Jordan Spieth won in 2017, particularly the new look on the fifth and the par-3 seventh, and a brand-new par 3 at the 15th (the old par-3 14th was removed). Scheffler offered a not-so-subtle jab at the chances, even though he hadn't seen the course before.

“The one thing I found interesting is it’s so obvious as to which holes had been redone," he said. “They look like they’re not even on the same golf course.”

Scheffler had to return the claret jug on Tuesday. Someone else takes possession Sunday night when he is introduced as the “Champion Golfer of the Year.” And then it's eight-plus months until the next major at the Masters in April.

The four majors are over quickly.

But it's only fitting the British Open with its unique brand of golf is the last major of the year. It's unlike anything players see all year, especially in dry and firm and fiery conditions like this.

“The ball is just going to run forever,” Scheffler said.

___

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

KSAT has crews in the Alamo City, as well as in the surrounding areas, to check on the flooding, damage and the road conditions.

>> UPDATE: Flooding ongoing along Highway 90, Hill Country; monitoring conditions in San Antonio

Rainfall continues to increase across the San Antonio area, with the heaviest activity over Frio, Medina and Uvalde counties.

Severe weather is also developing amidst this activity, with strong winds and rotation possible.

Expect to see more activity developing around San Antonio on Wednesday.

WATCH BELOW: Bass Pro Shops at The Rim was damaged following a tornado on Northwest Side

WATCH BELOW: Restaurant at The Rim damaged following tornado

WATCH BELOW: Tornado tears through The Rim, damaging Marshalls

Severe weather causes extensive damage at Northwest Side apartment complex

WATCH BELOW: Uvalde city, county officials provide Wednesday morning update on countywide flood response

WATCH BELOW: UVALDE COUNTY: Roads still dangerous following rain and flash floods

WATCH BELOW: KSAT monitors severe weather response near Leona River in Uvalde County

WATCH BELOW: Video shows damage at NW Side apartment complex after reported tornado

WATCH BELOW: Heavy rainfall in Uvalde coming down with strong winds

WATCH BELOW: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issues disaster declaration for multiple counties, including Bexar County

Read also:

• Avoid these notorious roadways prone to flooding during heavy rain in San Antonio

It's not clear whether ICE will quickly reverse course and resume most stops, which have been a key tool in Trump's immigration crackdown.

Ending those stops, Trump wrote, would be “playing right into the criminal’s hands.”

“We CANNOT give up one of ICE’s most important and effective Crime Fighting tools, THE TRAFFIC STOP!” Trump wrote Wednesday on his social media site.

Hours after Trump made his views known, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin issued his own statement saying people illegally in the country would be “arrested and deported wherever they are.” But Mullin didn't directly say whether ICE officers will be allowed to carry out traffic stops.

ICE's enforcement tactics are coming under renewed criticism after three people died during encounters with federal officers within a week. In Florida, a 28-year-old man was killed Tuesday after he was hit by a tractor trailer while running from immigration and other federal officers, authorities said.

Before that, two motorists were shot and killed by ICE officers — one in Texas last week and another in Maine on Monday.

After the Maine killing, Trump administration officials told ICE officers to suspend most vehicle stops, people familiar with the decision said Tuesday.

Since the immigration crackdown began, federal officers confronting drivers have opened fire several times, saying the drivers’ vehicles had posed a danger. Policing experts have long said that shooting into moving cars presents a danger of its own and should almost always be avoided.

There have been at least 10 deaths involving encounters with immigration agents since Trump launched his deportation campaign. At least four of them involved people in vehicles, a trend so troubling that Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine urged Department of Homeland Security leaders “to cease all non-urgent vehicle stops.”

Two shootings in a week, she said Wednesday, “raise very serious questions” and warrant a halt in that approach for the time being.

ICE has been under pressure to beef up arrest and deportation numbers. It says people being sought are increasingly staying in their homes, and it often blames immigration advocates who advise immigrants to stay in homes unless ICE produces a warrant signed by an independent judge.

ICE officers say that means they’re forced to find other ways to make arrests.

DHS says the man killed in Maine came to the US illegally

More protests are planned for Wednesday, a day after hundreds gathered to remember Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, the 25-year-old Colombian national who was shot in his car Monday.

Durán Guerrero illegally entered the U.S. on Sept. 1, 2023, through the southern border, DHS said Wednesday. Advocacy groups said that when he was killed, he was authorized to work in the U.S.

Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, said the Homeland Security secretary told him on Monday that ICE officers were in Biddeford to serve an arrest warrant but that it wasn't for the person who was shot.

When ICE tried to stop a vehicle driven by someone who came from a home under surveillance, the “vehicle attempted to flee the scene and, fearing for public safety, an officer discharged his weapon,” the department said.

It its statement Wednesday, DHS said Guerrero was released into the U.S. after crossing the border.

The department didn't answer questions about the agent who shot him.

Photos showed bullet holes in Durán Guerrero’s car windshield, but the officers involved in the shooting didn’t have body cameras, leaving many questions about what happened.

Maine shooting puts a spotlight on ICE

Outgoing Colombian President Gustavo Petro called the shooting of Durán Guerrero a targeted killing “at the hands of the U.S. government.”

In Wednesday’s social media post, Trump told ICE to be “judicious, fair and smart, and go back and do your very important job.”

Border czar Tom Homan told reporters that the investigation needs to play out and that officers will be held accountable if they are found to have acted inappropriately or illegally.

Maine’s Democratic governor, Janet Mills, said ICE should be scrapped as a federal agency if it can’t be fixed.

Mills, who has criticized ICE before, said Wednesday that the agency needs changes “before more families are robbed of a loved one.”

___

Whittle reported from Biddeford, Maine. Associated Press reporters Jack Brook in New Orleans, Michael R. Sisak in New York, John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, Elliot Spagat in Park City, Utah, and Darlene Superville in Washington contributed to this report.

The shipwreck occurred on Tuesday near Bardaa Island, off the coastal city of Tobruk, according to Coast Guard authorities in eastern Libya. They said 10 survivors managed to swim to the island to save themselves. The search for others continues, the Coast Guard said.

It was the latest tragedy off Libya, one of the main departure points for migrants trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea and reach European shores for a better life there. Last month a shipwreck off eastern Libya left 51 migrants dead or missing.

Even though Libya was plunged into chaos following a NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed its longtime autocrat Moammar Gadhafi in 2011, the country has over the years emerged as the dominant transit point for migrants fleeing war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East.

Smugglers usually pack Europe-bound migrants into small and unsafe boats, with thousands dying during the perilous sea journey.

More than 800 migrants were reported dead or missing in the central Mediterranean route between Jan. 1 and May 16 this year, according to the International Organization for Migration. Last year saw more than 1,300 migrants perish or go missing on that route, it said.

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Follow AP’s global migration coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/migration.

The 47-page outline, called a budget resolution, is a long-shot undertaking designed to supplement Pentagon funding for the Iran war and address Trump’s top priority of changing voter registration requirements. A more ambitious effort was narrowed to address concerns of conservatives about adding to the deficit. The resolution does not seek any offsets to pay for the new spending.

House Speaker Mike Johnson pushed ahead after meeting with Trump at the White House this week in what will be the Republicans’ calling card to voters this fall heading into the midterm elections, with control of Congress at stake.

“Safeguarding American elections and strengthening our national defense are the most basic responsibilities of Congress,” Johnson said in a statement.

Johnson welcomed the chance to again use a legislative process that will allow Republicans to overpower Democratic objections and eventually approve legislation on a party-line majority vote, saying the Democrats won’t be able to block the GOP priorities “any longer.”

Democrats, however, have argued against the sharply partisan path, particularly for matters of war funding.

The Budget Committee is expected to consider the outline Thursday, ahead of floor action in the House next week.

Billions of dollars for the Iran war

The bulk of the $95 billion would go for the U.S.-led war against Iran, reflecting the White House's request for supplemental spending to rebuild stockpiles and fund classified programs, among other expenses related to Operation Epic Fury.

The resolution calls for the House Armed Services Committee to craft legislation that will not increase deficits through 2036 by more than $60 billion; the Select Committee on Intelligence, $13 billion; the Agriculture Committee, $12 billion; and the House Administration Committee, $10 billion.

The latter funding would be focused on enacting aspects of an election law overhaul that requires those registering to vote to provide proof of citizenship and is a top Trump priority.

Overall, the plan is on par with a request the White House submitted to Congress last month, as the Iran war drags past four months. But it falls far short of the $350 billion increase the White House proposed in its budget request this year to beef up the Defense Department.

Approving extra war funding will be difficult, even among Republicans supporting the Iran effort, as the nation confronts staggering annual deficits reaching nearly $2 trillion this year.

Trump pushes Congress for voting law changes

Both the House and the Senate would have to pass the same budget resolution to launch the crafting of the party-line bill, which is politically difficult in the Congress where Republicans hold only narrow majority control.

Along with the war funds, the package Republicans are pursuing would include $10 billion for the GOP's effort to impose strict citizenship requirements in line with provisions of the SAVE America Act, which has been a top Trump priority.

Trump has insisted that Republicans approve the elections overhaul bill, which has passed the House but does not have the votes to overcome the 60-vote threshold in the Senate. So Republicans are looking to get parts of it through the arduous reconciliation process that allows both chambers to pass a bill with a simple majority.

It's unclear how the budget package would impose or fund voting law changes and if any alterations could be made before the midterm elections, with many state elections processes already underway.

Overall, passage of the package would be a lengthy process, with much of the action taking place after lawmakers return from their August recess and during the heart of election season. House Republicans hope to kick off the effort before they leave town at the end of this month.

Democrats mount opposition to the GOP package

The additional aid for farmers dealing with higher gas and fertilizer prices and retaliatory tariffs has become an election year priority for many lawmakers with large rural constituencies.

But even the addition of that type of farm aid is not likely to be an incentive for Democrats to lend support for what is essentially a Republican-only bill. Democrats are expected to overwhelmingly oppose whatever final product emerges and force Republicans to take votes on scores of difficult amendments.

Rep. Brendan Boyle, the lead Democratic lawmaker on the House Budget Committee, said the GOP’s budget plan would lead to tens of billions of dollars in additional debt to fund what he called the most unpopular war in American history.

“I’m going to fight like hell to make sure taxpayer dollars are being used to lower costs and make life better for American families, not to bankroll Trump’s giveaways to billionaires and endless wars overseas,” Boyle said.

Johnson, of Louisiana, applauded Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, and others on the panel for moving swiftly to advance the resolution and unlock what would be Republicans' third reconciliation bill this Congress.

Trump's big tax breaks bill last year and the Homeland Security funding bill this year both passed largely along party lines.

Arrington said several factors contributed to the decision not to offset some of the new spending Republicans will seek. First, the Trump administration’s call for more defense spending was winnowed to just meeting replenishment needs during a time of war. Second, he was concerned that some of the savings generated in last year’s party line bill could be relitigated and stripped out if the Senate Finance Committee had been instructed to find offsets.

Republicans could have tried to work with Democrats to pass more defense spending through the regular appropriations process or through an emergency supplemental spending bill, but that would require bipartisan support to get through the Senate. And Democrats likely would have sought commensurate spending increases for non-defense priorities.

“There’s no doubt that Democrats would exact a big price,” Arrington said. “… We avoided that, so I would say in this moment, with this scenario, that’s a win.”

Instead, Les Bleus had no answers in a 2-0 semifinal loss at the home of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys on Tuesday in what is presumably coach Didier Deschamps' final appearance on soccer's biggest stage.

Deschamps, who has said this would be his last World Cup, won a title as a player in 1998 and again as a coach eight years ago in Russia before leading France to the final in 2022 in Qatar. Argentina won that championship in a penalty shootout.

“I’ve been lucky as a player to enjoy happy moments,” Deschamps said through a translator, while also saying it wasn't yet time to discuss his future. “Today is not such a moment. But I think we must accept it without forgetting everything that we’ve experienced so far. But today’s feeling is that I am not happy.”

The disappointment reverberated from Texas across the Atlantic Ocean. A number of clashes reportedly broke out in Paris, with incidents between law enforcement and young people also reported in Lyon.

French media lamented that their team had been unable to reproduce the exhilarating performances it had delivered while never trailing in its first six World Cup matches.

L’Équipe, France’s leading sports newspaper, noted that Deschamps’ players had been outplayed in every aspect of the game, “unable to live up to their dreams and to the hope they had inspired.”

Those players didn't disagree, although Mbappé was quick to defend his coach, and said he would play hard for Deschamps in the third-place match against the Argentina-England loser on Saturday in Miami Gardens, Florida.

“Nothing changed about what Didier means to us as a French people. As a manager, as a player, he wrote an amazing story,” said the France captain, who got a quick hug from his coach on the sideline after the final whistle. “There’s one game left for him, so we’re going to try to play the best game for him because he deserves it, and also the fans deserve to have a win and finish third in this World Cup.”

The dangerous playmaking of Mbappé, Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise never showed up in what ended up being Spain's sixth clean sheet in seven World Cup appearances this year.

Mbappé's best chance came in the 67th minute when his shot deflected off Spain defender Marc Cucurella and went just wide. La Roja already had a two-goal lead at that point.

The 27-year-old Mbappé, who entered the day level with Argentina superstar Lionel Messi for the tournament lead in goals with eight, showed some frustration with a yellow card in the 86th minute. He rushed toward Unai Simón just as the Spain goalkeeper was bending over to pick up the ball. The two collided, sending Simón to the grass.

“In so many ways, France was missing everything today,” Rayan Cherki said through a translator. “We’ll be back in four years, and we won’t make the same mistakes.”

___

Associated Press writer Samuel Petrequin in Paris contributed to this report.

___

See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

Starmer, who leaves office next week, bid farewell to the boisterous weekly Prime Minister’s Questions sessions where he has traded barbs with opposition politicians and defended his government’s record. On Monday, he will step down as prime minister after losing the support of his Labour Party, handing over power to a new Labour leader, Andy Burnham.

“Every prime minister knows when they take up the torch that the day will come when they have to pass it on,” said Starmer, who has spent six years as leader of the Labour Party and two as prime minister.

“This is the end of my political journey,” he said, though he plans to remain a backbench lawmaker for now.

Britain’s parliamentary democracy allows governing parties to change leaders, and thus prime ministers, without the need for a general election. The next national election doesn't have to be held until 2029.

PMQs is a weekly ritual in British politics, where the prime minister answers questions, from opposition party leaders and others, on topics they don’t know in advance. A test of leaders’ ability to think on their feet, it is derided by some as political pantomime that generates more noise than insight.

Starmer's valedictory session was a gentler affair, mixing seriousness and political criticism with personal tributes and jokes about an upcoming special election pitting Reform UK leader Nigel Farage against the comedy candidate Count Binface.

Starmer opened by saying he was “horrified” at the killing last week of the former lawmaker Ann Widdecombe. Counterterrorism police are investigating it as murder.

Starmer called it “chilling” that three serving or former members have been killed during his 11 years in Parliament, and urged politicians to “do more to defend our democracy.”

Instead of mentioning upcoming meetings with ministers, as he has every other week, Starmer said that he had “an important appointment with the television” later when England faces Argentina in a World Cup semifinal.

Kemi Badenoch — the fourth leader of the opposition Conservative Party since 2022 — cautioned Labour that changing leaders is no “silver bullet,” and recalled how Starmer had predicted she wouldn't last a year in charge.

“Life comes at you fast,” Badenoch said.

Starmer went from landslide to ouster in two years

Starmer was elected in a landslide in July 2024, but is quitting after two years in office marred by missteps and judgment errors that eroded his standing with his party and the public.

He struggled to deliver promised economic growth, repair tattered public services and ease the cost of living. And he was hamstrung by repeated missteps, including his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson, a scandal-tarnished friend of Jeffrey Epstein, as U.K. ambassador to the United States.

After Labour was hammered in May’s local elections, Starmer gave in to mounting pressure from the party and announced that he would step down. Burnham, the former mayor of Greater Manchester, is the only candidate in the contest to replace him and will be announced as the new Labour leader on Friday.

On Monday, Starmer will go to Buckingham Palace and announce his resignation as prime minister to King Charles III, who will then ask Burnham to take over.

At Prime Minister’s Questions, Starmer said that he was proud of his government’s domestic policy achievements, including stronger protections for working people, a reduction in child poverty, a law designed to stop official cover-ups after tragedies, and higher defense spending.

“I am proud to leave this country in better shape than I found it,” he said.

He got praise for supporting Ukraine

Starmer has been lauded for his role on the world stage, especially in repairing relations with Britain's European Union neighbors after Brexit and galvanizing international support for Ukraine's fight against Russia's full-scale invasion.

On Tuesday, Starmer attended Bastille Day celebrations in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron, who awarded him the Legion of Honor in recognition of his work with France on European security. The two countries have led efforts to assemble an international coalition to underpin peace in Ukraine if there is a ceasefire.

Ukraine's cause has wide political support in Britain, and Badenoch praised Starmer for inviting President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to London immediately after the Ukrainian leader was berated by U.S. President Donald Trump and other administration officials in the White House last year.

Starmer recalled how people had gathered at the gates of Downing Street to see Zelenskyy, and “the moment he got out of the car and hugged me, they cheered from the top of their voices, the British people, to tell President Zelenskyy exactly what they thought of him and the way he had been treated” in the Oval Office.

The rambunctious House fell silent as Starmer ended by thanking colleagues, staff, civil servants and all those “who struggle to be seen or heard — you’re the reason I came into politics.”

He said “I love you” to wife Victoria and two teenage children, who were watching from a viewing gallery, before a final: “Goodbye.”

Lawmakers from all sides of the chamber applauded, with many rising for a standing ovation. That drew a reprimand from Speaker Lindsay Hoyle, who reminded them that cheering is allowed in the House of Commons, but clapping is against the rules.

The 10 a.m. news conference was held at the SSgt. Willie de Leon Civic Center, which is located at 300 East Main Street in Uvalde.

Uvalde Mayor Hector Luevano said local low-water areas are in the process of being barricaded.

“With rapidly changing weather conditions, we are asking the public to avoid these low-water crossings, if at all possible,” Luevano said. “The Uvalde Police Department officials are actively working alongside county, state and federal officials in the unified incident command system in protecting our citizens.”

On Tuesday, Uvalde police officers said they conducted 24 water rescues. As of 9 a.m. Wednesday, that number has since risen to 25 rescues countywide.

A Uvalde police spokesperson said nine other people were in the process of being rescued.

Levels at multiple rivers are becoming a concern for elected officials and first responders. The Frio River is beginning to swell, and the Leona River is “flooding,” the Uvalde police spokesperson said.

In a Thursday social media post, Uvalde police officials are advising residents to “prepare in case of evacuation.” People in and around the Leona River are being asked to evacuate “voluntarily.”

“The rain is going to come back tonight, it looks like, with a vengeance again, so I would urge caution,” District 80 state Rep. Don McLaughlin, who represents the Uvalde area. “The rivers and the creeks are going to be coming up, and they’re going to be coming up again with a vengeance.”

Those who were rescued, as well as other residents who needed to relocate to a safe area, have since relocated to a temporary shelter at the William R. Mitchell Uvalde County Fairplex, which is located at 215 Veterans Lane.

Travel between Uvalde and San Antonio along U.S. Highway 90 is expected to shut down, police said.

More related coverage of this story on KSAT:

• LIVE COVERAGE: Heavy rainfall, flooding remain factor in Hill Country, surrounding areas
• UPDATE: Flooding ongoing along US Highway 90, Hill Country; monitoring conditions in San Antonio

Waerenskjold finished just ahead of Olav Kooij, Jasper Philipsen and a host of other riders in a sprint finish that seemed inevitable on the relatively short and flat 161.3-kilometer (100.2-mile) route from Vichy to Nevers in central France.

Pogačar, who stretched his lead to more than 3½ minutes with his third stage win of this Tour on Tuesday, finished among a bunch of riders with his main challenger Jonas Vingegaard to maintain his advantage.

For the 26-year-old Waerenskjold, it was his first stage win, and no one seemed more surprised by it than himself.

“It means everything, it’s my biggest win so far and like I said when I came here, I knew that there are two or three guys that are faster than me but if I’m lucky and I have a good sprint like today then it’s possible,” he said.

From last to first

Waerenskjold finished last among the 175 riders after a crash on the hilly stage to Le Lioran the day before. Early on Wednesday's stage, the Uno-X Mobility rider called the race doctor for treatment on his right hand.

“Sometimes I have really good confidence and I believe in myself, but there’s many, many times where I feel super tired and like it’s impossible to win here," Waerenskjold said. "So yeah, it’s crazy that it happened today.”

Fastest stage ever

With an average speed of 50.9 kph (31.6 mph), the riders set a record for a road stage on the Tour.

Mathieu van der Poel and Valentin Paret-Peintre attacked from the off and were reined in before four riders managed to get away – Julian Alaphilippe, Mathis Le Berre, Nelson Oliveira and Anthon Charmig.

They reached Moulins with 100 kilometers to go with a lead of 1 minute, 15 seconds from the peloton.

Alaphilippe fell behind when they reached the category 4 Côte de Billy-Chevannes, a 1.4-kilometer climb at 5%, leaving three leaders with a gap of 45 seconds going into the last 20 kilometers.

That gap shrank to 19 seconds with 10K remaining, the rest of the riders gathered ominously in a huge bunch just behind, and it was no surprise when the leaders were finally caught with 5.5K remaining.

The peloton slowed with the breakaways back on board as the riders positioned themselves among teammates for the looming final sprint.

Waerenskjold was quickest to react when it got going.

“I thought I was too far back and then it opened up on the right side like it usually doesn’t do, but it was a bit same feeling as my first big win in (Belgian race) Omloop het Nieuwsblad,” the Norwegian said. “That was also like I was too far back and suddenly I’m at the front, and then, yeah it’s unbelievable.”

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AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

Over 100 wildfires currently are burning in Canada and winds are carrying the smoke southeast. Warnings about dangerous, unhealthy air extended Wednesday from Minnesota through Toronto and into New York. Unusually hot summer temperatures were expected too.

The best advice is to stay indoors to avoid both the smoke and the extreme heat, said Tyler Hasenstein, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Chanhassen, Minnesota.

“Those two things coinciding with each other is not good from a health perspective,” he said.

Rangers try to get thousands of campers out of remote Minnesota wilderness

In far northeast Minnesota, rangers were trying to warn people that the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness was closed because about 17 fires caused by lightning were burning around the vast wilderness accessible primarily by canoe.

The area was closed Tuesday and rangers estimated anywhere from 6,000 to 10,000 people were still inside the 1.1-million-acre (445,000-hectare) wilderness, which is almost the size of Delaware, Superior National Forest spokesperson Joy VanDrie said.

“It’s an arduous job,” VanDrie said of rangers and campers having to canoe for hours or even carry their boats over land to evacuate.

VanDrie didn’t know when the area might reopen. Minnesota officials said some fires in the Boundary Waters will be allowed to burn indefinitely but will be monitored to ensure they don’t threaten people or property.

Even the Canadian Air Force pitched in. They were rescuing two groups of youth campers Wednesday who had crossed the border and appeared to be safe, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said.

Severe drought and heat have led to a busy wildfire season

Dan Westervelt, associate professor at Columbia University’s Climate School, said severe drought conditions combined with heat in Canada and the U.S. have created “a perfect storm for really dry conditions to provide a lot of fuel for these wildfires to burn.” Research shows warming temperatures from burning coal, oil and gas are making fires more frequent and intense.

High levels of fine particulate matter in the air from wildfire smoke may be unhealthy for sensitive groups, such as children and people with heart or lung conditions. The particulates can cause shortness of breath, coughing, dizziness or fatigue and aggravate heart and lung diseases and other chronic health issues.

Experts suggest wearing a N95 mask if you have to be outside and keeping your indoor air cleaner by closing windows and running an air purifier or air conditioner.

It's been a particularly busy and deadly fire season in the U.S. About four dozen large fires are currently burning across 15 states, from Minnesota and North Carolina to Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Oregon and California, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

Prolonged drought and record-low snowpack levels combined to make conditions ripe for rapid fire growth. More than 16,800 people are assigned to fighting blazes across the county. The fires have burned over 5,678 square miles (9,138 square kilometers) — more than the size of Yellowstone and Grand Canyon national parks combined, the agency said.

Smoke spreads as officials warn wildfires could burn for months

In Minnesota, officials warned large fires could burn for months. In Minneapolis, the high Wednesday was expected to be 96 degrees F (36 C) and temperatures above 90 F (32 C) were expected the rest of the week.

“It could well be we’re having significant fires throughout the summer until we have snow. Snow would be a good thing,” said Patty Thielen, director of the state Department of Natural Resources.

Officials in Michigan and Wisconsin warned residents about air quality issues that could last for days and the problems extended even to Maine, where residents were reporting a yellowish and brownish color in the sky.

The most intense smoke could spread as far south as Washington, D.C., by midday Thursday.

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Associated Press writers Susan Montoya Bryan and Jeffrey Collins contributed to this report.

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The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP’s environmental coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment.

Some of the photos show some significant damage outside of the Santikos Palladium at The Rim, while videos capture drivers witnessing the tornado in the distance.

The tornado touched down as storms continued to impact the San Antonio area, specifically areas west of Bexar County and the Hill Country.

Click here to submit your pictures or video to KSAT Connect.

Here’s a look at storm damage as of Wednesday morning:

The Labor Department reported Wednesday that its producer price index — which captures inflation before it reaches consumers — dropped 0.3% from May, biggest decline since April 2025 and a reversal from a 0.6% uptick the month before. Compared to a year earlier, wholesale prices were up 5.5% in June, decelerating from a 6% increase the month before. Gasoline prices plunged 12% in June but are still up nearly 43% from June 2025, pushed higher by the Iran war. Food prices also dipped in June.

Excluding volatile food and energy prices, so-called core wholesale prices were up 4.7% from June 2025 and 0.2% from May.

The producer price report came out a day after the Labor Department said consumer prices dropped 0.4% from May to June, the biggest monthly drop in four years. Compared to a year earlier, they were up 3.5% last month, down from 4.2% in May. The June inflation numbers were much cooler than forecasters had expected, reducing pressure on the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates this year. Still, inflation is running above the Fed's 2% target.

In his first appearance before Congress since becoming Fed chair May 22, Kevin Warsh said Tuesday that the central bank has "no tolerance for persistently elevated inflation.''

Energy prices have ratcheted higher since President Donald Trump on Monday announced a new blockade in the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world's oil and natural gas passes. Many Americans are already frustrated with the high cost of living, dimming the prospects of Trump's Republican Party in November's midterm elections.

“There’s no near-term pressure on the Fed, but oil is in the driver’s seat over the longer term,” said David Russell, global head of market strategy at the online brokerage TradeStation. "Energy saved the day in June, but that might become ancient history if the Strait of Hormuz doesn’t open soon.''

Wholesale prices can offer an early look at where consumer inflation might be headed. Economists also watch it because some of its components, notably healthcare and financial services, flow into the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge — the personal consumption expenditures, or PCE, index.

They are among the 8,000 employees, or about 10% of its workforce, Meta said it would lay off in May. The lawsuit filed late Monday in federal court in Oakland, California, claims the company used internal AI systems, keystroke and activity-monitoring data, AI token-usage dashboards and algorithmically assisted performance rankings, among other methods, to determine who would be laid off.

Many of these scores and ratings “by design, cannot be accumulated by an employee who is on protected medical or family leave, or whose output is reduced by a disability,” the lawsuit says. Meta, according to the lawsuit, did not account for protected leave when taking employees' scores into account and “did not pause the system for the individualized, leave- and accommodation-neutral review that the law requires.”

As a result, people on protected medical or family leave were disproportionately selected for layoffs, the lawsuit says. Each of the 26 anonymous employees in the lawsuit took protected leave, or requested or received a reasonable accommodation for disability. Though they have been notified of their layoffs, all 26 remain employed by Meta, with separations set to begin July 22.

Many workers were on parental leave

Many of the employees in the lawsuit took pregnancy or parental leave, during which time they wouldn't have worked and thus had their measured output reduced. Others took medical leave — one disclosed a “serious health condition and disability” that was approved by Meta's own provider. But according to the lawsuit, he was “discouraged and deterred from taking that leave by a manager” who warned that doing so would result in his selection for the anticipated layoffs. Meta offered no accommodation for his disability, the lawsuit says.

Meta said in a statement that the claims "lack merit and are not based on facts. Workforce management and organizational decisions were and are made by people, not AI.”

About half the plaintiffs had taken leave for caregiving or pregnancy-related reasons. Eight are women who had taken maternity or pregnancy-related leave, four are men who had taken parental leave and one is a woman who had taken leave to care for a family member and later bereavement leave.

The lawsuit says the layoffs violated several state and federal laws, including the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act and the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act.

Lawsuit cites ‘disparate impact’

The complaint also references “disparate impact liability,” a longstanding civil rights concept that President Donald Trump's administration moved to abandon. Disparate impact, codified in Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, holds that facially neutral policies or practices can be discriminatory if they disproportionately burden a protected class of workers and aren’t necessary for the job.

The Trump administration has ordered federal agencies to deprioritize disparate impact liability enforcement, arguing that its use undermines “meritocracy” and encourages the assumption that any racial or gender imbalance in a workforce is the result of discrimination. The order has led the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to drop discrimination cases on behalf of some workers.

However, the lawsuit against Meta underscores that companies remain vulnerable to disparate impact litigation in the age of AI despite the Trump administration’s efforts to stamp out its enforcement. Workers are still free to pursue such lawsuits on their own if the EEOC rejects their complaints, and several state laws specifically prohibit disparate impact discrimination.

In the case against Meta, lawyers for the plaintiffs argued that the company’s “algorithmically assisted selection process, by systematically recording such absences as reduced performance, falls more heavily on women than on men.” That’s because women disproportionately take pregnancy and caregiving leave, according to the lawyers. The lawsuit cites Title VII’s prohibition on employment practices that have a disparate impact, as well as a landmark 1971 Supreme Court ruling that recognized the doctrine.

The plaintiffs' lawyers said in a statement that the lawsuit asks for one thing — preserving the status quo to keep the workers employed pending arbitration. That's because “once these separations are final, the harms are irreversible: employer-subsidized health coverage lost during pregnancy, postpartum recovery, and active medical treatment; time-bound leave rights extinguished; unvested equity forfeited; and immigration consequences triggered.”

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The Associated Press’ women in the workforce coverage receives financial support from Pivotal Ventures. 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.

Days of back-and-forth strikes by the U.S. and Iran across the Middle East — and renewed threats to the waterway crucial to global energy supplies — have shredded the interim deal to end the conflict and the region could tip back into all-out war.

The U.S. first imposed a blockade in April and then lifted it last month after signing the interim deal that paused the fighting and set a 60-day period for negotiations over issues such as Iran’s nuclear program. Those talks have stalled as fighting over the Strait of Hormuz has intensified.

When the U.S. and Israel launched the war on Iran on Feb. 28, Tehran effectively closed the waterway to shipping traffic — a move that sent the price of oil, fertilizer and many other goods soaring far beyond the region and gave Iran major leverage in negotiations. Those rising prices pose a particular challenge to U.S. President Donald Trump and his Republican Party, which hopes to retain control of Congress in elections in November. But Washington has struggled to successfully reopen the waterway.

Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard threatened Wednesday to halt all energy exports from the Middle East over the blockade.

“The export of oil and gas from the region will be either for everyone or for no one,” it said.

Both the US and Iran launch attacks as the blockade is reimposed

The U.S. carried out a wave of strikes, hitting dozens of targets overnight, the military’s Central Command said Wednesday, and then resumed striking Iran during daylight — an unusual move that further signaled the increasing tempo of the attacks.

Within 17 hours of reimposing the blockade on Iranian ports, Central Command said U.S. forces had “redirected” two commercial vessels attempting to run the blockade.

“The U.S. military remains vigilant and prepared to ensure full compliance,” it said on social media.

Among the U.S. military's targets was Greater Tunb Island, which is viewed as a strategic point in the Strait of Hormuz. Central Command said the attack targeted Iranian defense and missile sites.

Iran took control of three islands — Abu Musa, Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb — from what would become the United Arab Emirates in 1971. The UAE has sought to reclaim them.

Some analysts have suggested that if the U.S. seized the islands, they could allow it to control the strait.

The U.S. military said its bombing campaign hit targets along Iran's southern coast in Bandar Abbas, Khormuj, Ahvaz, Qeshm, Bushehr and Kuh-e Stak — a list that includes several coastal towns and another island near the strait.

Another strike targeted a barracks for Iran’s 388th Mechanized Infantry Brigade, which operates tanks and armored vehicles, in Sistan and Baluchestan province, Iranian state television reported. The report said the Americans fired at least 13 missiles in the attack and that the seven dead included conscripts and career soldiers. A number of troops were wounded.

More than 35 people have been killed and more than 300 wounded by U.S. airstrikes in recent days, said Hossein Kermanpour, a spokesperson for the Iranian Health Ministry. At least 72 people are hospitalized, he added.

Kermanpour did not break down the figures between civilians and combatants.

The announcement marked the first overall toll given by Iranian authorities for this round of fighting. The number of wounded was far larger than for any other recent violence between Iran and the U.S.

The army said it would make “a decisive response to this aggressive action by the American enemy,” according to state TV.

Missile alert warnings sounded in Bahrain and Kuwait early Wednesday as they faced incoming Iranian fire — a daily occurrence in recent days. Jordan said it shot down three incoming Iranian missiles. Iran claimed attacks on the three nations, all of which host U.S. forces.

U.S. Navy Adm. Brad Cooper, who leads Central Command, said in a statement that Iran had launched dozens of missiles and drones at neighboring Gulf Arab countries.

Trump told the Fox News Channel on Tuesday night that more U.S. strikes against Iran would come over the next two days and that bridges and power plants could be targeted by next week unless negotiations resume. Already, the U.S. has struck at least one bridge.

“You better make a deal, or you’re not going to have anything left,” Trump warned.

Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, criticized America’s attacks.

“The U.S. is the aggressor, not the victim,” he wrote to the world body’s leader, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.

The Strait of Hormuz remains at the heart of the fighting

The latest round of fighting is focused on the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas trade passes during peacetime. How to reopen the strait has bedeviled the U.S. since Iran choked it off in the early days of the war.

During the interim deal, some ships began moving through the passage using a route near Oman overseen by the U.S. military that is outside Tehran’s control.

In recent days, Iran attacked ships using that route — and back-and-forth attacks ensued. The U.S. has threatened to reopen the strait by force — but experts say that would require a much bigger armada if not tens of thousands of ground troops. Imposing the blockade is another way to put pressure on Iran.

But in the meantime, oil prices are rising. The price for Brent crude oil, the international standard, traded above $85 a barrel on Wednesday — more than 15% higher than the price before the war, but still well below the nearly $120 reached at the height of the conflict.

Analysts with the International Monetary Fund warned Wednesday that while a surplus of oil had kept prices low, “much of that room has now been used up.”

“As tensions flare again in the Strait of Hormuz, that room is now smaller and shrinking further as spare capacity has been deployed, demand has compressed, and inventories have been drawn down,” Azim Sadikov and Jean-Marc Natal wrote in a blog post. “Unless inventories are replenished, the world will start from a weaker position when the next shock comes.”

In other developments, the U.S. Treasury said Wednesday that it imposed sanctions on a network of seven people and companies across Iran, Nigeria, Italy and Russia who it accused of helping procure weapons for the Revolutionary Guard.

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Associated Press writers Konstantin Toropin and Fatima Hussein in Washington and Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report.

The fate of the Totsakan band has been a key focus in Thailand's coverage of the blaze, and as residents expressed their sadness, confusion, outrage and demands for compensation on Wednesday, the sister of the group’s late keyboard player struck a particular note of grace.

“If I can be his representative, I think he would say he doesn’t want to see everyone sad and cry,” said Chanyanuch Pudmon, the sister of keyboard player Preutthipong Pudmon, as she and other family members retrieved his body from Bangkok’s Institute of Forensic Science. “He would not want everyone to see him as he is now, but please remember his smile on stage, playing music that he loves.”

The fire that broke out Sunday night killed at least 33 people and injured dozens, with 17 hospitalized in critical condition, Erawan emergency services said. Wiroon Supasingsiripreecha, chief of the forensic institute, told reporters Wednesday that most of the victims died from smoke inhalation, while a few died from burn injuries.

What set off the blaze at the Rong Beer Na Ladprao bar in northern Bangkok and why it caused so many casualties is under investigation. Authorities are looking at whether the venue’s ceiling had especially flammable soundproofing foam, whether its exits were accessible and unlocked and whether the venue was legally registered.

The band played good-time music every Sunday

Totsakan was a house band at the bar, and every Sunday they played the kind of good-time roots music that is popular especially in rural areas where traditional beats are played on modern instruments.

The band’s members were among the first to spy a spark from a circuit breaker that may have set off the blaze that roared across the ceiling, which experts suspect was covered with highly combustible material. People rushed for the few and narrow exits in what they said was total darkness.

The chaos was such that even after the blaze was put under control by firefighters and the injured taken to hospitals, it was unclear who had survived and who had perished. However for the band’s leader and singer, Atipat Wijan -- nickname “Ice” -- a big blow came right away.

In an interview with Thai TV Channel 3 just hours after the flames were extinguished, he recalled how the band’s bass player called him to tell him that Nahatai Sajjalert, the lead female singer nicknamed “Breeze″ — who was also his girlfriend — was undergoing CPR in back of the still-smoldering building.

Ice said he tried helping the EMS team resuscitate her, but she could not be revived.

“She wasn’t burned at all. Her body was completely intact. She just looked like she was peacefully asleep,” he recalled.

Ice said it was originally believed that keyboardist Puttipong -- nickname “Kwang” -- had been found and hospitalized, but that was a misunderstanding. He never made it out of the bar. Nattapat Thamnita, or “Biw,” the band’s drummer, was evacuated in critical condition, but also did not survive.

A fourth band member died Wednesday

Misery extended to Wednesday when the band announced that its other male singer, Thitiwat Kaewkanha, had died in hospital. He was initially feared dead, but had then turned up hospitalized after a day of frantic searching. According to Thai Rath, Thailand’s most popular newspaper, Thitiwat, whose nickname is “Din,” had burns over 80% of his body.

Other survivors and family members of victims of the fire visited a police station on Wednesday to seek compensation, gather belongings and give their testimony.

Natthaphong Lakhorn, 26, was at the beer hall on the night of the fire with four companions. He was sitting near the stage when the fire broke out. He recounted seeing white smoke coming from the stage, which he at first thought was an effect from dry ice before realizing it was the start of a fire.

“When the fire broke, I just ran, and then all power went out,” said Natthaphong, who said that one of his companions, a relative, died in the fire. “It was so hectic."

Natthaphong said he escaped through the back door of the bar near the bathrooms and that there was a security guard there who was using a flashlight to lead people out, contradicting reports from police that the door was not used. He said he did not recall hearing a fire alarm.

Bandages covered both of Natthaphong’s ears and part of his forehead. Before registering with the police, he said that he plans to seek compensation for his injuries.

Kanticha Singkhon, 25, was at the police station to pick up a handbag and other personal belongings of her mother, who died in the fire. With her mother gone, Kanticha said she is now responsible for her younger brother. She said she wanted the bar owners to be the one who reach out to the victim's families “because they would be going back to their hometowns by now. They won’t have time because each victim came from far away," she said.

A lawyer representing the bar owners told local media that survivors and family members will initially receive 10,000 baht (approximately $300) in compensation.

“It’s not enough money for a funeral — I had to take a loan to arrange my mom’s funeral,” Kanticha said. “I have not had any financial arrangements, and no one has contacted me."

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A previous version of this article included an outdated figure of 24 people in critical condition. It has been corrected to use the updated figure of 15.

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Khemmapat Rojwanichkun in Bangkok contributed to this report.

The tornado touched down around 8 a.m. along Interstate 10 and The Rim, which is located near La Cantera Parkway.

Six Flags Fiesta Texas closed for the day

According to a Six Flags Fiesta Texas spokesperson, the park will remain closed on Wednesday since storms “interrupted” its power supply. No structural damage was reported, and all team members are safe.

“The safety of our guests and team members remains a key priority,” the park said. “Guests with tickets dated July 15, 2026, may use them on any public operating day during the 2026 season.”

Palladium, Bass Pro Shop, among other businesses closed

Santikos Palladium, the popular movie theater at The Rim, is also closed following tornado damage.

KSAT viewers shared numerous photos that showed a large amount of debris in front of the movie theater’s entrance.

In addition to the Palladium, Bass Pro Shop and Marshalls at The Rim are also closed on Wednesday.

Bluefin Sushi & Ramen at The Rim confirmed to KSAT’s Patty Santos that it had to close for the day.

The Rock at La Cantera

In a Facebook post, The Rock at La Cantera announced its closure for Wednesday.

“For the safety of our guests, Coyote Dog Park and Frost Plaza are closed,” the post said.

The watch party for the England and Argentina World Cup semi-final match was also canceled.

More weather coverage on KSAT:

• Reports of tornado touching down in northwest Bexar County near The Rim, damage reported
• UPDATE: Flooding ongoing along US Highway 90, Hill Country; monitoring conditions in San Antonio
• Reported tornado causes extensive damage at Northwest Side apartment complex, city says

Amazon, which was founded by Jeff Bezos, said that it would partner with South African internet provider Herotel to launch a new service in the country of 62 million people. Amazon said that it was its first satellite internet agreement on the African continent.

No financial details were initially disclosed.

Amazon's announcement follows Musk's bitter criticism of the government in his country of birth. The world's richest man has said that South African regulations have prevented him from launching Starlink there because he's white, and has accused the government of racism.

He was referring to South Africa's affirmative action policies, which require foreign companies operating in the communications sector to give a minority share of their local entities to Black or other non-white owners in order to acquire a license.

The regulations are meant to provide opportunities that were denied non-white people under the country's previous apartheid system of white minority rule.

The South African government has backed the Amazon deal, with Communications Minister Solly Malatsi joining Amazon and Herotel representatives to announce the agreement.

Amazon launched its first low orbit internet satellites last year and says it has more than 390 currently operational.

Starlink's first operational satellites were launched in 2019 and it now has more than 10,000 in orbit. Starlink's satellite internet has launched in around two dozen other African countries, but Musk has refused to follow South Africa's affirmative action regulations.

Amazon said Wednesday that the South African deal was the start of its effort to roll out across Africa, where it would also partner with Vanu Inc., a Lexington, Massachusetts-based company specializing in mobile internet in developing countries.

There’s a large potential market for satellite internet in Africa, a continent of more than 1.5 billion people where many live in rural and other areas without fixed internet connections.

Amazon Leo, which was previously called Project Kuiper, has already signed deals to launch in Thailand, Kazakhstan, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Uruguay, according to announcements from the company and local operators it's teaming up with.

Starlink, though, is well ahead and says it's now operating in more than 160 countries.

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AP Business Writer Kelvin Chan contributed to this report from Toronto.

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AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa

The memoir is scheduled to come out Nov. 17, publisher Little, Brown and Company told The Associated Press. The timing of the book — two weeks after midterm elections in which Democrats seek to regain control of Congress — could raise concerns within Biden's party by putting him back into the spotlight.

Democrats remain divided on Biden’s legacy, with many blaming his ill-fated determination to seek a second term for Republican President Donald Trump's return to the White House. Leaders hope to keep the fall campaign focused on Trump and his record, and any leaks or promotional efforts before votes are cast could draw frustration.

“'Promise Me, America' is about the challenges we faced as a nation. It’s about the decisions I made and why I made them,” Biden said in a video statement accompanying Wednesday's announcement. “It’s about why I chose to run for reelection and why I chose to step aside."

Reports of Biden's book have circulated for more than a year, and the former president himself has referred to it during public remarks, appearing to suggest at one point that it would be released before November's election.

Biden, who will turn 84 three days after the publication of “Promise Me, America," has long presented himself as an upholder of standards and traditions; presidential memoirs are one of them. With a handful of exceptions, modern presidents since Harry Truman in the 1950s have published books about their White House years. Like virtually all of his predecessors, Biden did not work on the book alone but was helped by a “small editorial team,” according to the publisher. Little, Brown declined to release financial details for ”Promise Me, America," although presidents have usually reached deals worth at least seven figures.

The book's title echoes a 2017 memoir by Biden, “Promise Me, Dad,” which centered on the death of his son, Beau Biden.

Vowing as a candidate to “restore the soul” of his country, Biden was sworn into office in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and in the aftermath of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters seeking to stop his certification as president. Biden's term was defined by a wide range of conflicts and achievements, from his handling of wars in Ukraine and the Middle East to the passage of ambitious infrastructure and economic aid bills. But many readers will likely want to know more about his health while president, including the disastrous debate in June 2024 against Trump that led to his giving up his reelection bid. Then-Vice President Kamala Harris, who ran instead, lost decisively to Trump.

Former first lady Jill Biden wrote in her own book that her husband seemed so weak and disoriented during the debate that she feared he was having a stroke. In “View from the East Wing,” published in June, she noted that the White House had initially said he was suffering from a cold.

“The biggest lesson for us, I think, was that if you don’t explain something well enough then the question won’t go away,” she wrote. “There was never a satisfying enough explanation offered for Joe’s debate performance, and a lot of people never got over it.”

Biden was the oldest man to serve as president and his health was a source of speculation for much of his term; Biden and his White House advisers have faced intense criticism from Democrats and Republicans for allegedly concealing the extent of his problems. A notable book release from 2025, Jake Tapper's and Alex Thompson's “Original Sin,” was subtitled “President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again.”

That year, Biden announced he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Biden's previous books also include “Promises to Keep,” a campaign work published to boost his run for president in 2008, when Barack Obama was the eventual nominee and Biden his running mate. ”Promise Me, America" comes out during a year when nonfiction sales have declined and few political books have caught on, although recent bestsellers have included Vice President JD Vance's “Communion” and an inside account of Trump's second term, by New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, “Regime Change.”

A Little, Brown spokesperson said that Biden plans to tour on behalf of the book and give interviews. In his video announcement, Biden said that many people had been asking him how he was doing.

“I’ve been spending a lot of time with my family. I’m dealing with a cancer diagnosis, been getting treatment, and it’s going really well,” he said. “I want to thank all those who have offered their prayers and support and well-wishes. It’s meant the world to me and to Jill.”

Health workers at Bunia General Hospital, the region's largest medical center, went on strike Wednesday and are the latest group to walk off the job at the epicenter over payment issues. Health professionals and other front-line workers barricaded the entrance to the hospital, claiming they have not received pay despite working under difficult conditions.

The World Health Organization says more than 100 healthcare workers have been infected since the beginning of the outbreak.

The Central African nation has been battling the Ebola outbreak caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus since May 15. A total of 753 patients remain in isolation or in hospitals, while 366 have recovered so far, according to data from Congo’s Ministry of Health.

The outbreak continues to spread faster than health officials can track despite an expanding response. At least 80% of new cases are emerging from unknown chains of transmission, the WHO said Tuesday.

A key challenge is that health authorities have yet to identify the outbreak’s patient zero, while displacement from armed conflict and mining-related movements have made it difficult to trace thousands who have come in contact with infected individuals.

The authorities have been able to trace 67% of the contacts of those exposed to confirmed cases, Congo's health ministry said.

Many of the newly reported deaths are of people who died in their communities without ever reaching a health facility and without receiving care, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, the WHO emergencies chief, said Tuesday after returning from Bunia in Ituri, the worst-hit province in the outbreak.

The response is being hampered by a funding gap, attacks on health centers, an ongoing conflict in eastern Congo, and mistrust among local communities.

Dozens of healthcare workers at an Ebola virus treatment center in Rwampara, another hard-hit city in the Ituri province, went on strike over unpaid salaries and bonuses on Monday. On Tuesday, they agreed to resume work on condition the government pay them within 72 hours.

Some have told The Associated Press they have not received any payment since they started work at the onset of the outbreak.

Response efforts have also been challenged by the lack of approved vaccines or treatments for the Bundibugyo virus, unlike the more common Zaire virus for which there is a vaccine and which was responsible for most of Congo’s past 16 outbreaks of the disease.

Enrollment in a highly anticipated study of two possible Ebola treatments recently started in Ituri.

The man was held on Tuesday on suspicion of sending threatening communications to a member of Parliament, the Metropolitan Police said. He was held overnight and later released on bail.

“I am going to shoot you in the head if you win,” the man allegedly told Farage in a post on X in May, according to the Telegraph newspaper.

The July 8 killing of Widdecombe at her rural home in southwest England shocked the political establishment and the public. The 78-year-old, who was Reform’s immigration and justice spokesperson, was long known for her blunt-spoken socially conservative views opposing abortion and the expansion of LGBTQ+ rights.

Farage said her death showed that “things have become even more dangerous” for people in public life and his party has called for better protection. Other Reform politicians have suggested their party members are at greater risk than other politicians.

Outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer, in a tribute to Widdecombe in the House of Commons, said it was “chilling” that three sitting or former MPs had been murdered during his 11 years in Parliament.

“We must do more to defend our democracy” Starmer said.

Security has been tightened in the past decade after Labour lawmaker Jo Cox was fatally shot and stabbed in 2016 by a far-right extremist, and Conservative David Amess was stabbed to death in 2021 by an attacker inspired by the Islamic State group.

The alleged threat to Farage came during local and regional elections in May that saw his relatively new anti-immigration party win big and raise its hopes he could become prime minister after the next election, due in 2029. The poll results were so poor for the ruling Labour Party that its members forced Starmer to resign.

Police said the threat was reported May 8, but the arrest only came after they received information they requested from the social media company about the user’s identity.

Farage has recently been embroiled in a scandal over a 5 million pound ($6.7 million) donation he received from an overseas cryptocurrency billionaire that he said helped pay for his private security.

The Reform leader resigned his seat in Parliament this month but is seeking reelection to show he still has voters’ support. Opponents have criticized the move as a ploy to dodge a parliamentary probe.

The investigation into Widdecombe's death is being handled by counterterror police. A 28-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder and terror crimes. He remains in custody but was not named because he has not been charged.

Devon and Cornwall Police have been criticized for originally saying the killing was not believed to be a terror-related crime and there was nothing to suggest it was politically motivated.

Widdecombe served in Parliament from 1987 to 2010, and was prisons minister in Prime Minister John Major’s 1990s Conservative government.

She later found fame as a contestant on the reality television shows “Strictly Come Dancing” and “Celebrity Big Brother.”

She joined the Brexit Party, briefly serving as a member of the European Parliament before Britain left the European Union in 2020. She had recently joined Reform.

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Associated Press writer Jill Lawless contributed to this report.

Yzerman’s transition to an advisory role to owner and CEO Chris Ilitch comes several weeks after captain and No. 1 center Dylan Larkin’s trade request came to light. The Red Wings' decade-long playoff drought is the longest in the storied history of the organization and the longest active drought in the NHL.

The team said its search for a new head of hockey operations has begun and that Yzerman will continue to be in charge on a day-to-day basis until his successor is determined.

“Clearly, we are not where we and our fans expect to be as an organization,” Ilitch said in a statement. “Steve’s lifetime of contributions to the Red Wings has meant more to this franchise than words can truly express, and I have the highest level of respect for his continued commitment to our organization.”

Yzerman spent his entire 22-year Hall of Fame playing career with Detroit from 1983-2006, captaining it to the Stanley Cup three times. He has the three highest-scoring seasons in franchise history and is second only to Gordie Howe on the Red Wings' all-time points list.

“This organization has given me incredible opportunities, from my time as a player to the privilege of returning as general manager,” Yzerman said. “My commitment to the Red Wings and this community will never waver, and I look forward to supporting the organization in whatever role is needed to achieve our collective goals.”

But he did not get hired just for his on-ice performance. Yzerman was an accomplished GM with Tampa Bay, building the core group of players and leadership that eventually won back-to-back championships. He took over in Detroit in 2019, where success on the ice has not materialized.

Yzerman’s moves or lack thereof have contributed to the struggles, including failing to adequately address goaltending. Trading Tyler Bertuzzi to Boston and Filip Hronek to Vancouver for draft picks at the trade deadline in March 2023 and giving up a second-rounder to unload Jake Walman on a deal with San Jose 15 months later are among the questionable decisions.

Larkin also criticized Yzerman for not doing more at the 2024 deadline, and the team struggled down the stretch without reinforcements. Acquiring Justin Faulk and David Perron this past season also was not enough to get the Red Wings into the top eight in the Eastern Conference.

Larkin asking to be traded — with Minnesota, Florida and Vegas initially the only teams on his list — threatened the direction of the team at a time when it looked like Yzerman's position was safe. Yzerman last month said he could not guarantee granting Larkin's wish because the player is signed for five more seasons at an average annual salary of $8.7 million.

Figuring out that situation will now be someone else's call, as will improving a roster that has perennially underacheived expectations.

“I’m looking forward to bringing in new leadership to build the championship-caliber organization (Detroit) deserves," Ilitch said.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL

Over the course of the war, Ukraine has gone from pleading for foreign military support to providing its cutting-edge and battle-tested weapons know-how to Europe, the United States and Middle East countries. But it still needs help expanding its domestic production, especially sophisticated air defenses that can stop Russia’s ballistic missiles.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, attending ceremonies marking Ukraine’s Statehood Day, and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy launched a new EU-Ukraine Defense Industrial Partnership.

The move reflects European worries about Russia’s broader intentions on the continent.

“Today, Ukraine’s fight is not only a fight for your own freedom. It is an existential fight for Europe’s freedoms — for its values, its self-determination,” Von der Leyen said in a speech in Kyiv's St. Michaels’ Square, where she received Ukraine's Order of Europe, a state honor.

“You are not only fighting for your own future but for the security of our entire continent,” she told a crowd.

The EU and Ukraine signed a letter of intent that aims to establish joint drone and anti-drone production by the end of this year and joint anti-ballistic missile production by 2028, as well as broader support for defense manufacturing.

Ukraine wants to bolster its security by joining the EU. It has started that process, which could take years to complete.

U.S. President Donald Trump said at the NATO summit last week that the U.S. will give Ukraine a license to build its own Patriot air defense systems, essential to countering ballistic missiles.

Zelenskyy said Wednesday he expects Ukraine will have the technical capability to produce the sophisticated missiles by the end of the year, even though experts say it could take years.

Ukraine celebrates its sovereignty amid Russia war

Von der Leyen and other dignitaries, including the presidents of Moldova and Romania, marked Ukraine’s Statehood Day, which celebrates the country’s sovereignty and is a public holiday.

Ukraine has been under threat since Russian forces illegally annexed the Crimean Peninsula in 2014, followed eight years later by the all-out invasion in 2022. Statehood Day, celebrating the country’s self-determination, is a public holiday in Ukraine.

The war has killed thousands of soldiers and civilians, forced millions to flee their homes, reduced some Ukrainian cities to rubble, and has fueled fears the confrontation could slide into an open conflict between Russia and NATO, whose member nations have supported Kyiv. No peace settlement is in sight.

Senior officials from southeastern European countries also were in Kyiv for a gathering focused on Black Sea and regional security. Last year’s meeting in the southern city of Odesa reaffirmed their support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Zelenskyy has recently won important pledges of further support, including from the Group of Seven leading industrialized nations and the so-called Coalition of the Willing countries.

EU official says the ‘tide is turning’ in the war

Von der Leyen said her trip to the Ukrainian capital was her 11th in wartime. The EU has provided billions of euros to Ukraine as well as diplomatic support.

She promised EU help in preparing Ukraine's air defenses for the colder months. That's when Russia, often launching ballistic missiles, usually tries to knock out essential services like electricity and heat in what Kyiv officials call “weaponizing winter.”

"Energy remains an unwavering priority,” Zelenskyy said.

Western officials and analysts say Ukraine’s drone and missile attacks are hitting high-profile targets deep inside Russia, severely disrupting Moscow's supply lines and causing civilian fuel shortages.

“It’s a special moment,” Von der Leyen said on social media. “Ukraine has built a strong military momentum. The tide is turning.”

Washington appeared poised to increase economic pressure on Moscow as a proposed Russia sanctions bill was unveiled in the U.S. Senate following Saturday’s death of Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of its chief backers.

The bill, which its authors had hoped to pass last summer but was held up by White House reservations, would impose steep tariffs on goods from countries that continue to buy Russian oil, gas and other exports.

Wednesday's official ceremonies came at a delicate political moment for Zelenskyy as he manages a major government reshuffle.

Meanwhile, Serbia’s Moscow-friendly president, Aleksandar Vucic, was taking part in the Southeast Europe Summit in Kyiv. Serbia, which relies almost fully on Russia for its energy supplies, has refused to join Western sanctions on Moscow, although it officially supports Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

Russian attacks kill 9 Ukrainian civilians

Ukrainian officials said Wednesday that at least nine civilians were killed and 13 others were injured in Russian aerial attacks.

Russian forces dropped six glide bombs mostly targeting infrastructure in the Sumy region of northern Ukraine, killing three people and wounding seven, said Oleh Hryhorov, head of the regional military administration.

Three people were killed and three others wounded in a Russian attack on Odesa, according to Serhii Lysak, the head of the city’s military administration.

In the Chernihiv region of northern Ukraine, Russian drones killed two people and seriously wounded an 18-year-old, while one person was killed and two injured in the southern Zaporizhzhia region, officials said.

The Russian Defense Ministry said its air defenses overnight intercepted 93 Ukrainian drones over several Russian regions, as well as over Crimea and the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea.

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Hatton reported from Lisbon, Portugal. Associated Press reporter Justin Spike in Budapest contributed.

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

A small fly has the potential to impart a big impact on Texas’ beef and agricultural industry.

On June 3, the New World screwworm was detected in a three-week-old calf in Zavala County by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Since then, the agency reported more screwworm infestations in Texas.

The fly poses a multibillion-dollar crisis for the state’s cattle industry, which generates $41 billion a year. It could also increase already record-high beef prices nationwide.

It’s unclear how many cases could hit Texas. Nearly 28,000 cases have been detected in Mexico since November 2024, according to Mexican officials.

State and federal officials are working together to stop the northern migration, which they have tracked since 2023. In response to the cases, USDA and the Texas Animal Health Commission have ramped up animal surveillance of animals near the confirmed detections by setting up zones around each infestation. Animals are not allowed to leave infested areas without being properly inspected.

Officials are also increasing fly traps, surveillance of wildlife and releasing sterile flies, which are used to break the reproduction cycle of the parasitic screwworm fly.

What is New World Screwworm?

New World Screwworm is a parasitic fly that is attracted to living tissue, burrowing their larvae into open wounds. After they hatch, the maggots then feed off that living flesh, causing damage to the animal. If untreated, the damage can even cause the animal to die.

Screwworm can also burrow through openings in the skin, such as the corner of an eye or through the nose.

From a biological standpoint, all mammals are vulnerable to screwworm, including pets and humans. However, livestock and wildlife tend to be the most susceptible because they spend their entire lives outdoors.

Dogs and cats are vulnerable through small wounds or scratches that break the skin. Health officials recommend pets be medicated for fleas and ticks year-round, said Casey Locklear, veterinarian and parasiticides lead for Elanco Animal Health.

“As a pet owner, if you were to notice that your dog or cat had a wound, especially if it’s foul smelling, it’s enlarging, you may actually see the maggots,” Locklear said. “If you see a wound, get treatment early. Whether that’s for yourself or your pet, early treatment is key.”

Read more about the screwworm here.

No one has died in the outbreak on Manhattan's Upper East Side, but 49 patients have required hospitalization, though 34 so far have gone home, city Health Commissioner Dr. Alister Martin said. City data show two new cases were diagnosed from samples taken Sunday and Monday, compared to as many as 11 per day from earlier samples.

“All of these things together paint an encouraging sign,” Martin said at a virtual news briefing.

It came a day after City Council Speaker Julie Menin, a Democrat and Upper East Side resident, complained that the Health Department wasn't doing and disclosing enough. Menin said Wednesday she plans a Council hearing to examine the city's handling of the outbreak and “demand accountability.”

Legionnaires' disease is a form of pneumonia caused by Legionella bacteria, which grow in warm water and can spread in building cooling systems, hot tubs and showerheads. In many cases, people contract the disease by inhaling tiny droplets of contaminated water; Legionnaires’ disease doesn't spread person-to-person.

The illness is treatable, but it is fatal in about 10% of cases, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Seven people died and more than 100 were sickened during an outbreak last year in New York's Harlem neighborhood. The sources turned out to include cooling towers — devices sometimes used for cooling large buildings — at a city-run hospital and the site of the city's public health lab.

Health officials are working to identify the origin of the Upper East Side outbreak, which was first identified on July 2 from two cases in close proximity. The investigation expanded to encompass three heavily residential ZIP codes.

The city said Tuesday it has inspected all 183 cooling towers in the area, and about 75 of them came up positive on first-round tests that don't distinguish between live and dead bacteria.

Those buildings include the Metropolitan, according to a list the city released Tuesday. The storied museum said it was working on the required cleanup and follow-up testing. It's normally closed Wednesday and canceled the day's few activities to ease the cleaning.

City officials said last week that they got positive tests at the Guggenheim Museum, private schools, Park and Fifth Avenue apartment houses, and more.

Most already finished the required cleanups, which entail draining and disinfecting the cooling towers, Martin said. The remaining buildings are to be done by Thursday.

Martin said the city acted with unprecedented speed in ordering cooling tower cleanups after the first-round tests. In the past, he said, officials awaited results from second-round tests for live bacteria. Those tests take about two weeks.

Menin, the Council speaker, contends the city should have demanded cleanups throughout the area right away, without waiting for any tests.

The gathering in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, is organized by Republican Sen. David McCormick. It has also featured Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth; Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Army Secretary Dan Driscoll; CIA Director John Ratcliffe; and Mike Waltz, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

Trump has been a frequent visitor to the critical swing state of Pennsylvania, including last month, when he went to a Mack Trucks facility in Macungie, outside Allentown, hoping to boost Republican Rep. Ryan Mackenzie's reelection chances.

Trump carried Pennsylvania in 2016 and 2024, and McCormick is not up for reelection this cycle, but Republicans are increasingly concerned about the war and the persistently high cost of living as well as the president's low approval ratings as they look to maintain control of Congress during November's midterm elections.

The White House said the summit is bringing together key leaders in defense and some of the largest global investors to spotlight the importance of national security and identify investment opportunities.

Summit attendees include JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon, Blackstone President Jon Gray, Lockheed Martin CEO Jim Taiclet, General Dynamics CEO Phebe Novakovic, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, SpaceX director Antonio Gracias and artificial intelligence firm Palantir chief technology officer of analytics Shyam Sankar, McCormick's office said.

Trump spoke at a similar gathering organized by McCormick last year in Pittsburgh that sought to make the city a hot spot for advancement in energy technology and robotics. Then, the senator announced $90 billion in pledged investments in those sectors across Pennsylvania.

This year's summit began on Tuesday. Before Trump's arrival, multi-analytics threat detection leader ZeroEyes, which is based in Conshohocken, outside Philadelphia, announced a planned $10 million investment in artificial intelligence and machine learning research and development.

Pittsburgh-based Gecko Robotics says it plans to open a new 10,000-square-foot (930-square-meter) manufacturing facility designed to boost integration of robotics into defense manufacturing processes and better expand the nation's defense industrial base.

An analysis released in May found that U.S. military contractors will need at least three years to replenish stockpiles of Tomahawks, which are used to strike targets deep inside enemy territory, as well as Patriot and THAAD interceptors, which defend against incoming missiles and drones.

Stocks have dwindled as the U.S. has repeatedly fired strikes on Iran, adding to concerns that American forces would have limited firepower in any potential future conflict with China.

Chinese President Xi Jinping warned during Trump's recent visit to Beijing that if Washington mishandles its relations with Taiwan, the U.S. and China could end up clashing or even find themselves in open conflict.

Trump also recently pledged to give Ukraine a license to produce Patriot air-defense systems, which could be a major development in its war with Russia, though turning the idea into real weapons is also likely to take years.

Trump has sought to correct the shortfall by seeking a historic $1.5 trillion defense budget proposal for 2027. But a package authorizing such spending levels is stalled in Congress, and, even if it eventually moves forward, loads of additional time will still be required to expand production capabilities to accommodate such weapons systems.

Jake Loosararian, co-founder and CEO of Gecko Robotics, said U.S. defense companies have "got to supercharge supply chains” to reduce how long it takes for new technology to be ready for widespread production.

The official opening at midnight on Tuesday, after a border fence was removed, allows a new freedom of movement under a historic treaty between the European Union and the United Kingdom. It came after years of post-Brexit wrangling.

The contested British overseas territory of 38,000 people is perched at the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula, in a strategic location mere miles from Morocco where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Mediterranean Sea.

Soon after midnight, crowds crossed freely between La Línea de Concepción in Spain and Gibraltar in both directions. Many wore Spanish soccer jerseys after Spain’s victory against France in the World Cup semifinal on Tuesday, adding to the celebratory mood.

“What you feel here is the brotherhood between the two people,” Gibraltar's Chief Minister Fabian Picardo told Spanish broadcaster RTVE.

A deal that took years to realize

When Britain left the EU in 2020, the relationship between Gibraltar and the bloc had been left unresolved.

Previous talks on a deal to ensure people and goods could keep flowing across the border had made halting progress. In 2025, the EU and U.K. announced an agreement on those issues, with the two sides and Gibraltar’s government signing a treaty Tuesday that eases border crossings.

The U.K.’s Foreign Office Minister Stephen Doughty said Tuesday that the agreement secured Gibraltar’s long-term economic future and interests.

Maroš Šefčovič, the EU’s trade representative, praised the agreement, too.

“It has taken four years of patient, complex negotiation, but the outcome speaks for itself,” Šefčovič said. “It is a very special feeling to see a fence come down.”

Without a deal, Gibraltar could have a faced a hard land border with full passport checks, posing economic risks for the territory deeply dependent on some 15,000 Spaniards — almost half Gibraltar’s workforce — who cross the frontier every day for work.

Mendez Segura, 51, crossed into Gibraltar from Spain on Wednesday for work, unused to the newfound freedom of movement.

“I’ve been crossing over and working in Gibraltar all my life with my identity card,” the home care worker said. “I know you’ll be able to cross without it, but it’s just what I’m used to.”

Leisure visits by people crossing both sides of the border would have been affected, too.

“People who are visiting family in Spain, or whose Spanish family is visiting them in Gibraltar. Children who are going to football matches and extracurricular activities, either in Spain or in Gibraltar. They will be able to do that without having to worry about frontier queues,” Picardo told The Associated Press in an interview.

The deal in effect brings the territory into the EU’s Schengen free travel area. At Gibraltar’s airport and port, entry and exit checks will be conducted by both U.K. and Spanish border officials. The arrangement is similar to what’s in place at Eurostar train stations in London and Paris, where both British and French officials check passports.

Gibraltar was ceded to Britain in 1713, but Spain has maintained its sovereignty claim ever since. Relations between the two countries on the issue of Gibraltar have had their ups and downs over the centuries. The treaty that removed the border fence doesn't resolve the territory’s contested status.

In Britain’s 2016 Brexit referendum, 96% of voters in the Rock, as the territory is popularly known in English, supported remaining in the EU.

Travelers to Gibraltar from countries outside the Schengen Area, including the U.K., will have to contend with the EU Entry-Exit System, or EES, which was rolled out in Europe in April and replaced passport stamps with biometric data collected through photographs and digital fingerprints.

Facial recognition cameras at the Rock

With the border fence gone, Gibraltar officials have set up live facial recognition cameras at entry points and throughout the territory.

Chief Minister Picardo said the territory will have many more closed-circuit television cameras and that it has increased its police presence as well as resources for customs and coast guard agencies.

“The fortress has become a digital fortress now,” Picardo said.

Below is a list of some of the road closures:

• U.S. Highway 83, north of Concan
• U.S. Highway 57 west of Pearsall
• FM 140 in and west of Pearsall down to one lane

The first map below shows the latest road conditions at low water crossings in Bexar County. Below that you will find a statewide map of current road closures from the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT).

• Avoid these notorious roadways prone to flooding during heavy rain in San Antonio
• Find the latest on the storms here from KSAT’s meteorologist, including forecasts, warnings and watches and an interactive radar.

Bexar County low-water crossing status

Read more about the map below and find the full version at BEXARflood.org.

About the map above, via Bexarflood.org:

“Each dot on the map indicates a location of a Bexar County HALT sensor - HALT stands for High water Alert Lifesaving Technology. The sensors detect rising water and send real time information to this website: green means the road safe, yellow means the water is rising and red means the road is closed. By subscribing to alerts through this website, you can receive text or email alerts when low water crossings you choose to monitor have water over the road.

“Bexar County has installed more than 150 HALT systems in our community to warn drivers to turn around with either flashing lights or a combination of flashing lights and gates.

“The map was developed through a partnership between Bexar County, the City of San Antonio and the San Antonio River Authority. These partners monitor local weather and road conditions 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.”

• Get weather alerts based on your location from the free KSAT 12 Weather app. Click to download on iPhone OR click to download on an Android phone.

Hill Country and statewide road closures

Read more about the map below and find the full version at DriveTexas.org.

More tips from KSAT:

Remember, ‘Turn Around, Don’t Drown’: Tips for staying safe while driving in the rain

Read more: CPS Energy offers power outage tips

Live Doppler Radar

But midwifery care can look very different depending on a provider’s training, credentials and practice setting.

For people who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, understanding those differences can help them make more informed decisions about the type of care that feels most appropriate for them.

Jana Sullivan, a certified nurse-midwife with the Methodist Physicians Women’s Health and Midwifery, located at Methodist Hospital, said one of the biggest misconceptions is that all midwives have the same background or provide care in the same environment.

In Texas, she said, there are different paths to becoming a midwife, and it’s important for patients to understand the differences. Some midwives train through apprenticeship programs and primarily provide care in home birth settings. Certified professional midwives complete specialized education and certification and are licensed to practice in out-of-hospital settings, such as homes and birth centers.

Certified nurse-midwives, on the other hand, are registered nurses who go on to complete graduate-level education in nurse-midwifery and obtain national board certification. They are trained to provide comprehensive care throughout pregnancy, labor, birth, the postpartum period and throughout a woman’s lifespan.

Because of their education and training, certified nurse-midwives are able to practice within hospital systems as part of a collaborative healthcare team.

At Methodist Healthcare, certified nurse-midwives work alongside OB-GYN physicians and maternal-fetal medicine specialists to provide personalized care for women with both low-risk and high-risk pregnancies. This ensures patients have access to the highest level of care if additional expertise is ever needed.

Sullivan said the goal is not to criticize one path, but to help patients understand the differences so they can make an informed decision.

“It is important to understand who you’ve entrusted your care to and what their background and education is,” Sullivan said.

What does a certified nurse-midwife do?

For patients receiving prenatal care, Sullivan said many routine visits with Methodist Healthcare midwives look similar to what they would experience with an OB-GYN.

“We are very similar to OB-GYNs in terms of the basic care we provide day to day,” Sullivan said.

Certified nurse-midwives provide prenatal care, monitor mother and baby, order testing, prepare patients for labor and delivery and provide postpartum support. They also attend vaginal deliveries.

The main clinical differences, Sullivan said, are that midwives do not perform complex gynecological surgery or cesarean-sections, though they may assist physicians during C-sections.

Where midwifery care can feel different is in the philosophy behind the care.

“Midwifery care is typically based on education and empowerment of a patient,” Sullivan said.

Rather than trying to direct patients down a certain path, Sullivan said midwives often focus on shared decision-making. That means explaining risks, outlining options and helping patients make decisions about their care based on their needs, preferences and medical situation.

She said patients have described that difference in a meaningful way.

“‘You listen to us, you inform us of the risks, recommend treatment plans and options, and you allow us to make a decision that’s based on what my needs are,’” Sullivan said, sharing feedback she has heard from patients.

A hospital-based option with support nearby

Some people are drawn to midwifery because they want a more personal experience, more involvement in their birth plan or fewer unnecessary interventions. Sullivan said those preferences can include things like delayed cord clamping, keeping the placenta or having more conversations around induction and other medical decisions.

However, choosing hospital-based midwifery does not mean avoiding medical intervention when it is needed.

“We still do medical intervention, but it’s usually when it becomes a necessity,” Sullivan said.

At Methodist Healthcare, Sullivan said midwives support patient preferences within a hospital setting.

“We still support those things -- we just do it with the support of a hospital or the ability to do emergent cases if we needed to, like C-sections. Patients deserve options, and they deserve to decide what works for them.”

When pregnancy needs change

Midwifery is often associated with low-risk pregnancy, but Sullivan said the model at Methodist Healthcare is collaborative and can also support some patients whose pregnancies become more complex.

“I think the big piece for us is that we are a midwifery-led practice,” Sullivan said. “We care for patients with normal to low-risk pregnancies, but we’re also part of a collaborative team that includes maternal-fetal medicine (MFM) specialists for patients with high-risk pregnancies.”

For Sullivan, that distinction matters because patients whose babies have a condition, or who develop a medical condition themselves, still deserve a pregnancy and birth experience that feels personal, supported and meaningful.

“They should get a pregnancy they have dreamed or hoped for,” Sullivan said. “They should be able to have the same sensation of, ‘I want this to be the best thing ever.’ They don’t want it to always feel like, ‘This is wrong, this is wrong.’”

The goal, Sullivan said, is not to minimize medical concerns. It is to help normalize the birth experience when possible while keeping hospital-based support close by.

“We want to normalize that birth experience for them, even if they’re having a high-risk baby or condition for themselves,” Sullivan said.

If a patient becomes high risk or develops a condition during pregnancy, the midwives work with OB-GYNs and maternal-fetal medicine specialists.

“If they become high risk or there’s a condition that develops, we either send them to the high-risk doctors, MFM or we collaborate with an OB-GYN.”

Depending on the patient’s needs, that might mean consulting with a physician, co-managing the pregnancy or transferring care to an OB-GYN.

“There’s always a possibility for the need of a higher level of care, and we’re happy to support patients, no matter what,” Sullivan said.

Questions to ask when considering midwifery care

For people deciding between a midwife and an OB-GYN, Sullivan recommends asking about the specific practice’s training, philosophy and approach to complications.

Questions may include:

• What is the provider’s training and credentials?
• What is the practice’s approach to care?
• What expectations or limitations exist in the hospital setting?
• Who is on call during labor and delivery?
• How does the team handle complications or higher-risk needs?

She added that people should also think about what they want from pregnancy and delivery and talk openly about those expectations early.

“Walk in with an idea of what you expect from your pregnancy, because that will help determine if we can accomplish those goals or we can’t,” Sullivan said.

At the new Methodist Physicians Women’s Health and Midwifery clinic, patients are encouraged to meet the midwives in the practice so they feel comfortable with the team.

“We want to make sure they meet all of us, so they always see a familiar face, but we encourage patients: Find the personality that best fits your needs. We want to empower and educate you. We want you to feel confident in your care. We’re there to support you.”

Care beyond delivery

Midwifery care doesn’t end after the baby is born. Sullivan said in addition to pregnancy and postpartum care, midwives also provide gynecological care, preconception care, contraceptive care and care through other stages of a woman’s life.

“We cover the spectrum of women’s lives -- even menopausal care.”

Sullivan knows birth stories stay with women for years.

“When you meet any woman, if they have a child, they can tell you everything about their birth story,” she said. “And it’s either really good or really bad.”

That is why education, expectations and support matter.

For patients who want a birth experience centered on education, options and shared decision-making, certified nurse-midwifery may be a meaningful option -- one that also provides the safety of hospital-based support close by if needed.

“I want every patient to feel informed, supported and empowered throughout their pregnancy,” Sullivan said. “Our goal is to provide personalized midwifery care in a hospital setting, combining the experience many patients are looking for with the added reassurance of having comprehensive care close by if it’s needed.”

Methodist Healthcare now offers certified nurse-midwifery services at two locations: Methodist Hospital and Methodist Hospital | Metropolitan, giving patients more options for hospital-based maternity care across San Antonio.

To learn more about OB-GYN services, certified nurse-midwifery care and women’s health services, click or tap here.

Lindell established his national profile from his TV advertising campaign as the MyPillow Guy and has been one of Trump’s most outspoken supporters, echoing the president’s false claims that his 2020 election defeat to Democrat Joe Biden was fraudulent.

“Mike will be SPECTACULAR!!! He truly loves Minnesota, as do I, and wants to bring it back from oblivion and embarrassment. He can do it!” Trump posted Wednesday on his Truth Social platform, referring to Lindell as “the ‘Pillow Man.’”

Trump has hammered outgoing Gov. Tim Walz, Democrats’ 2024 vice presidential nominee, as incompetent and accused his administration of allowing rampant fraud in federal spending on childcare. Trump has employed racist rhetoric to target Minnesota’s Somali immigrant population as driving the alleged fraud.

Walz, who ended his bid for a third term earlier this year, disputes the Trump administration’s characterizations. There are ongoing investigations into the state's administration of federally supported childcare programs in the state.

Lindell is part of a crowded Republican field competing in an Aug. 11 primary. The GOP list includes state House Speaker Lisa Demuth. Lindell has attacked Demuth as responsible for federal spending fraud. Demuth has blamed the Democratic administration and executive agency leaders that oversee federal grants to childcare providers.

Longtime U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar headlines the Democratic field for governor.

There are 36 gubernatorial elections this November. There currently are 26 Republican governors and 24 Democratic governors, and Republicans view Minnesota as an opportunity to flip a seat despite a challenging national environment because of Trump’s lagging popularity and voters’ discontent over the economy.

While Trump and Republicans focus on the childcare fraud accusations, Democrats, including Klobuchar, have focused on the Trump administration's immigration crackdown that involved federal officers killing two Minnesotans, the assassination of a state legislative leader and a school shooting that killed multiple children — all within the past year. Klobuchar has mostly avoided direct mention of the childcare programs and fraud inquiries that Trump has made a political cudgel.

As he's made endorsements in Republican primaries this year, Trump has remained fixated on his lies about the 2020 election. In Georgia, recently, he made a late endorsement in a hotly contested U.S. Senate primary for Rep. Mike Collins, noting the congressman's stalwart support and referencing passing comments made by his opponent, former football coach Derek Dooley, affirming that Biden was legitimately elected in 2020.

Flooding remains a significant concern in the Hill Country and multiple areas west of San Antonio.

>> ⚠️FLOOD RISK CONTINUES⚠️: Ongoing flooding west of San Antonio and in Hill Country

In Bexar County, rain is adding up, causing some street flooding.

Tuesday was just our first day with rain. Rounds of rain will continue in some spots through Thursday.

More weather coverage on KSAT:

• LIVE COVERAGE: KSAT tracks storms in San Antonio, Hill Country, surrounding areas
• How campers, visitors can stay safe ahead of potential flash flooding along Frio River

Wednesday, July 15

At least one lane is closed on Interstate 35 northbound at Judson Road after a crash on Wednesday morning, according to TxDOT.

Drivers are encouraged to take an alternate route to reach their destinations.

For more information on traffic, you can click here to view our traffic page on KSAT.com. To view more on the current weather conditions, click here.

Click the links below for current road closures.

• San Antonio road closures
• Bexar County road closures
• TxDOT highway conditions

The San Antonio Fire Department has compiled a list of the 10 most dangerous flood-prone areas, based on the number of high-water rescues from 2015 through 2025. The same handful of areas have resulted in dozens of rescue calls.

“You could be thinking ‘Oh, I’m just going to go. It only looks like an inch of water. I’ll be fine,’” SAFD spokesman Joe Arrington said. “That inch of water could stall your vehicle out, then you’re stuck, and who knows when a wall of water arrives, quickly rising water is coming downstream. So it’s not worth the gamble.”

>> Click here for the latest forecast

Arrington said the list is not necessarily just low-water crossings.

The area around Seguin Road at Salado Creek, which Arrington said includes the nearby Interstate 35 access roads, tops SAFD’s list, with 46 rescue responses.

“It doesn’t have to be raining here. It can be raining on the far North Side, but that water has to go through here eventually,” he said in a Tuesday interview.

It only takes about six inches of fast-moving water to knock an adult off their feet, according to the National Weather Service. A foot of water can wash away most cars, and two feet is enough for trucks and SUVs.

The list can be viewed in its entirety below:

• Seguin Road at Salado Creek (46 rescues)
• Old O’Connor Road, located north of Lookout Road (31 rescues)
• Hollyhock Road, positioned 600 feet west of Babcock Road (20 rescues)
• Pinn Road, one-quarter mile south of West Commerce (14 rescues)
• Spencer Lane, located east of Balcones Heights (13 rescues)
• Ira Lee, north of Austin Highway (12 rescues)
• Sleepy Hollow at Sunburst (10 rescues)
• Gibbs Sprawl Road at Rosillo Creek (10 rescues)
• West Commerce Street from Pinn Road to Military Drive (9 rescues)
• North Loop, around 150 feet from West North Loop (8 rescues)

The city said it is urging residents to prepare for flash flooding as multiple storms are possible throughout this week.

If you encounter a flooded road, it’s best to turn around and find another route.

Read also:

• Understanding disaster anxiety, weather-related PTSD in South Texas

In an unusual twist, two groups working independently detected the cold gas giant a few days apart late last year using different telescopes. It's the dimmest planet ever directly imaged from Earth, scientists reported Wednesday.

A Scottish and German-led team spied the new planet around the star Beta Pictoris using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope in Chile, then dug through archives to confirm its orbit. The planet had remained hidden in the data all this time, overshadowed by its considerably brighter star and two companion planets.

“It was very much playing hide-and-seek for 11 years,” said the European Southern Observatory’s Markus Bonse, co-leader of the first team.

The California-led team made the discovery with NASA’s Webb Space Telescope. Two observations were all it took with Webb, the biggest and most powerful telescope ever launched into space. Both teams reported their findings in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.

The find was serendipitous. Each team was studying one of the star’s already identified planets when they spotted a less massive one — 100 times fainter — lurking farther out. They deliberately kept their work from one another so as not to bias the results.

The new planet is slightly bigger than Jupiter and takes 91 years to orbit its star, a little longer than it takes Uranus to orbit our sun. Born into a star system that’s barely 20 million years old — a kid compared to the sun's 4.5 billion-year-old neighborhood — the planet is probably similar to a much younger Jupiter, said the University of California San Diego’s Aidan Gibbs, who led the second team.

“The giant planets have formed, but smaller terrestrial planets could still be forming,” Gibbs said in an email. Beta Pictoris “is probably our best look at a planetary system just after it has formed and is still in the process of stabilizing” from hurtling asteroids and comets.

Beta Pictoris is located in the easel-shaped southern constellation Pictor, or painter, and 63 light-years from Earth. A light-year is nearly 6 trillion miles (more than 9 trillion kilometers).

Fewer than 100 of the more than 6,000 confirmed exoplanets — planets around other stars — have been detected through direct imaging, according to NASA. Most were found while passing in front of their star, briefly dimming it.

“We’ve now built a picture of this planet,” the University of Edinburgh's Ben Sutlieff said in an email, “and we are very excited to see what more can be learned about it.”

___

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

Officials in Uvalde and Medina counties say there were no deaths following more than two dozen water rescues Tuesday.

Creeks flooded quickly throughout Medina and Uvalde counties, and a good Samaritan jumped in to help a man who was swept into Elm Creek — catching the dramatic rescue on video. Both men made it out safely.

What to do if you encounter floodwaters

The best way to remain safe around floodwaters is to avoid them entirely. If you encounter a flood, do not drive through it.

If you are caught in rising floodwaters, the most important step is to exit your vehicle and seek higher ground, according to AAA.

In the rescue video from Sabinal, the good Samaritan can be heard encouraging the other man to grab onto a tree and keep himself above water — a move AAA says is critical.

Texas Game Warden Derek Grimsby spoke with KSAT’s Weather Authority team Tuesday morning in Sabinal, warning that floodwaters are often deeper and more dangerous than they appear.

“If you don’t have to travel through these affected areas, don’t travel. It’s that simple,” Grimsby said. “If you see water over the road, even though it looks shallow, nothing says that that bridge or roadway is still there. So let’s just not go through the water. Let’s turn around. Let’s find a different route.”

Residents should also make sure emergency alerts are activated on their phones. If a Flash Flood Warning is issued for your area, officials recommend staying off the roads, finding an alternate route or waiting for conditions to improve.

Several roadways in Bexar County remain closed Wednesday due to flooding. Remember: Turn around, don’t drown.

Read also:

• UPDATE: Flooding ongoing along Highway 90, Hill Country; monitoring conditions in San Antonio

The Penguin Random House imprint Crown has scheduled Brett McGurk's “Brink: Inside the Race to Free the October 7 Hostages” for Oct. 6, nearly three years to the day after the deadly Hamas siege that left more than 1,000 people dead and more than 200 taken captive.

McGurk, 53, is a longtime Middle East adviser and diplomat who had already served under three presidents when he was appointed by President Joe Biden in 2023 to oversee hostage talks between Israel and Hamas. According to Crown, McGurk will describe his frantic efforts to balance the competing and seemingly intractable demands of the two sides, traveling worldwide in pursuit of an agreement.

“On October 7, Hamas unleashed a devastating war and the largest hostage crisis in modern history,” McGurk said in a statement released Wednesday by Crown. “I wrote ‘Brink’ to bring readers inside the rooms as events unfolded in real time — from the Situation Room with hundreds of missiles in the air, to compounds across the Middle East where diplomacy teetered between breakthrough and collapse.”

According to Crown, McGurk will also disclose details of a near-deal before Oct. 7 that would have normalized relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia and will remember his unlikely alliance with President Donald Trump appointee Steve Witkoff as they handled talks during the transition time between the administrations of Biden, a Democrat, and Trump, a Republican. The remaining surviving hostages were freed in October 2025.

“'Brink' details the bipartisan front they forged when it mattered most, ultimately securing a deal that would save lives,” the publisher's announcement reads in part.

In its latest attempt to reduce the risks of online harm for children, Britain's Labour government also said that features that can keep users scrolling for longer, such as videos that automatically play one after another, will also be switched off by default for older teenagers.

The planned restrictions come a month after the government unveiled a social media ban for under-16s, which is expected to cover platforms including Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X, but not messaging services like WhatsApp and Signal, from next spring.

The measures, which are one of the final acts of the government of Prime Minister Keir Starmer, will have to be legislated upon. It is widely believed that his expected successor Andy Burnham will follow through with the plans.

Online Safety Minister Kanishka Narayan downplayed talk that teenagers would just turn off optional social media curfews, saying it is a “disservice” to them to suggest they would.

He pointed to a recent pilot program involving more than 300 teenagers and parents across the U.K. that saw social media usage drop dramatically overnight as well as helping improve sleep and concentration.

“In October, for example, some platforms introduced these defaults of this sort – 90%-plus teenagers said to us that they’ve maintained those defaults as well,” he told Sky News. “And so the evidence base is clear, the motivation is very clear and I wouldn’t do the disservice to teenagers of saying they’re all going to switch it off.”

Laura Trott, the education spokesperson for the main opposition Conservative Party, said the proposals make “no sense.”

“Either they think 16- and 17-year-olds should be on social media or they don’t, but curfews they can simply switch off won’t achieve anything,” she said.

The NSPCC, the U.K.'s leading children's charity, said the proposals will go some way to improving the experiences of young people on social media but won't be enough on their own.

“Unless they’re followed up with further, stronger measures, they will be a sticking plaster that fails to address the addictive design features which are driving high screentime and undermining children’s wellbeing,” said NSPCC chief executive Chris Sherwood.

Rachel de Souza, the Children’s Commissioner for England, said the move was a “positive step” as young people want to try to cut down social media use but find it hard.

“I want to know more about how the policies, such as a curfew, will be delivered and will be watching closely to make sure they are effective,” she said.

HOUSTON — Not long after 7 a.m. on July 7, Buddy the dog howled.

“He has a different bark for everything,” said Clara, who was born almost 55 years ago in Tamaulipas, Mexico, jumped the border into Texas 26 years ago, and has been living in this corner of Magnolia Park, a neighborhood in east Houston, ever since. “But whenever he howls, it’s because he hears the ambulance.”

Clara and her family had grown used to sirens echoing through their neighborhood, so they didn’t think much of it. She kept working around the house — cleaning, cooking, getting the day going.

As the morning went on, the noise outside increased. Clara, who asked to be identified only by her first name because she is undocumented, began to hear movement on the streets, helicopters flying over them.

The bad news didn’t take long to arrive. A friend called her husband, Juan, and told him a Mexican worker had just been killed. The ambulance Buddy howled at was heading toward 6812 Canal St., barely two minutes from her home, to aid Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a 55-year-old man who had just been shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent as ICE tried to stop the van he was driving after he picked up fellow construction workers to start their shift.

Salgado Araujo, a father of three who had lived and worked in Houston for 35 years, died in a nearby hospital. It was the first of two fatal ICE shootings within a week — an agent killed a 26-year-old immigrant from Colombia in Maine on Monday, also during a traffic stop.

Investigators with the Harris County District Attorney’s Office work near a memorial for Lorenzo Salgado Araujo on July 8, 2026, in Houston. Salgado Araujo was fatally shot by an immigration officer. Jon Shapley for The Texas Tribune

People gather to protest the fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo by an ICE agent on July 8 in Houston. Jon Shapley for The Texas Tribune

On Tuesday, President Trump ordered ICE officers to halt most vehicle stops, The New York Times reported. That order came just hours after a tractor-trailer struck and killed a 28-year-old man who tried to run from ICE agents at a gas station in St. Augustine, Fla.

“This changes nothing. The raids will continue,” said 44-year-old community organizer Jessica Campos. “Families will still be terrorized in their homes, and people will still be targeted at their places of employment, putting even more people at risk of harm or even death. We are not safe anywhere.

“Vehicle stops were never the real problem,” she added. “The problem is the people behind the guns who keep killing our people, ICE.”

Trump’s mass deportation program has sent ICE agents into neighborhoods across Texas and the nation, hunting for undocumented immigrants. Agents first arrived in Magnolia Park months ago and started to arrest people. Neighbors went into hiding and warned each other about ICE sightings, suspicious unmarked vans parked near major intersections, friends being taken away.

Then, things seemed to calm down. People ventured back into the streets. Undocumented neighbors thought the worst had been left behind.

“But about a week ago, we started hearing again that they were back in the neighborhood,” Clara said.

ICE and the Department of Homeland Security haven’t released much information about Salgado Araujo’s shooting beyond an initial statement saying he rammed an ICE vehicle and was attempting to hit an agent with his vehicle when he was shot. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told The New York Times later that Salgado Araujo wasn’t the target — the agents were looking for two Guatemalan men.

On Friday, an attorney representing two of the men who accompanied Salgado Araujo in his van that morning said that they never tried to run over any ICE agents.

The Harris County District Attorney’s office has launched an investigation into Salgado Araujo’s shooting, after citizens and elected officials demanded an independent investigation.

After the shooting, Clara went looking in the Facebook groups that neighbors have been using for more than a year to alert each other about ICE raids on their streets. She saw smartphone videos of Salgado Araujo lying on the pavement, federal agents immobilizing him while he bled to death.

Like Clara and her husband Juan, Salgado Araujo jumped the border nearly four decades ago and built a life in Magnolia Park.

“It never crossed our minds that ICE would kill someone here in the neighborhood,” Clara said. “We knew they were taking people away, but not to the point of killing them. They’re becoming very violent. They don’t even care whether you’re a woman or that there are children with you.”

The day Salgado Araujo died, Juan had an evening job lined up not far from Canal Street, the first one after some time. Many of Juan’s colleagues decided to stay home that day, but Juan couldn’t afford it. The family needed the money.

The family decided Juan would go to work, but their youngest son Jose — a U.S. citizen who’s going to medical school on a scholarship — would tag along. That way, they thought, if ICE stopped them, there would be at least one person with an American passport in the car.

“I found myself wondering whether my dad was going to make it back home,” Jose said. “Since I have papers, if something happens to him, I can contact my mom or my sisters.”

Father and son headed out around the same time a crowd started to gather for a vigil on Canal Street.

Clara said they talk about returning to Mexico. Juan is getting tired of construction work. They stay, she said, for their children.

She said that she tries not to let fear rule their lives, but she’s been only going out to buy groceries and to church. Alerts about ICE sightings in the neighborhood keep coming to her phone.

“When my husband leaves for work, I put him in God’s hands, but I’m always worried about whether he’s going to come back,” she said. “ICE is everywhere.”

Jose and his mother visit the site where Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was fatally shot by an ICE agent. Jose, a U.S. citizen, went to work with his undocumented father the day of the shooting in case ICE tried to detain his father. Danielle Villasana for The Texas Tribune

“They’ve silenced me”

In Magnolia Park, a predominantly Latino neighborhood in East Houston, many found ICE’s account of Salgado Araujo’s shooting too similar to the one the agency wielded after their agents fatally shot Renée Good, a 37-year-old mother and poet, during a January protest in Minneapolis against immigration enforcement operations in that city.

It also echoes ICE’s statements after an agent fatally shot 23-year-old Ruben Ray Martinez in South Padre Island last year while helping to direct traffic around an accident. ICE said Martinez tried to run over an officer, who opened fire in self-defense. When the body camera and security footage was released, the videos didn’t definitively corroborate the officers’ account.

“It’s obvious they used the same excuse as with Good — that Lorenzo had run him over. But, I mean, people are going to say that it’s obvious it’s the same story all over again,” said 38-year-old accountant Dulce Rivera, a Magnolia Park resident.

By Friday, rage and grief were boiling in East Houston. Residents with American citizenship or their papers in order gathered on Canal Street and improvised an altar to honor Salgado Araujo. They organized vigils, lit candles, mourned together and urged ICE to free the witnesses of Salgado Araujo’s shooting, among them his brother.

Meanwhile, undocumented neighbors went back to hiding, shut their blinds, and watched the protests unfold from their TVs and smartphones.

Silvina was driving around the city the day Salgado Araujo was shot, delivering food for DoorDash, a job she sometimes did to make ends meet. Whenever she needs to work for the delivery platform, she uses the account of her partner, who is a U.S. citizen.

“It scares me, but, well… we’ve got to eat,” said Silvina, who asked to be identified only by her first name because she’s undocumented.

That day, she noticed an unusual number of police officers out on the streets and immediately drove back home, where she saw a video of the shooting on social media.

“I completely freaked out. I haven’t gone back to doing DoorDash since that day,” she said.

Silvina said she worked as a photographer in her native Uruguay before her studio went out of business during the COVID pandemic and she decided to come to the U.S.

Silvina and her son at their home in Houston. The photographer left her native Uruguay to live in Texas and said she was afraid to leave her home after the fatal ICE shooting. Danielle Villasana for The Texas Tribune

Silvina opens the blinds at her home in Houston. Danielle Villasana for The Texas Tribune

Silvina said she arrived on a tourist visa four years ago, along with her 10-year-old son and her then-partner, who had a green card. She waited tables, cleaned churches, and did some freelance photography to get by, and left that partner when he became abusive, she said.

She later met her current partner and they moved in together. “The idea is to get married and get my papers through him,” she said.

When ICE started raiding Houston, not long after Donald Trump was sworn in as president again, Silvina said she left a restaurant job out of fear.

“I was afraid to leave my house by myself. I always went out with my partner, and I still do to this day. Whenever I see a police officer, even though I’m not doing anything wrong, I just freeze up,” Silvina said. “After a while, I pulled myself together and said, ‘I can’t live like this.’ But I’m still careful. I either go out with my partner or with my friends, with a group of people.”

During the first protest against ICE in Houston, she stayed home. “It was the first time in my life I didn’t go to a protest I wanted to be at,” she said. She watched the rally from her window, waved her Uruguayan flag and cried.

“I became deeply depressed because I’d always been an activist, and then all of a sudden I found myself too scared to go to a fucking protest,” she said. “They’ve silenced me.”

Silvina wants to go back to Uruguay, but stays here because she thinks her son, who is 14 and is doing well at school, has more opportunities in Houston.

She says at this point, deportation is the least bad thing that could happen to her.

“Now they can put you in a concentration camp. They can separate you from your child,” she said. “What if they send me to another country? What if they detain me for months and, I don’t know, kill me?”

People visit a memorial for Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston. Jon Shapley for The Texas Tribune

A wake on Canal Street

On Friday night at 6812 Canal St., the atmosphere was that of a wake.

The altar to honor Salgado Araujo had grown in the days since the shooting. A crowd of twenty-something people surrounded it in silence, sobbing, fists clenched. A big Mexican flag waved above a smaller American one. Nearly everyone who arrived lit a candle and put it among the flowers, balloons, images of the Virgin of Guadalupe, signs calling to end ICE’s violence and demanding an independent investigation.

Another sign, in Spanish, read, “We come here to work, not to get killed.”

Campos, the community organizer, came with her daughter to pay their respects. They brought a bouquet of flowers.

Campos was born in Brownsville, the daughter of an U.S. citizen and a Mexican citizen, raised with the help of a stepfather from El Salvador. Now she mostly works with kids — many of them the children of undocumented parents.

“I was just having a conversation with a teacher who told me, ‘So-and-so stopped showing up, and I didn’t know why. Then they told me that the whole family was deported,” she said. “Every time I see a child cry because their family has been separated, I think about what that child will become, what they will do with that hate, the darkness they will carry inside.”

Campos said most families she knows in the neighborhood have been living in hiding for more than a year now — not only the undocumented ones, but all of the Latino population.

Jessica Campos speaks during a Houston City Council meeting on July 14, 2026, in Houston. People have demanded action from city leaders after the fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo by an immigration agent. Jon Shapley for The Texas Tribune

Jessica Campos after speaking during a Houston City Council meeting on July 14. Jon Shapley for The Texas Tribune

“Now it’s no longer just the fear of being deported; it’s the fear of being killed,” she said. “This is no way to live, waking up every day to another fight, another person killed, another person deported, another family separated, every single day.”

One day, when the raids were just beginning, Dulce Rivera took her son to the dentist. A woman and her daughter sat next to her in the waiting room.

Rivera noticed the woman’s leg was shaking.

The woman made a phone call. Rivera heard her saying that ICE was out in the parking lot. “What if they take me,” the woman asked the person on the other end of the phone. She couldn’t stop trembling.

Rivera, a ​​38-year-old accountant, was born and raised in Magnolia Park, the daughter of Mexican parents from Nayarit and San Luis Potosí who arrived in the U.S. decades ago, worked hard and got lucky enough, Rivera said, to get American citizenship.

Rivera lives seven minutes from where Salgado Araujo was shot to death. She said that her parents are the quiet types, never complaining out loud, just letting things be.

“But this time, when they killed Mr. Lorenzo, I told my mom, ‘Come with me to the protest.’ And she came, along with my daughter,” Rivera said.

It was her mom’s first protest.

“People are opening their eyes more and more,” Rivera said.

Francisco, who lives north of the city, came to Friday’s vigil to pay his respects. Like Salgado Araujo, he said he immigrated from Mexico to pursue the American Dream and also made a living working construction. Now in his 60s, he said when he got his American citizenship years ago, he felt a great joy.

Francisco, who declined to give his last name, said now he’s embarrassed to be a citizen. He’d rather tell people he’s from Mexico.

“I no longer feel that joy.”

Candles, flowers and an American flag adorn the memorial for Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston. Jon Shapley for The Texas Tribune

Disclosure: DoorDash and The New York Times have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in The Texas Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

The organizations say in a lawsuit filed Wednesday that they have been forced to censor their own advocacy work to avoid scrutiny from the White House, which in an executive order last year not only targeted the Hague-based criminal court but prohibited providing or receiving services to or from entities that have been sanctioned.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Manhattan against top administration officials by DAWN and Taxpayers Alliance Against Genocide, seeks a court order that would strike down the restrictions on their advocacy and their ability to interact with Palestinian human rights groups and other sanctioned parties.

“The Trump administration is using the blunt instrument of economic sanctions not only to punish human rights defenders but to police the political expressions of millions of Americans,” said Omar Shakir, the executive director of DAWN, a U.S.-based group advocating for democracy and human rights in the Arab world that was founded by Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was killed in 2018.

“The government is violating the constitutional rights of American citizens in order to shield officials of a foreign government who have committed a genocide," he said in a statement.

The White House did not immediately return an email seeking comment on the lawsuit.

The Hague-based ICC has been investigating allegations of war crimes in Gaza during the war that began after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. A panel of judges issued arrest warrants in 2024 for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant. Netanyahu has called the warrants “absurd.”

The U.S. and Israel are not among the court’s members, and neither nation recognizes its authority.

In response to the arrest warrants, President Donald Trump, a Republican, issued an executive order last year that accused the ICC of engaging in “illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel” and warned of “tangible and significant consequences” on those responsible for the ICC’s “transgressions.”

The U.S. over the last year has slapped sanctions on Palestinian human rights groups, a series of ICC judges and staffers — including the court’s former chief prosecutor — and Francesca Albanese, the U.N. special rapporteur for the West Bank and Gaza. Her family sued in February, saying the penalties violated the First Amendment.

Already, the lawsuit says, DAWN has halted work on submissions to the ICC about Israel’s conduct during the war, stopped exchanging evidence and legal analysis with sanctioned non-government organizations and abstained from collaborating with them on advocacy campaigns. It has also been forced to “discontinue its professional engagements with Albanese.”

“The chilling effect on Plaintiffs has been profound,” the lawsuit states. “They now face prison terms and ruinous fines if, in their interactions with the designated parties, they provide or receive anything that Defendants could plausibly characterize as a ‘service’— an extraordinarily capacious term that potentially reaches any act that confers a benefit on its recipient. Fearing liability, Plaintiffs — and countless others like them —have turned to self-censorship.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is among the defendants in the lawsuit, denounced the court as recently as this week, pledging in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece that Trump's administration would “dismantle the ICC — brick by brick, if necessary.” He warned that the court's “overreach,” if left unchecked, could subject Border Patrol agents, federal prosecutors and U.S. Marines to the tribunal's jurisdiction.

“The ICC’s interfering with American military and law enforcement operations isn’t only a grave overreach of its purported authorities. It would mean the death of the U.S. as a sovereign and independent nation,” Rubio wrote. “Our decision and our people would be at the mercy of the ICC and its collaborators in the 'international community.' To accept the ICC is to surrender control of our national destiny.”

The State Department said the campaign against the court could include additional sanctions or visa revocations and travel bans for ICC employees as well as “increased scrutiny” of nations that don't reject ICC authority.

The Texas Health and Human Services Commission has requested the Attorney General’s Office to investigate whether two Rio Grande Valley hospitals — Mission Regional Medical Center in Mission and Knapp Medical Center in Weslaco — had violated state or federal laws by purchasing a billboard that Gov. Greg Abbott says targets foreign nationals traveling to Texas to give birth.

“Regardless of what the Supreme Court of the United States may have said, U.S. citizenship is not for sale in Texas. Texas will not tolerate the exploitation of our healthcare system as a pathway to skirt federal immigration laws,” Abbott said in a news release on Tuesday.

Abbott requested HHSC to look into the hospitals last week, accusing the hospitals of profiting off illegal birth tourism, a practice where expecting mothers travel to the U.S. to give birth so their children become citizens.

According to a social media post cited in the HHSC referral letter, the billboard was found in Latin American countries and showed in Spanish the cost of birth packages and listed Mission Regional Medical Center’s name and its social media channels. It also listed a phone number with the RGV’s area code and a website — havemybabyinTexas.com — both of which are no longer in service. HHSC also suggested that the hospital had been advertising to foreigners since 2023.

The hospital confirmed its use of the billboard and said it’s no longer in use to “prevent any misunderstandings,” Kathleen Avila, spokesperson for Mission Regional Medical Center told The Texas Tribune.

None of the efforts to crack down on birth tourism in Texas have involved investigating foreign national women who have given birth in the state for the purpose of securing citizenship for their child. Instead, officials have gone after care providers who they accuse of encouraging or aiding foreigners to give birth in Texas, possibly through illegal means.

Giving birth on U.S. soil as a foreign national is not illegal but cases of illegal birth tourism usually involve prosecutors determining businesses have facilitated fraud, such as visa fraud, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

In April, Attorney General Ken Paxton sued a Houston postpartum care center, accusing the operators of coaching Chinese nationals on how to mislead or deceive federal immigration officials so they can travel to Texas to give birth. The operators denied the allegations in court documents, but did not provide any further reasons and their attorney did not return the Tribune’s request for comment. The next court hearing is scheduled for July 16.

Even before the Supreme Court upheld birthright citizenship last month, state Republicans have made calls in their latest platform to eliminate birth tourism in the upcoming legislative session. Abbott has called “foreign travelers (coming) to the United States under false pretenses to give birth and secure citizenship for their children” an illegal practice that exploits Texas’ hospitality. The Justice Department has also directed federal prosecutors to “bring illegal birth tourism to an end.”

Austin immigration attorney Kate Lincoln-Goldfinch said birth tourism is rare, largely because many noticeably pregnant women are turned away upon arrival at a port of entry. “Crossing through security as an obviously very pregnant woman is difficult,” she said.

Lincoln-Goldfinch worries that as Republicans continue to punish birth tourism, immigrants will not want to seek out care at hospitals. Immigration advocates have already warned that Texas has chilled immigrants from visiting hospitals after Abbott in 2024 started requiring hospitals to ask for patients’ immigration status, though patients can opt to not answer and hospitals still must provide care to all regardless of citizenship.

“I do think that immigrants will avoid necessary care,” said Lincoln-Goldfinch.

Here’s what to know about birth tourism.

How many U.S. births come from birth tourism?

There is no official count of babies who are born in the U.S. for the purposes of becoming citizens.

The Migration Policy Institute estimates that of the 3.6 million births that occur in the U.S. annually, between 9,600 and 26,000 of them are from birth tourism, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. Colleen Putzel-Kavanaugh, an associate policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute, told the Tribune that her organization bases the low end of the range on the number of births to mothers with foreign addresses and they base the high end count on the number of births to a foreign-born mothers, who could be living in the U.S. and on a longer-term visa, such as a student visa or work visa.

“While rare, birth tourism has become a central but contested justification in the Trump administration’s push to end the guarantee of birthright citizenship,” she and a fellow author said in a recent report.

Is birth tourism illegal?

Giving birth on U.S. soil as a foreign national is not illegal, but visa fraud is.

There is no visa specifically dedicated to foreigners who want to give birth in the U.S. but expecting mothers can enter on temporary travel visas.

While giving birth in the U.S. on a temporary travel visa is legal, obtaining that visa under false pretenses — such as intending to secure citizenship for a child — can constitute fraud, said Chuck DeVore, chief national initiatives officer of conservative think tank Texas Public Policy Foundation.

“The misleading of your visa application is illegal. But if you figure out how to get here, the act of giving birth in America is not illegal. That’s why this all goes back to enforcement,” said DeVore.

According to the Justice Department, most of the illegal birth tourism cases involve businesses committing visa fraud, but can also include wire fraud, money laundering, aggravated identity theft and health fraud.

“The Department of Justice will zealously protect the sanctity of United States citizenship by investigating and prosecuting those who fraudulently exploit our immigration system. Together, we will bring illegal birth tourism to an end and those responsible for justice,” according to a June 30 memo from the agency.

What is birthright citizenship?

A child born on American soil is automatically considered a U.S. citizen under the Fourteenth Amendment, regardless of the parents’ citizenship or immigration status.

After a child is born in Texas, the parents provide their names, places of birth, and the name of the child to the hospital. The hospital enters the parents’ information and information about the birth into the state’s vital statistics system, and the county registrar issues a birth certificate. Birth certificates do not list if a parent is a noncitizen.

Since the child is automatically given citizenship, “there is no difference in the application process” for parents who are foreign nationals or American citizens, said Lara Anton, spokesperson for the Texas Department of State Health Services.

How are Texas officials cracking down on birth tourism?

Texas Republican leaders are cracking down on birth tourism by attempting to restrict healthcare providers that solicit foreigners to give birth here and by scrutinizing the practice of using Texas surrogates to carry children for foreigners.

Last week, the state Senate health committee heard from a surrogate and California-based anti-surrogacy organization, Center for Bioethics and Culture Network, who said foreign nationals were exploiting Texas surrogates through dishonest agreements and contracting with various surrogates at the same time. Last year, a Corpus Christi woman told the center that a California-based agency helped her become a surrogate for a Chinese couple in California who had many children by surrogacy and who were later arrested on child endangerment charges.

The exact number of surrogacy births for foreign national parents is unknown because surrogacy contracts are private. In 2025, there were 657 surrogacy births in total in Texas, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.

Talks about surrogacy came on the heels of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s lawsuit against De’ai Postpartum Care Center in Houston.

In the lawsuit, Paxton accuses the center of helping Chinese nationals come to Texas to give birth by coaching them to misrepresent their travel purpose on visa applications, hiding the true reason for their trip, and advertising services that the state says were misleading.

The center operated four residential properties across the Houston area capable of hosting multiple families at a time and they advertised their services and expertise on TikTok answering questions like, “Do I have to buy a return airline ticket? Will a one-way ticket be refused entry?” or, “If I give birth in a red state, can the baby get a US passport?” according to court documents.

The center’s website also lists services that include nurses who provide postpartum care for women and newborns and meals designed for postpartum mothers.

The lawsuit says the center violated Texas laws against deceptive trade practices, tampering with government records, unlawful concealment and harboring, and public nuisance.

The allegations appear similar to a few cases that have happened in other parts of the country such as a 2024 case involving a California couple that coached Chinese clients on how to hide their pregnancies from immigration authorities, customs entrance guidance, provided housing, and transportation in the U.S. They were sentenced to three and a half years in prison.

While Texas Health and Human Services officials said allegations against Mission Regional Hospital and Knapp Medical Center are not identical to birth tourism schemes that the Justice Department has identified, state officials said the allegations were troubling.

What are the potential laws that Texas could pass?

Lawmakers may push for increased scrutiny at ports of entry or during visa applications at consulates, DeVore said.

At last week’s Senate health committee hearing, lawmakers also signaled they would be open to a ban on foreign nationals using Texas surrogates.

“I don’t doubt that there’ll be legislation introduced that would be more narrowly targeted at foreign nationals using surrogacy services, but I have a strong suspicion that we’re going to be seeing multiple bills that would cover the waterfront on this issue,” DeVore said about restricting birthright.

Abbott’s and Paxton’s cases against healthcare facilities could also test who can be held responsible for birth tourism and what kinds of restrictions the state can impose on hospitals that receive public funding. DeVore said Abbott and the Legislature could discourage birth tourism by making hospitals require foreign nationals to pay for maternal care in cash.

Ultimately, the Texas GOP aims to eliminate birth tourism by essentially changing the Fourteenth Amendment by granting citizenship only to babies with at least one biological parent who is a U.S. citizen, according to the party’s platform. DeVore said the amendment’s enforcement clause gives conservatives room to pursue new legislation.

Disclosure: Texas Public Policy Foundation has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in The Texas Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

“I had so many mixed feelings, and all this personal struggle,” she said.

Even so, her commission this summer within the United Methodist Church — a public affirmation of her calling to ministry — represented a turning point.

“This commission was extremely special for me because it was God reassuring me that this was what I was called for,” Ortiz said. “All my experience, I can channel it into that ministry.”

She now serves as lead pastor of Christ’s Foundry United Methodist Mission in Dallas, a pathway to ordination in 2028 and a step up from her former associate pastor role.

Ortiz is among a handful of Latina United Methodist Church leaders in Texas who are emerging with fresh models for ministry by meeting the demands of Texas’ changing demographics after years of schism, decline and uncertainty within the denomination.

For many, their leadership is vital to the survival and flourishing of United Methodist congregations across the state and throughout the nation amid heightened anti-Hispanic sentiment and growing Spanish-speaking populations.

“How can we celebrate the diversity of humanity that God created in the first place?” Ortiz said. “How, as a church, can we embrace it, and how, as a church, can we lean into it so we can educate our community, so we can show, even more, who God is in our midst?”

“I feel like her story is mine”

In the past few years, the United Methodist Church — the largest mainline Protestant denomination in the United States — has experienced massive restructuring.

While some denominations have split over the ordination of women, the Methodist movement has ordained women since the late 19th century.

Instead, since 2020, the denomination has shed roughly 1 out of every 4 congregations after delegates at the general conference voted to lift a ban on same-sex weddings and LGBTQ+ clergy.

In 2020, there were 6.3 million United Methodists in the United States. Now, estimates are slightly below 5 million — a 21% decline in just half a decade.

Disaffiliating churches have been predominantly white, and a dramatic 71% of disaffiliations have occurred in the U.S. South. In Texas, well over 400 churches disaffiliated, and the Northwest Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church lost 81% of its churches.

In a state with more than 32 million residents, Hispanics are the largest ethnic group in Texas and comprise 40% of the population. Though they make up only a fraction of national UMC membership, Pamela Hughes, the director of communications for the UMC’s Horizon Texas Conference, is certain that “in Texas, Latinos represent not only the church now, but also the church of the future.”

Leading institutions that cultivate Hispanic and Latino UMC clergy and laypeople agree.

After receiving a grant from the Lilly Endowment, Southern Methodist University’s Perkins School of Theology in Dallas launched the Centro de Acompañamiento, Solidaridad y Adiestramiento in 2024, which offers laypersons in Dallas, Houston and Plano ministry certificate programs in Spanish to train Hispanic leaders “at a time when they are needed perhaps more than ever.” Twelve students have completed the program and 15 are on track to finish this fall.

“CASA courses provide an opportunity to think and reflect on responses to injustice and anti-immigrant laws, and develop local action plans to respond to the immediate and long-term needs of those who have been impacted by these recent changes,” a representative of the school said by email.

Perkins has prioritized theological education for Latino leaders since the 1970s with “the creation of the Mexican American Program and the publication of ‘Apuntes,’” the representative added.

“The training of Hispanic leaders ought to be one of the highest priorities of any seminary that seeks to prepare leaders for the present and the future — especially for seminaries in the Southwest,” said Bryan P. Stone, Leighton K. Farrell Endowed Dean of Perkins School of Theology.

Groups like El Plan have been working to help the UMC develop a comprehensive “Hispanic/Latine” ministry for over three decades.

El Plan Executive Director the Rev. Lydia Muñoz said the denomination has historically attempted to import monolithic ministry models from Latin American countries that do not tend to the particulars of being “Latine” in the United States.

Latina leaders are at the forefront of helping the denomination address persistent gaps in its approach to ministry, including the failure to recognize the “bicultural, multi-ethnic realities” that young adults and families face, Muñoz said in an interview.

The Rev. Martha Valencia, a nine-year pastor at Elmwood-El Buen Samaritano UMC outside of Dallas, said growing up on “the hyphen” of being Mexican-American has been integral to her ministry.

“It was a challenge for me,” she said. “I, at times, didn’t feel Mexican enough for the Mexicans … and I didn’t feel American enough for the Americans.”

“But the thing that challenged me most when I was growing up … has now become my superpower,” she said. “Being on the ‘hyphen’ has provided me with skills and a voice and cultural intelligence that I didn’t see then, but I see now and can use specifically to empower other women in my circles.”

Pastor Isabel Márquez, who serves at Oak Lawn United Methodist in Dallas, said her life and ministry “has been surrounded by working with migrants.”

One of her ministry goals is to build “safe passage” for those navigating the immigration system and walk alongside individuals as they wade through that uncertainty, she said.

Márquez draws inspiration from the biblical story of Esther.

“She’s a migrant, she’s with family, she’s in these lands that are not hers, and she’s afraid,” Márquez said. “But also, she was encouraged by the people who saw her gifts.”

“I feel like her story is mine,” she added.

“The daughters of Eve have been shaped to cause change”

Serving as a role model for other women is especially powerful for Latina leaders who come from communities where women cannot be ordained or hold leadership positions. Hispanic Catholics are now the single largest religious bloc in Texas, at about 20% of those with a religious affiliation, and women cannot become ordained priests. Meanwhile, Protestant denominations have expanded their Spanish-language outreach, and the share of U.S. Latinos identifying as Protestant has risen in recent years.

It was difficult for the Rev. Julia Puac-Romero, a campus minister at the Wesley Foundation in Wichita Falls, to tell her Catholic family about her role in the United Methodist ministry. “Women don’t lead in the Catholic Church at this level,” she said.

“At first they were not comfortable with it,” she said, but after she sent videos of the bishop commissioning her in Spanish, they responded with praise and affirmation.

“So it’s been beautiful, in that sense, but as a Latina in this ministry world, sometimes it is still very hard to make that space happen,” Puac-Romero said.

Valencia, the pastor at Elmwood-El Buen Samaritano, grew up Pentecostal, which she said is a denomination that does not always encourage female leadership.

“I thankfully grew up in a church that did support women in the pulpit, but I know that’s not the case for everyone,” she said.

“When I came into the United Methodist Church, being a woman and being Hispanic/Latino, I didn’t know what challenges I would face, and ultimately I discovered that people were very supportive — both men and women — of my call to ministry,” she said.

Women make up over 30% of United Methodist clergy. Muñoz of El Plan said women who achieve leadership positions often remark that they once didn’t know it was possible.

In the United Methodist Church, women have been instrumental figures, comprising the majority of remaining leadership in the years following schism and disaffiliation, Muñoz said. A large proportion of disaffiliated UMC churches were led by male pastors.

“It goes in part with history, right?” she said. “These women have always carried communities and have always carried the church. … The daughters of Eve have been shaped to cause change.”

Though the UMC tradition has provided pathways for women that the Catholic church has not, Muñoz said there is a different “clarity of the Pope, particularly around issues of justice, around immigrants … that has resonated with a lot of Latinos and Latino young people.”

The United Methodist Church, on the other hand, has historically released “nebulous statements about what’s happening in the world,” Muñoz added.

“A loving and compassionate way”

Today’s Latina United Methodist leaders are not shying away from issues impacting their congregations, especially immigration.

Puac-Romero, the campus minister, leans into “mujerista theology,” a form of liberation theology that is “based on the reflections of immigrant Latinas,” she said. For her, talking about the “grace of Christ” means you have to also talk about justice and immigration rights.

When her students asked for help setting up an on-campus information table about immigration, Puac-Romero turned to faith.

“It is possible to both have the same kind of justice that Jesus had when he’s flipping tables,” she said, referring to a New Testament account often cited as a righteous form of protest, “and also be able to do it in a loving and compassionate way.”

Ortiz, the lead pastor at Christ’s Foundry UM Memorial, tries “to preach hope in the midst of all the turmoil that we live in right now, especially toward the Hispanic community,” she said.

“We are suffering, we are dying,” she said. “We came to the United States because we wanted something better, and then they’re taking us back to that place where we flew in the first place.”

Still, Ortiz says the gospel is one of hope. “The bad things are still, unfortunately, happening, and sometimes are out of our control, but still, God listens to us,” she said.

The emerging Latina leaders also recognize that Christian theology and Scripture have grounded defenses to the obstacles they continue to face. Several Protestant pastors and clergy have taken a leadership role in supporting ICE raids. Yet for figures like Valencia, ministry leaders are called to “help people (let) their guard down, reauthor myths, reauthor prejudices.”

“We are all part of the body of Christ,” Valencia said. “The foundation is love, love of God and love of neighbor. … Everything else comes down to that,” she said.

This story is published through a collaboration between The Texas Tribune and Religion News Service.

Disclosure: Southern Methodist University has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in The Texas Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.

FORECAST HIGHLIGHTS

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The request follows the death of Mexican immigrant Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, who was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Houston. Since the beginning of U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term, 17 Mexican migrants have died during immigration enforcement, 14 in ICE custody and three in agency operations.

Mexico’s Foreign Ministry had previously said it would make the request, which was formalized on Tuesday, according to the ministry. It said a similar request will be also sent to the U.S. Department of Justice.

The United States is not legally obliged to act on the requests.

Also, the Mexican government said it has started sending letters to U.S. detention centers where Mexican migrants have died, demanding they “immediately cease the actions or omissions that resulted in these deaths, such as preventing access to prompt and expedited medical care, as well as the application of policies incompatible with medical and penitentiary standards.”

The first center to receive the letter was Adelanto, in California, where four Mexican migrants died.

The letters are a first step toward “the eventual filing of civil lawsuits” against the companies that operate the detention centers to stop human rights violations, according to the ministry.

Last week, Mexican Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco said his country would go directly to U.S. authorities to request criminal investigations in cases of Mexicans killed in ICE custody or enforcement operations.

Salgado Araujo, who had no criminal record and had lived in the U.S. for 35 years, was shot last Tuesday while driving his construction crew to a job site in Houston. His death sparked protests in Houston and demands for an independent investigation from Democrats and Salgado Araujo’s family.

The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, said the 52-year-old Araujo had rammed an ICE vehicle, and that a federal agent fired a weapon in self-defense.

Velasco also sent a letter to Volker Türk, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, requesting that U.S. authorities gather information on the deaths of the Mexican migrants in ICE custody and analyze the “compatibility of these events with international human rights obligations.”

The foreign minister also asked Türk to seek the opinion of the Human Rights Council, a U.N. intergovernmental body that promotes human rights, on the cases and offer recommendations.

The developments mark an escalation in Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s response to Trump’s immigration crackdown. Sheinbaum earlier this year ordered Mexico’s diplomatic missions across the U.S. to regularly check in with ICE detainees, and her government even lodged a complaint with Türk.

___

Follow AP’s Latin America coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

Competing with chants from protesters gathered outside, Houston resident Olivia Smith told city leaders to demand the names of ICE agents involved in the shooting, one of two fatal shootings involving ICE in the past week.

“They acted illegally and murdered an innocent man simply for being brown. Where is the law and order in that?” she said. “It has never been about law and order. It has always been about preserving the deeply ingrained culture of white supremacy, working hand in hand with pursuit of profits.”

More than 100 signed up to address the City Council during Tuesday’s meeting, the first since the 52-year-old father was shot and killed after being stopped by ICE agents using unmarked vehicles. Some speakers shouted demands and slammed the podium while others in the standing room-only audience cried. During tense moments, the crowd yelled, “Shame! Shame!”

FIEL co-founder Cesar Espinosa waits to speak during a Houston City Council meeting Tuesday, July 14, 2026, in Houston. People have demanded action from city leaders after the fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo by an immigration agent on July 7. Jon Shapley for The Texas Tribune

Dustin Rhodes, a 17-year-old Fort Bend ISD student who said he’s disappointed in his local leaders.

“We are told that ICE is here because our streets are flooded with dangerous criminals,” he said. “Yet a beloved father is dead. We have eyes, we have ears, and we are paying attention. … There is no point in pretending that ICE is here to protect us, and any attempt to continue that lie will only show that our safety is not your concern.”

Keatan King, an associate pastor at Saint Philip Presbyterian Church in West Houston, pleaded for action.

“I implore you to do everything in your power to ensure the independent investigation of the death of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, and to establish higher standards of accountability for ICE agents: body cameras on, masks off, identification presented, guns holstered,” she said.

City Council Member Alejandra Salinas spoke after King, saying she attends her church: “We are going to be out there protesting with you, and we are going to do everything to make sure HPD does everything in its power to make sure no stone is unturned, and we get justice for Lorenzo.”

Whitmire committed to conducting a local investigation into the shooting on Friday, days after he said the city had no jurisdiction to investigate the involvement of federal agents.

Whitmire also on Tuesday directed Houston Police Chief Noe Diaz to send a letter to Texas Department of Public Safety Director Freeman Martin and ask for the Texas Rangers to conduct their own investigation. This came a day after Martin said that DPS has “received no request from any local law enforcement agency” for assistance in the shooting investigation, according to a letter he sent in response to a July 8 demand from several Democratic lawmakers for the state agency to open its own probe.

DPS didn’t immediately respond to The Texas Tribune’s question about the Houston leaders’ request.

Diaz also met with the FBI on Tuesday regarding the case, according to his letter and a social media post by the federal agency. Other attendees, the FBI’s post said, included federal prosecutors in the Southern District of Texas, the Texas Rangers and Harris County District Attorney’s Office, which is also running its own investigation into the shooting.

At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, Whitmire addressed media reports that ICE will suspend most vehicle stops in the wake of deadly shootings of immigrants in Houston and Maine, calling the directive too late.

“It’s a shame that it has to come after a loss of life,” Whitmire said. “But the community is making a difference, and we will continue.”

City Council Member Edward Pollard said he wants more clarity on the city’s next steps.

“An independent investigation, that’s very vague — I think it needs to be extremely direct,” he said. “I think it needs to be coming from the city. We have one of the largest police departments in the nation with resources and abundance, and I know that they’re fully capable and qualified to do a task to bring forth clarity, answers, insight.”

Tuesday’s emotional meeting came a few months after the City Council debated how extensively police should cooperate with federal immigration agents, including ICE.

The council in April approved an ordinance limiting police interaction with ICE agents, prompting an investigation by Attorney General Ken Paxton, who accused the city of breaking a state law banning “sanctuary city” policies. Gov. Greg Abbott also stepped in by threatening to withdraw $110 million in public safety grants and blocking Houston from future funding if the ordinance remained in force.

About a week later, the ordinance that passed on a 12-5 vote was heavily amended with the support of 13 council members. Much of the ordinance’s initial language was stripped, including a section that said administrative warrants issued by ICE — versus warrants signed by a judge — were not enough for police officers to arrest or detain an individual.

Another hurdle facing the Houston City Council is House Bill 2127, dubbed the “Death Star” bill by opponents that prevents cities and counties from creating local ordinances that overstep state laws as a way to dilute progressive policies.

Cities including Houston sued the state to block the 2013 law. A Travis County judge ruled in August 2023 that the law was unconstitutional, but the 3rd Court of Appeals overturned that decision.

City Council Member Carolyn Evans-Shabazz told the audience they have another tool to hold leaders accountable: voting.

“Everybody here is appalled, but it’s not much we can do if we don’t have you doing more than coming and talking and protesting,” she said. “We need you at the polls.”

Tears stream down Jeana Magallon’s cheeks as she speaks during a Houston City Council meeting on Tuesday. Jon Shapley for The Texas Tribune

Jeana Magallon, a Houston Independent School District teacher, told the City Council about breaking up a fight between two students and telling them about the “importance of talking out our issues” and “getting a trusted adult involved in their problems.”

The response stunned her: “My fifth-grade student looked me in the eyes and said, ‘That’s not real life, miss. ICE wouldn’t do that to me. Police don’t do that. They fight, they hurt us.’”

“What could I say to him?” Magallon said through tears. “We are teaching our children to expect violence towards them. So please, for my students, for our children, justice for Lorenzo Salgado Araujo — this is on all of you.”

Kendrick Sampson, a Houston resident and actor, asked the City Council, “Why aren’t y’all protecting us? Where do y’all draw the line?”

“It should only take one, it should be not one more, not one more murder,” he said. “If you’re not going to protect us, we should not protect y’all. We shouldn’t protect y’all seats.”

Maria Cervantes, a 57-year-old Houston resident, said: “ICE hunts us worse than animals because when we call animal control, do they just shoot the animal? No, they pick them up right alive.”

“I don’t even consider ICE law enforcement,” she continued. “They’re just like hunting dogs that are killing us left and right.”

Crews arriving on the scene near Alcatraz Island found a three-deck pontoon vessel almost fully under water with the motor still running and leaking fuel, San Francisco Fire Chief Dean Crispen said.

By Tuesday evening, authorities were searching for the missing in open ocean on the western side of the Golden Gate Bridge. The search, which involved divers, helicopters and vessels, was expected to continue all night, officials said.

Authorities updated the initial number of missing people from two to three after hearing from witnesses.

“Right now we are in full rescue mode,” Crispen said, adding that three people who suffered injuries falling from the boat were taken to a hospital and expected to be released Tuesday night.

Alcatraz Island, once a federal prison infamously inescapable due to the strong ocean currents and cold Pacific waters that surround it, is now a tourist destination. It is located in San Francisco Bay about a mile (about 1.6 kilometers) north of the city's shoreline, in an often windy area that attracts sailboats and other recreational vessels.

Videos of the scene showed boats deployed to rescue people who had been on the vessel, which was largely submerged with objects floating nearby.

The boating mishap was initially reported as a fire, “but we now don’t have any evidence of that,” Crispen said.

The person who died was alive when plucked from the frigid waters by rescue crews but later died. A dog onboard also died.

All those rescued were taken to Gashouse Cove Marina, a small craft harbor in San Francisco.

Aaron Anfinson, captain of the Bass-Tub, told the San Francisco Chronicle his boat was carrying guests toward the Golden Gate Bridge in “pretty windy, a little choppy” waters when a man on a smaller vessel flagged them down and pointed to a pontoon boat in the middle of the bay that appeared to be on fire.

By the time the Bass-Tub reached it, the flames were out, but the pontoon was sinking. Some people were already in the water while others remained aboard, Anfinson said, adding that they tried to hand out life jackets to the passengers.

One woman's head was injured.

“We figured we would get her first,” Anfinson said. A deckhand lowered a swim ladder and threw a life ring into the water to help pull her aboard.

“It was scary,” Anfinson said. “I don’t want to see anybody in that situation.”

Fire Lt. Mariano Elias said the vessel, described as a “pontoon pleasure boat,” was about 600 yards (about 550 meters) from Alcatraz and the emergency call came in just after 3:30 p.m.

Crispen said the vessel was believed to have launched near the St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco. A person who answered the phone there said the club did not have any information on what happened.

Live video from the scene showed a man and a woman wrapped in blankets and sitting on a curb before walking to a nearby ambulance. A yellow tarp covered a body on the dock.

The Coast Guard and Oakland police also helped in the rescue, Elias said.

___

Associated Press writers Sophie Austin in Sacramento, California, Claire Rush in Portland, Oregon, and Hallie Golden in Seattle, and photographer Noah Berger in San Francisco contributed to this story.

“I thought before the game about starting with a changeup and I thought it would be funny," he said.

He didn't. And the hitters were not laughing.

Cease struck out the side in the first inning, combining with 10 relievers on a three-hitter that led the American League over the National League 4-0 in Tuesday night's All-Star Game.

Cease fanned Kyle Schwarber, Juan Soto and CJ Abrams around a walk in the first inning, when he got six misses among 15 swings. He became just the seventh pitcher to strike out three in an All-Star opening inning after Carl Hubbell (1934), Warren Spahn (1949), Jim Palmer (1977), Dave Stieb (1983), Pedro Martinez (1999) and Brad Penny (2006) — four of them Hall of Famers.

After speaking with Justin Verlander, the senior AL All-Star, Cease gave up the idea of starting with a changeup and instead threw Schwarber a 96.9 mph four-seamer.

“Verlander talked me out of it," Cease said. “So we started with the heater and then I was glad we did.”

Pitchers struck out 27, a record for a nine-inning All-Star Game, 15 of them by AL hurlers.

“That’s the game now. Guys’ stuff is unbelievable,” said AL manager John Schneider, also Cease's skipper in Toronto. “I think the bullpen guys kind fed off of it. They were all excited coming off the mound. It speaks volumes to how good the pitching is, for sure.”

All-Star MVP Cody Bellinger hit a two-run single and Ben Rice followed with an RBI single in the first against Cristopher Sánchez of the host Philadelphia Phillies.

Miguel Vargas of the Chicago White Sox added an eighth-inning home run off the Los Angeles Dodgers' Justin Wrobleski, who was pitching on his 26th birthday, for the game's only extra-base hit. The AL won for the 18th time in 23 games and holds a 49-45-2 advantage overall.

“The pitching was just dominant today,” Bellinger said.

Singles by Soto in the fourth, Pete Crow-Armstrong in the eighth and Otto Lopez in the ninth were the only hits by the NL, which failed to advance a runner past first.

Parker Messick, Michael Wacha, Joe Ryan, Nick Martinez, Cade Smith, Drew Rasmussen, Jacob Latz, Louis Varland, Aroldis Chapman and Bryan Baker finished the 10th All-Star shutout and first since the AL’s 2-0 win in 2013 at New York’s Citi Field.

Some starting star power was missing, with Jacob Misoriowski, Paul Skenes and Shohei Ohtani all unavailable. Just six pitches reached 100 mph, the fewest in an All-Star Game since 2021.

Bellinger and Rice both singled on up sinkers from Sánchez, who struggled through a 34-pitch inning that included three hits and two walks.

“It just took me a little time to soak it all in and enjoy it,” Sánchez said through a translator.

Documenting the day

Managers and starters entered through replica Liberty Bells in front of each dugout, walked to home plate and used a feathered quill to sign an oversized lineup card, as if they were Founding Fathers affixing names to the Declaration of Independence. MLB donated the card to the Hall of Fame.

Dirt around the plate was surrounded by 13 stars, one for each of the Colonies.

After the fourth inning, a video was played of kids bicycling to a sandlot game with a narration by Oscar-winning actor J.K. Simmons. As footage was played of Ray Charles singing “America the Beautiful” at Game 2 of the 2001 World Series, the kids biked onto the field and started interacting with the All-Stars as fireworks went off above the ballpark.

“We were all one of those kids," NL manager Dave Roberts of the Dodgers said. "Some of these kids might never get a chance to be on a major league field. So for them to have that opportunity to be — have a conversation with an All-Star is something that they might never get that chance again, right?

Bellinger thought back to his youth.

“We’re all little kids at heart playing this game even though it’s a challenging game," he said. “We’re all still those little kids with big dreams.”

Early exit

Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero was hit on the outside of his left hand by a 97.6 mph sinker from St. Louis closer Riley O’Brien in the third inning and immediately left the game. The 23-year-old, fourth in the major leagues with 28 home runs, stayed down for a few moments before he popped up and ran straight into the clubhouse. X-rays were negative.

Been a while

Mike Trout, a 12-time All-Star who hadn’t played in the game since 2019 because of injuries, went 0 for 3 with a strikeout.

___

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

The House passed a bill Tuesday that would make daylight saving time permanent. Proponents, including the White House, argued the change would provide more daylight during the times that Americans are most active. The vote was 308-117.

Daylight saving time is that period between spring and fall when clocks in most parts of the United States are set one hour ahead of standard time. States could opt out if their respective legislatures act to do so before the bill's enactment. The Senate would also have to pass the bill before it could be signed into law, but it’s unclear if it will do so.

Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Fla., said Americans are ready to “ditch the switch," saying that changing the clock twice a year creates unnecessary disruption. More important, he said, it would give families more daylight time in the evening to spend outdoors and support local businesses.

“In my home state of Florida where tourism is a cornerstone of our economy, having more predictable daylight hours is a practical improvement that benefits workers, businesses and visitors alike,” Bilirakis said.

Detractors said permanent daylight saving time would lead to darker and potentially more hazardous winter mornings where children will be waiting for school buses and parents will be driving to work in darkness.

“Millions of Americans will wake up during the winter months in complete darkness with the sun not rising until long after people get up and travel to school or work or have to go about their days,” said Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, D-Pa.

Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass, said he supported the bill, but he questioned whether it was the best way for Congress to be spending its time.

“For folks getting crushed by rent, groceries, utility bills and healthcare costs, is this really the best the majority can do?” McGovern said. “Is this really the most pressing issue before the American people at this moment?”

A 2025 poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that if forced to choose, most Americans would prefer to keep that extra hour of daylight in the evening.

If they had to choose one option for the entire country to use, more than half of adults — 56% — prefer making daylight saving time permanent, with less light in the morning and more light in the evening. About 4 in 10 prefer standard time, with more light in the morning and less in the evening.

The White House weighed in before the House vote, calling the “Sunshine Protection Act” a popular, common-sense reform and saying advisers would recommend the president sign the bill if it reaches his desk.

Members of Congress have long been interested in the potential benefits and costs of daylight saving time since it was first adopted as a wartime measure in 1942. The Senate passed a bill four years ago to make daylight saving time permanent, but it stalled in the House.

A 28-year-old man arrested on suspicion of murder and terror crimes remains in custody on an extended detention warrant under the Terrorism Act that allows police to question him for up to another week.

“It is clear that this was a targeted attack,” Laurence Taylor, head of National Counter Terrorism Policing told reporters. “We are still working to understand the extent of any planning or preparation, and the motivation that sits behind that attack.”

The death of Widdecombe, 78, a former member of Parliament, shocked the British political establishment, where she was long known for blunt-spoken socially conservative views opposing abortion and the expansion of LGBTQ+ rights.

Counterterror police took over the investigation Monday after new evidence was discovered. Devon and Cornwall Police have been criticized for originally saying the killing was not believed to be a terror-related crime and there was nothing to suggest it was politically motivated.

Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Commissioner Alison Hernandez defended her agency Tuesday, saying new information often changes the nature of a fast-paced investigation.

Police believe Widdecombe was attacked on Wednesday just past noon. She failed to show up for a scheduled TV interview about an hour later and was found dead the next day in her isolated rural home in a village in southwest England.

Police did not disclose a cause of death, saying only that she had sustained “serious injuries.” Taylor called it a “brutal attack on a 78-year-old lady in her own home.”

The suspect was arrested Saturday in South Yorkshire county in northern England, more than 200 miles (320 kilometers) from the village of Haytor on the edge of Dartmoor National Park, where Widdecombe died.

Police have conducted extensive searches at his home and Taylor said they found evidence of planning, but he declined to provide details.

The man was arrested Saturday on suspicion of murder, but additional evidence found while he was in custody led police to rearrest him on suspicion of commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.

The suspect has not been named because he has not been charged.

Widdecombe was in the House of Commons from 1987 to 2010, serving in roles including prisons minister in Prime Minister John Major’s 1990s Conservative government.

She found fame after leaving Parliament as a contestant on the reality television shows “Strictly Come Dancing” and “Celebrity Big Brother.”

She later joined the Brexit Party, briefly serving as a member of the European Parliament before Britain left the European Union in 2020. Most recently, she joined the anti-immigration Reform UK party, often appearing in the media as a spokesperson.

The killing renewed concerns for politicians about security, which was tightened in the past decade after the murders of two serving members of Parliament. Labour lawmaker Jo Cox was shot and stabbed in 2016 by a far-right extremist, and Conservative David Amess was stabbed in 2021 by an attacker inspired by the Islamic State group.

At approximately 8:34 a.m., a man reported his white truck stolen, a BCSO spokesperson said Monday. The man had a GPS monitor in his vehicle, which led authorities to its whereabouts in the 17100 block of Benton City Road.

Deputies were dispatched to the Benton City Road location in south Bexar County where they found 21-year-old Reymundo Fabian Carbajal inside the stolen white truck, the sheriff’s office said. He was later arrested and faces two charges, including unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and theft of property $30,000 < $150,000.

BCSO said six others were detained at the property. Some of the detainees had active warrants, including Xavier Andres Servin, 29, and Raul Alaquinez, 45.

Servin faces four charges stemming from his arrest in Von Ormy.

• Possession of a Controlled Substance PG1 1g < 4g (Bexar County Sheriff’s Office)
• Theft of Property $2,500 < $30,000 (Bexar County Sheriff’s Office)
• Unlawful Carrying of a Weapon by a Felon (Bexar County Sheriff’s Office)
• Failure to Identify as a Fugitive (Bexar County Sheriff’s Office)

Servin previously had eight active warrants out of four separate counties.

• Engaging in organized criminal activity (Bexar County Sheriff’s Office)
• Smuggling aliens (Edwards County Sheriff’s Office)
• Burglary (Kendall County Sheriff’s Office)
• Criminal mischief worth between $2,500 and $30,000 (Kendall County Sheriff’s Office)
• Theft of a firearm (Kendall County Sheriff’s Office)
• Burglary (Atascosa County Sheriff’s Office)
• Criminal mischief worth between $2,500 and $30,000 (Atascosa County Sheriff’s Office)
• Theft of property worth between $2,500 and $30,000 (Atascosa County Sheriff’s Office)

Alaquinez had an active warrant for theft between $2,500 and $30,000 in Frio County.

During BCSO’s search on the property, deputies found a second stolen vehicle.

The sheriff’s office said deputies are continuing to investigate the area, which may result in more arrests.

Read also:

• Records: Case against ex-SAPD officer James Brennand dismissed following new Erik Cantu accusation
• Person dies in ‘severe flash flood’ on Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland

“The protection of Texans is my top priority,” Abbott said in a news release. “As severe storms and the threat of dangerous flash flooding continue across the state, this disaster declaration ensures we can rapidly deploy state resources to support local communities. Texas is positioned to respond quickly and effectively.”

The disaster declaration covers 59 counties, stretching from the Gulf Coast to Central Texas region.

>> Click here for the latest forecast

According to KSAT’s Weather Authority team, parts of Bexar County saw up to 3.5 inches of rain on Tuesday.

Abbott activated 24-hour operations at the state emergency operations center and is urging Texans to stay off flooded roads, monitor local weather forecasts and have emergency supplies ready.

More counties may be added to the declaration “as conditions warrant,” according to the release.

Read also:

• LIVE COVERAGE: KSAT tracks storms in San Antonio, Hill Country, surrounding areas
• KSAT Connect: Viewers share photos of lightning, flooding in San Antonio area

Drivers spent much of the day navigating standing water, flowing creeks and flooded roadways, forcing many to adjust their travel plans.

Some even said they had to turn around after encountering impassable roads.

The rain also filled yards, pastures and ranch land. While many property owners welcomed the moisture, they said the amount of rainfall in such a short period was surprising and has prompted them to closely monitor low-lying areas prone to flooding.

>> Click here for the latest forecast

“My husband was waving his arms out the window, trying to get the cars to stop,” one resident said. “All it takes is one swoop and you’re going down.”

Local officials say they are prepared to respond if conditions worsen. Mayor Erik Gomez emphasized that communication remains essential during periods of heavy rainfall, urging residents to stay informed and avoid flooded roads, especially when familiar routes may no longer be safe.

More storm coverage on KSAT:

• WATCH: Good Samaritan rescues man swept into flooded creek in Sabinal
• Gov. Abbott issues disaster declaration for Bexar County as severe storms move through Texas
• KSAT Connect: Viewers share photos of lightning, flooding in San Antonio area

Days of retaliatory strikes across the Middle East by Iran — and both nations' attempts to vie for control of the waterway through which a fifth of the world's oil and natural gas passes during peacetime — threaten to push the region back to all-out war.

The U.S. first imposed the blockade in mid-April and then lifted it in mid-June, a day after signing the interim deal that set a 60-day period for negotiations over issues like Iran’s nuclear program, but talks have stalled as fighting over the strait has intensified.

Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard threatened Wednesday to halt all energy exports from the Middle East over the blockade.

“The export of oil and gas from the region will be either for everyone or for no one,” it said.

When U.S. President Donald Trump announced the return of the blockade Monday, he also said he would impose a 20% fee on ships passing through the strait. But he dropped the plan to collect fees hours before resuming the blockade, citing requests from allies in the Persian Gulf.

Both US and Iran launched attacks as blockade reimposed

The U.S. carried out another wave of strikes as it reimposed the blockade, striking dozens of targets over seven hours, the U.S. military's Central Command said Wednesday.

Missile alert warnings went out in Bahrain and Kuwait early Wednesday morning as they faced incoming Iranian fire, something that's been a daily occurrence, further straining a ceasefire in the war.

U.S. Navy Adm. Brad Cooper, who leads Central Command, said in a statement that Iran had launched dozens of missiles and drones at neighboring Gulf Arab countries.

“U.S. forces are holding Iran accountable for unwarranted aggression that continues to endanger innocent lives,” Cooper said.

There are at least 19 U.S. warships in the Arabian Sea, including two aircraft carriers and an amphibious assault ship with more than 1,000 Marines aboard. Central Command also said in a social media post that there are “hundreds of military aircraft operating across the Middle East."

When the U.S. and Israel launched the war on Iran on Feb. 28, Tehran effectively shut the passage by attacking and threatening ships. That sent the price of oil, fertilizer and other goods soaring.

Iran has more recently attacked ships moving through the strait on a route near Oman overseen by the U.S. military that is outside Tehran’s control, setting off the recent violence. The U.S. has threatened to reopen the strait by force — but experts say that would require a much bigger armada if not tens of thousands of ground troops.

Iran's ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, criticized America's ongoing attacks targeting his country.

“The U.S. is the aggressor, not the victim,” he wrote to the world body's leader, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.

Trump says he’s replacing the fees with Gulf investments

Trump said Tuesday that he was called by the region's “kings and emirs,” who suggested an alternate arrangement to charging ships fees to pass through the strait like the president proposed a day earlier.

“They said we’d love to do it a different way. We’d love to invest in the United States with billions and billions of dollars,” Trump told reporters Tuesday in the Oval Office.

Trump said he preferred that arrangement to charging tolls “because I don’t think anybody should be able to charge a fee for the strait.”

It was unclear if the investment deals would be new commitments relative to what Trump announced after a visit last year to the Middle East.

Trump’s plan to charge fees would have been a change to longstanding American policy and a departure from U.S. promises that the strait would remain open to all without tolls.

Trump told Fox News Channel on Tuesday night that more U.S. strikes against Iran were coming over the next two days and that bridges and power plants could be targets by next week unless negotiations resume. Already, the U.S. has struck at least one bridge.

“You better make a deal, or you’re not going to have anything left,” Trump warned.

Strikes and counterstrikes resume across the Mideast

U.S. Central Command said it struck several areas in Iran earlier Tuesday; Tehran acknowledged the strikes but provided no overall casualty or damage assessments.

Hours after the U.S. said it ended its strikes, the Iranian city of Bushehr on the Persian Gulf was hit in at least four locations, the IRNA news agency reported. Explosions in the southwestern city of Ahvaz and the southern port city of Bandar Abbas also were reported by Iranian state media Tuesday night.

The attacks again raised the possibility that Gulf Arab states were retaliating against Iran without discussing it in public.

Kuwait separately said an Iranian attack wounded four members of its navy Tuesday and set a building on fire.

The interim peace deal is in peril

Under the interim deal, Iran agreed that passage through the strait would remain free of charge for 60 days — but the agreement left open what would happen after. Iran asserts it has the right to manage traffic and potentially charge fees. The U.S. has disputed that.

The price for a barrel of Brent crude oil, the international standard, briefly topped $87 early Tuesday, still well below the nearly $120 reached at the height of the war. The price dipped to $78 in the aftermath of Trump’s announcement that he had changed course.

Regional mediators meanwhile are still trying to get the United States and Iran back to the negotiating table, according to two regional officials.

The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the delicate diplomatic process, said Pakistan-led mediation was working around the clock to reactivate the ceasefire.

___

Toropin and Binkley reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Samy Magdy in Cairo; Will Weissert and Ben Finley in Washington; and Christopher Weber in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

The vigil came one day after the Texas Department of Public Safety discontinued the AMBER Alert issued for Cisneros. Despite the alert being canceled, authorities said the investigation remains active and the San Antonio Police Department is leading the case.

Family friends, neighbors and people who had never met the Cisneros family stood side by side, holding candles, praying and offering words of encouragement for those closest to the child.

Among them was Rosenda Menchaca, a longtime family friend of Ozana’s grandmother, Petra Rodriguez.

“It really has affected me,” Menchaca said. “There’s all these unanswered questions. I’m just really hoping that the baby is safe wherever she’s at. She’s just a little baby.”

Menchaca said she has known the family for years and met Cisneros when she was only three days old.

“My heart just sunk into her,” she added. “I fell in love with her when I held her.”

As the vigil took place, Menchaca said her thoughts remained with the infant and her mother, 19-year-old Maximina Cisneros.

“I just hope that wherever she’s at, she’s not out in this rain and this heat,” Menchaca said.

She said attending the vigil was her way of showing support to the fullest degree.

“I’m a family friend for many years, and I just really wanted to be here,” Menchaca said. “The community wants to pray for a good outcome.”

Throughout the evening, many attendees echoed similar sentiments, hoping for answers while also encouraging anyone with information to come forward.

“If you see something, just say something and call 911,” Menchaca said. “There needs to be justice, whatever the outcome might be.”

The community gathering comes after several developments in the investigation over the past week.

An AMBER Alert was issued on July 10 after San Antonio police said the infant had last been seen at the 600 block of Roosevelt Avenue.

Authorities identified Maximina Cisneros as a person connected to the investigation. On Friday, she was found at a home on Parkview Drive, just streets away from a location where officers found skeletal remains in a park bush.

Maximina Cisneros was taken to a hospital with unspecified injuries.

Investigators did not confirm whether the remains found at Concepción Park were connected to the case.

In a statement to KSAT on Tuesday evening, SAPD said Ozana Cisneros “remains actively missing.”

“The alert has not produced any leads, and the department continues to investigate,” SAPD said.

For Menchaca, the decision to discontinue the alert only added to her concerns.

“I was more in shock,” she said. “Why is it discontinued? Everybody should still be looking. This baby needs to be found. There needs to be a lot of answers.”

She said the uncertainty has been difficult not only for those closest to the family, but those concerned in the San Antonio community.

“It’s overwhelming,” Menchaca said. “Not just for myself, but my children and everyone.”

As candles flickered Tuesday night, those gathered shared a common message: They hope Ozana Cisneros is found, they hope investigators uncover the truth and they want her family to know they are not facing the situation alone.

More coverage of this story on KSAT:

• AMBER Alert for 7-month-old Ozana Cisneros discontinued; SAPD says infant ‘remains actively missing’

But driving through them could end up being an expensive decision.

Customers at Cambridge Auto Center consistently come in with an issue to the vehicle after driving over large puddles of water, Jake Calohan, assistant manager of the auto shop, said.

A constant issue is the skid plate located underneath the vehicle coming loose and scraping the road while the vehicle is moving, Calohan said.

“Skid plates are just basically big pieces of plastic that go under the whole car to protect against water from going up over into the engine,” Calohan said.

When going through big pools of water, the weight of the water can cause the plate to become loose and potentially drag down.

“You’ve submerged that thing to the point of where the body panels are starting to get into the water,” Calohan said. “Your door lines get under the water, that’s when water starts coming in and starts killing all the computers or worst case scenario gets in your engine and kills it.”

Some people can end up paying thousands of dollars in repairs, according to Calohan.

Calohan pointed to a vehicle currently in for repairs and said, “it’s here for a whole engine replacement because they drove through a big puddle and water went up over the top of their engine, got inside of it, and just ruined the engine.”

Drivers are recommended not to force a vehicle to drive forward if it starts acting like it wants to shut off after going through a pool of water.

Calohan said you could make any damage that just happened even worse.

Read also:

• WATCH: Good Samaritan rescues man swept into flooded creek in Sabinal
• KSAT Connect: Viewers share photos of lightning, flooding in San Antonio area

Despite the alert being discontinued, San Antonio Police Department acting Police Chief Jesse Salame told KSAT “Ozana Cisneros remains actively missing.”

“The alert has not produced any leads, and SAPD continues to investigate,” Salame said Monday night.

In a statement, DPS said the agency “continues the activation of an amber alert until the requesting agency asks that it be discontinued.”

According to the initial alert, which was issued Thursday, the infant was last seen at 6 p.m. June 10 in the 300 block of Roosevelt Avenue.

DPS said Ozana Cisneros was last seen with Maximina Cisneros, 19, who was wanted in connection with the alert. SAPD confirmed Maximina Cisneros, who is the infant’s mother, was found Friday near the 200 block of Parkview Drive.

She was taken to a local hospital with unspecified injures, police said.

Around 9 p.m. Friday, SAPD found skeletal remains in a nearby South Side park during their search for Ozana Cisneros. SAPD said at the time it’s unclear if the remains found are human and if it’s connected to the AMBER Alert.

On Monday, Texas Search and Rescue confirmed to KSAT they joined the investigation.

The award comes a year after he helped evacuate campers from the catastrophic Hill Country floods that cut off roads and capsized rescue boats near Camp Mystic.

Ruskan, a petty officer stationed in Corpus Christi, said he still remembers the early-morning call that sent his crew toward the flooding with only limited information.

Watch KSAT’s full interview with Ruskan below:

“There’s a couple of hundred people trapped. And it’s near San Antonio, and we’re gonna go help them out,” Ruskan said. “That was pretty much all we had for briefing.”

When the crew arrived, Ruskan said they faced dangerous weather while flying through valleys and over flood debris.

“You would see trees where you shouldn’t see trees. There were cars where there shouldn’t be cars,” he said.

Ruskan said he was the first rescuer on the ground at Camp Mystic and took a moment to steady himself before beginning evacuations.

“I think I probably took like three seconds just to breathe,” he said.

Over the next four hours, Ruskan and his crew helped evacuate around 180 campers and counselors, he said.

Ruskan said he was credited with assisting 165 people into a U.S. Army aircraft, while other members of the Coast Guard crew assisted in evacuating an additional 15 people.

“Between the four of us, we got 180 people out of there to safety,” Ruskan said. “I couldn’t have gotten in there and done any rescuing if we didn’t get there safely.”

Ruskan said the campers were coping with fear and uncertainty as evacuations continued.

“They’re missing friends. They’re missing loved ones,” he said. “So just kind of being able to talk through them, be like, ‘Hey, I just need you to keep it together for a few more moments.”

Months later, Ruskan said he reunited with the family of one of the girls he rescued, Milly Cate McClymond, when he was honored at the State of the Union.

“They were super thankful,” Ruskan said. “And I was, you know, just trying to hold back tears and let them know I was OK.”

Ruskan said he learned of the ESPY award in a call in which he was asked if he knew about Tillman, the former NFL player who left professional football to join the Army after the Sept. 11 attacks. Tillman was later was killed in Afghanistan in 2004.

Ruskan said Tillman’s legacy resonated personally because a relative was a New York City firefighter who responded on Sept. 11.

“The past winners of the Tillman Award have just been like awesome Americans,” Ruskan said. “They’ve done great things; they’ve saved lives.”

Ruskan told KSAT that he left a previous career in accounting to join the Coast Guard and felt it was a calling.

“My parents definitely had a little hard time at first being like, ‘You’re going to really leave your accounting job, and you’re gonna go join the Coast Guard?’ I said, ‘Mom, it is what I want to do. It’s exactly where I want to be.”

Ruskan said the recognition has not changed the day-to-day nature of his work and that the memory of the flooding remains with him. He also emphasized the bravery of the children and credited the entire crew.

“That’s going to be in the back of my head for the rest of my life,” he said. “And to all the kids we were able to pick up, thanks for being tough, thanks for being brave.”

Read also:

• US Coast Guard rescue swimmer during Hill Country flooding to receive Pat Tillman Award at ESPYs

The man who was killed in Biddeford was identified as a 25-year-old native of Colombia. The Colombian Embassy said it was in contact with U.S. authorities about the Colombian national's death and “is providing the necessary consular assistance to his family.”

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which includes ICE, said in a post on X that agents were surveilling an address for a person with a final order of removal from the country. When ICE tried to stop a vehicle driven by someone coming from that address, the "vehicle attempted to flee the scene and, fearing for public safety, an officer discharged his weapon,” the department said.

Prior to the brief ICE statement on the incident, Maine U.S. Sen. Angus King said Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told him the officer opened fire after the man tried to use his vehicle as a weapon against ICE agents in Biddeford, a coastal city roughly 15 miles (24 kilometers) southwest of Portland. The agents involved didn’t have body cameras, he said.

When asked about the contrasting statements, King told CNN that that's what the investigation is all about.

“Did this young man actually try to run over an ICE agent or was he in danger of running over other people in the street?" he said. “Was there a reasonable expectation of bodily harm or deadly force to justify this shooting?”

DHS did not immediately respond to an email seeking clarity on what led to the shooting.

King, an independent, said Mullin also told him the officers were in Biddeford to serve an arrest warrant but that it was not for the person who was shot. King said Mullin told him that earlier information that the man was the target of an enforcement action was incorrect.

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, said Mullin told her the Homeland Security Department’s Office of Inspector General is investigating in cooperation with the FBI.

Messages seeking comment were left for the inspector general’s office and the Maine Department of Public Safety.

The Maine attorney general’s office, which is also investigating, said initial statements suggest the motorist was trying to flee in the direction of the agent. The office said the agent who killed him has been placed on leave.

Witness says he heard driver say, ‘I tried to stop’

Daniel Boucher said he looked out his third-floor window after hearing a “pop, pop, pop” sound and saw a small car “turned 90 degrees to the curb” with an SUV behind it. The driver was wounded and the car started moving down the street until the SUV hit it, Boucher said.

“His face was bloody. His head was bloody,” Boucher said, getting choked up. “I clearly heard the victim say, ‘I tried to stop.'"

Boucher said he saw an ICE officer bring a medical bag to where the man was lying before an ambulance and fire truck arrived. At one point, Boucher said, the agent who shot the man walked close to him.

“I was emotional and I just let him have it, and he looked at me and said, ‘He tried to run me over,’ or something to that effect," Boucher said. "I don’t remember his exact words.”

Video from a security camera at a nearby business, obtained by the AP, shows a white vehicle approaching an intersection at a modest speed before making several slow circles. A law enforcement SUV blocked its path and two officers open the driver’s door and dragged out a limp body.

It was not clear from the video at what point shots were fired.

The man was authorized to work in the US, advocates say

Two advocacy groups — the Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition and Presente! — said the man who was killed was authorized to work in the U.S.

After the shooting, his family contacted the Immigrants’ Rights Coalition, but they weren't ready to speak publicly about the shooting, said the group's executive director, Mufalo Chitam.

Mary Hayes, who lives close to where the shooting happened, said the man lived nearby with his wife and daughter.

“I watched a wife fall to her knees looking at her husband’s dead body on the ground,” Hayes told the AP as she held a piece of cardboard with “No ICE Stop ICE” written on it. “I watched a little girl crying with a little pink backpack on because she’s never going to see her father again.”

Sadie Dilboy said the man killed in the shooting regularly came to her laundromat and would bring his daughter, who he'd give quarters to buy candy from the vending machine.

“He was such a good person,” she said. “He was always cleaning up.”

Anti-ICE protesters gather near the scene

Several hundred demonstrators gathered in Biddeford on Monday night to wave anti-ICE signs and call for the agency to be abolished.

“We will always be a city of immigrants,” said Maine Speaker of the House Ryan Fecteau, a Democrat from Biddeford.

A handful of pro-ICE and pro-Trump protesters demonstrated across the street.

Some demonstrators had gathered in the city within hours of the shooting. Amy Goodman arrived with a sign that said “Stop Killing Us” and directed it toward police working at the scene.

“Sadly, it’s something we’re seeing a whole lot more often lately, and I’m mad about it,” she said.

A recent uptick in Trump's immigration crackdown

On July 7, an ICE officer fatally shot 52-year-old Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, of Houston, after federal agents driving unmarked vehicles pursued him while he was taking his construction crew to a job site.

The shootings come amid a Trump administration push to carry out its mass deportations agenda. During the five-day period at the end of June, ICE arrested more than 10,000 people.

The figures indicate that while the administration is no longer cracking down on individual cities, the arrests are surging. The administration’s enforcement efforts were widely condemned last winter after the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minnesota.

Hundreds of Maine ICE arrests since Trump’s return

ICE had a significant presence in Maine earlier this year, which prompted several protests. Immigration officials later said in late January that they had ceased “enhanced operations” in Maine after hundreds of arrests.

A Homeland Security spokesperson said at the time that some Maine arrests were of people “convicted of horrific crimes" including aggravated assault and endangering the welfare of a child.

Court records show that while some had felony convictions, others had unresolved immigration proceedings or had been arrested but never convicted of a crime.

ICE arrested 546 people in Maine between the start of Trump’s second term and March 11, 2026, the most recent data available, according to ICE arrest data provided to the University of California, Berkeley Deportation Data Project and analyzed by the AP.

About 45% of arrested people had criminal backgrounds. During the equivalent 416-day period before Trump took office, roughly 69% of those arrested had criminal backgrounds, the data shows. ___ This story was first published on July 13, 2026. It was updated on July 14, 2026, to correct the age of Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero. He was 25, not 26 as the Colombian Embassy previously stated.

___

Willingham reported from Boston and Brook reported from New Orleans. Associated Press reporters Michael R. Sisak in New York, Aaron Kessler in Washington, Kate Brumback in Atlanta and Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed to this report.

Under an agreement with the city, the Bonham Exchange has until Aug. 1 to have a completely installed, inspected and approved fire sprinkler system on at least its first floor. Without that, its certificate of occupancy will expire, effectively shutting down the club.

Javier Guerra, an attorney for the Bonham Exchange, said it would not be able to make that deadline. However, he said, the club has just secured a loan that will cover the entire sprinkler system and is poised to sign a contract for the work.

It will take an estimated five months to do the work on the entire building, he said.

“We would ask the city to give us additional time as we are moving forward in good faith,” Guerra said in a texted statement. “Unfortunately some time was lost early on as we hoped money would be furnished from other sources, but we now have the money necessary to make the installation required.”

The city declined to comment when KSAT asked Tuesday if such an extension might be possible.

Guerra confirmed the “other sources” in his statement had been a reference to Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones, who had publicly promised to help raise the money more than five months ago, telling reporters on the day the agreement was signed that she was “on the hook for helping to raise money.”

“I’m going to do what I need to do and work hard, and I hope others will chip in as well so we can save this institution,” Jones said at the time.

Asked what she was committing to specifically when she said “helping to raise money,” Jones told reporters, “The way in which you fundraise. You call and say, ‘Hey, can I count on you for X amount of money,’ right?”

However, Guerra and the club’s general manager, Joan Duckworth, said that never ended up happening.

Duckworth said there had been some early meetings with the mayor and Bryant Ambelang, CEO of Silver Ventures, the development company behind the Pearl. But she said their ideas weren’t focused on fundraising but rather changing the Bonham’s business model, such as dividing it into multiple parts to allow other bars to come in.

The ideas were non-starters for Duckworth, who is concerned about preserving both the 19th century building and Bonham Exchange’s history as an LGBTQ+ landmark.

“The only contact I’ve had is where she brought in totally new business ideas that would take away it from being the gay institution it’s been for 45 years,” Duckworth said in a Friday phone call.

Ambelang did not return multiple calls to his office.

Duckworth told KSAT she was still open to the mayor helping fundraise.

“I’m trying to hope that she is a person of her word,” she said.

The San Antonio Area Foundation confirmed the mayor’s office had inquired about opening a charitable fund for donations but ultimately did not set one up.

An apparently unrelated GoFundMe page named “Save The Bonham Exchange” had just over $5,000 in donations on Tuesday.

Why Jones backed off her promise isn’t clear. KSAT has been requesting an interview with the mayor on the subject for the past week, but her office has not made her available.

Compliance agreement

Duckworth said Jones’ fundraising promise was why she agreed to the club’s current sprinkler installation timeline with the city in the first place.

In December 2025, the Bonham Exchange was one of seven bars and clubs in the city that, according to the city, hadn’t retrofitted their buildings with automatic sprinklers or lowered their occupancy to below 300 people to comply with a 2018 fire code change.

Six of the seven ended up signing “compliance agreements” by Jan. 31, which required restricting occupancy to fewer than 300 people and having trained staff on site look for fire hazards until they fix the issue.

The Bonham Exchange held out at first. Duckworth was concerned it wouldn’t be able to raise enough money if it cut its occupancy levels.

Supportive council members pushed to let the bars and clubs operate at full capacity for another year. However, at the urging of the mayor, who was concerned about safety of the buildings, Duckworth ended up signing an agreement before the council could take up the issue at a Feb. 5 meeting.

Under the agreement, the Bonham Exchange must close its second floor and dramatically cut occupancy while sprinklers are installed.

The club can only allow up to 299 people inside until the first-floor sprinklers are finished; then it can allow up to 343. Once sprinklers on both floors are finished, the occupancy can return to 686 people.

The agreement only allows up to six months for each floor’s sprinkler installation.

While Duckworth signed the deal Feb. 5, city officials didn’t sign until the next day.

A confrontation in a side room during the council meeting between Jones and Councilwoman Sukh Kaur (D1) over the Bonham Exchange issue also led to Jones’ censure.

Previous coverage of this story on KSAT:

• San Antonio’s oldest gay bar faces closure over lack of sprinklers

The policy change came after an ICE officer shot and killed a Colombian driver Monday in Maine and a week after one shot and killed a motorist in Houston, renewing criticism of the agency’s enforcement tactics that were widely condemned last winter after the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minnesota.

In Florida on Tuesday, a third man in roughly a week died during an encounter with immigration officers. This time, a 28-year-old man was killed after he was hit by a tractor trailer while running from immigration and other federal officers, authorities said.

The suspension of vehicle stops allows room for exceptions when executing a criminal warrant or working with partner agencies, according to a person who spoke Tuesday on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive law enforcement operations. Matthew Felling, a spokesperson for Maine Sen. Angus King, said the senator’s office was also told by the Department of Homeland Security that ICE was suspending stops.

Hundreds of people in Maine protested Tuesday over the fatal shooting of Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, a 25-year-old Colombian national.

DHS said Monday that an officer, “fearing for public safety,” shot and killed Durán Guerrero while officers were watching the home of someone they believed was in the U.S. illegally and facing a final order of removal from the country. It said in a post on X that when ICE tried to stop a car driven by someone who came from the home, the person attempted to flee in the vehicle and the officer fired.

That was a shift from how King earlier described the encounter, when he said Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told him the officer opened fire after the man tried to use his vehicle as a weapon. King said Mullin told him the officers were trying to serve an arrest warrant, but not for the man who was shot.

DHS, which oversees ICE, didn’t respond to an email seeking clarity on what led to the shooting.

In a scathing post on X, outgoing Colombian President Gustavo Petro called the shooting a targeted killing “at the hands of the U.S. government.”

Petro, who has openly quarreled with U.S. President Donald Trump, urged Trump to provide an explanation and accused ICE officers of treating Durán Guerrero as “an inferior being without rights.”

The shooting also sparked outrage in Maine, where hundreds of protesters gathered Tuesday outside an ICE detention center in Scarborough, just up the coast between Biddeford and Portland.

“These people are killers and they must leave our state now,” organizer Todd Chretien told the crowd.

Maine’s congressional delegation on Tuesday demanded a “comprehensive, transparent, and expedited investigation.”

Questions surround the shooting

Durán Guerrero's shooting marked at least the ninth time ICE has used deadly force since Trump began his immigration crackdown.

Photos showed bullet holes in Durán Guerrero’s car windshield, but the officers involved in the shooting didn’t have body cameras, leaving many questions. Among them are how close the officer was to the vehicle when they fired, whether officers told Durán Guerrero to stop, and why ICE believes he had put the public in danger.

“We are always evaluating our procedures to keep our officers safe and criminals off our streets. We will not disclose or discuss law enforcement tactics,” an ICE spokesperson said in a statement.

Border Czar Tom Homan told reporters Tuesday that the investigation needs to play out.

“If officers acted inappropriately or illegally, they’ll be held accountable," he said.

Maine's attorney general’s office, which noted that it’s working with federal agencies to investigate, said initial statements suggest the driver was trying to flee in the direction of the officer, whose name hasn’t been released and who was placed on leave.

The state's other senator, Republican Susan Collins, said Mullin told her that DHS’ Office of Inspector General is investigating in cooperation with the FBI.

Democrats seeking to unseat Collins in November sought Tuesday to connect her with ICE's methods, which have drawn public scrutiny and derision. Collins later said in a statement that although ICE needs to improve, eliminating the agency would make the nation less safe.

Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, who is vying for Collins' seat, called the ICE officers at the shooting “thugs” during a vigil Tuesday evening in Lewiston.

“That agency is broken and we need to go back to a time where the rule of law united all of us regardless of the politics,” she told the crowd.

Video shows the shooting's aftermath

According to neighbors and public records, Guerrero lived in an apartment about 150 feet (46 meters) from where his car came to a rest outside an apartment building across the street from a pawnshop and laundromat.

Video from a nearby business' security camera obtained by the AP shows a white car slowly approaching an intersection before making several circles. A law enforcement SUV blocks its path and two officers open the driver’s door and drag out a limp body.

It isn't clear from the video when the shots were fired.

Daniel Boucher said he heard a “pop, pop, pop” and ran to the intersection.

“His face was bloody. His head was bloody,” Boucher said. “I clearly heard the victim say, ‘I tried to stop.’”

Boucher said the officer who shot Durán Guerrero walked close to him.

“He looked at me and said, ‘He tried to run me over,’ or something to that effect,” Boucher said. “I don’t remember his exact words.”

Durán Guerrero is survived by his wife and young daughter

Two advocacy groups — the Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition and Presente! — said Durán Guerrero was authorized to work in the U.S.

Neighbors say Durán Guerrero was a friendly and familiar face even though they rarely chatted because he didn’t appear to speak English.

Claudia Morton, who often waved to Durán Guerrero, was distraught.

“The whole world should be crying,” she said.

Dozens of Durán Guerrero's relatives and neighbors gathered in Bucaramanga, his hometown in northeastern Colombia, to remember him on Tuesday. They stood outside his parents’ home, holding candles around a table where a photograph of him rested beside a statue of the Virgin Mary.

___

This story has been corrected to show that the Colombian Embassy says Durán Guerrero was 25, not 26 as the embassy had previously stated.

___

Brook reported from New Orleans and Sisak from New York. Associated Press reporters Astrid Suarez in Bogota, Colombia, John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, and Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed.

The suspect, identified as Sergio Alejandro Morales-Villareal, is wanted for theft of property valued between $2,500 and $30,000, according to the sheriff’s office.

Morales-Villareal allegedly collected “large upfront payments” from multiple households for electrical work and made repeated excuses for delays before he eventually stopped responding to clients altogether, the sheriff’s office said.

A family lost around $6,000, BCSO said. One person lost $1,500, while another lost $1,100.

The sheriff’s office suggests the following tips before hiring any contractor:

• Verify licenses
• Avoid making large upfront payments
• Keep copies of all receipts and messages
• Watch for delays or sudden silence

Anyone who believes they were targeted in the scam is asked to contact the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office at 210-335-6000.

Read also:

• Erik Cantu arrested for seventh time on 3 counts, includes reinstatement of 2025 burglary charge
• Multiple people arrested after BCSO uncovers cockfighting ring during search for stolen firearms
• 7 people detained at suspected chop shop in Von Ormy, BCSO says

The battle of the two No. 10s could be pivotal to deciding Wednesday's match in Atlanta.

“We know how good Messi is,” England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford said of the Argentina great, whose enduring brilliance has been on show again even at the age of 39.

Messi and Bellingham have been inspirational in their teams' respective runs to the final four. And Wednesday's match may well be determined by which one has the biggest say on the day.

Messi is playing England for the first time in his storied career.

“He's scored so many goals and contributed to so many goals as well throughout his career, it's great to finally go up against him,” Pickford said.

Settling the GOAT debate

Messi is already considered by many to be the greatest soccer player of all time and he seems to be on a mission to settle the debate about where he stands in the history of the sport.

Already the all-time top scorer in the World Cup with 21 goals, he could surpass Argentina icon Diego Maradona by leading his country to back-to-back world titles.

His eight goals in the tournament so far have been pivotal to Argentina's run and his moments of magic have dragged his team through big scares against Cape Verde and Egypt.

“It’s just incredible his campaign, this tournament, how he carries that team it’s just, absolutely incredible,” England coach Thomas Tuchel said of Messi. “There are no words ... left for this kind of achievement, the responsibility and the quality that he shows again in this tournament.”

Argentina's World Cup triumph in 2022 saw Messi emulate Maradona by captaining his country to the title. Maradona lifted the trophy in 1986 and was runner-up with Argentina four years later when it lost to West Germany in the final.

“Trying to draw inspiration from what Diego did is difficult. Only Leo can do that,” said Argentina midfielder Alexis Mac Allister. “Diego is a national icon for us, and hopefully, we can achieve something similar to what that team did.”

Doubts about Bellingham

England has a talismanic No.10 of its own in the form of Bellingham, who is at the opposite end of his career to Messi.

At the age of 23, Real Madrid star Bellingham is already playing in his second World Cup and his fourth major tournament for England. He has six goals, including two each in the last two rounds against Mexico and Norway.

Not bad for a player who was dropped by Tuchel in the lead-up to the World Cup, prompting debate about whether he'd even be in England's starting XI.

There is no doubt anymore about a player who Tuchel described as "world-class” after two goals against Norway in the quarterfinals.

Bellingham and captain Harry Kane, who also has six goals, have spearheaded England's run to the semifinals.

Tuchel said the duo had delivered “like crazy” at the World Cup.

It is Bellingham, however, who has provided the biggest moments in the last two games.

“We all strongly believe it’s a team sport and no one is doing it alone, but of course we are also relying on the world-class moments of world-class players,” Tuchel said.

The key to victory

Both England and Argentina will need to find a way to limit the impact of each other's big stars.

Tuchel said he had considered trying to man-mark Messi by deploying one player to shadow him throughout the game.

“Everyone knows the spaces where he wants to show up. If you analyze the matches, you feel like he sees stuff just earlier than anyone else on the field,” Tuchel said. “I think we found some patterns in their game, but if you close the patterns he will find maybe a new one and create a new one. That’s a super strength. That’s just what it is.”

If Messi is the main focus of England's attention, Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni has to contend with the double threat of Bellingham and Kane.

“We’re facing great players, two of the best in the world,” Scaloni said. “We will try our best to neutralize them. We have our weapons and we will try to prevent them from having a good game.”

A fierce rivalry

England vs. Argentina is a fierce rivalry that goes beyond the soccer field, with tensions also relating to the 1982 conflict over the Falkland Islands.

There have been numerous clashes at the World Cup.

Argentina captain Antonio Rattin, whose death was announced on Saturday, was sent off in a bad-tempered quarterfinal match against eventual champion England in 1966.

Maradona scored his infamous “Hand of God” goal in 1986 - and England also felt aggrieved when David Beckham was sent off for kicking out against Diego Simeone in 1998 before losing in a penalty shootout.

Most recently England beat Argentina in the group phase in 2002, with Beckham scoring from the penalty spot.

“If a fixture provides so many iconic moments you cannot just say it’s just another football match, but as a coach we do exactly that,” Tuchel said. “We don’t speak about the historic events. We don’t speak about the iconic moments.”

One of those iconic moments was Maradona's second goal in the 2-1 win against England in the quarterfinals win in 1986 when he dribbled the ball from the halfway line before scoring.

“That will be forever in our hearts. It was just such a beautiful goal,” Scaloni said. "Anybody who loves football will remember that in the best way possible.

“It was just a coincidence that it was against England, but had it been against anybody else, it would have been just as beautiful.”

___

James Robson is at https://x.com/jamesalanrobson

___

See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

Officials say the new 1 million-square-foot JCB Texas facility currently being built on the South Side is looking to fill multiple positions by the beginning of August.

JCB is a global company based in the United Kingdom that manufactures construction equipment around the world.

According to the company’s website, JCB has been operating in the United States for 80 years, and San Antonio will be home to its largest U.S. facility.

From 8 a.m. until noon, company hiring officials will be out at the actual grounds of the facility, located at 13210 Palo Alto Road, for the hiring event.

JCB Texas is looking to hire welders, fabricators, forklift drivers, machinists, paint technicians, maintenance, logistics, assembly and a lot of other positions.

Anyone interested in working for the company is encouraged to show up at the job fair with a resume, a photo ID and any certifications you may have.

Jade Zemtsova, senior human resource manager for JCB Texas, said HR staffers will be going through applications and conducting interviews and assessments of skilled applicants.

“We will be giving assessments, so we have basic dexterity assessments, we have skilled assessments for leadership qualities for team leader roles that we’re looking to fill,” she said.

She said the company is looking to hire qualified applicants by Aug. 3 in order to have new employees start and finish their two-month company training by the time the new facility opens in October.

“We’re looking to develop and train them for at least two months before we open, about our processes, our machinery, our equipment, and make sure everybody is developed for success,” Zemtsova said. “That’s the main goal here, is to get people trained up and launch their career with us.”

She said they are hoping to offer employment right on-site Friday during the hiring event and roll people into pre-employment.

Also, Zemtsova said applicants need to be aware, if selected for an on-the-spot interview at the site, the full interview process could take between 45 minutes to an hour.

If you are planning to attend the event, Zemtsova strongly recommends registering before going out to the job fair so they can fast-track processing your application.

You can access the registration page for JCB Texas’ job fair scheduled for Friday by clicking here.

Read also:

• JCB Texas manufacturing facility on South Side on track to open this fall

According to court records, Jose Roberto Medina, 30, took a plea deal Tuesday on a charge of burglary of a habitation to commit another felony, which is considered a first-degree felony.

Terms of the deal include an 18-year prison sentence. Medina is eligible for parole after serving nine years, according to Olmos Park Police Department Sgt. Melissa Campbell.

During a Tuesday news conference, UIW Police Chief John Catts said Medina unlawfully entered a student’s on-campus apartment on April 30 and exposed himself to the student.

Medina gained access into the on-campus apartment because one of its doors was unlocked, according to Catts. Medina fled campus before officers arrived.

Later on May 1, Medina followed two women who were out for a run in their neighborhood, according to an Olmos Park PD news release.

Medina peered into one woman’s home and “actively engaged in masturbation,” according to Campbell. He fled the scene when the woman confronted him.

UIW police positively identified Medina as the suspect on May 4 and reached out to the Texas Department of Public Safety for assistance in its investigation.

UIW police detective Mark Sanchez said law enforcement took Medina into custody later that day without incident inside a bathroom at the San Antonio Country Saloon, which is located in the 1100 block of West Hildebrand Avenue.

Additionally, Medina was convicted Tuesday on misdemeanor voyeurism (Class A) and indecent exposure (Class B) charges. Court records show he fulfilled time served requirements on both misdemeanor counts.

Olmos Park police believes there may be more potential victims and are encouraging them to come forward.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the Olmos Park Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division at 210-829-3241 ext. 314.

More coverage of this story on KSAT:

• Peeping Tom suspect taken into custody, Olmos Park police say

Storms dumped up to a foot of rain in some rural areas of Texas, leading to dozens of high-water rescues across the region and officials shutting down portions of a busy highway for hours near Uvalde, about 80 miles (129 kilometers) west of San Antonio. A flood watch also included Kerr County, where catastrophic flooding last year along the Guadalupe River killed more than 100 people.

No deaths or injuries Tuesday were immediately reported.

The National Weather Service warned that storms overnight could dump more than a foot of additional rain to some places into Wednesday, creating potentially catastrophic impacts from flash flooding in areas west of San Antonio. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration for dozens of counties.

“Intense rain rates and compounding effects from multiple rounds of storms will result in a dangerous flash flooding threat through Thursday,” the National Weather Service said.

Authorities on Tuesday posted videos of a rescue crew in a boat down flooded streets and one vehicle being swept away by fast-moving waters. Five people were rescued by members of the Texas Game Warden Search and Rescue Team and four were rescued by a local game warden, said Maggie Berger, a spokesperson for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

In Uvalde, officials said there had been at least two dozen water rescues. They opened a local event center for anyone displaced by flooding. In Sabinal, officials were also making plans for a shelter.

Ali al-Zaidi emerged as a consensus candidate in Iraq after months of deadlock over the premiership following last year’s parliamentary elections. Trump endorsed al-Zaidi for the job after he threatened to cut off U.S. support for Iraq if another candidate became the country's next prime minister.

“Mark my words, I knew what I was doing,” Trump said in the Oval Office as he sat alongside al-Zaidi for his first visit outside Iraq as prime minister. “This man is going to be a great leader in the Middle East, beyond Iraq. His influence is going to spread all throughout the Middle East.”

Speaking through an interpreter, al-Zaidi said that he was conveying his greetings from the “oldest civilization in the world” and that the focus of his U.S. visit would be to announce an “economic partnership” between the two countries.

The issue of Iran loomed large in the discussions Tuesday. Iraq has been under pressure to disarm a network of Iran-backed militias operating in the country, some of which launched attacks on U.S. bases and diplomatic facilities after the U.S. and Israel launched their war against Iran in February. Officially, the Iraqi government has given non-state armed groups until the end of September to disarm, but some of the most powerful militias have said they have no intention of doing so.

Al-Zaidi stressed on Tuesday that there will be no justification for their existence after Sept. 30. A Trump administration official said ahead of the Oval Office meeting that the U.S. will make “informed” decisions based on Iraq’s efforts to disarm Iranian-backed militias inside its borders. The official insisted on anonymity to discuss the administration’s strategy ahead of al-Zaidi’s visit.

Al-Zaidi has been called ‘Trump of the Middle East’

Iraq’s dominant parliamentary bloc called the Coordination Framework, a coalition of Shiite parties allied with Iran, initially said it would back former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, whom the Trump administration viewed as too close to Tehran. Trump, a Republican, got personally involved, threatening to block support if al-Maliki returned to power.

Since al-Zaidi's formal installation as prime minister-designate in April, the Trump administration has kept up its outreach to ensure the U.S. can wield significant sway in Iraq, particularly in extricating the Iranian influence that is deeply entrenched inside the country.

The parallel backgrounds of Trump and al-Zaidi have also bolstered their rapport. Victoria Taylor, director of the Iraq Initiative at the Atlantic Council, noted that al-Zaidi has been likened to “Trump of the Middle East” considering his business background and lack of political experience.

“When you value business success, I think then it’s very appealing to look at an Iraqi prime minister who is likely a billionaire and can be really pointed to as a political outsider,” she said.

But Taylor added that “the reality is much more complicated,” noting that al-Zaidi was chosen by the current political infrastructure in Iraq and will be “beholden in some way to that system.”

“I’m not always sure that there’s a full appreciation of the challenge that this prime minister will face in actually trying to really dismantle core parts of the political system,” she said, noting the obstacles that al-Zaidi will face as he tries to disarm the Iran-backed militias or challenge political corruption.

Underscoring the complicated competing interests that al-Zaidi is confronting in Iraq, the new prime minister sidestepped a question about Trump's remarks on the 2020 killing of Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani.

“At that time, I wasn’t involved in politics," al-Zaidi said. "Let’s talk about the future.”

Renad Mansour, director of the Iraq Initiative at the Chatham House think tank, said he expects that “the U.S. will put significant pressure on al-Zaidi” to move ahead with disarmament during his Washington visit “and Zaidi will respond by saying, ‘But I need support — intelligence support, technical support, armed support.’”

“There is a scenario in which, if the Iraqi government starts going after these groups, they will also go after the government,” Mansour said. “And this is a scenario that I think that the Iraqi government is apprehensive about.”

Oil pipeline deal is set to be signed, Iraqi officials say

The two governments are also poised to finalize a significant energy deal.

Two Iraqi officials said an agreement is slated to be signed Friday between Iraq, U.S. companies Chevron and TI Capital, and Qatar’s UCC for construction of an oil pipeline that will connect southern Iraq’s Basra to western Iraq's Haditha and from there to the Ceyhan port in Turkey and the port of Baniyas on Syria’s coast. The pipeline is projected to carry about 2 million barrels of oil per day. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly.

Neither Trump nor al-Zaidi elaborated on the pending deal publicly during their Oval Office meeting, but the U.S. president said Iraq has “tremendous potential" because of its oil.

Later, a senior Trump administration official said the U.S. is “facilitating conversation” between Iraq and Syria on future energy projects. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations among the governments.

Al-Zaidi cracks down on corruption

Al-Zaidi received Trump’s blessing, despite the fact that he was chairman of a bank, Al-Janoob Islamic Bank, that was among the financial institutions banned by Iraq’s central bank in 2024 from dealing in dollars amid pressure from the U.S. to crack down on money laundering and funneling of funds to Iran.

Since taking office, al-Zaidi has made a public show of cracking down on corruption. His government has conducted raids and arrested dozens of current and former lawmakers and government officials accused of corruption, including some affiliated with former Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani.

The Iraqi premier’s delegation to Washington includes a number of Iraqi businessmen and government officials, and al-Zaidi’s office said in a statement that the aim of the visit is to “strengthen economic and development partnerships, attract investment, and expand the role of U.S. companies in implementing infrastructure projects” and to further develop the oil-rich country’s energy sector.

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An earlier version of this story was corrected to show Trump said “if we are not there to help,” not “if we are there to help.”

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Follow the AP's coverage of Iraq at https://apnews.com/hub/iraq.

Oliphant died at his home in Santa Fe, New Mexico, from age-related issues, said his son, Grant Oliphant.

A multidimensional artist who also created sculptures, lithographs and oil paintings, Oliphant was widely considered the most syndicated editorial cartoonist in the U.S. During the 1980s, his daily political cartoons appeared in more than 500 publications in the country and around the world.

For over five decades, Oliphant’s work ridiculed powerful figures — from President Lyndon B. Johnson to Donald Trump — with a blunt and meticulous stroke. He drew Jimmy Carter with large teeth and lips, alluding to his background as a farmer and the cultural stereotype of adaptation to rural work, and depicted Ronald Reagan, whom he thought was uninterested in the suffering of the American people, with a cork in his ear.

Those who knew Oliphant said his gift was to merge the shrewdness of an observer of the political scene with a witty sense of humor into art.

“He redefined what it meant to be a political cartoonist and to be fearless in his work,” said Bill Banowsky, director of the documentary A Savage Art: The Life & Cartoons of Pat Oliphant. “His work has a fierce pursuit of bringing injustice to light. And he was very effective.”

Oliphant tackled controversial subjects that were largely deemed unacceptable by the establishment at the time. That included the Catholic Church and its pedophilia scandals in 2002 and Israel’s offensive against Hamas in Gaza in 2008. But his ethnic caricatures also drew complaints about false stereotypes and racism from organizations like the Asian American Journalists Association and the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.

Born in Adelaide, Australia, in 1935, Oliphant started as a copy desk aide at a local newspaper, where he discovered his interest in art while seeing a cartoonist at work. His first in-house cartoonist job was at The Advertiser in his hometown.

“He decided cartooning could merge his interests in art and commentary,” Grant said. “He wanted to be the best in the world.”

About a decade after he moved to the U.S., Oliphant joined The Denver Post in 1964 and won a Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning in 1967. He thought the prize committee had honored the weakest piece of work he’d submitted for consideration, and criticized the prize process itself afterward.

He later joined The Washington Star and moved to Santa Fe in 2002.

Oliphant began losing his eyesight due to glaucoma around the age of 80 and had to retire from professional cartoon work, Grant said. Still, he painted at home in Santa Fe.

“He loved the creative ferment of Santa Fe. We had constant parties at his house far into the night with a wide range of thinkers, musicians and writers,” said Hampton Sides, a Santa Fe-based writer and friend of Oliphant. “He enjoyed the constant interplay of ideas.”

With the current political environment, Grant said it seems society has lost the capacity to receive humor and debate and contrary opinions.

“My father challenged the idea of the political establishment being sublimely serious as it is,” Grant said. “We really need that in today's America.”

NASA astronaut Anil Menon and Russian crewmates Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina lifted off as scheduled at 7:47 p.m. (10:47 a.m. EDT, 1447 GMT) aboard the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-29 for an eight-month stint on the orbiting outpost. Their spacecraft docked smoothly at the station in automatic mode about three hours after the launch.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman attended the launch, the first visit to Baikonur by a NASA chief in eight years that highlighted the ongoing cooperation in orbit between Moscow and Washington, despite tensions over Russia’s military action in Ukraine.

Before the launch, Isaacman met with the head of Russia's state corporation Roscosmos, Dmitry Bakanov. Speaking during Monday’s meeting with the crew, Isaacman thanked Roscosmos for its efforts to prepare for the mission, saying that “the integrated work performed over the past several months reflects the professionalism and dedication of everyone involved.”

Isaacman also had a meeting with Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov. Manturov's office said they discussed prospective cooperation on the International Space Station and other projects.

The mission is Menon’s first space flight and the second for Dubrov and Kikina.

The trio will join NASA astronauts Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway and Chris Williams, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergei Kud-Sverchkov, Sergei Mikaev and Andrei Fedyaev.

Once bitter rivals in the space race during the Cold War, Russia and the U.S. cooperate on the space station and other projects. That relationship was marred by tensions after Moscow sent troops into Ukraine in 2022, but Washington and Moscow have continued to work together, with U.S. and Russian crews flying to the orbiting outpost on each country’s spacecraft.

Plans for broader cooperation, including possible Russian involvement in NASA’s Artemis program of lunar research, have fallen apart. As Russia has become increasingly reliant on China for its energy exports and imports of key technology amid Western sanctions, Roscosmos has started cooperation with China on its prospective lunar mission.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals lifted a decades-old desegregation mandate for the Concordia Parish School Board, handing a victory to President Donald Trump’s administration, which has pushed to end the court-ordered plans. The school system has been a focal point in the administration’s attempt to end legal cases dating to the Civil Rights era.

The U.S. Justice Department spent decades fighting for such cases but reversed course under Trump. Officials in his administration have framed the remaining segregation orders as federal intrusion into local school systems. Louisiana officials agree they're no longer needed and describe them as relics of a time when Black students were once forbidden from attending some schools.

“The good people of Concordia Parish elected their school board to govern their schools — not unelected federal judges,” Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said in announcing the ruling. “Today’s decision puts that authority back where it belongs."

Members of the Concordia Parish School Board did not immediately respond Tuesday to emails seeking comment.

Families who brought the suit are no longer involved.

The Concordia Parish case dates to 1965, when the area was segregated and home to a violent offshoot of the Ku Klux Klan. Black families in Ferriday, a town on the central-eastern border of Louisiana, sued for access to all-white schools, and the federal government intervened. As the district integrated its schools, many white families fled Ferriday.

The district’s schools came to reflect the demographics of their surrounding areas. Ferriday is still mostly Black and low-income, while neighboring Vidalia is mostly white and takes in tax revenue from a hydroelectric plant.

Some parents and civil rights groups have argued that desegregation orders remain important tools to address vestiges of segregation such as racial disparities in student discipline, academic programs and teacher hiring.

The Concordia Parish order was used to force a mostly white charter school that opened in 2013 to prioritize Black students and create a more integrated student body.

Congo has been battling an outbreak of a rare type of Ebola since May, with no approved treatment or vaccine. The Africa Centres for Disease Control says it is the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on the continent.

“Perhaps the most alarming finding is that many of the newly reported deaths are people who died in their communities without ever reaching a health facility and without receiving care,” Chikwe Ihekweazu said after returning from Bunia, in Ituri province, one of the worst-hit cities. “And as of today, 80% of new cases are outside our contact lists and so are coming to us from unknown chains of transmission.”

People who die outside the health system cannot be isolated, treated or have their contacts traced promptly, increasing the risk of further transmission.

The outbreak, Ihekweazu said, “continues to outpace the response efforts.”

As of Monday, at least 1,926 people have been infected, of whom 702 have died, in three provinces in Congo from the rare Bundibugyo virus, Congolese authorities said. Cases have also been confirmed in neighboring Uganda.

Ihekweazu told reporters in Geneva that his visit to Bunia had been “quite encouraging on many fronts, but also deeply concerning.”

Treatment capacity in Bunia is now close to 800 beds, with capacity increasing every week, and lab capacity has grown from 1 to 14 labs, an effort the emergency chief lauded.

However, Ihekweazu said that despite “our best efforts ... we have not caught up in the race.”

A funding gap, attacks on health centers, an ongoing conflict in eastern Congo, and mistrust among local communities have hampered the response.

Dozens of healthcare workers at an Ebola virus treatment center in northeast Congo went on strike over unpaid salaries and bonuses on Monday. On Tuesday, they agreed to resume work under the condition that the government pays them within 72 hours.

“Just one day of strike action has already caused damage. Patients were unable to access the center," the striking health workers said in a statement. “We hold the government solely responsible for any loss of life if the site closes after this ultimatum.”

The Congolese authorities declared a fresh Ebola outbreak on May 15 after the disease had been transmitting for weeks without official detection, according to the WHO. Clinical trials for treatment began last week after researchers launched a highly anticipated study in the hope of fighting the virus.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on July 11 that a U.S. citizen working for a humanitarian organization in Congo has tested positive for the Ebola virus, without providing further details.

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Associated Press writer Geir Moulson contributed to this report from Berlin.

The request follows the death of Mexican immigrant Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, who was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Houston. Since the beginning of U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term, 17 Mexican migrants have died during immigration enforcement, 14 in ICE custody and three in agency operations.

Mexico's Foreign Ministry had previously said it would make the request, which was formalized on Tuesday, according to the ministry. It said a similar request will be also sent to the U.S. Department of Justice.

The United States is not legally obliged to act on the requests.

Also, the Mexican government said it has started sending letters to U.S. detention centers where Mexican migrants have died, demanding they “immediately cease the actions or omissions that resulted in these deaths, such as preventing access to prompt and expedited medical care, as well as the application of policies incompatible with medical and penitentiary standards.”

The first center to receive the letter was Adelanto, in California, where four Mexican migrants died.

The letters are a first step toward “the eventual filing of civil lawsuits” against the companies that operate the detention centers to stop human rights violations, according to the ministry.

Last week, Mexican Foreign Minister Roberto Velasco said his country would go directly to U.S. authorities to request criminal investigations in cases of Mexicans killed in ICE custody or enforcement operations.

Salgado Araujo, who had no criminal record and had lived in the U.S. for 35 years, was shot last Tuesday while driving his construction crew to a job site in Houston. His death sparked protests in Houston and demands for an independent investigation from Democrats and Salgado Araujo’s family.

The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, said the 52-year-old Araujo had rammed an ICE vehicle, and that a federal agent fired a weapon in self-defense.

Velasco also sent a letter to Volker Türk, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, requesting that U.S. authorities gather information on the deaths of the Mexican migrants in ICE custody and analyze the “compatibility of these events with international human rights obligations.”

The foreign minister also asked Türk to seek the opinion of the Human Rights Council, a U.N. intergovernmental body that promotes human rights, on the cases and offer recommendations.

The developments mark an escalation in Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s response to Trump’s immigration crackdown. Sheinbaum earlier this year ordered Mexico's diplomatic missions across the U.S. to regularly check in with ICE detainees, and her government even lodged a complaint with Türk.

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It was the third death in a week involving encounters with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, following shootings in Texas and Maine.

The 28-year-old was among four occupants of a vehicle that stopped in the parking lot of a gas station and convenience store in the St. Augustine area before 7 a.m. During an encounter with agents from ICE and Homeland Security Investigations, the four fled on foot, with one darting across a busy road into the path of the semi, Florida Highway Patrol Sgt. Dylan Bryan said in an emailed statement.

The driver of the semi stopped and tried to help the man, Bryan said.

It was at least the 10th death involving encounters with immigration agents since President Donald Trump launched his mass deportation campaign last year.

It wasn’t immediately clear what prompted the encounter Tuesday. In an emailed statement, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed it had conducted an operation and said the Florida Highway Patrol and Homeland Security Investigations were “investigating an incident resulting in the death of a Mexican national.”

The department did not respond to an inquiry from The Associated Press about the status of the other three occupants of the vehicle.

State Rep. Angie Nixon, a Democrat from Jacksonville, called the death a tragedy that resulted from an out-of-control agency.

“Whether it’s ICE agents gunning down a father in the streets of Houston, shooting a young man in Maine or conducting operations right here in Northeast Florida that result in a deadly crash, the outcome is the same: fear, chaos and death,” she said.

In two other cases, people died after fleeing agents and being struck by vehicles.

Last summer, a man running from immigration officers outside a Home Depot store in southern California died after being hit by an SUV as he tried to cross a freeway. Homeland Security officials said that 52-year-old Roberto Carlos Montoya Valdez, of Guatemala, was not being pursued by immigration authorities when he was struck.

In October, a pickup truck fatally struck 24-year-old gardener Josué Castro Rivera, of Honduras, on a highway in Norfolk, Virginia, as he tried to escape authorities during a traffic stop. Authorities said Castro Rivera’s vehicle was stopped as part of a “targeted, intelligence-based” operation and that Castro Rivera had “resisted heavily and fled.”

The Mexican government on Tuesday said it had asked state attorneys general in the U.S. to review the deaths of migrants in ICE custody or during raids for possible criminal prosecution.

Dennis Sochor was pronounced dead at 6:16 p.m. following a three-drug injection at Florida State Prison near Starke. He was convicted of killing Patricia Gifford on Jan. 1, 1982, just hours after meeting the 18-year-old woman at a New Year’s Eve party.

Sochor was already strapped to a gurney with an IV in his arm when the curtain to the death chamber went up at the 6 p.m. execution time. Asked by the warden if he had any last words, Sochor said he did.

He apologized several times to the Gifford family, saying he was “deeply sorry” and also thanked his own loved ones for their support over the years. Then he commended his spirit to Jesus Christ shortly before the drugs began flowing at 6:03 p.m.

Sochor underwent about a minute of heavy breathing and then some seconds of sputtering. After two minutes in which Sochor appeared to go still, the warden looked into his eyes, shook his shoulders and yelled his name without getting a response. A medic was summoned at 6:14 p.m., soon after pronouncing Sochor dead.

Another 74-year-old inmate just a week younger than Sochor at the time of execution was put to death last month. And later this month, the state is preparing to execute an 80-year-old, the state’s first octogenarian facing a lethal injection.

The execution plans highlight the aging death row population in the U.S. and the busy death chamber in Florida, which has now carried out 10 of the 16 executions conducted in the nation this year — more than every other state combined.

Marilyn Gifford, Patricia’s sister, said after witnessing the execution that Sochor’s death brings some closure to the family, but it’s bittersweet since her body has never been found. She encouraged anyone with information that could lead to the remains to contact authorities.

“He had 45 years to return Patty’s remains to us, but he cruelly chose not to,” Gifford said, reading from a statement. “We never got a chance to lay her to rest in God’s arms. Without closure, every happy memory of Patty is immediately crushed by the tragedy of her murder.”

Gifford also pointed out that Sochor got to live more than twice as long on death row as her sister lived her entire life. “Tonight’s execution was appropriate because Dennis Sochor was a lifelong brutal and sadistic man,” she said.

It’s unclear why Florida scheduled the executions of the three prisoners consecutively.

Maria DeLiberato, legal director of Floridians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, noted that in Florida the governor has practically sole discretion when it comes to scheduling executions. In many other death penalty states, the scheduling is up to the courts.

Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis' office did not respond to emailed requests for comment about the recent pace of the executions.

A New Year's Day killing

According to court records, Gifford was celebrating the upcoming New Year with a friend at a Fort Lauderdale area bar when they met Sochor and his brother.

The four spent hours talking, but after the friend became ill and went to sleep in her car, Gifford left with Sochor and his brother to get breakfast. But instead of going for food, Sochor stopped his truck in a secluded area and attacked Gifford, according to investigators.

Sochor was later arrested in Georgia in 1986 on unrelated charges and extradited to Florida. Sochor’s brother told police Sochor was responsible for Gifford’s disappearance, and Sochor himself confessed on tape to choking Gifford and disposing of her body. A jury convicted him of first-degree murder and kidnapping in 1987, and he was sentenced to death.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected Sochor's final appeal without comment.

Oldest inmates executed in Florida

On June 25, Florida executed 74-year-old Dusty Ray Spencer for the killing of his wife Karen. Until Tuesday, Spencer was the oldest inmate executed in Florida.

According to Florida Department of Corrections records, the oldest inmates previously executed by the state were both 72: Samuel Lee Smithers on Oct. 14, 2025, for the 1996 killings of two women and R. Charlie Gifford on Feb. 21, 1951, for the 1950 shooting of a state representative, Charles Schuh Jr.

Meanwhile, Dominick Anthony Occhicone, 80, is scheduled to be executed July 28 for the killings of his ex-girlfriend's parents.

If executed as planned, he would become the second oldest prisoner known to be put to death in modern U.S. history after 83-year-old Walter Moody Jr. Moody was executed in Alabama in 2018 for killing a federal judge and a Black civil rights attorney during a wave of Southern mail bombs.

The billionaire businessman was keeping up from afar, and he attended Spain's 2-0 victory over France in the semifinals AT&T Stadium on Tuesday.

“I think first and foremost, he’s just a big event guy,” said Chad Estis, the Cowboys' executive vice president of business operations. “He loves the NFL. He loves the Dallas Cowboys. But he has a passion for events as much as anybody that I know. He very much wanted to ensure that the stadium was operating well.”

Judging by fans who eagerly anticipate seeing themselves on the giant video board that hangs above the center of the field and under the retractable roof — and then jump and wave for joy when they do — the venue temporarily renamed Dallas Stadium by FIFA has been a hit.

The Jones family has a suite for the World Cup, and that's where Jones was shown on the video board with his wife, Gene Jones, sitting next to him. The polarizing figure was met mostly with boos from the sellout crowd of 70,176.

Jones and some family members often leave the country on his yacht this time of year — between the end of offseason workouts for the Cowboys in June and the start of training camp in California in late July.

As a result, Jones wasn't there in person for a pair of record-setting performances from Argentina superstar Lionel Messi. Or Japanese fans leaving entire sections spotless by picking up after themselves — twice. Or Portugal star and career men's international scoring leader Cristiano Ronaldo's final World Cup game.

Those types of seminal moments were what Jones had in mind with the design and building of a stadium that opened in 2009 and in barely more than five years had hosted a Super Bowl and NCAA championship games in football and men's basketball.

Jones also was thinking about the fan experience, having used his own lessons from touring stadiums in Europe to include large standing-room viewing areas on three levels at each end.

An extensive art collection is punctuated by Anish Kapoor's stainless steel sculpture dubbed “sky mirror” outside on the east plaza. Kapoor is the creator of a similar sculpture in Chicago nicknamed “the bean.”

To prepare for the World Cup, the Cowboys pumped another $350 million into a stadium with an original price tag of $1.2 billon. The video board looks the same, but there were upgrades in the guts of that, along with new carpeting and furniture mostly in premium areas and an overhaul of the fan shop.

“I cannot tell you how many people come to our stadium and say, ‘I can’t believe this is 17 years old,’” Estis said. “People think it feels new. The whole thing’s been great, but it feels like it culminates in this phenomenal match tomorrow.”

FIFA's in charge

Jones had to turn the stadium over to FIFA, which means the governing body got to put up curtains on the huge sliding glass doors on the west end for the only game where the setting sun could have shined into the eyes of the players.

NFL players, including Cowboys, losing footballs in the sun has been an occasional issue each fall. Each time the topic comes up, Jones flatly refuses to consider curtains. He prefers the asthetics and expects coaches and players to make game plans around the setting sun.

It will be too early in the day for the sun to be an issue when Spain and France play for a spot Sunday in the World Cup final at the home of the New York Jets and Giants in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Jones wanted that final, but settled for the consolation prize of the most games, including sharing the semifinals with the home of the Atlanta Falcons, where Argentina and England play Wednesday.

“It’s just another great moment in an unbelievable sports legacy,” said Dan Hunt, co-chair of the local organizing committee and son of the late Lamar Hunt, who was one of Jones' rivals as owner of the Kansas City Chiefs.

“He’s been a world champion,” Dan Hunt said. “He’s a Pro Football Hall of Famer. He’s hosted Super Bowls, hosted almost everything you can at AT&T Stadium. And this is just another moment.”

That suite spot

Oh, one other thing Jones had to give up — his personal suite at the 50-yard line. Estis said FIFA thought it was perfect for a VIP area.

“We're like, ‘Wait a minute. Are you serious?’” Estis said with a chuckle. “I mean, I understand it. That's why Jerry's suite is there. It's the prime spot.”

Jones is giving up his prime spot for arguably the biggest single global sporting event to come to his venue. He'll just be in a different suite.

“I think I could imagine him being a little emotional about it,” Estis said. “To see him in design meetings and his attention to detail and his care for what the stadium looked and felt like to people, what it looked like from different angles walking up to it. He just he was so involved in the creation of what it is.”

Jones is set to feel the soccer vibe — finally.

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See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

The France striker will have to settle for a third-place match and the continuing chase for another Golden Boot award in a tight race with Argentina superstar Lionel Messi.

Mbappé, one of the biggest stars of this year's World Cup and one of the game's greatest scorers, just couldn't generate many chances in his team's 2-0 loss to Spain in the semifinals on Tuesday.

Mbappé and Messi have eight goals each so far at this year's tournament. Mbappé, who won the Golden Boot at the last World Cup four years ago in Qatar, holds the first tiebreaker with a 3-2 lead on assists. Messi and defending champion Argentina will play again on Wednesday in the other semifinal match against England.

Both players will then have one more match before the award is decided. France will play the loser of the other semifinal match in the third-place game on Saturday in Miami Gardens, Florida. Spain will take on the winner in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in the final.

“At the end of the day, you take all the glory when you win,” Mbappé said. "When you don’t win ... it’s part of the game. As the captain, I have to take all the responsibility, and I have no problem with that. We wanted to go to the final. We didn’t go.”

Mbappé had the fewest touches of any forward in the first half with 15. Perhaps his most prominent moment was trying to persuade referee Ivan Barton that the penalty resulting in Spain's first goal shouldn't have been called.

The foul by Lucas Digne on teenager Lamine Yamal stood, and Mikel Oyarzabal’s penalty kick in the 22nd minute, put Spain ahead for good.

Mbappé's best chance came in the 67th minute when his shot deflected off Spain defender Marc Cucurella and went just wide. La Roja already had a two-goal lead at that point.

“It’s a team who loves to have control of the game, control of the ball,” Mbappé said. “That’s what we let them do. We let the midfield too much time to play, and at the end of the day they had quality to play. It’s difficult when you don’t change the play of Spain. We weren’t at the level to go to the final.”

The 27-year-old Mbappé was issued a yellow card in the 86th minute when he rushed toward Unai Simón just as the Spain goalkeeper was bending over to pick up the ball. The two collided, sending Simón to the grass.

Mbappé started the match against Spain after exiting in the 77th minute of his team’s 2-0 quarterfinal win over Morocco, when he scored his eighth goal of the tournament.

Mbappé also scored eight goals four years ago in Qatar, where France lost to Messi and Argentina in a penalty shootout in the final. France beat Croatia to win the World Cup eight years ago in Russia.

“They (France) can punish you at every single moment, so I think the focus in every single minute was key in this game,” Spain midfielder Rodri said. “Unbelievable effort by everyone.”

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See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

The Spanish team managed a record sixth shutout in seven games so far, winning 2-0 in the semifinals Tuesday against one of the most prolific scorers in World Cup history.

Teenager Lamine Yamal certainly was correct when he said France should fear Spain. That despite FIFA's top-ranked team being led by Mbappé — their captain with 20 goals in his 20 World Cup games before the semifinals — Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé and Michael Olise, who has a tournament-high five assists.

“We were up against one of the best national teams in the world, but today, they were facing the best team in the world,” Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said.

Mikel Oyarzabal scored from the penalty spot after a heady play by Yamal drew a foul, and Pedro Porro added another goal to put Spain in its second World Cup final.

A day after his 19th birthday, Yamal was denied a goal on a close offside call that came soon after Porro's give-and-go with Dani Olmo in the 58th minute had put Spain up 2-0. But it was Yamal's smart play against a veteran defender that gave Spain the early lead.

Spain will face either defending champion Argentina or England on Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey, across the river from New York City.

“So difficult to get to this moment, but we want more," Spain midfielder Rodri said. “We want to win this World Cup.”

After trying to become only the third team to reach three consecutive World Cup finals, France instead will play in the third-place game in Miami Gardens, Florida, on Saturday.

“Spain has been able to defend well,” departing France coach Didier Deschamps said through a translator. “They’ve closed out all the spaces and also we’ve made some technical mistakes. So it is difficult to create problems when the technical level is below standard.”

Argentina and England play Wednesday in Atlanta in the second powerhouse semifinal match.

This win on soccer’s biggest stage marked the third summer in a row that Spain beat France in a tournament semifinal match. Yamal scored in a 2-1 win in the 2024 European Championship semifinals just days before his 17th birthday, and La Roja won 5-4 in Nations League play last year.

Yamal was quick to point out that France should be concerned after Spain's quarterfinal win over Belgium set up another semifinal matchup.

"It’s a team who loves to have control of the game, control of the ball. That’s what we let them do," said Mbappé, who got none of his three shots on target. “It’s difficult when you don’t change the play of Spain.”

Spain has outscored opponents 12-1 since a scoreless draw against surprising Cape Verde to open group play. The lone goal allowed by goalkeeper Unai Simón was in the quarterfinal game against Belgium that snapped his World Cup record of 650 scoreless minutes.

This World Cup run has extended Spain's unbeaten streak in regular time to 37 matches (28 wins and nine draws) since March 2024. That broke the country’s previous record of 35 in a row from 2007-09.

The loss broke France’s record-matching streak of six consecutive World Cup wins, which the team also accomplished in the 2018 and 2022 tournaments.

Oyarzabal’s penalty kick in the 22nd minute came after Yamal drew a foul when kicked by defender Lucas Digne.

After a poor first touch with his head, Digne was trying to clear the ball when Yamal raced in from behind to challenge in the penalty area. The ball hit off the elbow of the leaping teen before he was kicked by Digne, playing in his 63rd game for France only six days before his 33rd birthday.

Oyarzabal’s fifth goal of this year’s World Cup marked the first time either team had trailed in their seven games in this tournament. It was his 30th goal in 60 international games for Spain.

For the second goal, Porro broke free and received a pass back from Olmo, who got the touch just before getting knocked off his feet by defender Dayot Upamecano.

“We knew that we’re a very tough team, we’re doing things really well," Porro said.

France allowed only two goals in its first six games in this tournament.

Spain had two other real scoring chances in the first half.

There was the a free kick from just beyond the box after Adrien Rabiot drew a yellow card for a foul on Olmo in the eighth minute. Alex Baena’s kick went directly into the wall of French players.

After France goalkeeper Mike Maignan’s attempted clearing pass in the 38th minute instead went straight to Baena, there were several quick passes before Fabian Ruiz's close-range shot was denied on a nifty play by Upamecano.

Mbappé, who is tied with Argentina great Lionel Messi with a tournament-high eight goals and leads the race for the Golden Boot on the assist tiebreaker, still has the third-place match to add to his tally. Messi has two games left in his sixth World Cup to try to win the Golden Boot and also increase his overall record of 21 goals at the tournament.

“As the captain, I have to take all the responsibility and I have no problem with that,” Mbappé said. "We wanted to go to the final. We didn’t go.”

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See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

Fuel has been running out across Cuba since January, when U.S. President Donald Trump threatened tariffs on any country that sells or provides oil to the island, deepening the island’s ongoing economic and financial crisis. Public transportation has largely been halted, and officials have canceled tens of thousands of surgeries.

Cuba produces only 40% of the fuel it needs. A solution for fuel imports is not yet in sight.

The state-owned Electric Union reported that a problem with a generating unit in the eastern province of Holguín caused “a sudden frequency change,” resulting in the SEN blackout around midday.

Both the Ministry of Energy and Mines and the Electric Union indicated that “protocols for its restoration have been activated,” meaning that “micro-islands” are being established and then interconnected to provide power to priority locations, such as hospitals and food processing plants.

By the afternoon, some parts of the capital Havana had power restored, The Associated Press confirmed, while authorities indicated that 4% of the city had received electricity. The provinces of Guantánamo and Cienfuegos reported that they had begun distributing power to their hospitals, and Matanzas confirmed that power had been restored to the city’s historic center.

Last week, two nationwide blackouts — on Monday and Friday — left more than 9 million Cubans in the dark, adding to two others in March, as well as several regional outages.

The blackouts have a significant impact on the population and, combined with the energy embargo, have led to transportation limitations, reduced work hours and flight cancellations, in addition to serious public health consequences.

The power outages also affect basic activities such as cooking, water supply, and internet and telephone service.

On the streets of Havana, the blackout didn’t surprise residents.

“These blackouts are normal in Cuba now. If something else happened, it would be strange,” said Roberto Liana, 69, a retail store clerk.

Meanwhile, many were trying to adapt to the circumstances, like Sayli Aguilera, 25, a mother of two. “We’re improvising and doing what we can,” she said.

Many families have installed solar backup systems such as panels and portable batteries, and the main mode of transportation for the population consists of electric motorcycles and tricycles equipped with photovoltaic power.

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A federal immigration agent fatally shot a motorist just south of Maine's largest city on Monday, the second time in a week that ICE has used deadly force on American soil and at least the ninth death since President Donald Trump began his immigration crackdown. It was the first for Maine, a Democratic-led state with a relatively large immigrant population that Trump targeted earlier in the year immediately after two high-profile ICE shootings in Minnesota.

The agents involved in the Maine incident were not using body cameras, and the victim, a 26-year-old Colombian national, was not the target of their probe, officials said.

The shooting sparked a swift and aggressive backlash from Democrats, who are still reeling from the sexual assault allegation that forced their party's Senate nominee, Graham Platner, to quit the race late last week. Platner denied the allegation, which many former allies described as credible.

Democratic officials are scheduled to select a Platner replacement at a July 25 convention, leaving the party's nominee just a few months to try to unseat a longtime incumbent in a race seen as critical if Democrats are to win back control of the Senate.

In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, several would-be Collins' challengers descended upon the scene — and her office — to speak out.

Senate hopeful Democrat Nirav Shah, the former director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention director, drew a direct link from the shooting to the Republican senator's oversight of ICE's budget as chair the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee.

“She's got power, but she didn’t use it to rein in a rogue agency, and instead gave them a blank check to kill,” Shah said in a press conference outside Collins' office on Tuesday. “It is time to abolish this broken agency. It is time to fire the leadership that has let it run wild. And it is time to retire politicians like Susan Collins who have made this lawlessness possible."

Collins is in Washington this week for Senate business.

Phoebe Keller, a spokesperson for the Senate Appropriations Committee, said Collins worked to secure specific ICE “protections” in the federal spending bill signed into law at the end of April. They included $20 million for body cameras, $2 million for deescalation training and $20 million more for increased oversight of detention facilities.

At the time, Senate Democrats were demanding a series of reforms that would have required ICE agents to wear body cameras, restricted the use of face masks and banned enforcement actions near sensitive locations such as schools, hospitals and courthouses.

The Republican-controlled Senate ultimately rejected the reforms.

Collins says she spoke with DHS Secretary

“While the investigation of the Biddeford shooting is not yet complete, it raises sufficient critical questions that I spoke with DHS Secretary Mullin last night and urged him to cease all non-urgent vehicle stops," Collins said in a brief statement Tuesday.

The ICE shooting and the immediate backlash in a state Trump lost by 7 points suggests that Collins may have only begun to answer tough questions about the situation and her role in funding the agency.

Democrats, who acknowledged that the Platner scandal likely makes their fight to defeat Collins more difficult, were nonetheless hopeful that the shooting will shift the conversation back to Collins' record. The Republican has represented the state in the Senate since 1997 and regularly touts her power as the Appropriations Committee chair as a reason to keep her in the Senate for another six years.

“This tragedy refocuses the conversation from Platner fallout to the real world impact of Susan Collins voting to give ICE tens of billions of dollars with zero reforms,” said Democratic strategist Josh Schwerin. "The impact will be real.”

Earlier this month, an ICE agent fatally shot a man in Houston after he attempted to evade arrest in his vehicle during an operation. In January, two people were shot and killed by federal officers within days of each other in Minnesota.

About 6 in 10 U.S. adults said earlier this year that Trump has “gone too far” in sending federal immigration agents into American cities, according to an AP-NORC poll. The poll suggested political independents were increasingly uncomfortable with Trump's tactics.

Hundreds attend vigil after Maine killing

On Tuesday, the shooting dominated the political conversation on the ground in Maine.

The day after a vigil turned out hundreds in Portland, a group of several dozen protestors gathered near an ICE facility in Scarborough and condemned Collins for supporting legislation to expand funding for ICE. Protesters waved signs stating “Stop the murder” and “End this terror.”

“Does anyone here feel safer because this man was shot in cold blood?” said Kelli Brennan, co-president of the Maine State Nurses Association. “Does the senseless murder of this man make any of our lives better in any way?”

Former Maine Senate leader and logger by trade, Troy Jackson, now a candidate to replace Platner, declared “ICE out” at the Portland vigil and held an “Abolish ICE” sign at a protest outside Collins' office on Monday.

“Immigrant communities are living under constant threat from an agency that operates with cruelty and impunity,” Jackson said during an online progressive organizing meeting Monday night. “We need accountability and leaders who believe every person deserves dignity, safety and due process.”

Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey, who was also in the organizing meeting, called the shooting “murder” and said “we must abolish ICE now.”

“This is the second person ICE has killed in less than a week, the latest attack from Trump’s masked, unaccountable thugs,” Markey said, noting he voted against the creation of ICE in 2003.

Less than a week after Platner's exit, however, he is still a part of the conversation — even if he is not the focus anymore.

“You poured your hearts, your time, and your energy into building this movement alongside another candidate than me. And I know that there’s real pain, anger, and disappointment. And I’m not going to try and minimize that,” Jackson said. “But look, this movement has always been bigger than one person."

He continued: "We can defeat Susan Collins and elect a senator who will never forget what side they’re on.”

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AP writers Matt Brown in Washington and Bill Barrow in Atlanta contributed.