• 100, 101, or 102: Take your pick! That’s where we’ll end up each afternoon through the week.
• STATS TO KNOW: 5 triple-digit days this year at San Antonio International Airport, and 24 consecutive days without measurable rainfall.
• SOIL MOISTURE: After July’s deluge, soils continue to dry out.
• RAIN CHANCES: Few and far between. The dry pattern is expected to persist into next week.

FORECAST

HEAT HIGH

Today, the heat high will park itself over Texas, and it shows. Like yesterday,we’ll see more of a dry heat developing during the late afternoon. It may feel even hotter, with heat index values briefly reaching 108°.

IMPORTANT STATS

• Number of triple-digit days this year at San Antonio International Airport: 5 and counting
• Number of consecutive days without rainfall at San Antonio International Airport: 24 and counting
• Average high temperature this month in San Antonio: 99°

THE PATTERN DOESN’T CHANGE

Hot, dry weather will persist through the weekend due to a strong heat high. Expect temperatures to remain in the 90s and triple digits with minimal rain chances. Humidity may increase on Thursday and Friday, leading to more oppressive heat. In short: expect continued heat, little rainfall, and no major pattern changes ahead.

SOIL MOISTURE

It’s hard to believe, but for as moisture laden as we were just one month ago, the soils are quickly drying out. This actually contributes to higher temperatures and the strengthening of the heat high.

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.

Others remained in the courtroom to face the grim facts of what happened to his body.

Dr. Lisa Gavin, a forensic pathologist and medical examiner for Clark County, Nevada, was among the early witnesses on the second day of testimony. Jurors were shown a photo of a green body bag at the beginning of her questioning, followed by a grisly photo of his body. Some relatives who remained in the courtroom looked away.

Tupac's family in the Las Vegas courtroom

Shakur’s cousin Zayd Akinyela said he wanted to stay in court to learn more.

“I feel like the details, especially for people that are close to him, honestly for me helps, helps the grief process. I think we’ve been waiting 30 years to grieve properly,” Akinyela told The Associated Press outside the courtroom. “A lot of people don’t get to grieve until they understand what happened to their loved one and how it happened." He added, “That’s why I wanted to stay and just see for my own personal closure.”

He said he hadn’t known how many times his cousin was shot and can’t help but think of the ways the night could have played out differently.

Seeing the photos of Shakur’s body made him feel “Very angry, very angry, to say the least, very sad,” Akinyela said.

What the forensic pathologist said about the gunshots

Gavin described three bullets, one of which traveled through Shakur's chest, including through a lung. That caused his lung to collapse and bleed, and doctors ultimately removed the damaged lung in an effort to save his life, she said.

Additional bullets damaged his intestines and other parts of his body, she said.

Jurors looked intently at the photos of Shakur’s body, which was bloated and had multiple chest wounds. The nearly full courtroom was quiet. One photo showed his tattoos and the chest tubes that were still in his body from the six days he spent in the hospital before dying.

The images were not shown in the video feed from the trial.

Gavin was not at Shakur’s autopsy but was called as an expert witness because the examiner from 30 years ago has since died.

As Gavin explained the photos, Davis sat still, looking at the screen in front of him. He occasionally whispered in his attorney’s ear.

Family members who had stepped out returned for the testimony of subsequent witnesses.

Surveillance video of a clash before the drive-by shooting

Prosecutors allege Shakur was killed to avenge Shakur’s entourage attacking Davis’ nephew Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson a few hours earlier at the MGM Grand after a Mike Tyson fight.

On Tuesday, jurors were shown the casino's surveillance video of the clash. The camera, which panned back and forth in the MGM Grand, showed a group of people beating and kicking someone on the ground.

The video showed Shakur and his entourage moving quickly through the crowded building in the minutes after. At times, the other men had to jog to keep up with the rapper.

The surveillance footage then showed security and police arriving at the scene and talking to Anderson, who was wearing a number 13 Dan Marino Miami Dolphins jersey.

A few hours later, Shakur, riding in a black BMW with hip-hop mogul Marion “Suge” Knight, was gunned down by shots fired from a white Cadillac that had Davis, Anderson and two other men inside. Davis is not charged with pulling the trigger.

Dean O’Kelley, a former Las Vegas police officer, testified to finding several cartridges on the street at the scene, and got reports that the suspect's vehicle was a white Cadillac, potentially occupied by four Black men.

He said he checked areas that he frequented while working in the police gang unit to look for it.

What happens next

Davis, 63, could get life in prison if he's convicted of murder with a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further or assist a criminal gang. He has pleaded not guilty. His lawyer in the defense opening called the prosecution's narrative “fiction.”

Lawyer Michael Sanft told jurors Davis wasn't previously charged, despite implicating himself in interviews and his memoir, because law enforcement knew that he was “full of crap.”

Shakur, who used the stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, remains a cultural icon and is considered one of the most influential and versatile rappers of all time. He died as his popularity was peaking at age 25, and his legend has only grown in the years since.

Akinyela, Shakur's cousin, said, “I’m very spiritual, so just seeing the body doesn’t affect me the same way as it might some people. I do believe that his spirit is still around and still lives on through his family and through his legacy.”

___

Associated Press Writer Rebecca Boone contributed from Boise, Idaho.

Gathers had collapsed once before and had been diagnosed with an abnormal heart rhythm. His death stunned the sports world and brought national attention to the cardiac risks that can affect even young, highly conditioned athletes.

The tragedy helped reinforce an important lesson for the medical and athletic communities: Looking healthy and performing at a high level do not always mean a person’s heart is free of disease.

“Every year we hear about student athletes with hidden heart problems collapsing during activities,” Dr. Bush said. “These events are rare, but they demonstrate why physical evaluations and accurate medical histories matter for students preparing to participate in athletics or marching band.”

How can a heart problem remain hidden?

Some conditions associated with sudden cardiac arrest affect the heart’s physical structure. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, for example, causes part of the heart muscle to become abnormally thick. A student may also be born with a coronary artery that follows an unusual path around the heart.

These structural differences may cause few or no problems while the body is at rest. During strenuous activity, however, the heart beats faster and needs more oxygen. An abnormally thickened heart muscle can interfere with blood flow or contribute to a dangerous heart rhythm. In certain coronary artery abnormalities, the artery may become compressed during intense exercise, restricting the supply of oxygen-rich blood to the heart.

Other conditions affect the electrical signals that control the heartbeat. Long QT syndrome, Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome and other rhythm disorders can cause the heart to beat dangerously fast or irregularly. In some electrical disorders, the rise in heart rate and adrenaline that accompanies intense exercise can trigger an abnormal rhythm that may not occur during routine daily activities.

That is why many affected students feel completely healthy most of the time. Warning signs may not emerge until the heart is placed under greater strain. In some cases, the first noticeable symptom may be chest pain, unexplained shortness of breath, dizziness, fainting or a racing heartbeat during exercise.

“The incidence is rare, but because there’s a risk, all Texas students must have a physical exam before participating in sports, complete a medical history form that asks about symptoms and family history, and receive information about an option for an electrocardiogram, or EKG, which can check further for problems,” Dr. Bush said.

What happens during a sports physical?

A preparticipation physical evaluation is broader than a heart screening. A medical provider typically reviews the student’s medications, previous illnesses, injuries and general health, then checks vital signs and examines the heart, lungs, muscles, joints and other areas of the body.

The student and a parent or guardian complete the medical history portion of the UIL form. Questions about chest pain, fainting, unusual shortness of breath, a racing heartbeat and family history can be particularly important for identifying possible cardiac risks.

Parents should answer every question carefully and tell the provider about relatives who may have experienced cardiac arrest, cardiomyopathy or a serious rhythm disorder.

It’s important for parents to know information that might seem unrelated could help the provider recognize a problem.

“The first step is an appointment with a primary care doctor for a physical,” Bush said. “That is enough for most students. If a doctor detects something unusual or troubling, they may recommend an EKG.”

What does UIL require for 2026–27?

Under UIL’s statewide minimum requirements, students participating in sports and marching band must receive a physical before first participating in middle school athletics, and again before their first and third years of high school athletics.

Each year, the student and a parent or guardian must also complete a medical history form that asks about symptoms, family history and other potential health concerns.

Families must be given information about sudden cardiac arrest and the option to request an EKG in addition to the required physical.

The examination must be completed and signed by an authorized medical professional, and the required documents must be on file with the school districts before the student takes part in athletic activities.

When should a student receive an EKG?

An EKG records the heart’s electrical activity and can identify certain rhythm or electrical abnormalities that may not be discovered by listening to the heart.

During the test, small adhesive electrodes are placed on the chest, arms and legs and connected to a machine that records the heart’s electrical signals. The test is noninvasive and painless, does not send electricity into the body and can typically be completed within a few minutes.

“All of our University Health ExpressMed urgent care clinics perform EKGs. It can often be done at the appointment where the doctor or provider finds something of concern,” Dr. Bush said.

[Related: Are innocent heart murmurs in kids a cause for concern?]

Does an abnormal finding mean sports are over?

It’s important for students and their families to know: Finding a possible heart problem does not automatically end a student’s dreams of playing sports.

“I think that’s horrible,” said Dr. Bush. “The most important part of high school is to learn how to live in a community. You have to learn how to interact with other people in a positive way. I think that’s why team sports are so important.”

Dr. Bush said his response to the discovery of a child’s heart condition is to first recommend non-medical steps the patient and their family can take. He then considers medications and procedures when they are needed. He encourages families to make the coach or team leader an ally who is prepared to require limitations or activity modifications that will prevent medical complications.

“We’re in a time now where we understand the nature of the conditions. We understand the risks associated with them, and our job is to educate the families about those risks and work with them to bring those risks down. Sports are an important part of the student experience. Playing it safe is important, too.”

For sports physicals, families can go to one of University Health’s walk-in urgent care clinics or visit their family doctor.

The campaign featured over a dozen contenders in each of the top races — for Senate, U.S. House and governor. Under Alaska’s open primary system, all candidates appear on the same ballot, and the four who receive the most votes qualify for the ranked vote general election.

Tuesday's ballot also included state legislative candidates and a statewide initiative that would reimpose campaign contribution limits in state and local elections.

Senate race includes 2 Dan Sullivans and a former congresswoman

The highest-profile candidates in a field of 16 were two-term Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan and Democratic former U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola.

The race, which could help determine control of the Senate, has drawn significant attention from outside groups, with Republican and Democratic campaign organizations identifying it as a top target. Peltola shook up her campaign leadership days before the primary, letting her campaign manager go and elevating a deputy to that role. In a statement, the campaign described the changes as “staffing updates as we transition into the general election.”

Sullivan, a veteran and ally of President Donald Trump, has campaigned on supporting the military, opening more land for oil and gas extraction, and voting for Trump's signature tax and spending law. He accused Peltola of being aligned with Lower 48 “liberals.”

Peltola leaned into the “fish, family, freedom” slogan that first got her elected in 2022, and criticized a political system she said is rigged by special interests and allows politicians to enrich themselves.

But it was a third candidate, a Republican also named Dan Sullivan, who garnered much of the attention.

Dan J. Sullivan won a legal fight to appear on the ballot despite claims by the senator and GOP allies that he was a sham candidate running at the behest of Democrats with the intent of causing confusion. Dan J. Sullivan, a retired teacher from the island community of Petersburg, denied that and said frustration with the incumbent prompted him to run.

He appeared on the ballot as Daniel J. Sullivan Jr., with no party affiliation — a decision that a state elections official said was intended to minimize possible confusion. Meanwhile, the senator was listed as Dan S. Sullivan, Republican and incumbent. No other candidate seeking reelection has the “incumbent” label.

The drama involving the dueling Dan Sullivans caught the attention of Trump. In a social media post endorsing the senator days before the primary, he called the other's candidacy an attempt to trick voters and urged his followers to vote for “SULLIVAN, DAN S.”

Republican Begich faced challenge from independent fisherman

In the race for Alaska's only U.S. House seat, the most prominent candidates were Republican Rep. Nick Begich, seeking a second term, and independent Bill Hill, a fisherman and former educator from a small southwestern village.

Progressive Democrat Matt Schultz suspended his campaign last month but remained on the ballot. His campaign said Schultz would withdraw as a general election candidate if he makes the primary's top four.

Schultz urged support for Hill, who leaned into concerns about affordability. Begich, who was endorsed by Trump, cast himself as hardworking and effective in his role. House Speaker Mike Johnson appeared at a rally for Begich in a conservative part of the state this month, though the event was closed to news media.

Governor's race wide open

The campaign for the state’s top executive office was an open race this year because Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy was barred by term limits from seeking a third consecutive stint.

Two Democrats hoped to emerge from a crowded, largely Republican field: former state lawmakers Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins and Tom Begich, who is Nick Begich's uncle. If either wins in November, he would become Alaska's first Democratic governor since Tony Knowles left office in 2002.

Republicans in the race included Bernadette Wilson, a businessperson and conservative activist; Click Bishop, a former state labor commissioner and lawmaker; Dave Bronson, former mayor of Anchorage; and Adam Crum and Treg Taylor, two former members of Dunleavy's Cabinet.

Former Gov. Bill Walker, an independent, also was on the ballot.

Ballot measure addresses money in state politics

The lone ballot measure in the primary asked voters to reimpose campaign contribution limits, five years after a divided federal appeals court struck down a number of caps.

The measure proposes a $2,000 limit on how much individuals can give to candidates in state and local elections and a $5,000 cap on what they can give to political parties. It also would limit spending by groups other than political parties, and limit what individuals and groups can give to joint campaigns for governor and lieutenant governor.

Supporters say such limits are needed to prevent outsize influence by special interests and wealthy donors. Opponents say the measure would favor candidates with name recognition and restrict the free expression rights of contributors.

Political spending by wealthy people has become a flashpoint in races in Alaska and elsewhere. In 2025 in Wisconsin, billionaires Elon Musk and George Soros helped push spending in a state Supreme Court campaign past $100 million, the most ever for a court race in the U.S.

Work location: Onsite at WKMG (Orlando, FL) or WSLS (Roanoke, VA)

About the Role

The Client Strategy Lead is a client-growth and media-strategy leader who partners with Sales Leadership and Account Executives to design insight-led, cross-platform marketing solutions that drive measurable business outcomes and long-term retention. This role elevates GMG from “media vendor” to growth partner by leading with business objectives, audience intelligence, and accountable performance

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with Account Executives to identify, strategize, and close new integrated revenue opportunities with both existing and prospective clients.
• Design and implement cutting-edge, multi-platform strategies leveraging GMG’s digital product suite and vendor partnerships to deliver measurable results.
• Lead digital discovery sessions, develop compelling proposals, and deliver persuasive client presentations focused on client-centric solutions that ultimately secure high-value deals.
• Maintain a deep understanding of the competitive landscape, emerging advertising technologies, and market trends to position GMG as a leader in digital solutions.
• Provide advanced digital and modern media planning education and development to local sales teams, empowering them to confidently pitch and execute digital solutions.
• Collaborate with the Director of Strategic Sales to refine product offerings, set ambitious campaign goals, and ensure optimal performance outcomes.
• Responsible for tracking, analyzing, and forecasting digital sales performance, delivering actionable insights to drive continuous improvement and revenue acceleration.

Requirements

• Minimum of 3 years of experience in digital media sales or strategy, preferably within a broadcast or media company.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and execute innovative, results-driven digital strategies.
• Strong understanding of digital advertising platforms, targeting, analytics, and emerging technologies.
• Outstanding presentation and interpersonal skills, with a proven ability to influence and inspire both internal teams and external clients.
• Consistent achievement of or exceeding revenue goals in a fast-paced, competitive environment.
• Ability to work seamlessly across teams and departments, driving alignment and shared success.
• Competitive mindset with a focus on achieving and exceeding goals.
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to adapt to changing market dynamics.
• Experience in developing marketing solutions tailored to client needs, rather than selling pre-packaged offerings
• Deep understanding of consumer behavior and retail dynamics to craft impactful strategies.

Contact: Kim Jakubowski, Director of Strategic Sales

kjakubowski@grahammedia.com

Graham Media Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In addition to complying with the requirements of federal law, GMG will comply with applicable state and local laws prohibiting employment discrimination. Any offer of employment is conditional upon the successful completion of a pre-employment drug screening, investigative background check, employment/education verifications, and reference checks.

ESPN historian Mike Soltys said Rasmussen died at his Florida home from the effects of Parkinson’s disease. Rasmussen announced in 2019 that he had been diagnosed with the degenerative disease in 2014.

“Bill was a remarkable man — a visionary and an innovator who conceived the idea of a network entirely devoted to sports,” ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in a statement. “Quite simply, none of us would be here today if it wasn’t for Bill’s passion and all the hard work and entrepreneurial spirit he put into building ESPN in the late 1970s — key aspects of our company culture that still carry on to this day.”

Rasmussen and his son Scott came up with the idea of a network carrying sports around the clock, and it would revolutionize Americans’ TV-watching habits. But the Rasmussens didn’t stick around long. They were forced out after only a year by ESPN majority owner Getty Oil.

Cable operators initially scoffed at Rasmussen's concept

Bill Rasmussen’s original idea was a cable channel covering only Connecticut sports. Many cable operators in the state were skeptical, but someone suggested buying satellite time to reach a national audience.

ESPN was launched on Sept. 7, 1979. George Grande welcomed viewers to the first “SportsCenter” broadcast before the network’s first live event, a slow-pitch softball game between the Kentucky Bourbons and the Milwaukee Schlitz.

“In those days, we didn’t know if we’d last four weeks, four years, let alone 40-some, but we knew it was special,” Grande said. “Bottom line was Bill Rasmussen was the true purveyor of the original American dream, and he gave us all something very special that we still have today.”

The Rasmussens secured financial backing from Getty Oil and a rights deal with the NCAA, and built a studio in Bristol, Connecticut, still under construction when ESPN went on the air.

The Getty investment and the deal with the NCAA occurred on the same day.

“When someone tells you you can’t do something, you want to prove them wrong,” Bill Rasmussen said. “Many, many people told us there wasn’t enough sports to do a 24-hour channel. I didn’t argue with anybody. I just thought they were wrong and I was right.”

When the Rasmussens were forced out of ESPN in 1980, Getty owned 85% of the network. Texaco, which had acquired Getty, sold its interest in ESPN to ABC in 1984.

ESPN helped bring a host of sports to cable

In 1980, only months after its debut, ESPN started televising the NFL draft. The network debuted the ESPY Awards in 1993 and launched the X Games competition in 1995.

The college football landscape underwent massive changes. Games were spread throughout the week to tailor to TV audiences and the number of postseason bowls skyrocketed. ESPN has held exclusive broadcast rights to the College Football Playoff since it began after the 2014 season. In 2024, the network agreed to a new six-year, $7.8 billion contract for the playoff through the 2031-32 season.

While CNN was finding its footing on the news side, ESPN jostled with major networks to bring NFL and college sports to cable audiences that had been over the airwaves for decades. ESPN also pioneered funding and broadcasting women’s sports, particularly college basketball, volleyball and the softball World Series.

Rasmussen was courted back by ESPN years later

Bill Rasmussen and ESPN were estranged until 1999, when company executives invited him to the 20th anniversary celebration. Since then, he has been embraced and recognized for his vision of creating an all-sports network. He toured the country in 2019 for the 40th anniversary and gave speeches at Walt Disney Co. and ESPN events.

“Bill was our George Washington and a good friend,” said veteran anchor Chris Berman, who joined ESPN three weeks after the network launched in 1979. “He was such a grateful person and every sports fan can be grateful for Bill. He wasn’t a glass half-full guy; his glass was always overflowing with optimism. He greeted everyone with a smile and we can all smile knowing Bill’s legacy.”

ESPN's debut came after Rasmussen was fired from a previous job

Born in Chicago, Rasmussen earned degrees from DePauw University in Indiana and Rutgers University and served in the Air Force. He started an advertising services business, then worked in radio and television as a broadcaster during the 1960s.

He was hired in 1974 as public relations director for the World Hockey Association’s New England Whalers in Hartford, Connecticut. The team’s entire front office was fired in 1978, and Rasmussen soon turned his attention to brainstorming with his son on the creation of sports on cable TV with the help of a $9,000 credit card advance.

“There was a whole lot of chutzpah and a whole lot of vision, and they’re maxed out on their credit cards. It’s the American dream,” said Bob Ley, one of the network’s original anchors.

Rasmussen was inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2025.

Rasmussen was predeceased by his wife of 56 years, Lois, in 2011 and is survived by two sons, Scott Rasmussen and his wife, Laura, and Glenn Rasmussen, daughter Lynn Van Hollebeke and her husband, Louie, seven grandchildren, one great-grandson and one great-granddaughter. In addition to his wife, Bill was predeceased by his brothers Robert and Donald Rasmussen, sister Vivien and a grandson.

___

See AP’s full sports coverage here

The U.S. and Canada are negotiating ahead of Trump’s midnight deadline to impose 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian products starting Wednesday. The fate of the Gaza ceasefire remains unclear after Jared Kushner left a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with no firm Israeli commitment to the latest U.S.-proposed plan. And Trump’s pivot away from South Korea is raising broader concerns about U.S. security interests in Asia and elsewhere.

The Latest:

Woman accused of plotting to kill Treasury Secretary is sentenced

A Massachusetts woman who told police that she brought homemade firebombs to the U.S. Capitol to kill Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was sentenced on Tuesday to just over six years in prison.

Riley English, a 26-year-old transgender woman, said she was in the grips of a mental health crisis and abusing drugs when she drove to Washington in January 2025 and told Capitol Police that she was there to kill Bessent on the day of his Senate confirmation.

“I never wanted to hurt anyone,” she told U.S. District Judge Rudolph Contreras. “I’m not a political person. I’m not a violent person.”

Contreras, who was nominated to the bench by Democratic President Barack Obama, sentenced English to six years and one month of imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release. English has remained jailed since her arrest and will get credit for the nearly 20 months that she already has spent in custody.

▶ Read more

Trump to lead tech event

The U.S. president is hosting an event on Wednesday with various leaders in the tech industry, according to a White House official.

The event is meant to “strengthen America’s innovative and technological dominance,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a meeting that has not been publicized.

The official offered few other details about the gathering except to say that prediction markets would not be participating in the White House event.

US hits ICC president and senior prosecutor with sanctions in another move against the court

The Trump administration has imposed sanctions on the president of the International Criminal Court and one its top prosecutors as it continues a campaign to dismantle the tribunal that it accuses of trying to unfairly prosecute U.S. and Israeli soldiers for alleged crimes in Afghanistan, Iraq and Gaza.

The State Department said Tuesday it had hit ICC president Tomoko Akane, a Japanese national, and ICC senior trial lawyer Abdoulaye Seye, who is from Senegal, with sanctions that freeze any assets they have in U.S. jurisdictions or come into contact with the U.S. financial system.

The move is the latest by the Trump administration against the ICC, which it says has exceeding its mandate by investigating or trying soldiers, commanders and political officials from countries, like Israel and the United States, that are not members of the court.

Minnesota attorney general sues Texas governor to compel extradition of ICE agent for trial

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison sued Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday, seeking to compel the extradition of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent to stand trial for assault and falsely reporting a crime in the wounding of a man during the agency’s crackdown in Minneapolis.

Ellison said he would request a temporary restraining order barring the Cameron County Sheriff’s Office in Texas from releasing ICE agent Christian Castro and requiring Abbott to sign the extradition warrant allowing Minnesota law enforcement agents to take custody of him.

Castro was arrested 11 days after Minneapolis prosecutors charged him with assault and falsely reporting a crime in the Jan. 14 nonfatal shooting of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis.

Ellison said at a news conference that Castro faces release from jail next week -- 90 days since he was detained -- under Texas law unless he’s extradited to Minnesota.

▶ Read more

CDC has zombie programs that are funded but don’t have staff

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has several programs that have turned into zombies: They appear to be alive, at least according to legislation and congressional appropriations. But functionally they are dead or nearly dead, because the CDC experts who did the work were laid off by President Donald Trump’s administration or remain on leave — paid but not allowed to do their jobs.

These programs include initiatives for Alzheimer’s, smoking prevention and epilepsy.

Trump’s Republican administration laid off thousands of employees as a cost-cutting move beginning in April 2025. While some cuts were reversed, many experts remain on paid leave due to ongoing legal battles.

The lone Democrat on the FCC praises the lawsuit

The sole Democrat on the commission, Anna Gomez, commended ABC and Disney for pushing back against the FCC’s actions.

“For months, the FCC has waged a campaign of censorship and control against Disney’s ABC stations,” she said in a statement, “using the threat of broadcast license revocations to punish a company for speech this administration doesn’t like.”

“I have long called on companies to push back against this kind of government intimidation, and I’m glad Disney has shown courage and stepped up,” Gomez said. “This should be a welcome sign for every broadcaster who has felt the weight of this overreaching government pressure in silence.”

ABC says FCC’s challenge of its broadcast licenses present an ‘existential threat’

The FCC under Chairman Brendan Carr cited the network’s diversity practices as a reason for a rare early review of some of its local broadcast licenses, but it took the action shortly after a joke by ABC’s late-night host Jimmy Kimmel had infuriated the president.

“Again and again, the Administration has attacked ABC’s speech — the stories its journalists report and the viewpoints its network programs air,” the network alleges in its lawsuit filed Tuesday seeking to block the FCC action. “Those attacks have escalated into express demands that ABC be stripped of its broadcast licenses because of its speech.”

“If the Administration gets its way, the message to every media company in the country will be unmistakable: tell only the stories the Administration deems favorable, or face the coercive machinery of the federal government. In such a world, the press could in no way be described as free,” it says.

Forced out of the Kennedy Center, National Symphony Orchestra is going on the road

Forced from its concert hall, the orchestra announced Tuesday that it’s splitting its 2026-27 season among six venues in and around Washington, D.C.

Trump loyalists took control of the center named by Congress after President John F. Kennedy and added his name to the complex before a federal judge ordered it removed. Now the board plans a two-year renovation and a new name: “The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Restored and Renovated By President Donald J. Trump.”

“For us to perform and to be somehow disconnected with the Kennedy Center probably will convince some of the audience who stayed away from the center to come back to our concerts, and not only that, even to increase the number of the audience,” music director Gianandrea Noseda said in an interview with The Associated Press.

Hormuz ship traffic is down sharply, despite Trump’s claims

While Trump insists the Strait of Hormuz remains “open and operating,” the numbers show vessel transit dropped significantly last week, with confirmed crossings falling 19.5% to 95, including just three on Sunday, according to shipping data platform Kpler.

The platform said the transited vessels used the Iranian-designated route, while no crossings were recorded through the Omani routes.

Iran refers to Trump’s ‘delusion’ about the strait

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi appeared to respond to Trump’s post on social media depicting the strait as American territory.

“Just as Trump correctly wrote the name of the eternal Persian Gulf, his delusion regarding the Strait of Hormuz will soon either be corrected, or we will correct this deluded man’s delusions for him,” Gharibabadi wrote on X.

Trump floats idea of declaring Strait of Hormuz a US territory

He posted a map on social media Tuesday depicting the strait as a U.S. territory. The president first mentioned the idea in an offhand comment last week. On Monday, he told reporters in the Oval Office, “I like the idea of declaring it a territory,” without providing details.

The White House on Tuesday referred to Trump’s remarks in the Oval Office and declined to comment further about Oman.

Tankers and cargo vessels are seen in the Gulf of Oman, along shipping routes linking the Strait of Hormuz and the Arabian Sea, Tuesday, June 16, 2026. (AP Photo)

US believes Oman has not been tough enough with Iran

The reason Trump threatened to bomb Oman is because he’s unhappy the country is close to a deal with Iran to manage ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, two regional officials said Tuesday.

The officials said the Trump administration has told Oman it is opposed to parts of the yet-to-be-announced deal, including the joint Iranian and Omani management of the exit route out of the passage that’s critical to global supplies of oil and natural gas. The officials were briefed on the U.S. position and how the administration views Oman’s position.

The U.S. believes Oman has not been tough enough in its negotiations with Iran and is unhappy with Oman’s agreement to collect voluntary fees from vessels, even if the charges are related to security and maritime environmental protection, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to journalists.

Whistleblower alleges political pressure, lack of evidence in antisemitism probes

A whistleblower is alleging that a Trump administration task force created to combat antisemitism has rushed to push for settlements with Ivy League universities, despite incomplete investigations that failed to establish any violations of the law.

The complaint obtained by The Associated Press before it was made public Tuesday details allegations made by a former Justice Department attorney who was involved in the task force. It alleges that the investigations were designed to strong-arm the schools into cutting deals for political purposes.

Spokespeople for the Justice and Health and Human Services Departments did not immediately respond to requests seeking comment Tuesday.

▶ Read more

Trump says US has no planned talks with Iran

The president asserted that even as U.S. has no planned talks with Iran, the Strait of Hormuz remains “open and operating,” despite limited traffic and an attack Tuesday on a ship trying to exit the waterway.

Trump also wrote on social media Tuesday that a U.S. blockade of Iranian shipping remains “in full force and effect,” and asserted that all water mines have been removed.

His post comes after a 60-day negotiating period ended this week between the U.S. and Iran with no clear end to the war in sight.

Disney sues FCC, claiming broadcast licenses challenge is retaliation over ‘Jimmy Kimmel’

Disney’s suit filed Tuesday against the Trump administration’s Federal Communications Commission alleges a violation of its First Amendment rights.

FCC Chairman Brendan Carr defended the agency’s early review of eight ABC local broadcast licenses well before they expire, saying Friday that broadcasters have a duty to “operate in the public interest” and the FCC is merely trying to restore that standard.

Carr has said the country should have a “trusted, respected news media, and we’re not there.”

ABC has accused the agency of a brazen attempt to chill its constitutionally protected free speech — and by extension, that of every media outlet in the country.

The 1930 tariff law Trump invoked against Canada made the Great Depression worse

After the Supreme Court ruled the president overstepped his authority by imposing double-digit import taxes on almost every country on earth as a national emergency, Trump last month imposed new import taxes of 10% to 12.5% on 59 countries and the European Union — which together account for 99% of U.S. imports, accusing them of allowing forced labor.

And to whack Canada, he invoked Section 338 of the Tariff Act of 1930 to impose 50% tariffs, starting Wednesday.

These so-called Smoot-Hawley tariffs are notorious among economists and historians for limiting world commerce and making the Great Depression worse. Never before used, Section 338 allows for import taxes on products from countries that have discriminated against U.S. businesses.

Trump claimed Canada discriminates against U.S. exports of autos, alcohol and cheese.

US criticizes Israeli strikes on Syrian air base

Syrian state TV said eight Israeli airstrikes hit the runway of the Abu Duhur air base early Tuesday, causing damage without inflicting any casualties.

U.S. Ambassador Tom Barrack posted on X that Washington is “deeply concerned that the confirmed Israeli airstrikes” constitute “an unnecessary escalation that does not advance regional stability.”

There was no comment from the Israeli military on the attack and Turkish officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, said foreign fighters used to stay at the base before they were recently asked to leave, and that Turkey, a main backer of Syria’s government, has been rehabilitating the base after the Syrian conflict left nearly half a million people dead.

Ship attacked in Hormuz strait as Iran throttles key waterway

A projectile has hit a ship sailing out of the Strait of Hormuz , according to the British military’s UK Maritime Trade Operations center, causing “a crew casualty” but no environmental damage.

Iranian threats to shipping effectively closed the strait after Israel and the U.S. started the war nearly six months ago.

An Iranian official said Tuesday that the waterway will remain closed until the U.S. meets Tehran’s conditions, which include ending a U.S. blockade on Iranian shipping, “releasing frozen assets, lifting oil sanctions (and) ending threats and military operations on all fronts.”

Turkey urges Trump to seek a diplomatic solution to the war

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged Trump in a telephone call to continue to seek a diplomatic solution to the conflict with Iran.

The call came late Monday as the 60-day negotiating period to find a peace deal between the United States and Iran was expiring, with no word of an extension and both sides seemingly as far apart as they were at the start.

“President Erdogan said it is important to make maximum use of diplomacy amid tensions between Iran and the United States,” according to a statement from the Turkish presidential communications office.

The 60-day deadline for an Iran peace deal is expiring. Here’s where things stand

The deal that Trump signed at Versailles in June set an ambitious 60-day deadline for ending the war with Iran and reaching an accord on its nuclear program.

The deadline was Monday, and the two sides are further apart than they were then.

Talks, such as they are, have focused on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and lifting a U.S. blockade on Iran, both of which were supposed to have happened under the interim deal. There has been no sign of any compromise on the strait, or that detailed nuclear talks have even begun.

The U.S., meanwhile, has no good options for getting out of the war it started alongside Israel.

Acceding to Iran’s latest demands would mean giving it control over a critical international waterway that carried a fifth of the world’s traded oil and gas before the war — and would be tantamount to admitting defeat. Escalating the deeply unpopular war would further draw down U.S. supplies of advanced missile interceptors, jolt the world economy, and drive up gas prices ahead of U.S. congressional elections.

So both sides have dug in, hoping the other will blink first. So far, neither has.

▶ Read more

Trump’s slight of South Korea in favor of the North raises broader US security concerns

Trump on Sunday ordered the U.S. military to downsize the 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, which began Monday as scheduled. It wasn’t known which parts of the training were being scaled back.

His announcement baffled many in South Korea, which has been closely allied with the U.S. for decades and where national security is a top priority due to threats from nuclear-armed North Korea.

Trump explained his decision by citing South Korea’s refusal to join his war against Iran and pointing to what he said was his good relationship with North Korea’s reclusive dictator, a transactional and personal approach to foreign policy that has defined the Republican’s presidency.

“There is no American interest that I can see in this,” said Dan Fried, an assistant secretary of state for European affairs in the George W. Bush administration. “On all levels it makes no sense. It undermines the South Koreans, undermines the Japanese, frightens the Taiwanese, unnerves NATO and emboldens the Chinese, not to mention the North Koreans.”

▶ Read more

“I love the game of football a lot … it brings me joy,” the 39-year-old Baltimore Ravens defensive lineman said Tuesday in his first public remarks since his mother's death. “It was a little harder training, but as far as football goes, I love this game a lot. And this is a very fun place for me to be. So playing football has been great for me.”

The Ravens signed the six-time Pro Bowler in April to a one-year deal for his 19th NFL season.

In late June, police found his 71-year-old mother dead at her home in Atlanta during a welfare check. Her 41-year-old son Ciarre Campbell was charged with murder after he was found with a knife, according to arrest warrants. The family told police that Ciarre struggles with mental illness.

The Ravens permitted Calais Campbell to miss the first few full-team practices of training camp. He participated in his first team session on Aug. 3, five days after the Ravens opened full-team camp.

“These last couple months have been pretty tough for me and my family, but we’re working through it,” Campbell said. “And I really appreciate all the love and support and the prayers that have been coming from all over, really, from all the NFL community. … Continue praying for us because we need it.”

Campbell, who will turn 40 on Sept. 1, previously played in Baltimore from 2020-2022, making his sixth and final Pro Bowl during his first season with the Ravens.

He returns to an organization with a different look, including first-year head coach Jesse Minter and a mostly new coaching staff.

“(He) brings great versatility along the D-line, is an unbelievable leader and mentor in that room and in the defensive room and with the team,” Minter said of Campbell, who has 117 career sacks in 278 NFL games, including 259 starts. “The timing of it obviously was really tough for him and his family. We allowed the first week or two of camp for him to really kind of work himself to get ready, as it affected his summer preparation, obviously. … I’m really happy that we have him.”

___

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

Attorney General Keith Ellison is asking a federal judge to bar the sheriff in Cameron County, Texas, from releasing ICE agent Christian Castro, and to order Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to sign his extradition warrant so that Minnesota officers can take custody.

Minnesota officials have clashed with the federal government over who has jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute federal officers for on-duty conduct. Ellison is a Democrat and Abbott is a Republican ally of President Donald Trump.

Castro was arrested in Texas in May on Minnesota charges of assault and falsely reporting a crime in the Jan. 14 wounding of Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis. Castro, 52, is accused of firing a gun through the front door of a Minneapolis home, striking Sosa-Celis in the leg with a bullet that lodged in a child’s bedroom wall. Prosecutors say Castro then falsely accused Sosa-Celis and another man of attacking an ICE officer with a broom handle and a snow shovel.

Minnesota officials fear ICE agent could flee

Ellison told a news conference that unless he's extradited, Castro could be released from jail next week -- 90 days since he was detained -- under Texas law. And if he's freed, Castro could slip into Mexico from the border town where he's being held, Ellison said. The lawsuit said Castro has been making calls from jail to a woman in Mexico, talking “about marrying her and buying a house in Mexico when he is released.”

“Christian Castro has been charged with breaking the law in Minnesota,” Ellison said. “He must face justice in Minnesota. Gov. Abbott should have granted Gov. Walz’s extradition request long ago and is required to do so now.”

It was not immediately known if Castro had a lawyer who could speak for him. Online court records in Minnesota and county jail records in Texas did not list a defense attorney.

Abbott's office said in a statement that it would not comment on “pending extradition matters.”

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said the legal action to compel Castro’s extradition “should be a completely unnecessary lawsuit.” She said jail officials and prosecutors in Texas have been “very cooperative,” and that an extradition “is not supposed to be controversial.”

The office of Cameron County Sheriff Manny Trevino declined to comment Tuesday on the case.

Federal agency has called agent's prosecution a 'political stunt'

Authorities say Sosa-Celis was shot after Castro and another officer chased a different man, Alfredo Alejandro Aljorna, to the Minneapolis apartment duplex where he and Sosa-Celis lived. Sosa-Celis and Aljorna were legally in the U.S., according to Minnesota officials.

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

Regardless, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has called Moriarty's prosecution of Castro “unlawful and nothing more than a political stunt,” saying only federal authorities have jurisdiction in the case.

The federal government took a similar stance following the fatal shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti during the Minneapolis enforcement surge. Moriarty sued the Trump administration to gain access to evidence in those cases before federal prosecutors turned it over last month.

The extradition lawsuit Ellison filed in U.S. District Court in Texas cites a 1987 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that compliance with the Constitution’s extradition clause is mandatory, affording no discretion to the governor or courts of a state where a defendant is being held.

Moriarty said that since Castro’s arrest, Texas has extradited three unrelated criminal defendants without incident to Minnesota.

“Gov. Abbott has received communication with us on an ongoing basis, including recently,” Ellison said. “We have to take the position that they are refusing to honor the extradition request.”

___

Bynum reported from Savannah, Georgia. AP journalist Valerie Gonzalez in McAllen, Texas, contributed.

The U.S. Forest Service is filing a proposal that would scrap the so called roadless rule adopted in the last days of Bill Clinton’s presidency in 2001. The agency described the rule as a one-size-fits-all restriction that has frustrated land managers and served as a barrier to reducing wildfire risks in the nation’s forests.

“Our forests can’t afford another decade of inaction. Across the country, we’ve watched preventable conditions — overgrown stands, insect outbreaks and disease — turn healthy landscapes into tinderboxes,” U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in a statement.

Scientists say that worsening wildfires are driven by a combination of climate change that warms and dries out forests, less logging and decades of fire suppression that has allowed fuels to build up.

Clinton had signed the rule to safeguard undeveloped national forest land from commercial logging and mineral leasing, with a goal of keeping ecosystems pristine and protecting water supplies.

Calling the roadless rule a failure, Rollins said the proposal calls for restoring authority to local forest managers and removing barriers that have kept them from improving forest health across millions of acres.

The roadless rule has affected 30% of national forest lands nationwide, or about 59 million acres (24 million hectares), according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the agency over the Forest Service.

The Forest Service will gather public comment on the proposal and on a draft of the environmental impact statement that was filed Tuesday in the Federal Register. While the rescission removes national designation of roadless areas, officials say it doesn't mandate timber cutting or road construction.

The filing of the proposal comes as no surprise as the Trump administration first announced its intention to get rid of the rule during a meeting last summer of Western governors in New Mexico.

Environmentalists have been sounding the alarm since then and reiterated Tuesday that lifting protections would have detrimental effects for old growth forests, wildlife and water supplies.

“Americans across the political spectrum have made it crystal clear that they don’t want political appointees removing protections from public lands,” said Chris Krupp, an attorney with the group WildEarth Guardians. “It would be a gross misreading of public sentiment to take the roadless rule away from Americans and our wildlife, and politicians do so at their jeopardy.”

The Alaska Wilderness League and other groups raised concerns about what a rescission could mean for places such as Alaska’s Tongass National Forest, the nation's largest national forest and a lightning rod for litigation. State political leaders there have supported an exemption to the roadless rule that they argue impedes economic opportunities.

During the latter part of Trump’s first term, the federal government lifted restrictions on logging and road-building in the Tongass, something the Biden administration later reversed.

Emma Powell, the Alaska Wilderness League's government affairs manager, described the Tongass as a global treasure that serves as a home for salmon runs and abundant wildlife. She added that cultures and livelihoods are connected to the forest.

“From fisheries to tourism and outdoor recreation, these landscapes also support thousands of jobs and generate billions in economic activity each year,” Powell said.

Alex Craven, the Sierra Club's forest campaign manager, disputed officials' claims that getting rid of the rule would allow for more work to be done to reduce wildfire threats. Craven suggested more roads would lead to more fires and that it never prevented the Forest Service from doing targeted work to reduce wildfire fuels.

He vowed that the Sierra Club and other groups would fight the proposal at each step.

The deadline for comments is Sept. 21.

Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, a 25-year-old Colombian national, was shot and killed by an ICE agent in a car near his Biddeford home on July 13. Rep. Chellie Pingree said during a hearing in Maine on Monday that ICE's intended target was Durán Guerrero's roommate, who was the owner of the car Durán Guerrero was driving.

Pingree called the discovery a “shocking revelation in clear contradiction to what ICE" and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security have said about the shooting. She added that it was previously established Durán Guerrero was not the intended target and also did not have a final order of removal, but did have a pending asylum case and a valid work permit.

“Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero should be alive today,” Pingree said during the hearing. “More than a month later, there are still so many basic questions that remain unanswered by ICE and the Trump administration.”

The Department of Homeland Security said in a statement late Monday that it stands by its prior assessment of the shooting. ICE was conducting “targeted surveillance on the last known address of an illegal alien with a final order of removal,” a spokesperson for the agency said.

“We are not going to disclose law enforcement sensitive intelligence and methods. Nowhere did we state that Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero or his roommate were the target of the operation,” the spokesperson said.

The shooting of Durán Guerrero remains under investigation by the Office of the Maine Attorney General. Pingree was among several Democratic House members who spoke at a hearing in Biddeford on Monday to discuss ICE's use of deadly force in the state. The Department of Homeland Security said at the time of the shooting that Durán Guerrero attempted to flee the scene and the ICE officer discharged his weapon because he feared for public safety.

Pingree and other Democratic Congress members have also called for answers from Homeland Security about its training and vetting of agents after it was disclosed that the ICE officer involved in the shooting had a history of violent behavior and mental health issues. The shooting also appeared to lead to a policy change in which ICE would suspend most vehicle stops, but President Donald Trump swiftly expressed opposition to that change.

The lawsuit came nearly a week after Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison sent a letter asking Abbott to sign a legal document for the extradition of Christian Castro, charged by the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office with four counts of second-degree assault and one count of falsely reporting.

The Texas Department of Public Safety helped arrest Castro in Cameron County in late May, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz sent his Texas counterpart the extradition request four days later.

If Abbott did not sign by Monday afternoon, Ellison wrote, he would “have no choice” but to bring a legal action.

In the subsequent lawsuit, the Minnesota attorney general also called the Texas governor’s decision to not sign the paperwork “unusual and inconsistent with historical practice” — including under Abbott’s current term.

“Abbott’s refusal to extradite Castro is unconstitutional and violates federal law and Texas law,” Ellison said in a Tuesday statement. “I will not stand for that, so I’m taking Abbott to court.”

Abbott’s office declined to comment on “pending extradition matters.”

The lawsuit also named Cameron County Sheriff Manuel Trevino as a defendant, as it seeks to prevent the South Texas sheriff’s office from releasing Castro until he is turned over to Minnesota’s custody. Trevino didn’t immediately respond to a comment request.

“This is not about politics,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in a statement. “It is about the law.”

This is a developing story.

Norman's comments came in a wide-ranging interview with The Associated Press ahead of the Aug. 25 GOP runoff to pick a replacement for the senator, who died unexpectedly last month. In a state that routinely elects only Republicans for statewide office, GOP primaries are often the most contentious competitions. Tuesday's winner will face Democrat Annie Andrews in November.

Norman finished second to Graham in a 10-candidate special primary on Aug. 11, though neither won the majority needed to win outright. AP's request for a similar interview with Graham has not been granted.

Darline Graham was appointed as interim senator after her brother's death. She opted to run in the special primary for a full term, something she said Trump — long an ally of her brother — urged her to do. Darline Graham says she's accomplished much during her time as interim, has years of experience running a state agency in South Carolina and will continue to advocate for Trump's goals in the Senate.

Norman said he’s skeptical that South Carolina voters have had enough time to vet the political newcomer for a six-year term, while he’s already been through a statewide campaign this cycle, coming up short in the June gubernatorial primary. He also eschewed the millions being spent on ads against him, much of it from a super PAC that had been aligned with Lindsey Graham and now supports Darline Graham.

Norman backed former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley over Trump in the 2024 presidential primary, but has since been a Trump supporter.

Here are excerpts from AP's conversation with Norman about the race. This transcript has been edited for space and clarity:

You oppose ‘endless wars’ and support Trump. What should the U.S. do next on Iran?

A: If you read the mood of the public across the country, it's, “we want gas prices down.” They don’t understand what’s left.

(Trump) did a great job of taking out the nuclear threat that we had for 40 years. … but there’s still a lot of work to be done. The American people do not understand the Strait of Hormuz not being completely controlled by America. That’s what I hear. And gas prices, as a result, are staying high. And I think one of the worst things the president wants is the public to turn on him because he’s not ending it.

Now, what does ending it mean? Well, no one really knows. I mean, does it mean, just a remnant of leaders that are opposed to him? Does it mean bombing? He mentioned that he was going to take out the electrical supplies. He was going to decimate the country. Well, that hasn’t happened. So, I think it’s a communication issue that he needs to get involved with.

So I think he’d be doing himself a big favor to explain more now. He says it’s under no timeline. Well, when the public turns on you, they turn on you.

How does Trump's support for Graham complicate your campaign?

A: Imagine if I went to (head football coach) Dabo Swinney at Clemson and any of the coaches said, “Look, I got a prospect I want you to look at, and I want them to. They can start. I want you to sign them up. They can start for the next six years.” “What’s the qualifications?” “They're kin to Tom Brady.” Tell me how that analogy doesn’t work here.

It’s politics. It’s votes, and I’ve stuck with it, and I will continue to.

Has Darline Graham done enough to let voters get to know her?

A: It’s not the fact that she hasn’t been in politics. Now, she’s worked at a governmental agency. I’ve run a business. I’ve made money and I’ve lost money, and that’s the drawback for any politician. You need to have done that. I have demonstrated that I want to get the national debt solved, which is the cancer that I see is bankrupting this country, but by dodging debates, that’s going to hurt her, and it should.

You got to get out there and answer all questions.

She can run a campaign like she wants to. What’s happened? She’s told the Washington elite they’re dictating the terms because it’s not South Carolina money. Mine is my money and South Carolina’s money, so they’re dictating the terms and giving her the political answers, like Biden: Don’t show up, be in a basement. His was because he was senile. Hers is they want her to win this election.

The powers that be do not want Ralph Norman in there, and it would be questioned, what’s the return on investment that they’re having to come after me like that? What’s the return on investment for the president? If I were your typical politician, I would say, “No, that makes me mad, I’m gonna stop him at every level.” I’m not gonna do that. I don’t play like that. It would be horrible if Kamala Harris had won this. He saved the country, and I really think that. He should go on Rushmore. He really should. What he’s done, it took guts.

But this one is a head scratcher. I’m gonna win this election. We’re gonna win this election, and unless something happens that I, you know — I can just feel it. People are with us, and I’ve got a record they can’t dispute.

Does support from Nikki Haley hurt you in a race dominated by Trump?

A: No. And I told the president it was a loyalty issue. I came in with Nikki. She’s from South Carolina, and he understands that. And again, anybody can take anything and use it to say that was a reason. Look, the minute she lost (the 2024 presidential primary against Trump), I called him, and my record since he’s been in office has been lock solid.

It’s because I believe in him. I just believe what he’s doing. Now I don’t like what he’s doing now, but he’s president. I give him all the leeway to do it if that’s what you want to do. But he’s done so many good things, right, to me.

Voters have to decide that. I mean, if they want to hold that against me, it’s out there. I’m not apologizing.

If elected, what would be your Senate priorities?

A: People bait us, “Are you gonna fire (Senate Majority Leader John) Thune?” Well, it’s deeper than that. One, I wouldn’t do it to somebody that I wouldn’t have a conversation with first. When you fire anybody, you talk with them, and you come to an agreement. You either disagree or agree. I would get with Thune, who is a nice man, from what I've been hearing, say, “How can we work on getting the SAVE Act passed? Now, if it’s still the same, “We don’t have the votes. We’re not going to try anything,” and then I’ll just say, “Well, fine, I’m going to work to replace you, and we’ll see who that is.”

___

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

Oman has played a relatively low-profile role since the Iran war began, including as a mediator. But its geography has thrust the sultanate into the uncomfortable position of negotiating with Tehran over management of the strait while facing Trump’s threats.

Trump this week told Fox News reporter Trey Yingst that the U.S. would bomb Oman if it “gets in the way,” using an expletive for emphasis. It’s not the first such threat he’s made. Oman’s foreign ministry didn’t immediately respond to emailed questions about Trump’s threat and when Oman and Iran might issue a joint statement on their deal.

Here’s a look at the country in the middle of the Washington-Tehran tug-of-war.

Trump is not happy about emerging Oman-Iran deal

Trump threatened Oman because he’s not happy that it’s close to a deal with Iran over the strait, two regional officials said Tuesday.

Trump is under pressure. He vowed a quick war and a weakened Iran, along with a better deal on Tehran’s nuclear program. Instead, Iran has seized on the Strait of Hormuz as a new weapon in talks, asserting control of what had been seen as an international waterway before the war.

U.S.-Iran negotiations have dried up. This week ended the 60-day period that launched when the U.S. and Iran signed an interim agreement. It had been meant to open the way for more detailed talks. There's no sign of it being extended. Trump now says there are no planned talks with Iran.

So the only confirmed discussions happening now are between Iran and Oman about shipping on the strait. These have been going on for weeks. Oman hasn’t said much about them publicly. Tehran says they’re finalizing a joint statement. There’s widespread thinking that Iran is not in much of a hurry.

Trump has made plenty of threats against Iran. Now he's venting his frustration at Oman, too.

The sultanate had been trying to make peace

Oman, with a population of just over 5 million, is one of the quieter actors in the Gulf. It has allowed the U.S. military to use its facilities, though Washington has described defense relations as smaller in scale compared with Gulf neighbors like the United Arab Emirates.

Unlike other regional states, Oman hasn’t been targeted during the war in the way that Tehran has lashed out at other Gulf neighbors. The Washington-based Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft notes that while Omani ports have been targeted by drones, Iran hasn't claimed responsibility and Oman hasn't blamed Iran, and no missiles have struck Omani territory.

Oman’s leaders have long preferred engagement with Iran. The sultanate has been involved in mediation efforts, but that work is now being driven by Qatar and Pakistan.

The world's focus has turned more toward Oman since the interim agreement was signed. Not long after the signing, the relative calm was shattered when Iran started firing at ships trying to transit the Strait of Hormuz near the Oman coast on a route supported by the U.S.

Now Oman is in discussions that appear to be driven by Iran, which has described the talks as aiming to “develop mechanisms to ensure safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz while respecting the sovereign rights and sovereignty of both coastal states, as well as Iran’s security and national interests.” The mechanisms might include fees.

Regional officials have said the emerging deal calls for ships to enter the Persian Gulf through an Iranian-controlled route and exit through a route controlled by Oman. But any deal appears to rely on the U.S. lifting its blockade of Iranian ports.

Oman earlier this month described the talks as “proceeding in a positive and constructive atmosphere,” while in the same statement condemning repeated attacks on ships transiting the strait.

After a meeting Tuesday between Oman’s foreign minister and his Egyptian counterpart, Egypt said the Iranian-Omani deal could pave the way for the U.S. and Tehran to return to negotiations for a “comprehensive and permanent deal that addresses all concerns and enhances regional security and stability.”

It is not clear what effect Trump’s threat might have

Oman is caught between two heavily armed and stubborn powers. Meanwhile, global supplies of oil, natural gas and related goods are only able to get through the strait at a reduced level, with ships still at risk of attack.

Since Trump's latest threat, the government's Oman News Agency has been posting about other things — the Muscat Stock Exchange, sports, imports of coffee and tea. Foreign ministry statements have focused on diplomatic meetings and greetings.

It is not clear whether Trump’s threat will make any difference in Oman's talks with Iran, including in hurrying the countries to finalize and announce a deal.

But it's clear that the U.S. president is passing along the growing heat his administration feels as midterm elections approach, and as the global economy watches events on the Iran-gripped strait for any sign of relief.

___

Associated Press writer Samy Magdy in Cairo contributed.

The incident happened around 11:45 a.m. Tuesday in the 100 block of Dorsey Drive, which is located near East Ashley Road.

An SAPD sergeant told KSAT that a man accidentally put the vehicle into drive when he intended to reverse.

According to a San Antonio Fire Department spokesperson, the vehicle struck a fence and trapped the woman underneath the car.

The woman was later extricated, and authorities attempted to save her life. However, SAFD said she died at the scene.

Investigators do not believe the incident had any criminal elements. The man is not expected to face charges.

Read also:

• DOJ announces guilty verdict for New Braunfels man accused of smuggling guns from US to Mexico

Oswaldo Pirela, a catching coach in the Padres' minor league system, was being held in a detention center in El Paso, federal records show. The Padres said in a statement that the team was aware of Pirela's arrest and was trying to gather more details.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not immediately return an email seeking comment Tuesday.

Pirela was on a work trip when he was arrested Sunday around 5 a.m. at an airport in El Paso, according to Daniela Pirela, his sister. The Padres have a minor league affiliate team in the city, the El Paso Chihuahuas.

Daniela Pirela said her 34-year-old brother has lived in U.S. for 12 years and has followed the law. She said he applied for asylum in 2015 and lives in Peoria, Arizona, with his wife and two children, ages 9 and 4, who are both U.S. citizens.

“Since he arrived in this country, the only thing he’s done is follow the rules of this country and do things properly,” Daniela Pirela told the The Associated Press.

Oswaldo Pirela had a brief minor-league playing career as a catcher in the Texas Rangers organization.

___

Turbay is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

In the lawsuit, ABC, its parent company Disney and the eight ABC-owned stations whose licenses are affected asked a federal court to stop the early renewal proceedings.

The FCC under Chairman Brendan Carr, an ally of President Donald Trump, had ordered the early review in April — itself a rare move — of all eight licenses owned by ABC, years before they are set to expire. Licenses are issued for eight-year periods. The FCC cited the network’s diversity and inclusion practices as a reason, but the development came shortly after a joke by ABC’s late-night host Jimmy Kimmel — an outspoken Trump critic — had infuriated the president, who has called for Kimmel's firing.

“Again and again, the Administration has attacked ABC’s speech — the stories its journalists report and the viewpoints its network programs air,” the network alleged in its lawsuit Tuesday. “Over time, those attacks have escalated into express demands that ABC be stripped of its broadcast licenses because of its speech."

“Facing this existential threat,” it added, “Plaintiffs have no choice but to seek redress from the judicial branch for the Administration’s blatant retaliation for their First Amendment speech.”

It said ABC had “no alternative means to eliminate these ongoing and immediate threats other than total capitulation to the Administration’s demands." It asked the court to “immediately enjoin Defendants from taking or threatening to take any action against Plaintiffs in relation to the early license renewal applications.”

There are already clashes between ABC and the administration

The early license review is only one part of a long-simmering confrontation between ABC and the FCC.

The network has also been fighting Carr’s efforts to make the morning talk show “The View,” whose hosts and guests are often critical of Trump, subject to equal-time rules. That's a question ABC says the agency itself decided — in the network's favor — more than two decades ago. ABC argues “The View” is a bona fide news program, meaning it’s exempt from equal time rules, which require granting equal airtime to competing candidates for office.

The ABC lawsuit Tuesday also spoke of broad ramifications that go well beyond one network.

“The consequences of the Administration’s campaign against free speech reach well beyond ABC,” it said. “If the Administration gets its way, the message to every media company in the country will be unmistakable: tell only the stories the Administration deems favorable, or face the coercive machinery of the federal government. In such a world, the press could in no way be described as free.”

It added: “The FCC Chairman has left little doubt that this is his goal.”

The lawsuit also quoted Carr as saying, when Kimmel made comments that angered the administration, “We can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways . . . to take action . . . on Kimmel, or there is going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”

Carr, a longtime FCC commissioner, was named chairman by Trump in November 2025. He has indeed made it clear that he is considering revoking ABC's licenses, or trying to, in what would surely be a drawn-out legal process.

Longtime free-speech attorney Floyd Abrams noted that tensions between the press and the commission are not new — but have never been this pronounced.

“There has long been a level of tension between the broadcast media, which seeks full First Amendment protection, and the FCC,” Abrams wrote in an email to The Associated Press. “But not until the Trump Administration has the government so directly, so deliberately and so dangerously sought to limit the freedom of the broadcast press to cover and discuss the news.”

The lone Democrat on the FCC praises the lawsuit

The sole Democrat on the commission, Anna Gomez, commended ABC and Disney for pushing back against the FCC’s actions.

“For months, the FCC has waged a campaign of censorship and control against Disney’s ABC stations,” she said in a statement, “using the threat of broadcast license revocations to punish a company for speech this administration doesn’t like.”

“I have long called on companies to push back against this kind of government intimidation, and I’m glad Disney has shown courage and stepped up," she said. "This should be a welcome sign for every broadcaster who has felt the weight of this overreaching government pressure in silence.”

In late July, Carr defended his agency’s actions against ABC, saying broadcasters have a duty to “operate in the public interest.” The FCC, he said, was merely trying to restore that standard. Besides investigating ABC, Carr has also opened separate investigations into CBS News and NBC News.

Broadcasters like ABC, Carr said in an interview on the Fox Business Network, “struck a deal with the American people. You broadcasters get subsidized access, free access to a valuable public resource, the airwaves, worth billions of dollars. In exchange, you have to operate in the public interest.”

“Look, as a country, we should have a trusted, respected news media, and we’re not there,” Carr said. “So I hope more broadcasters return to their public interest obligations.”

On Tuesday, an FCC spokesperson reiterated that position.

“All broadcasters have a legal obligation to operate in the public interest — even Disney," said a statement from the commission, responding to the lawsuit.

"The FCC has been examining claims that Disney engaged in illegal DEI discrimination for over a year. Disney is obviously very concerned about the FCC’s proceeding, as evidenced by their ongoing campaign of disinformation as well as their decision to ask a court to stop the FCC from further pursuing matters. The FCC will continue to follow the facts and law wherever they lead.”

___

Associated Press journalist Mike Catalini contributed to this report.

The lawsuit, originally filed in October 2022, alleged that the two men were racially profiled and illegally stopped by Clayton County police at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The settlement agreement, announced Tuesday by the pair's lawyers, does not include an admission of fault or liability but says the county has ended the program at issue and has no intention to reactivate it.

Both men said officers at the airport singled them out because they were Black and grilled them about drugs while other passengers watched during separate stops about six months apart. In an interview when the lawsuit was filed, André called the experience “dehumanizing and demoralizing.”

The stated purpose of the program was to fight drug trafficking, but the lawsuit said drugs are rarely found, criminal charges seldom result, and seized cash provides a financial windfall for the police department.

“It’s a major victory that Clayton County has confirmed that it has ended this program and is now taking steps to prevent this type of abuse from happening in the future,” André said in a press release.

“What happened to me was wrong, and I wasn’t willing to let it happen to other people,” English said in the release.

A county spokesperson did not immediately respond Tuesday to a request for comment on the settlement agreement.

The county Board of Commissioners authorized a payment of $30,000, with half going to each comedian, as part of the settlement, according to minutes from the board's Aug. 4 meeting.

The county also agreed to require police officers assigned to the airport to use body-worn cameras and to undergo training on constitutional limits regarding police encounters at airports, the settlement says.

Police records cited in the lawsuit showed that from Aug. 30, 2020, to April 30, 2021, there were 402 jet bridge stops, and the passenger’s race was listed for 378 of those stops. Of those 378 passengers, 211, or 56%, were Black, and people of color accounted for 258 total stops, or 68%, the lawsuit said.

Those 402 stops resulted in three reported drug seizures: about 10 grams of drugs from one passenger, 26 grams of “suspected THC gummies” from another, and six prescription pills without a prescription from a third, the lawsuit said. Only the first and third person were charged.

Those 402 stops also yielded more than $1 million in cash and money orders from a total of 25 passengers. All but one were allowed to continue their travels, and only two — the ones who also had drugs — were charged, the lawsuit said. Eight of the 25 challenged the seizures, and Clayton County police settled each case, returning much of the seized money, the lawsuit said.

KSAT Investigates began looking into the issue after hearing from concerned parents about the death of Stevens High School student Jaren Lawson. Northside ISD said he died in February 2026 after collapsing during football practice.

The Bexar County Medical Examiner ruled Lawson’s death was caused by a genetic heart condition.

Student-athlete safety concerns

The incident brought back memories for Stephanie Jaramillo, who says her own son, Maximo Saenz, suffered a medical emergency during a 2022 Stevens High School football game.

“I could see him, you know, like slowing down,” Jaramillo recalled. “And that wasn’t like my son. He collapsed.”

She said another parent took Saenz to an urgent care facility, where doctors diagnosed him with heat exhaustion.

Jaramillo emailed Northside ISD leaders because she felt her son’s coaching staff failed to notice him getting sick.

“I think it should have taken a lot more seriously back then,” she said.

Jaramillo’s son’s health scare was not cardiac-related. Hearing about Lawson’s death reinforced her concerns about student-athlete safety, which is what led her to reach out to KSAT Investigates.

“You’re talking about a life, you know, and it was that grave then, and it should have been taken more seriously then,” she said.

“When an incident like this happens, how much do you trust the people who are in charge of caring for your students to know what to do?” asked KSAT’s Daniela Ibarra.

“I mean, it’s a given,” replied Jaramillo. “You are trusting this school to know what they’re gonna do when things happen in any situation.”

Landon Payton Act

The Landon Payton Act was signed into law in 2025. It was created after a Houston ISD middle school student died in 2024 after collapsing during gym class, according to KSAT’s sister station KPRC.

“A functioning AED machine was not available until first responders arrived, which unfortunately was too late,” said State Senator Carol Alvarado (D-Houston), who authored Senate Bill 1177, during an April public hearing. “His tragic passing highlights a critical gap in safety measures across Texas schools.”

The law requires schools to have a cardiac emergency response plan in place by the start of the 2027-28 school year.

Among the requirements: nurses, athletic coaches and student athletic trainers must know CPR and how to use an AED.

KSAT Investigates spoke with Dr. David Bush, who is a pediatric cardiologist with University Health.

Bush said cardiac emergencies involving children during sports are rare, but when it happens, the response can’t wait for an ambulance to arrive.

“The coaches are going to be the first ones to see a child go down,” Bush said. “The first part is recognition.”

Bush said children who suffer cardiac arrest outside of a hospital have a less than 30% chance of survival.

“The one predictor of whether or not they will survive is how fast basic life support is brought to them,” Bush said.

Who has a plan in place?

While the deadline to have a cardiac emergency response plan is more than a year away, KSAT Investigates filed public records requests with 19 Bexar County-area school districts to see which districts already have one in place.

Most districts told KSAT Investigates they do not have a plan in place yet, or said they are actively working on putting one together.

These are the districts who already have a cardiac emergency response plan (CERP) in place:

• Alamo Heights ISD
• East Central ISD
• North East ISD
• Somerset ISD
• South San Antonio ISD
• Southside ISD

These are the districts who said they do not have a plan in place:

• Comal ISD
• Fort Sam Houston ISD (working on it)
• Harlandale ISD (working on it)
• Judson ISD (working on it)
• Lackland ISD (working on it)
• Medina Valley ISD
• San Antonio ISD
• Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City ISD
• Southwest ISD (working on it)

“That is scary,” Jaramillo said. “And to be honest with you, I feel like the school districts should take action some way now.”

The districts still have time before the new requirement takes effect at the start of the 2027-28 school year.

Jaramillo questions why schools should wait for a deadline when a cardiac arrest emergency can happen without warning.

“What do you say to the districts that don’t yet have that plan in place?” asked Ibarra.

“It’s disappointing, and it’s disheartening,” replied Jaramillo. “So what is gonna happen when another child loses their life again? Period.”

KSAT Investigates requested an interview with Northside ISD, which is where Steven High School is located.

Assistant Superintendent of Communications Barry Perez told KSAT Investigates in an email that he was unavailable to meet KSAT’s deadline for an in-person interview, but provided the following statement on behalf of the district’s health services staff.

“Northside ISD is fully prepared to respond to cardiac emergencies across all campuses through comprehensive training, strategic AED placement, and dedicated response teams:

• Certified staff: All NISD campus and floating nurses are CPR (BLS) certified and AED trained. Key personnel across every campus - including athletic trainers, elementary and secondary PE/UIL coaches, ROTC staff, police officers, and marching band directors - are also certified in CPR and AED use
• Rapid Response AED Placement: AEDs are installed at every NISD campus and strategically located to ensure a response time of three minutes or less.
• Campus Response Teams & Drills: Every Campus is finalizing its Cardiac Emergency Response Plan, with campus nurses and principals designating staff to form dedicated Cardiac Emergency Response Teams. Routine practice drills will be conducted regularly.
• Community & Campus Training: Campus nurses will be partnering with PE teachers and coaches to train entire school communities using American Heart Association Hands-Only CPR kits. "

KSAT Investigates also asked Perez about Jaramillo’s concerns involving her son’s 2022 medical incident. Perez emailed the following statement:

“Being in South Texas and living through the extreme temperatures that we do, Northside ISD takes the health, safety, and well-being of our student-athletes very seriously. The safety of our students is always a top priority, and our athletic programs have established guidelines and protocols to help ensure students are monitored and supported throughout participation.

Our coaches actively monitor students during practices, workouts, and athletic activities for signs of dehydration, fatigue, illness, or anything that may indicate a student is not feeling well. We also have athletic trainers and student trainers actively available, ready to respond immediately when a student shows any medical distress. We remain committed to continually reviewing and strengthening our practices to ensure our students can participate in athletics in a safe, healthy, and supportive environment.”

Have a tip to investigate? You can email Daniela at dibarra@ksat.com

Read more reporting on the KSAT Investigates page.

The S&P 500 fell 0.6% and is on track for a third straight modest loss since setting its all-time high on Thursday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 89 points, or 0.2%, as of 1:54 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 1.2% lower.

Leading the way lower were stocks that have been big winners in the boom around artificial-intelligence technology. They’ve been veering up and down this summer on worries that their prices shot too high in the AI frenzy and that the strong demand for memory, processors and other building blocks of data centers may fizzle out if AI proves less profitable than promised.

Micron Technology dropped 7.6%, and the seller of computer memory was one of the heaviest weights on the S&P 500. So were chip companies Nvidia, which fell 2.1%, and Broadcom, which sank 3%.

Even with their recent swings, such stocks remain big winners, and Micron has more than tripled this year.

But stocks that critics call too expensive get more scrutiny when interest rates are high, and yields remained that way in bond markets worldwide Tuesday.

The yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury edged down to 4.71% from 4.72% late Monday. But it remains well above its 3.97% level from just before the war with Iran began. The 30-year Treasury yield also ticked lower, but it's still near its highest level since 2007.

Yields have jumped since the war began because high oil prices are pushing upward on inflation and raising the pressure on the Federal Reserve and other central banks to hike interest rates. All the while, continuing worries about huge debt loads for governments and their increases in borrowing keep yields high.

The bond market often runs in the background, but it’s powerful enough to sway markets and government leaders worldwide, including President Donald Trump. When yields are high, investors are less willing to pay high prices for stocks and other kinds of investments, particularly those seen as the most expensive.

Much of the pressure on yields has come from oil prices, and the price for a barrel of Brent crude ticked up by 0.4% to $91.24. It’s been swinging sharply on uncertainty about when and whether the United States and Iran can reach a deal to allow oil tankers to exit the Persian Gulf freely again. Brent was priced at $72.87 right before the start of the war.

High yields have already sent the average long-term U.S. mortgage rate near its highest level in a year, which has hurt the housing industry. A report on Tuesday said homebuilders broke ground on fewer new houses last month than economists expected.

Such data helped to restrain Home Depot's stock, which rose 0.2% after reporting stronger profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected. Chief Financial Officer Richard McPhail said Home Depot saw its customers continue to pursue smaller projects.

High yields could also slow the tremendous borrowing Big Tech companies are doing to pay for data centers, putting at risk one of the big sources of growth for the U.S. economy.

Elsewhere on Wall Street, Klarna fell 22% even though the payments company reported stronger results for the latest quarter than analysts expected. The buy-now, pay-later company cut some of its financial forecasts for the full year of 2026, largely because of expectations for Germany, its largest market by volume.

Meta Platforms fell 3.6%, with opening statements set to kick off in a pivotal trial in a California federal court, where states are seeking billions of dollars in damages for social media harms to children.

In stock markets abroad, indexes were mixed in Europe and Asia.

South Korea’s Kospi has been home to some of the world’s sharpest AI-induced swings because it’s dominated by two tech giants, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix. The index fell 1.5%, which counts as relatively modest move for it. It had swung by at least 2.4% in each of its three prior days.

___

AP Business Writer Yuri Kageyama contributed to this report.

Attorneys general from California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey are seeking a financial penalty that could, in theory, total as much as $1.4 trillion plus changes to how the company operates Facebook and Instagram. Twenty-nine states sued the tech giant in 2023 over child safety and privacy — the other 25 will go to trial later. The company also faces lawsuits in state courts.

The lawsuit accuses the social media giant of contributing to the youth mental health crisis by knowingly and deliberately designing features that addict children to its platforms. It also argues that Meta routinely collects data on children under 13 without their parents’ consent, in violation of federal law.

Megan O’Neill, a deputy attorney general for the California Department of Justice, laid out the states' case for jurors during opening statements in federal court in Oakland, California.

“You're going to hear that Meta knew a lot about kids' brains,” O'Neill said. This includes how they are constantly seeking rewards, how they are sensitive to social feedback and “how they are still developing their ability to control impulses the way adults do.”

Meta, she said, researched these vulnerabilities and talked about how it could change Instagram to respond to them.

“‘The young ones are the best ones’ is a title of a Meta study we are going to show you,” she said, telling jurors that for Meta, “kids are the product.”

Meta has repeatedly said it believes it has a strong case.

“We are proud of our record in protecting teens on our platforms and the amount of effort that we’ve put into developing protections over the years, even before these cases were ever filed, and continuing to the present day. We look forward to showing the judge and the jury those facts in court,” the company said in a written statement.

U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland is overseeing the proceedings, which are expected to last six weeks with testimony from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other executives and former employees. Gonzalez Rogers, appointed to the bench by President Barack Obama in 2011, has overseen a bevy of complex, high-profile cases involving Big Tech. These include Elon Musk's lawsuit against OpenAI and its founders as well as Epic Games' lawsuit against Apple over its app store.

If Meta loses the trial, the court would have wide discretion over the size of any financial penalty, and legal experts say anything close to $1.4 trillion would be unlikely.

“This case is not about any individual person or kid,” O'Neill said. Rather, she said, it's a law enforcement action designed to hold Meta responsible.

The trial is the latest in an avalanche of lawsuits against Meta Platforms and other social media companies including Google’s YouTube, TikTok and Snap, over arguments that their platforms harm young people, illegally collect their data and are deliberately designed to addict them.

__

AP Technology Writer Kaitlyn Huamani contributed to this story from Los Angeles.

The midfielder who helped Spain secure its second World Cup title transferred from Man City to join a squad already filled with world champions such as Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Pau Cubarsí, Gavi and Pedri.

The 30-year-old Rodri's contract will run to 2030, Barcelona said. The announcement was made after the midfielder underwent a medical and the clubs finalized transfer details.

“It’s a very special day, a very important new chapter in my career,” he said. “It was a tough decision. First, because I’m leaving Manchester City, a club that has given me everything and where I’ve been incredibly happy. I’ll be eternally grateful,” Rodri said. “I’m also grateful that they understood it was a good time to leave. Barcelona is a fantastic club, a global reference for its approach to football and the values ​​it represents. I had other options, but Barcelona was my first choice.”

Rodri, who had one year left on his City contract, said upon arriving in Barcelona on Monday that it was “a dream to play” for the Catalan club.

“When offers came in, the first step was understanding that a chapter at my club had ended and it was time to look for a way out. It took me a while to process that. It was the most special club I’ve ever been at,” Rodri said Tuesday. “I studied and analyzed the offers, they were from very important clubs. Together with my family and friends, we made the decision we thought was best.”

Barcelona agreed to a transfer worth 76.5 million euros ($88.5 million), according to a person with knowledge of the transaction confirmed to The Associated Press on Sunday. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the details of the deal have not been made public.

Real Madrid was also reportedly interested in signing Rodri at first — and the midfielder had loudly praised Barcelona's rival in the past — but Spanish media said no agreement could be reached.

Barcelona, chasing a three-peat in La Liga, has already boosted its squad with England forward Anthony Gordon, who will help to make up for the departures of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres, who scored the winning goal in extra time in the World Cup final against Argentina.

The club is also set to add defender João Cancelo.

Rodri won the Golden Ball as the World Cup’s best player and was crucial for Spain's title-winning campaign.

“I’ve been with many of my teammates for almost two months now, and it’s been a warm welcome," Rodri said. "It’s a very young dressing room, eager to do important things. I hope to contribute to what they’ve brought me here for. I’m joining a tight and enthusiastic dressing room.”

Rodri spent seven years at City, making 298 appearances, scoring 28 goals and helping the English club win 14 trophies.

He scored the winning goal in the Champions League final victory over Inter Milan in 2023, and won the Ballon d’Or as the world’s best player the following year after being part of Spain’s European Championship-winning team.

Rodri had joined City from Atletico Madrid. He previously played at Villarreal. His departure further weakens City’s midfield, with Bernardo Silva having left for Real Madrid this offseason.

“Rodri has been a quite magnificent servant and played a huge part of what the club has achieved since he arrived,” City director of football Hugo Viana said. “With his achievements, Rodri has more than cemented his place in the history of Manchester City and we all wish him well in the next chapter of his career.”

___

See AP’s full soccer coverage here

Meanwhile, a Russian missile strike on a village in northeastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv region killed at least 10 people and wounded 17 others as the barrage demolished homes, officials said.

The countries are locked in an escalating duel of long-range aerial strikes. Fighting on the roughly 1,250-kilometer (780-mile) front line in eastern and southern Ukraine is restricted by large numbers of drones and ground robots threatening troop movements, and neither side is making significant battlefield progress, analysts say.

Putin resists pressure for peace talks

In the past year, Ukraine has devised and deployed domestically produced long-range drones for strikes deep inside Russia. Its drone technology has impressed governments and defense manufacturers around the world.

Officials in Kyiv aim to make the Russian public feel the war’s consequences and pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin into negotiating a peace settlement. Putin has so far shown no sign he intends to stop the invasion.

“Putin continues to drag out the war instead of accepting Ukraine’s realistic ceasefire proposals and ending the bloodshed,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said in a post on X.

Russian air defenses overnight intercepted 791 Ukrainian drones over a number of regions, as well as annexed Crimea and the Black and the Azov seas, the Defense Ministry in Moscow said, in what was the second-largest drone attack since January 2025, according to an Associated Press tally.

More than 600 Ukrainian drones flew toward the Moscow region, where 180 were shot down, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said without elaborating.

Officials reported no deaths or major damage. Ukraine has increasingly launched swarms of hundreds of drones to try to overwhelm Russian air defenses.

In the region that surrounds the capital, three people were wounded, Gov. Andrei Vorobyov said.

Three people were also wounded in the adjacent Ryazan region where three private houses were damaged, Gov. Pavel Malkov said.

The overnight attack started a fire at a warehouse of Wildberries, Russia’s biggest online retailer, in an industrial zone. Ukraine has repeatedly targeted the company, which it says helps supply the Russian military, an allegation Moscow denies.

Wildberries said its facility sustained “insignificant damage.”

Russian TV doesn't report news of the attack

Coverage of the attack in state and Kremlin-backed Russian media was mostly muted, as is often the case. Russia’s main TV channels — state-run Russia 1 and Channel One — did not mention the attack at all in their morning news bulletins.

But Russian state news agency RIA Novosti featured it among the main news on its website’s homepage, describing it as “one of the most large-scale attacks on Moscow since the beginning of the summer.”

State newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta on its website prominently featured a roundup of what Moscow regional Gov. Andrei Vorobyov reported about the attack, describing it as “massive” in the headline. Pro-Kremlin tabloid MK featured a news brief about it on its home page.

Zelenskyy accuses Russia of a ‘brutal attack’ on civilians

A Russian missile strike on the village of Pechenihy in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region killed 10 civilians, according to preliminary information, said Oleh Syniehubov, head of the Kharkiv regional military administration.

Another 17 people were wounded, he said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called it “a brutal attack” that damaged 10 homes, a cafe, a post office, a store and at least seven vehicles, according to Syniehubov.

“We will definitely respond to this Russian strike,” he said on social media.

Also, three people were killed and three others were wounded over the past day in Russian attacks on Ukraine’s Sumy region, Ukraine’s National Police said.

UK vows continued Ukraine support

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who took office last month, said the U.K. will continue to stand by Ukraine after Russia said that Kyiv’s reported use of British drones for attacks on Russian soil would bring unidentified consequences.

“We are providing support so that Ukraine can defend itself, and that’s been the British position all the way through this conflict by previous prime ministers," Burnham said. “It remains the case with me.”

British newspaper The Sunday Times reported that two U.K. companies made drones used by Ukraine to hit Russia.

Following the report, the Russian Embassy in the U.K. said in a statement that “London’s actions will inevitably carry consequences.”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told Russian state TV that Moscow has the right to view British involvement in strikes on Russian territory as “participation in the war, with all the ensuing consequences.”

___

Hatton reported from Lisbon, Portugal. Brian Melley in London contributed.

___

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

According to U.S. Attorney Justin Simmons, Bradford was found guilty of the following after a weeklong trial:

• the sale and smuggling of gun parts into Mexico
• laundering the proceeds from the sale of those parts

It is unclear when Bradford will be sentenced. He faces up to 20 years in prison.

A previous news release states Bradford received more than $3.5 million in the scheme.

“Like the cartels, he (Bradford) only cared about the millions of dollars he was making,” Simmons said.

The DOJ said the scheme Simmons participated in involved “dead drops” at various storage units in Laredo and McAllen, keeping handwritten logs of the sale of gun parts and wire transfers from shell companies in Mexico.

“All in all, the parts that he (Bradford) sold were enough to build out 5,700 AR-15 rifles,” Simmons said.

In one example, prosecutors said Bradford took boxes full of gun parts to Laredo, where drivers from his main “Mexican buyer” would then drive across the U.S.-Mexico border and take the boxes.

“Cases of this magnitude are not solved by one agency,” ATF Houston Field Division assistant special agent in charge Robert Topper said. “They require collaborating, information sharing and a shared commitment to keeping communities safe.”

Simmons said two suspects remain at large in connection with Bradford’s case: Julio Cesar Gomez Mendoza and Octavio Javier Quiroga Trevino.

Anyone with information on the suspects’ whereabouts is asked to call ATF at 1-888-ATF-TIPS or atftips@atf.gov.

Read also:

• Appeals court flags AI-generated fake cases in San Antonio ISD lawsuit

Earlier this week, Trump also threatened to bomb Oman as the country sought a deal with Iran to manage shipping traffic through the strait, two regional officials said Tuesday, a day after Trump reportedly leveled the threat if Oman "gets in the way.” Iran says the waterway will not be reopened until the U.S. meets its conditions.

As talks between Iran and Oman continue, a projectile hit a ship in the strait and Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed they fired drones at an oil refinery in Saudi Arabia.

Here’s a look at the latest developments Tuesday in the Iran war and the wider Middle East. Full coverage can be found here.

Trump looms over negotiations to reopen Strait of Hormuz

As Oman and Iran say they are nearing a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Trump said on social media Tuesday that the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports remains “in full force and effect,” but asserted that all water mines have been removed and that other marine traffic was free to pass.

Trump posted a map depicting the strait as U.S. territory.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi appeared to respond to Trump’s post.

“Just as Trump correctly wrote the name of the eternal Persian Gulf, soon his delusion regarding the Strait of Hormuz will either be corrected or we will correct the delusions of this deluded man," he wrote on X.

The Trump administration has told Oman it opposes parts of the yet-to-be-announced deal, according to officials briefed on the U.S. position. Those include joint Iranian and Omani management of the passage's exit route and the collection of voluntary fees from vessels, even if the money is used for security and maritime environmental protection.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to journalists.

The White House on Tuesday referred to Trump’s remarks in the Oval Office and declined to comment further about Oman.

— By Samy Magdy in Cairo

Egypt says Iran-Oman agreement could open door to Iran-US deal

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that the Iranian-Omani deal could pave the way for Washington and Tehran to return to negotiations for a “comprehensive and permanent deal that addresses all concerns and enhances regional security and stability.”

The statement came after a meeting between Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and Omani counterpart Badr al-Busaidi. But it did not address Trump’s latest threat against Oman.

The 60-day negotiating period ended this week between the U.S. and Iran with no clear end to the war in sight.

Ship traffic drops significantly in Strait of Hormuz

Ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz dropped significantly last week, with confirmed crossings falling 19.5% to 95 transits. Only three vessels made it through the waterway on Sunday, according to shipping data platform Kpler.

The ships used the Iranian-designated route through the strait, with no crossings recorded through the Omani routes.

Crossings through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait increased 6.7% to 254 transits, while so-called dark transits, in which ships turn off the transponders that broadcast their location, fell from 40 to 16, Kpler said.

Projectile damages ship in strait causing casualty

An unidentified projectile damaged the engine room of a ship in the Strait of Hormuz near Oman and “resulted in a crew casualty," according to the British military’s UK Maritime Trade Operations center.

The maritime monitoring agency did not release any details about the ship or its cargo, and it was not clear whether the crew member was killed or wounded.

No environmental damage has been reported and the agency said the Omani Coast Guard was assisting other crew members and authorities were investigating.

Iran-backed Houthis claim an attack on a Saudi oil refinery

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed they fired drones at an oil refinery in neighboring Saudi Arabia, the latest attack threatening to reignite Yemen’s civil war and open another front in the Middle East.

The attack targeted a facility run by Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia’s state-owned oil company, according to a report by the Houthi-run SABA news agency. There were no immediate reports of damage or comment from Saudi Arabia.

The Houthis have escalated attacks against government forces in Yemen and oil facilities in Saudi Arabia, which supports the Yemeni government, and the kingdom’s shipping in the Red Sea, an important alternative to the Strait of Hormuz.

Israel strike on Gaza City kills 7 people

An Israeli strike hit Gaza City on Tuesday, killing six people, including a child, and wounding 14 others, according to Shifa Hospital, where the casualties were taken.

The Israeli military said it struck Hamas commanders in the Shati area who it said were planning to carry out attacks against Israeli forces.

The heaviest fighting has subsided since a ceasefire in the more than two-year war took hold in October. Israeli forces have carried out repeated airstrikes since then, killing at least 1,266 Palestinians, according to health officials in Gaza.

The Gaza Health Ministry, which is part of the Hamas-led government, maintains detailed casualty records that are seen as generally reliable by U.N. agencies and independent experts. But it does not give a breakdown of civilians and militants.

Missiles fired at the United Arab Emirates

The defense ministry of the United Arab Emirates said two ballistic missiles were launched from Iran toward the UAE on Tuesday.

One landed outside of the country’s waters, and the other landed within them, the Emirati Defense Ministry said. It was unclear whether the missiles were shot down by air defenses or fell. No damage or injuries were reported. There was no immediate statement from Iran.

In the weeks after the U.S. and Israel launched a war against Iran on Feb. 28, the UAE was frequently targeted by Iranian missiles and drones, but Tuesday’s reported attack was the first in weeks.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation filed its request less than a week after the Trump administration asked the nation's highest court to allow the White House to continue construction on its $400 million ballroom project during the appeals process.

Lawyers for the trust accused the administration of trying to “outrun judicial review” rather than obtain permission for the work from Congress, as required by federal law.

The administration “cannot identify any statute granting them ‘express authority’ to destroy a third of the White House and replace it with a massive, privately funded ballroom, because none exists,” trust attorneys wrote.

The building of the 90,000-square-foot (8,400-square-meter) ballroom has included demolishing the East Wing of the White House and is part of Trump’s plans to quickly remake Washington. The project includes the addition of an underground military facility that the administration says is necessary to protect the president.

The petition comes after a divided appeals court panel upheld an order to pause aboveground construction on the project. The ruling was suspended to let the administration appeal.

The ruling left intact an order by U.S. District Judge Richard Leon, who was nominated by Republican President George W. Bush. Leon wrote that “no statute comes close to giving the President the authority he claims to have.”

The administration argues that the president, not Congress or the courts, has unimpeded authority to renovate the White House. The current state of the project, essentially an open construction site, makes it harder to protect the White House, the Justice Department contends.

The administration also says the National Trust for Historic Preservation does not have the legal right, or standing, to sue over the ballroom.

Trust attorneys said the preliminary injunction issued by the lower court is “already narrowly tailored, and limited in scope and duration.”

“It expressly allows (the administration) to continue building their underground military facility, to protect the President, his family, and his staff, and to maintain the safety and security of the White House complex,” they wrote.

Chief Justice John Roberts had set a deadline of Tuesday for the trust to respond in writing to the administration's petition. Solicitor General D. John Sauer, who represents the administration, asked the Supreme Court to rule on its stay petition before the appeals court panel’s decision takes effect on Friday.

“This case involves an extraordinary and unlawful injunction that will halt the ongoing construction of the integrated military complex, including a totally secure ballroom space, at the East Wing of the White House, which is vitally required by national security,” Sauer wrote.

The ballroom has been under construction for 10 months. The administration says the work is roughly 65% finished.

Lise Klaveness, who heads the Norwegian Football Federation since 2022, told The Associated Press that the firing of FIFA’s chief operating officer Kevin Lamour was “unacceptable” and urged other senior leaders to resist potentially damaging orders.

Lamour’s exit late Monday came 17 days after his statement to AP criticizing Infantino’s $20 billion private equity project, which was withdrawn just hours later.

“Now he is thrown out and we are supposed to move on. It’s unacceptable, it’s management by fear,” Klaveness told the AP in a telephone interview, describing Lamour as “the best football administrator I have ever met.”

“Now we also have to call upon FIFA leadership and the administration to not submit to orders you know are not in the interests of football,” Klaveness added, especially targeting FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafström.

Klaveness is a former Norway international soccer player, a judge in Oslo and an elected executive committee member at European soccer body UEFA who has built on her country’s long-held reputation as a champion of good governance in soccer. The Norwegian federation's board last week called on Infantino to resign and has backed a London-based NGO's formal complaint to FIFA ethics investigators about his political ties to U.S. President Donald Trump.

Lamour was a long-time colleague of Infantino, first as senior officials at UEFA from 2007-15, on his campaign team to be elected FIFA president in 2016, then moving two years ago from UEFA to oversee much of FIFA’s operations in Zurich.

Infantino in crisis

With a reputation among the most trusted executives in the often murky world of global soccer politics, Lamour’s pointed criticisms of Infantino’s leadership intensified a crisis for the FIFA president.

A backlash by UEFA, the Asian Football Confederation and north American soccer body CONCACAF was provoked by a secretive plan to sell future World Cup profits to investors led by Joshua Kushner.

A $4.2 billion investment to take a 20% stake in a FIFA commercial spin-off was to fund offers of $20 million to each of its 211 national member federations. They already effectively own the non-profit soccer body, which has multibillion dollar reserves, and would have had a mid-September deadline to accept.

Lamour’s statement on July 31 spoke of FIFA staff being “deceived” by Infantino’s lack of openness over the now-failed sale and how they “deserve better than contempt and intimidation.”

The French executive called on soccer leaders worldwide "to make the right decisions” and signed off: “If that means I lose my job, then so be it. I will understand and respect that decision. At least I’ll sleep well tonight.”

Fired, not resigned

“This is a firing situation, it’s not a resignation,” Klaveness said of Lamour’s exit, suggesting it was done by Grafström “obviously being pressured by the president.”

FIFA didn’t respond to a request for comment on Klaveness’ remarks.

In a statement, FIFA said it “thanks Kevin for his two years of service and wishes him the best of luck for the future. No further comment will be made on the matter.”

Lamour did not immediately reply to an email seeking comment Tuesday.

“His statement was necessary to kill the project,” Klaveness said of Lamour’s intervention. “He said something that was obvious, that was very important that someone within the staff told us the story so that we knew it was not FIFA, as such, but one person.”

Infantino called a meeting with senior management minus Lamour in Rabat, Morocco. After that Aug. 5 meeting, a FIFA statement apologized for errors and said those managers who attended “reaffirmed their full support” of Infantino’s presidency.

“We all got reports in Morocco, we know it’s a management of fear,” Klaveness said. “It’s not in football’s best interests.”

Until the uproar over Infantino's “FIFA Forward Enterprise” proposal, he seemed sure to be reelected unopposed next year in Morocco for a fourth and final term in office through 2031. The deadline is Nov. 18 for challengers to enter the contest.

Norway not discussing other candidates right now

Though UEFA and other critics of Infantino want him ousted from the $6 million-per-year FIFA job, Klaveness said any search for an opponent was not a talking point in Norway.

“We are not there at all and that is 100% the truth," she said, though adding any eventual candidate "has to be very accountable to a governance structure that will not in four or five years just deteriorate.”

Infantino was appointed by UEFA in 2015 to a panel advising FIFA on reforms, in fallout from corruption scandals provoked by U.S. federal investigations. That group's recommendations limiting FIFA presidents to 12 years in office, plus limiting their executive powers and patronage all have retreated under Infantino.

Klaveness acknowledged FIFA members have been less “passionate about the details of governance” than Norway.

Lamour also won praise and support Tuesday by UEFA vice president Laura McAllister, also a former player and now a university professor of governance in Wales, who lamented the “shabby events of the past weeks.”

“Kevin’s sacking seriously weakens FIFA’s administration," McAllister said, "whilst undermining this unique opportunity to shift the culture at FIFA and to reset the organization on sporting values, not simply commercial and financial ones.”

___

See AP’s full soccer coverage here

The officials said the Trump administration has told Oman it is opposed to parts of the yet-to-be-announced deal, including the joint Iranian and Omani management of the exit route out of the passage that’s critical to global supplies of oil and natural gas. The officials were briefed on the U.S. position and how the administration views Oman's position.

Meanwhile, a projectile hit a ship as it sailed out of the strait, according to the British military's maritime monitoring agency, and an Iranian official said the waterway would not reopen until the United States meets Iran’s conditions. The defense ministry of the United Arab Emirates said two ballistic missiles were launched from Iran toward the UAE.

US believes Oman has not been tough enough with Iran

The U.S. believes Oman has not been tough enough in its negotiations with Iran and is unhappy with Oman’s agreement to collect voluntary fees from vessels, even if the charges are related to security and maritime environmental protection, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to journalists.

Trump on Monday threatened to bomb Oman as it works with Iran on a deal to open the strait and pave the way for the U.S. and Iran to resume negotiations to end the war.

He posted a map on social media Tuesday depicting the strait as a U.S. territory. The president first mentioned the idea in an offhand comment last week. On Monday, he told reporters in the Oval Office, “I like the idea of declaring it a territory,” without providing details.

The White House on Tuesday referred to Trump’s remarks in the Oval Office and declined to comment further about Oman.

Iran refers to Trump's ‘delusion’ about the strait

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi appeared to respond to Trump’s post on social media depicting the strait as American territory.

“Just as Trump correctly wrote the name of the eternal Persian Gulf, his delusion regarding the Strait of Hormuz will soon either be corrected, or we will correct this deluded man’s delusions for him,” Gharibabadi wrote on X.

Trump's comment on Monday was not the first time he has threatened Oman. In May, he told reporters during a Cabinet meeting that Oman “will behave just like everybody else, or we will have to blow them up.”

Iran reiterated Tuesday that Tehran plans to maintain its grip on shipping traffic until Washington meets its conditions.

“Until the United States fulfills its commitments under the agreement, including lifting the blockade, releasing frozen assets, lifting oil sanctions, ending threats and military operations on all fronts, and implementing the other conditions to which it committed, the Strait of Hormuz will not reopen,” said Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Iran’s parliamentary speaker and negotiator in previous talks with the U.S.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that the Iranian-Omani deal could pave the way for Washington and Tehran to return to negotiations for a “comprehensive and permanent deal that addresses all concerns and enhances regional security and stability."

The statement came after a meeting between Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and Omani counterpart Badr al-Busaidi. But it did not address Trump’s latest threat against Oman.

President insists strait is open as more attacks are reported

Trump said Tuesday the U.S. has no planned talks with Iran but insisted the strait is “open and operating,” despite limited traffic, the reported boat strike and the end on Monday of the 60-day negotiating period between the countries.

Trump wrote on social media that a U.S. blockade of the strait remains “in full force and effect,” adding that all water mines have been removed.

As the talks between Iran and Oman continue, more attacks were reported in the region.

One of the missiles fired at the UAE landed outside of the country’s waters, and the other landed within them, the Emirati Defense Ministry said. It was unclear whether the missiles were shot down by air defenses or fell. No damages or injuries were reported. There was no immediate statement from Iran.

In the weeks after the U.S. and Israel launched a war against Iran on Feb. 28, the UAE was frequently targeted by Iranian missile and drones, but Tuesday’s reported attack was the first in weeks.

An unidentified projectile hit a ship early Tuesday in the strait off the coast of Oman, damaging the engine room and causing a casualty, according to the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations center.

The monitoring agency did not release any details about the ship or its cargo, and it was unclear whether the crew member was killed or wounded. The agency said the Omani Coast Guard was assisting other crew members and that authorities were investigating.

And Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed they fired drones at an oil refinery in neighboring Saudi Arabia, the latest attack that threatened to reignite Yemen’s civil war and open another front in the Middle East.

The attack targeted a facility run by Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia’s state-owned oil company, according to a report by the Houthi-run SABA news agency. There were no immediate reports of damage or comment from Saudi Arabia.

Sloane Stephens, the 2017 U.S. Open champion, was one of six other women to receive a wild card, and the U.S. Tennis Association said the final one is still to be announced.

That almost certainly would go to Serena Williams, if she decides she wants to return to the tournament at 44.

Venus Williams received a wild card last year, returning to the Grand Slam event she won twice for the first time since 2023. The 46-year-old has become the oldest entrant in singles at the tournament since Renee Richards played at 47 in 1981, according to the International Tennis Federation.

She has continued to play some singles matches and this week joined Serena for their first doubles tournament together since the 2022 U.S. Open. They lost Monday at the Cincinnati Open in a match tiebreaker against Marta Kostyuk and Peyton Stearns.

The sisters planned to play at Wimbledon but had to withdraw after Serena injured her knee in her singles match. That marked her first time playing singles since the 2022 U.S. Open, and she indicated afterward that she hoped to keep competing if healthy.

Headlining the wild-card recipients on the men's side were 39-year-old Gael Monfils, a past U.S. Open semifinalist who is set to play his final Grand Slam tournament before retiring, and Australian Alexei Popyrin, who upset Novak Djokovic in 2024 on the way to the fourth round.

One spot is also being held among the eight men's wild cards. Stan Wawrinka, the 2016 champion at Flushing Meadows who at 41 is playing his final season, could be a candidate for that.

Also receiving women's wild cards were Carol Young Suh Lee, Reese Brantmeier, Thea Frodin, Leolia Jeanjean and Taylah Preston.

The other men receiving wild cards were two-time reigning NCAA singles champion Michael Zheng, Martin Damm, J.J. Wolf, Sebastian Gorzny and Jack Kennedy.

Kei Nishikori, the 2014 U.S. Open runner-up who also is retiring, was given a wild card into the men's qualifying tournament, along with Jordan Lee, Trevor Svajda, Andre Ilagan, Spencer Johnson, Michael Antonius, Andrew Johnson and Daniel Milavsky.

Women given spots in the qualifying tournament were Caroline Dolehide, Janae Preston, Katrina Scott, Ayana Akli, Annika Penickova, Julieta Pareja, Kristina Penickova and Savannah Broadus.

The main draw begins Aug. 30, with the qualifying tournaments being played earlier that week.

___

See AP’s full tennis coverage here

The illicit initiation was revealed Monday as Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday charged 14 people — including 13 current or former Penn State students — in connection with the alleged drug ring.

The man accused of leading the operation, 24-year-old Agostino Abbatiello, surrendered on Tuesday after failing to appear for a scheduled arraignment on Monday on charges including possession with intent to deliver and conspiracy. He was ordered jailed without bail.

A message seeking comment was left for Abbatiello’s lawyer.

According to court documents, the drug ring operated in 2023 and 2024, fueled by bulk quantities of cocaine that two of the charged men obtained from contacts in Philadelphia and New York.

They cut and bagged the drugs mainly at the Sigma Chi and Delta Upsilon fraternity houses, using frat brothers and pledges as labor, then distributed it through Penn State students, court documents said.

One of the men said a co-defendant was the “largest distributor of cocaine” at Penn State and would “boast about how much money he was making from selling cocaine.” At least four of the defendants are current students, Sunday’s office said.

“This is very serious criminal conduct. There was nothing junior or childlike about this type of conduct,” Sunday said at a news conference on Monday. “This was an upper-level trafficking organization for this region in Pennsylvania.”

Four people are charged with conspiracy, dealing in proceeds of unlawful activity, felony corrupt organizations and other offenses. Another defendant is charged with felony conspiracy and criminal use of a communication facility.

Eight defendants are charged with misdemeanor drug possession.

Paul Robinson, the father of a student who was accused with Abbatiello of being one of the ring's two main suppliers, is charged with felony tampering, hindering apprehension and obstructing the investigation. Authorities say he took steps to conceal evidence, including a safe containing drugs and cash.

Court documents did not list a lawyer who could speak on Robinson’s behalf.

Penn State said it placed Delta Upsilon on interim suspension, noting Sigma Chi is not recognized by the university and is not subject to its oversight.

Delta Upsilon Executive Director Justin Kirk said anyone involved in the drug ring who had ties to Delta Upsilon was expelled or suspended from the fraternity if they did not resign.

Sigma Chi’s executive director, Michael Church, said the three Sigma Chi members who were charged have been suspended pending the outcome of the judicial process. He said the fraternity has suspended all operations at its Penn State chapter on an interim basis “while we determine whether these allegations reflect individual conduct or organized chapter activity.”

“This conduct is an egregious violation of our values and has no place in our fraternity, community, or society," Church said, adding that any members involved “will be held fully accountable to the extent available to our fraternity.”

The globally recognized “Hips Don't Lie” musician toured damaged schools in Quibdó, the capital of the Colombian province of Chocó, an area where roughly 40 schools completely collapsed and hundreds more were affected.

"What worries me the most is that schools are not rebuilt once this emergency is over,” Shakira told journalists after visiting with students, hugging and taking photos with them. “Every day that children don’t go to school is a day they miss out on their future.”

She was accompanied by Howard Buffett, son of billionaire philanthropist Warren Buffett and longtime donor to Colombia who has helped Shakira set up schools there before. The Howard G. Buffett foundation will collaborate with Shakira's Fundación Pies Descalzos, or Barefoot Foundation, to reconstruct 10 schools.

“When she calls, I come,” Buffett said during the visit.

The singer also said she would focus her “personal efforts” on rebuilding a severely damaged technological university in Chocó, and announced pledges of $500,000 each from the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund and Live Nation and $250,000 from CAF Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean toward rebuilding schools and getting children back into classrooms.

The 7.4 magnitude quake on Aug. 10 struck a vast swath of western Colombia, killing at least 287 people and destroying more than 26,000 dwellings, authorities said. The government has said 194 people are missing, while other civilian-run databases put the number at more than 4,100. Thousands of educational centers were affected.

The epicenter was in Chocó, one of Colombia's poorest regions and where at least 3,100 homes were destroyed, according to the regional government's latest report Monday.

“It’s a place I love, a place where I’ve seen our students grow in our classrooms,” Shakira said in a video posted on X by the Colombian news outlet La FM.

Her foundation, which focuses on educational access for youths in Colombia, has been in Chocó for 22 years, running two schools from which hundreds of students have graduated. “I really want to see it rebuild again,” she said.

Aid groups and officials are still assessing the damage in Chocó, an area the size of Switzerland where communication and travel are challenging. The province has few roads linking it to the rest of the country, and its towns and villages are connected mostly by rivers and unpaved roads.

Most of Chocó's 600,000 inhabitants live in poverty, according to figures published last year by Colombia’s national government, and it is largely inhabited by Indigenous tribes and Afro Colombian communities.

“There is not a way to alleviate the pain of so many, there are no magic solutions," Shakira, 49, said during her visit to a large high school in Quibdó.

“But what there is, is commitment to be here alongside those from Chocó, to not abandon El Chocó like it historically has been abandoned, until every Colombian and every person from Chocó can return to their normal lives like they deserve and all the children can return to their schools and dream of the futures they deserve," she said.

The Grammy award winner known for hits like “Whenever, Wherever,” “La Tortura,” and the 2026 FIFA World Cup anthem “Dai Dai” is a longtime supporter of educational access and advancement. She recently headlined the halftime show of the World Cup final match in July and performed in May on Brazil’s Copacabana Beach to a crowd of 2 million.

After Venezuela’s twin earthquakes in June, Shakira announced the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund would commit $500,000 to education recovery there.

Her announcement Monday is the latest of many commitments from prominent Colombians and other Latin American artists to help Colombia and Venezuela. On Sunday, Marc Anthony and Chayanne joined dozens of other artists at a Miami benefit concert and live fundraiser for both countries' earthquake relief.

Colombian singer Karol G pledged to match fan donations to her Con Cora Foundation during her three-night run at SoFi Stadium near Los Angeles last weekend. She will also join Maluma, Sebastián Yatra and others at a benefit concert in Bogotá this Sunday.

___

An earlier correction stated Shakira committed to building 10 new schools, not rebuilding 10 schools. She and Buffett are helping reconstruct the schools, not building new ones.

___

Gabriela Aoun Angueira reported from San Diego.

___

Associated Press coverage of philanthropy and nonprofits receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. For all of AP’s philanthropy coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/philanthropy.

On Monday night, the SAISD Board of Trustees voted to place the four measures on the November ballot. Voters will also consider the propositions which total an estimated $600 million.

The proposals include:

• A VATRE (Voter Approval Tax Rate Election): This would raise the tax rate by 3.17 cents, which is expected to generate $5.5 million for college-readiness, career-readiness and efforts to recruit teachers.
• Proposition A — $492 million: The largest portion of the bond would fund school modernization, capital system replacements and safety and security upgrades. Projects would include renovations to learning spaces, as well as replacing chillers and boilers, plumbing and utilities, roofs and windows. The proposal also includes funding for a new bus fleet with three-point seat belts, a police fleet to support campus safety and district patrols, additional site lighting, security fencing, vestibules, fire alarm systems, emergency indicators and enhancements to increase Americans with Disabilities Act standards.
• Proposition B — $102 million: This proposition would fund information technology improvements districtwide. The money would go toward network infrastructure and devices used for teaching and learning.
• Proposition C — $6 million: The final proposition would fund improvements to Alamo Stadium and the Alamo Convocation Center.

If all four measures pass, the district said the average homeowner’s taxes could increase by a $1.99 per month this year, an additional $1.26 (+$3.25/month) in 2027 and peak at additional $5.76/month in 2030.

Qualified homeowners age 65 and older would not see a tax increase as long as they have a homestead exemption and over-65 exemption application filed with the Bexar County Appraisal District.

The measures will go before San Antonio ISD voters on Nov. 3.

More recent education coverage on KSAT:

• School threat or hoax? San Antonio FBI agent explains how investigators respond behind the scenes
• South San ISD board sends tax proposal to November ballot
• Alamo Colleges District, Texas State set to receive $285K in grants toward educational resources

Brandon Woods, 40, was booked into the Comal County Jail on one count of murder (a first-degree felony) and one count of failure to identify (Class-B misdemeanor), deputies said.

Deputies were dispatched to a report for a man bleeding from his head under a vehicle around 11 a.m. Monday in the 3000 block of Farm-to-Market Road 2673, which is located in Canyon Lake.

Upon arrival, paramedics told deputies that the victim “had no signs of life” and “had a hole in his head,” the sheriff’s office said.

Investigators said the victim, who has yet to be identified, had suffered a gunshot wound to the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Based on witness statements and scene evidence, deputies said that Woods was identified as the suspect.

At this time, it’s unclear if Woods and the victim knew each other. The sheriff’s office said the shooting appears to be an isolated incident with no threat to the public.

Woods’ bond amount has not been set yet. The sheriff’s office said this is an active investigation.

READ ALSO:

• DOJ announces guilty verdict for New Braunfels man accused of smuggling guns from US to Mexico
• Man with 19 warrants arrested in west Bexar County, BCSO says
• Man arrested with ties to string of Stone Oak burglaries, affidavit states

Swalwell resigned from Congress amid sexual assault allegations earlier this year. Regardless of who is chosen to replace him, the 14th Congressional District seat is guaranteed to remain under Democratic control.

Florida's primary will choose candidates to complete the remainder of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s term in the U.S. Senate. There’s also an open contest to replace term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis, featuring Rep. Byron Donalds on the Republican side and former Rep. David Jolly as a Democrat.

Alaska voters will narrow down a wide field of candidates for a competitive U.S. Senate seat that’s expected to play a pivotal role in determining which political party will hold a majority in the Senate next year. Among the 16 candidates running in the all-party primary, the most notable are Republican U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan and Democratic former U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola. The top four vote-getters will advance to the general election regardless of party affiliation and the winner in November will be determined by ranked choice voting.

An unusually high number of open-seat races are on the ballot in Wyoming's primary after two prominent Republican officials announced their retirements. The upcoming departures of Gov. Mark Gordon and U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis, along with U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman’s decision to run to replace Lummis, mark the first time in 32 years that Wyoming has had open seats for governor, U.S. Senate and U.S. House at the same time.

Progressives may not find the same juice in Florida as elsewhere

Democrats’ left flank has won notable victories since Trump’s second inauguration, even with mixed results in recent Midwestern primaries. But the party’s progressive wing may find a tougher landscape in Florida.

Our Revolution, the organization started by Vermont’s democratic socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders, has endorsed state Rep. Angie Nixon in her U.S. Senate bid against former National Security Council aide Alex Vindman.

Several congressional hopefuls have the nod from various progressive groups, but in most competitive Democratic primaries, progressives face better-funded moderates. In south Florida, especially, many Latino voters are skeptical of anything labeled “socialism” because they or their families fled authoritarian socialist governments to come to the U.S.

Our Revolution endorsee Elijah Manley, one of the candidates running against moderate Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz in Broward County, said he believes voters are “ready for a more progressive approach because the system we have just hasn’t delivered for them.”

California election will determine Eric Swalwell’s temporary successor

Tuesday is voters’ last chance to decide whether a progressive state lawmaker or a moderate San Francisco Bay Area transit leader will fulfill the remainder of Swalwell’s term ending in January. Swalwell, a Democrat, dropped his bid for California governor and resigned from Congress in April after he was accused of sexual assault. He denies the allegations.

Aisha Wahab, a state senator, is running against Melissa Hernandez, a Bay Area Rapid Transit director and former Dublin mayor. The two Democrats, who advanced after a crowded primary in June, are vying to represent California’s 14th Congressional District, which includes cities east of San Francisco such as Hayward, Livermore and Union City.

Wahab and Hernandez will also face off in a separate general election in November to determine who will serve the next full two-year term.

Aisha Wahab, a state senator, is running against Melissa Hernandez, a Bay Area Rapid Transit director and former Dublin mayor. The two Democrats, who advanced after a crowded primary in June, are vying to represent California’s 14th Congressional District, which includes cities east of San Francisco such as Hayward, Livermore and Union City.

Wahab and Hernandez will also face off in a separate general election in November to determine who will serve the next full two-year term.

Incumbent Sullivan and former Rep. Peltola headline Alaska’s US Senate race

Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan and Democratic former Rep. Mary Peltola are the highest-profile candidates in a race that will be among the few in November to determine control of the U.S. Senate.

Sullivan and Peltola have vastly outraised any of the other candidates in the overall field of 16. The candidates and groups that support them have dominated the airwaves and filled mailboxes with flyers ahead of Tuesday’s primary.

Alaska’s primary features all candidates on one ballot, with the top four advancing to November’s ranked vote general election.

Sullivan has leaned into his background as a Marine and supporter of the military, while Peltola has repurposed the “fish, family, freedom” slogan that propelled her to the U.S. House in 2022. She lost reelection in 2024.

Republican redistricting shapes Florida primaries

Gov. Ron DeSantis, in response to Trump’s desire for a better shot to defend the Republican majority on Capitol Hill, eagerly pushed to redraw Florida congressional districts.

It’s yielded a round of political dominoes in South Florida.

Broward County, the state’s most left-leaning county, is down to one presumed Democratic district. It’s plurality Black. But Debbie Wasserman Schultz, an 11th-term lawmaker who doesn’t live in the district, is the favorite as the lone white candidate in District 20.

Wasserman Schultz and Rep. Jared Moskowitz live in a redrawn District 22 that now reaches the more conservative Gulf Coast. But Moskowitz isn’t running in his home district either. He’s running in a new District 25 that stretches along the coasts of multiple southwest Florida counties, including Broward.

National Democrats’ favorite in District 22 is educator Pia Dandiya. Moskowitz and Dandiya are favored over primary opponents. Trump won both districts comfortably.

Wyoming GOP Senate race includes Hageman and 4 little-known candidates

The five Republicans competing to become Wyoming’s next U.S. senator include one with an overwhelming funding and name recognition advantage: Harriet Hageman.

Hageman seeks the GOP nomination after two terms as Wyoming’s representative in the U.S. House.

Through July, Hageman had over $900,000 still available to spend on her campaign, eight times more than the funding runner-up in the GOP race, rancher and business owner Sam Mead.

Former oil field services business owner Jimmy Skovgard had $3,200. The Federal Election Commission had no campaign finance records online for the other two Republican candidates — massage therapist Jill Edwards and U.S. Air Force veteran and attorney John Holtz.

Former state legislator Jim Byrd, one of two Democrats seeking the party’s nomination, had about $350 cash on hand, according to the FEC.

The winner will succeed Republican U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis, who is retiring.

Republican incumbent faces independent newcomer for Alaska’s only House seat

Independent commercial fisherman Bill Hill is challenging Republican U.S. Rep. Nick Begich in the race for Alaska’s only House seat.

Hill, a former educator, has focused on issues such as affordability and reining in the influence of ultra-wealthy people and special interests in politics. Hill lives in a fishing community of about 425 people in southwest Alaska, where goods are brought in by plane or barge.

In July, the highest-profile Democrat in the race, pastor Matt Schultz, suspended his campaign and urged voters to back Hill.

No other candidates in the crowded race have reported raising money. Begich has been endorsed by Trump.

Race to replace Swalwell reflects Democratic divide

The special general election pits California state Sen. Aisha Wahab, a progressive who’s championed housing issues, against San Francisco Bay Area transit leader Melissa Hernandez, a moderate who’s made cracking down on crime central to her campaign.

Hernandez, who is raising more money, has accused her rival of being too soft on crime, which Wahab denies. Wahab, who won the June primary decisively, says she’s better positioned to fight against the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.

Democrats look for any foothold they can get in Florida

A generation ago, Florida decided a presidential race by mere hundreds of votes and court fights that reached the U.S. Supreme Court. Yet Democrats haven’t won a presidential race, Senate contest or gubernatorial election there since 2012.

It’s gotten so dire for the party that they’re expected, for the second governor’s race in a row, to nominate a former Republican. The leading candidate this time is former Rep. David Jolly, a critic of President Donald Trump who joined Democrats in 2025 after shifting his position on abortion and the Affordable Care Act.

That kind of move didn’t work four years ago, though. Former Republican Gov. Charlie Crist won the nomination and got trounced by GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Alaska has an unusual way of selecting its officeholders

Alaska has open primaries, meaning all candidates are listed on one ballot. It uses ranked choice voting in general elections.

In each race in the primary, voters get one pick. The four candidates with the most votes advance to the November election, where voters can choose to rank the candidates in order of preference. The top races on the ballot — for U.S. Senate, U.S. House and governor — each feature more than a dozen candidates. Few races for state legislative seats have more than four candidates running in Tuesday’s primary.

Alaska voters approved this system in 2020, which supporters say lends itself to more moderate candidates, and it was first used in 2022. There have been several efforts to repeal it, including one heading to the November ballot.

“I’d ask you to confirm a simple statement: the Department of Defense will not send Federal troops to the polls or to seize election materials of any kind,” Slotkin wrote to Hegseth and to Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in letters Tuesday.

The Pentagon said in an email that it will respond directly to Slotkin, as it does with all congressional correspondence. The Joint Chiefs did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Slotkin told The Associated Press that Trump has been laying the groundwork to claim the midterms were stolen. She noted that Trump contemplated using the military to seize voting machines after his loss in 2020 and has deployed the National Guard to cities against the wishes of Democratic leaders. He also deployed active duty Marines to Los Angeles during his immigration crackdown in 2025.

“He’s very clearly laying the breadcrumbs to be able to say the day after the election that he didn’t really lose the House or he didn’t really lose the Senate,” Slotkin said.

Slotkin asked Hegseth during an April congressional hearing if he would follow orders to seize ballots. Hegseth called the question a “gotcha hypothetical,” but said, “I’ve never been ordered to do anything illegal, and I won’t.”

White House chief of staff Susie Wiles denied in a Vanity Fair interview last year that Trump would use the military to suppress voting in the midterms.

“I say it is categorically false, will not happen. It’s just wrongheaded,” she said.

Federal law prohibits the deployment of armed federal forces to election locations unless “necessary to repel armed enemies of the United States.” If any element of the military were to get involved, it would likely be the National Guard under state control.

In 2020, Gen. Mark Milley, then-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, responded to a similar letter from Slotkin, then a congresswoman.

“I believe deeply in the principle of an apolitical U.S. military,” Milley wrote. “In the event of a dispute over some aspect of the elections, by law U.S. courts and the U.S. Congress are required to resolve any disputes, not the U.S. military."

The ruling is the latest development in a yearslong battle over where to house the main office for the nation's premier law enforcement agency. A site in Greenbelt, Maryland, was picked during former President Joe Biden's administration, but Trump appointees sought to reverse that decision last year in favor of repurposing the Ronald Reagan Building, a federal office complex a few blocks from the FBI's existing headquarters.

U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang, an appointee of President Barack Obama, ruled that the move was “ not in accordance with law,” and blocked the Trump administration from moving the FBI to the Reagan building, renovating it for the FBI or repurposing funds.

“This is not the first time courts have tried to undermine the administration in its goal to make government more cost-effective for American taxpayers,” the FBI said in a statement. “The court has chosen to impermissibly intervene for political reasons. This FBI is mission focused and will continue the best course of action to meet the needs of law enforcement.”

The suit was brought by the state of Maryland and Prince George's County.

“Maryland and Prince George’s County committed more than a decade of work to earn the FBI headquarters and pledged hundreds of millions of dollars," Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown, a Democrat, said in a statement. “By blocking the Trump Administration’s unlawful attempt to move the FBI to the Reagan Building and divert the funds Congress set aside for this project, the Court has cleared the path back to Greenbelt.”

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, also a Democrat, said, "Now it is time to stop the games and get to work building the world-class FBI headquarters that our public servants deserve, where it belongs: in Prince George’s County, Maryland.”

The FBI's current Pennsylvania Avenue headquarters, the J. Edgar Hoover Building, was dedicated in 1975. Proponents of moving the headquarters have said the brutalist-style building, where nets surround the facility to protect pedestrians from falling debris, has fallen into disrepair.

The Maryland location was selected over nearby Virginia following an intense competition between the two states.

But this year's Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise, one of two main drills conducted by the allies annually, could be disrupted after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered his Pentagon chief to “substantially” scale it back just before its start Monday.

He cited what he said was a good relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korea’s refusal to join the U.S. war against Iran. It was unclear what parts of the 11-day exercise were being cut and to what extent, but many experts say Trump's move threatens to hurt combined U.S.-South Korean readiness and eventually weaken their decades-long alliance.

The exercise is central to the US-South Korea alliance

The Ulchi Freedom Shield, or UFS, is largely a computer-simulated command post exercise meant to hone the allies' ability to deal with potential regional security threats like North Korean aggression. The two countries usually hold field training exercises during the command post exercise period.

South Korea's military had earlier said this year's exercise would be similar in scale to previous years, with the participation of about 18,000 South Korean soldiers. The U.S. military said it would incorporate lessons from recent conflicts such as North Korea’s battlefield experiences on the Russia-Ukraine front. Local media reported South Korea and the U.S. had planned 14 field training exercises.

The UFS, along with a similar joint war game in the spring, is a central pillar of the U.S. -South Korea alliance, which dates back to the 1950-53 Korean War. But it's also a long-running source of tensions with North Korea, which has denounced the exercises as a rehearsal for war and responded with provocative missile tests.

On Friday, North Korea's Foreign Ministry accused the U.S. and South Korea of plotting more provocative drills this year and vowed to respond with “a new level of a deterrent.” The U.S. and South Korea have said their regular drills are defensive in nature.

Field training will likely be affected by Trump's decision

In a social media post, Trump called the exercise costly, "with much of these costs paid for by the United States of America.” During his first term, Trump complained about the cost of drills with South Korea, suspending joint exercises in 2018 to advance now-stalled nuclear negotiations with North Korea.

Gen. Xavier Brunson, commander of about 28,500 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea, visited South Korean Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back on Tuesday for talks likely focusing on the adjustment of this year’s drills, according to media reports. South Korea’s Defense Ministry said it couldn’t confirm the reports.

Yang Uk, an analyst at Seoul’s Asan Institute for Policy Studies, said the U.S. will likely participate in the command post exercise but cancel “some costly field training that requires large-scale movements of troops."

Yang said that a downsizing or suspension of military drills matters because commanders of the allies change periodically. He said a one-year suspension of drills would see commanders unfamiliar with procedures of those drills taking part when they resume.

Trump's move could strain the US-South Korea alliance

Jung Chang Wook, head of the Korea Defense Study Forum think tank in Seoul, said Trump’s move could result in the U.S. downsizing other regular drills with South Korea, posing “a big, crippling blow” to their joint operation posture.

Lee Illwoo, an expert with the Korea Defense Network, said downsizing the exercise will likely delay the planned transfer to a system in which wartime operational control would be exercised by a binational command led by a South Korean general.

Under the current system, the U.S. military would command joint forces in the event of war.

The South Korean and U.S. militaries had earlier said the exercise would be an opportunity to support preparations for the transfer. South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday stressed the need to complete the transition during his term that ends in 2030.

Many South Koreans view the transition to South Korean leadership of the combined forces in wartime to be a matter of national sovereignty, but others worry that could weaken the alliance.

William Frances Silvia, 61, would be the 13th prisoner put to death this year in Florida, which has two more executions scheduled in September and has carried out more than half the nation's 22 executions so far in 2026.

Silvia is scheduled to receive a three-drug injection at Florida State Prison near Starke starting at 6 p.m. local time.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday denied a request to halt the execution.

Courts twice sentenced Silvia to death

Silvia was sentenced to death after being convicted of first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder for the deadly 2006 attack on Patricia Silvia, along with her mother, Betty Woodard.

According to court records, Silvia purchased a shotgun that year and then went to Woodard’s Orlando-area home, where his wife had been living since their separation two months earlier. The family was in the middle of a cookout when Silvia arrived, and after an unsuccessful attempt to reconcile, authorities said Silvia retrieved the shotgun from his truck and shot the two women.

William Silvia was first sentenced to death following his 2008 trial. A court later vacated that sentence following an appeal related to Florida's death penalty sentencing procedures, but after being granted a new death penalty phase in 2018, he was again sentenced to death.

A Florida state agency, the Capital Collateral Regional Counsel, provides legal representation to death row inmates. Silvia's attorneys have argued that the agency could not provide adequate legal assistance because it was already helping another death row inmate. The Florida Supreme Court rejected the appeal.

Florida leads the way in executions

A total of 47 people were executed in the U.S. in 2025. Florida led the way with 19, a record in the state since the death penalty was reinstated in 1976.

In July, Florida executed two prisoners in one day, the first state in nearly a decade to do so.

Two more executions are planned in Florida next month. Harold Gene Lucas, 74, is scheduled to die Sept. 1, followed by Daniel Owen Conahan Jr., 72, on Sept. 10.

Lucas was convicted of fatally shooting a 16-year-old girl who rejected his romantic advances and wounding two of her friends.

Conahan was convicted of kidnapping and strangling a man he had paid to pose for nude photos, and authorities suspect him of similar homicides committed in the 1990s in southwest Florida.

All Florida executions are carried out via lethal injection of a sedative, a paralytic and a drug that stops the heart, according to the Department of Corrections.

The complaint alleges that the investigations into some of the nation's most prestigious academic institutions were designed to strong-arm the schools into cutting deals for political purposes. Outcomes of the investigations were "predetermined, without regard to the evidence" in a “politically mandated effort” to extract money from schools through settlement demands and funding freezes under the pretext of rooting out antisemitism, the complaint alleges.

The work of the multi-agency task force, launched by the Justice Department under then-Attorney General Pam Bondi in February 2025, was “marked by extraordinary procedural irregularities, predetermined outcomes without factual or legal support” and disregard for the law and Constitution, lawyers for the former government attorney wrote in seeking watchdog investigations into their client's complaints.

The complaint taps into a broader public discussion about the administration's efforts to confront allegations of antisemitism at colleges, a problem that received renewed attention during campus protests over Israel's war in Gaza that some Jewish students said made them feel unsafe. President Donald Trump returned to the White House with a goal of rooting out antisemitism that he said had gone unchecked during the Biden administration, but critics have called his government's response heavy-handed and said it infringed on free speech rights and coerced concessions from public institutions.

A key House Democrat is publicizing the whistleblower's allegations

Lawyers for the former Justice Department attorney, identified as Haley Van Erem, filed the disclosure Tuesday with the inspectors general at the departments of Justice and Health and Human Services and the Office of Special Counsel.

Van Erem spent nearly a decade working in the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division before being involuntarily assigned to HHS to work on the Title VI investigations into the universities, the complaint says.

The health department assignees were initially told to scrutinize allegations of antisemitism at medical school commencement ceremonies — the lawyers were advised of a New York Post story describing antisemitic conduct at graduation events, the complaint says — but the inquiries were later expanded to focus on the entire schools in the cases of Columbia and Brown, according to Van Erem's account.

She left the Justice Department in May 2025 because she was "unwilling to be made vulnerable to further participation in politically motivated investigations unsupported by facts and contrary to law," says the complaint, which also accuses the task force of having targeted Muslim professors.

Kiersten Pels, a Justice Department spokesperson, said the department “stands behind the integrity” of its investigations. A spokesperson for the Health and Human Services Department did not immediately respond to requests seeking comment Tuesday.

Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, wrote separately to Harmeet Dhillon, who as the assistant attorney general in charge of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division has been a public face of the department's efforts to counter antisemitism. In his letter, he said antisemitism at colleges and medical schools is a real problem that needs to be investigated.

“But,” he told Dhillon, “your 'investigation’ into antisemitism was fake, a pre-baked frame-up operation thoroughly political in nature.”

Raskin wrote that “the whole project was designed to harass professors and administrators at major universities, to curtail their freedom of speech and academic freedom, and to strip targeted institutions of hundreds of millions of dollars in grants that they had already been awarded on the merits of their applications.”

Scrutiny over the handling of investigations into elite schools

The whistleblower complaint deals chiefly with investigations into three Ivy League universities: Brown, Harvard and Columbia.

It alleges that in the case of Brown, the investigative team did not find evidence to support a violation of Title VI, the section of the Civil Rights Act that bars discrimination on the basis of race, color or national origin in programs that receive federal funding, but that “leadership refused to permit a notice of no violation and instead sought some form of settlement or resolution despite acknowledging the absence of a legal basis for doing so.”

Investigators did find evidence of discrimination at Columbia, the complaint says, but the investigation was done on an accelerated timetable before adequate factual development and legal review were completed and relied on allegations that “were unsupported, based on news reports or litigation filings, or that implicated protected First Amendment activity."

Columbia University agreed to pay the government $200 million as part of an agreement restoring access to federal funding. Brown University separately agreed to pay $50 million to Rhode Island workforce development organizations to end the three federal investigations involving allegations of antisemitism and racial bias in admissions, with no findings of wrongdoing.

In the investigation into Harvard, Trump administration officials discussed “extraordinary funding freezes and sweeping proposed settlement terms” before an investigation had been completed that could establish Title VI violations. Sean Keveney, then-HHS acting general counsel, said he believed Harvard would settle because they were “over a barrel,” according to the complaint.

A federal judge last year ordered the Trump administration to reverse its cuts of more than $2.6 billion in research funding for the university, saying the government “used antisemitism as a smokescreen for a targeted, ideologically-motivated assault on this country’s premier universities.” And a different judge last week dismissed a Trump administration lawsuit that accused Harvard University of turning a blind eye to harassment of Jewish students.

Location: Detroit, MI (Graham Media Group HQ)

About the Role

Graham Media Group is seeking a highly analytical, detail-oriented, and process-driven Revenue Planning & Analysis Analyst II to join our Revenue Operations team. Reporting directly to the Director of Revenue Planning & Analysis, this role serves as a critical bridge between Revenue Operations, Sales, Finance, Technology, and Market Leadership teams.

The ideal candidate combines strong analytical capabilities with expertise in data governance, quality assurance, process documentation, Salesforce and project management. This individual will champion data integrity across revenue systems, lead cross-functional initiatives, develop scalable operational processes, and leverage emerging AI technologies to drive efficiency and innovation across the organization.

Responsibilities:

• Conduct recurring audits of Salesforce, reporting platforms, and revenue datasets to ensure compliance with data standards
• Partner with stakeholders to improve data collection methods, system adoption, and overall data quality
• Monitor key data health metrics and build scorecards to measure accuracy and completeness
• Create and maintain user guides, training materials, process documentation, and standard operating procedures (SOPs) to support system adoption and operational consistency.
• Support onboarding and ongoing training efforts for revenue systems, reporting tools, and operational processes
• Partner with the Salesforce Administrator to support CRM enhancements, testing, user adoption, data hygiene, and reporting
• Assist in troubleshooting system issues and validating system changes and integrations
• Document processes, workflows, and system requirements to support ongoing optimization efforts
• Act as the Revenue Operations team’s project manager for key initiatives, coordinating efforts across Sales, Finance, Marketing, Technology, and Market Leadership.
• Gather business requirements, document processes, manage timelines, and communicate progress to stakeholders.
• Drive process improvement initiatives that increase efficiency, scalability, and operational effectiveness.
• Identify opportunities to leverage AI and automation to improve reporting, forecasting, documentation, and operational workflows
• Assist in the design, testing, and deployment of AI-powered solutions and agents that increase productivity and streamline business processes

Requirements:

• Experience creating and maintaining training materials, user guides, process documentation, and standard operating procedures
• Ability to communicate complex processes and technical concepts in a clear, user-friendly manner for both technical and non-technical audiences
• Experience facilitating training sessions and supporting user adoption of new tools, systems, and processes is a plus
• Highly organized with strong attention to detail — you catch errors before others do
• Collaborative, low-ego, and comfortable in a fast-moving, multi-market environment
• Media, broadcasting, or advertising industry experience a plus, but not required

Please send resumes to Becky Hollandsworth at rhollandsworth@grahammedia.com

Graham Media Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In addition to complying with the requirements of federal law, GMG will comply with applicable state and local laws prohibiting employment discrimination. Any offer of employment is conditional upon the successful completion of a pre-employment drug screening, investigative background check, employment/education verifications and reference checks.

___

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988.

___

“Lindsay was struggling — we were all concerned,” said Susan Clancy, mother of Patrick Clancy, who found the Massachusetts couple's children after they had been strangled in the family basement in January 2023. Lindsay Clancy also attempted to take her own life that night, and was left paralyzed. Lindsay and Patrick Clancy are now divorced.

Susan Clancy, who, like Lindsay, worked as a labor and delivery nurse, said in Plymouth Superior Court that she and her former daughter-in-law were close and described Lindsay as a “wonderful mother” who was “very nurturing, very loving.” Her testimony echoed emotional accounts the day before from Lindsay Clancy’s mother and sister, who recounted for jurors how they saw her become increasingly anxious, paranoid and suicidal starting in the fall of 2022.

Susan Clancy said that Lindsay was open with her about struggling and asked for her mother-in-law's support. The jury was shown texts between Lindsay and Susan Clancy in which Lindsay spoke about fears that she had developed a dependence on benzodiazepines, but couldn't sleep without taking them.

“I'm not okay and I'm terrified of taking meds tonight,” Lindsay texted her mother-in-law on Nov. 30, 2022, two months before the killings.

The trial centers not on whether Lindsay Clancy killed her children, which her lawyers do not dispute, but on her state of mind at the time. The defense argues she should not be held criminally responsible because she was suffering from postpartum psychosis, while prosecutors say she planned the killings and understood what she was doing.

Lindsay Clancy's mother, Paula Musgrove, who lived in Connecticut, testified Monday that she often stayed with her daughter in Massachusetts from October into December 2022. She said Lindsay Clancy was scared of sleeping alone, became increasingly paranoid and believed the medications she was taking “were destroying her mind.”

Lindsay Clancy’s sister described a similar decline. Allison Ozga testified that at the end of December, Lindsay told her she had experienced suicidal thoughts every day for a month.

Musgrove also recalled a more alarming disclosure in December, when she was standing in the kitchen with Lindsay Clancy and her then-husband, Patrick Clancy. Musgrove said her daughter appeared nervous and told them she needed to tell them something.

“She told us she had thoughts of harming the children,” Musgrove said.

Prosecutors argue that Lindsay Clancy planned the Jan. 24, 2023, killings and contrived to get her husband out of the house by sending him to get takeout and to the pharmacy.

Lindsay Clancy’s attorney Kevin Reddington does not dispute that she killed the children. But he says she shouldn't be held criminally responsible because she had postpartum psychosis, a rare mental illness linked to the stress, sleep deprivation and hormonal changes that follow childbirth. He said she also had bipolar disorder and that antidepressants prescribed after the birth of her third child worsened her condition.

Earlier in the trial, the jury heard that Lindsay Clancy had sought treatment for severe mental health problems, including admitting herself to a psychiatric hospital. But witnesses also noted she wouldn't always take the medications prescribed to help with her insomnia, anxiety and depression.

The defense has argued that Lindsay Clancy was overmedicated and that her care was disjointed, with doctors not speaking to one another or sharing notes. The defense also showed she was discharged from one facility after a day and denied a higher level of care at another when she couldn't show that she had a suicide plan.

Prosecutors have questioned the seriousness of Lindsay Clancy's suicide attempt and showed through texts and photos that she performed many normal activities the day of the killings, including taking her children to the doctor and playing with them in the snow.

Her doctors have testified they never saw her exhibit signs of mania or psychosis, though she did repeatedly talk of feeling suicidal.

At the start of the trial, Patrick Clancy described the horror of returning home to find his dead children. During his testimony, prosecutors played a harrowing seven-minute 911 call, which was not released to the public. Patrick Clancy can be heard checking on Lindsay Clancy in the backyard, before heading down to his basement and finding his children.

He screams and howls before telling a dispatcher, “She killed the kids!”

If convicted of murder, Lindsay Clancy faces life in prison without parole. If found not guilty because of a lack of criminal responsibility, she would be committed to a state mental health facility.

The Big Ten has eight players on the first team, led by Oregon quarterback Dante Moore and two of his teammates.

Defending national champion Indiana, Georgia and Oklahoma each has two players on the first team, as determined by media members on the AP Top 25 voting panel.

The Texas players on the team are offensive lineman Trevor Goosby, wide receiver Cam Coleman, defensive lineman Colin Simmons and linebacker Rasheem Biles.

Defensive lineman A’Mauri Washington and safety Koi Perich are the Oregon players joining Moore, who edged out Mississippi's Trinidad Chambliss for first-team honors.

Wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, the Big Ten preseason offensive player of the year, is the only selection from Ohio State, the No. 1 team in the preseason AP Top 25 poll.

Smith, Missouri running back Ahmad Hardy and Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore are returning AP first-team All-America picks who are on the preseason team.

Iowa's Kade Pieper was voted first-team center by a wide margin even though this will be his first season playing the position. He moved from right guard to replace 2025 consensus All-American Logan Jones.

The AP All-America team for this season will be released in December.

First team offense

Quarterback — Dante Moore, fourth year, Oregon.

Running backs — Kewan Lacy, third year, Mississippi; Ahmad Hardy, third year, Missouri.

Tackles — Carter Smith, fifth year, Indiana; Trevor Goosby, fourth year, Texas.

Guards — Evan Tengesdahl, fourth year, Cincinnati; Shadre Hurst, fifth year, Houston.

Center — Kade Pieper, fourth year, Iowa.

Tight end — Trey’Dez Green, third year, LSU.

Wide receivers — Jeremiah Smith, third year, Ohio State; Malachi Toney, second year, Miami; Cam Coleman, third year, Texas.

All-purpose player — Wayne Knight, fifth year, UCLA.

Kicker — Tate Sandell, fifth year, Oklahoma.

First team defense

Edge — Colin Simmons, third year, Texas; Dylan Stewart, third year, South Carolina.

Tackles — A’Mauri Washington, fourth year, Oregon; David Stone, third year, Oklahoma.

Linebackers — Rasheem Biles, fourth year, Texas; Xavier Atkins, third year, Auburn; Rolijah Hardy, third year, Indiana.

Cornerbacks — Leonard Moore, third year, Notre Dame; Ellis Robinson IV, third year, Georgia.

Safeties — KJ Bolden, third year, Georgia; Koi Perich, third year, Oregon.

Defensive back — Bray Hubbard, fourth year, Alabama.

Punter — Evan Crenshaw, fifth year, Troy.

Second team offense

Quarterback — Trinidad Chambliss, fifth year, Mississippi.

Running backs — Mark Fletcher Jr., fourth year, Miami; LJ Martin, fourth year, BYU.

Tackles — Cayden Green, fourth year, Missouri; Jordan Seaton, third year, LSU.

Guards — Greg Johnson, fourth year, Minnesota; Luke Montgomery, fourth year, Ohio State.

Center — Drew Bobo, fifth season, Georgia.

Tight end — Terrance Carter Jr., fifth year, Texas Tech.

Wide receivers — Duce Robinson, fourth year, Florida State; Charlie Becker, third year, Indiana; KJ Duff, third year, Rutgers.

All-purpose player — Cam Cook, fourth year, West Virginia.

Kicker — Lucas Carneiro, fifth year, Mississippi.

Second team defense

Edge — Anthony Smith, fifth season, Minnesota; John Henry Daley, fourth year, Michigan.

Tackles — Tyrique Tucker, fifth year, Indiana; Will Echoles, third year, Mississippi.

Linebackers — Sammy Brown, third year Clemson; Raylen Wilson, fourth year, Georgia; Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, third year, Notre Dame.

Cornerbacks — Brandon Finney Jr., second year, Oregon; Zabien Brown, third year, Alabama.

Safeties — Brauntae Johnson, third year, Notre Dame; Ty Benefield, fourth year, LSU.

Defensive back — Kelley Jones, fourth year, Mississippi State.

Punter — Palmer Williams, fourth year, Baylor.

___

Sign up for Top 25 poll alerts here, visit the Top 25 here and see AP’s full college football coverage here

In a Facebook post, deputies said Brando Mireles, 41, was taken into custody without further incident around 5 p.m. on Aug. 14 in the 11800 block of Potranco Road.

The sheriff’s office said deputies had previously responded to the same address on a disturbance call involving Mireles and another individual. However, Mireles allegedly fled before deputies’ arrival.

Deputies later discovered that Mireles had 19 active arrest warrants out of Webb County, the post said.

According to BCSO, he was booked on the following charges:

• four counts of stalking
• four counts of violation of bond/protective order
• violation of protective order/stalking
• violation of protective order two or more times within 12 months
• three counts of criminal mischief
• three counts of burglary
• publish/threaten to publish intimate visual material
• evading arrest
• possession of a controlled substance

READ ALSO:

• 1 dead, 1 injured after shooting at Northwest Side apartment complex, SAPD says
• Dozens of vehicles targeted in break-ins at Stone Oak hotel, police called 13 times
• Records: 3 San Antonio teenagers connected to 2 similar robberies face new indictments, court dates

Cosmic radiation comes from space. Only a small amount reaches the Earth's surface, but exposure is greater for people flying at high altitudes.

There’s been limited evidence from small studies suggesting that the exposure translates to higher cancer death rates among people who fly often — particularly pilots and flight attendants. The new study “brings important new evidence to bear on this question,” two Australian radiation experts who weren't involved in the research wrote in an accompanying commentary.

The latest study, published Monday by JAMA Internal Medicine, used national data from more than 12 million death certificates that included information about occupations. The authors looked at death rates from cancers that are tied to radiation exposures, including leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, and cancers of the skin, breast, thyroid, prostate and central nervous system.

Among more than 500 occupations, flight attendants had the highest percentage of deaths from radiation-related cancers, and pilots were second, the researchers found. For those two occupations, the odds of dying were unusually high for each type of radiation-related cancer.

Neither group showed higher-than-normal death rates from cancers that aren't tied to radiation exposure, noted the commentary writers, Catherine Olsen and Ken Karipidis. That fact “supports the hypothesis that occupational radiation exposure, rather than lifestyle or socioeconomic factors, underlies the observed excess,” they wrote.

The researchers found that flight attendants had about 50% higher odds of dying from a radiation-related cancer than the general working population, and pilots had about 36% higher odds.

In terms of absolute risk, about 6.9% of flight attendant deaths were from these cancers — roughly 1 in 14. Among pilots, it was 6.7%. For the general working population, it was 5%, said the study's first author, Dr. Vishal Patel of Harvard Medical School.

The authors acknowledged some limitations in their study. They do not know how much exposure each flight attendant and pilot got in the air or from other sources. It's also possible occupations were misclassified on some death certificates.

They also could not account for another possible contributor specific to the professions: Cancer risk can be worsened by frequent disruption of the body’s internal clock, which can be affected by jet lag, crossing time zones and irregular work schedules.

The Federal Aviation Administration has acknowledged that aircrews are exposed to ionizing radiation, but the government does not set federal dose limits or require monitoring, the authors noted.

“You can't manage an exposure you've decided not to measure,” Patel said in an email.

Sara Nelson, who leads a union representing 55,000 flight attendants, said the report reinforces that radiation exposure needs to be taken seriously, as the union has suggested for years.

“The risk is known, but crew are not educated or informed. And, no one is taking responsibility,” said Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA.

Annual skin examinations may be warranted for all people working on high-altitude flights, and women in those jobs may want to get mammograms earlier or more frequently, Olsen and Karipidis wrote. Doctors who care for pilots and flight attendants also should have a “heightened index of suspicion” for cancer when evaluating these patients, they said.

___

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.

Revenue increased to $47.86 billion from $45.28 billion, edging out the $47.24 billion that Wall Street had expected, according to a survey by FactSet.

Globally, sales at stores open at least a year, a key indicator of a retailer’s health, climbed 1.7%. In the U.S., comparable store sales rose 1.3%.

“We saw broad based demand across the business as customers continued to engage in smaller projects,” Chief Financial Officer Richard McPhail said in prepared remarks Tuesday.

Customer transactions slipped 1% in the quarter, but the amount shoppers spent rose to $92.50 per average receipt from $90.01 a year earlier.

Healthy spending on smaller projects during the quarter is encouraging, said Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData.

“From our data, the number of smaller projects undertaken during the quarter increased by 1.5% over the prior year,” Saunders said in an email. “This may sound unimpressive, but it represents a step change from the declines of previous periods."

But Saunders also pointed out a potential weakness that is impacting almost all businesses where credit is sometimes required.

“The number of bigger-ticket projects undertaken remains down, falling by 2.1% over last year,” he said. "Concerns around financing and a previous lack of moving activity both remain major drags on the bigger-ticket segment.”

Homeowners that are currently considering taking out loans using home equity are realizing that it is considerably more expensive now compared with the ultra-low rates Americans could count on in the early 2020s. A home project that seemed within reach at a 4% to 5% borrowing rate looks a lot more daunting at 8% or higher.

McPhail remains upbeat about Home Depot’s ability to navigate current conditions.

“While consumer uncertainty and housing affordability continue to pressure demand for larger home improvement projects, we remain focused on what we can control,” he said during the company’s conference call.

While the average long-term U.S. mortgage rate fell slightly for the first time in six weeks, it is still up from last year and borrowing costs remain steeper than they were a year ago.

The U.S. housing market has been in a slump dating back to 2022, the year mortgage rates began climbing from historic lows that fueled a homebuying frenzy at the start of this decade.

Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes slowed again in July as record prices and the highest mortgage rates in a year prove to be an insurmountable hurdle for many prospective buyers. Existing home sales fell 1.7% last month from June, the National Association of Realtors said last week.

Home prices continue to rise and hit unprecedented levels for the month of July, NAR said. The U.S. median sales price increased 2% from a year earlier, to $434,100.

For the three months ended Aug. 2, Home Depot earned $4.77 billion, or $4.79 per share. A year earlier the home improvement retailer earned $4.55 billion, or $4.58 per share.

Excluding one-time items, earnings were $4.92 per share. That’s much better than the $4.73 per share that Wall Street predicted.

McPhail, along with Ann-Marie Campbell, senior executive vice president, are overseeing operations while CEO Ted Decker takes a temporary medical leave of absence. The company said last week that it expects Decker to return within the next few months.

Home Depot also announced Tuesday that it is launching express delivery nationwide. The service will get orders to customers within three hours or less. It will be available for a small flat fee in the U.S., with no subscription or membership required.

The Atlanta company has posted solid back-to-back quarterly performances this year though many Americans have struggled to buy a home. Despite the solid performance, Home Depot stuck with its earlier sales growth guidance for fiscal 2026 of between 2.5% and 4.5%. It also left unchanged its expectations that comparable sales will be flat to up 2%.

Home Depot said that its outlook includes tariff refunds, which are expected to partially offset higher fuel, energy, and other product input costs throughout the year. Last year, the company said that it didn't expect to raise prices because of tariffs, but executive Billy Bastek said at the time that some products that were on Home Depot shelves may disappear.

McPhail said during the call that Home Depot received $730 million in tariff refunds. Of that, $685 million was put towards lowering the cost of goods sold.

The company's stock rose nearly 2% Tuesday.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of San Antonio’s Mays Family Clubhouse is one option, offering transportation from school, age-based activities and income-based pricing.

The Mays Family Clubhouse is one of three Boys & Girls Club locations in the area.

The after-school program is open to children ages 6 to 18 and provides students a place to go after the final bell rings.

For Lidia Medrano, a mother of four, the club has become a trusted part of her family’s routine. She said this will be her children’s sixth year attending.

“You get the sense of security, just them being safe,” she said. “I think the staff members just kind of go above and beyond.”

Medrano described the club as part of her support system.

“It’s a village,” she said. “They’re my go-to people.”

Her son, Jayden Medrano, said the club also provides students a chance to meet new people outside of school.

“I feel like it is not a big community, but it’s getting bigger,” Jayden said. “The new people that join it, it’s an amazing opportunity. And you should take it whenever you get the chance.”

Ryan Brown, chief program officer for Boys & Girls Clubs of San Antonio, said students rotate through different rooms and activities throughout the afternoon, including art, STEM, a learning center, a reading room and a game room.

There is also a kitchen where children can learn how to make healthy snacks.

For 10 months, the full price per child is $1,200. But Brown said there is a four-tier sliding scale system based on income, and some families qualify for free care.

“If you have Medicaid, Medicare, if you’re military, you can come to the clubs for free,” Brown said.

The program also caps fees for larger families.

“The most that we will charge per family is for three kids,” Brown said. “So if you have five kids, you’re still only paying the fee for three.”

New this year, Brown says they’re offering monthly payments for families who can’t pay for the whole year up front.

Space is limited, so families are encouraged to sign up early. However, children can also be enrolled later in the school year or whenever families need that after-school care help.

Find a Club in San Antonio:

• Mays Family Clubhouse- 123 Ralph Ave, San Antonio, TX 78204
• Eastside Clubhouse- 3503 MLK Drive, San Antonio, TX 78220
• Rayburn Clubhouse- 635 Rayburn Dr., San Antonio, TX 78221

To registration information, click here.

Sources told KSAT that council members will be briefed on studies related to costs, negotiations with the Spurs, and planned improvements and expansion of the Alamodome and the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center.

Construction is expected to begin in about a year, with the arena becoming visible in 2031.

The project comes after 52% of Bexar County voters approved Proposition B last fall. The measure allows up to $311 million in county funding for a $1.3 billion Spurs arena through a venue tax on hotel stays and car rentals. San Antonio taxpayers are expected to contribute an additional $489 million toward the arena.

Trish DeBerry, president and CEO of Centro San Antonio, said the project could help bring more activity and investment downtown. Centro San Antonio is a nonprofit focused on improving the city’s urban core.

DeBerry said the arena, along with a new entertainment district and baseball stadium, could generate millions of dollars in economic impact by attracting visitors, convention-goers and residents.

“The arena coming into downtown creates not only a hospitable environment for people to come in here before the game, but stay long after the game,” DeBerry said. “And guess what that translates into? Sales taxes, alcohol receipts, and that all goes into the general fund in San Antonio for streets, drainage, and infrastructure.”

San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones said her focus is now on securing the best deal for the city through a non-binding term sheet. That could include items such as naming rights, a share of parking revenue or concessions.

The current community benefits agreement is valued at $75 million over 30 years. Jones has said she does not believe that amount is enough.

Read also:

• San Antonio City Council bats down second arena funding vote

In a news release online, UTSA said the activity was caught before it reached the university’s core systems. The university said it does not believe any university data was accessed or stolen.

As a precaution, UTSA took some services offline while it responded to the attempted breach.

“With classes beginning this Wednesday, we recognize how important reliable access to university systems and services is for our students, faculty and staff. Our teams are working with great care to ensure that our technology environment is both available and secure as we begin the new academic year,” the release states.

The university also announced changes to some student deadlines ahead of the start of classes:

• Payment is now due by 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 21.
• Waitlisting will end at 8 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 19. “Students who received a waitlist notification to register on Friday, August 14 or Saturday, August 15 are automatically being readded to the waitlist in the original order. Students will receive an email notification when a seat becomes available, and they can register,” the release states.
• Registration remains open through myUTSA.

UTSA said it is continuing to monitor its systems as classes get underway this week.

About 300 students were relocated to different classrooms in the first week of school after HVAC units failed, raising concerns about learning conditions across the district, school officials said.

Now, district leaders are looking to voters for a solution.

On Monday, South San ISD board members approved placing a Voter Approval Tax Rate Election, or VATRE, on the November ballot. The proposal would keep the tax rate the same — at $1.19 per $100 of taxable property value — while allowing the district to raise up to $6 million to address facility needs.

Superintendent Dr. Saul Hinojosa says the stakes are high.

“If buildings are hot or there’s water entering into buildings, that obviously does not produce a quality learning environment,” Hinojosa said. “So we want to make sure that we have all the kids’ needs met so that it maximizes our learning.”

Hinojosa says the district will be able to improve the aging facilities in about five years if the VATRE passes, but he already has plans to start in November.

“If we approve this on day one, we’re going to address where the biggest need is, and we already have a company in line in order to start mitigating some of these issues,” Hinojosa said.

What the funding would cover

Beyond fixing facilities, the VATRE would also fund day-to-day school operations, technology for students, and competitive salaries for paraprofessionals and auxiliary employees.

If voters reject the proposal in November, Hinojosa warns the consequences would be significant.

The tax rate would drop by seven cents — a potential win for homeowners — but the district would lose the funding needed to tackle its most pressing issues.

The last leg of what is being billed as their farewell tour kicks off in September in Los Angeles and what likely will be an emotional homecoming is at the end of it — in San Francisco in November.

“I’m sure it’s going to be somewhat emotional because that’s where it all started,” says co-founder and lead guitarist Neal Schon. “I know the audience is going to be off the hook.”

The band has plenty of dates before that finale, with stops in Phoenix, Seattle, Chicago, Atlanta, Nashville, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Detroit, Boston, Cleveland, Denver and Las Vegas, among others.

The tour's last show in San Francisco will cap more than 100 concerts this year, and the band frequently plays for more than two hours, adding deep cuts — like the spacy, melodic “Of a Lifetime” from the early ‘70s and songs from the album “Raised on Radio” from the ’80s — to the reliable hits, like “Faithfully.”

“I’m loving it because it’s the type of show I’ve been wanting to do with Journey,” says Schon, who is frustrated when the band is lumped in with other '80s bands like REO Speedwagon, Styx or Foreigner.

“I always felt like even though all those bands have contributed something that a lot of people like, we were much different. I thought musically we could go any place that we wanted to. And so now we’re doing that, finally.”

Expect hits and album tunes alike

Journey has had six Top 10 hits on the Billboard singles chart — including “Open Arms” and “Who’s Crying Now” — and eight albums in the Top 10 of the Billboard 200, including the 1981 No. 1 “Escape.”

Fans can expect to hear those hits as well as Journey's enduring anthem, “Don’t Stop Believin,’” which Schon wrote with keyboardist Jonathan Cain and then-lead singer Steve Perry.

It has shown up in the Broadway show “Rock of Ages,” the cut-to-black finale of “The Sopranos,” the TV show “Glee,” Brad Pitt’s “Moneyball,” the movie “Monster” and the Democratic National Convention roll call in 2024. Journey returns to the road this fall after a summer in which “Don’t Stop Believin’” was heard at the World Cup and as the New York Knicks won the NBA crown.

“'Don’t Stop Believin’' has surpassed our expectations,” says Cain. “Every band wishes they had one and we have one. So, I guess that’s our ‘Hey Jude’ calling card. So we’ll take it.”

In addition to Schon and Cain, the current Journey lineup includes singer Arnel Pineda, keyboardist Jason Derlatka, drummer Deen Castronovo and bassist Todd Jensen. Cain, Derlatka and Castronovo pick up the mic to give Pineda a break on some songs.

Band members say they look out and see five generations attending their shows. “I like to say Journey is certain music in uncertain times,” Cain says. “Journey is a soundtrack to a lot of people’s lives.”

Future is uncertain for band members

The band, born in San Francisco in the days of vinyl, have endured through huge changes in the music business — CDs, Napster, digital and streaming. Schon, who cut his teeth playing with Carlos Santana, remembers Journey in the early days opening for Kiss, Jeff Beck and Cheech and Chong

Touring seems to be the only way for most bands to make any money since each streaming song earns them a fraction of a penny. Journey has leaned into the tour, sometimes hitting three cities in one day.

“I feel bad for the new generation,” says Cain. “I remember when I got a big old fat royalty check and they were playing our songs on the radio and that a new album meant you would sell more tickets. Not so today.”

The end point — Nov. 28 at the Chase Center — looms, but the band isn't sure what that night will include. “It’ll be fitting to end there for sure,” says Cain. “Who knows who’s going to show up? I don’t know. There might be a reunion of sorts, I hope.”

After that, the band isn't certain. “The future kind of remains up in the air really,” says Cain. Schon agrees but isn't ready to make predictions.

“I’m not nearly done with what I want to do,” he says. “I think there’s many great opportunities in the future. Whether or not it’s with everybody that’s here right now, I’m not certain.”

Depending on who you ask, tending to the daily barrage of guinea pig needs can be either a fairy tale or a horror show. For Smothermon, it’s often a mix of both.

“If I could figure out how to get out of this at this point, I probably would,” Smothermon joked. “But I do believe that to a certain extent, I probably wouldn’t get out of bed if I didn’t have this.”

Smothermon is the owner of the Guinea Pig Sanctuary, in Salisbury, Massachusetts, roughly 40 miles (64 kilometers) north of Boston. On any given day, 350 to 400 guinea pigs are housed in a modest workspace, split into cages stacked from the floor to ceiling.

The space is cramped and chaotic as volunteers and visitors squeeze past each other between the rows of cages in a converted office space. People constantly move throughout the space cleaning out cages and checking on any sick animals.

But there’s also joy. The squeals from the little piggies about to eat lettuce and other vegetation often spark laughter, while others cuddle and comfort some of the guinea pigs. Each animal has a name prominently displayed outside their cage, as volunteers tick off their personalities.

Maui is friendly and gives kisses. Gritty is older, but shy. Rio has spunk and likes to run around. They all remember the smell of their caretakers and gravitate toward their favorites.

“They’re very sensitive animals,” said Janet Woodman, a volunteer at the nonprofit. “I personally think they are probably the best therapy animal next to a horse.”

Smothermon’s operation is one of the handful of animal rescues in the U.S. devoted solely to taking in abandoned guinea pigs — filling a need as people become overwhelmed with the responsibilities required to take care of these pets. The sanctuary additionally offers boarding for guinea pigs when their owners are traveling, as well as encouraging rehoming of the animals when they can.

Measuring between 8-10 inches (20.32-25.4 centimeters) long, these small beasts originally came from South America derived from the Cavia porcellus species, according to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo. After being domesticated in 5,000 B.C., there are now 13 different breeds that are distributed as both pets and for food.

According to Smothermon, guinea pigs often need to be adopted in pairs. They’re social and can’t be kept in cages full time.

Within minutes of opening the sanctuary earlier this year, an older woman walked through the door carrying two cages needing to “surrender” her guinea pigs. The woman’s husband had become sick, she explained to Smothermon, and she couldn’t properly take care of both him and her pets.

Smothermon hugged the woman and waived the usual fee.

“I tell people, just bring them here,” she said. “If that’s what you need to do, I’ll take on the responsibility.”

Other days, Smothermon is fielding calls from across the U.S., asking if she can take 11 piggies from Illinois, seven from Texas, and 97 from New York — where nearly half are expected to have babies.

It's a constant stress that Smothermon never imagined would consume her life. It initially began when her grandson, Alex, brought home a guinea pig. Alex had fallen into a fire as a child and experienced health problems, causing him to avoid most animals up until he was 12, when he discovered it was safe to interact with guinea pigs.

From there, Smothermon said, her family became a resource to take in abandoned guinea pigs. The family ran the rescue out of their New Hampshire house until a fatal fire burned it down in 2019. The fire resulted in the loss of Smothermon's other grandson, two dogs and dozens of guinea pigs.

The tragedy sent Smothermon into a depression, but when her family was living out of a hotel as they looked for a new home, people still kept dropping off guinea pigs that needed help.

Seeing the need gave Smothermon and her family the focus and motivation to continue Alex's dream, and eventually they relocated to Massachusetts.

Smothermon says the work is hard. She only gets a handful of days off a year, but the constant drumbeat of needing to take care of hundreds, if not thousands, of guinea pigs keeps her grounded.

“If I don’t get up, they don’t eat and they can die. So even though it’s not a choice, I have to," she said.

Deputies responded to the crash Monday night in the 8000 block of FM 78.

A vehicle traveling eastbound hit the man who was walking in the same direction, BCSO said.

The driver remained at the scene and showed no signs of impairment, the sheriff’s office said.

The man, who has yet to be identified, was taken to a local hospital with critical injuries. A BCSO spokesperson confirmed he was later pronounced dead.

No criminal elements were suspected, deputies said.

Additional information was not immediately available. The investigation is ongoing.

Read also:

• Medical episode triggered chain-reaction crash on US 281 that ejected 2 girls, SAPD says

Officers responded to the shooting around 12:10 a.m. Tuesday in the 4900 block of Woodstone Drive.

Upon arrival, the officers found two 18-year-old men with gunshot wounds, an SAPD preliminary report states.

One of the men was shot in the upper body. SAPD said he was taken to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. The second victim was shot in the ankle and is expected to recover.

Investigators said three suspects exited a Toyota 4Runner at the apartment complex and shot at the two men while they were outside.

All three suspects fled from the scene in the vehicle, which was later found to be stolen and abandoned, police said. No further information was available on the suspects.

Officers said they found casings from a handgun and a rifle outside the apartment complex.

Authorities have not yet released the identity of the man who died. SAPD said its investigation is ongoing.

Read also:

• Dozens of vehicles targeted in break-ins at Stone Oak hotel, police called 13 times

Also in the mix are a handful of scandal-plagued candidates, multiple people running with matching last names and several incumbents at risk of defeat.

Tuesday's contests will help shape the fiercely contested midterms this fall to determine control of Congress, where Republicans have a narrow edge, and offer a referendum on President Donald Trump's second term.

Here's a closer look at what to watch.

Historic slate of Black candidates for governor emerging

Trump-backed Florida Rep. Byron Donalds, a rising star in the Republican Party, is running to succeed term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis to become the first Black governor of the state. If Donalds wins, he'll become part of a historic slate of Black gubernatorial nominees that includes Republican Rep. John James in Michigan and Lisa Demuth, who defeated pillow-selling conspiracist Mike Lindell in Minnesota.

On the Democratic side, David Crowley won a razor-thin primary against a democratic socialist in Wisconsin, joining Attorney General Aaron Ford in Nevada, State Rep. Jermaine Johnson in South Carolina, and former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, who is running in Georgia to be the nation's first Black woman governor.

There is currently only one Black governor in the nation, Democrat Wes Moore of Maryland, who is seeking reelection in November.

The Florida GOP winner will likely face David Jolly, a former Republican-turned-independent-turned-Democrat.

Redistricting creates skirmishing for Democrats in Florida House races

A GOP-led redrawing scrambled Florida's congressional map, which has created some awkward matchups.

The most contentious pits veteran Democratic U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz against former U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick in a South Florida district that is almost majority Black. Cherfilus-McCormick resigned earlier this year under threat of House ethics sanctions, but now wants her seat back.

Wasserman Schultz, a former national party chair seeking a 12th term in Congress, is the only white candidate competing against four Black candidates in an area of Broward County that has helped send Black Democrats to Congress since 1992. Her decision to run has raised questions about representation and stirred deep animosity, including charges by one rival that “she stabbed us in the back."

Carpetbaggers and comebacks in the making in Florida?

The race to fill Donalds' House seat features a cast of characters akin to a reality show reunion, including several who have spent time in prison and a handful who have run in other states.

The field includes two former members of Congress who are mounting comeback bids after departing in scandal. Former North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn'stenure was marred by repeat traffic stops, guns at airport checkpoints and a claim he had been invited to a Washington orgy. Former New York Rep. Chris Collins, who resigned before pleading guilty to insider trading charges, served prison time before he was pardoned by Trump.

Trump-endorsed Catalina Lauf ran twice for Congress in Illinois. She lost the 2020 primary to Jim Oberweis, a former state senator, who has also decamped to Florida and is running for the seat.

Another candidate, Ola Hawatmeh, previously ran unsuccessfully for Congress in New York, while Linda Sawyer once tried in Michigan.

Also in the race: John Strand, a former television actor, underwear model and romance novel cover model, who served prison time for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021 assault of the U.S. Capitol.

Progressive vs. establishment candidates at odds again

The internal battle between progressive and establishment candidates that has been roiling the Democratic Party in states like Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan, now arrives in more conservative territory.

Progressive state lawmaker Angie Nixon is facing retired Army Lt. Col. Alex Vindman, a former National Security Council official who delivered searing testimony against Trump in his 2019 impeachment trial. They're both running in the Florida special election to fill the last two years of Secretary of State Marco Rubio's former Senate term.

The winner is likely to face interim Sen. Ashley Moody, the Republican appointed by DeSantis to the seat.

Other races will also put fault lines on display. In South Florida, U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz is running for reelection in a new Republican-friendly district against union organizer and democratic socialist Oliver Larkin.

Meanwhile, Republican incumbents are facing their own challenges. Rep. Cory Mills, running for a third term, has been plagued by an ethics investigation stemming from allegations of assault, domestic violence and campaign finance violations, which he denies.

Double-checking the name in Alaska

In a Senate race that is expected to be one of the country's most closely watched this fall, incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan, a Trump ally seeking a third term, is facing another candidate also named Dan Sullivan.

Republicans have argued the second Sullivan, who’ll be appearing on the ballot as “Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.," is a sham candidate running at the behest of Democrats to cause confusion. Dan J. Sullivan Jr., a retired teacher, has denied the charge.

Also in the race is former U.S. Rep. Mary Peltola. She was the first Alaska Native to serve in Congress, and she would become the first Alaska Native senator if she wins in November.

Under Alaska’s open primary system, all candidates appear on the same ballot, and the four who receive the most votes move on to a ranked-vote general election.

There are other surnames for Alaskans to keep straight.

Republican Rep. Nick Begich faces a crowded field in his bid for a second term in the state’s lone congressional seat. His uncle, former state Sen. Tom Begich, and former state Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins are the two Democrats in the race for governor. Tom Begich is the brother of Mark Begich, a former Democratic U.S. senator whom Sullivan defeated in 2014.

Seats open up in Wyoming

For the first time in more than 30 years, Wyoming has open seats for governor, U.S. Senate and U.S. House all up for grabs in a state where registered Republicans outnumber Democrats by a 7-to-1 margin.

Republican Sen. Cynthia Lummis' decision to retire after a single term has set off a chain reaction, with Rep. Harriet Hageman running to replace her.

She has an overwhelming fundraising advantage and became well-known after defeating former Rep. Liz Cheney, one of Trump's harshest Republican critics, in 2022.

Nine Republicans, meanwhile, are competing to replace Hageman as the state's lone U.S. representative.

Wyoming’s current governor, Republican Mark Gordon, considered seeking a third term and challenging a state term limit law but ultimately decided not to.

Pro-Israel group spending in former Swalwell seat

In California's Bay Area, voters will be picking a replacement for Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell, whose resignation amid sexual assault allegations ended his run for governor.

California's 14th District will remain under Democratic control as state Sen. Aisha Wahab and Bay Area Rapid Transit Board President Melissa Hernandez advanced from a special open primary.

The race is reprising a theme that cropped up in other Democratic primaries this year: outside spending, particularly from pro-Israel lobbying groups. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee's super PAC has spent more than $2 million against Wahab and backing Hernandez, and another group with funding from the super PAC has spent nearly $2 million in support of Hernandez.

Pro-Israel group spending seemed to backfire in Michigan's recent Democratic Senate primary, where Abdul El-Sayed emerged victorious despite tens of millions of dollars backing his opponent Rep. Haley Stevens.

___

Follow the AP’s coverage of the 2026 election at https://apnews.com/projects/elections-2026/.

Last week, Putin visited Iturup, one of the four southernmost islands of the chain, which Japan calls the Northern Territories. The Soviet Union took them from Japan in the final days of World War II, and the dispute has kept the countries from signing a peace treaty formally ending their hostilities.

Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said Putin’s visit, his first to the islands, was “incompatible with the Japanese position on the Northern Territories” and was “absolutely unacceptable.” She said the visit was a further blow to already-strained ties between the two countries over Ukraine, and that Moscow should understand the consequences.

Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said Tokyo “strongly protests” Putin’s visit to Iturup, which Japan calls Etorofu, noting that "the Northern Territories, including Etorofu Island, are Japan’s inherent territory both historically and from the perspective of international law.”

On Tuesday, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin met with Japanese Ambassador Akira Muto to lodge a formal protest over the “anti-Russia” statements by Takaichi and Motegi.

“Russia’s sovereignty and jurisdiction over the southern Kuril Islands are absolutely unshakable,” Galuzin told Muto, according to the Foreign Ministry.

“These territories passed to our country as a result of World War II that was enshrined in the relevant agreements of the Allied Powers and the U.N. Charter,” the ministry said. “Any attempts by the Japanese side to directly or indirectly call this obvious reality into question are absolutely unacceptable and unlawful.”

Galuzin told the ambassador that in view of Tokyo's adherence to Western sanctions against Russia and its support for Ukraine, “Moscow reserves the right to take appropriate countermeasures.”

The Japanese Embassy said in a statement that Muto, during his approximately 20-minute meeting with Galuzin, “appropriately explained the Japanese position on the Northern Territories and President Putin’s recent visit."

It gave no other details, including how Muto responded to Galuzin’s comment on Russia’s territorial claim of the islands or if Japan is considering taking a retaliatory step, citing the sensitivity of the issue.

Decades of diplomatic efforts to negotiate a settlement haven’t produced any visible results. Moscow over the years has also bolstered its military presence on the Kurils in moves that appeared to underscore its firm stance in the dispute.

Speaking last week aboard a Russian warship taking part in the drills in the Pacific, Putin said Moscow previously “had developed constructive relations with a number of Japanese leaders, including the tragically deceased former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who did much to bring Japan and Russia closer together, to align our positions.”

Japan imposed sanctions on Russia after it sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022 and “listed Russia as a source of primary threats,” a change in that constructive relationship, he added.

Russia remains ready “to cooperate with all its neighbors, including Japan and other states in the region,” Putin said.

Officers responded to the crash around 5 a.m. at the intersection of Probandt Street and Steves Avenue, according to an SAPD preliminary report.

The report said a vehicle had crashed, which caused the natural gas leak.

The suspect allegedly fled the scene before the officers arrived, police said.

CPS Energy crews also responded and later turned the gas line off, according to the report.

Probandt Street, from Steves Avenue to Helena Street, was closed in both directions, but has since reopened.

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

Speaking at the start of the talks with President Min Aung Hlaing, Putin noted both countries have cooperated on foreign policy and security issues and developed economic projects.

They have held joint military drills and developed plans for Russia to build a nuclear power plant, a seaport, oil refineries and other facilities in Myanmar.

The visit is the latest in a series of trips by Min Aung Hlaing to foreign countries, including neighboring China, India, Laos and Thailand as he seeks to strengthen international recognition and regain diplomatic standing with other countries.

Despite the visits, Myanmar has remained largely isolated internationally since the military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021.

Western nations have imposed economic and political sanctions in response to the takeover by the military, which he led, and its violent repression of the opposition, which has seen the deaths of thousands of civilians and given rise to a civil war.

Russia has defended Min Aung Hlaing’s military government in international forums while Myanmar’s ruling generals have generally supported Moscow’s foreign policy agenda.

During Tuesday's talks, Min Aung Hlaing thanked Putin for his political support and emphasized that Myanmar has remained a reliable partner.

Russia, along with China, is a major supporter and arms supplier to Myanmar. Russian-made fighter jets are used in attacks on territory under the control of ethnic minority groups, including many allied with pro-democracy resistance forces.

Russia's Economic Development Minister Maxim Reshetnikov told reporters that Moscow stands ready to increase supplies of oil products, fertilizers and equipment to Myanmar and boost imports of agricultural products and textiles from the country.

The trip marks Min Aung Hlaing’s seventh visit to Russia. Min Aung Hlaing previously met Putin on the sidelines of Moscow’s World Atomic Week Forum in September. Putin has never visited Myanmar.

Min Aung Hlaing was inaugurated in April following a general election judged by United Nations experts and rights groups to be neither free nor fair. Critics dismissed the polls, held in phases in December and January, as a sham designed to consolidate the military’s grip on power while ostensibly restoring civilian rule.

“Parents should really consider safety over style,” said Doug Shupe, AAA corporate communications manager. “The focus should be on what the teens can handle safely when they’re starting to drive.”

Shupe said small to midsize sedans and crossover SUVs can be sufficient options for inexperienced drivers because they are generally easier to handle.

Parents may also want to consider vehicles with an automatic transmission, particularly if a teen is still developing basic driving skills.

AAA also recommends looking for vehicles with good visibility and a proven safety record. Checking crash-test ratings can help parents evaluate how a vehicle has performed in safety testing.

Safety technology can provide an extra layer of protection. Modern vehicles may also offer technology designed to help drivers avoid or reduce the severity of crashes.

AAA recommends looking for features such as:

• Automatic emergency braking
• Blind-spot monitoring
• Backup cameras
• Rear cross-traffic alerts
• Lane-departure warnings
• Pedestrian detection systems

Shupe cautioned that these features should not replace attentive driving.

“It’s important to remember that traffic crashes remain one of the leading causes of fatalities for teenagers,” Shupe said, “And that the vehicle that you choose can play an important role in keeping that new driver safe.”

For families shopping for a used vehicle, AAA also recommends checking the car’s history before making a purchase.

Start by finding the vehicle identification number, or VIN. The VIN is a 17-digit code typically found on the lower-left corner of the dashboard, as well as on the vehicle’s title and other documents.

The VIN can be used to research the vehicle’s history through VINCheck, a free tool from the National Insurance Crime Bureau.

VINCheck can provide information about a vehicle’s manufacturer, body style, trim and engine type. It can also show when the vehicle was built and whether it has been reported stolen, involved in a crash, or declared a total loss.

Families should also be cautious of deals that seem too good to be true.

Potential warning signs include a vehicle priced far below similar cars, a seller using photos of a vehicle they don’t actually own, or requests to pay through a third-party “escrow” service.

Buyers should also be wary of sellers requesting payment through gift cards or wire transfers. Those types of payments can be difficult to trace and may be difficult to recover if the transaction turns out to be fraudulent.

Read also:

• UTSA takes some services offline after attempted cybersecurity breach

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

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

If she were to sweep, she'd tie Beyoncé and Taylor Swift for the title of most-awarded musician in VMA history. They have 30 each. (Eminem is the male artist with the most VMAs, with 15.)

Speaking of Swift: She follows Madonna with the second-most nominations, with nine. If she takes home even one award, she will become the most-awarded artist in VMA history.

Swift is up for video and artist of the year as well as best pop, direction, art direction, cinematography, editing, choreography and visual effects.

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

Rounding out the artist of the year category nominees are Grande, Mars, Carpenter and Morgan Wallen, in addition to Madonna and Swift.

The top prize of the night, video of the year, sees Swift's “The Fate of Ophelia” compete against Madonna’s “Confessions II — The Film,” Grande’s “Hate That I Made You Love Me,” Mars' “I Just Might,” Carpenter’s “Tear” and GENER8ION’s “Storm” starring Yung Lean.

The two-hour show will broadcast live on CBS on Sunday, Sept. 27, at 7:30 p.m. Eastern and 4:30 p.m. Pacific, from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. It will also simulcast on MTV and be available to stream on Paramount+ in the U.S.

The show will become available to stream globally the next day on Paramount+ and MTV.

CBS is home to a number of award shows, including the Tony Awards and the American Music Awards. It has aired the Grammys since 1973, though that show will head to ABC in 2027.

This year’s Video Music Awards features 26 first-time nominees, which include GENER8ION and Yung Lean (with their aforementioned three nods, for their “Storm” collaboration) and the K-pop boy band CORTIS and viral “Boston” singer Stella Lefty with two each. Other notable first-time nominees include Don Toliver, Kali Uchis, Noah Kahan, Olivia Dean, Tucker Wetmore and Sienna Spiro.

The best dance category has returned for the first time in seven years. Nominees include McRae's “Nobody’s Girl,” Bebe Rexha and Faithless' “New Religion,” Harry Styles' “Aperture,” Lady Gaga and Doechii's “Runway,” Madonna's “Confessions II — The Film,” PinkPantheress' “Stateside” with Larsson and Slayyyter's “Dance …”

Fan voting began online Tuesday across 13 categories and ends Sept. 25 at 6 p.m. Eastern and 3 p.m. Pacific.

Voting in the best new artist category will remain active during the show.

___

An earlier version of this story had an incorrect spelling of Lady Gaga and Doechii’s song “Runway.”

Jaren Lawson died from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in February, the medical examiner’s office told KSAT on Thursday. His manner of death was natural.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is a genetic disorder that causes a heart to “become thicker and stiff.”

A thickened heart can lead to a blocked blood flow in the muscle and sudden death, the CDC said.

A Northside Independent School District (NISD) spokesperson previously said that Lawson’s health records indicated no known medical conditions.

‘In and out of consciousness’

Lawson was assessed by athletic trainers since he could not hold himself up at the practice on Feb. 10, a San Antonio police report said.

He was “in and out of consciousness” while talking with EMS officials. Records show Lawson was lethargic and sweating profusely, records show.

Lawson was taken to a local hospital after he passed out. He was later pronounced dead shortly after midnight on Feb. 11, a NISD spokesperson said.

In a Feb. 13 email, the district dismissed allegations that a Stevens High School coach allegedly made Lawson participate in a prolonged exercise after the teen said he wasn’t feeling well.

“Our ongoing investigation has found ZERO evidence that these allegations are true,” the district said.

The district spokesperson also noted that its early findings did not indicate that Lawson informed coaching staff of “an inability to participate in practice.”

The spokesperson said the coaching staff reminded Lawson that he could opt out of the exercise. NISD also acknowledged that the coaches knew that Lawson had been ill the day before.

District officials said it did not find evidence that Lawson was denied access to water during the practice.

More coverage on this story on KSAT:

• Stevens HS football player who died after practice was ‘in and out of consciousness,’ police report says
• NISD identifies 16-year-old Stevens HS football player who died after passing out during athletic practice
• 16-year-old Stevens HS football player dies after passing out during athletic practice, district says

But on his first day back at his home in the village of Qusra, Loui Ridi was ultimately told to go back inside because the area was a closed military zone.

Israeli soldiers asked the settlers to leave the area as well, but Ridi said he saw at least three settlers close enough to return and threaten his family if the army leaves.

“If I need to walk outside of my house, I’m not able. I have to get a permission and coordination and it’s going to take hours if it’s even possible to leave,” Ridi said.

Ridi yelled at one of the settlers to get off his property and pleaded with the soldiers to remove them, according to video he shared with The Associated Press. He told the settler that he wasn’t allowed to be there and called him a terrorist.

The soldiers who told Ridi to get back inside his home also pleaded with settlers to leave peacefully.

For Ridi, the exchange extinguished any sense of victory remaining after he managed, with the aid of a military escort, to enter his home on Monday. He said the encounter epitomized how the army has been unable or unwilling to clear the area of settlers.

“As soon as (Israeli soldiers) leave — like if they leave today — probably on the same day or a couple hours later, the settlers may come back and build the same tent in front of my house,” he said.

Qusra standoff is the latest violence in the West Bank

Some 2.8 million Palestinians live under Israeli military rule in the West Bank, with the Palestinian Authority exercising limited autonomy in population centers. Roughly 560,000 Israeli settlers who live in a growing number of communities and farming outposts across the territory. Emboldened by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government, extremist settlers have routinely attacked villages and set homes, cars and mosques ablaze in the occupied West Bank this year.

The international community largely considers Israeli settlements to be illegal and obstacles to peace.

Few episodes garner as much international attention as the siege in Qusra. However, settlers have staged takeovers of other Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank. In the neighboring village of Jalud, settlers surrounded a home last month and prevented Palestinians from entering or exiting until they decided to escape and not come back.

Palestinian officials report 87 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli settlers or soldiers this year. Three Israelis have been killed including two in a nearby clash last month.

Much like in Qusra, violent settlers rarely face arrest by Israeli police or prosecution in Israeli courts.

Ridi, a 46-year-old who lives with his family in Ohio but has a second home in the Qusra, arrived on Monday, climbing his stairs and raising an American flag on his roof.

The United States — Israel’s closest ally — has condemned the ongoing siege in Qusra, now in its tenth day. President Donald Trump has said he opposes Israeli efforts to annex the West Bank but signaled broad acceptance of settlements and, at the start of his second term, lifted sanctions on settlers accused of violence.

Ridi said he can’t go out to buy groceries without permission and has asked U.S. officials to help guarantee he can bring supplies back to his home in the closed military zone on Qusra's outskirts.

Video shows settlers demanding homeowner stay inside

Ridi said he slept for four hours in a room where he kept the shutters closed because settlers had previously thrown rocks toward the windows.

When he woke up Tuesday and went outside to confront the settlers and soldiers, one settler demanded in Hebrew that the soldiers make him go back inside, saying Ridi’s yard belonged to them.

“Take them to their home. You said it’s a closed military zone,” the settler told an Israeli soldier, according to Ridi’s video.

The soldiers told everyone to leave, saying, “We don’t need this commotion.”

Israel's military said Tuesday that the closed military zone had been cleared but did not answer questions about settlers' presence in and around the Palestinian village.

Soldiers have repeatedly dismantled their tents and shades in the area only to have the settlers return to area on the outskirts of a village 10 miles (16 kilometers) from the Palestinian city of Nablus.

One settler was detained last week but Israeli police have not reported any arrests. Ridi fears settlers could ramp up attacks on his home moments after Israeli soldiers leave, much like other areas where settlers have staged takeovers of Palestinian homes.

Ridi said his two daughters in Ohio have stayed up past their bedtimes worried for his safety, texting that they miss him and asking if he is all right.

“I have to lie and say, ‘No, I’m safe. I’m OK. It’s safe here,’ because I want her to sleep,” he said.

Hichilema secured around 60% of the presidential vote in the southern African nation that has held largely peaceful elections since it returned to multiparty democracy in 1991.

Hichilema's main challenger, opposition leader Brian Mundubile, won around 38% of the vote, according to the electoral commission.

Zambia, a nation of 22 million people that is one of the world's leading copper producers, is a focus for Chinese investment because of its reserves of the critical mineral. It has also drawn interest from the United States under a Trump administration plan to increase U.S. access to copper and other critical minerals used in new technologies and renewable energy systems.

The results released early Tuesday followed days of heightened tensions since last Thursday's election.

The electoral commission suspended vote counting for hours on Friday, citing attacks on some polling station officials and what it called the theft of some ballot boxes.

It didn't say who might be responsible for the alleged violence and theft, but the suspension prompted the deployment of the army to parts of the capital, Lusaka — an unusual development for one of Africa's more stable democracies.

The Zambian government announced later that 11 opposition officials were detained in a law enforcement raid on election night at a property where opposition leader Mundubile was present, though he was not arrested, according to the government.

The raid involved an exchange of gunfire between occupants of the premises and law enforcement officers, the government said.

The government accused the opposition officials of being in possession of “high-grade military weapons, ammunition and other materials for use in armed insurrection” and said they were a national security threat.

Mundubile criticized the raid as an attempt on his life and denied allegations that the officials were part of a militia.

Hichilema said in a statement Tuesday that he and his party were humbled by the trust placed in them by voters and also reached out to opposition supporters.

“To those citizens who preferred the ideas presented by our opponents, we hear you, and we will continue to work for you to ensure that every Zambian benefits from the development we are delivering,” Hichilema said.

A preliminary report by a European Union observer team released before results were announced said the election was largely peaceful but the “broader electoral process took place in an environment that limited fundamental freedoms.”

“Late legal changes, legal uncertainty and unequal campaign conditions distorted the playing field,” said Michael McNamara, chief of the EU observer mission.

The 64-year-old Hichilema's campaign for a second term focused on an economic recovery plan for a country that was mired in a debt crisis when it defaulted on repayments in 2020. Hichilema was first elected in 2021, and Zambia has restructured debt payments, reined in inflation and stabilized its currency under his leadership.

One of Hichilema's main pledges has been to more than triple Zambia's copper production to 3 million tons a year by the end of his final term in 2031.

Critics, however, said the effects of those macroeconomic improvements were not being felt by ordinary Zambians who were growing frustrated with a high cost of living and electricity shortages.

Hichilema vowed “meaningful development for every single Zambian, in every corner of our country.”

___

Magome reported from Johannesburg.

___

AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa

Alfred A. Knopf announced Tuesday that Gandhi's “Belonging: A Journey of Love” will be published Nov. 10.

“Much has been written about my family, but few narratives were able to reach into the truth of their motivations, their actions and even their very human failings,” Sonia Gandhi said in a statement issued through Knopf. “In many ways, this book is a homage to their humanness. My story also offers readers a unique perspective of the social and political changes I have witnessed for six decades in the beautiful country of my belonging.”

Gandhi, 79, is a native of Italy who was studying in Cambridge, England, when she met fellow student and future husband Rajiv Gandhi, grandson of India's first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, and son of India's first female prime minister, Indira Gandhi.

In “Belonging,” she writes of her life being upended when her mother-in-law is assassinated in 1984 and succeeded by Rajiv Gandhi, who seven years later was also murdered. She too would eventually enter politics and become the longest-serving president of the Indian National Congress Party while also turning down her party's offer to become prime minister. Her party lost power to current Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist party in 2014.

“It was heartbreak and loss that threw me into the public world of politics. Up till then I had guarded my privacy fiercely,” she said in her statement.

“Writing about my life did not come easily to me. It meant opening myself up, sharing moments and experiences I had always held deep inside," she said. "Yet as I gradually removed myself from the political sphere and looked back at all I had seen, the thread of love and loyalty that wove through my story began to define itself, from the simplicity of my childhood in small-town Italy, to the complexity of my years in India as the wife of Rajiv Gandhi and the daughter-in-law of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.”

The Nehru-Gandhi dynasty remains active in politics. Both of Sonia Gandhi's children, opposition leader Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, are members of the Indian parliament's lower house from the Congress party.

Probandt Street closed in both directions near Steves Avenue after a crash caused a gas leak.

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 Francisco-based company says ChatGPT for Teens, which launches Tuesday, is tailored for kids aged 13 to 17 with stronger protections including content restrictions around things like suicide, self-harm and romantic or sexual chats. It also provides homework and study support designed to help students learn rather than spit out answers and school essays.

The idea is to guide teens toward healthy AI use in an age-appropriate environment, the company said.

“We want to treat teens like teens, which means that we have to make sure that we’re showing up with the right developmental stage when we’re not either talking down to them or treating them like kids, but we’re also making sure that they’re not exposed to material that they shouldn’t be exposed to,” said Ann O'Leary, vice president of global policy at OpenAI.

Risks abound in widespread teen usage of AI chatbots

Parents, educators and child development experts have been sounding alarms over children's use of AI chatbots, which have been blamed for facilitating cheating on schoolwork and even suicide. And while even adults can fall victim to anthropomorphizing AI and developing unhealthy relationships with it, teenagers' brains are not yet fully developed and they can be particularly vulnerable.

Last year, research from a watchdog group found that ChatGPT would tell 13-year-olds how to get drunk and high, instruct them on how to conceal eating disorders and even compose a heartbreaking suicide letter to their parents if asked. In interactions with researchers posing as vulnerable teens, ChatGPT typically warned against risky activity but went on to deliver startlingly detailed and personalized plans for drug use, calorie-restricted diets or self-injury.

In the U.S., more than 70% of teens are turning to AI chatbots for companionship and half use AI companions regularly, according to a 2025 study from Common Sense Media, a group that studies and advocates for using digital media sensibly.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has said that the company is trying to study “emotional overreliance” on the technology, describing it last year as a “really common thing” with young people.

For users of ChatGPT for Teens, the chatbot is prevented from suggesting it has personal feelings toward the user or implying that it is conscious or experiences emotions, according to OpenAI. That's in addition to blocking romantic or sexual chats.

“We went through and identified what are the hypothetical cues that a model could give that might make a teenager kind of develop a relationship to it,” said Allison Mishkin, head of child development at OpenAI.

A new version of the chatbot expands safety protections

OpenAI doesn't verify users' ages, but it already uses age assurance to estimate if someone is under 18 based on factors such as their types of queries. If someone is identified or identifies themselves as a minor, they are automatically placed into the teen version of the chatbot. This is similar to Meta's approach to teen accounts on Instagram, which have stricter content, chat and privacy restrictions than regular accounts.

To use parental controls, both the teen user and their parent or guardian have to opt in. But O'Leary said the idea with the teen chatbot is to “make sure that this is safe, even if you don’t use parental controls.” Parents with linked teen accounts can set “quiet hours” when their teen can't access ChatGPT, and receive safety notifications in limited high-risk situations, such as the possibility of a user hurting themself.

“We are adding additional notifications related to eating disorders, while limiting what is shared and focusing on moments when offline support may matter most,” OpenAI said.

For homework help, OpenAI said the teen chatbot is designed not to give easy answers but to guide students to come up with answers on their own. The company already offers a version of ChatGPT for teachers, and tailoring a model to help kids with studying and homework could give OpenAI more ways to bring its product to schools.

“We continue to also invest in expanding interactive learning because research shows that people learn more effectively when they actively engage and struggle with concepts,” Mishkin said.

Morgan’s Multi-Assistance connects individuals with disabilities and their families to the care and services they need through a unique navigation process. Since opening its doors in 2022, the MAC has now served over 10,000 individual members with disabilities. We tell you about the different ways it can help your family & how to sign up.

Schlitterbahn is celebrating 30 years of the Master Blaster. The first-ever water coaster in the world. We go visit to hear it’s epic story.

Stoneridge Dental shares how they’re helping patients achieve healthy, confident new smiles.

Are you struggling with credit card debit? Debt Redemption can help you pay down that bill faster and get more money back in your pocket.

This Sept. 24-26 in downtown Austin, over three days and more than 100 programs, we reckon with American democracy under pressure, the battle for Texas, the future of public education and energy, who gets to tell America’s story, and how AI is reshaping how we live, work and govern. Joining us in those conversations are some of the prominent voices in American political and civic life: U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Georgia; Gov. Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma; Dolores Huerta, labor leader and civil rights activist; Maggie Haberman, co-author of “Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump.” There are fundamental questions we’ll be answering together over three packed days of programming:

• Can American democracy survive the pressure it’s under, and what will it take to protect it?
• Who will win the battle for Texas, and what does it mean for the rest of the country?
• From trans rights to pluralism under pressure, what does it mean to belong in a divided public square?
• From AI to the systems holding communities together, including public education and healthcare, what are the decisions that will define Texas for a generation?
• Who gets to tell America’s 250-year-old story, and whose voices have been left out?

Others joining us this September include Imani Perry, professor at Harvard University and author of “Black in Blues: How a Color Tells the Story of My People”; Ibram X. Kendi, author of “Chain of Ideas: The Origins of Our Authoritarian Age”; Marjorie Taylor Greene, former U.S. representative, R-Georgia; U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin; Gina Hinojosa, Democratic nominee for Texas governor and state representative, D-Austin; and Karl Rove, former White House deputy chief of staff.

This year, the TribFest experience also goes beyond the stage, with more opportunities than ever for Texans to connect with one another off-stage. We have special meet-ups scheduled for students, educators and journalists; documentary screenings all day Friday at Austin’s Hyperreal Film Club; a special Saturday interactive experience with music, food and special presentations called The Commons; and TribFest’s first official after party following a return of CatchLight Live of photojournalism. We’re excited to share even more in the next few weeks, including the announcement of our opening and closing keynote conversations, more information on our special events along with experiences for students, Texas Tribune members and executive pass holders. TribFest has always been about more than what happens on stage. It’s about Texans coming together who care deeply about Texas, their community, and their democracy, and discovering over three days that we have more to say to, and learn from, each other than we expected.

Join us this September.

Dive into our 2026 TribFest program and purchase your TribFest tickets today.

More than 40,000 people were sheltering in tents, evacuation centers and makeshift camps after the earthquake struck off Flores, a remote island in East Nusa Tenggara province, early Saturday, damaging at least 11,925 homes, according to the National Disaster Management Agency.

The quake caused widespread destruction across the island, damaging 172 health facilities, 658 schools, 187 offices and 172 places of worship, the local disaster agency said.

At crowded evacuation camps across Flores on Tuesday, children played under tarpaulin shelters while aid workers and volunteers provided psychosocial support alongside food and medical assistance.

The quake occurred at a depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles) shortly before 6 a.m. Saturday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, and residents fled in panic as tsunami warnings were issued but later lifted. Authorities recorded more than 2,100 aftershocks into Tuesday, though only 70 were felt by residents.

Fear and painful memories haunt survivors

An aftershock that struck during an interview Tuesday prompted Vincentius Rano and his wife to instinctively duck and cover their heads. Nearby, their daughter began crying, a reminder of the fear that continues to haunt many survivors.

Rano is a resident of Lamba Leda, one of the hardest-hit villages in the lush hills of East Manggarai regency, where widespread damage was reported, with at least 50 homes shattered and trees toppled over. He recalled the terrifying moment the earthquake struck Saturday just after he and his wife had woken up.

“Suddenly, we felt a tremor that kept getting stronger,” said Rano, the father of a 5-year-old girl. The couple rushed to grab their sleeping daughter, but before they could escape, part of the house came down, causing injuries to his back and shoulder.

“We didn’t have time to get outside. Everything happened so fast. The roof collapsed on us, and all I could do was shield my wife and child with my back,” Rano said, gesturing toward his flattened home, a modest house, built of timber rather than concrete.

Children in shelters treated for trauma

Psychosocial support programs, which combine mental health treatment and social care, are being rolled out across the region hit by the earthquake. Children have been encouraged to read books and join counselors for games, educational activities and group activities designed to help them cope with fear and anxiety.

“For many survivors, especially children, the psychological impact has lingered long after the shaking stopped,” said local police chief Yudhi Franata, who organized trauma-healing sessions for children displaced by the disaster in Ende regency.

Parents at an evacuation center said many children were afraid to return indoors and woke up frightened whenever aftershocks rattled the island, he said.

Mieke Suharni, a police officer who was among 30 personnel deployed to Lamba Leda, said much of their work is focused on helping children cope with the disaster’s emotional aftermath. She said officers have organized trauma-healing activities at several evacuation camps, but emotional distress remained widespread among survivors.

Earlier Tuesday, she comforted a woman who was visibly shaken by memories of the quake and used a psychological support method known as Universal Spiritual Emotional Freedom Technique, which she learned during a police training.

“We are trying to help people manage their fear step by step,” Suharni said. “Some survivors continue to experience anxiety and excessive fear. Our goal is to help calm that trauma so they can begin to recover.”

Indonesia, an archipelago of more than 17,000 islands, is prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions because of its location on the Pacific Ring of Fire. Flores experienced one of the country’s deadliest disasters in 1992, when an earthquake and an ensuing tsunami killed about 2,500 people.

So when they heard rumors that Morocco’s border with Spain was open, they decided to join the rush to try to reach Europe.

All three died attempting to cross, becoming victims of the deadliest migration crisis between Morocco and Spain.

Fueled by misinformation, poverty and lack of opportunities, more than 70,000 would-be migrants from Morocco and beyond swam or climbed over a breakwater last month to try to reach Ceuta, a Spanish territory on the North African coast. At least 90 people died attempting to cross the border, according to official figures; rights groups reported a much higher toll. Many families still haven’t been able to retrieve the bodies.

Nearly all the survivors have returned to Morocco, and both countries have intensified security measures. Moroccan and Spanish authorities blamed social media rumors and human smuggling networks for the surge, while migrants cited unemployment and low wages as major factors.

The pull of the crowd

Akbili, 31, lived in Tangier, about an hour from the coastal Moroccan town of Fnideq. Migration had been on his mind for some time, but friends and family said he had never considered crossing illegally.

He held a college degree in physics, but couldn't find a job in his field and worked at a car parts factory. He earned about $421 a month, slightly above the median salary in the North African country.

Buoyed by ambitions to become a regional hub for the auto industry, Morocco’s economy is expected to grow by 4.5% this year. But policymakers face a persistent challenge: turning that growth into jobs that offer higher wages.

Akbili was working the 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. shift when he saw Facebook posts about people crossing into Ceuta. He wanted to try his luck in hopes of finding a job that could help his mother pay for hernia surgery.

“His mind changed completely. He went from someone who wasn’t thinking about illegal migration to wanting to go by all means,” Abdelhakim Saadaoui, a relative and Akbili’s apartment mate, told The Associated Press.

Akbili persuaded Saadaoui to go with him. On July 31, they paid a driver $129 to take them near the border with Ceuta — the equivalent of two months’ rent.

When they arrived, Saadaoui said, there was complete chaos. From a distance, the crowds looked like ants, he said, as streets filled with people heading toward the frontier. Police fired stun grenades and tear gas in an attempt to disperse them, he said.

Saadaoui decided not to continue. Akbili went on. The two remained in contact by phone.

Then Akbili stopped answering.

A Moroccan Interior Ministry document obtained by the AP says Akbili died at midnight on July 31. His death was classified as “unnatural,” attributed to “severe head trauma.” He was buried in his hometown of Khenifra.

His family was told he died after falling from a cliff. The Interior Ministry said one of the 11 deaths recorded on the Moroccan side was caused by a cliff fall.

But a cousin suspects foul play and wants further investigation.

“His phone and wallet stayed intact. How is it possible for someone who fell from a cliff?” Zakaria Akbili told the AP.

Soccer dreams drove one victim

Hamza Haibouri, who played soccer for Morocco's second-division Kenitra Athletic Club, was buoyed by dreams of making it big playing in Europe, said his childhood friend Bilal Ratib.

The 28-year-old Haibouri was vacationing in Martil, a Moroccan beach town about 25 miles (40 kilometers) from Ceuta, when he saw people heading there and decided to join them. His death in the frenzied attempt to cross was announced by the soccer team’s fan club.

Ratib said Haibouri visited France when he was young and had always wanted to return.

“He always had this idea of living abroad and going to France, to get better soccer and a better life,” Ratib said.

“He was a great man, even when we were young and reckless, he would always go to the mosque early for the first prayer,” Ratib said. “He was deeply religious.”

Haibouri, whose income came entirely from soccer, earned around $540 a month when he played, but he hadn't played at all this year, Ratib said.

Families learn of deaths through Facebook

Abdelouahed Iken, 19, was finishing high school in the southern city of Agadir. He regularly admired photos on Facebook posted by a friend who had migrated to Italy.

When he heard rumors the Ceuta border was open, he asked his mother for money to travel to his home village.

But instead of going home, Iken traveled more than 530 miles (850 kilometers) north to Ceuta with friends, according to family member Housine Zligui. Zligui said he learned about Iken’s death on Facebook, and the family is now working to bring his body home.

Iken could not swim, so he bought a life jacket for the crossing. Friends who returned told the family they saw him struggling in the water before he drowned, Zligui said.

For many Moroccans, Europe represents the possibility of work, stability and a better future. Those who make it abroad often return home with designer clothes, cars and euros, becoming symbols of success — and envy.

Money sent home by Moroccans living overseas reached $6.6 billion in the first six months of this year, according to government figures, equivalent to more than 3% of the country’s GDP.

Families asked to pay huge repatriation costs

Families were asked to pay some 2,500 euros ($2,900) in repatriation costs to bring the bodies of their loved ones home from Ceuta, according to Ratib and Zligui.

The AP was unable to confirm the cost. But repatriating a body from Spain to Morocco generally requires authorization from the Moroccan Consulate and a Spanish mortuary transit document. Moroccan rules typically call for a sealed coffin and a certificate confirming the death wasn’t caused by a contagious disease.

A spokesperson for Ceuta’s government said Friday the paperwork to repatriate the bodies of those who died in the crossing was complete, but Morocco’s government had not accepted it. The Moroccan government did not respond to an AP email with detailed questions about what was holding up repatriation, who was responsible for covering the costs and whether the Moroccan government would assist families in paying to have their loved ones returned.

Autopsies on 82 migrants brought ashore in Spain have been completed, said Manuel Aparcero, director of Ceuta’s forensic team.

Haibouri’s sister underwent DNA testing so that Ceuta authorities could confirm her brother’s identity. Authorities in Ceuta gave Haibouri’s sister his identification card and driver’s license but did not allow her to see his body, Ratib said.

“It will take around 20 days or more” for the body to be returned, he said. “You can’t imagine the families' suffering.”

The Trade Union Network for Migration in Morocco called on Morocco and Spain to cover the costs of returning the dead to their families.

Back in Tangier, Saadaoui moved in with co-workers. He couldn't bear living without Akbili.

“He was telling me at the border, ‘I will never come back,’” Saadaoui said. “And indeed, he will never come back.”

___

Associated Press journalist Suman Naishadham in Madrid contributed.

The House Higher Education Committee’s agenda does not name a specific law. However, its focus on screening, reporting, oversight and the Higher Education Research Security Council closely tracks House Bill 127, which committee chair Rep. Terry M. Wilson, R-Georgetown, authored last year. The law created the new council and set safeguards for certain researchers, foreign gifts, academic partnerships and work-related travel.

Texas universities must screen foreign citizens who are not permanent residents, as well as people with certain work, training or institutional ties to a foreign adversary, before hiring them into research jobs or giving them access to research data, according to the law.

A foreign adversary is defined as a country that the U.S. director of national intelligence has identified as a national-security risk in one of the three most recent annual threat assessments or one the governor designates after consulting the Texas Department of Public Safety director.

HB 127 generally bars state universities and their employees from accepting gifts from foreign-adversary governments or entities, though schools can accept gifts from individual citizens after review. It also requires the colleges to set up an approval process and track some work-related international travel.

State dollars are on the line. Public universities cannot spend their state appropriations until their boards certify compliance. Those that fail to fix violations found by a state auditor within 180 days can lose out on future funding increases.

At a July 28 Senate hearing, Kevin Gamache, the Texas A&M University System’s chief research-security officer and chair of the new council, said HB 127 was “on the mark” because it gave universities both a framework and flexibility to protect research without being overly restrictive.

Gamache said Texas’ law “must not become nationality-based screening” or a “blanket prohibition on international collaboration.”

The council, he said, had been meeting every two weeks to develop standards and other guidance for schools.

But Kate Bierly of the conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation, who is scheduled to appear with Abbott on Tuesday, has argued that Texas A&M’s record raises questions about whether its research-security office can reliably identify foreign influence on its own. She wants to require detailed annual disclosures from universities and affiliated organizations on foreign gifts, contracts, donations, their purposes, values, beneficiaries, conditions and duration.

Abbott’s focus on foreign influence predates last year’s legislation.

In a 2024 executive order, he directed state agencies and public universities to protect Texas’ infrastructure, intellectual property and personal information from entities tied to China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and Nicolás Maduro’s regime in Venezuela. The order barred employees from accepting gifts or taking work trips paid for by those entities, prohibited participation in their foreign talent-recruitment programs and required agencies and universities to track employees’ personal travel to those places.

In January, Abbott separately told state agencies and public universities to freeze new H-1B visa petitions unless they first received written approval from the Texas Workforce Commission. The directive runs through May 31, 2027.

Rep. Tony Tinderholt, R-Arlington, signaled Monday during the House’s first day of higher education-related testimony that Abbott’s H-1B policy will be part of Tuesday’s discussion.

He told a Texas State University official to ask the school’s leaders to pay attention to Tuesday’s hearing, pointing to a public notice the university posted in connection with employing a public relations specialist through the H-1B program.

Jayme Blaschke, Texas State’s director of communications, said after the hearing that the filing is an H-1B extension and amendment for an existing employee, not a new hire. The employee began at the San Marcos school as a student worker in 2022 and moved into a full-time job the following year, he said. Because the application is a renewal, Texas State said it did not require TWC approval.

Texas has 16 universities with the Carnegie Foundation’s top research classification, known as R1, more than any other state. Records previously obtained by The Texas Tribune show 44 public universities, health centers and system offices reported sponsoring 3,332 H-1B workers to the TWC after Abbott issued his directive.

As of July 17, no public university or state agency had sought the commission’s permission to file a new H-1B petition, a TWC spokesperson said. The Texas Tribune asked Monday whether any agency or university had since requested approval but did not receive a response as of deadline.

The Texas Tribune partners with Open Campus on higher education coverage.

Disclosure: Open Campus and The Texas A&M University System 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.

On Wednesday, elementary schools in a small southwestern Colorado district stopped using a controversial reading curriculum developed by the state of Texas.

It was the third day of school.

The sudden shift came a day after the Montezuma-Cortez school board voted 4-3 to reject the new curriculum, called Bluebonnet, and four days after the district’s superintendent pledged that Biblical material would be removed from lessons.

The controversy over Bluebonnet likely has staff at the district’s three elementary schools scrambling for replacement lessons this week. The debate has also raised questions about the number of errors in the curriculum, whether a Texas-built product is right for Colorado students, and how the curriculum was adopted with little notice over the summer.

Colorado school districts don’t have to use state-approved reading curriculum, but they must ensure their curriculum meets state academic standards.

Justin Schmitt, the district’s executive director of academic services, didn’t specify what reading curriculum the district’s elementary schools are using now.

He said by email that district leaders are working with school staff on next steps.

Board Vice President Laura DeWitt, who has a fifth grade daughter, said at Tuesday’s board meeting that she looked at some of the Bluebonnet materials on the first day of school and found what she described as “robot errors” — mistakes probably generated by AI.

A story about a Japanese man who visited Houston to plant rice in 1904 includes a map that shows Houston next to the Florida panhandle, instead of in Texas.

DeWitt showed a printout of the erroneous map at the meeting, drawing a chuckle from one person and a “wow” from someone else.

Such mistakes are in addition to thousands of mistakes in Bluebonnet that Texas is already paying $8 million to fix.

Board member Barbara Mate said when she visited classrooms on the first couple days of school, she saw reading lessons centered on Texas.

“I viewed a lot of stuff about Texas and Houston and San Antonio and migrant workers, and Texas and Texas,” she said. “I just wondered why we’re not representing our current demographic.”

The 2,200-student Montezuma-Cortez district in May adopted a school improvement model borrowed from the Houston school district. When that district, the largest in Texas, adopted Bluebonnet in late June, Montezuma-Cortez administrators soon followed suit.

At Tuesday’s meeting, Montezuma-Cortez board members raised concerns that Bluebonnet’s use was announced just weeks before the school year started with no analysis to ensure it meets Colorado academic standards, no public review process, and no school board vote.

While several board members were critical of Bluebonnet, most said they supported the school improvement model from Houston. It’s called the New Education System and is a highly structured system that includes fast-paced teacher-led instruction, daily monitoring of student progress, and immediate re-teaching for students who aren’t proficient.

Some board members asked Superintendent Eddie Ramirez pointed questions about mysterious changes to an agreement with the Houston school district the board approved in May. The original version didn’t mention Bluebonnet, but the one Ramirez signed in June did.

Ramirez assigned blame to district lawyers, and said he didn’t notice the change.

“What I am testifying to you and telling the board here tonight is that I had no knowledge that it said Bluebonnet,” he said. “I signed the document thinking that it was vetted by the lawyer, and that it was agreed upon.”

Some board members seemed skeptical of Ramirez’s explanation and suggested there are “integrity issues” at play, but said it was a matter to be addressed another day.

Board member Mike Lynch defended Ramirez.

“He’s trying to implement something for our district. The board’s job is the why, and the superintendent’s job is the how,” he said. “He was doing the how and the document was changed without his knowledge.”

Hundreds of students were evacuated after shots rang out in the high school building of the Ateneo de Zamboanga university campus in the southern port city of Zamboanga. Two other people were injured, police and city officials said.

The suspect, identified by police as grade 9 student Mohammad Mael Jalani, fired at a teacher sitting in front of a class but apparently missed. He then shot a student on the fourth floor of the building before going up one floor and killing himself, police said in an initial report.

“He entered and started indiscriminately firing, hitting a Grade 10 student at the fourth floor then subsequently went to the fifth floor and jumped from the said building and committed suicide,” Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla told reporters.

“He showed this on Facebook Live starting when he was climbing up the stairs but there were only snippets,” Remulla said. “We'll look into his gaming history and his chat history so we cannot come up with a complete answer why this happened until we do a complete forensic analysis.”

Zamboanga city Mayor Khymer Adan Olaso and the police said the suspect shot himself.

The high school building, where the gun attack happened, is in a secured campus, separate from a larger campus of the privately owned Catholic university where its colleges and professional schools are located in Zamboanga. One of the largest and most prestigious universities in the south, Ateneo suspended classes at all levels Tuesday and Wednesday following the attack.

Joe Darryl Jaron has just driven his child to the school when he heard the gunshots that prompted students to scream in panic and dash to safety. He took a video of the commotion and posted it on Facebook. “There are gunshots here in Ateneo, help! help,” he said.

A few hours after the shooting, police said the situation was under control. They asked parents and guardians of students to remain calm and follow the high school's advice and arrangements to pick up their children.

“Authorities are currently establishing the circumstances surrounding the incident,” national police chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said. The police “will provide verified information as appropriate and appeals to the public to refrain from sharing unconfirmed reports, photos, or videos that may cause unnecessary concern.”

The national police “assure the public that the safety and well-being of the school community remain a priority. We thank the school administration, parents, guardians, and the community for their patience, cooperation and understanding as authorities continue to manage the situation,” Nartatez said.

One of the pistols carried by the suspect came from his father, who was the Bureau of Customs police commander in Zamboanga, Bureau of Customs deputy commissioner Nolasco Bathan told reporters. He added that he recommended the temporary suspension of the father, who may face administrative charges for failing to properly safeguard the government-issued pistol.

The shooting happened despite police assurances that security in schools across the country would be strengthened after a shooting in June in which three high school students were killed and at least 20 others were wounded in central Tacloban city. Police arrested two students, ages 14 and 15, and accused them of carrying out that shooting.

Crimes involving the use of firearms are prevalent in the Philippines, partly due to the proliferation of unlicensed firearms, but school shootings are relatively rare.

Days after the school shooting in Tacloban, Philippine authorities said they temporarily blocked an online gaming app to assess whether it played a role in fostering such violence. The Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center said its decision to indefinitely block Gorebox was prompted by an ongoing police investigation which showed that one suspect was an avid user of the app.

The shooting in the Philippines also occurred less than two weeks after a school shooting in Thailand.

Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul took steps to restrict guns in the Southeast Asian country after a 14-year-old boy killed his grandparents, five school staff members and a 12-year-old girl in Nonthaburi province outside Bangkok.

Thailand’s high rate of gun ownership is second only to Pakistan in Asia, and far surpasses its Southeast Asian neighbors.

___

Associated Press journalists Joeal Calupitan in Manila, Philippines, and Haruka Nuga and Jintamas Saksornchai in Bangkok contributed to this report.

But it is the scathing online reviews that seem to have prompted interest in “Niu Lai,” an animated film about a calf who had a dream about himself growing up with the help of his family, driving a surprising surge at the box office.

The film earned only about 10,000 yuan ($1,480) at the box office in the first 10 days after its Aug. 5 release. On some days, the film took in as little as 200 yuan ($30) at the box office, according to Maoyan, a movie-tracking platform. The figure was exceptionally low, particularly during the competitive summer movie season.

But its box office surged to 8.2 million yuan ($1.2 million) Monday, with nearly 300,000 admissions, according to Maoyan. Its total box office has reached 17.1 million yuan ($2.5 million).

Red Star News, a local news website in Chengdu, reported that the film was made over five years by just two people — director Xin Yumeng and his mother, Sun Lifan. The Associated Press was unable to reach Xin and could not independently verify this.

Posters seen at movie theaters featured a calf, hand-drawn in pen without color, alongside handwritten slogans: “Come on over if you’re into the bizarre” and “No refunds.”

A 'terrible' movie viewers recommend as a prank

On Douban, a popular Chinese movie-review platform, viewers piled on with mocking and bewildered comments.

Among the most popular: “unbelievably terrible and eye-opening,” “a symbol of the new internet troll culture,” and “a must-watch for Chinese stock market investors.” The last is a play on the film’s name, “Niu Lai,” which literally means “the bull is coming” in Chinese — a wish for a bull market.

Comments such as “over nine out of ten,” and “awesome and highly recommended” are also among the sarcastic reactions.

“My initial intention has always been to play pranks on my friends,” said Du Mingxi, a 19-year-old college student in Shanghai.

“If a friend asks me what I think about the movie, I’d say good and recommend them to watch,” he said, adding that he successfully tricked two friends to watch the movie with him. Both found it fun, but one fell asleep during the viewing.

Du compared young people going to the movies to see this kind of film to the mysterious “six-seven” craze in the U.S., saying that some are just drawn to things they find weird or funny, with many jumping on a trend whether they get it or not.

“They are just the same, it is funny but hard to describe what's funny about it, and young people just love spreading these memes virally,” said Du.

Despite the flood of criticism and memes, some viewers didn't mind the rudimentary production.

Zhong Jiaming, a vocational schoolteacher in Guangzhou, called it a rare find in an era when movies are often “visually exquisite and polished, but their stories can fail to engage.”

“This is a movie for the young at heart," said Zhong. "It is simple and honest, like a bedtime story for children.”

The outbreak unfolding in one of Congo’s most vulnerable regions is the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak ever, with 4,945 cases including 2,325 deaths, according to government data released overnight into Monday.

It's Congo’s 17th outbreak, with a toll that has eclipsed that of the country's 2018-2020 outbreak when 2,299 deaths out of 3,481 cases were recorded.

The latest data shows 101 new cases and 33 deaths reported in the previous 24 hours. Over 1,000 people have recovered, while 730 remain in hospitals or isolation.

The outbreak has infected and killed more people at a greater speed than any other outbreak in history. The World Health Organization has said it is on track to surpass the 2014-16 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the deadliest on record with more than 11,000 deaths.

Trish Newport, emergency coordinator with Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym MSF, said the limited community engagement in the outbreak remains a key challenge.

“The community needs to be aware about the outbreak," she told The Associated Press, adding that people "need to be involved in the response, and they need to know what the signs and symptoms are and what to do if they get sick. And this today is not happening in every single place where there are Ebola cases.”

Starting from the first confirmed case, the outbreak reached the 2,000 death toll almost three times faster than in the 2014-16 outbreak.

Some families have lost up to 15 of their relatives in the epicenter, the Ituri province, said Newport.

“We rapidly need to scale up to be able to prevent more deaths from happening, more families and communities from being impacted,” she added.

There are no approved vaccines or treatments for the rare Bundibugyo virus responsible for the current outbreak across six provinces in Congo's east. Trials for those are ongoing in Ituri.

Most new cases and deaths are being reported outside of the people being monitored. Challenges facing medical teams dealing with the outbreak also include strikes by some unpaid health workers, threats by rebel groups, anger from long-traumatized communities, bad roads making it difficult to reach all the affected territories, and misinformation claiming that Ebola isn’t real.

WHO warned over the weekend that the outbreak is still moving at an “exceptional pace” ahead of efforts to track it, noting that it reached a weekly record of 579 cases and 304 deaths in the previous week.

“A substantial scaling up of response activities is underway to get ahead of the outbreak,” the U.N. health agency said.

Experts believe the virus was spreading in the mining town of Mongbwalu as early as February — months before authorities declared the outbreak on May 15.

On Friday, U.N. humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher announced the allocation of an additional $30.5 million and the deployment of 20 more staff to aid the response on the frontlines.

“This is a wake-up call,” Fletcher said. “We need speed, scale and solidarity before this virus gets even further ahead of us.”

“Let’s be clear, Duane Davis did not pull the trigger. But he did plan the shooting in retaliation of the beating of his nephew,” Chief Deputy District Attorney Binu Palal told jurors at the start of Davis' Las Vegas trial. “Remarkably, you will learn that from Duane Davis himself.”

Davis, 63, could get life in prison if he's convicted of murder with a deadly weapon with the intent to promote, further or assist a criminal gang. He has pleaded not guilty. His lawyer in the defense opening called the prosecution's narrative “fiction.”

Palal showed jurors video of Shakur’s entourage attacking Davis’ nephew Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson outside the boxing match at the MGM Grand hours before the shooting on Sept. 7, 1996.

Davis spent the next two hours planning how to get even, said Palal, and Shakur was gunned down “in an act of revenge.”

Shakur remains a cultural icon and is considered one of the most influential and versatile rappers of all time, despite dying at 25.

What he told the FBI and investigators

In a 2008 interview with a federal task force investigating the killing of Shakur's rival, the Notorious B.I.G., Davis instead talked about the Shakur shooting. He described handing a gun to the men in the backseat of a white Cadillac that fired on a black BMW with Shakur and Marion “Suge” Knight inside.

As prosecutors played audio of Davis explaining the moment Shakur was shot, members of Shakur’s family, including his stepbrother Maurice “Mopreme” Shakur, stared ahead and listened intently from the audience.

Palal told jurors Davis held onto a visceral hatred for Shakur for decades that drove him to speak.

He said the defendant talked to the FBI in 1998 and again in 1999, admitting he had been in Las Vegas at the time of the shooting.

In 2009, he admitted to his role in the killing in an interview with Las Vegas police, Palal said.

“And now 30 years later, we’re going to ask you to finally hold Duane Davis accountable,” Palal said.

He also showed jurors the 2019 memoir that Davis co-authored, “Compton Street Legend,” that the prosecution will use and that the defense fought to keep out of the trial, along with several of the defendant's interviews.

How Davis' legal team is defending him

Davis, wearing a blue suit and tie, sat quietly with his hands folded on the table in front of him, occasionally nodding along as his attorney gave his opening, and often scanned the room during testimony to see who was in the gallery.

“What they are telling you, they are representing as fact, when it’s really fiction,” Michael Sanft said. “There’s no facts."

He said Davis wasn't previously charged because law enforcement knew that he was “full of crap.”

The defense attorney also pointed to missing documents in the original investigation and distrust between police departments.

He called one detective’s work “biased,” “sloppy” and “incomplete.”

Sanft said outside court at the end of the day that he thought the 30 years that had elapsed would help Davis.

“The length of time is going to be a huge problem for people trying to recall things, to remember things,” the lawyer said. “That’s just not how it works.”

Asked about the oddity of calling his client “full of crap" and similar things, he said, “We all have a family member who's like that.”

Briefly a suspect in Notorious B.I.G.'s death

Former Los Angeles Police Department detective Fred Miller — assigned to the investigation of the 1997 shooting death of the Notorious B.I.G., born Christopher Wallace — testified remotely and said that Davis had briefly been suspected in that shooting.

Davis admitted to being present at a party at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles where Wallace and Sean “Diddy” Combs were guests. Wallace was shot as he was leaving.

Sanft objected to the inclusion of the testimony. The judge, with prosecutors’ agreement, told jurors that police do not believe Davis was involved.

Most eyewitnesses are no longer alive

The story of the drive-by shooting has long gripped the hip-hop community, partly because no one was charged until Davis was indicted in 2023.

The other three men riding in the Cadillac have all died in the years since.

Retired Las Vegas police officer Garry Dale was the first of the 35 to 45 witnesses the prosecution plans to call at the trial expected to last about a month.

He testified that he and another officer stopped Knight and Shakur's car for missing a license plate, warned them and let them go.

About 10 minutes later the officers responded to a shooting call and found EMTs pulling Shakur from the car. Dale said Knight had been grazed by bullets, but told the officers to take care of Shakur.

Dale jumped in the ambulance and asked Shakur who shot him. The retired officer said that Shakur said something like “no, we’ll take care of it.”

Brent Becker, a former Las Vegas homicide detective, testified that Knight showed up to a police interview with attorneys, which he thought was odd because Knight was a victim. Knight was timid, his interview was practiced and he told investigators he knew nothing, Becker said.

“I thought he lied to us,” Becker said in video testimony.

Becker said it was difficult to get other witnesses to talk and they “were leaning on” Davis, Anderson, Deandrae “Freaky” Smith and Terry “Bubble Up” Brown as the men in the Cadillac, but had no living witnesses who could identify them.

Witnesses describe the night Tupac was shot

Ingrid Stokes testified that she and her friends were heading home from Las Vegas when they encountered Shakur and Knight, who were friends with a woman in Stokes’ group.

Knight invited them to a nightclub, she said, and they decided to meet them there.

The car Stokes was riding in was one lane over and a car length ahead of Knight's vehicle, when they heard gunshots.

Stokes said they drove off in fear and almost hit a white four-door vehicle in the process.

When they returned to the scene, police made them sit on the sidewalk and treated them like suspects, she said. Stokes was scared to be seen in public talking about the case, worried about poor treatment from law enforcement and the potential for retribution.

“Snitches get stitches,” she said.

___

Associated Press journalists Ty ONeil in Las Vegas, Becky Boone in Boise, Idaho, John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio, and Andrew Dalton in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell told reporters before practice that Adams will have surgery and stay in Minnesota for his rehabilitation so he can serve as a mentor to the younger players.

Adams, the sixth overall pick in the 2017 draft, made three Pro Bowls and was an All-Pro in 2019 with the New York Jets. He has been an excellent blitzer who set the NFL season record for sacks by a defensive back (9½) in 2020 after being traded to the Seattle Seahawks. Injuries have derailed him since then, with Minnesota becoming his fifth team in four years. Adams tore his left quadriceps in the 2022 season opener.

Adams, who transitioned to linebacker in a part-time role last year with the Las Vegas Raiders, has 55 tackles for loss, 22½ sacks, eight forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and four interceptions in his career. He'd made a strong impact on the Vikings in the two-plus weeks he'd been with the team. The 30-year-old Adams was injured in his first exhibition game after signing just before the start of training camp.

“He’s a Minnesota Viking now, and we want to make sure that he knows how important he’ll be to our players and team,” O'Connell said.

The Vikings signed cornerback Bryce Phillips, who originally entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with Kansas City following this year's draft. His brother, Clark Phillips III, plays cornerback for Atlanta after starring collegiately at Utah.

___

See AP’s full NFL coverage here

The South San Independent School District board approved placing the proposal on the November ballot during a meeting Monday night.

The district is asking voters to keep the tax rate at $1.19 per $100 of taxable property value. However, the proposal would change how that money is divided between the district’s maintenance and operations budget and its budget for bond projects.

If approved, a larger share of the district’s tax revenue would go toward day-to-day costs, such as regular operations and district services.

The measure does not ask voters to approve a higher tax rate. The proposal now heads to voters in November.

Read also:

• TEA ACCOUNTABILITY RATINGS: Latest grades show mixed results for San Antonio-area school districts

U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds is banking on President Donald Trump ’s endorsement in hopes of securing the Republican nomination and advance to the fall election. His opponents include Lt. Gov. Jay Collins and political newcomer James Fishback.

Democrats' leading candidate for governor is David Jolly, a former Republican congressman who switched parties last year.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a leading conservative figure who has clashed and collaborated with Trump over the years, is barred from running for a third consecutive term.

The primaries are giving final form to a November ballot whose races will test Trump’s grip on his adopted state and Democrats' ability to resurrect Florida as a national political battleground. Florida has moved notably to the right since Trump won his first election in 2016, though Democrats hope to regain ground from his slumping popularity ratings.

Two Democrats are battling for nomination in a U.S. Senate special election to complete Marco Rubio’s term after he became Trump's secretary of state last year. Progressive state lawmake r Angie Nixon matches up against retired Army Lt. Col. Alex Vindman, a former National Security Council official who testified in Trump's first impeachment case in 2019.

Meanwhile, Sen. Ashley Moody, the DeSantis appointee currently holding the seat, appears in a strong position as she seeks the Republican nomination with Trump's endorsement for the term's final two years.

For Congress, Tuesday's biggest nominating fight involves longtime Democratic U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, former U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick and others in a redrawn south Florida district.

Wasserman Schultz, who is white, wants voters in the new, plurality Black district to grant her a 12th term. Cherfilus-McCormick is seeking a comeback after resigning earlier this year under a pending federal indictment and threat of House ethics sanctions.

Donalds is trying to make history — and Jolly, too

There have been three elected Black governors in U.S. history. Yet the 47-year-old Donalds is more likely to tout his conservative credentials than the possibility of joining that select group.

He promises to push tax cuts, overhaul Florida's insurance regulations to lower consumer costs and seek greater price transparency from health care providers.

“The people of Florida want to make sure that the Florida dream is alive and well into the future,” he said recently. “Affordability is a problem for all Floridians. It doesn't matter what your politics are. It doesn't matter what the color of your skin is.”

Trump has had an inconsistent record on picks for governor in primaries this year, and a strong showing by Donalds would leave him, and Republicans in general, in a more commanding position for November. Though DeSantis coasted to reelection in 2022, he squeaked into office in 2018 by little more of 32,000 ballots out of 8.1 million cast.

Jolly is hoping ultimately to prove a party-switching former Republican can actually carry the Democratic banner in a state where that's failed before. Democrats nominated former Republican Gov. Charlie Crist in 2022 only to see him lose by nearly 20 percentage points to DeSantis.

Can Democrats make the Senate race interesting?

Moody, a former state attorney general tapped for Rubio's seat in 2025, is in a strong position seeking the GOP nomination. DeSantis, when he appointed her, praised her as a law-and-order prosecutor ready to help Trump “shut the border,” tame inflation, and overhaul a federal bureaucracy “run amok.”

Democrats face a familiar theme of 2026 primaries, with the progressive Nixon confronting Vindman from the party's center-left establishment. Vindman's testimony in 2019 was notable in the Democrat-led House impeachment case that led to Trump's acquittal in the Republican-led Senate. Trump ousted Vindman afterward.

Floridians haven’t sent a Democrat to the Senate since 2012.

Wasserman Schultz runs in a new plurality Black district

Serving in Congress since 2005 , she faces a new district — thanks to DeSantis' successful push for new congressional maps amid the national redistricting battle intended to boost Trump's midterm election prospects.

It’s not the first time Wasserman Schultz has had to convince new voters after Republicans tinkered with boundaries. But this time she’s the only white candidate in a plurality Black district. The redrawn Florida 20th is concentrated in the most Democratic and diverse parts of Broward County, and doesn't include her hometown of Weston, west of Fort Lauderdale.

Her four Black primary opponents — including Cherfilus-McCormick — have argued the district requires a Black representative. Wasserman Schultz disagrees.

“Representation matters and lived experience matters. But experience and making sure that you have someone who has the seniority and the seasoning to be able to deliver for a district, it matters as well,” she said.

Cherfilus-McCormick, meanwhile, wants to return to Congress despite a pending federal indictment that accuses her of stealing $5 million in federal disaster aid. She has plead not guilty and disputed alleged violations of House rules.

Republican Rep. Cory Mills faces primary challenges

DeSantis and other Republicans have bailed on Republican Rep. Cory Mills as he seeks a third term in Florida's 7th Congressional District at the same time he's denying domestic violence allegations. He faces three primary opponents.

“I have not endorsed Cory Mills, and I do not support Cory Mills,” DeSantis said recently in Mills' district.

Turnout could offer clues to November

Registered Republicans now outnumber Democrats in Florida, a relatively recent flip. That puts the burden on Republicans to outperform Democrats comfortably in overall primary turnout. If it’s close – with Democrats coaxing a clearly larger percentage of their voters to the polls – then the party would be more optimistic heading into November, as Democrats witnessed with primary turnout in other states this year. If Republicans buck national trends and dominate, then Democrats could be facing another rough fall campaign.

Miami-Dade will be especially notable. Democrats carried the county comfortably through 2016, when Trump lost it to Hillary Clinton by 30 percentage points. Four years later, Trump closed the gap to 7 points before carrying it in 2024 by more than 11 points.

The All-Star center fielder and MVP contender hit his fifth leadoff homer of the season to start the game. Then he ended it when he led off the 10th by driving a 2-1 slider from Hagen Smith (2-1) deep into the right-field patio area. It was the 30th homer of the season for Crow-Armstrong, one short of his career best from last year. With 31 stolen bases this year, he also has back-to-back 30-30 seasons.

Crow-Amstrong took his left hand off the bat after he connected and pointed it skyward as he began walking down the first-base line. He turned toward the dugout and celebrated before starting his slow, exuberant home run trot.

Seiya Suzuki also homered for the Cubs and Jacob Webb (5-2) left the bases loaded in the top of the 10th to set the stage for Crow-Armstrong, who drove in automatic runner Carson Kelly. The Cubs' leadoff batter finished 4 for 5 with a walk.

The Cubs snapped a two-game skid and ended the White Sox's three-game winning streak. Randal Grichuk and Andrew Benintendi homered for the White Sox, who had won six of eight and took two of three from the Cubs on the South side earlier this season.

Nico Hoerner’s RBI single tied the game in the bottom of the ninth. In the eighth, pinch-hitter Benintendi sent Ryan Zeferjahn’s first offering into the right-field basket for a two-run homer to give the White Sox a 5-4 lead.

Crow-Armstrong drove Luis Castillo’s first pitch down the right-field line and out. Suzuki belted one to deep left center four pitches later. Grichuk's three-run homer, his 10th, put the White Sox ahead 3-2 in the fourth.

Cubs starter Shota Imanaga allowed three runs on two hits and struck out 10 — one off his season high — in six innings.

Up next

RHP Kevin Gausman (6-11, 4.53 ERA) goes for the Cubs on Tuesday. The White Sox had not named a starter.

___

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

The sisters nearly recovered from a 6-0 deficit in the match tiebreaker before a double-fault by Venus Williams ended their first doubles appearance in a non-Grand Slam event since the Italian Open in 2016.

“I thought it was fun,” Serena said. “I thought it was special. We kicked off a little rust in the middle of the match and just, you know (were) starting to feel it. I didn’t come out here to win this tournament. Winning is obviously great. But in this position just, you know, having fun. It was really cool to be able to do this again.”

Serena had been off the tour since 2022 before returning this summer at age 44. The sisters planned to play together at Wimbledon but had to withdraw after Serena injured her knee while losing her singles match. They entered Cincinnati as a wild card.

“Eventually we would find our way to each other,” the 46-year-old Venus said about the decision to play doubles again. “It's our first time playing together in forever. It was great for us to get out there and do it.”

Kostyuk and Stearns, both 24, are playing in their first tournament together. Kostyuk is from Ukraine. Stearns grew up in the Cincinnati suburb of Mason, where the tournament is played every year.

“I kind of expected it but it stung a little bit that this is my hometown,” Stearns said about the pro-Williams sisters crowd. “I won't hold it against anyone. The crowd was going for them but we used it to our advantage and flipped the script.”

After dropping the first set, the Williams sisters rolled in the second to force a match tiebreak.

Kostyuk and Stearns went ahead 6-0, but consecutive double-faults by Kostyuk helped the Williamses get within 8-7. It was 9-8 after Serena powerfully put away an overhead before Venus double-faulted.

“The crowd got the show,” Kostyuk said. “They probably couldn’t ask for anything better. At the end a tiebreak is a lottery. You never know which way it’s going to go.”

Venus and Serena have won 14 Grand Slam doubles titles and 22 total. Serena won one with Alexandra Stevenson in 2002 at Leipzig. All of Venus' doubles titles have been with her sister. They also have won three Olympic gold medals together.

Serena has won 23 singles Grand Slam titles. Venus has won seven.

Swiatek rallies for 3-set win and other results

In other results Monday, defending Cincinnati champion Iga Swiatek rallied from a set down to win her eighth consecutive match, beating Maria Sakkari, 4-6, 6-1, 6-1.

No. 2 seed Elena Rybakina beat Magdalena Frech, 6-4, 7-6. Third-ranked Jessica Pegula beat fellow American Emma Navarro, 7-5, 6-2.

World No. 3 and top seed Alexander Zverev won his ATP-tour leading 46th match this season, outlasting Terence Atmane, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (6).

___

See AP’s full tennis coverage here

“You got to know about ‘The Creek’,” said Long Creek senior cornerback Dante Garcia. “You’re going to see some dogs and some heart out there. You’re going to see some ball.”

The Dragons will compete in District 13-5A Division II, where they will face established programs to the likes of Boerne and Alamo Heights.

The season marks the next step for a football program that has spent the past two years building toward full varsity competition.

“Man, the excitement is definitely through the roof,” said Long Creek football head coach Adam Harvey. “We’re ready to go. I couldn’t tell you exactly what it’s going to look like. There’s a lot of unknowns. But, as far as being ready to snap the ball, we’re ready to do it.”

Harvey said Long Creek plans to build its offense around a strong running game as the Dragons work to establish an identity in their first varsity campaign.

“It’s a long awaited, we were looking forward to the season for a good three years,” said Dragons senior running back Michael Martinez. “We’re pretty confident in our team right now.”

“We’re going to go out and play our hearts out for real. We know what we’re going against. It’s nothing new,” added Garcia. “We got to be ready. Come out there and do what we do best.”

Long Creek opens the season at 7 p.m. on the first Friday of the UIL football season, traveling to face the Davenport Wolves.

Read also:

• Brennan High School football ready for 2026 season with 10 returning starters

Bennett Forrest, a supervisory special agent with the FBI’s San Antonio field office, said investigators do not initially distinguish between a credible threat and one that may ultimately turn out to be a hoax.

“Whether it’s a hoax or it’s real, we’re going to have the same amount of seriousness to attack that problem set and make sure that nothing happens,” Forrest told KSAT in an interview Monday.

How investigations work

Forrest said tips can come in a variety of ways, including phone calls, emails, written communications and social media posts. Once investigators receive information about a potential threat, they work to determine who made it, whether it’s credible, and what action may be necessary.

That process can involve internal FBI databases, open-source checks and other analytical research. Investigators may also look at a person’s history and patterns of behavior while working with other law enforcement agencies.

Forrest said the goal is to mitigate the threat and determine what action is necessary — whether that means talking with a juvenile or adult or pursuing a case through the judicial system.

The FBI said its National Threat Operations Center also receives thousands of tips involving threats of violence against schools each year, including threats posted on social media.

A network of partners

The response does not fall solely on the FBI.

Forrest described a network of city, county, state and federal law enforcement partners working together to investigate and mitigate threats. That includes the San Antonio Police Department, Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, among other agencies.

“We have built out teams of people between task force officers, which are supplied by different agencies,” Forrest said.

He said San Antonio-area law enforcement agencies have formed ad hoc working groups and task forces focused on threats and lessons learned from past school shootings. Those groups work together regularly, and schools communicate with law enforcement about response tactics and how agencies would respond if an incident occurred.

One of the biggest improvements in recent years, Forrest said, has been communication among law enforcement partners. But he emphasized that not every threat investigated is shared with the public. Forrest said it’s intentional.

He said publicly discussing every threat could create unnecessary alarm.

“I think it would be alarming to the general public if they heard the amount, you know, of threats that are actually out there,” Forrest said. “We don’t want to put that burden on the, you know, the general American public and the citizens of San Antonio.”

The cost of hoaxes

Even when a threat turns out to be false, investigators cannot know that when the initial tip arrives. Forrest said a suspected hoax can require hundreds of personnel to stop other work and focus on determining whether there is an actual danger.

“You have to think about all the analytical research that we do, all the people that are taken off the street to go try to mitigate this threat,” Forrest said. “At the end of the day, you might have 100 people working on this.”

He also said there is a financial cost associated with responding to hoax threats.

The FBI said threatening violence against schools is not a joke, even when someone later claims they did not intend to follow through. The agency’s public awareness campaign warns that threats made through social media, text messages or email can result in federal or state charges.

Social media changing the landscape

Forrest said social media has changed the way threats are communicated.

The FBI and local fusion centers are seeing an increase in threats made through social media against schools, public gatherings and other locations.

Because people can quickly post a message, send a direct message or otherwise communicate online, Forrest said law enforcement must take those communications seriously regardless of whether they initially appear credible.

He also said the beginning of the school year can bring an increase in threats toward schools and public gatherings.

Those threats can have different motivations, he said, ranging from a student wanting to avoid returning to school to bullying or other problems — and, in some cases, a genuine intent to commit violence.

What parents can do

Forrest said parents have an important role in preventing violence and encouraged them to report information they believe could indicate a potential threat.

“If you hear of anything, any kind of violence, you know, please try to say something and try to get ahead of it,” Forrest said.

He also urged gun owners to make sure firearms are not readily accessible to children. Forrest, who is a parent himself, said children are still children even when they have been taught about firearm safety.

“You have to just make sure that you do everything you can to keep guns out of their hands,” he said.

Forrest said investigators can pursue state or federal charges depending on the circumstances of a threat.

Threats sent through social media, text messages or email can constitute federal threatening interstate communications, while state and local charges may also apply.

Forrest said investigators’ ultimate goal is to identify the person responsible, determine the threat’s credibility, and take whatever lawful action is necessary to protect the public.

Read also:

• San Antonio FBI warns elder fraud scams are growing, costing victims billions

Syrians have taken to social media and the streets in recent days to demand answers about the death of Mohammad Ghamira, who was buried Monday in his hometown of al-Haffah in coastal Latakia province.

When insurgents unseated former President Bashar Assad in December 2024 after a nearly 14-year civil war, they opened the country's notorious prisons. During Assad's rule, rights groups say, thousands of prisoners were killed in mass executions or died from injuries and disease. Detainees were subjected to torture, beatings and rape.

Officials with the government of interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa have promised accountability in Ghamira’s case, but rights groups say it is not an isolated incident and that abuses persist in detention centers.

The detainee had hemophilia, which affects blood clotting

Ghamira, a 29-year-old father of two, was a former volunteer with the White Helmets civil defense organization, which operated in opposition-held areas before Assad's fall.

He died in a hospital in Latakia on Sunday after being released from jail. He had been detained days earlier following an "allegation of theft involving a sum of money,” Latakia’s internal security command said in a statement, without giving more details.

Syria’s Minister of Emergency and Disaster Management Raed al-Saleh, who was previously head of the White Helmets, said on X that Ghamira had died of “complications from cerebral and gastrointestinal hemorrhaging” that “resulted from a beating he sustained after being detained at the al-Haffah police station.”

Al-Saleh and Ghamira’s relatives said he had hemophilia, a condition affecting the blood’s ability to clot.

Ghamira’s uncle, Issam Ghamira, said in a video interview with state news agency SANA that the family had told the police chief in al-Haffah that his nephew had hemophilia and warned against hitting him. Despite that, he said, his nephew was hit while in custody.

Syria’s interior ministry announced an investigation into Ghamira’s death and said seven interior ministry personnel were detained for questioning.

Syria’s Interior Ministry spokesperson Noureddine al-Baba, speaking to journalists, acknowledged “shortcomings and deficiencies” in some of the country's police departments but said others were doing “exceptional” work.

“God willing, this painful incident will serve as a catalyst for positive change in the operations of the ministry of interior," he said.

Watchdogs call Ghamira’s death part of a wider problem

In a report released in March, the U.N. Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic said it had documented “torture and ill-treatment” in 18 official detention facilities and 12 “makeshift facilities” in different areas of Syria between January and October 2025, in the months following Assad's ouster as the new government asserted control.

The practices it documented included beating prisoners with rifle butts, sticks, pipes, bars and cables; the use of electric shocks and other forms of torture; mock executions; and sexual violence.

Syrians for Truth and Justice, a human rights organization that tracks abuses, in a report published earlier this month said that “severe beatings, electric shocks, humiliation, threats, deprivation of basic necessities, and deaths in custody continue to be common practices at the hands of multiple security and military actors.”

The group concluded that the incidents were too widespread to treat as isolated incidents but that there was no evidence of a “single centralized system equivalent in structure and direction to the torture apparatus entrenched by the Assad regime.”

“It is somehow widespread, but it’s not structured,” Bassam Alahmad, the group’s executive director, told The Associated Press. “For us, there is no evidence that these orders came from the commanders to torture people, but still (the authorities) have a responsibility to stop this behavior."

Syrians whose loved ones disappeared or died in detention centers during Assad’s rule said they were disturbed to see the patterns being repeated under the new government.

Families for Freedom, a group representing relatives of detainees, said in a statement, “What happened to Mohammed reopens the wounds of torture and death in detention for thousands of Syrian families — practices Syrians have struggled for years to end, and the recurrence of which cannot be accepted today.”

___

Sewell reported from Beirut.

Guests staying at the Homewood Suites by Hilton San Antonio North, near Loop 1604 and Stone Oak Parkway, say dozens of vehicles have been targeted, leaving windows shattered and guests dealing with the aftermath.

Jake Knies, who is staying at the hotel, said he has repeatedly seen broken glass in the parking lot and guests dealing with the aftermath of vehicle break-ins.

“I always come out the next morning with glass on the ground, windows shattered,” Knies said.

Knies said the problem appeared to escalate over the weekend, when he estimated about 18 vehicles had their windows broken.

Another guest, Brenda Drgac, said she is in town for a doctor’s appointment and fell victim to the burglars.

The San Antonio Police Department said officers have been called to the hotel 13 times since Aug. 8 for criminal mischief and/or vehicle burglaries. Multiple calls were made over the weekend.

For some guests, the break-ins have added significant unexpected expenses to their stays.

Drgac said she was in San Antonio for a doctor’s appointment and ended up spending the afternoon having her vehicle window replaced.

“You spend $500 to stay here for three nights and $700 to get your windows replaced, so it becomes an expensive place to visit,” she said.

The general manager of Homewood Suites by Hilton San Antonio North provided a statement saying vehicle burglaries and thefts have become increasingly common in the area.

“We are working to provide restitution to Guests for the inconvenience they experienced,” the statement said. “We are cooperating with the SAPD to ensure those responsible are apprehended and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

Guests said the repeated incidents have left them concerned about their vehicles and looking for somewhere else to stay.

Drgac said her husband wants to leave the hotel, but she has a doctor’s appointment and plans to leave after.

She said she is concerned her vehicle could be targeted again.

Drgac said an officer told her the burglars may have been looking for guns inside vehicles.

For now, she has left her police report on the dashboard of her vehicle, hoping it will signal to potential thieves that the vehicle has already been targeted.

Police have not publicly identified any suspects in connection with the reported vehicle burglaries at the hotel.

Read also:

• Man arrested with ties to string of Stone Oak burglaries, affidavit states
• Records: 3 San Antonio teenagers connected to 2 similar robberies face new indictments, court dates
• Man steals woman’s SUV while she was making an Amazon delivery on West Side, SAPD says

The standoff, in the village of Qusra, has seen groups of settlers surround several Palestinian houses and prevent residents from leaving. The United States has condemned the siege and the Israeli military has deployed troops it says are there to maintain order.

The siege of Palestinian homes by Israeli settlers comes as violence in the West Bank has soared in recent months. The settlers, emboldened by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government, have ramped up attacks on Palestinian towns and villages, harassing residents and setting homes, mosques and fields ablaze.

Israeli soldiers and settlers have killed 87 Palestinians so far this year, according to Palestinian health officials. Palestinians have killed three Israelis, including two who were killed during clashes in the West Bank village of Tell last month.

As Loui Ridi, an Ohio-based owner of one of the houses, landed in Israel, settlers were still roaming near Qusra, according to video footage taken by his brother. It showed settlers driving ATVs and speaking with soldiers.

Ridi had also watched the scenes unfold from afar through his home security cameras.

“I've been watching this live for many days and now this is the second week. I can't sleep,” he told reporters at Israel’s main international airport. “I can’t let the settlers steal my house while I was watching."

He finally arrived in Qusra on Monday evening, where he first reunited with his mother and sister before moving on to his house. Ridi's brother, Qusai Abu Rida, and his teenage son had stayed inside the home to protect the property.

As Ridi waited for Israel’s military to escort him to the house, he said he believed little had changed since early last week, when the siege began.

Israel has since declared the neighborhood where Ridi’s home is located a closed military zone. But on Monday, his brother’s footage still showed soldiers interacting amicably with settlers.

“I should be able to go to my house freely, anytime I want,” he said. “It is a frustration and a nightmare for the entire family.”

__ Metz reported from Tel Aviv, Israel.

Led by head coach Stephen Basore, the Bears are predicted to win District 29-6A, per Dave Campbell’s Texas Football.

The Bears went 7-1 in district last season and 10-2 overall, reaching the area round of the playoffs where they dropped a close game to Lake Travis, 13-7.

Brennan has a total of 10 starters returning from last season — five on each side of the ball.

The standard is high for the Brennan Bears football program, and it’s set by the coaching staff and the student-athletes.

Brennan will scrimmage with East Central on Thursday night and then kick off its regular season Friday, Aug. 28, with Vandegrift at Farris Stadium at 7:30 p.m.

Read also:

• Brandeis Broncos ready to make a run in year 3 under ead coach Kemmie Lewis

EDINBURG — At 50 years old, Abel Gonzalez says he’s happy to be involved in his eight-year dream career of filmmaking, something he sees as fostering the budding film industry in the Rio Grande Valley. But, he still has some anxieties.

He’s worried that a family member — who’s a U.S. citizen — will be targeted by immigration officials because he speaks minimal English. He’s concerned that rural parts of the Valley are not adequately represented politically, and that environmental concerns over pesticides and chemicals in those areas receive little attention.

He’s also frustrated over stagnant wages. He said businesses often don’t want to pay competitive wages for services because they believe they can find someone just a few miles south in Mexico to provide the service for a cheaper price.

Gonzalez believes in voting as an important way for communities to make their voices heard about their concerns, but said underrepresentation continues to be a problem. He doesn’t see that changing anytime soon.

“We’ve been under Republican governorship for so long,” he said. “It’s like a big tanker truck that you can’t just turn around. You just have to move slowly.”

His outlook reflects that of the average Valley resident. While on average, South Texans have a positive view on their lives; their overall life evaluation has fallen near to where it was in 2009 and are experiencing higher levels of negative emotions than historical trends, according to new survey data.

Between 2009 and 2018, life evaluation in the Rio Grande Valley peaked in 2014 before declining overall, according to an analysis by Blue Zones, a think tank that studies longevity and quality of life. That decline was concentrated among Hispanic residents, while life evaluation increased among non-Hispanics.

While the survey does not list reasons for declines in life evaluation, health status is listed as one of the biggest factors in determining life satisfaction. So are people and community.

It’s possible the downturn could be driven by concerns like those expressed by Gonzalez — heightened immigration enforcement and wages — according to one political scientist in the Rio Grande Valley.

That dissatisfaction is bad news for both major political parties, which are heavily focused on winning voters in South Texas. The valley is home to three of the most contested congressional elections. Voters are less likely to engage in the political process if they have a low quality of life, said Álvaro Corral, a political scientist at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

Feeling blue

Mollie Wallace, 31, says she’s happy overall, but she overcame many challenges to get here.

She’s been diagnosed with depression, ADHD and, at 19 years old, developed Bell’s palsy, a sudden weakness in the muscles on one side of the face. She’s also lost loved ones to suicide, and her mother to complications related to alcoholism.

Wallace uses her Instagram page to advocate for the importance of destigmatizing mental health and other issues in the RGV. She believes openly talking about and bringing awareness to these topics is the first step to having a healthier community both inside and out.

It’s been quite the journey, but Wallace, an occupational therapist, is in a stable place now thanks to the support she receives from her dad and sister as well as the help she receives from her therapist and being on antidepressants.

“I feel lucky to be here,” she said.

But not everyone in the Valley is able to get the help they need.

About 30% of Valley residents don’t have health insurance, one of the highest uninsured rates in the country, and about 24% of people live below the poverty line, which is more than double the national rate.

Because of the need in the Valley, Blue Zones was invited to look into how it could help communities in the region by Methodist Healthcare Ministries, a faith-based nonprofit based in San Antonio.

Blue Zones helps communities establish programs to help residents live happier and longer lives. Coined by journalist Dan Buettner, the term “blue zone” became the name of the research firm, which aims to equip communities across the world.

As part of that process in the Valley, Blue Zone researchers met with people and organizations in the region to understand whether the area had the ability and willingness to implement Blue Zone strategies for improvement.

“We know that our model doesn’t work if we come and do the work to a community,” said Dan Buettner Jr., chief development officer for Blue Zones and Buettner’s son. “It’s got to be a continuation of what they’re doing.”

Part of the initial assessment is data collected via a survey by Gallup, one of the oldest and most respected public opinion polling firms in the U.S., and analyzed by Oxford University.

The data measured how people feel about their lives and what contributed to their happiness.

An analysis of the survey drew on Gallup survey data from 2009 to 2018 collected from Valley residents aged 18 and older. That was then compared to new data that Gallup collected for 2026 — 1,921 old surveys and 588 new surveys — to examine how views about their lives have changed.

Valley residents were asked to rate their life satisfaction on a scale from zero to 10. Based on responses, average well-being in the Valley between 2009 to 2018 was 7.3, above the average well-being in Texas which was 7.18.

In 2026, that dipped for Valley residents to 7.09. There was no 2026 rating for Texas overall.

The decrease in life evaluation wasn’t universal in the region. For the Hispanic population, which makes up about 92% of the population in the Valley, life satisfaction went from 7.3 between 2009 and 2018 to 6.9 in 2026.

Non-Hispanic people experienced the opposite. Their life satisfaction increased from 7.27 to 7.48.

Life evaluation differed across income levels, as well. People who earned higher incomes reported a higher life satisfaction.

Average life satisfaction in the Valley was at its lowest in 2009, with a rating of 7.0. That rose gradually over time before peaking in 2014 with a rating of 7.6. Life evaluation went down until 2016 when it reached an average rating of 7.2 and slightly increased in 2017 with a 7.35 rating.

The survey also asked how often people experienced positive and negative emotions.

Overall, fewer people reported experiencing positive emotions on a daily basis in 2026 compared to the time period between 2009 and 2018, while people experiencing daily negative emotions increased. That was the case among Hispanic and non-Hispanic people alike, though Hispanic people had a bigger jump in the percentage of people experiencing negative emotions daily — 38% to 54% — compared to non-Hispanics — 28% to 33%.

Wallace, the occupational therapist, is not Hispanic, but immigration policies and how they are affecting the community has become a stress point for her too.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection have been pushing forward on plans to erect border barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border. In the Valley, CBP is building a 30-foot wall along the river levee inside the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, separating the visitor’s center from the trail. Environmental groups also worry the wall would restrict the movement of wildlife.

Considered to be the jewel of the national wildlife refuge system, Santa Ana was also a refuge for Wallace — a safe place where she felt she could hide when she was dealing with Bell’s palsy.

She’s also anxious about how patients are impacted by ICE raids. Colleagues told her their patients are sometimes scared to open their doors, worried that an ICE agent is on the other side.

“How could you be happy if you’re worried about where you or your child’s next meal is coming from, or if someone’s gonna come and take you from your home, or your children from your home?” Wallace said.

Potential disengagement

Corral, the UTRGV political scientist, believes economic factors like inflation as well as the immigration crackdown, were likely factors in the decline in life evaluation among Hispanic people in the Valley.

“I think it could very well be how severe folks have felt things have turned against them,” Corral said.

That downturn could have consequences in how people engage in government and elections, he said.

The Valley has historically had low voter turnout, which Corral said could be because voting is low on their list of priorities.

“People are really busy just surviving,” he said. “Thorough engagement in politics, at a midterm elections level, is almost like a luxury good.”

Republicans hope to maintain the strong gains among Hispanic voters that helped win all four Valley counties for Trump in 2024. The GOP is particularly focused on flipping the 28th and 34th Congressional Districts, which are currently held by U.S. Reps. Henry Cuellar, a Democrat from Laredo, and Vicente Gonzalez, a Democrat from McAllen.

Meanwhile, Democrats are attempting to win back the 15th Congressional District, which is currently represented by Monica De La Cruz, a Republican from Edinburg. De La Cruz won the seat for the GOP in 2022 after the district was redrawn in 2021 to favor Republicans.

If candidates want to spur voter turnout despite general discontent, Corral cautioned against any instinct to play on people’s negative emotions. That could lead to a general disaffection with politics.

“I would be most concerned that the rise in negative emotions would probably dampen political engagement rather than benefiting any one particular party per se,” Corral said.

What is happiness?

To understand what drives well-being in the Valley, Oxford University analyzed answers to survey questions relating to workplace, health status, personal safety, community and people, and health behaviors.

Among Valley residents, the biggest driver of well-being is health status, which makes up 57% of importance. This includes whether health problems prevent people from doing things people their age would normally do, whether poor health kept them from doing their usual activities during the last 30 days, their Body Mass Index, whether they’ve been told by a medical professional that they have depression, and how they would rate their own health in general.

Second was community and people, which made up 21.5% of importance. The third most important factor is the workplace, which made up 11%, followed by health behaviors and personal safety with 6% and 5%, respectively.

The importance of each factor was shown to vary across age groups. For example, among residents 18 to 30 years old, health status made up 15% of importance while community and people was the biggest factor, making up 62.3% of importance.

But health took up a larger piece of the pie across older generations — for people between 31 and 59 years old, health made up 62% of importance and 51% for people 60 and older.

By identifying drivers of well-being in the Valley, Blue Zones aims to identify ways to improve well-being and quality of life by working with civic organizations, schools, restaurants, grocery stores, as well as local governments to encourage healthier practices.

With the initial assessment completed, Blue Zones will need to secure funding to begin putting into place improvement plans across the various communities in the Valley, including Edinburg, McAllen, Weslaco, Harlingen and Brownsville.

The group will develop custom blueprints for each community that will include looking at Gallup’s well-being measurements and tracking risk factors for disease.

They will track how many grocery stores, schools and employers are becoming Blue Zone-approved and how many policies are put in place related to trails, parks and food systems.

Among the biggest challenges in the Valley is that the area has among the highest rates of diabetes in the country and healthcare costs are a huge economic drag, said Buettner, the Blue Zone leader.

The strength of the Valley is its family identity, which Buettner said was part of the building blocks for what they hope to accomplish.

“There’s these really strong, trusted nodes and networks that, if we can tap into that, we can tap into the actual culture and start normalizing a culture of healthy behaviors,” he said.

The end goal is more good years for people based on addressing economic development, workforce, population health and reducing chronic disease.

“It’s a full story of community self-determination, led by well-being as the north star metric,” he said.

Reporting in the Rio Grande Valley is supported in part by the Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc.

Daniel Faith, special agent in charge of the FBI’s San Antonio Division, said people age 60 and older are the largest demographic being targeted.

“Just last year alone, we had over 200,000 complaints to our Internet Crime Complaint Center — resulting in about $7.5 billion in loss,” Faith said.

Faith said older adults are often targeted because they may have accumulated more wealth and are more likely to answer phone calls and engage with strangers. Scammers may also target victims repeatedly.

“If you fall for it once, you’re now gonna be targeted multiple times,” Faith said.

Common scams include criminals impersonating law enforcement, the IRS, banks or other government agencies. Faith said jury duty scams are also prevalent, with callers claiming a victim missed jury duty or owes money.

His recommendation is to hang up and independently verify the claim by contacting the agency directly.

Requests involving cryptocurrency or gift cards should also be considered red flags. Faith said victims should overcome any embarrassment and quickly report fraud.

“You’re not the only person being targeted,” Faith said. “There’s literally hundreds of thousands of people who are being targeted and falling for it.”

Faith knows firsthand that anyone can become a victim. He said Fidelity once contacted him about a fraudulent $50,000 loan application made in his name.

“I’m very cyber-technically savvy, and they got me,” Faith said. “So, anybody can be a target of this.”

Victims should immediately contact their bank, local law enforcement or the FBI and secure their accounts.

Internet crimes can be reported here.

In central and east central Indiana, emergency operations were still ongoing after days of punishing storms, Gov. Mike Braun said at afternoon news conference, while other areas were shifting to recovery. He said the state had launched a disaster relief fund to provide $5,000 to individuals needing to buy basics such as clothing and food.

“We're tracking your needs, and we will get you resources,” he said. “We want displaced Hoosiers to have a hot meal, comfortable bed and get into air-conditioning.”

The National Weather Service said heavy rain would continue one more day before a cold front sweeps the weather pattern off the East Coast on Tuesday. Meanwhile, flash flood warnings were issued over parts of waterlogged West Virginia, where residents were cleaning up Monday after more than 4 inches (10 centimeters) of rain fell over the weekend, causing mudslides, tearing up roads, prompting water rescues and contributing to at least one death.

Elsewhere, hot weather posed more of a problem, particularly across the South and Southwest. The weather service issued extreme heat warnings for portions of Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Georgia, South Carolina, Arizona, Nevada and California.

Indiana is seeking recovery after days of deadly storms

In Indiana, where days of storms and flooding left at least seven people dead, floodwaters receded in Indianapolis’ White River and rains eased around the state Sunday. But a flood warning remained in effect Monday night for several rivers, including part of Randolph County in east central Indiana, where thunderstorms had dropped between 1 and 2 inches (2.5 to 5 centimeters) of rain. Residents of half a dozen counties were urged to stay off the roads except for essential travel.

“While we have seen encouraging trends, the work is far from over,” said Jacob Spence, director of the Metropolitan Emergency Services Agency in Indianapolis, where city officials launched a website to support affected residents.

Oliver Riggle, 33, said he had just moved into a camping trailer in Indianapolis a few months ago after living in his car.

“Just having privacy again was a huge deal. I mean, I had a door that locked. I had a roof that was mine,” he said. “No one was gonna take it from me, except for apparently Mother Nature.”

A neighbor told Riggle the trailer nearly tipped over as it floated in the flood waters. It was still full of water Sunday, but by Monday, the water had receded and he was busy throwing away waterlogged belongings.

A handyman whose trailer flooded wants to help others salvage their homes

A handyman who works for a general contractor, Riggle said he hopes to help others salvage their own homes.

"I’ve got tools that I can use to help be a part of the community,” he said. “We’re just gonna have to have faith that we’re going to be able to pull through because it’s not like we’ve got a safety net.”

Michael Daily, 23, said he won’t be moving back into his rental home after it flooded and instead has moved in with his parents about half an hour away.

“It’s not helpful that you see everything you’ve worked for get destroyed. I’m definitely out a good chunk of change,” he said. “You can already see mold growing in spots in there, just like little white fluff balls everywhere. It’s pretty gross.”

South of Indianapolis, officials in Madison Township said firefighters and others rescued 10 people from their homes Sunday night. Others had to be rescued from cars after attempting to drive through flooded roadways.

A 4-year-old boy, three men and three women were among those who had died since the storms that began Aug. 11, said spokesperson Liz Woods with the state Department of Homeland Security.

A cyclist is found dead on a washed-out road after the flooding

Also among the seven victims was a 31-year-old cyclist found dead early Sunday in a hole that opened up on a washed-out road east of Indianapolis. Henry County Coroner Brian Clark said the man, James Briar, appears to have gone around a barricade and fallen into the collapsed road.

Heavy rains hammered Indiana over the past week, causing rivers to crest and setting records as roads and bridges were seriously damaged or washed out entirely.

More than 94,000 utility customers statewide remained without power as of Monday night, down from a peak of around 300,000, according to utility tracker PowerOutage.us.

The drenching rains and destructive flooding were among the impacts of severe storms that have wreaked havoc across the Midwest and beyond in recent days. Tornadoes, heavy rains and flash flooding brought serious damage to communities from Illinois to western Pennsylvania.

In southern West Virginia, authorities on Monday found the body of a woman whose vehicle was swept away in floodwaters. Witnesses told police that the vehicle made a wrong turn and entered a flooded area Sunday. A tree branch broke the vehicle’s glass and the woman tried to escape but she fell into the floodwaters and was carried away by the current, according to a statement by Fayette County Sheriff Jess McMullen.

The National Weather Service forecasts heavy rain and thunderstorms across the upper Ohio Valley to the central Appalachians, with the possibility of severe storms late Monday across eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina.

____

Ramer reported from Concord, New Hampshire. Associated Press writer John Raby in Charleston, West Virginia, contributed to this report.

A Miami attorney was disciplined after citing four cases in a court filing that appeared to have been fabricated by artificial intelligence.

The case involved a student who was sent to a disciplinary alternative education program after bringing a small knife to school. The student’s mother sued SAISD, and her attorney later filed an appeal citing eight different cases.

Four of those cases caught the attention of the 4th Court of Appeals.

In its opinion, Justice Lori Valenzuela wrote that the four cases “appeared to be hallucinations created by AI.”

Mason Clark, an assistant professor of law at St. Mary’s University School of Law, said attorneys are increasingly using AI, but mistakes remain common.

“Unfortunately, most of the time when I’m asked this question, what are we seeing in the legal field, we’re seeing mistakes,” Clark said.

A recent State Bar of Texas survey found AI use among Texas attorneys more than doubled, increasing from 30% in 2024 to 62% this year.

The risks were apparent in the SAISD case.

Clark said AI can make false information sound convincing.

“It can easily fool someone to making it sound legal, making it sounds good, and it’s really completely worthless,” he said.

The 4th Court of Appeals ultimately did not dismiss the case, but it issued a warning to the attorney and the law firm about using AI in future court filings.

The issue could become increasingly important as AI use continues to grow in the legal profession.

This summer, the Texas Supreme Court issued new rules addressing the use of AI. The rules are set to take effect Oct. 1.

Read also:

• Records: 3 San Antonio teenagers connected to 2 similar robberies face new indictments, court dates
• Bexar Co. man turns himself in on new family violence charge month after domestic violence dismissal
• Ex-prosecutor says trafficking allegations like Neil Calfas’ can involve fraud, not just force

Unlike the county’s $311 million share of funding, which roughly 52% of voters approved last November, the city’s $489 million proposed financing does not require a similar vote. It is an option, though, and Jones made a last-minute push to get it onto the ballot.

Jalen McKee-Rodriguez (D2), Edward Mungia (D4), Teri Castillo (D5), and Ric Galvan (D6) joined the mayor in favor of putting it onto the ballot.

Sukh Kaur (D1), Phyllis Viagran (D3), Marina Alderete Gavito (D7), Ivalis Meza Gonzalez (D8), Misty Spears (D9) and Marc Whyte (D10) voted against it.

Though Jones and her supporters on the issue — many with their own misgivings about the project — think city voters deserve a separate vote for the city funding, a majority of the council want the project to push ahead and argued last year’s election on the county portion was sufficient to show voters’ wider approval for the project.

“I’m having a little bit of déjà vu because I feel like this room was built exactly the same way — two sides, Aug. 21 last year — and we were litigating this exact same discussion, and nothing has changed, actually, about this deal,” said Kaur, referring to the council’s vote on the proposed arena funding deal.

Monday was the deadline to get the issue onto the November ballot.

The failure to do so appears to leave the path clear for the city to negotiate a final deal with Spurs Sports and Entertainment (SS&E), which is expected to happen later this year. The team is expected to pay the remaining $500 million of the estimated $1.3 billion arena cost.

The city’s $489 million share of the funding would come from bonds backed by four sources of revenue: the Spurs’ lease of the publicly owned arena, private developers’ lease of nearby city-owned land, property tax from that development within a specific area known as the Hemisfair Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ), and hotel-related state taxes from a “Project Finance Zone” (PFZ).

Opponents of another vote argued that the money is either restricted in how it can be used or relies on the project moving ahead in the first place.

The vote’s outcome was not a surprise; a majority of council members publicly voiced their opposition shortly after Jones floated her idea in a July 31 memo.

Still, Jones held a series of public “listening sessions,” and pushed ahead with bringing the issue up in Monday’s special council meeting.

Jones didn’t speak much from the dais ahead of the vote, but KSAT pressed her afterward on whether she ever thought she’d win the vote or if she was trying to force her colleagues to take a public position against putting it on the ballot.

“I have always said that this was about giving our community more of a say in how their money is spent and not less,” Jones replied, adding that people appreciate the “economic picture has changed” and pointing to the city’s budget deficit and planned tax increases.

People from both sides filled council chambers for more than two hours of public comment. Members of the business community and the Spurs organization generally spoke in large groups against holding another vote, while many of those in favor spoke on their own.

“This is not anti-Spurs. This is not anti-downtown. This is not anti-development. This is responsible citizenship,” said Graciela Sanchez, the head of the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center.

Speaking alongside SS&E CEO R.C. Buford, former Spurs player Sean Elliott said the team’s postseason run had strangers high-fiving each other and everyone wanting to talk about “our” team.

“So now is not the time for complacency. Now is the time to build on that energy,” Elliott said. “Thriving downtown. Real opportunity to revitalize the Eastside. Hotels, restaurants, small businesses filled with people coming together not just for Spurs games, but for concerts, conventions, big-time sporting events, college football and cultural games. That’s right there within our reach.”

McKee-Rodriguez, however, said the East Side is getting the “horrible end” of the deal, with residents being sold “competing visions” for the Spurs’ current home, the Frost Bank Center, “without the opportunity to meaningfully engage.”

He, Castillo, and Galvan all voiced concerns about the arena project before voting in favor of putting the city funding on the ballot.

“From the inception of Project Marvel, my position has been and will always be public money or public good,” Castillo said.

Mungia noted that while he had voted in favor of the term sheet last year, but he “just simply cannot explain to my folks, in my own way, that I would be against a public participation vote for this.”

The city still needs to negotiate final agreements with the Spurs, which council will also have a chance to vote on.

“I hope my colleagues are not as closed off to the idea of amending the nonbinding, non-executed term sheet,” McKee-Rodriguez said after the meeting, “and that ultimately what happens when a contract is signed is going to be something much more of a compromise than what exists before us today.”

In a memo to council members on Friday, City Manager Erik Walsh said a council discussion on their priorities ahead of negotiations is scheduled for Oct. 8.

Staff has previously said they hope to bring back a final deal by the end of the year.

Read also:

• Southtown businesses ready for new Spurs arena after City Council rejects city funding vote

Hector Nava, a San Antonio native and father of five, died on July 31, 2021, after being tased 14 times during a traffic stop in Jal, New Mexico. He was working an oil field safety job at the time.

Two officers — Ceasar Enrique Mendoza and Robert Edward Embly — were convicted by a federal jury in February 2025 on criminal civil rights charges. A third officer, Corey Patrick Saffell, pleaded guilty and testified against the other two. Sentencing was scheduled for June 2025 but was never completed.

On Aug. 5, 2026, the U.S. Attorney’s Office filed an unopposed motion to dismiss all charges against Mendoza and Embly after a jury had already found them guilty.

In their own court filing, prosecutors wrote that “the government has concluded that defendants Embly and Mendoza received an unfair trial,” adding that the government “erroneously induced” the court to exclude evidence of the victim’s drug use and cause of death during trial.

Nava’s sister, Betsy Nava-Flores, said the family learned about the move just days before it happened on a Zoom call with the lead prosecutor.

“She basically told us, ‘Hey, this is going to happen, and I’m not opposed to it,’” Nava-Flores said. “That was the first time she spoke to us, and I just got a sick feeling. I said we’re alone. There’s nobody going to speak for my brother.”

The family hired attorney Israel Chávez, who filed a motion to enforce their rights under the federal Crime Victims’ Rights Act, arguing the government failed to meaningfully consult the family before making its decision.

“The government has made a lot of decisions — unprecedented decisions — decisions that prosecutors in the office have said they’ve never done in the history of their career — without meaningfully conferring with the Nava family,” Chávez said.

The lead prosecutor on the case, assistant U.S. attorney Maria Armijo, told the family she had never filed a motion to dismiss after a conviction in her 22 years with the office, according to Nava-Flores.

U.S. District Judge Margaret Strickland has not yet ruled on the dismissal. In response to the family’s motion, she appointed John Anderson — a former U.S. attorney for the District of New Mexico originally named by President Donald Trump — to argue against the dismissal in court.

Chávez called the appointment significant.

“Not only did she appoint counsel, she appointed the former United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico to brief this,” he said. “It appears to me the judge wants the full story on the record before she makes a decision.”

Chávez also warned of broader consequences if the officers ultimately face no prison time.

“Not only do I think there’s a chance they won’t face prison time,” he said, “but I think there’s a chance they could go back to being officers in New Mexico or somewhere else.”

The Nava family previously reached a $5 million wrongful death settlement tied to the case. Nava-Flores said the fight was never about money.

“This is much bigger than us,” she said. “Nobody has seen a verdict completely dismissed — never after conviction and verdict. If this can happen to Hector, it’s happening more and more.”

KSAT reached out to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Las Cruces for comment. A spokesperson responded via email, pointing to the office’s court filings as its official statement and declining further comment.

A ruling from Strickland has not been scheduled.

Read also:

• Survival success story: Mom escapes abuse, publishes book for women in domestic violence recovery

ESPN and The Athletic first reported that the siblings had voted to sell the family trust's remaining interest in the 17-time NBA champion team purchased by their father, Jerry Buss, in 1979. The decision would end Jeanie Buss' tenure as the Lakers' governor because that job requires at least 15% ownership of the team.

Jeannie Buss' attorney, Adam Streisand, wrote to representatives for her five siblings to state that any decision to sell the family trust's ownership stake could not be “effectuated without approval of the current co-trustees, Jeanie, Janie and Joey Buss.”

The letter further states that the co-trustees “are bound to vote the Los Angeles Lakers, Inc. shares to ensure that the minimum 15% ownership requirement is maintained in order to ensure that Jeanie Buss may remain Controlling Owner. Any attempt by the co-trustees to do otherwise, and any attempt to aid or abet the co-trustees as such, would constitute a breach of trust, breach of fiduciary duty and be in contempt of court.”

Jeanie Buss has been the Lakers’ governor since Jerry Buss’ death in 2013, and she led the family’s decision to sell a controlling stake in the Lakers to Dodgers owner Mark Walter last year at a valuation of $10 billion. Walter, who is under federal investigation for tax issues, abruptly reached a deal earlier this month to flip the Lakers to Kushner and Iger at a valuation of $12.5 billion, another record for a pro sports team.

Venture capitalist Kushner and former Disney CEO Iger are reportedly buying about 65% of the team from Walter. They would own about 83% if they reach a deal with the Buss siblings — and Jeanie Buss would lose the governor role that she had been slated to keep at least through 2030 under the deal with Walter.

The Buss siblings have been in frequent conflict since their father’s death, with Jeanie firing Jim from his job as the Lakers’ head of basketball operations in 2017, followed a week later by a lawsuit against her brothers amid an attempt by Jim and Johnny to oust Jeanie from her role as the Lakers’ controlling owner.

Not all of the six Buss siblings were in favor of the sale to Walter, and Joey and Jesse were fired from their front-office jobs with the team last November.

The siblings say they voted this month to sell their family's remaining interest in the Lakers, but Jeanie Buss claims any vote is void. ESPN reported that Jeanie Buss was the only sibling who didn't support the final sale.

“We have decided as a family to sell the remaining Buss Family Trust shares to the Bob Iger group as part of the ongoing transaction,” the Buss family said in a statement. “We love the Lakers, Laker fans and will continue to support Los Angeles, but it is time to use this opportunity to move on and exit gracefully while we still can.”

In his letter, Streisand said Joey and Jesse Buss have leaked information to ESPN for many years “for the malicious purpose of doing harm to the Los Angeles Lakers so long as Dr. Buss’s chosen successor, Jeanie Buss, carries out her father’s wishes.”

Jerry Buss was a chemist and real estate investor who bought the Lakers, the NHL's Los Angeles Kings and the Forum arena from Jack Kent Cooke for $67.5 million. The Lakers quickly entered a renaissance in which they became known for their flashy “Showtime” style of play while winning five NBA titles between 1980 and 1988 behind Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

While the NBA and professional sports became increasingly more corporate, the Lakers remained essentially a family business despite their massive profile and steady success. Jerry Buss and the Lakers have employed many of the basketball world's greatest players and coaches of the past five decades, and Kobe Bryant led the Lakers to five additional championships between 2000 and 2010 before LeBron James added the 17th in 2020.

The sale agreement with Kushner and Iger still must be approved by the NBA's board of governors, and the process could take months.

___

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

Tyler's “If I Sing You A Love Song" played as her rose-covered coffin was carried into Swansea Minster for the invite-only funeral that was projected on a screen outside. Her “It’s a Heartache” played as the coffin was placed in front of the altar.

“Bonnie was always a star but never a diva,” her manager, Matthew Davis, said in one of several tributes. “She never forgot her roots or where she came from. She would have been amazed and very gratified at the massive outpouring of love from all over the world that has occurred since her sudden and unexpected passing.”

The Grammy-nominated pop star, beloved for her 1983 chart-topping power ballad “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” died last month in a hospital in Portugal at 75. She had been hospitalized in May in Faro, where she had a home, for emergency intestinal surgery.

The funeral was held less than a week after her signature song served as the soundtrack at celebrations marking a total eclipse that darkened skies across parts of Europe.

Crowds lined the streets Saturday in her seaside Welsh village of Mumbles as a hearse carried her coffin, draped in a Welsh flag, home.

Kathleen Davies, who joined the crowd outside the church, said she was starstruck when she first saw Tyler but later came to learn she was down to earth.

“She’s Welsh through and through,” Davies said. "Everything about her, she’s natural, there’s no fake stuff. When you see her on the interviews, she’s just who she is.”

Tyler was born Gaynor Hopkins, a coal miner’s daughter in public housing with an outside toilet in Skewen, Wales, about 7 miles (11 kilometers) outside Swansea. She grew up with three sisters and two brothers.

Canon Justin Davies said in a eulogy written by her family that she first performed in a contest at a rugby club in the late 1960s, singing ”Those Were The Days,” made famous by Mary Hopkin.

“She came in second and won just one pound, but was hooked," Davies said. “The rest, as they say, was history.”

Tyler went on to earn three Grammy nods and in 2013 represented Britain at the Eurovision Song Contest, where she came in 19th. She was honored as a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 2022 for her services to music by Queen Elizabeth II, thanks mainly to “Total Eclipse of the Heart.”

The ballad shot to the top of the charts in Britain and the United States and has had more than 1 billion streams, boosted by real eclipses in 2017, 2024 and most recently during last week’s solar eclipse.

She was also known for “Holding Out For a Hero,” from the soundtrack of the film “Footloose.”

___

Melley reported from London.

Officers responded to a call for a disturbance involving a gun just before midnight on Monday in the 6700 block of Spring Front Drive.

A 56-year-old man who called 911 said that people were in his backyard and one of them was armed with a gun, Salame said.

Upon arrival, the officer contacted a woman who was later identified as the caller’s girlfriend, according to an SAPD preliminary report.

While talking with the woman, the report said the officer saw the 56-year-old man carrying two large knives.

Salame said the man refused the officer’s commands to put down the knives.

At some point, the man “aggressively advanced” toward the officer, Salame said.

Police said the officer then fired multiple gunshots, striking the man four times. He died at the scene.

SAPD believes the man may have been experiencing a mental episode, as there was no one armed in his backyard.

Salame said the officer has been with the San Antonio Police Department for around one year.

According to the city, Sunday night’s incident was the eighth SAPD shooting of 2026.

No other injuries were reported. SAPD said its investigation is ongoing. Further information was not readily available.

Read also:

• Medical episode triggered chain-reaction crash on US 281 that ejected 2 girls, SAPD says

Trump explained his decision by citing South Korea’s refusal to join his war against Iran and pointing to what he said was his good relationship with North Korea’s reclusive dictator, a transactional and personal approach to foreign policy that has defined the Republican’s presidency.

“There is no American interest that I can see in this,” said Dan Fried, an assistant secretary of state for European affairs in the George W. Bush administration. “On all levels it makes no sense. It undermines the South Koreans, undermines the Japanese, frightens the Taiwanese, unnerves NATO and emboldens the Chinese, not to mention the North Koreans.”

Danny Russel, former assistant secretary of state for East Asia and the Pacific in the Obama administration, said Trump's decision to side with North Korea, which strongly objects to the annual joint military exercises, is "firmly in the ‘hard-to see-how-it-could-be-worse’ category.”

“It is tragically upside-down. Trump is punishing an ally while encouraging an adversary,” said Russel, now a scholar at the Asia Society Policy Institute in New York. “He is protecting Kim Jong Un’s sensitive feelings from an unfriendly signal at the expense of U.S.-South Korean security."

The message it sends to South Koreans

Trump on Sunday ordered the U.S. military to downsize the 11-day Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises, which began Monday as scheduled. It wasn’t known which parts of the training were being scaled back.

His announcement baffled many in South Korea, which has been closely allied with the U.S. for decades and where national security is a top priority due to threats from nuclear-armed North Korea.

It also drew instant criticism from many Democrats in Congress.

“Treating one of America’s closest allies like an adversary weakens our alliances and benefits China and North Korea," said Rep. Greg Meeks of New York, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, in a statement.

Trump on Monday doubled down, posting a photo of North Korea’s leader speaking on a phone. The caption read: “HEY DONALD ... WE COOL, RIGHT?”

Retired U.S. Ambassador Robert Wood, who served under Republican and Democratic presidents, said the joint military exercises are critical to deterring North Korea, which has shunned any talks with the U.S. over its nuclear program and has accelerated weapons testing.

“We also don’t want South Korea to draw the conclusion that a nuclear weapons capability is the only guarantee it has to ensure its security,” Wood said.

Matthew Kroenig, who previously served in defense and intelligence positions in Republican and Democratic administrations, said polls show that South Koreans have increasingly supported the idea of pursuing their own nuclear weapons.

“The United States has been working really hard to try to persuade South Korea that they are protected,” said Kroenig, who is now with the Atlantic Council, a Washington think tank. Scaling back the exercises “potentially undermines that message,” he said.

Seoul tried to flatter Trump

Trump's turnabout came even after the South Koreans worked to flatter the American president, eager to gain favor on critical issues such as trade and defense.

As soon as he sat down in the gilded Oval Office for his meeting with Trump last year, new President Lee Jae Myung praised the room’s elaborate decor. Laying it on thick, Lee affirmed Trump’s assertion that Kim would not have pursued his nuclear ambitions had Trump won a second consecutive term in 2020, while dangling the prospect of an eventual Trump Tower in North Korea.

Trump just hours earlier had appeared to show sympathy for Lee’s predecessor, Yoon Suk Yeol, who had been ousted from office after imposing martial law in December 2024.

Charles Kupchan, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, said Trump's scaling back of the exercises may prompt longtime allies to think more about their own security without U.S. help.

“They are hoping that the American umbrella is there for the future,” said Kupchan, who worked on the National Security Council under Democratic Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, “but they have to at least contemplate the idea that Uncle Sam won’t be there for them.”

‘It’s like he wants to burn it all down'

Kupchan said Trump is not mistaken in wanting to have South Korea, as well as the Europeans, contribute more to their defense. But, he said, the president’s unpredictable approach cuts through the solidarity that undergirds those alliances “because he ends up insulting allies.”

Fried said Trump seems unwilling to "take a win” after brow-beating NATO members and Asian allies into increasing their defense spending.

“NATO is building up, South Korea is building up, Japan is building up. Trump has a problem with taking the win," said Fried, who is currently at the Atlantic Council. "It’s like he wants to burn it all down.”

John Herbst, a former ambassador to Ukraine under President George W. Bush, said the Korea decision shows how inconsistent the Trump administration can be in its policy pronouncements. But in general, he said, the U.S. has maintained long-term alliances.

“If these things grow in frequency and in importance, obviously we will be in the process of taking apart the alliance system, which has served us so well since the end of World War II,” said Herbst, who also is with the Atlantic Council. “But despite some statements which seem to head in that direction, we have not headed there in a consistent, strong way.”

Kupchan agreed.

While the president’s language could be taken as “we’re done with you,” Kupchan said, “the reality is that, at least as of today, Trump has left intact America’s forward bases and its core alliance relationships.”

Whether Trump’s message to South Korea will amount to a meaningful policy change or a fleeting social media post is up in the air.

“He’s an unpredictable president,” Kroenig said. “If we move on and the exercises go as planned and we never hear anything about this again, I wouldn’t be surprised.”

——

Associated Press reporters Collin Binkley, Jesse Bedayn, Lisa Mascaro and Seung Min Kim in Washington and Farnoush Amiri in New York contributed to this report.

San Antonio City Council rejected Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones’ attempt to get the city’s funding for a downtown Spurs arena onto the November ballot in a 5-6 vote Monday.

“I think she is trying to look out for the city, but we’ve already voted,” said Houston Carpenter, co-owner of Beau’s Tiny Diner.

KSAT spoke with residents walking around Hemisfair on Monday, who were mixed on the attempt for a second public vote.

Some Spurs fans said the city had already spoken and that it’s important the new arena be built.

“The Spurs brought me memories as a kid,” Elliot Rodriguez said. “They are bringing my kids memories.”

Other residents, who asked to remain anonymous, were skeptical about whether a new arena was the best use of funds.

Regardless of whether they supported the new arena or not, everyone KSAT spoke with agreed that a second vote on funding at the ballot box would likely not be rejected by city residents.

“I think we’d still get the votes we need,” Rodriguez said.

Read also:

• San Antonio City Council bats down second arena funding vote

The formal request comes after the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled earlier this year that Texas’ and Louisiana’s laws mandating such displays did not violate the Constitution’s ban on states prioritizing one religion over others. 

“As a parent, I intentionally choose to have my children attend public school because I prefer an educational environment without any religious affiliation,” Nichole Manning, a Dallas-area parent  who is atheist, said in a statement. “In a diverse public school environment, all students should be treated with equal respect, regardless of their religious beliefs, or lack thereof.”

Manning is among more than two dozen families seeking relief from the U.S. Supreme Court. The families participated in two separate cases involving the Ten Commandments —  Nathan v. Alamo Heights Independent School District and Cribbs Ringer v. Comal Independent School District.

The legal fights over the Ten Commandments play a central role in the national debate over whether such laws violate the Supreme Court’s 1980 ruling that found such a law unconstitutional. 

A majority of the court’s current justices have shown a willingness to overturn longstanding precedent. Republican state leaders and advocates across the nation have supported new Ten Commandments requirements with the hope that the court’s conservative majority will overturn the decades-old decision. 

Families against Ten Commandments laws say parents should control how to teach their children about religion and that state leaders should respect that children come from a diversity of faiths and nonreligious backgrounds. 

Here’s what we know: Texas can enforce a state law requiring public schools to display posters of the Ten Commandments in classrooms after an April 21 federal court ruling.

A 9-8 majority of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Texas’ law requiring public schools to display posters of the Ten Commandments did not violate the Constitution, which prohibits governments from establishing an official state religion.

“It does not tell churches or synagogues or mosques what to believe or how to worship or whom to employ as priests, rabbis, or imams,” the ruling stated. “It punishes no one who rejects the Ten Commandments, no matter the reason.”

Sixteen families from across Texas sued over the law, alleging that it amounted to state leaders promoting their interpretation of Christianity over other faiths.  

All 17 active judges on the court listened to the case — Rabbi Nathan v. Alamo Heights Independent School District — alongside a similar challenge in Louisiana, the first state to pass a Ten Commandments requirement for its public schools. The court cleared the way in February for Louisiana to fully implement its law. 

After the decision, the civil rights organizations representing the families expressed disappointment. 

“The court’s ruling goes against fundamental First Amendment principles and binding U.S. Supreme Court authority,” the groups said in a statement. “The First Amendment safeguards the separation of church and state, and the freedom of families to choose how, when and if to provide their children with religious instruction. This decision tramples those rights.”

Meanwhile, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton required that schools provide documentation to his office “regarding the display or lack thereof of the Ten Commandments and their policies.” He also called for proof that locally elected school boards voted on whether they would set aside time each day for students and staff to pray. A new state law required trustees to vote on prayer time in school by March 1. 

Background: The Legislature passed Senate Bill 10 in 2025, with Gov. Greg Abbott signing it into law that June. It requires public schools to display donated posters of the Ten Commandments, sized at least 16 by 20 inches, in a visible space on classroom walls.

The families — represented by a coalition of civil rights organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union of Texas — sued 11 school districts to block what their lawyers called “catastrophically unconstitutional” legislation.

U.S. District Judge Fred Biery agreed, blocking the law from taking effect in the districts named in the lawsuit: Alamo Heights, North East, Lackland, Northside, Austin, Lake Travis, Dripping Springs, Houston, Fort Bend, Cypress-Fairbanks and Plano.

Biery concluded the law improperly favors Christianity over other faiths and said it would likely interfere with families’ “exercise of their sincere religious or nonreligious beliefs in substantial ways.”

Paxton asked the 5th Circuit Court to overturn Biery’s ruling and allow all 17 active judges on the court to hear the Texas and Louisiana cases together. Republican presidents appointed 12 of the appeals court’s judges. The court is considered one of the most conservative in the nation.

A federal judge blocked Louisiana’s Ten Commandments law from taking effect in 2024, a decision unanimously upheld last year by a panel of three judges on the 5th Circuit Court. 

The arguments for the case did not include two other prominent Texas lawsuits challenging the Ten Commandments law.

One lawsuit resulted in a federal judge blocking 14 more school districts from complying with the law. The other asked a federal judge to block all Texas schools from following the law.

Why the families sued: They argued that the law subjects children to a state-imposed Protestant version of the Ten Commandments that many religious and nonreligious Texans do not recognize.

The families believe the law seeks to pressure students into observing and adopting Texas officials’ preferred religious principles.

They say the law will inflict harm by alienating children of those who do not follow the state’s preferred religion and that parents’ authority to direct their children’s religious education is undermined.

“Posting the Ten Commandments in public schools is un-American and un-Baptist,” Griff Martin, a pastor, parent and plaintiff in the lawsuit, said in a statement last year. “S.B. 10 undermines the separation of church and state as a bedrock principle of my family’s Baptist heritage. Baptists have long held that the government has no role in religion — so that our faith may remain free and authentic.”

The families’ lawyers argue that because children are legally required to attend school, they have virtually no way of avoiding Texas’ required version of the Ten Commandments.

The U.S. Supreme Court found public school displays of the Ten Commandments unconstitutional in 1980. Civil rights attorneys argue that only the Supreme Court can overturn its previous rulings.

What the state argued: Paxton and attorneys from his office say the Ten Commandments played a significant role in the nation’s history and heritage. State leaders have said previous rulings from federal courts and the U.S. Supreme Court did not examine that historical significance.

State lawyers also note that the Supreme Court recently eliminated a test, established by a previous ruling, that determined when a government had unconstitutionally endorsed or established a religion.

“There is no legal reason to stop Texas from honoring a core ethical foundation of our law, especially not a bogus claim about the ‘separation of church and state,’ which is a phrase found nowhere in the Constitution,” Paxton said last year.

Lawyers with the attorney general’s office see the Ten Commandments requirement as requiring only a “passive display on the wall” that does not rise to the level of coercion because students are free to ignore the posters. The law might cross the line if it sought to incorporate the Ten Commandments into lessons or assignments, they argued.

The posters must go up in Texas classrooms only if donated by someone. The law does not specify what would happen if school leaders choose not to comply. The state views that as evidence no threat or harm is posed to families. However, Paxton threatened legal action if schools do not comply and sued three districts for alleged noncompliance.

What happened during oral arguments: Some judges questioned state officials from Texas and Louisiana about their decisions to use a Protestant version of the Ten Commandments and how that would affect families who do not follow those religious principles. 

Lawyers for the states argued that the laws do not ask children to subscribe to a particular belief and urged the judges to consider legislators’ intent to teach students about important documents in U.S. history.

The judges questioned how children would know the posters have anything to do with American history. They also asked for historical evidence showing the use of the Ten Commandments in public schools. 

Lawyers for the states pointed to early textbooks that referenced the Ten Commandments but acknowledged those materials were largely used in religious settings prior to the establishment of public schools in the 1800s. 

Public schools used the materials through the early 20th century. However, a prominent historian who testified in the case noted that the Ten Commandments were not significant aspects of the texts and that it is unclear how much teachers relied on those specific lessons. 

“A legislature in Louisiana, a legislature in Texas, is absolutely well within its right to say: We want to actually teach our students about founding documents,” said Ben Aguiñaga, the attorney representing Louisiana. 

Judges asked the lawyers representing the families why they consider the Ten Commandments posters problematic when students recite the Pledge of Allegiance and learn about the Declaration of Independence and Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail — all of which refer to God. 

King’s letter and the Declaration of Independence may reference religion, the lawyers replied, but they’re about more than religion.

Some judges noted during arguments that the Supreme Court’s 1980 ruling heavily relied on a test that courts no longer use. The families’ lawyers countered that removing the test did not overturn Supreme Court precedent preventing the Ten Commandments from going up in public classrooms.

If students do not follow the religious principles in the state’s mandated version of the Ten Commandments, judges asked, can’t they ignore the posters? 

“They can’t just look away, your honor,” said attorney Jon Youngwood, representing the families. “Not for 13 years. Not in every class. Not every minute of every day.”

What the appeals court ruled: A court majority concluded that the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1980 ruling in Stone v. Graham is no longer valid. That case found a Kentucky law requiring the posting of the Ten Commandments unconstitutional. 

The Supreme Court recently abandoned the test established in Stone that determined whether states had illegally endorsed or promoted a religion, the 5th U.S. Circuit judges noted. That means “there is nothing left of Stone,” they noted in the ruling.

They concluded that Texas’ Ten Commandments law does not establish an official state religion. Among reasons, they noted that it “levies no taxes to support any clergy. It does not co-opt churches to perform civic functions.”

The judges ruled that the law is not coercive because it does not require students to learn the Ten Commandments or give teachers authority to undermine students’ religious beliefs. 

“Yes, Plaintiffs have sincere religious disagreements with its content,” the opinion reads. “But that does not transform the poster into a summons to prayer.”

An opinion written by judges who opposed the decision argued in response that it is insignificant that Texas’ law does not require schools to teach the Ten Commandments. 

The law poses a threat to children’s religious beliefs and undermines what parents may want their kids to learn about religion, they wrote in dissenting statements.

The opposing judges agreed with the argument of families who sued that the Supreme Court has not overturned its Stone v. Graham ruling. Lower courts are bound by Stone even if the test established in it is no longer in use, they added. Taking into account the historical-based approach courts must now use, the dissenting judges said Texas’ law still violates the Constitution.

Alamo Colleges District and Texas State University are two of nine schools statewide that will receive a combined $2.025 million in an effort to “support free, open educational resources for students in nursing and workforce training programs,” according to a Monday news release from Gov. Greg Abbott’s Office.

“Texas schools offer a competitive education for a variety of high-demand careers,” Abbott said in the release. “As we strengthen our workforce in nursing, cybersecurity, electrical technology, and business, it is critical that students have access to the resources they need to succeed in their chosen field. These grants will expand access to free learning materials to make education more affordable for Texans.”

The governor’s office said the grants are made possible through the state’s Open Educational Resources Grant Program (OERGP), which allows for schools “to create and adopt” textbooks and other learning materials for students’ use.

Alamo Colleges District and Texas State will each receive $285,000 worth of grants between 2026 and 2028. The other seven Texas institutions receiving funding are:

• Collin County Community College District ($285,000)
• El Paso County Community College District ($285,000)
• Lamar Institute of Technology ($285,000)
• Lee College ($285,000)
• North Central Texas College ($285,000)
• Texas A&M University-Kingsville ($15,000)
• West Texas A&M University ($15,000)

“As every college student knows, the cost of textbooks and supplies can put a dent in their bank account,” Texas Higher Education Commissioner Wynn Rosser said in the news release. “The OER grant program has reduced those costs for thousands of Texas students through the continual expansion of the OERTX online library of free textbooks and course materials.”

Impact at Alamo Colleges District

In a statement to KSAT, Alamo Colleges District Chancellor Mike Flores said the grant will have a large effect on the school’s “business management courses.”

“The Alamo Colleges District is grateful to Governor Abbott and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for this $285,000 investment in open educational resources. This grant builds on the impact of our AlamoBOOKS+ initiative by helping us develop free, high-quality course materials for five high-enrollment business management courses. Business management is an important workforce program that prepares students with skills aligned to high-wage, in-demand occupations across Texas.

“By replacing commercial textbooks and course materials with openly licensed resources, the project is expected to save students approximately $419,000 annually while giving them access to course materials at no cost from the first day of class. This investment will help remove financial barriers for students while strengthening pathways from higher education to the Texas workforce.”

Alamo Colleges District Chancellor Mike Flores

Texas State University officials said they received KSAT’s request for comment Monday. As of Monday night, a formal response had not been sent to KSAT.

More Texas education coverage on KSAT:

• Supreme Court asked to review Texas law requiring the Ten Commandments in public schools
• North East ISD jumps from C to B in TEA accountability ratings
• North East ISD among 3 San Antonio-area districts starting school Monday

The project through the national park in southern Texas has faced fierce bipartisan opposition by critics who say it is marring the area's pristine environment. They argue the region’s rugged and remote terrain already serves as a deterrent to migrants and smugglers. Border crossings in the area have historically been lower than other regions and have dropped even further over the past two years.

“CBP is pausing all construction activity in Big Bend National Park while I visit and conduct a personal, on-the-ground evaluation,” Rodney Scott, who heads Customs and Border Protection, said on X. Scott said over the next couple of days, he was going to “listen to local leadership, community members and stakeholders” to address what he said were “real” national security threats while protecting the park.

Customs and Border Protection did not respond to questions about how long the construction was paused or give any details on whom Scott would be meeting with in Texas.

A rare concession from Trump administration

While it isn’t clear whether the brief suspension portended a more permanent halt to the construction in the area, it reflected the intensity of the bipartisan opposition and was a rare concession from the administration on a signature promise of the president’s that it has raced to complete.

Congress gave the Trump administration $46 billion last summer to build a wall from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico, and the administration has been charging ahead and waiving numerous regulations in an effort to swiftly build the wall.

Scott has said he expects the first layer of the wall to be built by the end of next year.

But the administration has run into fierce opposition in Texas, especially when it comes to construction in and near Big Bend National Park and a state park to the west.

Customs and Border Protection earlier this year backed off plans to build a 30-foot-tall bollard wall through the parks but was still moving forward with other border protection measures such as a new road, lights, barriers designed to stop cars from crossing the border and technology such as buried fiber optic cables.

That has sparked opposition from Democratic and Republican sheriffs in the region, former national park officials, local residents who rely on the parks for their livelihood and some Texas elected officials. Critics have said it will scar the rugged landscape that attracts tourists who raft down the Rio Grande River and take advantage of some of the clearest night skies in the U.S. to gaze at stars.

The sheriff of Brewster County, which includes Big Bend National Park, said Monday that he'll be meeting with Scott during his trip and that he was glad the commissioner was going to have the opportunity to see the terrain with his own eyes and hear firsthand from people in the region.

Ronny Dodson is concerned about possible damage to archeological sites and Native American burial grounds caused by construction for the new road that's supposed to be built through the park. He hopes Scott will see how closely the new road mirrors an already existing road, and Dodson said he wants more information about the technology the agency plans to use to secure the border.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said he spoke with Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin over the weekend and suggested that the construction pause was a result of their talk. Abbott said the secretary committed to the governor that there would be no wall or barriers built in the park, but the governor made no mention of the road building that has concerned local residents.

Bulldozers seen recently in park clearing land

Last week, bulldozers were seen clearing land at the park, sparking even more concern and raising questions from one of the state's Republican senators.

At the time the bulldozers were seen, the Department of Homeland Security said on X that they were related to “survey and design work.”

Sen. John Cornyn, who lost the Republican primary to the state's attorney general, wrote to Mullin over construction concerns.

“My constituents believe that the 1,000-foot riverbank cliffs and remote Big Bend terrain offers its own source of deterrence for any illegal migrants crossing into the United States. The dangerous terrain includes steep mountains, deep canyons, and expansive deserts which they believe act a natural barrier that limits large-scale movements,” Cornyn wrote.

As the wall-building efforts have shifted into high gear this year along the roughly 2,000-mile border, opposition has spiked as well.

The administration has faced criticism from Native American groups saying wall contractors are desecrating religious sites, a small Texas town worried the wall will damage its levee system, and a Catholic archdiocese that says wall construction in the El Paso area mars an important religious site.

Activists praise the pause but say it's only a first step

Activists who have been rallying opposition to the administration's plans said they were encouraged by the pause but they would be watching closely to see if CBP makes any significant changes or simply goes back to its previous plans.

Bob Krumenaker was the superintendent of Big Bend National Park from 2018 to 2023 and now chairs the organization “Keep Big Bend Wild,” which aims to preserve the park's wild nature. He said he was “wary but optimistic” after news of the pause.

“They are paying attention to all of the objections that have been raised across the political spectrum,” he said.

But Krumenaker said it's unlikely that CBP is going to entirely abandon all its plans in the region. Krumenaker said he and others would be watching to see whether the equipment like the bulldozers is removed from the park, the agency outlines a clear plan going forward and it repairs any damage already done.

“Let’s hope they significantly modify their plans in response to what they hear, and make it transparent,” he said.

Another group, which sued Homeland Security over its decision to broadly waive regulations to speed up construction projects in the Big Bend region, called the announcement “welcome news” but warned that construction could resume “at any moment.”

“This temporary pause proves how much non-partisan public pressure is mounting in West Texas and across America to stop the irreversible destruction unfolding in this crown jewel national park,” said Laiken Jordahl with the Center for Biological Diversity.

“We’re not resting until these contracts are canceled, these workers are sent packing, the waivers are rescinded and every wall plan for the greater Big Bend region is scrapped for good.”